Property ManagementReal Times" Consumer Newsletter Is a Big Hit with Agents
When Real Times founder Jody Lane created the first free electronic newsletter for
agents to e-mail to their contacts, he knew it would be a home run. What he
didn"t know is that he hit the ball out of the park, and then he watched it sail across the country.
"Word of mouth is spreading among agents," maintains Lane. "With just one
article and a sign up button, we have signed up over 3,000 agents in just 60 days."
In addition, Real Times has offered to co-brand the newsletter free of
charge to large organizations with great success. After talking with just a
few, the Internet news service has signed some pretty big organizations - NAR
affiliates which include the CRS Council,
the Virginia, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Maryland Associations of REALTORS®, as
well as smaller regional boards such as the Austin Association of REALTORS®.
HomeSeekers.com has just signed an
agreement with Lane and plans to offer the newsletter to its agents with Web
pages on the large home search site. Other organizations are pending, according
to Robb Deitrick, Real Times director of sales.
Word of mouth is spreading via trainers such as Tami Fite, a Michigan Internet specialist. She reports that in teaching Internet and e-mail classes, that the agents
"are so excited when I show them how to set up this (the newsletter) service."
Agents who have adopted the Internet as among the primary means of
communicating and marketing to clients have embraced the Agent Newsletter
wholeheartedly.
Sharon Marsh, a Dallas Realtor,
wrote, " Within a couple of hours of emailing out my February Real Times
newsletter, I receive an e- mail of thanks from a retiring couple. While they
admitted to
having visited my site often, they"d never written to me until they started
receiving the newsletter. They wrote that it was nice to see that the real
estate industry is not only embracing technology, but customizing it for the
benefit of homeowners like themselves. They went on to request me to arrange a
referral for them to an agent in Boulder, CO in the price range of
$200,000."
She continues, "Then, two weeks ago I received a phone call from a couple in
Oklahoma saying that they"d received several relocation packages from different
agents, including me, but my staying in touch with them with the Real Times
newsletter had been the deciding factor in their choosing me as their
REALTOR®."
"The newsletter had helped them to get oriented to the relocation and buying
process. Although this was our first conversation, they told me the monthly
newsletter made them feel as though they"d known me for years. They"ll be in
town this weekend to buy their new home in the price range of $150,000."
John Ague, a Montana broker had a
similar response. "I have had a number of letters of praise from clients and
friends on the newsletter and its professional presentation," says Ague. "I am
very excited about the newsletter and the opportunity it allows me to touch
base with my clients every month with valuable information."
Ague sends the newsletter out to both listing clients as well as prospective
buyers. "My listing clients get valuable information and it shows them that I"m
on the cutting edge using technology which in turn gives them confidence in my
marketing their properties," explains Ague. "My prospective buyers are also
getting great real estate information and by making sure to contact them a
minimum of once every month. I am able to stay connected with folks who are
still in the investigative stage and my not purchase for months or longer, but
when they do it"s likely I will be the Realtor of Choice."
E-mail is becoming the communication medium of choice
There"s no question that many people are coming to prefer e-mail as a
primary form of communication, a factor that plays an important role in the
newsletter"s success.
While only about 30 percent of the U.S. population has Internet access and
use e-mail, Jesse Berst, editorial director of ZD Net"s Anchor Desk, says that
e-mail is "the top application and activity on the Web."
It is estimated that 59 percent of Internet users use e-mail on a daily
basis. More significantly, 88 percent of users use the Internet (and e-mail)
for personal reasons. This figure dovetails with research done over a year ago
that found that most home buyers shop the Web while they are at work, not at
night or on weekends as previously thought.
How important is e-mail to the home buying consumer? Although only 30 % of
Americans have e-mail today, virtually 100% of home buyers who look for homes
on the Web do have e-mail.
Why the big organizations are getting on board
Not all organizations are embracing the newsletter. Some are wondering
what"s behind the win-win scenarios that Lane outlines - a free professional
looking newsletter, Real Times does all the work, agents save time and money,
and the organization gets to participate in its agents marketing free - what"s
the catch?
"There isn"t one," says Lane. "Some just don"t get it."
Others do, and right away. Bypassing the bureaucracy that slows down the
delivery of agent benefits, CRS Council president Toni Sherman pushed the
newsletter agenda the day she heard about it.
"I thought it sounded like a great benefit for our 42,000 members and it
turned out it was," explains Sherman. "The response was overwhelming. What I
liked about it was the quality of the newsletter. I also liked the ability of a
member to partake in it or not as their own decision. That way, we do not give
out anyone"s e-mail address or invade anyone"s privacy. It"s there for the
taking, if you so desire."
Sherman confirms that within the first twelve hours of offering the
newsletter in a co-branded arrangement with Real Times, response from happy CRS
designation holders bordered on the delirious.
"I can"t believe this. This is the greatest thing since sliced bread. THANK
YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU," exclaimed Florida CRS Council member Rita Todd, CIPS,CRS,GRI,RECS. "This is the
best benefit for my dues that I have ever seen."
George Durkin with Realty
Executives in Las Vegas e-mails copies of his newsletter to people who inquire
from out of state, for an average of 21 viewings of the newsletter per month
over the last two months.
"It makes a very professional appearance, looks like I"ve worked on it for
days,and lends a lot of credibility to our
firm and myself to people that have never met me," enthuses Durkin. "I highly
recommend the service!"
Florida Realtors Sandy and Frank
Lipscomb report that numerous inquiries from customers are linked to the
newsletter.
Agents are welcomed to sign up individually or through any organizations
with which they are affiliated which have an agreement with Real Times. The
cost is free, and the newsletters are sent out monthly.
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