But it’s not. It’s nothing more than a label for a content-rich, useful blog content…a blog post that people not only love to read, but more importantly, share.

“Once a great site, great application or trendy post is written about somewhere, it gets picked up and dragged across the web. Social tagging and popularity ranking sites (like the aforementioned Digg & del.icio.us) help to give the document massive visibility to hundreds of sheep-like content creators, who’ll happily link to you.” Linkbaiting for Fun and Profit

In the end, linkbaiting is a beautiful thing. It bring you traffic. Attention. Subscribers. Prospects. And ultimately clients.

So, just launch just one of these linkbait ideas on your blog a month for a year…and there’s a good chance you’ll develop a large following.

Web 2.0 Applications

While mashups, maps and community-like apps tend to be shoe-ins for easy link bait, there’s a hitch. Not for the faint of heart. You must be–or must know–a software engineer. Greg Swann is the king here on this.

Collaborate on Blog Posts

Connect with some other bloggers to create content that’s useful, unique, urgent and ultra-specific. With multiple authors, you tend to get links from their sites to your site, thus drawing their audience to your site.

Expose Wicked Deeds

Uncovering a scandal is sensational. Somewhat suspect. At times, down right dirty. But oh so loved by everyone. Now, having said that, please…be professional. Expose the deed. And don’t make a judgement call. In fact, ask your audience what they think.

Top 10 Lists

Think David Letterman. Numbered lists with tips, advice and steps are great for drawing traffic and links. And it doesn’t have to be 10. It can be 100. Or even 1,000.

Real Estate Related Humor

Everyone–even the top-notch serious–need to bust a rib every once in awhile. But as with “Exposing Wicked Deeds” make sure you use your noggin’ here. Common sense should tell you NOT to use stereotypes or crude language.

Reviews of Events

Reviews of pubcrawls, conferences, product launches, speeches or seminars are exceptional examples of linkbait.

Interviews with Insiders

In today’s globally connected world, emailing an insider is a cinch. Frankly, you don’t have an excuse not to do this. It’s that easy. My recommendation: Email about five people. You raise your chances of getting a response from at least one. And if all five respond–you’ve just got yourself a series.

Surveys or Collections of Data

Survey Monkey makes collecting data child’s play. Simply whip up the survey and post the link. Within days you’ll have a smidgen of data you can build a good post around.

Film or Animation

This is a stretch…but worth a thought since videos tend to be easy targets for going viral. Make it real estate related, and you’re liable to wind up on a high-caliber web site. That’s a promise.

Charts, Graphs or Spreadsheets

For those closest Excel addicts, this is your chance. But don’t forget: you must examine and analyze the data. A summary is imperative.  Otherwise you come across as a numbers snob.

High Profile Criticism

Target someone or something that’s in the spotlight–and do a good, honest job of it–and you’re likely to draw links out of the woodwork.

Contests, Giveaways and Competitions

This may smack of coupon cutting (that is, low brow), but numbers and research are not on your side if you resist this idea: Contests, giveaways and competitions draw people. An insane amount of people.

Trend-Spotting

There’s an art to trend setting. Or a science. Whatever you think it is, the bottom line is that it takes time. But picking up on a story before everyone else–even if it’s not identified at first–will make you a star. Just ask Matt Drudge.

Advice from Multiple Experts

If you’re creating an article that offers advice, pulling opinions from the well-known experts in the industry is a great way to make sure links flow your way. The experts themselves will often be inclined to link.

Did you find this article helpful? If so, leave a comment or subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.

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See, writng clear, concise and compelling real estate ads follows clear, concise and compelling thoughts. Say what you want to say, then write it as simply as possible. So, keep in mind these ten basic tips.

1. Appeal to the audience. Ask yourself: “Is this compelling to them? Do they care?” (In a minute I’ll explain to you why this is so crucial.)

2. Write in a conversational tone, as if you were writing a letter to a friend.

3. Create powerful stories that are simple, unexpected, concrete, credible and emotional. I can’t emphasize this enough.

4. Use gender-neutral language, preferably “you,” because “you” is perhaps the most powerful word in the English language.

5. Use short, simple, easy-to-understand words and sentences. Fragments are okay, especially online.

6. Use the active voice. Passive: The house was sold by Joyce. Active: Joyce sold the house.

7. Use the present tense and imperative mood. “Buy now.” “Do this.”

8. Use crisp, lively verbs. “Joyce climbed the fence.” “Darlene wept.”

9. Avoid weak constructions. There are. It is.

10. Avoid wordy, clever and worn-out phrases.

Naturally, the first one is the most important. That’s why you should never stop learning about your target audience. Know them like the back of your hand .

This will take patience. But it will pay off in the long run when you can skillfully and systematically punch their hot button in each ad.

Give these tips a shot and let me know how you do. Okay?

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But did you know that removing pressure from the sales process will actually cause you to win more listings and prospects and sell more homes?

That’s right. A sales approach where you create pressure-free conversations with buyers is more effective.

However, to do that it’s essential that you eliminate behaviors and language that buyers can perceive as “aggressive.”

We all know what these are — continual e-mail and voicemail “followups” in which agents try to pin down the status of a potential real estate buyer– is one common example.

[And of course it's becoming more and more difficult to nail down a potential buyer in this market.]

The problem is that prospects react to aggressive–or perhaps we should say “overaggressive”–sales behaviors by withdrawing and evading us.

In fact, what you have to do instead of being passive or aggressive is this: you have to take the “middle ground” by being authentically unassuming, yet effective–and that this is the most stress-free and effective way to sell.

What do I mean by “authentically unassuming, yet effective”?

How to Discover a Whole New Effectiveness

For starters you have to shift away from assuming that every buyer is a fit for your any of your listings.

It’s sort of like the legal concept of “being innocent until proven guilty.”

You can’t afford to make any assumptions about “fit” until your conversation with the buyer indicates that you two mutually arrived at that conclusion.

The aggressiveness that turns off buyer sets in when you assume, every time you pick up the phone, that you have a solution for them.

Your tone of voice and language gives them that message long before they’ve even had a chance to agree that you have the home that they want.

But if you can manage to find that middle ground of not assuming anything while also communicating in a low-key, unassuming manner, you’ll discover a whole new effectiveness you could never have imagined.

Flawed Logic

Can prospects sense when you’re assuming too much? Sure they can–because most of us have been conditioned to present or talk about our solution as a way to engage prospects so they’ll reveal their problems to us.

But that logic is completely flawed.

When you launch into your speal to someone who doesn’t trust you yet, all you do is allow them to pigeonhole you as a stereotyped “salesperson.”

How to Become Unassuming but Effective

First, learn to start conversations by focusing 100 percent on generating discussions around your prospects’ problems, rather than pitching your listing inventory the second you hear an opening.

Second, learn to begin those conversations by converting the benefits of your homes into problems that your homes will actually solve.

Third, after you and your prospects have identified a desires or needs, you can then engage in a discussion about whether meeting those needs is a priority.

It’s only at that point that prospects have finally given you implicit permission to share your inventory with them.

Jumping in with solutions prematurely will only land you back in the trap of being perceived as “aggressive.”

What Do You Think?

Have you found yourself having to get aggressive? Do you approach this market differently since buyers have tightened the purse strings? Or are you in one of these bubble-proof markets?

Let me know what you think.

And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing blog by email or news feed.

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For instance, journalists are always approaching strangers. They’re always asking a lot of questions. And they’re interested in learning the truth.

And, just like in journalism, a good prospector has to understand the 5W’s: Who/What/When/Where/Why (with a little How thrown in there).

Who are your prospects? Your prospects are people from all walks of life. They can be the warm market, or your circle of influence, meaning your friends, family, relatives, co-workers, and everyone you know that you already have a relationship with. Prospects can also be referrals, or personal recommendations from someone else.

What do you want to do with your prospects? Here is where setting clearly defined goals is very helpful. Know what you want out of your prospecting efforts: How many appointments? How many listings? How many referrals?

When is the right time to gather prospects? Anytime. Walking out to your mailbox. Shopping for food. Mailing a package at the post office. Mingling at the neighborhood block party.

You don’t have to be a nuisance. But you do have to have your antennas on. Be ready.

Where do you find prospects? As mentioned above, prospects can be found right in front of you within your circle of influence – the people you already know.

You can ask for prospects from both the people you already know, and also from the prospects who end up declining your offer. The people who turn down your business can be a good source of referrals. If they say, “No”, then you simply say something like, “Thank you for your time. Do you know of anyone else who might be interested in buying or selling a home?”

Why are you prospecting? Are you just doing it because your broker told you too? Or are you doing it because your leads have dried up? Ask the opposite to dig deeper: Why aren’t I prospecting? Do I have a solid business? Do I not want more?

How do you get prospects? This is probably the most important question of them all. As I said, prospecting is an art that takes practice, so it helps to start by setting goals that are measurable, realistic, and achievable. Know what you want and when you want it and do something every day to work towards getting it. Practicing means knowing what you are going to say to your prospects before it happens by using a script, and then eventually becoming comfortable and confident enough that you don’t need the script anymore.

And it is up to you to walk away from prospects who aren’t ready. Like the recent Baylor survey on real estate lead generation indicated, identify potential clients. We don’t want to beg or plead them to join with us – we want to grab those who are enthusiastic, ready, and willing to be on a winning team.

Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.

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Easy enough for Leno to say. The thing you should know, though, is that Leno’s back-of-the-napkin statement is supported by decades of smooth, polite and consistent relationship building. And nine easy-to-follow techniques. 

1. Try to make a good impression that lasts. That Leno’s everyday personality is nearly identical to his nice-guy image on television doesn’t detract from his success. It adds to it.

2. Get guts. Don’t be afraid to tackle more than you think you are capable of handling. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you’ll never grow. 

3. Take the high road. If during a conversation with a client or prospect someone insults you, avoid the temptation to retaliate. One up them, in fact, by responding in praise and affection. “Gee, I’m hurt that that was said about me, especially since I admire <so and so> so much for his family values, etc….”

4. Ignore failure. Failure will come. That’s a given. What you need to do is bounce back as quickly as possible and keep truckin’ as if nothing even happened.

5. Love what you do. When you love what you do, everything else just seems to fall in place. It’s easy to get out of bed, it’s easy to do the hard things.

6. Fake it before you make it. Even if the ink is still wet on your real estate license, give people the impression that you are the best person at what you do. 

7. Treat everyone as a potential customer. This is particularly true for real estate: everyone buys or sells houses, and your market is probably made up of the people you run into everyday.

8. Treat your team as if they are stars. Whether it’s your lender, listing coordinator or buyer’s agent, make the people you work for, and who work for you, feel like your world would collapse without them. 

9. Give back to the community. Volunteering your time to worthy causes proves that you are committed to the area you live and work in, which, by the way, provides a good way to meet potential customers.

Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.

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Here’s the deal. In the book My Life in Advertising“, Claude Hopkins tells a great story about a gloomy copywriter named Powers–a story with implications of everything you’re working right now, today… 

“A clothing concern was on the verge of bankruptcy,” says Hopkins. “They called in Powers, and he immediately measured up the situation. He said: ‘There is only one way out. Tell the truth. Tell the people that you are bankrupt and that your only way to salvation lies through large and immediate sales.’

“The clothing dealers argued that such an announcement would bring every creditor to their doors. But Powers said: ‘No matter. Either tell the truth or I quit.’”

The book continues:

“Their next day’s ad read something like this:

We are bankrupt. We owe $125,000 more than we can pay. This announcement will bring our creditors down on our necks. But if you come and buy tomorrow we shall have the money to meet them. If not, we go to the wall. These are the prices we are quoting to meet the situation. 

Truth was then such a rarity in advertising that this announcement created a sensation. People flocked by the thousands to buy, and the store was saved.

What’s the moral of the story? 

Powers’ breakthrough is as effective today as it was over a hundred years ago-–and suggests three ultra-powerful sales techniques with the potential to ramp up your response and revenues right now…

1. News sells. Power’s innovation–-presenting your ad as if it was a front-page news story…and then telling “the news of the store” in an objective, straight-forward, no-nonsense way is still a powerful way to get attention and establish credibility. But it’s only the tip of this iceberg.

Topicality–-tying your headline and opening copy to an event that’s at the top of the news is one of the nuclear weapons of the marketing world. In test after test, the timely, newsy test headlines focusing on a major on-going news story always left straight benefit-laden headlines in the dust.

Why? Because if it’s in the news, your prospect is thinking about it. If he’s thinking about it, he has feelings about it. Connect with those feelings, and you’ll make your copy nearly irresistible.

Next time you choose a theme or write a headline or lead, ask yourself, “What important, long-running news story could I hitch a ride on?” Interest rates? Hurricanes? Immigration?

2. Always have a reason. Always, always, ALWAYS. Explain why you’re writing this ad or why you’re calling this person…why you’ve decided to offer a free market evaluation…why you’ve decided to “bribe” a FSBO with a home selling package…and why why you need the prospect to make a decision in the next 24 hours.

Have a solid, believable, even self-revealing answer for these questions, and your credibility will soar-–along with your response.

3. Tell the truth. When everyone else in your market is writing unbelievable “blind-‘em-with-BS” headlines and ads…the simple objective, unvarnished truth in a headline lifts you head and shoulders above the din. Just like it did for the copywriter Powers. And just like it did for Volkswagon.

Couple this with the truth that their spilling out of Baylor University about the two most productive lead generation tools and you’re bound to hit a home run…even in this bad economy. At least you’ll get on base. Let me know what you think. 

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But don’t stop there. 

Avoid those words that raise flags for buyers and sellers. Words that paint ugly, bad pictures–albeit, stereotypes–of salespeople.

Following is a list of Tom Hopkin’s “Thou shalt not say” words. Words that generate pictures of sleazy car salesmen, images of big city political hustlers. Words that put prospects on the defensive, out of the buying mood.

“Cost” or “Price.”

Here’s what your client sees when you say these words: Money leaving their wallet. Instead, say “total investment,” which creates a picture of putting your money to work.

“Monthly Payment”

Picture of bills. And they already have too many of those.

Instead, say “monthly investment.” Again, a picture of putting your hard-earned dollars to work, which everyone enjoys hearing. 

“Sell” or “Sold”

Picture of being pushed or pressured. Think telemarketers and resort sellers. 

Instead, say “get involved with” or “helped you acquire.” Pictures of participation and benevolence. Big difference here. 

“This Will Be a Good Deal.”

(Personal pet peeve of mine.) Picture of back office, city politics. The pool hall deal. Used car lot negotiations. It’s got corruption written all over it.

Instead, say “opportunity.” “This will be a good opportunity.” Ah. Need I say more?

“Just Sign Here.”

You’re client or prospect sees you holding them hostage to an agreement–forever. Will spook even the most seasoned home buy, I bet. 

Instead, say “endorse,” “authorize” or “approve the paperwork.” Pictures of you in the driver’s seat, you with the power. 

Conclusion

Remember: a successful sale is made up of dozens–if not hundreds–of smaller parts. Success comes together like a deliberate, systematic arrangement of jigsaw puzzle pieces.

That means the words you use are just some of those parts. A tiny part, yes, but could be the very hinge that closes the door on your “opportunity.” Let me know what you think.

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“No” was their response. 

Interesting. I asked why not. Their answer in a nutshell: Persuasion is for crooks. 

Now, some people use influence or persuasion to take advantage of people. Yes, that’s true. So it puts the idea of selling, marketing and persuasion as evil into people’s mind. Puts a bad taste in their mouth.

And yes, of course, persuasion has been abused throughout history. And will continue to be abused.

But there are plenty of legitimate persuasion techniques. In fact, I think when you are chasing down the right things for people and working for their good and you have their best intentions in mind…you owe it to your client to be persuasive. 

So building upon a previous post, I’d like to to share 5 essential persuasion tricks with you. 

1. Authority Head Nod

Often all you really need to get somebody off the fence is to give them a suggestion from an authority figure. In your case, this could be the house inspector. A lawyer.

As Hogan and James say in their book Covert Persuasion, “A suggestion from an authority figure can often override a person’s visual memory to create a new and different memory.” In other words, people think differently, depending on who’s talking.  Magic happens when you quote someone in power.

2.  Agree with Their Point of View

People instantly resist what they don’t believe, so the moment you sense someone pulling back, affirm their point of view. You may have to find out first what it is that’s causing them to withdraw. So discover their belief and let them know you agree with them. They’ll be in a more flexible state of mind.

3. Avoid Verbal Commitments

Let me qualify this.

When I say “avoid verbal commitments” I mean commitments that you will want your client to change later. For example, avoid having your client state which home they want. If you do that, then you’re going to run into the problem of consistency, which basically says that people, aware that they’ve made a public stand, will hold tight to that stand so as to appear consistent. 

Consistency in behavioris good, especially in difficult or tense times…and is the biggest part to influencing people. But don’t over do it. You may end up with a stubborn client when you don’t want them that way. 

Granted, this may have happened to you before. It might happen in the future. The key is to learn from it. Keep your eyes open. 

4. Limit Choices

This is an oldie, but goody, especially if you want to hear more “yes.”

Copy writing legend John Caples was one of the first advertisers of catalogs to point this out when he discovered that ads that limited choices massively out sold ads that offered too many choices.

The problem with too many choices is that the mind can go into overload. People get confused with too many choices and when they get confused–like me–they walk away. Not good.

So, define a very narrow number of choices. But don’t withhold relevant, important or urgent information. Stay way above the table on this. Your goal is to help your client buy a home. The smart thing for them is too limit their choices.

5. Justify Your Requests

According to popular research, the word because can get your copies made faster, get you through airport security without waiting in line, and get your children to behave.

Why is that? Human Factors suggests that we are patterned to accept requests when they are followed by a reason. But sometimes all we really hear because. We tune out after that. 

My point is this: When asking your client do something, tell them why. I bet more than 93% more people will agree with you. How do I know? Because Human Factors said so. ;-) 

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Understand, I don’t mean you have to be a jerk…but you may have to be that agent who refuses to ”take a hint”.

If someone calls you–whether via your 800 hotline call capture line or simply your office phone–they are indicating that they are interested. And if they are interested, its your duty to follow up with them to see whether they need more information.  

Here are a couple ways of doing that. 

1. Create a policy with yourself or your team to make hotline follow-up calls in less than thirty minutes.

2. Write, rehearse and memorize follow-up scripts. This alone will help you lower your call reluctance.

3. Capture every prospects’ home address over the phone. Even if they have all the information they need, ask them if it’s okay to get their home address so you can mail them a report or article.  

4. Plug all prospects who are farther out in the buying or selling cycle into a monthly service newsletter like Service For Life.

5. Flat out just keep calling to get an appointment.

6. If you get their voice mail, leave a provocative message: “Hi Cal. Listen, I have a copy of your home listing from the MLS and have a question for you. Could you call me back at…” But be careful: your question better be honest. The last thing people want to be bothered with is a bait-and-switch question.

Without argument, the agent who is the most consistent with follow-up calls will be the winner. I don’t think anyone would disputte that.

And the best way to build consistent, targeted repetition into your individual program is to schedule it. Do this work the same time each day, everyday and you will find that the consistency becomes a habit and eventually that habit will reap massive rewards. You can bet the farm on that.

Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.

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You probably know some people, too. Maybe you’re flailing. Or even on the point of bust.

Whatever your situation, good technology and talent can help you endure a tough market. But that alone won’t do it.

You also need a good attitude. No…you need a super attitude. A superstar attitude. Let me show you what I mean. 

Superstars don’t think like everyone else. 

“The average person has 2,000 to 3,000 thoughts a day,” says Jim Fannin, performance coach for big name ball players like Alex Rodriquez. “And 60 percent of the average person’s thoughts are in chaos.”

How many thoughts do you think the superstar has? The superstar, says Fannin, has 1,100 to 1,300 thoughts a day. How do they do that? They eliminate worry, envy, jealousy, embarrassment and anger.

The superstar thinks a lot less. But holds a thought longer.

Here’s my point: Most of your thoughts don’t matter.  Most of your thoughts are of the “Air conditioner just started” and “Breeze is cool this morning” breed.

And because of the randomness of some of your thoughts, you probably don’t focus on any of your thoughts. And that’s a problem. Let me explain. 

If you ignored all your thoughts, you could miss out on great ideas when you have them. Like taking that much-needed vacation or placing an ad in that new homes magazine.

Worse, however, is when you focus only on your negative thoughts. This can literally cripple you at the negotiating table, the listing appointment or even at the cocktail bar. 

My question for you when approaching any situation is this: where are your thoughts pointing? Are they surplus or scarcity? 

Scaricity thoughts look like this:

“I don’t deserve this listing when I’m going up against that agent.” 

“I bombed my last presentation. I’ll probably bomb this one.” 

“If I don’t get this seller, I’m sure to foreclose on my own house.”

On the other hand, surplus thoughts look like this: 

“I deserve this listing.”

“I can’t wait to deliver a killer presentation!”

“I love real estate and the thousands of opportunities to make thousands of dollars!”

As a rule, never believe your negative thinking…especially if it limits what you think is possible. 

If you tend to be a scarcity thinker, stop right now and admit that your habit of thinking needs to be changed. You’ll need to do this because just being aware of limiting beliefs and thoughts is a major step in the right direction. And awareness alone can be curative.

Then begin to work on affirmations like the ones above in the surplus category. Also simply doing something different that counters limiting thoughts can work wonders.

For instance, if you typically avoid or neglect selling situations, hunt them down. And throw yourself at them. You’ll be amazed at the level of confidence you gain from simply doing something you’ve always dreaded. Even if your initial results are less than you expected. Practice makes perfect. 

Only when we weed the limiting beliefs from our subconciousness is it possible to plant the seeds of new beliefs.

And new beliefs are the pathway to prosperity. Abundance. Surplus.

To help you on your new journey, we recommend you pick up two classics: Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins and Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill.

Both can be read in a weekend. And both will have you climbing the walls…hungry to make big money.

Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.

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