Lead Generation - 5 Steps to More Listings

In any real estate office you will find a few agents who are truly making a fortune selling real estate and a majority that try as they might are just scraping by. “Why is this the case?”, you might ask when all in the office have access to the same tools the same inventory and by-in-large are working in the same market place. Simply put, “its marketing”. Some grasp the importance of marketing themselves as well as their clients and do it better than others. Do you want to attract more listings? You can. Focus on the following: Lead Generation – 5 Steps to More Listings.
1. Embrace the internet: That sounds obvious, and it is, however there is probably nothing more misused in the real estate market than the internet. The correct viewpoint is “online marketing”. For example: I often see agents spending hundreds if not thousands on that impressive website, sitting back and waiting for those motivated buyers and sellers to take action. The reality is they will never find the website because nothing is driving traffic to it. It is true that more than 80% of buyers and sellers begin their search for a home or an agent online, but if you haven’t mastered some basic online marketing and lead generation, for you, it is all for naught.
2. Specialize: Set your focus on the market that best fits your comfort zone, area of expertise, performance goals and market demand. Some may say “ find your niche”. For example I have some agents who are very successful in the high-end market others in the median and still others in the low-end  foreclosure and investment markets. The key is to find the area you excel in and put your eggs in that basket and generate leads.
3. Farm: Farming is a huge part of Specialization and lead generation. Focusing your marketing efforts on a geographical area within your niche creates market presence. You cannot dominate all market areas and leave your competition in the dust, but you can dominate your farming area. You can be the go-to agent in your niche. How?
4. Cultivate: Just as a farmer cultivates his field, plows and tills, fertilizes and plants all before harvesting, so you cultivate your market area, rather it be a neighborhood, a price range or a market segment. Door hangers, new listings and solds in the area all on your marketing material, a neighborhood website with valuable content and opt-in opportunities for reports, updates and newsletters all serve to place you in the minds and hearts of the motivated buyer or seller.
5. Repeat: The secret to marketing and lead generation is consistency. Marketing to your niche or farm keeps the cost in check and is far more effective. Count on 14-16 pieces of marketing before the client commits your name and face to memory. This is called “Top of Mind”. Once there, you are the first call when a need arrises.
As a real estate Broker and internet marketer my focus is always on what is most effective. That being said, listings are the obvious focus. One: because regardless of who buys you share in the commission and two: you will generate more buyers than virtually any other means.
Yes lead generation – 5 steps to more listing is just a beginning, but with a laser focus on marketing to your specialized niche, driving internet traffic, being consistent and repetitive with your marketing pieces and concentrating on listings, you are sure to “meet with uncommon success in common hours”.
Thomas White is an internet coach and mentor dedicated to helping other achieve financial freedom leveraging the online market. To see his methods of creating an automated and thriving online business or how you can leverage the internet to send your existing business through the roof visit: http://www.ithriving.com