A Mistake I Made With My Postcards

I'm a big believer in sending postcards to the homeowners in my area of specialization. Here's the post where I explain why. But I made a mistake on a postcard early in my career that taught me to be careful about the wording.

I hadn't closed my first sale yet and was scrambling for my first listing. I decided postcards were the most effective way of getting the word out that I was open for business and also willing to discount my fees.

I sent my first postcard with a little about me and an attractive discount on my fees. A homeowner called me and I ended up selling their home. That started my career.

Eventually I'd built my business up to the point I didn't have to offer those discounts but I still kept sending out postcards without the offer. It must have been two years later I received a call from a homeowner who wanted to talk to me about selling their home.

We had a nice conversation and I felt pretty sure I might get the listing. We were sitting at the kitchen table when he got up, walked over to a drawer under his countertops, and pulled out one of my first postcards with the discounted commission rate. He showed it to me and asked if the offer on the commission rate was still good.

Of course, I said yes I'd honor it, but it taught me a good lesson. From that day on, I made sure to add a deadline to anything with an offer I sent out.