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Posts Tagged ‘customer connection’

Real Estate Blog: 5 Reasons You Should Have One

Posted on: September 17th, 2012 by Beth Heilman

Real Estate Blog

Can I be blunt a moment? How’s your real estate blog looking? Are you satisfied with the traffic and engagement you’re getting, or does it leave something to be desired?

It’s a tough time to be a realtor now, and you know my passion is helping real estate professionals make great social media connections and boost sales.

And while some real estate peeps understand they need to be on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest (you do understand that, right?), many of them don’t quite get the other part of the equation – the real estate blog!

So maybe you’re not a writer. But before you dismiss the idea of a real estate blog, let me share some information with you that just might have you changing your mind.

Real Estate Blog Site: 5 Reasons You Should Have One Now!

1. It’s In The Numbers
Did you know that businesses that blog have 55% more website traffic than businesses that don’t? And according to some industry research, over 80% of homebuyers research their home buying decisions online. I don’t know about you, but if that’s where people are looking, that’s where I wanna be!

If people are online looking for information about mortgages, neighborhoods, and real estate, a blog is the perfect tool to lead people to you.

2. It Builds Your Credibility
Once upon a time, your company-replicated site was all it took to look like you had a sophisticated business presence online. Not so much today, chica! Today’s savvy home buyer is looking for more value, and a real estate blog is your platform to communicate your professionalism and knowledge to your clients and prospects over time. Every time you post and every time you respond to comments on your posts, you establish yourself as an expert and as a person behind the brand of “you.”

3. It Builds Traffic
This isn’t highway congestion we’re talking about! Traffic to your site is your friend. So how do you attract it?

Online marketing is very rapidly shifting to the world of inbound marketing versus outbound marketing. What is inbound marketing? Quite simply, it’s the way you earn people’s (and search engine’s!) trust by producing quality content that links within your site, out to other sites with related content and receives links from other credible sources related to your niche. The more you blog and engage with readers on your blog, the more traffic you’ll generate from people searching for your particular real estate expertise or area via search engines. And if people are searching for you, well, that’s always a better prospect!

4. It Provides Better Customer Service
You can be the diva of customer service, without having to increase your office hours. Is that amazing, or what? Having a real estate blog gives your customers a place to find you day or night. The simple act of putting a contact form on every page and answering e-mails promptly puts you light years ahead of your competition who might rely on being available only during standard office hours or via cell phone. A real estate blog allows your customers to have access to you – without you having to be tethered to your phone all of the time, giving the perception of great service.

5. It Provides Better Value
More and more in the marketplace, the best way to market to your customers is by providing value to them and being seen as one who provides value. A real estate blog is a place you can provide that value to your clients by providing timely information on topics that matter. Changes coming to the mortgage industry? Put a post on your real estate blog that breaks it down for the average homebuyer. Info on events in the community you work in? Include them in your real estate blog for great location-specific search engine power.

Having a real estate blog is one of the easiest ways to punch up your marketing efforts for a lot less than the cost of traditional marketing.

Stumped for what to write? Next post I’ll offer 3 foolproof tips you won’t want to miss on how to have magnetic headlines for your real estate blog!

Do you have a real estate blog? Leave a link below in the comments!

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The Secret To Sales Success Is Connecting With Your Customer

Posted on: October 10th, 2011 by Beth Heilman

Today I want to talk with you about how connecting with your customer is the secret to sales success…in ANY business.

How many times have you gone into a store or (gulp) stepped on a car lot and were met with one of two things? Either you were ignored totally while the clerks of said store gossiped amongst each other or horror of horrors…you stepped out of your car only to be descended on by a school of hungry piranha?


Neither scenario makes you feel like doing business there and the last one I mentioned makes you want to run for the hills!!

What's a person to do when all they want is to get a little help, get some questions answered and, big shock to the merchant, actually buy something.

What ever happened to good, old fashioned sales skills? I'm taking a stand for a sale skills revival and it's gonna start right here.

The first thing any dedicated salesperson needs to do is make a connection with their customer. By that, I mean greet them with a smile, find out their name and what it is they came to you for.

Here's one of the most important secrets…Ask them questions about what it is they need and what it is they WANT (yep, folks there is a difference). And then, here's the most important part…LISTEN.

It's been said many times and in many ways that we all have two ears and one mouth and they should be used in that proportion. In other words we should listen at least twice as much as we talk 🙂

Don't plan what it is you're going to say next. Don't have a laundry list of answers to their objections ready to rapid-fire back to them.

Really listen. Your customers will let you know exactly what it is they want if you'll just listen.

I remember a few years ago I was in the market for an SUV.  I'm an Acura girl from way back( I've had three of 'em, still own two)and I knew I wanted an Acura MDX.

Now here in Las Vegas we have one Acura dealer and I stopped at the car lot one afternoon to take a look. After checking out the inventory for a few minutes, a very well dressed gentleman came out and asked me what I was interested in. I told him. I wanted a late model used MDX ( I rarely buy brand new. Depreciation…ick!!) with low miles, Touring package, loaded. I'd done my homework (hint: your customers have probably been doing their homework, too. That's how they found you).

This guy didn't hear a thing I said. All he kept asking me (several times) was what color did I want. Color? I never mentioned color. Not once. He was fixated on the color thing (I guess women car buyers are supposed to only care what color the car is, huh?) to the point that I finally told him I'd take anything but purple  (there is no such thing as a purple MDX, by the way). At last, in frustration I left the lot, went up the street to the Honda dealership, found exactly what I wanted and I'm still driving it today.

The moral of the story? Customers today are smart, educated and more than a bit skeptical when it comes to parting with their money…especially large sums of money. Can you blame them?

The more you take the time with your prospects and customers to find out about them and what they want, the easier, more fun and more profitable the sales process will be for you and them. Now…got your questions ready and your listening ears on? Get to it!! Happy selling!!

Ever had a nightmare sales experience (or a really good one where everybody came out a winner?) Please share it with everyone below. It's just as important knowing what NOT to do as it is what works. Until next time…make it a wondermous day.

To Your Sales Success,
Sonrisas(smiles),

Beth 🙂

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