By Kelly Quigley, REALTOR® Magazine
The Real Estate Agent’s Field Guide: Essential Insider Advice for Surviving in a Competitive Market By Bridget McCrea, (AMACOM, 2004)
Feel like the real estate industry is shifting beneath your feet? From harnessing the Internet and vying against discount brokerages, to steering clear of lawsuits, there’s a lot more to the profession today than simply selling homes. Meanwhile, competition is sizzling and clients want more bang for their buck, making it harder than ever for real estate practitioners to earn their commissions.
Former Century 21 sales associate Bridget McCrea brings you up to speed on these major industry changes in her debut book, illustrating each lesson with real-life examples from professionals who have found ways to compete in what she calls a “Wild-Wild-West-like environment.” The point McCrea repeatedly drives home: In today’s cutthroat market, you must adapt quickly to the latest technologies and consumer demands or be left in the dust. “The [practitioner] who works through these issues now—rather than pretending that they don’t exist—is bound to emerge stronger, smarter, and more successful in the long run,” the author writes.
Tips From the Book:
- Jump on the technology train. The salesperson who wants to succeed over the next five to 10 years and make 50 percent or more gains in productivity must embrace technology and integrate it into day-to-day operations.
- Act like a consultant. Most practitioners don’t think of themselves as business consultants, but they probably should. By embracing the role of consultant and viewing themselves as business entities rather than employees, savvy real estate professionals can create value for their clients and consumers that their competitors cannot.
- Watch your back. A real estate professional’s best defenses against potential litigation include good disclosure, proper documentation, and an eye for recognizing potentially harmful practices like discrimination and fair housing violations.
By Kelly Quigley, REALTOR® Magazine
Real Estate Rainmaker: Guide to Online Marketing By Dan Gooder Richard (John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2004)
There’s no question the Internet has radically changed the playing field for real estate professionals and how they interact with clients. But despite the Web’s widespread acceptance, not everyone knows how to squeeze the most marketing power from the interactive medium. The mission of this book is to change that by teaching practitioners how to build an effective, customized Web site and capture more leads online. Author Dan Gooder Richard covers all the bases of online marketing strategies in chapters like “Building a Trophy E-mail Database” and “Driving Traffic to Your Web Site: 75 Ways to Promote Your Site.” He focuses on catering marketing messages to the customer, creating a strong online brand, and above all else, using the Web as a tool to generate higher sales. “You are no longer in the real estate industry,” Richard says. “You are in the marketing business. Marketing done right will produce all the sales you can handle.”
Tips From the Book:
- Your Web Site Must Make a Good First Impression. Prospects come and go with rapid mouse clicks, so you must instantly grab the attention of every visitor to your site. The key is content; be sure visitors see information rather than circus-like clutter or wasted white space. Also, make sure it’s clear who’s behind the site. You’d be surprised how often sites don’t place address, phone, or e-mail information in easy-to-find places.
- Create Custom Postcards to Drive Traffic. Create or buy postcards printed with a screen shot of your Web site in color. Take this idea a step further by creating a series of cards each featuring a different section in your site for different targeted customers, and launch a 6-month to 12-month mailing campaign.
- Select a Domain Name That’s Consumer-Centric, Not Ego-Centric. Domains that relate to the consumer rather than the personality of the real estate professional are more effective because they attract the consumer. If the domain name also is short, catchy, and to the point, you have a winner. Personal domain names have little intuitive recognition for market strangers.
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