Real Estate Marketing, Do You Use Direct Mail?

Prospecting for leads is by far the most difficult part of being a Realtor or small business professional. In fact, lead development is...

By Barrett Niehus http://www.realtysoftware.org

Prospecting for leads is by far the most difficult part of being a Realtor or small business professional. In fact, lead development is by far the most expensive and time consuming aspect of your job. However, you level of success in lead development will determine if you succeed or fail as a real estate agent or small business professional. So how do you develop leads? Well top selling professionals realize that they need to touch as many people as possible without spending a fortune or taking up a lot of their time. They also realize that they must make some form of contact with a prospect as many as eight times before that contact will even consider doing business with the professional. Many of these professionals use direct mail to recruit prospects, and direct mail tools to close their deals.

The fundamentals of direct mail are very simple. At is most basic level you are sending out message with an invitation for a prospect to contact you. The key is targeting your specific audience, and making your message stand out against all of the other junk mail that you prospects receive. In addition, you must expose your prospects to the message enough times to make them consider taking action.

The first step in creating a direct mail program is to determine where you are going to focus your message.

What type of client are you specifically looking for? How old are they, what are their interests, fears, income levels, etc. With this type of very specific demographic information you can customize your message to invoke them to call you. Next, determine how many people you are going to send your message to and what geography you are going to focus on. Keep in mind that a direct mail piece with more than a 1% response rate is considered exceptional, and that statistically, post cards get more attention than envelopes in peoples mail boxes. Essentially this means that if you mail 500 pieces and you get five phone calls, you are doing exceptionably well. After you know what your customer looks like and the area in which they live, create your marketing message. It should invoke emotion and request a response. The most effective messages offer something for free such as a free home report, assessment, or giveaway such as a software program or product. Other useful messages show what has just been listed and invite prospects to "cash in" on their rising home values.

Now that you have your message designed contact a local or internet based direct mailing list seller and rent a list of prospects addresses. You will be mailing to this list more than once so make sure you get repeat mailing discounts. All of these list brokers have test addresses in the lists they sell to make sure you only mail the agreed number of times. Many of these list sellers will offer mailing services as well, and some will even provide design and printing services. Companies such as PurePoscards.com and MailersClub.com are excellent resources to get both mailing lists and design services. Use the design services as needed and remember that statistically, an enclosed letter with blue ink and a first class stamp will get the best response. Letters and postcards follow with lower responses. Regardless of the type of mail that you are sending, it is important to realize that you are hoping for at least a 1% response to your campaign.

Mail your message to the list and see what happens. Plan on mailing at least two more times to get your desired response, but feel free to modify the message and the medium. It is just important to provide your target customer with repetition so that they become used to your message and will consider doing business with you. It is through repetition and a message that stands out that you will get your client's attention and earn a response to your marketing.

Direct marketing is a very effective tool for realtors to grow their businesses. It can create a significant number of leads and a significant addition to your cash flow, However, direct mail must be done with proper planning and the right expectations for response. Never has a single one-time direct mailing been successful. Alternatively, real estate professionals who practice repetition in their direct mail and their marketing grow wealthy while they leave their competition behind.

Barrett Niehus is a principal for IP Ware Real Estate Investment Software http://www.realtysoftware.org and a technical marketing specialist for Compound Solutions in Escondido, California.WARNING! Real Estate Gurus Ahead!

WARNING! Real Estate Gurus Ahead!

You've seen them. The TV infomercials, the full page newspaper ads, the direct mail letters. Take cover! We are under attack from the real estate gurus.

You've seen them. The TV infomercials, the full page newspaper ads, the direct mail letters. Take cover! We are under attack from the real estate gurus.

Copyright © 2003, Mark Walters The Power Letter.com http://www.ThePowerLetter.com

You've seen them. The TV infomercials, the full page newspaper ads, the direct mail letters. Take cover! We are under attack from the real estate gurus.

The real estate riches craze seems to hit the country every ten to twelve years or so. The real estate gurus may or may not really be successful investors, but there is no doubt that they are masters of marketing. There they sit, on the patio of water front homes with yachts clearly visible in the background. They are chatting with an alleged student who only a few days ago lived in abject poverty, but now earns millions buying real estate. "Yes, you can do the same if you only attend the free seminar soon to be held in your area."

You've seen exactly that on TV, right? What gives? Is there any truth under all of that hype? Haven't you been a little tempted by such an expertly designed sales pitch?

The truth is that anyone can make money investing in real estate. It is one of the great wealth building opportunities available to any American who is determined to succeed. You literally can achieve financial independence starting with little more than determination and knowledge. The gurus are able to mount massive marketing campaigns, because they make millions promising to provide the secret knowledge of success.

Those free seminars offered by the gurus are amazing lessons in the psychology of selling. Attend and you will witness a few hundred people expertly whipped into a frenzy of greed. The crowd is carefully led step by step into an uncontrollable need to buy the "magical wealth building secrets" offered by the guru's "boot camp".

These super sales people have become so good at creating lust for wealth that they can now sell their educational seminars for as much as $15,000! Many "up sell" from there with on going mentoring services and other extras. Let's see, 100 students at $15,000 each for a three-day boot camp. Hey, there really is wealth available in real estate!

Let's be fair. Most of these people really do teach the mechanics of successful real estate investing. Carleton Sheets, Robert Allen, Russ Whitney and others have been promoting their seminars for years and have had thousands and thousands of students. It stands to reason that after teaching that many people at least a few would become successful investors. Those are the ones you see in the infomercials telling about all the money they've made after attending the seminar.

Sure, only a small percentage of the students ever make any real money in real estate, but let's not be quick to judge. Four out of five new businesses fail within the first 5-years no matter what field they're in. Real estate investing can't be expected to be much different.

So what's the complaint? Well it's not the education. The author's experience shows that in most cases the

postcard style 11 - Postcard Example

information being taught is valid and useful. BUT. should it cost $3,000 to $15,000?

As a real estate investor and creator of educational material I am often asked for advice from people considering a guru seminar. These people are excited about the earning potential presented in the TV ads. What they really want to hear is an endorsement of the particular guru and a positive review of the seminar to help convince their spouse and themselves that the thousands will be well spent.

Here's how I reply. I ask if they have read every real estate investing book to be found on the shelves of their local library? Next I ask if they have checked to see what real estate books are available from bookstores like Barnes & Noble or Borders? Have they searched for real estate books at Amazon.com? Have they attempted to locate and join a local real estate investor club? There's one in most any city of any size. Have they done an Internet search for "real estate investing"? That's where you find privately published education from real investors.

I try to direct folks to the real estate investing material that's available free or at reasonable cost. I have even found the tapes and books from expensive seminars at used bookstores and thrift shops for ten dollars or less. Real estate investing information is everywhere if you will just look for it.

You see the real secret is. there is no secret. All the gurus are teaching the same things. It is basically the same information successful real estate investors have been using for decades. You'll find it in the books at your library. It's available from others at investor clubs. It's been focused and updated by private publishers and vendors at a fraction of the cost demanded by the gurus.

It's true! You can make plenty of money in real estate and you don't have to be a guru to do it.

Mark Walters is a real estate investor and the editor-publisher of The Power Letter. This monthly, online newsletter is read by over 40,000 investors. Subscriptions are free. Please visit it now at... http://www.ThePowerLetter.com

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