When you plan your real estate marketing strategies to sell a listing, are you including your #1 advocate for getting that house sold?

Another way of asking that is, why are so many real estate professionals unafraid to ask for the listing, but fearful of asking the seller to help get their house sold?

The seller is the best advocate you could possibly have. When you make it easy for them to help you sell their house, you’ll sell more of your own listings, and in less time, regardless of market conditions.

An inexpensive, effective way to make this easy for your seller is to create lead-generation business cards with a photo of the house, some basic information, and a toll-free number to call for more information.

Your conversation might sound something like this:

“Mr. and Mrs. Client, you’ve selected me to sell your home, and I’d like to get you involved in one of the strategies I’ll use to get your home maximum exposure.

“Experience shows that the quickest way to sell your house is to make sure that everyone you know – and everyone they know – knows that you’re selling your house. In other words, your buyer could be your niece’s girlfriend’s parents; your next-door neighbor’s best friend; your child’s gym teacher; or the gym teacher’s dentist. To make it easy for us to reach all of those potential buyers, I’ll provide you with business cards that look like this (show example), and a list of suggestions for distributing them. This strategy will generate more interest in your property, increase the number of showings, and increase the odds of a faster sale.”

If they’re a truly committed seller, they’ll want to do everything they can to help get the house sold.

To implement this strategy you’ll need:

A toll-free number with multiple extensions so you can dedicate one extension to each of your listings. You’ll record a two- to three-minute message for each extension that describes the house and offers callers an easy way to contact you directly. A digital camera to photograph the house and the ability to download the photo to your computer. Avery business card stock from Office Depot, Staples, or other office supply store. Access to Microsoft Publisher or a similar program to create your lead-generation business cards.

To create your cards, insert the house photo on one side of the card. Add text on the same side of the card similar to the following:

Lovely 3-Bedroom, 2-Bath Home

Quite, Tree-Lined Street

24-Hour Free Recorded Message

800-000-000, Ext. 123

LovelyBirminghamHomes.com

Maximize your business card by using the back side for brief highlights such as:

New paint and carpeting throughout. Large family room with fireplace. Beautiful backyard with mature trees. Close to two schools and shopping center.

The business card stock is formatted to print 10 per page. Print 1,000 cards, trim, and give them to your seller with suggestions for distribution:

Put three on the bulletin board at the grocery store, library, laundromat, church, drug store, and work lunchroom. Give one to their service providers: doctor, dentist, dry cleaner, lawyer, babysitter, handyman, accountant. Enclose one with every bill they pay. Leave one on the bill tray when they eat out. Ask family members, friends and neighbors for their help, and give them each 50 cards to distribute.

You already know that the only good listing is a sold listing. When you use this easy, inexpensive strategy and get your seller involved, you’ll sell more of your own listings, and make twice as much money.

And that client who buys your listing?

You can help them sell their house, as well.

http://www.realestatemarketingnuggets.com. Generate more real estate leads and turn those leads into contracts, closings and commission checks using the By Referral Only real estate dialogues and marketing tools.

For more than 20 years Joe Stumpf has trained and coached the most successful real estate and mortgage professionals in North America on the systems and strategies for building a highly profitable referral-based business. Joe Stumpf’s By Referral Only provides you with expert coaching, turnkey business systems and revenue-generating marketing strategies so you can absolutely dominate your market.