Do You Go The Distance with Prospects?
Do you find yourself asking, “Why doesn’t anyone respond to me?” In this video I talk about some facts that might surprise you. Like less than 10% of sales professionals follow up more than 3 times?
I also give you the formula for increased responses. It’s actually pretty simple.
View the video here
Just Released – Social Media Guide for Real Estate
I am happy to announce that my new book is here! The Social Media Guide For Real Estate will feel good in your hands and make you look smart sitting on your bookshelf. Your colleagues will be envious and say, “Wow, what I would give to be on the cutting edge…” You can check out the details below or order here.
So here’s the deal, I want to give a lot of these away!
In fact, I will give out one copy every day for the rest of this month. Want to win one? All you need to do is:
Send out a tweet. Just copy and paste the following: Hey @mikelyon I want a free copy of your new book Social Media Guide for Real Estate http://bit.ly/smguide4re
and/or
Head over to Facebook and share this blog post on your profile or page. You need to let me know by tagging me here or my page here. Don’t know how to tag, no big deal – just post on my wall that you shared it, or on the DoYouConvert page.
(you can post until you win or your friends get annoyed)
Of course, if you don’t want to go through all that trouble and wait around to win – you could always just pick up a copy now.
Thanks to everyone who helped get this book out and I look forward to your feedback!
Why You Need This Book
Are you looking for answers in this brave new Web 2.0 world? The opportunities to connect with potential buyers abound, but navigating these uncharted waters have left many real estate professionals with a bad case of “analysis paralysis”. The Social Media Guide for Real Estate will help you establish a clear strategy for your business that will produce a steady stream of qualified clients while helping to position you as the undisputed expert in your field.
In This Book You Will Learn:
- What “social media” is and how it works for the Real Estate business
- What social networking sites will work best for your business model
- Ideas for producing high quality content that gets attention
- Useful tools to help you efficiently manage all these sources (and not waste valuable time)
- The proper etiquette for utilizing the social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
- How to create a strategy to avoid overload
- And much, much more…
What industry leaders are saying
“Mike has a unique blend of real estate common sense and social media savvy. As our social media coach, he provides timely and effective strategies to help our agents grow their business. His powerful impact has moved Facebook into the top 10 referring sites for ReeceAndNichols.com”
Jerry Reece, CEO, Reece and Nichols
"When it comes to understanding how social media can be used to grow a real estate business, Mike Lyon is the expert. His no-nonsense approach is not only practical, it is very doable. This guide is THE GUIDE to understanding the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ to make it happen."
Bryan Sheppard, CEO, Coldwell Banker Select
Video Interview – Building a House and a Blog at the Same Time
Building a home is an experience, not a transaction. Alaina Money, Sales Manager at Garman Homes, has taken this reality to the masses with her blog, buildlikeagirl.biz. Having sold many homes, Alaina decided she needed to get the perspective of her buyers. Convinced it would make her a better sales manager, she went into the trenches with the construction crew and got an insider’s view into the process—and has been blogging about it.
Recently I had the chance to visit with Alaina —aka “A Money”—and Jim Garman via Skype about the experiences.
Alaina Money Interview
Jim Garman Interview
Lively, witty, fun, and informative, Alaina uses the blogging medium to give the outside world an inside look, not just at the home-building process, but of the people of Garman Homes. “Our best asset is our people and we want people to get to know us better. Then they know we’ll do the right thing,” Alaina told me. “The blog brings people into the experience—the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Jim Garman, owner of Garman Homes, supports Alaina’s transparency because her openness is building trust. He says, “The generation that is going to be buying homes the next 10 years is all about transparency. They want to see the people behind the company. Alaina makes people feel like they are part of the adventure so they’re okay with a mistake here and there. Alaina has blogged about a few tough issues. At a larger company that blog might have been censored.”
In addition to transparency, Alaina infuses passion into her posts, which currently number 40, and counting. Jim says Alaina’s engaging blog “is not about selling homes. Being memorable is the most important thing. Marketing is about being memorable, which means taking a few risks.”
A few key points that Alaina feels are important to having a successful blog is to
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1) Write in the style that you enjoy reading;
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2) Make your blog honest and don’t be afraid to put it all out there; and
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3) Pick a reliable partner who will provide productive feedback.
Using blogging and social media as a building block to making a good impression is an important aspect of marketing in our Web 2.0 world. A blog can be used for many years and implemented in marketing campaigns for unlimited use. A blog itself is free, but you have to invest your time and your passion. Build on a story that people want to follow. Your blog can be your blueprint to success!
Will the iPhone 4 Help You Sell More Homes?
I think, more importantly, the question is how will these new super smart phones continue to change how we sell homes? I shot a quick video of my thoughts.
The long awaited iPhone 4 will soon be coming to a store near you. Steve Jobs revealed the new iPhone 4 last week. This new smart phone has a lot of new hardware updates and features as well as a new sleek look, all of which you can see here. One of the new features has the potential to change the landscape for sales professionals that will use it. The new Face Time video calling feature will give agents who really like to sell “face to face” (don’t we all) the ability to do so via their new iPhone 4 video. This feature gives you the ability to talk face to face to anyone else using the iPhone 4 (wi-fi only for 2010, but you know they are pushing this for 3G, and it is open so I am sure we’ll be talking to other phones too). You can show properties, talk to customers and give them updates on their home construction or whatever your selling heart desires. The ability to connect on this level is going to be a huge game changer.
Another slick new feature is the 720p HD video which eliminates the need for an additional camera like the Flip or Kodak. So if you have been jonesin’ for a HD pocket camera and debating whether or not to upgrade to an iPhone – this should help you make that decision. On top of that, it looks like the photos you can take will kick butt with the new 5 mp lens.
Along with the new 720p HD video, you now have a full featured tool to edit all that content right on the phone. Apple announced the new iMovie for iPhone, the demo was pretty cool. My mind is racing with all of the possibilities. Think about recording a quick video intro to a property, pulling in 10-15 photos of the home with a Ken Burns effect, finishing off with another video message and including a nice music overlay and titles, all while in your car outside of the home. Crazy right?
Video is one of the most underutilized tools for selling homes. The more comfortable you are with video the better off you will be. You can’t get more comfortable than having this rocket right in your pocket.
Now – if AT&T would just improve their network. It’s not too bad in my neck of the woods but I know others who complain.
So, are you thinking about a new smartphone? I am still on the fence but my “apple-fanboyness” is drawing me in to the iPhone 4. If you are comparing the latest phones, check out the helpful infographic below from Mashable.
What do you think? Will you be buying the new iPhone 4 and how do you plan to use it in your business?
Below is a video ad of the cliffnotes version of the keynote.
Email is to Phone like Peanut Butter is to Jelly
Sometimes, do you feel like your prospects never even existed? Are there times when you think that the initial request was submitted by a ghost?
I wrote a while back about the tendency for sales executives to hide behind email and not make enough calls but what we have seen when you marry these two together, magical things can happen. Every time you send an email, it can be a great excuse to pick up the phone and call and vice versa. When you put these two together, you will notice that:
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1. Prospect response rates increase.
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2. It highlights your professionalism by providing both a verbal and written trail of your follow up.
Now, since neither of these mediums allows you to be face to face, you must make sure that you focus on crafting the right message that will stand out from the crowd.
Just by following these simple steps, you will outpace other sales professionals who want your buyer.
Let’s take a look at a sample email/call double whammy.
Voicemail:
Hi Susan, my name is Mike with Best Choice Homes. I received your request from our website for more information about a home.
There certainly is a lot of information that you can get online, isn’t there? I just wanted to let you know that I am here to provide fast answers to any questions you might have.
I also have some specific information regarding your search that I would like to talk with you about.
You can reach me at (insert phone number). Again that’s (insert phone number). I will also send you a follow up email with my contact information as well.
I look forward to discussing this information with you soon. Take care Susan.
Now, right when you hang up – you fire off your email that goes something like this:
Email Subject Line: Susan, Your Request from Best Choice Homes
Hello Susan,
My name is Mike Lyon with Best Choice Homes. I just left you a brief voicemail and wanted to get in contact with you regarding your request for information on our website.
I know that searching for a new home can be overwhelming. I am here to help make that process easier. Not only can I provide fast answers to your questions, but I can save you valuable time on your new home search.
I have some great information that I’d like to review with you. I look forward to hearing back from you soon. You can reach me at directly at (insert phone number).
I will be sure to follow up with you again by email and phone in the next couple of days.
Thank you!
This establishes a few things in the buyers mind:
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1. You are a professional.
2. You do what you say you will do. In your call you say you will email, in your email you say you will call.
3. It sets the precedent that you are not going to give up.
4. You are there to help.
Now this is just an example of a first response. You can basically do this for every phase of the sales process. If they have given you permission to follow up then go for it! You never hear complaints from home buyers that “they just followed up too much”. It is always the opposite, “Well I called/emailed and I never heard back”.
You should not be timid in this area. In fact, in my experience of handling 1000’s of phone calls and 1000’s of emails. I can count on one hand the number of times I have had someone react negatively to me following up this way. Why do you think that is? Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes. If they are a potential buyer who is actively looking, what do you think they will do? People are busy, there are numerous reasons why they don’t respond right away – but eventually, you will invoke a response out of active shoppers. They will gravitate towards the sales professional that follows up the best and provides the most relevant information.
You may not believe it, or maybe you think following up 7-10 times with a prospect in 30 days is too much. Well, I dare you to try it. If only for one month. Give it a shot and if it doesn’t lead to more conversations, appointments and sales – I’ll let you slap me the next time we meet.
