DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
Issue link: https://uberflip.westsidedigs.com/i/1242198
12 DIGS.NET | 5.1.2020 A few simple questions provide the road map to success in real estate: 1. Who/where are your potential customers? 2. How will you reach them in a consistent, relevant, and frequent manner? 3. When you do reach them, what will you say? Will it add value? Is it relevant? Will they care? 4. How will you earn their trust? I started DIGS ten years ago to provide agents critical tools that deliver the answers to these questions and we are still around because our strategy works. Don't go chasing marketing rainbows, when all you need is right in front of you – consistent, frequent, and relevant visibility within your local community. The current market environment is your best chance to supercharge your brand and position it to dominate for years to come. All you have to do is show up. Opportunity knocking Now is a great time to re-examine your marketing strategy. Marketing guru Jay Abraham said it best, "change your strategy, change your results." Start with the four questions posed above, your answers will provide a good framework and road map for improve- ment moving forward. When my son was in kindergarten his teacher had a great saying that I use all of the time – "focus and finish." Great for five-year old's, and even better for marketers! Here's another question to ponder - how much time and money are you spending trying to be seen "everywhere a little" versus a "few places a lot?" To build a successful brand and make a dent in your Fresh out of college in the summer of 1990, I landed my first job selling life insurance for The Equitable on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. I owned one suit, had no sales experience, and was beyond broke. Onboarding was simple, "here's a phone book, a pencil and a desk you can use – now go make it happen!" Sound familiar? For encouragement, they told me and the other new agents that 99% of us would fail and be out of the business before the end of the first year. Game on! The short version of this story is that not only did I make it past the first year, I was actually thriving and making a living despite all of the odds. How? Marketing. It wasn't easy, I made a thousand mistakes, got humbled, but eventually found my way. What I learned about marketing in those days is a gift that I cherish today and why I'm so passionate about helping real estate agents succeed despite the odds. Here are some of the lessons I learned along the way: First, you can't be afraid of failing. Failing is how you learn, embrace it, and let it be the wind in your sail. Failing is your friend, your master teacher. Don't take it personally, fail fast, and move on. Second, communication is the ultimate tool in the tool kit, use it wisely! Effective communication has more to do with asking the right questions and being a good listener that perfecting a sales pitch that nobody cares to hear. Third, patience is a virtue. Think, then act. Don't chase the latest marketing/sales tactics, instead create a strategy, set a goal, make a plan, and execute. Next, be of service and have empathy. Your business/ product/service exists to add value and fulfill the promise of helping solve the hopes, fears, desires, and dreams of your customers. It starts and ends with your customer, you're just the facilitator in between. Last, and anything but least, build a brand. Make sure your reputation precedes you in your market – become the "place to go for…the person to talk to about…" become the indispensable source for whatever you do. The bottom line, marketing at its best is simple, consis- tent, relevant, and frequent. INSUR A NCE FOR M A R K ETING? P U B L I S H E R ' S M U S E marketplace, you need focused activity, frequency, and repe- tition. Find your signature marketing channels (less is more) and double down. Relevancy rules. Don't get caught up in trying to decide which marketing channel is best, (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Home Search Portals, etc.) – instead, focus on where your customers are, specifically, where they live. You've heard the cliché – "real estate is local." So is the most effective real estate marketing! Investing in keeping your brand front and center in the local community is always a wise choice. Even better to show up where the local real estate atten- tion and conversation is happening in town. (Hmm, I know a great place!) And some good news…the current market down- turn provides three huge advantages for agents to actually grow their business. 1. Less competition A vast majority of agents are in hibernation mode – preferring to take the path of least resistance. That's a huge advantage for agents that continue to show leadership and stay visible in the market. 2. More referral business Now is the best time to reactivate your referral business. Reach out to your database and ask how you can be of service – people still need to buy and sell and will turn to trusted sources first. 3. Increased brand authority Turbulent market conditions are the best time to grow your customer base and market share. As Advertising Hall of Famer Bruce Barton famously said, "In good times, people want to advertise; in bad times, they have to." Keep pushing forward, I'm rooting for you! Until next time, PS – A marketing diamond I found selling life insurance was that the "resolution" was found in the "resolve" part of the equation – the determination to continue showing up…eventually, the market will respond. Warren J Dow Publisher wdow@Southbaydigs.com 310.373.0142