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| Real Estate Marketing -- Putting Your Prospect First |
Too much agent ... not enough prospect. It's one of the most
common mistakes in real estate marketing, especially with those
new to the profession.
In your marketing, you should focus on putting your prospect
first. That means you should identify the wants, needs and fears
of your prospects, and address those things in your marketing.
Make a strong offer. Solve their problems, answer their
questions, and quell their fears.
Address these things before you say one word about your
qualifications, your length of service, or any other personal
attribute.
And while we're at it, let's address the elephant in the room.
Let's talk about multi-million dollar clubs, superstar
performers, gold star agents, and similar accolades:
1. They may impress other real estate agents, but they won't
impress your prospects.
2. They put you at risk of alienating certain audiences with
lesser income |
levels.
3. They smack of ego and self-importance.
4. They shift the focus from the prospect to the marketer.
5. They're ill-timed and therefore ineffective (too much, too
soon).
What do the above five points share in common? They fly in
complete contrast to proven marketing principles.
I know what you're thinking: "But my prospects need to know I've
been successful in the past." And you're right. The question is
... when do they need to know it? Right off the bat? Do you
really need to hit them between the eyeballs with your
super-platinum-awesome-club membership status before you've even
offered them something of value?
Ask yourself what you really want your marketing message to
accomplish. Do you want it to convince prospects of your
superior service? Or do you simply want it to persuade them to
contact you?
If you're a smart marketer, you'll focus on the |
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second goal --
to get them to contact you. That's an objective you can actually
achieve through marketing. So use a strong, valuable offer to
get them to call you.
Then you can invite them down to your office, or offer to stop
by and chat with them. Then you can share some of your
(relevant) success stories.
Focus too heavily on your credentials at the expense of ignoring
your prospects' needs, and you will not be the first agent they
call. Goodbye listing or purchase.
Let the others shout about their millions of dollars and elite
statuses. Choose instead to spend your time developing a whopper
of an offer and focusing on your prospects' needs, fears and
desires. Make it a point to harvest those critical first phone
calls. See who comes out on top.
Dan Gooder Richard summed this concept up nicely in an article
he wrote for Realty Times (
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href="http://www.realtytimes.com),">www.realtytimes.com), October 2004:
"Let them get to know you -- not by what you say about yourself,
but by how well you show them you can provide solutions to their
problems while saving them time, money, and headaches."
Renowned copywriter and marketer Bob Bly echoed the sentiment in
his book, The Elements of Copywriting: "When writing copy, start
with the prospect, not the product. Your prospects are
interested primarily in themselves -- their goals, their
problems, their needs, their hopes, their fears, and their
dreams."
About the author:
Brandon Cornett has worked as a marketing manager for a
direct mail company serving the real estate industry since 1986.
He now dedicates his time to helping real estate professionals
improve their marketing. His "Modern Guide to Real Estate
Marketing" and his free newsletter are available at:
http://www.ArmingYourFarming.com
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