Business Marketing

Mean REALTORS Rule!

Published

10 years ago

June 1, 2009

Real Estate Egos

It’s unbelievable to think that we placed 3 properties in escrow this week by being obnoxious. Yes you read right, OBNOXIOUS! You know those agents that you avoid like the plague because they are difficult and have egos and it seems like showing one of their listings can be similar to an obstacle course?

Well….maybe we can learn something from them. By following these simple instructions, you may find yourself in route to success!

don’t be accessible (by responding quickly to telephone calls you will show weakness)

don’t be flexible (cooperation is for wusses)

It’s all about you, not them (time to be selfish people!)

be difficult (could have thought of another adjective….but this one will do)

take your time (make them wait! HA!)

don’t communicate (sometimes silence can be your best friend)

be arrogant (as if there was a choice)

be condescending (this one comes natural to me)

be aloof (this will create curiosity)

be incompetent (make them ask for information several times before giving in)

make them mad (this is always a great strategy to achieve your goals)

Don’t follow mainstream activities and believe that we’re in a real estate market where buyers are supposed to have control and sellers are supposed to show flexibility – stand up for yourself and demand respect! The results will surprise you!

**disclosure: high degree of sarcasm is evident in this article – please skip this article if you don’t have a sense of humor. Our disagreeable business practices don’t represent that of agent genius, its sponsors or writers and we reserve the right to like or dislike people without warning, unless of course you bribe me with a mojito. We like to “keep it real”, we use Real Estate Shows, think Moo Mini Cards totally Rock and have even bought shoes from Zappos (the nerve) **

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Related Topics:mainstream marketing real estate market

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Ines Hegedus-Garcia

Ines is all Miami, all the time. A Miami Beach Realtor® with Majestic properties, Ines authors Miamism.com, PrimeMiamiBeach.com, and MiamismPix.com and is always on communication's leading edge. She goes out of her way to engage and be engaged, often using Mojitos to keep the mood light and give everything she does a Miami flavor. You can find her goofing off or instigating trouble at Twitter, Flickr, Facebook or LinkedIn.

32 Comments

Joe Loomer

June 1, 2009 at 8:17 am

Aha – you’ve been selling homes with the old guard here in Augusta, I see!! they also:

– pretend to have hearing problems

– develop selective amnesia

– talk openly about “those people”

– use the 1974 version of real estate forms

– refuse to use lockboxes

– remove your sign if their buyer client shows any interest in your listing

– develop selective amnesia

Mojito!

Navy Chief, Navy Pride

Reply
Matt Stigliano

June 1, 2009 at 8:19 am

Ines – In the interest of making you an even better agent, I’d like to suggest that you only fill out half the offer, I mean who really cares about the details anyway?

Reply
Benn Rosales

June 1, 2009 at 8:49 am

lol

Reply
Ines Hegedus-Garcia

June 1, 2009 at 9:12 am

Joe – “selective amnesia” is KEY!! how could I forget that one 🙂

Matt and Benn – cracking up over here

Reply
Matt Stigliano

June 1, 2009 at 9:51 am

Ines – Sad thing is, it’s from real life experience. Agent of 19 years sent me an offer (on an out of date form I might add) – couldn’t even bother to select checkboxes. Forget the details such as info about earnest money and financing – like I said, just details!), but checkboxes? Of course, my seller laughed hysterically at the offer (in terms of price), but I told him that even if we wanted to accept the offer, we couldn’t – because it wasn’t even a complete offer. Sad when the new guy can call you out on a poorly written offer.

Reply
Lani Rosales

June 1, 2009 at 10:45 am

@ines, i can’t believe your nerve. how dare you write something like this? and how dare you mention the name of a company that you like? i just can’t believe this… LMAO!!!

Great article, Ines- this really made my morning!

Reply
Ines Hegedus-Garcia

June 1, 2009 at 10:46 am

Matt – incomplete offers are part of our business. I cannot remember the last time I received a fully executed and complete offer where I didn’t have to go back to the agent to tell them there were forms/signatures/disclosures missing. It’s more of a shock to get a good one than not.

Reply
Matt Stigliano

June 1, 2009 at 11:08 am

Ines – It’s so sad that you actually had to make that comment. Filling in an offer might be one of the easiest parts of the job. If you get that wrong, I have to question how you (them…not you) perform the rest of your agent functions.

Reply
Ben Goheen

June 1, 2009 at 11:17 am

you mentioned Zappos, here we go again…

Reply
Ines Hegedus-Garcia

June 1, 2009 at 11:40 am

and Ben – if the Zappos guys feel the need to reward me for the mention……I will welcome them with open arms……I do love my shoes! 😀

Reply
BawldGuy

June 1, 2009 at 1:15 pm

I loved it when one of those @#%$ responded to a question by asking me if the ink on my license was dry yet. I wasn’t aware he had me on his office’s speakerphone.

Though he apparently didn’t appreciate my response, his staff collectively wet their pants. 🙂

Keep the sarcasm comin’.

Reply
Ines Hegedus-Garcia

June 1, 2009 at 1:52 pm

Please tell us what you said Jeff – pretty please?

Reply
BawldGuy

June 1, 2009 at 1:54 pm

Sorry, no ca do. It was way over the top, and not something I’d normally say. I will tell ya his dad was mentored by my dad, who was taught how to call FSB0’s by listening to me do it when I was just 18. 🙂

Reply
Ines Hegedus-Garcia

June 1, 2009 at 2:33 pm

😀 I **heart** BawldGuy

Reply
Jim Whatley

June 1, 2009 at 5:16 pm

You forgot Don’t Do a CMA just put a price that the seller wants.

Reply
Brandie Young

June 1, 2009 at 8:56 pm

I am fluent in sarcasm … I could have been a Realtor!

Reply
Ines Hegedus-Garcia

June 1, 2009 at 9:08 pm

Jim …what the seller wants? NO WAY!! it’s what the agent wants! LOL

Brandie….it’s not too late! (to think that I am also fluent in sarcasm and in 2 languages!)

Reply
Matt Stigliano

June 1, 2009 at 9:56 pm

Ines – If I remember correctly though, Sarcasm is your first language….correct?

Reply
Ines Hegedus-Garcia

June 1, 2009 at 10:15 pm

Now that I think about it – it is my first and second language! 🙂

Reply
Paula Henry

June 2, 2009 at 6:55 am

Brilliant – sarcasm rules!

Reply
Ken Montville - The MD Suburbs of DC

June 2, 2009 at 7:26 am

What is really sad about this is that it is a) so true and b) so universal.

Reply
Joe Loomer

June 2, 2009 at 8:29 am

I forgot the be all end all “never sign your name to any contracts – just have your clients sign or ask the other agent to sign your name for you”

Reply
Louise Scoggins

June 2, 2009 at 10:59 am

omg I am laughing out loud right now!! I also love Joe’s additions about the Old Gaurd in Augusta. I think we have ALL dealt with these agents before…too funny!!

There needs to be another one in there about NOT USING OR RESPONDING TO EMAIL…

Reply
Ines Hegedus-Garcia

June 2, 2009 at 1:58 pm

Louise – you know just what buttons to push, don’t you?

Reply
Louise Scoggins

June 2, 2009 at 2:05 pm

Lol, it’s a fine line to walk, Ines!!!

Reply
Mike Galdi

June 2, 2009 at 4:28 pm

You must have taken lessons while you were in Phila. Thtas how everyone does it here

Reply

Business Marketing

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(MARKETING) Typography is an important component of any design. Type Genius helps ensure everything coordinates beautifully.

Published

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Jennifer Walpole

Designing a website can be one of the most important things you do to boost your business presence, but doing it on your own can be frustrating, and hiring someone can sometimes become costly. Luckily, there are several other alternatives you can examine to to help your business shine.

Type Genius is one such alternative. This site helps you keep typography clean, consistent, and professional. Typography is the art of creating and arranging text in a visual manner. This is one a fairly critical element of your design, especially considering all the advertising placed in front of consumers on a daily basis. It becomes even more important to design and use type in such a way that it attracts the reader’s attention and gives them a clear understanding of the message.

After all, the advertising will not do any good, if no one wants to engage with it. This is where Type Genius comes in to help.

When you click on the site, you will be prompted to select a font style you would like to start with; if yours is not listed, try to find the closest match. Once you have selected your starting font, Type Genius helps you find subsequent complementary fonts to enhance your website, or marketing materials. By having fonts that truly “go together” your marketing materials will look more professional and become more useful.

For example, I selected, “Comic Serif Pro” as my desired starting font and the suggested font was “Quicksand.” They look similar, but there is enough difference that you could use one for titles and the other for headers to emphasize the differentiation.

Type Genius displays the new font for you to see and if you like it, you can find the suggested font quickly by clicking on the gray square right above the description; this will launch a Google search for the font. This is a great place to begin formulating design ideas before you take a bigger leap into web site design or promotional materials.

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(MARKETING) The Blemish Effect dictates that small, adjacent flaws in a product can make it that much more interesting—is perfection out?

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Jack Lloyd

Presenting a product or service in its most immaculate, polished state has been the strategy for virtually all organizations, and overselling items with known flaws is a practice as old as time. According to marketing researchers, however, this approach may not be the only way to achieve optimal results due to something known as the “Blemish Effect.”

The Blemish Effect isn’t quite the inverse of the perfectionist product pitch; rather, it builds on the theory that small problems with a product or service can actually throw into relief its good qualities. For example, a small scratch on the back of an otherwise pristine iPhone might draw one’s eye to the glossy finish, while an objectively perfect housing might not be appreciated in the same way.

The same goes for mildly bad press or a customer’s pros and cons list. If someone has absolutely no complaints or desires for whatever you’re marketing, the end result can look flat and lacking in nuance. Having the slightest bit of longing associated with an aspect (or lack thereof) of your business means that you have room to grow, which can be tantalizing for the eager consumer.

A Stanford study indicates that small doses of mildly negative information may actually strengthen a consumer’s positive impression of a product or service. Interesting.

Another beneficial aspect of the Blemish Effect is that it helps consumers focus their negativity. “Too good to be true” often means exactly that, and we’re eager to criticize where possible; if your product or service has a noticeable flaw which doesn’t harm the item’s use, your audience might settle for lamenting the minor flaw and favoring the rest of the product rather than looking for problems which don’t exist.

This concept also applies to expectation management. Absent an obvious blemish, it can be all to easy for consumers to envision your product or service on an unattainable level.

When they’re invariably disappointed that their unrealistic expectations weren’t fulfilled, your reputation might take a hit, or consumers might lose interest after the initial wave.

The takeaway is that consumers trust transparency, so in describing your offering, tossing in a negative boosts the perception that you’re being honest and transparent, so a graphic artist could note that while their skills are superior and their pricing reasonable, they take their time with intricate projects. The time expectation is a potentially negative aspect of their service, but expressing anything negative improves sales as it builds trust.

It should be noted that the Blemish Effect applies to minor impairments in cosmetic or adjacent qualities, not in the product or service itself. Delivering an item which is inherently flawed won’t make anyone happy.

In an age where less truly is more, the Blemish Effect stands to dictate a new wave of honesty in marketing.

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Uh oh… User-generated content hikes your business insurance rate

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Pro tip: If you’re going to be working with the same brand ambassador or influencer, make sure any contracts or agreements you have include a waiver that allows you to repurpose content they create that impacts your brand.

This is an easy thing to do, and it will help protect the integrity of your brand and your online presence – make sure it’s part of your social media strategy.

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The decision to use UGC should be a smart one, and if you do decide to use it, just follow the golden rules: ask nicely and keep a paper trail.