Inspiration

Two Estate Agency Marketing Ideas

RAT 83 (Rawlings Agency Tip)

Today's RAT is a bit whacky, so if you don't like it there's a really sensible one underneath.

The Whacky one... Many estate agents send Christmas cards out - in December would you believe? Boring! Everybody does that! But here we are in the middle of June, so why not send yours out to your prospects now as an effective mailer? Choose a really Christmassy card - angels, holly, snow, nativity, etc and send/deliver it with a message along the following lines: "I just wanted to drop you a line in the middle of summer to remind you how different we are at XYZ Estate Agents. When you're next thinking of selling, why not let us prove it and may I be the first to wish you a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous 2012".

This is one of those initiatives that would fit well with this variation of Ghandi's quote: "First they laugh at you, then they get mad at you, then they fight you, then you win!"! It's only the slightly silly ideas that actually get noticed, and estate agents who have the balls to step outside the expected tend to reap the rewards.

And the really sensible one... we all know how powerful a sense of urgency can be. So when you are on an instruction, rather than waiting for the client to decide whether or not they will instruct you, why not make sure that they are fully aware that you do indeed have an immediate supply of potential buyers for their property? This is where it is critical that “listers/valuers” and negotiators communicate systematically so that every time you go on an instruction you are fully aware of which buyers are active and who is viewing imminently. If you can produce a printed list of your buyers in their price range so much the better – transparent and impressive!

You are then in a position, for example, to advise your prospective seller, at the time of the instruction, that their house seems ideal for one particular buyer who is looking at other properties in the area this evening who would no doubt be really excited that they are getting advance notice of something just about to come onto the market. Could they come round your house as well? (Nb you'll still need to book an EPC).

So you hopefully end up not only with the instruction, but also the first viewing when many agents simply allow the client to "think about it!"

NB: In an earlier version of this RAT, my poor choice of wording inadvertently implied, (through a failed attempt at irony) that the above technique might be used without necessarily having a specific buyer in mind. This was absolutely not my intention as that would be deceitful to the point of dishonestly and would certainly breach the Estate Agents act 1979 as well as the TPOS Code of Practice. It would certainly do nothing for your reputation, or that of our industry.

Whilst my RATs aim to challenge, please remember that the highest degree of personal and professional integrity is a prerequisite for becoming great in this wonderful industry.

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© Richard Rawlings 2012
Richard Rawlings is the founding director of Estate Agency Insight, which specialises in helping estate agencies harness opportunity through innovative method, marketing, publicity, and training. He can be contacted at or on 0845 838 1354.

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