7 Step Expired Listing Real Estate Autoresponder

If you're in real estate, I'm sure you're calling expired listings (homes which were listed with an agent and did not sell) to get new business. However, if you get them on the phone and can't get an appointment right away, be sure to get their email address. Then, you can initiate this automatic follow up sequence to educate them and stay top of mind. I wrote 7 emails with a complimentary video script and attachment for your expired listing prospects.

How does this work?

An email will drip out automatically about every week with a link to your educational video on YouTube so the prospect can get to know you. Add in a postcard sequence and schedule a few follow up calls and you'll be the most likely Realtor that expired prospect will hire to sell their home!

Here is the sequence I put together for our client Jeff Quintin. Use the buttons to the left and right to see his videos - there are 7.

Download Sample Emails for Your Expired Listing Autoresponder
* Click the link above to see the emails that go out to the expired prospect that links to the respective videos above on YouTube.

Download Sample Scripts for Your Expired Listing Videos

How to Use iContact Autoresponder to Add/Remove/Track Prospects - watch video below:

You can also set this up as an action plan in Top Producer, but you can't track who is opening the emails. This is what I originally had with Jeff so I switched him over to iContact so he can call the people watching his videos. We'll see how it goes.

REMEMBER, this is not to replace your phone call follow-ups, only to enhance the results you're already seeing. Let me repeat, you still must call your expired listings to ask for the appointment - don't expect the emails to do the heavy lifting!

Here is another example of our client Greg Sisson and his 7 expired listing follow up emails. (Dont' see it? Click Here)




Another example 7 videos from Jeff Silva in Blue Bell PA (Don't See It? Click Here)

Mike Ferry Top 20 Sales Skills

A few months back I attended Mike Ferry's Super Star Retreat (2010) in Las Vegas. During the first two days I wrote down all the fantastic sales tips he shared. He's a real estate sales trainer, however it's all personal development and sales techniques used in any business built on lead-generation. So, I'd like to share with you today a few of these tips. He covered 20 tips, however I'm only going to write down the tips here that apply to sales in general and leave you without the home buyer and seller tips. Go on over to Mike's site and sign up for his 2011 Super Star Retreat for all that juicy information - see you there.

*I find it very interesting 17 of these 20 skills apply to all sales positions, or in my opinion, anyone who is a business owner or independent professional (nothing happens before someone sells something, right?). Anyone would benefit from this training, more people to should pay close attention to how real estate agents get business, it should be required training for any independent professional service firm.

1.) The skill of time management and following a schedule.
Operate from a schedule six hours a day, six days a week.
Have a prepared script to handle all the distractions.

2.) Looking for clients and finding clients daily.
Always keep your income goal related to good prospecting.
I must identify the motivating reason why I want to do this.

3.) Skill of turning leads into appointments.
Treat every lead as it would disappear in 7 days.
Be tougher on leads and close hard. - "You said you want to do this, so let's start now."
Quit collecting leads.

4.) Skill of qualifying prospects before you go on a sales presentation.
Gather as much information upfront so you respect their time.

5.) The skill of making and enthusiastic and energetic sales presentation
People are do damn depressed because of the market
Are you asking questions or just telling your story?
"I have a few questions to ask, and if you answer them in the way I expect, you'll be a client and we can get started."

6.) Skill of Pricing to Sell
Read the book "The Big Short"
Be willing to walk away

7.) Dealing with excuses of objections
You must eliminate objections during the presentation.

8.) Getting the contract signed on the first close.

9.) Skill of delegation
"You work the first 8 hours a day for survival, the rest is investment."

10.) Doing it every day, day in and day out

11.) Asking Questions

12.) Skill of listening intensely to what people are saying
Take great notes when people talk
It makes the speaker feel important
Do not respond to your own questions
Avoid making assumptions
Listen to what is NOT being said.

13.) Manufacturing AT WILL energy and enthusiasm.

14.) Getting all people in the marketplace working with you effectively.

15.) Providing services that cause the consumer to come back to you time and time again.

16.) Prospecting daily with intensity

17.) Skill in the ability to motivate yourself.

New Client Video Topic Orientation

I'm building a "Member's Only" website where we'll host all the pre-written articles, scripts, video ideas, and sample emails. This will make life easier for you to pick topics of most interest to your audience. Here's the video to go on this page as our 'New Client Video Topic Orientation'. A few of the things I'll cover: The mission of your videos is to educate, plan all 24 topics for the year upfront, use pre-written articles to save time, order a custom article for more control, set one monthly appointment to shoot 2 videos, beginners start reading a script word for word, intermediate clients add their own knowledge to the script, advanced clients use talking points without a script. Emails are sent on the 1st and 15th of each month or on the nearest business day. We must have your videos 5 days in advance of these dates. Review online articles, table of contents, or newspapers for custom article ideas. Send us topics, book chapters, or magazine articles you like and we'll re-write them for you.

The Best Way to Shoot a Blog Video

A quick video in my new 'studio' with a few recommendations to make an effective web blog video. After seeing 1000+ web videos from clients, a few draw me in more than others, and here are the best tips I can provide on why certain videos are more effective. An overview: Speak to one person, know your point, get video ideas directly from your audience, shoot the entire video in one take, spend 10 minutes before shooting the video to prepare talking points, refer to a reference sheet, and set a monthly time to shoot your videos so you hold yourself accountable and force yourself to mentally prepare.

Vyral Marketing 2011 Goals

I'd like to reflect on 2010 and write down our goals for 2011....

I'm writing this on Christmas day, because yes, I love what I do for a living. Warren Buffet said it best. Though "working" means nothing to me financially, I love (Vyral) for simple reasons: It gives me a sense of achievement, a freedom to act as I see fit and an opportunity to interact daily with people I like and trust.

We've been introduced to many of the very best real estate agents in the Mike Ferry Organization, all who are top performers and the symbol of success in their profession. Needless to say, they are all like me, so imagine how cool it is to work with all these people. Our business has grown strictly by referral though this wonderful organization. Kudos to our first client Teresa Elliot for making it all happen.

I've been able to travel to San Diego, Seattle, Sacramento, Dallas, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Orlando, Las Vegas and Austin all this year to visit clients. I'm close to A-List membership with Southwest!

I hired our second full time associate as our sales executive and operations manager starting Jan 3rd. We've  steadily attracted 2 new clients a month through my efforts alone. I hired Andre with one purpose for 2011 - take our business from glorified 'self-employment' and turn it into a systematized business operation not tied directly to anyone's time.

His goals for 2011 are the following:

3 New Contacts a Day (60 a month)
Write Full Operations Manual
Formal Bookkeeping Systems / IRS
Support John's Daily Activities

The real estate market is a great fit for us. Our realty clients sell 'marketing' for a living and our product adds value for their sellers. However, I believe clients in the personal finance and health/fitness markets are excellent candidates for our service. When I think about our ideal client, I think of the type of content they would publish and who would read it.

A few professionals I'd like to help in 2011:

Mortgage Brokers
Real Estate Recruiters
Health Clubs

But make no mistake, my focus is on service quality - as we grow by referral. Every 6 months I hire a 3rd party to call our clients for a blind survey. Client answers remain anonymous, and I'll post the results here on the blog for the world to see. You'll see how we must improve, what we're doing well, what we're not doing well, etc. From this survey I know if we're growing too fast and if we're accepting the right type of client. This is our report card.

I've written a few blog posts on marketing, usually with a specific client in mind. When I'm asked a question during a coaching call, I write an answer. Personally, I prefer the phone, email, and in-person meetings. I use social media tools only to compliment our business. I'm obsessed with our clients seeing financial results, as it's the way I measure our value. I've decided to invest my time on the phone with clients and away from blogging and making podcasts, and it's more likely to produce this value.

So, with all that being said, here are my professional goals for 2011.

My clients deserve more one-on-one time with me, both in-person and on the phone. There is tremendous value in flying out to see a client upon set up, or meeting at an industry conference.

My time must be spent growing our client's business, not ours. This is why I've hired Andre to perform many of the time-consuming sales activities and make our operations efficient.

We must improve at the client's entire business, not just marketing. Video can be using for lead-generation, business operations, prospect follow-up, etc. We must implement these strategies.

Clients would benefit from telephone services. I will hire a telephone professional to contact client prospects to set up sales appointments and get email addresses for follow up.

We will add 2 new clients a month - 57 clients by 2012. Each client is a new opportunity to see what marketing works, what doesn't, and makes us better at what we do.

....after I get the results from our client surveys I will know what else we must improve.

So, for the $795 a month we're paid, we will offer new ways to squeeze value from our fee. The real estate strategies are my start to so this, as each client receives unlimited video editing, graphic design, and administrative support to implement each of these strategies with Vyral Membership.

My ultimate business goal? From a 5 year business perspective, I'd like to reach 100+ clients, which puts us at $1,000,0000 in business revenue so I can join the Entrepreneurs Organization! But more seriously, in the short term, it's about having a great place to work and a healthy business. I manage the business to bring 40% to the bottom line, offer 5% net profit sharing for the staff, pay market rate salaries, reward performance with bonus and commissions, and offer everyone complete autonomy. I never lose focus on value for our clients.

If you're an investor with experience managing an advertising agency, call me. I would value your advice on structuring a business of professionals who sell a service to attract venture capital.