What is the best way to get real estate customers?

Hi,

I don't want to reinvent the wheel so what are the best cheap ways to get customers for real estate? I know that sounds bad but I don't have a lot of money right now for advertising.

A lot of the people in my office say to knock on doors, call on the phone, and send mail. There has got to be an easier way right?

The big dog in the office says he gets his leads from referrals and the internet but I don't have either.

If you were in my shoes what would you suggest?

Thanks,
Val

IMO, the bottom line is "exposure". You want to consistently expose your offer to those people who want or will be wanting your service.

How you do that will depend on the resources available to you. For instance; no friends, no money, no phone = door knocking. Does that make sense?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent Smith

IMO, the bottom line is "exposure". You want to consistently expose your offer to those people who want or will be wanting your service.

How you do that will depend on the resources available to you. For instance; no friends, no money, no phone = door knocking.

Does that make sense?

That pretty much says it all. Great post Agent Smith. :co

Val, if it was me, I would start to build a Network immediately. My experience shows that this is a referral business. There are a few discussions on this forum about referrals and networking. If you get the chance read the book called "Endless Referrals" by Bob Burg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by realtor

Hi,

I don't want to reinvent the wheel so what are the best cheap ways to get customers for real estate? I know that sounds bad but I don't have a lot of money right now for advertising.

A lot of the people in my office say to knock on doors, call on the phone, and send mail. There has got to be an easier way right?

The big dog in the office says he gets his leads from referrals and the internet but I don't have either.

Thanks,
Val

It is a good idea to get a lot of referrals and a lot of exposure. However, most real estate agents accomplish that after they become successful.

If you devote most of your time and energy doing those two things you might be able to start earning enough commissions to cover your living and business expenses by the end of your first year to 18 months. Then, you can start to pay down your debts.

However, if you have no money then you probably cannot afford to hang on long enough to learn how accomplish that.

Another alternative is to learn how to prospect and sell, and focus on Expired Listings and FSBOs. That could reduce your break-even point to about six months. However, if you have no money you probably cannot afford to pay for sales training, either.

Real Estate sales has one of the highest failure rates of all industries. Tied for that honor is Financial Services sales. The primary reason is that those industries have a long history of not being able to train people how to prospect and sell.

Most of the really successful Realtors bought their sales skill or acquired it before they got into Real Estate.

Hello everyone,

My head is swimming.

Ok, how about if I make referrals my main focus and prospecting Expired Listings and FSBOs second? When you say prospecting that means telemarketing right?

Do you think a website is a good idea for someone just starting out?

Will networking, prospecting and a website be enough or should I start advertising once I make some money? Where is the best place to advertise?

Thanks,
Val

P.S. I know people in my office can answer my questions but I'd like to get feedback from as many people as possible.

Val,

If you have a lot of time on your hands then do what ever you can to get business. Call on expireds, FSBO's, hold open houses, knock on doors and pass out as many business cards as you can.

I don't think a website at this point is the best use of your time or money.

I did make some calls today to FSBOs and I like the Open House idea. Thanks.

Maybe give it a few months before going with a website or no website at all?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZBroker

If you get the chance read the book called "Endless Referrals" by Bob Burg.

Good call. I will add that to the "recommended reading" list tonight. :wi

Quote:

Originally Posted by realtor

Ok, how about if I make referrals my main focus and prospecting Expired Listings and FSBOs second? When you say prospecting that means telemarketing right?

Invest the time and resources into Networking. Your real estate career will thank you for it. :wi

Cold calling has always been a great way to go out and round up business but is a poor strategy for long term success.

Quote:

Originally Posted by realtor

Will networking, prospecting and a website be enough or should I start advertising once I make some money? Where is the best place to advertise?

Forget about "Advertising". Work on the first three and the rest will take care of itself. :wi

What is the best way to get real estate customers?

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