Hello and welcome to Debby's Daily Tips!

Today I wanted to answer a question that I often get from the agents that we're coaching and the question is: ''How do I properly use e-mail blast?''

So here's the main question they often ask: ''How much is too much?''

Well, in talking to my marketing guru Pete Mitchell, one of the things he always tells me is it's perfectly fine to e-blast them once a week, just don't be boring.

So if you think about it, what are some of the things they might like to hear about from you?

Well, it could be hot buys, new listings, exciting properties and opportunities. It could be a local market update. Now of course, it would have to be a little bit bigger picture, not specific to their neighborhood.

So for example we're in Orange County, California, so I might do a Southern California market update, because that would cover all of our past clients across L.A. and Orange County.

You could do something that's more community oriented, a food and wine festival, some type of charity event that you're participating in. So the key is you're using it to stay connected.

Now something important to remember though is that statistically, now I can't remember where I got this so please bear with me, I don't know if it's 100% accurate but it seems about right. I read that statistically the average person gets up to 160 e-mails a day and that even if they know you, only about 20% will actually open and read your e-mail.

So that's exactly why if you're using e-blasting as the only method to market your past clients and sphere of influence, you're running a little bit of a risk of not connecting with everybody at the highest level.

So I always recommend to our clients that in addition to the e-blast, which is great and it's free, that they also mail something every month and if budget will only permit, at least to mail something once a quarter.

Okay now, one thing also that I've learned, if you add a video and it doesn't have to be professionally produced, just a quick little video, some kind of short message that you send them and if you add that video to your e-mail that the open rate soars, that it goes up dramatically because people like to watch videos.

So we want an e-mail, we want to mail, we want to call, we want to text, and you know some of our clients are even using sly dial when they want to get a message into their voicemail without actually speaking to them.

Alright, so we've got to communicate, we've got to keep you top of mind, and certainly if you are going to email let's get it on a consistent calendar so it happens like clockwork and we stay connected and in touch.

Alright, have a great day guys and if you need some help with this and you'd like to speak with one of the coaches, if you're in coaching talk to your coach, if you're not in coaching let us know, you can go to www.businesstrategycall.com and book a complimentary session with one of our coaches.

Alright, have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.

Hello and welcome to Debby's Daily Tips!

And so today I want to talk a little bit about connecting with people in social situations.

So of course, as you're out at your PTA meetings and maybe at church or maybe at some other type of activity that you might be attending, you know, you don't want to be obnoxious and abrasive and literally shoving your business card in everyone's hand, and yet we know that those meet and greet opportunities are valuable. Because no matter where you go, there are prospects there.

The other day we were looking at apartments with my daughter, who's going to be moving soon and there was one apartment complex that had an incredible gym and all of the people in that apartment complex were, I would say probably 25 to 40 years old, that's the majority, the make-up, which is the young professionals in Orange county, if they're paying that amount of rent, they have a substantial income.

They all have a good job for the most part and I said to her, "This gym could be a wealth of conversations and connections that could lead to some great buyers for you."

Now, her question then was ''Well mom, how do I do that? I'm not gonna go around when they are on the elliptical and hand them my business card''.

I said ''Well, there's a few ways you can do that and one of them is just to be open to new conversation''.

Just to be friendly, to say hello, to strike up a conversation, make it all about them, how long have they lived there, what do they do for a living, how's their business going. If you just get them talking about themselves, for the most part, most people, to be polite, will turn around and ask you questions about you and when they do. Of course the topic is going to come up that you're in real estate.

Now when they ask you how's the market, which obviously they will, remember here's your script, ''Thank you for asking. It's actually a very opportunistic market. There are terrific opportunities for buyers, equally powerful opportunities for sellers. I am curious, is there some opportunity you are interested in pursuing?''

Now I also told her why not get a couple of t-shirts for working out with the logo of the company on them so that when she's there working out, she's got a real estate t-shirt on, I mean what the heck, why not?

She was appalled and horrified of course, because she is 24 years old and yet I said, ''Honey, you know your average commission check is over ten thousand dollars, so if just wearing a t-shirt to the gym got you two, three transactions a year, that would be more than enough to pay your rent. I think it might be worth it''.

Now for the rest of you maybe that's wearing your name tag but, you know, do anything you can to be visible, how people approach you and engage you in conversations it will be easy then for you to run with, right?

So no secret agent. Zig Ziglar, which you've heard me quote before, had a great saying: ''Timid salespeople have skinny kids''.

So leads are everywhere. Get out there and meet some people.

Have a great day; I'll talk to you soon.

Hello and welcome to Debbie's Daily Tips.

So you know, I was talking to the coaches today and we were talking about commission cutting and overcoming the commission objection.

Well first of all, we have some great scripts for this and if you're in coaching with us then absolutely you have access to those scripts. Now, if you are not in coaching with us and you need some help with this then reach out to me.

In fact, you can go to www.businessstrategycall.com and you can request a complimentary consultation with one of the coaches because I do know that this is a big issue and I know that it can potentially cost you a lot of money.

So we want to get you practiced on your different commission objection handlers, but there's a couple of things I'd ask you. One, don't volunteer to cut. Let's stop that once and for all and number two, when you handle the commission objection don't hesitate, don't allow silence.

Instead move immediately on to another subject. Well, ''Do you cut commission?''

''Mr. and Mrs. Seller thank you for bringing that up, I don't and here's why. Because if you think about it, commission is really a marketing carrot and I want to put all the resources and attention into doing what we need to do to create the top price and encouraging the best buyer agents to bring buyers to your home so that ultimately you net more.

'Now Mr. and Mrs. Seller may I ask you, when would you like to see your home sold to the right buyer?''

See, I don't want to hesitate, because when I hesitate after handling the commission objection, I give them an opportunity to dig in or it's an awkward, uncomfortable silence. Instead, I just need to move on and let it pass.

Now of course I wish it would be as simple as one objection handler might solve every problem but of course we know that that's not the case.

So what we want to do, if we want to make sure that you have multiple opportunities, multiple ways to handle and overcome that objection.

Because it's not going to go away, you're going to get hit with it on most appointments because most people are going to ask, so I want you to invest some time working on it and if you need some help let us know.

I look forward to talking to you on the next Debbie's Daily Tips. Talk to you soon.

Hello and welcome to Debbie's Daily Tips! Today we're talking about your listing presentation, and we've got a lot to cover, so I'm going to hit it hard and fast.

One of the things I noticed is it's very common hat when real estate agents come to us for coaching, they always need help with their lasting presentation materials. Also what I noticed is that most of the major brands have some terrific stuff that they give you to use. However they often have so much stuff it can often be 25, 30, 45, usually, more than that, pages, which is just so overwhelming. I find that most of the agents don't use it and, quite frankly, most of the consumers don't want to hear it. One of the things I know is, a confused mind doesn't act. So in other words, when you overwhelm them with data and information, it doesn't cause them to listen, in fact it may cause them to say, "I need to think it over." Sometimes real estate agents tell me they spend two hours plus at a listing appointment. At a certain point, it's information overload. So let's think about it. What do they want when they invite you over? They don't want a presentation or a pitch – not really. They're looking for answers to three things:

• Who are you, can you get the job done, can I work with you, should I hire you?
• What is your marketing proposal?
• What's the highest realistic price my home will sell for?

Remember, they don't buy the plane ride, they buy the destination. When you're reviewing your marketing proposal, it should not be about the features, the service, the photography… it should be about how the things you'll do for them will benefit them to sell their home for more money.

Your marketing proposal should be an interactive discussion, because if you have too many pages, you will never be able to cover it all. You will get lost in it and you will revert to pitch mode to get everything done.

Think about this, sell the power of your brand, your company, you, and then talk about the marketing proposal and then finally of course, review the data and select the price.

So take all of your materials – this is what I'd like you to do this week – lay them all out on the floor. And then, I want you to go back through and I want you to remove any of what I could call, the fluffy stuff. Divider pages, even things that while it may be good, it's really not relevant to listing the property. It could be sent as a free listing information package, it could be sent after the fact. What I mean by that –often they'll be things like "the sales process," or "how to prepare your home for sale," or "how to show your home." That doesn't need to be included in the materials that will cause them to list with you. That could be a nice value add that you leave behind later.

I do think it's important to have some testimonials or success stories. You tell them what you're going to do to market the home, and then you show them that you do what you say you do, which is really your success story. I also think that those pages that are often in the branded packages, such as "the dangers of overpricing," should potentially be removed. You can take them with you, you can pull them out and put them on the table, should you need them, but really, you don't need to go over that with them In the listing presentation unless they're going to overprice their property.

So, what they need to know. Right? So let's not overwhelm them, let's pull the pages that you feel are the most powerful and impactful, let's have at least a great paragraph to talk about that page, and then a few questions to engage them because remember, they should not be a pitch. It should be a consultation. And if you have some more questions and you need help, or would like to actually have one of the coaches review your listing presentation materials, and maybe talk to us about getting some additional help, please feel free to go to www.businessstrategy.com and register for the consultation , and of course you can  always email me direct, [email protected] I look forward to talking to you soon, have a great day.

The coaches and I were talking this morning about what you can do when you need to find contracts fast. So we made a quick little top ten list.

• Call every new and old lead aggressively; getting them into action, sparking them into why now is a good time. If they're not ready, ask them for a referral!

• Go back to every old expired, withdrawn and cancelled of your own or appointments that you went on that did not list, and try to reengage them.

• Call your AAA sphere and past clients and ask for a referral.

• Hold a high quality open house and invite the neighbors.

• Preview 5 houses a day and knock 10 doors on each side, talking to the neighbors.

• If you have listings that are not selling, get price reductions as soon as possible!

• Have a heart to heart with every buyer you have and get them on track. Expand search criteria, get them to spend more if they can, and ask them for a referral.

• Call every affiliate you work with and ask for at last one referral name.

• Get in front of 2-3 past clients, expireds, or for sale by owners daily.

• Do your 5-5-5-5 daily (5 contacts, eye-to-eye or ear to ear, 5 emails to create business, 5 texts to create business, 5 handwritten notes) and bump your contacts to 20 on any day you can.

So take aggressive action – and do it now!

Hello and welcome to Debbie's Daily Tips!

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about selling the forgotten real estate skill.

You may think that sounds strange, but the real estate industry doesn't need to worry that we're ever going to lose focus on the importance of technology, because we are obsessed with it!​

Every day of our careers we are reminded of such, thanks to the efforts, of Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, our real estate brokerages, our software companies, all which are dominating our conventions, extolling our contact management systems to us, the pervasive role of mobile ​devices in our lives.

Industry institutions like Ris Media and others make ensure that we remain on the cutting edge by providing‎ us with both web and mobile content, as well as guidance on its importance and application.

So this ever emerging trend, without question, has diminished the once revered emphasis on the second oldest profession (please forgive me) the second oldest profession: selling. That's right SELLING!

I remember when I began selling real estate, it's a long time ago, almost on a daily basis ​I was encouraged to work on my sales skills. I grew up in the business believing that selling was/is an art.

Over the years I've continued my quest to study, drill, practice and rehearse to perfect my sales skills. I always feel that there is a next level of mastery that we can achieve. Yet most salespeople often stop at just good enough to get by.

​In coaching our clients to their next level of mastery we focus not only on the nuts and bolts, the scripts and objection handlers, we also dive into areas like: 

1. ​The science of persuasion
2. ​The difference between hard and soft sell
3. ​Neuro-linguistic programming...that was developed in the 1970's
4. ​How to persuade with the power of questions​
5. ​How to ​strategically lead generate​
6. How to set themselves apart as the clear choice in the mind of the prospect as the wise authority and market expert
7. How to be consumer centric in their marketing and how to get that right approach that will create the results they need and deserve

Now please do not misunderstand me, at Excelleum I have invested a small fortune in developing for my coaching clients, leading social media strategies, ​marketing strategies and materials​, auto dialers, texting platforms and all of the latest and greatest tools that can help them work smarter and faster. 

​Now because my husband and daughter are full time real estate agents I actually get to use them as guinea pigs and try it all out on them first!​

However, ​ as a coach who has likely conducted more coaching calls with elite agents across North America (over 70,000) I will never stop reminding them that they need to be a salesperson first and a tech wizard second!  ​

One of the reasons I got into real estate sales, is I read in a magazine that there were more millionaire sales people than doctors and lawyers combined.

But no one is going to be a million dollar a year sales person or a hundred thousand dollar a year sales person if they don't go beyond being engulfed and sucked in by technology alone.

I want you to love and embrace selling. After all, we're not selling ​widgets, trinkets or something ​ nobody wants, we are selling the greatest product in the wor​ld.

​When you believe in what you do, when you are passionate about helping others and you're focused on helping them achieve their goals, your high caliber sales skills will simply help you move them forward faster and with less stress for them. 

Here's a favorite affirmation I made up for our terrific coaching clients: "My job as a great salesperson is to help my customers overcome their fear and hesitation to achieve the goals that they have set."

As I believe Zig Ziglar used to say, "You have to go out and see the people!"

Alright, have a great day! Go practice the art of selling. If you need some help, if you're ready to go the next level, contact us, www.business trageycall.com. We'll get you booked to talked to one of my great coaches and feel free to reach out to me via email, anytime, [email protected]

Have a great day, I'll talk to you soon!

Hello and welcome to Debbie's Daily Tips!

Today we're finishing up our series on the best tips to find listings now.

• Call absentee owners in your market. Tell them how hot the market is, and that now may be that time to sell they've been waiting for.

• Wear your career apparel or name tag everywhere. I know this one is simple, but you know what?  We are around the corner, next door, at the gym, at the grocery store, and if they see that you're a real estate agent, they will often approach you.

• If you aren't farming, now is the time to hit it hard. Be strategic about what you are sending. It needs to set you up as an expert, offer valuable information, and have a strong call to action. 

• Every day do a minimum of 5 high quality contacts, 5 hand written notes, 5 emails, and 5 texts to your best prospects! This is the 5-5-5-5. Would I like, as a coach, to see you making more than that?  Absolutely!   I would leave to see you making 20 contacts a day, 100 contacts a week.  However, just think about it.  If you did your 5-5-5-5 every day over, say, 285 days in the year, that'd be 5,700 great connections.  That's not bad, right?  Probably a little more than you might have done in the past few months. 

• Now again, stretch to hit 100 contacts a week. Ear to ear or eye to eye conversations, every week. This is the time to dig in and ramp it up.

I know we've covered a lot, but just go back over the tips and pick 2 or 3.  If you're in coaching with us now, talk to your coach about these tips.  If you're not in coaching but you would like to talk to us, get some help and find out more, go to www.precoachingconsult.com and we'll help  you book your session.  It'll be complimentary, no pressure, and we'll get to know you better.

Thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Hello and welcome to Debbie's Daily Tips!

We're continuing on with our series: Best tips to find listings now, and today we're on number 11.

• Consider working divorce filings. 22% of homeowners who file for divorce list within 12 months of filing. We know they need help, as it's a very stressful, very trying time.

• Contact old expireds. 90% typically list within 18 months. So contact them!  Call them, knock on their door, let's go find them! 

• Send an "I have a buyer" letter to at least 100 homeowners for each buyer that you are working with, because you might as well hit those neighborhoods. If you are willing, I'd love it if you'd call or door knock behind those 100 letters.

• Another idea is to contact landlords who are trying to rent their properties and ask if they would consider selling. You know how it is if you own rental property. Just when you get everything all ramped up and ready to go, you have this thought, do you really want to rent this property to someone who's just going to tear it up once again?  So you can really be hitting them at a very good time. 

• Look at your past clients and sphere of influence list. Look at it like an FBI profiler. Who can you spark into selling?  Do they need to move up, do they need to move down?  Is it time for them to help a family member buy or sell a property?  Let's take a look at those opportunities that you might be able to reach out to them about, because remember, you are their real estate advisor.

Thanks for listening; we'll finish up our tips on the next Debbie's Daily Tips!

Hello and welcome to Debbie's Daily Tips.

Today we're going on with our series of: best tips to find listings – now.  We left off with tip #5 so now we're on tip #6:

• Preview 5 new properties each day. New listings from the hot sheet or bulletin.  Knock 10 doors on each side, talk to the neighbors and find out, do they also want to make a move?   And you never know – they may know of a buyer for the home.  And you know what's really cool about this.  Because they're not quite sure how or if you're connected to the neighbor – they're often rather friendly and certainly very helpful in terms of trying to find a favored person to move next door.  And they always are nosy so it makes for very easy conversation.
• See every for sale by owner in your town. I get it that in some markets there's just not a lot of for sale by owners, but you might as well keep eyes on them.   Go see them, because If they won't list with you, you can always use them for pocket inventory.
• Because expireds are few and far between in some markets, it should be easy to hunt them down. Call them, knock on their door. Again, they too can be good pocket inventory if they are not willing to list right away.  If you work the higher-end expireds, there may be even less competition.
• Ask every current seller and buyer you have for a referral. When someone is in the process of buying or selling, their mind is very focused on it.  They're talking to their friends, their talking to their family and they do know people.  They might even be telling those people to call you.  And the people just don't get around to it. "Inventory is low, who do you know who wants to buy or sell, that you'd be willing to connect me with?"  So let's get in there and ask for those referrals right away.
• Consider conducting a "How to Move Up" seminar. Invite your farm and database.  Don't forget to include a couple of joint venture partners so they can help you drive attendance to the event. Because you know there's a lot of pent up demand in this move up group and they just don't know how to navigate that process.  "Do I buy first, do I sell first?" and we want them to know you have a move up system and that you are the move up specialist.

Tune in again, we're going to give you some more tips on Debbie's Daily Tips on the best tips to find listings now.

Hello and welcome to Debbie's Daily Tips.

Today we're talking about the best tips to find listings – now.  I have about 20 tips for you, so since it's supposed to be Debbie's Daily Tips, I'm going to give you a few and then if you want to check back in tomorrow, I'll give you a few more, and we'll work our way through the series so I don't overwhelm you.

• Call anyone that you've met with in the last 12-24 months who maybe decided not to list at that time. And see if you can spark them back into action.
• Call any of your own expireds, withdrawns, or cancelleds. Sometimes I know you feel a little bit weird about that, that they might be mad at you – but you know what?  They get over it.  It's easier for them to go back to you rather than go to a stranger.  So why don't you give them a call and see what they're up to?
• Call or knock 100 doors around every listing that you take inviting the neighbors to a sneak preview of the home. This has been very successful for so many of our coaching clients.  The neighbors are nosy, and it gives you a great opportunity to get them in in advance of the open house and build a rapport with them, and possibly find a future or even immediate potential seller.
• Find one group to get in front of each week where you can mix and mingle. When the subject of real estate comes up, tell them, "It's a very opportunistic market.  There are outstanding opportunities for buyers and terrific opportunities for sellers and I wonder, what opportunity are you considering exploring?"
• Call every new lead and every old lead that you have this week. Re-qualify them and try again to spark them into action.  I find that 75% of our clients' business comes from their lead follow-up, but often it's very neglected.  So you want to try them in the mornings, the afternoons, the evenings, and even take one Saturday a month, just to clean them all up.

Alright so let's dig in, go after it, and tune back in for more of the best ways to find listings now.