In my last article, I walked you through the first of my seven steps for building a strong, profitable partnership with top-producing Realtors.
In my last article, I walked you through the first of my seven steps for building a strong, profitable partnership with top-producing Realtors. More specifically, I showed you how to compile a "Top 100" list of award-winning Realtors in your area so you can start attracting them as referral partners. So, now that you've got your hit list of top-dog Realtors compiled, it's time to move on to the next step in the formula...
STEP 2: Send a Personalized Intro Card or Letter
If you want to stand out from the clutter, using direct mail is one of the best ways to do it. Essentially, you have two options. One option is to send a low-cost, full-color postcard. The other option is to send a multi-page letter, providing a more detailed, comprehensive overview of the unique value proposition you are offering.
You may recall from last month's article that I recommended compiling two different lists: a warm contact list and a cold contact list. For your warm contacts, all you need to do is send them a simple postcard – nothing fancy. If they're on your warm list they should already know you, like you and trust you, and perhaps they're already sending you some business. Now your goal should be to take those relationships to the next level. The purpose of the postcard is to pique their interest so they'll want to learn more about how you can help them grow their business.
As you can see in the sample above, the front of the postcard uses a red handwriting font for the headline that says, "I've got some amazing new tools to help you attract more hot listings and sell 'em faster." And then it has a handwritten arrow pointing to some "eye candy" with a visual depiction of some of the tools you're offering. The main objective of the card is to grab their attention, create interest and build desire for what you have to offer so they'll be open to meeting with you to learn more.
Now let's talk about what you should send to your cold list. Remember, these are top-producing Realtors who don't know you from a hole in the wall – so getting their interest is not going to be easy. In order to get on their radar screen you're going to have to break through the clutter and make a big splash. That's why I recommend pulling out the BIG GUNS with some unique and outrageous 3D or "lumpy" mail – otherwise known as a "shock 'n’ awe" package.
Here's how it works. The first letter in my 3-step shock 'n’ awe campaign is called the Pill Bottle Letter. And as you can see in the image above, the Pill Bottle Letter has an Rx at the top so it kind of looks like a prescription from the doctor. Then you take this 4-page letter and you literally cram it into a prescription pill bottle and drop it in your Realtor's slot at their office.
The headline of the letter would say something like, "Ralph, here's your prescription for what ails you (including a proven cure for stagnated sales, slow-to-sell listings, and that nagging guilt associated with not spending enough quality time with your loved ones)." And then it goes on to talk about how you aren't just going to chase them around with rate sheets and donuts and tout your "great rates" and "great service," but instead, you're offering a proven cure for what ails them, namely a lack of quality listings and/or buyer leads.
And again, you don't have to send this through the mail. You can simply go to their office and pop it in their slot, which of course, saves you money on postage. Plus, it also gives you a great opportunity to mix and mingle with the Realtors in the office with a built-in talking point: your outrageous Pill Bottle Letter!
However, no matter how effective your letter is, there will always be a certain percentage of recipients who don't respond. No problem. Persistence beats resistance – just send them another letter! For best results, I recommend following up by phone about a week after you deliver the letter (more on that in step 3).
If you are not able to reach them and if they don't respond to your voicemail messages, send them the next package in the 3-step campaign: the Dynamite Letter. All you have to do is take the exact same letter, customize the headline and then slip it into a fake dynamite stick (which is just a cardboard tube painted red with a fake wick stuck on a white plastic lid). The headline of the letter says, "Ralph, here's how I can help you explode your sales!" Again, we're using the headline to tie in with the overall theme of the package.
At this point some people might say, "Doren, aren't you going a bit too far? Won't this scare people off?" To which I would respond, "If you don't risk going too far, you'll never know how far you can go!" I also like to think of it as a good screening device to weed out the whiners and complainers. If someone doesn't have enough of a sense of humor to appreciate your creativity and unique approach, they're probably not the kind of person you want to work with anyhow.
If someone still doesn't respond to the Dynamite Letter, then I would load another bullet into the barrel with the final letter in the campaign: the Garbage Can Letter. This letter is virtually the same as the first two letters (with some slight alterations), and it’s literally crumpled into a little mini garbage can. The headline says, "Since you've thrown away my previous two letters, I thought I would save you the effort." If nothing else you'll get the Realtor smiling. :)
If you hadn't noticed by now, all three of these packages are designed to STAND OUT from the clutter, thereby increasing your chances of getting them opened, read and responded to. Since most of your competitors continue to follow the herd, using the same old boring marketing methods, it doesn't take much to rise above the crowd. All you need is a little audacity, creativity, and persistence, and you'll be well on your way to partnering with some of the highest-producing Realtors in your area.
In my next article, I'll walk you through step three of my seven-step formula for building strong, profitable partnerships with top-producing Realtors. You'll learn exactly what to say and how to say it when it comes to following up by phone after you deliver your shock 'n’ awe packages. This is perhaps the most important step for booking face-to-face meetings with top-producing Realtors. Stay tuned…
