For all businesses, marketing is far more important in a slow economy than at any other time in the business cycle.  Why?

Because when sales are slow, it is your marketing message that must be focused to get the attention of consumers that have a burning desire for exactly what you are trying to sell.

In this article I’ll give you TWO examples of how you can focus your message and sell your listings faster.

But before I do, let’s take a quick look at how Legos was saved by marketing…

For starters, Legos is not an American company.  It is an old company that has been around since the late 1940’s, and its headquarters was in Germany.

The company was doing okay in their early years, but Germany was a small market in those days, and Legos had ambitions to expand to the U.S. market.

So, in the early 1950’s the company used the same marketing message that worked in Germany to make their U.S. launch.  But the attempt failed miserably.

The company tried again only to get the same failed response.  It made a third run at the American market, and once again there was no response.

But on the fourth attempt, it made one critical change.  Legos hired an outside advertising consultant, Louis Rapaille.  Rapaille was known for “unusual” experiments to help businesses improve their advertising.  He steadfastly believes that companies are too close to their own situations to be objective.

So, to help discover the underlying problem for Legos, he set up an observation room at the Legos headquarters and watched how children actually play with them.  Guess what happens when you give German children a box of Legos?

They carefully unpack the box…they verify that all parts shown in the booklet are present…then they build exactly the few samples shown in the manual.

When Legos management saw this, they were not impressed because that is exactly what they imagined would happen.  But then, Rapaille brought in some American kids.  Guess what they did?

They ripped open the box…tossed the instruction booklet aside…dumped everything in a pile and started experimenting.  What this proved was there was nothing wrong with the product, the price or target audience—the only “problem” was the marketing message.  Everything was solved by literally changing one word!

In the German market Legos’ advertising message told parents to buy the product if they wanted to encourage their child’s inclination for engineering (something we now know Germans excel at).

Rapaille advised Legos to reposition their product for the U.S. market as a toy that would encourage creativity.  Legos management was highly skeptical of this minor change, but as soon as they tested the new ads, sales began to pour in.

As we all are aware Legos went on to be wildly successful in the U.S. market.

The moral is: the wrong marketing can keep a perfectly good product from selling, and it happens all the time.

This kind of marketing research is never discussed in the typical business setting, but it is studied constantly by the advertising industry.  There are many instances of reversing a sales slide by simply changing the marketing message.

Here are a couple of more famous cases:  Phillip Morris failed in its initial launch of Marlboro cigarettes.  It was aimed at women smokers.  The company took the same cigarette and simply changed the marketing by inventing the Marlboro Cowboy, and it became the largest-selling brand in history.

More recently, a failed new vodka brand was selling only a few hundred cases a year.  The packaging and marketing message were changed, and in two years it became the number one vodka brand (called Absolut Vodka).

What do all these examples have to do with YOUR business selling homes?…

How Houses Go From Unsold-To-Sold
By Changing the Message

We are no longer in a market where you can stick a sign in the yard and get multiple offers.  Here are two recent examples of what to do to get your listings sold…

EXAMPLE 1: In the first example, a home failed to sell in the traditional way.  The well-intentioned agent listed the home in MLS, had a sign in the yard, ran small ads in the newspaper, and used a typical flyer.

I took the same house and sold it for FULL price in 11 days by making changes in the marketing.

I did TWO things to improve the marketing message of this home and to get it sold fast…

1.  Changed the headline. The previous agent failed to mention that the home was small.  I actually used the word “small” in the headline.  So, why use such a “negative” word in the main heading?

That is a trick question because—to the right buyer—a “small” home is not a drawback, it is actually a huge benefit.  Besides, why gloss over an objection prospective buyers will discover anyway?  Doing so only attracts the wrong audience.

2.  Emphasized the primary benefit. Equally important as the headline, the previous marketing failed to stress the home’s primary benefit—the scenic and private back yard setting.

My ad stressed the “rain forest” theme.  When the message is properly executed…the right audience finds you.

Here’s my “rain forest” ad I created to sell this home…click the image below to download a pdf.

EXAMPLE 2: The second example involved a house in Lakeway (an area near Austin, TX) that had been listed three times and on the market a total of 18 months.  In all that time the seller never received an offer.

Each agent had used a typical flyer that simply told features of the home…the number of bedrooms, baths and living areas (sound familiar?).

Several key benefits of the house were never mentioned in the previous marketing.

It was on a double lot, had a 3.5-car garage, and was one of the only houses in this old section of Lakeway that had received extensive updating.

I simply used an ad that would attract prospects who valued these benefits, and the home sold in just under 45 days.

I don’t have a pdf ready for this “Lakeway” ad, but here’s a larger view of the ad so you can see how I emphasized the benefits right in the headline…

To wrap things up…it doesn’t matter if you’re the owner of Legos or the owner of a house, the principle is the same: the wrong marketing message will result in failure.

Start looking for these small tweaks to the message of your listings.  Remember, always always always, promote the benefits your audience wants in meaningful and specific ways.

[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.  Also, many have responded to this post commenting that the Lego company is Danish and not German.  It is true, the company is from Denmark.  This article refers to when one of their headquarters was in Germany.]

It’s no secret we live in difficult times. Dwindling buyers, sub-prime fall-out, foreclosures, negative valuations, short sales, and “bleeding working capital” due to longer sales times have become the language of today’s real estate market.

It’s tough out there, but many agents are still making a good living, and some are doing better than ever. How? They know that if you want to survive or even prosper during this tough market, you need to be on your “A-Game.”

Today I want to share with you one “A-Game” strategy that will position you heads-and-tails above other agents and help you gain a greater percentage of a smaller (and slower) market.

This simple skill will quickly and effectively help differentiate yourself from other agents in your market and generate buyers and listings more easily.

As a real estate professional your job is two-fold: 1) To market your real estate services to generate buyers and listings, and 2) To market and sell homes of your clients.

Yet whenever I see agent marketing (personal or home marketing) I’m constantly amazed at how little effort is placed to counteract the recipients stubborn reluctance to believe anything you say.

Agents create verbal and written marketing messages (ads, letters, listing packages, web sites, etc.) that naively presume they’ll be believed.

Distrust is, understandably, everywhere. People, by and large, distrust nearly everyone and everything. They distrust politicians, their bank, community leaders, government and most businesses.

And yes, they even distrust YOU.

Anytime a person perceives an “ulterior motive” (such as they’re going to be sold, courted for a vote or other obligation), they form a natural resistance to the message. This is true even when they actually desire what is being promoted.

The solution?

Get others to create your credibility and believability for you. After all…

What Others Say About You is 1000 Times More Credible and Persuasive than What You Ever Say About Yourself

Why? Because there’s no perceived ulterior motive, so its easier for people to believe.

I constantly look at agent ads, letters, listing packages and other marketing and I’m shocked to see that 99% of them have absolutely NO comments or input from the very people who have benefited from their services.

Yet the most common comment I hear from agents is, “what can I do to differentiate myself from the swarms of agents out there??”

Thats all going to change for you starting NOW, because today Im going to give you everything you need to create your own powerful testimonial marketing system.

So let’s get started…

Step #1: How Do You Get Testimonials?

Testimonials are easy to get once you simply commit to getting them. The secret is timing. The best time to ask for a testimonial is when your client has just received the payoff or benefit of your services. In most cases it’s at or immediately after the closing of a transaction (for buyers, it’s before they need to make their first mortgage payment).

Smart agents leverage their marketing by asking for a testimonial about their services while the “happy gas” is flowing with their clients. Average agents just walk away looking for another deal.

Would you like a proven letter you can send to clients right after a closing to generate testimonials for your services?

I thought you might, so here it is all written for you…

What you need to know about this letter:

1. Send it as a personal letter right after closing – preferably hand addressed, stamped, etc.
2. Consider sending it by FEDEX. Why? Because everyone opens FEDEX, and it communicates urgency, so your clients will act quickly.
3. Consider using a “grabber” like attach a penny and change the headline to say, “a penny for your thoughts…” or something like that. Grabbers help the envelope become “lumpy” and get opened.
4. Make sure you tell them exactly how to respond – see my next step for the many types and uses of testimonials.
5. Hand sign the letter and consider writing a personal “thanks for your help” in your own handwriting to the right of your signature.
6. If it’s a written response, include a self-addressed stamped envelope to make it easy to reply
7. Use the psychological element of reciprocation by enclosing a few coupons for 2 free coffee drinks or ice cream or movie tickets. This will motivate your client to reply quickly. Make sure you don’t violate any state laws with respect to gifts given. Since these are not related to client procurement or referral you should be OK, but check with your broker.

Now (here’s my overt pitch), you may or not know this, but the letter above is an excerpt taken from our Million Dollar Agent Marketing Tool Kit^™, and it’s been proven to work for agents around the world.

If you don’t have your own copy of the Million Dollar Agent Marketing Tool Kit^™ you can click here and get it. Why would you want to do such a thing?

Because it contains over 35 sales and marketing letters similar to the one above and will quickly boost your production and make your marketing infinitely easier and more effective, all for less than you spent on lunch last week.

Plus you can get 4 incredibly valuable bonuses Free with your tool kit. You can work hard or you can work smart – this tool kit is a “smart agent” resource.

Step #2: What KINDS of Testimonials Should You Get and HOW Should You Use Them for Maximum Impact?

I combined this question because I want to show you how to get testimonials that will be 1) believable, and 2) will clearly differentiate you from other agents.

Here are some great ideas for the types and uses of testimonials you can create for your practice…

The Written Testimonial.

You can send the above letter after each closing you have (and you can even send it to existing clients and friends if you like), and ask them to complete an attached sheet and mail back to you.

Then, once you get the testimonial you can use it 1) with your ads, 2) with any sales letters you create, 3) with your pre-listing package, 4) place them on your web site, 5) use them with your home brochures, 6) with info-tube flyers, or anywhere you need more believability about your services.

The Photo Testimonial.

Agents frequently take a camera with themselves to visit their client’s new (or old) home and take a photo of their clients happily in front of their home.

If it’s a listing you sold, take a photo of them in front of your “SOLD” sign with a thumbs up. If it’s a new home, take a proud photo of them on their new door step with a thumbs up. Then use your photo testimonial in the same places as your written testimonial (above).

The Photo Sign Testimonial.

This is similar to the idea above, except this time you create a sign that your sellers or buyers hold with an important (quoted) message from them. Once you get their written testimonial, have it produced on a sign (rolled paper) using a local printer, then take a photo of your client holding their sign. This is a very powerful tool.

Want to see an example we use?

I teach the very same real estate systems I personally use. Here’s an example of a photo testimonial for our Service For Life!^® prospecting and referral generating tool. I think it’s adorable and it sends a powerful message.

Imagine having many photos like this in your inventory (I do!), then you can create prospecting (or just listed/sold) post cards, or put this on your web site, or integrate it into your pre-listing package.

Are you getting the “picture” here? (OK, that was really corny!)

The Video Testimonial

Take your video camera and get first hand video comments from your clients. Then use the clips on a personally created DVD (to give to prospects), load them onto your web site, or play them during a listing presentation. Powerful? You bet!

Audio Testimonials

In your letter (above) you can make leaving a testimonial easy by asking your clients to call your hotline, enter a special extension, then they can record their comments for you. Take the audio and use it on your web site, transcribe it and use it as a written testimonial, put a series of them on a CD, or even put on your web site.

We use audio testimonials all the time at ServiceForLife.com check them out right on the home page.

Step #3: What Makes a Good Testimonial?

The best testimonials reveal a strong and relevant benefit your clients received by working with you.

When I say “relevant” I mean that the testimonial translates a benefit that your prospects consider important – such as saving money, avoiding hassles, getting an advantage other buyers or sellers don’t get, etc.

That’s why the letter I wrote guides them and helps them communicate the benefits you want to use. Did you help save them money? Did you overcome a specific obstacle or solve a huge problem they were facing? Were you easy to work with? Were you better than any other choice they could have made?

Step #4: Just DO IT!

You’ve just received a powerful marketing system that can make a huge impact on your real estate success.

It’s easy to use. It’s fun. And you’ll be amazed how much your clients, friends and others who know you and use your services will be thrilled to help you. Seriously, just try it and you’ll see.

I hope you use this system, get your “A-Game” going, and profit like never before!

You’re about to see an extraordinary example of home marketing. If you believe you could write a homes ad like this (or brochure, flyer, web page, etc.), you’re well on your way to distinguishing yourself as one of the preeminent home marketers in the country.

You’ll also sell your homes faster and for more money than most other agents, and have a distinct advantage capturing listings. You will be in the “elite of the elite” when it comes to home marketing.

But it’s likely you won’t answer “yes,” because statistics say that less than 1 out of 200 agents truly understand how to market and sell homes like a world-class pro.

The good news is that’s all about to change, because today I’m going to show you an amazing example of home marketing, plus give you a simple 5-Step process for writing ads, brochures, web pages and more – the easy way.

A few weeks ago a good “direct marketing” friend of mine in Austin, TX called me because he needed to sell one of his homes and met an agent who gave him a series of ads as part of his pre-listing package.

You can see one of his ads as a .pdf by clicking here.

What was so amazing to my friend (and, of course me) is that this agent combined long-style, emotional direct response copy with absolutely stunning layout, making his home truly unique and irresistible to potential buyers.

My friend questioned the agent, Stan Barron, about his remarkable ads, who said that for years he had studied direct response advertising and honed his skills to the point where all his marketing is heads and tails more successful than any other agent in the area.

To the untrained eye, you might think that his ads are simply beautiful photos with verbose descriptions. After all, who would read all that print??

But the pro realizes that to capture interest and stimulate desire in a potential home prospect, you need to tell your complete story and use certain “strategies” to convert the prospect to a paycheck-cashing client.

A buyer not interested in the home won’t read 5 words about it, but an interested prospect wants as much information as you can provide. So give it to them.

Would you like to learn these strategies, so you can differentiate yourself and your homes from other agents, and (quite literally) multiply your income?

I thought you might, so here are 5 simple steps for creating blockbuster homes ads (and all your marketing) in your business.

Open and/or print the ad in the link above, as I’m going to use it as an example of brilliant marketing…

Quite frankly, the reason why some agents are great marketers is because they simply do their homework. The secret is to be efficient at the process by knowing what questions to ask and having a keen sense of observation.

And, by the way, if you think this exercise only applies to multi-million-dollar luxury homes, think again. You should do the very same exercise with a production tract home.

So the first step is to identify unique features and benefits about the home you’re looking at. Now, when I say unique, I’m talking about very specific and captivating features and benefits that clearly stand-out and appeal to a potential buyer.

Not every home appeals to everyone, so you also need to identify who would be the perfect buyer for the home, given the features and benefits you discover. The process involves asking questions in 4 areas…

**The owners: Who are they? Why did they buy/build this particular home? Do they have any quirks that are reflected in this home? What do they do for a living? What are their hobbies or passions? Do they have special needs that are reflected in the home? What was the owners dream for the property and how did they accomplish it?

You’ll notice in the ad that the agent identified certain things about the owners, like he’s a Ferrari driver, must love cars because of his 5-car garages, and he’s a bit of a high-tech recluse who really wanted privacy.

**The history of the property and details about the area, land or subdivision: How did the owners find the land/home? Who owned the land/home before the current buyers? Are there interesting historical landmarks nearby or on the land?

You’ll notice in this ad the agent discovered that the home is set on a double lot at the end of a dead-end street, and appears to have grown out of its natural surroundings. He then adds that the property sits on the edge of a vast wilderness and protected wildlife habitat.

Do you think this is going to appeal to someone interested in very private, open and protected spaces? You better believe it!

**Architecture, design and construction details: What is so unique about the design of the home? What unique materials were used in construction? Are there special features and benefits about the design that might appeal to a certain buyer?

**Lifestyle benefits of the home: What is the best use for this home? How did the current owners use it? Is it a party home or is it a great refuge from modern busy life?

People buy a house, but it’s their emotions that turn it into a “home.” Try to identify the emotional attachment the current owners have to the home.

The purpose of your headline is to 1) Attract attention from the right kind of buyer, 2) Communicate the most unique features and/or benefits of the home, and 3) Most importantly, cause the reader to want to read the ad.

So in reality, the headline is the “ad” for the ad.

Here’s how you craft your headline: Take all the interesting details you discovered from Step #1 above and select 2 or 3 of the most unique and valuable details to craft your headline around.

Remember, you need to first get a bead on the type of buyer who would be interested in the home – then select the 2 or 3 details that would most appeal to that specific buyer. Remember, we’re talking target marketing, not mass marketing.

Next, write 15 or 20 (or more) captivating headlines. Since the headline accounts for at least 85% of the success of your ad, spend at least 85% of your time on the headline.

In our example, Stan used something about his seller, then talked about the privacy and space of the home. He identified these as the most important facts and features about the home.

Now, you’ll notice there’s a sub-headline, or what I call “Deck Copy.” Your deck copy can be used to add-on to your headline in order to stimulate even more desire to read your ad, brochure, home flyer, etc.

In this case, Stan further focused on the private setting, exotic pool and guest house – and really hit home with the 3-sides of greenbelt. He also decided to include the price in the deck copy as it helps to qualify the buyer.

Your lead, or opening sentence/paragraph, is almost important as your headline. The purpose of your first sentence is to simply motivate the reader to read your second sentence, and so forth.

It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But if your reader stops reading at any time, you’ve lost a potential prospect for the home (or to help find a home).

So the goal of your lead is to say something that will motivate your reader to read on. In this case, Stan opens his ad with an excitement sentence (surge into the “red zone”).

He then focuses on the 3 most important features/benefits of the home: 1) close to town, 2) dazzling architecture, and 3) privacy.

Is this starting to make sense to you?

You’ve captured the reader’s interest with your headline and deck copy. You’ve further heightened it with your lead. Now it’s time to really dig into their emotions with the body copy.

Read how Stan brilliantly describes the features and lifestyle benefits of this home. He even talks about what the home would look like if viewed from a helicopter, and he talks about how the owner spent heavily to “orchestrate” the residence.

Why is he doing this?

Because he wants to reveal the UNIQUENESS and VALUE of the home. People naturally gravitate to things that are unique, one-of-a-kind or dwindling in supply. It’s how you tap-into and agitate human desire.

You can see that he writes his body copy as if you were taking a walking tour through the property, and he uses very emotional descriptions and details of the home – these are all the items he discovered during his detective work in Step #1 above.

Over my 34-year career I’ve seen thousands of examples of agent marketing. And in practically every case the single most important (yet MISSING) ingredient is a solid call to action.

Remember this: NO ONE will ever respond to your marketing without a specific, meaningful, self-serving and irresistible REASON for doing so.

No call to action, no response – you’ve wasted your money and time.

Aside from advertising in the wrong mediums, this is the single biggest reason why 95% of most agent marketing turns out to be money flushed down the drain.

If you look at this ad, on page 2, you’ll notice Stan has a sub-headline that says, “How to See This Home.”

Then he does something I think is brilliant: He qualifies potential buyers. Why is he doing this?

Actually for 2 reasons, I believe: 1) Because there really are conditions to seeing this home, probably rightly placed by his sellers, and 2) Because creating a qualifier, or “take-away” actually makes a potential buyer more desirous to take the next step – as you just learned, people want things that are dwindling in supply or hard to get.

So Stan tells the reader, “no casual lookers” and asks the potential buyer to contact their own agent to set an appointment (he also knows that, if they don’t have an agent, they will call him directly).

He then gives his phone number and web site address where people can view more about the home.

The only thing I would add to the close would be a few more reasons to visit his web site: Perhaps Free consumer reports, an exclusive home buying program, etc.

Other than that, you’re looking at one of the very best ads I’ve ever seen for marketing a home, and you can create ads just like this if you simply follow the 5-Steps above and look at this example.

One additional thing worth mentioning: Did you notice that every photo of Stan’s ads uses a caption?

Why does he do this? Because photos naturally draw the eye, and having a caption helps relate a benefit or highlight a feature and DRIVE the reader into the copy.

Oh…I almost forgot: Want to see another one of Stan’s ads?

OK, then Click Here and you’ll see another ad example – this one uses a great qualifier right in the headline. Study it right now, and start creating great advertising for your listings.

Now, I want to give special THANKS to Stan Barron for allowing me to use his incredible ads as a marketing lesson.

By the way: If you have any referrals for the Austin area, feel free to give Stan a call – your clients will thank you for introducing him.

AND…if you’d like to learn more about the elements and strategies for direct response success (these will change our life and income almost on the spot!), here are a few books you should buy and DEVOUR (don’t worry, they’re inexpensive and can be found on Amazon.com):

** Advertising Secrets of the Written Word – by Joe Sugarman

** Scientific Advertising – by Claude Hopkins

** Breakthrough Advertising – by Eugene Schwartz

** Anything by John Caples

** The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier (use Google to find a copy from Carl Galletti)

I have hundreds of books in my library, but these 5 will give you enough information to turn you into a marketing and copywriting expert in no-time flat – and that means lots more money in your pocket. Happy marketing!

Have you ever spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours on an ad or mailing program, only to stare at your silent phone?

If so, you’re not alone. Most agents spend an enormous amount of time learning about “real estate”, but very little learning about the “elements” that turn your advertising (or any marketing or prospecting efforts) from a “sunk cost” to a true “money-maker”.

The truth about real estate success is this: Even the most competent and knowledgeable agent will go broke without a steady, consistent stream of qualified, motivated buyers and sellers.

So while knowledge about real estate is essential to being a competent agent, it’s not going to write your ticket to success. You also need to develop prospecting and marketing skills designed to create an on-going flow of leads and clients.

Money-making marketing isn’t difficult if you know a few basics. In fact, all successful marketing has three essential components. I call them…

The Three “M’s” of Marketing Success

The next time you set-out to create a successful ad, post card, or even if you decide to cold prospect (or the next time you’re perplexed as to why your wonderful promotion didn’t work), think about these three ingredients…

#1: Select the Right MARKET

It sounds rather obvious, but most agents fail with their marketing right here – they fail to target the “hungry crowd“… people who are “right now” facing a problem about real estate, and are motivated and interested in what you may be offering.

What do I mean by “market”?

A “market” is a group of people who share a common demographic (statistical description, such as location, occupation, income, etc.) or psychographic (belief wiring). Your goal is to select a market that has an immediate, pressing desire for your services.

Want an example?

About 6 months ago an agent called me because she had been farming a “high-end” subdivision for over 9 months, and her efforts produced zero calls or listings. When I asked her to hop on her trusty MLS system and take a look at the market, she noticed that only 2 homes had sold in the entire area over the past year!

She had been fishing in an empty pond.

I then told her to select 5 decent markets in her area based on casual knowledge, and using here MLS system analyze each market for # of homes sold, average sales time, # of dominant agents in the market and a few other statistics.

By comparing 5 markets based on these criteria, all of a sudden one of the areas stuck out as a higher-potential market than the others – an area with lots of activity, high turnover, short sales times, fewer dominant agents, etc. Within 30 days working these markets she had her first listing, and is now making a small fortune from her farming efforts.

So how do you find hot markets? How do you find the well-stocked ponds that will produce consistent business for you, year-in and year-out?

The secret is to pay attention to where the dominant activity exists for the type of homes you specialize in selling.

If you’re a luxury market specialist, do your homework and locate luxury areas with better activity than others. If resort properties or horse properties are your specialty, then analyze the best resort or horse property subdivisions to target.

If you’re looking for buyers, examine your market for segments where the highest volume of buyers exist (get cozy with your local board and you can find lots of market data). Between your MLS and a trusty Excel spreadsheet, the answers are right at your fingertips.

But you want to know the one “market” that will out-perform anything else as much as 16 to 1? It’s your “Power List”…your list of past clients, friends, family and acquaintances.

If you’re interested in building a booming “Power List” business click here to learn more.

To sum up this first “M”… go where the pond is stocked from the beginning, and your odds of success will be much greater when you cast your line.

Let’s move on to the second “M”…

#2: Select the Right MEDIUM

Once you’ve found your market(s), the next question you should ask yourself is: “Where does my target market get information that’s important to them?”

The secret is to tap into the lines of communication and information that your market already finds credible and helpful.

Most agents are seduced into finding mediums (magazines, newspapers, etc.) based on the highest circulation, but that’s a BIG mistake because you’re going to pay for exposure to people who have no interest in your services – it’s called “waste circulation” and it’s very costly.

Find a medium that reaches your targeted prospect and only your targeted prospect.

You might choose to use direct mail after performing an analysis like the example above. You might locate a homeowner newsletter to contribute a helpful article about buying or selling in the area. Or you might find a bedroom newspaper that specifically targets the area you farm.

Either way, the “secret” to success is in finding well-targeted, small ways to reach your prospect and only your prospect. That’s because every dollar (and minute) counts when you’re prospecting for leads and clients.

The more you target by selecting the right medium for your promotions, the more money you make.

And the final “M” is this…

#3: Create the Right MESSAGE

All of your advertising, mailings or any other marketing should have one and only one objective: Motivate qualified buyer and seller prospects to CALL YOU or hire your services!

If they don’t call or hire you, you’ve wasted your money.

But most agents believe that, if they throw up their photo with a “call me for more information” they’ve done the job. Wrong!

You will find volumes of books and courses about direct response marketing and ways to motivate prospects to call you, but here’s a quick 4-point checklist that will almost instantly improve the success of all your marketing.

• Capture Attention with a Benefit-Rich Headline and Lead. Your headline is your “ad” for your ad or letter or even your listing presentation – no it’s not your name or your big company logo. It’s the specific call-out message that causes your reader or listener to stop and take notice, just like a headline in a newspaper article works. Your “lead” is what you say in the first 5 seconds that captures the attention of your reader and motivates them to read on.
• Stimulate Interest by Harmonizing with Your Prospect. How do you get people interested in you? By talking about the problems they face and the desires they seek. It’s not about you; it’s about them! When you connect with your prospect and empathize with their situation (their immediate fears and desires), you instantly capture their interest and open their minds to be willing to listen to your solutions.
• Create Desire by Matching Your Services Perfectly to Their Fears and Desires. When you demonstrate how your services solve problems or deliver benefits for your prospects and clients better than any other option – in a way that’s risk-free for them – you automatically make yourself a stand-out choice for their business. The art of persuasion is simply matching your solution perfectly to the problems and desires your prospect faces.
• Stimulate Action with an Irresistible Offer and Call to Action. Remember this: No one will call you without a self-serving, almost irresistible reason for calling. So you need to give prospects reasons to call. For lead generation, offer special reports, preferred lists of homes and other “magnets” that will motivate people to seek you out. When closing a listing presentation, list out all the “things” you will DO for them, and make an offer that will have them saying, “we’d have to be fools to pass this up!” If you don’t include an offer, combined with an urgent call to action, chances are your prospects are going to procrastinate. And procrastination in this business means an empty checkbook!

One final note… these three “M’s” of marketing success are not magic bullet solutions.

It’s up to you to take action and put them in place in your practice.  Once you really understand each of these ingredients and USE them, you’ll have a reliable way of creating promotions that work instead of just a fizzle of response.

If you want your promotions to bring you a steady stream of commissions and clients, go and review every promotion you have right now against each of these ingredients of successful marketing.

You’ll be glad you did!