As A Realtor: Should You Focus On Seller Listings Or Buyer Leads?
Let's pretend you are a business owner (that shouldn't be hard).
Let's pretend that you own two businesses.
Let's pretend one of your business is a fireworks store, and another business is a costume store.
Let's pretend that it is October 1st.
Which business would get more of your attention? More of your time? Which business would you spend more money marketing at this exact moment?
On October 1st, what would people be more interested in?
Fireworks or costumes?
As A Real Estate Agent
As a Realtor you do have two businesses.
Generating Buyer Leads
Generating Seller Leads.
Right now, you have a choice to make. Which part of your real estate business is going to get your time, energy and money?
If you are not leading with getting Seller Leads, I think you're crazy.
I'm going off of general NAR stats here.
Lowest inventory rates in years... the lowest months of absorption rate in years...
Basically the most aggressive Sellers Market in 6 - 7 years.
If you are spending money on an expensive website that focuses on generating buyer leads and you are spending time on creating content for buyer leads and you spending money on PPC to get buyer leads, BUT...
... are not doing this for Seller Leads, you are crazy!
That's like the Business Owner above spending all their money on promoting fireworks instead of costumes, even though it's October.
But I'm not saying "you have to become a Real Estate Advisor with Persinger Group," but if I was you, I would focus 100% of my energy on getting Seller Leads right now.
I would focus 100% of my money on getting Seller Leads and working Listings right now.
When you lead with listings, the listings lead to more leads.
According to an article on Market Watch,
"...prices in October increased at the highest year-over-year rate since February 2006, according to data released last month by the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. “All in all, it’s a good time for people to put their home up for sale,” says Celia Chen, senior director with Moody’s Analytics."
It makes NO business sense to spend any money on generating Buyer Leads right. Not one dime. Not one penny.
Your business should be about generating Seller Leads. It should always be, but be even more so over the last year or two.
If I have not made that crystal clear to you, that's my fault. You can't say that any longer though.
Your focus should be Seller Leads.
As Gary Keller says, “When you bring a property to the market, you create the market.”
If you don't have 2-3 strategies to bring you consistent Seller Leads, you should join us, or at a minimum, sit down and chat with me about Seller Lead Generation Strategies.
If you don't have the money or you think it's too expensive to generate seller leads, take a look at your expenses that you are spending on generating Buyer Leads right now, traffic, content creation, website etc.
Is it a smart business decision to be spending money on those things when we are smack in the middle of the biggest Seller Market we have had in 6-7 years?
Question: What if it's a Buyers Market in my area? Should I still focus on Seller Listings?
What about markets like mine that is still a strong buyers market? Our market is not strong for sellers, prices are not appreciating quickly. You think focusing on listings is the correct answer even in a clear buyers market?
Answer:
Probably, Yes.
That's my short, simple answer.
Now, the longer answer...
I've never seen a single agent that is Uber Successful working with a majority of Buyers.
You might be making a good income, but buyers just take up more time. They want to look at homes on short notice, at night, on the weekends, want their parents to come look at it. The in-laws. The grand parents.
(How often do you have to come back and give a listing presentation and give your marketing plan to the parents of sellers?)
Plus, is your market on the upswing out of a Buyers Market?
Meaning, maybe there was 20 months of inventory, now there is only 12 months.
That means you are moving toward the middle and towards a Sellers Market.
Are you going to wait until it is a Sellers Market to start trying to get Seller Leads?
Do that... wait, and you are too late.
Every market is different and of course you know your market better than I do.
But experience tells me that when you lead with listings, listings lead to leads.
There is never a bad market to be a listing focused agent.
And I'll repeat what Gary Keller said once again...
“When you bring a property to the market, you create the market."
What GK is saying there I believe is, it doesn't matter if it's a buyers market or sellers market nationwide.... It doesn't matter if it's a buyers market or sellers market in your state or city or neighborhood.
7 Steps To Successfully Being Seller Listing Focused Realtor
1. Get the listing.
2. Put it in the market at a sellable price.
3. Put all the other agents in your MLS to work for you by them bringing buyers to your listing. (Great Leverage)
4. Market the listing aggressively to find more buyer leads.
5. Sell the listing.
6. Tell everyone in the neighborhood and in your database what you did.
7. Get another listing. (Start at step 2 now)
Don't be a victim to the market. Create the market.
If you want help getting ahead of the market and your competition, join us.
If you wait, it could be to late.
It's like trying to catch a ball rolling down hill.
If you are chasing it, it will always just be out of your reach.
You will always just be behind the market and your competition.
You gotta get out in front of it.
Persinger Group marketing that is done for you, helps you do just that.
The 50% Reason You Want Seller Leads & Listings
Here is a simple way to increase your sales production.
Maybe even double your business with The 50%.
Here's another reason I feel it's important to be a listings focused real estate agent.
But, first your mindset needs to get there.
You can't be thinking, "but I like buyers..."
"The listing might not sell."
"Sellers might want to list it for more than it's worth."
I was licensed in 1997. I've heard it all.
My experience with real estate and agents is not just what I get at events, conferences or as a guest speaker at an office training.
I've been there, in the trenches, with you. I know the reality vs the theory.
It comes down to this...
As a real estate agent, if you lead with listings, listings lead to leads.
If you want more Buyers, get more Seller Leads.
And this isn't just about being able to market the listing to generate more buyer leads...
This is about working with the Sellers and representing them buying their next home.
According to the NAR 2013 Home Buyer & Seller Report...
27% of All Sellers moved 5 miles or less between home purchased and recently sold.
16% of All Sellers moved 6 to 10 miles between home purchased and recently sold.
7% of All Sellers moved 11 to 15 miles between home purchased and recently sold.
I'm making a couple of assumptions here...
I'm assuming you can market a home aggressively for your clients. If not, start working with me.
I'm assuming you're working with clients within 15 miles of where you're at.
If this is true...
Each listing you have, marketed aggressively, should be bringing you buyer leads that lead to more transactions.
And 50% of your Sellers are going to buy another home within 15 miles or less.
How would it feel if you doubled your real estate sales business simply by your focus on these things...
1. Get the listing
2. Market it aggressively
3. Convert and service all the buyer leads that come in
4. Help your Seller find and purchase their next home
I'm not going to say, "The getting listings and marketing them is the best way, easiest way, to double your business" though, because that's a decision for you.
And only you truly know what you want your business to look like.
You might want to quiet your inner critic. You're probably thinking of all the reasons this won't work, why it's not that easy, why it won't work in your market, why it won't work for you.
And I wouldn't advise you to talk with us though, until you shut that inner critic up.
I'm not even going to try to tell why you should focus on what's possible, not the negative.
The reality is, I bet I could come up with more reasons why you shouldn't do something than you could. Like I said... "I've been around. I've heard it. I've seen it."
I make the choice not to focus on the negative, limiting beliefs and personal constraints.
It's your choice also.
Stay Productive
Keep Focused
Be Consistent
-- DarinPersinger
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