Want Free Social Media Training? Join here

SMGirl_LoResOn Tuesday, March 18th at 1pm EST I’m hosting a special training on “Social Media 411: How to get more likes, follows and comments


    During this webinar you will learn:

* why social media is CRITICAL to getting more referral business

* 3 simple things you can do to get more likes on your Facebook page

* how to increase your twitter following

* how to get more comments on your posts (including, the big, bad reason why you may not be getting any comments at all!)

* how much time you should be spending on social media (and a super easy way to figure out if you’re totally wasting your most valuable resource!)

* a LIVE “ask anything” Q & A!


Go here register for the free training: http://bit.ly/1qzUq4A

We’ve put one hour as our time limit, but I know there will be lots of questions, so we’ll stay for a bit longer for those who want extra support!

We will be making a recording, but the only way to get your questions answered is to join our LIVE webinar on Tuesday at 1pm EST.

Click here to register: http://bit.ly/1qzUq4A


To your success,

Ingrid_LoRes

Ingrid Menninga

Founder, JOLT Marketing

P.S. If you know someone else who would benefit from some free social media training, please feel free to extend the invite to join us by registering here: http://bit.ly/1qzUq4A

P.P.S. I only have 250 spots for this webinar, so sign up quickly if you want to guarantee yourself a seat at this free training.

Your Fortune is in Your Follow up (And How you can Lose Thousand$$$ if you don’t do this)

couple on sofa

Do you want prospects to call you when they’re ready…like REALLY ready… to work with you (instead of when they’re sort of fence-sitting thinking about it, only to eventually decide they’re going to wait until the timing is better)?

Do you want to be able to focus most of your time and energy on hot prospects who are ready to buy and need your help now?

If you’re saying yes, listen up.

Recently I had a call with a REALTOR(R) who was telling me that he was great at dealing with prospects that called him and were ready to buy right now. For the others he would follow up a bit…and then if they hadn’t taken action within a month, he would lose touch.

Not because he didn’t like them. Not because he didn’t want their future business.

But because he was busy working with other prospects who seemed like they were more ready.

And it seems that’s a pretty common habit amongst REALTORS(R) and Mortgage Brokers.

FollowUpTimes_FB

What I’m seeing in this Facebook thread is the most Agents are all hot to get in touch with prospects at the beginning…and then after a few follow ups with no serious response…the Agent will lose touch and chase the next piece of business.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t focus your efforts on people that are ready to buy or sell now.

What I’m saying is this only works if you have an automated follow up system for those fence sitters that are interested in working with you… but aren’t ready right now.

According to NAR (National Association of REALTORS), 85% of buyers will buy within 18 months of starting their research into homes and mortgages. That means if you have 20 prospects who call you in the Fall 2013 market, 16 of those prospects will have bought or sold by the the Spring 2015. If every season you get around 20 calls, within one year that’s 80 prospects. Within 18 months 64 of those prospects will have bought or sold. Let’s say that you would make $3,000 from each of these clients. Over 18 months that’s $192,000.00. That’s a lot of business.

And the trick to making those prospects your clients is your follow up plan.

Continuous, regular, information rich follow ups that will occasionally ask direct questions that get your prospects to respond, get in touch, and view you as their #1 resource center for information.

Just like Wayne Gretzky says, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. In the lead generation world that means you lose 100% of the leads you don’t capture and follow up with.

At this point most Agents and Brokers will say “Oh, I have a newsletter that I send out once a quarter”, or “I have an e-blast from my company”. If you do, that’s a great starting point. If you don’t…it’s time to get on it.

But if you really want to pick up your results, build loyalty, and get awesome clients that are committed to working with you only…you need to send out your own personal, custom emails as a supplement to your company’s. Otherwise your prospects may be on 2 Agents or Brokers lists, and receive exactly the same thing. In this case, who will stand out? The one who supplements their company’s emails with their own content.

So what’s your take away for today? Your Fortune is in your Follow up.

If you enjoyed this Lead Generation Article or Video, make sure you sign up for more Lead Generation Tips & Tricks here:

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To your success,
Ingrid

Ingrid_LoRes

Ingrid Menninga is the founder of JOLT Marketing where her big mission is to put the heart back into the Real Estate and Mortgage industry while helping Agents & Brokers make awesome profits.

Within 3 years of founding JOLT Marketing, Ingrid has carved out a spectacular success roster working with Canada’s leading Real Estate and Mortgage brands with clients from RE/MAX, Royal LePage, Dominion Lending Centres, Verico, Street Capital, and more.

Ingrid is frequently featured in industry journals such as REM: Canada’s Real Estate Magazine, CAAMP’s Mortgage Journal, at speaking engagements for RE-Bar Camps, InMan’s Agent ReBoot, CMP’s The Mortgage Summit and in Sales Seminars for leading industry organizations such as IMBA(Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario).


Are Your Clients Hearing You? Depends on the channel you’re using to connect with them

The channel you use to keep in touch with clients does matter after all,  a recent Maritz study revealed.

If you’re using only one channel to connect with clients, chances are very high that you’re only reaching a portion of your contact database, and depending on your main point of contact, you may be missing the opportunity to connect with the vast majority of your clients entirely.

Based on the graph the top 3 ways to connect with your clients is by email, by phone, and by snail mail.

If you’re looking for a Mortgage CRM that will connect you with your clients how they want you to contact them the Business Booster Mortgage CRM Program is the perfect solution.

The Business Booster Mortgage CRM Program is the only program to offer a combination of touchpoints for your Mortgage clients. Over the span of a year your client will hear from you 8 times including:

  • 2  mailed notecards
  • 4 e-newsletters
  • 2 phone calls

This powerful marketing mix of direct mail, email marketing and telephone calls can result in a 250% increase in response over traditional marketing programs that use just one type of contact. And as the Maritz study reveals, the 3 types of contact that the program offers is the top 3 choices for how clients want you to connect with them!

“Clients are impressed that I’m able to remember the details of the deals and it rekindles their satisfaction with the transaction. I am pleased with the response I’ve been receiving to the CRM program that JOLT implemented for me.”

Justin Aykler

The Business Booster Marketing Program is a Mortgage CRM that is incredibly effective, extremely affordable and unbelievably easy to use. It’s designed to save time, save money and increase sales for busy professionals just like you.

Ready to Super Charge your Repeat and Referral Business with Canada’s Easiest Mortgage CRM? Email info@joltmarketing.com to see samples & learn how the program works.

“I recommend any new Mortgage Agent begin the Business Booster program and invest in their business the way I have. It is a great way to put referrals on auto pilot with targeted marketing to your database of past clients” Drew Donaldson, Mortgage Agent: Verico Safebridge Financial Solutions

How To Make Great Youtube Videos

Video is exploding in popularity among real estate professionals, with more and more sales reps jumping on the amateur promotional video trend. Videos are low in cost, easy to make, provide a lot of useful information in a short period of time and take almost no effort for your audience to watch. Videos also give your audience clues about you, your service and your professionalism that can never be obtained from a postcard, newsletter or other marketing materials.

Read the full article written by JOLT Marketing‘s Ingrid Menninga in REM here

10 Tips On How To Get Your Article/Press Release In the News

Real Estate and Mortgage Agents often ask how they can be “that guy” that always seems to score interviews on radio and tv, and articles in the local paper.

There’s some science behind the magic – read on to see how you too, can be a media savvy Real Estate or Mortgage Agent.

1. Read first, pitch second. In social media circles there’s a lot of chatter about listening first and engaging next.  The same principle applies to media relations.  Scan the publications you think reaches your target market and identify the reporters you think cover your space, then read their articles.  A good technique is to bookmark those sites and schedule reading time each week. If you have an RSS reader like NetVibes or Google Reader, many writers have RSS feeds that you can plug into your reader to catch (just) their latest.  Regular reading will give you a better sense for the reporter’s style and focus and enable you to write a better pitch. Don’t try to tackle the world at once.  Instead, incorporate this into your schedule and find a couple new writers to follow each week.

2. Engage. Engagement can come in several forms. First, if you enjoy an article a reporter you follow has written and have something of value to contribute to the conversation, post a comment.  Caution: avoid commenting merely for comment’s sake.  Second, if you’re on social media channels, like Twitter, follow those reporters and add them to a list.  Watch and read what they Tweet.  Tweet links to articles you find interesting and be sure to include the reporter’s Twitter handle in your post. Finally, if you find an article especially compelling, send them a note and tell them why.  Most people enjoy positive feedback, especially from their readers, so if you enjoyed a piece of work, let them know.  No pitch, no pressure, just conversation.

3. Pitch a story, not a product. Reporters are after a story, something that is useful and compelling for their readers.  Rather than pitching about how great your service is, tell them how it solved a problem. An old textbook I have lying around defines “news” as something that defies expectations.  What is it about your story that defies expectations?

4. Short and relevant. Of the vast volume of pitches reporters receive; most of them come by email.  Since that makes for a cluttered inbox, relevancy and brevity go a long way.  When I reach out to a new reporter – someone I haven’t contacted before – I generally like to include a reference to something they’ve written.  For example, my first sentence might read, “Mike:  I saw you wrote about the mortgage trends and local housing affordability and thought you might be interested in some analysis we conducted on that demonstrates our area is still affordable for young families.”  It demonstrates that I know what “Mike” writes about and have a pitch that’s related to his beat.

5. Consider other story angles. The story angle refers to the perspective from which a story might be explained.  Take Apple’s iPad for example, which was covered from a range of angles – from the business impact on Apple and the competition, to gift guides and product reviews.  There’s even a human interest angle as which iPad apps help austistic kids development demonstrates.  The story angle can often be driven by timing, for example, as Valentine’s Day approaches many publications are putting together their gift guides, so this news peg is more appropriate right now, than it would be on February 15th.

6. Try another channel.  You’ve pitched a great story to a reporter you just absolutely positively know would be interested, but there was no response. If you’re that sure, try reaching out to them the old fashioned way:  snail mail.  You could go for a simple letter, which would has the advantage of cutting through the clutter of email, or send them a sample of you product.  Pick five reporters you have really gotten to understand through reading, write them a pithy personal note that explains why you think it’s would be of their readers’ interest.

7. The phone still works. Just like snail mail can help you cut through the clutter, so too does the phone. If you’ve done your research, know what the reporter covers, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone can call a reporter.  Be sure to have the key point you’d like to get across in mind before dialing.  Since deadlines tend to loom in the afternoon, I tend to make calls in the morning, and just like any other call, extend the reporter the same courtesy:  “Hi, I’m Frank, I’m with Company Name and I’ve got a story in which I think you might be interested.  Do you have a minute to talk?”

8. Focus on a relationship. By relationship, I mean a professional relationship: one built on trust, relevancy and courtesy.  Understand that reporters are paid to accomplish a task:  inform their audience with accurate and timely information.  Reporters keep notes on their sources, and likewise, you should keep notes on your conversations with reporters. Keep track of what you talked about, when and any ideas that you might have in mind for contacting them in the future.  Above all, there are three simple guidelines: be honest, be helpful and be responsive.  Don’t make a reporter wait. They won’t.

9. Tools that can help. It often helps to include videos, high quality  images or other supporting documents/images that add “beef” to your story. Another great tool – a 3rd party quote that supports the point of your story. Thid party validation will make a huge difference in getting your story picked up.

10. Be persistent. If you know you’ve got a good story, don’t shy from being persistent.  I’m not suggesting you call them three times a day or email – that’s stalking and perhaps, a little weird.  However, if you have something new going on in your business, it’s a good reason to reach out to them again.

In closing, don’t take it personally if you don’t hear back – reporters are busy!  Keep in mind that no response doesn’t mean you’re idea isn’t good.  Good pitches and good contacts tend to get saved in folders for future reference.   PR in generally tends to ebb and flow, a little momentum often carries you a long way.  Hang in there!

These 10 points on how to get picked up by the press is courtesy of the PR Web blog.