Property ManagementBoost Business with a Brochure
Since 1994, RE/MAX Hall of Famer Melinda Duncan with RE/MAX Creative Realty Group in Lexington, Kentucky, has watched her sales skyrocket from $5.9 million to over $10 million per year. By the end of August this year, Duncan has already completed 66 transaction sides for over $9 million in sales, earning her Platinum Club status (those RE/MAX associates whose commissions top $250,000 within a given year.) once again.
How does she do it? - the old-fashioned way, building name recognition and referrals. Here is Duncan"s success-producing plan.
Six years ago, Duncan (ABR,CRP, CRS) invested $6,000 in 2,000 professionally produced pamphlets, a financial risk she could barely afford at the time. That meant that she had to sell three houses in order to meet her three-payment schedule.
"Everyone thought I was crazy," says Duncan, a RE/MAX associate since 1987. "No one"s going to remember you because of a brochure, they said. But my brochures were slick. They were personal, not just a list of my accomplishments. They looked good."
The brochures were remembered and made a significant impact on her grass-roots campaign to become recognized. "People held onto that brochure and it started doing things for me," continues Duncan. "Since then, my brochures have given me tons and tons of exposure, from awards to phone calls out of nowhere. Without them, no one would"ve known about Melinda Duncan."
The fliers were impressive enough to take first place in Associate Brochures in the RE/MAX International Advertising Contest in both 1993 and 1996. Duncan is redesigning the brochures for 1999.
Duncan doesn"t quit there. She has a database of over 1,200 Associates whom she has met in classes, conventions or in her travels, including when she does relocation presentations for other RE/MAX offices.
"I love to meet people, and everyone I meet - I get their business card," she says. "I collect them like crazy at conventions. I go to the promotional booths because they are the kind of people who are looking for referrals. It just builds up over time."
Last year, 35% of Duncan"s 87 transaction sides were referred from other Associates. She does a significant portion of the remainder of her business from past customers with whom she corresponds on a monthly basis. A referral based business requires a high level of service and customer satisfaction.
"A nice brochure is an introduction and a confidence-booster," explains Duncan. "It may not have a lot to do with whether you get the sale or not, but it helps you meet people and approach them in a professional way. People can"t use you is they don"t meet you and they won"t use you if they think you"re unprofessional."
Duncan"s current brochure features a photograph of her playing basketball with another associate and the University of Kentucky Wildcat mascot. The piece presents a friendly, professional, service-oriented image.
"It"s very, very simple," concludes Duncan. "You need to meet as many people as you can and when you deal with someone, make sure they say that you did them right. That"s it. You can start with a brochure, but in the end, it is how you treat people that makes your business grow."