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Messages
That Sell:
Don't just read the data
sheet, paint a picture. Give
it real thought. You have
plenty of time to pull in
prospects. And potential home
sellers, who have stopped to
listing, will want to list
with you when they hear the
way you make a house sound
wonderful. You are playing to
both buyers and sellers.
Maybe there is a sewing room
that really catches the
morning sun light. Or a big
back yard where Billy &
Tommy learned to play catch.
Or it breaks the owner's heart
to sell, but he's been
transferred to another city.
You could describe in detail
the prize winning roses in the
backyard stone garden. Or
wrestling with the kids on
Sunday morning in the deep
pile carpeting in front of the
natural stone fire place.
Paint a picture of the kids
walking happily each morning
to the grade school just 2 blocks
away. Or playing on the swings
in the park just 1 block away.
Don't hesitate to have some
fun -- tell a story about the
neighborhood, or a joke at
your own expense. If you have
fun doing your message, others
will have fun tuning in.
Anyone can read them a data
sheet -- if you want drive-by
prospects to call you for the
showing, paint them a picture.
It's worth the time to write a
nice script.
And ask the sellers for their
input during your
listing presentation --
they'll sure appreciate being
a part of the process. And
it's a wonderful
"close" when you get
them involved.
Message
Tips
-
Type
up what you want to say,
rather than just
"wing it," and
save it in case you want
to make a few changes
later.
-
Focus
on things everyone would
like about the home.
Spacious kitchen with all
new appliances. Remodeled
basement. Deck in the
backyard. Central air
conditioning. New Furnace.
-
Speak
loudly, confidently, with
an inviting, upbeat tone
of voice. Have fun, tell a
story about the
neighborhood.
-
Include
your pager or home phone
number, if you want prospects
to find you on Sundays and
in the evening.
-
Call
them to action. Ask
specifically for their
phone call several times
during your message.
Have
Some Fun:
If you want to have fun, try
this: Part way
through your Talking House
message, just stop for about 2
seconds, and then say
"Hey you, parked out
front -- I'm watching
You!"
Then pause for another 2
seconds to let it sink in,
before saying "No, no,
I'm just kidding -- this is a
recording! I sure had
you going, though. Say,
while I've got you, let me
tell you about the..."
If you do it in a playful
spirit, you'll really get some
big laughs. People will
call and tell you how you had
them looking out their car
window to see who was watching
them!
Remember, Talking House is a
way to let people feel they
know you. Don't just be
a name in the phone book -- or
a timid voice on the radio.
Have FUN!
Emotional
Words
A while back, Realtor News
published a list of words that
people said attracted them to
come see a property.
These are emotional words, and
you should try to use them,
and words like them, whenever
you can on your messages and
also in ads.
They were "Spacious;
Bright; Airy; Modern; Stylish;
Luxurious; Traditional; Old
Fashion." See if
you can use them all in a
single message!
Sell
Neighbors Script:
"And if you are a
neighbor, do you know someone
who wants to live in this
neighborhood? Call them
today, and have them to give
me a call. I'll
personally show them this
beautiful home."
Selling
over-priced homes:
It's tough to try to sell a
home that is over priced.
Stress on the message that the
owners have already moved (or
are anxious to move), and are
motivated to sell.
"Please feel free to make
an offer!!" That
message gets across to a
listener, and can motivate an
offer. Clear this with
the owner, of course.
Second
Language Messages
If there are many potential
clients in your area more
comfortable with a language
other than English, consider
making part of your message in
that language. You may
tap into a whole new clientele
that really appreciates your
willingness to work with them.
You might inter-mingle 2nd
language sentences with your
overall English message.
Or you might do a 90 second
English version, followed by a
90 second message in a 2nd
language.
It can be fun to throw in just
a single phrase in German, or
Russian, or Spanish, if you
know may area residents will
be flattered by your attention
to them.
Price In Your
Message
Any time you believe the house
must be toured to appreciate
the price, don't include it on
your message. Or if the
price is high, but the sellers
would accept a lot less, don't
mention it. But if the
price is a plus, push it.
That will pre-qualify your
calls, saving you time.
And it would be a shame if a
prospect guessed the home was
too expensive, when it was
actually within reach.
Some messages users have sent
us includes the following:
"This
home is a steal at just
$144,900. I wouldn't
wait before calling for a
tour." or
"And the great news is
this home is just $67,500.
WOW." or
"The price of this home
has just been reduced to just
$87,900. Call
today!"
User
Tips
Two
Voices are better than one
"My wife & I do the
vocals for our messages.
Renee is the house, while I do
the intro and ending
commentary.
It was a big thrill for her
when a client came to our
weekend open house and called
her ‘Mrs House.' Two
voices make the messages more
memorable, and we have a lot
of fun playing off each other.
Joe Sullivan, Mobile-Home
living, Long Beach, CA
Be
interesting -- it helps!
"I wanted to let you know
that these things really to
work. We've had a great
response from buyers and
sellers. But you have to
use them! They don't do
you any good sitting on your
shelf. You have to get them
out talking!
And interesting, upbeat
messages help. People
can be bored by a drab,
unenthused message, so give it
some thought, and keep it
interesting. It makes a
big difference in the calls
you get."
Richard Freed, Homevest
Realty, Orlando, FL
Music
and Messages
"When I was recording a
message for a new listing, my
son gave me a great
suggestion. He told me
to play some soft music in the
background while recording my
message.
I tried it and it gave the
message a different
perspective. Now all my
messages have music in the
background. I only use
instrumental music set at a
very low volume so my message
is still clear. I
suggest others give this a try
-- they'll love the effect.
Bill Bielecki, Housecenter
Realty, Oak Lawn, IL
Funny
Message Copy Works
"I like to do some of my
messages in a funny, strange
voice. Almost a cartoon
character voice. And I
enjoy talking as if I was the
house. With a
fairly young house, I use a
fairly young voice. I
find that it gets people
laughing and comfortable, and
they sit and listen longer.
I recently had a great open
house, and my funny sounding
message got a good reaction.
People commented, so I knew
they were listening and then
coming inside. Even
other agents commented on
it."
Frank Hasabe, MBA
Properties, Portland, OR
Music
on your Messages
"I really like using
music to open and close my
messages. I think it
puts people in a happy mood,
keeps them interested, and get
people talking about the
listings.
I had a home built in 1873,
where I opened with a very
appropriate tune from My Fair
Lady.
I also have a beach front
property that I open with the
sounds of the ocean from a
song by a Calipso band.
I even have a prospect with a
home in the woods, and if I
get that listing I have some
jungle sounds already picked
out for it!"
Pat Milone, Prudential
Island Realty, Fernandina
Beach, FL
Message
Copy for Diamond in the Rough
"Buying a home is such an
emotional thing.
Sometimes, when you drive past
a home, and it isn't just
exactly what you've always
dreamed of on the outside, you
might just drive by. I'd
really hate to see you miss
the home of your dreams
because you didn't take the
time to see the wonderful
features this home has to
offer inside."
Alice Allen, Keller
Williams Realty, Oklahoma
City, OK
Have
Sellers Help You with the
Message
"I had a prospect who was
going to list with me.
The home had been listed with
another agent, and they were
very disappointed with the
effort they got from that
agent.
I wanted him to know I go a
step further than the other
agents. He could tell
how excited I was, and seemed
to get excited too.
When I got back that
afternoon, he was very
excited. In fact, he
went around the house with pen
and paper and wrote out all
the special features that he
knew about the home, so the
message would be special.
And I had so much fun doing
the message! I used his
ideas, and his comments about
things he would miss (like
watching the wild-life through
the big back windows) to
really paint a wonderful
picture of the home. I
can't wait for people to tune
in.
Mary Brinning, Century 21,
Harlingen, TX
Two
Message tips
"My sellers are so
excited! They see all
the cars stopping and tuning
in. And they're telling
all their friends to stop by
and tune in! It's so
important that your sellers
feel you are working hard for
them!
Here are two message tips for
agents. When you have an
articulate seller, let the
seller do the message. I
had a man who did an
enthusiastic, upbeat message
about his home. I think
everyone for miles heard about
it -- he told everyone to come
by and tune in. That
helps.
And when I do a home anywhere
near my own home, my message
stresses that I live right
near by, I've raised a family
here, and I know the
neighborhood the way someone
who lives here would know it
-- intimately. It helps.
People want the inside word if
they can get it."
Irina Bennett, Coldwell
Banker, Raleigh, NC
Script
for damaged home
"HELP ME! I am over
hear. Can you see me?
I once was a beautiful home.
Can you help me?"
This was my message on a newer
home that had been rampaged by
renters.
It worked! Buyers called
from the sign and they did
"help" the home.
I wrote an offer that day.
The house is beautiful once
more. I feel like
the house actually did
"talk" and made the
double sided sale for me.
J.C. Nowacki, RE/MAX Top
Executives, Shelton, WA
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