Postcard Mailing

Tim7332 · #**1 Postcard Mailing** 01-05-2006, 04:40 PM

Hello,

I'm in the process of creating a farm campaign to generate listing leads. I was wondering if any of you have gotten listings this way in the past and if you could recommend any good postcard templates or language to use in the post card?

judyo · #**2 Re: Postcard Mailing** 01-05-2006, 05:22 PM

A long time ago I purchase postcard templates for farming, fsbos & expireds. Many of the messages could be used for anyone. I took them to a printer to have them personalized.

It was recommend that the first week you sent 2 or 3 (this was for fsbos & expireds - farming was monthly although I'd rather use newsletters for farming over postcards). The next week was 2 & then 1 or 2 every week after until the property was sold or listed.

Again, this was probably 10 years ago & these templates are pretty hokey for today's market. So I just make up my own. I have the shorter messages professionally printed & I print some up myself using postcard stock paper. I also incorporate letters in an envelope in the mix.

Tim7332 · #**3 Re: Postcard Mailing** 01-05-2006, 05:41 PM

Can you attribute a lot of listings to direct mail for fsbo and expireds? Is there a way to locate fsbo's in my market?

If you were just starting in the business and had no contacts, what activites would you focus on to generate immediate listing business?

judyo · #**4 Re: Postcard Mailing** 01-05-2006, 05:56 PM

Oh yeah, when I first started doing it sometimes every one of my listings was a fsbo or expired. In my area there is a popular local newspaper that lists most of the fsbos in my area. I also keep paper & pen in my car to jot down homes with fsbo signs in front.

I didn't go for listings right away unless it was a friend or family. I just didn't have the confidence. I worked floor time in my company & generated buyers and listings from that when I first started. There was no Internet, in fact when I started there wasn't even a computerized MLS (weekly books came out). There was also a lot less competition and very few, if any, discount brokers.

Tim7332 · #**5 Re: Postcard Mailing** 01-05-2006, 06:00 PM

If you were flown to my market here in coastal southern california, do you think you'd market to the fsbo's and expireds primarily? Or what strategy would you implement to drum up immediate business while developing your internet caompaign?

Since house prices are so high here $1MM plus, should I advertise a discounted commission? Even if I listed for 4.5% and kept 2% that's still excellent revenue. WHat are your thoughts?

judyo · #**6 Re: Postcard Mailing** 01-06-2006, 10:06 AM

That's a tough question because I don't have any plans on moving. I would not want to start anew in today's overly competitive market where there are more agents than ever.

But hypothetically I would not go after listings immediately. I'd go with a company that was extremely popular in the area (had a good market share of listings) & get to know the inventory by sitting open houses, going on any office caravans (if the office had them) and doing floor time. IOW, I'd try working with buyers first and then when I got a bit more comfortable with the area I'd start working on getting listings. I'd be almost like a brand new agent just starting out but I'd have the bonus of many years of experience in the field, just not the locale.