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        |  Sane Marketing for Real Estate Professionals  |
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              Registered with the Library of Congress
                         ISSN: 1533-1016

Publisher: Wanda Loskot
http://loska.com                                    May 2001
http://SaneMarketing.com                      Vol. 3 - Issue 5

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       Subscribe and unsubscribe information at the bottom.
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     In This Issue:
     --------------
     1. Earn Big Referral Commissions
     2. Mixing Love with Real Estate
     3. Free Greeting Cards from Sane Marketing
     4. How Can This Web Site Be Improved
     5. What Does It Take To Succeed Online 
     6. The Next Winner Might be YOU....
     
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               "To get, give."   (Bob Roth) 

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Dear Readers,

A warm hello, especially to new subscribers -- thanks a lot for
inviting me again to your e-mail box. 

Please recommend this newsletter to any real estate professional
you know that is interested in making more money in real estate
and by having more fun at the same time (that's the result of my
No-More-Cold-Calls sane marketing approach :-) 

You don't even have to mail them this ezine - you can use my
easy "recommend" form at http://sanemarketing.com/refer-me.html
And for doing it you will receive my specially designed greeting 
card you can save and print on your own printer -- perfect to
stay in touch with your contacts!

If you received this issue from someone and would like to get
your own subscription, send a blank message to this address:
mailto:subscribe-newsletter@sanemarketing.com

Please send your comments, questions and suggestions -- I count
on your feedback!  mailto:comments@sanemarketing.com

Sunny greetings from Sarasota,

Wanda Loskot,
Editor

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             * Earn Big Referral Commissions! * 
             ---------------------------------

You can make money just by knowing the right people! Earn 
$400-800 commission for referring Wanda Loskot for speaking
engagements in your company or association.  For complete
details visit http://sanemarketing.com/free-lunch.html


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               -> Mixing Love with Business <-
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                        (c) Wanda Loskot


People often get surprised when I reveal my formula for 
success. It has more to do with love and passion than with
goals and hard-core marketing. And it works like a charm. 


1. Love what you do
-------------------
Are you in real estate for a good reason? Make sure that 
you love what you do. Feeling passionate about your future
income is not enough. High quality prospects sense when 
realtors are motivated by commission and don't trust them. 

Some people fake their passion -- that doesn't work. It is 
not possible to fake high level of interest in the long run.
And without that genuine passionate love of what you do, 
sooner or later you will get very impatient. You will become
bored with real estate and even worse: annoyed with people
you serve. So, you will begin to cut corners instead of going 
the extra mile ....

If you truly love what you do, you will be able to sustain
long enough the level of enthusiasm necessary to succeed.


2. Love Your Clients 
--------------------
I don't mean *like* or *respect*. I mean really *love*. 
There is a big difference between liking and loving, 
don't you agree? Loving someone means going out of our 
way to help. And finding a pleasure in seeing that someone
succeeding. 

When we love someone, we want to see them flourish. Whether
we profit or not. When we love someone, our hearts melt with
sheer joy when they do something great. And when people we 
love are hurting, we feel their pain -- so we offer them 
support and understanding. 

That's the kind of love I'm talking about when I say "love 
your clients". Try it. Magic happens when you love people. 
They love you back. And then they are willing to help you.

When I do presentations on this topic, people in the audience
roll their eyes and ask: "Wanda, did you meet some of my 
clients? They don't respect my time, they have unrealistic
expectations -- how can I love these people?" 

Well, there is more to my success formula... 


3. Find Clients You CAN Love 
---------------------------
Let's face it, there are people you don't want to see near
you or your office, let alone have a loving relationship
with them! Not everyone who wants to buy or sell a house 
is able to recognize and appreciate the high quality of 
service you want to provide. 

Skim the cream! 
Leave the whiners, complainers, psychos and other difficult
people to your competition. 

Marketing skills are important not only to find a high 
NUMBER but also a high QUALITY of customers. Searching for
prospective buyers who are ready, willing and able to buy
or for homeowners contemplating a sale is not enough. Define
also a profile of your *ideal* customer. 

Look for those who share your own values, for people who are 
giving, honorable and kind. They won't abuse your generosity,
they will value your time as much as theirs. They are also 
more likely to recommend you to others (usually with equally 
high values).  


4. Find out what they want 
--------------------------
Forget about listing *presentations*! High quality people will
reward you much more for LISTENING to them than for talking
or dazzling them with impressive marketing materials. 

Don't listen to merely demonstrate that you can listen. Listen
to truly understand  people. While most of  your competition 
is guessing and assuming, you become a true LISTENER. Like a 
good doctor ask your clients and prospects where does it hurt,
then empathize with them and only after all that listening and
understanding, offer them solutions to their problems.

You will be surprised how easy it is to build a strong business
when you let clients and prospects do all the talking!


5. Give Them What They Want
---------------------------
When you really listen, people will tell you everything you 
need to know. And uncovering their true wants is the most 
important step in building business relationships. Wants, not 
needs! Once you know what they want, the rest is easy. Just 
give them what they want. Find it, create it, invent it --
but give them what they want!

Keep in mind: it is all about what THEY want. 
Your *most* wanted customers.
Not what the entire market might want. 
And what you might THINK they want.

Serving people in real estate is NOT just about finding 
them a right house or a buyer ready to make an offer. That's 
the easy part! The secret to success -- to testimonials and 
referrals -- is to exceed their expectations every step of 
the way.


6. Get the rewards 
------------------
When people with high values receive superb quality service 
they feel very grateful. They expect to pay a fair price and 
they tell others about their experience.  

You will be amazed how fast your business will grow when you 
begin to mix real estate with love. 

Of course, a good coach will help. At a price of a small 
newspaper ad you can hire me to help you build your business
to a level you never imagined! For more information go to:
http://sanemarketing.com/coaching.html


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       -> Free Greeting Cards From Sane Marketing <-
       ----------------------------------------------

Do you like this newsletter? Please forward it to your real 
estate friends -- as a token of my appreciation, you'll receive
a specially designed greeting card, ready to print from your own
computer. 

Print as many as you want and save - it's a great alternative
to those expensive greeting cards you keep buying.

For details go to http://sanemarketing.com/refer-me.html

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     "Best website I've seen for Realtors yet! I've just 
      started looking through it, and I have so much more 
      to view yet. But I wanted to let you know that I haven't
      been this impressed with any website for some time."
                     Jon Kleiber
                      KleiberRealEstate.com


        If you didn't visit for a while - stop by today!
                 http://SaneMarketing.com


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    Yes, the e-zine builder is updated with May content. To
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           -> How Can This Web Site Be Improved? <-
                (Sane Marketing Site Review)
          ------------------------------------------

http://TwinPortsRealEstate.com
-------------------------------
This time I am reviewing a web site owned by Mike Hanson of 
Century 21 Gilderman in Duluth, MN -- I have a feeling that 
you too will benefit from this short critique...


Important
---------
Please keep in mind that this review is NOT the equivalent of 
the extensive Web Site Review with a coaching session I offer 
here: http://sanemarketing.com/websitereview.html  


To begin, let me command Mike for selecting a great domain name. 
Perfect choice. TwinPortsRealEstate.com certainly tells people 
what the site is about, it is easy to spell, easy to pronounce 
and even easy to remember because it has a rhythm. 

However, I am surprised that Mike doesn't use that name in his 
email address. Lost opportunity for free advertising! Please 
read my article "Domain Name - The Cheapest Branding Tool" at
http://sanemarketing.com/articles/brandingtool.html



Home Page Focus
===============
I selected this site for free evaluation because it is guilty
of so many sins committed frequently by realtors online. The 
home page is a classical example. It is full of *stuff* that 
doesn't do anything for Mike's business, but... repels visitors.
There are two scrolling marquees, a few huge graphics -- even
the Infoseek search engine! 

Where is the BEEF?
Or rather... where is real estate focus?

The headline says: "Hi, I'm Mike Hansen. Let my experience 
work for you."  Next to that headline is a picture of three 
trucks and a photo of Mike and a dog. A visitor might be even
unaware that this is a real estate site!

There is also a scenic photo with a caption "click here for 
Twin Ports". So, I clicked and found myself on another site: 
Duluth Superior. A well organized page, full of interesting 
information, including links to local real estate sites...

Why is Mike sending me here?
And why should I go back to his site?


How to improve it
-----------------
Kill the animations. Once, a long time ago, people were 
impressed by stuff that scrolled, rotated and blinked on 
a computer screen. Now they are mostly annoyed. 

Sometimes it does makes sense to use an animated graphic -- 
for example, to call visitors attention to some phrase
or paragraph. But use it very cautiously. In this case the
animation makes no point. It is just there -- perhaps to 
show the world that the webmaster can do it?

Remove the trucks too. What THAT has to do with real estate?
By accident I realized that this graphic is also a link to 
the relocation package. Not a good idea. Studies show that 
most web surfers don't click on graphics. 

If you want people to click on something, create a text link.
"Click here" is a VERY compelling message on the web.

Regarding your photo with a dog -- if you feel you must share
it with visitors, do it on the "Meet Mike' page.

Of course I suggest that you remove that link to Duluth 
Superior site. You might want to link to this site from some
inside pages. But do not show the door to your guests right
upon their arrival! And definitely disable the search engine 
-- you don't want to encourage your visitors to leave your 
web page. 


Loading time
============
Although inside pages are not bad, the home page is a painful 
casualty of those heavy graphics and animations. The photograph 
of Mike and a dog is over 100 K  - which slows down the loading
time by 40 seconds (yes, just one graphic adds 40 seconds!).

In addition to the scrolling marquees and graphics I mentioned,
there is also a large background image -- over 10 K in size.
That adds another few seconds... And there are a couple of 
frames (which is ENTIRELY different topic for another review).
All that adds up to over 80 seconds loading time. Not good!

The entire page should be under 40K to load up in less than
20 seconds on a 28.8 modem.


How to improve it
-----------------
Reduce the size of all images - or, better yet, remove 
everything that doesn't have to be there.


Hit Counter
-----------
Presently it says "you are visitor #11" . It is not something
that can impress anyone. But even if I were visitor number 
87,896 -- who cares? Hit counters do nothing for the web site
owner (they do not give you accurate information about number
of visitors!). And certainly they do nothing for a visitor. 
They just add up to that loading time.

The bottom line?
Get rid of that hit counter as well.


Readability:
============
The inside pages are more effective. Calmer. Thanks for the
black text on a white background - much better. However, still
difficult to read because text flows from the edge to the edge
of the screen. On my 17-inch monitor it's over 120 characters 
per line. That's tiresome.


How to improve it
------------------
Arrange your text in a column no wider than 60-80 characters. 
Take a closer look at books and magazines -- you will discover 
that it is the absolute maximum line width. Newspapers columns
are more narrow.  There is a reason: research shows that our 
eyes simply give up and drop down after 60-80 characters, 
especially when reading a large block of text.

It is even more difficult to read from the computer screen. We
have to deal with a glare of the monitor, fonts are not nearly
as crisp as in print and we have to keep our heads up, with eyes
wide open. That's a lot of effort! So, if you want that people
read your stuff, make it as easy and as inviting as possible.

The key to a successful homepage is to concentrate on what 
your most desired type of visitors wants. What are their problems? 
What gives them anxiety? What are their fears and pains? Then 
create a headline addressing those problems. Promise a solution
on your pages. 

And don't forget to HAVE that solution there!


* * * * * * 
Please keep in mind that this review is NOT the equivalent of 
the extensive Web Site Review with a coaching session I offer 
here: http://sanemarketing.com/websitereview.html  


Would you like to have YOUR own web site reviewed in the next 
issue of "Sane Marketing"? - it doesn't cost anything but you
do need to have a thick skin to benefit :-)

Drop me a note if interested - mailto:wanda@loska.com


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       -> What Does It Take To Succeed Online <-
       -----------------------------------------

It all starts with a dynamic web site, designed for profit 
- not to gratify anyone's ego (sadly, most of them are that
way). 

To be effective, your web site must be visitor-centered and 
offer solutions to your prospect's burning problems. It needs 
to have a build in effective lead-generating system as well 
as a follow-up system. It must load up fast, VERY fast, and 
it must be optimized for the search-engines, to be listed in 
the top positions. 

Your website should sparkle with content that makes people 
want to stay. It must inspire visitor's trust, it must compel
them to tell you who they are and even more: to give you
permission to contact them frequently. 

Having a web site like that is a great start, but this alone 
will not make you successful on the Internet... 


Even a good web site is not enough 
----------------------------------
You also need Internet marketing knowledge. Why? Because 
things work on the Internet differently. People are different.
They hate to be sold and traditional real estate selling 
techniques will do nothing, except chasing prospects go away. 

People have quite different wants and needs here. Different 
demands, different likes and dis-likes than in the so-called 
"outside world". You need to know what works on the Internet 
to persuade people to do business with you (and only you)!  


You need Real Web Power!
------------------------
Real Web Power is a powerful web site and coaching program 
for realtors. People Say About RealWebPower..


   "Just wanted to thank you again for the GREAT training! 
    I feel I definitely received far more than my money's
    worth. Plus, I have so many great tools now to aid me 
    in my marketing efforts and ideas to increase my 
    productivity. I believe the new website will certainly
    outperform my old homes.com site without a doubt!

    I certainly look forward to continuing our relationship 
    in the future as I would like to benefit further from 
    your coaching. Thanks a MIL!"

                   Carole Vicens
                   http://WestLakeRealEstate.net


Would you like to find out more about this one-on-one coaching?
It comes with a fabulous, 20+ pages website! And it is offered 
at BARGAIN price! http://sanemarketing.com/realwebpower.html


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             ->  The next winner might be you! <-
             ------------------------------------

There is a new referral system and a new type of reward at
Sane Marketing! Here is how it works: 

Each time you tell someone about Sane Marketing site using 
the "Recommend Sane Marketing" form, you will be registering
in monthly drawing to win three sessions of my coaching. 
Free.

If you tell one person, you will be entered once -- if you
tell twenty friends, you will be entered twenty times, and 
so on....  On the first day of each month one winner will 
be selected at random from a listing of referrals. The more
referrals you submit, the greater your chance to win! 

To refer someone right now, go to 
http://sanemarketing.com/win.html


                    And the winner is.....
                    -----------------------
May winner is Tom Wise of http://rome-realestate.com
- congratulations Tom! Looking forward to our sessions :-)


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And that's all this time. Thank you 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

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                  -> 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.

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               Wanda Loskot -  Success Connection
      150 Heron's Run Drive, #124, Sarasota FL 34232
                      http://loska.com

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