"Singing in the Rain!"

So true! Permission marketing I think means that they will propably read the FIRST email that is sent. If you don't grab them on it, they will never read another.

Permission marketing can be a crap shoot, but it's worth it in the long run. Guarantee is not a word used often in the real estate world.

Rich - This is why I'm a huge advocate of personalized marketing, no matter what particular avenue one is taking.  I don't do email blasts, I suppose it makes my efforts more time consuming...but hopefully more effective as well.

 Absolutely Rich, we're all time and attention challenged these days with everything from work, family stuff, social networking, etc... most people I know are in the same boat.

I would question the premise that "we gave permission". 

I don't give spammers permission.  They scrape infomation and send out millions daily.  My e-mail happens to be in the bundle they bought.

This isn't permission marketing.  This is SPAM.

 

Rich - In Real Estate it is not that hard to be remarkable because the field is littered with average and below average who don't do much to stand out - UNFORTUNATELY for consumers.  When someone like yourself comes along and does a great job people really take notice because more times than not they have been disappointed in the past. 

Lenn - I referred to SPAM in my article. I'm not referring to SPAM here. Obviously, we don't give 'permission' to such bottom dwellers.

Rich,  we agree.  We are trying harder to be more "Referable" and "Remarkable" and bring value to those we are in contact with.

John

Rich,
Buffini calls this Cocooning.  We are battered with so many phone calls, emails, text messages, etc that we now tend to filter out anyone reaching to us unless we know them.  How do you break thru?  Good question.  Buffini loves his hand written notes.  Hand written shows the person sending it took extra time to make this attempt and that it is not a mass mailing attempt.  Emails are harder. You might have to use the subject line to interest the receiver.  Best yet, get one of our AR buddies to make an active referral and have them contact us. AJ

Rich...   I can see the point, but I would rather take my chances of just sending out to my SOI data base. More so, those clients loans that I have already done. Since they gave me their e-mail address in the beginning, I just see this as another way of marketing. I do believe in being respectful, but if my newsletter has a link for people to click to discontinue the newsletter, then they can do this.  Just my opinion.

Jeff - it isn't so much the actual 'sending' as much as it is your message. And it's not just newsletters, but all of our marketing. What are we doing that's remarkable? How many newsletters does our SOI get? What are you doing to distinguish yourself from the pack?..

AJ - Buffini does a good job of keep people on task and accountable to his system. But I think many times it comes across as being 'forced' or 'contrived.' That's just my opinion.

I'm thinking it's all back to differentiation yet again.  We have 1,000+ direct competitors just in our county alone...gotta differentiate.  Now, we're competing against virtually everybody that vies for the consumer's attention - differentiation is even more critical, at least for our B and C contacts.  The A's hopefully smile when they see something from us...

I like the "Remarkable" perspective.  What do you think would be remarkable, Rich?  

Love the book, how about selling mis-matched socks and making a fortune. Of course that is the big question in the book with lots of great examples of industries. Seth is a marketing genuis.

I know you posted this to get a discussion going, but what is remarkable to you, Rich ? Not here but in your real estate career.

I completely agree!  I do offer about 1700 local agents a newsletter once a month and fortunately have a good rate of opens & click throughs.  What is even better is at a trade show yesterday the apparent theme was that tons of agents get them, read them and LOVE them!  Why?  My guess would be that we provide them information that will grow their business.  We don't talk about ourselves.  We do include photos of our work & an agent testimonial, but the bulk of the newsletter is about their business & how to make it exceptional. 

We also are fortunate to receive work off of nearly every e-newsletter we do.  This month we received 3 jobs from it. 

Rich, I don't believe in email marketing. I can't stand it and don't tend to use it. My marketing is very personal and so far it has worked.

It is very hard to compete for email attention. And it takes so much repetition to get results. 

Kathy

Rich- It is not hard to stand out from the crowd around here! All you have to do here is answer the phone:) ! That is a novel approach to getting business one that most agents have never heard of before! But then again I could charge to teach a class on how to answer your phone and return a message and they still would not do it. 

Hi Rich, I often request for 'guest contributors' for my newsletters.  I introduce them, how I know them, what work we've done together and then include their snippet and then include a link to them.  I find that people like to see themselves included and then they 'forward to a friend' so it gets further exposure.  I've had some success with that.  Plus, when my articles start feeling like they are redundant and forced, these inclusions really help keep it interesting. 

BUT, I always send personal notes to people I meet, whether it's just for a proposal, a meeting or for an actual staging job.  You are right, though.  The # of newsletters that come into my inbox can be daunting especially when I'm busy so I'd be lying if I said I actually READ every single of them...but I do try.

 

I delete all emails that appear to be newsletters with over a couple of hundred words.

Seems a guy has to have a system, and that one works for me.

I don't like being marketed to by email, and don't do it to potential clients.

The willingness wait to let people contact ME seems to be remarkable to me...

Isn't that the power of blogging?

Rich, I try to be so careful what I send out.  I want them to have value or they will put my emails in the junk folders just like I do to so many of the emails that I get.  I have been inundated lately with other agents sending me their listings.  When I have someone looking I go on MLS and find what I'm looking for; I don't want all these emails in my inbox. 

Missy - You mean I have to actually 'answer' my own question? Fancy that!

So what is remarkable to me?...well, definitely anything that goes outside of the proverbial box. Consumers are so tired of the same redundant message that agents keep plastering all over creation and back. To me, remarkable is building a bridge of trust and respect. It never starts off with "Hi! I'm a real estate agent!"...but eventually comes up in the normal course of life and interaction.

Case-in-point for me:  I live in a wonderful military community. Many of my clients and past clients are active-duty Navy. In years past, during the football season, I capture the games on video and upload them to YouTube. Then I create a page on my website and post the videos there. While many of my clients are deployed out to sea, they can access my website, and watch videos of their kids playing football.

To me, that's an example of remarkable. Doing something different and meaningful.

But I know there has to be better examples around here of what constitutes 'remarkable.' Missy???

Hi Rich,
Missy beat me to it but I'm hanging out here to find out what others consider "remarkable".  Personally, I can see where what is remarkable to one client might not be to another. 

Rich,

My spam filter is working bad lately..........very inefficiently...so I do the Opt Out or unsuscribe before deleting them..uh!

I get tons of e-mail from other agents sending me their listings.  The bad news for them is if they send me a legitimate message it may also be hitting the junk filter.

You mean we're not already remarkable?  :) 

I'm with Randy....they all go in my junk mail...why do they think we can't find their listings in the MLS for ourselves...IF we have a buyer for just that property ....

I don't do the unsubscribe.....I learned years ago that they send MORE.

Right on Rich. We've had one remarkable situation that happened to us as a result of Purple Cow already. The outcome was over $4M in sales last year from a client, who became a friend, and a partner for our seminars. Since day one we've linked to Seth, and now all of these Remax people just got back for a do where they got to hear and meet him. How cool is that?

Hope you're well, and we've got a silly one coming for you in the morning.

Rock on Rich, AR is really doing well in my book these days 

Wow, you all are tough. I am in real estate as well as a trainer and I do appreciate everyone's input. However, if you were in real estate as early as 3 years ago, we could still "cold call" which is on the phone without harassing, yet what was the response of the potential seller on the other end?  They hung up!  Wow, isn't this the same thing, except it is an email address not a phone number...!  Okay, I get thousands of emails per day and know that I must make a choice to be upset or simply scan through them and hit delete.. I have heard contridicting comments on hitting unsubscribe, so I don't. Plus it is no different, in real estate you need to pay close attention to the emails as it may be your answer to altering the way you market. I know, I don't have time for this either, yet it is realization, no one is hurting anyone by spamming or emailing, with exception to the nasty ones. Marketing you is the remarkable part of the industry, it is simply doing the best you can with your client and getting that referral.. I am about to complete the book Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life by Larry Winget.  Wow, phenomenol!  We need to invest more time on a personal level. I do give credit to those that truly spam change their subject and email address constantly, those that are simply wanting to help and make a living themselves are the ones we all need to take a moment and read, if we don't have you at hello, then delete it..!  By the way, never check your email first thing..in the morning, that first 15 minutes paves the way to the rest of your day...!  Take Care...!

Rich,

I have begun to return emails and ask for permission to email listings after reading a post on AR.  I feel I am giving much better customer service by doing so.

Rich, very good post. I erase hundreds of emails a day that I don't read at all. Most of them are from other realtors. Thanks for making us think. 

Gracious Rich...

I agree with Seth 100% on this point...It's like just cuzz you can doesn't mean you should. When we swamp our clients bases with junk, the point gets diluted.

As far as remarkable goes...It really is just a matter of thinking outside the box. 

Now I have to go get myself a copy of that book. There's always room for improvement :)

TLW...ROAR!

Rich

I know all to well about my in box being filled with Bottom dwelling spam messages, The thing I don't get is the spam of Viagra and BS like that, you need a prescription for those pills, what's next virtual doctors?

I sometimes just want to open the email and Yell I'm a 35 year old man in good condition... Send your idiotic spam messages to someone who might need it!

But I know as soon as I open one of them emails, a virus could be introduced to my computer.

The digital age is wonderful, but also has those who abuse it, and for those I want to remind you about Carma, what goes around, comes around!

Thanks

Brian Bloom 

Seth Godin really makes you think! I just for the first time watched the video and really enjoyed it and I "get it" but it will be later down the line that I find the "remarkable". My thoughts are spinning. I love being told it is ok to market to the "un-in" crowd. I love being told that different is best! As an industry the majority of us have always "followed the regular cow" not many of us are purple. I really loved the story about Soap Lake.

Rich, I love your filming of the football games. When my boys played high school sports I ran websites for the teams but back then I would never have thought about connecting them to my real estate website. Well, that was the 90's so that gives me something to think about. Thanks

GREAT question Rich. I personally have to be grabbed by a good headline or subject line.  Like you said, emails come in like a flood.  The only ones I usually read are the ones that float to the top of the flood by clinging to a cleverly buoyant title!  Even then however, the deposed son of the king of Nigeria has sometimes gotten me to read about his 5 million dollars that need to get into the country...LOL!  I guess my system is not fool proof, but it works most of the time!

When my daughter was moving to Texas last spring, I referred her to an agent who put me on her email list - probably when I accessed her MLS listings.  Ever since, I have been getting the worst, most annoying emails from her at least once a week.  I resist the urge to unsubscribe because I want to keep getting them as a reminder of what NOT to do.  This is certainly not what I had in mind when I gave this person my email address - I'm sure she felt that was "permission" to send this garbage to me for the rest of my life.

Thanks Rich

E Pluribus Unum-  One of many on every penny.  You are so right, the plethera of emails can be overwhelming.  Too many times I have had to unsubcribe from a "service" I have never signed up for in the first place. 

Ways I have found to be "Remarkable"  Avoid the conventional.  Be inventive.  Use alternative sources for marketing materials. And look for something you have never seen before.

Rich, I think the secret is not thinking of people as paychecks -- which we don't -- but just a few agents in your local area can create a reputation that might need tweaking for the rest of us.  I closed a house about a month ago for a sweet young couple, their first house.  Yesterday I was thinking of them and just sent them a handwritten card telling them I hoped they were settling in nicely and to call me if they needed help with anything.  No sales pitch, I just missed them because we went from lots of phone calls and driving around together to just being "done" when we closed.  

A Twitter photographer friend of mine is offering these cards for sale, and I think I'd like them with for a silly "just checking in with you" card.   

My marketing is on a more personal level. With handshakes in my community, getting involved through the Chamber, letters...I communicate with present clients via email but never really a mass mailing through the Internet. If anyone is like me who clicks the delete button or has a spam filter ( I open nothing unless I know who it is from ) it would be a waste of money for me. I sort of feel without offending anyone that the Internet is just a way to hide and be lazy behind the pc.....get out there and back to basics...Trust is a big issue for people...they want to see you, talk "with" you, they don't want you talking "at" them through the pc.

Great points Rich!  I have given permission in the past for companies to email me and I think a major consideration is the first couple of emails that I get from them.  If they are catchy and have good information I usually will welcome the emails if not I discontinue them or delete as soon as I see them.

Rich...Love your idea about taking videos of games.  Believe me, if I wasn't around to see my kids when they competed I would have loved to have a source like you.

Remarkable!

Kathleen

Yes, it is clearly a message about effective marketing and tracking what is working.  When people get their mail at the trash can, and the delete button on the computer is ever present, it makes you think twice about just sending things that have no purpose or meaning to the receiver.

Rich - I delete 100s of messages weekly. I will stop if something catches my eye. A good subject alone can make the difference. Seth Godin rocks.

Rich that is Remarkable. ( the videos) Honestly, I have been pondering this for awhile. I am going to do a brainstorming session with my team and I believe some great idea's will come of the session.

As Seth says in his book, traditional approaches are now obsolete. Alternative approaches are no longer a novelty, they are all we have left.

I'll let you know, but one thing I have done is when my childrens ball schedules game out, I would type the schedule on the back of my business card, clue it on, laminate it and then hand out to both parents at the games. Then they had it for the whole season. It took time, but many people remember and comment on it when I run into them.

I bought the flip video a month or so ago and I many go do that at events.

 

 

Yes, Rich, I delete more e-mails than I read. But some of the ones I don't read have still achieved their purpose. Although that particular day I may not have the time or interest in reading about the market in Seattle or a new listing in Seattle, that momentary glance before the delete click reminds me of Rich in Seattle. That's worthwhile.

Rich,
just saw your comment.  Buffini is structured.  What I like about it is that it provides a framework.  I have read a number of posts lately about staying on track, not trying the latest fad, etc.  I do not have a favorite guru to follow but I believe for most of us to be successful need to stick to some type of framework. Do we put systems in place to find leads when we are on vacation, sick, working existing leads or transactions?  What do you do when your pipeline is empty? etc. ect.  AJ

I am remarkable, but do other people think I am remarkable enough to comment on if they don't know me?  Probably not.  So, finding the remarkable for others to "remark" about is not an easy thing to do.

Rich:  Thanks for such a remarkable post.  I must live in a cave, because I have not heard of Seth Godin or Purple Cow.  I remember the silly Purple Cow poem from my grade school days, but that is it.

Each of us is remarkable in some way or other.  It is up to us to find our own brand of remarkableness, and then find a way to share it with "willing others" in a way that works.  Sounds like face-to-face stuff to me.  Rich, thanks so much for sharing.

I had to come see who you were calling "lemmings."

"You're no longer 'interrupting' them like the masses of marketing lemmings to the sea."