In an earlier column I detailed seven great tips from the speakers at the recent AFIRE (Awesome Females in Real Estate) conference. Today’s column shares six more strategies from real estate’s top women leaders.
1. Create a Fabulous 50 List
Joeann Fossland, founder of Advantage Solutions, has been doing work in the area of social partnering. Social partnering means developing referral and marketing relationships with businesses such as restaurants, cleaners and florists that also serve homeowners in your area. Fossland recommends putting together a "Fabulous 50" list of local businesses in your area.
The concept is to share business coupons, discounts and joint marketing to generate more leads for your respective businesses. The power in establishing a Fabulous 50 list is the synergy of marketing as a team. If each member of your Fabulous 50 list also links to your website, the additional links will help your search engine ranking as well.
2. Get more leads from your website
Terri Murphy, author, speaker and founder of the Women’s Wisdom network, had a simple suggestion about how to get leads from your website. All you need to do is to put together a report that outlines a topic such as "3 things you need to know before you buy in Memphis" or "4 things you need to know before you buy a Memphis foreclosure."
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Visitors to your site must supply a valid e-mail address in order to download these reports. You can then follow up by offering additional service such as an update on their home’s value, current market conditions, or some coupons from the businesses on your Fabulous 50 list.
3. Cosmic shift happens
Carra Riley, co-author (with Joeann Fossland) of Cosmic Shift Happens, had some great suggestions for coping with challenging people. Her first suggestion can be summed up in the acronym: SWSWSWN. This stands for "Some will, some won’t, so what — next." In other words, some people will want and understand your services, and some will not. The "so what" is about not worrying about those who don’t get you or the services that you offer. The goal is to keep moving and searching for those who are a good fit for your services. In other words, if they don’t get it — "Next!"
Riley also had a great piece of advice for those who waste their breath trying to persuade someone else of their position. To illustrate the point, she had a button made up that said, "Get it" on the top. You could reverse the button so it also said, "Don’t Get It." This simple piece of advice cuts across a wide variety of situations.
If you have ever debated someone who is a die-hard "for sale by owner," it’s safe to say that when it comes to working with an agent, they "don’t get it." The pin is a reminder not to argue. Instead, keep in mind that they "don’t get it" and save your breath. Again, your goal is to search for the people who get you and your services.
4. Mobile tips
Kathi King, CEO of REICaravan, offered a great session on going mobile. The first tip that King shared was that in terms of responding to potential clients, it’s important that you respond back to them in the same way they contacted you. If they called, then call them back. If they sent you a text message, then text them back.
One very surprising statistic that King shared had to do with the percentage of people who have flip phones vs. those who have smart phones such as the Blackberry, iPhone or Android. Only 12 percent of all consumers have smart phones.
As a result, King recommends that your mobile marketing strategy must address the more affluent group that uses smartphones as well as the much larger group that is limited to phone and text messaging.
5. Stop talking about technology and start talking about marketing
Cary Sylvester, executive director of technology for Keller Williams, shared part of the company’s strategy about how to stay ahead of the competition. The focus at KW is on marketing. Technology is only one of a number of ways to successfully market your listings and your business.
Sylvester also shared how her department had formed "innovation teams" that meet every two weeks and present cutting-edge ideas to their group. Innovation is now part of every team member’s job description.
6. Reinvent yourself
Ilyce Glink, radio show host, nationally syndicated columnist for the Tribune Co. and author of the just released book, "Buy, Close, Move In," shared her insights on what it takes to reinvent yourself in today’s market. Glink outlined three simple steps in the reinvention process.
The first step is to rethink your life. Ask yourself, "What can I change?" On the other hand, you must also ask, "What can’t be changed that I must adapt to?"
The second step is to reimagine your life. Start with what makes you laugh and what makes you peaceful, as well as what makes you angry. Let go of dumb people and dumb company decisions and focus on what you can control.
Finally, retool. Recognize your limitations and embrace them. No one is good at everything, so spend your energies on what makes you shine.
Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, trainer and author of "Real Estate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success" and other books. You can reach her at Bernice@RealEstateCoach.com and find her on Twitter: @bross.
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