Success Tip #6

Getting Sales Leads

Buyers can be very time consuming, if you don’t have a specific SYSTEM in place.
Your next series of tips will take you through a system that will funnel well qualified buyers your way, increase your conversion rates and decrease the amount of time you have to spend with them.

How are you currently generating your buyer leads?  Rather than sit back and wait, our market demands ACTION!  Now is the time to really sit down and think of various “systems” that you could put into place that will garner these leads even while you might be away.  Yes, you oversee the system and the system does the work!

Here are some ways to consistently generate buyer leads.

• Open House
• Sign Calls
• Ad Calls
• Referrals from Past Clients
• Homebuyer seminars
• Rental Farming
• FSBOs that want to buy another house
• Your Loan Officer
• Relocation Referrals
• Internet Leads

Success Tip #5 - Build A Solid Business Contact Sphere

A contact sphere is a group of business professionals who have a symbiotic relationship with you. They are in compatible, noncompetitive professions, such as: skill trades people, appraisors, inspectors, escrow companies, title companies and mortgage brokers and bankers. Each one is working with clients that have similar needs but require different services.

Identify as many professions as possible that fit within your company's contact sphere. Take a look at what professions your industry tends to work with to get an idea of repetitive and reciprocal referrals. Create a list of these professions.

Identify specific individuals who could fit into your contact sphere. Go to various networking groups and consult your business card file and database.

Invite these people to participate in networking groups with you so you can formalize your relationship and have a way to stay in regular contact. Maintaining the relationship is key. A good way to do that is to participate in groups that put you together on a regular basis.

Evaluate the professionals in your contact sphere that you are presently referring. If they are not reciprocating, you may have the wrong profession or the wrong person. Fill the spot with someone who is willing to reciprocate.

Success Tip #4 - Develop A Marketing Budget

Operating an effective marketing plan requires money, so you will have to allocate funds from your operating budget to cover advertising, promotional and all other costs associated with marketing. Develop a balanced marketing budget based on the cost:

• For your advertising and promotional plan
• For costs allocated for advertising and promotions
• For advertising and promotional materials
• For a list of advertising media to be used

The key to success is to have an well-planned marketing strategy, to establish your policies and to constantly monitor prices and operating costs to ensure profits. Keep abreast of changes in the marketplace because these changes can affect your bottom line.

Develop An Effective Promotional Strategy
Develop a promotional strategy that uses a diversity of media for promoting your business.

• advertising media
• print media (newspaper, magazine, classified ads, Yellow Pages advertising, brochure)
• radio / television
• networking events
• business cards
• tee shirts, hats, buttons, pens

Success Tip #3 - Fine Tune Your Direct Marketing

A lot of real estate agents are beginning to develop tunnel vision with regard to the Internet. What I mean is, they are focusing on their web presence to such a degree that they have forgotten about other forms of marketing. The Internet is a powerful marketing channel, but it's not the only one. Various types of direct marketing and public relations can be used to broaden and strengthen your real estate marketing program as a whole.

Here's a marketing tip for real estate agents using direct marketing tactics, such as real estate postcards. Tune up your direct marketing. Do some testing to find out what's working and what's not. Then do more of the good and less of the bad. Experiment with new forms of direct marketing. Add value to your message. Strengthen your offer. Give people an incentive to respond. Use the proven techniques of direct mail marketing to boost your success.

Success Tip #2 - Create A Marketing Plan

 The benefits of a planned marketing strategy are numerous. Brokers often rely solely on their intuition to make business decisions. While this informal knowledge is important in the decision making process, it may not provide you with all the facts you need to achieve marketing results. A marketing strategy will help you in defining business goals and develop activities to achieve them. Here are some tips to get started:

• Describe your company's unique selling proposition.
• Define your target market.
• Write down the benefits of your services.
• Describe how you will position your services.
• Define your marketing methods. Will you advertise, use Internet marketing, direct marketing, or public relations?
• Your Unique Selling Proposition sets you out from the rest, don't try to develop a marketing plan without one.
• It's important that you have a budget developed for your marketing plan. Marketing is an investment.
• Revisit your marketing plan at least once every quarter. Are you on target? Do you need to revise it?

Success Tip #1 - Create A Web Presence

A website is one entity. A web presence is a combination of online entities, each one reinforcing and supporting the next. When you combine online marketing tools (such as your website, a real estate blog, online press releases and articles), you can steadily increase the number of ways people find you. Also, by being "ever present" on the Web, you will reinforce your brand and be better able to position yourself as an authority.

Keep a Positive Attitude when Unemployed

During this recession a lot of people are unemployed and looking for a job. But finding a job in this economy is not so easy. It can be sometimes difficult to stay sane and to keep a positive attitude when you are out of a job and the economy is in recession.

Read more: How to Stay Sane and Keep a Positive Attitude when Unemployed | eHow.com