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Prospecting is an ancient art but, says Complete Property Training director, Peter Ford, the way you market to clients doesn’t have to
be from the 19th century
Most flyers I receive in my mailbox fail to excite me.
Sure, they may use different font and colours and even come on different types of glossy paper, but they contain the same message:
I have missed the only opportunity to sell in my area. During the gold rush of the 19th century, hopeful prospectors came to Australia in search of that one gold nugget. They knew it took determination, ingenuity and a little bit of luck. Real estate is no different. Prospecting means searching an area for something. With many agents complaining about the lack of quality listings available, having a prospecting plan is essential to an agent’s success.
Just LISTED!
Let’s look at some of the most basic prospecting tools used by agents today, such as ‘Just Listed’ and ‘Just Sold’ flyers.
We must make sure the language we use in these flyers illustrates what’s in it for potential clients in the area.
Changing the wording slightly in a ‘Just Listed’ will work wonders. An example of this might be:
“10 Smith Street is about to appear on the market and like other properties we have recently sold in your area, it’s likely to attract more than one buyer so we urge you to attend our open home this Saturday.”
The language used lets others know there may be enough buyer activity generated to flow onto their own properties. At the same time, it encourages the neighbour to become an active participant.
Just SOLD!
The same applies to the wording of a ‘Just Sold’ flyer. The message needs to talk about the activity, not necessarily the result. An example might be:
“As an outcome of our marketing campaign we are pleased to announce that buyer activity is alive and well in your area. During the campaign, your neighbours at 10 Smith Street enjoyed 347 buyer views via our website, 18 physical buyer inspections and two offers in competition. If you have been considering selling we would love to talk to you.”
This kind of message tends to engage your area’s potential sellers as they believe that your previous marketing activities may have flushed out a buyer for their home as well.
Most sellers – or future sellers – will only engage with an agent when they think there is activity in the marketplace.
Sellers who are already in the market but who are not yet having success will be attracted to the messages you are putting out there. It is well known that most sellers choose the agent most active in their area, or the agent whom they perceive has the
buyers ‘hooked’ with every script, flyer and ad.
People engage with agents because they believe they have an abundance of what they need – in other words, buyers. Agents need to start using language that promotes the fact that they have access to hundreds of interested parties.
The look
How the message is delivered is not as important as the message itself. But it is vital to note that if you are communicating with people in your area through direct mail it should always come in the form of a letter. A flyer or leaflet in the letterbox
is a waste of time – people are much more likely to open a letter simply to see what’s inside.
The letter needs to be addressed to the decision maker in each home and it should clearly state what the letter is about. Something like, “Activity in your street” works well as it shows the information is specific to their area.
The person who is going to open the letter and act on it is your target audience, a potential seller or buyer.
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