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Lobby Marketing Mix topic #856

Subject: "Help with Marketing/Sales" Previous topic | Next topic
aking5150Mon Feb-18-08 11:17 AM
 
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"Help with Marketing/Sales"


          

Some Background:
My fiancee has a Real Estate Appraisal and Property Management company, his dad has owned it for 30 years and they have a great reputation...He is now wanting to pass it off to his son. He has a few good, solid clients...but he only did enough to pay his bills, no more.

I have been in INSIDE sales for many years in the medical field.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...
As a lot of you know, the RE market is crazy slow right now and we want to take this time to add some new clients. I have been inside sales for the past 7 years, but HE isn't really the 'salesy' type, so I thought I would go out and spread the company name.

Any good marketing ideas anyone can share with me to build his business? Gimmicks?? Once we can get them to try him out, they'll LOVE his work!

Just need a foot in the door!

Thanks in Advance!

  

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Replies to this topic
Subject Author Message Date ID
RE: Help with Marketing/Sales
Feb 19th 2008
1
RE: Help with Marketing/Sales
Mar 12th 2008
2
RE: Help with Marketing/Sales
Mar 13th 2008
3
RE: Help with Marketing/Sales
Mar 13th 2008
4

PepperfireTue Feb-19-08 10:16 AM
 
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#1. "RE: Help with Marketing/Sales"
In response to Reply # 0


          

I'm not really sure I know enough about the real estate appraisal and property management field to offer much advice of value.

I liked the image that the "foot in the door" gave me. I know it's usually reserved for sleazy aluminum door salesmen types, but I got the idea of someone with their foot in your door meaning they're actually taking care of your property while you're not able to... something along those lines... You might want to bounce that around and see if you can polish it to bring it a little closer to home. Something like what you wrote... "You just need a foot in the door"

And I would start by ensuring that everyone associated with or knowledgeable of the company are really aware that it is the son of Dad's great reputation who is taking over (does that sentence make sense?).

Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!

  

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dianmillerWed Mar-12-08 11:48 AM
 
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#2. "RE: Help with Marketing/Sales"
In response to Reply # 0


          

I just came across a unique marketing solution to fit any budget. I have a friend in the refi- business in Florida. I think they are getting hit extra hard down there. I am a print broker for business cards and I needed a solution for printing in small quantities for a few customers that I have. I came across system called SendOutCards from another business forum and I asked for more informaton. The distributor called me and in within 15 minutes of an online demo, I "got it". I bought the system after seeing a hard copy sample. The software license is only $298., after using it to promote my business, I started liking it so much I upgraded and found out how to be a distibutor. Here is how it works. It is an online system where you can access hundreds of cards and postcards,they have cards for all industries, mortgage, real estate, financial, doctors etc. You simply type in your message, a follow up, a initial contact, a Thank You for your business and the compant prints it outs it in an envelope and mails it to the customer. The exciting part is you can customize the outside of these cards or postcards by simply using any image edting program (or getting someone to do it for you) and make your own Company cards and postcards. You can send 1, 10, 100 or 1,000! You can target clients and start a drip marketing campaign too. The ocst of the cards are less than cards you buy iin the store, and you write whatever you want inside. So you now have a self marketng easy to use system from your office computer. If you like to send something before you call a client, you could send one and say in the card you will be calling in a week or so, you can put a picture of what your selling on the postcards, or cards, the possibilties are endless. Some realtors use this just to Thank their clients and stay in touch with them. Now that I am a distibutor, I get inside information on how others use the system. We had a webinar one evening, and one of the realtors said he learned that the Board of Realtors recently released statistics that 85% of buyers of homes, five years later DID NOT use the same realtor or mortgage company when they moved or refnanced...why? Because, the realtors and mortgage people did not stay in touch with them. This shows the importnance of follow ups.
The system is called SendOutCards and it makes your best intentions of following up a reality, but also works well at making the 1st initial contact. I would be happy to give you a free trial.
You can contact me at dianmiller@comcast.net
I would be happy to answer your questions. This is only the tip of the iceberg on how simple and effectve this system is. Some Coldwell Banker agents became distributors to compensate for the slow down in housing volume. The sweet thing is, when things pick up, they will have a great,time saving customer retention tool at their fingertips. Hope this helps.

  

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DanLaBateThu Mar-13-08 01:56 AM
 
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#3. "RE: Help with Marketing/Sales"
In response to Reply # 0


          

We work with a few clients in the Real Estate business, including sales and home inspection. What we have experienced is that the majority of individuals are using search engines to find real estate related services and expect these companies to have a website.

Step one: Get a professional website.

It would seem to me that Realtors would be a perfect target market for appraisal. Some agents also do this but a majority do not and look for professional services to recommend to their clients.

Many Realtors do not do property management but would rather refer clients to you if they feel you are reputable.

Insurance agencies, small banks and other companies that need to insure a property have a need for appraisal services. As before some use in house services, but others may outsource this to a local company.

Step two: Get the word out

It would be easiest to send postcards to area Realtors and companies that could need your services. 4" x 6" postcards run about $99 for 500 and postage is $0.029.

Make sure your contact information is on the postcard and your website URL (www.yourbusinessname.com). This is how you turn a 4" x 6" postcard into a full color catalog.

Follow up you postcard with a phone call, do you research and know who the business owner is and ask for them by name.

For your property management set up a referral system with area Realtors. Offer a referral fee or a discount to their customers, if done correctly they will continue to send you all their property management clients.

Invest in your website, if your area market is good and there are enough internet searches for your services you should seriously consider SEO or Search Engine Optimization. This will help your website get listed for your industry targeted keywords for a search.
look at this page for information about this: http://enginesofcreation.com/organic-seo.cfm

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call or email me.

If you need a professional website we have plans starting at $74.95/mo that include hosting and updates.
Visit: http://enginesofcreation.com/web-design-package.cfm

Best of luck!
--

Thanks,
Dan La Bate
Creative Director & SEM - Engines of Creation.com
http://enginesofcreation.com


Phone: 518.842.3242
Fax: 866.643.4125
dan@enginesofcreation.com

  

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holibyteThu Mar-13-08 05:51 AM
 
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#4. "RE: Help with Marketing/Sales"
In response to Reply # 0


          

Along with others I strongly suggest a professionally built website with key focus on building a marketing mailing list. The market is slow right now and it's only going to get worse over the next few months (personal crystal ball prediction).

So what you need to do is instead of trying to build clients immediately which will only cause some serious gray hairs but instead be in data collection mode gathering prospects like crazy, keeping in regular touch with them through effective use of autoresponders and then in a few months when things start picking up pouncing all over them.

I believe this will have a lot more long term benefits and will actually help you determine when the market is improving as this shifts you having to actively *seek* clients to your prospects seeking YOU to become a client.

When I made this shift in my own business marketing last year the results have been absolutely incredible, and it doesn't need to be expensive to implement.

Feel free to contact me if you would like more information on how to effectively set something like this up at craig@holibyte.com

Craig Vincent
Holibyte Online Solutions
http://www.holibyte.com/ - Triple your revenue and repeat sales

  

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