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Effective Communication with Sellers

I want to take a moment to discuss the importance of learning how to instill calm communication and conflict resolution at a listing presentation, especially when it comes to talking about price and handling objections. Too many agents make the mistake of rushing to present all their research and show all their marketing that they […]

Pricing in the Land of “No Comps”

Agents already list confidence in pricing as one of the biggest challenges in their business. But throw a property in the mix with few or no current comparables and you might throw up your hands and declare a, “comparable calamity!” But armed with just a few pricing tools, you can walk into a seller’s home […]

Pricing With Confidence

One of the hardest parts of your job as a real estate agent is the ability to price a seller’s home correctly. There are so many variables that go along with accurate pricing and if agents do not consider all of these, they may be costing their sellers thousands of dollars in lost potential sales […]

When the Student is Ready the Teacher Appears

This week I had the pleasure of teaching my two-day in-depth business-building class, Safari. I am always delighted to see real estate agents returning to Safari year after year. “What an honor,” I thought. The fact that there are some agents who come back even though they had already been to the class in the […]

Evaluate the Market with Facts, not Emotion

When agents ask me how the market is doing, I always ask them, “Why they you asking?” Considering they are in the market day to day I assume that they have a very good idea of how the market is doing. The challenge is that for many agents that were licensed during the downturn/correction/crash/recession (or […]

November Client Mailer Content is Here

Posted by Denise Lones on November 16th, 2018

This November we’ve put together three great articles that our Club Zebra Pro members can mail to their sphere, attribute free.

First-up, checkout our winter home buying strategy that outlines why this winter is a great time for buyers to be in the real estate market. We also have a mailer-format glossary that illuminates some not-so-obvious, but very common terms that buyers and sellers come into contact with. Finally, also for buyers and sellers, an article that promotes the value of having a real estate agent looking after their best interests.

As always, short formats for jumbo postcards are also available too. Get your client content right here.

Not a member yet? Join here!

Effective Communication with Sellers

Posted by Denise Lones on November 15th, 2018

I want to take a moment to discuss the importance of learning how to instill calm communication and conflict resolution at a listing presentation, especially when it comes to talking about price and handling objections.

Too many agents make the mistake of rushing to present all their research and show all their marketing that they forget how important it is to communicate. They forget to ask questions, make eye contact, and slow down when providing information. And this is absolutely critical in building rapport and helping the seller(s) understand how you work.  Read more »

Branding Spotlight: Marie Strong

Posted by Denise Lones on November 15th, 2018

One of our branding super-stars, Marie Strong has a bold and classic brand that accentuates her passion for working with and preserving historical homes. From her classic font selection to the tone-on-tone pattern in the background, her brand balances vintage aesthetic with modern utility and strength. An understated structure, with slim header and footer bars, gives her content plenty of room to shine. The bold photo-realistic emblem of a lion’s head door knocker is the perfect accent for her striking design. Read more »

Ask Denise: Mastering Stat Reports

Posted by Denise Lones on November 15th, 2018

Q: “Denise, I really wish I were more stat savvy. I see my competition and their offices put together these amazing reports and what I can generate is really lacking (and I don’t know the first thing about where the stats even come from so that isn’t helping). Help!”

A: Your first step is education. These “magical” numbers probably come from your MLS. So whether they are being translated by Zillow, Redfin, Trendgraphix, or another agent or company, if you take a look at the disclaimer, the info more than likely is being generated by your MLS. Read more »

Pricing in the Land of “No Comps”

Posted by Denise Lones on November 8th, 2018

Agents already list confidence in pricing as one of the biggest challenges in their business. But throw a property in the mix with few or no current comparables and you might throw up your hands and declare a, “comparable calamity!”

But armed with just a few pricing tools, you can walk into a seller’s home with confidence, knowing you have done absolutely everything you can to provide the seller with a  price or price range that could be supported by the market. Read more »

Branding Spotlight: Semi-Custom PRO #143

Posted by Denise Lones on November 8th, 2018

This week’s design spotlight features our Semi-Custom Pro branding design template #143. This brand features a semi-transparent footer over a water-mark photo in the background and a unique sidebar graphic. In our rich and dark sample, we feature a wooden wine barrel in the background, complimented with glossy leather braids. To add to the rustic charm, the headline and name treatment uses a rough handwritten font while the content uses a utilitarian sans-serif font. For every dark brand, we also include a few light-colored letterhead pages Read more »

Ask Denise: Honest Statistics

Posted by Denise Lones on November 8th, 2018

Q: “Denise, I have been mailing to a farm area now for years and another agent has begun sending postcards to the same area. One of my clients collected a couple and gave them to me. I was shocked! The cards blatantly said she was #1 in sales for the last year. I don’t know where she could have been #1 as her stats do not support that claim. What would you suggest I do?”

A: I assume that the postcard doesn’t give you any clues as to where that number came from. I always suggest leaving what we call “breadcrumbs” that allow someone else to arrive at the same numbers you do and it may even be required by the DOL or the MLS. Read more »

Pricing With Confidence

Posted by Denise Lones on November 1st, 2018

One of the hardest parts of your job as a real estate agent is the ability to price a seller’s home correctly. There are so many variables that go along with accurate pricing and if agents do not consider all of these, they may be costing their sellers thousands of dollars in lost potential sales revenue. More often however, because of the inability to price correctly agents walk away empty-handed without ever having the opportunity to sell the home because the price the agent came up with is not consistent with the seller’s expectations. Agents can spend hours doing CMAs only to find that what they are presenting to the potential seller(s) either wasn’t enough information, the right kind of information, or the information the seller wanted or expected to hear.

Read more »

Palette Spotlight: Black & Gold

Posted by Denise Lones on November 1st, 2018

Today’s Branding Spotlight takes a closer look at the Black & Gold palette. Many clients love this classic color combo. It’s a high-contrast section that carries implications of luxury, wealth, and sophistication. But did you know that there are many different shades of black and gold? In its elemental form, gold can take on rose and silver tints that deviate from the usual yellow. Black is the “timeless classic” but it can be tinted and lightened ever so slightly to better compliment the overall palette. Together, it’s a high-contrast selection makes a confidant and definitive statement. Read more »

Ask Denise: Better Planning

Posted by Denise Lones on November 1st, 2018

A: “Denise, my office is doing a business planning session in a couple of weeks which I am very excited about. I have no problem with the planning. In fact, every year I make a plan. But how close does my actual year come to my plan? That can be measured in light years. I really want to make 2019 different. What do you suggest?”

A: Great question! Many agents are thinking about business planning this time of year and what you are experiencing is similar to what a lot of others experience – a challenge of turning plans into actions. Read more »

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