Category Archives: Target Market

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Are You Riding A Hamster Wheel?

hamster-wheelThe most challenging part of selling real estate or any sales for that matter is keeping your lead funnel full. In a perfect world while you are working with your clients selling them what they need there would be a process in place attracting new clients to you.

I used to feel like I was out of business after the closing of a transaction because I would be out of clients and need to start pounding the pavement again to find one. It can be so hard to stay motivated to “start over” after each and every sale. Then I figured out the secret solution.

The trick is to have a way to attract the people who are not yet ready to buy before your competition does by giving them something they want. I learned that my best and most favorite clients want information. They are learners. They want to research before they buy. They want checklists and information so that is what I provided. This is my tribe. The people I best fit with.

Once you figure out who you like to work with it gets easier to narrow down your marketing to find them.  I would love to brainstorm this with you. Set up your free 30 minute strategy session with me here and we can get you off the hamster wheel!

 

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Let’s talk Change

let's talkEvery October our school district takes a couple of days for teacher enrichment classes and gives the students two days off from school. It is almost like an extended holiday weekend here in Minnesota because we all are anticipating the long winter that is coming and so we squeeze the last bit of outdoor fun we can into these few days.  Normally we will try to go “up north” and have some family time hanging out and making pumpkin pies, but this year I have the privilege of accompanying my daughter on some college visits. She is our youngest child and the last to leave the nest. I have been through this before a few times but this time it is very different. It is exciting and nerve racking to watch her make decisions that could affect the next 40+ years of her life. There is the college choice, the degree program, the housing options and the debt… But what is getting to me the most is watching her as she is listening to the presentations. She has such excitement and anticipation in her eyes and I am so happy for her but am also realizing that when she goes to school next fall things will be really different for me. I will still be a Mom but there will be no one home to Mother. I don’t want to let her go. I want to grab her and somehow squish her back down to a little girl again. I want a few more years of helping her and loving her and the truth is I don’t really want my life to change.

Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher,  said that “Change is the only constant in life” and usually I have embraced that change. The president of the brokerage I worked for for 25 years called me the Queen of Reinvention and that really was true. With each shifting market I would adapt my business strategy and figure out how to find clients and thrive.  In business this comes easy for me. It is fun and challenging and my gift. My goal over the next few months is to figure out how to make this a positive transition as I navigate the waters into emptynesterhood.  Today we head down to Iowa to look at another school and I am going to share with her lots of jokes about Iowa since they are our rivals. There are some really good ones about cheerleaders and grazing. She will love that.

If you are struggling in your business and need to make a shift or small course correction in navigating your lead generation and follow up systems I invite you to download my freebie course designed to fill your funnel. You can find it under the tools and downloads tab or by clicking here.

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Attract – Sell – Wow!

Have you ever asked yourself… why aren’t more people interested? Why aren’t they buying from me? Why don’t my customers tell their friends about me?

Attracting customers starts with focus because, let’s face it, most consumers aren’t actively looking for your company. More often than not they’re looking for a solution that satisfies a particular need they have and will discover you either by accident or because you have a great Attract strategy in place.

Getting noticed in this noisy world is critical for the success of your business, but it’s not always easy to get the word out. The best way to get noticed is to start with a narrow focus. Define your ideal target by researching their demographics, attitudes, behaviors, motivations and favorite places to hang out, both online and in person. Then, start engaging with them in a helpful way, but be sure to have a way to follow up with them before they leave.

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What’s Your Perfect Customer Lifecycle?

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There are seven distinct phases to the Perfect Customer Lifecycle:

Attract Traffic
This includes all of the work you do to generate interest in your business, like website traffic, foot traffic, etc. that comes from online/offline advertising, partners, etc.
Capture Leads
Smart businesses are very intentional about capturing contact information for interested leads as well as permission to follow up. As a real estate agent you run a small business. You can’t follow up if they leave your site or store, open house or showing appointment without giving you their info! What thing of value can you offer in exchange for their contact information.

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Who Is Your Perfect Target Market?

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Success in real estate sales involves constant evolution and adaptation to the ever changing market. Over the last 24 years I’ve been fortunate to have found success in a few different verticals within the real estate industry. Looking back I see a common series of steps that were taken to get to the point where the leads were coming in to my team at a steady pace and our sales cycle was even and profitable.

The first step is to determine your target market. This is really important. You cannot be everything to everybody. The more narrow your focus, the more accurate your marketing message will be for your targeted audience. You will have success in generating the right leads that will be seeking you out because you are a specialist in their particular need and you will have more sales as a result.