Recent Business Card Designs

I get a lot of readers interested in business card design so I thought I would showcase a few of my recent designs for Realtors. While I don’t consider myself a graphic designer I have a unique design style for business cards that many of my clients find effective. In addition I only print on thicker card stock with a unique silk finish that people love to rub. The silk finish makes the cards waterproof, almost impossible to tear and the corners do not get ragged in your wallet.

If you are interested in making a better impression with your business card give me a call, Mike Blaney, 800-568-8338 or email me at marketingguy@shaw.ca.

If you already have a design and just want me to print them on the thicker stock with the silk finish the price is only $ 195.00 for 1,000 cards with color on both sides. If you are interested in my design services you should budget between $ 75.00 and $ 150.00 for the layout although you should contact me for a quote.

So what do I recommend?

Use the Back of the Card
I always use the back of the card to de-clutter the front and in many cases provide a space for people to write notes.

Make the information easy to find
Most people need your phone number, email address or web site so all three should be in a larger font and easy to read.

Highlight Your Brand
Your business card is like a mini billboard and should accurately convey your brand.

Make it into an advertisement
Add your slogan or a call to action as sometimes this is the only marketing they will see from you.

Cari Gililland - Phoeniz Realtor

Part of a re-branding for Cari.

Click on the image below to see Cari’s matching email stationery from www.inboxfx.com.

Dayna Wosk-Pipke - Realtor - Vancouver

This was a totally new branding for Dayna.

Click on the image below to see Dayna’s matching email stationery from www.inboxfx.com.

Garth Raven - Realtor - North Vancouver

Part of a re-branding for Garth. As an avid boater I came up with the slogan “Helping you navigate the world of Real Estate” and added the compass. There is also a picture of his boat on the back as a conversation piece.

Steve Burk - Realtor - Vancouver/Osoyoos

Click on the image below to see Steve’s matching email stationery from www.inboxfx.com.

Leslie Sutton - Realtor Vancouver

Part of a complete re-branding of Leslie.

Click on the image below to see Leslie’s matching email stationery from www.inboxfx.com.

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20 Ways to Blow it with Your Sphere of Influence (SOI)

I am like a broken record when I give marketing advice to Realtors and people who run small businesses. At the top of my list of free advice is to nurture your sphere of influence (SOI). Why? Because most people want to do business with someone they know and trust and most people feel good about helping your business and their own SOI by providing a referral. So why market to total strangers when you have dozens of raving fans itching to help your business?

There is a fine line between staying in touch and communicating useful information to your SOI and pestering and I thought this list compiled by Jennifer Allan, a top producing real estate broker in Denver, a published author, a speaker and a trainer was perfect to share with you. While it is geared to Realtors it applies to all businesses.

Twenty ways to blow it with your SOI:

1. Ask a friend to lunch and give her your sales pitch (every time).
2. Call your friends on the first Monday of every month and ask if they have any referrals for you.
3. If they don’t, ask them why not.
4. Angrily (or tearfully) confront your friends and family if they use another real estate agent or service provider in your field.
5. Take on business you aren’t qualified to handle.
6. Blow off your friend’s housewarming party, but expect her to be loyal to you.
7. Attend your friend’s housewarming party and sales-pitch everyone to death.
8. Tell everyone you know how lousy the real estate market or economy is.
9. Tell everyone you know how overwhelmed you are.
10. Tell everyone you know how depressed you are about your business.
11. Send out an announcement letter with typo’s and misspellings.
12. Send your friends frequent “forward this on for good luck or else” mass emails.
13. Pepper your language with four-letter words.
14. Borrow money or books or tools or whatever and don’t return them in a timely manner.
15. Don’t return social phone calls or RSVP’s.
16. Try to hijack referral fees from your family’s pre-existing real estate relationships.
17. Ignore your SOI in favor of mass-advertising projects (then get your feelings hurt when they use someone else).
18. Contact your friends only when you’re looking for business.
19. Offer bribes to your friends for referrals.
20. Sell real estate “on the side”.

To learn more about Jennifer’s books and philosophies, please visit her website.

Survey of Realtor Home Marketing Methods

VHT, Inc., a leading provider of visual marketing services, has released the results of its exclusive survey of agents’ and brokers’ marketing activities.

While there are not many surprises it is interesting to note the marked difference between new and more established Realtors in their marketing expenditures, average value of homes sold and the number of listings.

It is also interesting that it is an accepted fact that 80% of buyers start their search on the internet, but 92.4 percent of sellers felt newspaper ads were the most important marketing method. Maybe that is why homes are taking so long to sell. Buyers are looking on the internet and sellers are advertising in the newspaper. What’s wrong with this picture?

Marketing Expenditure Per Listing

The survey shows that agents who have been around longer—more than five years—spent more money, on average, marketing their properties—$864 per listing than respondents with less than five years experience who spent, on average, $675 per listing.

$250-$500 - 24.5 percent of agents/brokers
$500-$1,000 - 20.6 percent
> $1,000 - 25.2 percent
Depended the listing - 18.8 percent

Number of Listings Managed

5-10 listings - 30 percent
10 - 20 listings - 34.8 percent
20 or more listings - 20.6 percent

Method of Marketing

Brochures - 90 percent
Postcards - 88.8 percent
Newspapers - 83.3 percent
TV Ads - 41.1 percent

While respondents indicated a significant portion of their listing budget was spent on newspapers, only 20.4 percent said they think this medium is “effective.” 49 percent felt that online ads were “very effective.” Agents felt that online ads and signage are “more valuable” for promoting a property. But when asked what their sellers felt was important, 92.4 percent said that their sellers mentioned newspaper ads.

Do They Spend More For a Higher Priced Listing?

There was a direct correlation between the amount an agent spent to market a property and the value of the property. For listings in the $250-500k range, agents spent on average $682/listing. Agents with properties in the $1M-2.5M spent on average $1,742/listing.

Do New Realtors List Higher Priced Homes?

No. The longer an agent is in business, the greater the value of the properties they list. Those with 2-5 years had listings in the $490k range while those with 10+ years had average listings of $600k in value.

Where are they advertising online?

Realtor.com, CraigsList and Google were the top national Websites used by agents.
39 percent of agents have an average of 5-10 different destinations for their listing and 24.5 percent have 10-20 different destinations.

So What Really Works?

Understanding the psychology of home buyers and sellers is important in choosing your marketing tools.

Sellers

The home selling process can take up to five years and be divided into four distinct “phases”- only three of which are actually measurable. Lasting up to four years, the first phase is a vague awareness that selling their home could solve a problem, offer a financial advantage or provide a needed change.

During the 4 years a specific triggering event such as a desire/need for a larger house, wanting to live in a certain area, job relocation and family concerns would occur that moved sellers into the next phase of the process.

From this point the selling process is about one year and includes three measurable phases:

Thinking about selling - 5.5 months
Researching a sale - 1.4 months
Actively selling - 2.4 months

Buyers

Buyers also go through a period of up to four years during which they were somewhat aware that they “should” buy a home for a wide variety of reasons.

Like sellers, buyers did not enter into the measurable part of the process until after a specific triggering event, including wanting or needing a larger home, wanting the financial advantages of buying instead of renting, family reasons and job relocation.

Following the trigger event the home buying process takes an average of almost a year and a half (16.4 months), split into the following three measurable phases:

Thinking about buying - 7.1 months
Researching a purchase - 5.3 months
Actively looking for a home - 4.1 months

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World’s Worst Sales Letter (and the best one too)

I have written a number of posts on letter writing such as When Was the Last Time You Wrote a Letter? and Writing An Effective Marketing Letter and take great pride in my ability to write a letter. But when I read Geoffrey James’ post about the World’s Worst Sales Letter I knew I had to bow to him as the master letter writer.

Now Geoffrey has the advantage as he is the author of seven books, including Business Wisdom of the Electronic Elite and The Tao of Programming but what really amazed me was the impact his revision of the World’s Worst Sales could have on a Realtor’s success or failure.

Here is the letter that Geoffrey received. Read the letter carefully and be honest in your appraisal. The bracketed numbers refer to his comments:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. James

During the past few months, I have completed an intensive training program for real estate professionals through the _________ learning system. [1]

With this recent training and my experience as a full service agent, I feel quite confident in my ability to help buyers and sellers with their real estate needs. [2]

_________ is one of the best real estate firms in the area due to the many educational programs promoting current market strategies[3], as well as many years of experience within the real estate community.[4] In addition, we provide:

- Outstanding service to all clients.[5]
- Market data that is always changing.[6]
- Weekly updates for clients listing there homes.[7]
- A wide variety of buying and selling tools.[8]

It is great working with a company that has so much to offer their clients.[9] If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling [10] property feel free to give out my name or business card [11] and I will do everything I can to meet their real estate needs.[12]

Sincerely,

Here are Geoffrey’s comments:

[1] OK, you’re fresh out of school. So why would I want to work with you?

[2] That’s nice. Unfortunately, you’ve said absolutely nothing to make me feel confident in you.

[3] Why do I get the impression that some marketing guy wrote this as boilerplate?

[4] Experience doing what? Sending out awkward direct mail pieces? And compared to whom?

[5] Outstanding in what way? Outstandingly bad? And by how much? And where’s the proof?

[6] Huh? Does this mean that the data is getting more accurate or less accurate or what?

[7] And that’s important because…? And what’s with the typo?

[8] Sounds like a hardware store. Why would I care? What do the tools do?

[9] Glad you like it. Why should I care? What’s with the grammatical error?

[10] Trying to address two different markets weakens the entire pitch.

[11] At this point it starts sounding positively desperate.

[12] Why would I risk my friendships for somebody I don’t know?

Not just a critic, Geoffrey rewrote the letter and I think he transformed it into a tutorial on How to Write a Sales Letter. (the numbers refer to his explanatory notes below)

Dear Mr. and Mrs. James:

As a property owner, you’re no doubt aware that these are difficult times for the real estate market. You’ve probably even heard that property prices have declined in your area. If you’re thinking of selling your home, you’re probably wondering whether it’s still possible to get the best price. [1]

Turns out that many homeowners in this area are getting record prices for their homes. The key to achieving the best price is marketing your home in new and creative ways. Ways that leverage the unique characteristics of your house and its neighborhood. This is what _________ is all about. [2]

___________ has sold more houses, for a higher average price, than any other realtor in the area. We know this market, and we know how to ensure that you get the best price. And we’ll be happy to put you in touch with some past customers who’ll vouch for our ability to sell a house quickly and at the best price, even under challenging conditions. [3]

If you’re thinking of selling, please call me first. [4] Even if you don’t list with me, you’ll learn some facts about today’s market that will help you get a better price. [5] And if you know somebody else who might be interested in selling their home (or buying one), pass my name along - if a sale takes place as the result of your referral, I’ll pay you a $100 finder’s fee, right out of my commission! [6]

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Explanatory Notes:

1. Make them feel the pain. Give them a reason to read the rest of the letter.
2. Position your firm as the unique (and perhaps only) solution to that pain.
3. Provide proof that your positioning is valid.
4. A simple call to action that also pre-qualifies the lead, reducing sales cost.
5. Promise value from the start of the relationship. What have they got to lose?
6. Provide a real incentive for them to find you some business.

The above is based upon the basic principles of sales and marketing that Geoffrey has been writing about in the BNET blog for the past year. While he does not claim to be an expert on real estate selling, he is and I are 100 percent certain that this version would generate far more business than the lame letter that he received.

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Top 50 Marketing Tips For Realtors

I recently made a presentation on the Top 50 Marketing Tips for Realtors to a local Real Estate Meetup sponsored by Ubertor.

The presentation was videotaped although it was edited to about 12 tips. If you are interested in receiving a pdf of the presentation please send an email to marketingguy@shaw.ca. If you are shy please feel free to watch the video.

The tips include the following:

• Send Thank You Cards
• Get a Great Headshot You Love
• 90 Day Rule
• Create a 30 second introduction for networking opportunities
• Sponsor a Golf Hole at a Tournament
• Don’t Be Afraid to Follow Up – People Generally Appreciate It
• Develop a Marketing Plan
• Client Appreciation Events
• Host a Community Coloring Contest
• Sponsor a Local Event
• Improve Your Voicemail Message

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Direct Mail Idea 4 - Phone Number Directory

One of the secrets of direct mail is to connect with the recipient on a personal level. This can be achieved in a number of ways, but here is a simple direct mail idea that will make a lot of impact. Why?

1. It is unselfish and shows you are thinking about the recipient.
2. Said another way; it is about them not you.
3. It will be kept by the recipient for a long time as they complete it and the numbers are important to them.

It is inexpensive as it can be printed in one or two colors on the back.The front of the card is just for this example and could be much simpler. I picked a seasonal look, but it could be generic photos relevant to your business.

When you are designing direct mail pieces keep in mind you do not have to shout out your name and contact information. In this example they will recognize it is from you and if they need to call you they can easily locate your phone number and website.

(Front) (Back)

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Halloween Marketing Idea # 2

In addition to providing treats to your clients in a Thanks a Dozen Treat Box have you ever thought of giving away pumpkins to your clients?

I am not sure how widespread the practice of pumpkin carving is at Halloween, but in our neck of the woods a carved pumpkin means you should knock on the door.

One of my clients hand delivered pumpkins to her client’s and used a doorhanger as a pumpkin hanger. It had tips on carving and an amusing message on the other side. I deleted the client’s name, but you get the idea. Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.

If you don’t want to hand deliver why not set up a display at a local gas station or mall and give away the pumpkins there. An even better idea is to accept donations for the pumpkins on behalf of a charity.

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Creating the Perfect Tagline

I wrote a post a while back about writing taglines that has been very popular so I decided to call on my copywriting resource, Allison Nazarian, founder of Get It In Writing for a few more hints about this important marketing tool.

While I regularily develop taglines for my clients, Allison makes a living from writing copy and taglines so I thought it would be useful to draw on her experience.

Why are taglines so important Allison?
“Because taglines capture a company’s spirit in one clever little phrase. They’ve become an invaluable tool for briefly communicating critical business information and developing brand and name recognition.”

I asked Allison how does one dream up these little ditties that stay with us so long?

Here are the four steps Allison recommends.

Step 1 - Know your target audience

• Understand various benefits your target audience is looking for and rank them in order of importance to begin developing your tagline.

Step 2 - Define your target response

• What outcome do you want to create … what do you want your audience to think or say?
• Brainstorm… brainstorm… brainstorm
• Write a list of words or phrases that communicate your idea and that also tie to your logo or a visual you’re using.
• Look up the words in a dictionary and write down different uses of the word and cross-references to other words.
• Use that list to generate new ideas.
• Cut the list to your top few favorites.
• Then “play” with the words by using tools like rhyming or alliteration.

Step 3 - Simplify… Simplify… Simplify…

• Simplicity adds power. People tend to remember the simplest slogans. Communicate your message quickly, using active verbs.

Step 4 - Rewrite… Rewrite… Rewrite…

• Once you complete your initial drafts, set them aside. Come back later and review them. You’ll probably want to make changes. Keep the process going. When you’ve got it, you’ll know it!

Finally … a few quick DOs and DON’Ts from Allison to keep in mind when creating a winning tagline:

• DO collect other company’s taglines and analyze what works and what doesn’t work.
• DO start by developing a list of what’s unique to what you do and your way of doing it.
• DON’T use hip or esoteric taglines. (You want lots of people to understand it … not just a few.)
• DON’T make your tagline too general.
• DO your own mini-market research. Ask strangers (and acquaintances) if they understand your business after seeing and hearing your tagline.
• DO use your specific target audience in your tagline, if possible.
• DO keep it short.
• DO turn the phrase around. If you can’t say it without skipping a step, then rephrase it.

You can learn more about copywriting and Allison at her website Get It In Writing or her excellent blog.

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Open House Tip # 3 - Staging the Home

Marketing a home takes place externally and internally. External marketing includes the MLS listing, website listing, newspaper advertising, classified ads and Just Listed postcards to name a few.

Marketing a home internally is equally important as you have spent all this time and money getting them to come to the home and now you want to impress them. In an earlier post called Open House Tip # 2 - Sell the House to Buyers I discussed the importance of setting up small signs and notes around the home highlighting features that buyers might not notice.

An equally important internal marketing tool is “Staging the Home” . Almost without exception you cannot put a home on the market “as-is” without alienating at least 60% of the people who see it and cannot get past the clutter, untidiness or the “lived-in” look. Whether you hire a professional or do it yourself, if you expect to get top dollar you will have to invest at least as much time as you did when you sold your last car. Remember vacuuming, shampooing the rugs, changing the oil and cut-polishing it until it looked like new? Why? Because you want ed people to think it was newer than it was to get more money for it. It is no different than your home.

Staging defined - “the preparation of a home to sell by a professional who specializes in this form of decorating.” Staging can occur on two different levels:

1. Basic Staging
• Removing clutter in the home.
• Placing only attractive, basic furniture in each room.
• Keeping walls, trim, and carpet in neutral colors.
• Removing personal items including pictures, hobby items, etc.
• Taking care of any deferred maintenance items.
• Cutting the grass, trimming the bushes and taking care of the landscaping.
etc

2. Emotional Staging
Emotional staging goes a little further trying to get the buyers to picture themselves living in your home by creating a specific ambience. Examples of this are:
• Putting pillows and two wine glasses in front of the fireplace to create a romantic evening in front of the fireplace.

So while I agree that Staging is an important marketing tool you might find the view from the other side interesting.

The National Association of Exclusive Buyer’s Agents recently published a report entitled “How not to get tricked by staging and potentially save $ 5,645 when you buy your home” which I found enlightening.

The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org) conducted a survey in the summer of 2007 of their broker & agent members about the practice of home staging. The survey focused on the impact on home buyers of the practice. The report outlines the results of the survey.

According to a 2003 survey by HomeGain (Emeryville CA) of 2,000 real estate agents Nationwide, a small investment by a home seller on cleaning & decluttering, lightening and brightening, and home staging, produced an average increase in sales price of $5,645.

So while staging is supposed to be helping market a home the buyer’s agents have found two interesting outcomes.

• 82% of home buyers are likely to be distracted from important issues when they go through a staged home.
• 51% of the respondents noted that staged homes often cover up real defects including structural damage.

Whether you are a home buyer, selling agent or buyer’s agent there is something to be learned from this. When viewing a “staged” home you need to look beyond the staging. You may love the colors but it is the structure of the house, the layout, how the property fits your needs, etc. that is really important. Don’t get fooled by small furniture making a room look larger. Measure it and make sure your sofa will fit.

Here are a few resources for you to learn more about staging.

Staged Homes website
Recreating Interiors website
Home Staging Resource website
Decorated to Sell website
20 Staging Tricks to Sell Your Home

Direct Mail Idea 3 - Sports Schedule

What kind of marketing tool am I?

1. I last 8 months.
2. I am looked at at least 80 times in the 8 months.
3. Men love me.
4. I am always lying around where people are.

No it is not a Pamela Anderson 8 month calendar. It is a hockey team TV schedule. (Click on the thumbnails for a larger image)

It does not matter which sport you pick, the marketing benefits remain the same. People appreciate receiving things that are handy, informative, easy to read and useful so sending a branded calendar with a sports schedule is the perfect answer.

While this concept is not new, making it a TV schedule adds a new dimension. If your TV channels and broadcast rights are like the Vancouver Canucks you never know which station your team will be broadcast on. This handy card has the opponent, time of game and TV station.

In this case the Realtors have their branding on both sides and their slogan is reinforced each time someone refers to the card. It is a form of institutional advertising as it does not have a call to action, but simply reinforces the brand.

The card is mailed to thousands of homes in their marketing area and after a couple of years people look forward to it.

What does it cost?

Generally the design and layout is between $ 150 - $ 250 and the printing cost is $ 0.20 to $ 0.30 per postcard depending on quantity.

How do I distribute it?

It can be sent through admail, in an envelope addressed to your clients and prospects, as an insert in your local paper, through a flyer delivery service, left on the counter of local businesses or given away at local events. The most important thing is to get it into the hands of your clients and prospects.

How do you do this?

Researching the schedule is as easy as going to your local team’s website. I recommend a 4″ x 9″ postcard with full color on both sides. If the schedule is for a shorter season such as football, you can use the other side to publish a list of channels and their affiliates.

Or give me a call at 800-568-8338 or email me at marketinguy@shaw.ca and let me know which team you are interested in and I will send you a quote.