Aug
27
9 Things That Make Emails Seriously Effective
Filed Under Email Marketing, Real Estate Prospecting Ideas | 1 Comment
Despite the endless talk about social media–Twitter or Facebook, for example–-emails are still the workhorse of online prospecting.
Why? Clickthrough decay. Twitter time passes 10 times faster than email time.
One of the big downsides of stream-based communication compared to email newsletters is the highly ephemeral nature of the postings: Once they scroll off the first screen, they’re essentially 6 feet under.
A look at clickthrough statistics for links posted to Twitter vs. those circulated in email newsletters shows a drastically steeper decay function: lots of clicks the first few minutes, and then almost none. In contrast, email continues to generate clicks for days as people work their way through their inboxes.
So, since more and more and more people are checking their e-mail on cell phones or smart phones and archiving, it’s wise to keep grooming your emails so their readable, relevant and powerful.
1. Reason Why. First, what’s your most compelling reason to send the email? If there’s no good reason for it, consider taking the day off.
2. “From” Line. The “From” line and subject line work in tandem. And an effective “From” line starts with name recognition. If you’re not famous in your market, then maybe your company is. Use the most famous.
3. Subject Line. Something that stands out in their inbox. Use this tool to test your subject lines AND “From” lines.
4. First vertical inch or two. Many people won’t see images—your header, wrapper, or photos—because their e-mail software turns them off. Or they may be getting your message on a BlackBerry or Treo or cell phone. Consider what’s in this precious real estate. And make it count.
5. Scannable. Since very few people read it all the way through, is it easy to scan your email? Can they get the point at a glance?
6. Headline. You do have a headline, don’t you? Okay then, if you don’t, then the first sentence is your headline. Does it make the point and provide a link for action? Is the call to action simple and clear, making a single point and with no more than a sentence or two at the most?
7. Precision. Omit needless words. All of them. Here’s a rule of thumb to follow: Once you reduce the email to half it’s length…try to reduce it again.
8. Call to Action. Will the person feel like he’s losing big if he decides to sit this one out? That’s the kind of feeling you want to give people.
9. Tone. Conversational. What do I mean by that? Does it feel like one person writing to another? As impersonal as e-mail can be, you still want it to feel like one person’s message to another.
So what about you: are you still using email to prospect? Have you given it up for Twitter or Facebook? If so, how effective have you become? Or has spam and the crowd noise chased you out? Is email dead and anybody who uses it wasting their time and money?
Share your thoughts. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Aug
14
When Longinotti-Buitoni took over Ferrari North America as CEO in the late 90s, the U.S. and Canada were in a recession. He couldn’t imagine people would spend their money on such an expensive, impractical car.
Since then, Longinotti-Buitoni has changed his mind.
What he learned was that the desire for a Ferrari comes from our dreams…not the part of our brain that balances the checkbook each month.
Those same dreams fuel our desire for leisure time. It fuels our desire for Gucci purses. Gulfstream jets. Beauty. Exotic vacations. And houses.
You, real estate agent, need to understand these dreams. And reinterpret a house in terms of your client’s fantasy world.
But it’s not about selling homes to people who apear on the cover of Vanity Fair. Average people like you and I have our own set of dreams to fulfill.
That’s why Volkswagon could sell a van called the Beetle to thousands of hippies. Our Levi’s could position a pair of denim jeans like a vein of gold in the foothills of California.
Think about Nike shoes and what they mean to inner-city kids: An escape from his oppressive origins.
Bottom line: People fantasize about the things they can’t afford. Selling a house to a buyer is all about tapping into that fantasy.
The best way I’ve found to do that is to simply show them their dream home. Yes, they might not know it’s their dream home. But when you roll up to the $500,000 house and they gasp, “There’s no way we can afford that,” you need to respond, “Let’s look at it anyway.”
Elevate their fantasy and anything you show them after that will seem below them. They will naturally gun for homes at their high-end of price.
What’s truly heartbreaking about this tactic, though, is this: It’s nothing more than the notorious takeaway. You’ve given them something they want…and now you take it away.
You see this when you prohibit your seven-year-old from playing his Nintendo DS. We, especially Americans, freak when we go from freedom back to bondage.
And bondage is exactly how it feels. No one likes going from abundance to lack. You’re constricted. Restrained.
And you lie awake dreaming about what you once had. Be it a million dollar home or $150,000 car.
Granted, you don’t want to set your client up to fail. So you must be careful when using this tactic. You must use common sense and constantly check in with your client to make sure he’s not getting in over his head.
Yet, this plays into the gambit in two ways.
One, you protect your client. Two, you demonstrate that you aren’t desperate for this deal. That you could walk away. That’s a powerful indication that there’s more to this sale than money, making the house all that more irresistable.
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Aug
10
In the throes of a housing market meltdown, ridiculous buyer offers are abundant. Here’s an example…
Friend wants to sell his house for $215,000. Buyer wants to buy it. So he offers $185,000. And demands seller pay closing costs. AND throw in a home warranty.
Never mind the insulting low ball offer. The add-ons are absurd. In this case, the seller flat-out rejected the offer.
Sometimes though, buyers come across a little more subtle. Here’s what to do if you find your self in that position.
First, imagine this:
Let’s say that you have sold your client’s house, and the buyers agent asks you if his clients could move some of their furniture into the garage three days before closing. Although you wouldn’t want to let them move into the house before closing, you see an advantage in letting them use the garage. It will get them emotionally involved and far less likely to create problems for you at closing. So you’re almost eager to make the concession, but…
Before you do anything, remember this: no matter how small the concession someone is asking you for, always ask for something in return.
Say to them, “Let me check with the family and see how they feel about that, but let me ask you this: If we do that for you, what will you do for us?”
One of three things is going to happen when you ask for something in return:
1. You might just get something.
2. By asking for something in return, you elevate the value of the concession. When you’re negotiating, why give anything away? Always make the big deal out of it. You may need that later.
3. It stops the grinding away process. This is the key reason why you should always ask for something in return. If they know that every time they ask you for something, you’re going to ask for something in return, then it stops them constantly coming back for more.
Also, lean on the Higher Authority gambit to deflect pressure from yourself. That way you continue to position yourself as on the other person’s side and any negative emotion will be directed away from you. That’s one of the better ways to
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