Joseph Sesso, author of Secrets of Top Selling Agents, shares how to own your corner of the market, by incorporating what you are passionate about.
How can you turn a hobby into a business? Through the years, top agents have done just that. Barbara Corcoran came up with the “Corcoran Report” focusing on Manhattan sales and rentals. In it, she included fun facts and some of the most expensive real estate properties hitting the market. Being focused on her niche turned her into the Queen of her market.
Award winning journalist, Kelly Mitchell, shares how finding your niche in a market, should be founded on common interests. Her passion is wine and coffee. She blogs and podcasts about wine while attracting a database along the way.
Check out how Raj Qsar found his niche using YouTube as his tool.
In Gary Keller’s book “The One Thing”, he talks about time blocking your way to getting one more important task done. Dedicate your time and time block off a portion of your day with no distractions. Sesso is encouraging agents to not only do this, but to love what it is they do during their “time block” or their “one more thing”.
Sesso asks agents to ask themselves the following questions:
What am I passionate about?
If I didn’t have to work today, what would I be doing?
Who’s your ideal client?
If I could be anything or anyone in the world, who would I be?
What am I reading about most of the time?
How can my passions intersect with my business, and how can I make this possible?
The Ideal Client
Of course, everyone’s ideal client involves an ideally large commission, but in more realistic terms, an ideal client is probably someone you enjoy being around. When you’re not selling real estate, you’re spending time with those who have similar hobbies. What if you did both at the same time? When people feel part of something, they feel more inclined to not only buy but also to refer.
The Ideal Agent
Jay Baer, author of “Youtility”, talks about how the difference between hype and help is one letter. Providing help to your consumers is just as important as hyping what you do. When the time comes to make a decision, they will remember the help you gave. Answering questions and providing clients with useful information, positions you as the expert. You need to figure out how to provide a common interest or cause, then, you can build something genuine while doing what you love.
Niche Marketing
Geo-Farming:
Taking the time to indulge yourself in a specific neighborhood has proven to be successful. Send direct mail. Knock doors. Show your face as many times as you can until they recognize you. It will pay off, and they will think of you when the time comes to make a move. A great place to start is the neighborhood of your next listing. When you’ve proven successful with one neighbor, get in touch with the rest of the neighborhood.
Mega Open House:
We have heard the same suggestion from multiple successful agents. Have a “neighbor only showing hour” at your next open house. Spend the first hour or two of your open house with the neighborhood. Invite them to come by and walk the house, people are genuinely curious about what homes in their neighborhood look like on the inside. Consequently, after hearing the house sold, they may also be interested in selling, and you will be positioned to be the first person they think of.
Pay-Per-Click:
Everyone googles these days. Don’t pay for common words. Go to your geo-farm and narrow down the area. Doing this may also help you obtain more qualified leads.
Foreclosures or Short Sales:
This is an avenue that allows you to truly help the client. When times are tough, work with foreclosures, and genuinely help them get the most they can out of the sale. They will remember you.
Using Your Passion
In Secrets of a Top Selling Agent, Sesso states, “It is your passion that will drive you to make those extra calls, to knock on a few extra doors, to vigorously work FSBO’s and expired listings, and to follow up with past clients.” Prospecting, in all forms, can become mundane. Use your passion to fuel your business.
Have you figured out which niche would lead to you becoming successful? Let us know what it is in the comments section. Let’s start a conversation about it.
