Gary Elwood
Author Archives: Gary Elwood
Gary Elwood
The 3 Reasons Why You Don’t Convert Online Visitors to Leads
Let me start by asking you a question: How many holes are in your bucket?
I use the leaky bucket metaphor for a site that doesn’t successfully convert visitors into leads. Traffic fills the bucket but leaks out of holes.
Deal is, you need to plug as many of these holes as possible.
How many holes are in your bucket?
Great question to ask yourself as you lie awake at night worrying about when the next lead is going to come in.
There are many reasons websites don’t generate the anticipated amount of business. Below are three of the most basic, easiest to address and often overlooked issues.
No One Can Find It
Sorry to be so blunt: If you built a site but did not optimize it before submitting to search engines, don’t expect to be found.
Okay, you may be found for your name. But not for the important keywords that searchers will typically use when looking to buy or sell homes.
And how often does someone go looking for real estate by typing in your name? Unless they know you. But I bet you’ve fatigued that list out already.
You need new leads.
Now, not being found on the search engines may not be important to you if you have a big marketing budget and actively conduct campaigns to promote your site.
But the majority of agents aren’t in this position.
Most are seeking lower cost options for promoting their sites. Most are struggling to stay afloat. If this describes your situation, it’s time to seriously look into search engine optimization, especially local search.
It works, and it can be done with a limited budget AND it can provide a high return on investment.
Does it still pay to optimize for search engines? Both with your time and talent?
Yes. But take a balanced view. Sweat the small stuff and don’t sweat the small stuff. You’ll see what I mean.
Your Call to Action Is Missing or Buried in Your Site
What do you ultimately want your visitors to do? You’ve got to make that crystal clear. Watch a video? Sign up for your mailing list? Search for homes? Take some other actions?
This is especially important: Can visitors take these actions on or within one click of your home page?
Include a call to action on your Home page and at appropriate points throughout your site.
And I’m not talking about an implied sales message, but a clear and direct call to action. Take a hint from The Real Estate Tomato, RSS Pieces, Russell Shaw or Craig Forte.
Visit these websites and see if you can find their call to action quickly.
Many people shy away from using bold, clear call to actions because they don’t want to appear too aggressive.
The reality is your visitors want you to make your call to action clear to them. They want to know from the start what they can accomplish on your site.
I’m not suggesting that you include pushy sales pitches. But I am saying you need to pro-actively invite your visitors to order, request, subscribe, sign-up, click or visit.
Find a tone that is appropriate for your site and add at least one specific call to action to your site today.
Tip: Read this article from hubspot to help you create strong call to actions.
You Stink at Lead Follow-Up
Having a well defined strategy to follow up on any leads generated from your site is key to converting visitors to leads. But we all know this is easier said then done–especially if you have a tight budget.
When you are short on cash, dig deeper into your creativity. I suggest you use your creativity to find cost effective ways to follow up on your leads.
Our browse Bill Rice’s list of Top 100 Tips for Lead Management and Sales Success.
This is also priceless [kind of]: read this case study by MarketingSherpa on How to Use Auto-responders to Convert Skeptical Visitors [paid subscription, but 7 day free trial to read the article. It’s worth it. Trust me.].
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing blog.
Related Articles
Get Attention: 10 Unorthodox Ideas That Really Work
21 Low Budget Ways to Keep the Revenue Flowing During a Recession
Get Attention: 10 Unorthodox Ideas That Really Work
P. T. Barnum once said, “Without promotion something terrible happens. Nothing.”
Barnum was probably called an “attention junkie” repeatedly throughout his life for his outrageous stunts and hoaxes for promotional purposes. But you know what? He probably wore that label like a badge of honor.
Of course he had to be an attention junkie. He was trying to make some money.
But he was also insanely focused on delivering exceptional value to his customers. He even crusaded against schemers and charlatans that swindled people out of money.
So self-promotion isn’t evil. Just another way to generate business. And it can be fun. Especially if you take an unorthodox slant, as you’ll see from the following list.
1. View blog comments as a network tool.
Maki at Dosh Dosh had this to say: “See blog comments as a way to network with the author, so that you’ll be able to obtain a particular benefit in the future. Think long-term: not just incoming traffic today but exposure down the road. Don’t just focus on getting an immediate return (visitors via your link drop) but use comments to develop relationships of ongoing value.”
2. Ask and answer questions on LinkedIn.
Using the Answers feature at LinkedIn brings your name and profile around to people you’re not exposed to directly. This means more opportunities for someone to recognize your authority in some field, and to reach out and contact you for something further. It means sharing the fruits of your networking with others, and potentially connecting 3rd parties to each other for something bigger. This comes in handy when it becomes obvious that you’re also a good connector. [hat tip]
3. Advertise on MateOne.
I got this one from marketing black sheep Ben Mack. He listed his business profile in this saucy dating community, emailed his house list the link and hauled in a load of attention as the thing spread around the country. Now, whether he got any business from it or not is another question. Just depends on how good he’s at closing.
4. Create or sponsor a community event.
It doesn’t make sense for you to sponsor a rowing event…unless of course you are a rower. Same goes for a young adult’s chess tournament, a scuba clinic or a simple Mother’s Day breakfast.
5. Teach a class outside of real estate.
When you jump out side of your comfort box and rub shoulders with other people–and do it passionately–you are bound to make some good, lasting friends. One easy way to do that is to share your knowledge on a topic that does not deal with real estate. It could be a class on gardening or dealing with grief. Maybe it’s self-defense or guitar lessons. This is also a great way to take a break from the rigors of hard work and enjoy one of your hobbies while nurturing possible business contacts.
6. Write a book.
Sound too hard? Scott Berkun says, “There is no license required. No test to take. Writing, as opposed to publishing, requires almost no financial or physical resources. A pen, a paper and effort are all that has been required for hundreds of years.” He goes on to say If Voltaire and Marquis de Sade could write in prison, then you can do it in suburbia, at lunch at work, or after your kids go to sleep. Here’s some practical advice to get off the ground.
7. Do mission work.
It’s says something exceptional about you when you volunteer your time to help someone less fortunate than you. It’s easy to get picked up by the news. And it’s bound to dim the accusation that real estate agents–at least you–are no better than lawyers and used-car salespeople.
8. Approach strangers.
I struggle with this. You might not. But most people I know think people who do approach strangers and talk to them like they’ve known them for years a little crazy. Of course, these are the people who don’t know a stranger. Who, every where you go, knows just about everybody. And probably have no problem finding leads, business and clients.
9. Volunteer for a political campaign.
Whether local, state or national, volunteering your time for a political campaign will get you inside circles otherwise closed to you. It could be as easy as sticking a sign in your yard or stuffing envelopes. I’d suggest you volunteer to walk the streets and knock on doors and introduce yourself as a real estate agent who is helping to nominate a political candidate. Very low key way to start conversations because you’ll probably have a checklist of issues to talk about or a script.
10. Join a book club.
Sure, no one looks down on a trashy novel at the beach, but when your in a book club it’s time to dust off that thinking cap and tackle some seriously awesome reads. And make some really good, like-minded friends while your at it. From globe-trotting fiction to gray graphic novels to political nonfiction and British mysteries, scour your city for the best book clubs around and get reading.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing blog.
Related Articles
How to Create, Build and Protect a Fearsome Negotiation Reputation
21 Low-Budget Ways to Keep the Revenue Flowing During a Recession
Think 2007 was bad? For some burnt-out and near-broke real estate agents, it’s hard to imagine things getting any worse. But who knows what’s in store for the rest of 2008.
And, even if the economy hasn’t hit rock bottom in your part of the country, it has slowed down significantly in many states.
Worse, it doesn’t take a recession or even a soft economy to create problems for your business.
Every business has ups and downs. Even if things are going great for you right now, you need to develop revenue-generating strategies that succeed when times are tough.
See, recessions are the economy’s little reminder that your marketing needs to be more efficient. You and lots of your friends are being asked to produce more sales with less resources.
(And if you’re reading this post, that might sound familiar to you.)
Many real estate agents fear a flat market. The reason? If the economy is poor, clients will stop spending, and buy only from discount agents.
All of this is true. But only to a degree.
Of course, an economic slowdown can be a problem for your business. Or, it can be an opportunity to gain new clients and boost your sales…if you know and have mastered the marketing and sales methods that work best in times of downturn.
1. Make your ads pay. Starting today, eliminate your old “image” campaign and replace it with one that’s designed to produce bottom-line results. Every ad must communicate benefits and make a strong call to action that produces a measurable response.
2. Track the results of your marketing efforts. Place response codes in all your ads and lead-generation tools.
3. Take advantage of focus groups and surveys.
4. Stay abreast of the latest research and published articles to discover your target market’s current needs, desires and buying preferences. Put customer feedback forms on your Web site and take steps to make your online presence more interactive.
4. Increase your visibility. Associate with a charitable cause or community-based group for a special event. Take a high–profile position-rather than melting into the crowd. But be careful to avoid the appearance of giving for the purpose of self-aggrandizement.
5. Beef up your networking activities. Designate several days a month to get out and attend different groups. Assign goals for follow-up and regularly add contacts to your database.
6. Communicate frequently to your entire prospect database. I recommend about once every six weeks by direct mail, e-mail, fax, phone or in person. Do this and you’ll come out of this downturn with a strong and loyal customer base.
7. Intensify your media relations efforts. Targeting several media outlets with story ideas tailored specifically for your prospects. Identify specific journalists or editors to receive your information and find out if they prefer releases via fax, e-mail or standard mail. After sending your initial information, follow up with phone calls and a polished press kit.
8. Know your scripts. When change hits real estate, consumers look to the experts for guidance. That’s you, so do you homework.
9. Explain in layman’s terms what a buyer’s market is. How it differs from the seller’s market, why the market has shifted to a buyer’s market and what to expect in such a market. And don’t sugar coat this—tell your sellers exactly like it is and that they can expect picky buyers. They’ll thank you later and you’ll keep your reputation intact.
10. Know your numbers. What are the listing prices versus the selling prices in your market area? What’s the average selling price? Is that up or down from the same period last year? What are the days on the market? What is the current supply of homes on the market? This will lead to a price that fits the current market.
11. Categorize your leads. “A” leads are ready to buy or sell now. “B” leads plan to buy or sell in the next month or two. And “C” leads might buy or sell in the next three to six months. It’s easy to salivate over the “A” leads, especially in a slower market. But stay in touch with the “B”s and “C”s—they’re your future business.
12. Share selling tips. Share real estate best practices with buyers. Consider providing a home staging guide or offer to list the home.
13. Offer a higher commission. Give 4 percent commission instead of the standard 3 percent to the buying agent. Lure them in. This really works.
14. Promote your successes. Because the high number of foreclosures has made prospective buyers nervous, let everyone know if any of your communities have zero or very few foreclosures.
15. Offer credit advice. Consider partnering with a credit improvement service that can help customers correct false information and resolve credit problems that are preventing them from getting the best loan.
16. Maximize referral marketing. Your delighted customers are your best sales tool. Sponsor weekly events and activities that bring prospects and loyal customers together so that potential buyers can hear first-hand what a great builder you are.
17. Take a leap into social media. Sell the story of a house through blogs. Create a community with Twitter. The means are endless. These are two great places to start.
18. Stage your listing properly. Recommend home improvement projects carefully to your sellers because returns on these improvements are relative. They’re less likely to recoup top dollar on a new master suite or third full bathroom if they’re the only one on their block doing it. They should improve the home relative to other homes nearby. And also consider using a free product like Showing Feedback to help you get easy price reductions and much needed improvements.
19. Combat the media. There are a lot of good reasons to buy a home today: interest rates are still low, housing prices are falling, home builders are offering sizable cash credits and incentives, and a surplus of new homes means that there are a lot of choices for buyers. Share this information.
20. Revamp your lending. Consider working with brokers who are better equipped to shop around for the best deals. Opt for a variety of partners who are willing to hustle for your home buyers’ best interests.
21. Achieve customer loyalty. The businesses that are holding their own during these tough times have a pipeline of happy customers making referrals. By maximizing referrals, some builders have been able to keep sales steady instead of declining. If you don’t have many sales coming from referrals, you have much lower chances of survival.
Main point: keep your feet moving. Don’t stop.
Yes, change can be tough. But if you stay focused, concentrate on the basics and stay informed on the market, you can weather the shift and continue to make money.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing blog.
Related Articles
When Being a Narrow Minded Fundamentalist Works
Stunningly Easy, 25 Minute and 25 second Routine for Finding Buyer Clients
2 Lethal Mistakes REALTORS Make When Prospecting Foreclosures
How to Create, Build and Protect a Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
Thomas Edison, considered the inventor who harnessed electricity, originally believed that the best way to harness electricity was to use a direct current (DC).
When the Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla appeared to have succeeded in creating a system based on alternating current (AC), Edison was furious.
Edison determined to ruin Tesla’s reputation. He determined to make the public believe that the AC system was inherently unsafe–and Tesla irresponsible for promoting it.
To this end Edison captured all kinds of household pets and electrocuted them to death using an AC current.
When this wasn’t enough, in 1890 he got New York State prison authorities to organize the world’s first execution by electrocution, using an AC current. But Edison’s electrocution experiments had all been with small creatures. The charge was too weak, and the man–only half killed.
In perhaps the country’s cruelest state-authorized execution, the procedure had to be repeated.
It was an awful spectacle.
This is not the kind of reputation you want to follow you into any sales or negotiation setting.
Although in the long run it is Edison’s name that has survived, at the time his campaign damaged his own reputation more than Tesla’s.
So he backed off.
The lesson is simple–never go too far in attacks like these in negotiations, for that will draw more attention to your own vengefulness than to the person you are slandering.
There are better ways to build a fearsome reputation.
How to Create Your Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
Your reputation is critical. There is no exception to this law. You must build it, layer by layer, maintain it and protect it. Then it will proceed you in any negotiation.So you have to start at the foundation.
Since we must live and work in society and must depend on the opinions of others, there is nothing you can gain by neglecting your reputation.
By not caring how you are perceived, you let others decide this for you.
Back in October, the New York reported on online reputation management:
“There is all type of damage by miscreants on the Web to a business,” said Marc S. Friedman, chairman of the intellectual property practice at Sills Cummis Epstein & Gross in Manhattan. “The number of methods depends only on the creativity of the wrongdoer.”
While you shouldn’t shoot for stifling constructive criticism, you should definitely be the the master of your fate. And also of your reputation.
In the social realm, appearances are the barometer of almost all of our judgments, as a Chinese University of Hong Kong discovered a few years ago.
And you must never be misled into believing other wise. This is the reason for the supreme importance of making and maintaining a reputation that is of your own creation.
Sustainable reputation optimization requires going back to the root cause of what influences people’s opinion of you and what creates the buzz–whether online or offline–about you.
Then you must figure out how to set the conversation in the right direction.
The solution here may have less to do with paid media [read: billboards, banners and ballyhoo] than with such foundations as customer service, education, Web infrastructure, and personal mission and philosophy
If you think you can build a fearsome reputation with gimmickry, manipulation, or next-day PageRank, you’d better think twice.
And your blog, while it might allow you the opportunity to dialogue about how you’d like people to think about you, will only go so far if there’s isn’t a compelling, credible message.
It better be a message that bloggers can’t pick apart by comparing (via hyper links) disconnects between what you say and what consumers actually experience.
How to Build Your Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
In the beginning, you must work to establish a reputation for one outstanding quality, whether generosity of honesty or cunning.
This quality sets you apart and gets other people to talk about you. You then make your reputation known to as many people as possible. Step back, and watch it spread like wildfire.
A solid reputation increases your presence and exaggerates your strengths without having to spend much energy.
As they say, your reputation inevitably precedes you, and it it inspires respect. A lot of your work is done for you before you arrive on the scene, or utter a single word.
How to Protect Your Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
Reputation is a treasure to be carefully collected and hoarded. Today, this afternoon or tonight: take the time to discover what you will be known for.
[It helps, if you haven’t already, to get to know yourself through a profile test like Myers-Briggs. You can learn your Myers-Briggs profile free here.]Make your reputation simple and base it on one sterling quality. This single quality–efficiency say, or leadership–becomes a kind of calling card that announces your presence and places others under a spell.
Then take the time to cultivate it. This happens slowly: steady but sure.
And remember, avoid Edison’s mistake: always take the high road when it some to reputation and never appear desperate or vengeful in your self-defense.
Never transgress this law. Learn to protect yourself from hurtful rumors. Confront people. Blog or post a response. Trademark your name.
And if all else fails, initiate legal action. But take action to protect the reputation you’ve so tenderly cultivated.
Like Jesus said, “When among the wolves, act like a sheep but play sly like a snake.” [Rough paraphrase. Forgive me.]
Ancient Observance of a Fearsome Reputation
Robert Green tells a fascinating story about a Chinese general who uses his reputation during China’s War of Three Kingdoms to avoid certain death.
General Chuko Liang of the forces of the Shu Kingdom dispatched his army to a distant camp while he rested in a small city. He kept with him only 100 soldiers.
In no time scouts returned shouting that an enemy army of over 150,000 troops was just over the hill.
Without wasting time Liang told his soldiers to fling the city gates open and to go hide. He put on a Taoist robe, grabbed a lute, lit some incense and sat on top of the highest wall, strumming and chanting away.
Minutes later he could see the massive army approaching, swarming the countryside. Pretending not to notice, Liang continued to strum.
Soon the army stood at the town gates. At its head was Sima Yi, who instantly recognized the man on the wall.
As his soldiers itched to enter the unguarded city, Sima hesitated, held his men back and eventually retreated.
Why?
Chuko Lian was commonly known as the “Sleeping Dragon.” His exploits were legendary. His reputation proceeded him. And Sima figured it was a trap.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog.
Related Articles
Boy in the Bubble: How to Entice Even the Most Pre-Occupied Person
Real Estate Agents: You Don’t Work for Wal-Mart
The numbers game will wear you out. It will leave you dissatisfied, frustrated, and rejected.
The whole idea of the numbers game is that if you spend enough time dialing, churning through prospects, you’re bound to make the occasional sale.
Burn and churn, baby.
Problem is, when you do make a sale, you believe even more that the number of prospects you burned through was the secret to success.
“I made 100 calls and got 2 deals.” So you make more calls. “If I make 1,000 calls I’ll get 20 deals.”
The thing is, real estate is not a game of small-scale volume. You don’t work for Wal-Mart.
Outside of the exhaustion and relentless rejection behind this approach, here’s the real tragedy: its not about how many sales you are making…but how many sales you are losing.
Count the Cost
Is it really worth mowing through 1,000 calls to get 20 deals? Some might say yes.
But what if I could show you a way were you could mosey through half as many calls and still make 20 deals?
Think about it.
When you’re operating out of the old numbers game paradigm, how many leads do you burn through with every call you make?
And how much time do you spend chasing and following up with prospects who will probably never work with you?
It’s really a bad deal to get into. It’s a treadmill.
And I’ll go on the record as saying that yes, some real estate agents love burning through a list and yes, they will actually make very good money doing it, but…
Just because they’re really good at it and it’s the way they found success, doesn’t mean that it IS the only way to success. If they believe this, then they suffer from the I’m-a-hammer-and-everything-else-is-a-nail-syndrome.
Don’t fall under this guy’s spell. He’ll wear you out. No, he’ll chew you up and spit you out. And when you fail, he’ll make you feel like its your fault.
But it’s not. The approach is just not for you.
Dr. Bernie Siegel said “It was impossible to fail with the parents I had. If I got an F in Music, they’d look at me and say, ‘I guess you’re not a musician’.”
How to Carve Out an Approach That Is Right for You
If something about the burn and churn approach doesn’t sit right with you, reconsider your options. In all probability, if it doesn’t sit right with you it’s because it’s an old school approach inappropriate for our current economic view.
I can’t think of any consumer who appreciates cold calling, hustling, rapid fire questions, impatience.
Besides, when you churn and burn you’ll soon find you’re trapped, making huge numbers of calls to reach that tiny percentage of prospects who will buy from you.
In a nutshell, here’s the ugliness of churn and burn:
- Burning through calls involves huge investments of time and energy to achieve a few successes.
- Numbers-game scripts talk at prospects and lead to rejection in all but a tiny percentage of calls.
- Prospects know that they’re just a phone number to you and that you’re not interested in engaging them on a human level.
- The only goal is to move the sale forward, or to get a quick “no” so you can move on to the next call.
The mystique of the old numbers game is that you’re bound to “hit” once in a while.
But people who sell the old way never ask themselves how many opportunities they’ve lost in a day because they haven’t gotten to the truth with their prospects.
Now, when you focus on quality rather than volume, when you focus on building a relationship instead of closing a deal, when you focus on every call is a chance to unearth a possible client.
That means your calls have to be more thoughtful and efficient.
And you have to walk into them with this mindset: I’m simply here to say hello to this person.
Now this doesn’t exclude you from the ABC rule: Always Be Closing. If you can bump the fruit into your basket in under five minutes to get a contract, by all means do so.
Here are a few tips to consider when making phone calls to prospects:
- Starting calls with a focused problem statement makes it easy to create two-way dialogue.
- Your attentiveness to your prospects’ concerns makes a real human connection possible.
- The goal is to learn the truth and explore there’s a fit between your solution and your prospect’s problem or concern.
- And when you’ve learned the truth, whether the answer is a yes or a no, rejection is impossible.
Conclusion
If you’re feeling guilty that you should be playing the old numbers game because your colleagues are making sales from it, consider this: All you’re seeing from them is how many sales they are making–not how many sales they’re losing.
And consider that by refocusing your attention on the quality of each call versus the volume of calls, you can experience new sales success you may never have thought possible.
For more information, see my short story about Tammy and Rick, southern Illinois agents making it happen in this recession. [About half way down the page.]
Related Articles
Conquering Call Reluctance Once and for All
Pleasure and Pain: The Seemingly Dark Art of Manipulation
Why So Many Agents Fall Down Before the God of Commission-Cutting
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Why It’s Okay to Lie to Salespeople
The reason most prospects lie to you is that they have multiple layers of sales resistance.
Traditionally the sale model has always been about advancing the sale. Well, the people in your market place are fed up with the traditional sales model.
People are tired of being manipulated.
Inwardly, the prospect you’re dealing with simply wants to be treated like a person. And all too often the sales dialogs or scripts you’re using are structured with the sales process in mind first—and not the person on the other end.
Think about it from your own experiences.
How many times have you been approached and you knew the top priority of the salesperson was to advance the sale? The car salesmen. The insurance agent. They cared more about their agenda than they did about you.
As Greg Swan said, Life stinks when your heads up your….
Death to the Traditional Sales Model
Well the person you’re attempting to serve is no different. People have become extremely sensitive to the slightest hint of anything to do with the sales process.
Yes. I’m an advocate of becoming highly skilled with questions so you can diagnose your client’s needs [critical if you want to earn a paycheck in this soft market].
BUT…you’ve got to be very careful. You have to be very delicate and super-sensitive to the person you’re talking to…and their needs.
And the best thing I’ve found to help remove sales resistance is to completely let go of your sales agenda. I mean throw it out the window. Focus totally and completely on their needs—not your goals.
The real goal should be to get to a genuine, authentic dialog with that person.
By getting to what sales trainer Ari Galper refers to as the real truth, you’re positioning yourself to be a true problem solver.
But until you get to the real truth you’re actually stuck in somewhat of a guessing game.
See oddly enough, over time, it has become completely socially acceptable to lie to salespeople.
Why? Because the overriding opinion about salespeople is they’re only interested in getting the sale.
The worst part is all the sales models, all the sales training, all the traditional tools have been teaching us to advance the sales process. Well guess what? People have figured the process out.
They can smell it from a mile away. And if they catch even the slightest trace that you’re attempting to advance the sale…you’ve lost the game.
Once they sense that you’re in any way attempting to advance your agenda…you’ll never get to the real truth.
And unconsciously they will feel completely justified in lying to you.
4 Hidden Pressure Points
Whenever potential clients feel sales pressure, they almost always respond with defense and resistance and lying. Hidden sales pressure takes many forms. If we can avoid the ways we bring sales pressure into our cold calling, then we can stop triggering this response.
Here are four hidden sales pressures that we bring to our cold calling:
1. Focusing On the Sales Agenda
If you’re like most people who make cold calls, you’re hoping to make a sale — or at least an appointment — before you even pick up the phone. The problem is the people you call somehow almost immediately notice your mindset.
They sense that you are only focused on your goals and interests, rather than on finding out what they might need or want. This short-circuits the whole process of communication and trust building.
So try this. Practice shifting your mental focus into thinking, “When I make this call, first I’m going to build a conversation. From this, a level of trust can emerge which allows us to exchange information back and forth. And then we can both determine if there’s a fit or not.”
When your focus shifts from making a sale into making a conversation, there’s no sales pressure. Many people enjoy conversations. Moreover, as long as you’re sincere, this will be one of them.
2. Talking About Ourselves First
When we start our cold calls with a mini-pitch about who we are and what we have to offer, we’ve introduced sales pressure right away. The other person knows we want to make a sale, and they have to respond to that pressure. Most will respond with defense or rejection or lying.
So instead, start your conversation by focusing on a need or issue you know the other person is likely facing. Step into their world and invite them to share whether they’re open to exploring possible solutions with you.
3. Forcing the Conversation into a Pre-Planned Strategy or Script
Here’s a hard one to avoid if we’re using scripts or carefully planned cold calling strategies.
When we rely on these methods, it’s usually because we just don’t know how else to “do” cold calling. However, when we take charge of a conversation in this way, the other person almost always feels like they are being maneuvered. That’s pressure.
I’m not suggesting that we don’t prepare and plan for our cold calls. There are some really good ways to begin cold calls that we’ll want to use over and over. Additionally, there are special phrases we can use that convey well the fact that we’re interested in solving a problem for the other person.
What we want to avoid, however, is trying to control a cold calling conversation. This almost always happens with scripts and old-style sales strategies. Potential clients feel this pressure and respond negatively.
4. Bubbling with Over-Enthusiasm
The problem with over-enthusiasm in our conversations is that the other person has to make a decision whether to buy into our perspective, or reject it. They feel the hidden sales pressure that wants them to be carried along with our enthusiasm. This usually means braking, whether gently or abruptly.
With over-enthusiasm (which is often just an offshoot of our tension), potential clients feel somewhat boxed in. They feel the pressure of our expectations so they feel compelled to respond either positively or negatively. Most will almost always respond negatively.
So chill out.
Conclusion
Eliminating all sales pressure from your conversations will invite the other person to respond much more warmly and positively.
And the best way to do that is to completely throw out your sales agenda. Focus on diffusing pressure. This is a gentle process where you carefully use language that demonstrates you’re only interested in serving them.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
The Sales Suicide Quiz: Are You Sabotaging Your Real Estate Sales
An Appropriate Story for Easter
Normally I don’t do stuff like this. But…
It’s Easter, Russell Shaw’s post on confronting death got me thinking and the Randy Pausch Last Lecture video that Russel Shaw shared really messed me up. So it’s kind of inevitable that I’m feeling this way. And wanting to share a little good cheer. And hope.
You might have heard the following story. I believe it’s been circulating the Internet. Somebody sent it to me and I found it a staggeringly good story. Let me know what you think. Hold conclusions until you are finished.
An Appropriate Story for Easter
She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: ‘How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?’
The surgeon said, “I’m sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn’t make it.”
Sally said, “Why do little children get cancer? Doesn’t God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?”
he surgeon asked, “Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he’s transported to the university.”
Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son. Sally ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.
“Would you like a lock of his hair?” the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy’s hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.
Sally said, “It was Jimmy’s idea to donate his body to the University for study. He said it might help somebody else. I said no at first, but Jimmy said, ‘Mom, I won’t be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.'”
Sally went on, ‘My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.”
Sally walked out of Children’s Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy’s belongings on the seat beside her in the car.
The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy’s belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son’s room.
She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.
It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said :
Dear Mom, I know you’re going to miss me; but don’t think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just ’cause I’m not around to say ‘I Love You’.
I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again.
Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won’t be so lonely, that’s okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn’t like the same things us boys do. You’ll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.Don’t be sad thinking about me.
This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything.
The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn’t look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him.
Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God’s knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That’s when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn’t allowed.
Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you.
God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him ‘Where was He when I needed him?’
‘God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.’
Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I’ve written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn’t that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life.
Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I’m sure the food will be great.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don’t hurt anymore the cancer is all gone. I’m glad because I couldn’t stand that pain anymore and God couldn’t stand to see me hurt so much, either. That’s when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me.
The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?
Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me.
Conclusion
Fundamentally the story males some leaps–like God having a knee–but the core of the story remains: death is not the end of the world as we know it. Resurrection. Life after death. This is the Easter Story as we know it.
I’d also like to share some videos of Easter messages from some of my favorite pastors.
I hope you enjoy. And feel free to share your thoughts with me. I’m open to any comments. Honestly.
Conquering Call Reluctance Once and For All
Anne G. reviews the MLS to make sure she knows all of the new listings that might be of interest to her buyers–instead of following up on her leads.
Hank M. defers his follow up calls so he can build his industry knowledge by reading journals and newsletters.
And Chris H. finds herself giving in to the impulse to write proposals for prospective clients rather than pick up the phone.
What do these three real estate agents share in common? You probably guessed it, call reluctance.
Call reluctance is the “social disease of the sales profession.” Each year, call reluctance single-handedly accounts for over half of all failures in one of the largest professions in the world.
In their book Earning What You’re Worth, researchers George Dudley and Shannon Gooson write that as many as 80 percent of all salespeople who fail within their first year do so because of insufficient call activity.
Unresolved call reluctance can cause frustration and loss of sales. So with this in mind, how do you overcome call reluctance?
Here are five tips:
1. Aim for a number of calls you will make each day. Make this goal small and comfortable.
2. Next, increase the daily number of calls you will make. Do this slowly. Here you will start to see that you don’t encounter the bad things you imagined, or, if you do, you find out that you can handle them.
3. Record each call. In a notebook strictly devoted to your sales calls, make notes about things you should have done differently. Keep this notebook handy whenever you make sales calls and review it every day before you make phone calls.
4. Realize the difference between real and imaginary threats. Over time you will recognize that ninety-nine times out of a hundred the bad things you thought would happen, don’t. And if you do experience rejection or fear, realize it’s not personal. The caller is rejecting your offer, not you.
5. Report to an accountability person. Whether it’s you’re spouse or friend, broker or coach, invite someone to help you stay on track and meet your goals.
Caution: Research shows that successful people do the hard things other people refuse to do. Work through these five steps only if you want to break through to the next level. Follow the footsteps of the successful now and within time you will prosper.
Related Articles
Pleasure and Pain: The Seemingly Dark Art of Manipulation
Why So Many Agents Fall Down Before the God of Commission-Cutting
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Boy in the Bubble: How to Entice Even the Most Preoccupied Person
Breaking news: You have to break through more than just clutter.
What do I mean by that? Let me explain.
Attention is the new economy. That means the barrier is preoccupation.
Yet, it’s hot stuff to rattle off how many ads CEO’s see a day, the average person sees a day, the left bank bookseller sees a day.
This is commonly known as clutter.
But it doesn’t explain anything about what’s inside a person’s head. That is the real obstacle.
But if you learn how to split through someone’s preoccupation, it doesn’t matter if the he’s barraged with 1 million messages.
You will strike him dead. But it’s not that easy.
Combating Tangible and Intangible Preoccupations
Think of preoccupation as a boy in a bubble. Inside that bubble?
His iPhone. His laptop. His email inbox. His magazines. His television. His notepads, pencils, drafting compass.
Those are the tangibles.
Intangibles include dreams, lusts, fears, worries. All things that keep his vision very short-sighted. In a nutshell, he sees, rarely, no farther than the inner edge of his bubble.
Unless he’s interrupted. Or enticed.
You, my friend, have to entice him. Interrupting him will only piss him off. Piss him off and he hunkers more.
Enticing him involves waiting for him to ask a question.
Why would he do that? He has a problem.
Enter the sales process.
That Irresistible Scent
The first thing you need to have is a clear understanding of is how your prospect arrives at a buying decision.
Here’s a very simplified flow of a buying decision:
- Recognition of need or problem
- Search for information
- Evaluation of alternatives
- Decide what to purchase
- Purchase
- Evaluate the purchase again
With that in mind, let’s now consider how you sell to your prospect.
Keep in mind: Sales is not a push-method. It’s a pull method, where you entice your prospect to follow you by an attractive scent you are offering.
This scent has to appeal to him. It has to satisfy a craving he has. That craving he got before he decided to crawl out of the bubble.
And the overall decision has to be a win-win scenario: both you AND your prospect feel good about the outcome. He must feel it is delicious and think it divine and you must think it fulfilling and feel like you didn’t feed him your arm and leg.
So let’s look at the sales process with a clear goal in mind: matching the what you have to offer to what they want or need.
Defining That Complex Relationship with Clients
A complex relationship, like the one you want to develop with your prospects, goes through stages, like this [with each bullet followed by a little narrative]:
- Suspects–the entire universe of potential buyers for your product or service.
The boy in the bubble runs across your blog posts because he’s decided he wants a new home. You have an article called “11 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a New Bubble Home.”
- Prospects–those suspects who have expressed an active interest in your service.
He’s decided to follow you at this point. The 11 Mistakes article was good. So was the article called “How to Sell Your Bubble for the Most Money in Less Time and Hassle.” But he really liked the story you told about another boy in a bubble who you helped successfully and safely buy a new bubble.
- Leads–those prospects who are actively engaged in the buying process your service.
At this point, he likes you. He joined your email list. You have his permission. Eventually he wants you to help him find that dream bubble. In a matter of days, he’s calling you on the phone.
- Buyers–those leads negotiating with you and who have made a commitment to buy in principle, but have not yet bitten the bullet.
Your relationship gets a little rocky at this point. He doesn’t feel like you understand what he means by “leg room.” Nor does he feel like you are listening when you show him a bubble with fist holes in the door. You listen, re-engage, probe deeper with questions, find out what he really is thinking. You are negotiating.
- Customers–those who have paid for your product or service.
You did it. The dream bubble. You found him the dream bubble. He’s happy, you’re happy. So you buy him a wreath to hang on his bubble. He gives you a sketch of his foot. And then you follow up with him regularly through out the year. Why?
Post mortem, you still want him to love you.
Your advertising–not just your blog, because your blog simply can’t do it alone, neither can your email–must compel potential customers through these five phases.
To do so, they must not communicate not just information–but benefits. Benefits cinch the deal. It’s that attractive scent that snaps him out of his preoccupation to look at you.
Benefits are cream.
3 Questions to Find Out What They Desperately Want or Need
Benefits will provide the momentum to move potential customers along. This needs to happen, by the way, at every stage, both in an individual blog post or email through text ad or postcard through negotiations and post mortem discussions.
Now consider these three questions to determine your objectives every time you communicate with a prospective customer, whether via your website, phone or blog:
1. What actions do prospective customers need to take that will lead to a buying decision?
2. Who do I have to persuade to take action? The wife? The father in law?
3. How do I persuade them to take action?
The running theme here is “taking action.” Keep that in mind.
Truly powerful communication always addresses the recipient’s needs: What’s In It for Me?
If not, then you will never break through their mental preoccupations and get their attention. [They are thinking about dinner now, last week’s Lost episode, not about you or what you have to offer.]
Always anticipate and ask the question, “Why should he buy from me?”
But be sure that you are addressing people at their level of interest and in the language that best suit their dominant personality styles. You want to give them information that convinces them to write a check, not write you off.
Conclusion
There is a huge difference between information and persuading. Persuasion is designed to move readers to action, to get results–whether it’s subscribing to your blog or pulling the trigger on a $800,000 home.
To persuade effectively you must take their point of view. You must answer questions correctly and fully. You must ask questions. And you must answer objections. Before they say them, if you can.
Breakthrough their preoccupation, maintain momentum, and actively lead your prospect through the decision process and you will survive.
Related Articles
Unforgettable Negotiation Advice: Discover His Thumbscrew
Pleasure and Pain: The Seemingly Dark Art of Manipulation
Cooking Up Persuasive Copywriting with These 2 Crucial Ingredients
When Being a Narrow-Minded Fundamentalist Works
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
8 Guidelines for Writing Meaningful Links That Woo Potential Clients
Links play a huge part in online content.
When people scan web pages they automatically look at headlines, sub-headlines and links to judge whether the page holds any interest for them. Based on what they see in the headlines, sub-headlines and links will determine whether they stay or leave. [See, you are doing it now.]
This is called information foraging.
And it doesn’t help this evaluation usually occurs under 27 seconds.
This means that web visitors’ ruthless, critical eye can sometimes overlook important information if it’s not clearly articulated in headlines, sub-headlines, and especially links.
Also, links tell search engines what your web page is all about. Links rank high as one of the factors for good search engine results. And when you have less than 30 seconds to woo a potential client, I think you do what ever you can to make your page stick out from the million others.
As you already know, links can be:
- Sentences: Are you too busy to spend money on advertising?
- Fragments: In Pursuit of Leads: 21 Ideas That Really Work
- Phrases: Red-Handed with a Glamour Magazine
- Call to Actions: Subscribe Now
- Navigation Labels: Homes, Sellers, Buyers, News, About Us
With that in mind, let’s take a look at 8 easy guidelines for writing meaningful and compelling links that please both people and search engines.
1. Don’t Make New Program and Product Names into Links Themselves
For example: Instead of “Every Kid Deserves a Yard” as a link to your new campaign to help families move out of apartments and into a home, create the link on your website into something that both people and search engines will recognize immediately: “Ditch the Apartment” or “Buy a Home”.
The trick is to write links that your visitors—especially your first time visitors—will recognize and understand immediately.
Notice how the British Museum writes their navigation links.
For the most part, the navigation links make sense. But what does “The Museum” link mean?
I’m guessing it’s about the museum—which it turns out to be only partially true. Hitting The Museum link takes you to a page about the history and architecture of the museum.
Better if it was named “History of Museum” or “Museum History” or “Museum Architecture.” [Can you think of something better?]
If it was an About Us page, then “About Us” would work great.
2. Rethink Document Titles and Headings That Turn into Links
When turning print articles into web pages, sometimes you may need to rethink the title of the article. Things don’t transfer smoothly from print to web.
First of all, avoid cute, clever or generic headline titles like The Power of Online Technology. They don’t clearly communicate the content of the article, sales letter or flier. Neither is the title really compelling or enticing to the reader.
What’s bad in print becomes only worse online.
On the web, when visitors are fierce and fast in their judgment, titles, headlines and links need to stand out. Boldly.
Your web document titles, headlines and links need to offer the thing people want most. And the links needs to satisfy a need they have.
High-Tech Cowboys in Real Estate: The Race to Dominate Web Space is one way to rewrite the above link to give people a fullness of the articles meaning. It would work equally well as a page title.
3. Match Links and Page Titles
This is a biggie. So pay attention.
As people move through websites, the first question they ask on each new page is “Did I get where I thought I was going?” They expect the page title to match the link.
When you have links and page titles that match, you reassure your web visitors that they are on a good pathway and have landed on the page they expected.
To write successful matching links and page titles, plan them in both directions:
- As you write the page title, think of how the same link will work on all the pages where the link will appear.
- As you write links, think of how the same words will work as a page title.
For example, if I wanted to patch you through to an article on Realty Times about the current real estate market outlook and how it’s not that bad, best I use the actual title of the article as the link like this: Real Estate Outlook: Housing Better Than Some Reports Indicate.
And when writing page titles, always imagine how they’ll look as a link. See point 2.
4. Be as Explicit as You Can in the Space You Have
And make more space if you need it. The longer the link, the better. See point 6 below.
5. Use Action Phrases for Action Links
“View My Profile” beats “Profile” any day.
“Buy a Home” dominates “Homes to Buy.”
“Subscribe Now” is better than “Mailing List”.
6. Use Longer, More Descriptive Links
Single nouns or short noun phrases can work as labels or as links for general categories and overall topics, but only if your site visitors recognize the nouns you use and give them the same meaning.
[Think back to the British Museum page and “The Museum” link. It probably made sense to everyone involved in building the website, so nobody questioned it. Not so to those who actually use it.]Descriptive links that lead to specific information are just like headings. Fox News creates compelling, descriptive links that are hard to ignore. Couple it with a powerful image and you have an irresistible message.
Furthermore, in the report Designing for the Scent of Information, usability engineer Jared Spool and his colleagues discovered that links of 7 to 12 words achieved the highest success in getting people to the information they are seeking.
Why is that?
Longer links are likely to have the words your visitors have in minds.
Remember, people scan web pages looking for headings, sub-headlines and links. That’s about it. If they just see The Power of Online Technology in the body copy they’re likely to overlook it. It’s just too general.
On the other hand, if they want answers on how to use social media to generate leads, they’ll quickly gravitate to Learn how to deploy Social Media Marketing to put your business Beyond Competition. That’s more likely to satisfy their quest. [Disclaimer: I do not work for Greg. I just like what he is doing, hence I share link love.]
That link is actually 13 words. Ghastly, you say. Too long. Will muss up your pretty web page? Think about this: people will likely only read your links, because they stand out. Wouldn’t you want them to read the most important and compelling piece to draw them in?
7. Add a Short Description if People Need It
Or rewrite the link.
If you can’t get enough information into the link to create a meaningful link, then you can add a short description about what’s behind the link. Again, I lean to FoxNews to demonstrate short descriptions that follow vague link titles.
8. Avoid Click Here or More at All Costs
I hate these links the most. Why? They add zero value to the people who mean the most to you.
The other day I spent about twenty minutes unsubscribing from email newsletters I no longer read. Of course the the link to unsubscribe was buried at the bottom of every email, but worse yet, nine out of ten publishers created links like this:
To unsubscribe, click here. [This actual link will take you to a Google search results page for the term “click here.” These are the people who rank for “click here.” Interesting. See point below.]
There are two good reasons why you want to avoid these terms.
First, when someone is looking for something specific on a page—like how to sell a home—and all they see is Click Here, they’re likely to miss the all important Learn How to Sell Your Home that proceeds the Click Here.
The second reason you want to avoid Click Here and More links is because they are meaningless to search engines. Unless you are searching for “click here” or “more.” I guess to some people that’s a legitimate hunt.
Finally, never, ever write links like this: I’m a little late to the party on this one. [Each link goes to Joel Burslem’s excellent website simply because I saw him do this but couldn’t actually find the page he didn’t own.]
I see this a lot on blogs. Here’s why it’s a bad idea: it just plain ticks people off. When I first saw Joel do it, I shared the page with several people and invariably–without my persuasion–they pointed out how annoying that link set up was.
What do you want me to do? Really click all of them to find out what party you were late to? Why, how and when? No thanks.
And what is a search engine to make of it?
This is a subtle ill will builder that costs against you. And all that eventually adds up. [Joel is usually spot on with descriptive links. This one just stood out to me.]
Conclusion
Not only people, but search engines deem descriptive, keyword links to be of high value in telling them what a page is about. And so with less than 30 seconds to win over potential leads and clients, I believe it’s in your best interest to do your best in getting people to not only find your page and stay on your page, but actually convert on your page to a lead or client.