Your happy clients know, like and trust you because you provide them information and wisdom that comes from your experience and expertise.
As a realtor, you know the value of making yourself an indispensable resource to your clients. They come to you for your knowledge of everything from loan approvals, to community services, to the status of various mechanical systems in a house.
Your happy clients know, like and trust you because you provide them information and wisdom that comes from your experience and expertise. Why not use this expertise to educate potential clients in your community? After all, you'll have an amazing opportunity to give these leads a preview into how they would benefit from hiring you.
Hosting educational real estate seminars can be a very effective complement to the other lead generation strategies you're using. Most realtors rely on referrals for a large percentage of their business. Unfortunately, you have no control over when those referrals will come to you. Seminars, on the other hand, can be scheduled according to your calendar and to the status of your pipeline.
Need more leads? Time to offer a real estate seminar! Below are 9 of the top Seminar secrets successful realtors know and use to build their businesses.
There are many different groups of people out there buying homes for just as many reasons. Do you want to attract first-time home buyers? What about high wealth couples looking for investment properties? Or perhaps you want to help sellers get the most value for their home in a market that is going through a gentrification process.
Before you put together a great presentation, you have to choose your audience so you can speak their language and provide information that is relevant to them.
The information and education you're providing during your real estate seminar is important. But it's a lot to ask of the attendees to stay focused the entire time, especially if you're discussing terms and concepts that may be unfamiliar to them. Visuals help your audience understand what you're teaching. You don't need anything fancy--just some pictures, images, headlines and bullet points will get the job done. You're selling real estate, after all, so there is no lack of lovely images you could use to make your presentation appealing.
Avoid reading your presentation to the audience--they can do that on their own. Instead, ask questions, and encourage your attendees to ask questions. You want your real estate seminar to be as interactive as possible.
This isn't a high-pressured sales pitch. Your job is to be a valuable resource, showcasing your expertise and developing rapport with people who might be looking to hire you. Give general, high-level information and tips in your real estate seminar rather than going into all the details and options that could apply.
It's perfectly reasonable to introduce yourself by sharing your name, the company you work with, your areas of expertise and a fun fact that will help your audience get to know you (like the fact that you rescue greyhounds, bake award-winning pies or spend all your free time on your boat, etc.). But there's no need to plaster your company logo all over the place at your real estate seminar, since doing so makes your attendees feel like you're trying to sell them something.
Instead, tell them that this real estate seminar is part one of a two-part series and that part two takes place back at your office where you can focus on their specific circumstances and goals. Give them a reason to want part two. That's when you will have the opportunity to invite them to hire you.
Many real estate offices provide colorful, glossy, branded folders you can provide to attendees of your real estate seminar. It's helpful to organize any materials you hand out. Include the following items in your folder:
There are many reasons to consider partnering with a vendor or other home buying professional for your real estate seminar. Some seminar hosts like to partner with their favorite mortgage lender, appraiser, commercial real estate attorney or home inspector. Each of these professionals bring an additional area of expertise to complement your knowledge, and you both serve the same client.
Bonus: You can split the costs of the real estate seminar with your co-host.
Ensure your guests are comfortable and ready to learn from you by providing light snacks and refreshments. Water bottles, coffee or tea, sodas and light snacks (like cookies) are always welcome. Finger foods are best because they don't require forks and spoons, and they make it easy to keep the work space tidy.
Many realtors think hosting a seminar at their office makes the most sense, especially because it's free and convenient for them. Instead, choose a neutral location like a library or community center that will help send the message that you're offering an education rather than a sales pitch.
Pick a venue that's close and convenient to your target audience. Make sure it's easy to find and that it has ample parking. And be sure to consider the timing of the real estate seminar. Weekday evenings and Saturday mornings are usually good choices, but also consider the seasons and how that might influence when your target audience is most interested in the information you have to share.
This is often the most challenging part of the process, but after all the work you've done to plan and prepare for this real estate seminar, you have to get attendees to show up! There are many online resources to manage registrations and help you get the word out. Share about the real estate seminar on your social media sites and ask friends to share it, too. Some local newspapers will list your seminar on their events page (in print and on their website). You can also email your existing clients and ask them to forward your email to friends they know who might benefit from it.
Proactive and successful seminar marketing can take a lot of time and energy, and many realtors choose to outsource the event-planning logistics (including finding and booking the venue, handling registrations, confirmation calling and post-event follow ups) to our team at White Glove.
After spending an hour or more with you, some of your seminar attendees will want to schedule a follow-up appointment. That's great! Be sure you have cleared your calendar for some appointments for the two weeks following the real estate seminar so you can meet with these prospects while they are still interested in learning from you.
In addition, be sure to follow up with a post-event email or phone call offering your help to those who signed up for your event but didn't come, or to those who attended but didn't set an appointment with you yet.
Real estate seminars allow you to connect with prospective home buyers and sellers who need the information and expertise you have to share. In addition, they give you the opportunity to audition for the role of buyer's or seller's agent as you give your seminar attendees the chance to get to know you. They're a great addition to your other lead generation techniques and allow you to build your presence in the community.
Want to learn more about the innovative, 100% done-for-you White Glove seminar planning program? Email me for details: lara.galloway@whitegloveworkshops.com.
