|
===============================================================
Sane Marketing for Real Estate Professionals
----------------------------------------------
January 2001
(c) Wanda Loskot, Publisher
http://SaneMarketing.com
Registered with the Library of Congress
ISSN: 1533-1016
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe and unsubscribe information at the bottom.
================================================================
In This Issue:
--------------
1. Notes From Editor
2. The Cheapest Marketing Tool
3. Turning Lemons into a Lemonade
4. Perfect For Your Internet Farm
5. How To Get Free Testimonials
6. How This Site Can Be Improved
5. Finally Something For AOL Users
6. Winner of the Month
----------------------------------------------------------------
"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."
(John F. Kennedy) )
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Readers,
A warm hello, especially to our subscribers - thanks a lot
for inviting me again to your e-mail box. I hope you will
enjoy this issue, please send me your comments, questions
and suggestions.
And don't miss the opportunity to have your web site reviewed
for free in the next issue (see the details below).
Sunny greetings from Sarasota,
Wanda Loskot, Editor
--------------------| Sponsor's Message |------------------x
NEW - INSTANT SALES LETTERS!
----------------------------------------
Create your own winning sales letter
in less than 3 minutes -- or your money back!
----------------------------------------------
It is a truly ultimate no-brainer, letter-writing resource.
In less than 3 minutes, you can create a winning letter
guaranteed to sell your product or service. Just fill in
a few blanks and PRESTO ... You've just created a powerful
moneymaking sales letter - *Without* Writing!
Stop Writing Sales Letters The Hard Way!
http://www.instantsalesletters.com/al/affiliates.cgi?182
x-------------\ end of sponsor's message /--------------------x
-> Domain Name - The Cheapest Branding Tool <-
-----------------------------------------------
by Wanda Loskot
Even before you launch your website, you can (and should) begin
to use your domain name. Why? Because it is the world's cheapest
advertising tool and an excellent way to brand your business.
How? By using your domain name in your email address and in your
signature file. If your email address reads yourname@aol.com or
you@bell.com - you are branding the name of your Internet Service
Provider. Why should you do it? Your ISP doesn't pay you for it.
Indeed, you pay THEM a monthly fee!!!
You have a choice
-----------------
Quite likely you were not aware that you do have a choice here.
Instead of advertising Earthlink, GTE, BellSouth, or AOL, you
can advertise and brand your own business and your own name.
In case you didn't know, here is how it works. For example, my
own service provider is home.com -- but my e-mail program is
configured so, that the address I use in my "from" field says
"wanda@loska.com" because loska.com is my own portal site. How
does it work? My web host provides a forwarding service. That
means, any message sent to wanda@loska.com is forwarded to my
*home.com* account.
Your address will never change
------------------------------
Here is another benefit for using your own domain name in e-mail
address: it will never change! For example at the beginning of
my Internet adventure I used Bell South and my e-mail extension
was bellsouth.net -- when their service quality went down so much
that I decided to move to Mindspring, it didn't create any problem
because none of my clients, readers, friends even knew about the
change. The address I was using all the time - wanda@loska.com -
stayed the same. And it will stay the same as long as I want to
regardless who is my service provider.
By the way, I changed recently again -- from Mindspring to cable-
-based Home - and my official e-mail extension is @home.com but
YOU didn't need to be notified, because I can be reached same way
as before. Even people I met on the Internet years ago, can get
in touch with me easily.
It REALLY doesn't cost much
---------------------------
With domain name registration's cost as low as $9.95 per year,
and with web hosting fees around $10-30 per month -- can you
afford NOT to do it? I don't think so!
To register a domain name, you might want to use a cool tool
at http://BuyDomains.com -- it allows you to search for the
domain names containing your specific key words. Excellent
time saving device!
What is an effective domain name?
---------------------------------
Many people will tell you that all *good* domain names are
taken -- I don't think so. Look beyond the obvious and when
choosing a name keep these few points in mind:
-> Select a name that is easy to pronounce and easy to spell.
Make sure that it spells the SAME way as it sounds. Remember
that you will want to use your domain name often in your
spoken language!
-> Make it as short as possible -- you will want that it fits
your sign riders and business cards!
-> Avoid hyphens, numbers and abbreviations to prevent future
confusion -- unless registering both versions. For example,
I registered both domain names: EMailMarketingTips.com and
E-MailMarketingTips.com
-> Chances are that the name you really want is not available
as .com anymore. If so, select another, less perfect name,
but try to get dot-com before you opt for .net or .org
-> Make it as short as possible. Yes, virtually all one word
domain names with dot-com extension are taken, but don't give
up too easily on two-word names. There are still many great
ones available.
-> Three, or even four-word domain names can be good too *IF*
they are not too long. If it is easy to pronounce and under
six syllables, most likely it is fine.
Using your own domain name is not only cheap branding tool. In
addition, this type of email address adds instant credibility
to your business, especially e-mail correspondence!
Comments? mailto:comments@sanemarketing.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> Turning a Lemon Into Lemonade <-
------------------------------------
Recently my RealWebPower site design GOT STOLEN. Having someone
violate my copyrighted material is nothing new for me. Sadly,
it happens on occasion. Usually I discover it very fast thanks
to my huge network (it does help to be well known on the net).
Compare my design here, at http://ClickOnKansasCity.com ....
with the identical design here (the "original" page of that
copyright violation offender was changed after my discovery and
letter exchnage, but I saved it on my own server to show you)
http://sanemarketing.com/vozzo/realestate.htm
I felt compelled to tell you this, because if they liked my
design so much that he was compelled to "lift" it without asking
for my permission, and use it to market someone's else website
development..... oh gosh.... I feel in a weird way very
fattered and in a way ... endorsed (and Lord knows they do OWE
me an endorsement now :-)
For information how YOU can get this kind of web design
LEGALLY drop to http://SaneMarketing.com/realwebpower.html
Comments? mailto:comments@sanemarketing.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> Perfect For Your Internet Farm! <-
---------------------------------------
One of the best ways to follow up with your prospects is using
an e-mail newsletter, similar to this one. Did you know that you
can create your own personalized e-newsletter at Sane Marketing?
Complete the form at http://sanemarketing.com/ezine-builder.html
(it takes only a couple of minutes) and you will receive ready
to e-mail newsletter that you can edit and send. FREE of cost!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Do you like this newsletter?
Please forward it to your real estate friends!
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> How to Get Free Testimonials <-
-> and How to Use Them to Increase Your Sales <-
-------------------------------------------------
by Bob Leduc
One of the most valuable marketing tools for a business is the
use of testimonials received from satisfied customers. Yet, very
few businesses ever use testimonials in their sales efforts.
Testimonials are valuable proof to prospective customers that
your product or service actually delivers the benefit you claim
it will. In some ways, testimonials are like referrals.
A customer coming to you by referral from one of their friends
or acquaintances is already pre-committed to do business with
you. You don't have to convince them that your product or service
will provide the benefit they seek. Your ability to deliver is
already "guaranteed" by the person giving the referral.
Testimonials from satisfied customers provide that same assurance
to a potential customer coming to you without a referral. In
every test I performed using the same messages with and without
testimonials, those with testimonials increased sales, often by
as much as 65% or more.
How to get good testimonials
-----------------------------
Satisfied customers will occasionally call or write to you and
express their appreciation without any prompting from you. If
you've been in business for some time you probably already have
a file of these. However, if you're new in business you may have
few or none of these "spontaneous testimonials". How can you get
some... and get them fast?
Here's a simple procedure any business can use effectively.
A short time after completing a transaction, send your customer
or client a personal postcard asking what they liked best about
your product or service. You'll be amazed at some of the glowing
comments you'll get. When you receive comments you want to use
in your advertising, simply ask the customer to sign a release
giving you permission to quote those comments in your promotional
material.
The release form I use includes the full text of the customer's
comments. I request permission to use the comments "in complete
or edited form" so I can shorten the text when it's too long.
I also request permission to use the customer's name, city and
state so it appears as "Ann Smith, Austin, TX" instead of "A.S.,
TX". The customer's privacy is protected by omitting the street
address.
How to use testimonials effectively
-----------------------------------
My online and print sales letters usually include 3 testimonials.
Each one is only 2 or 3 lines plus the customer's name, city and
state.
Be sure to select testimonials stating a specific benefit gained
by using your product or service. A testimonial saying, "I bought
your widget and am very happy with it" won't motivate anybody
else to buy your widget. Instead, use testimonials like this
actual testimonial I received from one of my customers: "Hi Bob.
I purchased your manual and used one of the ideas to do a mailing
which received about a 10% response rate." That's a powerful
testimonial and I use it regularly in my promotional material.
It states specifically what the customer gained by ordering my
manual.
What do testimonials cost? Nothing! They're FREE! I've learned by
experience that some customers get offended if I offer to pay for
the right to quote their comments. So, I don't offer compensation.
I simply send the release form with a pre-stamped return envelope
and ask them to sign and return the form. I don't remember the
last time somebody refused my request.
If you're not using testimonials in your promotional material,
start using them today. Look in your customer files for comments
you can use. Send postcards to some recent customers asking what
they liked most about your product or service. Get permission to
quote their comments and include them in your sales material.
You'll discover FREE testimonials have the amazing power to
increase your sales and profits without increasing your costs.
* * *
Bob Leduc retired from 30 year career of recruiting sales
personnel and developing sales leads and is now a Sales
Consultant. Recently he wrote a manual for small business
owners titled "How to Build Your Small Business Fast With
Simple Postcards". For information... mail:BobLeduc@aol.com
Subject: "Postcards". Phone: (702) 658-1707 (After 10 AM PT)
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> E-Mail Marketing Strategies <-
---------------------------------
Whether you're just starting on the web or have been here for
years, if you're not using effective e-mail marketing strategies
in your business, it is probably costing you a fortune!
No, I'm not talking about "SPAM" -- I don't practice nor endorse
the use of spam mail! Indeed spam is the quickest way to get your
business in trouble. I'm talking about responsible and ethical
e-mail marketing that can skyrocket your profits immediately and
build your business faster than any other technique I've ever seen
(and I've seen a lot!).
For a limited time I am offering "E-Mail Marketing Strategies"
package at a special discount price - click on the link below
for details http://sanemarketing.com/email/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Do you like this newsletter?
Please forward it to your real estate friends!
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> How This Web Site Can Be Improved? <-
(Sane Marketing Site Review)
------------------------------------------
http://www.homerelo.com/hr
In the first in the series of site reviews here is a brief tour
through a new web site of Home Buyers Relocation Service. Merrill
Ottwein, one the principal brokers, told me that the site is
still in the works, and not officially open.
I am sure that everyone will benefit from a brief tour during
which I will point out site's shortcoming, along with some
suggestions for improvement.
It is a very nice site, calm and inspiring trust (thank you
Merrill for the white background - on business sites it works the
best). There is a lot of content: great education on the topic of
buyer brokerage, and a whole pile of impressive testimonials ...
But of course there is also a lot of space for improvement.
Home Page Focus
===============
Not all, but most people will come to the site via your home page.
It is your prime real estate parcel - so make sure this plot is
developed very wisely so that you get maximum return on your
investment.
Your upper part of the screen (which is all, people see on 14 inch
monitor) is totally us-centered, devoted to your office. There is
a large logo and a large picture of your friendly staff, plus your
address and phone numbers. That is all what I see on my laptop.
Not good. Why? Because this is NOT the kind of information people
are trying to find on the Internet! It also slows down the loading
time, yet even after that long waiting time the page doesn't offer
a visitor any benefit to make them stay.
How to improve it
-----------------
I suggest that you replace this us-centered graphic with a visitor-
-centered headline -- something that will tell them quickly WHY
should they stay on your site.
Also indicate who is this site addressed to. At first I thought it
is addressed to potential buyers. Then, after reading your copy,
waaaaay below, I found that it is "intended specifically for
relocation professionals". This kind of information belongs at the
very top!
Remember that everyone is listening to the same WWIFM radio
- What Is In It For Me?
Loading time
============
I clocked your home page and it loads up for about 40 seconds on
28.8K modem (and most connections are about that speed -- *even*
when people use 56K modems!).
That is WAY too long. People on the internet are constantly
rushing, they are used to other, fast loading pages (yahoo
takes only 6 seconds) and very seldom are willing to wait.
Usually they click away.
How to improve it
------------------
- Remove the large logo and photograph, which is quite useless
from the visitors point of view -- no, people don't want to
see your staff and large logo in full glory (although it is
good to put a smaller photo on the "about us" page). This
graphic alone is over 44K in size, which is more than your
entire page should be.
- I would reconsider using the image map on the left side
menu bar. Why? First of all MANY browsers don't recognize
image maps so your visitors might not even *see* the links.
Second, this image is also loading way too long -- it is
over 17K in size. You will be much better off by replacing
it with simple text links, or little buttons. Menu like
this should be no more than 3 K in size.
Loading time needs to be taken extremely seriously - because
you cannot impress people with the content of your site if
they will not stay long enough to discover it.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't use your logo. Just don't make
your logo the main focus. In this case I suggest reducing the
logo and placing it at the top of the right menu bar - it will
be always visible and at the same time it will allow you to
use visitor-centered headlines on every page.
Testimonials
============
I loved your page with testimonials. Congratulations on using
photographs of your clients - quite powerful stuff!
I suspect that right now your testimonials are placed here in
random order. Remember that most people will have no time to
read the entire page and will just read one or two.
How to improve it
-----------------
You can maximize the effectiveness of this page using a few
adjustments:
- Start with the strongest, most compelling testimonial at the
top of the page (and here again I suggest: move the logo to
the left side bar).
- Photographs are magnets for the eyes -- use captions,
because captions are almost always read. Even people who
don't *read* web sites, will usually read captions. So,
instead of just the names of those people you should use
as captions their entire testimonials.
- Add the city and state to the names of people who signed
testimonials -- names only often raise suspicion.
- I would remove the picture of you with your daughter and
dog Velcro from this page -- and the photo with the caption
"We'll be with you at your home closing!!". They weaken
the impact of testimonials.
There are many other things that require attention but limited
space doesn't allow me to write about everything. Here are
a couple of articles that you might find helpful.
-> How To get More Leads From Your Web Site
http://sanemarketing.com/articles/getmoreleads.html
-> Make Your Prospects Not Only Read and Understand but Also Respond
to Your Message
http://sanemarketing.com/articles/8steps.html
You might also consider my complete WebFix Review - for details
about this special coaching go to http://WebFixReview.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to have YOUR own web site reviewed in the next
issue of "Sane Marketing"? - it doesn't cost anything!
Drop me a note - mailto:wanda@loska.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> Finally Something For AOL Users! <-
--------------------------------------
Finally an e-mail solution for AOL users, who until recently could
not use any decent e-mail programs. Fortunately eNetBot has come
up with a program that allows you to use just about any standard
email client, including Pegasus, Eudora and Outlook.
If you are on AOL I highly recommend that you give it a try!
http://eNetBot.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> The Winner of The Month <-
--------------------------------
The RealWebPower winner for January is Eva Sekula of Arvida
Realty. Congratulations Eva!
The next winner might be you, but only if you register!
Go to http://sanemarketing.com/win.html
----------------------------------------------------------------
Do you like this newsletter?
Please forward it to your real estate friends!
----------------------------------------------------------------
And that's all for January. Thanks for reading. If you have
comments, suggestions, feedback, contributions or maybe even
a praise, please write to mailto:wanda@sanemarketing.com
Have a BLAST!!!!!
Wanda Loskot
http://SaneMarketing.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> Copyright Notice <-
----------------------
Copyright 1999-2001, Wanda Loskot. All Rights Reserved. Please
forward it along or tell your friends where they can subscribe
- but do not remove this copyright notice.
----------------------------------------------------------------
-> To subscribe to "Sane Marketing" send a blank message to:
mailto:subscribe-newsletter@sanemarketing.com
-> To unsubscribe to this newsletter send a blank message to:
mailto:un-subscribe-newsletter@sanemarketing.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
Wanda Loskot - Success Connection
150 Heron's Run Drive, #124, Sarasota FL 34232
http://loska.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SaneMarketing.com
Wanda Loskot - Success Connection
150 Heron's Run, Suite #124 - Sarasota,
FL 34232 - USA
Phone (941) 342-4203 - Fax (240)
358-7445
Wanda Loskot offers tele-classes,
seminars, corporate training
and one-on-one coaching for self-employed
professionals.
(who is Wanda Loskot? - click here)
wanda@loska.com
back to the top!
All materials Copyright 1998, 1999,
2000 Wanda Loskot and Success Connection.
All Rights Reserved. Do not reprint,
or distribute without express written permission.
|
