New Realtor Marketing Ideas – Don’t Nag Your Friends and Family For Business Unless You Do It Right
“Talk to your friends, family and co-workers and tell them you can help them buy or sell their home” is the very first new Realtor marketing idea your broker told you to do when you got your license, right? Your “Sphere of Influence” can be powerful but don't lose relationships because you're trying to sell your uncle on listing with you.
I'm hesitant about going into detail on this marketing weapon that's so commonly taught for new Realtor marketing methods. Not because you don't know about it but because of how so many Realtors and agents feel about it.
I refer to your sphere of influence as a “new Realtor marketing method” but of course, it can be done no matter how long you've been in the business. You just need to use it properly, which I'll explain.
Trying to generate leads and business from your sphere of influence can burn a lot of bridges and relationships so you need to approach this new Realtor marketing weapon with some caution. Be tactful and tasteful without being the guy or gal everyone avoids when they see you coming down the hall.
My advice is to be straight up and honest with your friends, family, co-workers, etc. Your goal is to have these people spread the word about your services. This is great because word of mouth is just about the best form of new Realtor marketing out there (or for any Realtor or business in general), but you don't want to “sell” THEM. It's fine if they buy through you or list with you but don't approach them with the intention of selling to them directly.
One approach is to make a list of all your friends, family, relatives, co-workers, professional contacts, your doctor, dentist, etc. and write a nice, personal letter (you can also spice up your package by including a video you produce from Animoto.com).
You need to be very careful with this new Realtor marketing letter and really dumb down any sales pitches you might normally write. Keep it very personable and social.
Write in a style based on the person you're sending it to. For example, you'll probably write differently to your uncle than you would to your dentist, right? Be intentional and think about how it all sounds to the recipient.
The gist of the letter should be that you're writing to tell them about your services and you'd appreciate them telling their acquaintances about you. Don't write a letter trying to sell them directly. That makes things awkward for the future of your relationship. You can even say something to that effect that you aren't writing to sell them or push them but that you'd appreciate their help spreading the word.
The great thing about this approach is that you'll probably get some of these folks using your services anyway but it's them choosing to use you rather than you pushy them to use you. Your relationship stays in tact and you accomplish your goal of wanting them to use you as well as their friends, family, etc.
Instead of writing a letter or email to this list of yours, you could choose to call each one individually. Personally, I think that would be awkward and uncomfortable for the other person. Maybe not but that's just me. Use the method of communication you feel most comfortable with and use your judgment.
Another cool thing you could do (and there are a million of these, you just need to get creative) is make a short video with Animoto.com about yourself, promoting your services. Burn it to a CD, make a bunch of copies and give them to this list of yours to hand out to their friends, family, etc. It sets you up as a pro, makes you look very unique and gives them something to physically hand to people rather than just telling them about you.
The point is that you want to leverage your “Sphere of Influence” without busting those relationships.
Have you ever had a friend of yours bug you about Amway or some other multi-level marketing company? How much do you talk with that friend now? The relationship's a little different now, isn't it?
Don't be that friend. Be the one who is professional, personable and honest and you'll be rewarded in the long run (and short run too)!
Josh F. Sanders is a real estate Broker and the Founder of Shiloh Street University in Seattle, WA.
SSU is an online marketing school for Realtors, dedicated to "Creating Wealthy Agents through World-Class Marketing" by providing step-by-step video lead-generation tutorials.
Get your “FREE 5 Day Sneak Peek” at www.ShilohStreetUniversity.com
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