crossroads realty

I was having lunch with a friend of mine, Stan Broesder, of My Crossroads Consultants, and as is usual with professionals, we got starting talking business, and specifically marketing. I rattled on about all the possible marketing strategies out there today, how the Internet has truly changed marketing, and that it was next to impossible anymore to decide where exactly to spend your advertising dollar.

Stan patiently waited for me to stop ranting, and then said something so simple, yet so overwhelmingly true that it was like getting hit in the head with a hammer, to me. He said that if you are marketing yourself to the public there are three things that you have to accomplish with your marketing plan. Whatever marketing you are doing, if it is NOT doing at least one of the three things, then stop doing it. I think that they are so important, that I've dubbed them, The 3 Golden Rules of Marketing.

Golden Rule #1: You Must Be Remembered FIRST.

How many of you have heard a friend say, "I just bought/listed a house with Bob from XYZ Realty," followed by "Oh, I forgot you were in real estate." Your marketing must stay in your potential client's mind so that WHEN they do decide they want to list or sell a property (or buy whatever you're selling), that they will remember you first (vs. simply the last person they called) and call YOU.

Golden Rule #2: You Must Be Remembered WELL.

I'm sure we all know someone that is not only remembered, but not easily forgotten, regardless of how hard we try. How your clients, past, present and future, remember you is just as important as being remembered at all. Being well-known for all the wrong reasons is still not going to get you more business. Be remembered for the good things.

Golden Rule #3: You Must Be Remembered OFTEN:

How about the buddy that says, "I was speaking with Bob the other day and he was thinking about selling his home. I wished him luck." Your friends and clients, especially your past clients, are a huge potential source for quality leads. However, if they don't think about you WHEN someone they are speaking with mentions real estate, they're not going to refer business your way, either.

I think that if you'll remember these rules when setting up your marketing campaign, you'll see both an increase in business and a decrease in unnecessary spending.