13 ways to strike customer gold with LEAD GENERATION

You will look for who need to find a Realtor, people who are in the market for buying homes right now or will need to do home listing. Here are 13 great ideas that are easy to execute-and salespeople say they really work.

1. To meet people in the "do not call" world, target half a dozen neighborhoods and knock on doors. Have something of value to offer residents-a competitive market analysis of their home, recent stats on turnover of homes-and ask if you can contact them periodically with such info. They'll become part of your sphere of influence. This is what we call "Farming". You can do a Postcard Marketing program or a newsletter for lead generation. Your Title rep can give you an excel spreadsheet with names and address or it can be in a word format as well.

2. After talking to prospective buyers who want to find homes, send them an item of value and a "nice to meet you" card. When you offer something for nothing, you build loyalty. Even if they don't buy right away, they'll come back to you when they're ready. If you only got their email, send them an "E Thank You".

3. Make a Brochure. Insert your personal brochure into the real estate section of your local newspaper. For only a few cents per insert, you'll be able to reach your target audience without spending a fortune on mailing. With larger circulation papers, you can target select ZIP codes or neighborhoods.

4. Engage Title/Escrow. Get affiliated businesses to prospect for you. For example, an in-house title company could thank customers for their business by phone or e-mail and also ask them if they know anyone who could use your company's brokerage services. Call your Title/Escrow rep, let them know you want to prospect for marketing leads, do lead generation and find home buyers and home sellers and see what they can do for you.

5. Gather Real Estate Statistics. Repackage local economic data, such as appreciation rates and job growth-available from your MLS and local government-into accessible charts, graphs, and tables. Then create personalized market reports to send to prospects. Presto-you're a market expert. You can hand it out, mail it or put it on your website!

6. Get warm and fuzzy. Consider using family photos in your marketing materials to create an approachable image.

7. Add Quick Response Buttons to your Website. Add one thing to your Web site right now-a button that says, "I want to buy/sell now." Set it up so visitors can click the button and input information about themselves, sent as a message to your cell phone or digital device. This is great for lead generation.

8. Give away local info already created. When prospects inquire about your area, send them free brochures produced by your city or chamber of commerce. Attach stickers you've had made that say "Compliments of [your name, company name, contact information]," and mail them with a personalized letter.

9. Do Open Houses. Depending on your area, you can get really creative with your open houses to meet lots of new buyers and sometimes sellers, too. I have a section on open houses as well.

10. Get a website and market it! All agents need a website these days for lead generation. There are many to choose from, but whatever and whoever you choose to use, you MUST market it to the internet if you want to generate leads online. If you do not, your website will never be seen by new prospects who are looking to find a Realtor, searching for free MLS, homes for sale or needing assistance from YOU. You'll need to use SEO marketing (search engine optimization) and keyword and keyword phrases, keep up relevant content on the site, etc. Google the web for all of your options....there are hundreds, from custom sites to templates and everything in-between. Costs are from almost free to thousands of dollars. You don't need to spend a lot, so beware and due your due diligence before buying.

11. Create Walking Billboards is another way for great lead generation. Give out t-shirts that have your company's logo on the front and your contact information on the back. The most effective people to target for my giveaway are those who work outside in the public eye. Gas station attendants, ice-cream stand workers, landscapers, and others who do outdoor work are the best. You can also give t-shirts to all of those nice people who allow you to place your "directional" signs on their front lawn; not only may they let you use their lawn for your sign, but they get a free shirt... and you get more free advertising!

12. Lock in New Alliances - In an arrangement with a local locksmith, you can ask them to put your promotional key chains on every key he makes.

13. Use a buyer to prospect! If you have a buyer looking for a specific house and neighborhood, hand write a letter to each owner of that neighborhood saying you have a buyer looking for a home in their neighborhood and ask them to contact you if they are interested in possibly selling your house. You'd be surprised by the response! Give it a try right away and maybe you'll get a home for your buyer or a new listing as well!

Remember, it's all about LEAD GENERATION!

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About the Author:

This article was written by Suzanne B. Martin, Realtor, CRS, ABR with Prudential Hallmark Realty in Paso Robles CA. Suzanne has been a Realtor since 1999, licensed in WA, broker's license in Az and currently residing as a licensed agent in Paso Robles, CA. Suzanne B. Martin also has an internet marketing business. Please visit Suzanne's website at http://www.masterfinancialfreedom.com

Suzanne's started the internet marketing company when the real estate market slowed down. She is building this business to increase her ability to create a financial freedom to move anywhere and have a continued source of income while the real estate market is down. Suzanne understands what all real estate agents are going through and knows that most agents are tech saavy enough to be able to make a great income on the internet. She would love to show you how.

Suzanne is also in the process of building a lead generating website for creating online leads for her fellow real estate agents. If you are interested in getting leads/referrals and for more information, please email Suzanne directly at suzannebmartin@yahoo.com.

If you are interested in learning more about what it takes to start an internet business and becoming an internet marketing entrepreneur, please visit her website above or email her directly. She will answer all responses personally and thoroughly.

Feel free to contact Suzanne anytime about real estate or internet marketing/home business opportunity.