Author: Dave Raitt

Most people think that just by plastering their web site address all over the map, that they will automatically generate lots of visitors.  Let me say this very strongly… IT JUST ISN’T TRUE!  This mistake can be extremely costly!  And, you will never know how many people have just passed you by.

Almost nobody will visit your web site just because they see your domain name.   Domain names have become so common in advertising these days, that on their own, they don’t generate any interest in your clients.  Get this point straight… You must ALWAYS give people meaningful and compelling reasons to visit your web site. 
Continue reading The MOST Common And Costly Web Site Promotional Mistake and How to Avoid It

Skepticism is today’s number one trend.  No matter how good your USP or advertising is, people will not trust or fully believe your claims and promises unless you are able to back them up with PROOF.  One of the best ways to provide this proof is through the use of testimonials – and your website gives you the perfect vehicle for displaying them.

Since it is natural to distrust marketers, your goal should be to break down this distrust with powerful testimonials that convince prospects of your message.  This is done by offering specific proof of the results of your services.  Your testimonials need to be detailed and specific, including facts, figures and statistics, wherever possible.  It is these details that help prospects overcome skepticism, and gain trust in your claims and promises.

Continue reading Proof Positive – How to use Testimonials on your Website

The use of popup windows has certainly increased dramatically over the past few years.  It is clearly the latest craze in online advertising.  And it certainly has stirred up quite a debate.

We’ve all seen popup windows that appear while surfing the web.  Usually these popup windows have absolutely nothing to do with anything that could possibly be of interest to us (I’m sure everyone has seen popups for the X10 camera).  As a result, the word “popups” is usually quickly associated with the word “annoying” or “bothersome”, or worse.  In fact, entire newsgroups and associations have been formed to attempt to fight the inherent evil of popups.  (Personally, I think this is a losing battle.  After all we still get commercials on television and radio and they are certainly far more intrusive than popup ads.)
Continue reading Using Popup Windows Within Your Site To Generate More Leads For You

    If you’ve got a great website like Craig’s (www.CraigProctor.com), you need to leverage it in every possible way. Your website can and should be an incredibly effective tool during your listing and buyers’ presentations. Here’s how to use your website to close nearly every appointment that you get:

1. Before the presentation, be sure to ask your prospects to review your site prior to the listing appointment. They’re sure to be impressed at least enough to be favorably disposed to you before you arrive. Better yet, it will help to steer them away from any other agents that they may be interviewing.
2. Include views or printouts of the home page for all of your websites as part of your printed or slide presentation. If you’re using multiple websites (branded and unbranded), be sure to include printouts of each site. Explain the differences between branded and unbranded sites and how this attracts more potential buyers.
3. Demonstrate or show printouts of the key pages within your site. Pages such as the “VIP Buyer Program” and the “Online Home Evaluation” will impress most prospects.
4. Show them how their house will look within the listings section of your website. Illustrate the virtual tour and slideshow features. Be sure to point out the benefits of the viral marketing features such as the “Email this listing to a friend”. If you can add a sample listing for their house in advance, they’ll really be impressed.
5. If you’re using 360 degree virtual tours, be sure to point this out and describe the benefits. Better yet, if you’re using the “Egg” to take your own 360 degree photos, take the lens and camera with you and demo it while you are there. It looks very cool and will definitely make you appear technically savvy.
6. If your site generates a significant amount of traffic, don’t forget to printout the traffic statistics and report requests that your site generates.
7. Make a list of all the ways that you market and promote your website (and the houses within it) and describe how this benefits all your clients.
8. In most cases, listings that go to your MLS will automatically be placed on Realtor.com and a number of other real estate search portals. Even though all listings sent to the MLS will get to these sites, you’ll be the only agent taking credit for it.

    This should give you a significant amount of ammunition to help you get the contract. I’m sure once you think a little bit about this you’ll quickly come up with some other ideas of your own.

Your SuccessWebsite will have provided you with some excellent leads – people who have raised their hands and TOLD you that they were moving.  If you fail to follow up promptly, professionally and systematically with these people, YOU WILL LOSE THEM.

This 5-Step Follow Up System will improve your conversion of prospects – the people who have raised their hands identifying their intention to buy or sell – into face-to-face appointments.  The system includes a series of calls, letters and newsletters which help give you top-of-mind consciousness with prospects.

Continue reading A 5-Step Follow Up System To Convert Prospect to Appointment

The idea behind this ad is to focus on an important prospect benefit. The most enduring way to compel a prospect to read and respond to your ad is to speak the benefit right in the headline. You’ll all be aware of the fact that News and Sensational Headlines which pique people’s insatiable curiousity can get a lot of attention (I’m sure you’ve at least witnessed this in the grocery store checkout if not done it yourself). But if you not only want to get your prospect to read, but also to act, you have to go beyond curiousity and speak to your prospect’s subconscious needs and wants. You have to answer the question “What’s in it for me?” This ad not only answers this question (by offering to explain to buyers how to avoid 6 costly mistakes before they buy), but it also takes a relatively easy route to do so by virtue of the fact that it is targeted at buyers. All of you know that it’s much easier to attract a prospect as a buyer than a seller. Sellers have their guard up against real estate agents, knowing that every agent in town is after their listing. Buyers do not have this same mindset given that Buyer Agency is still a relatively new concept. Buyers probably won’t think twice about requesting this information.
Continue reading How To Target Buyers With The “6 Things You Must Know Before You Buy” Report

The average person is bombarded daily with an ocean of options, choices, dilemmas, opportunities, threats, decisions, problems and tasks. It is said that the amount of information doubles every four years, and with the explosion of the internet, this is likely a highly conservative estimate.

For many of our questions, then, there are innumerable potential answers, and it takes a lot of digging, analyzing and TIME (something most of us don’t have) to separate fact from fiction, and sales hype from good, clear, objective, USEFUL answers. It’s a daunting task, but that doesn’t stop us from yearning for some easy answers and simple solutions to solve the problems we’re dealing with. All of us secretly want to believe in a magic wand which can easily produce a quick and easy synopsis of how to deal with whatever we’re dealing with.
Continue reading How To Target Sellers With The “27 Tips” Report

This ad is targeted at First Time Buyers, and the copy draws them in by painting a picture they can see themselves in. What does this mean? Well, it means this. When this ad was written, the question asked was “How does it feel to be a renter?”

It was easy enough to answer this question. MOST of us know how it feels. As a renter, you feel like you haven’t quite made it yet. You know that you don’t really have control over your living space because you have to ask permission to do this or that to make it feel like yours. You know that your landlord could ask you to leave and take your “home” away from you. You know that every dollar you spend on rent simply goes to your landlord’s pocket and does nothing to help you with your future. There is no equity in renting. Underneath it all, you feel a little inadequate . . . a little resentful.
Continue reading How To Target First Time Buyers (and Specifically Renters)

GREAT FOR NEW AGENTS! This campaign allows you to quickly generate a stable of buyers by targeting first time home buyers.
Continue reading Stop Renting Campaign

A PROVEN WINNER! This campaign can easily supply you with all of the quality seller leads and listings you need.
Continue reading Online Home Evaluation Campaign