NETWORKING - Weebly...• Know your zealots - these are the customers who believe in you and who regularly spread positive word-of-mouth news about you and your business. • Pay attention

1NETWORKING

NETWORKING

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BUILDING A REFERRAL-BASED CLIENTELE

Cultivating referrals can be a highly effective way of

growing your real estate business. More often than not,

referrals are quality leads with several inherent benefits:

• They usually require very little to acquire in terms of

financial commitment.

• They generate many pre-qualified customers because

they were referred by people who knew they were in

the market to buy or sell property.

• They are already at least partially sold on the value of

your services - after all, they were referred by someone

they trust.

Below are several easy ways to get your clients to offer

referrals to you:

• Mention referrals on your letterhead - let your customers

know that referrals are always appreciated.

• Ask for referrals in your newsletter - use your newsletter

to publicly thank the people who have recently sent

you a referral.

• Use the power of a “thank-you” - encourage people

who are currently referring people to keep referring by

providing a special thank-you for their efforts.

• Know your zealots - these are the customers who

believe in you and who regularly spread positive

word-of-mouth news about you and your business.

• Pay attention to your top 20% - fish tend to swim

in schools with other similarly-sized fish; your top

20% of clients will be the ones most likely to

provide you with the referrals that generate the

largest commissions.

• Build strategic networking alliances within your

industry AND within your local community without

neglecting either.

• And always, look for opportunities to refer clients to

other members within your network; offering referrals

to other Sutton REALTORS® is one of the best ways to

generate referrals for your business as well!

2NETWORKING

REFERRAL DIRECTORY

Have you claimed your share of the lucrative referral market?

Each year more than 8,500 Sutton members receive

a copy of the Sutton Referral Directory, which contains

detailed contact information for every Sutton office and

every Sutton REALTOR®. Its reach makes the directory a

valuable marketing vehicle to showcase your services and

yield referral leads. Your placement in the Directory makes

you a part of a very strong and effective network.

Show other Sutton members that you are ready for their Referrals

If you want to stand out from the crowd, consider placing

an advertisement. Sutton makes it easy with your choice

of 20 professionally designed ad templates in a range of

styles, colours and prices. All templates offer the flexibility

you need to personalize your message. For greater expo-

sure, your name is bolded in the roster and in the index.

An advertisement can pay for itself with a single referral!

How to create a successful ad • Include a professional photo

• Use short, punchy text that succinctly describes your

area of specialty

• Keep text to a minimum for greatest impact

• Include a slogan or a title that describes your years

in the business, years in the community, or area

of expertise

DID YOU KNOW?

• Sutton currently has over 8,500 REALTORS®.• More than 300,000 Canadians move between provinces each year.• Large numbers of people also move to new communities within their own province.• Sutton REALTORS® consistently generate over $14 billion in annual sales.• Sutton REALTORS® who build referral networks with other Sutton REALTORS® gain access to more client transactions by using these powerful referral networks!

I have enjoyed the benefits of advertising in the Referral Directory each year by receiving referrals from Sutton REALTORS® across the country. It is also my first source when searching for the right REALTOR® for my transferring clients.

Thank you for a great marketing tool!

Janet Abbott – Sutton Group – Resource Realty, Duncan, BC

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REFERRAL DIRECTORY

Maximize the effectiveness of your ad

• Research relocation statistics. Think about the

trends in the relocation market. Use the “hot” spots as

your gauge for finding referral sources. Browse the

Referral Directory and seek advertisers in those areas.

• Contact Referral Directory advertisers. Contact

fellow advertisers, introduce yourself and let them know

that you are open for business by pointing them to

your ad.

• Refer your relocating clients to other Sutton REALTORS®. Give business to receive business.

Show other REALTORS® that you are ready for

reciprocal referrals.

• Network. Maintaining relationships is important for

consistent referrals. Communicate regularly with

potential referring REALTORS® by sending them

interesting real estate materials.

Advertisement Options

• Template ads are available in 6 sizes and many colours,

and range in price from $174 to $1995. These ads can

be created and ordered online in only minutes!

• If you prefer to customize your advertisement, you can

order custom ads in 7 sizes, and range in price from

$208 to $470.

Ordering your Ad

For information on ordering your Referral Directory ad,

log on to https://homebase.sutton.com/referraldir

Referral Agreement

• This is a convenient tool to contact other Sutton

REALTORS® and establish a formal agreement. Find it in

Homebase under “Resources”, then “Forms”.

GETTING MOREINFORMATION ONLINE:

1. In Homebase, click on the “Referral Directory” link at the top of the screen in the navigation banner. 2. You can view the online Referral Directory or place an order for an add by clicking either link.3. The whole ordering process can be completed online in just a few minutes.

4NETWORKING

SUTTON SPIRIT

Sutton Spirit demonstrates the dedication and efforts

of Sutton REALTORS® towards the betterment of their

communities. The program acknowledges their involve-

ment in initiatives that impact the lives of many others

around them. Thanks to their contributions, Sutton is

increasingly known as an organization dedicated to

making a difference. Sutton Spirit celebrates the countless

hours and donations of the Sutton family and nurtures

pride within its members.

Showing your Sutton Spirit not only helps support worthy

causes, but it also offers excellent opportunities to

interact with people in your community, to network, and

to increase your public profile. Sutton helps to spread the

word to the public through professional media releases,

which have generated media coverage for various events.

In fact, Sutton introduced a website to assist Sutton

members to raise awareness and funds for their events:

www.suttonspirit.com.

www.suttonspirit.com is an excellent tool to help

you promote your events. This attractive, easy-to-

navigate site includes photos, tips and press releases.

suttonspirit.com can be a valuable promotional tool

for you. You can even include links to your event

posting on suttonspirit.com when you email clients

and friends.

suttonspirit.com is also a great source of ideas for your

events. Read the press releases for tips and click on

“How to get involved” to access great ideas.

For example:

• Sell something more than just houses! Get a committee

together and plan a book, bake or garage sale.

• Hold 50/50 draws at the office at each of your

sales meetings. Donate the money to a charity of

your choice

• Educate your community! Lead a seminar on a topic

you know and charge each attendee. Donate all

proceeds to a charity.

From conducting your interview, writing the press

release and sending it to the media, Sutton Spirit provides

excellent resources to publicize your story. Express

your spirit.

Contact us today at [email protected] and get

your story told!

pms

cmyk

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PUBLIC RELATIONS

Using the media to your advantage

In turn, you and your franchise office will also receive free promo-

tion! So how do you tap into this source of promotion? Writing

a press release that grabs the attention of an editor takes some

finesse, and Sutton is happy to assist you. Simply submit your story

to [email protected] and the Sutton Spirit team will create

a press release that will help generate interest in your event and

promote your involvement.

Every initiative counts, from involvement in a sports team to volunteering at your local church. Maybe you are a

mountain climber, a paramedic or a newspaper editor? Stories that benefit the community and have an interesting

human interest angle are the most successful in getting picked up.

Your press release is most likely to be picked up by local media when:• The story is submitted to the media prior to the event itself.

• There is a human interest angle.

• Your participation in the event will lead to community betterment.

• The event will take place in your immediate community.

• The story is submitted to the relevant newspaper department (Arts, Kudos, Community, etc.).

Establishing relationships with the media with a few simple tips:• Make a list of three or four key media outlets in your community.

• Send them a press kit (including a one-page introduction about you and your Sutton franchise office, good quality

colour photos and a business card) when you send your first press release.

• If they decide to use your press release, the information in your press kit will save them research time.

• If you send your press releases via fax, indicate that you would be happy to provide the electronic version if needed.

• Send a new press kit once a year to keep it up-to-date.

Positioning yourself as the real estate expert:• The media is always interested in real estate market news and trends and they will gladly interview you if you let

them know you are an expert in your local real estate market.

• Use statistics and interesting facts about your area and observations you have made through your work.

• Always follow up with the media individual who interviewed you, thank them for their time, and remind them that

you would gladly assist them in the future.

• Don’t be surprised when potential clients call you and ask you to represent them (your name and contact

information is likely to appear several times in the newspaper article for which you interviewed).

DID YOU KNOW?

Independent coverage by media outlets such as newspapers, television, radio and even Internet sites can be a great way to get free coverage for your charitable events?

1TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY

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Did you know that sutton.com welcomes over 200,000 unique visitors each month?

With most people on the Internet in search of specific information, sutton.com will guide them to what they need

– your Sutton Flexi-Site homepage, your current listings and other important homeowner information.

Whether searching by name, city, office or even language spoken, the search function makes it easy to find your Flexi-

Site homepage and your up-to-date listings, turning a guest of sutton.com into your client.

Visitors also gain access to an extensive library of relevant articles* related to buying and selling a property, home

renovation, landscaping, and much more. These articles may be used as part of your marketing materials. Include them

in the Sutton Seasonal Templates or in your personal newsletters.

sutton.com is a rich resource for both you and your clients. It’s a convenient one-stop source for Canadian real

estate information.

*Please be sure to credit Sutton when making use of these articles.

IT’S A FACT:

Since Sutton was founded in 1983, it has provided its independent REALTORS® with the innovative and cost-effective tools they need to succeed. With the emergence of the Internet in the 1990s, the real estate industry underwent a profound transformation. The Internet was steadily becoming a valuable source of information for people planning to buy or sell a home. Anticipating future trends, Sutton became the first Canadian real estate company to offer its REALTORS® a free website and email. It’s an Internet success story!

WWW.SUTTON.COM

2TECHNOLOGY

SUTTON EMAIL

Email has revolutionized the way people communicate. It’s a quick, inexpensive method of sending

documents, photographs, and links to listings. It also allows you to communicate any time of the day

or night from anywhere in the world for the cost of an Internet connection. When you combine the

versatility of email with the strength of the Sutton brand, you have a winning combination!

Why Use Sutton Webmail?

• Your free “@sutton.com” email address helps you leverage the Sutton brand with every message

you send and receive. Clients will instantly recognize that you are a part of a national brand!

• Sutton Webmail offers you many user-friendly features such as automatic mail forwarding, auto

reply, and more.

• Sutton Webmail has industry leading, built-in, anti-virus protection.

• Sutton Webmail blocks over 55,000 spam messages a day, with a better than 98% filtration rate.

• Sutton Webmail goes wherever you go. Check your Sutton email when you are on vacation, on

business trips, during client meetings, etc.

• Every Sutton REALTOR® automatically receives a sutton.com email address. Visitors to sutton.com

can easily find your Sutton email address as well as your corresponding Sutton homepage

address. (Remember not to miss any important emails by checking your Webmail frequently or

using our Automatic Mail Forwarding option to forward your Sutton email to another address).

• You can use it to back up your address book and important emails that you can access

anytime, anywhere.

Maximize the effectiveness of your Sutton email by exploring the easy-to-use features available to you

in Homebase.

DID YOU KNOW:

Using Sutton Webmail in Homebase provides you with excellent built-in virus protection and a junk mail filter that blocks over 98% of all junk mail?

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1. Always use a strong subject line: A good subject line

is short and clearly identifies the purpose of the email. You

may wish to consider that many of your customers receive

well over 100 email messages a day. When they are sifting

through their mountain of electronic messages, trying to

separate the useful ones, the first thing they look at is

the subject line. If your subject line is not clearly relevant

to them (as in clearly not SPAM), there is about a 50%

chance that your message is just going to get deleted. By

giving your message an effective subject line, you are giving

your recipient a good reason to open your message.

2. Include an email signature: Would you hand a

customer a blank business card? Probably not. Would you

do a mail-out without your phone number on each piece?

Unlikely. Yet more than 50% of all people never include

an email signature with their contact information.

What is an email signature? The following is an example:

Bill Rancher, REALTOR®

Sutton Group – ABC Realty

123 Main Street

Anytown, Province V1V 1V1

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (111) 555-5555

Fax: (111) 555-5555

Web: www.billrancher.com

“Your satisfaction is my priority!”

An email signature is your name, title, and an inclusion

of the ways that people can easily get in contact with

you. We all know that the telephone is a better tool to

conduct a sales call than an email. So, include your phone

number with your email message and make it easy for

your customers to give you a call.

Speaking of easy, Homebase, Outlook and Outlook

Express all have signature features that allow you to

automatically add your signature to any messages you

create or reply to. Now how easy is that?

3. Be concise and keep it relevant: Always lead

with the most relevant content. Think like your intended

audience and ask yourself “What is most important to my

reader? What do I have to say that is relevant and inter-

esting to them that will motivate them to read further?”

Lead with the facts, and then follow with the details.

Shorter is usually better. Don’t scrimp on the details, but

don’t write a book either. If you find that you need to

cover multiple topics, then it is usually a good idea to

make each topic its own email.

Try to use short paragraphs or keep your ideas in point

form. People are busy and, when they see long para-

graphs with no immediate relevance, they tend to click

off of your message and move on to someone else’s.

SUTTON EMAIL

10 Ways to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Emails

4TECHNOLOGY

SUTTON EMAIL

4. Use plain text formatting: Outlook and many other

email programs often have all sorts of “rich text” features

and backgrounds that you can use. Before you get

wrapped up in picking which fonts and backgrounds are

best, however, consider the fact that it is most important

that the email is simply readable.

It is crucial to remember that email looks like “print media”

(that’s newspapers and magazines for those of us who

aren’t into design lingo) but they have one very important

difference – it is the viewer’s computer (and not you)

that will ultimately determine what your message looks

like. If your recipients have disabled HTML or “rich text”

formatting, your beautifully laid out message may end

up looking badly skewed. Generally, you are better off

avoiding the fancy options and just going with good old-

fashioned plain text formatting.

5. Ask for the reader to take a course of action: With

any message you send out, if you would like the reader to

take a particular course of action, politely state it in your

message. People often need you to tell them how they

should proceed based upon the information you have

given them.

6. Consider your tone of voice: The big difference

between an email conversation and one that takes place

over the telephone or face-to-face, is that with email there

is no voice inflection, body language or facial expressions

to provide a greater context to your words. Considering that

more than 50% of all meaning in a conversation is derived

from nonverbal cues, this can present a bit of a problem,

and is often why email messages can seem so “abrupt.”

When sending someone an email, try to err on the

friendly side. If your statements are interpreted as stark or

abrupt, they may evoke in the reader feelings of hostility

or defensiveness. Much of what a reader finds in the tone

of an email may actually be imposed on the message by

the reader’s own mindset, especially if they are having

a bad day. So remove any ambiguity and “speak with a

warm voice.”

7. Respond promptly: If you want someone to read

what you have to say in your reply to them, respond

quickly to their initial message. You wouldn’t wait a week

to return someone’s phone call, so you shouldn’t wait

several days to respond to their email either. A good rule

of thumb is to respond whenever possible on the same

day that their message was sent, or failing that, then by

the next business day.

8. Keep attachments under 2 MB: We often forget

that not all of our customers and colleagues have high

speed Internet connections and we send them files as

attachments that may be inappropriate due to the large

size of the file.

Remember that just because you have a fast Internet

connection, your message still travels through several

third party Internet carriers and some of them may

not handle that 5 MB file very well, which could result

in your message “timing out” during delivery and a

delivery failure.

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SUTTON EMAIL

It is also important to always be specific in your email

about the attachment you are sending. Attachments

spread computer viruses, and people have become

necessarily wary of opening them, especially if they were

not requested or properly identified. For example, sending

a message with an attachment and nothing but a subject

line that says “Check this out” is one of the best ways to

get your message deleted instead of read.

9. Keep your mail groups to 20 people or less: Sometimes you will want to send out your message to

many people at the same time. For example, you may

have a new listing and want to send out some information

to suitable customers. But what happens when you send

out one message with 50 or 100 recipients at the same

time? Well, depending on whom their Internet service

provider is, your email may or may not get through.

The reason is that spammers (people who send out junk

emails) generally send to large groups of people at a time.

The SPAM blocking software that your recipient’s Internet

service provider is using may see the 100 email addresses

attached to your message and decide that it is probably

SPAM, and block your message. To avoid getting zapped

by this, instead of having one massive group of email

contacts, create several smaller groups of 20 addresses

or less. This will stop your messages from getting filtered

as “bulk SPAM” and has the added benefit of making your

email groups more focused, allowing you to target your

emails to more precise groups of customers.

10. Read it before you send it: Using “spell check” is

essential, but relying on it without manually proofing your

messages at least once can be a costly mistake. “Spell

check” can catch misspelled words, but it cannot catch

misused words, tricky grammar, or unintended meanings.

So, after you are finished writing and spell checking your

messages, take the extra few seconds and give them the

old visual ‘once over.’

6TECHNOLOGY

SUTTON FLEXI-SITES

Your Free, Customizable Sutton Website

With more than 83% of homebuyers using the Internet

in their search, the importance of having a homepage on

the Internet continues to grow.

sutton.com is your solution.

All Sutton REALTORS® have an existing Flexi-Site

homepage within sutton.com.

Developed with “ease of use” in mind, a prior knowledge

of the Internet is not required to create your professional

Flexi-Site homepage. With the assistance of our tutorials

and instructions, designed to simplify the process, your

Flexi-Site offers both an additional marketing and revenue

stream without placing greater demands on your time.

Your basic Flexi-Site is also cost-effective - you can avoid

extra expenses required for designing and hosting a

personal website.

Showcase yourself and your listings to the real estate buying public with your personalized Flexi-Site homepage.

With more than 200,000 unique visitors each month,

sutton.com presents a valuable opportunity to

highlight your business with your personalized

Flexi-Site homepage.

sutton.com and your Flexi-Site are designed to make it

easy for consumers to search for you by name, location,

office and even by the languages you speak. This trans-

lates into greater exposure for your business.

Flexi-Sites are available in a variety of attractive and

professional templates. They offer an unlimited number

of generic pages so you can write as much content for

your homepage or as little as you like. They are simple to

set-up, update and personalize.

Flexi-Site Flexibility:

• Once you are set-up with a Flexi-Site, update it as

often as you wish to keep your information fresh

and relevant.

• Showcase your listings.

• Promote your community connections.

• Introduce yourself to clients.

• Provide information about your specialties and

industry experience.

• Include a link to your personal website if applicable.

• Quickly modify pages to target a specific client.

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Accessing your Flexi-Site and personalizing your homepage is easy Just follow the instructions below

USING THIS FEATUREONE: GETTING STARTED

A. Start Making Your Flexi-Site: 1. Log into Homebase

2. Click on the ‘Flexisite’ icon in the top banner area

B. Choose a theme/design for your Flexi-Site: 1. Mouse over “Presentation” and click on “Theme”

2. Choose a theme and click “Save”

3. Click “(View)” at the top of the page to open

up another window so you can see your changes

C. Highlight contact information so clients can get in touch with you: 1. Mouse over “Manage”

2. Click on “Contact Info”

3. Type in your contact information

4. Click “Save”

5. Click “(View)” at the top of the page to open up

another window so you can see your changes

D. Introduce yourself to your clients and give them a brief background of your real estate career: 1. Mouse over “Manage”

2. Click on “Pages”

3. Under the heading “Page Title” called “About Me”,

click on “Modify”

4. If you wish, type in a new title in the “Page Title”

field; otherwise, the title will remain “About Me”

5. Click on the space in “Page Body” and write

an introduction about yourself and your real

estate career

6. If you want this information to be seen by

the public, ensure that the box beside “Publish”

is checked

7. Click “Save” when you’re done, “Save and Continue

Editing” if you want to continue writing, or “Cancel”

if you would like to start over



– click on “About Me” to see what you wrote

USING THIS FEATURETWO: CREATING CONTACTS & LINKS

A. Write a brief message to let your clients know how to contact you: 1. Mouse over “Manage”


3. Under the heading “Page Title” called “Contact”,

click on “Modify”

4. If you wish, type in a new title in the “Page Title”

field. Otherwise, the title will remain “Contact”

5. Click on the space in “Page Body”, and write a

text that briefly lets clients know how they can

contact you


the public, then ensure the box beside “Publish”

is checked




8. Click “(view)” at the top of the page to open up


– click on “Contact” to see what you wrote

SUTTON FLEXI-SITES

8TECHNOLOGY

SUTTON FLEXI-SITES

B. If there are websites you think might be of interest to your clients, include them on your Flexi-Site. Add a page for your links: 1. Mouse over “Write”

2. Click on “Add New Page”

3. In the drop down menu called “Page Type” select

“Recommended Links”

4. Click on the space in “Page Body” and type in

your content

5. If you want this information to be seen by the

public, ensure that the box beside “Publish”

is checked

6. Click “Save” when you’re done, “Save and

Continue Editing” if you want to continue writing, or

“Cancel” if you would like to start over


another window so you can see your changes – click

on your new page title to see what you wrote

C. Enter your links of interest: 1. Mouse over “Manage”

2. Click on “Links”

3. Type the first link in “Link #1 URL” (EXAMPLE:

http://www.sutton.com)

4. Type in the name of the link in “Link #1 Text”

5. Type in a brief description of the link in

“Link #1 Description”

6. Once you’ve added your links, click “Save” on the

bottom of the page

D. If you have an external website and would like to have Flexi-Site visitors directed to your other website: 1. Mouse over “Manage”

2. Click on “Redirection”

3. Check the box beside “Enable”

4. Type in your external website address in the section

beside URL

5. Click “Save” when you are done


another window so you can see your redirection

E. If you would like to add more pages to your Flexi-Site: 1. Mouse over “Write”

2. Click on ”Add New Page”

3. Select the type of page you would like to add in the

drop down menu called “Page Type”

4. In the “Page Title” section, type in what you would

like to call the page

5. Click on the space in “Page Body” and type in

your content


the public, then ensure the box beside “Publish”

is checked





another window so you can see your changes – click

on your new page title to see what you wrote

9

SUTTON FLEXI-SITES

USING THIS FEATURETHREE: SETTING UP TESTIMONIALS

A. Set up the testimonial feature so clients who have had positive experiences can sing your praises: 1. Mouse over “Manage”


3. Click on “Add a New Page”

4. In the drop down menu called “Page Type”

select “Testimonials”

5. Click in the space in “Page Body” and type in your

request for a testimonial (EXAMPLE: Please share

your positive experience by writing a testimonial!)

6. If you want this information to be seen by the public,

then ensure the box beside “Publish” is checked




8. Click “(View)” on the top of the page to open up


– click on “Testimonials” to see what you wrote

B. To see if anyone has written a testimonial and to have it shown to the general public: 1. Mouse over “Manage”

2. Click on “Testimonials”

3. If you would like the testimonial to be shown to

the public then ensure the box beside “Enable”

is checked

4. Click “Save” when the box is checked

5. Click “(View)” on the top of the page to open up


– click on “Read” or “Write”

Now that you have your Flexi-Site homepage personalized to highlight yourself and your real estate business, ensure your most up-to-date listings are showcased on your site.

This valuable feature has the potential to attract clients

to your homepage. Follow these steps to ensure it is in

place for your Flexi-Site:

1. Mouse over “Manage”

2. Click on ”Contact Info”

3. Under the heading “Other Information”, ensure that

your Real Estate Board Id # and CREA Id # are entered

Once this information is added, your Flexi-Site will auto-

matically update and display all your listings on your Flexi-

Site homepage.

Interested in adding or changing your personal photo on your Flexi-Site?

• Help potential clients “put a face to a name”

– a definite benefit in real estate marketing

• Build trust and rapport with clients

A professional photo is an important investment in

your image, so send an 8 x 10 picture that you

would like displayed on your Sutton Flexi-Site to

[email protected] and your picture will be uploaded

to your site.

10TECHNOLOGY

SUTTON FLEXI-SITES

Generating Leads from Your Website

There are many things you can do to attract visitors and generate leads:

1. Focus on the consumer. Plastering self-promoting statements such as “#1 in Sales” or “Top Producer” are vague and often difficult to prove. Instead of impressing people, such statements tend to make them skeptical. Focus on the tools and information that will assist consumers – that’s what will bring them back to your website and prompt them to contact you.

• People who have moved or are planning to move to your community want to know about the area. By including specific information about population, major tourist attractions, weather, schools, and useful links to resources (e.g., local tourism office, city hall), you are providing potential clients with a valuable service. This information also makes your website more likely to appear in search engine results. Sutton Flexi-Sites provide a “Links” page as well as a page for community information.

• Keep your website current by updating the main page frequently with open house alerts, interest rate updates, and brief introductions to new listings.

2. Let people know your area of specialty. A slogan that basically says “I’ll help anyone anytime”, probably won’t appeal to anyone. Consider your areas of specializa-tion. For example, you may have extensive knowledge of resort properties or you may want to focus on young families looking for their first house. Add this to the Award/Slogan section of your Sutton Flexi-Site.

3. Promote your website. Having an easy-to-navigate website with consumer-focused information is only the beginning. A 2002 survey conducted by DoubleClick.com revealed that of 1,000 respondents,

none relied completely on the Internet when contem-plating a purchase. Today’s consumers respond to a variety of marketing sources. The best approach is to integrate and coordinate your online and offline marketing efforts so they work in tandem to help you achieve your goals. Advertise your website on your business cards, newspaper advertisements, and promotional materials.

4. Complement your Sutton Flexi-Site with a personal

domain website. Sometimes two sites are better than one, especially if one of them is your name or the name of your team. Website names such as www.johnsmith.com and www.johnandmarysmith.com are impressive and easy-to-remember for clients. In order to assist you with marketing your services, Sutton makes it simple for you to include a link from your Sutton Flexi-Site to your personal website.

5. Provide good follow-up. Your website may generate phone calls or emails but if consumers don’t hear back from you in a timely manner, they’ll take their business elsewhere. When you go on vacation, be sure to use the Sutton Email Auto Reply feature to let clients know you will be away and possibly direct them to call your cell phone or contact a colleague.

By incorporating these suggestions, your Sutton Flexi-Site can become a strong marketing tool to expand and serve your client base.

DID YOU KNOW...

Sutton was the first real estate company in Canada to provide free websites to its REALTORS®. At a time when many companies were new to using the Internet, Sutton led the way with this innovative marketing tool.

Before you Start:DID YOU REMEMBER TO...

Register and activate your license with your real estate licensing authorityRegister and activate your membership with your local real estate board Ensure you are covered by a comprehensive Insurance Plan1

Set-up an RRSP Gather your training materialObtain your office’s policy manual and contractObtain a GST numberGo through the contents of the Sutton Welcome PackageAsk your office about a tax deduction program (if applicable)2

Office Orientation:DID YOU REMEMBER TO...

Introduce yourself to office staffIntroduce yourself to other agents in your officeObtain photocopy, long distance and fax codes from office admin teamFind bullpenGet office key from admin teamLocate mailboxes in officeEnsure you are registered as part of answering service

Office Administration:DID YOU REMEMBER TO PROVIDE YOUR OFFICE STAFF WITH THE FOLLOWING...

Your contact informationCell phone numberS.I.N.GST #

Technology:DID YOU REMEMBER TO...

Get your Homebase login and password from the office admin teamGet a cell phoneFamiliarize yourself with Homebase and Sutton webmail

Create a personal profile on HomebaseExplore the Sutton Network on HomebaseLook into using an answering serviceObtain your office network username and password for using the office computerCreate a database of namesDo your first email campaign

Getting a Listing:DID YOU REMEMBER TO...

Announce to your sphere of influence that you are now practicing real estateGet professional photos takenCreate a free Flexi-Site in HomebaseSend photo to [email protected] for your Flexi-SiteLook into getting your own domain name and website ie) www.yourname.comPlace an ad in the Sutton Referral Directory.Obtain business cards. Determine your farming areaGet a name tagNetwork within your community! Go to suttonspirit.com for inspirationGet Market Evaluation cards producedWork on Listing Presentation (find templates on Homebase)Obtain signsBuy name decals for signsDo your first direct mail campaign. Visit the Canada Post link on Homebase

Once you’ve got a Listing:DID YOU REMEMBER TO...

Send out Just Listed cardsCreate feature sheets (find templates on Homebase)Get key box from your local real estate boardPurchase sold decalsKeep in touch with your existing clients for Referrals. Try using the Home Run newsletter available in HomebaseStay motivated with presentations from Sutton UniversityPurchase thank-you gifts for referrals and sales. Visit the Sutton Marketplace website for ideas

Whether you are just starting your real estate career or you’re joining us with many years of experience, new office environments can be overwhelming. The following check-list will help you orientate yourself and give you a helping hand as you start your career with Sutton.

New Sutton Agent Check-list

1. Error and Omissions 2. Sign your Independent Contractors Contract

NETWORKING - Weebly...• Know your zealots - these are the customers who believe in you and who regularly spread positive word-of-mouth news about you and your business. • Pay attention

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