Grab ready-to-act buyers and sellers with real estate marketing postcards created for today's market, not yesterdays ...
"If you only knew the amount of the business I've gotten as a result of your product...I'll finally be able to take that vacation I never thought possible. Thank you! "
-- Jerry Lal | Belmont, CA
The truth is today’s real estate marketing products offer no value or incentive for prospects to call you. Sure, you could use the old recycled “Free Consultation" and "Free Market Analysis" tagline, or pour money into unproven products like, calendars, gimmick items and recipe cards. But honestly, who would refer to a calendar, gimmick or recipe to make one of the most important financial decisions of their life? And don't most people have the ability to go online and probe ballpark values on their homes?
Of course they do...
Prospects are smarter then you think, which is one reason why bad marketing is costing many agents more than just their hard earned money, but the life of their business or worse: a personal life. As their marketing becomes more and more ineffective both business and personal life begin to collide, becoming grey and harder to distinguish from each other. And like the old saying goes, “Two things can not occupy the same space at the same time." Something is going to give...but a proven marketing approach can change all that.
Sadly, in the past, most agents relied on old real estate marketing practices which were riddled with misguided intentions, some of which included...
"I'll see what everyone else is saying and do the same"...
Agents often fall victim to the thought of imitating the marketing messages of respectable agents for market positioning, however, this is far from being effective since the end results are self-defeating. Your newly found message (shared by others who were inspired to do the same) now loses appeal in the eyes of prospects because of commonality. This happens more than you think. For example, how many times have you witnessed agents using something like, "Hardworking, Honest, Dependable..." or "Buying or selling, call..." Get the point?
"If I mail it, they will come"...
Postcard farming is undoubtedly popular and among the top successful vehicles available for promoting your real estate business. However, if done without key marketing elements such as, eye grabbing visuals, strong headlines, strategic layout or a "true incentive to call you," you may be wasting your money on printers who profit from your mistakes and could care less about your real estate activity. It makes economic sense to spend on proven products like ours. Leaving your mailings to luck is not an option....marketing is the lifeblood of your business. Today's marketing requires mailing research-driven postcards that open up easy roads for ready-to-act buyers and sellers to call you while weeding out weak leads. Remember, your time is important and can not be wasted on prospects that are window shopping and never plan to come in.
"I can save a little money and do it all myself"...
There's always a hand full of agents who feel that because they have access to a design program of some sort, that they possess the same talents of any seasoned marketer or visual artist. Though you may have the ability to create something that will squeeze you by, you'll be taking valuable time away from more important matters of your business and eventually because of time limitations as an agent, slapping anything together that promotes your name. Sadly enough, these hasty attempts catch up and result in sub-standard marketing pieces that allow your competition the chance to steal your business. Our design team has been recognized with awards in outstanding visual presentation and understand the science of Visual Persuasive Principles (VPP™). Unless you've taken up serious study over the years in the design and marketing sciences, it's best to leave it to a proven professional. An agent who has a design program is no more an artist or marketer than the guy who owns a paintbrush and aisle and believes they are Vincent Van Gogh.
Despite these practices, there's even more concern with competition.
More agents are pouring in faster despite market slowing
Throughout the country in housing markets both large and small, agents are entering the real estate business in droves. The results are shocking! For example, the California Department of Real Estate reports on its website that it hands out some 60,000 licenses a year. That averages out to 1 agent entering the market every 10 minutes; even while people sleep...Ouch! And according to their website:
"The Department of Real Estate (DRE) is receiving an unprecedented increased number of examination and license applications and is handling up to 7,000 telephone calls per business day."
- California Department of Real Estate Website | May 2007
Arizona is likewise experiencing similar shocks in it's real estate industry. On an average month the state hands out 900 to 1000 licenses. In Florida, Texas, New York and other states all over, license hand outs are on the rise.
In Miami, it is said that there is currently around one realtor for every seventeen people, according to HomeThinking research results.
National Association of Realtors® 2007 President, Pat Vredevoogd Combs said it best in a January 2007 Realtor® Magazine article:
"We need to be prepared for the next new idea and the next threat that will be coming over the mountain."
- NAR President, Pat Vredevoogd Combs | Realtor® Magazine, January 2007
Likewise did Colleen Badagliacco, 2007 President of the California Association of Realtors®, share insight on the issue at hand:
"There are more licensees than we need for the number of annual transactions."
- CAR President, Colleen Badagliacco | California Real Estate Magazine, Dec. 2006
So what does this mean for your real estate business?
To put it plainly, it means that competitive growth and a slow market equate to working harder for the same dollar. And we know working harder is furthest from our mind.
In fact, why work at all when it comes to marketing your business? This is the very reason why Realasponse™ created a proven breakthrough approach to real estate postcard farming like never before that has prospects to call you first.
Many of today's real estate marketing tools are nothing more than time consuming "do-it-yourself" kits with poor instructions.
Consider our products pre-assembled.
Our "SECRET WEAPON"
Our secret weapon is nothing more than good ol' fashion PROSPECT RESEARCH. Before developing our products, we collected and studied research polls performed on home buyers and sellers throughout the country. We rummaged through the questions and answers to emerge with facts that would spell out the core desires of respondents and their transaction experiences. In essence, we wanted to find out what was most important to them when choosing a real estate professional. We then brainstormed and developed visual and textual techniques (based on our research) to engage prospect interest.
We then had independent researchers test our farming postcards up against other real estate postcard rivals using prospective home buyers and sellers in a double blind study. The subjects selected from three postcard options, all of the same dimension. Respondents were asked several questions. The test resulted in a smashing defeat with our postcards topping out in every positive category: (1) Agent likely to have highest reputation (2) Best Offer (3) Agent likely to have higher quality of service (4) Agent most likely to be more knowledgeable (5) Agent likely to go with for real estate needs.
Our products support a 2005 National Association of Realtors® research poll which indicates reputation as the number one factor when selecting an agent. According to the NAR Research poll, 57% of sellers and 41% of buyers ranked reputation as the most important factor when selecting an agent.
Our aim when creating our products was not only to engage the prospect's senses and develop confidence in you as a real estate professional, but also, beat out the threat of competition from other agents who may have also marketed to that very same prospect. To address the need of staying ahead of competition we implemented the science and art of Visual Persuasive Principles (VPP™) in all of our products. VPP™ is the seamless merge of research, art, placement, and content development to the point where it ceases to appear as marketing at all, however, more so, an image brand. So while your postcard is embedding messages with accuracy, others will be yelling in the wind with pasted pictures and wasted words.
Our farming postcards work because they’ve been fashioned behind prospects who have spilled their guts out on what's most important to them when selecting a real estate professional. We've done all the work for you. Our gallery of postcards allow you to customize your photos and information for flexibility. There's no need to wrestle over concepts or approaches…or even think up ridiculous things to offer. Select from informative professionally written "Insider Reports" that you can offer your prospects... at no extra cost to you.
Why offer prospects "Insider Reports"?
The answer is quite simple. "Market knowledge" ranked second among prospects as the most important factor when choosing an agent. Prospects are thirsty for information they believe will give them a leg up over other buyers and sellers. Whatever the reason, prospects want as much information as possible to achieve any advantage in today's changing market.
The beautiful thing for you is that by offering a report you've beat out other agents who have marketed weaker offers (or as is often the case, no offer at all) and have positioned yourself closer to winning that prospect. They now see you as the real estate professional who "knows their stuff" and can help them. Remember, there has to be a self-serving benefit for the prospect to call you. People just don't call you if there's no reason to call. So make it easy on them by giving them a reason to call, however, more importantly, why not make it easy on yourself...after all, isn't that what marketing is for? Making your job easier.
With our products, you can focus on working on your business, and NOT be tied to working in your business.
