If you’d like to learn a 3-step process that doubles your chance of selling homes… then take 5 minutes to read my article.  It’s about the real reason why Apple continues to launch successful products, and how you can use the same strategy to sell more homes, in less time.

But first, some background on the company…

Apple is on a long winning streak that started with the iPod, then the iPhone and now the iPad.  Apple’s stock is so richly valued the small company is now worth more than Dell and Hewlett-Packard combined.

When the company is praised for its marketing, it is usually for offering innovative, cutting-edge products.  Apple is often tagged with the desirable label of “first mover” status, meaning it gets new technologies on the market before the competition does.

But closer examination proves otherwise. For example, iPod was not the first MP3 player on the market — not by a long shot.  Audio Highway sold the first MP3 player called Listen Up which won a national award at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1997.  Apple’s iPod hit the market in October, 2001.  Nokia was selling smart phones for years before anyone ever heard of an iPhone.  Tablet-sized PCs hit the market a few years ago with great fanfare, but sales have been lackluster.

Now, here comes the iPad, and within weeks, more than a million were sold hitting that benchmark twice as fast as the original iPhone.  Apple’s reputation for being on the cutting-edge is not actually supported by the facts.  Overlooked is…

Apple’s Ability To Create Effective Advertising

Granted, the company’s engineers come up with beautifully-designed and easy-to-use products — which is a marketing function in its own right — but, pay attention to what takes place in their television commercials.  What unfolds in their TV ads is simple and “old school”.

The strategy for the iPhone and iPad are the same — just a straightforward DEMONSTRATION of what the product does for the consumer.  Do they use exotic locations, celebrities or sexy models?  Not at all.  Watch some of the current iPad commercials.  They are filmed as if you are holding the device, and you see books…movies you can select…and another sequence shows a typing keypad, etc.

For the iPhone, Apple used the same technique, and you simply saw a person holding the iPhone in his hand while he did things like bring up a compass or get a restaurant review.  Another ad showed two users bumping their phones together to exchange contact information.

Advertising agencies typically don’t like this kind of work because it is not creative, but in many cases a simple communication of benefits results in more effective selling.

The iPhone killer was supposed to be the new Droid — a joint venture between Google and Verizon.  I have seen the TV spot for the Droid that rates much higher for the “cool” factor with impressive special effects, but will it overtake the iPhone in sales?  I wouldn’t count on it.

Brush Up On Marketing Basics To
Understand Apple’s Advertising Strategy

Before you create any advertising, you should ask yourself if you offer a product or service.  Products are the easiest of those two because they are tangible.  Selling a service in an intangible. Just as the Apple examples prove that demonstrating benefits is highly effective, there is an similar method for selling a service that as powerful… you demonstrate the benefit of the service by way of telling an interesting story.

One sterling example comes to mind — the “give-you-goose-bumps” radio commercials for OnStar.  The best in this series begins with what sounds like a 9-1-1 call.  A little girl — with trembling voice — says the car has crashed.  Next you hear the calming, voice of the female OnStar Operator.  The little girl says her mom is hurt and not awake.  The Operator says she is sending help and, she tells the little girl she will stay on the line with her until help arrives.  As that conversation fades out, the announcers come on to make a pitch for OnStar.

What do Apple and OnStar have in common?  Nothing.  One is a product, the other a service.  Good advertising is not about products or services…it means you understand human behavior.  Good advertising is also NOT about manipulating consumers.  It’s about tapping into our human desires and motivating action through a compelling demonstration of benefits.

How Does This Apply To Selling Homes?

So why not use these professional strategies on the ultimate consumer purchase — a house?   Unfortunately, what most sellers get is a typical flyer that lists the number of bedrooms, baths and living areas along with the agent’s photo.   But where is the demonstration or storytelling in that?   Providing “dry” statistics about a house makes it seem similar to others on the market, and good advertising should make the product stand out, not blend in.

Note the first listing promotion on the left — a classic story ad.  The headline makes you wonder who is getting a dream job in this economy? The ad generated urgency, too, because it suggested a good price was offered as a result of the owner’s buyout and promotion.

You can click the image to see it in a larger format, but you only have to read the headline to get the point — use a story ad that engages the reader and motivates them to respond.

RESULT: This ad satisfied the main litmus test — it produced multiple offers in less than three weeks in a neighborhood in which every other “for sale” house is still sitting on the market — some for over a year.

The next listing promotion (on the RIGHT) shows the same process Apple uses — a simple, clear communication of a unique benefit.  Can you spot the key element?  You would imagine that to sell a house, the ad must be about the house, right?  Not at all — this house was very similar to all the others on the market.

What made it different was the yard and view (no other competing house offered this kind of lot).  The photo of the yard, and headline, forcefully demonstrated what other “for sale” listings could not match.  The seller received four offers — unusual in this downturn.

How Do You Improve Your Advertising To
Attract Ready-To-Act Buyers?

Serious, ready-to-act homebuyers do not want to talk to a salesman — which is one reason I don’t stick my personal photo on my advertising — it has nothing to do with what is being sold. Here’s a simple process you can use to create an effective ad… one that sells your listings in half the time:

STEP 1: Identify a unique benefit that no other listing in the area can match…

STEP 2: Think of the best way to demonstrate what this benefit will DO for the buyer…

STEP 3: Dramatize this strongest benefit through an interesting story in your listing promotions…

Using this process, you’ll create better advertising (no matter the home or where you advertise),  you’ll get more attention, and attract the right target audience — a buyer who’s motivated to sign a contract.

Remember: Selling a home is not a real estate function — it is a marketing function.  If ten people find out about your home that is fine, but if twenty people discover it because you have better marketing than your competition, you have just doubled your chances for success.

If you want to learn more about my unique methods for selling listings faster then click here to watch a free video presentation.

CLICK HERE To View A Free Video Presentation
Of Stan Barron’s Unique Home-Selling Method
(It has more strategies about how to sell your listings faster.)

Buyers today don’t see any difference between your listing and the dozens of other homes for sale even in one neighborhood.

Fortunately, there are 3 rules borrowed from the advertising world that can make your listings stand out and get them sold quickly.  These rules are about branding — not the company logo but what the company stands for.

Branding is really about communicating to a potential buyer who your product is for, and who it is NOT for.  Here are a few examples:

• You know that eBay stands for online auctions where you can sell your goods fast to anyone, but also have to compete with the world.  Their brand attracts people who want to sell to or buy from a global marketplace, but who don’t mind the tradeoffs that come from overseas competition or purchasing from a vendor in another state or country.
• If you were asked where most people go when they want a strong cup of coffee, there is only one answer:  Starbucks.  That’s who they are and they don’t mind that some think it’s too strong.
• You know that Neiman Marcus means “expensive” but also “quality”.

These are excellent examples of the results of effective branding, but what can a real estate agent learn from these companies to sell more homes?

To get a home sold you’ve got to find what’s unique about the home — why someone would buy it versus other homes on the market — and make that central benefit the “theme” of your listing promotions.  Let’s look at each of these three rules and I’ll apply them to real estate one-by-one…

The 3 Rules of Listing Promotions
Every Agent Should Know

Rule #1:  Sacrifice

Branding’s bedrock principle is sacrifice.

Marketing messages work best when you intentionally sacrifice the majority so that you can make a strong connection with a small group that has a burning desire for exactly what is offered. This is a proven concept from the advertising community that can be applied to real estate.

I wrote an ad that sold a home in sixteen days after it had already been on the market for a year. The difference was the marketing message I used.

The house had no back yard at all.  The previous agents never mentioned this in their marketing. I used the “non-yard” feature as the theme of my ad. The home sold instantly to a senior citizen who told me the lack of a yard was a benefit for her.

When you try to appeal to everyone you fail to connect with the very audience who wants what you have. If a home has a small yard, say so. If a home is wildly expensive because of its unique architecture and quality, don’t feel apologetic for this — use it to get the attention of those who would appreciate it.

Rule #2:  Don’t Copy Others, Promote Your Uniqueness

Many a retailer has gotten into trouble trying to piggy-back Wal-Mart’s claim of low prices.  K-Mart went broke trying to win the “low-price” war.  Target was smarter.  They conceded (or “sacrificed”) that turf to Wal-Mart by going more upscale with their marketing, store design and merchandising.  Falling into the “me-too” trap is easy to spot in the real estate business.

Here Is A Common Advertising Mistake For Agents: In most larger cities, there is one school district that is the most sought-after. Agents will routinely try to promote one of these listings by emphasizing the school district in their flyer.

But why would you highlight a feature that is guaranteed to be matched by ever other seller in the region? You always want to market in a way that makes your listing stand out from the others, not blend in.

For the same reason… I would be careful about using an ad, flyer or any marketing material that stresses a feature like “waterfront” or “stunning view” if there are many competing listings that offer the same thing.  Promote what is unique about your listings.  They’ll get noticed and sell faster.

Rule #3:  Substantiate Your Claim!

Al Ries once said, “Branding is nothing you do to the product.  It takes place in the mind of the consumer.”

If you can get comfortable with this rule, you will do much better with your marketing.

Consider the example of a local car dealer hawking the idea that he has the lowest prices — you likely hear this message all the time in your own market, but I doubt you give it much credibility.

For starters, it is a claim used by too many car dealers to be believable.  Second, do they really offer any proof?  Not usually, so messages like this are not typically very helpful.

Branding is not just something you do for a corporation.  You should absolutely “brand” each listing you take on.  For example, don’t just say your listing was architect-designed.  Explain, in detail, what the consumer will notice about the house when they come to see it.

Here Is The Perfect Example…

I once took on a waterfront home that was designed by an architect who specializes in lake houses.  When I asked him why he designed the house the way he did, he started describing one interesting aspect after another.

When I interviewed him about his home, he walked me around to the back side of the house—the waterfront side. He pointed out that instead of a flat wall across the back, he visually re-created the same appearance that you’d get from the streetside view—there was a deep porch with impressive columns, high-pitched roof over the “back” door, shutters on the windows, etc.

In other words, he made the house look just as nice from the back as it did from the front.  He said, “A waterfront house should look just as inviting to guests you bring in by boat as it does for those who pull up in the driveway by car.”

Re-telling this in my ad helped substantiate the high price.  Potential buyers were able to visualize this unique benefit since I used descriptive “picture words” and compelling photographs.

Other agents turned this seller down because of her desired price. My ad pulled two full price contracts in less than thirty days.

A Summary

These are the rules of branding:

1. Sacrifice.
2. Promote uniqueness.
3. Substantiate your claims.

For real estate agents, your primary theme for listing promotions must involve sacrificing the majority — not selling to anyone and everyone but focusing on the people most likely to buy the home. Say what makes the home unique and you will attract that right buyer. But also be careful to not get caught up in copying others. Say what makes your listing special and write a story with passion and detail that proves it!

Take time this week to review your current listing promotions and try to apply all 3 rules to each of your properties.  I guarantee it will make them stand out and you’ll attract qualified prospects who are ready to sign a purchase contract.

[Ed note: Copyright Stan Barron. Reprinted with permission. If you, or someone you know wants to sell a house, please give Stan a call at 512-345-8585.]

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Recently, some friends asked me to sell their condo.  There were competing condos for sale with the same floorplan, built with the same materials, etc.

Sales activity had been very slow, and we were going to have to compete with a lower priced, foreclosed unit.

The good news was that every other unit was being marketed with a typical flyer that just told the number of bedrooms and baths. I used a “story ad” (example below), and the listing sold in under 60 days.

While I did not go over the top in my description, I did write an interesting story that enthusiastically told what the home was like.

Here’s the full ad…

(click the image to download the PDF example)

This example brings to mind the most common question I get about real estate advertising…

“What do I advertise when my listing is similar to other homes in the area?”

Not only real estate agents, but many companies face this marketing dilemma:  What marketing message do you use to attract buyers when you’re selling something similar to what’s available?

First of all, you must be objective, and in some cases, you must have the wisdom to recognize there are no major differences between your ‘product’ and others.

Consider this sage advice from the world-class copywriter, Joel Raphaelson:

“In the past, just about every advertiser has as-
sumed that in order to sell his goods he has to
convince consumers that his product is superior
to his competitor’s. This may not be necessary.
It may be sufficient to convince consumers that
your product is positively good. If the consumer
feels certain that your product is good and feels
uncertain about your competitor’s, he will buy
yours. If you and your competitors all make ex-
cellent products, don’t try to imply your prod-
uct is better. Just say what’s good about your
product—and do a clearer, more honest, more
informative job of saying it.”

Translation… put some “Showmanship” in your ads.

Many of us forget the excitement of buying a home (or condo in this case).  Buyers, especially first-timers, are thrilled if you simply do an enthusiastic job of describing what they’ll get by having their own property.

The problem isn’t that you’re selling a boring home, it’s that you’re using a boring ad to sell it.  The way to get your listings to stand out and find the right buyer is to simply do a better job of being honest and informative about what the property has to offer.

I’m not referring to a list of what the home has…instead…describe in a story what this home will DO for them if they buy it and weave those details (like square footage, roof construction type, etc.) into your story.  A common mistake I see time and again is just listing the features of the home in a bulleted fashion.

If you’re selling an average-priced home… describe the better lifestyle the buyers will get in a narrative format.  Here are some ideas:

1. Describe the yard and the fun and excitement of entertaining friends or “a private hideaway to spend quality time with your sweetie”…
2. Use visual words to describe the “full-size entertainment area to melt into the couch and relax after a long day of work” or “watch your favorite sports game with room for all your friends to come over”…
3. Don’t simply say it’s a “gourment kitchen” but give an example of how the kitchen is “perfect for the budding chef” and “so much space you’ll soon be the next Julia Child as you impress friends and loved-ones with your new cooking skills”…

OK, that last one was a touch over the top, but you get the idea.  You can see how I did this in the example ad above.

Start putting enthusiastic details in your ads and you’ll sell more real estate.  I guarantee it.

You’ve heard of the research firm called Gallup, right?

They’ve studied human nature and behavior for more than 75 years.  And even in their early days, they knew that respondents do not always give reliable feedback.

In face-to-face surveys about radio, Gallup’s people would start by asking, “Which would you rather hear on the radio tonight—Jack Benny or a Shakespeare play?”

If the respondent said Shakespeare, they knew he was a liar and broke off the interview.

Ask one hundred people today if they make buying decisions based on emotion, and they will all say “No”.  But, this is equally unreliable feedback.  In the American psyche, emotions are shunned.  They are viewed as a sign of weakness.  The truth is we all rationalize with facts, but we buy on emotion.

Understanding this is one of the key elements that separates money-losing advertising from profitable advertising and top-income earners from agents who are barely scraping by.

Common Traits Of Novice Marketing

Novices tend to market the obvious—that which is tangible.  If they are selling a product, this usually means a dry description of features.  In the real estate business this is why you see a house promoted with a simple flyer that lists items such as the number of bedrooms, baths, etc.  Computers are routinely promoted with nothing more than a list of specifications such as the processor speed or size of the hard drive.

And if a company provides a service instead of a product, you see the same tired promises over and over.  “Me-too” claims from this school of thought often take the form of brag-and-boast promises about quality…or “Our customers are number one” or “We have 47 years of combined experience” themes.

Examples Of Emotion-Based Marketing

At one time, the hottest segment of the auto industry was Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV’s).  But were they being purchased because consumers have a genuine need to traverse the outback?  Don’t kid yourself.  The closest thing most SUV’s will ever come to rugged terrain is a speed bump in a shopping center.  SUV’s are purchased for the lifestyle image they project—pure emotion, and this is okay.

And do people shell out $10,000 for a Rolex watch because it keeps time accurately?  No, people buy a Rolex for its prestige.  You have seen Rolex ads for years.  Their marketing doesn’t try to impress you with its quality materials.  Rolex ads are normally done in the form of a short bio about a famous person or adventurer.  They associate their product with successful people.

Want another example? The average business person would likely agree that “good food” is crucial to the success of any restaurant business.  But are you sure?  McDonalds sells more hamburgers than anyone in the world, but do they make the best hamburger?  Not by a long shot.  For years, McDonalds has used emotion-laden TV commercials with kids as the theme.  When you think of McDonald’s you don’t think of the unique flavor of the food, you think fast, clean, consistent.

How To Sell More Homes By Putting An
EMOTIONAL Angle In Your Ads

If you want to win over more customers, try to get at the real — the deep-seated — reasons that make them buy.  Don’t tell them about you…tell them how they will benefit from purchasing your service or product.

Because I was fortunate enough to receive firsthand “advertising agency” experience, my ads include an emotional appeal instead of straight facts.

The good news is, you can quickly learn from my years of experience by looking closely at the following example of an emotion-laden homes ad.

The house featured below had been on the market for over six months.  The previous marketing (shown below as ‘BEFORE’) was a typical flyer that simply described the physical structure such as, “ Parking: 3-car garage, Foundation: Slab, Fireplace: One, Kitchen: Gourmet Island,” etc.

The ad I used (shown below as ‘AFTER’) told what it would be like to live in the house—an appeal with much more emotion.  It sold the house quickly.

(Click the image to download a PDF of the full ‘AFTER’ ad)

Using a similar approach in your homes ads can help you sell more homes, in a fraction of the time.

Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule?

It suggests that 80% of sales are made by only 20% of the salespeople—a pattern found in almost every industry.  But, the same is true of advertising—some ads sell more than others.

The famous copywriter, Claude Hopkins, said:  “A mediocre salesman effects part of your business.  But, mediocre advertising effects all of your business.”

I have a feeling you didn’t get in to real estate to be mediocre.   Question is, will you take the time to learn and apply what I’ve taught you through this example?

I hope you will.  It’s a powerful way to differentiate yourself from every other agent out there, sell homes faster, and make more money.  The choice is yours.

[Ed note: Copyright Stan Barron. Reprinted with permission. If you, or someone you know wants to sell a house, please give Stan a call at 512-345-8585.]