About 3 years ago, I realized that to remain at the top of the real estate
market in Columbia, South Carolina, I was going to have to establish a web
presence. I began my investigations, chose a reputable company to help me
build and maintain my web site, and the process started! The sales at first
were somewhat slow. The first year I attributed 6 sales as a direct result
of the Internet.Last year (1997) I sold 16 homes off my web site. So far
this year, I've closed 39 homes to date! Many times I'm asked what makes my
site so successful? I always answer design, promotion, promotion and more
promotion. The site is graphically pleasing, fast loading, and full of
useful information. And I drive it on everything I do: business cards,
signs, newspaper ads, radio advertising, flyers, newsletters, fax cover
sheets, personal contact, TV-everything.I even use the web site as a
listing tool.When we are in competition with other agents I simply ask
the potential listing to visit my site for an introduction of our team.
Usually a visit there will convince them to use us.
Constantly promoting the web site address as well as staying in the top 10
to 20 results with all the search engines leads a contingent of potential
buyers to the site and I offer free reports to capture the names and e-mail
addresses of those buyers. One of my most successful programs is the
Preferred Customer Property Screening. With this program, the customer
enters personal information and criteria for a home into the computer, and
every time the Consolidated Multiple Listing Service finds a match, it
automatically fires off an e-mail to the customer. This program provides
the customer with timely information and requires a minimum of effort from
me. Of course, I always follow up with the customers, which drastically
increases the effectiveness of the system. This program works even for my
customers who don't have a computer. I just enter their information into my
computer, lend them a message writer pager, and send them drive-by
instructions on all new listings. Once they drive by the property, I give
them a call and then just show them the houses that pass the curb appeal test.
I also offer a host of free tips and reports. Beneath each set of tips, I
offer the customer a more detailed report by e-mail. They just have to fill
out a request form, which provides me with all of their contact
information. With so many customer requests coming in, it's difficult to
respond quickly, but failing to do so would be the kiss of death, so my
browsers receive an automatic responder immediately after requesting any
kind of information. Within 24 hours, I or one of my professional buyer's
representatives contacts the potential buyer. This strategy is highly
effective for capturing and keeping clients.
Sellers are enthralled with the site as well. They have access to plenty of
free reports, which, again, capture their name and e-mail address. And the
property database really clinches the deal for me every time. This is how I
operate. First, I drive out to the house, spend about five minutes talking
with the owners to see if their personalities will work with mine, check
the condition of the house, and take some photographs with my digital
camera. Next, I schedule an appointment with the owners in my office, which
eliminates such distractions as telephone ringing, children crying, and
neighbors knocking on the door. Between my first visit and the in-office
appointment, I prepare a market analysis and create a presentation on my
laptop computer using the photos I take at the house. I do my presentation
on Power Point. It introduces my team, complete with pictures and job
descriptions, and the marketing plan.
When the marketing presentation starts, the clients are startled and
impressed to see pictures of their home appear. I then show them how to put
their house on the Internet and present it to the world. After their home
is up on my site, I ask if the clients are ready for me to start marketing
their home. The answer is usually yes. We sign the papers and get started.
If the owners want to think about it, I go through all the usual answers to
objections, and if all else fails, I go back to the Internet site and ask
them to go through the deletion process to take their home off the
Internet, explaining that I cannot advertise any property that is not
actually for sale. I have never had anyone actually complete that last
step.
The final thing I attribute to the success of my site is the constant
updating and changing we do. I think it's very important for a web site to
be fresh and full of timely information. Besides ensuring that my property
database is kept up to date, I offer a tip of the day, which I change
daily. This gives browsers a reason to keep coming back.
There's no magic involved in what I do. Any agent, no matter how
experienced, can duplicate it. I really believe that agents who don't get
on-line are going to be left behind. Period.
More detailed information about the various ways I do business can be
obtained by visiting:
http://www.realestatefocus.com/
Of course my personal web site is
http://www.jerryfowler.com/
I hope this information will be valuable to you but more importantly will
possibly help other agents make the decision to surge forward into the
wonderful world of real estate marketing through Internet.My web site and
other marketing tools have enable me to use the guarantee that if I don't
sell your house within 60 days I will pay you $500 in cash.So far I
haven't had to pay any cash.Have a great day.
