31 Ways To Build a Profitable Business - Part THREE

In Issue 1118 of Agent Inner Circle™ I described some of the techniques to building a successful business.

Here are five more million dollar-marketing strategies that will help you generate more clients and build a long-term viable business.

11. See Life from Your Client's Perspective. Most agents try to sell what they think the client wants. They don't take the time to ask questions, understand the personal issues and what the client really wants. When you shift out of your own shoes, and into your prospect's shoes – understanding their fears and desires – you will instantly connect with them and increase your business. An old marketing adage: "WIIFM", "what's in it for me?"
    
    
12. Learn How to Make A GREAT Presentation. Listing or buyer presentations – to stand out from other agents, you need to master the process and make an impact. There's a great, free, pre-listing package example at www.AgentInnerCircle.com. Your presentations have the greatest impact with you demonstrate something unique about your services – something other agents don't do or don't have. For example, I know agents who create a hotline description of a client's home, then during the listing presentation, the client calls the hotline and listens to info about their home. At the same time the agent's beeper goes off with the prospect's phone number on the screen, revealing the ability to quickly respond to inquiries. Others create web pages with the home listing so the client can actually see and feel the marketing of their home.
    
    
13. Become a Closing Expert. 98% of agents will tell you they are fantastic closers – and they are deceiving themselves. In reality, only about 15% of agents are truly good at asking for the sale. It's something you learn, and if you never learn it, you'll always struggle in real estate or any sales profession. Buy a Mike Ferry or Tom Hopkins book and learn their canned approaches to handling objections at closing.
    
    
14. Make Your Mailings (or other contact) Get Opened and Read. Most agent farming is a complete failure. It never reaches a reader's eye. Why? Because it gets ID'd as "junk mail" and is trashed before ever opened. Have you ever heard of "lumpy mail"? Lumpy mail is the process of inserting "something" into an envelope or doing something "unique" to make it stand out, involve curiosity and get opened. It's also known as a "grabber". The "thing" you include must tie-into your message inside. For example, one agent mails their farming pieces in a small brown paper bag with a stamp. Inside, the letter headlines, "Here's Why There's No Free Lunch When Selling Your Home…" The letter talks about "you get what you pay for — so why would you use a discount broker and steal from yourself?" The letter then talks about the risks of using a discount broker, all the ways the agent can net the homeowner as much or more than a discount broker, makes an irresistible, completely risk free offer for a "Free Home Audit" and a "Free Special Report". The agent also uses a few great testimonials and statistics about their success (proof). The letter is then followed-up by a second and third notice. Can you see how that gets noticed and acted upon?

    Another way is to make your mail look so personal, the reader thinks it's just for them. Hand addressed, return address is personal, commemorative stamp, monarch size envelopes, etc. all have a personal appeal vs. junk mail – and they get opened. But remember, curiosity alone won't get you business. You also need to be marketing to a hot prospect, give compelling proof, a great offer, and call to action.

15. Multi-Sequence Contact Always Out-Pulls Single Contact. This applies to follow-up with leads or with farming an area: Never send just one mailing. Send your first mailing, then a second notice, then a third notice, etc. Send as many follow-up mailings or contacts as is profitable for you.
    
    

Look for more ideas in the next issue of Agent Inner Circle™…

Next Article: Use Free Advertising To Triple Your Client List