Dallas-Fort Worth Real Estate Investor Club

Don't Be Lazy!

  • 27 Aug 2013 11:45 PM
    Message # 1375741
    Deleted user

    RANT and LENGTH WARNING:

    As many of you know, I have spent the better part of the last year building a highly specialized motivated seller lead generation service catering to investors and Realtors looking for killer deals in the Metroplex. As part of that process, last week I combed through all (and I do mean A-L-L) the free probate marketing materials available on the Net.

    I found 2 guides, 31 letters, and 5 postcard probate marketing templates available for free download. This got me excited! As soon as I found one template I would download it and hunt for the next one. When I had exhausted all the resources available, I went back and began reading the marketing our competitors are using thinking I was going to learn the secrets of great marketing. 

    I didn't.

    To say those pieces are bad is an understatement. An understatement kinda like when some wholesaler sends us an eFlyer with a 100% burnout on the front and assures us “it just needs a little paint and carpet.”

    Both guides are thinly veiled marketing fluff from failed probate “gurus.” One of them even tries to sell recycled manuals AND CASETTE TAPES from the ‘80’s.

    But believe it or not, the letters and postcards are worse. They were SO BAD I took the best six and gave them to the editor who’s doing the second editorial pass on my book The Professional’s Guide to Real Estate Marketing. I was curious to know what she had to say about the quality of the marketing pieces I'd found, so I paid her to grade the letters as if they were an assignment for one of her classes (she is a high school English teacher with a Masters in English Composition). 

    For my $20 I got back four F’s, a D and a C-. The letters had so much red ink on them they looked like refugees from a Rambo movie. And since she is not knowledgeable about real estate investing, all she did was grade them for their grammar and basic writing skills.

    I’m telling you this not to slam the authors, but for two other reasons.

    First, against my better judgment, last Saturday, immediately following the DFWREI Club’s regular meeting, I raced across town to a “motivated seller’s open house.” You know the kind of cattle call I’m talking about. The kind where you and a dozen other Realtors and investors are all waiting in the yard for the owner to arrive. When he showed up he got a little nervous when a couple of us who knew each other started shaking hands. It was obvious to him we were friends.

    While the owner was working his way through the Realtors and investors, pumping them for all the information and offers he could get, he asked me to have a seat and wait my turn at his kitchen table. Now most guys would have been laser-focused on the !!FORTY-THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH!! of junk silver he had sitting around on the table in little coffee tins. But being the marketing geek I am, I couldn’t help but notice the dozen of so marketing letters the owner had laying open all over the table. Having nothing to do, I started reading them. (I want to clarify here that I DID NOT touch or open any letters. They were laying open, scattered all over the table.)

    I was surprised to see all but two (mine and another investor/Realtor friend of mine who had just come from my DFW REI Club class) were the same letter, almost verbatim. I was more surprised when I started thinking about how poorly the letters were written.

    The second reason I’m spewing all this out here is because I want you to do better.

    If you will just take a little time to write really good, well thought out marketing pieces, and then use them in your real estate marketing, you will be light years ahead of your competitors. Who, let’s face it, are lazy and just “copying and pasting” what they find on the Internet. 

    Don’t be lazy. Use hard work and creativity to stand out from the crowd and you'll win the deal.

    Let me know how what else I can do to help you grow your business. 

    Best regards,

    -Greg


    Greg Wilson

    The REI Mentor

    http://www.reimentor.com

  • 28 Aug 2013 12:34 PM
    Reply # 1376165 on 1375741
    My tip.  Be where everyone else IS NOT!!!

    Good luck with your book.
  • 28 Aug 2013 4:31 PM
    Reply # 1376361 on 1375741
    Deleted user
    Let me know when your book is out. I buy one, but I expect an autograph. 

    Kyle McCaw
  • 29 Aug 2013 12:22 AM
    Reply # 1376709 on 1375741
    Robin Carriger (Administrator)

    Good rant, Greg!  I always offer to send a soft copy of the postcard that's been most successful for me over the years to any one who orders addresses from me via my Motivated Seller Search (MSS) program.  Every time I send someone that postcard file, I always urge the recipient in the strongest terms to use the content on the card but "make it their own."  In any business, being distinctly competent compared to the rest is vital.

    Robin Carriger

    President - Accelerated Property Solutions, Inc.

    817-300-1132

  • 29 Aug 2013 7:24 AM
    Reply # 1376851 on 1375741
    Deleted user
    KATHY: As always, great advice!

    (I strongly urge everyone reading this to listen to Kathy. She is VERY GOOD at this sort of direct mail marketing, and her advice is sound.)

    KYLE: Deal! Soon as they are back from the printers I'll get you an autographed copy. Now where did I put my crayon?

    ROBIN: Giving away a postcard is AWESOME! We liked that idea so much we incorporated it into our business plan. 

    Taking the sharing idea one step further, we are building out a TRAINING CENTER for our clients that contains scores of free sample eBooks, guides, letter and postcard templates collected from the most successful investors around the country, killer instructional articles, how-tos, and videos all designed to help our users make the absolute most of their marketing dollars and time. 

    So far it's a toss-up what our clients seem to like the most. Some tell me it's the free, individualized research and training we are providing them at their offices. Others love the best practices mixers (this is where we host a free mixer for our clients to network, mingle, and get to know each other; followed by everyone sharing best practices with each other). Who doesn't love a great party, right?

    In my opinion it's awesome when someone with a lot of experience shares that knowledge with others. I believe it is UNBEATABLE when you get a whole room full of those kinds of people together and we all share everything we know. 

    As always, if there's anything I can do to help you grow your business, please let me know.

    -Greg

    Greg Wilson
    The REI Mentor

    Last modified: 29 Aug 2013 7:54 AM | Deleted user
  • 30 Aug 2013 9:29 AM
    Reply # 1377783 on 1375741
    Deleted user
    Does anyone have a specific vendor they can recommend for printing and mailing? 


  • 30 Aug 2013 3:17 PM
    Reply # 1378106 on 1375741
    Deleted user
    For targeted direct mail, one of my friends here at the DFWREI Club referred me to these guys (Action Printing - (806) 745-5500). When we talked to the owner, his price was OK, but his online interface and knowledge of our business was very good. I like that using them allows me to send direct marketing without ever having to leave my office. What I don't like is they are in Lubbock. 

    I am going to a local printer's next week to see what kind of deal(s) I can negotiate on a combined volume deal for my real estate marketing leads clients. Co-op buying is going to be offered as part of our leads list packages. I figure at the rate people are signing up (Tarrant County is almost full) and the kinds of volume they say they are sending, once we combine all our mailing under one co-op buying group we should be able to compete with anyone in Texas on our marketing costs.

    If you are doing blanket direct mail there is a much better (read less expensive) solution available. I recently put a "how to" article in the "subscribers only" section detailing how some Real Estate marketing pros are getting their marketing cost below $0.11 per letter. 

    If you need more info on any of this, or if there is anything else I can do to help you grow your business, please don't hesitate to drop me a line or call.

    Best regards!

    -Greg

    Greg Wilson
    The REI Mentor

  • 03 Sep 2013 9:03 AM
    Reply # 1380478 on 1375741
    There are some great points in this post.  They make me wonder if it would be worth the time for one of the more seasoned investors to put together a class on "Designing Marketing Material."

    If so many investors are using cookie cutter mailers, then obviously a good portion of the group is probably struggling with this.  I know I'd love to know more about designing better post cards, etc.
  • 04 Sep 2013 6:13 AM
    Reply # 1381276 on 1375741
    Deleted user
    Michael,

    That's a great idea! 

    Robin offers a free copy of his marketing postcard template to folks who buy his list and I am building out an online training and resource center for members of my lead service, but we can do more. 

    If anyone else would like to be involved with a class on building effective real estate marketing, please drop me a note. Either post something here or shoot me an email at greg at rei mentor dot com. I'll coordinate making the class happen.

    -Greg

    Greg Wilson
    The REI Mentor
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