I am a Realtor® and I have a few websites. I am the primary care giver FOR these websites and am pretty proficient at getting them to rank high on search engines. Google specifically. In fact, one of my websites rank page #1 and spot #1 for a bunch of great search terms, (and several other sites are scattered among pages #1 and #2). Yay for me and my online presence.
Well, regardless of my placement in the search engines, I STILL get people (apparently they work for companies that represent the Google Search Engine) calling me asking if I want to pay them to get me to rank high in the search engines for certain terms.
What terms? Oh, the exact same terms that I ALREADY rank #1 for.
When I TELL them this, I get one of two answers:
- “Are you sure?” Um. Yes. I am looking at it RIGHT NOW.
- “Well, I see that you are there organically. Wouldn’t you like to pay for placement as well?” Um. Are you crazy?
Do these people own computers? Are their computers hooked up to the internet? Are they on?
Do they do ANY research on the people that they are trying to ask for business?
It would be like me going to a listing appointment at the wrong house with no CMA. It is completely irresponsible and an awful way to attract business.
I get these calls every day.
Why, oh why do they call me?
Ines
March 12, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Just today I received a call from Google – yes, Google called me. To tell me that they had a search term available for me, “Miami Beach Fl house for sale” – I said, who in the world types that as a search? (614,000 searches) – I said, if you are going to waste my time calling me to sell me something, sell me “miami real estate” with over 4 million results.
Do you know what he said? That search would cost you a lot more money!! DUH! could it be because it is an actual search term? – I’m on page 3 there and creeping up slowly
OK…..enough rant, you started it!
Jon
March 12, 2008 at 4:18 pm
You’ve posed an interesting question. I’m wondering if you might know of any agents who have ever cold-called a “prospect” without having a clue as to their home selling or buying situation? I’ve known an awful lot of agents who do this every day…they even knock on “cold” doors with the same shotgun approach.
And when that would-be “prospect” hangs up or closes the door, I wonder how many of them roll their eyes as they exclaim, “Why do they call me?”
For every enlightened agent who is all about creating ‘warm’ relationships through their blogs and using other marketing strategies that help us cultivate online and offline relationships while avoiding cold-calling, there are thousands who are still at it. It appears this holds true for the SEO industry as well.
Mariana
March 12, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Ines – You lucky girl! Google called you… I assume these folks are target marketing people who know nothing. Maybe if they did just a TAD more research they could avoid wasting their time (and ours) by not even calling in the 1st place.
Jon – You are exactly right. EVERY industry has the cold-callers and NONE of them are doing it smart. I am SO tired of PUSH marketing.
Athol Kay
March 12, 2008 at 4:56 pm
It’s my fault Mariana. I complied a list of all the RE bloggers and sold the list to Google for $12.50 back in July 2007.
I went to a movie and had the large popcorn with the money.
Sorry.
Jay Thompson
March 12, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I drank Google’s beer once. It was cool.
Didn’t we have this conversation about 3 weeks ago?
Benjamin Bach
March 12, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Hilarious
I got a call today from a Toronto firm asking me if I wanted to rank well for “Investment . . . Real Estate. . . in Kitchener… and Waterloo” pausing between words since he was scanning my blog for keywords.
Thanks Athol 🙂
Benjamin Bach
March 12, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Jon that is a very very interesting questions…
I don’t doorknock or cold call… I attract clients through my blog and my monthly Investment workshops.
One of my colleagues door knocks 3 hours a day, and does 250K GCI consistently for years. I think he’s the only guy in town doorknocking every day.
Interesting question. I think I’m going to forward him this post 🙂
Mariana
March 12, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Athol – I am jealous. I wish I was clever enough to have Google pay for MY movie popcorn. That stuff is expensive.
Jay – Google Beer? Cool! I am sure we did have this conversation on multiple occasions, but I think it bears repeating.
Benjamin – People are so much frickin’ fun. I swear.
Mariana
March 12, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Benjamin – I think that there IS success in door-knocking, but I find the ROI too small for as much time it takes. I also more a fan of PULL marketing.
Benjamin Bach
March 12, 2008 at 5:55 pm
plus it’s FREEZING
Athol Kay
March 12, 2008 at 5:59 pm
“plus it’s FREEZING”
Ah get out thar you cringing sook. Teresa has some great posts on “Dressing in layers for real estate” somewhere on AG. 🙂
https://agentgenius.com/?p=1105
Jay Thompson
March 12, 2008 at 6:13 pm
There’s a guy here that doorknocks. In the summer. When it’s 117 outside. That’s a good way to kill yourself…
Google beer. Long story, Inman Connect, we snuck in. More here:
https://www.phoenixrealestateguy.com/inside-the-manhattan-googleplex/654
Benjamin Bach
March 12, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I’m actully planning to get these really sick North Face boots with slippers in them (a client had them on today. Perfect for seeing property in the winter)
You just have to deal… but it is -18 degrees in the mornings here………………..
BenjaminBach.com
Charleston real estate blog
March 12, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Mariana, I had a little time to entertain myself and I actually had one salesperson try to convince me that pay per click was better than organic results.
Will
March 12, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I got a call from them and took down all their info… then I fired off a letter to Google to let them know about these scammers. The real Google Rep was none too pleased to hear their name invoked to sell adwords and were going to look into it. Several of my colleagues got rooked in by these con artists who prey on the less net savvy among us.
Toby & Saide
March 12, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Funny, you bring this up today.
I had a “second” call from a guy who was “very dissapointed in me.” I had talked to him last fall and said I’d give him a call when we were going through the marketing budget. Of course, I promptly recycled the call-sheet with no intention to ever return the call.
Here I am in downtown Columbus, trying to take a beautiful photo with my phone and he calls me. I think I’ve got an easy way out “I’ve already set my marketing budget and we elected to remain consistent with our monies.”
“But Toby, don’t get me wrong, that is a fine way to do business, but don’t you actually want to make more money than you did last year? You have to try new marketing venues.”
I replied that I don’t like lead generators because of past experience, aww but “he isn’t a lead generator all of his clients are verified leads for me to follow-up on. And that I was throwing all lead generators into a basket like the public does to REALTORS® and how ironic was that.”
At this point, this bleepty-bleep is starting to get on my nerves. His next question? “How are you marketing now?”
“What a waste of time,” he replies.
click
Ginger Wilcox
March 12, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I love it when they argue about your placement, or try to tell your your ranking for key words that you don’t find key. You are on page 46 for blah, blah, blah. Well good, I hope I stay there. That won’t help me anyway!
Matt Scoggins
March 13, 2008 at 10:38 am
I wonder how much time these people waste calling agents who’s websites already rank well…I know they wasted a few hours on me over the years. It would take them all of 5 seconds to do a search for the keyword they are trying to “sell”.
Sarah Cooper
March 13, 2008 at 2:30 pm
What’s really fun is when you tell them that you have enough business already, thanks. That is just NOT in their scripts and you can hear them turning pages. 🙂
Maureen Francis
March 13, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I think they get my phone number off my website in the first place. Perhaps they think I am stupid enough to buy their services.
Melbourne Florida Homes For Sale
March 14, 2008 at 5:16 am
Can’t fix whats not broke right. Telemarketers gone wild your just another number they have to call. I still get calls offering me to refinace my house and I sold it years ago. They have a telephone number and thats all. My son is so bad he strings them along and sounds all interested and then backs out or ask them for there home phone number so he can call back at supper time and interrupt there family time. He’s to funny!
Jacksonville Realtor
March 15, 2008 at 9:25 am
I gave up on door knocking in Florida when I melted one summer…
I wonder if Realtors are like sellers and go with the first seo company that contacts them?
Mariana Wagner
March 15, 2008 at 10:24 am
Howard – I have faced that same arguement…
Will – Wow. Interesting! You are right. It is almost a con.
Toby – “waste of time” as in the phone call yuo got? LOL.
Ginger- I tell them that I know more about the keywords I want/need to be placing for and they never believe me. Oh well.
Mariana Wagner
March 15, 2008 at 10:28 am
Matt – They would waste less time searching the keywords than making the phone calls. Definitely.
Sarah – Yeah. That has worked for me in thepast as well. Nice one!
Maureen – That is waht they are hoping for!
Melbourne FHFS – Ah! That is funny.