Database Marketing

Stop Overlooking Your Sphere: Why it's time to treat your "contacts" like "clients"

Ask yourself: when real estate shifts or rates drop, who hears it from you first? Just your active clients, or does your entire database get the news?

Too many agents just “touch base” with their personal contacts (friends, family, past clients, et al.), maintaining only a minimal connection. Imagine the untapped potential lying dormant.

You may think your contacts aren't in the market and prefer not to be bothered. Yet, with the right information, their perspective could change. They could become buyers, sellers, investors, or even referrers.

Remember, informed choices require information—and it's your job to provide it. What’s more, if you're not nurturing your database, who is?

Building Business Relationships During the Holiday Season: 11 Strategies for Success

This time of year isn't just about festivities; it's a prime opportunity to deepen relationships and strategically position your business for future growth. By engaging meaningfully with your clients/contacts now, you're setting the stage for a prosperous and collaborative new year.

  1. Calls: A simple voice call to show you’re there and care.

  2. Text Messages: Dropping a text just to check-in keeps you connected.

  3. Video Messages: Personalized video greetings are a modern, engaging way to reach out.

  4. Emails: Send out updates, holiday wishes, or end-of-year summaries to stay in touch.

  5. Handwritten Notes: Add a personal touch that stands out in today's digital world.

  6. Letters: Longer, thoughtful letters can express gratitude and recap the year.

  7. Holiday Cards: Season’s greetings add a festive touch to your professional relationships.

  8. Parties: Inviting clients to holiday events fosters community and camaraderie.

  9. Events: Host or sponsor events that provide value and networking opportunities.

  10. Gifts: Thoughtful gifts can show appreciation and strengthen bonds.

  11. Charitable Causes: Sharing or supporting causes dear to your clients shows you care beyond business.

By incorporating these meaningful gestures, you not only show appreciation but also position your business for continued growth and success in the coming year. Happy holidays and best wishes for a prosperous 2024!

Be the Tide That Lifts All Boats: The Secret to Thriving in Real Estate

In the hustle and bustle of real estate—between the showings, the handshakes, and the never-ending deadlines—it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters.

You're not just selling properties; you're selling a dream and a future, all made possible through your expertise.

But what if I told you that the key to your success lies not in how well you sell, but in how well you help others achieve their dreams?

Three Pillars to Elevate Your Real Estate Business

1. Understand What You're REALLY Selling

You're not just selling houses; you're selling an experience, a lifestyle, and a future. Your expertise is your product, and how you convey it—through your personality, your marketing strategies, and your customer service—makes all the difference.

So, ask yourself, "What do I sell?" Hint: it's more than just real estate. It's the value, trust, and expertise you bring to every transaction.

2. Build Relationships, Not Just Transactions

Real estate is a relationship business. It's built on trust, rapport, and the ability to understand your client's needs. When you focus on building relationships, the transactions will naturally follow. You'll find that your clients not only come back to you but also become your biggest advocates.

3. Be the Tide That Lifts All Boats

Zig Ziglar once said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want."

This is the cornerstone of a successful real estate business. When you focus on helping your clients achieve their dreams, you're not just closing a deal; you're opening a door to endless possibilities—for them and for you.

Your success becomes a byproduct of your clients' success.

So, who's with me? Be the tide that lifts all boats, and watch your own ship rise. You'll find that success in real estate isn’t just about making sales; it's about making a difference. And that, my friends, is how you build a business that not only survives but thrives.

Personal vs. Impersonal Channels: Mastering the Art of Relationship Marketing in Real Estate

If you’ve lost touch with your personal contacts and have become hesitant to just up and call them, but know you need to… Try using impersonal marketing/communication channels to reawaken stagnant relationships.

IMPERSONAL MARKETING CHANNELS:

  • Sending postcards or letters.

  • Distributing newsletters (print or email).

  • Sending routine emails.

  • Commenting on social media.

  • Messaging via DMs.

  • Inviting-to and hosting webinars.

  • Inviting-to and attending larger, casual events.

  • Sponsoring social media ads.

With your contacts reengaged, Take your relationships to the next level by utilizing personal marketing channels.

PERSONAL MARKETING CHANNELS:

  • Making phone calls.

  • Sending texts.

  • Visiting via pop-bys.

  • Organizing coffee meetups, meal gatherings, or activity-based meetings.

  • Inviting to and attending smaller, intimate events.

  • Writing handwritten notes.

  • Recording personalized video messages.

In real estate, relationships rule.  To be chosen, you must be known. Don't gamble with chance – be the agent-of-choice.

The Trust Equation: Earning Referrals in Real Estate

In the real estate profession, success hinges on more than mere transactional interactions or casual conversations with clients. At its core, this business is relationship-based—a "know-you, like-you, trust-you" kind of operation.

Trust is a cornerstone, pivotal to creating an atmosphere where clients and contacts can confidently advocate for your services.

Consider this:  according to the National Association of REALTORS®, over half of buyers and about two-thirds of sellers link with agents via repeat business or referrals. This underscores the critical importance of your relationships and amplifies the powerful role that trust plays in driving your business forward.

Yet, trust doesn't grow on its own—it needs to be tended. When a client refers you, they're effectively betting their reputation. Consequently, your marketing strategy is tasked with providing the assurance clients and contacts require to recommend your services confidently.

Regardless of the method—be it postcards, emails, videos, or something else—your marketing should focus on forging a robust network that knows, likes, and trusts you.

So… Is your marketing strategy building the necessary confidence for your clients to easily vouch for your services?

Your Network, Your Net Worth: The Power of Your Network

👉 66% of Americans own homes.

👉 Approx. 8.5% move annually.

👉 More than 91% use an agent to buy/sell.

👉 The average person knows about 150 people.

So the potential of a 500-person database is…

500 (Your database)


x 150 (Dunbar's Number)


x 0.66 (Homeowners)


x 0.085 (Annual movers)


x 0.91 (Those using an agent)

Result:

≈ 3,500 sales per year.

Roughly 1/2 of buyers and 2/3 of sellers find an agent through repeat business or referrals. In real estate, you might say your network equals your net worth! MARKETING IS MATH: your database is an untapped goldmine.

But don't assume you're the only contender. You're either the agent-of-choice or an agent-of-chance — and chance rarely deals the winning hand.

Consider this a thought exercise. These numbers are a theoretical maximum, but they underscore the immense potential that’s within your reach.

Now’s the time to make every connection count!

Understanding Types of Real Estate Leads: Property, Process, and/or Professional Inquiries

Leads are the lifeblood of your business—yet they come with varying degrees of potential and require different handling strategies.

You’ve likely heard your peers complain about “lousy” leads. But it isn’t a matter of quality, it’s a question of intent.

By definition, a lead is simply somebody responding to a marketing offer, saying, "I'm interested!” What it all boils down to is the nature of the offer.

Context is key! If you fail to understand what motivated a lead to accept your offer, you're essentially left in the dark.

In real estate, for example, there are 3 fundamental offers:  property - process - professional.

  1. PROPERTY - Offers focused on the real estate itself: e.g. listing inquiries, open house attendees, home-valuation requests, custom home-search subscribers, etc.

  2. PROCESS - Offers concerned with the journey of buying or selling: e.g. downloadable PDF guides, webinar or seminar participants, etc.

  3. PROFESSIONAL - Offers spotlighting the agent's expertise and/or reputation: e.g. social media solicitations, online review-driven queries, etc.

It's vital to acknowledge that not all leads are equal. While property leads might come in bulk, they often see you as an accessory to the main event, thus demanding a good deal of skill and finesse to transform them into loyal clients.

On the other hand, process and professional leads come to you because, well—you’re YOU! They recognize your skills and reputation; they've seen you in action and they like what they see. Hence, the conversion battle is already halfway won—ultimately, it's all about context.

How to be the “Knowledge Broker” (for REALTORS); the Housing Market is Volatile

How’s the market?" I’d wager that’s the question you (i.e., REALTORS®) hear most often. Probably multiple times a day. Thus, it’s super important to equip yourself to answer satisfactorily.

And, in order to do that, you’ve gotta prioritize market research and study every day. You can hardly assume the title, “knowledge broker,” without knowledge.

MY ADVICE:

  • Read/watch everything @keepingcurrentmatters publishes

  • Utilize your MLS to analyze market-localized stats and analysis.

  • Setup a Google Alert for the term, “Real Estate.”

Program it to send you a daily digest of the top-trending news articles related to the term, “real estate,” so you’re always in touch with what may be on the minds of buyers and sellers in your area. Simply visit alerts.google.com, type “real estate” into the search bar, tap, “Show options,” then, under Sources, select “News,” and finally, specify any other preferences. Once it’s configured, just watch your inbox for updates on the daily.

The real estate market is volatile. News headlines “doom-monger” about its future conditions—speculating of corrections, collapses, crashes, and so on.

Consequently, buyers and sellers in your marketplace will look/listen to the knowledge broker – and I’d sure like for that to be you. So seek to answer that question—“How’s the market?”—in your videos, your emails, and more. Be your community’s agent-authority.

5 Database Marketing and Nurturing Tactics (for REALTORS)

Your database of past clients and center-of-influence contacts is, in all likelihood, your BEST source of business. Question is, are you“working it” sufficiently?

Per the Nat’l Association of REALTORS®, 68% of sellers and 60% of buyers identify an agent for hire via REPEAT/REFERRAL. 🤯

Fact is, if you’re not fully-leveraging your database—no doubt—it’s costing you. 💸

Here’s a quick list of marketing ideas to more effectively nurture your database:

  1. Weekly Email Round-Up.  Email marketing is WAY underrated—and I know why. It’s because far too many agents are sending out canned, pre-written emails that  don’t work. My advice: start to view email as a channel for distributing your content. As you publish blogs, videos, and more, assemble and send out a weekly email digest. It’ll improve your performance metrics and, more importantly, it’ll nurture your database.

  2. Google Display Network Ads.  Position your brand across the web via the Google Display Network—i.e., the banner ads you see scattered across sites and apps in side-bars, pop-ups, footer-bars, and elsewhere. They'll help keep you top-of-mind with your database. Head over to Ads.Google.com to setup a new ad campaign and upload your database contacts for retargeting. Type in this URL to watch my tutorial:  bit.ly.JP-GDN

  3. Handwritten Notes/Cards.  Let’s face it:  some marketing channels give off a phony vibe. Like, I don’t feel warm and fuzzy when I get a mass text message that reads:  “Reply STOP to unsubscribe." But handwritten notes, I've gotta confess, are pretty-darn touching. Trouble is, they’re high-effort!—or, at least, they were. Look at bulk-sending plat-forms like Audience.co or AddressableMail to nurture your database with personalized, handwritten notes and cards.

  4. Educational Webinars.  I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill "first-time homebuyer" or basic "seller" seminars/webinars. I'm talking about offering webinars on much more nuanced, relevant topics. Imagine inviting your database contacts  to monthly webinars in which you tackled the most relevant topics of the day—especially now, as the market is highly volatile. My advice:  be the knowledge broker!

Home Equity Updates. Homes value is STILL a topic of tremendous interest amongst homeowners. So what’s your process to keep your database contacts in the know? Perhaps try sending out quarterly “Equity Updates” to them. After all, they’re your database contacts and so it’s on you to keep them informed of market conditions. Use an automated tool or run your own comps—either way, it's about sharing the data.

5 Database Marketing Ideas for Real Estate Agents

Your DATABASE of past clients and sphere-of-influence contacts is probably your BEST source of business. Question is, are you, quote-unquote, “working it” sufficiently?

Swipe through the images above to review FIVE marketing ideas to effectively nurture your database.

  1. Weekly Email “Roundup” - Email marketing is WAY underrated—and I know why. It’s because far too many agents are sending out canned, pre-written emails that  don’t work. My advice: start to view email as a channel for distributing your content. As you publish blogs, videos, and more, assemble and send out a weekly email digest. It’ll improve your performance metrics and, more importantly, it’ll nurture your database.

  2. Educational Webinars - I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill "first-time homebuyer" or basic "seller" seminars. I'm talking about much more nuanced, relevant topics. Imagine offering your database contacts monthly (Zoom-powered) webinars, tackling topics like ew construction, negotiating through multiple offers, buying/selling at the same time, and more. Be the knowledge broker!

  3. Outbound Handwritten Notes - Let’s face it:  some marketing channels give off a phony vibe. Like, I don’t feel warm and fuzzy when I get a mass text message. “Reply STOP to unsubscribe,” haha 😂. But handwritten notes, I must confess, are pretty-darn touching. Trouble is, they’re high effort!—or, at least, they were. Look at bulk-sending plat-forms like Audience.co, HandWrytten.com, or HandWrite.io. 

  4. Google Display Network Ads - Position your brand across the web via the Google Display Network—i.e., the banner ads you see scattered across sites & apps in side-bars, pop-ups, footer-bars, and elsewhere. This’ll help to keep you top-of-mind w/ your database. Head over to Ads.Google.com, create a new ad campaign, and upload your database contacts to the Audience Manager, thereby enabling Google to retarget your peeps.

  5. Home “Equity Updates” - Homes have been & are still appreciating at record pace. That being said, what’s your pro-cess to keep your database contacts in the loop? Perhaps try sending out quarterly “Equity Up-dates”—not as a straight-up sales pitch to list, per se—but as a professional courtesy. After all, they’re your database contacts and so it’s on you to keep them informed about the market. Use an automated tool or run your own comps—either way, it's about sharing the data.

Off-Market Listing Attraction Database Email Script (for Real Estate Agents)

Off-Market Match-Maker Email Script.png

We’re facing an epic listing 🏘 shortage in real estate markets across the US, Canada, and around the world 🌎 It’s causing intense bidding wars and rapidly increasing purchase prices.

During a recent mastermind session I listened to numerous top agents who, one after the next, explained how they’d been procuring listings lately. Remarkably, every tactic they shared involved straight-up hustle. I suppose that figures. After all, there’s no such thing as a 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚-𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩-𝙢𝙚 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹. In other words, acquiring listings isn’t 𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒎; it’s 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒅. So, if you’re willing to give it some elbow grease (so to speak), here’s an idea for you to consider!

Send a plain-text email (meaning, it should simple and unadorned—no HTML fancy stuff, etc.) to your database:  friends, family, acquaintances, past clients, old/new leads, et al.

🚨🚨I’ve linked to a sample email script at the bottom of this post. 🚨🚨

Part 1:

Begin by acknowledging the inherent challenges of this market. Once again:  multiple offers, escalating price points, limited inventory, etc.

Part 2: (Optional)

Share some market context. After all, only a limited set of events historically shift real estate markets:  foreclosures, new construction, interest rates, and so forth. Give a snapshot overview of what’s happening at large because would-be sellers may be waiting for purchase conditions to change in the short-term, when, realistically, it could take longer than anticipated.

Part 3:

State the point that there are likely myriad sellers who would list their homes IF the ideal purchase opportunity were to present itself. If that describes anyone receiving 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 email, ask if there’s a type of home they’d like for you to seek out on their behalf. Then, proceed to circle-prospect, door-knock, and/or bulk mail off-market homes, subject to all applicable rules/regulations, with the intention of scheduling “one-time showings.” (Oh yes, you knew we’d eventually hit the “hustle” part, LOL.)

Collect their wish-list criteria via a Google Form. In that same Form, ask if they have a property to sell and gather data about it. Basically, by the way, you’re amassing a registry of pocket listings.

Pro Tip:  when contacting off-market homeowners, if you hear, “Well sure I’d be open to selling my home to one of your buyers—only, where am I supposed to go once it’s sold?” Say, “Tell me about the type of home you’re looking for. It may already be in my off-market registry [i.e., your Google Form] and, if not, I’d be happy to add you to my list of buyers for whom I’m actively seeking out suitable purchase opportunities.”

Remember:  𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕.

I’ve composed a sample email script. Feel free to use it, edit it, turn it into a video, or whatever -- at your own discretion, of course. Just complete the form below.

Persistence

Jason Pantana, Tom Ferry business coach (3).jpg

Persistence: firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

A lot of agents don’t call their database contacts, nurture their leads, or follow-up sufficiently simply because they’re concerned it could make them look pushy, salesy, or sleazy. But on the other hand… following up, reaching out, and/or staying in touch could also make that same agent seem devoted, helpful, or hands-on. It’s boils down to your POV (i.e., your thinking).

Plus there’s a monumental difference between pushiness and persistence. Pushiness comes from a place of self-service whereas persistence is rooted in customer-service. Meaning… if your game-plan to convert leads or generate referrals is predicated on hassling people into making decisions that serve your interests, well then I suppose you may be coming off as pushy. But I highly, highly doubt that’s your operating method. I suspect—if your attitude is to serve as many people as possible, according to what’s in their best interest—then it’s going to show up positively in how you ask for referrals or seek to connect with leads.

We all know the money is made in the follow-up… so whatever the story is that keeps you from doing that, let it go.