Does this sound like an agent you know?

Joe Agent gets a farm list from his title company of everyone in his zip code. He then calls up his favorite postcard print company and tells them what he wants designed.

Of course, he wants a picture of a perfectly manicured home on the front side of his postcard, his handsome profile picture in the upper left hand corner on the back side and a cheesy slogan underneath saying, “Making Your Dream Home Come True”.

Joe wants a small blurb about himself placed below his lovely slogan describing how long he’s been in real estate, how many deals he’s done and how he’s the best agent in the world.

If he’s really on his game, he’ll give his website address (which will probably be an unprofessional jumbled mess of shoddy images and sales copy that will make you gag).

Joe then blasts out his postcard once a month for 3 months; gets 2 phone calls and zero buyers or listings. He “wisely” surmises that postcards are a waste and immediately stops throwing good money after bad.

Joe did everything right, didn’t he? No, of course not or else we wouldn’t have been so rough on poor Joe.

Here are 5 steps Joe should have walked to have commission checks rolling in instead of cash going out:

1) Get a list of prospects most likely to use your services. Joe just grabbed everyone in a particular zip code. He didn’t narrow down his criteria; home value, ownership length, mortgage balance relative to the home’s value, etc. This way, when you get a response, you’re almost darn sure you can work with them and not have to let them down gently like the smelly guy at the gym who keeps asking you out every Saturday night.

2) Don’t make your postcard like every other “wanna-be” agent out there. You’re not like Joe; you’re a pro (rhyme not intended). Stand out like one and make it unique. Use an eye catching image on the front that will make people actually turn over your postcard over instead of throwing it away. Think about the emotion you’re trying to hit in your prospect and give them that image.

3) Go ahead and put your picture on the back BUT make it of you with a client and not with some slogan that’s as cheesy as that nacho dip you had Friday night (or like that line itself). You can even blend your slogan with your paragraph underneath. But don’t go boasting about yourself. Talk about your prospect, not about you. People want to be “talked about”, not “talked to”.

Think about what they want and write a few benefits that give it to them. For example, don’t say, “I’ve been the #1 top producing agent for 14 years in Yourtown.” Instead, say something like, “You don’t want to risk this type of financial transaction with an unqualified agent. You want the peace of mind and security knowing they have the experience and expertise to handle any road bumps that come up, saving you thousands in the process.” Paint word pictures that hit their emotions.

4) A website. Simple? You’d think so but it’s not. Too many agents throw up these (I’ll call them sad looking just to be nice) sites that prospects click off faster than it took them to pull up. It all starts with impressions and many folks will go to your site before they do anything else. Make it count. Make it professional. Project an image of uniqueness, clarity, organization, humor, etc. Get crazy and use video and/or audio. Touch all your prospects senses, except for smell unless you know a way that I don’t.

5) Here’s the big one… guide them to what you want them to do. Don’t throw up a garbled mess of links, pictures and text. If you want them to get to know you, which is how you’ll get their business, be intentional! Give them expert advice and collect their contact information. Sure, you can sit back and wait for folks to eventually, hopefully call or email you.

But why not entice them to provide their info upfront? But they’re going to protect this more than their IRA so you need to give them something in return. It’s only fair, right? How about a “Free guide to saving $10,000 on your next home purchase” or “5 pitfalls to avoid when selling that will save you $7,000.” Of course not everyone will give up their email for your freebie but a certain number will and that will allow you to start the relationship rather than sitting back and waiting on the couch. Bottom line, you’ll appear as the expert providing all the info and the commission checks will roll in quicker. It’s all about building a relationship and this is how to start it off right!

BONUS STEP: Repeat your mailing! Don’t stop after 2 mailings because you’re not getting the response you want. Studies show that it takes consumers upwards of seeing an ad 7 times before they remember it and act upon it. Use that to your advantage and be patient. On average, the longer you mail, the higher your response rate will be!

Josh Sanders is the Founder of Shiloh Street, a one-of-a-kind real estate brokerage in Seattle, WA, “Founded by Agents to Serve You Better.”

Having been in the mortgage and real estate business since the age of 21, he saw a need for a real estate brokerage centered around real estate agents specifically, allowing them to prosper more than the owners of the company and serve their clients at the highest level.

The vision came from not only his own ideas of what he wanted as an agent but also from a mass of agents in Western WA. Shiloh Street launched in January 2010 and has been getting great growth as well as fantastic word of mouth buzz.

Josh lives with his wife of 6+ years in Bothell, WA and our 4 dogs… and counting My wife has been a Certified Real Estate Appraiser for 8+ years in the Puget Sound Region.