Most important element

[Duncan Pollock]

Yes, I think Jebner has some justified points and we ought to take due note of them. The public at large doesn't have all that favourable view of us, and I believe that much of it is our own fault. We place too much emphasis on getting the phone to ring and too little on providing people with information that's of real help to them.
We leave out addresses and prices so people have to call us. We try to rush people into taking a look at a house that's probably nothing like what they're looking for. We use any number of tease techniques so we can get hold of contact information that will, we hope, end up giving us a sale. Like Jebner's brother in law, too many of us are smart asses.
And why? Well, because we've always done things this way -- and enough of us make a living because of it.
But the Internet gives us a means of doing something different. Despite Jebner's criticism of self-congratulatory pages, what people want -- in my view at least -- is to know whether and how knowledgable and experienced we are. Can we really be trusted? Will we tell people what they want and need to know? Are we truly going to help them or are we simply interested in a quick listing or a fast sale?
The web design people know that one key to success is what they call a Unique Selling Proposition -- a sales pitch that follows the AIDA formula:
Attention: You have a problem.
Interest: We have the solution.
Desire: Here's the argument for it.
Action: Call us and let's get things going for you.
Well, a photo of Today's Feature Listing doesn't do this, does it? Phrases from satisified buyers don't do it any better, do they? Access to My Listings/ My company's Listings/ MLS Listings -- and , if Jebner will forgive me, details of local schools, libraries, and shopping facilties, etc -- don't do it either, do they?
Nope. What a website ought to do is tell people how we can -- and will -- help them. It needs to explain How to find the house you want / How to get your house sold / How to work with an agent / How to find an agent who'll look after your best interests / How, in effect, you can tap into an agent's knowledge and experience to make sure that your selling/buying experience is as right, as comfortable, and as satisfying as you want/need it to be.
And how many real estate websites achieve this? Very few, I'm willing to suggest.
But the Internet does gives us the time and space to do this. It isn't a quick phone call in which someone's trying to get the missing information and then get off the line as quickly as they can -- while we're trying (too often in vain) to hang onto them until we at least have a name and call back number. Instead, we can compose our pages to tell people that there are answers to their problems and we have the ability to provide them. There's far less threat to people if they're in control and can simply exit our website, but, if we word it aright, there's a much better chance of generating a lead. We simply need to give them our phone number and e-mail address with a sufficiently compelling message for them to contact us.
In fact, if there's one thing that website gurus know it's that the Internet's strength lies in lead generation -- and that's what we want, isn't it?

Duncan
Exclusive Buyer Broker ( http:// www.duncanpollock.com )

[tim]

Duncan,

I like your style. I agree with your AIDA principle. But I disagree with you on downplaying MLS listings, area information and such. I think you need those things on your site to give people a reason to keep coming back. I remember hearing that people won't consider doing business with you until the 6th or 7th contact or marketing impression. So if they come back to your site to do some home searching, they see a picture of you everytime and they start feeling more comfortable about you. Then they might actually read your biography or read about how you can solve their problem.

It's great if they find your site and are at the point that they want to pick up the phone and call you right away. But I want to also have a chance at the buyers who are just gathering infomation. If I make my site with a ton of useful information that they can't read all at once, they might come back a few more times to finish reading it, they might keep using my home search tool to check for homes. They might use my home search tool to keep track of the homes for sale in their neighborhood. They might register on my HomeScanner service and home new home listings automatically emailed to them every day. Every time they see my smiling face and I become less and less of a stranger.

[Duncan Pollock]

Thanks for the kind words, Tim.
And I don't disagree with the idea of including listings. It's just that I think they shouldn't be the main element. There's a greater need for a sales pitch that tells people how you can solve their problems.
Incidentally, as I now work solely with buyers, I don't have listings of my own, but I do include a link "finding a house anywhere" that leads to my immediate RE Board's MLS database and to the Canadian Real Estate Association one. However, I'm not readily convinced that either of them -- or the inclusion in a website of My Own / My Company's Listings etc., -- is enough to keep bringing people back.
The answer to this, as I see it, is an invitation to opt-in to some e-mail program, which can, of course, be an ongoing advice of new listings (especially per the prospect's parameters). Even here, though, I think you're well advised to ease people into things rather than asking them to complete an opt-in form that asks too many questions. A response is likely to be better if you offer something like "Ten Mistakes Buyers Make" and then send a follow up message "If it will help, I could keep you posted re new listings for the type of house you're interested in ...."
As one of my favourite gurus, Joe Stumpf, puts it, the key to building trust (and therefore sales) is drip, drip, drip ....
Cheers.

Duncan

[Doug Quance]

I enjoyed ol' Jeb's post... but I did make this observation:

In spite of his brother-in-law being a Realtor... and all his effort to search the web for the information he wanted... he used the Builder's Agent!

Ha!

That's right... he decided to let the Agent that represents the Seller to conduct his transaction. Of course she was VERY helpful... she was earning both sides of the transaction!

He did make some good points, however... ones that I can appreciate.

I was one of the first Realtors in Atlanta to put the MLS online... and I took many arrows in the back over it. Agents complaining to the Commission... Agents complaining to the Board of Realtors... Agents complaining about my print ads.... the list goes on.

I don't require someone to register on my site to do a search... but if they want the address and listing number, they have to register. I also require them to register to access my Buyer or Seller info area on my site, as well. If they want the info... they can register.

I found out a long time ago that I'm not everyone's Realtor.

And I'm happier not trying to be everyone's Realtor.