Increase Your Bottom Line...(Part 2)

Here are some more steps to make more money in your real estate business.

4. Identify your best client

Are you spending your time on your best prospect? (Putting on my Realtor hat) I could drive a shopper around for months to see every house that happens to be in a particular town and have a certain number of bedrooms. Or, I could refer that shopper to some other agent who likes shopping and spend my valuable time locating my ideal client (who has 2 days to select their next home, is pre-approved with my favorite lender and has a pleasant personality).

Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of potential clients out there that are serious about making a decision to purchase a home. I'd just prefer to spend my time on the client that will be decisive and agreeable. (And, I know when I've found that type of person. And I do everything in my power to ensure that they will do business with me.)

So, transpose this idea to your business. Are you looking for a service provider, a property to purchase, a tenant or a buyer? In each area, identify your best client and serve ONLY those that fit similar criteria.

If you spend more time on client screening you'll find that you: Waste less time (on bad clients that probably won't perform anyway), Experience less stress and Make more money. And isn't that was business is really about?


5. Provide top quality service

Do you have a niche? Are you the "best" in your area? If you want to make more money (without necessarily working more) you need to give you clients amazing service. It's common knowledge that people will pay a premium for a high quality product or service. (And usually that means that service is provided to fewer clients.) So, if you're interested in serving fewer people and charging them at a higher rate, I suggest you provide an amazing service.


6. Satisfy your customer

Somewhat aligned with the last bullet point, customer satisfaction creates great referrals. Once you have taken the market by storm by the quality of your product, don't forget to ensure that your client loves it.

I have a great listing presentation. I pull out all the stops and typically walk away with a signed contract. (Unless I have determined that my prospect does not fit my "best client" criteria. In which case, I tell them "Thank you" and offer to refer them to another agent in my office...or a competing brokerage if they are really high maintenance. Ha!)

But Once I have the contract signed, if I don't satisfy my client with consistently amazing service, I've hurt my entire business.

Make sure that your client is aware of what you intend to provide and be sure that level of service satisfies their needs...at the very least. (And, if it doesn't, you probably did a poor job at at client screening and have wasted your time and theirs...so cut them loose. Oh! I'm so cold!)



...I'll have more tips to come. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you do to be the best in your market or how you have created a niche.

FREE! Generate 27 Leads Per Day!

It all boils down to marketing. Really, it all boils down to the headline. (And I want you to have great headlines!)

You could have the best product/content/service in the world (or you could have the worst...) and if you don't have strong marketing, NO ONE WILL BUY IT! So, take a look at some of these headlines and start putting them to use.

Here are some of the highest producing headlines I am aware of:

• FREE! (This is the single most powerful word in print advertising)
  
• Handyman Special
• $129,900 Fixer-upper - $19k under appraisal
• Must Sell
• Sell on Terms
• Owner Financing
  
• Owner Desperate
• Broker Desperate
• Vacant Properties
• No Underwriting
• Free Payments
• NO Payments!
  
• Bank REO's
• $500 Down Gets You In
• Free List of...

And my personal favorite:

• Discover How to Generate Up to 27 Calls Per Day from Qualified Buyers and Sellers With No Prospecting, No "Selling" and Absolutely No Pressure or Rejection...

Increase Your Bottom Line by 133% or More! (Part 1)

When I started my career I took advantage of a few techniques that really cranked up my income as a real estate agent. (I screwed up by failing to continue to apply them.)

1. Get passionate about your business.

When I realized that a large number of successful people in the United States owned real estate, besides their primary dwelling, I became excited about buying, selling and owning real estate for myself. I was convinced that if I learned more about real estate investing I too would find myself among the ranks of the monetarily wealthy. (Since I was working in an 8 to 6 job at the time, that was an exciting thing to daydream about.) I became passionate about starting a real estate investing career.

2. Get your phone to ring.

Once I started on my new business path I found that if I had no clients, I had no income. (And that really stretched out my path to becoming monetarily wealthy.) I realized that no matter what business I was involved in, my job is to make my phone ring. I also realized that my business is much easier when potential clients are calling me as opposed to when I cold call them.

3. Have a marketing message that sets you apart.

Do you do the same thing as everyone else? I don't. And my clients need to know that. I have made it a point to have a marketing message that lets my clients know that I sell homes faster than the average agent.

For some ideas on good marketing messages check out my previous blog:

"FREE! Generate 27 Leads Per Day!"

Top Secret: How to Find the Best Deals

Write a LOT of offers.

First, find some homes for sale. If you are only looking in one place, there are more properties listed on the MLS than at any other time in history. What makes you think that some of the sellers who have listed their properties aren't willing to take the ridiculous offer you present to them?

The true secret is that there are hundreds, nay, thousands of sellers who are willing to pass along the equity in their property directly to you. All you have to do is ask.

So, the secret wisdom of success in real estate investing is to find a market you like and make a lot of offers to purchase the properties that fit your criteria.

Now is your chance! Go and experience success in investing!

Make Big Plans!

...so you know when you've "made it".

As I approach creating this post I have burdened myself with the feeling that I have to come off sounding like an expert real estate investor. Let me remind you (and me), I'm not. I'm relatively (ha! terribly) new at this game.

I've got a renter. I'm an active Realtor. I know what good deals look like on paper. (Cool bonus) I work with expert investors who are gracious enough to mentor me. And, I've got a lot to learn.

Here are some of my goals to accomplish before the end of the year:

• Get a book keeper
• Purchase and fill a rental property cash flowing $200/mo

(How lame.)

Go make some goals!

Invitation to Finding Hot Deals in Real Estate

In case you didn’t know, we are at the beginning of a very exciting Real Estate market for investors.

(And, if you do nothing else today go to this site www.SecondRateHomes.com.)

With the shift in lender market and the subsequent elimination of hundreds of sub-prime loan options, would-be home buyers are left looking for a home to rent. Not to mention all those who have lost their homes to Foreclosure…who now have cash from the months of unpaid mortgage payments lining their pockets. They are ready to put that money down as an Option Fee until they can get their credit back in order.

Now is the time to make your move! Especially with the news that even more Foreclosure homes will be on the market than ever before.

But just because there are a lot of properties that are on the market, you must ask, “How do I find the BEST deals?”

As a Realtor, I know there are plenty of deals to be found on the MLS.

I’ve seen owners all but give away their homes with the first offer they receive. Also, I’ve seen lenders sell foreclosure properties leaving thousands of dollars of equity on the table.

I want to put those deals at your fingertips.

(This site is focused on the Metro East Real Estate Market. I would be happy to collaborate with agents and investors in other markets to create a site dedicated to locating RE Deals in your market!)

What I have done is searched the entire MLS and ran calculations to determine all the undervalued and overlooked properties in St. Clair and Madison County, Illinois in order to identify the Hottest Deals in real estate.

And guess what…I Found Them!!!

The best part is that this list of Hot Deals is available to you 24/7 on my website www.SecondRateHomes.com

But, that’s not all!

On www.SecondRateHomes.com you can advertise your Hot Deals for no charge. Free Advertising for your wholesales, retails, rentals, services, and on….

Just visit www.SecondRateHomes.com and see for yourself.

Once you are there, click on our “Advertise for FREE” link and follow the instructions and we’ll add your information to our page so that all of the visitors see your content too. And it’s free!

Please send me an email to let me know what you think about my new site. And, take advantage of the free advertising.

Enjoy!