Friday Poll: What Are Your Best Ideas for Getting Realtors on th

    • 1373 posts
    February 19, 2015 11:38 PM PST

    Happy Friday, everyone!

    This week's poll question was suggested by one of our members:

    What are your best ideas for getting realtors/real estate firms on the air?

    Looking forward to reading your replies!

    • 67 posts
    February 20, 2015 5:39 AM PST

    Always.....always......encourage the realtor to voice his/her commercial.  Unless they have a cigarette voice.   People choose a realtor by the personal connection, their reputation, years in the business, etc.   The personal invitation to call them along with a good solid message about what they can do for their listing or finding the right home is the key for success.......that is, if it's done with consistency - every day - every week - every month of the year.   That's not just my opinion....this works! 

    • 56 posts
    February 20, 2015 7:01 AM PST

    Typically, depending on the market , the real-estate companies don't choose radio as a first choice. They are still mired in the antiquated products that are being readily proffered and consumed by realtors as individuals ...from  and for the Print publications. Most agents deffer to print by default and because " that's what everybody does."

    Estate firms may offer a cost sharing with their agents for radio; but again; this is a rare occurrence. All that being said, We have had great success with many agents that have crawled out from under the waste of money realestate section of their local paper looking for the light of growth via the power of successful marketing ideas in the 21 st century.

    Basically it all stems back to why they lean on the tiny itty -bitty wee blurry pictures of their listings with a humongous picture of their smiling mug. Agents will admit that what they want to do is not apparent in their print marketing. 

    Here's why they advertise their listings in print; and it's not because they are expecting to make a sale based on that wee picture. The wee blurry polaroid is merely for the sake of the seller.... " hey look my agent has paid for house listing in the paper!" The optics are that the seller is confident that their agent is working to sell their home. It also attempts to create an optic to potential home sellers that Agent A is proactive in marketing her listings to sell them quickly. In essence trying to create a steady stream of inbound request for listings. They are looking for new listings.

    Okay that's part one.... part two is that all agents have their own website with much improved videos, pictures, stats on their listings. This is really one of the best tools that they have. In addition to their own web site; their listings  also appear on a regional MLS site.

    The trick that has to be perfected here is to successfully attract potential buyers and prospective listers to Agent A. The websites are good to be sure.... but people don't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the Agent .. they spend it on the home they want, regardless of how sexy looking, handsome, or experienced or long in the tooth Agent A  is.

    radio solves the two basic needs that Agent A wants ... listings and tangible proof to thousands of people that Agent A is using mass media to sell a home. How?

    By using the radio commercials to actually list homes.. by location. Why? because people buy homes on location first then house secondarily. Location , location , Location. and prospective listers can clearly hear that using radio to sell their home is by far a steps or 10 above all the other agents.

    here's Gist of the commercials one of our clients uses.... 

    " Agent A is selling homes this week in the sought after Old East Hill area

    ( doughnut) a classic Victorian @ 370 Albert street, and a fabulous family home at 42 Pine street, and a remarkable river view home on the Old East Hill Village  @  12 Victoria avenue. 

    Agent A .... goes the distance for buyers and sellers..... yada yada yada "

    Bottom line ... radio reaches more buyers and sellers in the fastest way possible and creates great optics and value for the Agent A for all of the reasons I've listed above. 

    Agent A has won countless awards as the regions top real estate agent; and will give us credit for breaking down the way the radio has to interact with our brand fans ........... on her behalf

    have a great Friday

    D

        

        

    • 6 posts
    February 20, 2015 8:14 AM PST

    Awesome advice and direction!  None of the realtor's advertise with us currently and both myself and my co-worker are brand new to radio sales and this has really given me some ideas of how to move forward. 

    • 1373 posts
    February 20, 2015 9:49 AM PST

    Rebecca,

    Here are some past RSC discussion threads that you might find useful:

     

    Realtors (some great ideas here!)

     

    Realtors/Real Estate Agencies (scripts and audio of radio spots)

     

    Real Estate & QR Codes

     

    Selling Real Estate Agents

    Best of success to you!

  • February 20, 2015 11:13 AM PST

    Kathy,
    You are, as always, right on.  The problem we have in radio is people are writing commercials.  But if you go to the old standby...motel 6... they dont run commercials.  They tell stories.  We ALL know what A realtor does, and we know that they all want to get your home sold fast at the highest price.  So how about a story?  How about a first person story.  For example, when I try to hire people, I don't go with that whole "unlimited earning" crap.  My ads go something like this:

    Years ago while studying to become an auto mechanic I took at part time job in Radio.  I started out on the air and then one day decided I wanted to own a car younger than me so I went to the dark side and got into radio sales.  I did this when Ronald Regan was president and I have never looked back.  I have made a LOT of money selling radio ads.  Wanna know how?  Helping business make money and helping people find the best businesses to do business with.  Even today when people think the Internet and Facebook are the way to reach people, I am still helping business people make their dreams come true.  Want to join me?  Go to RadioSalesSchool.com and find out what a career in radio is all about.

    THAT is not an ad.  THAT is a story.  Now, how many ads can you turn into a story...one that resonates with Soccer Mom Judy?

  • February 20, 2015 11:18 AM PST

    Darren:
    Good advice.  But let me give you another thought:  What does the Real Estate Agency REALLY want?  I am betting that most want to attract Realtors who will get them more listings.  If you work with any Keller Williams agencies you will find that what THEY want is Realtors.  Each Realtor who joins them will get business cards and a place to sit, a CRM system and training.  In return, they PAY Keller Williams on average $20,000 per year.  Then they are 100% agents.  
    If you walked into Keller Williams and talked about selling houses, they don't want to hear it.  They are a sales organization who recruits to make money.  That REALLY changes the ROI of the campaign.

    • 56 posts
    February 20, 2015 11:34 AM PST

    hey Chris.... I totally agree that the needs and wants of a Real Estate agency are vastly different than those of an agent. My suggestion was pointed primarily at the agents...if I were to come up with a game plan for the Real Estate Agency ... the "what they want,"  would see us in agreement... they want more agents so they sell more homes.

    I always love the story approach when it comes to face-less large businesses as it makes it more emotionally relevant to the masses.

    Thanks for the feed-back man.

    Cheers

    D   

    • 180 posts
    February 20, 2015 12:01 PM PST

    Push Friday, Sat & Sun and have them tie the radio spot into the full page ads that they run on Sundays for open houses.