Do you have my numbers?
At BlogWorld last week I had the privilege of meeting Mike Simonsen of Altos Research. I use his products*, so I was excited to spend a few minutes chatting with him. When I first was introduced to Mike on Twitter, I liked what I saw, but to be honest, I didn’t see the need for statistics. I wanted to sell houses, not be a mathematician.
Eventually, I decided to toy with statistics and start understanding them. I blogged about them, learned them, and quoted them. As I started to use them, I started to see how useful they actually were. I thought most people (outside of investors) cared more about the feelings, the emotions, and the qualities of a home. I was wrong.
Since adding statistics to my website, my traffic has doubled and several of my market reports are viewed more often than other pages. I get requests for my reports and have phone conversations about them with prospective clients. I use them in listing presentations and show them to co-workers when we’re discussing an issue. Statistics are becoming more a part of my life everyday.
So what does any of this have to do with you, the new agent? Everything. Take my advice and dive into statistics and learn to love them – you’ll be shocked at how many consumers want to know more about them. When you do statistics posts, don’t just cut and paste how many houses are available in a neighborhood. Talk about what that means to your readers. Explain to them supply and demand. Show them how although the “market is bad” – their particular neighborhood is outperforming others. Use them for insight, not fluff.
As you do more and more, watch your website – see which posts start becoming hot spots. I’d be willing to set a high probability that it’s your statistics.
* In the interest of disclosure, I do use Altos Research, but I pay for their services. I have received a free t-shirt from Mike, but that has nothing to do with this post.
photo courtesy of Rob Ireton
P.S. I’m a bit behind in my work, so I apologize for my brief post. Return soon and I’ll be caught back up.
