If You Want a Successful Career in Real Estate Sales...
You must:
- Market and promote yourself effectively and consistently
- Continue to learn and improve your skills
- Build your reputation with each client, customer, and transaction
This site is dedicated to helping you do all three. It's a work in progress, so come back often for new "free letter" offers, and new products and services designed to help you build your business.
Your Website
Yes, you do need your own real estate website!
Your broker's site may bring visitors to the company, but if you're just one of many agents, it won't do much to build your business. You need your own, and it needs to promote you.
Before you get started (or if your current site isn't effective) read this advice.
Yes, you can do it yourself
When you don't have unlimited funds to hire a web developer, the idea of creating your own website can be daunting. I know - I've done it!
As a total "non-techie" I thought creating a website would be far beyond me, but with a little help from some friends, I've done it more than once. Today Wordpress makes it easier than ever. But yes, figuring out how to manipulate Wordpress does require a learning curve.
So here's the good news: I did it through trial and error, but YOU can get step-by-step instructions absolutely free - and all in one place.
Nina Borovic of First Site Guide wrote me recently to ask if I might share this free guide with my web visitors. After reading it, I'm happy to do so. The guide covers the basics of why you need your own website,your own domain name, and your own host. Then it offers tips on making good choices, followed by step-by-step instructions for creating your Wordpress site.
Just CLICK HERE to go directly to the guide.
Want to see where your web visitors come from?
After you create your website, find out where your site visitors live when you download a free widget from ClustrMaps.
Your Blog
Real estate is a relationship-driven profession, so you do need one. In fact, I recommend two. One on your own site and one on Active Rain.
The blog on your own site will help add pages and content for SEO while it gives visitors a reason to come back again and again. And when they're used to getting their real estate advice from you, they're more likely to choose you when they need an agent.
Here's help...
If you just can't write, or can't find time to add informative posts to your website's blog, check out my pre-written real estate blog posts service.
If you want to write your own posts but think you don't know how, or can't come up with ideas, check out the Active Rain posts featured on this page. You'll probably get so much inspiration that you'll be up all night writing.
Visit my Active Rain Blog
Your Active Rain blog will let both agents and prospects get to know you better and will help drive traffic to your website.
Your Active Rain membership will keep you in touch with other agents and keep you up to date with what's happening in the world of real estate. If you're new to the business, go there and read, read, read.
Remember, agents refer clients to other agents they know and like, and if you "get active" on Active Rain you'll get acquainted with agents who just might be sending buyers into your community.
Your Agent Bio / Agent Profile
This is the document that allows your prospective clients to see who you are and what you stand for. If there is one page on your website that deserves extra attention, I believe that it is this one, because in today's world, people need a reason to trust.
This same bio / profile is needed for inclusion on your company site, Active Rain, LinkedIn, and on any other social marketing networks you use.
Read more about why the content of this document is so important and see samples on my Better Bio page.
And yes, even if you're a new agent with no experience yet, you CAN have a persuasive bio. Read how it's done.
Reviews & Testimonials about Copy by Marte...
Announce Your New Career to Your Sphere of Influence
You might not realize it, but you do have a sphere of influence. It consists of all those folks who know you and like you - and it's probably larger than you imagine.
One of your first tasks upon becoming licensed should be to reach out to that sphere and let them know about your new career. But don't say "Im now a real estate agent and I'd like your business." That just sounds like desperate begging. Instead, let them know that you want to be their information resource.
Toward that end, I've written a letter that you can customize and use before the day is over...
Next, gather more people. This blog post about reverse networking is one way to accomplish that task. Another way is by reaching out to other business people with an offer to send referrals their way.
Use these Free letters to expand that sphere...
To help you expand your sphere of influence, I wrote a set of 3 short letters you can send to other business people in your community. Request yours for FREE at the Copy by Marte website.
Real Estate Prospecting Letters
Staying in touch via postal mail or email is one sure way to be the agent your
prospects think of when they're ready to buy or sell homes or land.
But... writing effective real estate prospecting letters
means spending at least a couple of hours on each one - and that's if you enjoy writing. If you don't enjoy
writing, you could spend many more hours.
Now you don't have to take that time away from meeting clients face-to-face or enjoying free time with your friends and family. Now you can simply choose one or more of 40+ pre-written real estate prospecting letter sets, personalize them, load them into your computer and/or your autoresponder, and you'll be finished in less time than it takes to write just one good letter.
Choose from Letters to Buyers or Letters to Sellers.
Interested primarily in listing expireds? Choose from the Expired Listing Letters
Want more short sale listings? Choose from these Letters to sellers in distress.
No listings of your own yet? Use this set of Just listed, under contract, and just sold letters to gather listings around other agents' new listings.
Staying in touch with past clients...
Staying in touch with past clients is one of the most important things you can do to build your business. But most agents tell me they don't know what to say, month after month.
To solve that problem, use the Holiday Staying in Touch Letters. When you visit that page, you'll find a link to a sample, which you are welcome to copy and use.
For New Agents: 107 Ways to Build Your Real Estate Career on a Tiny Budget
This real estate ebook focuses primarily on real estate marketing and self-promotion, but also includes tips you can use to build your reputation and improve your skills.
More advice...
Marketing Ideas to Make You Shine
Want to make yourself stand out by doing some things the other agents in your community probably aren't doing? Then adopt the ideas you'll find in this outstanding blog post by Wayne and Jean Marie Zuhl.
While learning through trial and error does work, and learning through our mistakes is valuable, why not jump over some of those mistakes by heeding the advice of agents who have "been there and done that?" Here's your opportunity:
In June 2016, Clarksville, TN Real Estate Professional Debbie Reynolds hosted an Active Rain contest asking agents to share lessons learned during their careers. The response was overwhelming, with 105 agents sharing their experiences. Bookmark this page and keep returning to it until you've read all 105 entries. I promise, it WILL be worth your time.
More...
Need help with writing those ads? Study these Real Estate Ad Writing Tips
Making the most of Floor Day
Avoid conflict in your real estate brokerage by not Taking Sides
Don't let your personal habits interfere with your success.
If you think your real estate career is getting off to a slow start, you might get some encouragement from reading about my "Humble Start." At the very least you might laugh at some of what went on, and be amazed at how technology has changed the real estate profession.
Free Real Estate Resources:
How to Make the Highest and Best Use of an "Empty" Week
Here's a list of 14 activities you can do today to help make sure you have real estate clients to see next week and next month.
Free Letter to HR Directors
Introduce yourself and show them how you'll help make their jobs easier.
Remember, even if there are no major corporations in your city, schools also have new employees coming in, so you do have the opportunity to help relocating homebuyers.
Click here to request your copy.
Free Feedback Letters
After a transaction closes, use these forms to create goodwill and assure that those clients will not only return to you, but send you referrals.
Simply cut and paste from this page.
Free Drip Marketing Report
If you're a do-it-yourself writer, read this free report for tips on writing an effective drip marketing campaign.
Free Real Estate Flyer Templates
Free Real Estate Presentation Folder Templates
CompanyFolders.com offers 10 free sample templates designed specifically for real estate. Just click here to get started.
Get a FREE First Time Buyer Letter
Want marketing tips and ideas in your in-box every Thursday?
Just add your name and address below...
Come back often
Please do come back to visit often - I'll be adding more!
Yours for boundless prosperity,
Disclaimer: You may assume that products and services other than ebooks and prospecting letters are affiliate products, for which I will be paid a small fee should you decide to purchase.