Much of our energy as real estate professionals goes into figuring out how to get in front of more clients. How to be involved in more transactions in our markets, and how to get that first call when someone is looking to buy or sell.
Equally important, however, is what you do with that call or conversation once you manage to get it. In 2019 let’s remember, too, that many of those conversations aren’t on the phone. They occur through social media, email responses, text messages, LinkedIn connections, Facebook messenger, etc. And each comes with their own set of protocols, expectations, and best practices. Here are some thoughts from the experts at Weichert Franchising on both old and new strategies for making the most out your opportunities, however they come to you. In 2019, Consumer Attention Spans Continue to Shorten. Most people will recognize that this has been going on for most of the last decade as the generation raised in all things digital has come of age. This phenomenon has set the bar for responsiveness in the real estate industry ever higher and expanded the number of ways in which effective brokers and agents must respond. Response time is King – Studies by NAR and others have shown that conversion rates drop significantly when lead response takes over 5 minutes. With over 50% of new home buyers reaching out through online inquiries, systems for reaching an agent require a responsiveness that many brokerages are not prepared to handle. One way to compete, is to team up with a resource that is equipped to receive and respond to leads in a way that meets today’s expectations. Weichert has always placed a value on consumer responsiveness. Even in 2002, when it set up its first national call center, it knew this was critical to the sales process. This service is an advantage to both its company-owned and affiliate offices. Today, this fully integrated lead system continues to attract leads through its online advertising strategy and web presence, respond quickly to inquiries and then qualify them before passing them to an agent. Our national call center responds to all calls, queries, emails and forms that come in through the Weichert.com website within 3 minutes. During this processes these leads are professionally screened and routed to a live agent. With our newest technology, lead information can be populated directly into the Weichert CRM for immediate access by agents to manage. Systems like this insure that no lead opportunity is lost in the journey from lead to client. Leads Don’t Just Call or Email Anymore In all kinds of sales there is an old adage, “think before you dial!” With so much opportunity coming in through social media and other digital and mobile sources, the adage certainly needs an update, but the idea is the same. Working leads through social or mobile sources can take some time to bring them to the point of committing to a phone call or even giving you’re their contact information. It could take 8 or more attempts, so persistence is important. On this journey, an agent’s ability and willingness to provide genuinely helpful advice and information will help establish credibility and trust. Agents should be mentally prepared for these interactions, just like a phone call, respecting both the channel of contact, as well as the nature of the outreach. This means coaching your agents to have good social media profiles, response scripts if they need them, a CRM to record contact activity and mobile connectivity to respond and provide service promptly. A franchise partner like Weichert helps brokerages with the right systems, technology and coaching to compete. Being prepared to handle both traditional phone and email requests, as well as social and digital leads puts your team on the path to a conversion strategy that leaves no lead behind. No matter where the lead comes from, your agents should always have one goal in mind – asking for the appointment. How Does Your Conversion Strategy Compete? How much are you investing to attract leads? How quickly are your agents able to respond to leads? Do you offer them a way to track their contact activity? Do you have online content to help them nurture social and online leads? It can be daunting to try to pull it all together on your own, but a franchisor such as Weichert can offer your brokerage a one stop shop to help your agents compete. Bring your local expertise, plug into our systems and enjoy the results. If this sounds like something you would be interested in for your brokerage, contact Weichert Franchising today at 877-746-8807 or go to weichertfranchising.com for more information. Original content posted on: https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/from-conversation-to-conversion-strategies-that-work/
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One of the biggest challenges that even the most experienced real estate brokers face is constantly keeping their agents motivated toward achieving their goals. This is because the real estate industry poses many challenges – and there is a lot of rejection that goes along with the job. Your ability to support your agents and provide them with positive reinforcement can make them much more appreciative, less likely to leave you, and much more motivated to contribute to the business. If you’re looking to reignite the fire in your team and get the ball moving again, try some of these ideas:
Build A Culture of Support You have probably heard many people talk about things like “company culture”, but maybe you’ve wondered how that is ever implemented in a meaningful way at a brokerage. At Weichert, we believe that getting this right is one of the most important elements of keeping your team in place over time. One way to build this culture is through awards and recognition. They don’t have to be elaborate ceremonies, or expensive gifts, but public and regular recognition of achievement is a proven way to create positivity in your environment. It can appeal and motivate your entire workforce in a way that transcends money. Recognition tells people you notice and you care about the big and little things they do. Recognition will go a long way in creating the culture of trust and support that every broker should want. Everyone Enjoys Being on a Winning Team Everyone is an individual and is motivated by different things. But if there is one thing everyone has in common, it’s that they want to be on a winning team. Being recognized, seeing their colleagues recognized, celebrating collective milestones and achievements of the brokerage all contribute to positive feelings throughout the company. Everyone is working toward common goals, they can visually see progress being made, can cheer each other on and celebrate success. In short – it just makes everyone feel good! Who doesn’t want to be part of that? That energy motivates a team to continue to move forward and is especially powerful to have in the bank to get tough times. Recognize Success at Many Levels Awards, or acts of recognition, both big and small, both public and private, do a number of things for you and your agents. So what are some of the things you can recognize?
As a broker, you are constantly leaned upon to play the role of the fearless leader and keep your agents motivated. However, you also deserve to have a support system that empowers you to stay motivated, improves upon your success, recognizes your achievements, and helps you grow as a leader. Who helps motivate you and encourage you to keep going? When you partner with a franchisor like Weichert, not only do you get the coaching and guidance to help you implement awards and recognition in your office, but our coaching team is there to support and cheer you on as an owner. Plus, we support a national awards program that recognizes both agent and company achievement. This includes an annual season of local events that take place around the country, where members of your office as well as from fellow franchisees in your region will come together to congratulate, celebrate and cheer each other on. It’s all just another way to be in business for yourself, but not by yourself. After all, everyone likes to be part of a winning team. For more information about how you can be part of the winning Weichert brand, visit www.weichertfranchise.com or call 877-567-3350. Original content posted on: https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/awards-recognition-why-a-little-can-mean-a-lot-in-retention/ In a world where people are constantly being bombarded with marketing messages, it can be very difficult to stand out and build a dominant brand. It’s important that your real estate marketing plan is multi-faceted and consumers see you in more than just one context. It’s not enough to justadvertise on Facebook or justsend out direct mail. A good real estate marketing plan includes all of these and one often over-looked component: community involvement. This is a unique way to connect with potential clients in your community without directly marketing to them. And if you do it right, you can attain amazing results. More and more, savvy real estate brokers are discovering that clients and their community appreciate seeing the human side of a business through its community involvement and can be a great start to building those lasting relationships. Here are some actionable steps you can take to build those relationships and leverage them to win more business.
Three Ways to Engage With The CommunityThe first thing you need to do is find simple ways of becoming more engaged with your community. The following three strategies will not only feel amazing for you and your team, but also make good business sense and will build a positive brand perception. Align Yourself with A Local Charity By choosing an official charity to support, you have the opportunity to socialize locally in a meaningful way. This works best if you select a cause that you and your team feel passionate about and is well-recognized by the community. Being a visible sponsor for an active charity is a great way to keep your brand in front of the community while making positive contributions. Hold Regular Workshops Become an educator by hosting local workshops. You will build the perception that you are both an expert and an ally. The time before and after these workshops will give you and your team the opportunity to answer and ask questions that can spark relationships which can lead to future business. The key to success here is to choose workshop topics that are relevant and valuable to your neighborhoods, such as Home Buyer Seminars. Participate in Community Events Is your town hosting a parade, race, festival or other event looking for sponsors? Sign up! It will be great exposure for you, show the neighborhood you care and usually includes an opportunity for your agent team to be out interacting with active members of the community in some capacity. Shout Out Your Good DeedsIt always feels good to give back, but it’s important to let people know about it! Promote your work and accomplishments in order to gain the valuable recognition your real estate team deserves. Here are some simple ways to do that. Press Releases to Local Media A press release is a quick way to get the word out to local papers, magazines, radio, and television stations that there will be an event of interest. Of course, your participation in that event will be included and will help to raise eyebrows about your involvement. Press releases work well before and right after events, but if are looking to drum up attendance, plan to send one prior to the event. Feature the Event in Instagram and Facebook Stories With Local Influencers If you want to maximize the exposure of your event or involvement, invite local Instagram or Facebook influencers to help you promote it. In most cases, if it is a charitable cause, they will do this for free. This saves you from having to pay for ads, yet will likely yield even better results in terms of brand recognition, followers gained, attendance won. Don’t have an influencer? No problem! Facebook and Instagram are still great outlets to promote your company’s involvement, both pre-event and post-event. Include the Event in Your Newsletter Have a weekly or monthly newsletter? Be sure to let your subscribers know about your activities. In fact, you should consider devoting an entire newsletter to explain the cause and why it deserves their support or why they should attend that particular workshop you have coming up. This helps to remind your subscribers that you aren’t just here to sell real estate but that you truly care about the community where you do business. Highlight Your Involvement on Your Website If you are frequently involved in events of your own or others around the community, create a news section on your website to promote this activity. Be sure to include as many pictures and videos of each event displaying your team hard at work. You could also include highlights from the events right on your homepage. Getting Involved Goes A Long WayBeing intimately involved with the community is a principle that Jim Weichert understood from day one of his real estate career when he handed out business cards at the local train station. As an experienced broker, you know that there is no replacement for the human-to-human connection. It’s also one of the most valuable assets to building a successful real estate brand. A franchise system such as Weichert coaches on best practices for building relationships, connecting with the people in your community and provides things such as PR services to help you promote your company’s news locally. If this is the type of brokerage support you’re looking for go to www.weichertfranchise.com or call 877-567-3350 to learn more. Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/get-involved-win-clients/ What To Look For if You are Considering AffiliationOnce you’ve made the decision in your mind that you are ready to move from being an independent brokerage to a member of a franchise, the next question is: “Which one?” With dozens of national real estate franchises to choose from, you need to look closely at which is the best fit for you and your agents and which will bring you the best processes and systems for growth.
In other words, in looking at each franchise you’ll need to ask, “What’s in it for me?” How Does the Franchise Support Its Franchisees? Some real estate franchises offer little more than their brand name and access to marketing materials, and you are left to do everything else on your own. When you consider an affiliation, you should make sure that your franchisor is not only offering a recognized brand name to leverage, but is providing an active and comprehensive plan for your business growth that has proven to be effective. Will you be treated as a valued member of their franchise family? Will your new franchisor be there when you need assistance? Do they offer a proven methodology for recruiting and selling? Will joining give you a support network to alleviate that feeling of being all alone and give you a place to turn to for advice and guidance when you need it? Will your growth now be an ongoing collaborative effort between you and your franchisor that empowers you to make positive, productive decisions for your business? When evaluating real estate franchise systems, ongoing training and support has to be a key component of a solid franchise business proposition. The industry doesn’t stand still, so neither can you or your agents. It is important to keep skills sharp to continue to compete. For instance, at Weichert, affiliates are taught a system for success. The tenants of this system are reinforced in the training and tools we provide brokers and their agents through multiple channels that are active and always a step ahead. It includes personal, expert consultation from our service team when you need it, online training for both brokers and agents, leadership seminars, regional trainings, webinars, Weichert University our 24/7 online training portal, and expert coaching for every aspect of your business. This practical, comprehensive and “hands-on” partnership brings continual insight and support to brokers and their agents, especially in the toughest times. Technology and Tools Will the franchises you are considering provide you the right technology and tools to help support your business and help your agents be productive? Technology is changing so fast that it can be difficult for an independent broker or their agents to keep up. You should be able to look to your affiliate to furnish the latest, intuitive technology and tools and to provide a constant source of training and coaching around their use. For example, just a few of the tools Weichert provides its affiliates include a CRM (Client Relationship Management system), paperless transaction management system, web-stores with customized marketing templates and a digital tool to help create a killer listing presentation. Our “Doors” listing presentation is unique in the industry and is constantly cited by our affiliates as key to their stellar close rates. Tools and training should be available to you and your entire team in a way that completely supports your growth objectives and go-to market strategy. Weichert also invests in lead generation. It drives traffic to its national website which generates leads that are screened and passed to a live agent within minutes. It’s a great supplement to an agent’s day-to-day sales activities. At the end of the day, the more you can provide your agents, the more valued your brokerage will be in their eyes. Recruiting Support Recruiting agents may be the single most important part of getting to the next level of success with your brokerage. Too many brokers reach a plateau with their agent count and can’t seem to move past it. Real Estate Franchises like Weichert not only provide you the advantage of a recognized brand name, but they provide you with a system of best practices and support tools to help you get and keep the people you need to be successful. Once you get your recruits, Weichert also offers its Fast Track training to help you get them up and running fast. Talk to Other Franchisees When evaluating Franchise opportunities, by all means call other affiliated brokers in your area or even across the nation to discuss their experience with the company. Any Franchisor worth their salt will be more than happy to supply you with names and phone numbers of other owners to call. Get them to speak candidly about their experience both good and bad. Your goal is not to find the perfect franchise, but to find one that is perfect for you. Carefully consider the culture of the franchises you are considering. A good fit shouldn’t require you to change everything you do and how you do it. After all you’ve already built a successful business. Instead a good franchisor should roll up their sleeves and get in the trench with you. They can show you better ways to do things and better tools to use, but you will bring a lifetime of knowledge about your market and your people. The best model for franchising is active collaboration. Start your Conversations with Weichert.Deciding to affiliate is a big deal, we get it. But if you do it right with a company like Weichert, your only regret should be that you didn’t make the move sooner. Call us today at 877-567-3350 or visit http://www.weichertfranchise.com Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/not-all-real-estate-franchise-systems-are-built-the-same/ |
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