Ever wonder how real estate’s best agents dominate the market and win listings? Some of ERA Real Estate’s top producers – David Acosta of ERA Sellers Buyers and Associates, El Paso, Texas; Denise Andres of ERA Landmark Real Estate, Bozeman, Mont.; Becky Babcock of ERA Sunrise Realty, Canton, Ga.; and Debbie Rossetto of Legacy Real Estate & Associates ERA Powered, Fremont, Calif.  – shared  their proven best practices during the brand’s 2013 International Business Conference.

 

Contact Management: “Your database is only as good as what you put into it,” said Rossetto, who enters a lead into her database the minute she receives it and sets that contact up with a follow up campaign in Top Producer, her contact management program of choice. That lead then receives a market snapshot and will be provided with an updated market analysis on a monthly basis. “Don’t wait until later,” Rossetto cautions because as another agent put it, the faster you communicate, the more apt potential clients are to work with you.

Mobile Workforce: Take your office with you, wherever you go, offered Babcock, who uses Dropbox to store all of her active listings, closed sales, HUDs, etc. She also uses Docusign for electronic signatures and relies heavily on texting to quickly communicate with internal staff, to speed up services and delivery of information to clients. With this use of technology, she can serve her clients from any location but as she cautions, while technology facilitates speed, it is the appointment that seals the deal. So, make time for face to face communication and be sure to ask your client how they prefer to communicate so that you are reaching them rather than interrupting them.  As Andres added, let the client set the pace. If they text you, text them. If they call you, call them back.

Another texting best practice was presented by Acosta who uses the textPlus app to manage text communication with clients. Plus, adding the TEXT ERA texting code to sign riders lets interested buyers obtain immediate information on a listing when they are driving past. Then his office often replies quickly with a link to additional listing information.

Professional Photography: People are very proud of their homes – even when they’re selling; therefore it is critical that the photography used to market it reflects how the seller feels about the property. “It must be professional photography,” stated Andres, who says that state of the art images paired with proper pricing are the keys to selling success. She distinguishes herself in her market by using the best photography she can afford and then creates a photo book of closed sales on mixbook.com. The book serves a dual purpose. First, she takes the book to the initial listing appointment with a prospective seller so they can see her work and success in selling. Second, because the book is so striking and the home looks so impressive, sellers aspire to be in that book and therefore want to become clients. It is a quick, inexpensive and effective way to showcase your strengths and score the listing.

Added Rossetto, in this business, you have 5 seconds to make a first impression and that will most likely happen via the Internet. Therefore to bring out the best in the photography, the home needs proper preparation. Rossetto has a team that goes in and organizes, cleans and stages the home so that the client does not have to worry about it. (Other reasons staging is important: here and here.) She pays for the service upfront and recoups the fee on the back end of the transaction. This ensures the home is pristine and shown in its very best light without added stress on the client.

Video and Face Time: Acosta is a big fan of using video and has a system in place that distinguishes his listing services from the competition because it represents the way the seller sees their home. Acosta has a person on staff that creates the videos and even incorporates an appearance from Acosta in each video to help brand him and enable him to position himself as a trusted source of information. As Acosta pointed out, the most talented people surround themselves with people who can do things they do not know how to do. Therefore, having a video guru on the team adds great value. They charge clients a $400 fee which is well received because it is seen as an investment in the selling process. In addition to video, Acosta swears by face time with the sellers. He visits the home a few times so the sellers know he is really working hard for them.

Honesty and Knowledge: When Babcock first meets with a client, she tells them that they are all partners in the process and informs them of what exactly they need to know, rather than what they need to hear. During this conversation, she explains what the client will need to do to support her in achieving the desired goal. She also keeps them updated on the market throughout the process and clients really appreciate the knowledge sharing and transparency, positioning Babcock as a trusted advisor.

In addition, at a listing appointment, Andres will walk her clients through the process from beginning to end and leaves them with a checklist of what they can expect to happen over the next several days and weeks so they are prepared and in the know.

Sensing a common theme throughout these best practices? These agents take ERA Real Estate’s vision to heart by sharing knowledge and adding true value through innovative service offerings. If you haven’t already, try a few of these tips and see if they work for you.

And to add one more word of wisdom from Rossetto, try it for at least 12 months before you decide whether or not to continue. Practice makes perfect and consistency is key.