Thursday, January 20, 2011

Real estate agents - Let Your Dog Help Sell Your Listings

One of my media coaching clients a few years ago had mentioned to me how much he enjoyed walking and how his dog was more or less conditioned to walk a couple of miles with him each day for exercise. Of course, I asked where he would do this and he told me how he would drive the dog over to a big park less than 5 minutes away. Which prompted me to ask him when he sold real estate.

He didn’t get the connection. I asked him why he wouldn’t walk the dog around the neighborhood and meet the other dog owners nearby in the process, and he didn’t know. I told him that’s why he had hired me. Having the training to address a group of people with confidence also applies in one-on-one situations.

His dog-walking time was taking away from his real estate time when it didn’t have to be. At least he was a very good listener, and that’s not something that can be taught.

Starting the very next afternoon, he began daily extensive walks within the square mile area surrounding his own house, which happened to be part of his farm area. He began to notice which houses had the dog houses, “Beware of Dog” signs, and/or the sounds of barking when he walked by. Over the course of the first three weeks, he was able to develop a route to “just happen” to walk his dog by many of the houses owned by dog owners.

Naturally, he got a few opportunities to say hello and meet some of his fellow “neighbor” dog owners. These other dog owners realized his consistent walking of his dog on a regular basis, and they became more familiar with him. After a few casual greetings with them, he would take the chance to mention that he handles real estate within the community and loves to work with dog owners because he so clearly understands their needs and requirements to find a suitable home. He would, of course, have business cards with him during his walks and gradually passed them out to neighborhood dog owners.

Even though his business cards said nothing about dogs, he soon got a referral and was successful at finding an ideal fit for a family with two large dogs and brought them into the neighborhood. Other deals followed over the next couple of years.

There was no extra cost for his marketing campaign. In fact, it didn’t even take any more time out of his daily routine. All it took was knowing how to create and follow up in a marketing situation. So if you still think the real estate market is going to the dogs, then take yours for a walk where it counts.


http://www.RealEstateMediaCoaching.com