September 20th, 2007

Dennis LeBlanc says to (16:55):
Welcome to Hobbs/Herder Chat. This is Dennis LeBlanc, Vice President and Creative Director of Hobbs/Herder. I will be conducting the chat today in John's stead. I've been with H/H for over 18 years, so you're in good hands.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (16:56):
We'll start in a couple of minutes, I'd like to throw it out to you what topics we can discuss. I'm open. Lots of things happening out there that affect your business!

Ron-Albert says to (16:57):
How about making the most of our marketing in this slow real estate market?

gails says to (16:57):
hi. this is gail from md. it's my first chat -looking forward to it.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (16:57):
I conducted the chat a few weeks ago, and I put out "digital printing" and "variable data" as possible topics, those are hot right now. We can revisit those if you'd like. Let's get started.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (16:57):
Hi gail.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (16:57):
What's on your mind, or are you just observing?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (16:58):
Welcome, anneeliason.

Dave Kinskey says to admin (16:58):
What are you finding as effective methods of capturing people on agent websites other than asking for info on a home they find on the MLS database?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (16:59):
While we're waiting for others and for questions, let me remind you that Hobbs/Herder is holding our annual Las Vegas Gateway in late November. We're holding a contest to win free airfare and hotel and tickets to the event. You can enter at www.hobbsherder.com/contest

gails says to (16:59):
i had my personal brochure interview a couple of weeks ago and am eagerly awaiting to jump in once my brochure is done. i'm trying to participate in as much as possible right now.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:00):
Gail, you can speed up the process by starting to research photographers in your area, and once you have your first draft and you approve the design, just take the mock up to your photographer to recreate our suggested shots.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:00):
Photography is the biggest obstacle to the speed of the process. It's out of our hands, and in our clients', who are very busy.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:01):
It is going to be Fall and Winter soon on east coast, hard to take lifestyle shots then. I would move fast as possible.

Ron&Debbie says to (17:02):
We have been using power cards to market a 2 comunity niche. We have a lot of listings, however sales are slow...how do you deal with this?

gails says to (17:03):
dennis, what i'd really like to do at this time is to get my hands on a mega-agent id and get my farm uploaded and established. even though i obviously don't have my web site established yet at h/h.

leigh-anne vaughn says to (17:03):
yes a lot of listings but how to deal with the slow or no buyers

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:03):
Dave, Hobbs/Herder's philosophy is to give them a web site that helps build a sense of community. Our events calendar page is a way to get people to visit and return. You post local community information, local soccer scores, sign ups,etc.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:04):
Also, the direct response offers are good, we have our special reports as lead generators.

Ron&Debbie says to (17:04):
We don't have a calender on our page, however we did sponsor community pages for awhile...our niche areas have their own websites so it didn't work as well as we had hoped

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:05):
Leigh anne, Greg wrote a great article two "E-News" editions ago, on how you need to keep your focus on listings, don't chase buyers and abandon your listings. Work on your price reduction pitch. Not easy, but you want to distinguish who the serious sellers are, obviuosly.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:06):
Ron, key is promoting the site and page. Getting the word out to the prospective people, promoting it on your PowerKard mailings, etc. Networking with soccer groups, etc.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:07):
Buyers are sitting on the sidelines. Houses will sell once they get to the right price. Hopefully, the drop in the interest rates will spark somthing.

cassandra says to (17:07):
Do you know of a virtual assistant that has worked on a Mega agent website?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:08):
Standard Pacific, did a big push to get 200 homes sold. They are half way there, but they have 20 million in incentives.

leigh-anne vaughn says to (17:09):
could you elaborate on that(standard Pacific)

Ron&Debbie says to (17:09):
Our Trend reports in Florida hace 42 months in inventory, however we were up in August for pendings and solds.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:09):
Cassandra, not sure about the virtual assistant working with Mega Agent, if you email me at dennis.leblanc@hobbsherder.com, I can get that information. Do you use a virtual assistant right now? We work with a company called EVA. It's pretty cool.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:10):
New homes sales are way down. Standard Pacific had a promotion/push to try and get 200 units moved ina certain time. They had all kinds of incentives to entice buyers. Free upgrades, televisions, etc, that's what I heard.

Dave Kinskey says to (17:10):
What is the web address for EVA?

cassandra says to (17:11):
Yes Dennis I do have a VA that has just completed my Hobbs Herder disk with all my marketing materials on it. She mails it to me today or tomorrow. I am very familiar with EVA. I met my VA through Elance.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:11):
Ron, here in So Cal, sales are down, in Northern California, in certain sections, I hear it is still hot. Prices are coming down about $50 to 120k and houses seem to move. We had about a $200k jump over that hot market. It's just adjusting.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:12):
The web address is www.evadirect.com

Ron&Debbie says to (17:13):
Yes, in our area of Florida, The Treasure coast, we were up over 30%, investors jumped in, just too many house tops went up with no one to move in, and here we are.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:13):
Who on the chat is considering attending The Las Vegas Gateway?

leigh-anne vaughn says to (17:14):
I would like to

brettmatsuura says to (17:14):
I will be attending MegaManaging in Irvine. Do you have the Hobbs/Herder Travel agent contact information handy?

Ron-Albert says to (17:14):
We're looking into it ...

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:15):
A lot of past clients go every year, it gives them a good focus and aligns their marketing plan for 2008. Probably one of the most important years for a lot of you. Key is keeping your name out there, not easy from a budget standpoint, but stay the course, and when the market turns (when), you will be poised to capture a lot of market share!

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:15):
Down markets are actually the best time to advertise. It keeps you afloat during, and when it breaks, you are way ahead of all the agents who will have to scramble.

gails says to (17:15):
i just atended the dc gateway and am scheduled to attend the baltimore mega marketing 2-day conference.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:16):
brettmatsuura, I don't have that handy, but contact Jennifer Harris at ext. 220, and she can get you what you need.

Ron-Albert says to (17:16):
Yes, in fact, we believe this is the time when you REALLY must market yourself.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:16):
Ron, yes it is best time. The struggle is raising the capital to fund it. Budgets are tight!

Ron&Debbie says to (17:17):
Yeah, tell me about it..

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:17):
Does anyone want to know about Variable Data?

leigh-anne vaughn says to (17:17):
agree, how to fund it?

Ron&Debbie says to (17:17):
Yes

Ron-Albert says to (17:17):
sure

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:17):
That's where you can send a PowerKard message to everyone in your farm, but their name will appear in your message, like it's a custom message created for them.

Ron&Debbie says to (17:18):
You mean a mail merge???

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:18):
It's something direct mail marketers have been using for a few years, but it's virtually untapped in real estate marketing.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:18):
WE offer that through Hobbs/Herder Digital Printing services.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:21):
Ron, printing can be on both sides, but right now, we've got it set just to print the mail address, most of the variable data happens on the message side.

Ron-Albert says to (17:21):
Sounds very cool

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:22):
Someone asked about how do you budget in tight times. Don't have the answer, but one way is you can explore using digital printing services for your powerkard mailings.

Ron-Albert says to (17:22):
By the way, the messages from Ron&Debbie are actually from my wife and partner Debbie.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:23):
You dont' have to invest large lump sum upfront to print 100,000 powerkards to overprint your message. You just print what you need for each mailing. We also offer the mailing services.

angus says to (17:24):
Dennis,

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:24):
If anyone wants additional information on digital printing, variable data or our mailing services, email me at dennis.leblanc@hobbsherder.com and put Digital printing info in the subject header. I'll have a rep contact you to explain how it works.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:25):
Did I miss anyone's question? These things fly so fast. Did I not answer any question or do you need elaboration on anything?

Ron&Debbie says to (17:25):
Thank you we will be in touch..

Ron-Albert says to (17:25):
Nah, you're doing great

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:26):
Ron, be sure that your PowerKard messages are at a 2 to 1 ratio of "markeitng messages" to any other type of message or advertising message.

Ron-Albert says to (17:26):
This is a great way to get valuable information {typing_smiley}

Ron&Debbie says to (17:26):
So, we won't worry about buyers??? We love the double dip ones!! Our personal marketing enables us to do a number of those thru neighborhood referrals

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:26):
That is, you should be sending "just solds" (if you got em), just listeds (if you got em) at a 2 to 1 ratio.

brettmatsuura says to (17:27):
What do you mean 2 to 1 ratio?

leigh-anne vaughn says to (17:27):
2 to 1 ratio??

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:27):
Your goal is to create the impression that you're selling the hell out of the area. If you don't have either listings or sales, see if you can putll one from a colleague, or do a "recent sales" mailing.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:27):
Too many clients don't have listings, so they send the messages from the Gateway binder or the PowerKard primer, which are either direct response for our reports or just clever ad messagees.

Ron&Debbie says to (17:27):
We have sales and listings in our two established areas and we are opening up a brand new neighborhood.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:28):
It's important to keep a steady flow of market updates.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:28):
at a 2 to 1 ratio.

Ron&Debbie says to (17:28):
Two personalized mailings to one marketing information???

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:29):
Not saying "don't worry about buyers". JUst don't abandon your push for listings and chase buyers. You still need to find buyers. But we fear that agents do a kneejerk reaction and retool alol their efforts toward buyers. In any market, if you control the listings.....

brettmatsuura says to (17:29):
Will you please give us an example

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:29):
No, two "market updates" (just listed, just sold, recent sales, recent listings).

Ron&Debbie says to (17:30):
Got It {laugh_smiley}

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:30):
I wouldn't necessarily combine two sales or two listings on one card, if they are yours. Milk them, spread them out.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:31):
I know home sellers love updates. So once a month or once a quarter, send them a list of sales in their area. YOu can use your House Flier if there are lots. Don't forget a good CTA (call to action).

brettmatsuura says to (17:31):
If you have a listing outside of your farm, how big of a minimum target area would you market to?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:32):
That would be to offer a special report, or the more generic, "We are your area specialists, call us for a private market update consultation. We'll be happy to explain current market conditions, and how they affect your home sale, whether you're ready to sell now, or a few years down the road.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:33):
We don't generally recommend small farms, Brettmatsura. But if you do, you still need to do the same research, turnover, is another agent dominating, etc.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:33):
Digital printing and our mail fullfilment service allows you to mail to smaller groups/niches. If it's less than 200, you willn eed to send your PK first class.

angus says to (17:34):
I have been mailing flyers to my farm area about 4 times a year and since I went to Gateway last Dec I now mail it oour once a month. Each flyer gererates about $20,000. in comissions at a cost of about $500. for printing and delivery through the postoffice. MAny homeowners keep my cards and flyers until they are ready to list. Now I'm trying to create a draft for a personal brochure which I want it to be distinctive from the rest I've seen. I'm coming to Las Vegas in late Nov to see if your and you staff can give me some ideas. My farm is about 3500 people

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:34):
brettmatsura, I'm not sure if I answered your question. Can you elaborate?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:35):
angus, great news. 3,500 is pushing the envelope for a direct mail farm. Over that, you might want to explore some mass media options.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:36):
Also, to anyone here who is an H/H client, we will be holding a special "client appreciation day" the day before the Las Vegas Gateway. It's free, and we will be having key staff there to answer questions, we will be holding workshops and breakout groups to address all the hot issues affectingyou and your marketing. If you want any additional information, contact Jenn.Starnes@hobbsherder.com

brettmatsuura says to (17:37):
I took a listing that is outside of my farm area, therefore these people most likely have no idea who I am. You stated earlier that we should do a listing marketing campaigne on a 2 to 1 ration, I am just curious how many surrounding houses should be targeted? 100, 200, 300, etc.?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:37):
angus, are you saying that you're going to do the brochure yourself? Write and desing it?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:39):
Brettmasuura, when I say 2 to 1, I don't mean number of houses, but the ratio of cards to each other. WE are not big on doing the "pepper" mailing around a listing as a steady means of building business, but I would send it to about a quarter mile or less radius. It's a guess. Just keep it to that specific area or community for maximum effet.

angus says to (17:39):
I advertise in newspapers on TV and magazines as well as on the net in a variety of web sites. Also I'm a member of a BRN _Business Referral Network and local Chamber of Commerce, all of which generate new referrals and business. Is that what you mean? Bob Angus,HAlifax NS

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:39):
brettmatsuura, probably about 50 to 100 houses around the listing.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:41):
No, angus, it sounded like you were going to design a personal brochure for yourself, by yourself. I would urge you not to, not because that's what we do, but because I don't think it will be as effective if you do it. YOu're too close to the subject matter {smile_smiley}

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:42):
angus, are your tv spots and ads "branded?" I'm not sure if you went through the H/H process an purchased a brochure/pk and hf, or you just took our ideas and went to town, which is fine, too.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:43):
brettmatsuura, you took a listing outside y our area, don't be afraid to promote that listing as a "just listed" in your area. Your farm won't dissect it and look it up on the map, and you will create the impression of lots of activity on your part, which is the key to a successful PK campaign.

mbusanic says to (17:44):
Hi...I am a new agent and looking for a simple plan to market myself...thoughts.

leigh-anne vaughn says to (17:44):
gateway

mbusanic says to (17:44):
gate way?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:44):
mbusanic, if you have no budget, go back to the basics, network, walk your farm, work your sphere, even doorknock.

angus says to (17:44):
I agree so that is why I'm coming to see you in Vegas. I need to develop a 'Branding' idea such as my name 'Robert Edward Angus' initials REA also stand for Real Estate Agent-born to be...

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:45):
But if you are serious, attend our MegaMarketing or Gateway. These are filled with free marketing tools you can take and personalize. WE give our strategies, and game plan.

Ron&Debbie says to (17:45):
Any suggestions to service the listings we have, we are at about 25 now and I find it difficult to contact sellers with pertanent information on a weekly basis {shrug_smiley}

mbusanic says to (17:45):
thanks dennis

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:45):
mbusanic, gateway is the most intensive real estate marketing conference you can attend. Hightly recommend.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:46):
Ron&Debbie, did you go to Gateway? Did you try the "Listing Services" booklet and plan?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:47):
Ron, when you say pertinent information, do you mean updates on their sale/transaction?

Ron&Debbie says to (17:47):
No, we would like to, we are getting ideas from your website {smile_smiley}

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:47):
The Hobbs/Herder Listing service package gives you letters and a mailing plan to service and contact your sellers. Right now, it's critical, there are so many expireds.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:48):
Nothing is more exasperating than spending money on a listing, pleading for a price reduction, they expire and the next agent in gets the price reduction you were looking for.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:48):
Last 10 minutes. any other questions?

angus says to (17:48):
This late Nov Gateway, is the info I get similar to the material I got last year?

Ron&Debbie says to (17:48):
Thank You {bye_smiley}

mbusanic says to (17:49):
where do I find more information on your communications packages for farming,sphere, etc?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:49):
The H/H brochure and it's quality will help you get the credility to hopefully get those price reductions. They will be more trusting of your advice.

Ron-Albert says to (17:49):
This has been great Dennis. Thanks. Ron {heart_smiley}

Ron&Debbie says to (17:49):
{rolleye_smiley}

Ron-Albert says to (17:50):
Obviously Debbie loves the emoticons

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:50):
mbusanic, When you attend our seminars, we provide lots of those materials for just the fee of the seminar., Our web site at www.hobbsherder.com has lots of resources, including an archive of marketing articles on a multitude of subjects, including mailing and marketing plans

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:51):
I'm not to expert at the emoticons. but I"m learning {sweat_smiley}

mbusanic says to (17:51):
OK...thanks...I will check it out... {shocked_smiley}

Ron-Albert says to (17:51):
BYE

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:51):
mbusanic, be sure to enter our contest for free air fare and tickets and hotel room to our Las Vegas Gateway in late november. just visit www.hobbsherder.com/contest

mbusanic says to (17:52):
OK...bye...off to the h/h website...thanks again!!

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:52):
Okay, let's wrap this up. If I haven't answered any of your questions, please post them now...

angus says to (17:53):
Thanks Ron & John, See you in Vegas

angus says to (17:53):
Bob

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:54):
Remember also, our "client appreciation" day the day before LV Gateway. It' will be an incredible free resource to you, lots of information, lots of workshops, some fun, and our staff will be available for some consulations on what to do in 2008, what are your biggest marketing challenges, etc.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:54):
It's free. contact jenn.starnes@hobbsherder.com for more info.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:55):
Last question?

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:55):
I'm ready to go get my "second" cup of coffee. Can't wait.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:56):
Okay, everybody, take care. Buckle down for 2008. There will be lots of opportunity if you know how to capitalize! Hang in there and it will pay off. That's whay I believe.

Dennis LeBlanc says to (17:57):
Hobbs/Herder has lots of free resources at out website. Take advantage. Keep coming to this chat. Thanks for letting me conduct the chat today, John should be back next month. Good luck out there. Signing off....

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