Looking to get more listings? It’s time to get back to the basics.
During RISMedia’s recent webinar—“Beyond Online Leads: How Going Back to Basics Will Get You More Listings”—panelists Megan Owens, REALTOR® at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate; Kyle Carnegie, REALTOR® and principal of Realty ONE Group Capital; and Julie Brittain, sales associate at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties, discussed how they’re looking beyond online leads and generating business by building relationships.
The webinar was sponsored by Curbio and moderated by Sherri Johnson, founder and CEO of Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting.
“Getting back to basics is something we should all be thinking about,” noted Olivia Mariani, director of marketing at Curbio.
But what exactly does back to the basics mean?
According to Johnson, it’s the ebb and flow of knowing what works and continuing to do the things that are getting great results.
For Brittain, who attributes nearly 75% of her business to her sphere of influence, getting back to the basics is all about open houses and direct mail. “It’s basically anything to draw attention to the home or grab the attention of future clients,” said Brittain, who is crushing the open house game in her local market.
“I absolutely love open houses because they allow me to pick up one additional client, either a buyer or seller—or both,” she added.
Topping the list as one of the best lead generators, open houses can’t be ignored, no matter the market.
“People love what they can’t have,” explained Carnegie, who puts his listings on the market with a Coming Soon status before opening them up a few days prior to the open house. “When we have the open house, a lot of people come—and by Sunday, we’re in great shape.”
Upping the ante even further, Owens has leveraged the open house to her advantage, providing "nosy neighbors" the chance to view the property prior to anyone else.
“While getting the neighbors to come is key, it’s also about the invite prior to the event and the thank you note afterwards,” said Owens, who points to 95% of her business coming from both referrals and her sphere of influence.
“We’re in a relationship-building business,” added Owens, “so getting back to the basics is all about handwritten notes and picking up the phone and calling people.”
To that end, Owens typically sends 25 thank you notes a week.
“I don’t spend a ton of time on them,” said Owens. “It’s usually a quick note congratulating a client who is under contract, a newly-engaged couple or a simple thank you for taking the time to meet with me.”
While getting back to the face-to-face model is key to building relationships, Carnegie emphasized the importance of simply being in front of people.
Having shifted his strategy as the pandemic gripped the world, Carnegie set his sights on yet another underrated area: expireds.
“In this market, you tend to lose touch with what the basics are,” said Carnegie. “With everything moving so quickly, you find yourself wondering why you would go and knock on someone’s door when the listing has already expired. But it’s a no-brainer.”
“Expireds are out there,” agreed Brittain, who encouraged attendees to take some time to reach out and touch base with expireds from two to five years ago.
“I think what everyone is going to see is that there’s nothing basic about these strategies,” concluded Johnson. “They’re easy to implement, but we have to put some action behind them.”
Watch the full webinar below:
To view more webinars from RISMedia, subscribe to our YouTube playlist.
