Don't Just Track Your Marketing...Track YOU!

What are your conversion ratios?  Average Listing to Sale Price for a Seller?  Buyer?  DOM for a Seller?

These are all things that you need to know to make yourself better.  It's not just about whether your marketing works, it's about whether YOU WORK!  You can have the greatest marketing, but if you can't do anything with the leads once you get them, what good is it?

Plus, you may find out you're REALLY GOOD!  If you are, why aren't you marketing that to your sphere or farm?  That's something most agents don't do, and would make you stand out from the crowd.

When most consumers look at marketing material they ask the question, "What's in it for me?"  If you can get there home sold faster, for more money, you just answered that question for them and gained yourself a new client.

Why NOT to work harder! Follow me... STEP 2 & 3 - Setting Fees & Systems

**Read INTRO BLOG POST here**

Fees

Setting your fees is a fairly straight forward process. I encourage you to really think about how much of your valuable time goes into each task and make sure your fees represent a fair amount - for both parties involved. Resentment, one way or the other, can ruin not only a transaction, but a future relationship that could generate referrals.

Mine are set and ready to go.  Service & price packets are updated.

As a real estate agent, it should be somewhat easy for you.  You can decide on a per client basis if you are willing to work for less than 6%, or you can create a services list for each commission rate (I've done this for other Realtors and it seems to work well). At 6% you will do this; At 5.5% you will do this; and so on... This way your client doesn't have a false impression in their head that you are doing all kinds of services, for less money.

Now, on to systems...

These are SO important! Build your systems to handle a high volume of leads, and the leads will come.  Don't build any systems at all, and they won't!
I'm going to be working on developing systems for the following areas:

• New Leads
• Past Clients/Sphere
• Marketing Campaigns
• Social Media/Blog Marketing Plan
• Transaction Coordination
• Short Sale Processing

As a Realtor, I would recommend the following systems: (be sure to have your database/sphere complete)

• New Leads (8x8)
• Past Clients/Sphere (33 touch)
• Social Media & Blog Marketing Plan
• New Listing Setup
• New Pending Transaction Setup
• Client Presentations/Packets: CMA, Buyer, Pre-Listing

Once these sytems are created and in place, you will notice a HUGE time savings.

Now, instead of scrambling to pull together a Listing Presentation, you just print out your comps, attach them to your pre-made listing presentation and walk out the door.

Your buyer packets are set with all the information that you know your clients will need.  No more forgetting to metion certain topics.

Your marketing is running seamlessly in the background and constantly generating you leads.

When you have systems in place they act as a strong foundation for your business. You will seem more organized, less frantic and your clients will notice that.  Talk about value added!

Programs to help with your systems...

A lot of agents I know use Top Producer.  They love all the options, pre-made plans, etc.  It is great, but does require setup and someone willing to learn the in's and out's (I already know them...hint, hint).  If you don't take the time to learn it, you'll never get your money out of it. That goes for any CRM program.

If you're looking for something that can help you with CRM and you don't mind setting up your campaigns and systems on your own, consider Zoho.com.  It's a great system and offers a FREE VERSION!  If you need more than the free version offers, you can upgrade to a $12/month or $25/month version (as a Realtor, I don't think you will though).
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Off to work... If you have questions, please don't hesiatate to ask.

Why NOT to work harder! Follow me... STEP 1 - Developing Your Service/Product List

**Read INTRO BLOG POST here**

 

In my quest to 'refresh' TC (follow along to this blog if you would like to 'refresh' your business too), I've finally updated my service list and completed step 1.  There were so many items missing from my old list - wow!  I've also decided to add packages for specific services and industries.  I have not had time to update my website to reflect these changes, so I decided to include the list below.

Small Business Marketing: Marketing Plans & Research Calendar of Events Competitive Analysis Strategies & Tactics Consulting Brand Strategy Positioning Identity Tag Line Logo Design Company Description Mission Statement Unique Selling Proposition Marketing Materials Stationary Packages Brochures Folders Presentations New Client Packages Product Fact Sheets Postcards Posters Rack Cards Stickers Banners Window Cling & Decal Yard Signs Apparel Vinyl Graphics Website Design & Development Goal Setting & Strategy Design Conception Content Development Form Design Photo Gallery/Portfolio Design Social Media Integration Landing Pages Website Analytics

Small Business Marketing (cont.): Public Relations Media Kit Press Releases Advertising Development & Design Sponsorships Newsletters Design Content Development List Development Print, HTML & PDF Versions Calls to Action Online Marketing SEO PPC Keyword Development Domain Name Recommendations Blog Development Link Building Social Media Marketing HTML Email Signatures Email Marketing List Development Content Development Click & Open Rate Tracking Direct Marketing Design Messaging Calls to Action Printing, Mailing & Fulfillment Consulting All areas of marketing consulting available

Real Estate Specific Packages:   Agent Brand Creation/Refresh- Premium (P) as noted Logo Updates/Re-creation (P) Tag Line (P) Market Position Business Identity Company Description Unique Selling Proposition Mission Statement Agent Marketing Material Package: Premium (P) as noted Listing Presentation Design (P) Buyer/Seller Packets (P) Brochures/Flyers Business Cards Postcards Stationary Package Fax Coversheet Email Signature (P) Website Design Template or Custom Design Options Goal Setting & Strategy Content Development Form Design Photo Gallery Design Social Media Integration Landing Pages Website Analytics Listing Management, Setup & Marketing: Basic as noted Enter listing into MLS (B) Enhance property photos Create single page professional brochure (B) Add/Update property on agents website (VT, Brochures, Docs, etc) Just Listed Postcards Just Listed Email to Sphere Enhance listing on Realtor.com Enhance Craigslist Posting Virtual Tour Creation/Updating Listing Syndication to Multiple Websites Send Welcome/Intro Letter to Seller (B) Enter Property into Showing Center (B) Creation and placement of two newspaper advertisements Agent System Design & Creation Past Clients & Sphere Marketing New Lead Marketing - Buyers and Sellers General Farming Property Under Contract System Referral Management System

Kennels & Breeding Programs:   Website Design Custom Design/Design Refresh Goal Setting & Strategy Content Development Form Design Photo Gallery Design Social Media Integration Landing Pages Website Analytics Brand Strategy Positioning Identity Tag Line Logo Design Company Description Mission Statement Unique Selling Proposition Marketing Materials Stationary Packages Brochures Puppy/Breeding Packages Sporting Dog Ad Design Business Cards Apparel Vinyl Graphics Email Stationary Email Newsletter/Announcement Design

It's about time.  Why didn't I do this from the beginning?!?!  You just get so busy trying to run the business that you forget to really run the business!

Now I'm on to developing the pricing structure...

How's everyone else doing?  Run into any roadblocks?  Have any questions related to your specific business?

Why NOT to work harder! Follow me... Part 1; Update 2

**Check out the INTRO BLOG POST to this article here**

I just wanted to provide a brief outline for those thinking of re-launching or refreshing their business along with TC.  This is a broad overview and their will be many posts on each topic in the months to come.

1. Products/Services: are you offering anything new?  Any services your clients just may not be aware that you offer?  What's your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
2. Fees: Set your fees and stick to them especially in a service business.  Some will try to chew you down constantly.  Think of your time, and ask yourself if they would do the same for you.
3. Systems: Can you handle more business with the current systems in place?  Do you have enough help?  Will more leads mean you have to work 16 hour days?
4. Brand: Either re-launch the brand you have if you like it and feel that it resonates with your clients, or refresh your image.  You should have a professional set of marketing materials including a logo, business card, envelopes, letterhead and website.  The image you portray should be the same over EVERY medium.
5. Business Plan: What's your goal with this re-launch/refresh? Where do you want your business to be in 1, 5, 10, 15 years and how are you going to get there?  All questions that must be answered.
6. Marketing Plan: How are you going to get new clients?  Referrals?  Repeat business?  Do you eliminate print advertising completely in today's Internet age?  How important are professional ad campaigns versus ones designed by yourself?
7. Implementation:  It's great that you have it all down on paper.  Businesses that do that are way ahead of the mark.  Now, you need to implement it.  This can be the hardest step for some.  They key is consistency over time.  Committing to something for two, or even six months isn't going to change anything.

Print this out and scribble notes as ideas pop into your head.  This is the brainstorming phase. Feel free to share any of your ideas.

Why NOT to work harder! Follow me...Part 1 Update 1

Well, it's been a productive couple of days...

All my rates and fees are updated.

• I finally finished my Facebook Fanpage.
• Sent out this months email newsletter introducing my newest goal and asking people to follow along with the blog.

Next tasks on my list include:

• Contacting all current clients about the changes. Can't wait for that, ugh!
• Re-brand all marketing material: Business cards & Facebook page match...Now for Letterhead, Envelopes, Brochures, Flyers, Newsletters, WEB SITE (that will be a long process) & various other forms.
• Sending new business cards to all clients reminding them about "Referral Rewards" ($25 credit with TC for any new client referral).
• Just got a phone call to be a guest speaker on a conference call about Facebook Marketing for Realtors. Awesome! Now for an outline. I will make this available online as well (once conference call is over).
• Systematize my services. I need to have outlines and processes for all services provided.
• Create new forms, website pages, etc to better explain what TC can do for small businesses.

My determination and motivation has jumped through the roof with this blog idea. Knowing that I have to update every couple of days keeps me on track. Good idea on my part; if I do say so myself :)

 

Please post your progress, ideas, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing everyones progress.

 

Why NOT to work harder! Follow me...

Recently, a friend on Facebook posted about how the businesses that tried the hardest, gave 110%, were going to be the ones that succeeded.  And it got me thinking...Does that really sound right?  At face value, but something bugged me about it.  Maybe it was the fact that I never saw the "Work Hard = Profits" equation in my economics class, or maybe it was because I've been working hard for years and feel like my business isn't growing as fast as I would like.  Something's fishy...

So, I decided to commit myself, 110%, to doing what will truly grow my business.  I'm not going to be working harder, I'm going to be working smarter!

Hopefully you will follow me on this journey.  Subscribe to my blog and grow your business along with me.  I'm going to need you guys to hold me accountable and I am more than willing to do the same for you.

Once every two weeks I'm going to post about the work that I've done to seriously grow my business.  Take the tips and use them in your business.  This isn't hard.  It's about having a plan and sticking to it.

First Goal: Revamp current business rates and procedures. 

I've decided that I'm not working for free anymore.  I'm so busy everyday doing work that never pays.  Forget it!  I'm done with it.  I've got a family to feed and take care of just like everyone else. 

New contracts will be signed, rates set and procedures outlined so all parties know what to expect when they work with TC.

Lets get this journey started.  I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to start making some real profits, all while NOT working harder!

PS.  I've got two businesses I'm going to be working on.  My marketing business - TC Business Management, LLC www.TCMandD.com - and my online classified site - PA E Seller  PAESeller.com (which I've ignored since inception).  This plan will work for any business with just some minor tweaking.  B2B or B2C.

How Do You Know What Marketing Works Best? TRACK IT!

This is so important. I don't care what kind of advertising you spend your money on, you need to know if it works. Trends don't matter. Results matter.


Below I will describe some ways to track the leads you're getting. As silly as this may sound, write down all your advertising methods on a piece of paper and track where every email/call comes from. Make sure you have the results in one spot so you can analyze them after each week, month, year.

Call Capture Numbers - You can tell exactly what ad leads are coming from by the extension that was used. Placing these extensions on your yard signs tells you how many people are calling from your sign.

Google Analytics - Need I say more? It's great and easy to use. See where new visitors came from and where they went on your site. This provides enlightening information as to the most and least viewed pages on your site. Most likely, this will tell you that you need to do some updating to your site.

Landing Pages - Create specific web pages that you place on direct mail pieces, print ads, Internet ads, or in email newsletters. When people go to each specific landing page than you know exactly what ad generated the lead.

Email Newsletters - This is almost too simple. Use an online program like ConstantContact to send your email newsletters and it will do the rest! Track your open rates, click throughs, bounces, etc. A great tool to see who is opening your emails. It even tells you want section of the email they clicked on, so you know what your clients/sphere wants to read.

Asking - Oh yeah, if you just a get a call from a lead, don't forget to simply ask then how they got your number!

The only way you will be able to generate leads proficiently is by implementing an advertising tracking program. What works for one agent may not work for you and your database of clients.

Hope this helps you create a more productive marketing year for everyone.

TC Business Management, LLC - www.TCMandD.com - is a full service marketing firm that specializes in real estate. Search our blog for great marketing tips or feel free to call or email!