4 tips for improving your business in 2012

Posted by www.miamiforrussian.com

4 tips for improving your business in 2012

SAN DIEGO – Dec. 20, 2011 – Become a specialist and target a niche market in your real estate business in 2012, suggests Alan Shafran, with Prudential California Realty in San Diego and president of ShowingSuite.com. In a recent article at RISMedia, Shafran offers some of the following tips for success in the new year:

1. What’s working and what isn’t? First evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your current marketing plan. Second, identify your talents and skills. Third, consider new strategies that match your skillset.

“If you want to try something new – for example, the mailing of postcards to reach a new farm – make sure you have enough resources to cover the cost of the project for a period of at least six months,” Shafran suggests. “If you don’t have the budget, don’t start the project. Implementing a new marketing strategy without giving it enough time to succeed will only dilute the effectiveness of your other marketing programs, because it will sap you of your time, effort and energy.”

2. Hone your sales skills. Jot down a list of the areas where you feel you need improvement. Vow to become more educated and try role-playing exercises to allow you to speak with more confidence and knowledge.

3. Re-evaluate your branding and the demographics you’re targeting. “To be successful, it’s important to constantly evaluate what types of homes people are looking for in your area, and what they are willing to pay,” Shafran says. “After you figure out what type of clients you want to target, take the time to adjust your marketing strategy to their preferences.”

4. Update your profile and marketing materials. “Chances are, if your pictures and business cards make you look like you are 25 years younger than you actually are, then it’s time for an update,” Shafran says. “Shocking the customer is typically not a good idea.” Also, make sure your resume and website reflect today’s customer, given the financial environment.

Source: “10 Simple Steps for Making 2012 a Success,” RISMedia (Dec. 18, 2011)

© Copyright 2011 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688

Websites: Your Internet Marketing Machine

Posted for www.miamiforrussian.com

Websites
Your Internet Marketing Machine

Turn your site into a supercharged marketing tool.

Mitch Ribak credits his souped-up website marketing with increasing his business by 700 percent since opening four years ago. Ribak, a broker with Tropical Realty of Suntree in Melbourne, previously worked in Internet marketing, so he handles his own online marketing, which includes search engine optimization (SEO), lead capture and lead conversion. He even co-created a program [100MPHMarketing.com] to help him track his marketing efforts.

While Ribak’s monthly expenditure of $6,000 for online marketing may seem high, consider this: It has netted him $28,000 in sales in just one month. “I spend the majority of my money on pay-per-click fees to a program that brings active buyers to my site,” he says.
Here’s how to boost your online presence.
Grow Your Network
It’s vital that you find an SEO program to drive buyers to your site. Good search engine placement makes a pay-per-click strategy [where you pay a fee for people who click through to your site] very worthwhile. Ribak says HomeGain’s BuyerLink [homegain.com/buyerlink], is a “great source because they do all the work. If you search for ‘Melbourne real estate,’ you’ll end up on our site [because it’s so high in the search engine rankings].” Ribak’s company hosts two websites: MitchRealty.com and melbournehomesearch.com.

Track Your Leads
Use a lead-capture format, such as asking people to register or sign up for a benefit, to obtain contact information. Then, store this information in a customer relations management [CRM] program. This is an “easy-to-use database that allows you to keep updated on consumers’ actions on the website.” Two sources are Top Producer and Microsoft Outlook. For Ribak’s two offices, the CRM is tracking 21,000 leads.

Develop a Lead-Conversion Strategy
This program should allow you to e-mail new listings, follow up on phone calls and develop a drip e-mail campaign.

Ribak says the software he developed “automatically assigns leads, reports to administration if the lead wasn’t worked, sends an initial list of properties to the lead, places the lead into an automatic listings-update program and sends comparable listings to the customer.”

With the right tools in place, you can keep track of Internet leads and ensure your website stays at the top of any search.
from Florida Realtor Magazine, December 2008 | page 38

Rich Niche

Posted for www.miamiforrussian.com

Rich Niche
Tap into the Luxury Market

Know what luxury buyers want and give it to them.

When Dennis Brando entered real estate in 2004, he brought 25 years of marketing and merchandising experience with him. The senior-level positions he had held with companies such as JCPenney and Target taught him how to zero in on customers’ wants and needs.

“According to the Harrison Group poll for American Express, just 5 percent of the population controls $32 trillion in assets. I wanted to go where the money was, so I chose the luxury market,” says Brando, a sales associate with John R. Wood, Inc. in Naples.

Here’s his strategy:

Study Your Customer
“In the luxury market, there are certain websites and magazines that people read,” says Brando. He studies publications like Departures for Platinum American Express customers and Veranda, The Wall Street Journal and Homes of the Hamptons to learn about his target prospects’ buying habits.

“The first year I [advertised] in Homes of the Hamptons, more than $12 million in business came to us from [that area],” he says.

Reach Their Inner Circle
When Brando reads about a celebrity or sports star coming to the area, he contacts that person’s manager first. “There’s a website, WhoRepresents.com, that [tells you a celebrity’s] publicity and business managers’ names.” The site bills itself as the “entertainment industry’s insider database,” and costs $12.99 a month for an individual subscription or $100 a month for a corporate account. “It works. My success with sports people has been amazing,” says Brando, who credits the site with helping him gain four sports star customers last year alone.

Get Your Name Out
Brando spends about 18 percent of his net income on marketing, which includes print ads, his website (dennisbrando.com), direct mail and a personal brochure.

“As an ex-retailer, I know that when business is off, you must advertise more,” he says. “Some of the best advertising is free, like letters to the editor. I was recently quoted in SmartMoney magazine in reference to the Southwest Florida real estate market. That interview got me business and exposure in additional [media].”

Give VIP Service
Brando will arrange for just about anything for prospects from car transport to contractors for a remodeling project.

His “Let me treat you like a star!” tagline also helps him stand out. He recalls the time when a well-known celebrity called from a local hotel and proclaimed, “I’m a star!” and then mentioned that she was looking for a property for her mother.

The utmost discretion is needed when dealing with people at this level, Brando says. “Any slip of personal information, including names of people you’ve worked with, could cost you a relationship,” he says, “but once you break in and do an excellent job, you’re in.”