You know that youtube can be a powerful tool in your business. Now all you need to do is overcome these 5 excuses to not be on youtube.

5 Excuses Real Estate Agents Make To Not Be On Youtube

I don’t know what to talk about

The simplest answer is to talk about things that your clients want to hear.

Take note of common questions that you regularly get asked. Because chances are if people are asking you about it, there are more that are searching online about the same topic.

Talk about relevant information on the local area and real estate market.

You are a bank of information, chances are you just don’t realise it.

No one will watch my videos

Did you know that 73% of Homeowners say they’re more likely to list with a realtor who offers to create a video for them. But only 4% of agents put their listings on youtube?

Not only that but 11.5 million Australians use YouTube. And Real Estate Listings that include a video recieve 403% more inquiries than those without video.

To put it simply, people want to watch Real Estate videos! Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch in in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text (Invisia Reports).

I don’t like talking on camera

This is a common one and probably the biggest objection that holds back Real Estate Agents from starting out on Youtube. It can be hard initially to talk to a camera, and some people can feel awkward.

An easy way to get around this when you are starting out is to just get somebody you know to interview you. Get them to ask you a question about the topic you want to explain in your video and either have them record it or leave your recording device setup on a desk where you don’t even have to look at it. The benefit of this is you can just talk normally to the person interviewing you and you will speak more naturally.

You can use this technique and gradually you will become more used to talking on camera and you can begin recording yourself looking just talking straight into the camera.

It can also help for the first couple of videos to just publish them after you have done a good take and not go back and over analyse every facial expression and word that you say.

I don’t have enough time

Your videos don’t need to be long, a couple of minutes talking into your camera can create an awesome piece of content that will generate you leads for years to come.

Everybody can spare at least 15 minutes a week to record a quick video and post it online.

You don’t need to spend hours editing and producing a video before it goes live. In fact most videos I wouldn’t edit at all! Make your video, say what you have to say and load it as is. People will respect your authenticity.

I don’t have the money or equipment to make good videos

The good news is you don’t need to pay for expensive production equipment and cameras to make a good video.

Today the camera’s in a smartphone a more powerful than cameras that they were making movies with 15 years ago.

You can make a fantastic looking video from the palm of your hand, without having to spend thousands on recording equipment.

Hopefully this article has overcome your objections to get started on youtube. Let us know when you have created your first video! We love to see other agents getting started.

The post Get Past The 5 Excuses Real Estate Agents Make To Not Be On Youtube appeared first on Personal Agent Sites.

I’m talking about a nice hand written note or card.

While generating leads online is our major focus at Personal Agent Sites, we do recognise that there are many great ways to connect with your audience and find hot targeted leads offline too.

Handwritten thankyou notes are a great way to make a customer feel valued.

Put yourself in their shoes, if you received an email from someone saying thanks, or you get a hand written note or card from someone. Which one would make a bigger impact on you?

The recipient knows that it takes you time and money to hand write out a letter and post it or have it delivered to them, and as a result they appreciate it more.

You can receive an enormous amount of good will by going the extra mile for your clients and if you use these proven thankyou note’s you should be generating referral’s and leads in no time at all.

These 6 thankyou notes were found in an article by Richard and Beth Witt

6 Proven Thankyou Notes That Will Get You Leads

Thank You After Giving Listing Presentation — Thank you … for giving me the opportunity to discuss with you the benefits of allowing me and my company to service your real estate needs. We believe that quality blended with excellent service is the foundation for a successful business relationship.

Thank You for the Listing — Now we’ll go to work … in serving you to get happily moved. You can be assured that my company and I will do everything possible to consummate a successful sale for you.

Thank You After Not Getting the Listing — Thank you … for taking the time to analyse my service. I regret being unable at this time to prove to you the benefits we have to offer. We keep constantly informed of new developments and changes so I will keep in touch with the hope that in the years ahead, we will be able to do business.

Thank You to Buyer After Showing — It was my pleasure … meeting you and having the opportunity to show you homes. You can be assured that I will do my best to help you find the perfect home and get you happily settled.

Thank You After Purchase — Nothing excites me more … than helping someone find their new home. I am very happy for you and feel confident we will have no problem getting you happily settled. Please call me if any questions arise.

Happy Anniversary — It’s with great pleasure that we wish you a happy anniversary. It was just one year ago you let us serve you in finding your new home. We are proud to have you as one of our satisfied clients and hope you will enjoy many happy years in your home.

Try out some of these thankyou notes into your followup with clients and see watch the leads flow in.

The post 6 Thank-You Notes Guaranteed To Generate Real Estate Leads appeared first on Personal Agent Sites.

How to know if you’ve got a little agent in the making…

1. The Not So Kiddy lemonade stand

When a kid starts a strategically placed lemonade drink stand with efforts to bring up the big bucks to help out, you could be having the future deal-maker on your family. The innate sense with the importance of the location plus knowing the signs of a sold house is one of the clear signs that your kid has charisma in running a property business through his veins.

2. Selling everything he can

If your kid tends to sell anything he is not using anymore or something he knows he has in double or doesn’t use anymore, then property selling can be something he can be really fond of in the future. You must be ready to support him on the same career he might be taking on in the future.

4. The under-the-bed bubble

If your kid loves the room “showings” part when he has visitors, that should all unravel once you’ve looked under the bed, your kid may have staging chops to make it in the real estate business.

5. Killer contact list

If your child’s virtual Rolodex is bigger than yours and all of his friends call them for help solving problems, he might have the connections to later to become your neighbourhood’s top producer.

6. They’re bringing you leads
If your tike or teen runs around telling all of his friends, teachers and community members what you do, he may be headed for your shoes. The walking commercial kid is a sure sign that he’s paying attention and taking notes.

Full list here

If you enjoyed this article make sure to share it with all of your fellow parent agents.

The post 5 Signs Your Kid Will Grow Up To Be A Real Estate Agent appeared first on Personal Agent Sites.

I found a great article by Andrew Gale that explains  6 psychological principles of persuasion that will compel your prospects to sign with you.

6 Principles Of Persuasion

Reciprocity

The theory of reciprocity is that as humans we naturally want to return any favours given and pay back when we owe. Another way to look at it is treating people as they’ve treated you.

Some ways we can apply this to real estate:

• Sending a handwritten thank you/birthday card
• Mentioning local businesses on your blog
• Featuring local businesses on your website
• Giving your best clients gifts
• Taking your favourite clients out to dinner

Using these tactics will not only make your clients more happy on average, but the theory of reciprocity states that this rule can spur unequal changes. People may agree to perform a substantially larger favour (e.g., giving you a referral) in return for your initial small favour (taking them out to dinner).

Commitment and consistency

The theory of commitment and consistency is people want to stay consistent with their words and beliefs. They will go out of their way to make sure that they follow through with what they say and convey. The more public the commitment, the more effective and motivated the person will be to make sure they complete whatever was said.

A great way to execute this principle is having people sign up for free-of-charge materials on your blog/website:

• White papers
• Local event guides
• First-time buyer guide
• Seller guide
• Investor guide
• Distressed property guide
• Awards on your real estate fliers

The idea here is to get them starting to receive emails and information from you. This gets them used to working with you before you’ve ever done a thing. In their mind, though, if your content is good enough, you’ll already have massive value built up before that first phone call.

Social proof

This is one of the more popular conversion rate optimization techniques you’ve probably seen around the Web many times. Social proof helps people make a choice by making the decisions easier by seeing that other people are doing it, so that has to mean something. You’ve seen this around the Web most likely when you’re about to sign up for something and it says something along the lines of “Join 1,000+ of your peers!”

You can use this to your advantage on your real estate website with:

• Volume sold
• Testimonies
• Awards
• Showing off your Facebook page if you have a good amount of fans
• Showing off your Twitter if you have a good amount of followers

Liking

Simply put, people are more likely to say yes to you if they’re similar to you in some way. Most people want other people to like them, and we also like people who show that they like us.

To use liking to the best of your ability, try some of these traits:

• Familiarity — Building a relationship with someone over time via email is an easy way to use the theory of liking. Just make sure that your emails are intended to bring up a positive emotion when sent out.
• Similarity — We like people who are similar to ourselves and why wouldn’t we? We’re awesome.
• Shadowing — When with a client, naturally mimicking their body language can develop a rapport.

Authority

From the time we’re little we are taught to respect authority. Our parents are the authority when we are children, and the law/government/bosses/etc. become the authority as we get older. Experiments have shown that people who display authority often get compliance.

• Place of business — Ever done a listing presentation at someone’s house? When you do this, you’re entering their world. If you can get them to come to your office to do it, you’re in an authority position and environment more likely to get what’s needed.

You’re already naturally a community leader as a real estate agent. Using the principle of authority just makes sure that you’re displaying it and using it to your advantage.

Scarcity

If you’ve ever seen a countdown timer on an e-commerce website, they’re using the principle of scarcity. In e-commerce, it’s not real. Lucky for you, in real estate it’s 100 percent real. People automatically give things more value if they’re less available. If there are fewer resources and not a lot of time, we want it more. This is because, in general, things that are difficult to obtain are typically worth more.

• Use the “average time on market” number — If houses usually sell in 30 days and you have a buyer looking at a house that’s been on the market for 20, they have to act fast. It’s your job to make sure they realize the very real scarcity.
• How many houses for sale in the neighborhood — If there is only one, it could potentially be another year before this neighborhood gets another listing up for sale.
• Market is rising — Every day a house is not bought, the market is coming back and you could end up paying more for a home.
• Loan rates rising — We already hit record lows. Who knows where it’s headed next?
  

In real estate, scarcity is very real, and you can use it to your advantage, not as a scare tactic but as a realist. Everyone has clients who have literally lost their dream home because they failed to act or put in an offer too low. Remember that you can actually help them by showing the scarcity.

The post 6 Principles Of Persuasion That Will Become Your Best Asset As A Real Estate Agent appeared first on Personal Agent Sites.