This is not a picture of a yard sign from the 1980’s. I wish it was. It’s actually the sign I’ve been staring at for months as I drive drive down my block. The mere thought of it now makes me crazy.
Sometimes I feel compelled to knock on my neighbor’s door, introduce myself and suggest a few marketing ideas they could pass on their agent.
Or perhaps one idea. Like posting a URL on the sign pointing to a single property website or a blog page where potential buyers could check out the place.
Baby steps.
Other times I feel compelled to call the agent. Pretend I’m a buyer. Inquire about a Website. Or a virtual tour. And see if I can influence a response other than “we don’t do that here.”
I’ve even considered contacting the broker. I’m curious whether there are any standards within the organization that dictate how properties should be listed and marketed. If there are, I’d like to know what the broker does to enforce them.
Maybe there are no standards. Maybe the agents have free reign to do whatever they feel like. Even if that means doing as little as humanly possible to service the customer. After all, they’re independent contractors.
As a result, whatever promise the broker made to the public through its advertising is rendered meaningless. The seller has been detained; buyers deterred. A yard sign weathers in a neighborhood.
And, as in this case, the brand “Prudential” becomes associated with failure.
The other night, while taking a family stroll, I could feel my blood start to boil as the sign came into view. After examining the Lucite box crucified to the wooden stake that now serves as the final resting place for a collection of winged insects I realized its probably been a long time since it has contained any fliers.
So, I think for my own sanity, I’m going to start taking a detour. Drive up the street instead of down and take the longer route to town. Just to avoid the feeling conjured by this Susquehanna Real Estate Company, located here on my block; Bagel Street.
This scene is timeless. Like the video below. It repeats itself throughout the town where I live and beyond.
But unlike this video, there’s nothing funny about it.
Davison
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here here Marc! This market is a buyers market, a consumers market. We as an industry need to focus efforts to make things easier and more appealing to the buyers who are in short supply these days. With that said, I think it makes it much easier for the exceptional agents to stand out – unfortunately these are far and few between. There is so much opportunity out there for agents to excel. I really hope that the good ones take it and become GREAT ones.
Marc, Did you call the agent?
What I noticed with Prudential VERY OFTEN: the post has a rider, stating “INTERNET LISTING” however there is no website….. I wonder if there is something wrong with me.. that I could not know where to look for the home in the ocean of zillion other websites or…? On the postcards I sometimes receive from Prudential agents there is a message about TECHNOLOGY.. I don’t know… maybe they are asking for help with technology.
I also wonder how the sellers are choosing their agent? don’t they look at the quality of services/ signs/ flyers/ PICTURES on the internet? these are often Unbelivable! We wanted to give examples of them on our blog.. but decided not to focus on the negatives..
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I did not call the agent. Though I have in the past contacted local agents regarding properties I was interested in purchasing and have heard on more than one occasion that they do not do “all that web stuff.”
Is this a small town thing? I doubt it. I think this is a case of how the “independent contractor” status creates a million different value propositions and ultimately renders every attempt, by every national brand to market themselves around service promises, useless.
Sure consumers ought to pick better, smarter agents. Many can’t. They don’t know how. As one buyer explained to me during a discussion we had in the restaurant of the W Hotel in Chicago, he doesn’t believe any one agent is any better than other.
How sad is that?
When I think about the great discussion taking place now regarding the brokerage of the future, I believe strongly that one of its core strengths will be in the provision of really superlative agents who measure up to the highest bar of standards rather than the lowest. And satisfy the consumer’s needs for a great experience without having to hunt for it as if it were the lost Ark of the Covenant.
I FEEL YOUR PAIN EVERY DAY! This sign has a flyer box and isn’t a FSBO sign with an agent’s number on it, so unfortunately it already exceeds many companies’ standards! I understand people doing what they’ve done for decades because it has worked, but I don’t understand how they don’t know the mass exodus of consumption is moving online- if you can’t get a unique URL, at least put your team’s URL on their or worse yet, just your broker’s URL.
The unwillingness to update is inherent to most agents unfortunately. I cringe with you!!!
Thank you for the laugh, haha. I am the same sort of person, at my old place I used to go a block out of my way so that I did not have to drive past this one lawn that was just HIDEOUS. Unkempt and actually had lawn gnomes (ceramic ones) hiding in the high grass. Somebody call a landscaper immediately.
Marc, I love the chutzpah. You do it better than anyone else. This is a problem that everyone can attest to. It goes in the same category as pathetic photography, not using all exposure channels online to advertise the listing, etc.
Here’s the conundrum when with the sign rider URLs. What is the primary purpose? Agents used to have their homepage on the sign. Today, I see more URLs that go straight to virtual tours.
Here is my question. Is someone really going to write it down and visit the site when they get home? Write it down with what? Most likely, 90% of the URLs will be visited by someone with an iPhone or blackberry. The problem is that most VTs are not iPhone or blackberry friendly. How is this to be solved?
Perhaps the potential buyer will be so curious about the site, that they will go home and look up the listing online on one of the many real estate search engines available. So, maybe the URL is an advertisement for the listing, not necessarily a website that actually gets traffic. Interesting dilemma. I would be interested to see an agent use a unique new URL only for a sign rider and see what kind of traffic that site gets, and where the traffic is coming from.
What are your thoughts regarding the use of sign rider URLs?
@Lani – Yes. So I have to ask this question of everyone:
How can our industry thrive, let alone serve to influence the consumer, if brokers continue to be held hostage by fear of their independent contractors and stand by and let things like this continue to occur?
Sellers don’t know better. My guess is this particular seller has no idea what a blog, a virtual tour or a single property website is. All they know is they have a yard sign in their front yard that seems to be more functional as a headstone for dead bumble bees than anything else.
I recall not too long ago, I was in Scottsdale driving around with the Chairman of the Sotheby’s franchise when he steadfastly screeched to a halt in front of a listing with his company sign on it that included a rider that did not meet his standards.
All it took was one phone call and some powerful leadership to get that situation corrected.
Where is that leadership in real estate?
Where is it at this Prudential office?
Where are the brand guardians that can explain to agents that doing whatever you feel like is not acceptable, not smart and serves no one any good.
This home, when sold, will result in a fat commission check for someone. Quick expedition of that sale and the timely deposit of that revenue in everyones bank account seems worth spending $20 for URL and property website.
Doesn’t it?
Here is a fun marketing idea that you might like and has been hugely popular with my clients.
http://torontoism.com/2009/04/23/earth-day-garden-leaf-bags-are-coming-back/
You have to be inventive and always GIVE your clients something…
@Kori,
Answers to your questions:
“Here is my question. Is someone really going to write it down and visit the site when they get home?”
…Yes. But they may also look at it on the same phone they will use to try and call the agent and get VM or worse, a person with a snippy attitude who doesn’t know anything about the house.
“Most likely, 90% of the URLs will be visited by someone with an iPhone or blackberry. The problem is that most VTs are not iPhone or blackberry friendly. How is this to be solved?
Here’s how you solve it – URL to a blog site where the listing is featured.
“I would be interested to see an agent use a unique new URL only for a sign rider and see what kind of traffic that site gets, and where the traffic is coming from.”
Little known fact – I believe I may have been the first to introduce the single property Website. It was the year 2000 and born during a Q&A session after a speech I gave to 1000 agents in San Jose. Two years later, in 2002, I introduced this feature built into a Website product my last company created for agents. We were able to track track on those pages and on an given weekend, I’ve seen single property page get 50 or more uniques and over 500 hits through to interior content pages.
“What are your thoughts regarding the use of sign rider URLs?”
Uh, a much better way to market a home than a sign rider with a phone # the agent never seems to answer or checks voice mail on.
@ Kori Riders with dedicated websites always MAKE sense! When you make the web address easy to remember this resolves a problem if someone drives with no pen in a car.
This is not only a great way to show a prospective buyer around the house when they are not sure yet if they want to talk to you, this is much more effective than a traditional open house, and this is a great way to show other sellers what you can do for them- I am very often complemented on my websites and the photographs.
And believe it or not, once the buyer sees a house from your perspective- when you have great pictures- they are more likely to make an appointment to view the home.
and what could be better? an 800 number that has a recorded information that you listen to for 10 minutes before they get to the point: the price?
or a flier that is all wrinkled after rain plus: wastes paper, ink and everybody is mad if the box is empty?
Nope
@Joanna
By no means was I trying to come off as a person not believing in dedicated websites. That would be silly. My company offers them, and in fact, we strongly encourage their use. My point is that most people improperly use dedicated websites. For example, we have clients wanting to include their full names in the URL. Or I’ll walk by a home with a dedicated website, visit it on my iPhone, and find that the whole damn thing is in Flash. What’s the point? Dedicated websites should ALWAYS be iPhone friendly. Here is a great explanation why: http://tinyurl.com/pwl3pu
Sorry @Joanna if I misled you. I’m very much on your side.
@ Kori – …which made me check immediately if my websites are iPhone friendly
If a website is not iPhone friendly, then… uh… 37,000,000 iPhone users. Half are under 30. Real Estate’s next customer. Next as in, the call TM that comes in.
Sniff – Smell the coffee! Get your sites Safari friendly and iPhone compatible.
THANK YOU!
Went to my single property website.. the links are find, BUT the Photo Tour uses Flash.
Uh Oh.
My iPhone doesn’t display flash tours.
I learned that when I went to a unnamed luxury hotel in Scottsdale for a conference, and needed directions. The web site was flash only, so I had to google the hotel and ask for directions.
I’m usually a helpful guy, and would have mentioned it to them, but the fact that they tried to charge me for bellhop services I neither knew about nor would have used (and also did charge me for maid service – though they didn’t have a toilet paper per-sheet usage charge) made me feel less than kindly to them.
I love your frustrations because the are such good teaching tools. Thanks for the lessons.
Aloha,
Keahi
Wow. I looked at the pic and thought ‘duh.’ I read Marc’s thoughts and wondered how hard it must have been for him to resist calling Jennifer. Somehow I’m guessing she got the word. Then I started reading the comments and was blown away. 3-4 different thought provoking discussions all starting from this one post. Bravo Marc! The piece was good….the post discussion was GREAT. Isn’t that the TRUE point of a quality post to begin with?
Great post Marc and great comments by everyone.
Really right on.
What do you want to bet that if ever there was a point where that rider box was full, it was filled with black and white MLS sheet printouts, hahaha.
I’m cringing too, but I’m gonna jump in. I’m a real estate sales manager with Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors in The Woodlands, TX.
Arrggg. I hear and feel the heat. Day to day, there are hundreds of moving parts, leading, pleading, pushing and pulling 80+ independent contractors. Anyway you slice it, we have our work cut out for us and there is no rest for the weary.
I wish I could say, “all our stuff is ship shape”. It’s not, we have hard work to do. This post is an appreciated slap – a wake up reminder. Ken, get off your ass and lead harder. I will.
Not all but many of our team members use a service called WhamMobile.com. It’s a system that has a text activated system. enter the property code and text is sent including basic info and a hot link to the MLS property information and pictures.
Onward!
Great point Ken and worthwhile insight into broker Woes. I wish more brokers would speak up!
Here’s the thing, you can’t do this yourself. It’s time your agents, the men and women who do not work for you but work with you, entrepreneurs in their own rights, step up to the plate, kick in and be better. Do more. Rather than spend every day trying to squeeze the life out of the system, their brokers and quite frankly, themselves.
This is the exact reason why in my estimation many of the large companies will lose their power. As the smaller companies care more about the small stuff and their brand value, the larger ones will lose reputation.
Virtual Tours aren’t an option, easy access to interior photos etc aren’t an option, the extras aren’t “extras” anymore.
I hear you Marc, as you’ve shared, while it does take collaboration, participation and buy-in, bottom line it takes leadership to unlock tradition, educate and empower the agents with a modern mindset, methods and expectations.
I believe our team members are well intentioned, the challenge and opportunity is bridge the gap between want to, woulda, coulda, shoulda and we do.
Proofs in the pudding, BS walks, etc.
Glad to see Ken Brand, a manager speak up! He does bring us (along w/ upper management) great technology. Yes, the manager has to motivate, but the agents have to follow thru. If a seller lives there, shame on the agent and shame on the seller for not calling. If vacant, shame on the agent not asking a neighbor to email when it is empty (a long w/ a nice bottle of wine for their “trouble”) if the agent can’t afford the gas to check her flyer boxes.
Eric,
That is great insight and something I talk about often at my live presentations in terms of what brokerages of the future with look, feel, smell, taste and sound like.
We are seeing it now with these e-teams within large brokerages that are, in many ways, running successful micro organizations within the larger brokerage model. Some have already spun off and have become their own free standing brokerage.
I recently experienced a version of it in Austin Tx within the confines of http://www.urbanspacerealtors.com
The Realtor I worked with there, Laura Olesen – twitter.com/lauraolesen was super smart, super prepared, super cool and honestly makes me wish I could buy a home with her just to complete the experience.
You build a boutique brokerage with people like that and I have to think the future is going to be a lot kinder to you than to the broker with 1000 agents, 900 of whom could care less about anything.
What if… that phone number dialed into a recording dispensing critical info about the home with option to receive an email and TM with a link the property.
Not rocket science. Not killer app stuff. But painless, potentially cheap and gets the job done.
Curbside property reviews are nothing new. Talking House and others have been providing consumers with instant property information for on-the-go home hunters for some time now. The difficulty has always been the setup costs, maintaining the recordings and difficulty in seeing the hit rate or the ability to measure ROI. Its odd to see simple devices (mobile phones) in the hands of many have not been put to good use for front lawn marketing campaigns. Simply call a number on the sign and get instant property information? Hmmm.
Marc… As a title person who has dedicated 25 years assisting realtors with their marketing efforts, I must admit some days feeling a little defeated. We have so many resources on the web (for FREE) to help maximize a presence online. And, with stats telling us @ 50% of new home buyers are first time buyers (25 – 35 years old)… duh, where do you think they are? They’re not hanging out around the for sale sign.
Don’t get me wrong… I am blessed with a ton of success stories and enjoy the challenges. Yet, it only takes a small percentage of naysayers some days to make me crazy and like you mention, for a few days at least, I’ll take the long road to just simply not torture myself with the obvious.
I think sometimes ((a new definition of realtor (in)sanity)) might be: If I don’t do what I know I should do one more time, maybe, just maybe, something will happen today.
Now there’s a marketing strategy!
Thanks for sharing this. I’m sure there are a ton of coaches, trainers, etc., who relate. I often question why brokers continue to employ these sort of folks but I know the standard answer. Each of these agents is probably good for a deal or two a year. You get enough of these folks together, the good (deals) outweigh the bad (poor learning, service and business skills).
I wonder aloud however, if the one or two deals each perform, provides enough positive revenue for the broker to balance the potential negative brand damage and loss of business these agent create by not doing their job well.
In this case, for my family, it’s highly unlikely Prudential will ever get ours.
It just goes to show you that real people sell real property. Confirms in my mind that the real estate agent “is” necessary. A phone number on the sign will make the phone ring and give the agent an opportunity to romance the buyer as well as qualify him or her. Isn’t this just Real Estate 101? The techno world is great as a necessary “adjunct” but cannot take the place of the “real relationship”.
Perhaps but what good is it if no one answers that phone. Or returns the call. Then all is lost. The agent doesn’t get to build a relationship. The buyer moves on to the next house. The seller loses another day in their quest to move on.
This notion that technology offers something less than face to face is starting to not pencil anymore. One needs to simply look at Facebook and MySpace to understand that. I am of the belief that face to face has become the adjunct. Technology is now the ice breaker, the catalyst, the straw that mixes the social drink.
Marc -
We do enforce marketing Standards at our company. In fact, to appeal to those 20-40 somethings in the net generation and the 120 and under crowd who own a cell phone, our sign riders on all our listings read:
For more information about this home, Text AVERY to 59559.
Better than a brochure box, message about every listing we have delivered to the users moble device via text message. The text message is delivered withing seconds to the consumer and includes address, price, beds, baths, sq footage and the ability to contact the listing agent directly. We find it to be a TERRIFIC marketing tool and buyers find ot to be a great way to get information about homes they want when they want it.
More great marketing tools coming in the very near future, stay tuned…
We DO have minimum marketing standards here at our company, and these standards are enforced by taking it out of the agents hands and having the broker take responsibility for the minimum standards.
[...] May 22, 2009 Written by: Marc Davison of 1000Watt Consulting [...]
central estate agents…
Well Google loves you! I typed in central estate agents hoping to find my site and I found MLS Listing Service on the first page in the UK, Well done….
[...] wrote about this home a few weeks ago in a post titled Susquehana Real Estate Company. Between then and now, I have been gone from home and focused on other [...]
[...] > shoot lame photos > deliver William (I have no professional training) Hung service > ignore empty Take-One flyer box > run a print ad > sorta lay low till it sells > collect a commission [...]