User Guide For Originators

PowerlineTM

User Guide For Originators

Six Steps to Success

210 Barton Springs Road, Suite 275 Austin, Texas 78704Phone 800.882.9155 Fax 800.882.0945Email: [email protected] Web: www.archtelecom.com

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Table of Contents

Index • Welcome Letter .........................................................................................................3 • Contact Information...................................................................................................4 • Explanation of Powerline™ Features............................................................................5

Chapter 1 Getting Started..................................................................................................7 • Setting up Powerline™ in 10 Minutes...........................................................................8

Chapter 2 User Guides......................................................................................................11 • Complete Web Portal Guide.......................................................................................12 • Complete Phone Menu Guide.....................................................................................20

Chapter 3 Powerline™ Reporting Guide….......................................................................23 • Complete Reporting Guide........................................................................................24

Chapter 4 Recording Guide .............................................................................................29 • Example Recorded Messages.....................................................................................30

Chapter 5 Maximizing Your Advertising..........................................................................33 • Using Source Digits to Track Your Advertising............................................................34

Chapter 6 Sign Riders.......................................................................................................37 • Using Sign Riders to Generate Immediate Leads.........................................................38 • Sign Rider Order Form..............................................................................................39

Chapter 7 Following Up....................................................................................................41 • Converting Prospects to Clients.................................................................................42 • Follow-Up Scripts.....................................................................................................45 • Objection Handling...................................................................................................49

Chapter 8 Establishing a FSBO Program.........................................................................51 • Profiting from FSBOs................................................................................................52 • FSBO Script..............................................................................................................55 • Identifying FSBOs.....................................................................................................57

Chapter 9 Forging Relationships with Top Producers....................................................59 • Top-Producing Realtor® Recruitment Letter...............................................................62 • Recruiting the Realtor®............................................................................................64

Chapter 10 Keys to Advertising.......................................................................................69 • How to Write Advertising That Makes You Money.......................................................70 • Building a Successful Ad...........................................................................................77

Chapter 11 Picture Ads....................................................................................................79 • Keys to A Responsive Homes Magazine (Picture) or Newspaper Ad..............................80 • Sample Picture Ads...................................................................................................82 • Why Picture Ads Fail.................................................................................................85

Chapter 12 Direct Response Reports..............................................................................89 • How to Properly Use Informational Direct Response Reports.......................................90

Chapter 13 Sample Ad Campaigns .................................................................................93 • Postcard Samples.....................................................................................................94

Chapter 14 Drip Campaigns.............................................................................................97 • Cultivating New Business from Past Prospects Using Drip Marketing Campaigns...........98 • Common Pitfalls.......................................................................................................99

Chapter 15 Enhanced Services and Frequently Asked Questions................................103 • Enhanced Services..................................................................................................104 • Frequently Asked Questions....................................................................................106

Chapter 16 Appendix for Realtor® Partners.................................................................109 • Listing Presentations...............................................................................................110 • For Sale By Owners................................................................................................116 • Expireds.................................................................................................................128

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Welcome Letter

Welcome and Congratulations! You have taken an important step towards significantly increasing your sales productivity. By implementing the Powerline™ technology and marketing strategies, you will immediately begin to identify your most desired prospects: people who are ready to buy real estate. Since 1992, we have been creating, consulting on, and testing real estate and mortgage marketing campaigns; we know what works. Top-producing originators emphatically state that success in real estate is about your ability to generate a steady flow of opportunities from a variety of sources so that your business is balanced and your income is not susceptible to market trends. This manual is full of best-use concepts, proven industry templates, and responsive scripts that will assist you to:

• Create consumer direct campaigns to capture more qualified buyers • Build lasting relationships with real estate agents that you desire • Profit from the For Sale By Owner market

The setup of your Powerline™ system is easy. Turn to the section titled, “Powerline™ in Ten Minutes” and you’ll be on your way. We appreciate that originators have different perspectives and market conditions present assorted variables as to where your best opportunities are to capitalize. Regardless of your preferred strategy or your specific market, there’s an extensive and turnkey business building module for you. Once you begin to experience the effectiveness of the system, you may want to explore our other valuable Powerline™ add-on services. These services are designed to enable you to invest the majority of your valuable time developing relationships and closing contracts, instead of managing the day to day processes, processes that are time consuming but essential to any successful business. Those services include:

• Live Operator Call Coordinator Service that will call back your Powerline™ leads within fifteen minutes and prescreen them for you, immediately reporting the results.

• The Voice Broadcast system enables you to send thousands of voice messages to your clients or prospective database in the time it takes to record a single message.

• Auto-Direct Mail Fulfillment will send a custom mail-piece to each unique lead the next business day.

• To save you time, our Professional Recording Services will script and record your properties. • The Arch For Sale By Owner (FSBO) service will send you a daily up-to-the-minute list of

homes advertised FSBO. We have built our company on a single philosophy; we believe success comes when all are focused on a common goal. Our goal is helping our customers achieve theirs. Please contact us at (800) 882-9155 and we will set up your notifications and transfers and professionally record your first listing. After this short consultation, you will be up and running. Thank you for your business and we look forward to working with you. Sincerely, Steve Cortez Arch Telecom, Inc.

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Contact Information

Please use the following numbers and guidelines to expedite our response to your requests. Sales and Customer Support Toll Free: (800) 882-9155 Fax: (800) 882-0945 Email: [email protected] 24-Hour Emergency Contact Number Phone: 800-882-0095 The Emergency Contact number is answered 24/7. Depending upon the nature of your call, an Arch representative will respond in a timely manner. Customer Support is available Monday through Thursday 8am to 6pm (CST) and Friday 8am to 5pm (CST). Email Customer Support is available Monday through Saturday 8am until 9pm (CST) and Sunday 12PM until 7PM (CST). Detailed marketing support is available by appointment. Arch will provide one on one toll-free consultation on how to tailor your specific marketing campaign to receive the best results from your Powerline™ system.

Most Customer Support issues can be resolved online through our Customer Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx. Professional Recording Services Arch will script, record, and load your SMS and fax brochure for all of your listings. To set up, contact [email protected] or dial 800-882-9155. Mailing Addresses Arch Telecom, Inc. 210 Barton Springs Road Ste. 275 Austin, TX 78704 Arch Telecom, Inc. 5718 Westheimer Road Ste. 980 Houston, TX 77057

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Explanation of Powerline™ Features

The Arch Telecom Powerline™ service is the most comprehensive call capture system available in the real estate industry. ANI (Automatic Number Identification)/Call Capture Every caller’s phone number is captured and delivered to you within seconds of the call. Name and Address Match Powerline™ matches the phone record with a name and postal address. We have licensed access to a patented, multi-sourcing database technology with the most complete catalog of land and cellular telephone numbers linked to current and accurate names and addresses. Live Transfer(s) The caller can press “0” and/or “9” and connect directly to any dial-able phone number. The prospect can instantly talk to you, your assistant, or your business partner (i.e. Realtor®) at the push of a button. Each extension can dial a unique phone number. Direct Connect Extensions If you require more than two live transfers per extension, you can program any extension to dial any phone numbers. Direct Connect extensions give you the benefits of large PBX systems at a fraction of the cost. Real-Time Lead Notification Within seconds of the call, Powerline™ delivers every lead to you via SMS (text to cellular phone), email, internet, or digital pager. Multiple contacts can receive the lead, customized by extension ensuring the proper people have been notified. The notification delivers the caller’s phone number, the property address, the caller’s name and address, the advertising source, and whether or not the caller is listed on the Do Not Call List. Spanish/English Voice Prompts With the Powerline™ Service you can give the caller a prompt to hear the recorded information in either Spanish or English. Ad Tracking The ad medium that prompted the caller to respond to your marketing is captured and reported to you in real time. Monthly ad tracking reports detail exactly how many responses each of your advertising mediums generated. Powerline™ Web Management The entire Powerline™ system can be managed through the Arch web portal. Record your property descriptions directly through your browser or record them on a .WAV file and upload. Listen and delete recordings, retrieve voice and fax mail, edit your live transfers or notifications, add listings, edit your SMS delivery, and view detailed call reports all in real time. 800 Extensions The default Powerline™ system comes with 800 extensions. If you require more, unlimited extensions can be provided.

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Automatic Text Messaging (SMS) Fulfillment Each prospect calling from a wireless phone can automatically receive property details immediately on their mobile phone via their SMS service. Once requested, the caller will receive two messages. The first will contain additional details on the property, while the second will provide them with a “business card” containing all of your direct contact information, including phone numbers and email and web addresses. Automatic Fax on Demand Your prospects will have the option to automatically receive additional information immediately by fax. This can include a feature sheet, free reports, resumes, an area map, self-promo sheet, or anything you would like to put into the prospect’s home. Custom Call Reports Detail your lead origins by property for listing presentations or demonstrate to the seller that their advertising is working and solidify price reductions. Contact Relationship Manager Integration Powerline™ will automatically import your leads in real time into several contact relationship managers with no manual download. Custom Delivery via FTP or Web For proprietary CRMs, each lead is catalogued and delivered directly to your contact management system via FTP (file transfer protocol), or is downloadable directly from our web interface into your database. Web Integration All Powerline™ system recordings can be played on your personal website by simply attaching a URL. Fax-Mail Powerline™ will accept incoming fax and automatically email the document, along with storing an archive inside of the Web Portal.

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Chapter 1

Setting Up Powerline™ in 10 Minutes

Using this simple guide, you can have your Powerline™ service up and running in a matter of minutes.

210 Barton Spring Road Suite 275

Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9155

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Setting Up Powerline™ in 10 Minutes

The Powerline™ technology can be set up using either the telephone or the internet web portal. Getting started is easy; just follow these few steps and you’ll be on your way.

Setting Up Notifications In order to set up the following notifications, you must first log into the Customer Portal.

Logging into the Portal Note: The first time you log into the Customer Portal you will be prompted to enter an associated email address. We will use this address for notification of lost passwords.

Step 1: Access the Customer Portal either by going to the Arch homepage at www.archtelecom.com, clicking on “Customer Center” and using the “Online Reports/Account” link, or by entering https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx

Step 2: Enter your 10-digit Mailbox number in the “Login ID” field

Step 3: Enter your default password in the “Password” field

Step 4: Click the “Login” button

You are now logged into the customer portal.

Set up Zero Transfer/Direct Connect Zero Transfer allows your callers to be transferred to the telephone number of your choice simply by pressing “0” on their telephone. This phone number can be changed at any time, which means you will never miss a hot lead again.

Step 1: Click on the “My Mailbox” tab

Step 2: Enter the 10-digit destination number in the “Zero Xfer Destination” field

Step 3: Click on the “Save Settings” button

Instant Notification As soon as a potential client calls your toll-free number, you will receive instant notification of the call, including the caller’s name, phone number, listing code, and ad source. The information will be sent to you via email or text message within just a few minutes, allowing you to follow up on hot leads immediately.

Step 1: Click the “Notifications” tab (https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Pagers.aspx)

Step 2: Enter your desired messaging contact information: email address, text message address, or pager number into the “Pager Destination” field.

Step 3: Click the “Add” button

Note: We can notify multiple email addresses and cell phones. Simply add the additional addresses using the steps above.

Note: Your mailbox number is the same as your toll-free Powerline™ phone number, as assigned to you in your welcome letter.

Note: If you filled out the “express setup” section in your order form, the transfers and notifications are already set up.

Note: You can establish individual notification and zero transfer for each of your extensions.

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Recording Your Master Greeting and Listings Now that you have your zero transfer and notification systems enabled, you can start recording your Master Greeting and Property Listings. You will record your Master Greeting and Property Listings by calling the toll-free phone number assigned to you by Arch. As you become more comfortable with the system you may want to consider using the web recording features, but to get started the phone is easy and simple. For information on recording using the web, see the section titled, “Complete Web Portal Guide” immediately following this section.

• Dial your toll-free number • When you hear the initial greeting, press * and enter your default password • You are now in the Main Menu

Master Greeting The Master Greeting is the first message a caller hears after dialing your number. Personal systems (single user) should customize this greeting. With multi-user systems, the Master Greeting should be more general and can only be recorded using the Master Password.

From the Main Menu:

• Press 9 (Personal Options) • Press 1 (Greetings) • Press 1 (Regular Greeting, follow the voice instructions)

Tips for making your recordings: • Use a call to action to get the prospect to press “0” and transfer directly to you.

Most of our clients find using, “You may receive our most current price by pressing ‘0’ at any time,” to be effective.

• Script the information out on paper before recording. It will save time and frustration.

Example Master Greeting for Personal System: “Hello, and welcome to John Smith’s 24-Hour property and marketing hotline. Please enter the extension number for the property or information you are calling about, or you may press ‘0’ to speak with me directly. Thank you for calling.”

Example Master Greeting for Corporate System: “Thank you for calling the Smith Group’s 24-hour listing hotline. Please enter the extension for the property in which you are interested at this time. If you would like to speak with the Smith Group directly, please press ‘0' at any time.”

Note: Arch will script, record and load a brochure for all of your properties. There is a $10 fee per recording. Please call or send an email to [email protected]

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Property Listings After establishing your Master Greeting, you can use the voice-automated service to set up multiple listing codes (extensions) that enable you to record your property’s descriptive information. By default, listing extensions are three digits in length and must use numbers from 200 through 999. You cannot begin a listing with a 0 or 1. From the Main Menu:

• Press 7 (Manage Your IVR Listings) • Press 1 (Add or Change a Listing) • Enter the 3-digit listing number you would like to add. • Press 1 for Regular IVR listing • Record your listing and follow the voice instructions.

That’s all there is… your Powerline™ system is now set up!

Receiving a Call Detail (New Lead) Report You will be instantly notified the moment a new lead calls your Powerline™ number. To receive a report of all of your leads by a date range:

Step 1: Login to the Customer Portal via the Arch Homepage or by going to https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal

Step 2: Click on the “Reports” tab

Step 3: Choose “Powerline”

Step 4: Enter “date range” and click “Get Report”

Note: If you are using a fourth digit at the end of your listing in your advertising to track the ad source, you do not enter this source digit when setting up or deleting listings. The source digit appears only on your printed ads.

Note: Your leads are stored for a minimum of 90 days on the Arch web portal.

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Chapter 2

User Guides

Learn to set up your Powerline™ system to ensure it is utilized to its maximum potential, whether managing through www.archtelecom.com or through the automated phone system.


Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9155

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POWERLINE™ Complete Web Portal Guide

This complete web portal guide will show you how to utilize the Powerline™ system to its fullest potential; i.e., how to set up multiple transfers, generate listing or price reduction reports, and track your source digits. Most of these functions can also be performed over the telephone (telephone guide follows).

The Customer Portal will allow you to administrate your Arch system via the Internet. From the portal you can:

• Edit your mailbox information such as company name, address, and password • View your invoices, line item billing records, or make a payment • Listen to voice mail or view fax mail • Edit or add to your instant notifications • Create, edit, listen to or delete a recording, or upload a .WAV file voice recording to an

extension The customer portal is also where you will view your online service reports for Powerline™, Voice Broadcast, FSBO, or Call Coordinator.

• Powerline™ reports can be viewed by date range selectable by any query or downloaded via a comma separated variable file.

• FSBO reports can be viewed by date range. Mileage radius can be edited. • Call Coordinator settings can be adjusted, such as days of the week to call, contact

information, or enable/disable. • Voice Broadcast reports can be viewed as well as all voice messages, databases, and

history.

All of these operations are performed by logging into our Customer Portal at:

https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx

Logging into the Portal Note: The first time you log into the Customer Portal you will be prompted to enter an associated email address. We will use this address for notification of lost passwords.

1. Access the Customer Portal either by going to the Arch homepage at www.archtelecom.com and clicking on “Customer Center” and using the “Online Reports/Account” link, or by entering https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx

2. Enter your 10-digit Mailbox number in the “Login ID” field

3. Enter your default password in the “Password” field

4. Click the “Login” button

You are now logged into the customer portal.

Creating a new Web Login You can create a new “Web Login” to use when accessing the Web Portal. The purpose of a “Web Login” is two-fold; first, you can change your user name and password to something more meaningful or easier to remember than your mailbox or assigned password. Secondly, if you are

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part of a multi-user system the Web Login will enable you to add other user’s mailboxes, including voice broadcast mailboxes, and view them together without logging into each mailbox.

1. Click on the “New Web Login” link located at the top-right of the screen

2. Enter your Username in the “New Login ID.” The first four characters must be alpha characters.

3. Enter in your new “Password” and confirm. The first four characters must be alpha characters.

Note: A Web Login will not affect your Default Password.

4. Click “Create”

Linking Multiple Mailboxes to a Web Login If you have multiple Mailbox numbers you can link and access them using a single Web Login.

1. From the Customer Portal Home Page click on the “Mailboxes” tab

2. Enter in the new 10-digit mailbox number you would like to add in the “Mailbox” field

3. Enter the Default Password in the “Password” field

4. Click “Add”

Editing Account Information Changing Contact Information 1. From the Customer Portal click on the “Home” tab

2. Click on the link “Change Contact Information”

3. Edit your billing address, contact phone number, fax number, and email address

Note: To change the responsible party and company name you will need to contact Customer Service at 800-882-9155 and fill out an Account Transfer Form.

Changing the Credit Card on file 1. From the Customer Portal Home Page click on the “Billing” tab

2. Click on the “Change Credit Card” button under “Automatic Payment”

3. Enter in the new credit card number and expiration date

4. Click on “Save”

Viewing Billing Statements 1. From the Customer Portal Home Page click on the “Billing” tab

2. Choose the Monthly Statement you would like to review under “Reprint an Invoice”

3. Click on either “View” or “Download”

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SYSTEM SETUP Password Setup This password can be used without the Web Login ID. The password will work from the web or from any telephone. It may be any numeric number (no alpha characters) from 4 to 8 digits in length.

1. Click on the tab labeled “My Mailbox”

2. Enter in your Current Password

3. Enter your New Password and confirm it in the box below

4. Click the “Save Settings” button

Configuring Top Producer for Auto Import You can automatically download your Powerline™ leads into Top Producer 7i and 8i. For 7i Users:

1. Open Top Producer Online 7i

2. From the “Contacts” tab choose “Leads” from the drop down menu

3. Select “Lead Setup” from the menu on the left side of the page

4. Choose “Add a website”

5. Enter the following information:

• Lead Provider Name: “Arch Powerline”

• URL: https://portal.archtelecom.com.com/portal/topproducer.aspx

• User Name: Powerline™ Mailbox Number

• Password: Default Powerline™ Password

• Click “OK”

For 8i Users:

1. Open Top Producer Online 8i

2. Select “Preferences”

3. Select “Contacts”

4. Choose “Lead Provider Setup” under “Contacts Preferences”

5. Select “Add Lead Provider”

6. Enter in the following information:

• Lead Provider Name: “Arch Powerline”

• URL: https://portal.archtelecom.com.com/portal/topproducer.aspx

• User Name: Powerline™ Mailbox Number

• Password: Default Powerline™ Password

• Click “OK”

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Zero Transfer Setup The Zero Transfer number is a direct dial number that will dial the number you input when a caller presses “0” at any time during the recording. You can also use the number “9” to direct dial an alternative number. For information on how to set up “9” please call Arch.

1. Click on the “My Mailbox” tab

2. Enter the 10-digit destination number in the “Zero Xfer Destination” field

3. Click on the “Save Settings” button

Instant Notification Setup You can have your Powerline™ leads sent directly to you for instant notification of a lead. The leads can be sent to a numeric pager, cell phone via SMS, or a standard email address.

1. Click the “Notifications” tab

2. Enter your email address, pager number or cell phone, and appropriate carrier tagline as listed below into the “Pager Destination” field

3. Click the “Add” button

Note: We can notify multiple email addresses and cell phones. Simply add the additional addresses individually using the steps above.

Uploading a .WAV file to a Regular Extension You can upload a .wav file to create a standard IVR extension. If you are not using a .wav file to create your regular Powerline™ extension DO NOT use this feature. It must be created through the phone menu.

1. Click on the “Powerline” tab

2. Click the “Create Regular Extension” at the bottom of the screen

3. Enter the new extension number you would like to create in the “Extension” field

4. Optional: Enter an extension description in the “Description” field for future reference

5. Click on the “Browse” tab and select the .wav file you would like to upload

6. Click on the “Save Extension” button

NOTE: Only .wav files in the following format are supported - Mono is of course preferable to stereo, but stereo is accepted. - 8000Hz, 16-bit, PCM, mono is the recommended format. - 44,100Hz, 16-bit, PCM is also supported - .mp3 files are NOT supported

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Creating a Regular Extension via your Web Browser You can record your extensions directly through our website to create a standard IVR extension. You will need a microphone connected to your PC and the latest version of Java Sun which can be downloaded at http://java.com/.


2. Click on “Create Regular Ext”

3. Enter the extension number to create

4. Enter the extension “Description”

5. Click “Record” in the dialog box

6. When finished, choose “Upload” in the dialog box.

Configuring SMS Info After you create a regular extension you can add information to the listing that will be sent automatically upon request by the caller to their wireless phone. The caller will be sent two separate text messages; the first one will be information on the individual extension and the second will be your “Business Card” containing all of your contact information which will automatically be included with each extension. Each of these messages will be limited to 256 characters due to the constraints of text messaging technology.

Setting Up Your Business Card Message 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab

2. Choose the link “SMS/Text”

3. Enter your contact information inside of the “SMS Info” dialogue box

4. Choose “Save”

Note: It is only necessary to set up your business card one time. It will be included on every SMS requested.

Setting up SMS for a Regular Extension 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab

2. Choose “Edit” under “Controls”

3. Enter the description inside of the “SMS Info” box

4. Choose “Save Extension”

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Direct Connect Listing (Secondary Transfer) Setup If the backend system prompts “0” and “9” are not a sufficient number of Direct Connections, you can have an extension directly dial a phone number versus playing a recorded message. Callers can transfer from one of your regular recorded listings to a direct connect listing by pressing “5” (to return to the main menu), followed by the direct connect listing number.


2. Click on the “Create Direct Connect Ext” button at the bottom of the page

3. Enter in the Extension number you would like to create in the “Extension” field

4. Enter the 10-digit phone number where you would like the call to be forwarded to in the “Destination” field

5. Optional: Enter an extension description in the “Description” field for future reference.

6. Click on the “Save Extension” button

To Delete a Listing 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab

2. Click on the “Delete” link under the Controls column

Quickload Number Setup Quickload numbers are unique numbers that align fax images with listing extensions. Once you have recorded the verbal presentation, the Quickload number is created.


2. A 14-digit number will be assigned to each extension under the “Quick Load” column

Loading Fax Images Using Quickload Numbers Use the following procedure to load your fax images by fax machine:

1. Load all of your pages for that particular listing into the fax machine

2. Set the fax machine to FINE for graphics or NORMAL for text. When choosing between FINE and NORMAL, please consider that although setting your machine to fine mode will give you a higher resolution necessary for clear graphics, it will also slow the transmission rate, substantially increasing the cost of your fax.

3. Using the telephone built into your fax machine, call (800) 247-8853.

4. The system will prompt you to enter your Mailbox or Quickload number. Enter the 14-digit Quickload assigned to the listing you are attaching a fax image to.

5. Press START button on your fax machine. The fax image is immediately loaded behind the correlated listing.

NOTE: If your fax machine does not accept the Quickload number, chances are it is not in an interactive mode. If your fax requires that you press START to hear a dial tone, your fax is not in an interactive mode. If the fax machine has a PAUSE/REDIAL button, try the following:

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1. Load all of your pages for that particular listing into the fax machine

2. Set the fax machine to FINE for graphics or NORMAL for text.

3. Using the telephone built into your fax machine, enter 800-247-8853, but do not press Start yet.

4. Press the Pause button 5 times.

5. Enter the 14-digit Quickload assigned to the listing you are attaching a fax image to.

6. Press the Start button and your fax will load into the Arch system.

Creating a Shadow Listing A Shadow listing points to another listing within the same IVR system. For example, if you want listing 300 to contain the same recording as listing 200, you can create 300 as a Shadow listing that points to listing 200. Keep in mind that any changes to the original listing recording will affect the Shadow listing as well.


2. Click on “Create Shadow Ext”

3. Enter in the new extension number you would like to create in the “Extension” field

4. Enter the toll-free number where the extension you would like to copy currently exists in the “Source Mailbox” field

Note: If you are shadowing from our pre-recorded direct response reports, the Source Mailbox is “8009519704.”

5. Enter in the current extension number of the recording you are shadowing in the “Source Extension” field.

6. Optional: Enter in a description of the extension in the “Description” field

7. Click “Save Extension”

Managing your Source Digits 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab

2. Choose “Miscellaneous” under “Configuration”

3. Enter the advertising source next to each source digit

4. Click “Save”

Listening to Voicemail 1. Click on the “Voice and Faxmail” tab

2. Click on “Listen”

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Retrieving a Call Detail Report 1. Click on the “Reports” tab

2. Choose the “Powerline” report

3. Choose the date range for the report (report data is stored for a maximum of 90 days)

4. Press “Get Report”

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POWERLINE™ Complete Phone Menu Guide

If you prefer the telephone, these are the complete Powerline™ service instructions.

All operations are performed from the Main Menu.

1. Dial your 800 #

2. Press * (star) when you hear the greeting.

3. Enter the initial default password provided on your welcome letter.

4. You are now in the Main Menu.

You may back up one Menu level by pressing * or press ** to return to the Main Menu.

Password Setup It may be any number from 4 to 8 digits in length. Corporate and standard systems have assigned passwords that cannot be customized. However, performing this procedure will automatically assign you a new password. From the Main Menu:

1. Press 9 - Personal Options

2. Press 4 - Administrative Options

3. Press 1 - Password, follow the voice instructions

Master Greeting Setup Personal and Corporate users only. Standard systems have set greetings. From the Main Menu:


2. Press 1 - Greetings

3. Press 1 - Regular Greeting, follow the voice instructions

Digital Pager Setup From the Main Menu:


2. Press 2 - Pager Configuration

3. Press 1 - Set Pagers Telephone Number, follow voice instructions to enter your 10-digit pager number

Note: This process will not set up text notification to your cellular phone. This must be done over the web portal or by contacting an Arch representative.

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Zero Transfer Setup From the Main Menu:


2. Press 5 - Call Routing

3. Press 1 - Configure Zero Transfer, follow the voice instructions

Listing (Extension) Setup From the Main Menu:

1. Press 7 - Manage Your IVR Listings

2. Press 1 - Add or Change a Listing

3. Enter the 3-digit listing number you would like to add.

4. Press 1 - For Regular IVR listing

5. Record your listing and follow the voice instructions.

Note: You do not enter the source digit when setting up or deleting listings.

Direct Connect Listing (Secondary Transfer) Setup From the Main Menu:


2. Press 1 - Add or Change a Listing

3. Enter the 3-digit listing number you would like to add. You do not enter the source digit when setting up or deleting listings.

4. Press 4 - For a Direct Connect listing

5. When prompted, enter the 10-digit phone number you want the extension to forward to.

To Delete a Listing From the Main Menu:


2. Press 3 - Delete a Listing, follow the voice instructions

Quickload Number Setup Quickload numbers are unique numbers that align fax images with listing extensions. Once you have recorded the verbal presentation, the Quickload number is created.

From the Main Menu:


2. Press 8 - Administrative Fax Information

3. Press 5 - Fax of your Quickload Number

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Loading Fax Images Using Quickload Numbers Use the following procedure to load your fax images by fax machine:

1. Load all of your pages for that particular listing into the fax machine.

2. Set the fax machine to FINE for graphics or NORMAL for text. When choosing between FINE and NORMAL, please consider that although setting your machine to fine mode will give you a higher resolution necessary for clear graphics, it will also slow the transmission rate, substantially increasing the cost of your fax.

3. Using the telephone built into your fax machine, call (800) 247-8853.

4. The system will prompt you to enter your Mailbox or Quickload number. Enter the 14-digit Quickload assigned to the listing you are attaching a fax image to.

5. Press START button on your fax machine. The fax image is immediately loaded behind the correlated listing.

NOTE: If your fax machine does not accept the Quickload number, chances are it is not in an interactive mode. If your fax requires that you press START to hear a dial tone, your fax is not in an interactive mode. If the fax machine has a PAUSE/REDIAL button, try the following:

1. Load all of your pages for that particular listing into the fax machine.

2. Set the fax machine to FINE for graphics or NORMAL for text.

3. Using the telephone built into your fax machine, enter 800-247-8853 but do not press Start yet.

4. Press the Pause button 5 times.

5. Enter the 14-digit Quickload assigned to the listing you are attaching a fax image to.

6. Press the Start button and your fax will load into the Arch system.

Requesting a Call Detail Fax You must request a fax detail to a fax-only system. Voice/fax systems will not work.

From the Main Menu:


2. Press 7 - Request a Call Detail Fax

3. Enter the 10-digit fax number where you want the call detail sent

If the fax number is busy, the system will re-try three times at five-minute intervals. You may also request a fax detail as far back as 90 days. To request a fax detail specifying a time range:


2. Press 8 - Administrative Fax Information

3. Press 1 - Call Detail Fax

4. Press 2 - Specify a Date Range, follow the voice instructions

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Chapter 3

Powerline™ Reporting Guide

Pull reports by date range, extension, or source digit. Use your Powerline™ data to effectively track your advertising and negotiate price reductions.


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POWERLINE™ Complete Reporting Guide

With the Powerline™ custom reporting functions, you can view your leads by date range, export data to a contact manager, track your advertising’s effectiveness, create a listing report, create a price reduction report, and track any type of variable call traffic. Logging into the Reports Page To retrieve your reports through our website you will first log into the Customer Portal.

1. Access the Customer Portal either by going to the Arch homepage at www.archtelecom.com and clicking on the “Customer Center” and using the “Online Reports/Account” link, or by entering https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx

2. Enter your 10-digit Mailbox number in the “Login ID” field

3. Enter your default password in the “Password” field

4. Click the “Login” button

5. Click on the “Reports” tab

6. Click on “Powerline”

Retrieving Call Records for a Specific Date Range You can view all of the calls into your system, sorted by the time of access.

1. Enter the date range in the “From” and “To” fields

2. Click “Get Report”

Creating a Price Reduction Report Using the Powerline™ system you can easily create a report to show the seller call traffic detail on their property extension as compared to other properties on your system.

1. Set the date range in the “From” and “To” fields

2. Click on “Filter by Extension or Source Digit”

3. Click on the individual extension for the seller’s property

4. Choose “Get Report”

Note: You can select multiple extensions by holding down “Ctrl” and selecting the different extensions or source digits you would like to retrieve.

Creating an Advertising Source Report 1. Set the date range in the “From” and “To” fields

2. Click on “Output Formatting”

3. Select “Source Digit” from the “Primary Subtotal” drop down menu

4. Choose “Get Report”

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Note: You can view the call count for each extension by checking the “Subtotals Only” box

Selecting the Columns to Include Note: If you choose all options you will need to set your printer for “Landscape” mode otherwise the information on the report will run off the page. 1. Click on the “Columns to Include” 2. Check the boxes for the information you want provided in your report:

• Date/Time: The time and date the caller accessed your system • Mailbox: The mailbox number the caller accessed • Mailbox Name: The directory name registered to the mailbox • Calling Number: The captured number for the call • City/State: The city and state where the area code and prefix is registered • Calling Line Type: The type of calling line used (Cellular, POTS line, etc.) • Do Not Call Flag: Designates numbers that are registered on a Do Not Call list • Called Number: The Powerline™ number the caller dialed • Duration: The amount of time the caller was active on your Powerline™ • Type of Call: The action taken by the caller (Extension access, Login, Hang-up, Zero

Transfer) • Extension and Source Digit: Extension and source digit entered in a single column • Extension: Extension entered by the caller • Source Digit: Source Digit entered by the caller • Description: User-entered description through the Web Portal • Voice Message: Did the caller leave a voice mail on the system • Fax Number: Fax number used to request additional information • Transfer Destination: Number where caller was live transferred • Transfer Duration: Amount of time caller spent during live transfer • Name and Address: Reverse append results for the calling number

Selecting the Calls to Include 1. Click on “Calls to Include” 2. Check the boxes for the types of calls to include in your report:

• Extension Access: Caller accessed your system and entered a working extension • Hang up: Caller accessed your system, but did not enter in an extension • Login: Administrative access of your Powerline™ system • Zero Transfer: Caller pressed Zero and live-transferred • Invalid Extension: Caller accessed your system but did not enter a working extension

number • Fax Mail: A fax was delivered to your Powerline™ system

Selecting the Display Order Calls can be displayed in order of Time, Extension, Source Digit, Calling Number, or Mailbox to help you organize the data. 1. Click on “Output Formatting” 2. Select how you would like the data sorted in the drop down menus

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Retrieving a Call Total for an Extension or Source Digit You can retrieve a total for the amount of calls made to a specific extension or source digit. The calls will be grouped based upon the criteria you set and will be followed by a subtotal. You can check the “Subtotals Only” box to view only a call count for the extensions or source digits.

1. Click on “Output Formatting”

2. Select how you would like for the calls to be grouped and subtotaled from the drop down menu

Advanced Selections

1. Master Mode - Includes all data for all mailboxes in the Powerline™ system. Corporate systems only.

2. New Leads Only - Removes duplicate calls from the same phone number. Note- You will occasionally run into the error “Call records for your mailbox are currently being processed - please try again in a few minutes (-539).” The system is matching up new calls against your call records and the results will be available shortly. Please give the system a few moments to run this report and resubmit your request.

Downloading a Report to a .csv Format You can easily download your report in a .csv format to import into any contact management software. 1. Select the Date Range in the “From” and “To” fields

2. Check the “Download” box

3. Click “Get Report”

4. Save the report to your hard drive

Custom Reports Other reports are available to you on our website. To access our Custom Reports page:

1. Access the Customer Portal

2. Click on the “Reports” tab

3. Click on “Custom Reports”

Selecting a Custom Report 1. Select the report you would like to view in the drop down menu

2. If the report is not listed select “Other”

3. Enter in the Report # you would like to view

4. Select the date range

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5. Select “Get Report”

Available Custom Reports Report # Description 115 List of all Hang-up Calls (Calls that did not enter an extension) 312 IVR- summary of all active extensions in an IVR system 315 Displays survey questions including type, labels, etc. 404 IVR accesses by hours of day 406 IVR accesses by day of week 407 IVR access by day of week for master mailbox 408 IVR access by day 409 IVR accesses by day for master mailbox in corporate system only 410 Summery of IVR calls by extension and source digit for a personal or shared

system 412 List of all active Quickload Numbers 413 List of all File URLs for web access to extension audio 414 List of all feedback line property codes 500 Delivered pages 501 Displays records of all voice messages received by a particular mailbox within a

date range within the past 90 days.

Printing Tips When printing the Powerline™ report your browser will automatically adjust the columns to fit the page it is printing. By printing in “Landscape” mode the reports typically are formatted in an easier to read layout. Also, if you find the rows difficult to read, try and remove some of the unnecessary columns.

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Chapter 4

Recording Guide

Set up your Master Greeting and property descriptions through either the phone system or directly through the Web Portal.


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Example Recorded Messages

With personal systems, you have extensions 200-999 available to record property descriptions, direct response reports, voice mailboxes, or anything else you would like to advertise. The first recording you will make is called the Master Greeting and it is the first thing the caller will hear when they dial your toll-free number. It needs to be a short recording that lets people know they have dialed the correct number, prompts them to enter in the code for the information they would like to receive, and prompts them to press “0” if they do not know their extension number. Example Master Greeting Hello, and welcome to John Smith’s 24-hour property and marketing hotline. Please enter the code number for the information you wish to receive. If you do not know your code or would like to speak directly with me please press ‘0’ now. Thank you very much for calling. To record your Master Greeting through the Powerline™ phone system:

• Dial your toll-free number • Press the “*” and enter your password • Press 9- Personal Options • Press 1- Greetings • Press 1- Regular Greeting • Follow the voice prompts

Next you will record the individual extensions for your properties and direct response reports. There are four standard ways to place your recordings on your Powerline™ number. Arch Assistant Services Arch Telecom has professional voice talent on staff that will script, record, and attach the fax to an extension, and best of all, they will do the first recording for free. You can find more information on this service online at: http://www.archtelecom.com/products/powerline/assistant_services.asp. To have an Arch Assistant create your recording simply email [email protected] and include your toll-free number, the extension you want recorded, and attach a property flyer or the MLS sheet so we can script a recording from the basic property information. Through the Powerline™ phone system

• Dial your toll-free number • Press the “*” and enter your password • Press 7- Mange your IVR • Press 1- Add or Change a Listing • Enter the Extension Code you are creating • Press 1- Regular IVR • Follow the voice prompts

Uploading .WAV files

• Log into the Web Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx • Click on the “Powerline” tab • Choose “Create Regular Ext” • Enter the Extension number you are creating in the “Extension” field • Enter the property address or report title in the “Description” field

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• Click “Browse” and attach the .WAV from your hard-drive • Click “Save Extension”

Recording Directly through our Web Site

• Plug a USB microphone into your computer • Log into the Web Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx • Click on the “Powerline” tab • Choose “Create Regular Ext” • Enter the Extension number you are creating in the “Extension” field • Enter the property address or report title in the “Description” field • Click on the “Record” button and record your extension description • Click on “Upload”

Note: You will need to have the latest version of Java installed and active in order to use this service. This plug-in can be downloaded from their website at http://java.com. Tips for making your recordings:

• Use a call to action to get the prospect to press “0” and transfer directly to you. Most of our clients find using, “You may receive our most current price by pressing ‘0’ at any time,” to be effective. This will also save you from having to re-record the extension after price reductions. Other options include, “To schedule a viewing of this property press ‘0’ at any time,” or simply, “To speak directly with me press ‘0’ now.”

• Need to give the caller the option to also connect to a real estate agent or FSBO? End the recording with, “For more information on the property please press ‘0’ or to learn how you can own this property for as little as XXXX dollars a month, press ‘9’ now.” Please contact Arch to set up the 9 transfer.

• Script the message out on paper before recording. It will save time and frustration. • Try to limit the recording to around 30-45 seconds in length. You do not want to lose

the caller’s attention before they reach the end of the recording. • You don’t want to give the caller too much information before speaking with them as you

could potentially disqualify them or have trouble beginning dialogue. Make sure to leave something valuable out for when you make the follow-up call.

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Example Property Recordings Example A You can receive our most current price at anytime by pressing “0.” Congratulations! You’re calling on one of our most prestigious homes. This property, located at 123 Main Street, has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, new carpeting, new paint, a backyard large enough for a pool, and an outstanding floor plan that is very applicable for grand entertaining. A gourmet kitchen and recently updated bathrooms complete this picture of an executive’s dream home. If you would like a property brochure emailed to you, please press “2” and leave me your email address or you can press “0” now to schedule a showing of this property. Thank you for calling and good luck in your new home purchase. Example B You can receive our most current price at anytime by pressing “0.” Hello, the property you are calling on is located on the beautiful coast of Laguna Beach. This 4-bedroom, 3-bath home was constructed with a fabulous Mediterranean flair. Both the kitchen and bathroom have been accented with Italian ceramic tile. The home has a beautiful pool and spa area overlooking a scenic southern coast. The owner is retiring and leaving the area so the property has been priced to sell. To receive the most current price please press “0” now. Thank you for calling and good luck in your new home purchase. Example C You can receive our most current price at anytime by pressing “0.” Located in the popular area of Barton Springs in Austin, this 3-bedroom, 3-bath home is the perfect starter home for a young family. The home sits on three-quarters of an acre, is beautifully landscaped, and has an attached garage. This home is just three years old and has a breathtaking view of the park and hill country. This modern home is listed below market value and has some amazing down payment options. For more information on how you can purchase this property with little or even no money down, please press “0” now. Example D You can receive our most current price at anytime by pressing “0.” Prestigious Big Canyon Development in Newport Beach. This house sits on five luxurious acres next to the finishing hole on the Newport Championship golf course. This stately manor has 3,000 square feet of opulent living space. The home has 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, with a fireplace and a beautiful imported Jacuzzi. A separate guesthouse is located on the back of the property. This home has impeccably landscaped grounds and a lagoon-style pool with an entertainment cabana capable of handling ten guests. This home is available for immediate occupancy. To schedule an appointment for a showing or to obtain our most current price, press “0” now. Thank you for calling the Smith Team’s 24-hour property hotline and good luck on your new home purchase.

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Chapter 5

Maximizing Your Advertising

With the Powerline™ Service you are able to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts so you can apply your marketing budget efficiently and guarantee the highest return on your investment.


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Using Source Digits to Track Your Advertising

With the Powerline™ Service you are able to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts so you can apply your marketing budget efficiently and guarantee the highest return on your investment. When establishing a new code, you can pick any extension between 200-999 (unless you have customized the listing length). By adding a unique fourth digit to the end of each extension, called a Source Digit, you will be able to identify the advertising medium the prospect responded from. You can track up to ten different mediums with digits 0-9 available for source digit use. Adding the Source Digit to your Extensions After you record your extension, you will add the source digit to the end. You do not use the source digit when you are setting up or recording the extension. For example: You have recorded the property listed at 123 Main Street on extension 200. Now when you go to advertise the property it would read as follows when printed:

2001 On the sign rider 2002 In your local Homes magazine 2003 In the newspaper 2004 On a Just Listed postcard 2005 In your monthly newsletter

Every person who calls and enters one of these different codes hears the property recording 200 about 123 Main Street. But, when you receive your instant notification or web report, you are going to be able to determine which ad source the prospect found the property by the last digit listed in the extension number. Remember to keep the source digits consistent across your extensions so you can keep an accurate total of your response. For instance, you now record 234 Cherry Street on extension 201. When you placed the various advertisements, they would read:

2011 On the sign rider 2012 In your local Homes magazine 2013 In the newspaper 2014 On a Just Listed postcard 2015 In your monthly newsletter

To help you track your source digits you can enter them through our Web Portal. Once you have logged in, click on the “Powerline” tab and choose the “Top Producer 7i” option. Simply enter in your Source Digits and choose “Save.” Retrieving Source Digit Call Reports At the end of the month, you can now retrieve a Powerline™ report that will tell you exactly how many calls you received from each advertising medium. To retrieve this report:

• Log into the Web Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx • Click on the “Reports” tab • Choose the “Powerline” report • Set your Date Range • Click on “Output Formatting” • Choose “Source Digit” as the “Primary Subtotal” • Click “Get Report”

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You can also check the “Subtotals Only” box if you want to only view a count of the call total into each source.

Configuring Your Source Digits • Log into the Web Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx • Choose the “Powerline” tab • Choose the link “Miscellaneous” under “Configuration” • Enter in Your Advertising Sources • Click “Save”

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Chapter 6

Sign Riders

Using your Powerline™ system to replace brochure boxes on your yard signs is one of the easiest and most effective ways to generate fresh buyer and seller leads.


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Using Sign Riders to Generate Immediate Leads

Using your Powerline™ number on sign riders is one of the easiest and most effective strategies for attracting buyer and seller leads. Even with all of the information available on the internet and through printed publications, many prospects still prefer to get in their car and drive the areas in which they are interested before calling a real estate professional. Capturing these prospects’ phone numbers before they speak with a professional often gives you the first opportunity to build rapport and convert the leads into clients. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance reports that 74% of sellers and 61% of buyers hire the first real estate professional they talk to. In addition to generating quality leads, Powerline’s™ technology allows you to track each lead using a special advertising source digit. Never again will you have to wonder who removed your brochures or whether any potential leads missed out on an opportunity to get information on one of your properties. Key Strategies for Use of Sign Riders

Visibility - If possible, mount the rider on top of your signs. Use a two-sided rider with the toll-free number printed on both sides. Make sure to include a mention on the rider of the free 24-hour recording offered.

Compel People to Call - Remove the brochure box. This will force the prospect to call

your Powerline™ number to hear the talking ad, ensuring that you capture the lead. If you must use a brochure box be sure to print your Powerline™ number on the brochure and eliminate any disqualifying information such as square footage, number of bedrooms, and price.

Source Digits - Utilize a source digit (the fourth digit of your extension) so you can

determine the source of each of your leads. Arch Telecom can provide you with Powerline™ sign riders. They come in distinctive colors and are made with corrugated plastic. You can find more information on ordering signs on our website at www.archtelecom.com/downloads/arch_signriders.pdf .

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Chapter 7

Following Up

Follow up within 5-15 minutes. The best time to call a prospect is when their mind is on your products or services. Prospects will be more receptive to your call if they are in the mindset of real estate.


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Converting Prospects to Clients

Once the Powerline™ system generates the lead, it is time for you to convert them to clients. There are three key elements you must have in place in order to create consistent conversion results when returning these phone calls:

1. Timing - The ideal time is between five and fifteen minutes after the caller hung up. 2. Scripting - Good dialogue provides the perfect building blocks for entering into a call,

placing the prospect at ease, and beginning the qualifying process. 3. Confidence - Prospects respond to people with whom they feel an immediate

connection and feel can help them obtain the information they are looking for. When you call back and sound organized and prepared, you will find that the prospect will be much more open to speaking with you.

1. Respond to Your Powerline™ Calls Quickly Follow up within 5-15 minutes. The best time to call a prospect is when their mind is on the product or service that they have just requested additional information on. Prospects will be more receptive to your call if they are in the mindset of real estate. Use the text messaging feature on your cell phone to ensure that you are notified of every caller to your Powerline™ the moment they access the system, and call them back as soon as possible. If you wait a full day or even as little as one hour, often times the person has shifted gears and is out of their “home buying” mode. They could be thinking, “I’m going to be late picking up the kids,” or “What should we have for dinner?” Once they have lost that focus, conversion becomes tremendously difficult, or even worse, your competition may have already spoken with them. A Solution from Arch The ability to respond quickly and professionally to new leads lies at the heart of any successful real estate business. We realize that there are times when you simply cannot respond quickly; so with that in mind, we created Arch Call Coordinator Service to help maximize your valuable time and ensure that you immediately follow up on every hot lead. Arch Call Coordinator Service’s (CCS) trained operators call each lead that has accessed an extension number on your Powerline™ Interactive Voice System. Using information you provide, the operators use a series of scripted questions to qualify buyers, determine if there is a listing opportunity, and establish whether or not the prospect has been pre-qualified by a mortgage professional. We offer scripts for both Realtors® and originators. Once CCS operators have qualified your latest leads, you will receive instant notification of the results, including indications of your hottest leads. This affords you the opportunity to be the first to pre-qualify the lead and also to share both buyer and seller leads with your Realtor® partners. With Powerline™, you are able to instantly follow up with your hottest leads. CCS labels a lead “hot” if they answer “Yes” to any of the following questions:

• Have you been pre-qualified by a lender yet? • Would you be interested in receiving a competitive quote? • Would you like more information on the property and are not represented by a buyer’s

agent? • Do you have a home to sell but are not represented by an agent?

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You also have the ability to easily mange your CCS settings to suit your needs. Whether you choose to employ CCS only on your days off or simply want to cap your monthly CCS expenditures at set limits, all specifications can be made at the click of a button on our website. 2. Qualify and Build Rapport by Asking the Right Questions Prospects buy from people they like and trust, and from whom they can expect solutions. Static monologues and canned scripts do not engender respect or certainty in prospects. You must generate a dialogue with prospects by asking questions that specifically address their needs and wants. Your questions should accomplish the following:

• Uncover valuable information about the prospect to build confidence and rapport • Build credibility by positioning yourself as a service-oriented originator

Uncover Valuable Information to Build Trust and Rapport With your initial follow-up call, you should build rapport by cultivating a relationship with the prospect. Building rapport starts with uncovering areas of commonality between you and the prospect. Gaining a better understanding of the prospect will exhibit a sincere desire to know the lead personally and allow you to offer real solutions to their needs. Be sure to establish immediately that you are following up on the inquiry and that it is simply a customer service call to ensure that they were able to receive all of the information in which they were interested. With the initial conversation, you should focus primarily on understanding the customer’s needs and establishing a solid working foundation before trying to place them directly in a 30-year jumbo. We understand that you are a lender and are paid when you close on loans, so how can that not be the basis of the conversation? Remember, buying a home is an emotional decision and rates and closing costs do not stir the emotional response we need to make the connection. That is why you have to focus on the property first, in other words, help sell them a house first and the loan will quickly follow. Some examples of rapport-building questions include:

o When are you hoping to purchase? o What kind of recreation do you enjoy? o Do you have an idea of how long you would want to live there? o Where did you grow up? In what area of town do you live now? o Do you have any children? Is there a particular school zone you live in? o What do you think about the schools, restaurants, and parks in this area? o What type of recreation do you enjoy? o What do you think is the number 1 obstacle keeping you from purchasing?

Build Credibility by Positioning Yourself as a Service-Oriented Originator Once you’ve built a conversational rapport with the prospect, it is imperative that you position yourself as a “service-oriented” originator who can easily help them accomplish their goals. This will build credibility and reinforce the connection you have created with the prospect. Positioning yourself as a service-oriented originator requires that you inform and educate first. When you exhibit a genuine concern for the customer’s needs, you develop a sense of trust that will often lead them to do business with you.

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There are several great ways to represent yourself as a credible, service-oriented originator:

• Begin the conversation by determining the caller’s exact needs. When do they want to move? What area of town do they want to live in? Have them describe their “dream home.” This not only positions you as a customer service officer; it will also uncover invaluable info on the motivations of the caller.

• Offer a free written report targeting the prospect’s needs or wants. Send them a thorough explanation of the pre-qualifying and approval process or a report explaining various loan programs such as fixed rate, adjustable rate, and the importance of down payments. As the author of these reports, you build your credibility as a knowledgeable professional.

• Provide a referral list of your professional associates (lawyers, appraisers, inspectors and of course a real estate agent if they are not under contract).

• Offer to help get them a list of available properties in their desired area, especially ones that are not readily available, including FSBOs, foreclosures, and properties pending being listed on the MLS.

Asking the Right Questions to Uncover Quality Leads The following template will help you enter into conversation, obtain contact information, qualify the lead, and establish rapport all within only a few minutes of conversation. It is designed to ask the right questions in a very non-threatening manner with open ended questions that encourage free dialogue from the prospect. Once you understand the flow of the script and the proper way to frame your line of questioning, you will find that the caller tends to answer most of the key questions without you ever having to ask them directly. Simply focus on what the client is saying and exactly what they are trying to accomplish and you will know within minutes whether this lead has value. Remember the point of this initial follow-up is to qualify, so you should have three main goals:

• Obtain a email or mailing address for drip campaigns • Establish if they are currently working with a real estate agent to purchase or sell • Find out if they have already been pre-qualified by another lender

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Script for Loan Originators

Hello, this is John Smith and this is just a customer service follow-up call. We saw that you recently accessed our toll-free information line about Extension Description and I just wanted to get you some more information out on this property (or send you out the property brochure).

Stating that this is a customer service call will place the caller at ease that this is not a pushy sales call. Be sure to provide the property address, this will remind them of the call that they had just placed and assure them that it is not a cold call. If this is an attempt on a different day, say “we saw that you called into our toll-free information line last night (or this weekend)” to help jog their memory. Do not ask them if they received all the information they were looking for or if you can send them out information. This gives the caller two ways to deny additional information. Keep the attitude that you are going to send them the information they are looking for.

Great, I would like to forward you pictures and pricing information along with all of the property details. May I have your mailing or email address, which ever one is easier for you?

Immediately ask for the information to be emailed or mailed to them. It actually gives them an easy out, thinking they may not have to answer any direct questions or speak with anyone at length about the property, but they will still be able to receive the information in which they were interested.

Fantastic, I would also like to send some additional information on similar listings in this area. If I could get an idea of what you are looking for in your new home, we could put together a list of properties that might fit your needs. How many bedrooms and bathrooms are you looking for?

Immediately get the caller talking about what they are looking for in their new home. If they are not open to this line of questioning, try a softball question like “Okay, how long have you been in the market for a new home?” You will also find that it is typically better to establish some rapport with the caller before beginning with the financial pre-qualification. Spend some time finding out exactly what the caller is looking for and it will be much easier to get them to open up about their current financial situation.

Okay, what areas of town would you like to live in?

You should have already obtained the amount of bedrooms they are looking for. If this number is 3+, there is a good chance they already have kids and it is a great time to add “Or is there a particular school district you would like to stay in?”

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And is there anything in particular you need in your new home or special amenities? Especially in terms of the yard or would you like a pool?

Try to let them speak freely at this point. Often they will answer all of your questions without you having to prompt them. Also, they could give out other details once they start talking about the home. Pay particular attention, since they could mention that they currently own or talk about searching with their buyer’s agent at this point.

Great, just so we can narrow the search down could you please give me a rough estimate of the price range you are looking in?

Occasionally people are hesitant to talk about price range and financing, but by moving this question to the end of the qualifying you should have built a certain amount of comfortableness in the conversation and they should be open to answering all of your questions.

Excellent at this point are you just driving around looking at properties and searching on the internet?

The purpose of this question is to find out if they are currently working with a real estate agent during their home search. At this point you should have a fairly good idea of where they are and whether they have any assistance. Try to never come right out and ask the caller if they are working with an agent. Too often they will simply answer “yes” when that is not really the case.

Are you currently leasing the property where you live?

• If YES- How long do you have left on your lease? • If NO- Do you need to sell you current home before you move?

This question serves two purposes, finding out the person’s motivation to move and uncovering potential listing opportunities.

Excellent, I work with Company Name and we are a premier lending company in the Metropolitan area. We would like to help you find the best possible financing for your new home purchase. Have you been pre-qualified for a new home loan?

• If Yes: It’s great to know you’ve taken the first step; however there are a lot of financing options available to you. Would you like to receive a competitive quote?

Obviously, this is the main question you are looking to get answered during the call. As we stated before, it is typically easier to get the person to open up about their financial situation after you have established some rapport first. You should have some idea how long they have been in the market and if they are already working with any other services. However, if you feel they still do not seem ready to go into the financing side, try using something a little softer, like “Are you looking to do a zero down program?”

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May I ask you some pre-qualifying questions so we can call you back with an estimate of your maximum loan amount?

• What is your gross monthly income? • What are your current monthly payments, excluding rent or mortgage? • How would you rate your credit…excellent, good of fair? • May I ask what you have for a down payment? • Are you self-employed?

I certainly appreciate all of your time and at this point I would like to spend some time putting together information on properties that could fit your needs and also finding the proper program for financing your new home purchase. I will have all of this forwarded to your email and of course all of my contact information will be included so please call me with any questions. Again, my name is John Smith and I work with Company Name and if you have any questions immediately please call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Second Follow-up Script

Hello, this is John Smith with Company Name. You recently called my toll-free information line in regards to (Extension Description) and this is just a follow-up call to check and see how the home search is going and find out if I could answer any questions.

• Are you still searching in the Subdivision area? • And what methods are you currently using to search? • There are so many great homes out on the market and so many things for you to

consider. What are you finding to be the most difficult during your home search? • I completely understand and actually have a ton of information that could help explain

this. I could mail or email it over which ever one is easiest for you. • Great and I would also really like to schedule an appointment to meet tomorrow to

discuss this in more detail. I could do it at 10 am or 6 pm which ever one is best for you.

Voice Mail Script

Be sure to make several attempts before leaving a voice mail. If you are unable to reach the caller after at least 3 attempts and reach their voice mail, the following script can be used: Hi, this is John Smith with Company Name and I noticed that you recently called my real estate hotline for more information on Extension Description. This is just a customer service call to follow up and make sure that you received all of the information that you were looking for. I would be happy to provide you with additional details or to answer any of your real estate related questions. Please feel free to contact me at anytime by calling XXX-XXX-XXXX, again that is XXX-XXX-XXXX.

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3. Be confident and prepared when speaking to prospects. Don’t forget about the importance of tone and inflection. Often the caller is going to have a justifiable amount of uncertainty as to who is calling. However, this is easily defeated with a strong inflection that reflects organization and confidence. Coupling these with the speed of your follow-up is going to present great professionalism and greatly enhance the chances of the prospect opening up to you. Always bring the confidence that you are going to be successful to every call. The caller can sense this and it will lead to you ensuring the caller that you can help them in their home search instead of asking them for permission to help them. Manage the Fear of Loss Out of fear of losing a prospect, many originators make the mistake of responding to the prospect’s questions regarding specifics prior to establishing rapport. They feel that if they don’t answer the prospect’s questions right away and instead choose to engage the prospect with questions on areas of commonality, they will actually alienate and potentially lose a buyer. This fear, while understandable, does not make good business sense. You will increase your numbers significantly if you hold out and build rapport with your prospects in your attempt to get to know them prior to offering answers to their questions. Below you will find various ways to handle the objections that prospects will often have. By learning to deflect these and move back into the script, you will find that you will more accurately qualify, gain vital contact information, and convert more leads to the closing table than ever before.

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Handling Objections from Prospects

I was just calling for the listing price. “Great, I’ll have that sent over immediately along with all the pictures and additional details. Would you like that by mail or should I just email it to you?” How did you get my number? “When someone calls my toll-free number, I receive their phone number via text message, allowing me to follow up and address any questions they may have. This is just a customer service call to follow up and make sure you received all of the information about the property/report that you were calling about, and to see if I could be of more service to you.” I’m on the Do Not Call List. “By calling my toll-free number, you initiated a business contact which allows me, under the guidelines set out by the Do Not Call laws, to follow up with you. I do respect your privacy and would be happy to place you on my personal Do Not Call List. However, while I do have you on the line I would be happy to answer any additional questions you might have.” It’s out of my price range. Or This house is too small. Or I’m not interested in this property. Many callers will have a specific problem with the property and that is fine. The key is to move away from the negative as quickly as possible and ask them another question that will get them back to talking about what they do want or need. “Oh sure, I certainly understand. Is this the area of town that you want to live in or are there other areas where you have been looking?” I didn’t expect to be called back. “I wanted to follow up with you as soon as possible to make sure you received the information you were looking for. Again, I don’t want to take up a lot of your time, but this is just a customer service call and I wanted to see if I could be of further service to you.” I’m just browsing/window shopping and I am not ready to buy. “Great, I like to drive around neighborhoods and look at the new homes as they come on the market. It’s really how most people find their homes today and you never know when you are going to drive by your dream home. When you do decide to buy is this the neighborhood you want to purchase in?” I didn’t call a toll-free line. I received your phone number after someone accessed an extension on my toll-free number. Is there a possibility that someone else may have called form this number? Or is there a better time at which I can call back and pass along the previously requested information? I’m not interested in the property. “I certainly understand, however we have access to hundreds of other properties in the area that could fit your criteria. We just need to understand what you need. Was there anything you didn’t like about this property or anything you are specifically looking for in your new home?”

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This property is overpriced. “Okay I can understand that, but I think once you get inside of this property that could definitely change. What price range have you been looking at?” I’m a neighbor looking for the price. “Oh great, the way the market is today I think everyone is curious. What did you think? Excellent; and I’m just curious, have you been considering placing your home on the market?” Don’t be offended by prospects’ objections. If you are properly prepared to handle them, you can use them as a springboard to enter into dialogue about the home-buying process. The important thing is to get them talking and to build rapport. Once they like and trust you, the conversation can easily transition into converting them into a client.

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Chapter 8

Establishing a FSBO Program

For Sale By Owner marketing will generate multiple purchase opportunities, and as a lender you have a tremendous advantage over a Realtor® in converting FSBO leads. To successfully market to FSBOs, it is imperative that you demonstrate patience and restraint in your interactions.


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Profiting From For Sale By Owners For Sale By Owner (FSBO) marketing is a powerful consumer direct initiative that assists in balancing your marketing (so you never become too susceptible to any one approach) and will generate you multiple purchase opportunities. Many originators choose not to market to FSBOs, believing the strategy will alienate their Realtor® partners. However, the effects are quite the opposite. If these concerns are addressed upfront and properly, your agent partner will understand that this campaign will actually feed them buyers and sellers and eventually the listing, likely at full fee. There are five keys to maximizing your FSBO marketing plan:

1. Learn the proper techniques to approach the homeowner. 2. Properly convey the win-win to your Realtor® partner (if using one). 3. Leverage your marketing to generate multiple purchase opportunities (you are not selling

the home, you are generating leads). 4. Be mindful that 70% of FSBOs will list with a full-serviced real estate agent, so introduce

your Realtor® partner at the proper time, early and often. 5. Service the For Sale By Owner’s new loan.

The Originator Advantage As an originator you have a tremendous advantage over an agent in converting FSBO opportunities; after all, you are presenting yourself as a marketing partner versus the agent who is attempting to enter into a commission-based contract. Because of this, the agent is perceived as a sales person, whose interests are to divert profits due the homeowner. You are non-threatening; you have no desire to list the house or divert profits. As a matter of fact, you actually have the same motive as the seller since neither of you get paid until their home is sold. You simply want to create an opportunity to facilitate the loan which is a natural by-product of the home sale. You are not commanding a commission, fee, or contract from the homeowner. Actually, you are offering your years of experience and expertise at no cost to the seller. The strategy is to provide services to assist the FSBO in selling their home by increasing the professionalism of their marketing in exchange for the homeowner allowing you to market your services to the prospects, regardless if they choose to purchase the home or not. You work in a partnership with the homeowner to assist them in the home sale. Your participation is to provide financing information and pre-qualifying services. If they have been out on the market for any length of time they already understand that the vast majority of buyers that approach FSBOs are low-ballers, investors, and people that are not in the proper financial position to purchase a home. They are tired of wasting their time showing the property to people who have no interest or ability to purchase and will greatly appreciate somebody who can weed out these unqualified prospects. Next you are going to greatly improve their marketing visibility. Show them how the Powerline™ will generate prospects 24 hours a day, increase response by 300% by removing the caller’s hesitancy, and how you are instantly notified so you can qualify the prospect while they are still outside of the property. Another method involves helping them establish a greater web presence. Take their listing and post it on multiple free sites such as Craigslist, Zillow, and Google Base. For maximum effectiveness you should establish your own personal website where you post the FSBOs. Not

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only does this exhibit professionalism to your current clients, but it can also easily drive potential sellers directly to you. Consider running picture ads in local real estate magazines, publishing all of the properties which you are partnering. The chapter available in this manual, “Success with Picture Ads,” will walk you through generating new buyer leads by utilizing the proper advertising techniques. The home is often the biggest financial obligation a person accepts. Ironically, this decision is often emotionally based rather than logically. The truth is that buyers (think: multiple purchase opportunities) are more responsive and attracted to the home than they are to finance-based marketing. That is the key to the FSBO program; you are using the home as your offer or “marketing bait.” There is only one buyer per home, but that same property could generate dozens of new buyer leads each month. These are leads that you can pre-qualify and then pass on to your Realtor®. Once you have this cycle in place, the agent is going to see the value of call capture and you will easily be able to convince them to co-market their listings on Powerline™, and you will have created a balanced stream of leads that can thrive in any market conditions. Why Most Originators Quit Prospecting to FSBOs As an originator, you understand that you are a true asset to the FSBO. You are facilitating the loan, which is a necessary function of the sale. You will help market the home and pre-qualify the prospects. You are willing to perform these tasks and you’re not commanding a commission. It’s a true win-win for both you and the FSBO. Yet the FSBO is still hesitant. Why? Put yourself in their shoes: You have decided to list your home as FSBO. Most likely, you are trying to see if you can save several thousand dollars in commissions. You invested a few thousand dollars painting and cleaning your property. You have spent another $300 on a Sunday picture ad. You purchased a FSBO website and yard sign kit from your local big box home improvement store for $399. You have taken pictures of your property and uploaded them onto the FSBO site. You have spent dozens of hours and thousands of dollars on this project. Your ad hits on Sunday. Fifteen real estate agents call you before 10AM. They all tell you they are taking a survey or they have a buyer for you. They immediately segue into asking you for your listing. After having just spent a significant amount of money on preparing your home in hopes of saving money by selling it yourself, you are obviously determined not to hire a full-service real estate agent. Imagine what your response might be to all of these solicitations for your business:

• First, you politely say “no.” • Second, you ask where they saw your ad. • Third, you begin to feel aggravated. • Fourth, you become downright angry.

The FSBO is lost, confused, and aggravated. They want to wait a few days to see if their advertising and hard work pays off. They are likely going to put you off, not fully appreciating or understanding your offer. Most originators and real estate agents alike become frustrated and stop prospecting to that specific FSBO. After several failed attempts, they quit prospecting to FSBOs completely. Originators who successfully obtain FSBO listings use this to their advantage. They know the

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seller’s resistance lowers the longer they are on the market, and they maintain contact with the FSBO by entering them into a drip marketing campaign, eventually winning the listing. The FSBO Personality To assist you in developing the FSBO relationship, you must first identify what type of personality you are interacting with. It has been proven that if you can identify the personality of your prospect and adapt your presentation to fit their personality, you have a greater chance at converting the lead. Since this approach generates greater results, don’t abandon it in favor of approaching all FSBOs the same. The four archetypal personalities:

1. Analytical: Not physically demonstrative. Slow to make decisions and requires proof and details to substantiate claims. Appears to be quiet and in control.

2. Dominant: Not physically demonstrative. Quick to make decisions, controlling, concerned with the bottom line. Appears to be hurried.

3. Likeable: Physically demonstrative. Agreeable, team player, empathetic. Appears to be easy going.

4. Expressive: Very physically demonstrative. Outspoken, animated, and constantly physically moving. Desires to be the center of attention. Appears to be multi-tasking.

Of these four personalities, the vast majority of FSBOs are analytical with the remainder being dominant. Analytical types possess a primary motivation to save money. Dominant types believe they can sell their own home easily. The analytical FSBO is going to require that you show them physical evidence of why you will increase the visibility of their home. They are not likely to enter into a partnership immediately, as they are slow to make decisions, so you are going to have to exercise some patience. The dominant FSBO believes they can easily sell their own home, although they also possess a secondary motivation of saving money. They most likely made the decision to list FSBO as an experiment to see if their home would sell on its own. Dominant personalities represent the FSBOs that you are able to enter into a partnership with on the initial meeting.

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FSBO Script Hi, this is Joe Smith. I’m calling about your home you have advertised; is it still for sale?

Do not immediately identify yourself as an originator. A FSBO prospect will often respond that they have sold their house and look for a quick out if they think you are not a potential homebuyer.

My first name is Joe; may I ask your name?

By offering your first name and asking theirs, you are personalizing the discussion and leading the dialogue.

(Prospect first name), my company offers free financial information and pre-qualification services to For Sale by Owners. We are not a real estate company and there is no obligation, no fees, and no commissions. I’m calling to see if I may come by this afternoon or tomorrow morning to drop of my packet of services. Which of these times would be better for you?

Let the prospect know that you are not a Realtor®, the services are free, and that there is no obligation. Expect them to be hesitant, wary, and throw out an objection.

If no… Great, first let me say that I greatly respect your decision to sell your home yourself and I am not calling to solicit your listing. I have developed a For Sale By Owner marketing kit that is completely free to you. The kit includes:

• A true CMA (competitive market analysis) • Tips on staging your home, both inside and out • A Free Report that details how to ensure you have safe showings • How to negotiate offers • Free access to my 24-hour marketing hotline • Color brochures

We work with you to sell your home at the highest possible price. May I drop this information off tomorrow morning or would afternoon be better?

All FSBOs want to save money and maximize sales price, so reiterate that benefit and make the service seem as turnkey as possible. If they are still hesitant, they are likely wondering, “What’s in it for you?” So tell them.

My For Sale By Owner finance kit is free. There are no fees, commissions, or obligations. What’s in it for me is simply to offer the eventual buyer financing. If you should need financing on your next home purchase, I’d be honored to provide you with a proposal. Sound fair?

Again, reiterate free and no obligation but expect hesitation. If they still won’t meet in person, you will have to instill some fear on why they are at a disadvantage and need your services.

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Let me ask you a question from the point of view of a buyer. Why do you think a qualified buyer, someone with good credit and plenty of cash to purchase a home, would see an advantage in buying from a For Sale by Owner?

This forces the prospect to think of their decisions based on the mindset of their potential buyers.

As an example, let’s say you are selling your home for $400,000. Wouldn’t it make sense that somebody who can afford this home also realizes they can walk into any real estate office and hire a professional buyer’s agent for free?

Make sure that your tone is not confrontational. Your point is to get them to think about their decision, not feel stupid about it.

Furthermore, it’s important that you realize that as a FSBO, you will have extremely limited exposure to the most qualified buyers. And, obviously, the more buyers you have interested in your property, the greater the demand will be. The greater the demand, the more money you stand to make on your home sale. Do you realize that attracting these best qualified buyers will be significantly more difficult working by yourself than it would be if you had the services of a professional finance company? The advantages of using a professional finance company are numerous: in addition to the FSBO finance and marketing kit, I will also bring exposure to my real estate partners and they in turn to their universe of buyers. I pre-arrange financing for all interested prospects so you do not waste time with unqualified buyers. With all of these services at no charge to you, it is obvious that the best decision is to employ a professional finance company to assist you in your home sale. What time tomorrow may we meet?

These details should open the eyes of the FSBO and open a dialogue about what you can bring to the table. You are attempting to express your value to the FSBO and hopefully set an appointment.

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Referring An Agent Statistically, the FSBO will list with an agent between 25 and 35 days after they place the home on the market. As their marketing partner, you should assume the responsibility to make sure they list with the best agent for them. Most of the calls to the FSBO listing will not be interested in purchasing the home. Naturally you will build relationships with as many of these prospects as possible and in doing so, you will uncover prospects that need Realtor® representation and possible listings for your Realtor® partners. Methods for Identifying For Sale by Owners in Your Area Traditionally, FSBOs place a sign in their yard and a three-line ad in their local newspaper. With the growth of online media such as owner’s websites, online classified engines, and online magazines, tracking down all of the FSBOs in your area has become a full-time job in itself. The following is a list of the most common FSBO listing sources: Arch Telecom’s FSBO Data Service: The Arch For Sale by Owner Listing Service identifies and delivers to you properties that have recently been advertised. Arch uses a multi-step process to uncover and add missing elements so that you have accurate names, phone numbers, and postal addresses. Simply enter your desired zip code and the advertised FSBO listings are delivered daily to your email for up to a 50-mile radius (maximum 250 square miles and you may narrow your radius to a minimum of one mile). For more information, visit our website at: http://www.archtelecom.com/products/data_service/fsbo.asp. Newspapers and Magazines: Many people still use this as their first option when advertising, but rising costs of placing classified ads in the large metropolitan papers are preventing some FSBOs from using this media. You should also regularly check smaller local papers, especially if you live in a suburban area. Advertising rates are often cheaper and the distribution area is smaller.

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Websites: The new starting place for owners to place their homes is online. From major national FSBO websites, to local/regional sites and online classifieds, this is where people are placing their listings. Most yard signs come with “free” website listings, which owners are more than happy to take advantage of. Finding all of the sources where people are advertising is becoming difficult as new sources spring up everyday. The major sites are:

• forsalebyowner.com • Owners.com • FSBO.com • FSBO.net • buyowner.com • craigslist.org • Zillow.com

Driving neighborhoods: Always keep a pen handy and jot down addresses and phone numbers of FSBOs that you uncover while driving in your area. Finding FSBOs before they list: Another effective way to recruit FSBOs is to get them before they decide to go By Owner. Place classified ads in your local papers advertising special reports. Your Arch subscription includes several FSBO ads and fulfillment reports: Contacting the For Sale by Owners Telemarketing: It is still the fastest, most inexpensive way to contact leads. Being confident, upbeat, and persistent is the key to successful phone contacts. You will find several scripts to assist you. Direct Mail: Designing a powerful “Call to Action” mail piece is an effective way to generate phone calls from interested sellers. Many people who list their home without assistance are unaware of the pitfalls that they will encounter. Developing a drip campaign, designed around the progress of For Sale by Owners, can yield substantial results. It is also important to develop a mail piece to send to people you have spoken with over the phone. It is the most effective way to get your name, phone number, and web address into the lead’s home. Always use your Arch Powerline™ Service to help generate a better response from any mail that you send. Often times the owner will want to gather information on listing with an agent before actually speaking with one. Advertising “24-hour Recorded Information” will avoid their natural hesitation, making you the first person to know when a current FSBO is about to become a “Just Listed.”

Sample Classified Ad- FSBO or Realtor: Making the Right Decision Will Save You Thousands! Call 800-XXX-XXX ext XXXX, 24-hour recorded information.

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Chapter 9

Forging Relationships with Top Producers

Once you demonstrate the effectiveness of co-marketing listings using the Powerline™ technology and the value of dividing advertising costs, you will soon have a stable of Realtors® producing an incredible amount of new leads every month.


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Forging Relationships with Top Producers

The traditional first point of contact for homebuyers has always been the real estate agent, private seller, or builder. This is because the prospective homebuyer wants to purchase the home, not the mortgage. As with all sales, you are targeting the emotion of the prospect and it is through the property that you generate that response. Currently 80% of homes sales are generated through a real estate agent. The Powerline™ service will empower you to reverse the traditional atmosphere, placing you in the position of initial contact, and thereby allowing you to establish the rapport with the buyer and control the service selected during the home buying process. At that point you are going to be able to take those qualified buyers, up to 30% of which will also be home sellers, and hand them to your real estate partner. Many real estate agents perceive the lender as a commodity, an ancillary source that can be replaced at their choosing. That will no longer be a concern of yours when you begin to funnel a steady pipeline of new home buyers and sellers to the agent. Now you have established a steady revenue from your referral-based business. Just imagine if you had five or even ten top-producing Realtors® constantly feeding you business. It is simply a matter of identifying the challenges facing the individual agent’s business and presenting the Powerline™ system as a viable solution. Co-marketing listings utilizing the Powerline™ technology is going to deliver more commissions per dollar than any other form of marketing. Once you begin to demonstrate the effectiveness of the marketing system along with the value of dividing advertising costs, you will soon have a stable of Realtors® that produce an incredible amount of new leads every month. Why would a top-producing REALTOR® opt to co-market with you?

• Lowered Advertising Costs - The cost for the ads when divided is going to be considerably less than current market value, but the commissions will not suffer.

• No More Lost Leads - Calls will no longer fall through the cracks at the front desk, get accidentally deleted, or “disappear” after hours. Every lead will be forwarded to both you and the agent’s cell phone via text messaging and email, including the caller’s number, property they inquired on, and name and address if available. Additionally, each caller will be able to direct connect to either you or the agent at the touch of a button for more information on the property or special financing options.

• Double End More Deals - Listing agents will discover that many of the ads will uncover a buyer, directly resulting in the sale of their listing, thus leading to an increase in double-ending more deals.

• The Ultimate Listing Tool - Powerline™ offers a proven multi-step listing presentation that will close over 90% of the agent’s appointments. View the presentation at http://www.archtelecom.com/downloads/listingpresentation.asp.

• Promote Existing Listings - With the Powerline™ technology the agent creates 300% more inquiries…that’s three times the opportunity to sell the home.

• Consumer Direct Marketing - The Powerline™ system comes with an entire library of direct response reports for the real estate agents, targeting both buyers and sellers.

Steps for Recruiting Top-Producing Agents

• Identify the agents you wish to target for your program. Remember, houses sell mortgages so target agents with large inventories and attractive listings in your area.

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• Determine the investment you will need from each agent. Arch Telecom does not assume or imply any responsibility or interpretation of local RESPA laws. Please consult your in-house representation for interpretation of RESPA compliancy.

• Mail a letter to the agents detailing your marketing program and how it will benefit their business. You will find numerous examples in this chapter and on our website at www.archtelecom.com/downloads. Keep in mind that these are only templates and you should tailor them to fit the individual needs of the agent you are recruiting and clearly define your marketing plan. Then follow up with a phone call to discuss the information and set an appointment to meet.

• If the agent is a top producer, schedule a lunch to meet with them one-on-one. Also, gain their confidence by passing some consumer direct leads you have generated or buyer’s leads off of FSBO properties you are working with.

• For lesser established agents, set up a presentation to several agents at a time and field questions. It will help establish yourself as an expert in the market and also put you in a position to decide which agents will be worth your investment.

Keys to Co-Marketing Success The Powerline™ service will provide you with innovative strategies for increasing your real estate partner’s marketing. These processes increase their return, which effectively increases your return. Sign Riders - Make sure the signs are printed on both sides and clearly show your toll-free number along with an extension and read “Free 24-Hour Recorded Information.” Also, remove brochure boxes or present them with only limited information. It will force prospects to call the system to receive key particulars about the property. Home Magazines - Remember to use the keywords in the headline: FREE, 24-Hour, Recorded Information, and Talking Ad. Put little ad copy to ensure you do not disqualify any potential buyers. Make sure to focus on your target audience. Determine if the home appeals to first-time homebuyers, rehabbers, or established families and write the headline accordingly. You can find a comprehensive guide to picture advertising online at http://www.archtelecom.com/downloads/sampleads.asp. Direct Mail - Be sure to make the ad as exclusive as possible. Response marketing works because you are taking the time to educate about your expertise before you ask to make an appointment. Make the ad read like an editorial by removing any personal promotion from within the ad itself. Prospects will respond due to the value of the information you are offering. Utilize Source Digits - By adding the unique Ad-Tracking digit to each of your extensions, you will be aware of exactly how effective each of your marketing campaigns is. At the end of the week/month you will be able to pull a report from our website showing you the number of calls each advertisement has received to ensure that you obtain maximum return on your investment. The Appendix found at the back of this manual includes step-by-step guides to help your Realtor® partner set up a successful listing presentation and FSBO campaign, and to win expired listings.

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Top-Producing Realtor® Recruitment Letter

Date John Smith 123 Achievement Way Any City, Anytown 12345

Dear Mr. Smith, You have rightfully positioned yourself to do business with any lender you choose. You are one of the top Realtors® in the (CITY) area. In fact, I’m sure lenders are inundating you with offers. You are busy… preoccupied with work. Unfortunately your hard work is creating opportunities for your competition. Leads that your reputation and marketing campaign generated are being diverted from you by competition that exists inside and outside of your office. For you, (NAME OF AGENT), I have a solution. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is (YOUR NAME). I work with (NAME OF COMPANY). My mission is to be the provider of the best, most innovative lending services in this country and to develop a winning relationship with you, one that benefits us equally. I have something very unique and powerful to offer you. It is a program that will guarantee every single lead that your marketing campaign generates is delivered directly to you within seconds of the call. Every lead has the potential to create a whole new avenue of growth for new listings. I’ll also provide you with a unique and powerful listing presentation. This service, Powerline™ 800 from Arch Telecom, utilizes the most sophisticated interactive voice response technology and enables prospective buyers to obtain immediate information on any of your listings by phone or text messaging directly to their cell phone. Because the information is available 24 hours and is automated, prospects lose their call reluctance - their natural hesitation when initiating a call to a sales person. This will create 300% to 500% more inquiries on your existing marketing. When they call, our technology captures their name, address, phone number, listing number, and ad source that caused them to respond. I’ll pre-qualify every lead for you so you only work with QUALIFIED buyers. We’ll also track every lead so that you’ll know the precise ad medium from which the prospect responded. This will enable us to fund the ads that work and eliminate the ones that don’t.

Increase Your Listing Inventory

By A Minimum Of 20%

Approximately 20% of our buyer leads will also be SELLERS. I’ll show you how to effectively take these listing opportunities off the market before they ever become competitive, generating

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new listings for you (and more loan opportunities for me, as I told you this is EQUALLY beneficial). The program will empower you with the most aggressive and innovative listing presentation you’ve ever seen. Plus, we’ll utilize the power of response marketing with all of our personal and display marketing. I have free reports, already produced and ready to go, that will offer our expertise with prospective buyers and sellers. This builds confidence in our prospects. We’ll educate and initiate a “reciprocity” relationship compelling our prospects to do business with us. All I ask is that you invest 10 minutes so that I may personally sit down with you and introduce my marketing program: the most effective growth and income-producing campaign available to the real estate professional. I am implementing this system in conjunction with local For Sale by Owners and have already generated dozens of both buyer and seller leads. These are leads that I am willing to share with you and will make available when we meet in person. I have selected you because of your professionalism and reputation. Don’t deny yourself this opportunity, or worse, let your competition get a hold of it. You’ve already done enough for them! I’ll be calling __________ to set up an introductory appointment. Sincerely, Your Loan Rep

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Recruiting the Realtor®

How to Make the Sales Presentation to the Agent The first thing you must say to the agent is a powerful, attention-grabbing benefit statement. Something so powerfully beneficial that it will “grab him by the throat” so his attention will be totally devoted to your presentation. A few examples:

• Good afternoon, Mr. Johnson. Thank you for this opportunity to explore how Powerline™ technology and (YOUR COMPANY) will increase your monthly income a minimum of 30% in the next 90 days.

• Good afternoon, Mr. Johnson. The program I’m about to reveal to you today has the top-producing agents in the country exploding with new growth. The best part is that it is now available to you and you can take advantage of it immediately.

• Good afternoon, Mr. Johnson. In the next 30 minutes you will discover a revolutionary co-marketing program that will add a minimum of 30% new growth to your bottom line; that’s new growth that you would not have without this program.

Tip: You are there to make an impact. Specifics win over generalities. Do not use passive statements such as:

• Have you ever heard of 800 call-capture technology? • Are you familiar with this type of marketing? • Ever seen automated lead generation services?

These passive statements will lump you into a category where you do not want to be: with everyone else. The strength of your offer will be its uniqueness. The unique selling proposition (USP) is one of the most powerful selling principles you’ll ever know. The more unique your program is, the more successful it will be. Powerline™ is unique. The technology is more sophisticated and your marketing program is more innovative. Don’t devalue your program by associating it with anything else on the market. After you have commanded the agent’s attention, you must explore his or her business so you can offer specific solutions. Discovery is vital. It is just not possible to offer valuable solutions if you don’t know the Realtor’s® business, proving the sales adage: you cannot prescribe without first diagnosing. You will have far greater impact building rapport with agents if you take the time to learn about their business. Realtors® have a variety of ways to do business, so unless you apply specific benefits of the Powerline™ service to their specific needs, your recruitment will not have maximum impact. An easy segue from the attention phase to the explorative phase is, “So I may specifically show you how the program will have the most impact on your business, may I ask you a few questions?” The following questions are explorative with the objective being discovery of the Realtor®’s existing ways of doing business. Ask the questions you feel are most beneficial and whose answers divulge the most vital information.

• How many transactions did you close? • How many listings do you currently hold? • Do you enjoy working more with buyers or sellers? • What various sources and publications do you currently market in? • How many leads does your advertising generate a month?

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• Do you use a contact management program? • Do you utilize any direct response marketing? • If you could grow one aspect of your business in the next 30 days, what would that be?

Now you can use this information to set up the benefits of the Powerline™ program by showing how it can fulfill the needs of the agent. Your goal is to show him how you can increase his bottom line and put money in his pocket by co-marketing with you.

• Tell me about your listing presentations. • How long do you plan on being in the business? • How do you approach For Sale by Owners? • How do you approach Expireds?

The answers to these questions are your most valuable assets when generating a strategy to recruit agents. By finding the specific challenges that the agent faces you can help them understand how Powerline™ provides a unique solution. Presentation Recruitment Strategies Every agent can be recruited if you provide enough benefits in your co-marketing program. You will have to “shade” your presentation depending upon the individual Realtor®. For example, most top-producing agents will want control of their leads. So you may have to provide them with their own mailbox. This will allow them control over their system and the leads it generates, while also allowing you total access. Some agents, especially newer ones, will want you to perform all the legwork. They want you to do all the telemarketing and hand them back leads. These opportunities can produce tremendous amounts of potential homebuyers. In this situation you will have more control over the transaction as the first point of contact with the buyer. There are several benefits the Powerline™ system can provide the Realtor®. We will discuss the three basic strategies and list the feature-advantage-benefits that will enable you to “plug in” from there. The three basic strategies are: 1. Find more Qualified Buyers 2. Uncover more Sellers 3. Empower the agent with an effective and innovative Listing Presentation Qualified Buyers Create a real life situation based upon the answers to your exploring questions. Put the Realtor® in the middle of the problem and offer a solution. For example, the Realtor® advertises in the homes magazines and has no idea how many leads it generates. Buyer Presentation Mr. Realtor®, imagine a prospect sitting on the sofa at home with their spouse flipping through the latest edition of the homes magazine. Take a look at the current homes magazine ads; they all look alike. What is going to separate your listings from the hundreds of others enough to prompt the prospect to pick up the phone and call you? Even worse, if he does call, more than likely you are out in the field, working with another client, or simply eating dinner with your family. So what happens? He turns the page and dials another agent. By the time you return

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the call, he is either working with another agent, completely lost interest, or the lead is lost through the cracks. What you need is a tool to identify that prospect and to find the active market without spending any more of your valuable time. Powerline™ technology combined with unique, non-threatening marketing and call to action strategies has buyers finding you instead of you always finding buyers. How? Consider this: every consumer has a natural reluctance to initially deal with a live sales person. Think about the last time that a sales person asked if he could help you. Your immediate response is one of hesitation. Offering your listing information through 24-hour recorded ads and text messages via the Powerline™ technology removes this reluctance. Eliminating this natural hesitancy will yield three to five times as many calls to your Powerline™ to obtain information about your listings. The system then captures the phone number, name, and address of the caller, along with the ad medium from which he responded. This information is then delivered directly to you within seconds of the call…while your prospect’s buying interest is at its peak. You will never lose another lead. You are completely accessible to all your leads and you have the ability to track your ad response with pinpoint accuracy. We’ll actually eliminate ads that do not pull to lower your ad cost and fund the high return ads to maximize our results. The bottom line to making money in real estate is to constantly be in front of people who are ready to make a buying or selling decision and effectively close them. That’s what our program does. It simply takes the universe of prospects in your farm and places them into our unique follow-up system where I qualify them while you convert them. By incrementally changing your advertising from “traditional, me too” to “interactive” (utilizing proven marketing and ad strategies that I provide), you generate “warm” to “hot” leads 24 hours a day. Why would prospects be more inclined to call your Powerline™ number versus your local number? First of all, because it’s non-threatening, pressure-free, and 24 hours a day. Additionally, I will teach you how to place advertisements and write compelling ad copy that prompts people to call. Approximately 20% of the prospects who call in to buy a home are also soon going to become sellers. Imagine a potential buyer calling your Powerline™ system. You get notified with their phone number, the property they’re interested in, their name and address and the ad source. When you or I call them back, the conversion (using some “yes” momentum language we provide) leads you to find out that the potential buyer is going to sell his home before moving. Guess what? You have a fabulous opportunity to generate a new listing! Put yourself in the potential seller’s shoes. Despite the circumstances, we know that often a buyer inquiry may take hours or even days for a response from the agent. When you respond immediately, the home seller recognizes the power of your technology because he has just experienced it first hand. This application has strong implications in your business and gets you in the door every time. You will effectively take listings off the market before they ever become competitive. And, as you know, a listing leads to a listing.

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Uncover Even More Sellers Most agents try to find sellers by utilizing direct mail. Creating these leads is very similar to creating consumer direct leads for yourself. Again, put the Realtor® in the middle of a problem and offer a solution. Seller Presentation Mr. Realtor®, you said that you want to attract new sellers by sending out (just listed/just sold cards, promotional material, direct mail) to generate attention inside of your farm and begin to brand yourself directly to them. While this tried and true method may generate attention and interest, it does very little to motivate the prospects to call you…a call to action. In fact, it often triggers your prospects to go see a competitor, their cousin, a distant friend, or the lady down the street who’s a part-time agent. It’s a frustrating thought and I know it happens all the time. How would you like to have a direct line to those prospects? A way of identifying them and contacting them before they go to another agent who does real estate part-time? This marketing concept is referred to as direct response information sharing. It’s a method of sharing our expertise, educating, and displaying the integrity of your service before we ask for an appointment. Done properly, this approach has been proven to fill your calendar with appointments. It’s an effective door opener that will help you reach prospects just as they enter the market, and I will provide you with tried and true campaigns. Listing Presentations Our Realtor® listing presentation can be found on page 112 and on the web at http://www.archtelecom.com/downloads/listingpresentation.asp. You should make yourself familiar with it so you can demonstrate it when presenting to potential Realtor® partners. Through discovery, you will frequently find that agents have desires to grow their listing inventory, yet they rarely have any idea of how to do this. They have no plan of action. It’s as if they believe the new listings will fall out of the sky. By creating a roadmap of how they can achieve this, you will effectively create a USP (Unique Selling Position). This listing presentation is one of the most powerful recruiting aspects of Powerline™.

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Chapter 10

Keys to Advertising

Writing ads that make you money is not a simple task, yet developing a cost-effective advertising campaign that generates significant response, and most importantly, makes you money is quite achievable.


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How to Write Advertising That Makes You Money

Most mortgage originators put very little effort into their advertising and then, ironically, are stunned when they receive lackluster results. Many originators simply copycat one another; they advertise in the same mediums and use the same ad templates and when they receive the same poor response, like brothers in failure, they console one another by accepting that advertising just doesn’t work. This does not have to be. Writing ads that make you money is not a simple task, yet developing a cost-effective advertising campaign that generates significant response, and most importantly, makes you money is quite achievable. Like in most aspects of life, to achieve results you are going to have to invest; and in the case of advertising the investment is effort and the willingness to track response. Always keep in mind these tenets as you develop your advertising strategy:

1) Advertising to pacify your seller is a waste of your hard-earned money. Treat your ads like your employee – if they are not effective in making you money, fire them.

2) Advertising requires testing and adjusting. Sometimes you must tweak the headline, copy, or close to suit your geography, market, or ad medium. You can not make proper adjustments to your ads unless you can track their response.

An Important Note on Advertising Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has published a memorandum stating guidance on the procedures for the acceptance of real estate advertising. Section 804-c of the Act prohibits the making, printing, and publishing of advertisements which state a preference, limitation or discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. To read the complete document please visit: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/disabilities/sect804achtenberg.pdf

Investing Effort Regardless if your ad is a homes magazine picture ad, a newspaper ad, or an editorial ad, there are elements that it must contain. The first level of effort would be to understand the elements of effective marketing – the “how to” and “whys”: How to:

• Make your ad stand out in a sea of competitors • Identify desired prospects • Engage prospects on an emotional level • Compel prospects to respond • Capture all the information necessary for follow-up

Why:

• Ad placement matters greatly • Tracking response is the single most important factor in advertising • Effective marketing is the fastest vehicle to build brand

Every ad you run, regardless of whether it is an editorial or picture ad, contains the following three essential sections:

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• Headline: The headline drives the ad. It must generate sufficient attention to cause the prospect to read the rest of your ad.

• Offer: The offer is the copy of the ad. It creates value and credibility and projects uniqueness that separates you from your competition.

• Close: Compels the prospect to respond in a timely fashion. First a Word on Ad Placement It doesn’t matter how good your ad is if it doesn’t get read. What location is to real estate, position is to advertising. It’s important to position your ad so that it stands out and draws attention. The number one reason prospects do not respond to your advertising is because they never notice it. Most real estate sections feature a plethora of ads that look very similar to one another, making it easy to understand why your ad may not get read. Your first job is not to get your ad read, but to get your prospect to see your ad. Prospects do not have time to read every ad, and on average will skip over 75% of the material in front of them. Think about how you read a newspaper – studies show that readers approach ads by first scanning the headlines. They then move to the top right, immediately scan the bottom of the page, and work their way up the middle and left sections. The best position for your ad is on the top front page of a section; the second best position is on the top back page of a section. The next best positions are top right, followed by bottom right. Newspapers, magazines, and other print providers know that the top front section receives the most exposure, so they will attempt to charge you a premium. Consider negotiating or leveraging them whenever possible. Tell them you are willing to sign a deal with longer terms if the ad works well for you. Be creative. If your local sports team is playing in a big game, consider running your real estate advertisement in the sports section the day after (when everybody is reading the sports section) next to the article on the game. Use that same strategy for any widely-read event. Advertising Rules Rule #1: The Headline Must Generate Attention or the Rest of Your Ad Will Not Be Read The headline is your “ad for the ad.” Your headline does not need to sell, it simply needs to grab your prospects’ attention and compel them to read the rest of the ad. The average person spends 2.8 seconds scanning your ad. You need to make your appeal quickly and succinctly in order to grab their attention. Quality headlines either reveal or promise an offer that attracts the interest of a targeted audience. One of the biggest mistakes unseasoned marketers make is that they try to appeal to a mass audience. They do not define their target audience. Your ad should address only the prospects you seek. This strategy will strengthen your appeal to your desired audience and generate a higher rate of return than a general offer to an unspecified audience. Consider the following analogy: If you were going fishing, would you be more successful if you simply cast a line into the ocean or if you used a specific bait to attract a specific fish and then cast your line in a specific part of the ocean?

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The obvious answer emphasizes the fact that the more specific the appeal, the more likely you are to attract the desired prospect’s attention. Specifics always win out over generalities. For example, if you are going to appeal to homebuyers, narrow the target down to:

• First-time homebuyers • Buyers making an upgrade • Luxury homebuyers • Investors

“Yes, That’s Me!” Once you’ve defined your target, use descriptive copy to “paint a word picture,” visually placing the prospect in a location where you can make an effective appeal. When done properly, the prospect will identify with your message and say, “Yes, that’s me,” and then they will continue reading. Whether they are negative (pain), positive (gain) or reassuring (pragmatic), emotions cause us to respond. Words emotionally relevant to “pain”

• Quit • Stop • Fail • Cease • Tired • Warning • Alert • Naïve

Words emotionally relevant to a “pragmatic” person

• Safety • Comfort • Knowledge • Protection • Security

Words emotionally relevant to “gain”

• Accomplishment • Achievement • Success • Reward • Benefit • Deserve • Earn • Finally

Tips To Help Get You Going: 1. Don’t wait for inspiration. You are writing ads for the sole purpose of generating

income. This is a learned art, not a skill with which you are born. Just start writing; improvements will come quickly.

2. Decide whom you want to target and focus on that demographic. 3. List all of the benefits that are compelling, appealing, and unique. The headline is in

that list.

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4. The headline is the most important aspect of your ad. Spend a greater amount of time considering your headline choices than any other aspect of your ad.

5. Be resilient and patient. Accept that you may initially fail. But once you learn the art, it will pay dividends for the rest of your career.

6. While the only responsibility of your headline is to generate interest, do not make the offer misleading, as this will engender mistrust and alienation.

Rule #2: Creating Value Is The Only Responsibility Of Your Offer. Your headline has achieved its goal of engaging readers and sufficiently intriguing them to read the copy of your ad. Now is your opportunity to create value and separate yourself and your offer from the competition. Your offer should be descriptive and creative. When writing copy you should endeavor to address the following:

• “What’s in it for me (the prospect)?” How will the prospect benefit by responding to your ad?

• What is my Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? This should separate you and your offer from the competition. Why would a prospect benefit from responding to your ad versus your competitors’?

• If your offer is separating the prospect from “pain,” promote your offer within a “Problem-Solution-Confirmation” framework. What problem am I addressing? What solution am I offering, and is the prospect clear on this solution?

• If your offer is appealing to a pragmatic target such as a mover-upper or a medium-to-high end audience, exploit reciprocity. With these prospects you earn trust by extending trust. David Cialdini’s book, The Power of Reciprocity, explains this human behavior trait in excellent detail.

• If your offer is focused on high-end achievers, appeal to their ego. • Tell the whole story. Prospects are more likely to respond to a longer ad that tells a

complete story than a shorter ad that leaves out important information. Focus on Value There is an abundance of real estate marketing books that promise to provide you with cut-and-paste ads or some sort of magic pill that will make you rich. Their goal is not to give you turnkey marketing that will deliver the riches they promise, but to sell you their book. They play on your desire to succeed and receive instant gratification. These experts often express that your goal in marketing should be to build desire in the customer. The truth is that real estate ads do not have to create desire in their marketing. Generally, people searching real estate ads already possess the desire to purchase or sell property; otherwise, they would not be looking at a real estate ad. Real estate is not a market that thrives on hard-sells to convince a person that they need a certain house. The house, if priced right, will sell itself. The goal of your advertising is to uncover the active buyers and sellers, not to convince them to make a buy/sell decision on a specific property or your services. On a picture ad, if your headline did its job in grabbing attention, the prospect will either find your listing desirable or not. If your ad is an editorial direct response type, the offer is either compelling to that specific prospect or not. No amount of window dressing will change that. Instead of chasing desire, focus on offering value and delivering as unique a service as possible.

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The Value Formula Prospective home buyers and sellers find value in the product and service, not in self-promotion that originates from the person selling the product or service to them. Marketing yourself instead of your service serves no purpose. Phrases such as “number one originator,” “most active lender,” “presidents’ club,” or any other self-promotional phrase creates no value. This is not to say that there are not appropriate venues for accomplishments and self-serving logos and tag lines; but keep in mind that they are most effective once value has been established. With some, but not all prospects, established lenders with strong brands already possess value, but that value was created by past performance, not by self-promotion. So how do you create value? Let’s be specific; let’s define value. Ultimately, value is a transformation of power from owner to customer. Understanding that transformation relies on the following formula: Value = Function + Perception Function is defined as Alternatives/Cost. Function is the analytical side of a person’s decision-making process. It is determined by a prospect understanding what an offer does in mechanical terms compared to like offers, divided by the cost or price. Perception is defined as Belief + Emotion. It is harder to measure and is influenced by intangibles such as beauty, image, and credibility. A buyer’s perception of an offer reflects what they find important, and often has a greater impact on decision making than function. You’ve likely heard that people buy on emotion (perception) and justify on reason (function). Consider these multiple-choice questions: You receive a $50,000 transportation allowance. Would you:

(a) Purchase a bicycle? (b) Hire a limousine service? (c) Purchase a $50,000 car?

Purchasing a bicycle is certainly the most economic but least convenient, while hiring the limo service may be the most convenient, but likely too costly. The most functional option is to purchase the car. Once you have decided to purchase the car, you may narrow your decision to three like sedans: the BMW, a Mercedes, or a Lexus. Would you:

(a) Purchase the most expensive or least expensive car in the group? (b) Purchase the car rated #1 by some unfamiliar entity or the car’s own manufacturer? (c) Purchase the car that you perceived to be the best due to some personal belief?

Generally, you would simply base your final decision on what brand you most liked. Often there is some unique feature or benefit, whether that is actual functionality or just image, which compels you to purchase one of the brands. Relate this decision-making process to how you create value in your real estate marketing. You address function, or what this offer is mechanically going to do for the prospect. Then you focus your offer on delivering unique benefits. The prospect already has the pre-established desire; you simply want to capitalize on it by leading them to you. Further investigation of the value model demonstrates that self-promotion simply does not create value. Would you be influenced to purchase the car rated #1…especially if it received that rating

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by its manufacturer? Why would a prospect want to work with a lender because they’ve proclaimed themselves #1? Certainly price is important, but it’s an entirely different metric than value. The price range is pre-established by the prospect, and the final price is established by the market, not by the lender or the seller. You can relate to this if you’ve ever listed a property that you know is overpriced. It’s not what you or the seller believes; it’s what the market will pay. Five Ways to Create Value

(1) Professionally point out the differences between your services and your competitors’. (2) Beware of discounting; instead, offer additional service. If you discount, you will

attract a discounting audience. (3) Deliver quality by under-promising and over-delivering. (4) Emphasize response time by respecting your prospects’ time and by beating your

competitors’ response times. (5) What does your industry do that is annoying to your competitors? Eliminate that and

the annoyance that it engenders in prospects.

Tips to Help You Get Going • Write conversationally. Don’t worry about perfect punctuation or grammar; you can

always fix that later with the help of spell check. • Write more copy than you need. Pare it down later. • Focus on your best benefit; don’t save your best for last. • Avoid humor. What is humorous to one person is not humorous to another.

Rule #3: Compelling the Prospect to Act Is The Only Responsibility Of The Close. Your headline and body copy have attracted the readers’ attention and sparked their interest. Now, you must compel the prospect to act and to do so immediately. Your advertising is a sales presentation in print. While print advertising should implement strategies used in your verbal sales technique, there are distinct differences between selling in person and selling in print. You must appropriately adjust for those differences. You’ve likely been taught a variety of closing techniques, such as Alternative Choice Closes. These closing techniques are about selling in person, not closing in print. If you were selling in person, you could interact with the prospect, create dialogue, generate desire, and react to the prospect’s objections. In print, you can only grab their attention, present your offer, and instruct the prospect to act. You do this in a monologue, so you must communicate more precisely and powerfully. If you are selling in person and do not close, your production suffers. Nonetheless, in person you would likely still make a few sales, as some properties sell themselves. In print, if you do not present a close, your advertising will fail you. If you have performed the sales process properly in person, the close becomes the next logical step. You’ve probably conducted sales in the past where the close seamlessly followed pre-close steps that were smooth and natural. You properly qualified the prospect, presented a compelling offer, and the close was a simple instruction such as, “this is the best possible financing, so let’s get this in process.”

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If the prospect gave you resistance, you attempted to close them again. In print, the close is also a natural progression, with one very significant difference: you must close the prospect on your first attempt. There are no second chances. Closing Is the Key to Beating Your Competition Successful real estate print ads do not sell real estate; the selling part is your job. The ad simply satisfies a specific desire that a prospect possesses, and then lead that prospect to you. If there is mass desire for your product, there are going to be many prospects attempting to capitalize on your product. Your primary goal is to close them into action. In Print, the close must:

• Succinctly and explicitly instruct the prospect with a call to action. Many print ads fail because the action step is not clear.

• Make the response mechanism simple. Many ads fail because the prospect is confused as to how to respond. If you’ve ever had trouble finding contact information in a print ad or web site, you can appreciate this.

• Reiterate the main benefit. People scan headlines. If they find the offer intriguing, they often skip to the bottom of the ad, so it is imperative that you reiterate your main benefit in the close.

• Post Scripts (PS) get read and offer a great opportunity for an additional call to action. Often you will see multiple Post Scripts in advertising, as the author knows Headlines and Post Scripts are typically read before the copy.

• Provide a finite window of time in which the prospect must respond. Advertising an offer with an expiration date engages the prospect to respond in a timely manner.

• Under-promise, over-deliver, and uphold the parameters of your offer. Make your value proposition a true win-win, and if a prospect does not respond within the guidelines that you set, do not hesitate to refuse them. You can not be all things to all people, and your time is the most valuable asset you have. Respect your prospects’ time and work with those who similarly respect yours.

Tips To Help You Get Going:

• Use simple language. People with large vocabularies are not offended by simple language, and for others, it’s the only language they understand.

• Instruct, instruct, and instruct. Never assume the prospect understands the action that you want them to take. Clearly and specifically instruct them.

• Write two closes and show them to an associate. Ask them which one is more compelling.

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Building a Successful Ad To demonstrate the process of building an ad, let’s visit each element and discuss the applicable rules it follows. Example Ad: An appeal to a first-time homebuyer using pain as the emotional motivator Headline: “Tired Of Making Your Landlord Rich? Then Quit Throwing Your Money Down The Drain…” Consider the rules this Headline follows:

• It specifically targets a renter, likely a first-time home buyer. • It projects its message using a painful emotional plea. The words “tired” and the phrase

“throwing money away” put the prospect in a visual space, albeit a negative one, but the key is to grab their attention.

• The headline alludes to revealing a promise to help with the action phrase “then quit.”

The Offer “Your monthly rent builds equity for your landlord, not you. By owning a home of your own, you stop wasting money and you begin to build a solid financial future. Home ownership has so many advantages: tax benefits, equity build-up, pride of ownership, no third-party restrictions, and no strangers on the other side of paper-thin walls.” Consider the rules this Offer follows:

• It addresses the problem by addressing the lack of equity being built by the target audience.

• It addresses a solution by proposing a way in which the prospect can build a solid financial future.

• It engages the prospect’s emotional perceived value of homeownership as a piece of the American dream.

• It builds value on functional homeownership benefits such as tax benefits, pride of ownership, independence, etc.

The Close “Act now to find out how to buy your own home and stop paying rent forever. For the free report, “Eleven Mistakes to Avoid When Purchasing Your First Home,” call us now at (800) 555-1212 ext: 200. Call 24 hours a day for your FREE report.” PS. For a limited time, we’ll include the use of our moving service for FREE. But you have to hurry, this offer expires January 1st! Consider the rules this Close follows:

• It immediately reiterates the main benefit. • It has a simple and singular instruction to act. • It gives a perishable offer of free use of moving services that expires on a specific date.

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Chapter 11

Picture Ads

To ensure that your picture ads generate response, you should follow similar rules to those used in your editorial direct response advertising.


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Keys to a Responsive Homes Magazine (Picture) or Newspaper Ad

Homes magazines (“Homes and Land,” “Harmon Homes,” etc.) and newspapers are the most common mediums used to advertise real estate. The ads solicit responses by profiling a picture of a home with a few descriptive words underneath. To ensure that your picture ads generate response, you should follow similar rules to those used in your editorial direct response advertising. The ad should still use a headline that targets a specific demographic. The picture of the home will function as the offer, replacing the value proposition used in an editorial ad. You should limit the amount of text you disclose under the picture to a few unique features of the home. In your close, you should instruct the prospect to respond in a timely manner. The ad will still contain the following three necessary elements:

• Headline: The headline drives the ad. It must generate sufficient attention to cause the prospect to read the rest of your ad.

• Offer: The picture of the home is your offer. It creates value and credibility and projects uniqueness.

• Close: Compels the prospect to respond in a timely fashion. In a picture ad, or when using a picture of the home as your main value proposition, ask yourself these two questions:

(1) What do I want the prospect to know about the home? You want the prospect to know just enough about the home that, should they find it desirable, they respond for more information. You do not want to disclose information to the point that you potentially disqualify the prospect and lose an opportunity to follow up.

(2) What do I want to know about the prospect? You want to gain as much information about the prospect as possible to allow a professional follow-up. Call capture is an extremely effective tool in managing these processes. It enables you to generate an increased response from traditional picture ads by eliminating text that disqualifies a prospect and requires them to dial the call capture hotline to receive additional marketing information. Once the prospect calls, your call capture system provides you with all the necessary information needed to follow up. Everything Needs a Headline Every picture ad requires a headline. In fact, all ads have headlines whether or not the advertiser consciously developed one. In a TV ad, it may be just the first few words you communicate, but it has to be a targeted message with the power to grab the audience’s attention. If you are running picture ads that do not use a headline, unless the home is highly desirable and priced right, your advertisement will fail you. Value Creates Desire If you have a very desirable listing in a prime location and you’ve priced the property correctly, you should leverage that property in your advertising so as to create more opportunities. Many lenders would not advertise the home at all, knowing it is going to sell automatically and hoping to maximize the yield on their commission. You should do just the opposite. Why?

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You are not advertising to sell that desirable home; you are advertising to create more opportunities for future business. It is imperative to always keep in mind that selling real estate is not as much about the real estate as it is:

• Uncovering new listing opportunities • Winning competitive listing appointments • Pricing listings correctly • Negotiating price reductions • Uncovering new buyers • Qualifying buyers

Performance Creates Brand Brand is created by performance. Performance is created by sales, and sales are created by generating opportunities. Certainly, high volume, well established, branded lenders can create momentum with branding ads. But those types of lenders are few and far between. To create your brand, focus on performance.

• Put emphasis on your headline. • Offer value in your copy. • Close with an instruction and a perishable time stamp. • Provide a simple way to respond that provides you with accountability.

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The Five Biggest Reasons Picture Ads Fail… And What You Should Do To Make Them Succeed

Mistake #1: The Ad Focuses On Selling a Specific Home As we stated earlier, treat your marketing like a sales person. It must sell or it gets fired. With that in mind, you do not want your ad to be limited to just trying to sell a specific home; you want to appeal to a prospective demographic using the home as marketing leverage. This means that you shouldn’t care what your marketing sells, just as long it sells. Additionally, your marketing ceases to work once you’ve made the sale, leaving you unable to leverage your marketing investment. What You Should Do To Succeed The picture of your property works as the value proposition of your ad. Evaluate the home you are placing in the picture ad and ask yourself the following:

• Is the listing highly desirable or is it likely going to take a few months to find the right buyer? If it’s highly desirable the picture ad should command optimal ad placement location. If you have sufficient listings for a full page ad, run your most desirable listings in the top and top right locations of the page.

• To what demographic does this home appeal? Is it a first-time homebuyer, a mover-upper, a kid-friendly home, a luxury home buyer, an investor? This is your target market for the ad. The headline for this ad should appeal to that target. For example, if the home is an ideal kid-friendly home, the type of house with a pool where every kid in the neighborhood wants to hang out, many originators would simply run the word “Pool” above the picture. They incorrectly assume that the word pool communicates to prospects that the home is kid-friendly. In actuality, “pool” is going to polarize a lot of prospects and immediately disqualify many who do not want a pool. But we’re not trying to sell this listing; we’re trying to uncover prospects that are looking for that type of home. So to feed our lead generation machine, a more appealing headline would be, “The Home the Neighborhood Kids Play At.”

• What is unique about the property? Location, finishings, designed by a name architect, school district, restaurant access, commute time? Find the unique value, as it is the completion of the offer and the adjunct to your picture. Present this as the limited text under the picture.

• What type of perishable offer could you make to solicit a response? This is your call to action or close. The offer may not be obvious to you at first; you may need to be creative or investigate. For example, perhaps you have a new construction listing. Ask the builder if you bring an offer by a specific date can the buyer pick the appliance, finishes, etc. The law of scarcity, that people want more than is literally there, is a powerful tool to solicit response.

Mistake #2: The Ad Disqualifies Prospects If your ad gives too much information in the text below the picture, you may disqualify the prospect or not give sufficient cause for the prospect to call you or your 24-hour recorded information line. Consider this: a qualified buyer that owns a home is looking at your picture ad. He thinks the house is interesting, so he studies your ad closely. He realizes the home has only four bedrooms and he is looking for five. What does he do? He moves on, and you have lost the opportunity to work with this qualified buyer and obtain his listing to sell.

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What You Should Do To Succeed Limit the amount of information that you provide in the picture ad. This theory goes hand-in-hand with the questions we asked earlier, “How much information do I want the prospect to know, and how much do I want to know about the prospect?” Call capture’s unique power comes from the fact that it forces prospects to act in order to receive the information, yet allows you to maintain accountability for follow-up. The small amount of information that you do provide is your value proposition, so keep the value formula in mind. Focus on the unique features of the listing. Keep in mind that the value formula is sensitive to perception. Your goal is not to change that perception but to exploit it in order to capture prospects with the desired pre-established perception. Mistake #3: The Ad Assumes Too Many Elements Assumption in a picture ad can be fatal to your success. One of the most difficult elements to remove from any marketing piece is assumption. Repeatedly, marketers fall into the trap of seeing what they want to see. They often fail to review the advertisement with fresh, unassuming eyes. This mistake leads them to assume that the advertisement conveys their intended message, as opposed to what is actually communicated. We have received hundreds of “pre-qualification/refinance” cards from mortgage originators that put us on their mailing lists. Most of the postcards have no headline, no call to action, no reason for anybody to do anything with them but throw them away. The idea, of course, is that we’re supposed to connect the dots, to make the assumption that the originator on the postcard is a quality lender because they have offer an undefined but magnificent interest rate. The reality is that in the years prior to becoming involved with real estate marketing, we never connected those dots. The only assumption we ever made was that the lender wanted to know if we were interested in buying a new home (pre-qualification) or lowering our monthly payment (Refinance). Those lenders never clearly communicated their intended message. What You Should Do To Succeed In order to avoid assumption on the part of the prospects, you must select a target audience, craft a compelling and easily understood offer, and most importantly, instruct prospects to act in a timely fashion. After developing your ad, ask a 3rd party to review it to ensure the offer and instructions are clear and easy. Mistake #4: The Ad’s Response Mechanism Is Confusing We were asked to evaluate a large company’s full-page advertisement that was receiving no response. The ad had 14 pictures of homes, with the contact information for 14 different lenders. Each picture was supplemented with four sentences of descriptive text in an unreadable font. There were two phone numbers for each lender, plus a general office phone and website (29 different phone numbers and 12 websites). We picked a property and dialed what we believed was the lender’s direct line and got a company menu system. If it’s confusing to the people who understand what you are trying to accomplish, it’s confusing to the prospects you are trying to reach.

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What You Should Do To Succeed Keep your response mechanism, the instructions that you wish your prospect to perform, simple and straightforward and give the prospect a reason to respond. Under the picture, do not offer more than a single contact phone number for marketing information. A powerful advantage of using call capture is that prospects can call it 24 hours a day, so you don’t miss opportunities during non-traditional business hours. Mistake #5: The Value Proposition Is Not Desirable For the Medium If you are going to use the picture of the property as the value proposition of your ad, your listing needs to be desirable for the audience you are targeting. Regardless of how powerful your headline is, if your value proposition is a starter home and your ad is placed in a luxury magazine, this home is not desirable to the target. What You Should Do To Succeed Your marketing should never be deceptive. Do not run picture ads of undesirable listings. You should also track your ad mediums to see what ad sources generate the highest response. With the Arch call capture system it is easy to know what ad mediums generated response from which listings. This is invaluable information that will help you invest your ad dollars wisely.

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Chapter 12

Direct Response Reports

Unless you are the clear brand of choice in your market, direct response should be used in all types of real estate marketing: in picture ads, homes magazines, listings that appear in the real estate section of your Sunday newspaper, direct mail pieces, and informational ads.


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How to Properly Use Informational Direct Response Reports

There are essentially three types of marketing: 1. direct response marketing 2. direct marketing 3. personal promotion (branding)

By definition, direct response marketing is designed to solicit an immediate and quantifiable response from a target prospect. The delivery of the message uses an intermediary media such as a magazine, TV, radio, newspaper, direct mail, or yard sign. The message always contains an attention grabbing headline, copy that is pertinent to the target prospect, and a call to action usually with an offer that will expire by a specific date. With direct marketing there is no intermediary media involved; the mortgage originator contacts the prospect directly, such as telemarketing or door to door. Lastly, there is promotional marketing or branding. Promotional marketing is the most expensive, virtually impossible to track, and generates the lowest response. Ironically, promotional marketing is where the vast majority of lenders choose to invest their marketing dollars. Unless you are the clear brand of choice in your market, direct response should be used on all types of real estate marketing; in picture ads, in homes magazines, listings that appear in the real estate section of your Sunday newspaper, direct mail pieces, and informational ads. In our business-building module, “How to Write Ads That Make You Money” we detail the elements and processes used in creating all direct response ads. In “Templates for Building a Responsive Picture Ad,” we examine how to implement those principles in a traditional homes (picture) magazine ad. In this module, we will assist you in how to implement an informational direct response ad, an ad that does not use a home as the main marketing attractant, but uses a free report. Included in this module are twenty prewritten direct response information ads and reports. Why Use Direct Response Informational Ads Simply stated, direct response informational ads can be one of the most effective and economic forms of marketing. In the early 1900s, one of the founding fathers of informational direct response, Claude C. Hopkins, invented fundamental rules for writing informational ads that, if followed, provide the best possible opportunity for a profitable campaign. The ad rules Claude created literally revolutionized advertising and helped establish some of the premier American companies such as Goodyear, Proctor and Gamble, and Quaker. Those rules are still in use today:

• Decide on a specific target and market to them exclusively. • Use a headline to gain attention, emotional copy to engage the reader, and a close for

action (provide an incentive with a time stamp to respond). • Always test and track your marketing.

Modern day consumers still respond to direct response informational marketing. The Electronic Retailing Association released a study in 2005 which measured consumer shopping preferences. The results revealed that 70% of consumers desired to receive information about a product or service first before being directly solicited. Consumers also opted to respond using technology with the most preferred methods being an automated toll-free number or an internet website.

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Fundamentals of Informational Direct Response Despite what many marketing gurus may say, there are no magic prewritten informational ads that will deliver hundreds of hot leads to you. While the majority of the information in the Arch prewritten ads can be used “as is” or verbatim, you should invest a few minutes to customize the information so that it is specific to your demographic, thereby greatly increasing your odds of return. The goal of any marketing campaign is to entice the recipient to read and act on your message. In order to do so you must follow these fundamentals:

• Decide On A Target Market • Utilize A Responsive Marketing Piece • Identify Responsive Ad Mediums (Track Results)

Decide On a Target Each prewritten informational ad is directed at a specific target. For example, for buyers there are ads targeting:

• First-time homebuyers • Investors • Mover-uppers

Customize these targets by adding demographic or geographic types of information. For example:

• If you live in west Austin and are wasting $800 a month on rent, here’s how you can purchase your first home…

• The 10 best investment opportunities in Laguna Beach… • Blue ribbon school districts in southwest Phoenix…

Utilize a Responsive Marketing Piece Arch has twenty prewritten scripts and reports available in your materials and on the website at www.archtelecom.com/downloads. These reports address FSBOs, Expireds, First-Time Homebuyers and Renters, among other consumers. All of the reports are in Microsoft Word and can easily be edited to add your contact information and logos, and more importantly, can be constructed to fit your individual market. To “Shadow” or copy the recordings onto your system: Note: You should first get a list of available extensions from the “Script Tree” available on the provided CD or on the web at http://www.archtelecom.com/downloads/documents/scripttree.doc.

• Log into the Customer Portal • Click on the “Powerline” tab • Choose “Create Shadow Extension” • Enter in the extension number you want to create in the “Extension” field • Enter “8009519704” in the “Source Mailbox” field • Enter the proper extension number for the report in the “Source Extension” field

Identify Responsive Advertising Mediums Ask a professional direct marketer what the three most important keys to a solid return are and they will answer “the list, the list, and the list.” The best ad medium may vary depending on your target and your geographic location. You must know where your target looks for information in your market. Often, this is not the most

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obvious place or where all the other lenders advertise. Most lenders do not devote any diligence to tracking response rates at all… they simply market their homes where their competition does. The answer to where the most responsive ad mediums are in your market can only be answered by you; it is simply unknown until you track your marketing’s response rates. You must track two things:

1. The response from a specific ad 2. The response from the ad source

Using the source digit in the Powerline™ system, you can accurately track the calls generated from your advertisements, and by using one of the filters on the online reports you can simultaneously track a specific ad’s effectiveness. This ensures that you maintain the maximum Return on Investment from your advertising dollars. Experiment with ads and stick with ads that get the best response. Once you’ve found a responsive ad and ad medium, continue to track the response as all ads will eventually lose their effectiveness, but it could be in two months or two years. Do not change the ad until it becomes unresponsive; change for the sake of change is just as unwise as running an unsuccessful ad over and over. Keep in mind that the ad may not be new to you, but it only matters if it solicits a response from the consumer. Do not place an advertisement for several different reports. When offering your expertise as the marketing attractant, you don’t want to dilute yourself by claiming to be an expert on everything. When a consumer is given too many choices they often opt to select none. Many top producing originators will tell you that their consumer direct efforts are their number one source of new clients. One of the main reasons their consumer direct efforts work so well, is that they are marketing to their prospective database that they generated over the years. If a prospect doesn’t buy or sell within your timeframe, don’t throw the lead away. Place the prospect into a drip marketing campaign (See our module, “Five Keys to a Successful Drip Marketing Campaign”). The most expensive lead you’ll ever generate is a cold one, the least expensive is a referral. You’ve already invested the money into generating the cold lead; don’t waste it by throwing it away.

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Chapter 13

Sample Ad Campaigns

Just Listed, 1st Time Homebuyers, Expireds, and FSBOs all present excellent opportunities to uncover fresh leads before your competition is able to identify they are even in the marketplace.


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Postcard Samples

Just Listed Post Card

10 Hottest Buys Card

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Pre-Qualification Card

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Renter’s Post Card

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Chapter 14

Drip Campaigns

Every qualified lead should be placed into a drip marketing campaign, defined as an automatic program that contacts (or instructs you to contact) the prospect over a period of time with various promotional or call to action messages.


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Cultivating New Business From Past Prospects Using Drip Marketing Campaigns

No matter how well you execute your follow-up, you are not going to convert every prospect into a client. But don’t discard the lead. You should import the lead into your contact relationship manager (CRM) to build your database and sphere of influence. The Powerline™ system has multiple auto-import features to assist you with this task (by logging into the Arch web portal you will see a list of CRMs that we will auto-import into or you can manually import the data into any spreadsheet CRM). Every qualified lead should be placed into a drip marketing campaign, defined as an automatic program that contacts (or instructs you to contact) the prospect over a period of time with various promotional or call to action messages. There are various methods and strategies taught by coaches as to the appropriate way to run a drip marketing campaign. We will assist you with ideas and tools needed to help you automate your follow-up marketing campaign to create new leads from your subset of old leads. To help you avoid common mistakes, we will explore the keys to an effective drip marketing campaign, identify the pitfalls, and focus on solutions to assist you in managing your prospective and client relationships. Five Keys to Drip Marketing Immediacy The first follow-up piece should “arrive” within 48 hours -- whether that piece is a voice broadcast call sent 48 hours after the initial call, a personal phone call, an assistant call, or a letter. Value The marketing pieces should contain a value. Whenever possible that value should be specific to the prospect or address the needs of that prospect. For example, if the lead was created from a home seller piece, your follow-up offer could include a free home evaluation or CMA. Call to Action The second piece should arrive within ten days to two weeks of the initial call. While the offer can be the same as your initial follow-up, it should be positioned differently and with more urgency. The free home evaluation offered in the first letter should now have a date-stamp for expiration. Consistency The third piece should arrive two weeks after the second. You can not expect every sales technique to work the first time, so it is imperative that you perform this task consistently, repeatedly, and over time to measure the results. After three follow-up pieces, send your prospective client a quarterly newsletter or other contact service. Vary Your Mediums You should vary the mediums in which you contact your prospects. Utilize the mail, electronic mail, personal phone calls, voice broadcast, newsletters, etc. If a prospect sees you in the mail, receives an occasional telephone call, gets invited to a client appreciation party, and receives an occasional email, they will appreciate your efforts and respect your professionalism, and the persistency of marketing will pay dividends.

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Common Pitfalls

Disregarding Cold Leads Many lenders do not place enough significance on leads that are in the early stages of the home buying/selling process. If a lead is not going to purchase or sell in the next few months, many lenders simply disregard them. This leads to a very high percentage of home buyers working with the first lender that contacts them. They also often work with the professional who is available when they make the decision to purchase, which is why drip marketing campaigns are so effective. By placing a prospect in a drip campaign, you maintain contact with them and keep your name in their mind. When the prospect is finally ready to buy, you will be the lender they choose to work with. Misappropriating Funds Marketing dollars should be treated like sales people; either they produce or they get fired. If you don’t track your marketing’s efficacy, you won’t know if it’s working and may be investing into the wrong mediums. The mediums that yield the highest returns should receive the appropriate allocation. Mismanaging Databases Many lenders mismanage their databases and hardly utilize their contact management software at all, much less to its potential. Any worthwhile CRM will enable you to query and select variable information so that you can manage multiple campaigns, such as one for your new prospects and one for your clients. Aborting Campaigns Quitting a drip marketing campaign before you reap the rewards undermines your long-range goals. A successful drip marketing campaign hinges on three key points: message, frequency, and targeting. Suspending a campaign without giving it time to run its full course undermines your ability to establish brand identification and interest from prospects. Example Campaign 1st Follow-Up Action: Telephone Call In the initial telephone call you should build rapport as quickly as possible. This is achieved by uncovering areas of commonality and asking the right questions to elicit more information. In some cases you will develop the prospect into a client on the first follow-up call. If not, use this as an information-gathering step, where you verify the prospect’s information and consider asking “permission” to continue to correspond (via your drip marketing campaign). 2nd Follow-Up Action: Mail Piece This piece is offering a value of a free home sale analysis. Make it unique by separating yourself from the more common “great rate” postcard or desert recipe that other lenders offer. Tell the prospect how to respond and lower resistance by including the “no obligation” tag.

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3rd Follow-Up Action: Email or Newsletter Here you are demonstrating your desire to work with this prospect and continuing to build legitimacy. If possible, send a newsletter that has a value specific to that prospect’s needs and desires.

Home Buyers: How Much Home Can You Afford? Find Out by Pre-qualifying Today.

Buying a home is one of the most important investment decisions you will ever face. It’s imperative you make a smart choice. Your key to making an educated decision is knowing exactly how much home you can afford. Pre-qualifying for a loan should always be your first step—even before you select a real estate agent. Pre-qualification not only allows you to get the most home for your purchasing dollar, but it gives you more buying power as well. Qualified buyers are able to act instantly when they find their ideal home. So if you are in the market to buy a home, don’t miss out on your golden opportunity to receive our FREE report “The Nine Most Common Mistakes to Avoid When Obtaining a Home Mortgage.”

To request this report please call our 24 hour recorded information line at--

800-882-9155 ext 2005

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4th Follow-Up Action: Mail Piece This piece has a “last chance” offer.

Now you’ve reached out and touched this prospect four times in 28 days. You have made an offer to perform a free, no obligation home sale analysis, created value with the offer because you are willing to go beyond a typical CMA, and inserted a shortage on that offer by giving them a date to respond by or the offer is rescinded. This is sequential marketing, a multi-step process that will generate you a much greater response than randomly mailing a “Time to Refinance?” card with no call to action or perishable offer. Solutions from Arch Powerline™ Mail Fulfillment You can automatically send out a customized direct mail piece to every lead generated by the Powerline™ service. Your message can be delivered via a custom letter sent in a stamped window envelope or a creative self-mailer.

Powerline’s™ Voice Broadcast Follow-Up Automates follow-up with a voice message. This feature ensures a prompt follow-up attempt to every person who calls into your Powerline™ system, even when you don't have the time to make the calls personally. The voice follow-up system perfectly complements our automatic mail fulfillment program. We automatically send your messages the following business day, with no management or scheduling required of you.

Finding the Right Loan Is Just as Important as Finding the Right Home

If you’re a prospective home buyer, finding the ideal home is probably your top priority. The truth is, however, finding the right financing for that home can actually affect your family just as much. It makes sense, right? You shop for the best home; you should shop for the best financing. From fixed rates to adjustable rates or even a combination of the two, choosing the right loan can have a dramatic impact on your financial status over the next 30 years. The reality is that every home owner’s situation is unique. As a result, you need a home loan that will not only meet your family’s immediate needs, but one that will work towards your long-term goals as well. It is way to easy to get stuck in a 30 year loan that is wrong for you and that is why I am offering my FREE report titled “Secrets Lenders Don’t Want You To Know. 11 Things You Must Know Before You Sign Anything.”

To request this report please call our 24 hour recorded information line at--

800-882-9155 ext 2005 Please hurry, this offer Expires on (Date)

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Chapter 15

Enhanced Services and Frequently Asked Questions

Arch provides a variety of enhanced services to simplify your follow-up and increase your conversion.


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Powerline™ Enhanced Services

Powerline™ Call Coordinator Service (http://www.archtelecom.com/products/powerline/CallCoordinator.asp) Arch Call Coordinator Service’s (CCS) trained operators call each lead that has accessed an extension number on your Powerline™ Interactive Voice Response System. Using information you provide, the operators follow a series of scripted questions to qualify buyers, uncover available listings, determine whether or not the prospect has been pre-qualified, and obtain a referral. We offer scripts for Realtors® as well as loan originators. Contact an Arch representative to review the available scripts. Once CCS operators have qualified your latest leads, you receive instant notification of the results, including indications of your hottest leads. By identifying potential homebuyers, you also have the lead on a potential seller. This often affords you the opportunity of being the first agent to list their home, often in a non-competitive environment. Arch For Sale by Owner (FSBO) Service (http://www.archtelecom.com/products/data_service/fsbo.asp) Arch’s FSBO Service identifies and delivers information on homeowners who have listed their property “for sale by owner.” We deliver FSBO leads in order of geographic proximity, providing you a list of all the FSBO leads within a fifty-mile radius of your preferred zip code. We harvest the data using an automated network of web and server-based tools, searching newspaper ads, websites, and other sources. The data is quality controlled by operators who review the FSBO listing and ensure accuracy of the information. Arch also identifies and purges any FSBO leads that are actually investors, Realtors®, or assisted FSBO listings. Finally, we employ live operators to enrich FSBO data by filling in any missing elements, such as the homeowner’s name, address, and phone number. Direct Mail Fulfillment (http://www.archtelecom.com/products/powerline/mail_fulfillment_program.asp) We designed our mail fulfillment service to fully automate your direct mail follow-up. With this service, Arch sends out a direct mail piece to every lead we can match to a postal address. The day after Powerline™ generates the lead, we deliver a custom letter or postcard to the prospect via first class mail. Powerline™ Professional Recording Services (http://www.archtelecom.com/products/powerline/assistant_services.asp) Arch’s Professional Recording Services will use your proprietary information (MLS links, property guides, flyers, or brochures) to develop a professional and precise script for each of your recordings. We master the recordings with an experienced, professional voice (male or female). Additionally, we will set up your entire Powerline™ system, including text notifications, direct transfers, and direct response reports. Powerline™ Voice Broadcast Follow-up (http://www.archtelecom.com/products/powerline/powerline_voice_broadcast_followup.asp) Powerline™ Voice Broadcast Follow-up is a follow-up management feature of Powerline™ designed to automatically attempt delivery of a pre-recorded message to every lead generated by your system. This feature ensures you a prompt follow-up attempt to every single person that calls into your Powerline™ system, even when you don't have the time to make the calls personally. The voice

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follow-up system is a perfect complement to our automatic mail-fulfillment program. Experience shows that using direct mail in conjunction with voice messaging obtains the best customer response results. Follow-up calls are automatically sent the following business day with no management or scheduling on your part needed whatsoever. Simply record the message you want to go out one time and all future callers will be sent that message. Voice Broadcast Service (http://www.archtelecom.com/products/voice_broadcast/index.asp) Voice broadcast technology enables you to send hundreds or thousands of recorded messages to your target market to be delivered virtually simultaneously. Your messages can be delivered to answering devices, live answers, or a combination of both. For live answers, the recipient can choose multiple transfer options such as to a live operator, survey, poll, or automated attendant systems. The service offers unrivaled value in terms of touching your sphere of influence. From rate changes to market reports to price reductions to holiday greetings, the Voice Broadcast Service will keep your name in front of your most important audience…your referral base.

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Frequently Asked Questions

General I just had a number access my system and when I called it back I received an Error Recording. How do I get the valid number? In this case the cellular carrier has passed us a “Trunk” or “Tower” number. It will only affect calls received from a particular carrier and is typically only passed when the provider is doing maintenance on their system and will be resolved shortly. Unfortunately, we will not be able to capture the caller’s number. I received my sign riders and there are no holes. How do I attach them to my yard signs? Due to the wide variety of yard signs available, we do not pre-punch the signs. Simply align the signs with the holes on your yard sign and use a standard hole-punch, and then attach them using a bolt and wing nut. I received a notification saying that I have a new voicemail available. How do I retrieve this? The easiest way is by logging into the Web Portal and clicking on the “Listen” tab. If you do not have web access available you can receive the voice mail through our phone system. To retrieve the message, call your toll free number and press “*” and enter in your password. You will hear a prompt informing you that there is a message waiting, and simply press 1 to listen to the message. Can I see how many callers one of my individual extensions or source digits has received over a certain period of time? Log into the Customer Portal and go the “Powerline” tab, where you should click on the “Powerline Reports” link. When you choose Output Formatting, you can select Primary Subtotals and sort by extension or source digit. Running a report in this manner will allow you to group your data and see how many calls each extension (or mailbox or ad source) has generated. I have lost my original materials. Are they available anywhere online? Yes. You can always view all of our marketing materials and also download the latest version of the User Guide online at www.archtelecom.com/downloads. Do I have to call through the phone system to make my property recordings? No, there are several other ways to place your recordings onto the Powerline™ system. You can make the recordings directly through our Web Portal by clicking on the “Powerline” tab. At the bottom you will see a link to “Create Regular Ext.” To make the recording, plug in a USB microphone and press “Record.” Once you are finished, choose the “Upload” option. You can also upload .WAV files that you have created by entering the “Powerline” tab and clicking on “Create Regular Ext.” Enter the extension number that you wish to create, click the “Browse” button, find the .WAV file on your hard drive, and then click “Save Extension.” I just don’t want to make the recordings myself, do you have somebody who will make them for me? With Arch Assistant Services, all we need is the basic property information and we will script, attach the fax, and professionally record your listing. You can find more information on this service at http://www.archtelecom.com/products/powerline/assistant_services.asp. Some of my notifications have “Do Not Call” inside of the message. Does this mean they requested not to be called or that I cannot contact them? This designation is only for your reference and is informing you that the caller has registered their number on either a state or federal Do Not Call List. However, that does not necessarily

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affect whether you can contact this person. To find more information please visit http://www.archtelecom.com/downloads/PowerlineDNC2.pdf. Does the Powerline™ service have an option to let the caller listen to the information in Spanish? Yes, we can set up your system so that the caller is initially prompted to enter their language choice before receiving the recorded information. Please contact your account representative for more information about this service. Billing I received my statement and there are calls from outside of my area. Where did these come from? With any toll-free number, you are going to receive a certain amount of misdials. There are several reasons this happens, but most often these people are trying to dial your number with a different prefix, such as the 866 or 888 versions. If you are seeing more than two or three of these calls per month, please contact Customer Support to activate ANI passing or blocking. I am set up for Automatic Credit Card Billing. When is my statement amount removed from my account? We do all of our billing in arrears and the previous month’s balance is processed around the 5th day of the next month. I want to change the credit card you use to bill me monthly. Can this be done online? Log into the Web Portal and choose the “Billing” tab. You will see a button at the top labeled “Change Credit Card.” Some of the calls on my statement were just me calling in to set up my system. Am I being billed for these calls? Yes, any time your number is active you will be billed your current per minute cost. However, all administration can be done through our Web Portal, including recording your extensions, so you do not have to access the service through the phone system. Reporting Why is there no Name and Address Append or it says N/A on the call report? Most likely the call was placed using a cell phone and we were unable to successfully match the number with a name and address. I received an error report marked “Call records for your mailbox are currently being processed - please try again in a few minutes (-539).” When you receive this message, you have selected the “New Leads Only” box underneath “Advanced Selections,” and we are currently trying to match up your most recent calls to see if they have accessed your system previously. If you wait a few minutes and pull the report again it should be available. If you need your call records immediately, please uncheck the “New Leads Only” box and request the report. I would like to receive a weekly call log of all of the numbers that have accessed my system. Is that possible? Yes, we can send you daily, weekly, or monthly reports via email. Please contact Customer Service to have this service activated. How do I import my call records into my contact manager? When you request your Call Detail Report, check off the “Download” box directly above “Get Report.” You can then save the .CSV file and import it directly into your contact manager. If you

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use Top Producer 7i, you can have the leads automatically imported by following the directions found under the “Reports” tab inside of our Web Portal. Web Portal I often forget my toll-free number and password and would like to change them to something easier to remember. You can change both your Login ID and password inside of the Web Portal. Once inside, click on the link “Create Web Login” on the top right corner of the page. Please note that the new password only affects your Web Login; you will still need your default numeric password to access the phone system. I have multiple mailboxes on my system, including the Voice Broadcast service. Can I log into the system and view all of the mailboxes at once? Certainly. You will first need to create a new web login. After logging into the portal, click the link in the top right corner labeled “Create Web Login” and establish a web Login ID and password and you will then be directed to the Web Portal Administration page. Choose the tab labeled “Mailboxes” and at the bottom you will see the section “Add Associated Mailbox.” Enter in the next mailbox number and password then click “Add.” You can now choose which mailbox you want to view from the drop down menu at the top of the page. Notification/Zero Transfer I am not receiving my instant notification when somebody calls my system and hangs up without entering in an extension. We find that these are typically misdials into your number, and so by default we do not send out notifications on these calls. If you would like to receive these notifications, please contact Customer Support. I need to have different people notified on different extensions; is this possible? Yes. We have several different options to help you ensure that the proper people receive their notifications. Please contact Customer Support to activate this feature. I recently switched cell phone providers and I no longer receive my text messages. What changes do I need to make? You can update this information through the web portal. Once you have logged in, click on the “Notifications” tab and click “Delete” on your old notification. You can then set up your cellular phone with the correct provider information. After receiving my text message notification, I have trouble remembering what property is associated with the extension. Can this be included? Inside of the Customer Portal, click on the “Powerline” tab and then choose “Edit” underneath “Controls.” Type in the property address or report title inside of the box labeled “Description” and choose “Save Extension.” Can I give the caller the option to transfer to multiple people (i.e. a lender partner or assistant)? Yes, in addition to the Zero Transfer option we can give the caller the option to press “9” and transfer to a secondary number. Please contact Customer Service to activate this feature.

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Chapter 16

Appendix for Realtor® Partners

Everything your Realtor® partners need to successfully use the Powerline™ system: in depth guides on listing presentations, setting up FSBO campaigns, and winning expired listings.


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Using Powerline™ In a Listing Presentation

Use Powerline’s™ innovative technology to conduct dynamic listing presentations that will generate and close more listings. How to Win More Listing Presentations Prospective sellers choose a listing agent based on their perception of the value an agent offers relative to the competition. The prospect’s determination of value is influenced by a combination of an agent’s function, what he can offer the prospect, and their perception of the agent as a dynamic professional. In order to close more listing presentations, you must present a compelling and functional marketing plan, and most importantly, you must present yourself as a dynamic professional by differentiating yourself from your competition. Ultimately, every seller is concerned about one thing: selling their home at the maximum possible price in the shortest possible time period. You must communicate to prospects your unique ability to facilitate that process. Anyone with even a cursory understanding of the housing market, or free market for that matter, knows that all price points are determined by supply and demand. Consider this analogy: the price of a share of stock is not determined by earnings, price-to-sales ratios, market capitalization, or any other metric that some financial analyst would have you believe. The value of an individual stock is simply determined by the price at which an individual is willing to sell the stock (supply) and the price that another individual is willing to pay (demand). The housing market replicates this exact same relationship. Many factors, such as location, influence demand, but the single greatest mitigating factor is exposure. If your listing were to be showcased on the evening news each day, its exposure, and therefore its demand, would skyrocket. Your presentation should focus on the unique capabilities you possess that will create the greatest demand for the prospect’s house, allowing them to sell it at the maximum sales price in the minimum amount of time. Enter Powerline™. Despite the proliferation of electronic media such as websites, the majority of potential homebuyers still search for properties the old-fashioned way – they select a desired neighborhood and drive the area looking at For Sale signs. Powerline’s™ sign riders advertise toll-free information hotlines that compel prospects to call and allow agents to capture the information of prospects driving neighborhoods looking for their next home purchase. During your listing presentations, explain to prospects how Powerline’s™ technology allows you to immediately follow up on potential buyers who call the toll-free number and who might otherwise drive by, pick up a flyer, and disappear without the seller being able to track their marketing’s results. The stress-free and anonymous method of contact offered by Powerline’s™ toll-free information hotline results in more calls. In fact, by removing the intimidation of dealing directly with an agent on the phone, Powerline™ will lead to 300-400% more calls from prospects. More calls equate to more captured information and hot, quality leads. More leads equal an opportunity for you to build demand in the property. When you give your listing presentation,

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use these unique capabilities to impress the prospect with your ability to create the most demand in their house, and thus sell it at the highest price. Preparation Is Key to Your Success Prior to attending the listing appointment, you should acquire as much information about the seller’s home as possible. Draft a script describing the features of the home, placing emphasis on the points that are important to your seller. Next, call your toll-free number and record the prospect’s information on one of your available listing extensions. Once you begin the marketing portion of your presentation, explain how you intend to use the exciting and sophisticated technology of Powerline™ to help sell the prospect’s home. Call your toll-free number and have the prospect listen to the recorded listing of their property, and even directly transfer to you. Within seconds you will be able to show them their contact information that has been delivered directly to your cell phone via a text message. Additionally, have one of your assistants placed on the notification alert for this number, so that when you call the number they can call you back. Top-producing Realtors® consistently tell us this is one of the most powerful benefits of Powerline™. For an added impact, incorporate special Powerline™ features such as Arch’s Call Coordinator Service to add a flare to your presentation that will undoubtedly set you apart. Consider setting up Call Coordinator with a separate Powerline™ extension that you use solely in listing presentations. When you call that Powerline™ extension, not only will you be able to instantly show the seller that you have been alerted with the contact information of the caller, but through the power of Call Coordinator, you will receive a call from an operator within 15 minutes following up with answers to any questions you may have or to qualify you as a potential homebuyer. The immediacy and professionalism of this response communicates to the prospect that you have the service and technology needed to sell their home quickly and at the highest possible price.

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The Ultimate Listing Presentation

Example of a Top Producer’s (Sales Volume in Excess of $40,000,000) Listing Presentation: “My call capture technology enables me to offer free, recorded information about your property 24 hours a day. I will advertise the toll-free number on your yard sign and in all the ads I run. Prospective buyers can then call anytime, 24 hours a day to hear the recorded message describing your property. Since the information is always available, prospective buyers can inquire about it when it is convenient for them. Imagine a prospect is looking at one of my advertisements on your property late in the evening. He can call and get information right then, while his interest is peaked. Because this is a recorded service, it eliminates intimidation. The prospect does not have to speak with a live sales person immediately; therefore, at least three to four times as many people will call. Once the prospect has made the call, the true power of this system springs to life. When that prospect calls in and listens to the recording of your property, my system records the name, address, and phone number automatically, whether the name is left or not. This powerful technology enables me to follow up on every call, allowing me to have a steady stream of leads interested in finding out more about your property. The system records the caller’s information on a call report, just like this one (show the prospective seller a sample call report, or for greater impact, a three-ring binder of many sample call reports). At this point, I will follow up to find out if the caller is interested in viewing your home. Let me show you how it works.” Have him pick up his home phone and dial your 800 number and enter the extension you have assigned to his property… don’t tell him it’s his property. As he is listening to the greeting, tell him to enter the listing extension you have assigned to the recording of his property. About 20-30 seconds later a text message will arrive to your cell phone with the prospective seller’s home phone number, name, address, and property address on it! Show the text message to your seller. You have just solidified in his mind how you capture every single call. The graphic representation of the text message generates an emotional response from the prospect, and people make decisions based upon emotion. Close on that emotion! “Isn’t this impressive technology? I capture every potential buyer and within minutes I can be on the phone with them, getting them excited about your property. Now, that description may not completely describe your home, but you can see the concept. With this system, prospective buyers can access information on your property 24 hours a day and receive marketing information immediately…when they want it. Since I capture their information for follow-up, we won’t lose potential buyers and I will be talking to them when their interest is peaked.

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This is very important because if your agent can’t get the desired information to potential buyers immediately, that prospect will often move on to the next property. With this system, I can give them information immediately and follow up while they’re hot.” This presentation captivates prospects’ imaginations and demonstrates for them the unique value offered by your Powerline™ system. Any agent can claim to be the best or most successful agent in a neighborhood. It is the agent who uses tangible assets to show how they will generate demand in a property and sell it for the highest price who closes the listing presentation.

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Profiting From For Sale By Owners

At some point in most agents’ careers, typically in the beginning, they will attempt to strategically target FSBOs. Frustrated with a low conversion rate, many agents decide to abandon prospecting FSBOs. The truth is that most agents fail to convert these coveted prospects into listings because they lack the necessary skills, resiliency, and mindset to. If you learn the proper techniques to target FSBOs, you can capitalize on this highly-desirable market and significantly increase your business. Take a Walk in the FSBO’s Shoes If you are going to successfully market to FSBOs, it is imperative that you demonstrate patience and restraint in your interactions. Put yourself in their shoes: You have decided to list your home as FSBO. Most likely, you are trying to see if you can save several thousand dollars in commissions. You invested a few thousand dollars painting and cleaning your property. You have another $300 on a Sunday picture ad. You purchased a FSBO website and yard sign kit from your local big box home improvement store for $399. You have taken pictures of your property and uploaded them onto the FSBO site. You have spent dozens of hours and thousands of dollars on this project. Your ad hits on Sunday. Fifteen agents call you before 10AM. They all tell you they are taking a survey or they have a buyer for you. They immediately segue into asking you for your listing. After having just spent a significant amount of money on preparing your home in hopes of saving money by selling it yourself, you are obviously determined not to hire a full-service real estate agent. Imagine what your response might be to agents soliciting for your business:

• You politely say “no” to the first agent. • You ask the second agent where they saw your ad. • You begin to feel aggravated with the third agent. • You become downright angry with the fourth agent.

Why Most Agents Quit Prospecting to FSBOs Unless you were the first agent to call, the FSBO likely treated you poorly. Why wouldn’t they? Doesn’t it make sense that they would want to wait a few days to see if their advertising and hard work pays off? Since they were likely treated poorly, most agents quit prospecting to that FSBO after the first approach. After several failed initial attempts, they quit prospecting FSBOs completely. Agents who successfully obtain FSBO listings use this to their advantage. They know the seller’s resistance lowers the longer they are on the market. Know Your Facts The truth is that a home listed by a full-service agent nets more money for the seller than if they listed it themselves. The facts assist you in inspiring the FSBO to make the better decision. By having a firm grasp on the following facts, you will be able to handle objections confidently. According to the 2006 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers:

• A home listed FSBO sells for 15.4% less than if listed with a full-service agent. The average FSBO home sold for $187, 200 compared to $247,000 for agent-assisted homes.

• A home listed FSBO takes three times as long to sell.

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• 50% of the sellers who successful listed FSBO said they would not do it again. In order of difficulty, the most challenging tasks were: preparing home for sale, understanding paperwork, pricing, finding buyers, and time.

• 86% of homebuyers found their home through a full-service real estate agent. Additional reasons FSBOs will not net as much money on their home sale or be as effective as a professional real estate agent are:

• FSBOs attract bargain hunters and investors who are highly skilled negotiators. • Most agents will not show FSBO homes, limiting the FSBO’s exposure. • 33% of FSBOs sell to a referral. Homebuyers who are not familiar with the FSBO do not

feel secure in purchasing homes from owners. • Agents have up to 1 million dollars in “error and omissions” insurance, not available to

FSBOs. This insurance protects the seller’s assets for years after the sale. • FSBOs are not able to screen or pre-qualify buyers. They do not know who is coming

into their house and may present a potential danger to their family. The FSBO Personality It has been proven that if you can identify the personality of your prospect and adapt your presentation to fit their personality, you have a greater chance at converting the lead. Since this approach generates greater results, why would you abandon it in favor of approaching all FSBOs the same? Four archetypal personalities:

5. Analytical: Not physically demonstrative. Slow to make decisions and requires proof and details to substantiate claims. Appears to be quiet and in control.

6. Dominant: Not physically demonstrative. Quick to make decisions, controlling, concerned with the bottom line. Appears to be hurried.

7. Likeable: Physically demonstrative. Agreeable, team player, empathetic. Appears to be easy going.

8. Expressive: Very physically demonstrative. Outspoken, animated, and constantly physically moving. Desires to be the center of attention. Appears to be multi-tasking.

Of these four personalities, the vast majority of FSBOs are analytical with the remainder being dominant. Analytical types possess a primary motivation to save money. Dominant types believe they can sell their own home easily. The analytical FSBO is going to require that you show them physical evidence of why you will increase their net on their home sale. They are likely not going to list with you immediately as they are slow to make decisions, so you are going to have to exercise some patience. The dominant FSBO believes they can easily sell their own home; although they also possess a secondary motivation of saving money. They likely made the decision to list FSBO as an experiment to see if their home would sell on its own. Dominant personalities represent the listings you may be able to obtain on the initial meeting.

Properly Gauging and Increasing the FSBO’s Motivation Whether you sell widgets or homes, all successful salespeople are efficient. Consider the efficiency model: Efficiency = Effectiveness/Economics

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Efficiency is the key element to your real estate success. If you list a home with a highly motivated seller and price it right, you likely will sell it quickly with minimal ad dollars and time invested. Conversely, if you list a home with an unmotivated seller and price it too high, in retrospect, you will wish you had not even taken the listing. You may have either spent considerably more money on your advertising or time pacifying the seller relative to your net commissions, or simply never sold the listing. You must properly gauge the FSBO’s motivation so you do not become susceptible to becoming inefficient. To properly gauge the prospect’s motivation you have to ask the right questions. Saving money is the primary motivation with an analytical FSBO. So you must address return on investment in a quantifiable way.

• How can I exceed the FSBO’s expectations on meeting their needs? Possessing the belief that the FSBO is capable of selling their home themselves is the primary motivation of the dominant personality. So you must expose the challenges of selling a home to them without belittling.

• What problem is the FSBO trying to solve? • Why would hiring me versus my competition benefit the FSBO?

The scripts provided in the Arch FSBO module, will assist you in specifically addressing the above motivations. Because the prospects’ motivations are different, SCRIPT II branches to emphasize different values. The analytical script provides you with proof to convey to the FSBO concerning why they will net more money on their home sale if they list with you. The dominant script provides you with solutions to common challenges faced by the dominant FSBO. The quicker you increase the FSBO’s motivation and earn their trust, the sooner you will be able to obtain their listing. When evaluating the FSBO’s motivation, consider the following model: Motivation = Attention + Relevance + Confidence + Satisfaction

• Attention: in the first thirty seconds that you are addressing the FSBO, you need to capture and sustain their attention.

• Relevance: once you have obtained the FSBO’s attention, the FSBO is going to wonder how your message pertains to their interests and goals.

• Confidence: the FSBO has to be confident that you can complete the task. They understand that success is not a guarantee, but they must believe you are up to the challenge.

• Satisfaction: if the outcome of what you say is consistent with or exceeds what the prospect expects, they will be satisfied and list with you.

A Step-by-Step Process to Converting FSBOs into Listings Despite what some preach, there is no magic pill to converting FSBOs. Some FSBO strategies instruct agents to simply call the FSBO one time, the moment their advertising comes out, with the belief that the first agent to call the prospect has the best chance to earn the listing. The approach is to coerce the FSBO into a decision to list with the agent on the first call; if the FSBO does not list immediately, the agent is to disregard the lead. This strategy incorrectly assumes that the FSBO lacks sufficient motivation and is a waste of any additional time or effort. After consulting with hundreds of agents who have used this method, they report that it does not produce adequate results.

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The agents we interviewed who have used this method report that they converted one FSBO out of twenty. According to the NAR, over 72% of FSBOs will eventually list with a full-service agent. So why would you be satisfied with 5% of that market share? To increase your conversion rate to 50-80% you must embrace a multi-step system. If you follow this method systematically you will convert the vast majority of FSBOs that you desire. Converting the FSBO in 5 Steps or Less

1. Identify FSBOs in your target area and/or supplement your FSBO list. Visit the following website for additional ideas on where to uncover FSBOs: http://www.archtelecom.com/products/data_service/fsbo.asp

2. Call or knock on the door of the FSBOs. Use SCRIPT I to identify their personality and gauge/increase their motivation. Close for a preview appointment.

Note: The NAR says FSBOs listed on the National Do Not Call List are protected from telephone solicitation unless you have a buyer interested in their property. The Arch FSBO service will automatically query the FSBOs against the national DNC list. If you desire a FSBO listing, but it is listed on the DNC, it is advisable to visit in person.

3. If you do not obtain a preview or listing appointment, subdivide your FSBO list into those who you feel that you will eventually obtain an appointment with and discard the rest.

4. Call or visit the FSBOs in two days using SCRIPT II. Close for a listing appointment. 5. If you do not obtain a listing appointment, call or visit the FSBO using SCRIPT III in two

days. If you are successful with SCRIPT III, you have a very powerful reason to maintain contact every few days; to keep them up to date on the leads. Continue to close for a listing appointment.

Note: Whatever time frame the FSBO gives you, whether it’s how many days until they are ready to list or how many days until you should contact them again, cut it in half.

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Methods for Identifying For Sale by Owners in Your Area Traditionally, FSBOs place a sign in their yard and a three-line ad in their local newspaper. With the growth of online media such as owner’s websites, online classified engines, and online magazines, tracking down all of the FSBOs in your area has become a full-time job in itself. The following is a list of the most common FSBO listing sources: Arch Telecom’s FSBO Data Service: The Arch for Sale by Owner Listing Service identifies and delivers to you properties that have recently been advertised. Arch uses a multi-step process to uncover and add missing elements so that you have accurate names, phone numbers, and postal addresses. Simply enter your desired zip code and the advertised FSBO listings are delivered daily to your email for up to a 50-mile radius (maximum 250 square miles, you may narrow your radius to a minimum of one mile). For more information, visit our website at: http://www.archtelecom.com/products/data_service/fsbo.asp. Newspapers and Magazines: Many people still use this as their first option when advertising, but rising costs of placing classified ads in the large metropolitan papers are preventing some FSBOs from using this media. You should also regularly check smaller local papers, especially if you live in a suburban area. Advertising rates are often cheaper and the distribution area is smaller. Websites: The new starting place for owners to place their homes is online. From major national FSBO websites, to local/regional sites and online classifieds, this is where people are placing their listings. Most yard signs come with “free” website listings, which owners are more than happy to take advantage of. Finding all of the sources where people are advertising is becoming difficult as new sources spring up everyday. The major sites are:

• forsalebyowner.com • Owners.com • FSBO.com • FSBO.net • buyowner.com • craigslist.org

Driving neighborhoods: Always keep a pen handy and jot down addresses and phone numbers of FSBOs that you uncover while driving in your area. Finding FSBOs before they list: Another effective way to recruit FSBOs is to get them before they decide to go By Owner. Place classified ads in your local papers advertising special reports. Your Arch subscription includes several FSBO ads and fulfillment reports: Contacting the For Sale by Owners

Sample Classified Ad- FSBO or Realtor: Making the Right Decision Will Save You Thousands! Call 800-XXX-XXX ext XXXX, 24-hour recorded information.

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Telemarketing: It is still the fastest, most inexpensive way to contact leads. Being confident, upbeat, and persistent is the key to successful phone contacts. You will find several scripts to assist you. Direct Mail: Designing a powerful “Call to Action” mail piece is an effective way to generate phone calls from interested sellers. Many people who list their home without assistance are unaware of the pitfalls that they will encounter. Developing a drip campaign, designed around the progress of For Sale by Owners, can yield substantial results. It is also important to develop a mail piece to send to people you have spoken with over the phone. It is the most effective way to get your name, phone number, and web address into the lead’s home. Always use your Arch Powerline™ Service to help generate a better response from any mail that you send. Often times the owner will want to gather information on listing with an agent before actually speaking with one. Advertising “24-hour Recorded Information” will avoid their natural hesitation, making you the first person to know when a current FSBO is about to become a “Just Listed.” Mapping: Personal visits to FSBOs carry the most impact. Place the owner’s address into an online mapping service and incorporate visits into your daily routine.

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SCRIPT 1 Gauging and Increasing Motivation Hi, this is Joe Smith. I’m calling about your home you have advertised; is it still for sale?

Do not immediately identify yourself as an agent. A FSBO prospect will often respond that they have sold their house and look for a quick out if they think you are an agent looking to list their property.

Are you cooperating with agents to get your home sold for the most money?

Start with a persistent theme that pertains to the prospect getting the ‘most money’ for their house.

My first name is Joe; may I ask your name?

By offering your first name and asking theirs, you are personalizing the discussion and leading the dialogue.

(Prospect first name), I’m calling to let you know that if and when you decide to list your home, I would like to be one of the agents you interview for consideration.

It is important to be honest at the beginning. Let the prospect know that you respect their desire to sell their home by themselves, but that you would like the opportunity to list them should it become a reality.

I’m curious, what do you see as the advantage to selling your home on your own, without the assistance of an agent?

Invariably the answer will be about cutting out the middle man and trying to save money and hassle.

Interesting, so you think by selling the house yourself you will be able to cut out the middle man and save yourself some money? Is that your main reasoning?

Answer the question about the prospect’s reasoning yourself. They will most likely be selling on their own to save money, so immediately attempt to address that thought process.

Let me ask you a question from the point of view of a buyer. Why do you think a qualified buyer, someone with good credit and plenty of cash to purchase a home, would see an advantage in buying from a For Sale by Owner?

This is a natural follow-up and forces the prospect to think of their decisions based on the mindset of their potential buyers.


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Furthermore, it’s important that you realize that as a FSBO, you will have extremely limited exposure to the most qualified buyers. And, obviously, the more buyers you have interested in your property, the greater the demand will be. The greater the demand, the more money you stand to make on your home sale. Do you realize that attracting these best qualified buyers will be significantly more difficult working by yourself than it would be if you had the services of a professional agent? The advantages of using an agent to help you sell are numerous: As the agent for prospective buyers, I take my customers on extensive home tours and negotiate deals on their behalf, arrange financing, and manage the tedious details. With all of these services at no charge to the buyer, it is obvious that they make the best decision when they employ an agent.

These details should open the eyes of the motivated buyers and open a dialogue about what you can bring to the table. You are attempting to express your value to the FSBO and hopefully set an appointment.

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SCRIPT II Separate Yourself from Your Competition by Adding Value Hi Mr. FSBO, this is Joe. It’s nice to speak with you again. Have you had any offers on your home for sale? If NO I’m sorry about that. If YES Were they acceptable offers or were they low-ball offers from investors or bargain hunters? As I stated before, it’s challenging for a For Sale By Owner to receive proper exposure to the good buyers, because those buyers are using professional real estate agents and those agents’ first priorities are the obligations to their sellers. Have you had many showings by agents?

You are subtly reinforcing that lack of professional representation lowers exposure. I understand, but I bet you have received a lot of calls from agents wanting to list your home haven’t you?

Sympathize with them. You know with so many homes on the market right now, may I ask what type of marketing you are doing to make your home stand out from all the competition?

Listen and absorb what they say. It does not serve you any purpose to correct them. Let me ask you a question from the point of view of a buyer. Why do you think a qualified buyer, someone with good credit and plenty of cash to purchase a home, would see an advantage to buying from a For Sale by Owner?

This compels the prospect to think of their decisions based on the mindset of their potential buyers.



NOTE: The Script branches at this point. The following are bullet points for Analyticals, and following those are bullet points for Dominants.

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Analytical Bullet Points Because of this, as a For Sale by Owner, you will have extremely limited exposure to the most qualified buyers. This is important because the more buyers that view your property, the greater the chance that you sell it for the highest possible price. On average, a home sold by the owner sells for 15.4% less than those homes listed by a professional real estate agent. Also, over 50% of the people who did sell their home said they would never do it again due to the challenges with the paperwork, showing, and price negotiating. The advantages of using a professional agent to sell your home are numerous:

• I meticulously review your home and show you how to stage it for maximum curb appeal.

• I have my partner inspector do an overview so we can fix anything that may prevent an offer or cause a deal to fall apart.

• I then expose your home to my universe of buyers that trust my expertise. • I expose your home to my network of referral agents, who in turn show it to

their universe of buyers. Agents will not show a For Sale by Owner home, so this is the fastest way to get exposure to the hot market.

• I professionally market your home, list it on the multiple listing service, and use call capture to maximize buyer inquiries.

• I pre-qualify the buyers before any showings so we don’t waste time with unqualified buyers and disrupt you as little as possible.

• I arrange the financing and manage the entire process, rendering you void of legal issues.

With all of these services available to you, and knowing that on average you would net an additional 9% if you listed with me, may I set an appointment with you to demonstrate my services, in hopes that, should you decide to list, you will interview me for consideration?

Even if they say “no,” keep in mind that they are analytical. They make slow decisions and you are going to have to exceed their expectations. Try to set a preview appointment.

(Prospect first name), I appreciate and respect that you are not going to sell your home with a professional real estate agent at this time. However, if we set an appointment, I may be able to match your home with one of my buyers. If not, I’ll demonstrate to you some services that you can implement to help you sell your home. If you don’t sell on your own, then I would appreciate it if you considered me for an interview when you do decide to list.

Let the prospect know that you respect their desire to sell their home by themselves and that you’ll even provide some assistance. The assistance is provided in Script III.

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Dominant Bullet Points Because of this, as a For Sale by Owner, you will have extremely limited exposure to the most qualified buyers. This is important because the more buyers that view your property, the greater the chance you can sell it easily and for the highest possible price. On average, 72% of the homes that are listed For Sale by Owner do not sell in the first two months. When they do sell, they sell for 15.4% less than those homes listed by a professional real estate agent. Also, over 50% of the people who did sell their home said they would never do it again precisely because it’s not easy…due to the challenges with the paperwork, showing, and price negotiating. The advantages of using a professional agent, such as me, to sell your home are numerous:

• I meticulously review your home and show you how to stage it for maximum curb appeal.

• I have my partner inspector do an overview, so we can fix anything that may prevent an offer or cause a deal to fall apart.

• I then expose your home to my universe of buyers that trust my expertise. • I expose your home to my network of referral agents who, in turn, show it to

their universe of buyers. Agents will not show a For Sale by Owner home, so this is the fastest way to get exposure to the hot market.

• I professionally market your home, list it on the multiple listing service, and use call capture to maximize buyer inquiries.

• I pre-qualify the buyers before any showings, so we don’t waste time with unqualified buyers and disrupt you as little as possible.

• I arrange the financing and manage the entire process, rendering you void of legal issues.

With all of these services available to you, and knowing that on average you would net an additional 9% if you listed with me, may I set an appointment with you to demonstrate my services so, should you decide to list, you would interview me for consideration?

Even if they say “no,” try to set a preview appointment. (Prospect first name), I appreciate and respect that you are not going to sell your home with a professional real estate agent at this time. However, if we set a preview appointment, I may be able to assist you in selling your home quickly. If not, I’ll demonstrate to you some services that you can implement that will help you sell your home quickly. If you don’t sell on your own, then I would appreciate it if you consider me for an interview when you do decide to list.

Let the prospect know that you respect their desire to sell their home by themselves and that you’ll even provide some assistance. The assistance is provided in Script III.

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SCRIPT III Assisting the FSBO Hi Mr. FSBO, this is Joe. It’s nice to speak with you again. Is your home still for sale? Great, first let me say that I greatly respect your decision to sell your home yourself and I am not calling to solicit your listing. When we first spoke, I said that I would like to demonstrate to you some services that you can implement to help you sell your home. I have developed a For Sale By Owner marketing kit that is completely free to you. The kit includes:

• A true CMA (competitive market analysis) • Tips on staging your home, both inside and out • A Free Report that details how to ensure you have safe showings • How to negotiate offers • Free access to my 24-hour marketing hotline

I will be in your neighborhood tomorrow. Would 10AM or 5PM be better to drop it off for you? Assisting the Seller Statistically, the FSBO will list with an agent between 25 and 35 days after they place the home on the market. You are likely still early in the process, so you need something to assist you in maintaining contact and bringing new value to the FSBO. By assisting their home sale, and offering your Powerline™ call capture system, you are accomplishing both goals:

1. New: the new leads give you a reason to call the FSBO. You should use this opportunity to maintain rapport.

2. Value: Offer to screen the leads initially or give the FSBO complete access. Arch can dual notify and direct connect you and the FSBO on each extension (if you do not have this feature, call Arch to turn it on).

Most of the calls to the FSBO listing will not be interested in purchasing the home. However, these inquires are interested in purchasing property and may even be a listing opportunity for you. Open Houses are a great time to continue to build the relationship. Offer a guide to hosting a successful showing. If you see the seller hosting Open Houses every weekend, stop by at the end of the day. They are tired of cleaning, setting up, and wasting their weekends. It is one of the best times to reach out since their resistance is usually at a very low level.

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Winning Expired Listings

Expired listings are one of the fastest and most efficient ways to increase your listing inventory. Since the seller has declared their motivation to sell and their willingness to work with a full-service agent, many agents target expireds. Along with FSBOs, new agents target expireds because they are so easily identifiable. Typically, your MLS will send you email notification when a property expires or allow you to perform a targeted geographic query. Because expireds are so coveted, they are also very competitive. To win these listings you will have to:

• Understand and appreciate the seller’s mindset • Know how to communicate to that mindset • Offer a comprehensive marketing plan that showcases your unique services to separate

yourself from competition • Be willing to demonstrate the patience and persistence to repeatedly present those

unique and compelling values to the expired The Seller’s Mindset In most cases, the seller expected to sell their home in a few weeks; now, after six months their home is still on the market. The seller is angry and frustrated. The seller is not of the mindset to accept unsubstantiated claims from competitive agents. The primary challenge you will have to overcome is the distrust of the seller. Almost all listings expire for one reason; it was overpriced and the listing agent was unsuccessful in negotiating a price reduction. With few exceptions, a home in any market will sell itself if priced correctly. However, you will not earn the trust of the seller by stating that fact. You must appreciate their mindset; the fact that their previous agent likely told them they could sell their home at the listing price, and now that it hasn’t happened they feel deceived. You could show comparables to the seller that would substantiate that the reason their listing did not sell was price, but winning expired listings is not about evidence, it’s about presentation. Effective Communication Is About Listening First and Directing Second Consider this: if the seller had to sell, if they were relocating, building, under financial duress, or selling due to personal issues, they would have been sufficiently motivated to have lowered their price and they would have sold their property. If we agree that listings primarily expire because the property was overpriced, you can conclude that the seller is simply unwilling to lower their price and will only sell if a certain price target is met. This is an emotional barrier, one that can be removed but you will have to earn their trust first and address the price barrier second. Ironically, over 50% of expired listings re-list with the same agent they used the first time. Why is this? It’s because the seller has no comprehension or confidence that there is any substantial difference between agents, and no competitive agent was successful in changing the seller’s belief. To win the expired listing, you are going to have to change this belief.

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Uniqueness Is Key First you must establish the seller’s dominant preconceived notion as to why they feel they were let down by their listing agent. Simply ask them why they think their home did not sell. All that matters is what they believe the reason is, not whether or not you agree with them. You need to closely listen to these reasons and view what the seller says not as objections, but as opportunities to demonstrate to the seller your unique selling propositions (USP), and how these propositions will be used to overcome the reasons your seller believes their home did not sell. Most likely the seller will say the reason their home did not sell was lack of marketing by the listing agent. A common complaint is that “the agent simply stuck a sign in my yard and was never heard from again.” These are initiative and communication issues. What the seller wants to hear is how you will deploy a targeted and specific marketing campaign and keep them informed of the progress. The key is to implant uniqueness in your marketing plan and present that in an organized calendar with specific launch dates. Stress whatever is new to the seller that separates yourself from your competition. Example Expired USPs

• Specific marketing deployment with calendar • Hyper attention to detail and organization • Advanced technology systems that generate interest • Demonstration of technologies; i.e. 24-hour call capture with live operator follow-up,

virtual tours, visible web presence • Preauthorization to lower price at specific date if no offers are accepted

By presenting a structured and professional marketing plan that includes a calendar of deployment of your unique marketing initiatives to the seller, and demonstrating your commitment to executing that plan, you will earn their trust and inspire confidence that you are capable of selling their home. But that trust is not always earned immediately; it may require several follow-up contacts. Demonstrate How You Follow Up With Prospects (By Following Up With the Seller) As we previously stated, to win the listing you must overcome the distrust of the seller. They have just had a negative experience with the sale of their home and they are not in the mindset to believe any claims, especially initially. If the seller was upset that their previous agent stuck a sign in the yard and was never heard from again, they may sit back and see which of the competitive agents is willing to follow up on their presentation; believing (and rightfully so) that how they behave to get the listing will be how they behave when they follow up on a buyer lead. If you want to win this listing, you must demonstrate patience and consistency in your approach. On every follow-up with the seller, always present a unique selling proposition to them, a call to action to close (with perishable timestamp whenever possible), and if they do not close, inform them of a precise day and time when you will be heard from again.

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For example: You met with the seller on Wednesday, May 30th, and they said they would like to think about it and request that you call them on Friday. Always cut in half the amount of time a prospect tells you to contact them; so you call them on Thursday. Your approach would be something like this: “Mr. Seller, I know you asked me to call you on Friday, but something very important came to my attention and I must share it with you. This Monday, June 4th, is the cutoff date for me to submit any advertising for the Homes Magazine in our area that distributes over 200,000 copies per month. I would like to run an ad featuring your home on the back cover. I will use my call capture system in the ad to ensure that we are able to contact each and every prospect that calls on your listing. In fact, I will see that we make the initial call within fifteen minutes so we are sure to make contact. Since your former agent never featured your home in this Homes Magazine, or ever used call-capture to track their advertising, we will have a significant opportunity to showcase your property. The magazine will be distributed on June 11th, so this will give us a week to take care of some minor home improvements that I have listed here that I believe will help us capture the maximum sales price for you. From June 1st (today) until June 11th, when our ad comes out, I will personally contact the 23 prospective buyers I’m working with and let them know about your property. I will then contact, through voice message and email, the 854 prospects in my database to let them know about your property. On June 11th, I will follow up with you on how the contacts to my buyer universe went. If we have not received an offer by the following Friday, June 15th, I will send you a report detailing:

• how many calls we received on the Homes Magazine ad • the result of each call • how many showings we have performed • the feedback from agents and buyers

But for all this to happen, we need to go ahead and have our listing agreement executed today, so please sign the agreement.” If they do not sign, call the seller back on a designated day, offer another unique selling proposition, set a perishable time stamp when the offer expires, and ask for the agreement. For example: “Mr. Seller, unfortunately we have missed the deadline for the Homes Magazine, but I have contacted my editor in the Sunday paper and I have arranged for your property to be one of the featured listings on the front page. I will include my call capture on the ad and offer a three-hour open house. The deadline that I must respond by to feature your home is tomorrow, June 6th. With such short notice, we have to perform our minor home improvements immediately so that I can also offer an open house this Sunday. After the open house, if we have no offers, I will contact you on Tuesday, June 12th, and give you a report detailing each buyer’s feedback from the open house and what other agents commented. For this to happen, we need to go ahead and have our listing agreement executed today, so please sign the agreement.” Continue this practice until the seller signs with you. When the seller agrees to sign the listing agreement, present your calendar of marketing initiatives, and on a specific date have one of those initiatives be an agreed-upon price reduction.

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Preemptive Price Reduction Agreement As we’ve previously stated, the listing expires for one of two reasons:

1. the seller was unwilling to lower their price 2. the listing agent was unable to negotiate a price reduction

Price reductions are far easier to negotiate if they are done in advance, when there is a certain amount of positive emotional expectation, versus later in the sales process when that expectation begins to turn to disappointment. The fact is that, in a free-market economy, agents do not determine the selling price. Sellers and comparable homes do not determine the selling price. The only thing that determines the selling price is the buyer. If no offers are coming in, then the market has spoken and you must lower your price. In your listing agreement, you should have a preset date for when you agree to lower the price. This is after you have exposed their listing to a full array of marketing initiatives, so there is no excuse for the seller to disagree with your position. If the seller is unwilling to lower their price, and no financial condition is present (such as they absolutely need to sell at a price or they cannot cover at closing), you must consider whether or not you are willing to take the listing. In most agents’ inventories, there are listings that they wish they had not taken, that they realize they will not receive a return on their time and marketing dollars invested. Saying “no” to a seller if they refuse to agree to a future price reduction is empowering and liberating because you know you’ve made the right decision.

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Expired Script

Hello, this is ____________ with ____________ and I saw that your home has recently expired and I was calling to see if you are currently interviewing agents for the job of selling your home? Great, once you sell your home where are you going to be moving? And how soon do you need to be there?

Before you can barrel ahead and start to ask them questions about their property, you need to first start to build some rapport. By asking them where they are going to move, you are opening them up to where they want to be in the future instead of starting with the problems they have recently experienced in selling their home. You can also gain valuable insight into what their motivation to sell their property is.

Excellent, why is it that you are looking to move?

This is another rapport-building question. However, by using this question you could gain insight into possible problems with their current property.

How did you choose the agent that you worked with initially?

Over 50% of the homeowners who have an expired listing eventually re-list with the original agent. This happens for one of two reasons: the seller has no comprehension or confidence that there is any substantial difference between agents, or no competitive agent was successful in changing the seller’s belief because other agents were not diligent in continuing to market to the seller.

What did you like best about the marketing they implemented?

By asking them for a positive to begin with, you can immediately get a handle on where you need to start designing your marketing plan to satisfy the client. You also will be able to continue to gauge where the seller stands with the previous listing agent, who is your main competition.

What do you consider the major reason that your home did not sell?

Converting expireds is dependent upon your understanding of the perceptions of the seller. 90% of the time the problem is the price, but winning expired listings is about presentation, not educating the seller on the facts at this time. This is the most important question that you will ask; it is the foundation for your focus during your Listing Presentation. Write down every problem that they bring up at this point and make sure you address it thoroughly during your presentation.

Did the property receive any offers? Why where they not accepted?

As we have stated before, 90% of the time the property is priced too high. This question will give you a good idea of exactly how far out of the current market conditions the property is priced and could also uncover some needed home improvements.

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What type of marketing strategies did the previous agent use? • Did they use 24-hour call capture? • What type of print marketing was used: newspaper, homes magazines? • Were Just Listed and other mailings done to the surrounding area? • What type of web placement was used? Was it only listed on the corporate site? • How many public open houses were conducted and where were they advertised?

Use these questions to continue to probe the client on how proactive the agent was. Remember, during this call you are not giving your listing presentation, but trying to gather all of the information you need to present properly to the prospect once you have set an appointment.

How much buyer traffic came through the house and what kind of feedback did you receive? I really appreciate your time and I would like to apply for the job of selling your home. In today’s market you have to be proactive in your marketing and utilize the latest technologies. I would like to schedule an appointment to show you the techniques that I use to sell homes in the _____________ area. Would tomorrow at ______ o’clock be good?

User Guide For Originators

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