Every salesperson has to venture out into the market and create business opportunities that otherwise would not exist.  Need an example?  Let’s say that you have a custom Website developed and get it placed well on Google.  That is an example of venturing into the market to create business opportunities that would not exist for you if you did not have a powerful Website placed high on the front page of the search engine.

OTHER WAYS OF VENTURING OUT

Good search engine placement is a way to venture out but so is cold calling.  You venture out when you send direct mail to a geographic farm, place your ad in the newspaper or rely on a TV ad. Your Website, if planned properly and designed well, will support your ventures and help you create more business opportunities than you might otherwise expect.  Visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/FreeWebPlan.asp for a detailed plan that will bring YOU more business.

BEYOND ENGAGEMENT

Once a prospect clicks on your Website, reads your direct mail piece or your ad and decides to contact you, your focus changes.  You are no longer just trying to get their attention.  Now it is your job to uncover the prospect’s needs, build value around your solutions and secure the prospect’s commitment to move forward.  Sounds easy but it is not.

95% - 98% PROBABILITY OF REJECTION

No matter what you do, you can expect to be rejected 95% to 98% of the time.  No wonder salespeople get discouraged with Web results, direct mail results and most abhor the idea of making cold calls.  Rejection is hard to take.  But if you can reduce the risk of rejection, marketing or venturing out is a great way to increase your opportunities for sales and listings.

If all of us thrived on rejection, sales would be much easier.  Trouble is, the fear of rejection makes many salespeople reluctant to take the steps that are necessary for success.  The obvious solution to the problem is to Reduce the Risk of Rejection.  You do that with Smart Marketing.

SMART MARKETING

Remember we stated that uncovering prospects needs is an area of focus once we have their attention?  Well, with Smart Marketing you start to uncover needs even in the attention getting stage.  Let’s say that an agent engaged in geographic farming sends out messages that hit the mark with well-known needs.  A postcard’s heading might read: Thinking of Downsizing? Or possibly: Need a Bigger House?  Here you are identifying specific needs and because of this, you are much more likely to get the attention of someone who is thinking of downsizing or moving up. 

THE ONE-TWO PUNCH

Remember, the postcard is supposed to get their attention and entice them to call you or to visit your Website for more information.  Most people would rather visit your Website to check you out in a little more detail so for maximum results you will want your Website to provide a powerful follow up.  Now it is hard for a template Website to pack the punch needed to follow up dynamic postcard messages.  For that reason I strongly recommend that you work with marketing, design and programming pros to create a Smart Marketing Package.  This will reduce your risk of rejection and increase your transactions.  Want ideas on how to create lead generating Web pages?  

Visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/LeadGeneration.htm.  Interactive, lead-generating Web programs can be created for any kind of market you want to attract.

   The way to reduce your risk of rejection is to encourage prospects to interact with you online.  There are several ways in which prospects can interact on a Website.  One is the standard CONTACT US button or link that makes it easy for prospects to send an Email message.  Stronger would be a feedback page that uses multiple choice or a checklist format.  This way, your prospects will not have to Think up or Create their own message. How many people do you think do NOT contact you simply because they are not good at writing and/or spelling?  Probably more than you think.

USING CHECKLISTS

Here’s an idea for a Web section that might accompany a postcard that asks?  Thinking of Downsizing?  and directs them to your Website..  On the Website you might develop a questionnaire and invite visitors to click next to any statement that is true for them.  Questions might be:  There are many rooms in the house that are no longer used.  Or, We would like a smaller house with a smaller yard. Or, We could use the equity in our current house to buy a smaller home to live in with money left over for investment or for having fun.  After all the questions are answered, the prospect clicks for answers and gets his or her score and a message from you.  You see, prospects are interacting with you already.  It is much easier now for them to work with you in person.

PROSPECTS DO NOT LIKE RISK

Remember, your prospects do not like risk any more than you do.  It is important that your Website makes it clear that there is NO RISK involved when they answer your Checklist of questions.  You might make it possible for them to enter their name and email and send their responses to you for follow up but it is also possible that a prospect can check their readiness to downsize without stirring you up at all.  And that is the way you want it because then, when prospects do contact you they are more likely to be serious prospects, which means that your risks are reduced as well.

If you want information about how a custom Website can help you venture out and increase your business opportunities, call me toll free at 888-814-5347.