Reprinted with permission of RISMedia, Inc., publisher of REAL ESTATE magazine (800) 724-6000 or rismedia.com October 2006
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Reprinted with permission of RISMedia, Inc., publisher of REAL ESTATE magazine g (800) 724-6000 or rismedia.com g October 2006
By Charles Warnock
don’t be asecret agent
Raise Your Profile and Profitability with the eNeighborhoods
InstaLead Marketing System
Reprinted with permission of RISMedia, Inc., publisher of REAL ESTATE magazine g (800) 724-6000 or rismedia.com g October 2006
Reprinted with permission of RISMedia, Inc., publisher of REAL ESTATE magazine g (800) 724-6000 or rismedia.com g October 2006
For over a decade,
eNeighborhoods has
equipped agents with the
tools of the trade. Not
cloaks and daggers, but powerful
knowledge tools and reports such
as Neighborhood Reports, CMAs,
Maps and Buyer Tours.
Secret agents and real estate agentsboth seek an “information advan-tage,” but the similarity ends there.Secret agents go to great lengths toprotect their information, but realestate agents do just the opposite—they take their information anddeliver it throughout their commu-nities in presentations, reports,newsletters, Web sites—anywherethey can gain visibility as an expert.
A check of current headlines showsplenty of potential concerns for thereal estate industry: falling propertyprices and slow home sales in manyareas are fueling concerns aboutinflation, interest rates, industry jobsand more. But a recent visit toeNeighborhoods’ Boca Raton,Florida, headquarters found compa-ny founders Stu Siegel and DaveMeyer full of optimism for their orga-nization’s current projects and thefuture of real estate in general.
“Our industry is cyclical andbecause of its sheer size, it affects dif-ferent sectors of the economy. But Ialso believe we’re an industry that’slearning to manage change. In thelast decade, real estate has probablyexperienced more changes than inthe past 50 years,” says Siegel, CEOof eNeighborhoods. “The industryforecasts are helpful, but there’s not alot you can do about high-leveltrends. Because real estate is a localbusiness, we’ve always stressed theimportance of building your businessat the neighborhood level.
“For example, check any neighbor-hood in the USA, and chances areyou’ll see a few top agents with thelion’s share of listings,” Siegel contin-ues. “They list and sell through vari-
ous market cycles, enjoying referralsand repeat business from loyal clients.They are highly visible, highly knowl-edgeable and highly profitable. Howdid they get there? They help currentclients meet their goals, but they alsosystematically build their client basewith new leads and contacts. Manyagents provide great client service, butdon’t really have a system for turningleads into clients and referrals.”
Taking the Lead—and Converting ItThere’s no doubt that leads are a hottopic in real estate today. Industry
magazines and Web sites are full ofarticles and opinions on lead genera-tion systems, new technology, ven-dors, and conversion strategies.
Traditionally, most leads havebeen self-generated by agents withflyers, yard signs, open houses andnetworking events. Today, with morethan three-fourths of home buyersbeginning their search online, muchof the discussion centers aroundInternet-generated leads and howthey fit into the picture for real estateprofessionals.
“These are important discussions,
“Our goal is to provide not onlyleads, but a complete system tomanage the entire lead process
from generation to close.” -Stu Siegel
and we listen to them carefully,” sayseNeighborhoods President DaveMeyer. “We hear the often-quotedstatistic that more than three-fourthsof home buyers begin their searchonline, and we hear the buzz in theRealtor community about Internetleads. We hear enthusiasm, but wealso hear a lot about over-priced,under-performing leads, unqualifiedleads and bogus leads.”
“We’ve built our business aroundresearching and actively listening toagents and brokers in the real estatecommunity,” says Siegel. “We know
that traditional lead generationthrough local channels can be per-sonalized, and it’s very effective.And automation offers a world ofopportunity in lead generation andmanagement.”
The company’s desire to combinepersonalized, local contacts with thepower of today’s technology has ledthem to introduce a new approach to real estate lead management: TheeNeighborhoods InstaLead MarketingSystem.
“We’ve recently launched theeNeighborhoods InstaLead Marketing
System, which draws on our exten-sive data management and miningexperience to create an entirely newway to generate non-Internet leads,”Siegel says. “Our goal is to providenot only leads, but a complete sys-tem to manage the entire leadprocess from generation to close. Weuse a unique, automated process tofill the lead pipeline and agents thenuse our proven tools and practices toturn those leads into profitable clientrelationships.”
“Our experience with data integra-tion and database marketing—
New Product Alert: InstaLeads
eNeighborhoods is rolling out a no-hassle solution that com-
bines the power of lead generation with the industry’s most
popular agent marketing tools—The InstaLead Marketing
System. For a limited time, new subscribers can try the
InstaLead Marketing System, including the entire line of
eNeighborhoods products, free. Current subscribers can try
the System at no additional charge during the trial period.
The free trial includes up to 58 free InstaLeads.
Q: What is it? A: The InstaLead Marketing System is a quick, easy and cost-effective way for agents to fill their lead pipelines. InstaLeadsare generated by the InstaLead Marketing System from thecompany’s extensive residential database of homeownersand renters. Each week, subscribers receive seven newInstaLeads, which automatically appear in theeNeighborhoods Contact Manager.
Q: How does it work?A: eNeighborhoods sends each InstaLead a personalized,high-impact postcard with the agent’s photo, logo and con-tact information. Each postcard positions the agent as aNeighborhood Expert and includes a special offer such as afree Neighborhood Report for any neighborhood in the USA.Subscribers receive a weekly e-mail report with informationfor each contact.
Q: What information will be provided about the InstaLead? A: Each InstaLead will include the consumer’s name,address, phone number and other information when avail-able, including estimated household income, length of resi-dence, marital status, age of resident and probable presenceof children.
Q: What’s included in the offer? A: In addition to the InstaLead Marketing System, the freetrial includes Neighborhood Reports, a compilation of infor-mation including local schools and demographics, and CMAsthat combine neighborhood and property information intoprofessional reports for clients. Other products bundled withthe System include Buyer Tours, Maps, Contact Manager,Home Sale Alerts and branded Agent Web sites.
Q: How do I learn to make the most of the InstaLeadsMarketing System? A: Toll-free customer care is available from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.Eastern Time, and via e-mail. Web-based courses foreNeighborhoods products, featuring a live instructor, areavailable weekdays.
Q: How much does the InstaLead Marketing System cost? A: During the trial period, the InstaLead Marketing System isFREE. After that, the System with the complete line ofeNeighborhoods products, is just $99.95 per month. Thisspecial pricing includes seven new InstaLeads each week.Additional InstaLeads will be available to subscribers soonfor just 99 cents each.
Reprinted with permission of RISMedia, Inc., publisher of REAL ESTATE magazine g (800) 724-6000 or rismedia.com g October 2006
Reprinted with permission of RISMedia, Inc., publisher of REAL ESTATE magazine g (800) 724-6000 or rismedia.com g October 2006
whether it’s school, neighborhood,crime, MLS or consumer demograph-ics—gives us a different perspectivethan most lead generators,” Meyeradds. “Rather than focusing only onfilling the lead pipeline, we’ve pro-vided a variety of tools for years thathelp agents convert leads into clientsand referrals.”
It’s No SecretSiegel reports that the current pro-motion featuring up to 58 free Insta-
Leads and the complete suite ofeNeighborhoods products, is thelargest in the company’s 10-year his-tory. In addition to print and onlineadvertisements, the company is cre-ating an informational Web sitecalled www.58freeleads.com tospread the word about the InstaLeadMarketing System. Site visitors canalso read a special report titled“Seven Secrets of Turning Real EstateLeads into Customers” and the com-pany plans to offer a Web-based sem-
inar on converting leads. “Some people seem skeptical that
we’re actually giving away free leads,but that’s what’s happening. We’revery confident in this product offer-ing and we wanted to provide a trueno-cost, no-risk way to try it out,”Siegel says. “There is no fine printand no startup fee. We’ve invested ahuge amount in bringing theInstaLead Marketing System to life,and we want to make sure that peo-ple get a chance to try the Systemand all the eNeighborhoods productsthat can turn those leads into prof-itable business.”
Like many marketing activities,lead generation can be conceptual-ized as a funnel, Siegel adds. Everycontact has potential, but some leadgeneration systems focus more onfilling the funnel than convertingleads into customers. Since continu-ally adding people to your funnelcan be expensive and time-consum-ing, it’s important to have a conver-sion plan in place.
“Our product line features verypowerful follow-up tools,” Siegelsays. “InstaLeads get a personalizedpostcard from the agent with a spe-cial offer, a specific reason to contactthe agent. eNeighborhoods sub-scribers have personalized tools likeNeighborhood Reports, CMAs, BuyerTours, Maps, Aerials, and more todeliver instant information to startbuilding loyalty right away. Sinceour reports can be created in min-utes, it’s a real advantage for agentsin terms of response time.
“Football coach and commentatorLou Holtz had a great line—‘Life is 10percent what happens to you and 90percent how you respond to it.’ Tosome extent, that philosophy appliesto real estate leads,” Siegel says.“You’ve got to have a system thatworks to create business opportuni-ties for you, and then respond tothose opportunities in a way thatmakes a powerful impact on poten-tial clients. At eNeighborhoods,that’s why we come to work everyday.” RE
“Our experience with data integration and database marketing...gives us a different perspective than most lead generators.”
-Dave Meyer
Related Documents
