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Business to Business Referrals and Other Ideas!
I think we all agree our current real estate market is challenging. Sitting by your desk, waiting for the phone to ring, will not bring enough results to keep you in business. So what are you going to do about it? Well, the first option, of course, is to do nothing, take time off and relax, and start again when the market comes back. But for those of you who love challenges, and tend to be creative, this market is a great opportunity to put those innovative ideas to work for you.
Visit a video rental store, ask the owner if you can put a "Take One" brochure in his store. The caption on the brochure should have some heading asking if the consumer is thinking of buying or selling a house. Invite the consumer to call you to discuss their real estate needs, and you will give them a code that entitles them to 4 free video/DVD rentals (or whatever number of rentals you would deem appropriate for your market area). Explain the program to the owner so he can see that he also receives a benefit (increased rentals paid for by you). Same concept as above, but now we put our "Take One" in a local restaurant. If they call you to talk about selling or buying a home, you'll give them a code that entitles them to one free meal up to a certain dollar amount.
Take a look at your database. Identify those people to whom you have sold a house two years ago. Now, go to your local Chamber of Commerce. Gather up brochures on things that are currently happening in your area or new events that are scheduled for the rest of the summer. Send them out to that database with a little note that says, "Hope you are still enjoying your new home. Here's some updated brochures on what's happening in and around the area. And by the way, if you know of anyone who is thinking about buying a house, if you would recommend me, I would truly appreciate it. Referrals are an important part of my business, just as you are important to me."
Don't laugh at this one! Remember, we're being creative. How about sending a limo to pick up your buyers or your sellers for closing? Or better still, how about sending a limo to pick up your buyers, have the limo take them to a nice restaurant (dinner's on you), and then have the limo drive them back to their new home. Perhaps you could have a magnetic sign made to put on the side of the limo when they're picking up and dropping off your clients. The sign could say, "You too can ride in luxury when you buy or sell through Mary Smith, ABC REALTORS®. Call today! Telephone number(s)."
This idea will get your name out to a lot of people. Sponsor a "What I Enjoyed Most About My Vacation" contest at the end of summer. Place an ad in the local papers, ask for a paragraph of a certain amount of words, and the child must tell perhaps 4 or 5 things they enjoyed most about their vacation. You may want to split the age groups. Offer McDonald certificates, or gift cards to a local book store, or pizza certificates, to the top 3 kids in each age category. After the contest, be sure to send a "Press Release" to all the local papers giving the winners names, along with your name and contact information. Hope I've given you something to think about. See you next week.
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©2010 Sussex County Association of REALTORS®
23407 Park Ave., Georgetown, DE 19947, USA (302) 855-2300 - fax: (302) 855-2319 - info@scaor.com Last Modified 18 July 2008. |
