I have been working an incredible Internet real estate career for over 13 years now, and each year there are new lessons to learn. Most agents do not understand this simple concept. The secret of real estate is leads generation. It applies to a regular real estate career or one that is Internet based. You must be a rainmaker or you will fail miserably. Our main real estate site pulls in thousands of unique visitors every day. To the outsider looking in, they just do not understand all the work that is involved in an Internet business. This took over a decade to build, and it was built upon one idea at a time. Success builds upon success. The fallacy in our real estate business is that leads just appear, and closings will fall in your lap! What a lie! They do not understand that not every deal will work out, in fact most will not work out. That is even truer in the current real estate market we are now experiencing. I understand fully that more leads have to be worked to get you the same or even less of a return. Is it worth it? You bet it is! To achieve success you must first be willing to move beyond your comfort zone. There will be more rejection than rewards, but that is OK. The rewards will pay handsomely!
The successful real estate agent realizes that success starts with a plan. You cannot purchase success, and it isn't magic. It doesn't come in a software suite, and you cannot buy it in a templated real estate website. It is much bigger than all of that. True success on the web is a duplicatable event works time after time. It is never one random closing that you have no idea how they found your website.
- Success first starts with a vision of what you would like to accomplish.
- A well thought out plan to implement that vision comes next.
- Domain names are purchased and a blueprint that will allow your vision to become a reality is drawn up!
This is only a beginning. Now the hard work begins. It has been said "If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door!" Well on the Internet that is almost true. First they have to find your website, and then once they find it they have to like it. Your website must give buyers and sellers a reason to return, and you cannot purchase that reason by buying that web position via clicks etc. Instead, viewers are the ultimate judge of what they see. They will either like your website or reject it. High website traffic and no closed business tells you something. The best way to capitalize on your website is to ask viewer directly what they like about your site and what they despise. Knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are will give you a new direction to head! This may be the best advice I could give anyone that wants to run an online real estate business. Ask questions of your callers.
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Jim, This post is so well done with good information I am going to pass this along to my wife for her Tuesday office meeting. She has a very good lead generation program but it does need to be more efficient.
Don Eichler (Eichler Properties) Don, all leads programs or follow-up regimes need to be as efficient as possible.
Jim the biggest problem remains that the vast majority of Realtors are unwilling to spend the time necessary just to get their site rank in the search engines never mind actually doing something with a lead.
Bill Gassett Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate (RE/MAX Executive Realty) The biggest mistake that real estate agents make in my opinion is that every lead is a good lead. They aren't! ALL LEADS have to be worked. The leads all have to be graded Hot buyer? Luke Warm / maybe? Loser / dreamer?
Bill Gassett Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate (RE/MAX Executive Realty) The biggest mistake that real estate agents make in my opinion is that every lead is a good lead. They aren't! ALL LEADS have to be worked. The leads all have to be graded Hot buyer? Luke Warm / maybe? Loser / dreamer?
One more for 1400 blog posts! Woooo Hoooo! Keep getting the important local Atlanta GA real estate information out there Jim!
Yes, Jim. I like what you say about leads. They MUST be graded.
Andrew Mooers | Northern Maine Real Estate / Aroostook County Broker (MOOERS REALTY) Andrew, I did not even pay attention to that. Thanks for informing me. I checked out a few more of your Northern Maine Real Estate videos. They are great.
Joan Snodgrass Tri-Lakes Realtors, Shell Knob, MO (Tri- Lakes REALTORS) I think a lot of new agents don't understand that at all.
Jim - The truth is that I, as a newbie Internet marketing real estate agent is looking through some non-real glasses, wishing I, too could gain the succcess like those of you who started building content for your website from a decade ago.
I realized I need to pay it with TIME. But as part of this microwave society resident, I want success fast.
Okay, I need to remind myself, one good content at a time. It's about a crock-pot business!
Thanks Jim for the encouragement.
I'm off to put 1 new content for my website.
Loreena Yeo - Broker|Realtor(R) of Frisco-TX-Homes (214) 783-2210 (3:16 team REALTY) New content rules.