If you consider the path to success that agent David Nease has taken in his short but profitable rise to stardom, it proves that coming into a market with the right mindset makes all the difference in the world. His motivation, drive and strategic planning were key to an impressive start in real estate in the tiny haven of Londonderry, New Hampshire, where he came to dominate the market against all odds and formidable hurdles.

Unlike so many agents out there, David didn’t search for the one silver bullet that would solve his problems. He didn’t wonder if it was door knocking or postcard mailing that would do the trick. Instead, David embraced the entire concept of strategic marketing and initiated a plan, supported by systems and processes that lead to long-term growth and ongoing market penetration.

In just a year, David entered into the field and immediately got the training, education and tools needed to grow and sustain a real estate business. But what truly inspired him was a living example of success sitting at the desk right next to him at his office at Prudential Verani Realty in Londonderry. A colleague, Val Munoz, was also new in real estate but she wasn’t struggling as so many new agents do. Val was successful and there was considerable buzz around the office about how she made it happen.

An Example of Success to Follow
Week after week Val’s name was on the listing board. David was intrigued, so he made the brave move one day and asked her what genie was making all this happen.

“Val talked about going to The Gateway seminar, and told me she was completely sold on the principles of personal marketing,” David recalls. “I talked to her about how she was able to get so much business so soon and she said the magic word — branding.”

She also told him that in order to make money she had to invest money in her business. After Gateway, Val’s mindset shifted and she came away with a completely new philosophy about marketing.

The Risk Was Worth The Outcome
David listened carefully, because like most agents he came into the field risking stability and a steady income flow. At the same time, he had no clue about how to jumpstart his business. Add to this pressure the fact that his wife stayed home with their two young children and he cashed in his 401k to launch a new career in real estate. The pressure was on, but Val planted the seed that would alter David’s life forever.

It didn’t take much for him to get to the next Gateway seminar in Orlando, when he was only four months into his new career.

“I was sold on strategic marketing before I even got there,” he said.

So Long to Cheesy Marketing
David didn’t know it, but he was about to say goodbye to all the marketing methods that had gotten him nowhere in those early months.

“I did open houses and floor time,” he noted. “I sent out those cheesy calendars and mailed post cards that promoted my broker more than me,” he recalls. “My farm was only 900 people. I suffered from what they talk about at The Gateway. My marketing had no consistency, no personal branding at all and my strategies were not a long-term solution. They tied it all together and it became clear what I was doing wrong.”

One “aha” moment after another marked the three-day seminar. David learned about the power of a personal branding campaign and how to use direct mail to win the hearts and minds of local consumers. The personal brochures and PowerKards were new tools he was introduced to that would distinguish him from the hordes of calendars and postcards his competition was sending out. David embraced new concepts of creating a niche and bonding with like-minded potential clients. And, he learned about systems and processes that would grow and sustain a business once his niche was identified.

Local Stardom Made Mom’s Doubt Vanish
With Val as his inspiration and a solid plan for growing mind share, David came back from Gateway fired up and determined to own his market. He hired Hobbs/Herder to develop a campaign that would resonate with the family-friendly environment found in his hometown of Londonberry. With his personal brochure and PowerKards in hand, he launched a direct mail and newspaper ad campaign, all themed on traditional bonds that his market holds dear.

He was on fire with the new direction his business was taking and was beginning to get responses from the Just Sold/Just Listed mailings he sent out. Still not everyone in David’s circle was convinced that his efforts would pay off.

“I remember my mom visited from Florida once,” David remembers, “and she was the big doubter in my life. With a wife and two kids to support, she thought I was nuts to risk my life savings.”

That is, until David’s new star quality shone one day in the grocery store.

“My mom and I were in the produce section and someone recognized me from my brochure,” he noted. “This woman said she knew me and she even quoted my slogan as my mom stood there dropping her jaw.”

In that moment, Mrs. Nease no longer doubted her son’s conviction, ideas or fortitude. She became a fan on the spot.

A Foundation That Revolutionized His Business
After David started his direct mail campaign, he developed a comprehensive marketing strategy to tap the area’s potential. The town demographic reflects white-collar, educated executives whose upward mobility caught David’s eye. As the brochure and PowerKard steadily garnered exposure, he went to work on maximizing the networking, advertising and promotional events of the town that would enhance the mind share seed that Hobbs/Herder materials were sowing. At the same time, David built a carefully targeted database that included the town’s most expensive neighborhoods and the movers and shakers that lived there.

Taken together, these efforts built a foundation of business for David that has brought enormous return in a short amount of time. They also represent the processes, systems and tools that Hobbs/Herder suggests in its seminars that help agents on a new journey of success. David’s action in each area is detailed below:

Networking/Fundraising
David’s wife is active with other moms in Londonderry and his “Family First” slogan has become a powerful catchphrase in her circle. Sixty moms meet weekly and bring their kids to play together at a local playground. Everyone in her “Moms’ Club” is in David’s database. Since she’s the playground coordinator, any new families who join the club must go through her. It’s an automatic introduction to new executives and families that move to Londonderry.

David leveraged this opportunity further. When it was announced that the playground needed upgrades, he took it on as a civic cause. Using his PowerKards and newspaper ads, he launched a campaign titled “Help Me Help the Kids of Londonderry.” In the copy, he promised to donate 10 percent of the proceeds of every one of his home sales to the project, all under the banner of David’s commitment to “put families first.”

He also used his House Flier Master as the template for an ad insert in the local newspaper, connecting his branding with a cause that undoubtedly touched his target market. Next, David approached the playground committee that was raising funds. He offered to purchase T-shirts and sweatshirts for the committee — with their fundraising logo on the front and his personal logo on the back. Again, his personal brand was allied with a good cause.

Database Development
When David returned from Gateway, he slowly increased his database from 900 to 1,700. He went through the MLS and found the most expensive listings that had been sold in the last 10 years. He added those addresses and those nearby to his database. As well, at social and civic or fundraising events, David made sure he got names and addresses of new acquaintances. He uses his brochure to follow up on these informal chats or will write a short personal note on a PowerKard.

“Nobody gets away from me,” he quips, “and I send them direct mail until they tell me to stop.”

Once his farm has received his brochure, he does a seven-week PowerKard mailing campaign, sending a mix of Just Sold and Just Listed messages. David then follows up with a twice a month market update PowerKard mailing to keep his image foremost in the consumer’s mind. The response he got from these methods led to a whole new discovery about Londonderry and a new untapped pocket of executive homes that he hadn’t yet penetrated.

Shortly after the seven-week PowerKard campaign, he got a call for a listing in an area called Kings, a development of eight interlocking streets with upscale homes in the $400,000 range. When he got that first listing, David placed his own personalized sign in the front yard. It had his picture and of course, that slogan that was by now famous and striking a chord with local residents. His 800 number has call-capture technology associated with the property ID, so David can speak directly or immediately with anyone calling on the listing. Kings had agents who were selling in the area, but none used the arsenal of tools that David had.

These tools yielded great results right away. Again, this has all occurred in less than a year from attending The Gateway.

“I now have seven of the last nine listings in that area,” he says. “I’m now known as the ‘King of Kings,’” a title he’s very proud of. One woman called to ask if he’d list her home, noting that he must be the only agent selling in her area, since his was the only consistent mailing she received.

Promotional Events/Civic Causes
As his stature has risen, David has found even more creative ways to leverage his branding and bond with his market. This spring, a local elementary school is holding a fundraiser to solicit money for needed capital improvements. Again, David sees the potential for expanding his brand of placing families first. There are 3,000 pickets in a fence that will be constructed around the school. To raise money, families can buy a picket for $50 and have their names engraved on it. David plans to partner with a mortgage broker and again use his House Flier Master as an insert ad for the newspaper. With each home sale, he donates a picket in the family’s or client’s name.

He tapped his popularity in Kings by purchasing T-shirts for the neighborhood softball team, and he bought a sign to place at the area’s football field. Any time there was potential to deepen his connection with Kings, David acted with creative carpe diem.

The Results? Phenomenal.
David’s success in mining and maximizing the Londonderry market has had a huge impact on his revenue. His Hobbs/Herder materials were first mailed out that year in June. Through January of the following year, David had 10 transactions totaling $3.5 million. In the last month alone, he’s gotten three additional listings.

Not bad for his first year in real estate. But David has plans to expand his revved-up market.

“All this business planning has boosted my confidence,” he says. “I was down and negative before Gateway but when I saw the power of these systems, I felt much better about my career. Being recognized in public now is another great perk, a huge adrenaline rush.”

Today, the open houses and floor time are a thing of the past for David. He qualifies clients over the phone and he doesn’t burn gas running around after leads anymore.

“I used to sit at a desk waiting for the phone to ring,” he admits. “Now I’m too busy for that. It all came from Hobbs/Herder.”

The Future is Bright
David plans to repeat the marketing approach that won him Kings, extending it to other areas of the city, and he wants to market to clients just like him.

“I want to work with people who don’t know anyone, just like I was when I moved here a year ago,” David says. To expand his reach, and recreate the success he had with Kings and other upscale areas of town, David recently did a market update for the whole town using his PowerKard. He just sent out his personal brochure for the second time in a year and will continue to refine his database. His next target market is North and South Londonderry. Eventually he plans to divide his farm into four groups in order to tailor his messages to each area.

In a town like Londonderry, there are plenty of lifelong residents who became agents and are well-established. But David proved that consistency, marketing tools, systems and processes can position any agent as the dominant force in a market, regardless of experience or longevity.

What’s your story? We want to hear from other successful agents. Please send any stories and feedback to Greg.Herder@HobbsHerder.com.