Real estate agents, looking for ways to reach your prospects?

Even in the best of times, real estate is a challenging industry. Aside from fickle buyers you also have to contend with a fluctuating market and competing agents, some of whom may not be as honest and ethical as you are. In a slow market though, real estate can seem as as bleak and hopeless as Death Valley in August.

Keep your head up though, because armed with the right tactics, you’ll find yourself gaining a serious advantage over competing agents by developing a steady flow of new prospects.

1. Keep an ample supply of business cards with you at all times. Obviously, you need a small stack in your pocket, but keep a back-up stack in your wallet or purse as well as an extra box in your car and your office. That way, you will always have enough cards no matter where you go. Then, make sure you actually hand them out. Give a few to each person you meet. Leave one on the table when you leave a restaurant. Place one in each bill you pay by mail. Slip one in a few books at the bookstore. Your options are unlimited, and since business cards are so inexpensive, you should take advantage of every opportunity to distribute them.
2. Network in a non work related organization. There are probably more than a hundred other real estate agents in your local chamber of commerce so your chances of finding any prospects there are slim to none. On the other hand, your local church may have only a few, or even none, so you have a much better chance of finding new prospects there, but if that’s the only reason you go, be on the lookout for random lightning strikes. You can also network in the VFW, Rotary Club or any number of other organizations.
3. Develop a reputation as an expert by writing articles for newspapers, trade publications, magazines and real estate related web sites as well as participating in real estate related forums. This keeps your name fresh in prospects minds and gives them a feel for your personality and level of expertise. While you’re at it, make sure you’re blogging on a regular basis. Aside from helping establish your expertise, it also encourages the search engines to crawl your site more frequently and potentially increase your natural search traffic.
4. Take advantage of technology to make your work more effective and efficient. Software is available today that makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with your prospects and existing clients, such as ACT, GoldMine or Sugar CRM. There are also companies that provide hosted email marketing services, such as Constant Contact or Bronto which allow you to build a mailing list and maintain TOMA (Top Of Mind Awareness) with your prospects.
5. Establish relationships with related professionals. Accountants, lawyers and business consultants are all in regular contact with people who are likely to need to either purchase or sell real estate and by establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with these professionals you can ensure a steady stream of referrals to keep you busy.