Business Marketing

Forget-Me-Not

Published

12 years ago

July 22, 2008

Back Then

I started real estate shortly before the business model changed from agent centric to client centric. Old school marketing was taught at my first brokerage and I had no reason to doubt it worked. In the five years previous to becoming an agent, there was one REALTOR responsible for 90% of the sales in my neighborhood.

I literally bought into sending thousands of postcards, delivering flags in the front yard on holidays, pumpkins in the fall, magnetic calendars, note pads and of course, the Forget-Me-Not flower seeds delivered door to door with a smile and a business card, hoping that when those little seeds began to produce flowers, surely they would remember me.

Back then, everyone needed a logo design and branding to guarantee success. And…….there were plenty of companies just waiting to help you conquer your market with a perfectly designed logo, including letterhead, envelopes, web site, etc., for a price.

Most agents were just beginning to get their own website and domain names were easy to get. Try finding a great domain name today!

Information was safely guarded and agents were the gateway to the information.

Fast Foward

Fast forward, only six years, to a client centric business model where information flows freely; everyone has a website and a potential client can find us anywhere online. Clients rarely, if ever, walk in the front door of a brokerage looking for an agent. Today, we do business from our laptop in the local Starbucks.

We manage our own branding fairly well (without the high cost, I might add) and our marketing, but very few neighborhoods have a dominate agent doing business there.

It was actually easier to send thousands of postcards than it is to maintain a web presence. With blogs, websites, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks to manage, we are wired 24/7. I am willing to bet most of us are never away from our email for more than eight hours at a time. That’s only so we can sleep 😉

Planting Seeds

Much has changed, yet some things remain the same. Old School required a personal touch; today we need to have both. We can’t exclude the personal touch at the expense of technology. I don’t know many agents who send postcards as a regular part of their marketing; I haven’t seen a pumpkin delivered to my door in years or flags on Memorial Day. I don’t have extra note pads from agents lying around or a calendar on my fridge.

The one old school marketing tool we should still be using is the Forget-Me-Not seeds.

Of course, the seeds are new and improved, producing referrals from clients who love us. These are the seeds we plant throughout every transaction and interaction we have with our clients. It consists of the little and “not so little” things we do everyday to ensure our clients never forget us. Not because we force our marketing on them, but, simply, we are remarkable and unforgettable.

What Forget-Me-Not seeds do you plant? What makes you stand out? What makes you great?

0 Shares

Related Topics:

Up Next

“Trulia Blogs” Rolled Out On The DL

Don't Miss

How the Internet Delivered me From a Lifetime of Mediocrity

Paula Henry

Paula is team leader for The "Home to Indy" Team in Indianapolis . She is passionate about education and client care and believes an empowered client is better prepared to make good decisions for themselves. You'll find her online at Agent Genius,Twitter and sharing her insights about her local real estate market at Home To Indy.

28 Comments

Mack in Atlanta

July 22, 2008 at 8:12 am

What do you mean away from my email for more than 8 hours? I get email notifications to my TREO every 15 minutes. I’m on vacation right now in Daytona Beach, Florida and my TREO is with me by the pool, my laptop is in the condo and I am still connected to the world. BTW I had a gentleman contact me last night about listing six investment properties for him. Yes you can still do business in the real estate world while catching up on some R and R.

Reply
Paula Henry

July 22, 2008 at 8:19 am

Mack – Then there are those of us do not need to sleep 🙂 I know the feeling – I am always on, except – I am still working on my beauty sleep; then the emails must wait for me.

Gotta love vacations – I am most busy when I plan a vacation – good luck with those listings!

Reply
Mack in Atlanta

July 22, 2008 at 8:35 am

It seems as though this year was even worse with the several weeks before vacation. Things just got very crazy. Now if I had to work on beauty sleep there is no way anything would ever get done. Not enough hours in my day for beauty sleep.

Reply
Matt Stigliano

July 22, 2008 at 8:38 am

Paula – Thanks for this post. I am being barraged by other agents, brokers, and various companies soliciting my business…all reminding me of these “tried and true” methods of yesteryear. Its post like these that make me want to forge a “new” path (not new to most of you, but certainly new for me and new for San Antonio – I don’t see much of this going on around here).

Reply
Bill Lublin

July 22, 2008 at 8:41 am

Paula; I’m so old school I remember when it was broker- centric. But as always your post hits on the most important part we need to remember – that without touching the people the tools don’t matter
🙂

Reply
Jason Sandquist

July 22, 2008 at 9:03 am

Just like @Matt, when I got in I almost went broke with all the mailings. They were suppose to work right? I stay ‘connected’ with a variety of social media sites and I am in front of the computer most of time anyways and all it takes is a hello.

I was reading somewhere the other day, coulda been here or somwhere else, wish I could remember to give cred, but anyways it was about how most consumers a referral might not work for them in a few years. They want to do their own research and find someone that fits them. Gone, good-bye. I know a lot of agents that solely live and die by the referral.

Reply
Artur | Phoenix Real Estate

July 22, 2008 at 9:03 am

Funny thing is, 2 days ago I happened to meet an agent at a house he listed, one of several dozen, and his business card had no cell phone, no website, no email. He’s been in business since the early 80’s and is as old school as you can get, including visually but he’s got plenty of business. From what I see very few agents are getting their business from online sources.

Reply
Dan Connolly

July 22, 2008 at 9:18 am

@Matt You know the old truism, if your business is slow and you want to make it jump into high gear, schedule a vacation!

Reply
Dan Connolly

July 22, 2008 at 9:19 am

typo! I meant @Mack! An edit feature would be nice here (wish list)

Reply
Norm Fisher

July 22, 2008 at 9:36 am

Paula, it is amazing how much things have changed in such a short time.

I think the best way to stand out as “remarkable and unforgettable” is to treat each client as remarkable and unforgettable.

Reply
Gites

July 22, 2008 at 10:12 am

I agree “marketing” has changed completely. Our business now receives 90% of enquiries by email and 10% by telephone. Just goes to show that people prefer to communicate by email. PS we have no front office but have a big web presence.

Reply
Matt Stigliano

July 22, 2008 at 11:05 am

Norm – I think your “remarkable and unforgettable” quote should be a mantra used in real estate. I like it much better than “buyers are liars” (which I was appalled to hear when someone in a class said it – doesn’t matter if its true or not, cause I’m sure it goes both ways – but to think of your clients and potential clients in terms like that is disgusting if you ask me).

Reply
Dylan Darling

July 22, 2008 at 11:08 am

@Dan
“@Matt You know the old truism, if your business is slow and you want to make it jump into high gear, schedule a vacation!”

I couln’t agree more. When I get slow my wife pleads for a vacation and it never fails. I just got back from Mexico and what do you know- 2 rattified deals while I was gone.

But you can’t count on vacation. Today’s successful agent has to find balance. Web, mailings, marketing, cold calls, and any other consumer contact have to be done in a professional manner, but with a personal touch.

Reply
Norm Fisher

July 22, 2008 at 11:40 am

@ Matt. For sure. It’s impossible to develop a meaningful connection with anyone if we expect the worst of them from the outset. Most people, when treated with respect are eager to do the same.

Reply
Glenn fm Naples

July 22, 2008 at 11:55 am

Paula – you brought back fond memories of when I first started in real estate and did the postcard mailings and went to all the seminars by the “gurus”. It was not hard to realize the potential of the Internet for real estate, just some agents did not catch on.

I especially liked your mention that in today’s real estate market people just don’t stop into a brokerage – the bricks versus click theory was out there at least 5 years ago.

I did like the Forget Me Not seed packages.

Real estate will always be a high touch service if one wants to successful.

Reply
Jeremy Hart

July 22, 2008 at 10:40 pm

@ Artur | Phoenix Real Estate – “From what I see very few agents are getting their business from online sources.” I know there are several agents that visit here at AG that see a LOT of business from online sources. The agent you referenced, who’s been in business since the early 80’s, has seen a lot of trends come and go. Some worked, some didn’t, but it’s probably safe to say that he sees the majority of his business from repeat and referral clients at this point, wouldn’t you guess? To use Paula’s analogy of the seeds, the seeds he planted a long time ago laid the foundation for his continued success today.

Reply
Ruthmarie Hicks

July 22, 2008 at 10:43 pm

Paula,

Most agents in my area are frozen in that mind-set. Blogging and GOOD web sites are hard to come by. I mention the “internet” and their eyes glaze over. They need to get moving or they are going to be left behind.
LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!!:-)

Reply
Paula Henry

July 23, 2008 at 5:18 am

Mack – I’ve heard the same thing from many agents in the last few weeks; am glad I didn’t plan vacation. Beauty sleep is overated anyway 🙂

Matt – Forging your own path is what makes a unique you!

Bill – I didn’t know about broker centric.It’s always about the human touch.

Reply
Paula Henry

July 23, 2008 at 5:21 am

Who or what is puurple???

Reply
Paula Henry

July 23, 2008 at 5:49 am

Jason – I, too did all the mailings; thousands more than I would like to think about. I’m not going to say they don’t work, I know they do for some people; usually those who have been doing it for a long time. In the past postcards were all about the agent. If you would design a card today, it better have a WIIFM for the client or it’s wasted money.

Referrals are still a good source of business for many. You still need both! Gen Y will probably not use Aunt Edna’s referral, if the agent can not use email to send documents, SMS or any other tool which makes the process easier for them.

Reply
Paula Henry

July 23, 2008 at 6:09 am

Artur – I know agents likes this also, I see it alot in small towns here in the Midwest. It is not the norm, though. Honestly – I dislike working with agents who have no email address. It is painful!

I know many agents who make a great income from their web presence – of course, you have to have a great web presence. Those who adapted early are way ahead!

Dan – Vacation works for business. I was totally bummed I couldn’t go to SF this week – on the other hand, I will write almost a mllion in sales this week (from online clients).

Finding balance is key – sometimes I am on this computer way too much 🙂

Reply
Paula Henry

July 23, 2008 at 6:38 am

Norm – The key to success and I agree with Matt.

Matt – Maybe Norm has coined a new definition of client care. Buyers are Liars is a horrible phrase – buyers are usually just not sure what they really want or what they can afford. With professional guidance (that’s us) they can generally narrow down what they need and want in a home.

Dylan – It’s definitely a balancing act – I can attract web leads all day – but the professional, personal contact will make them clients.

Reply
Paula Henry

July 23, 2008 at 7:05 am

Glenn- Yea – the good old days 🙂 Funny, though, they weren’t so long ago. I remember my first brokerage was by the local grocery store and people did stop in for a book, to list their home or talk to an agent.

Jeremy – Excellent point!

Ruthmarie – I was speaking with an agent yesterday who told me she doesn’t want to learn how to market on the interent. She will be left behind. I have people ask me all the time how I do what i do. I am willing to share and teach; most do not want to learn.

Thank you for the wonderful compliment!

Reply
Jennifer Hart

July 23, 2008 at 11:21 am

I still mail postcards and sometimes walk my neighborhood with trinkets such as pumpkins and winter door knob decorations. But, I’ve added a new “gift” this year and I had more people calling me to thank me. This year I gave to clients, close neighbors and friends a “green” bag with a note asking to please use canvas bags instead of plastic and paper at grocery stores or any other stores.

Even with all the door to door gifts, the majority of my clients do come from my website.

Reply
Paula Henry

July 23, 2008 at 1:32 pm

Jennifer – Love the green bag idea! Sounds like you have incorporated the personal touch and technology wonderfully 🙂

Reply
Glenn fm Naples

July 25, 2008 at 5:49 am

Paula – one has to wonder what things will be like in a few more years.

Reply

Business Marketing

What entreprenuers can learn about branding from trendy startups

(BUSINESS MARKETING) What’s the secret of focused startup branding, and how can you apply it to large enterprises?

Published

5 days ago

November 30, 2020

Anais Dersimonian, Staff Writer

A set of wine from Craft Hugo, showing off pleasing branding in labels.

Think of your favorite brand. Is it the product they offer or the branding that you love? Exactly – brand ethos reigns supreme, especially with those trendy, aesthetically-pleasing startups (I never thought Glossier had good makeup, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t visit their website once or twice a month).

So let’s break it down.

Co-founder of Red Antler – a company that assists startups in creating successful branding – Emily Heyward believes in a few branding truths.

Firstly, you have to make sure not to market your brand as a single product or experience. Doing so, she says, will pigeonhole you and thus truncate your ability to expand and offer new products and services (she gives MailChimp, known almost exclusively for email marketing, as an example).

What Heyward does say to do is instead market an idea. For example, the brand Casper (one of Antler’s clients) markets itself as a sleep company instead of a mattress company. By doing this, they kept the door open to eventually offer other products, like pillows and bedding.

Heyward states that this “power of focus” is a way to survive – with countless other startups offering the same product or service, you have to position your company as offering something beyond the product. Provide a problem your customer didn’t know they had and offer an innovative solution through your product.

Ever used Slack, the app-based messenger? There were other messengers out there, so focus of Slack’s branding is that regular messaging is boring and that their app makes it more fun. And customers eat it up.

How can this logic apply to mid-to-large enterprises? How can you focus on one specific thing?

Again, placing emphasis on brand over products is essential – what is it about what you offer that makes your customers’ lives better? It’s more cerebral than material. You’re selling a better life.

Another thing to remember is that customers are intrigued by the idea of new experiences, even if the product or service being offered is itself not new. Try not to use dated language that’s colored by a customers’ preexisting feelings. Instead, find an exciting alternative – chat solutions are desperately trying move away from the word “chat”, which can bring to mind an annoying, tedious process, even though that is in fact what they offer.

Broadening the idea of focused brand ethos to a large company can be difficult. By following these tips and tricks from startups, your company can develop a successful brand ethos that extends beyond your best product or service.

Business Marketing

Spruce up your product images with Glorify (just in time for Black Friday!)

(BUSINESS MARKETING) Want professional, customizable product images for your company? Consider Glorify’s hot Black Friday deal.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 23, 2020

Anais Dersimonian, Staff Writer

Glorify app lets you create beautiful designs for your products.

Glorify, the app that creates high converting, customizable product images for your business, is offering a lifetime deal for $97 this Black Friday. In just a few clicks, you can transform one of Glorify’s sleek templates into personalized, professional-looking content – and now, you don’t have to pay that monthly fee.

Whether your business is in electronics, beauty, or food & drink, Glorify offers a range of looks that will instantly bring your product images to the next level. With countless font styles and the ability to alter icon styles, shadows and other elements, you can access all the perks of having your own designer without the steep price.

In 2019, Glorify was launched – the app was soon voted #2 Product of the Day and nominated for Best Design Tool by Product Hunt. Since then, they have cultivated a 20k+ user base!

Glorify 2.0, which was launched last week, upgrades the experience. The new and improved version of the app is complete overhaul of intuitive UI improvements and extra features, such as:

background remover tool
templates based on popular product niches and themes
design bundles for your website/store, social media
annotation tool
upload your brand kits and organize your projects under different brands
1 click brand application
& much more!

“But the most important aspect of Glorify 2.0, is that it comes with a UI that sets us up for future scalability for all our roadmap features”, said CEO of Glorify Omar Farook, who himself was a professional graphic designer.

Farook’s dream was to provide a low-cost design service for the smaller businesses that couldn’t otherwise afford design services. Looking through reviews of the app, it’s evident that Glorify does just that – it saves the user time and money while helping them to produce top-notch product images for their brand on their own.

Glorify is one of the many new design-based apps that make producing content a breeze for entrepreneurs, such as Canva. As someone who loves design but doesn’t have the patience for Creative Cloud, I personally love this technology. However, Glorify is unique in that it is the only product-driven design app. All you have to do is upload your photo!

Business Marketing

This new Chipotle location will be fully digital

(BUSINESS NEWS) In the wake of the pandemic and popularity of online delivery, Chipotle is joining the jump to online-only locations, at least to test drive.

Published

3 weeks ago

November 16, 2020

Jack Lloyd, Staff Writer

Chipotle exterior, possibly moving to a fully digital restaurant space soon.

A lot of industries have switched to an online-only model in the wake of the pandemic. Most of them have made sense; between abundant delivery options and increased restrictions on workers, moving away from the traditional storefront paradigm isn’t exactly a radical choice. Chipotle making that same decision, however, is a plot twist of a different kind—yet that’s exactly what they’re doing with their first online store.

To be clear, the chain isn’t doing away with their existing locations; they’re just test-driving a “digital” location for the time being. That said, the move to an online platform raises interesting questions about the future of the restaurant industry—if not just Chipotle itself.

The move to an online platform actually makes a lot of sense for businesses like Chipotle. Since the classic Chipotle experience is much less centered on the “dining” aspect than it is on the customizability of food options, putting those same options online and giving folks some room to deliver both decreases Chipotle’s physical footprint and, ostensibly, opens up their services to more people.

It’s also a timely move given the sheer number of people who are sheltering in place. A hands-on burrito assembly line is not the optimal place to be in a pandemic, but there’s no denying the utilitarian appeal of Chipotle’s products. To that end, having another restaurant wherein you have the option to order a hearty meal with everything you like—which is also tailored to your dietary needs—is a crucial step for consumers.

Chipotle’s CTO, Curt Garner, says he is hoping this online alternative will offer a “frictionless” experience for diners.

As a part of that frictionless experience, consumers will be able to order in several different mediums. Chipotle’s website and their mobile app are the preferred choices, while services like GrubHub will also be available should you choose to order through a third-party. The idea is simple: To bring Chipotle to you with as little fuss as possible.

For now, Chipotle is committing to the single digital location to see how consumer demand pans out. Should the model prove successful, they plan to move forward with implementing additional digital locations nationwide.