Become a Student of Your Area
In another post, I talked about the most important lesson I ever learned in real estate. Although I was brand new at the time and the lesson was related to commercial, it's just as relevant in residential.
In a nutshell, a very wealthy investor told me to really be successful and have a sustainable career in real estate you need to specialize in an area without trying to be all things to all people in all areas. He said "Become a student of the area you want to specialize and people will always seek you out as the expert when they're ready to buy or sell". That's exactly what I've always done and how I've tried to separate myself from the pack.
Remember, when you're selling homes, you're selling the area too. Buyers want to trust you're on top of any issues and sellers want to know you understand and appreciate all the great things of living there.
The video below focuses on Fairview, Texas, which is right in the middle of our wheelhouse.
It may not seem like it, but it took me a solid week working 2-3 hours a day to pull it all together. I had to make so many changes once I got started, it wore me out. But I also knew how important it is so I sucked it up and completed it.
This video is an accumulation of the knowlege I've picked up by specializing in Fairview all these years. But if I'm the only one who knows these things, how is that going to help my business? I have to be smart in the way I use it.
This isn't picking up the phone and cold calling, but it's definitely networking. The video is out there working for us 24/7/365. We can send it to people who have expressed an interest in buying in this area. We can also send it to the Fairview homeowners interviewing us to sell their homes.
I always leave end cards on my videos that take them to something else about either our team or Fairview. On this one, it's a recent video I had with Fairview Mayor Lessner. The video interview I had with Mayor Lessner also has a link to this video and it goes on and on. I'm always updating Fairview residents on current issues that come up and I want to know about them too.
The buyer agents on our team who work this area also need to know what's in this video. For example, someone they're showing homes to might say "I've heard McKinney Airport (just north of us) has some real issues that negatively impact Fairview".
That's always been a hot topic and much misunderstood. They need to know exactly what's going on so they can diffuse the objection, not "I'll get back with you". It's all about professionalism and knowledge of your product, no different than selling refrigerators.
If you dislike cold calling as much as almost every salesperson out there, there are hundreds of other things you can do that will help you network and develop your brand identity. They don't cost money, just your willingness to commit to them.
This is just one and I'll be talking about more in future posts.