How to Write Text Messages That Persuade Buyers

Simple. Concrete. Urgent.

SCU.

This is the easy formula you can use when sending text messages to prospects who are 3 months or more from buying a home. If used properly, you could lower that time frame, even unearth a hotbed of transactions.

Type, “Forgive me, but if you are interested in moving, there is a well priced home in Wildwood, off 109. Rare find.”

Or, “I’m stepping out on a limb here, but an exclusive home on E Adams Avenue in Kirkwood is on the market. Call me if you want to see it.”

You’ll get better the more you send. More concrete. Simple.

“Out on a limb here. Exclusive home up for sale at E Adams Ave Kirkwood. Call me to see it.”

This message is missing the urgent. The U. “Exclusive” sounds elite, not urgent. Did you get better results, though? As in anything that you try, make sure you are testing.

“Forgive me: house on Elmwood 4 sale. Would you like to see it? Call me. Might not last, though.”

To make things easier, make sure you have a template ready. Whether stored on your phone as a draft or preserved in your brain (in other words, memorized).

Text messages fly under the radar, are non-intrusive and, more importantly, eliminate call reluctance.

However, make sure these are people you are working with. Someone who has asked you to help them find a new home.

It won’t be funny if you send a text message to someone you met just the other night at a Chamber of Commerce dinner. If they’re not expecting it, don’t send it.

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Do You Have to Be Aggressive to Make Sales?

Not too long ago I recall Ari Galper sharing with me an interesting incident he had with a company he was doing some sales training for.

It especially reminded me of the slumping market we are in and the tendency for real estate agents to become desperate in tight times by trying to aggressively pin down real estate buyers.

The story goes that after one coaching session, one member of the sales team came up to Ari and said, “Ari, your approach makes complete sense–but I’m afraid I’ll lose sales if I stop being aggressive and start being passive!”

Eliminate These Behaviors and Languages

Now, whenever I hear a comment like that, I want to scream, because it means that the person just doesn’t yet understand that removing pressure from the sales process doesn’t mean being passive.

The point behind using a sales approach like the one that Ari teaches is that it’s an active attempt to create pressure-free conversations with buyers.

However, to do that it’s essential that you eliminate behaviors and language that buyers can perceive as “aggressive.”

We all know what these are — continual e-mail and voicemail “followups” in which agents try to pin down the status of a potential real estate buyer– is one common example. [And of course it’s becoming more and more difficult to nail down a potential buyer in this market.]

The problem is that prospects react to aggressive–or perhaps we should say “overaggressive”–sales behaviors by withdrawing and evading us.

In fact, what you have to do instead of being passive or aggressive is this: you have to take the “middle ground” by being authentically unassuming, yet effective–and that this is the most stress-free and effective way to sell.

What do I mean by “authentically unassuming, yet effective”?

How to Discover a Whole New Effectiveness

For starters you have to shift away from assuming that every buyer is a fit for your any of your listings.

It’s sort of like the legal concept of “being innocent until proven guilty.”

You can’t afford to make any assumptions about “fit” until your conversation with the buyer indicates that you two mutually arrived at that conclusion.

The aggressiveness that turns off buyer sets in when you assume, every time you pick up the phone, that you have a solution for them.

Your tone of voice and language gives them that message long before they’ve even had a chance to agree that you have the home that they want.

But if you can manage to find that middle ground of not assuming anything while also communicating in a low-key, unassuming manner, you’ll discover a whole new effectiveness you could never have imagined.

Flawed Logic

Can prospects sense when you’re assuming too much?

Sure they can–because most of us have been conditioned to present or talk about our solution as a way to engage prospects so they’ll reveal their problems to us.

But that logic is completely flawed.

When you launch into your speal to someone who doesn’t trust you yet, all you do is allow them to pigeonhole you as a stereotyped “salesperson.”

How to Become Unassuming but Effective

First, learn to start conversations by focusing 100 percent on generating discussions around your prospects’ problems, rather than pitching your listing inventory the second you hear an opening.

Second, learn to begin those conversations by converting the benefits of your homes into problems that your homes will actually solve.

Third, after you and your prospects have identified a desires or needs, you can then engage in a discussion about whether meeting those needs is a priority.

It’s only at that point that prospects have finally given you implicit permission to share your inventory with them.

Jumping in with solutions prematurely will only land you back in the trap of being perceived as “aggressive.”

What Do You Think?

Have you found yourself having to get aggressive? Do you approach this market differently since buyers have tightened the purse strings? Or are you in one of these bubble-proof markets? Finally, are you familiar with Ari’s method? If so, have you been effective with it?

Let me know what you think.

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Link Happy, SEO Real Estate Style

Over the last several months I’ve been putting together some links to build upon a previous real estate SEO post.

If you’ve got a website and want to drive traffic to it using search engine optimization, then read on.

According to Brian: what you need to know about real estate search engine marketing, part 1. And part 2.

Real Estate SEO on a Budget, via Jim Kimmons.

10 part introduction to search engine optimization.

A little more techy: 5 reasons to be big and popular, not small and niche.

Interested in Google AdWords? Download and listen to one of the best introductions to this advertising medium. Jonathan Mizel interviews legendary AdWords man, Perry Marshall. 56 minutes.

Interview with Andrew Goodman, the guy who wrote the best-selling report on Pay-Per-Click advertising. Top tips to write effective Google text ads.

What you need to know about polite and naughty SEO tricks.

And finally, let me ask you this: do you do search engine optimization? Do you do it yourself? Or do you pay some one else? Has it been helpful? And for fun, do you have any ranking nightmares about competition that just won’t budge? If you do, share! I’d love to hear it.

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What Real Estate Agents Should Know about Twitter

While not for everyone, Twitter is a new communication tool that provides the real estate agent several opportunities to connect with online communities.

Maybe.

A tool embraced by the early adopter, the real estate agent using Twitter can benefit from thought leadership, connection to the influencers, additional message reach, access to mobile communicators, real-time communication. But more importantly, the opportunity to build relationships through conversations.

But here’s the deal: this tool is probably only good for those who may already have a blogging strategy or are high-communication individuals. Before you decide to use Twitter, make sure it fits in your marketing plan.

And consider this: although there is no formal data, it’s likely audience and user base consist of early-adopter social media folks and influencers, with an average age of 30-45. 

What is Twitter?

Twitter is really much like blogging, but on a miniature scale. The character limit is 140, which requires that users simplify their message.

Twitter has social network features, so users can add or remove friends, for example.

Think of Twitter as a new instant-messaging tool: users can blast messages to their community of clients or prospects, send private messages, or search.

Twitter, till now, has been for the highly engaged, early-adopter, pro-technology user. It’s highly likely that these users participate in other forms of online publishing and communication, like blogging, Facebook, and mobile activity.

What to Publish?

Having in mind the 140-character limit, users are publishing the following types of content:

What are you doing?: Users will tweet information related to them, from “Liddy baptized at 9am” to “taking Mali out for a walk,” or even questions like “what should I do in Vancouver?”

Responding to others: Members within a connected network (this means you are following them and you are following them, and this is easy as pie to do: search, find and click “follow”) can respond to each other using the reply symbol “@”—such as “@Vancouver is a great city. You need to visit….”

Links: Drop a link to an interesting article about your market or your most recent blog post.

And dig this: when your URLs are 130 characters are shorter, Twitter will automatically convert them to a TinyURL. However, TinyURL pushes people through a Preview Page first so you can “safely” see the full URL before proceeding to the target page.

In my opinion, this is annoying. This is annoying because all your friends aren’t probably going to push you to a pornographic or unsuitable page. Use Urltea instead when putting URLs in Tweeter from a PC.

Here’s What You Need to Know

Savvy Twitter users realize that effective communications isn’t about just pushing content to readers. They also start conversations with other people.

This is not just a broadcast tool, it’s also a conversation tool. That means you can reply to followers using the “@” symbol, and engage in dialogue.

In essence, use this tool as a global chat room: respond to others, build relationships, and listen in. Like blogging, the rule of anti-marketing marketing is required for success: engage your community.

Also, Twitter is “opt-in,” meaning that users choose to “follow” a twitter account. Abuse that good will and followers will unsubscribe.

Getting Started

Check out Rafe Needleman’s (CNET) “Newbie Guide to Twitter” or watch this video. For the rules of engagement read Brian Oberkirch’s “Advanced Twitter: Don’t Tweet Like A n00b.”

So, what’s the best way to learn? Experiment. Try creating a personal account before deploying a brand account. Also, creating a Twitter account might be a good idea if you don’t have a blog. It’s a super easy, simple first step.

But first, evaluate whether it’s right for your audience. My best guess is that 20-40 somethings in urban areas are your most likely candidates. If that doesn’t describe your market, you might be a lonely Twitter user.

Another thing: at the moment, Twitter is not an SEO strategy. That means there is no value to your website or search rankings when using Twitter.

6.5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Blog

In the past I’ve asked you the question “Should you start your own blog?” in the real estate blogosphere and even went as far as giving you a somewhat step-by-step process on how to go about getting started. I basically gave you reasons why you should blog.

Today, my approach is a little different.

Believe it or not, as popular as blogging is, and as powerful as the motivation is for joining the bandwagon, there are good reasons why you shouldn’t blog.

Here are 9:

1. 1. You are not a very good writer. This is a tough one because you have to evaluate your own writing ability. And you have to be honest about it. But ask the hard question before you start to blog. If you can’t definitively say that you are among the most compelling writers in the real estate blogosphere, then you will be swallowed alive by the hordes of great blogs. Now, if you think you have the writing chops to become one of the best bloggers in real estate, then by all means, consider the next question.

1. 1. Your point of view or voice is not compelling. A unique point of view requires creativity. And if you don’t have a creative bone in your body, your blog will bore everyone to tears. (I take that back: you won’t bore anyone to tears because you won’t have many, if any, readers.)You might be a great writer–a great technical writer–but that doesn’t translate well to a blog. Furthermore, no one is really interested in a well-articulated opinion that is mainstream, old or cliched.Part of being a good blogger requires you think about what is already being posted and figuring out how to oppose or improve or provide a unique angle on a subject that is already out there. (For instance, I originally started this post as “reasons why you SHOULD blog,” but during research noticed there were at least 10 REALLY good posts already out there. [I didn’t search past the first page.] I then asked my self: “What could I do differently?” Voila.)

1. 1. Your ideas are not focused. Grow-a-brain  is a hugely successful blog, partly because it has a wildly-wide range of subject it covers. But if you read it for at least you’ll notice one thing: Haran Levin has a clearly defined format. He keeps all of his content in the post tightly related.Some bloggers like Chris Garrett  or Joel Burelsom are focused on their flagship content. As am I. Flagship content provides a true North on the compass. A direction, a focus. As a blogger, you should almost always steer in this direction. That also means you don’t treat your blog as a meandering diary or brain dump.

1. 1. You do not have a wealth of experience readers can relate to. If you are eighteen, trust me, you do not know the inner workings of the world. However, just because you ‘ve been a truck driver for thirty-five years doesn’t mean you have a wealth of experience that resonates with people.

1. 1. You plan on posting every other month. Or whenever you get to it. If you can’t commit to a schedule (and I highly recommend that in your initial planning you set down a schedule for blog posts and then stick to it), then don’t start.I placed this one further down the lists because it isn’t a deal killer. But don’t expect a high readership or community involvement. You can get away with random blog posts because most people who read blogs do so through a rss aggragetor. This means all they have to do is check their aggregator to see if any new feeds have come in. Once they are subscribed to your blog, they’ll probably remain subscribed. However, if you plan on posting far and few in between, you better post hard-hitting, well-planned posts. In email marketing, the rule of thumb is this: daily emails equal short, pithy messages. Weekly emails equal longer, informative messages. Monthly equals long, deeply-researched, valuable posts. You can post once a month, but you’ll have to make each one count. Otherwise people will just ignore you.

1. 1. You plan on NOT allowing comments. Great blogging is about creating a feedback loop. In fact, that is what the whole trend of social media is all about. Creating a conversation, good or bad, with your readers. Observation has shown that places where the feedback loop is closed lose readership. People want to be part of the conversation. Besides, a lot of good bloggers base their content on questions asked by their readers. I’ve seen book agents do this. One good thing about this approach is that you don’t have to think about what you want to provide as content. The reader decides. And giving the reader the choice is all about what the web is becoming. If you plan on “not dealing” with comments, so be it. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

So, am I wrong? Was this bad advice?

I’m pretty certain that it isn’t. This is stuff I’ve learned from watching the industry and talking to experts for two years. But you tell me. Am I missing something?

Now, I will say if after reading this you do not care if you get one lead or you do not care to add to your bottom line, then feel free to start a blog. I will not bother you. But since it is important to me to see you succeed, I simply thought I needed to share with you the other side of the coin. My point in doing so is that your decision needs to be well thought out.

Tip 6.5

You thought I forgot, didn’t you? Not at all.

Here’s the deal: choosing not to blog will not sink you financially. It will not starve you or make you disappear from your marketplace. Blogging is only one spoke in the wheel of marketing. You should be doing plenty of offline marketing. And plenty online, too. But that doesn’t mean you have to blog.

Now I do recommend you interact with blogs.  Not only read them, but comment as well. This way you can build a presence in the blogosphere as an authority without having the headache of managing your own blog. And as long as you have a link back to your website with a clearly visible way to get a hold of you, you’ll generate buzz and hopefully leads. Leaving comments has great value. People will start tracking you down for information and answers.

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Nine Essential Tips for Effective Emails

Regardless of all the endless fun stuff that software coders seem to be churning out for the web–Google Earth, Talkr, Twitter, del.icio.us, Reddit–emails are still the workhorse of online prospecting.

Yet inboxes are growing more cluttered by the hour, and more and more people are checking their e-mail on cell phones or smart phones…that’s why it’s wise to keep grooming your emails so their readable and relevant.

1. What’s your compelling reason to send the email? Is it urgent, interesting, funny, sad? Would you forward the message to a friend or family member? If there’s no good reason for it, consider taking the day off.
2.  Does it have an effective “From” line? The “From” line and subject line work in tandem. And an effective “From” line starts with name recognition.
3. Does it have an effective subject line? Something that stands out in their inbox. Use this tool to test your subject lines AND “From” lines.
4. Does it make the point in the first vertical inch or two? Many people won’t see images—your header, wrapper, or photos—because their e-mail software turns them off. Or they may be getting your message on a BlackBerry or Treo or cell phone.
5. Is it easy to scan the message (since very few people read it all the way through)? Can recipients get the idea at a glance?
6. Does the headline make the offer? Does the first or second paragraph make the point and provide a link for action? Is the call to action simple and clear, making a single point and with no more than a sentence or two at the most?
7. Is it as short as possible? Edit out the useless words and clichés that just slow down reading or turn people off.
8. Does the call to action feel compelling? Will somebody abandon what he is doing and take action now? Will the person feel like he’s losing big if he decides to sit this one out?
9. Does it feel like one person writing to another? As impersonal as e-mail can be, you still want it to feel like one person’s message to another.

So what about you: are you still using email to prospect? If so, how effective have you become?

Or has spam and the crowd noise chased you out? Is email dead and anybody who uses it wasting their time and money?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

If you haven’t already, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.

Real Estate Bloggers: This Challenge Is for You

Calling all real estate bloggers: The Real Estate Blog Traffic Challenge.

Work 25 Leads in 2 Hours with These 9 Tips

25 leads is more than most people produce in 2 weeks.

Even 2 months.

However, there is one situation where you can generate 25 leads in 2 hours. . . with a martini in one hand, a smile plastered across your face and a stack of cards in your other hand.

The stack I’m talking about is full of business cards.

That’s right. . . I’m talking about networking events.

The country club. The Rotary Club. The Chamber of Commerce.

All fabulous places to meet many new people. And have a blast to boot.

Here are nine essential tips you must use to make any networking event a smash.

1. Arrive early. Before people are engaged in conversations. It’s easier to start a conversation than it is to break into one.
2. Zero in on the wallflowers. You never know what kind of potential is lurking around those shy, quiet types.
3. Shake hands firmly.
4. Wear something out of the ordinary…a top hat or bright orange scarf. When you follow up with the leads mention, “I was the one wearing the top hat.” That will ring a bell.
5. Pick something up. Anything. A tray of drinks or hors d’oeuvres. “Hey, would you like one?” is an excellent way to introduce yourself. And, “Got to keep passing” is an excellent reason to move on to the next person. This trick will help you to keep conversations short.
6. Memorize your elevator speech.
7. Be happy…regardless of whether or not you had a tough day. People want to work with upbeat, outgoing people.
8. Don’t drink too much. Sober and in control, you’ll stand out.
   Stay until the end. The later you stay, the more contacts.

To Cold Call or Not to Cold Call

I’m not sure how you feel about cold calling, but I feel getting 2-4 new listings from knocking on only 20 doors worth the stinking effort.

Of course, if you don’t like to cold call, it never hurts to enlist the help of a simple sign rider. Sign riders could triple that number.

Besides, cold calling seems…well, ancient?…in this age of the social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies and the new marketplace conversation, what some call Web 2.0.

What do you think?

I know that I’ve been saying cold calling is dead for a long, long time…but does Web 2.0 drive the stake through the heart of cold calling?

Or is there still a place in real estate for cold calling?

Does a strategy of approaching the ten houses to the left and the ten houses to the right really constitute cold calling?

I mean, you have a warm opening in the sense that you can approach the neighbor and say “Hey, I’m helping your neighbor Linda sell her house, and I was just wondering….”

What do you think?

How to Start Your Own Real Estate Marketing Blog

How about this for an incentive to starting a blog…

During the final wrap up session of the Real Estate Connect San Francisco Diane Cohn of Chase International Reno Sparks Real Estate got up from the audience and said she’s closed $10 million in business in the last year, and that 95 percent of it came from her blog.

On July 19 I posted the question “Should you start your own blog?” In that post I went more into the strategy side of starting a blog, like identifying your niche and how to create cornerstone content.

In this post I’d like to address the question of where do I start? How do I even get a blog? (Btw: this post came from Brenda’s cry for help.)

Paid v. Free Blog Services

First, decide whether you want to use hosting or web browser software.

Examples of hosting blog software are WordPress and Typepad.

Both have great features like professionally designed themes you can choose and customize over time, WYSIWYG editors for easy posting and functions to categorize your posts and create automatic archives, allowing your readers to find exactly what they want.

For $29.95 a month Typepad will give you advanced administration tools, priority tech support and custom invoicing. You can also build your own design and customize fonts, colors and borders.

Both WordPress and Typed will allow you to insert photos quickly with automatic resizing.

WordPress costs about the amount of hosting, normally under ten dollars. If you don’t need the flexibility of a full web host, you may consider getting a free blog on WordPress.com.

Or go with a free Blogger account.

Keep in mind, free blog accounts typically don’t allow you to have a custom domain name. This is a drawback when trying to blog for search engine results.

So it may be worth the effort to go with a paid service.

For further help, check out these resources:

wikiHow: How to Start a Blog

Phil Windley’s Tecnometria: How to Start a Blog

Here’s a Washington Post article worth reading: Start a Winning Blog.

And before you launch your brand new blog, make sure you read this post by Copyblogger Brian Clark who shares 5 ways to open your blog posts with a bang.

Conclusion

So, did I answer all of your questions? Am I missing anything?

Let me know by giving me some feedback.

Also, if you are a successful blogger like Diane, how successful have you been? Is blogging having an impact on your business, whether good or bad?

Okay, a majority of you might be generating business out of blogging? Does anyone think that it’s hype? An out of control bandwagon effect?

And what about horror stories as a blogger? Anything juicy you might consider sharing?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

And if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog today!