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Annette Coker, Where Service Goes Beyond The Contract (Chapman Hall Realtors Premier)

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Rainmaker
5,772,575
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Annette,

That is a loaded question.  What works for others may not work for you.  I really depends on what you want, where you are going and how you are going to go about it based on your marketplace.  I noticed that you advertised your stats on your profile, and from those I am assuming you are doing very well.  So if I were you, I would repeat what got you there over and over again, and stay open to new ideas...I would strenghten what works.  A

Nov 29, 2015 02:13 PM
Rainmaker
5,104,931
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

For me #1 is always to build my business by referral. After that, it really depends on your market. For example, in mine expireds are few and far between... so not worth investing a lot of time in them. You might want to think about farming other neighborhoods than just your own.

Nov 29, 2015 08:15 PM
Rainmaker
2,443,250
Evelyn Johnston
Friends & Neighbors Real Estate - Elkhart, IN
The People You Know, Like and Trust!

I work by referral only.  My past clients send me their family and friends and neighbors.  Spoil your past clients, it will really pay off.

Nov 29, 2015 12:08 PM
Rainmaker
5,005,659
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

I have farmed the community I live, work and play in and it has been very good to me! I keep in touch with my clients so have lots of repeat business and referrals..it all goes hand in hand!

Nov 29, 2015 08:23 AM
Rainmaker
280,599
Jeanne Gregory
RE/MAX Southwest - Sugar Land, TX
The most important home I sell is YOURS!

Start with a great attitude and market to the folks you've already worked with. Get out and meet new people. Word of mouth is your best advertising.

Nov 29, 2015 10:13 AM
Rainmaker
1,157,785
FN LN
Toronto, ON

Everyone is in a different market and prefers to serve different types of clientele for different types of transations.  What works in one situation may not work in a different situation or market.  Pick one or two ideas and work on those ideas for a reasonable period of time.  Perform testing and try different approaches.  At a later time, try another idea.

Nov 29, 2015 08:13 AM
Ambassador
3,727,873
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

If you haven't already done one of Brian Buffini or Joe Stumpf's classes on referrals, they really helped my a lot.  Stumpf did an entire afternoon on what a quality real estate practice looks like - what do you need to do to become referrable?  It was totally awesome.

Nov 29, 2015 07:47 AM
Rainmaker
3,416,038
Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

What works for me is my Active Rain blog. A mix of stories, lessons, market reports and entertainment gets the phone ringing every week. 

Nov 29, 2015 06:52 AM
Rainmaker
2,759,812
TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.
Complete Home Inspections, Inc. - Brentwood, TN
Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029

 Good Monday morning Annette. I do like your question. A lot of agents farm a particular neighborhood and work it to the max

Nov 29, 2015 05:44 PM
Rainmaker
2,538,633
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Good morning Annette. I spend two hours per day doing blogging and social media. That investment in time brings me a great return.

Nov 29, 2015 05:44 PM
Rainer
57,189
Jack Gerbehy
Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Be a productive member of the community 

Nov 29, 2015 05:20 PM
Rainmaker
1,622,432
Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

A good website and built in blog is my goal for near future.

p.s. Do not try to do everything and be everywhere. 

Nov 29, 2015 03:07 PM
Rainmaker
1,683,912
Larry Johnston
Broker, Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC - Elkhart, IN
Broker,Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart,IN

Referrals first, from friends and definately past clients.  Expired are a great sourse of new clients.

Nov 29, 2015 01:02 PM
Rainmaker
530,966
Gary Coles (International Referrals)
Venture Realty International - Las Vegas, NV
Latin America Real Estate

ActiveRain will be my priority for 2016.  There are so many members here in the Rain that have the opportunities to dramatically increase their referral business.  I want to help and feel that in doing so, it will also increase my referral business.

Outbound referrals are easy money.

Nov 29, 2015 11:26 AM
Rainmaker
2,362,977
Lise Howe
Keller Williams Capital Properties - Washington, DC
Assoc. Broker in DC, MD, VA and attorney in DC

Farming, FSBO, SEO/past client and open house

Nov 29, 2015 10:43 AM
Rainer
231,224
Mike Rock
Complete Design - Granite Bay, CA
Granite Bay Luxury New Construction...For Less

work your butt off...do what method u like best.. keep doing it. most people give up when they dont see results in a bit... or if they get busy, they slack off... and you would be surprised to see if your area has smaller new home builders...my new agent will do appx 6 mil next year just with me because of her  hard work

Nov 29, 2015 09:09 AM
Rainmaker
472,114
JoAnn Moore
The Mortgage Market of Delaware - Georgetown, DE
Home Loans in Delaware

Set yourself a budget per week to go out and about in your community. Purchase something from each of the small local businesses. Engage in easy conversation with the people that work there and the owners. Talk the businesses up, do blogs featuring the businesses (add photos), post about them on Facebook, etc.    

Nov 29, 2015 09:02 AM
Rainmaker
911,338
Jeff Pearl
RE/MAX Distinctive / LIC in VA - Lovettsville, VA
Full Service Full Time Realtor

Different things work for different agents in different markets. Test, test, and test according to your advertising budget.

Nov 29, 2015 07:48 AM
Rainer
140,560
Richard L. McKinney P.A.
Atlantic Shores Realty Expertise - Port St Lucie, FL
For Results that MOVE you on the Treasure Coast!

 Hi Annette Coker  Nice to see someone from my old neighborhood! I went to Briarcliff High Class of '87 and have many, many friends in the Lakeside area. 

I definitely recommend that you organize and touch your sphere at least once per month. I use postcards but I also take a past customer to lunch every other week or so. 

Second, I would consider Zillow and Trulia but only purchase mobile leads. 

Finally, you need to prospect for listings. Just Listed / Sold postcards are good but can be costly and time consuming. Use them but be consistent and farm a specific neighborhood.

I also use a home valuation web site for listing leads and it works really well. I use https://www.homevalueleads.com/ --- I like house values for three reasons --- It is cheap, effective and easy to use. I set it up and did slight customizations in less than an hour... I think I pay $50 per month for the site .. It provides customers with an instant valuation. I run it continuously on Fb using ppc and drilling down to target just home owners.

Good luck to you in 2016 and beyond. 

I will definitely contact you should any of my friends or family needs assistance.

Nov 29, 2015 06:59 AM
Rainmaker
1,466,207
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Annette Coker Get back to basics. That always works.

Nov 29, 2015 06:25 AM
Rainmaker
2,182,552
Michael J. Perry
KW Elite - Lancaster, PA
Lancaster, PA Relo Specialist

Does your FARM have it's own NextDoor.com site ???????????

Dec 02, 2015 09:27 AM
Ambassador
6,393,494
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Referrals from our clients and colleagues has always been our one winning way to bring in new business. 

Nov 30, 2015 07:16 AM
Rainmaker
617,935
David Gibson CNE, 719-304-4684 ~ Colorado Springs Relocation
Colorado Real Estate Advisers LLC - Colorado Springs, CO
Relocation, Luxury & Lifestyle residential

Annette,
Move up in price. Work with more expensive sellers and buyers. You may do fewer deals but still make more money.

Nov 30, 2015 05:09 AM
Rainmaker
4,572,183
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Focus.  

Nov 30, 2015 01:21 AM
Rainer
150,416
Michael Thacker - Re/Max Real Estate Center - Louisville
Re/Max Real Estate Center - The Thacker Group - Louisville, KY
Your best friend who just happens to be a Realtor

If you blog, content, content, content using your voice! Let your future clients read, watch, or hear what makes you the Realtor to use, versus ALL the others in your market!

Hope that its an incredible 2016 for you!

Michael

 

Michael Thacker - Louisville Realtor

Nov 29, 2015 11:08 PM
Rainmaker
5,583,278
Barbara Todaro
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

I do both online and offline marketing....and at a certain point, you don't know exactly where your business is coming from .....it's all integrated....

Nov 29, 2015 10:28 PM
Rainmaker
921,504
Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041
ReMax Realtec Group - Palm Harbor, FL
Making FLORIDA Real Estate EZ

Actually Annette this aspect of your business, which I call 'Attraction' is not the most important. In regards to attraction you should pick no more that 3 and become the Level 5, the Expert at those disciplines.

Where I would begin, not with a new agent but a seasoned agent, is establishing if the foundation is solid. Upon the eight foundational principles everything else depends.  Such as 'Vision," "Commitment to be best-self," "goals and milestones," etc.

THEN you evaluate how your business will be fed. There are many options, but the top ones are, Public Speaking, Internet. Social Media, Joint Venture, Affiliate, SEO, advertising, networking, creating authority articles and of course the gold standard of, referrals.

Each of these has precise implementation disciplines. Unfortunately, all of these appear as 'shiny things' to real estate agents and they make the fatal mistake of completing a miserable job at all of them when they should focus on no more than three.

My advise would be to amp up your referral system and energize your direct response campaigns. 

#3 would be to follow the path of Michael the inspector. Create for yourself a lead generation program to generate referral, not lead generation, income.

 

Nov 29, 2015 10:10 PM
Rainmaker
1,513,143
Raymond E. Camp
Ontario, NY

You have received some very good answers above.

Pick the top three things that made you successful and expand on them.

Nov 29, 2015 09:48 PM
Rainmaker
1,725,996
Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance

Send out regular uniquely sized post cards to your farm area. commit to at least a 6 month marketing program. All it takes is one listing and the expense has more than paid for itself.

Nov 29, 2015 09:40 PM
Rainmaker
4,434,127
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

I agree with Michael. 

Nov 29, 2015 06:40 AM
Rainmaker
1,661,936
John McCormack, CRS
Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM
Honesty, Integrity, Results, Experienced. HIRE Me!

Online and client referrals works for us.  Stay in touch with your data base.

Nov 29, 2015 11:14 PM
Rainer
9,202
Annette Coker
Chapman Hall Realtors Premier - Atlanta, GA
Where Service Goes Beyond The Contract

Thanks so much for all of your comments. 

Nov 29, 2015 09:46 PM