Skip to main content

Are You Getting Through?


Every few weeks or so, I take a look at my email “junk” folder out of morbid curiosity.  It’s borne of a few things I’m thinking at the time: (1) how good is the filter I have in place; (2) is there anything in there that should have come to me in my regular folder but didn’t; and (3) how many millions of dollars have I missed out on because I didn’t respond to the Nigerian prince with my banking information in time – that one’s always a kick in shins. I think I’m smart enough to determine what’s junk and what’s not without the help of a filter/folder (but it is nice to have something do it for me).  We as humans are equipped with an internal “junk mail” filter in our heads – some are better than others – that we use every day. 

In the real estate world, this could not be more true for both agents and customers.  Before I go on, though, let me explain that just because something is viewed as junk mail doesn’t mean there’s no intrinsic value to it – but there IS NO VALUE to it if it doesn’t get opened.  Can we agree on that? 

Don’t kill the messenger, my agent friends, but the following items/practices have become or are quickly becoming “junk mail” in the eyes of a potential customer:

•  Facebook posts for listings/open houses
•  Facebook Live videos/Instagram Stories
•  Offers of a free market analysis
•  A YouTube video about a certain program/initiative

There are a lot more things that fit into the this category, but I think you get my drift.  (Let me say once again: these items aren’t worthless – there’s some great information contained in them – but if they’re not being opened, then they’re not bringing much value to the table.)  The reason they’re seen this way is there’s NOTHING that makes them stand out – ESPECIALLY at first glance.  You can sit there and say, “That doesn’t apply to me.  I’ve had a number of people call me off my Facebook posts/offers of a free market analysis.”  I’m not going to argue that, but I will say this: if your posts looked like all the others, then the fact you got someone to call was either down to luck, plain and simple, or you’ve done something to find favor with the Internet gods.  (I’m leaning more toward the former but won’t rule out the latter – wouldn’t want to jinx myself.)  With that said, though, I’ve seen some very effective methods that agents have employed to make themselves and/or their messages stand out.  I’m not going to give away their secrets, but I can certainly help you come up with your own ways to avoid the “junk mail” filter in customers’ heads. 

The “junk mail” dilemma applies to customers, too, I assure you. If you want a top-notch real estate agent to represent you in the purchase of a home, you’re going to need to make yourself stand out, too.  Seriously, do you want someone who’s just going to put you in a car and drive you around or someone who’s going to have an arsenal of talent and experience fully at your disposal to take out the competition and clear the board FOR YOU? If you’re using phrases like “I’m not sure if . . .” and “I don’t know if it’s the right time . . .”, this won’t cause your potential agent to get up and walk away, but she/he is definitely going to start mentally sliding you over to her/his “junk mail” folder.  If you REALLY want their attention and make sure you land squarely in their “Inbox”, THIS is the very simple statement you should open with: “I’ve already been to a lender, and I’m qualified – not just prequalified – for $XXX,XXXX.  Let’s go look at some houses!”  But hurry before all those folks with money from the Nigerian prince go looking at the same houses!  It’ll be a kick in the shins if you don’t.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Numbers Don't Lie, But Wherein Lies the Truth? (Posted November 21, 2016)

Said with enough conviction, you can make almost anything sound true.   Preface the fabrication with “according to a recent bi-partisan government study,” and you’re three quarters of the way to selling the lie to a lot of people.   Seriously, try this. The next time you’re at a dinner party or having coffee with friends, pepper this little tidbit into the conversation: “I read something really interesting the other day.   According to a recent bi-partisan government study – I think it took them three years to get it all done – middle-aged men who drive either a Toyota Camry or a Honda Odyssey have more testosterone than younger men who drive either a Ford F150 or a Dodge Charger.”   You’ll get some raised eyebrows and looks of mild disbelief, but don’t let that deter you.   Just lift up your hands, palms outward, and say, “I just think it’s interesting, and it makes sense when you think about it” – and then change the subject to something completely u...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dumb as (or Smart as) a Box of Rocks (Posted June 27, 2016)

Obviously, you all want to know what Brexit means to the economy and the housing market specifically.   So do I!   But since my crystal ball is at the cleaner’s, let’s give the Brits and the European Union a little time to work out the terms of their separation and look at something else.   What’s a “fad ”?   With the help of Google, this is what I got as a definition: “an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities; a craze.” In April 1975, an advertising executive by the name of Gary Dahl invented the Pet Rock.   The idea came from his sitting in a bar with some friends who were complaining about the cost and time required to take care of various types of pets.   He marketed his “pets” by placing a rock in a box cut and shaped like one you would get at the pet store to carry home a puppy or a kitten.   Along with the box and the rock, a booklet was included...
Post a Comment
Read more

Left Behind (Posted April 4, 2016)

It’s highly likely that almost every single one of you already read the Yahoo! Finance article about the survey that Chase recently completed.   For the seven people who decided to take a nap under a rock last week, I’m going to share some of the major talking points here – the rest of you can step away and have an ice cream or paint your cat’s toenails.   First off, the survey shows that an ALARMING 68% of Americans are starting the home search on their own (gasp!) with 45% using a computer or laptop (as opposed to some other type of technologically advanced processor like a microwave oven) as the first step in this search and 13% using their mobile devices.   (In other related news from the Department of the Obvious, scientists have found that fish still have no use of a bicycle and looking directly at the sun is inadvisable.)   With numbers like these, we should just throw in the towel and join the circus, right?   Here’s the weird thing: in the ...
Post a Comment
Read more