Dan Argent: Want to increase your volume? Here are three things you need to focus on

Imagine you’re at the grocery store, shopping for bread. You get to the shelf and the brand you want to buy is out of stock.

You scan for a while, then grab another brand because it’s available and you need it now. 

The same applies to real estate – your marketing is like having your brand on the shelf. If you’re not there when someone is looking to list, you will lose the sale.   

It’s a tough market out there, so being top of mind is more important than ever.

Like most agents, you’re probably seeing a decline in volume in your core areas, and one the best ways to increase that is to get busier in your local area.  

Here’s how you can do it. 

1. Get busier prospecting. The 20:1:20 rule 

There’s no getting around this (unless you’re willing to invest heavily in paid ads). To increase your activity you need to prospect.  

To help get through your calls, set aside some time early in the day, set your target and call until you reach it.   

One of the best ways to achieve your listing targets is with the 20:1:20 strategy: 

1. 20 meaningful new connections every day (taking as many calls as needed to get there)  

2. 1 meeting secured from those 20 connections  

3. 20 meetings per month.    

From those 20 meetings, you should secure 3-4 listings. Growing listings by that number per month will provide a solid foundation for turnover and, if you do a good job, you’ll continue to gain referrals off the back of each sale. 

Taking the advice of Hanan Cawley, stand up and walk around while prospecting. This will translate positively through the phone line and make the prospect feel more at ease with the call.  

And use this powerful question (Jason Adcock’s go-to), “What’s your current situation”? This will open up a conversation and give you the info you need to direct your approach to the call.  

2. Increase your paid digital marketing: Think of your ads as ‘shelf-space’

It’s no secret that people are more receptive to brands they are familiar with, and your brand is no different.  

By increasing your marketing volume across letterboxes and online, and maintaining a consistent ad spend, you’ll always appear available to your prospective vendors.  

In a recent article, leading marketing professor Byron Sharp used the analogy of a physical product.

If someone is searching for an agent, and you don’t appear in their search, they’ll just choose what’s available. As Byron says: 
 
“An important implication of realising that paid search is like shelf-space is that (like shelf-space) it needs to be always on. Turning it off is like closing the doors of the store, or having a stock-out.” 

If you’re an agent who turns ads on and off based on settlement funds, between listings or because you didn’t see an immediate surge in enquiries, you’re effectively invisible when your ads are off (and letting your competitors steal space in your prospects’ minds).  

As a bonus, too, brands that continue investing in marketing during a downturn also see a HUGE uplift in market share when the market bounces back. You can read more about that here: How to grow your market-share during a downturn. 

3. Increase your physical presence: print is not dead 

Because of the short-term approach we find in real estate, many people jump around to look for the next shiny thing. But it’s a flawed approach, and while your competitors are distracted by the next piece of software, you’ve got the letterbox all to yourself.  

Commit to monthly letterbox drops promoting: 

• just listed 
• just sold(s) 
• testimonials 
• appraisals 
• market reports, and  
• general branding to reinforce your point of difference.  

Look for branding opportunities in your core suburbs: 

• billboards 
• bus stops/bus wraps 
• school sponsorship and events  
• local team sponsorship 
• local community not-for-profit support 

Keep your branding consistent, and don’t spend too much time overthinking the content – keep to a single message per item, keep it engaging, and then send it out.  

While it is likely it will go from the letterbox to the bin, by seeing your brand consistently you’ll begin to embed in people’s minds.

This loops us back to point one – when you’re familiar and your name rings a bell, your prospecting will become easier.  

When it comes to prospecting, often the only thing holding you back is yourself. By pushing through the hesitation and building a daily habit, it will become easier and easier.  

As for your marketing, if you feel you’re not getting permission to stand out and do things your way, maybe working for yourself is something to consider. You’ll call the shots and be free to market yourself in a way that’s unique to you.  

If you’d like to chat about how you can start your own brand without the startup costs, but with the full support of a team (and join a network of over 160 high-performing agents), get in touch with UrbanX today.