[Podcast] Leveraging ChatGPT for Content Creation with Katie Lance
Thank you to RPR for sponsoring this article on RE Technology: In this episode of Decoding Real Estate, we welcome Katie Lance. Katie is a real estate and social media trainer, coach, author and speaker. She has been working in marketing and branding for over 20 years, and has focused the last 10 years on social media's role in real estate success. She joins the show to discuss the power and potential of AI ChatGPT in relation to creating top notch real estate content. Katie's blog features all sorts of ChatGPT tips, from creating listing descriptions, newsletter topics and how to prompt the bots for an overall content creation plan. Katie brings her experience and expertise to add her two cents about RPR's latest feature, the Market Trends ScriptWriter. This AI-powered tool, integrated into the RPR Residential Market Trends section of their website, takes local housing market stats and metrics for a specific area, and lets REALTORS® hit the "Create Script" button to create scripts, marketing copy and social media posts. It also explains the market terms, their definitions and their correlations to one another. This isn't just words strung together; it's a clear, factual breakdown and clarification of housing market data that agents can easily share with their clients! Reggie, Genie and Katie provide plenty of great questions and answers in this AI Generative text-focused episode. Decoding Real Estate is hosted by Reggie Nicolay and Genie Willett. Subscribe/Follow And be sure to check out these helpful and relevant links: KatieLance.com/ChatGPT KatieLance.com Realtors Property Resource RPR Market Trends ScriptWriter Listen on: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Real AI: Florida, Headlines and The Beatles
Introducing Real AI -- a human-curated weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate. AI is Florida's "Rockstar" I just returned from the Florida Realtors annual convention, where the real star of the show was artificial intelligence – apologies to Tim Tebow, the keynote, who was surprisingly quite good. Agents and brokers packed every session that has AI in the title. When highlighting AI as it relates to public relations in my first presentation ("5 Takeaways to Enhance Your Business with Public Relations"), the crowd actually went, "Wow." At the Emerging Technologies Committee, Craig Grant, founder of the Real Estate Technology Institute, and I did a one-two take on AI. Craig's talk was "How AI and ChatGPT Are Transforming Real Estate," packed with excellent practical examples of AI touching nearly every part of the real estate ecosystem. My 20-minute talk was "AI in Real Estate: Where we are now, where we are going," and also touched on some of the social, ethical, regulatory and legal obstacles ahead. The committee typically has 50-60 people in the room, but it was packed at nearly three times that. The AI in real-time video from Restb.ai that I shared during the conference continues to get a "wow" reaction every time: it is here. AI headlines Here's a dozen recent headlines to give you an idea of how obsessed we all are about AI right now: The $900,000 AI Job Is Here | WSJ – 8/14/2023 Can States Learn to Govern Artificial Intelligence – Before It's Too Late? | Foreign Affairs – 8/16/2023 AI Can't Build a High-Rise, but It Can Speed Up the Job | NY Times – 8/15/2023 Google DeepMind testing ‘personal life coach' AI tool | The Guardian – 8/17/2023 The World Isn't Ready for the Next Decade of AI | Wired – 8/16/2023 AI is coming for your audiobooks. You're right to be worried. | Washington Post – 8/16/2023 AP, other news organizations develop standards for use of artificial intelligence in newsrooms | AP – 8/17/2023 Snapchat just confirmed people's worst fears about artificial intelligence | The Street – 8/16/2023 How artificial intelligence could help us talk to animals | Science News Explores – 8/17/2023 Artificial intelligence could help us reduce plane emissions | CNN – 8/17/2023 Barbie and the dark side of generative artificial intelligence | Salon – 8/17/2023 The Worst Thing You Can Do With A.I. | Entrepreneur's Handbook – 8/21/2023 Speaking of AI as a "Rockstar" .... How long will it be before AI-creates a new in-person Beatles concert? Read this, this, and this. Image from Reddit: AI Take Four: Cool tech tools (Shoutout to Craig Grant, Reti.us, for many of these sources) D-ID – Video AI: Uncomfortable on video and not a one-take wonder? Generative AI allows you to upload your photo to create your own talking avatar – or use a template – and then type your script to create a video instantly. Test it out with a free 5-minute video. Paid plans start at $60 a year for longer videos. www.d-id.com – Also: Synthesia – www.synthesia.io Durable.co – Website building AI: Build a complete website in less than a minute, including images, copy and contact form. durable.co Otter.ai – real-time transcription: We've been using Otter for several years, and it keeps getting better and more accurate. Otter now offers free Zoom, Google Meet and MS Teams plug-ins to transcribe your meetings automatically. otter.ai – Also: Tatiq – tactiq.io Canva – new AI tools: One of the most important AI trends is the integration of ChatGPT (typically 3 or 3.5) into existing popular platforms and software like the Photoshop alternative Canva. Canva developed its Magic Write text-to-image tool with ChatGPT 3. The creation of images and memes for social media has a ton of applications for real estate. It is a free add for subscribers. canva.com/ai-image-generator AI Company to Watch: Restb.ai Kevin wrote about Restb.ai in a recent WAV Group blog post, Computer vision is revolutionizing MLSs: The appraisal industry is next. The bigger news is Restb.ai just won the Inman Innovator Award for Technology. Lisa Larson and Nathan Brennan, two Restb.ai leaders, are becoming go-to AI conference speakers as Restb.ai dominates the MLS industry and is now expanding to the appraisal and valuation industry. Keep an eye on real estate's computer vision leader Restb.ai. AI Quote of the Week Content suggestions welcomed: email [email protected]. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

IAmA real estate agent: 25 Subreddits for you to bookmark
If you've tried to Google anything lately, you've likely noticed that search results are less than stellar these days (as tech journalists and bloggers alike have opined). Looking for a solution, internet users have taken to adding "reddit" to their search terms, e.g. "marketing ideas reddit." That's because Reddit is a massive online public community where users can converse with each other on just about every topic under the sun. It's likely that if you have a question about something, someone on Reddit has already answered it — including questions about real estate! If you haven't visited Reddit before, the site is organized like a forum, and each area of interest has its own message board, or "subreddit." Users subscribe to the subreddits that interest them, and posts from each sub they follow are aggregated into a personalized newsfeed. It's a great way to keep an ear to the ground for the latest buzz on the topics you care about most. But like we said, Reddit is massive. The site is home to 130,000+ active subreddits, so it can be daunting to find the ones that matter to you. Don't worry, though — we're not sending you into the Reddit jungle without a map. To help you get your bearings, we've rounded up 25 real estate related subreddits. You can follow them to keep up with the industry, get advice and ideas, find interesting content to share, and more. Talking with peers and colleagues There are lots of real estate subreddits geared toward consumers. These, however, are just for real estate pros to get together and communicate: /r/Realtors - Connect and chat with your fellow agents here. A great place to get advice from your peers. /r/RealEstateMarketing - Need fresh ideas to market your listings or attract new leads? Visit this subreddit to see what strategies your peers are using, and get advice on what works and what doesn't. Keeping up with the market What's going on with the real estate market today, and what's on the minds of the average real estate consumer? Take the pulse of the industry by visiting these subreddits: /r/REBubble - There's a lot of anxiety about the state of today's real estate market (not that we have to tell you that). Visit this subreddit to talk about the current real estate bubble, see recent news stories, and spot trends. /r/realestate and /r/Real_Estate - These two subreddits are aimed towards consumers. Use them to understand what today's buyers and sellers are thinking, wondering, and worrying about. The questions consumers ask here are wonderful fodder for blog post ideas. Simply find a question you connect with and write an article that answers it. /r/CommercialRealEstate and /r/realestateinvesting/ - If you specialize in working with investors or with commercial properties, try these two subs. You can leverage them in a way similar to the pair above. Both investors and real estate pros frequent these subreddits. /r/RealEstateAdvice - Buying and selling a home is a complicated process, especially for the average consumer who only transacts a handful of times in their life. That makes for a lot of questions about the sales journey. Dive in to offer your advice — or just sit back and get a sense of what real estate consumers (and sometimes other agents!) are asking. /r/RealEstateFinance - Financing is a big part of any real estate transaction. This subreddit offers in-depth conversations on mortgages, interest rates, 1031 exchanges, and more. The lighter side of real estate Nothing relieves the tensions of a work day like a good laugh! Check out these two subreddits for crazy listings, ridiculous real estate photos, absurd home features, and more: /r/RidiculousRealEstate /r/ZillowGoneWild The geekier side of real estate Love both technology and real estate? You'll appreciate these subreddits then. Beware, though — the atmosphere in this neighborhood is unrepentantly geeky and there are a ton of technical terms flying around. /r/RealEstateTechnology /r/HomeAutomation /r/SmartHome Home-centric subreddits If you're looking for content ideas, remember that consumers don't spend much of their lives actively buying or selling a home. They spend most of it living in their home! The following subreddits are a great source of content ideas to share with current homeowners. Visit them to inspiration for your newsletter, social media, or blog: /r/Gardening /r/InteriorDesign /r/ExteriorDesign /r/Landscaping /r/DIY /r/HomeImprovement /r/Homeowners /r/HOA Local real estate subreddits As the saying goes, "All real estate is local." Reddit offers a lot of subforums for location-specific real estate conversations. This is great for networking with both local real estate pros and consumers. Many larger areas already have local real estate subreddits up and running, like /r/FloridaRealEstate, /r/LosAngelesRealEstate, and /r/BayAreaRealEstate, to name a few. To find one for your area, type "real estate [your city or state]" in Reddit's search area. Can't find one? Consider starting your own! Above all, remember that while Reddit isn't the place for self-promotion (that will get you kicked out of most subreddits), it's a great place to network, build your reputation, track trends, and get advice. There you have it — the nickel tour of the best real estate subs that Reddit has to offer. Happy Redditing!

Try This Expired Listing Script to Win More Appointments
Expired listings can be a prickly source of real estate leads. On one hand, the owner clearly wants to sell, otherwise they wouldn't have listed their home in the first place. On the other hand, something went wrong during the for-sale period, and you don't know what. Was the previous agent bad at their job? Was the seller difficult, or insistent on a price that was too high for the market? Whatever the case, the seller may not be feeling too great about the process of putting up their home for sale again. In our latest "Tips & Tricks Tuesday" article, we want to highlight just how to handle expired listings. When approached with empathy and curiosity, expireds can be a profitable lead source. Watch the video above to learn how Realtor Brandon Mulrenin approaches expired listings. He role plays a conversation between agent and homeowner, demonstrating the script he uses to convert expired listing leads. Watch the video to learn how to: Initiate a conversation with the owner of an expired listing Establish rapport with the homeowner Pique the homeowner's curiosity to keep the conversation flowing Unearth why the home didn't sell previously Close the call and get the seller to agree to meet with you And more! Related Reading How to Market to Expireds the Right Way Scripts and Templates to Turn Expired Listing Leads Into Clients What's the Best Way to Contact Expired Listings without Being Intrusive and Rude? 6 Easy Questions to Ask an Expired Listing

AI for Content Generation: How REWpert Can Help Build Every Content Type
Real Estate Webmasters' new AI bot, REWpert, is revolutionizing content creation in the real estate industry by making it faster, easier, and more efficient. It can be used to create various types of content, including blog posts, social media updates, video scripts, and more — catering to both seasoned professionals and newcomers in the real estate field. The Benefits of Utilizing AI in Content Generation REWpert leverages AI to create content tailored to real estate needs, such as blog content, area research, FAQ ideas, or area page content. It offers quality and speed, acting like a professional writing assistant without the high cost. Embracing REWpert can save significant time and generate more leads, focusing on what matters most in your real estate business. Blog Content Blogs are vital in real estate, and REWPert can assist in writing engaging posts full of property highlights and local insights. By understanding the audience and real estate landscape, REWpert crafts content that attracts more leads and builds stronger client relationships. FAQ Ideas REWpert can help create a relevant and informative FAQ section by analyzing common search queries and client interactions. An effective FAQ section builds trust, showcases expertise, and must be regularly updated to reflect current trends and regulations. A screenshot of REWpert's output when prompted for an FAQ list about Key Largo. Area Research and Page Content Area research is essential in real estate, and REWpert can assist in gathering and analyzing data, providing tailored insights. It also helps in crafting engaging descriptions of neighborhoods, combining hard facts with storytelling. Leveraging REWpert for area research sets real estate professionals apart by providing comprehensive insights. A screenshot of REWpert's output when prompted about Nanaimo area research. Challenges and Limitations While AI content generators like REWpert offer significant benefits, they also come with challenges and limitations. They may lack a nuanced understanding of human emotions and local culture, and may not always capture the unique voice or style desired. Balancing REWpert with a personal touch is key to creating content that resonates with clients, and it should be used as a tool, not a crutch or replacement for your writing skills. An example of an area page in Downtown St. Petersburg from The Salamone Group. To Conclude AI content generators like REWPert are game-changers for the real estate industry, offering a way to create high-quality content quickly and efficiently. However, they are tools to assist, not replace the personal touch that only real estate professionals can provide. Experimenting with different tools like REWpert can transform the content creation process, keeping real estate professionals ahead of the curve. The post above is a summary of the whole blog, also titled AI for Content Generation, found on Real Estate Webmasters' website.

4 Tips for Working with AI as a Real Estate Agent
Lately, news about artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere; this emerging technology has reached an inflection point, and we can expect to see it become increasingly ubiquitous in the coming months and years. New technologies are exciting, especially for people who love exploring ways to maximize their efficiency and work smarter, not harder — including real estate agents. But new technologies also come with a learning curve. It can take some time to understand the best way to use and implement these tools in your business. Tricia Stamper, director of technology at Florida REALTORS®, did the work so you don't have to. Read her top guidelines around how agents can (and should) be thinking about using AI, from how to write a prompt that works to how to keep your brand's proprietary information protected and private. People have often feared new technologies. In the late 1800s, after the invention of the telephone, many people were frightened by it. Historians note that many people wouldn't touch a telephone because they feared they would suffer an electric shock. A greater fear among others was that the phone would somehow attract evil spirits. Misconceptions of new technology accompany innovation. Electricity, telephones, bicycles, elevators, and automobiles were all feared, boycotted, and eventually regulated. Artificial intelligence is no different. As early as 2015, one survey found that Americans are more afraid of robots than death. While some real estate agents may fear AI, others are embracing the power of AI to help them save time for many tasks that AI is well suited to assist. When your competitors use new technology to make them more productive, it's at least worth understanding how your competition uses it. One caveat: the impact of the AI landscape is rapidly changing. When you finish reading this, numerous new AI applications will likely have been conceived and launched. With that in mind, here are four indispensable guidelines for adopting AI best practices fearlessly in real estate today. 1. Perfecting the prompt: The quality of the information and specific direction you provide an AI tool will be proportional to the quality of the results it returns. The biggest mistake most people make when using an AI tool like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard, Microsoft's Bing, and Anthropic's Claude is that they provide too little information with too little guidance. The secret to success is specificity. For instance, if you need ChatGPT to compose a blog post, offer more than a topic. Supply a detailed prompt outlining the target audience, word count, key points to include, relevant research, tone (casual or formal), and even your writing style. With the proper prompts, you can even teach ChatGPT how you write like you so it can better mimic your writing style. But don't rely on ChatGPT to provide accurate research and URLs. If you do, test the links and validate the referenced study, as the information from ChatGPT only extends until September 2021. 2. Encourage improvement: The first response from an AI tool is not necessarily the best it can offer. You'll likely receive more creative and valuable suggestions by requesting revisions or reiterations. Interactive use of AI amplifies its capabilities, especially for writing bios, resumes, blog posts, property descriptions, or brochures. For example, if you don't like the suggested writing output, ask for a version with a different tone. Ask it to create another version that is more casual, more formal, clever, or funny. If the ending doesn't summarize your blog post, ask for a more compelling conclusion summarizing the key points. Providing specific feedback is vital for maximizing the value of AI tools. AI image tools like DALL-E2 can create unique and license-free house photos but remember to provide clear and detailed instructions for the best results – and to iterate. Remember that tools like ChatGPT are idea machines. You name it, not just for blog posts but for video scripts, emails, letters of recommendation, testimonials, content plans, and SEO enhancement ideas. And the best way to maximize the value of what you get back is by giving specific feedback on how to improve it. 3. Impersonate to innovate: When asking for assistance – say you want to create a new marketing plan – tell it to provide you the information from an expert's perspective. You might say, "You are a real estate marketing expert" or "Imagine you are Gary Vaynerchuk…" and then make specific requests: what you need in terms of your marketing plan, the audiences you are trying to reach, the tools or channels you would prefer to use, and more. You can also seek advice similarly, for example, "Assume you're Warren Buffett and advise me on improving my real estate business…" However, you must share your current strategies and accomplishments for more personalized and relevant advice. 4. Preserve privacy and verify: If you don't want your competitors to see it, don't feed it into ChatGPT, Bard, Bing, or Claude because there is no guarantee of privacy. We have already seen data leaks, and the experts warn that what you share is stored and just might be used for future AI training. Most importantly, make sure you verify the AI-assisted content you provide. It takes an agent years to build trust with their sphere of influence, and you can decimate that trust in seconds by giving your clients wrong information. The good news is that when used right, AI should save you significantly more time than you will spend fact-checking. The bottom line AI holds immense potential for the real estate industry, and these guidelines can help professionals navigate this rapidly evolving landscape. Perfecting your prompt, pushing for more drafts, leveraging expert impersonations, maintaining privacy, and checking the facts are keys to maximizing the utility of AI tools. Real estate professionals can gain a significant edge in productivity, creativity, and efficiency by embracing AI fearlessly and strategically. The future belongs to those who are prepared for it today. And remember that if you have access to Tech Helpline, while our analysts are not experts on AI, they can help you discover where to find many of these new AI tools. Other related posts: To AI or not to AI: What are the risks and rewards? 6 ways you can use technology to reduce your stress 6 new cutting-edge iPhone features coming soon with iOS17 Tricia Stamper is Director of Technology at Florida Realtors®, which owns both Tech Helpline and Form Simplicity.

ChatGPT Hacks for Real Estate Agents
In November 2022, the internet as we know it changed with the introduction of ChatGPT to the general public. Also known as a chatbot, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence tool that generates written responses to human prompts and is powered by human data. Countless industries felt the effects of the AI tool, with many fearing it'd replace humans altogether. Rest assured, ChatGPT isn't here to take your job. Real estate is a people-first, human-centric industry — a robot simply cannot replace the uniqueness and depth of skill and expertise you bring to the table. Thankfully, you can use the increasingly popular chatbot as a tool to support you. Here are some smart ways to partner up with ChatGPT to make your work life easier. Ways to Make ChatGPT Work for You Before we dive in, we have an important announcement: ChatGPT is a launching point — you need to add your expertise and personal touch. Don't just copy and paste straight from the bot's mouth, or your clients will be able to tell that it's inauthentic. Now that you're up to speed that it's possible to work with ChatGPT instead of against it, here are some of our favorite ways to use the tool. Write Your Listing Descriptions As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. As you prepare for new listings to go live, having an effective, informative, and eye-catching listing description can make all the difference in getting interested buyers in the door… or the listing falling flat. You can use ChatGPT to help you write your listing descriptions quickly and easily. Here's how you can get started: Step 1. Get Clear On Your Ask (a.k.a., The Prompt) ChatGPT works off prompts, or the requests you type into the tool. This is what guides the chatbot to generate a response. For this example, we wrote the following prompt into ChatGPT: Please write a brief, one-paragraph listing description for a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home in Tulsa, OK. The home has a sizable backyard, renovated kitchen, and a finished basement. It's in a walkable neighborhood also located near Downtown Tulsa. Step 2. Results Are Ready Once you click "Generate Response," ChatGPT gets to work in a matter of seconds. Let's see what it gave us as a result of our need for a listing description for a dreamy home in Tulsa: Welcome to this stunning 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home in Tulsa, OK! Nestled in a walkable neighborhood near Downtown Tulsa, this beautiful residence offers the perfect blend of style, functionality, and location. The renovated kitchen with its sleek design and modern appliances is a culinary enthusiast's dream. The spacious backyard provides ample space for outdoor activities and relaxation. With a finished basement that offers versatility and extra living space, this home truly has it all. Don't miss the opportunity to make this your dream home in an ideal location. Not too shabby, eh? Step 3. Review and Redo (As Needed) It's important to note that ChatGPT is, in fact, a robot. Its response to us lines up with the prompt we gave, but we need to triple-check it isn't creating a listing description that's too lofty. Make sure to review and ensure the response is accurate. You can also click "Regenerate Response" to see other options and iterations the bot has written, giving you a nice variety of descriptions to choose from. How easy is that? Make the Most Out of Your Email, Text, and Call Templates Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what to say or write, especially across the countless channels you have to manage for your business: email, social media, texts, and phone calls. Skip the guessing games and writer's block and ask ChatGPT to help. The tool can write entire email nurture campaigns, caption your posts, craft nifty text replies, and even create personalized phone scripts for you. Try It Out Prompt ChatGPT with the following: Please write a caption for my social media post about my new listing in [CITY/ZIP]. You can then have the tool regenerate the response, or you can ask it to rewrite what it generated in a different tone, like funny, professional, catchy, and more. Get Actionable Marketing Ideas Believe it or not, you can tap into ChatGPT for all things marketing. Think of the tool like an endless provider of ideas and concepts. Thinking back to our agent in Tulsa, let's ask ChatGPT to give three ideas for pieces of marketing content to make using the following prompt: Please give me 3 marketing content ideas I can use as an agent in Tulsa, OK. Check out the robust response ChatGPT provided (who needs a marketing manager, anyway?): Certainly! Here are three marketing content ideas that you can use as an agent in Tulsa, OK: Neighborhood Guides: Create comprehensive guides that highlight different neighborhoods in Tulsa. Include information about local amenities, schools, parks, entertainment options, and any unique features or attractions. This type of content can be valuable to potential buyers or renters who are researching different areas in the city. You can publish these guides on your website, blog, or social media platforms. Homebuyer Tips and Guides: Develop informative content that educates homebuyers about the process of purchasing a home in Tulsa. You can create articles, videos, or infographics that cover topics such as mortgage options, understanding the local market, negotiating offers, and tips for a successful home inspection. By providing valuable insights, you position yourself as a trusted resource and build credibility with potential clients. Client Success Stories: Share success stories or testimonials from satisfied clients you have worked with in Tulsa. This can be in the form of written case studies, video testimonials, or before-and-after home transformation stories. Highlight the challenges the clients faced, how you helped them overcome those challenges, and the positive outcomes they achieved. These stories humanize your business and demonstrate your expertise and ability to deliver results. ChatGPT can be a powerful tool to support your business needs, but artificial intelligence can never replace the secret sauce a human real estate professional can provide. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Is Your Realtor Jargon Communicating the Full Value of Your Listing?
Are you communicating with your clients in the right way? Your peers easily connect with Realtor lingo, but the consumer needs a simple way to understand your listings. A description of a handyman special or a fixer-upper is agent speak for "this house needs substantial work and is mainly land value." It's good to give your fellow Realtors the heads up about your opinion of a property, but how do you communicate value to buyers and sellers? Good bones Ah, the structure of a property. What you really mean when you describe a home with "good bones" is that the frame around which the living area is built is reasonably solid and workable. A better way to convey the message of a home with the potential to renovate is to show the "bones" via real estate floor plans. Homebuyers can easily navigate through the details of a house when given accurately measured space. Not only do measurements provide a way to determine if the square footage is large enough to accommodate the buyer's personal items, but it allows for a complete understanding of the fit and flow of a property. Mortgage helper Whether you call it a mother-in-law suite, a mortgage helper, or a secondary suite, you want to convey that there is a space within the property that has the potential to generate income or house an occupant other than your familiar roommates. Suites are a great selling feature of a home and can bring in some extra dollars on a monthly basis. Many consumers are looking for a separate space for their aging parent or university student who has recently returned home. Either way, a suite can make all the difference when marketing a seller's home. A recent article from NAR highlights the need for innovative floorplans in "The Case for Adaptive Spaces." A great way to convey your "mortgage helper" is by showing the details of the suite on a floor plan. What is a 3D virtual tour and floor plan going to do for buyers? The most important consideration of a secondary suite is a separate entry point for the occupant. Not only does a separate entrance provide easy access for the user, but it also gives a sense of privacy and security to other occupants of the home. Homebuyers in search of suited homes need to visualize where the entry point is and a floor plan with advanced measurements can help show exactly that. Flip houses Have you experienced the "flip" property buyer? Savvy investors looking to make a fast buck by quickly renovating an older "fixer-upper" home have popped up all over the place in the recent market surge. But home flipping is not for the inexperienced buyer. Even mega real estate companies have experienced losses by failing to correctly predict the variables. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Zillow lost $881 million in its home-flipping fiasco in 2021. However, investors who carefully choose popular real estate floor plans for the "handyman specials," watch the market closely, and pay close attention to their budget have seen success. The benefits of using a floor plan for that construction project range from sharing information with contractors to providing insurance companies with accurate details for potential claims. Charming A home with minimal square footage is often referred to as "charming." This adjective is also used to describe a property with antiquated fixtures like claw-foot bathtubs and stained glass windows along with narrow hallways and small room sizes. Homes like these need a little extra something to convey value beyond the quaint aesthetic. What is a 3D virtual tour going to do to help interest a buyer rather than repel their interest in charming properties? Virtual tours provide in-depth information for better decision making, especially when paired with highly detailed floor plans. 3D tours can be produced with 3D cameras or 360° cameras like the ones used by iGUIDE. Potential buyers benefit by understanding the living space through intuitive navigation. This information eliminates much of the guesswork when it comes to how each room works together. Whatever lingo or jargon you choose when communicating information to homebuyers or sellers, try to elaborate your message by enhancing your grammar with real estate floor plans. Whether it's a "turnkey" listing or one that needs a little "TLC," a 3D tour and floor plan can uncover the "hidden potential" of every property. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog.

How to Add Your Brand Voice to RPR's Market Trends ScriptWriter
RPR (Realtors Property Resource®) has recently introduced a time- and effort-saving marketing tool for REALTORS®: an AI ChatGPT-powered Market Trends ScriptWriter. If you're not familiar with it yet, check out this article, AI ChatGPT-Powered Market Analysis: Game-Changing Feature for Real Estate Marketing, for all the details. AI tech for REALTORS® to easily create copy and content To summarize, agents can now go to the RPR Shareable Market Trends (up-to-date, hyper-local housing market data) and hit a button that says, Create Script. Then, the artificially intelligent little robots will wordsmith a spot-on script for you. This is the groundbreaking tech you've heard and read so much about — and now it's available to REALTORS® via RPR! Here's a quick "how-to" on how to use the Market Trends ScriptWriter. First, log in to RPR. Then go to the Research menu tab and choose Residential Market Trends. Users can choose the market statistic or chart they want to share, based on a search area (ZIP, neighborhood name, city, etc.). Next, hit that Create Script button! Choose a tone (Professional, Engaging or Conversational) and an audience (Buyers, Sellers or Buyers and Sellers), and then choose the type of script (video, social post, market explanation), and voilà! In seconds, you've created smart, factual marketing copy and content to use in whatever medium you choose. You can use these scripts and this copy to create messages and marketing materials to inform your clients and prospects about the current status of their local housing market! Make a good thing better: add your own voice to the AI-powered scripts Here's where it gets even more fun: although the copy generated is fine to use "as is" (although you are highly encouraged to review it and approve it), we've found that adding your own voice is the best way to make it more enjoyable and memorable. Injecting your own personality, your own brand, and even your own language is the recommended way to reach your targets and your audience. Here are a few examples of what we mean by adding your own brand voice to a script or message. Below is the copy that the Market Trends Script-Writer generated for Oceanside, CA 92057. We used the first chart of data, the lead off summary of "Market Trends," which shows a Market Indicator slider, and also some important "Key Details," including Months of Inventory, List to Sold Price %, Median Days in RPR and Median Sold Price. Here's what the AI Script-Writer produced with the "Professional" tone, buyers and sellers as the audience, and a video script as the selections: AI version Hello everyone, and welcome to my latest market update for Oceanside, California. My name is John Wick, and I'm a REALTOR® with [insert company name].​As of April 2023, the real estate market in Oceanside is showing some interesting trends, particularly for sellers. Let's dive into the data.​First, we have a very low Months Supply of Inventory at just 0.69. This means that there are more buyers than there are homes available for sale. However, it's worth noting that over the last 12 months, we have seen a decrease of -25.81% in Months Supply of Inventory. This could be a sign that the market is starting to balance out, but for now, it's still a great time to sell.​Another positive indicator for sellers is the List to Sold Price percentage, which is currently at 100.7%. This means that homes are selling for slightly more than their asking price on average, which is great news for those looking to maximize their profits.​In terms of how long it takes to sell a home in Oceanside, the median days on market is just 13. This is an incredibly fast turnaround, and it's a testament to the strong demand for homes in this area.​Finally, let's talk about median sold prices. As of April 2023, the median sold price for homes in Oceanside is $750,000. This is a healthy number, and it shows that there is still plenty of value to be found in this market.​Overall, the Oceanside real estate market is showing some very positive signs for sellers. If you're thinking about listing your home, now is a great time to do so. And if you're a buyer, it's important to act quickly and be prepared to make a strong offer in order to compete in this fast-moving market.​As always, if you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Oceanside real estate market, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you in the next update. Again, the above is factually sound, grammatically correct and reads pretty well, considering a machine did it! However, now it needs some of your personality and style before you share it with your sphere. Here are some basics to consider: do you have a slogan or a handle? Be sure to use that. Do you specialize in certain neighborhoods or certain clients? Call that out. Also, be sure to add in any "local" knowledge you might have to bolster your credentials as a local housing market expert. Basically, add some flair and have some fun! Here's an example of how to edit your script and insert your voice: Revised version Hello neighbors! My name is John Wick, and I'm a REALTOR® here in sunny Oceanside, California, and your local Oakmont expert. The reason I'm sharing this video is because everywhere I go, I bump into folks who ask, "How's the market, John?" So sit back and watch this quick Oakmont market update. ​Right now, Oakmont is showing some interesting trends, particularly for sellers. Let's dive into the data to give homeowners, as well as potential buyers in the area, a breakdown of the trends we're seeing, and we'll define some of the metrics and terms that affect it.​Right off the bat, inventory is low. Really low. The Months Supply of Inventory sits at just 0.69. This means there are more buyers than there are homes available for sale. However, in the last calendar year, we have seen a decrease of -25.81% in Months Supply of Inventory, which could point to a more balanced market in the not so distant future. But right now, it's still a really strong situation for sellers. ​Another good sign for sellers is the List to Sold Price percentage, which is currently at 100.7%. This means that homes are selling for slightly more than their asking price on average, which is obviously great news for those who are listing their homes this month or considering it.​How long are homes on the market in Oakmont? Not long! The median days on market is just 13. This is an incredibly fast turnaround, and just reinforces the strong demand for homes in this area.​Overall, Oakmont in Oceanside is showing some very positive signs for sellers. I hope you found this video informative and helpful. If you have any questions about our local market or if you're thinking about listing your home, please don't hesitate to reach out. My contact info is in the description.​And don't forget about the Oakmont Farmers Market, every other Thursday at the Village Green. If you want to chat about real estate or the housing market, I'll be the guy by the kettle corn stand! Thanks for watching, I'm John Wick and I'll see you next month. As you can see when comparing the two, the second version is much more compelling and you get a sense of "John's" personality throughout it. The first, AI-generated option is more of a "just the facts" version, and it's a really solid start. You just need to sprinkle in some zest and jazz things up a bit! Make it your own, say things as you naturally would and explain things in a down to earth way. Own your AI AI version 1. Are you thinking of selling your home in Oceanside, CA? The good news is that the current market trends are in your favor! With only 0.69 Months Supply of Inventory and a List to Sold Price percentage of 100.7%, now is an optimal time to list your property. Contact me, John Wick, your local REALTOR®, to discuss your options. Revised version 1. Wondering what you can get for your home? I'm John Wick, your local Oakmont neighborhood specialist and I've got good news if you're thinking about listing… With only 0.69 Months Supply of Inventory and a List to Sold Price percentage of 100.7%, now is an optimal time to list your property. Please reach out if you have any questions or you want to discuss your options. AI version 2. Buyers, are you ready to purchase your dream home in Oceanside, CA? The median days on market is just 13, which means you'll need to act fast to secure your ideal property. With a median Sold Price of $750,000, it's important to have an experienced REALTOR® on your side to help you navigate the competitive market. Contact me, John Wick, to find your dream home today. Revised version 2. Your dream home is out there! However, if you're thinking about buying in the popular neighborhood of Oakmont in Oceanside, California, you might need to act fast. The median days on market is just 13, which means properties are barely lasting two weeks. With a median Sold Price of $750,000, it really helps to have an experienced REALTOR® (that's me, John Wick!) on your side to help you navigate this competitive market. Contact me today, and together we'll find your dream home tomorrow. RPR now offers an AI ChatGPT resource that helps REALTORS® in all their marketing efforts The RPR Market Trends ScriptWriter is ready now! We've made the tech easily available and usable just for REALTORS®. And there's absolutely no extra charge or fee: anyone who uses RPR can use the Scriptwriter. We hope you'll try out this new resource and tool. It's a solid foundation for creating memorable and clutter-cutting real estate marketing messages. Choose your stats, your tone, your audience and your medium… and wait for the magic. Then, take what the bots give you and make it your own! Review the scripts and copy, then work in your own talking points, your local insight, and of course, your winning personality. And in no time you'll be creating market updates that inform and convert. To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Real Estate Lingo: Are Your Listing Descriptions Attracting Buyers?
Real estate terms in listing descriptions can be confusing to would-be buyers, who may find themselves thinking and re-thinking every real estate listing. Though the property may be exactly as mentioned, descriptive write-ups are subjective and often contain confusing catchphrases to lure in the consumer. There are better ways to capture attention and provide useful meaningful information. Here's how to help your seller get their home sold quicker and get buyers to embrace everything about their potential new home. "The one you've been waiting for" It is said that there is a buyer for every house. Buyers want to check off important boxes before committing to purchase a property. Help buyers decide on whether or not the home is the one they have been waiting for by backing up your Realtor terminology and allowing them to connect and engage through 3D virtual tours. Virtual tours benefit the buyer and remove the waiting period to view a property by providing online access 24 hours a day. "Lovingly cared for" and "pride of ownership" Your seller wants you to showcase their property and be proud of the way they have taken care of it. Using the "pride of ownership" real estate term announces the aesthetic of the home but you can showcase the property in its entirety through immersive 3D tours combined with 360° images and floor plans. Show your seller that you are proud to represent their home by using tools like iGUIDE® that encompass everything you need to market a property. "Exudes character" You help a home exude character through staging. Virtually staging a home can make a floor plan come to life. Homebuyers often want to picture their furniture within a property to see if suits the character they are looking for. The National Association of Realtors reports that more than 82 percent of buyer's agents said staging helps buyers visualize the property as potentially being theirs. "Exudes character" is one real estate term that you can breathe life into with staging. You can virtually create realistic lighting, intriguing potential floor plan renovations and alternate colours. "Move-in ready" The real estate term "move-in ready" may not always describe a seller's property in the eyes of potential buyers. For a home to be ready to move into, first the buyer must be able to understand the fit and flow of every space. Advanced measurement allows buyers to prepare for potential construction changes while avoiding costly "guesstimates" for things like painting, new cabinets and flooring replacement. Capturing accurate numbers in 3D space helps get any home ready for move-in day or renovation day. "Priced to sell" and "motivated sellers" Your seller wants to get their home sold with the least amount of hassle in the quickest amount of time. All sellers want to sell, otherwise, why would they go through the motions of placing their home on the market? But when you select the term "priced to sell" and "motivated sellers," you send a message to the consumer that sellers will consider all offers even though the listing price is already low. When these tactics don't seem to be working, it will benefit you to examine your analytics to see how many online visits the property is getting. Valuable insight is gained when you can see where your referrals are being generated over time. Sharing the information with the seller can help them understand when the listing price is not driving interest. Analyzing how many visits to the listing and the duration of each visit help to redirect your marketing efforts to get the home sold. "Original owners" Does the real estate term "original owner" have any effect on selling the house? This term is meant to form a connection between the buyer and seller. However, forming an emotional connection with the house can be achieved through information. Immersive 3D tours and floor plans get the consumer to interact with the home. Viewers can navigate from room to room or floor to floor to fully investigate every space. When it's a connection you want, help the buyer connect the dots between 2D and 3D spaces to gain a deeper understanding of the whole house. Once a connection is formed, it won't matter if there have been one or 100 owners before them. "As-is, where-is" The "as-is, where-is" real estate term is often a red flag that the property has structural or mechanical issues—a sort of "enter at your own risk" purchase. Many of these types of properties have great potential to improve the floor plan or complete a renovation. But it is definitely "buyer beware" when making an offer. A few real estate terms can give you a snapshot picture of a property. But if you want to give the whole picture, you need accurate measurements, floor plans, 3D virtual tours and 360° images. All the information, every time for every listing. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog.

Secrets for Streamlining Your Cold Emailing Strategy
Fierce competition and dynamism have made it mandatory for every brand to connect with quality prospects and motivate them to become warm leads. Cold emails have historically been one of the most popular lead generation tactics. It gives you an opportunity to connect with targeted prospects quickly. Why an Email Marketing Strategy Is a Crucial Business Asset

Text Etiquette: The Do's and Don'ts When Texting
Texting has emerged as the "go-to" communication tool for real estate agents and their clients. Six years ago, the National Association of Realtors put texting as the third most popular form of client communication, behind email and telephone. The most recent NAR study shows texting is now the No. 1 way agents connect with their clients (93%), topping telephone and email communications. More importantly, agents texting past clients and prospects have grown more than 25% since 2016. Because texting is efficient, quick, and convenient, it often is the most effective way for agents to engage with their clients and co-workers. But sending a text can sometimes be fraught with risks. And while texting is especially vital to Millennials – who open their text messages about 98% of the time versus 20% of emails being opened – an unwanted or unsolicited text can cause an immediate and adverse reaction. Real estate agents must also be aware of TCPA: Telephone Consumer Protection Act. This Federal law protects consumer privacy rights. It was created to limit both annoying and unwanted telephone calls and texts. Here's a quick primer on texting etiquette – some of the essential dos and don'ts you should follow when texting. The Do's Do remain professional: The best overall texting rule in real estate is to maintain a professional demeanor. When texting a client for the first time, start by identifying yourself and explaining why you are texting them. Use short and complete sentences versus abbreviations or text lingo until you can observe their texting style. Also, hold off on using emojis unless you know the recipient well. Once you have begun a text exchange and see their style, you can determine if you should loosen up a little. Most importantly, be mindful of the time (and their time zone) and unless there's a compelling reason, keep your text exchanges limited to business hours. Not all clients are keen on receiving texts late at night or early in the morning unless they expressly permit you. A best practice is establishing text boundaries with clients in advance when discussing the best ways to reach them and for them to reach you. Do keep texts short and on-topic: When texting prospects or past clients, it's essential to keep your text messages brief. They are more likely to be read and remembered versus deleted. Texts should never be lengthy – that's the job of an email or phone call. If you have a lot to say, put it all in an email and if it's important, send a short text making sure they read the email you just sent. They will appreciate that approach. Otherwise, you also risk that they will lose interest. Also, remember to use their name in a text; it can be powerful to share something you know about them, such as a birthday or anniversary note. Finally, if you expect a response, you must end your message with a question. That's how to get most people to respond. Do send targeted updates and links: Since you're likely sending clients emails – perhaps suggested listings or requests for document review – feel free to text them a link to a relevant video or article about the community they are shopping. They will feel like you are giving them inside information and special attention for what they want. Potential homebuyers will also be intrigued by a digital walkthrough of a listing, especially if you send them a personalized tour shot on your smartphone and use their name(s) throughout it. Do reply ASAP: Texting is an immediate form of communication: it comes across as more urgent than a phone call or email. Clients who text you during the business hours you've established will expect a quick response. Even if you are busy, it's better to text back sooner than later out of politeness. Otherwise, they might think you are ignoring them. Do provide opt-in and opt-out opportunities: If you are using text to share more general versus individual-specific information, give recipients the option to opt into receiving texts when needed. This is especially true when promoting an event like an open house. If you plan to text them regularly – i.e., once a week – set that expectation upfront by letting them know what to expect. On the flip side, if a lead asks you to quit texting them, then stop immediately. You should also confirm their request promptly. If you are using a professional texting service, you should add a line at the end that says "Reply STOP to opt-out of future messages" to let your contacts know they can stop any time they wish. The Don'ts Don't use group messages: When someone gives you their mobile number, it creates a new level of responsibility. Use their number wisely to earn their trust. Including clients or prospects in a group message is rarely a good idea, as it can quickly erode the trust you are building with them. Instead, customize your text communication for each recipient. Yes, it takes extra time to create separate texts versus a group text, but it is worth it. Don't text bad news: Texting is not the best communication method if you need to share unfortunate information. Sharing bad news via text could be interpreted as cowardly or callous. If you need to be the bearer of bad news, it's better to call the client directly. That way, you can answer your customer's questions, provide additional advice, and, most importantly, read and respond to their non-verbal cues. Don't send without proofreading: Do you use the dictation feature on your phone to write texts? If you do, be extra careful, as autocorrect can wreak havoc with the English language and cause unplanned embarrassment. While some clients may be forgiving of an accidental typo or two, others will see it as a negative reflection on you. To maintain your professional image, before sending a text to a client or prospect, take a breath. Make sure you proofread and check for any errors that need to be corrected. And if you accidentally send out a text with a mistake, take ownership of it and quickly clarify what you meant to say. When texting, you can correct an error by immediately responding using an asterisk before the corrected spelling of the word (*ample – instead of apple) that appears in the text you just sent. You could also use a virtual editor to assist you with your writing. Don't send too many attachments: Sometimes, you need to send photos or short videos to a client or prospect via text. But you want to send as few as possible. Sending too many images and videos can negatively affect one's data plan or phone storage limits. Too many photos and videos also can make you appear to be pushy. If you want to send multiple images, text a link to the photos and videos on a web page or a shared online document folder (i.e., Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive). Don't text numbers on the Do Not Call Registry: Do not ever text a number on the DNC registry without permission. While doing so could potentially lead to heavy fines, more importantly, it could damage a client or prospect relationship. Remember, if you want to text a number on the Do Not Call list, you must either have a business relationship with them or get their written permission before you send them a text. The popularity of texting remains strong: 97% of American adults text weekly. Over 6 billion texts are sent daily – that is, 27 trillion texts are sent yearly. But real estate agents need to use texting wisely because they are entrusted with personal mobile phone numbers. Perhaps the best rule of thumb when deciding whether to text or not to text is if you must ask that question, don't text. If you need help with smartphone texting or other issues, remember to contact someone at Tech Helpline for assistance. To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline blog.

The 4 Types of People You Encounter When Cold Calling
So you're cold calling. Sure, you may have the name and address of the prospect on the other end of the line, but you don't really know who you're dealing with. Are they impatient? Chatty? Quick to hang up or easy to talk to? Understanding the personality answering your call helps you better engage with them, and is more likely to lead to a successful conversation. In the video above, Realtor Loida Velasquez breaks down the four major personality types. Watch to learn the communication styles of each, how they make decisions, how to build rapport, and more. More Insight For a deeper dive into different personality types, check out this series below: 4 Tips for Marketing to Clients by Personality: Part 1 - Bulls 4 Tips for Marketing to Clients by Personality: Part 2 - Owls 4 Tips for Marketing to Clients by Personality: Part 3 - Lambs 4 Tips for Marketing to Clients by Personality: Part 4 - Tigers

Real Estate Tips: Use Confident Body Language to Generate Business
When you are trying to build rapport, engage real estate clients in a conversation or influence an action, you need to be conscious of how your approach is impacting clients. Awareness of what you're saying is just the tip of the iceberg. Words are important, but you also need to be aware of how you're saying it and what your body language is communicating. As a real estate professional, you should always be mindful of your body language. It influences the first impression you make on others and can attract or repel potential clients. Do you fidget when you're talking to your prospective clients? Where are your hands? What is your posture like? Are you authentic and welcoming? If you're confident, you will not only impress those your talking to, but you'll have a more self-confidence as well. Follow these five real estate tips on using confident body language to excel in your business and personal interactions: Claim Your Territory When you walk into a room, be confident in your movements. Don't cross your arms or hunch your shoulders. When sitting, practice an expansive body language — take up as much space as possible without invading your client's personal space to appear powerful and assertive. Pay Attention to Micro Expressions Our brain makes snap judgments based on facial micro expressions — very brief, involuntary facial expressions displayed when someone experiences an emotion. Pay attention to whoever you are talking to "flashing' any of these seven micro-expressions so you can address them right away: disgust, anger, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise or contempt. Don't Fidget Be aware of any fidgeting, nervous cues or self-soothing behaviors (e.g. wringing hands, touching your hair, cracking knuckles, rubbing arms, biting your lips). These are all signs of being self conscious. To portray confidence, keep your arms loose and open and remain calm and composed. Steeple Your Hands "Steepling' is when someone brings their hands up in front of their chest and presses the tips of their fingers together. This is a gesture of confidence and self-assuredness. Use it strategically when listening attentively to your clients or prospects. Don't Nod Your Head Too Often While you want to appear friendly, don't overdo it by nodding your head too much. That can create an impression that you are a pushover. Only nod when you really agree with someone to give your opinion more weight. In some cases, you can also use a triple nod to encourage someone to keep talking. Use these tips as a handy reference on how to portray confident body language when you're about to have a meeting with one of your prospective or current clients. Keep in mind, your non-verbal and verbal communication must match. People will always pay more attention and give more credence to your body language that to what you're saying. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

5 Tech Tips for Improving Team Communication
We're approaching the spring selling season—what better time to audit your communication processes with team members and clients to discover where you can improve? After all, building credibility with clients begins with solid communication, and that includes quicker response times and better collaboration between agents and administrators. But things are not always so easy when it comes to communication. In fact, in a recent Workman Success Systems teams survey, 500 real estate team members ranked communication as their biggest pain point. Because tech tips and tricks are our bread and butter here at RE Technology, today we'll show you five simple tech tweaks you can make to improve your communication quality. (Need to build your soft skills, too? Check out these articles for improving communication with clients and your team.) 1. Integrate Your Tools You probably use many different tools in your real estate business—but how well do they work together? Your CRM may record some of your communications with clients, but is it drawing communication from other sources? It can if your CRM is integrated with your other tools. Because the transaction is the heart of your real estate business, we recommend making your transaction management platform the hub of all integrations. Dotloop, for example, integrates with over 75 programs so you can do things like initiate earnest money requests, sync your email contacts, communicate on Slack and more—and never miss a beat. 2. Use Transaction Management In-app Messaging The real estate market moves at a competitive pace. When it comes to submitting offers and signing documents, your clients need to be notified ASAP. Modern transaction management platforms with advanced capabilities offer in-app text messaging that not only lets you send documents for signing via text, but keeps track of all your communications. Texts can be sent to individuals or groups, and messages can even be exported to other apps as needed. Here's what that looks like in dotloop: 3. Leverage Email Templates The average real estate consumer only buys or sells property a handful of times in their life, so make sure they're informed about what happens next every step of the way. One way to do this is via email. Create a library of email templates that you or your transaction coordinator can send to clients that explains whatever step of the process they're in at the moment. The email template below, for example, is sent to sellers when their listing goes live online. It includes links to important marketing collateral, like virtual tours, so that the seller sees the work you are doing on their behalf (and so that they can share the links with their own network). Rather than writing every email from scratch, email templates are an easy way to save time. They keep your clients informed and the transaction on the right path. For more email template ideas, check out this article: 19 Email Templates Transaction Coordinators Can Copy to Work Faster. 4. Task Lists So you use email templates to keep your clients on track, but how do you keep your team on track? Easy answer: Task lists! Task lists help ensure your team never misses an important deadline or document. With a task list, you can assign team members and dates to important items that need to be completed. This gives your entire team transparency into what's happening with a transaction at any given moment. Here's a best practice: Be sure you turn task notifications on so that your team receives reminders in a timely fashion. Most transaction platforms offer task lists, and will allow you to build or import your own. Dotloop users can learn how to set up task lists here. 5. Push Notifications Speaking of notifications, one simple way to improve your communications in the new year is make sure your transaction management platform has push notifications turned ON. This ensures that all relevant parties receive notifications when a document is signed or shared, when a signature is required, when a document is edited, and more. After all, a missed signature or document can derail an entire transaction, and notifications can help push everyone to the finish line on time.

8 Ways to Build a Successful Email List for Your Real Estate Campaigns
As a real estate agent, your email list is a holy grail that you need to treat carefully. Building a successful email list takes a long time, but destroying it is really easy. First things first—let's start with the importance of email campaigns. Even though modern marketing, including real estate marketing, is oriented toward developing a social media presence, email marketing remains strong. And the reason for this dynamic is simple: there are more email users than social media users. Everyday, people all over the world check their email. It's kind of a mandatory action. Often, our email is connected to our job, so even though we might check our social media feeds, it's not as important as checking emails. So, you have a potential audience that checks email every day. Now, it's time to build an email list. Here is how you can do it. Pop-Ups Even though people usually have a negative attitude towards pop-ups, if it's done correctly it can be a very powerful tool. You probably have seen it time and time again. You enter a website and suddenly a little window with a sign-up form shows up. So, what are the main criteria for a good pop-up? It shouldn't appear as soon as a person enters your website. Let them scroll through it and enjoy the experience, and after four or five seconds let the pop-up appear. It shouldn't be mandatory to enter your email in a sign-up form. It should be short and up to the point. It also should be eye-catching. Blogs Yes, we all know the value of blogs. Content is a king; it's multifunctional. It not only helps you to boost your SEO value, but it's a good place to put a call to action button and collect information about your visitors. Host an Open House Yes, an open house is not only a networking opportunity, but also a good way to collect email data. You can have a fishbowl, for example, placed at the entrance where people can leave their business cards. Usually, business cards contain an email address as well. Note to remember: You need to be very careful with email addresses. You don't want people to think you're spam. So, we suggest sending a welcome email first and letting people decide if they want to stay subscribed or not. Business Cards As we already mentioned, swapping business cards is not only a networking-friendly activity, but it also helps you to build a powerful email list. But where and how can you get business cards? Check out this article to learn more about it. Social Media Having contests and giveaways on social media channels might also boost your email list. Redirect your audience to the landing page with a sign-up form. After signing up, people will get a gift in their email and you will have new email addresses. It's a win-win situation. Subscription Exclusive Content We all love to feel special, like we're part of an exclusive community. Use this to your advantage. Create content that will be exclusive for email subscribers, promote it on your social media, and collect new email addresses. Webinars, White Papers, E-books Webinars, white papers, e-books—all of these are content that can be exclusively sent through an email. People love valuable and informative content, and they will definitely want to provide an email to receive it. YouTube Videos are a foundational part of modern digital marketing. We all have heard the phrase, "Content is king." If we apply the same to videos, video marketing is a crown prince that will soon dethrone content marketing. So, what does video have to do with building an email list? If you're a YouTube content creator, you can post a message on your channel feed, so that it will show up in your subscribers' feed. You can include the link to your website landing page with a sign-up form and collect email addresses. That way, you're able to drive your subscribers to your real estate website and, at the same time, collect their information. Just remember: the message should be eye-catching, informative and promise something valuable. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Tips for Effective Calls-to-Action on a Real Estate Website
So you've built your real estate website, but it's seemingly not converting enough leads for you. There are various reasons that could trigger this undesired response. In case you've overlooked the possibility of adding calls to action throughout your website, let's discuss how you can fix that right away. What Is a CTA? First, we'll explain what a CTA (call to action) is and why it is important. The phrase explains itself: "call to action!" A call to action is an attention-grabber and the first step in the client's engagement with your site. Whether you were interested in learning more about a service or registered on a website through a bright pink colored button that said "Register today!" we've all seen (and clicked) on a call to action before. It sounds pretty simple, but knowing how to effectively use these calls to action allows you to convert more leads through your website. As a real estate agent, you can use a CTA to guide your potential leads into various actions like: Signing up for a newsletter Scheduling an appointment Receiving a home valuation In short, calls to action are a great way to engage your leads and introduce them to your retention funnel. What Should Your CTA Look Like? Now that you understand why you need a CTA in the first place, know that not all CTAs will convert. A good CTA is visually inviting. This can be done by using suitable color schemes and ensuring that the CTA is visible. The text needs to be as straightforward as possible and offer value to the target audience. Calls to action can also appear in different varieties, and luckily, this gives you room to target various sections of the page in more visually engaging ways. How Do You Use a CTA? You're getting closer to finally adding your most vital source of lead conversion to your website. Now the question is: How should you use a CTA on your website? The reason why it is vital to answer this question is that too many calls for action can risk confusing your clients. The most popular advice is to use only one CTA upfront on your landing pages as this provides clear focus and direction for the client. It's also best to focus on one CTA per page if your page is short; for longer pages, the same CTA can be repeated up to three times. Another rule is to make sure that the CTA is relevant to the content of the page. For example, if you publish a home-seller guide, the lead reading the guide would probably be more interested to move forward with a home valuation than an email update for new listings. Final Summary Each practice of a real estate agent is different, therefore there is no go-to catchphrase for all. Knowing the process of using calls to action to your advantage is a great way for you to get started. And drafting ideas on what you can offer your potential clients, whether it's a home loan or an end-of-the-year sale, goes a long way to get your brand ahead of the competition. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

12 Real Estate Email Marketing Mistakes Every Agent Can and Should Avoid
More and more real estate marketing activities are rightly focused on the most important aspect of the agent-client relationship: effective communication. As a result, email continues to be an extremely important tool in every agent's arsenal. After all, there's really no other method for efficiently communicating with so many leads and clients at such a low cost. As the real estate email marketing landscape continues to expand, it becomes that much more important to focus on differentiating yourself as a top-tier agent. Part of that process is to ensure that you're not making any "rookie" mistakes that are sure to paint you as a "rookie agent." At Zurple, we encourage agents to get the most out of their email strategy. Still, there are a number of mistakes that are both avoidable yet stubbornly persistent across the industry. So, the next time you compose an email to your prospective or current client, be cognizant to avoid the all-too-common mistakes below. 1. Typos - It's funny how some would suggest purposely sending typos in an email to make it seem less robotic or automated. A better way to avoid coming across like a robot is to make your emails personal with relevant information your recipient would appreciate. Take the 30 seconds to review an important email before it's sent! 2. Poor grammar - Make sure your sentences are coherent and in the proper tense. Although not everyone notices grammatical errors, glaring issues with your grammar may put off a prospective client – calling into question your professionalism in the process. 3. Wrong property link - When sending out a link, make sure you send the right link. Sending clients, whose price range is $500k - $700k, a link to a $1.5 million home may be enough to have your future emails flagged as spam. 4. Links don't work - If you send an email with a link, make sure it works. Sometimes email editors will do some funky things with your URL — like add in an extra http:// so always be wary. Take the 10 seconds to click on your own link – there's no excuse not to! 5. Wrong property address - This is another easy one, but a big one. Always double-check addresses in emails targeting a specific property. 6. Personalization is incorrect - Email tags can be dangerous, because they can be wrong. Go the extra mile by keeping your data clean to ensure that personalization tags are accurate (and don't contain typos). After all, "Dear Johhn" doesn't look so good... 7. Date and/or time mix up - When sending out emails with dates and times, such as an open house announcement, be sure to triple check this information. A mistake here can result in some very frustrated people or even a loss of business. Remember, there's no guarantee that someone will read your follow-up email correcting your prior mistake. 8. Misleading "From name" - If you're using an email service like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, take extra care to ensure that the "from" field uses a description that would be recognized by your audience (like, your name!). Otherwise, you can really hurt your open rates because people don't know that it's you who is sending the emails. Your personal brand is being used whenever people see the "from-name" so make sure to get it right every time. 9. Sending to the wrong recipients - Sending information to the wrong person or group of people is a great way to ask people to unsubscribe from your list. So, it goes without saying that your recipient list needs to be accurate, every time. 10. Incomplete text - There are going to be instances when you're writing an email, are interrupted, then finish composing that email at some later time. Except, you sent the email without realizing that you had a sentence that was just hanging or disjointed. As with typo avoidance, take an extra 30 seconds for a re-read, especially after an interruption. 11. Correct pronouns based on context - If you're sending an email blast — aimed at the individual — make sure your email references the individual as an individual. The same rule applies if you're writing to a plural audience. Here's an example: "I was thinking you might really like this property…"instead of "I was thinking you all might like this property..." 12. Missing intro - This may depend on your style and relationship with the recipient, but typically a greeting like Hello, Hey, or Hi {first_name} is a nice thing to have at the very beginning of an email. While not a hard-and-fast rule, a missing intro can decrease the personal feel of an email. To help you out, we've created a quick, printer-friendly checklist you can use for your own real estate email marketing campaigns — or even your personal emails. Download and print it now! To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

[Best of 2022] Is Cold Calling Still Effective in Real Estate?
We're continuing an annual tradition of counting down our top 10 articles of the year. The following article was originally published in February and is #4 in our countdown. See #5 here. Over the past several months, the debate between those who believe cold calling is dead and those who swear by it intensified. To be honest, we all know how intimidating cold calling can be. When it comes to calling strangers on the phone, some rookie real estate agents are hesitant. And others may be concerned about receiving negative reactions or not having a positive return of investment (ROI). Of course, each side has reasoning behind their choice. But before we delve into the nitty-gritty of cold calling, let's look at what it is all about. Meaning of Cold Calling in Real Estate Cold calling is one of the real estate industry's most traditional marketing strategies. It entails contacting a prospective consumer who has not previously interacted with you or expressed any interest in the product or service you provide in an attempt to gain their business. Cold calling aims not to analyze, make a pitch, complete a deal, or engage in a discussion. Instead, the goal of cold calling is to transition from an interruption to a scheduled appointment when you gain the prospect's full attention. However, we found that there are many opinions regarding this topic, backed by very little information. But here is what you need to know about cold calling. Cold Calling Statistics How Many Cold Calls Do Real Estate Agents Make? According to this Keller Research Center Report, which specifically targets the B2C market, real estate agents made about 6,264 cold calls and discovered that just 28 percent of the calls were answered. The agents scheduled 19 appointments with prospective customers and received 11 referrals from this 28 percent. This implies that an agent will secure only one appointment or referral for every 209 calls made. Therefore, the overall time commitment required per agent to finish all 209 calls was roughly 7.5 hours. (Some ended up in conversations while others did not.) Of course, the closing ratio in the real estate industry will, at this point, assess the effectiveness of a marketing strategy. It is not that cold calling won't produce any results, but rather that the cost of the lead and the sale may be achieved more efficiently through alternative techniques. The goal is to measure your performance and rely on analytics to get informed. How Well Does Cold Calling Work? Implisit, a firm that Salesforce recently acquired, studied the CRM data of organizations around the world. They discovered that the leads that created the best conversions originated from employee and customer recommendations. Leads generated through social media came in second place. According to a study by Leap Job, only 2 percent of cold calls resulted in an appointment. Similarly, Ovation Sales Group discovered that it takes an average agent 6.25 hours to schedule one meeting with a prospect. If we apply Implisit's analysis, suppose that these appointments are now regarded as opportunities. Only 6 percent of these appointments are likely to result in sales. When you examine the data, you can't say cold calling doesn't work. However, its effectiveness is fast becoming questionable. This finding is supported by a HubSpot study (The State of Inbound), which discovered that cold calling is 60 percent more expensive per lead than other strategies. This discussion, as you can see, is not a debate about whether or not cold calling works. At some level, it works. However, the essential question is: how well does it work? Is the ROI on this endeavor improving or deteriorating? Is the number of calls necessary to produce a qualifying lead increasing or decreasing? Real estate agents must develop new approaches to reach decision makers. If you don't rely on verifiable facts like this, you're probably losing out on trends that might predict a storm coming your way. How to Warm Up Cold Calls No one can dispute the digital revolution engulfing real estate. As technology improves, brokers are using new tools to locate the appropriate consumers and close more deals. This is the main reason why there is a debate regarding the effectiveness of cold calling. From the data discussed above, we agree that there is massive room for improvement in our outreach efforts, especially regarding cold calling. Here are two top tips on how to warm up cold calls for better lead generation. Sophisticated prospecting The days of painstakingly combing through property records and portfolio information for possible leads are long gone. What was once a time-consuming process of identifying potential listing, clients, and purchase and refinancing options is now as simple as clicking a button. In addition, real estate technology and off-market data platforms are now readily available to simplify the prospecting process, allowing real estate professionals to conduct custom searches and rapidly discover property owners and other potential leads. Get in touch with decision makers After identifying a promising lead to pursue, Realtors sometimes encounter roadblocks since they cannot access the necessary contact details of the property owner or the lead. Dealing with this situation is frustrating, and it results in a waste of the agents' time. Instead of finding the decision maker, the real estate professional is usually given inadequate information or a gatekeeper's phone number, which hinders them from speaking with the right people to make a deal. However, agents may avoid dealing with gatekeepers and directly contact the decision makers with the proper real estate technology and data. Top Alternatives to Cold Calling CRM Businesses have relied on numerous lead generation techniques for decades. Customer relationship management (CRM) includes tactics to maintain a healthy and lucrative relationship with potential and existing customers. CRM blends cutting-edge technology with sales and marketing methods to increase lead generation and customer satisfaction. LinkedIn Before you make a phone call, LinkedIn might be an excellent approach to form a personal relationship with a buyer. It is also a great way to expand your audience. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an effective tool for locating qualified prospects who match your ideal customer profile. It is also effective at maximizing your existing relationships to increase access to high-level decision-makers. Email An effective technique to reach out to and engage prospective customers is via email campaigns that deliver useful information that doesn't revolve around your services. Providing email content that isn't just a meeting request or a sales pitch is also an effective strategy to engage dormant or difficult to reach leads. It can also assist you in determining when to contact an inbound lead with a targeted message. Referrals Most B2B businesses begin their work with a referral, and nearly three-quarters of executives prefer to work with agents referred by network connection. Asking for recommendations from existing clients who may benefit from your service is incredibly effective. Warm Calling Warm calling is a networking approach that builds trust and rapport with a prospect before making a phone call. An increasingly effective way to make this discovery is through a personal referral, as this historically has happened. Unfortunately, cold calling only has a 1% success rate compared to warm calling, with a 30% success rate. Direct Mail Can you recall the last time you received or even read a letter? Perhaps not, but many businesses have effectively used direct mail or "snail mail" campaigns to reach their target audiences. This strategy allows for personalization, which is a plus. Given the current lead and client acquisition cost, a modest, inexpensive gift included with the letter might be worth the extra expense. Physical Events Not only do we use social media to network, but there are a plethora of networking events organized for practically any industry and place with substantial job prospects. While they might be fairs, exhibitions, or conferences, they may also be events explicitly aimed at networking. Although ticket prices may be high, many people attending events like these will bring in new customers for a salesperson on the spot, making them well worth the investment. Social Media Engagement Engage in social media conversations with the appropriate people. Growing your social media audience and your prospective list of prospects will be facilitated by contacting and interacting with thought leaders in your industry and potential users who meet the criteria for your ideal buyer profile. Takeaway Today, sourcing techniques have evolved. Instead of file cabinets, online databases are now storehouses of information. In summary, the effectiveness and scalability of cold calling is greatly affected by changes in data. It takes away uncertainty while providing confidence every step of the way, allowing for the fast development of more powerful relationships, especially because Realtors these days have so much information at their disposal that they don't have to talk to a prospect until they are ready to buy or sell. Technology has streamlined any setbacks that real estate professionals could encounter while trying to generate and convert leads. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Buyer Leads Think You're a Tour Guide? Here's What to Say
Have you ever encountered buyers that want you to show them houses... but they "don't want to buy for at least a year"? Those aren't serious buyers, and any time spent showing them homes isn't likely to result in you being compensated for your efforts. So how do you handle these buyers? Realtor Karin Carr has just the script for that, and she shares it in this video. "You are not a tour guide," says Karin. "Your job is not to put people in the car and drive them around and look at pretty houses and waste your whole day having fun with somebody who has zero intention of buying a house anytime in the foreseeable future." Watch the video above to learn how to set expectations and boundaries with buyers who are asking for the moon.

What Should Be in a Realtor's Email Signature?
Have you ever looked at another professional's email signature and cringed? It seems like there are two extremes out there: those who include their entire resume/portfolio in their signature or those with the bare minimum. Strong real estate signatures should be attention grabbing, while remaining professional. Also, leads should be able to easily access your website and contact information. Know which elements to include and how to format them with this short list of do's and don'ts. Here's what should (and shouldn't) be in a Realtor's email signature: Don'ts JavaScript - Most email programs block emails with JavaScript through anti-virus measures. Clear your HTML code of JavaScript. Animated GIFs - GIFs are image files compressed to display movement. Some images and GIFs are not compatible with certain email programs. Your lead may receive a bunch of code instead of your intended image, decreasing your credibility. Cheesy Quotes - This one is more geared towards personal preference, but my own is that inspirational quotes are cheesy. Unnecessary Disclaimers - Try to avoid unnecessary disclaimers. However, local, state and brokerage rules and regulations may require you to insert your license number, address, or other physical address. Physical Office Address - This depends on the operational aspects of your brokerage. If you receive many walk-ins or your broker's address is difficult to find from the Google search results page, consider including your office address. Do's Name Job Title Phone Number Designation and DRE/License Number (i.e., Realtor, broker / CABRE XSSSS) Email - It may seem counterintuitive to include an email address, since you can simply hit reply. However not all email providers show the email address on forwards. There maybe times that a lead or client forwards your email to another lead, but that lead does not have your address in the forwarded section. Brokerage Name - Always include your brokerage's name, as it may carry more weight than you think. Call-to-Action - Do you need more reviews on Realtor.com or Zillow? More blog views or likes on Facebook and Instagram? Your email signature is your opportunity to direct leads' attention to your preferred links. Your Profile Picture (in appropriate sizes) - Humans are visual creatures, making pictures more powerful than words. Your personal picture will leave an impression much faster on leads than any words will. Include a profile picture if your email provider allows you to. Gmail and Outlook have this feature. Your Logo and Brand Slogan - Have you ever received an email from another professional with an entertaining slogan? Make your lead smile with a witty slogan, but make sure it aligns with the slogan on your website. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

7 Email Marketing Campaigns for Your Real Estate Business
While it might be difficult to reach potential clients online, email marketing is a simple and cost-effective process that enables you to engage with customers and generate traffic to your website. To encourage higher click rates, send relevant and tailored emails with attractive subject lines. Today, we'll discuss seven real estate email marketing campaigns you can use to market your services. Form Submission/Thank You Email Always stay connected to clients and make them feel comfortable joining your community. Each time new website visitors sign up on any of your website pages, send them an email thanking them for visiting and signing up. Let them know they are free to contact you for more information or inquiries. This builds trust with your prospects. Service Update Emails As real estate professionals, you must keep your clients in the loop of any updates to services. Update emails should explain the benefits for clients. Co-marketing Email If your real estate company gets into a partnership with another organization, an email informing your clients or prospects of the new partnership and its benefits is a great way to market the services of such a partnership. What makes co-marketing emails very effective is that both companies' products are introduced to their clients, generating and converting new leads for each of the partners. Send Emails and Follow-ups About Your Open House Events When you have an open house or event, email your clients and potential clients inviting them to the event. In addition to sending out open house invitations, you can also send follow-up emails encouraging prospects to contact you for more information, to schedule showings, or to offer info about similar homes for sale. Local Housing Markets Highlight and Updates Once in a while, real estate agents or brokers should send emails highlighting their local housing markets and any updates. This keeps customers informed about the latest news regarding the industry, thus qualifying you as an authority in the field. This keeps you top-of-mind and encourages clients and potential clients to contact you when they start searching for properties. The Post-Purchase Drip Campaign This is a follow-up email to clients who have purchased real estate. Such follow-ups guide them and assure them that you are available to assist them in case they need help with additional details regarding the property. This marketing strategy helps strengthen or build solid relationships with your clients. New Service/Content Announcement Send email newsletters informing your clients of new services or blog posts to create awareness about your growing business and your content. Final Words An email campaign is an easy, cost-effective, yet powerful tool to promote your real estate brand, create awareness your business, and increase engagement on your real estate website. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Follow-Up Is Still the #1 Reason Agents Lose Business
Deploying a strategic follow-up plan is similar to starting to go to the gym. In both of these cases, success and results are produced with consistency. One day may not bring about instant results, but one year certainly will usher in amazing wins. When it comes to refining and streamlining the way that real estate businesses engage with their spheres, many agents avoid follow-up because it's not the most fun task to do. It's likely that an agent will prioritize interacting with active clients over warming the colder leads in their sales funnel. This is one of the reasons why follow-up is still the No. 1 reason why agents lose out on business. To convert more leads and build better relationships with your clients, you have to be diligent, motivated, and consistent with your follow-up. Follow-up boosts lead conversion Follow-up is what separates the agents who fail from top producing agents. Agents who just want quick wins slack on their follow-up, while best-in-the-business agents who build longevity are dedicated to a scaleable, success-oriented follow-up strategy. Strong follow-up action plans are what allow you to tap into the goldmine in your database. When you warm prospects and continually follow up, you are more likely to stay top-of-mind with your leads. This allows you to retain your business opportunities throughout the entirety of your sales funnel — rather than seeing that they are far-off from their transaction, labeling them a "trash lead," and ceasing communications. To grow your business and maximize efficiency, revenue, and closed deals, you need to create a constant stream of leads that are cycling through the full sales funnel. You need to work your leads all the way through to the home run of conversion, not give up after the first inning. Pro Tip: Did you know that only 25% of leads in your CRM are ready to buy at any given time? Additionally, nurtured leads go on to make 47% larger purchases than those who buy immediately. If you're following up with the remaining 75% of leads in your database that are not conversion ready, you can create a sales cycle that continually generates transaction opportunities. If you don't follow up with the 75% of colder leads and only focus on hot leads, you're likely to hit a stall in your lead funnel once your current clients have closed. Strategic follow-up improves client experiences Do you want to create lifelong client relationships to access repeat business and referral opportunities? You need to do the legwork of keeping in touch with your sphere from first contact. Besides giving you access to more transactions to boost production, good follow-up also directly benefits your clients by improving the experience they have while working with you. Following up is like rolling out the red carpet for your clients. When you are communicating and sharing valuable information that helps them achieve their real estate goals, you are positioning yourself as a priceless asset to them. You are also showing them that you care, which is the first step to creating a meaningful relationship with your sphere. Following up shows clients that you: Have great communication practices Prioritize them and their needs Can answer questions quickly and effectively Will answer them whenever they reach out to you Will act as a strong guide when it's time to buy or sell In today's world where consumers expect Amazon-type instant gratification, transparency, and an open line of communication, strategic follow-up is becoming increasingly important for real estate professionals. 5 follow-up best practices to start growing your business According to a recent study conducted by RealTrends, these five follow-up strategies proven to generate more income are the activities that make real estate agents successful. 1. Marketing should target both potential new leads and former clients. Agents who market to both fresh leads and past clients see an average of 9% more transaction sides than agents only focused on networking with new clients. 2. Implement a systematic follow-up process for every contact. Agents who do not employ systematic follow-up average 22% fewer transaction sides than agents who have a formal workflow in place for both past clients and new leads. 3. Workflows for both former clients and new leads should use a mix of contact types, including programmatic and social media advertising. Agents who do not use programmatic and social media advertising tend to see 29% fewer transactions on average. 4. Aim for 10 or more touch points per person, per month. Making 10 or more touch points per month helps agents see 39% more transaction sides than their peers. 5. Invest time in marketing and networking to grow your database beyond the tipping point of 500 contacts. Agents with databases of over 500 contacts have an average of 25% more transaction sides. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Real Estate Agent Instagram Bio Best Practices
Once considered the domain of angsty teenagers and artsy photographers, Instagram now has more than 1 billion monthly active users. That's about 1 in 3 people who use the internet across the entire world. As its popularity has expanded, Instagram has become an important place for brands and businesses to increase their profile, engage existing customers, and win new clients. Real estate agents are no exception. More and more agents are using Instagram, and many are asking how to create a strong Instagram profile. The first step is clear: Your Instagram presence requires a compelling and informative real estate agent Instagram bio. The Instagram bio appears at the top of your Instagram profile, and is how you introduce yourself to the masses. How can you make the most of this small but essential space? Learn the best practices to consider as you create an Instagram bio, and see some of the strongest Instagram bios used by top agents across the country. 1. Register your Instagram as a business and register as a real estate agent Having an Instagram account can help your business, but only if prospective clients and fellow agents can actually identify that you're a real estate agent. The first step to make that happen? Make sure you use Instagram for Business and register as a real estate professional. When you register as a real estate-related business account, your profile will include the tag "Real Estate" beneath your name. For example, Christy Robinson, a Keller Williams agent in Arkansas, has an Instagram for Business account. Note that Robinson's bio includes the "Real Estate" service tag and notes her position as a "Central Arkansas Realtor." Robinson further identifies her real estate practice by including the line "Buy – Sell – Invest – Build" in her Instagram bio. This way, it's understood that Robinson represents buyers, sellers, investors, and those who want a newly built home. People who visit Robinson's account won't be confused. She's a professional real estate agent who is ready to do business. 2. Showcase your location and local market A home's value is often described with the phrase "location, location, location." The same is true for real estate agents. Your location determines your home market, your clients, and the new business you hope to earn. In her real estate Instagram bio, Brittany Mikes makes clear her location in Savannah, Georgia. The 912 area code in her phone number also reinforces her Savannah location and membership in the Teresa Cowart Team. A prospective client viewing Mikes's Instagram bio won't have questions about her home market. 3. Include your brokerage or agency information Along with your location, your brokerage or agency information is something consumers want to know. After all, a client's experience can vary widely depending on whether their agent belongs to a brokerage or agency. Whitney Korger, a real estate agent in Lincoln, Nebraska, clearly advertises her affiliation with RE/MAX Concepts in her Instagram bio. She lists her status as an agent, and includes a link to her agent website, which prominently displays her RE/MAX membership. Potential clients now know Korger is a RE/MAX agent, and when Korger's colleagues view her Instagram, they can be assured that she is advertising her agency in addition to herself. 4. List contact information In the past, you may have provided your contact information exclusively through yard signs or business cards or billboards on the side of the road. But nowadays, people will see your profile on social media, which makes listing contact information on your Instagram bio a must for real estate agents. April Baker, a Maryland agent with Samson Properties, lists her contact information on her Instagram bio. Notice how she lists her email address and phone number next to emojis of an envelope and a cell phone. Someone who comes across her Instagram will immediately be able to reach Baker, whether they prefer to email, call, or text. 5. Include your tagline or slogan Patrice McKay of Kelly Realty in Montgomery, Alabama, has a strong real estate agent Instagram bio. The phone number, the email, the website, the clearly-listed position as an agent – McKay's professionalism is obvious. But McKay also stands out from the crowd of agents with her tagline, "Call PM in the A.M. for all your real estate needs!" McKay has positioned herself as a unique agent with a specific brand identity. Even better, McKay lists her tagline just before her phone number. She's suggesting that consumers call her and provides the phone number to do it. 6. If you have an agent hashtag, use it The modern-day, digital version of taglines and slogans is a hashtag. Savvy agents include them in their Instagram bio. For example, agent Hector Pardo of Miami leads his real estate agent Instagram bio with the hashtag #PardoSold. By searching #PardoSold on Instagram, consumers and fellow agents will find posts featuring Pardo's sold and leased listings. #PardoSold helps Pardo tell everyone in the real estate game that he's a successful, experienced seller agent who is also familiar with digital marketing best practices. 7. Highlight agent awards and recognition Telling consumers that you're a good agent is fine. Being able to show consumers proof that you're a real estate whiz is what turns them into clients. Randy Louis, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-area's The Premier Realty Group, understands that the best proof of agent accomplishment is agent awards and recognition. That's why Louis includes his agent awards in his Instagram bio. Louis's "Top 15% in the world" line refers to his status as a Homesnap Top Agent Award winner in 2022. Even more, Louis has a pinned story in his Instagram bio titled Homesnap that includes his Homesnap Excellence in Client Service Award. As a top-producing Homesnap Pro+ agent, Louis's awards represent the value he provides to clients – those in the past and present, and those who are just now viewing his Instagram for the first time. 8. Use a bio landing page such as Linktree It drives real estate agents crazy, but it won't be changing anytime soon: You're only allowed one link in your Instagram bio. This rule exists for good reason. Instagram doesn't want the platform to be cluttered with spammy links. But since Instagram also doesn't permit links in comments or post descriptions, you're limited to one link for your entire Instagram presence, except for Stories. Not being able to share multiple links in an Instagram bio could curtail significant traffic to valuable channels for real estate agents. Agents such as Lisa Lejes Rosen of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Coral Gables, FL approach this challenge by using a landing page – in this case, Linktree. Rosen's Linktree is listed at the bottom of her bio. Visitors who click on it are redirected to a landing page that includes links to her other social media accounts, email, and agent website. In addition to centrally hosting her links, Rosen's Linktree tracks the traffic each channel receives, informing her overall marketing strategy and demonstrates whether her clientele prefers viewing her YouTube or LinkedIn or simply sending an email. Linktree certainly has Instagram's approval. The Instagram for Business homepage actually has a Linktree in the bio. 9. Take advantage of pinned Stories Instagram Stories allow users to share all moments of their day, in live time and in a multiple photo and video slideshow format. Users can create "pinned" Instagram Stories that live at the bottom of an Instagram bio and contain thematic, archived content. For agents, pinned Instagram Stories are especially useful. Shakyra Cortes Mendez, an agent at La Rosa Realty in suburban Orlando, has a strong and uncluttered collection of pinned Instagram Stories. Mendez organizes her archived Stories into four categories: "Reviews," which contains client testimonials on Instagram and Google about her service "Sold," a collection of posts about recently sold properties "For Sale," which features properties for which she is the listing agent "Pending," for homes that are about to close With her Stories, Mendez is able to communicate to people who visit her Instagram that she is an active agent with a portfolio of listings. Moreover, she can showcase a slideshow of positive reviews – solidifying her reputation as a top-tier seller's agent while earning trust and legitimacy from people who want to put their home on the market. 10. Link to TikTok, YouTube, and other social media accounts Instagram is valuable, but it's not the only social media channel on which agents should develop a presence. And while your real estate agent Instagram bio should be built for Instagram, remember to work in your presence on other social media channels, which also contain valuable content. One real estate agent who highlights cross-channel social media content in her Instagram bio is Rita Bogus, a Coldwell Banker agent in Chicago. Bogus has her agent-branded TikTok content featured as the first of her pinned Instagram Stories. Those who scroll through her pinned Stories also find YouTube content. Bogus's Instagram profile shows that for business providers like real estate agents, Google is a form of social media. Buyers and sellers go to Google to identify, check out, and interact with real estate agents, so Bogus's 5-stars on Google line in her Instagram bio lends her profile extra gravitas. Bogus demonstrates that for real estate agents, social media profiles don't exist in isolation. Various social media channels should work in concert to promote an agent's experience, abilities, and digital wherewithal. 11. Link to your agent website Google and social media are important, but real estate agents shouldn't underestimate the value of a strong website. Agent websites are still crucial to an online presence, and are worth a mention in your real estate agent Instagram bio. Jaime Cooper, a Realty Lyon agent in Alabama, includes her website – www.SouthAlabamaAgent.com – in her Instagram bio. Cooper's website is a particularly strong addition to her Instagram bio because the URL mentions South Alabama, Cooper's market. Between her website, phone number, and email address, Cooper has given consumers ample opportunities to contact her, and established a smooth, professional online presence. 12. Demonstrate connection to your local market As a real estate agent, your reputation is effectively tied to what your neighbors think about you. You sell in the region and even the neighborhood in which you live – having a demonstrated, deep connection to your local market sets you above your competition. For a real estate agent Instagram bio, establish local market bona fides with a strategy such as Jorge Martinez de Castro's. De Castro, of Carmona Realty Group in Miami, includes a palm tree emoji and the hashtag #miamirealestate in his Instagram bio. There is no doubt that he's from Miami, but he takes it a step further by also including pinned stories that showcase his properties in specific neighborhoods such as Coral Gables, South Miami, and Palmetto Bay. De Castro isn't just in Miami, he's of Miami, and can point to a book of business in specific, desirable neighborhoods. Logically, de Castro's connection to Miami and its neighborhoods makes him more effective at helping his clients. And being able to show that substantial regional connection in an Instagram bio makes de Castro more likely to win new business. 13. Remember that emojis are your friend Emojis sometimes get a bad reputation. After all, emojis can seem tacky and goofy and unprofessional – they certainly don't belong in the text of a client's closing contract, for instance. But emojis are acceptable, even a must-have, for real estate agent Instagram bios. Instagram is a mostly visual platform, so emojis don't appear out of place. Plus, emojis help break up the text in Instagram bios – using a pin denotes region, an envelope signals email, a phone pairs with a contact number. Jeff Scott, a Berkshire Hathaway agent in eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware, uses emojis to form an eye-pleasing list in his Instagram bio. Scott's list is similar to other agents, but adds even more personality by including his signature eyeglasses and the tagline "Not your average realtor." Scott's eyeglasses emoji are a reminder not just of his brand identity, but also of the fact that Instagram is supposed to be fun. People browse Instagram casually, usually on their phone, always in competition with lively posts from friends and family and other brands. Scott's emoji use isn't overblown or inappropriate. It makes his Instagram bio easier to digest and far more memorable. 14. Show you're a real person So much of a real estate agent's online presence is about establishing professionalism and market expertise. That's essential, but remember that your Instagram bio is on a platform of cute pet videos, pictures of a friends' kids, and Reels of strangers teaching new dance moves. Instagram is a chance to show that you're a real person, in addition to a competent real estate agent. Arniece Dawson of Capital Structures Real Estate in Maryland has a real estate agent Instagram bio that captures her identity as an agent and person. Notice that her bio includes "& MomBoss," which tells consumers that she's not just in charge at work. Her pinned stories include real estate listings, but also content about her recent engagement, vacations, and family life. Many buyers and sellers want a personal connection with their agent. Does this person understand the stress of moving with kids? Buying in the right school district? Our family's quality of life? Moving in with a new partner? Dawson preemptively demonstrates that she understands considerations like these, and uses her Instagram bio to humanize her real estate practice. Nail Your Real Estate Agent Instagram Bio and Win More Business Your Instagram bio is an important component of your online success as a real estate agent. By following real estate agent Instagram bio best practices, you're more likely to claim an Instagram account that accentuates your abilities, experiences, commitment to your clients, and connection to your local market. With a well-designed Instagram bio, you will bolster your online presence, impress clients, and win more new business. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

The Phone: Friend or Foe?
Joy Daniels, a real estate agent with Joy Daniels Real Estate Group, Ltd., discusses the importance of making phone calls your strength and being mindful of how you speak to people. Here's Joy: Recently an agent in my office shared a story that could serve as a small reminder for all of us who work with and for others. Phones are such an important part of lives—so we need to learn to use them wisely. One of my listing agents recently had to pick up the phone and call an attorney. She was nervous because she was reaching out to a complete stranger and hoping to find someone who would understand her problems. This was a process that she did not have a ton of experience with. She didn't know what they would ask her or how "intrusive" they would be. How much would she have to explain? Would they take advantage of her? Lots of unknowns and unknowns can lead to fear. Luckily, the moment she spoke to the attorney's office, she was instantly put at ease. The receptionist definitely had a system and confidence and warmth that calmed her nerves, and the more they spoke, the more relaxed and comfortable she became. So, the first part of that call went well. Within only a few hours, the attorney called her back, so she was initially impressed with their prompt response! The attorney, however, turned her off immediately with abrasive behavior and a defensive tone. While the attorney warmed up throughout the conversation, it was too late. Her earlier tone and "quick to judge" attitude had made a lasting impact. She was not a good listener, and it took her a while to start listening and assess the situation as it truly was. My friend was not impressed and knew she would not be calling that firm back again. The point to this story is that it really made her take a hard look at how she talks to people when she first connects with them. She imagined all the people that she spoke with during the year and wondered how many of them are nervous, tentative, suspicious, or maybe just plain scared to speak to someone. People move because they are getting divorced or are in financial difficulties, and for many, many personal and sometimes difficult reasons. For the first time, she could really put herself in that initial caller's shoes and it made her think differently. What we can probably all assume is that people, by their very nature, are suspicious and have reservations—people fear the unknown! So, unless it's a really strong personal referral, just assume that they have some fears and hesitations. She uses five little words in her initial phone call to people. She has been using those five little words for many years, and it's because they work: "How can I help you?" "How can I help you?" asked in a soft but friendly way starts to put people at ease! Many of us, from receptionist to agent, have to make important first impressions on the phone. How you approach that call will be the stepping stone to how they perceive you when you walk in their door (if you get that far)! Think about these areas of your initial call: CONTENT: What you say and how you say it is important. COMPASSION: Are you a good listener, empathetic in your approach, speaking with a smile, giving people the time they deserve? CLARITY: Are you clear in what you convey to people. Do they understand you? CONFIDENCE: Do you come across like you know what you're doing and build their trust? CONTROL: Without being bullish, do you have control and guide the conversation? Do you have good systems and a process so people know that you've done this before and feel comfortable with your guidance (most people want you to guide)? COURSE: Set your future course. Did you set a plan for what's going to happen next? If so, do you follow through with that plan? Is the phone friend or foe? That could be an important question that could lead you to a few more sales this year! Just like a home's curb appeal doesn't start at the curb (but online), your sales presentation doesn't start in their house or in person. It starts on the phone and all the other ways that impressions are made, good or bad! :) For the original post and more from Joy, visit her website www.joydaniels.com To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

How to Create a Newsletter Your Real Estate Clients Will Read
These days, our inboxes are cluttered with click-bait, spam, and countless forceful marketing attempts. Naturally, this makes connecting with your real estate clients via content marketing more challenging than ever. With their skepticism running high, you need to give them a good reason to read what you deliver to their inbox. Creating relevant, engaging newsletter content is key to maintaining interest over the long haul. Here's how: Write Clear, Yet Clever Subject Lines Although you may be tempted to create cliché subject lines that pique interest, it's better to be clear-cut in what your newsletter will discuss. Not only should they be compelling, creative, and informative, keep in mind that short and sweet is often the best way to go. Aim for roughly 50 characters and put the most pertinent information closer to the beginning of your subject line. Use Visually Impactful Templates In order to build a newsletter that yields a high open rate and is well-regarded by your real estate clients, overused stock images, off-brand colors, and formatting that doesn't work across devices are all elements that you need to address. Your newsletter needs to be representative of your brand in everything from color scheme to subject matter. Include Contact and Social Media Information While your newsletters come directly from your email address, it's important to give your real estate clients a multitude of ways to get in touch with you both online and offline. Always include links to your social media profiles in your newsletter for networking and communication purposes, and be sure to make it as easy as possible to find you. Jamming a ton of text into your email signature is both cumbersome and visually off-putting. Ensure the Content is High-Quality As a real estate professional, the entire purpose of sending out newsletters is to deliver unique, useful content that helps you stay top-of-mind. A good rule of thumb is balancing your newsletter content to be roughly 90 percent educational and entertaining and 10 percent promotional. While they may want to hear from you, there's only so much self-praise they can take before tuning you out entirely. Successful newsletters are meant to aid, not sell, and guide your reader through interesting topics. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Friday Freebie: Scripts for Handling Objections
"Your commission is too high.""The timing's not right.""I can sell my home myself." If you've been a real estate agent for any length of time, it's likely you've encountered these objections before. But what you do after being rebuffed determines whether that person converts into a client or languishes in your database as a cold lead. This week's Friday Freebie aims to take the guesswork out of that conversation. That's right, we're highlighting a free guide full of scripts for handling common real estate objections. Read on to claim your copy. Free copy of Objection Handling Scripts, courtesy of Market Leader After surveying agents about their most common objections, Market Leader teamed up with industry experts to create scripts and strategies to overcome those objections. What they found in their research is that there are four common types of real estate objections. This guide breaks down each of the four types, and offers specific specific scenarios and responses for countering those objections: Time - Often early stage buyers who are not ready to commit to an agent or purchase yet. Common objections include "I'm just looking," "I'm waiting for a market shift," and more. Pricing and Commission - These are the leads who think your commission is too high or that you're pricing their home too low. Common objections include "I can save money by going FSBO," "We can always lower the price later," and more. You vs. the Competition - These objectors don't want to commit to you, and bring up other agents. Common objections include "My friend/family member is an agent," "Other agents offer lower commission" and more. Knowledge or Process - The average consumer doesn't buy or sell a home often, so there may be gaps in their real estate knowledge. Common objections include "I don't remember registering for your website," "The listing I like just sold," and more. Overcome obstacles like a pro! Download Objection Handling Scripts to turn your conversations into conversions.

Friday Freebie: Real Estate Call Scripts (That Actually Work)
Calling real estate prospects is easy. Knowing what to say? That's a different beast. Take the guesswork out of connecting with leads with this week's Friday Freebie. We're highlighting a guide full of real estate call scripts that tell you exactly what to say—and that offers best practices to increase your chances of having a positive call that converts. Free copy of Real Estate Call Scripts (that actually work), courtesy of Market Leader Different types of real estate leads require different approaches. What you need to say to a FSBO seller versus a new website lead is, understandably, worlds apart. That's why in Real Estate Call Scripts (that actually work), Market Leader offers scripts for contacting all types of leads. Download the guide to get scripts for calling: Expired listings Calling neighbors of a 'Just Sold' or 'Pending Sale' listing FSBOs Online leads Sphere of influence Current clients asking for a referral upon closing Cold leads And more! Worried about talking hesitant leads through their doubts? This guide also offers scripts for handling common objections and rejections. Take your conversations with leads to the next level. Download Real Estate Call Scripts (that actually work) now!

Is Your Real Estate Lead Follow-Up Persistent... or Annoying?
Florida broker Beth Atalay offers advice on best real estate lead follow-up practices that will prevent leads from getting annoyed with you. Here's Beth: Most of us receive phone calls, emails, text messages and even Facebook messages asking for our business. I don't know about you, but the companies I receive solicitation calls and messages from are typically not large companies like Apple, Microsoft or Bloomingdale's. The ones that consistently call are the ones I do not want to do business with, and truth be told, their constant phone calls are very annoying. To remedy the situation, I block their calls and send their emails to my spam. For the past few weeks, I'd been receiving calls from one company on a daily basis. Finally, today, I asked the person who was calling if he enjoyed annoying people. I understand that he's following orders and has to meet his quota — but I also understand that you should follow basic rules of common sense in how often you reach out. So is it okay to follow up? Absolutely! In fact, it is expected that we do so, but the method of delivery makes all the difference. While there's nothing wrong with being persistent, it is very easy to cross the line and begin to annoy people we're trying to get business from. To avoid this common pitfall, here are some tips I use when it comes to following up the "right way." Tip 1: Being Persistent Doesn't Mean Every Day If you show up in my email, on my phone, in my LinkedIn inbox and on my Facebook page every day asking for business, you're not getting a dime from me — because you are annoying! We all have busy schedules, and it's normal to prioritize our tasks. When you contact a lead, don't worry if you don't get an immediate response. Give them time to catch up and if you haven't heard from them within 3-5 days, then you can follow up. Tip 2: Ask If You Should Stop Contacting Them Politely ask unresponsive leads if they'd like you to stop contacting them. If they say yes, be sure to leave the ball in their court so they know how to reach out to you if there's ever a change. They will appreciate you for asking. Tip 3: Try Different Methods of Reaching Out Some people simply don't read emails, they prefer phone calls. Others don't like the phone and prefer face-to-face contact. Ask leads which method of communication they prefer, and be sure to cater your outreach to suit their wants and needs. Tip 4: Be Different Than Others There are hundreds of other agents who can reach out to the same lead you're trying to engage and claim to be the best of the best. Be different and showcase why leads should work with you in your follow-up communications. Our time is valuable and we don't appreciate those who waste it, so be conscious of your leads' time when you follow up with them. Be persistent in a good way, but don't be annoying! To learn more about Beth Atalay, visit her website at www.wheretoliveinorlando.com. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Friday Freebie: Get Sellers into the Game with this Cheat Sheet
2022 is shaping up to be the year of the rising mortgage rate, and that's sidelining a lot of would-be sellers. While they stand to make a handsome profit on their current home, buying a new home is more expensive than ever. Staying put seems to make more financial sense. So how can you get homeowners back into the game? Lean on this week's Friday Freebie—a cheat sheet designed to help you move sellers off the bench. Free Download of the 2022 Home Seller Cheat Sheet, courtesy of Zurple There are plenty of reasons homeowners are reluctant to sell—they're afraid they won't find a new home to buy, they want to avoid a higher mortgage, etc. Once you know what their fears are, you can allay them with facts and helpful information. That's where Zurple's 2022 Home Seller Cheat Sheet comes in. This free guide offers resources to help you hone your powers of persuasion, including: Common seller objections and how to overcome them Statistics, information, and articles to motivate sellers off the fence Tactics for convincing owners to sell (like recommending contract contingencies) Processes and strategies for selling during COVID-19 And more! You can use this cheat while on the phone with a seller, on a Zoom call, or just keep it on your phone to reference anytime you need it. You'll always have the perfect comeback to any objection ready when you download the 2022 Home Seller Cheat Sheet!

Friday Freebie: Scripts and Tips for Voicemails that Get Results
Does this sound familiar? A new lead comes in, and you do just what all the real estate coaches and experts say to do: you give them a call. But the phone rings, and rings, and rings…until you're sent to voicemail. While this is not an uncommon occurrence (after all, not many people answer unknown numbers these days), it is a frustrating one. But just because you can't talk to your new lead live, you can leave them an awesome voicemail that will encourage them to respond. How? In this week's Friday Freebie, we're highlighting a guide full of voicemail scripts and detailed advice for leaving messages that will entice leads to call you back. Read on to claim your free copy! Free download of The 2022 Voicemail Guide, courtesy of Zurple The first time you contact a new lead not only sets the tone for the rest of your business relationship, it can determine whether that relationship even begins in the first place. So even when that first point of contact is just you and their voicemail, you can still make a killer first impression. The 2022 Voicemail Guide from Zurple breaks down how to craft a friendly voicemail message that encourages leads to call you back. Download your free copy today to get: An overview of the structure of a good voicemail Best practices for before, during, and after leaving a voicemail Tips for increasing callbacks and improving your voicemail skills 7 voicemail scripts for various lead sources and scenarios Pro Tip: Rehearse your scripts over and over until you've internalized them. This will make your voicemails flow and sound more natural! Ready to get more calls returned from your leads? Download The 2022 Voicemail Guide now!

9 Web Content Ideas for Real Estate Agents
If you are searching for content ideas for your real estate website or thinking of ways to spice up your blog, we've got you covered. In this article, we will list all the things you should include on your real estate website. Listings A professional real estate website includes IDX listings and a detailed description of your properties for sale. For example, include the number of bedrooms, the houses' interior and exterior appearance, and much more. Don't forget to add your contact information so that you can make it easy for your potential client to contact you. News Updates A good website should have a page dedicated to the latest trends and news in the real estate marketplace. If you want to attract more clients, post blogs about the latest news updates in the real estate market. Keep your audience engaged and up to date on all things real estate so that you can keep them coming back for more. Blog Posts Speaking of blogs, a significant aspect of having an informative website is dedicating time to your blog posts. You'll be surprised at how impactful blogging can be for your real estate business. Blogging helps you connect with your existing and prospective clients through written content. It also helps you build more trust with your clients and better your company's overall image. With a high-quality blog, you are on your way to increasing your website traffic and lead generation, as well as showcasing your expertise and knowledge. Home Tours and Guides Home tours have been immensely popular for years, but showcasing your home tour in an artificial 3D virtual environment will surely drive more traffic to your website. By using 3D virtual tours, your clients can have a unique experience while touring your property directly on your website. With the help of VR, a.k.a. virtual reality, your clients can easily take tours of your property in the comfort of their own homes, view everything at their speed and make adjustments based on their preferences. Clients can also take advantage of VR benefits by sampling ideas before committing to decisions. Client Reviews and Testimonials By posting your clients' reviews and testimonials, you provide your customers with information about your company. For example, what did your past customers like most about your services, or what you could have improved on? Testimonials give your clients a sense of comfort knowing that they are in trusted hands. So make sure that you include them to give your clients a better understanding of your work. Events It's always a good idea to include a page of upcoming events in your city. For instance, upcoming open houses, community events like festivals, or even city council meetings. You can also include videos and photos of these events for your audience to get a glimpse of what these events are like. Partnerships Another great addition to your real estate website is to dedicate a page to partners in your business. Share stories with your partners and dedicate a page to your shared work achievements. This shows that your company is willing to expand its horizons and form partnerships with those that share the same values. About Page The about page is an important addition to your real estate website. Why? Because it adds a hint of personality to your online presence. It gives your audience a peek into your personal life. Whether the website is personal or for your brokerage, it's always good to include an about page where your clients can get to know more about you and your real estate practice. A good website should include information about your business—the work you do and your expertise, how many years of experience you have in real estate, your core values and mission. Contact Page Last but not least, have a contact information page. We recommend that you have your phone number at the top of your home page so that your clients can easily reach you. Still, a separate page dedicated to your contact information is also very useful. Ensure that your contact page includes all the necessary information such as your email, phone number, location, etc. The more accessible it is for your clients to connect with you, the better the chances that they weill consider you as their primary choice. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Lead Conversion for Real Estate Leads Not Answering Their Phones
Imagine it is the middle of the day, you are on your lunch break, scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed and suddenly you get a call from an "Unknown Caller." What do you do? Do you pick it up? Or do you let it go to voicemail? If you said you would let your call from an Unknown Caller go straight to voicemail, then you understand the mindset of the average real estate lead. Most people will not answer a phone call from a number they don't recognize. You are likely to still let it go straight to voicemail, even if it is from a person you know. Here are some fun facts: 80% of all calls go to voicemail. 90% of first-time voicemails are never returned.(source: RingLead) If you are the type of agent that makes phone numbers required on your website's lead capture form, what should you do to make sure your lead answers the phone? This is a method you can use. Feel free to alter it to match your personality or style. After you call your leads, we recommend having a CRM with email and/or social media nurturing software to maintain the engagement of your leads, regardless if you can talk to them or not. Here are five lead conversion steps for unresponsive real estate leads: 1. On Your First Call, Don't Leave a Voicemail It is unlikely that your real estate lead will pick up the phone. Some people will be prone to google the number that just called them. This may help your cause if you have your phone number displayed on your site. Don't sweat it if they don't pick up, move on to the next step. 2. 5-10 Minutes Later, Call Your Lead and Leave a Voicemail If they see the same number calling them a second time, there is a higher chance that they will answer. It is not guaranteed they will answer. If they don't, you will want to leave a voicemail. 3. Call Each Lead Once a Day for the Next 2 Days, Leave Voicemails You should not automatically disqualify the lead, if they did not answer the phone on the first day you tried to contact them. Working online leads can be tedious and will require persistence. It is important that you continue calling them just to check in, even if you already spoke with them. 4. Call Each Lead Once a Week for the Following 3 Weeks Continue checking in on your lead. If you have talked to your lead already, this is a great way to show them you appreciate them and want to provide good service. Call just to check in. If they have still been unresponsive, then don't worry about it! They are likely still doing their research and are not ready to talk to you yet. Continue contacting these leads, as responsiveness is a highly admired quality in a real estate agent. Show these leads that you have not forgotten about them, and that you will be there for when they are ready to open up. 5. Call Each Lead Once a Month for the Next 3 Months After the first month, start contacting leads on a monthly basis. Home buyers can take a few months to incubate into a transaction. Give them some space as they are likely still researching. Remind them of the resources available on your website, and let them know you can answer any questions they have. Buying a house is expensive, and homebuyers will want to do all their research on homes in the area before making any commitments. They will also want to do research on you as an agent. Don't dismiss these leads due to being unresponsive. If you stop calling them, they will go to one of your competitors instead. When calling leads, you are applying for a job with somebody you have never met. Therefore, be assertive and sensitive to their needs. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Pet Peeves from a Real Estate Lead's Perspective
There are plenty of things that buyers and sellers do that can easily be annoying for real estate agents. But did you ever stop and think about what buyers and sellers might find annoying about YOU? There are a few things that real estate agents do that leave a foul taste in their clients' mouths -- and that you may want to avoid. Here are three common real estate lead pet peeves: 1. Bad or No Pictures on the Listings For most homebuyers, when they are starting their home search, they do so on the internet. A listing on a real estate website is often the first impression a buyer will have of the property. If the very first photo they see is a screenshot of Google Street View or a poorly lit cell phone photo, that will be the ONLY impression. Instead, make sure to hire a professional when it comes to taking photos of your seller's home. 2. Slow Response Time It really irks real estate leads if you take too long to respond to their messages. Be sure to always check your messages—this includes email, text messages, and social media notifications. While it is true that checking your messages every 10 minutes is bad for time management, you can overcome this obstacle by setting clear guidelines with clients and leads when you will be responding to their inquiry. 3. Not Just Picking Up the Phone Not every lead will answer the phone, but there is a population of leads that will. And for those leads, you don't want to get into a heavy conversation over text or email. There are certain subtelties that written words can't convey that the human voice can. So during those times of back-and-forth, just pick up the phone. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

How to Convert an Internet Lead via Phone
The strategies you use to successfully convert leads are a big factor in your level of productivity. As we are able to find leads through an increasing number of channels, it can be challenging to identify the best ways to move toward conversion. Taking advantage of the opportunities that come via the internet can require some new ways of thinking and creative combinations of tools that you might not have tried before. One traditional, yet effective way to move an online inquiry into the pipeline is to make contact by phone. Following up is critical, and it's amazing how frequently initial contacts are ignored. For example, the WAV Group measured lead responsiveness from a sample of 384 different brokers across 11 states. Researchers inquired about online listings and recorded the data on responses by agents. In their experience: 48% of buyer inquiries were NEVER responded to Average number of call back attempts after the initial contact was 1.5 The average number of email contact attempts was 2.07 Average response time was 917 minutes (or 15.29 hours) So, strategy number one: RESPOND. Beyond that, many industry coaches recommend using the phone to convert these online leads. Here's a roundup of wisdom on the subject. #1. Tom Ferry Ferry's blog is loaded with information, videos, and interviews. He has an energetic style and provides specific tips for being more effective in using your phone for lead conversion. Tom Ferry's 6 Communications Tips Know your customers' pain and know their problems. Examples: market conditions, past purchasing experiences Know your dialogues. If you want to be good on the phone, you have to practice! When you know what to say and how to say it, you can be more in tune to your customers' needs. Get to the point! Example: "I'm calling today to schedule an appointment…" Give two options for setting a time. Stand up when you are making calls! Your body controls your tonality and your emotional state. On the phone = 20% effective sensory communication. Remember that when you talk, you are only engaging in one sense out of five. Speaking clearly is important. Get the fear out of the way with these three questions: What's the worst case scenario? What's the most likely scenario? What's the best case scenario? #2. Jared James A professional speaker, author, coach, marketer and entrepreneur, Jared James has a YouTube channel filled with tips and tricks for lead conversion. He makes no bones about the critical nature of timing. Five minutes can be the difference between a deal and no deal —and industry experts like Jared, Chris Smith and others agree. When you contact a lead within the first five minutes of their initial inquiry, the chances of converting that lead go up 100x. That's because there's context around that moment—they're still on your website, they're still thinking about you, and they haven't been taken over by the wave of all the other things on their plate. Jared talks about how to do this yourself—or with an inside sales assistant—and reminds you to perform an immediate call back rather than leaving a voice message. #3. Ken Goodfellow On Ken's blog, the topic of lead conversion is often discussed, and Ken recognizes the importance of the personal touch that a phone call creates. Initially follow up with the lead through email or text—but follow up with a personable phone call shortly after. Simply restate your position in a unique and refreshing manner. #4. Lee Davenport A quality CRM is part of any follow-up and lead conversion strategy, and Lee Davenport offers great insights into what features your CRM should have to help you respond quickly to incoming inquiries. She mentions a situation that most agents can relate to: You're sitting in a three-hour CRE course and receive an inquiry. Will your CRM automatically respond to the inquiry with a personalized message? Here are some more functions Lee recommends. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

How to Maintain a Positive Email Reputation
Email marketing is a necessary tool for your business to thrive in today's digital world. With so many companies utilizing email as their go-to communication, it is essential to hold a positive email reputation. What is an email reputation, and how do you make sure you have a positive reputation? Your reputation is a score that service providers assign to you. A higher score means a greater chance for your email to make it to the inbox. How to get that high score is a little more complicated, though. DO Include Email Opt-Ins Offer your leads and clients a double opt-in. A double opt-in is when someone subscribes to your email list, they immediately receive an email from you asking them to confirm their email address. A double opt-in ensures that your email list is comprised of real people and not bots. An opt-in also helps you to narrow down who actually wants to receive your emails and hopefully results in fewer unsubscribes. Personalize Your Emails Include your recipient's name not only in the email body but in the subject line as well. Personalized emails increase the chance of your email being opened and help develop a personal relationship with your recipients, leading to a positive email reputation. Segment Your List Break your list into smaller groups and send different variations of the same email and subject lines. This can help you with your A/B testing to find what content works best for you and your audience. It also increases the chances of your email making it to the inbox rather than getting nabbed by the spam wall. Send Quality Content This one may feel obvious, but when you email your database, make sure you send content they are interested in! Think about your personal inbox. What kind of content do you want to see? Something that applies to you and your interests or arbitrary articles and emails that mean nothing to you? Sending aimless emails to your list will result in lowering your email reputation. Clean Up Your List Be sure to keep your email list updated. If a client unsubscribes, make sure you don't keep sending them emails; otherwise, you risk service providers marking you as spam. Even if you have valid email addresses, you need to be making sure they are all still active users. Continuing to send emails to expired email addresses or just people who don't interact with you results in service providers viewing your emails as spam and marking them as such for all the emails you send out. Make sure your email lists are active and clean, so you don't have to worry about getting stuck in the junk box! DON'T Use Spammy Language Service providers have noted what kind of language spammers typically include in their subject lines and emails. Ensure you aren't using this language in your communication with leads and clients; otherwise, you risk a lower score! It is easy enough to search for lists that explain what words constitute as "spammy," but here are a few to keep in mind for your next email: Opportunity Cheap Investment Lowest Price Loans Incredible Deal Mortgage Home No Obligation Use Excessive Exclamation Points or All Caps in Your Subject Line You may think that multiple exclamation points and ALL CAPS will get your reader's attention, right? Well, THINK AGAIN!!!! Spam walls have picked up on this tactic and rarely allow emails that look like this through and into inboxes. Grab your reader's attention in different ways! Check out some good subject line examples here! Purchase Email Lists Renting or buying email lists is one of the worst things you can do for your email reputation. It doesn't give you a foot in the door; instead, it does quite the opposite. People on these lists don't want to receive anything from you. Chances are, your email will be marked as spam, which will mess up your emails to reliable sources. It is easy enough to grow your email list organically, plus don't you want to be marketing to people interested in working with you? Use social media, landing pages, and other marketing tactics to grow your email list naturally. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

5 Things Agents Hate to Hear (But Need To)
No one grows from fluff and feel-good falsities. Agents who want to reach next-level success need tough love, no B.S., real-talk tips. Disclaimer: If you get fired up while reading this, read on. Let's dive into some things you don't want to hear, but need to. #1. (Most) Agents Suck at Tech Adoptions and Follow Up Consider what Chris Stuart called "The Loyalty Gap": According to NAR's Buyer and Seller Trends Report, 91% of buyers surveyed said that they would use their agent again. However, only 13% actually used the agent from the previous transaction. Most agents aren't great at following up with past clients to generate further opportunities, or adopting the tech that will empower them to make outreach easy. When agents work with a platform, many don't actually use it and log on. BoomTown's data found that 59.4% of platforms have 75% of users logged in the past month. Even though we know that working leads yield consistent results, we still see that the majority of users do not log in regularly. However, there are agents that are fantastic at following up with leads. When you poll top producers about their pillars of business, past clients and SOI are a top source of transactions. The agents that are good at tech adoption and follow-up are: Self-aware and intentional with their actions, investing time into adopting technologies. Aware that tech adoption and lead follow-up have a symbiotic relationship, meaning that adopting tech should facilitate more seamless and efficient communications. When you sign up for any tech service, go into it with humility and a real hunger to figure it out. The more you work at tech adoption and follow-up, the better and more efficient your business becomes. #2. Complaining About "Exclusivity" and "Limitations" in a Platform is a Cop-Out Oftentimes, when agents evaluate a service, they ask if they will be the only ones in their market using it or if there are limitations. Instead of asking about whether or not a platform is "exclusive" or "limited," focus on asking questions about adoption and usability. Questions to Ask on Usability: How do you all help ensure that my agents have the resources to succeed with your product? What kind of staff do you employ to focus on usability of your product? When it comes to leads, focus more on how the leads are generated — typically, it's through Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram. 3 Questions to Ask on Lead Generation: How are the leads routed to me? What are the costs? What sources are contributing to the prices? Asking these questions can help you make the best decision for your business. #3. Internet Leads Don't Suck, You Might Just Suck at Working Them If you think that internet leads suck, you might just suck at working them. Internet leads are important because everyone looks at listings online nowadays. Besides the traffic potential, internet leads are an incredible way to build your database. Keep in mind the lead funnel. Just because a lead is at the top of the funnel doesn't mean it's bad — you just need to focus on the long-term future. Leveraging technologies and services will help create a system for your follow-up. #4. Commission Compression is the Natural Selection of Real Estate Agents Have you felt the screws tightening on your commission? You need to start evaluating your value proposition if you want to grow and attract talent. Otherwise, you will lose out to online models, and ultimately give those organizations more strength. This will have an impact on your ability to command specific commissions in the future. To compete with the Zillows and Redfins in the market, you need to be able to attract top talent. Evaluate your value proposition as an organization: What does onboarding look like? What kind of tools am I providing to help new agents succeed? #5. Zillow Isn't Going Anywhere Zillow's advertising budgets are astronomical, they dominate real estate SEO, and they have a 23.9 billion market cap. Consumers aren't just going to stop leaning on Zillow. If Zillow is a concerning competitor, all you need to do is level the playing field. Create an amazing consumer experience. Be an incredible source of local real estate knowledge to become indispensable. Have your own branded consumer app. Provide convenience, speed, and white-glove service. Work with leading technologies To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Is Cold Calling Still Effective in Real Estate?
Over the past several months, the debate between those who believe cold calling is dead and those who swear by it intensified. To be honest, we all know how intimidating cold calling can be. When it comes to calling strangers on the phone, some rookie real estate agents are hesitant. And others may be concerned about receiving negative reactions or not having a positive return of investment (ROI). Of course, each side has reasoning behind their choice. But before we delve into the nitty-gritty of cold calling, let's look at what it is all about. Meaning of Cold Calling in Real Estate Cold calling is one of the real estate industry's most traditional marketing strategies. It entails contacting a prospective consumer who has not previously interacted with you or expressed any interest in the product or service you provide in an attempt to gain their business. Cold calling aims not to analyze, make a pitch, complete a deal, or engage in a discussion. Instead, the goal of cold calling is to transition from an interruption to a scheduled appointment when you gain the prospect's full attention. However, we found that there are many opinions regarding this topic, backed by very little information. But here is what you need to know about cold calling. Cold Calling Statistics How Many Cold Calls Do Real Estate Agents Make? According to this Keller Research Center Report, which specifically targets the B2C market, real estate agents made about 6,264 cold calls and discovered that just 28 percent of the calls were answered. The agents scheduled 19 appointments with prospective customers and received 11 referrals from this 28 percent. This implies that an agent will secure only one appointment or referral for every 209 calls made. Therefore, the overall time commitment required per agent to finish all 209 calls was roughly 7.5 hours. (Some ended up in conversations while others did not.) Of course, the closing ratio in the real estate industry will, at this point, assess the effectiveness of a marketing strategy. It is not that cold calling won't produce any results, but rather that the cost of the lead and the sale may be achieved more efficiently through alternative techniques. The goal is to measure your performance and rely on analytics to get informed. How Well Does Cold Calling Work? Implisit, a firm that Salesforce recently acquired, studied the CRM data of organizations around the world. They discovered that the leads that created the best conversions originated from employee and customer recommendations. Leads generated through social media came in second place. According to a study by Leap Job, only 2 percent of cold calls resulted in an appointment. Similarly, Ovation Sales Group discovered that it takes an average agent 6.25 hours to schedule one meeting with a prospect. If we apply Implisit's analysis, suppose that these appointments are now regarded as opportunities. Only 6 percent of these appointments are likely to result in sales. When you examine the data, you can't say cold calling doesn't work. However, its effectiveness is fast becoming questionable. This finding is supported by a HubSpot study (The State of Inbound), which discovered that cold calling is 60 percent more expensive per lead than other strategies. This discussion, as you can see, is not a debate about whether or not cold calling works. At some level, it works. However, the essential question is: how well does it work? Is the ROI on this endeavor improving or deteriorating? Is the number of calls necessary to produce a qualifying lead increasing or decreasing? Real estate agents must develop new approaches to reach decision makers. If you don't rely on verifiable facts like this, you're probably losing out on trends that might predict a storm coming your way. How to Warm Up Cold Calls No one can dispute the digital revolution engulfing real estate. As technology improves, brokers are using new tools to locate the appropriate consumers and close more deals. This is the main reason why there is a debate regarding the effectiveness of cold calling. From the data discussed above, we agree that there is massive room for improvement in our outreach efforts, especially regarding cold calling. Here are two top tips on how to warm up cold calls for better lead generation. Sophisticated prospecting The days of painstakingly combing through property records and portfolio information for possible leads are long gone. What was once a time-consuming process of identifying potential listing, clients, and purchase and refinancing options is now as simple as clicking a button. In addition, real estate technology and off-market data platforms are now readily available to simplify the prospecting process, allowing real estate professionals to conduct custom searches and rapidly discover property owners and other potential leads. Get in touch with decision makers After identifying a promising lead to pursue, Realtors sometimes encounter roadblocks since they cannot access the necessary contact details of the property owner or the lead. Dealing with this situation is frustrating, and it results in a waste of the agents' time. Instead of finding the decision maker, the real estate professional is usually given inadequate information or a gatekeeper's phone number, which hinders them from speaking with the right people to make a deal. However, agents may avoid dealing with gatekeepers and directly contact the decision makers with the proper real estate technology and data. Top Alternatives to Cold Calling CRM Businesses have relied on numerous lead generation techniques for decades. Customer relationship management (CRM) includes tactics to maintain a healthy and lucrative relationship with potential and existing customers. CRM blends cutting-edge technology with sales and marketing methods to increase lead generation and customer satisfaction. LinkedIn Before you make a phone call, LinkedIn might be an excellent approach to form a personal relationship with a buyer. It is also a great way to expand your audience. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an effective tool for locating qualified prospects who match your ideal customer profile. It is also effective at maximizing your existing relationships to increase access to high-level decision-makers. Email An effective technique to reach out to and engage prospective customers is via email campaigns that deliver useful information that doesn't revolve around your services. Providing email content that isn't just a meeting request or a sales pitch is also an effective strategy to engage dormant or difficult to reach leads. It can also assist you in determining when to contact an inbound lead with a targeted message. Referrals Most B2B businesses begin their work with a referral, and nearly three-quarters of executives prefer to work with agents referred by network connection. Asking for recommendations from existing clients who may benefit from your service is incredibly effective. Warm Calling Warm calling is a networking approach that builds trust and rapport with a prospect before making a phone call. An increasingly effective way to make this discovery is through a personal referral, as this historically has happened. Unfortunately, cold calling only has a 1% success rate compared to warm calling, with a 30% success rate. Direct Mail Can you recall the last time you received or even read a letter? Perhaps not, but many businesses have effectively used direct mail or "snail mail" campaigns to reach their target audiences. This strategy allows for personalization, which is a plus. Given the current lead and client acquisition cost, a modest, inexpensive gift included with the letter might be worth the extra expense. Physical Events Not only do we use social media to network, but there are a plethora of networking events organized for practically any industry and place with substantial job prospects. While they might be fairs, exhibitions, or conferences, they may also be events explicitly aimed at networking. Although ticket prices may be high, many people attending events like these will bring in new customers for a salesperson on the spot, making them well worth the investment. Social Media Engagement Engage in social media conversations with the appropriate people. Growing your social media audience and your prospective list of prospects will be facilitated by contacting and interacting with thought leaders in your industry and potential users who meet the criteria for your ideal buyer profile. Takeaway Today, sourcing techniques have evolved. Instead of file cabinets, online databases are now storehouses of information. In summary, the effectiveness and scalability of cold calling is greatly affected by changes in data. It takes away uncertainty while providing confidence every step of the way, allowing for the fast development of more powerful relationships, especially because Realtors these days have so much information at their disposal that they don't have to talk to a prospect until they are ready to buy or sell. Technology has streamlined any setbacks that real estate professionals could encounter while trying to generate and convert leads. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

The Most Popular Questions Asked in Real Estate
Cara Ameer, a Florida-based broker associate, Realtor and luxury agent, shares the most common questions buyers and sellers ask, and why they ask them. Here's Cara: Questions, questions, questions. Every buyer and seller has them -- in fact, A LOT of them. Curiosity is at an all-time high during the home search as buyers and sellers try to size up each other and their motivations. What are some of the most popular questions buyers and sellers ask during the home buying and selling process and WHY do they ask them? Read on so you can be prepared no matter what side of the "For Sale" sign you may be on. Buyer Questions How long has the property been on the market? This question is used to assess the seller's motivation or to try to find out if something is "wrong" as to why the property is still on the market. A longer marketing time usually means it lags as a result of price in relation to its condition and competition. Why is the seller selling? Every buyer wants to know this and it's another question used to try to determine motivation. However, buyers can't assume that the seller's reason for selling is going to make them any more motivated to sell the home for less than market value. How long have they owned it? How much did they pay for it? What do they owe? Buyers always want to figure out how much equity sellers have in the property and how much room there may be on the price or asking for concessions like closing costs or repairs. Is someone living here now? Buyers are always curious, especially on furnished homes that may not look lived in. They love trying to figure out if the property is just sitting, potentially costing the seller money every month, or if it is actually being used. An array of maintenance, home improvement and cost questions: How old is the roof? The air conditioning system? Can a pool be added? How much is insurance on the home? How much are utility bills? Et cetera... Answers to these questions may affect how much a buyer is willing to pay for the property or whether they will make an offer at all. They are trying to figure out if they are going to be taking on the money pit, and what they can do as far as possible future expansion to the property, even if they have no intention of doing so in the future. Seller Questions What type of financing are they doing? Sellers want to know so they can anticipate handling an offer and how that could affect their obligations in the transaction with respect to any required repairs, appraisal, asking for closing costs, etc. How much of a down payment will they be putting down? Sellers want to assess the buyer's financial viability, i.e., how much skin in the game will they have with this? What other properties are they considering? Sellers want to know what their competition is and perhaps where they stand in relation to it. Are they local or from out of the area? This may give an idea as to their time frame – relocation buyers typically make decisions in a shorter time frame. What is their timeframe; when will they be deciding? Sellers get nervous once a buyer returns multiple times for a showing and are anticipating a decision. Do they have a house to sell first? The proverbial question – sellers always want to know the answer to this one. That may be less of an issue today than a few years ago when the market experienced a slow-down. Check out Cara's blog here. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Talk Is Cheap, but Mortgage Rates Aren't: Scripts for Talking Sellers Off the Fence
If we have anything close to a sure-thing prediction for 2022, it's this: mortgage rates are going to rise. In fact, the Federal Reserve announced this themselves, warning potential home buyers that they're likely to raise interest rates three times in 2022. Experts are expecting interest rates to be over 4% by the end of the year. There's a silver lining to all this, however. Savvy real estate agents can use this information to nudge hesitant sellers off the fence. After all, the longer homeowners wait to sell their old house and buy a new one, the more expensive their future mortgage will be. In the video above, real estate coaches Tom Ferry and Jeff Mays discuss how agents can use rising mortgage rates as a talking point to convince hesitant owners to list their home. You'll learn: The best dialogue to get potential sellers to take action The first question to ask homeowners How to use the net sheet to your advantage A great line to demonstrate market conditions to current homeowners And more!

The Best Email Subject Lines: 11 Formulas to Use in Real Estate
There are two kinds of people in this world. People who maintain a clean email inbox, and people whose inbox is bursting at the seams with a high number of unread emails (my inbox is at a shameful 602). The average person sends and receives approximately 120 emails per day. Most people won't open all 120. So how do you fight through the clutter, and get your audience to open YOUR emails? You have to master the subject line. It doesn't matter if your email contains the most amazing content if no one even opens it. 3 Types of Subject Lines The best headlines and email subject lines generally fall into three categories. We've gathered proven formulas and examples under each category to help you write better subject lines to increase your open rates: Social Proof These types of subject lines are fueled by people's inclination to make decisions based on the choices that other people have made. Stating that a great number of people or a very influential person has made a certain choice increased the weight of social proof. Formula: [Provide social proof] [Ask compelling question]Example: Millions of Americans affected: can you afford to ignore the changes in mortgage rates? Formula: [desired result] Like a [desired group or person]Example: Remodel your dream home like Chip and Joanna Gaines Formula: How [impressive number ] Got [desired result] in [time period]Example: How your neighbors sold their home in less than a week! Formula: Why [impressive number] of People are [taking desired action]Example: Why Thousands of Californians are selling their homes now Threat These subject lines are intended to push people to act to avoid a threat or pain, rather than gain a benefit. These subject lines promise your audience that the message inside the email will protect them against these threats. Formula: [Lie/Threat] about [Topic]Example: 10 things most real estate agents won't tell you Formula: Don't [Take action] until you read thisExample: Don't buy a home until you read this Formula: [Number] [Topic] Mistakes You're MakingExample: 10 Home Buying Mistakes You're Making Formula: Avoid These [Number] [Topic] [Pitfalls/Mistakes]Example: Avoid the 5 most common mistakes of first time homebuyers Gain The simplest of the three categories, these subject lines simply state the benefit with the promise that the inside message will help you achieve it. Formula: The [#] way to [Benefit]Example: How to get your home sold above asking price Formula: How to [Achieve Desired Result]Example: Don't buy a home until you read this Formula: Imagine [Desired Result]Example: Imagine living in your perfect home right now The Secret Formula of All Formulas Subject lines can make or break your emails. It has to be interesting enough for someone to want to open it. Gary Bencivenga, often referred to as the best copywriter in the world, has come up with a formula for writing great subject lines: Interest = Benefit + Curiosity One's level of interest is directly proportional to the presence of two factors: benefit and curiosity. The recipients should be able to read your subject and know that something in the email will benefit them. It must also possess a level of unpredictability. Even if the subject offers a clear benefit, if people can predict what the message inside will say, they are less likely to read it. The goal is to pique the reader's curiosity by teasing them just enough to want to read more. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Friday Freebie: Leave Better Voicemails with This Guide (Plus Scripts!)
Ask any agent, and they're probably more than familiar with the voicemail prompts of their real estate leads. After all, most people today screen the calls of numbers they don't know, and a lead doesn't know you--yet. That means a voicemail is the first contact you'll have with many leads. How can you increase the chance that a prospect calls you back? That's where this week's Friday Freebie comes in. Today, we're highlighting a voicemail guide, complete with scripts and tips, that shows you how to leave a voicemail that gets more calls back. Free Download of The 2021 Voicemail Guide, courtesy of Zurple Before we dive in, we'd first like to congratulate you on being a proactive agent. A lead comes in, and you call them right back. That response time alone increases the odds that a new lead will convert into a client. The 2021 Voicemail Guide from Zurple aims to increase those odds of conversion even more. Download your free copy today to get: An overview of the structure of a good voicemail Best practices for before, during, and after leaving a voicemail Tips for increasing callbacks and improving your voicemail skills 7 voicemail scripts for various lead sources and scenarios Pro Tip: Rehearse your scripts over and over until you've internalized them. This will make your voicemails flow and sound more natural! Ready to get more calls returned from your leads? Download The 2021 Voicemail Guide now!

Reconnecting with Old Leads to Jumpstart Your Business
An important transformation takes place in the career of any real estate sales agent around their third year in the industry. The first year is all about learning the ropes, and the second helps you focus on discovering your niche – both what you enjoy doing and who your ideal customers are. During those early years, you may find yourself putting in extra hours and spending lots of effort building a successful referral business. From there, as your business continues to grow, it's often easy for agents to fall into a pattern of "chasing down" new leads. To an extent, this makes sense. And it works for a while. After all, you need time to find yourself and define what your brand is all about. You won't be able to go after what you want with laser focus until you can decide what it is you actually want. While others can advise you, nobody can choose for you. Soon enough, though, it's time to change how you approach lead generation. That means: Instead of chasing leads, you need to establish ways to entice them to come directly to you Instead of a single transaction, you should build lead relationships to provide recurring value Luckily, you can achieve both goals by consistently using the proper communication techniques. At its heart, expanding any business relationship comes from following up diligently and adding value consistently. The right real estate marketing automation technology makes this easier, like the features in the DeltaNET®, even with a busy schedule. This transformation is essential for scaling and growing your business. As you build a reputation in your community, you'll come into contact with more people who can benefit from your expertise. At some point, creating the business you want means shifting from quantity of relationships to quality. If you stay on the offensive, always chasing more, you may burn out. Deepen or rekindle your existing relationships, however, and you'll always have opportunities to pursue. Who Counts as an Old Lead? Old leads come in two flavors: Those who became customers and had a successful transaction in the past Those who showed promise but didn't commit and dropped off your radar Remember, just because a lead fades from the spotlight doesn't mean he or she rejected you. On the contrary, many leads talk themselves out of taking action because of changing conditions in the market. It's no reflection on you, but you still have the power to make a difference in what happens next. If you're using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, it's very easy to see where leads stand. At a glance, you'll be able to see precisely where you first connected with your leads, the whole history of your interactions, and what their status was the last time you were in contact. This can give you the insight you need to choose the right timing and tactics for getting in touch. In an ideal world, real estate pros would have the time and energy to follow up with every lapsed lead, to see if they have any ongoing needs, and check for the possibility of referrals. With a limited pool of focus every day, though, it's a good idea to optimize the process. There are two elements to that: Making sure you prioritize the leads most likely to generate real business value Using the correct follow-up techniques to match with their communication style Seven Ideas for Reconnecting with Old Real Estate Leads Let's look at some of the best methods for getting old leads back into the game: Develop (or Revisit) Your Customer Persona Who is your ideal customer? Buyer or seller? What are their biggest challenges? What hopes and dreams drive them into the real estate market, and what holds them back? Focusing on your ideal customers has advantages for both of you—you'll each enjoy a longer, more beneficial relationship with fewer issues along the way. Once you define your perfect customer, look over your old leads to identify the closest matches, then reach out. Put Your Brand Promise into Words A "brand promise" is a single, concise statement of what sets you apart from the rest. It's the central experience you strive to deliver to everybody who chooses you. By crystallizing your goals this way, you are putting your unique skills and values into action – and doing so in a way that's easy to remember and act on. "I make the home-buying process simple and stress-free for first-time buyers" is one example. What's yours? Forward Useful Blog Posts to Your Leads Once you know precisely what leads are out there and who your brand promise might resonate with, it's time to get in touch. Adding value is the secret to positioning yourself as a trusted advisor, even when it takes weeks or months for leads to dive in. Don't just send a message to "see how they're doing" – link a relevant post from your blog with a reminder about a past conversation, then ask if their needs have changed. Use a Follow-Up Email Message One of the best ways to manage a large number of old leads is to get them onto the right segment of your email list. A segment is a list-within-a-list whose members receive exclusive content. Most real estate agents have a segment for leads, one for current customers, and one for past customers. However, nothing is stopping you from writing a personal message to catch up with your missing leads any time you wish. Ping Your Leads on Social Media If your leads follow you on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or even Twitter, you have an immediate "in" by sending them a direct message. Leads usually don't leave their DMs untouched, so you're likely to get a reply within 24 hours as long as they are still active on the platform. It can be a good idea to set your notifications so you can respond to their answer as soon as possible, potentially starting a one-on-one conversation. Check Up on Expired and FSBO Listings Sadly, sellers who decide to strike out on their own usually wait longer for success and earn less money. If one of your leads went down this path, check up on expired and "For Sale By Owner" listings to see how they did. After the stress and disappointment of the DIY method, they are much more likely to take your expertise seriously. The sooner you can get them re-listed with appropriate guidance, the better! Ask Questions with Text Messaging Did your leads opt into text messaging? Text offers you an even more intimate (and much faster!) way of communicating than email or social media. You'll be surprised how quickly lapsed leads you haven't heard from in months might pop out of the woodwork with a text message as simple as "Hi [Name], are you still looking for a home in Walnut Creek?" Since they only take seconds, many brokerages use SMS texts as a first option. No matter what methods you decide to use, following up is the name of the game in real estate. Backed by the right real estate marketing technology, you can cover more ground and capture more business from contacts who might otherwise slip through the cracks. With these tips and a good CRM, you are on your way. In need of a good CRM? RE Technology readers can try DeltaNET 6 free for 30 days. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.

97% of Cold Calling is a Waste of Time
Let's warm up those cold tactics with some new insights into increasing your lead generation abilities. A good start is the idea of a hiring a person that is dedicated to making those outbound efforts. Inside Sales Agents, or ISAs, have long been considered a crucial role on successful real estate teams. Hiring an Inside Sales Agent in Real Estate As your business grows, you can quickly begin to feel stretched. You and your team may have difficulties finding time to prospect or responding fast enough to leads, so your pipeline and conversion rates can suffer. Hiring an ISA ensures a dedicated person is generating and converting leads in the office while you and your agents are running the rest of your business. This hire allows you and your team members to focus on your core roles, and they are typically charged with uploading all of the contact information and conversation notes into your database. This frees your team up from most admin tasks, so for example, buyer's agents don't have to worry with anything administrative other than writing up a contract. The ISA role can vary with experience and job expectations. There are countless pay structures and compensation models to match each unique ISA role. However, the first thing you need to do before hiring is calculate the ROI. It doesn't make sense to hire an ISA for cold-calling purposes if you aren't generating more deals (i.e., money). Here's a handy cost breakdown guide for your real estate business: Again, this is just a model. Lots of real estate businesses employ and pay ISAs differently. The main objective of this is to ensure positive revenue from hiring an Inside Sales Agent. Turn Cold Calling into Smart Prospecting Let's flip that terrible stat. Here's how to turn 97% wastefulness into 80% productivity. Taking a good look at your communication strategies can do some real good for your success rate. It's critical to be informed about your leads, their interests, and to hit them with timely and relevant information. Imagine the following message from a real estate agent: Hi, my name is Chad and I'm calling to see if you're interested in buying a house. How likely are you to respond with anything else than, "No, I'm not interested," or with "I'm just looking." Not only are success rates of cold calls low, but they typically cost your business 60% more. Now, let's examine a more tailored approach: Hi Susie! I noticed you were looking at homes in downtown Charleston, and if you have a free moment this week, I can show you a couple houses of interest. What do you say? Two things changed in this scenario. First, the real estate agent is addressing the lead by name. He knows who he is calling. Second, he knows what Susie is looking for. By tailoring your message to the interests and behavior of your leads, you increase your chances of a positive sale. In fact, you're 51% more likely to achieve your sales numbers and 80% more productive. Using a Real Estate CRM for Smart Prospecting It's critical to have information about your leads at your fingertips. This means utilizing powerful software and the latest technology to make your prospecting so much more effective. By compiling a list of who the leads are, what areas/price points they're looking at and their timeline, you immediately have a "warm" list of leads to call. You know where to start the conversation and your sales effectiveness rises. This means you can easily create tailored messages to large groups of leads for smarter outreach. Talk about productivity!  The Power of Texting vs. Calling Just a few years ago, InsideSales.com did a study revealing agents who called newly registered leads within five minutes were more likely to turn them into a closed deal. However, a troubling statistic shows that only 5-10% of people pick up the phone. Even with email, you can only expect a 20% open rate. However, with texting, 90% of people both open and respond to texts within five minutes. That is a serious game-changer! A Multi-Channel Strategy for Prospecting Using multiple forms of outreach in your marketing efforts can generate much more success in prospecting. The right CRM will let you implement plans that incorporate calls, texts, and emails, and every interaction will be automatically logged in the system so you can stay on top of to-dos and know exactly where each leads stands in the process. Here's a sample template for a basic smart prospecting plan: Call within the first five minutes if possible. This is important since you or your customer team could potentially speak with them while they are still on your site and explain further valuable search tools on the website. Answer: Ask the most important question. Doesn't Answer: Leave a voicemail (scroll down for suggestions). If the lead does not answer, you can send a text message (scroll down for suggestions) and continue to call at a steady, but subtle, rate over the next few weeks. If you have an email address, your lead also needs to be on a drip email plan. Touch Phone Call Example Scripts: This situation would occur if a lead registered on your site or a third-party site with at least their name and contact information. This example assumes you have basic information about what they are looking for. Questions: Hi, may I speak with [First Name]? How are you today? I received your contact info from your recent registration on my site, and I wanted to follow up with you quickly in case you had any questions about any of the homes you were browsing through. When are you looking to buy? I can set you up for eAlerts so you are the first to find out about new listings that fit your preferences. Even if you don't want to buy now, it's always good to see what's out there in your price range. Are you still interested in the [area name] around [price point of the home they were looking at]? If so, are you working with an agent already? I actually have an area expert for the neighborhood you are looking in. He/She can fill you in on the market for that area, can they give you a quick call later? Answers: Yes: Sounds good! Is this the best number to reach you? No: Is there a better time for me to reach you? No, don't call: Would you prefer email? I can arrange them so they only come as often as you like with the listings in your price range and area. No, don't contact me: I completely understand. Definitely take advantage of the site's search tools and if you see anything you want more information on in the future, we are here to help! First-touch Voicemail Script: Hi [first name], this is [your name] calling from [your company name]. I wanted to quickly check in and make sure you didn't have any further questions about the properties on our website. If so, I would love to help you get a temp of the area you are looking in. My number is [your number here], and I look forward to speaking with you soon. First-touch Text Script: If you don't receive an answer to the first phone call, it's always a good idea to send a follow-up text. Hey [first name]! Wanted to quickly follow-up with your visit to [your website name here] to see if you would be interested in chatting with our agent who has worked in that area for awhile. When are you looking to buy? Next Steps: Continue conversation with more qualifying questions and attempts to schedule a call. Alternative Tactic: Social Selling Hands down, people spend the majority of their time on social media — whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. These channels are windows into who your leads are, what they're interested in, and even what they're complaining about. This gives you an unfiltered view into what they need, and an easy opportunity to place yourself at the front of their consideration. With a quick message or response, you can easily spark a conversation that turns into a $300k home deal. Being Effective at Real Estate Lead Generation Cold calling is a waste of time. Personalized messages are king when it comes to selling. Keep in mind, the homebuyer (or seller) already has a ton of information at their disposal. They don't need to be sold on what they want — they already know what they want! They want to know that you're going to provide personalized service for them. Hence, smart prospecting. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

6 Ideas for Dealing with Unrealistic Real Estate Clients
You've met them before--homebuyers that have the taste for champagne, but the budget for beer. How can you effectively assist that client without telling them what they want is something they can't afford? 1. Show Them a Few Homes that Fit Their Criteria Nothing can be quite effective as a quick awakening by sticker shock. Don't beat around the bush; show them the homes that fit their criteria. Always be solution-oriented and share some homes that possess a few of the features they require. 2. Show Them a List of Homes that Fit Their Budget If you want to avoid the pain of ripping off a Band-aid, maybe just show them homes within their budget. They might be okay with missing out on one or two of their preferred features in order to live comfortably within their means. 3. Sit Down with Them and Show Them the MLS If they really don't believe you, you can show them what it's like from a real estate agent's point of view. Some real estate clients will appreciate a straight-forward and honest perspective. 4. Show Them Recently Sold Homes and Their Closing Prices Something that homebuyers and sellers can't do through a public search is see what homes recently sold for. Even more than that, they won't know why homes sold for that much. You being the expert at real estate can explain to them the nuances of why two three-bedroom homes on the same street sold for two different prices. 5. Give Them Options Always have a solution. Don't let your clients have buyer's remorse or, worse, give you a bad review for having to "settle" with a home that they are not big fans of. There are plenty of financial options like family loans, cashing in on 401Ks, etc. 6. Understand Their Wants and Needs The market might not support the criteria at the pricepoint they can afford, so to best help your client sit down with them. Find out what they want and need. By digging deeper, you can come to a good resolution. For example, maybe you'll uncover that the features they want are very important, but they can compromise on location. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Friday Freebie: Buyer's Cheat Sheet to Winning in Low Inventory Markets
Your home buyer clients have probably heard the term "seller's market" in the news, but do they really know what it means? It's more than simple difficulty in finding a home--buying in a seller's market means being outbid, needing to act quickly and assertively… and preparing for potential heartbreak. What that means for you, as the buyer's agent, is managing your client's expectations and preparing them to compete in today's market. That's easier said than done, however, and that's why we're highlighting a cheat sheet for helping your buyers win in a low inventory market. Read on to learn how to claim this free download. Free copy of How to Win in Low-inventory Markets: The Buyer's Cheat Sheet, courtesy of Zurple Stressed-out buyers mean a stressed-out buyer's agent—and nobody wants that! Help soothe your buyers' frustrations in today's market with this free cheat sheet from Zurple. Here's what you'll find inside: Explanations for what's causing the current seller's market Advice for preparing your buyer for a competitive market How to develop a competitive-advantage offer strategy What NOT to do with your buyer Buyer's agent scripts Bonus tips for helping your buyer and finding more inventory And more! Ready to help your buyers get a leg-up in today's market? Download your FREE copy of How to Win in Low-inventory Markets: The Buyer's Cheat Sheet now!

Friday Freebie: Cheat Sheet for Talking Sellers Off the Fence
There are a lot of reasons that homeowners today are reluctant to sell--they're afraid they won't find a new home to buy, they like their current mortgage rate, etc. How you respond to their objections could win you a shiny new listing. But what if you're unsure of your powers of persuasion? Lean on this week's Friday Freebie—a cheat sheet designed to help you talk reluctant sellers off the fence. Free Download of the 2021 Home Seller Cheat Sheet, courtesy of Zurple It's a great time to sell a home, and a great time to be a listing agent...if you can find a listing. People are staying in their current homes longer than ever and many are reluctant to sell. You may even be talking with homeowners who are toying with the idea of selling, but aren't quite convinced. How do you convince them? Zurple's 2021 Home Seller Cheat Sheet to the rescue! This free download offers information you can reference to help persuade homeowners to sell, including: Common seller objections and how to overcome them Statistics, information, and articles to motivate sellers off the fence Tactics for convincing owners to sell (like recommending contract contingencies) Processes and strategies for selling during COVID-19 And more! You can use this cheat while on the phone with a seller, on a Zoom call, or even keep it on your phone to reference anytime you need it. You'll always have the perfect comeback to any objection ready when you download the 2021 Home Seller Cheat Sheet!

Real Estate Agents: Beware of Offer Letters as Emotional Bait
Emotions run high when you put a seller's house for sale. To them, it's not just a house, not just some brick and mortar sitting on a piece of dirt somewhere in the city or municipality. Whether your seller has lived in their house for one year or 50, it is a home filled with memories and paid for with a good portion of their annual income. So the next time you list a property for sale, consider the journey the seller has been on and how you can ease their separation anxiety. Is encouraging a buyer to write a personal home purchase offer letter to the seller a good idea? Being an agent often requires more than just great real estate marketing ideas, complete with virtual tours and interactive floor plans. You are the consumer's connection to the current market, an expert in your field, and the facilitator of the sale. Statistics show that a personal offer letter written by a potential buyer can affect the seller's decision to accept one offer to purchase in real estate over another. This type of correspondence is often referred to as a "love letter" with the intent of tugging at the owner's heartstrings in order to stand out among competing offers. The humanizing factor can help ease some of the emotional anxiety the seller experiences, but there are other ways to keep your seller's personal memories intact without endorsing what may be seen as discrimination. Separation anxiety Real estate transactions are about traversing the path alongside your seller to help with the sale and the unexpected emotions that often accompany the separation of loving homeowners and their abode. A buyer's home purchase offer letter may allow the seller a small glimpse into the life of the new owner, but it won't take the seller down memory lane. Easing the seller's separation anxiety is difficult, but a great way to help them keep those memories is by using 3D virtual tours and accurately detailed floor plans of their existing home. Not only are these prop-tech tools excellent for marketing a residence, but they can help your seller when making the decision to sign away their home to a stranger. A permanent file filled with real estate photos, virtual tours, and interactive floor plans will allow the seller to reminisce in the years to come. The buyer benefits by having accurate measurements and the tools to perform any upcoming renovations they may want to perform. Competition and multiple offers In a seemingly unstoppable real estate market, properties continue to receive multiple offers. Some homes are selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars over the asking price. Competition is high and emotions are even higher. How can you help your buyer compete when listings are seeing all the offers to purchase that real estate agents can handle? Ultimately, the seller wants to get the best price for their home and with the least amount of hassle. An almost sure way to win the bid is to submit an offer well above the listed price after thoroughly examining the virtual tours and floor plans. If you lose out to a higher bidder, you have followed procedure to the letter. Speaking of which, would an offer letter have swayed the seller to choose your purchase contract over the winning one? Perhaps, but submitting a personally written letter from the buyer along with the contract could open you up to not-so-loving letters of reprimand from your local real estate board or, worse, a discrimination lawsuit. Love, letters, liability The buyer's home purchase offer letter is a passionate attempt to grab the seller's attention. A sort of coercing the seller to "pick me" as the new owner of a property. Of course, the intent behind the letter is to introduce the buyer to the seller in hopes they will "approve" the new owner of their home. But you have to consider there is a fair amount of liability involved with these so-called "love letters." It is never a good idea for you to include a letter like this along with an offer. It can be seen as an unfair method under the Fair Housing Act that discriminates against other potential buyers. Of course, you cannot prevent the buyer from taking the matter into their own hands and submitting the story of their wanton desire for the seller's home. In any case, it is not so much buyer beware, but buyer's agent beware. Connect and protect As a real estate agent, it is up to you to perform your fiduciary duties including reasonable care, confidentiality, and loyalty to protect the interests of both the seller and buyer. These duties include offering the best possible way to get a property sold by providing accurate information included in your real estate marketing plan. Connecting with buyers can be done using the proptech tools at your disposal. 3D video tours and precise square footage measurements are a must and are some of the best ways to help a buyer form an emotional attachment to a property. When it is a connection to the seller they are seeking, there is no better way than to make a fair offer to purchase real estate based on the factual information that affects the value of the property. Homebuyers will likely still want to engage in writing personal love letters to try to win a bidding war in one of the hottest real estate markets in years. As a Realtor, playing matchmaker is your role when introducing buyers to sellers' properties—but perhaps leave the flirtatious correspondence out of negotiations.

Clever Ways to Use Text Message Marketing for Real Estate
As a real estate professional, many things you do are time-sensitive. It's possible that you can lose out on a deal simply because you were waiting for a buyer to listen to the voicemail or check their email and they acted too slow. Text messaging allows agents to provide updates to buyers and sellers that are quicker and more immediate than email. Communication in real estate is critical. Text messaging or SMS (short message service) gives agents, Realtors, and brokers a valuable channel where prospective buyers can easily contact them, allowing them to increase sales. If you didn't already know, text message marketing in real estate is a powerful tool when used right. Let's consider the following statistics: 93% of real estate professionals prefer to communicate with their clients through text messages Text messaging as a whole has an open rate of 98% 90% of text messages are opened within three minutes compared with 20% of people who open an email Text messages have a response rate of 45% compared to email's 6% 68% of buyers would rather receive property info via text messages And even more telling, people respond to a text message within 90 seconds—by contrast, they respond to emails within 90 minutes. There are many benefits to leveraging text message marketing in real estate. Text messages can be a great way to send important reminders to your current clients. In Amarki, you can schedule and deploy automated text messages to remind clients of any important dates. One example is to set up an open house reminder text message that will send two days prior to the open house and then the morning of. It's cost-effective and generally less expensive than other forms of marketing, such as direct mail. Text messages create a far more personal touch to your marketing efforts. It's easy for clients to miss your emails in the sea of other messages they receive in their inbox. As people don't typically get as many text messages, they will at least see your SMS message. You can even launch mass text message marketing campaigns, but before you do this, you should ask your contacts how they would like to hear from you. While millennials may prefer texts, older generations might prefer email or even a phone call. Automated text messages can also be a great way to stay in touch after your clients have closed on their home. Here are just a few examples of text message templates you can consider setting up: Two weeks after close check-in: How is everything going? Are you getting settled? One year anniversary after close: Can you believe it's been a year since you bought your home? Congrats! On the client's birthday: Happy Birthday, [name]! You may not realize it, but sometimes even the smallest touch can have a big impact. Incorporate text messages as one more touch in your marketing strategy. Using the right tool or platform is a big investment in your bulk text message marketing strategy. It will empower you to reach potential buyers effortlessly and save you time and money. Here is how you can benefit from a perfectly chosen text message tool: Initiate a personalized, one-on-one text conversation with clients or prospects Increase attendance and engagement by scheduling important reminders Entice new clients with special keywords and calls-to-action So, do not limit your clients to just calling or emailing. Make your new home listings, price drop alerts, and links to real estate video tours available for them by choosing the right tool or platform, like Amarki. About Amarki: Amarki was built by real estate experts for Brokerages and Agents based on years of industry experience and firsthand feedback. We developed a marketing tool accessible to anyone, no matter the experience or marketing budget. By providing an intuitive tool that works "for" the agent, Amarki is able to remove the complexity of marketing tasks making agents more active. Check us out by clicking here.

Staying in Touch vs. Spamming Too Much
I do love Father's Day. These days, one of the greatest treats is spending time with family. I also got a few text messages from close friends--I sent a few, too. But this morning, my inbox was littered with "Happy Father's Day" greetings from CRMs. What do you think happened next? As I went through them, I noticed a few things. First of all, it seems like the most popular CRMs used by agents either only have one Father's Day greeting in the drip system, or it was just the most popular choice among agents. I had lots of duplicates of the same greeting; honestly, it made the entire thing seem insincere. I also noticed that there was nothing personal about it. None of the agents took the time to share anything about themselves – like a child's graduation or maybe summer activities that they are enjoying, etc. The greeting was nothing more than a form letter. Moreover, I am certain that I did not subscribe to their marketing campaign. After deleting a few emails, I changed my behavior and started hitting the unsubscribe button. I am sure that agents across America found a bunch of unsubscribe notices in their inbox this morning – depleted databases. The great unsolved challenge for real estate professionals is cracking the code to staying in touch with the people in their database. Every year, the National Association of REALTORS® publishes research that indicates that over 90% of consumers would use their Realtor in a future transaction. Only about 20% of consumers actually use their Realtor again. In addition, agents claim that about 50% of transactions comes from past clients and referrals. All of that research points to the leaky bucket of client retention. Here are a few areas of opportunity that may plug some of the holes: Use tags in CRM to indicate as many things as you know about this person. Develop customer personas. It is a lot of work, but it will make a difference because it will allow the right message to go to the right person, at the right time. Match and append the CRM database to keep it up to date. Services like Aidentified not only complete customer contact records, but they also monitor for life events. Send sincere messages to people that you know. The average agent has 397 people in their database. Sending a real note to 50 or 100 of them would be far better than spamming them all. If you do not know the person that well, tell them about what Father's day means to you and the traditions you have in your family – or favorite places to go in your community and things to do on Father's day. Do good. Give money to a charity in your local community that helps children who are fatherless. Use humor. Top 10 Father's Day disasters – you can easily find that stuff with a Google search. One friend sent me a text of a dad in a canoe with his young son. The dad was paddling, and the son was playing in the water. Then the son fell in the water and dad scooped him up and put him back in the boat and continued paddling as though it never happened. It was awesome. Another one showed a dad at the zoo with his son and daughter. The son was giving food to a giraffe who then picked the son up in the air because the boy did not let go of the leaf. The dad grabbed the son – amazing. Don't send the email. If you do not have the time or inspiration to send an email that is good enough, don't send it at all. All the agents who have me in their database that made this decision did not get their email address blocked. Sometimes that is a win. Happy Father's Day I had a great Father's Day weekend and I hope you did as well. Marilyn, Alexandra and I went to Lake Nacimiento. It is a reservoir and campground in northern San Luis Obispo County where we keep our boat. Alexandra invited a few friends up to join us. It reminded me that Father's Day is not so great for some kids; but in some way, I think they enjoyed joining our family. We had a good time and some of us got a little too much sun. Alexandra's wake surfing skills are getting pretty good. The water situation in California is real. The lake is down below 30% capacity and drops a foot or two every day. July 4th may be the last weekend on the boat this year – which is pretty sad. The boat and the camper were the things that allowed us all to keep our sanity during the COVID lockdown. We are going to need to find some new fun-filled family activities for late summer. Maybe an agent will send me a few inspiring ideas. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.