We are approaching the time of year where each of us not only reflect on the work that we did in this year , but we also start planning and setting goals for the New Year.

As you are setting your income and production goals for next year you may want to consider making a few New Years Resolutions that you can not only stick to – but profit from -over the next 12 months.

5.) Get Organized! As you have a few days to relax around the Holiday’s, you may want to consider taking the time to get organized. Even though we are in a “paperless” age… most of us are still covered up with paperwork. Take a few hours (or days), to make a plan for your important documents, emails, contacts and other items and stick with the plan. Don’t hesitate to throw things away… chances are, if you haven’t needed for the past 3 months, you may not need it all. An organized Agent is an efficient agent.

4.) Focus On Helping Others: This one may seem obvious, but around the holiday’s we are reminded of this in many ways. But, it doesn’t have to stop then, it can continue throughout the year. There are thousands of homeowners who need help short selling their home, or that are trying to figure out what do with a home that is under water. By focusing on helping people through difficult situations like this, you may be able to secure a new listing – or gain a referral from them in the near future. Helping others is always a Win-Win for all involved.

3.) Follow Up! Most of us have NO idea how many clients that we miss out on each year because we fail to follow up with past contacts. Nothing is more frustrating to a salesperson than seeing a client that we had worked with in the past, close on a deal with a competitor. You can stop this by doing one simple thing… BUILD A LIST! If you build and nurture a database of past clients, family members, friends, and future prospects you will be on the road to securing a more consistent real estate income for 2012. Once you have a list… follow up with them! Whether you do it by phone, post card, letter, or email… the more touches that you can have with your list, the more sales you will have. So, resolve to FOLLOW UP in the New Year!

2.) Work Hard – Play Hard! Real Estate agents are notorious for working 24 hours per day / 7 days a week. I am sure you are no different. But, you have to ask yourself if that is a good thing for you and are you enjoying your work. It may be that you need to schedule a little more “Me Time” in 2012 to recharge your batteries. Yes, it may be difficult to tear yourself away from your business for a few days but after a nice break you will come back stronger than ever. Resolve to make time for yourself in the New Year!

1.) Stay (or get) Healthy! Between all of your closings, listing appointments, marketing duties, and paperwork… you may be having a difficult time staying in shape. Sometimes it is too easy to run through a drive thru as you rush back to the office for an impromptu appointment. But remember, a Healthy Agent is a productive agent. Eating the right foods and scheduling a little time for a walk or workout during the day will help energize you during those late evening showings. Buyers and sellers want to work with an energetic agent, and you can do this by eating right and exercising. Resolve to get healthy in the New Year!

These are my Top 5 Realtor Resolutions I would suggest committing to as you look to increase your commission income. We all know that it is tough to stick to resolutions each year, but even if you follow through with one of them you will be a more productive Realtor in the upcoming year.

For More GREAT Real Estate Agent Tips Check Out www.NatesMarketing.com.

Modern businesses have changed from the way business was done decades ago. There are many tools available now to build business and establish relationships for future relationships and business. Savvy business people recognize the tools that can help them and take advantage. In many ways, real estate marketing has changed along with other business marketing strategies.

Realtors have now begun to use social media as a huge resource as a real estate marketing tool. Using social media, Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, and other media, is a great way to generate contacts in their field and speak with potential clients. It can be a way to reach people that they would not ordinarily have contact with.

Another great way for realtors to network and advertise homes they are selling or their services, is to use flyers and postcards. When realtors use either of those things, it puts something tangible into a prospect’s hands for them to consider. One of the first rules of sales is to put the product in the customers’ hands. Since it is hard to put a house in the buyer’s hand, an attractive flyer or postcard is a reminder of what they want. Successful sales have come from buyers receiving a detailed postcard or flyer they could keep and consider.

Not only is the use of postcards and flyers popular, internet listings are as well. Since many people do use the internet throughout the day, it is a great tool to take advantage of. When buyers go to the internet, they usually look for things they want to purchase and they are comparison shopping. Realtors that list homes online usually generate more leads that if they only used word of mouth or newspaper ads.

By using different real estate marketing tools, realtors are building a larger pool of potential clients. Realtors are also extending their brand into different areas. The more marketable and well known a realtor is, the more clients they will receive. Even if the realtor’s brand is far reaching, the use of so many different tools increases the avenues of contact between clients, potential clients and the realtor.

A savvy realtor not only fosters relationships with clients and potential clients. They also build relationships with fellow colleagues and people in the real estate industry. Its important to have other contacts within the industry to maintain current information and have a network of help if it is ever necessary. Great realtors know when they can’t handle the demands of a client and they should always a referral ready to recommend to their unsatisfied clients.

Successful real estate marketing always encourages the borrower to make the purchase. It will never encourage them to postpone their decision. The content of their tools, be it Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, will always tell buyers all they need to know about the houses they represent or the specific house they are promoting. Realtors want their viewers and followers to be informed of the services they can provide and how they can help solve a problem.

With many different strategies available, realtors have options to use in order to reach their potential clients. Diligent real estate marketing can build a realtor’s brand and allow them to reach many more potential clients. Using those tools will keep clients and fellow realtors updated on market trends and what they have available. Real estate marketing is a huge part of how realtors build their business and they should use every tool available to get as much exposure as possible.

Tori is a real estate consultant specializing in real estate marketing.

Is your Smart phone already improving your efficiency? Now you can read emails on the go, edit and forward documents and so much more. All without the need of a computer! But, imagine what a smart phone App would do for your business!

Customer Service:

Your clients can have your phone number and email address ready to go in just 2 touches. Everything they want to research is at their fingertips. As a realtor, you want to be easily accessed when a client has a question or concern, and a Smart Phone App can open another form of communication with your valued clients.

Distinct Advantage:

It is important for you and your business to evolve with the technological advances. Mobile marketing will become a major part of your business strategy in the next year. Take advantage of it before your competition does! The Smart Phone, as a marketing tool, is very cost effective and a great opportunity for your small business.

Mortgage Calculator:

Help your customers assess the cost of their monthly mortgage payment with this special feature. You’d be helping them assess how much they can afford, without having to set up an in-person meeting.

Push Notifications:

Push Notifications, like Text messages, are sent through your app, to those who have downloaded it, and appear as a text message on their phone. Think about how you currently notify your clients about new houses on the market. With a Smart Phone app, you can instantly send out a message to all of your clients informing them about new listings, special offers, or other relative information, as easy as sending Email or using Facebook.

Builds Your Brand:

Build your business relationship with your existing customers. Mobile devices provide such a personal connection between businesses and consumers. When your business goes mobile, your consumers can download your app and literally carry you around with them. By enhancing your brand with a smart phone application, you differentiate yourself from your competitors while offering another outlet to communicate with your customers.

Attract New Customers:

Think of all the people you know with smart phones. Most users spend a good amount of time searching for new and useful apps to download. By making an app for your business, you have the ability to attract new customers that you may have been missing out on.

Integration with Existing Marketing strategies.

A Smart Phone app can complement existing campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, Constant Contact, Get Response, iContact, MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, OpenTable, SoundCloud and more.

YOUR Business!

30 Million iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and HTML Applications Downloaded every DAY, and your Real Estate Business doesn’t have one yet? Get connected with YOUR customers! Your customers are willing to put YOUR business in their pocket. A lot of your customers have iPhones, Blackberrys or Androids and they love downloading and using apps. If you have customers who are willing to walk around with your business in your pocket you should DEFINITELY take advantage of this opportunity.

In fact, you’d be crazy not to. Get Started now, Interact with your customers and market your Business with your own Mobile App!

Mark Turnbull, Owner of http://ibuildbizapps.com/ Helping small Businesses take advantage of smart Phone Apps on iPhones and Androids. Getting them Connected with their customers on a daily basis for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. http://ibuildbizapps.com/

If attracting more home buyers is a top priority for you this year then it is critical to get the most out of your marketing budget as you can. So how can you maximize your ROI?

1. Build Credibility

The more credibility your brand and online presence has the easier it will be to close deals and raise the conversion rates of all of your marketing efforts. How can you accomplish this? Visuals can certainly go a long way but it requires a lot more than that. Forget old style written testimonials on your website no one trusts them anymore. Opt for video testimonials instead. However, perhaps the most productive efforts you can make are to ensure your build trust by clearly displaying your contact information and showing off your expertise through blogging and writing. The more faith prospective home buyers have in you when they call the less resistance you will encounter and the faster you can close them.

2. Respond Quickly

Real estate agents are notoriously horrible at responding to inquiries promptly. This is a great opportunity for real estate investors to get the edge by committing to and building a system which enables home buyers to get immediate responses and answers. Be the first to connect and get buyers committed to working with you and buying one of your investment properties before the competition even gets back to them.

3. Toll Free Numbers

Real estate investors could well find that utilizing toll free numbers could be just what they need to increase the ROI of all marketing initiatives this year. With 30-60% increases in direct response rates, enhanced branding benefits and higher conversion rates Toll free numbers alone can add double or triple digits to your returns.

4. Targeting

There are many types of marketing you can do that will produce hundreds of inquiries from hopeful home buyers and other investors. However, wasting your time with endless contacts who are not a match for your homes or business model is just foolish and will burn you out. Improve your targeting and only speak with those who qualify and want to do business with you.

5. Always Be Split Testing

Never stop testing. There is always room for improvement whether you are sending emails, running PPC advertising or are telemarketing. This will help you get the most out of every marketing dollar while being the first to spot emerging trends.

Bonus Tip: Using transactional funding for 100% financing on your real estate flips will ensure you the highest possible cash on cash returns for every deal you do this year.

Duane Ortega has been enabling real estate investors to increase their volume and make real profits from real estate in both good times and bad over the last 10 years with no hassle transactional funding through www.BestTransactionFunding.com.

The real estate investment outlook for 2012 is incredibly bright. Between a plethora of discounted properties, easy funding via transactional lenders and buyer confidence rising flipping houses ought to be a breeze this year. However, turning those tasty deals into real cash often comes down to your sales pitch, so what can you do to tune it up a little and cash in bigger and faster?

1. Bring the Pain

One of the most important parts of a winning sales pitch is highlighting the pain people are in and offering them a solution. Many homeowners are now immune to all the pitches about saving their credit or saving face by walking away from their homes. However, you now have a new motivational weapon in your arsenal. Foreclosures are endangering people’s health! That’s right, “sell or get sick”. A recent study in Philadelphia showed foreclosure stress leading to 41.3% of those in foreclosure having high blood pressure, a number approaching 10% for those suffering strokes of related issues like heart attacks and kidney disease rising 2.2% for those fearing losing their homes on top of diabetes issues and depression in general. You aren’t just saving these families from financial ruin, you are literally saving their lives by buying their homes from them.

2. Geek Out Your Presentations

If you don’t love giving long winded speeches let the numbers do the talking in a stunning visual presentation via your iPad or Kindle Fire. It really doesn’t require you to be a technical genius and if you are tight on time you can easily and inexpensively outsource the creation of your presentations, email them, stream them in HDTV and put them on your website too.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice your real estate sales pitches to buyers, sellers and other investors by yourself or with someone you know. Learn your stuff and be prepared for FAQs. Practice your pitches until they are second nature and you don’t have to think about them anymore.

4. Improve Your Credibility

Half the battle is already won or lost in any type of sale before you even open your mouth. It is about perception and credibility. If you have it then you don’t have to ‘sell’ it is simply about working out the details. If you don’t then you are in for a losing battle and often a lot of wasted time. Rocket your own credibility and that of your real estate investing business by building your own blog, using press releases to get in the news and gathering video testimonials from previous clients.

5. Move the Conversation to a Friendlier Place

Wowing prospective buyers and sellers by meeting them in your impressive conference room or from the security of being behind your grand desk may feel great to you and do wonders for your ego but is it really turning people on to what you have to offer. Isn’t it better to be likable? What about adding everyone to Facebook the first time you meet them so that they already feel like your friend when it comes to deliver your pitch?

Duane Ortega has been enabling real estate investors to increase their volume and make real profits from real estate in both good times and bad over the last 10 years with no hassle transactional funding through www.BestTransactionFunding.com.

Target Marketing With Real Estate Postcards

Marketing with real estate postcards is one of the most popular topics I’ve written on.

The rental housing market can be tough at times and sending the right message with real estate postcards can put you ahead of the competition and attract quality tenants who will pay on time and keep renting from you year after year.

Reaching The Right Audience With Real Estate Postcards

A few days ago I receive a clever email postcard.

It wasn’t a real estate postcard per se. It was sent from my old health club with the message, “We Miss You”, and was an effort to get me to re-join.

When I clicked on the postcard envelope I was taken to a link that showed my name on the front of the envelope. The envelope then turned around, the flap opened, and the card slid out of the top of the envelope to reveal the personal training staff.

Sending The Wrong Message

Up until then I was intrigued with the athletic club’s offer.

Problem is, I’m a tennis player and have never had the slightest interest in personal training. In addition to my tennis games I do work out, just not with personal trainers.

That was strike one.

I’d been a member of the club for almost 10 years, and given that I’d left a few months ago I thought there’d be some incentive to re-join.

A free month maybe. Or a reduced price on the dues. Something along those lines.

Something more carrot than stick.

Instead, the incentive was that if I didn’t rejoin in the next six weeks the initiation fee was going to increase.

That was strike two.

Target Your Prospect With Postcards

The one thing my old athletic club did get right was the timing of the mailing.

I’d left about three months ago, and the New Year is fast approaching, which is the classic time when people join health clubs in an attempt to lose those extra pounds put on over the Holidays.

Which started me thinking about real estate postcard marketing, and marketing in general, and how easy it is to go through the motions of marketing and totally miss your mark.

How To Send The Right Message With Real Estate Postcards

Here are three things to keep in mind with any type of real estate marketing:

Know Who Your Prospect Is

Is your prospective tenant someone who just lost their home to foreclosure and has to rent? Or is your prospect an apartment renter looking to upgrade to a single family home rental?

Send The Right Message

My athletic club clearly missed the mark with me.

Once you know who your prospect is, sending the right message should be a piece of cake. If you’re targeting renters that want a house without the upkeep hassles, in your postcard message talk about how your rent includes weekly landscaping and pool service.

Send Multiple Messages

You probably can think of more than one target market for the house you’ve got for rent. In our how to rent my house training I’ve seen investors try a ‘one size fits all approach’ with their marketing.

This is always a big mistake.

It’s OK to create several different real estate postcard campaigns with different messages sent to the different prospective renters that you’re targeting.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article on marketing with real estate postcards!