I’m getting a lot of these e-mails lately:

“XXXXXX became a fan of YYYYYY on Facebook and suggested you become a fan too.”

With the advent of fan pages, savvy real estate agents are adopting Facebook as a marketing tool and using these pages to promote their business. I think this is a great idea. However, asking me to become a fan of your page puts the cart before the horse.

What have you done to earn me as a fan? You asked? That’s not enough. I don’t think I’ve ever responded to one of those e-mails.

NAR has a bunch of Facebook pages, but I’m not going to ask you to be a fan. Instead, check out this post from Chief Economist Lawrence Yun about the pressures AMC’s are placing on the market. Or, did you know that our convention department is building out a Facebook page, just for the Annual Conference and Expo?

Do you see what I’m doing here? My goal was to provide you with something you might find useful, and if you do, you’ll likely know what to do next. This is earning you as a fan instead of asking for it.

If I were selling real estate, I would build pages about the communities or activities I market through instead of a page about me. I’d build pages about my market farm, pages about the little league team I sponsor, pages about local garage sales, or for my church. Pages where possible clients find more value than a page about what a great real estate agent I am. That’s earning a following, not asking for one.

Edit - Check out Real Estate Zebra, The Social Media Handyman, and Agent Genius for their followups to this post.

DePinto, left, and DelBoccio breathed new life into this luxury listing with a Sunday "Lifestyle Marketing Event."

Don’t call it an open house. That was the message from the hardworking “M&M Team,” Maria DelBoccio and Michelle DePinto of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, who staged a “lifestyle marketing event” at their $1.7 million new-construction listing in Arlington Heights, Ill., yesterday.

OK, so the listing was 20 miles from my house, and exponentially more than I could afford. Still, I had to check this out.

The first thing I noticed was, although there were other open houses in the neighborhood, none of them had valet parking. Nor did they have a Maserati parked in the driveway, a singer crooning “Fly Me to the Moon” when you walked in the door, bruschetta and caponata (delicious!) served in a backyard tent, and cakes and other confections (also delicious) served in the three-car garage.

A local designer staged the downstairs with Swedish antiques, while other local retailers took over the bedrooms and upstairs bathrooms. (Confession: I bought a purse.) There was even a charity angle: A portion of the proceeds for any antique or art sales went to the Ronald McDonald House.

Oh, yeah, then there was the house, a colonial-style manse with all the trimmings you’d expect for $1.7 million: side-by-side Subzero refrigerators with wood-paneled doors; a bar area with a refrigerated wine cabinet; first- and second-floor laundry rooms; and gorgeous bathrooms galore. The coolest thing was the central vacuum system. There was a spot under the massive kitchen island where you could sweep, flip a switch, and have a crumb-free floor.

DePinto, DelBoccio, and the participating retailer pooled their top customers and sent about 3,000 invitations. By the time I left–alas, before the wine tasting–the place was already hopping with prospective buyers. “I’m still getting RSVPs today,” Maria told me while rushing to grab the door.

The builder had tried to sell the house for 15 months before listing with the M&M Team. Although it remains to be seen whether yesterday’s event produced a buyer, it certainly generated plenty of excitement. And, of course, all those prospective buyers left with a tasty reminder to call the M&M Team for their real estate needs.

]]> http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/2009/06/29/a-sunday-open-like-no-other/feed/ http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/2009/06/29/a-sunday-open-like-no-other/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SpeakingOfRealEstate/~3/y4zdMjT87sA/ http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/2009/06/26/market-yourself-on-social-media/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:35:24 +0000 Brian Summerfield http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/?p=429 By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine

A couple of weeks ago, I had the good fortune to sit in on a session held here in Chicago for the new Certified Social Media Marketer (CSM) credential. Developed late last year by Bill Lublin and the team at the Social Media Marketing Institute, it aims to help professionals promote themselves via online networks.

Lublin started devising this designation when he noticed a gap between enthusiasm for using social media for business and an actual understanding of how to do this effectively. A couple of points that real estate pros need to know as they think about how to use social networks to sell themselves and their services are:

1. People have gotten very good at dodging commercial messages in general.
2. They like social networks precisely because of the lack of overt marketing. This is one of the main reasons why even the most popular social networking platforms still aren’t that profitable.

“It’s all about building social capital and not selling in the traditional sense,” Lublin says. “If you force the issue in any of these venues … that will [be perceived as] a false voice by your community. You’re not going to reach the people you want to reach.”

It’s important to avoid what he calls “interruptive marketing,” which violates the unwritten rule of not selling stuff to your online friends, followers, etc. That doesn’t mean you can’t market yourself and prospect through social media, though.

Some of the suggestions that came from the discussion at the event included building a “fan” page on Facebook (as opposed to an individual profile) that allows you to more directly display what you’re offering, or posting listings on real estate groups that other users join voluntarily. Also, you should reach out to people in your online sphere to check in with them socially, so you’re in their minds if and when they need a real estate agent.

Want to learn more about how to use social media to build business? Register for our free webinar on July 16.

I hope you’re planning to join us in San Diego, Calif., for the 2009 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in November, which will feature boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard. I had the pleasure of interviewing him this afternoon for the October issue of the magazine about what it takes to stay in the ring and persevere during tough times.

Interestingly enough, Leonard understands how it tough it is for practitioners since his son works as a mortgage banker in Atlanta. “The good times are gone,” he says. He noted that fighters get knocked down all of the time, but the key is that they have 10 seconds to get up.

Leonard also spoke about the importance of working out to stay mentally fit. We all understand how critical physical endurance is, but that’s easier said than done. “I consider myself to be a classic car, and even I need tune-ups,” says Leonard, who spends six to seven days a week in the gym (his favorite room in house, because it also has a comfortable sofa).

He recommends that as long as you’re breaking a sweat every day, you’re doing something good not only for your body, but also you’re mind. And that keeps you in the game.

At the 2009 Keller Williams Family Reunion in Orlando, I listened to many practitioners who said they wanted more scripts to help them through these demanding times. In response to this request, we developed content to help you answer the tough questions clients are asking, from how to handle buyers’ objections to sellers’ pricing concerns.

Beginning next week, you’ll notice that the Monday and Friday editions of your Daily News e-mails from REALTOR® magazine will include one-question, one-answer “Quick Scripts” from some of the best real estate coaches in the industry. Topics will include prospecting, cold calls, client referrals, committing buyers, open houses, qualifying buyers, tips for listing presentations, and price reductions.

Here are a few samples of what’s in store, courtesy of business coach Cheri Alguire:

They say: “If I can’t get $x for my house, I can’t afford to sell.”

You say: “I understand your concerns. Have you considered what you will net if you get that amount? Let’s take a closer look at the numbers including what it is costing you each month if the property doesn’t sell. Could I stop by and explain those numbers to you later today?”

***

They say: “How come my home didn’t sell when it was on the market before?”

You say: “With the current market we are in, there are so many houses that are similar on the market. In order to get your house to stand out on the MLS, it is important to market it so that it stands out among the rest. Can I share with you how I market homes differently on the MLS than I do for potential buyers in, say, the newspaper? Can we meet later today?”

***

If you have a sample script you’d like to submit, please send them to me at ktarbox@realtors.org. You can sign up for the Daily News e-newsletter here.

The National Association of REALTORS® could be contacting members this summer as Congress seeks to revamp health care coverage for Americans. NAR supports what’s known as the SHOP (Small business owners Health Options Program) Bill, which would enable small business owners and self-employed individuals to band together across state lines to negotiate affordable health insurance.

NAR Deputy Chief Lobbyist Jamie Gregory sat down with REALTOR® magazine last week to talk about what REALTORS® can expect as Congress starts debating legislation. Gregory notes that the elements of SHOP have to fit into the larger health reform legislation that’s currently under discussion. The main sticking point is what’s known as the public plan option. This is where the government fills in the gaps left by private insurance providers. We’ll be carefully watching–and reporting–how this plays out.

Watch the inteview with Gregory to find out more information.

I spent my Sunday brunch thumbing through the pages of a new book, Selling Luxury: Connect with Affluent Customers, Create Unique Experiences Through Impeccable Service, and Close the Sale (Wiley, 2009), which gives insights from some of the leading high-end brands such as Cartier, Lexus, The Four Seasons, and Piaget. While a home is a much different product than, say, a Rolex watch, you’d be surprised at how similar the transactions can be.

One of the messages that really hit home for me is that a customer is not just one customer. There was a powerful anecdote about how a hair stylist from California went into an expensive jewelry store and the sales ambassador was very attentive to her. The associate helped her try on rings in the six figures, though the stylist would never be able to afford them. It was a wise choice for the store worker to be attentive, because the hair stylist told almost all of her clients about how overwhelmed she was by her treatment. Long story short, the store created excellent word-of-mouth advertising and the stylist sent many clients to the jewelry shop (one even bought the very ring the stylist loved!).

When meeting new clients, it’s easy to forget that they have a sphere as well. While that client might not be able to buy the house, perhaps they are in contact with people that could, or maybe they might be able to buy the house in the future. I had a friend who had a terrible experience with a practitioner, most likely because the real estate pro didn’t think there was a big commission check at the end of the tunnel. The friend ended up working with another practitioner, and then referring her friends (which resulted in some hefty commission checks).

Moral of the story: One customer is not just one customer.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the NAR “value proposition,” which outlined where members’ $80 in annual dues go, and also showed how many benefits they get gratis.

One of the newer free perks is the Right Tools, Right Now initiative. This is a collection of hundreds of tools that are offered to members for free, at a deep discount, or at-cost. Moreover, this suite of resources is constantly growing. For example, we recently added the NAR Green REsource Council’s ‘Eco Family Guide’ and a Mortgage Finance webinar.

You can find out what’s available anytime by going to http://www.REALTOR.org/RightTools to see new and existing offers. And be sure to check back monthly to see what new resources we’ve added!

Home staging seems to be a more important selling tool than ever. Barb Schwartz, author of the new book Staging to Sell: The Secret to Selling Homes in a Down Market, notes that that even in today’s slower housing market, 95% of staged homes sell (on average) in 35 days or less. On the other hand, homes that are not staged take 172 days or more to sell, if they sell at all.

Just wondering if these figures correspond with what you all are finding out there? How critical is staging a property in your market?