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Author: Al Lorenz (page 3 of 3)

Realtor, Media Mogul

May 27, 2009

Who is the NAR Advertising Helping?

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Realtor, Media Mogul

Author website

Wow, crazy spending in our government should cause rising interest rates in the future.  Government incentives, mandates, moratoriums and Fed manipulation of the housing market, which got us here in the first place, are running amok right now.  The unintended consequences of all these actions are yet to be seen.  The NAR is advertising NOW as a great time to buy, just like they did in 2006 and 2007.

I get buyers and sellers asking me what I think will happen, as I had this weekend.  I can tell them with certainty that I expect that things will change from where we are today.  Do I tell them the NAR line that it’s a great time to buy a house?  No.

I don’t think it is necessarily a bad time to buy a house, and may even be a pretty good time to buy a house, depending on somebody’s particular situation.  On the other hand, if the person who is thinking of buying isn’t sure they’re going to stay put, with the cash flow to pay for their home for a pretty good while, it may be a really poor time to buy a house for that person.

How about selling?  I’ve sold two homes that I personally owned in the last six months.  Is it a great time to sell?  It was for me.  And sell them I did, in about 1/5 the typical time on market in the area.  Could I get more for them in the future?  Maybe but I can’t tell you how far into the future that might be.  I tell clients that this may, or may not, be a good time for them to sell depending on their situation.

So, the NAR advertising line irritates me.  I don’t find it helpful at all.  It undermines the credibility of real estate professionals to simple mind numbing “it’s time to buy” repeated over and over.  That’s the kind of help I can do without.  While my crystal ball on the future is no better than anyone else’s, I just want to be there help my clients and friends through actions that Read more

May 7, 2009

The Funnel: the Leak in my Marketing Efforts!

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Realtor, Media Mogul

Author website

Leaks and Managing the Marketing FunnelI’m not cursed with having to get things perfect.  I don’t know if the 70% solution describes me either.  My goal is the 90% or better solution with 20% or less of the effort it may take others to get there.  Tools like engenu warm me to the core!

The Unchained crowd sets a complete new standard for real estate folks I’ve been around.  I have work to do on everything after Unchained.  But, at least I know a bunch of things to do, and who to talk with if I get stuck.  I can’t think of anything more powerful than that.

So, my list includes most everything.  In no particular order, webinars, SEO, engenu sites, focused CPC advertising, social media and what is for me the most fun, the Gonzo, unforgettable marketing.

But that sales funnel management still has me flummoxed.  I don’t give much due to the “automated” touch from a system.  I’m so good at filtering that type of thing, and give it so little credit, that I know that my incredibly smart friends and clients won’t like it either.  The experience from these systems just seems so lacking.  But I won’t argue that they can work successfully for a business.  Maybe I just don’t have the discipline to sustain them properly.

For me, a funnel that integrated with something like facebook might be better.  All I might really need is a periodic reminder to say something to those I’ve forgotten to contact in awhile.  If it automatically tracked who I had been in touch with, it becomes easy to use.  Frankly, that would be a great way to make sure I’m keeping in touch with my friends as well.  Which brings me to the crux of the issue; my clients and associates are a great many of my friends.  I need a reliable approach that treats them that way.

Do I feel like I need to “touch” my clients a dozen times a year?  Maybe not if the times I do engage with them are actually meaningful, memorable or gonzo enough.

Once I get some of the other things done, I won’t be Read more

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