Copyright 2005, Lanard Perry

Okay, so we all can agree - listings are the lifeblood of
the real estate industry. And if the keys to selling them
are location, location and location, then the challenge in
getting them is self-promotion.

But how do you promote to the masses without going broke?
Below are a few ideas and strategies to effectively market
yourself on a shoe string budget.

Sponsor A Workshop Sponsor a workshop for homeowners
attempting to sell their homes FSBO. Advertise it in your
local newspaper and note that seating is limited.

Then, require attendees to RSVP their intent to attend.
So,with little effort you will have developed a "warm list"
of prospective buyers and sellers.

The workshop should be relatively short; 60-90 minutes long.
Provide a movie, popcorn and a sitter for kids so that
parents won't have to worry about getting a babysitter. More
parents are likely to attend and you'll have their undivided
attention.

The workshop should be long enough to share useful
information, but short enough that you won't stress about
how you're going to fill the time. Heck you can even joke
with callers that it'll only be as long as "Bambi," or
whatever movie you decide to show.

Host the workshop in your office if you have adequate space.
If not, the local library, a Title Company, Mortgage Company
or other location will suffice. Do not rent a space, but do
have it in a nice location.

Title and Mortgage Companies may even be inclined to pay a
part or all of the costs for co-sponsoring the event with
you. After all, each attendee is a prospect for their
products and services, too.

In the workshop you'll be instructing attendees on the dos
and don'ts of selling their properties; establishing the
right price, creating curb appeal, staging a home for sale,
establishing how and when to show their properties, and more
importantly how to be safe when showing properties.

One objective of the workshop is to give each attendee
essentially the same information you give when you go on
listing presentations. It's kind of like a listing
presentation in reverse, where they come to you as a group.

So, at the end of it each attendee will have a greater
appreciation of the advantages of using a Realtor, your
marketing plan, contact number, email address, etc.

Be sure to follow up with a series of letters to continue
building the relationship. As a general rule it takes 4 - 7
contacts before you develop enough rapport with prospects to
earn their business, but it's well worth the effort. Make it
easy on yourself and consider prewritten form letters that
are ready made to copy, paste and send.

Every attendee will be a potential customer for you; as a
seller and a buyer. After all, how many are likely to sell
their properties without the services of a Realtor?

Now, how many are likely to buy a property listed with a
Realtor? Right, again! And guess who can be there when they
need professional assistance?

So, here are a few final questions before I close. Do you
know of another Realtor that host events like this on a
regular basis?

How about one who hosts an Open House for his/her office?
Okay, then how about one that conducts workshops on how to
finance home loans? Still no?

Hopefully, you can now see the near endless possibilities
for self promoting your services. And if you
institutionalize them, meaning that you make them regular
events, they could become part of the services you provide
that distinguishes you from your competitors.

So, whenever you hear somebody say location, location,
location; think self-promotion, self-promotion, and
self-promotion.


Lanard Perry is the author of "Farming Expired Listings", a
real estate listing system that shows how to list 1-2
listings a week. Get a FREE Sample Chapter at
http://www.farmingexpiredlistings.com