Most military strategists believe that; “The Best Defense, is a Good Offense”. This strategy should be applied by all agents to their prospecting campaigns during the coming listing crunch. If you wait, you may find your arsenal of listings decimated before you have a chance to position yourself for success in 2014. If we’re right, and listing inventory does get depleted but you’re one of the lucky agents with listings, a much higher percentage of them will sell this season. And as in the past, most of the best buyers will come from sign calls, showings, internet postings and open houses. In other words, your chance to work with the best buyers will also be a result of your listing inventory.
It’s imperative for you to be proactive by addressing the listing shortfall before it happens. You don’t want to get stuck competing against desperate agents that have waited until it’s too late to get listings. One of the best ways to get listings is through direct mail marketing. Use of the 24-touch, or twice monthly mailing campaign should be employed immediately. The key to success in getting more listings is spaced repetition using quality material. The twice monthly, or even every week if your budget allows, will take care of the spaced-repetition, by keeping your name in front of your prospects and farm residents. The other key is to have a strong message that brands you as being the “go to” agent. There are a variety of topics that can be applied. Listed below are a number of great ideas:
- Just Listed Postcards
- Under Contract Postcards
- Just Sold Postcards
- A brochure with a collage of recent sales
- A copy of an article that highlights your recent achievements
- A single-page flyer with available inventory and multiple testimonials
- A Quarterly Community or Neighborhood Market Report
Of course, e-mail blasts are also good. They’re just not as powerful as direct mail pieces. You should identify as many as 1,500 contacts or farm residents and plan on mailing them good information as often as once a week. If your budget doesn’t allow for it, reduce the number of contacts for the direct mail campaign. It’s far better to mail to 500 contacts on a regular basis than 1,500 every so often. The key is to start doing something now, or you may just find yourself sitting on the sidelines during the coming season!