| Monday, July 12, 2010 |
| Realtors' Edge - July 12, 2010 |
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Dear REALTOR: Welcome to Realtors' Edge whose purpose is to ascertain that as a professional agent you are well informed about things that can impact your income, your reputation and your career, by providing the best of news and perspectives on key issues that affect the real estate industry. We make you smarter!
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| July 12, 2010 / Volume 2 / Number 22 |
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For Doug Curtis, an important key to continued success is staying top of mind with his clients.
While he’s only been working full time in real estate since 2008, he understands the fundamentals and the importance of engaging your clients long after keys change hands. One of the tools he uses most is the Lowe’s Program for REALTORS®, and more specifically, Lowe’s Inside Out e-newsletter, which is sent via e-mail to Curtis’ lists of consumers at the beginning of each month. |
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 “The thing I struggle with is that you have to stay in the back of clients’ minds,” says Curtis, a REALTOR in San Antonio, Texas. “The Inside Out e-newsletter is a non-intrusive way to do that. You can’t continuously bother people with phone calls, so this is a good way to keep a touch point…and it works.”
“Just the other day, I was at Starbucks and ran into a client. He came up to me and told me that he loved receiving the Lowe’s Inside Out e-newsletter, so it’s an interesting, mutually beneficial agreement.”
Curtis says he’s so happy with the e-newsletter, which includes a monthly article from Money magazine, and articles on trends, buying, selling and moving, that he continues to add more clients to receive it each month.
“What’s great about it is that the articles are positive and show how the market is beginning to come back,” he says. “The articles are helpful toward getting people off the fence.
“Plus, they are topical—sometimes by season, sometimes by the market—so there’s always something that comes from it that you can discuss.”
For Curtis, using the e-newsletter gives him a great advantage in his marketplace.
“One thing that a lot of REALTORS® fail to do is follow up after the deal is done,” he says. “With the e-newsletter, you’re still there and interested in helping out with your client’s future. Communication is key and not enough REALTORS® realize that.”
Another positive of using the e-newsletter: showing a partnership with Lowe’s adds instant credibility.
“It adds a professional image to the delivery of what you’re sending when you are partnered with a company like Lowe’s,” says Curtis. “You stand out a bit more, too.”
Being part of the Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® and using the Inside Out e-newsletter is a no-brainer for Curtis. “I don’t understand why every agent isn’t using the e-newsletter,” says Curtis. “I’m glad for myself, but they are really losing out on an opportunity for free marketing. It takes five seconds to add a new client to the e-newsletter distribution. That’s five seconds of time that could make a huge difference down the line.”
For more information, visit lowesrealtorbenefits.com.
Editor’s note: The Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® is free for NAR members and offers personal marketing tools from Lowe’s through their partnership in NAR’s REALTOR Benefits® Program. By Stephanie Andre / Printed by permission of RISMEDIA. July 12, 2010. |
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| In today’s difficult market, it is especially important for real estate professionals to take the initiative to stand out from the crowd. Differentiating yourself from the competition is one of the easiest ways to find success today. Here, Todd Walker, Senior Vice President, Sales & Operations, The Real Estate Book, discusses why you should strive to be an eagle in today’s market. |
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 When I need a doctor or an attorney, I want the most highly skilled professional that I can find. After that, my next requirement is great customer service.
Real estate transactions are no different. I believe that the top real estate professionals are highly skilled marketers and negotiators and experts at guiding buyers and sellers through the complex process of buying or selling a home. However, I also want someone to make me feel like a valued customer—even a prized customer.
Harvey Mackay tells a wonderful story about a cab driver to prove this point.
He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.
The driver handed Harvey a laminated card and said: “Hi. I’m Wally, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk, I’d like you to read my mission statement.” Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: “Wally’s Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.”
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!
As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.”
My friend said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.”
Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler upfront with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.” Almost stuttering, Harvey said, “I’ll take a Diet Coke.”
Handing him his drink, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.”
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, “These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.”
And as if that weren’t enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he’d be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.
“Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, “have you always served customers like this?”
Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.
“He had just written a book called, You’ll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, ‘Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.’”
“I take it that has paid off for you,” Harvey said.
“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year, I’ll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don’t sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can’t pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.”
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like a duck and to start soaring like an eagle.
Do you know agents who want to sit around and complain about the market? Do you know others who go the extra mile to get every bit of business available? Which ones are the top agents bringing in the commissions—even during a down market? Which are you? A duck? Or an eagle?
By Todd Walker, Senior Vice President, Sales & Operations, The Real Estate Book® treb.com / Printed by permission of RISMEDIA. July 3, 2010. |
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The solution for keeping money in Realtors’ pockets instead of the brokers’ |
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NextRE, Inc. - 221 North Broad Street, Middletown, DE 19709 (877) 994-6398 / associate@NextRealEstate.com |
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