Meet Marta Brown

Marta Brown is an expert with California closings. She has more than three years experience in California transaction coordination as well as in-depth knowledge of the disclosures required by the California Association of Realtors. Prior to her years in transaction coordination, Marta worked for two decades as a software engineer. Her work philosophy is one we can all agree with, “Make the client happy!”

Marta is skilled with a range of office productivity programs as well as Facebook, Postlets and Craigslist. She also has experience with Advanced Access, AgentOffice, Top Producer, Top Producer 8i, Realtor.com, VisualTour and Wells Fargo REO. Marta’s not all work and no play, however. She also enjoys hiking, reading and gardening in her spare time.

Meet Sheryl Green

Sheryl Green brings expertise with many aspects of social media to the REVStaffing team. Sheryl has valuable experience with Facebook, ActiveRain,Twitter, LinkedIn, Postlets and Craigslist. She is also skilled with a range of office productivity programs, including Excel, Word and PowerPoint, as well as Constant Contact for CRM. Additionally, Sheryl has valuable experience with Realtor.com and VisualTour.

As with all of our VAs, Marta and Sheryl are committed to providing our clients with top-notch service. Here at REVStaffing, we take the time to match each client with the right VA for his or her specific needs. We are proud to add Marta and Sheryl to our team!

The right VA can be vital to your business. Discover today how our REVStaffing virtual assistants dramatically boost client productivity. Take the next step towards better organization of your residential or commercial business by sending us an email, or give us a call for a free needs analysis.

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Ever have days when nothing seems to go well? Does getting what you want seem impossibly difficult at times? Maybe you wonder how to get others to change and start recognizing your needs. The answer, however, may start with you and how you ask for what you want and respond when you get it. Whom you choose to ask makes a world of difference as well. Use the following tips to get what you want more often:

Ask for What You Need

When you’re pressed for time and overwhelmed with things to do, it can be easy to assume that others know what you want. Maybe you expect that your assistant knows exactly what you need from a project, a colleague knows the perfect time to speak with you, and even the server knows how you like your eggs. But the key to getting what you want is being clear about your needs. Whether you are assigning a project to a virtual assistant or ordering food for an upcoming event, take the time to provide a concise description of what you need. It will take a few minutes to do so, but just think of all the time you’ll save when you get what you want the first time around.

Specify When You Need It

Do you want your coffee with dessert rather than while you await your meal? Your server won’t know this if you don’t tell her. The same applies when it comes to business relationships. To you, ASAP may mean in the next couple of hours, but your assistant may interpret ASAP as the next day or two. Some people may avoid giving firm deadlines because they think it makes them seem rude or pushy. In reality, it only helps the team member or employee feel confident in his ability to meet your needs. It allows him to prioritize his work and plan his schedule. It also frees you both from frustration. You won’t have the frustration of receiving something you requested later than you needed it, and the other person won’t feel frustrated about letting you down.

Give Feedback

Nobody is perfect, and of course, you can’t take the time to provide feedback on every little thing. But when you do have a minute or two to spare, be sure to let those around you know how they are doing. If they’re doing well, your feedback might motivate them to keep up the good work. If they’ve made mistakes, your feedback is valuable too. It helps them recognize where they went wrong and avoid the situation in the future; that’s a win-win for both of you.

Choose the Right People

Sometimes getting what you want is simply a matter of asking the right person. You might find some individuals who are just good at everything, but many people have a few things at which they really shine. When you need help and you want a project done well, ask the person with the skills and talent for the job. For instance, some people are better at talking to people and inspiring trust while others are more effective behind the scenes. Each person may have a place in your work environment or on your project, but you’ll all be most productive if you assign tasks according to each party’s attributes and abilities.

Develop a Rapport

Getting to know a little about the people you work with can only help your business. First, people like to work for and with people they consider personable, so taking a minute to ask about a colleague’s weekend or inquire about a client’s birthday plans can make her feel more comfortable with and friendly towards you. Likewise, if chatting with a business associate reveals that she is insanely busy on Monday mornings, you now know that Tuesday morning is a better time to approach her with an idea or request. Additionally, people tend to be much more willing to give referrals and extra help to people they’ve gotten to know a bit.

Let our REVStaffing virtual assistants give your business the lift it needs for success in 2012! Discover today how we dramatically boost our clients’ productivity. Take your next step towards better organization of your residential or commercial business by sending us an email, or give us a call for a free needs analysis.

From speaking with so many of you, we’ve learned that customer satisfaction is a primary concern. But making the right moves to ensure it takes a lot of thought and planning. Often, an opportunity comes up or you hear about a way of doing things and wonder, “Is that right for my clients?” Sue has organized this unique real estate event to help answer that question. But now we’re getting to the good part. You won’t learn how to make your clients happy from other real estate professionals (like at other conferences). You’re going to hear it right from the horse’s mouth–the clients who come to you for help with buying or selling their homes.

Let’s face it, a customer-centric business requires constantly learning and updating what you think you know about your clients’ wants and needs. Hear It Direct will take you right to the source for the information you need. If you attend, you’ll have the unusual opportunity to learn what you’re doing right and where change is needed from real customers who’ve agreed to participate in the consumer panels. You might be surprised by some of the things clients value over those they consider less important. In fact, you’ll be surprised by what they don’t consider important at all.

The intimate consumer panels alone will give you plenty of information to take away and use in your business. But you’ll also get technology demonstrations and insightful peeks at the way consumers use technology in their real estate searches. Wouldn’t you love to get a look at a consumer’s online search? Talk about the value of being a fly on the wall!

We’re also excited to tell you about the aha moments Sue has planned for you. What’s an aha moment? How many times have you learned something new, whether complicated or shockingly simple, and gasped, “aha!” Maybe you thought “Why didn’t I think of that before?” or “That’s just what I needed! or “Look out–I’ve got it now!” Hear It Direct plans to provide plenty of those aha moments as well as the chance to discuss them and decide how to make them work for you.

We’re hoping you’ll find it helpful for your business.

Chris McNamara and Seychelle Vanpoole will help out with the panels, and the list of sponsors includes:

Corcoran Consulting
Floorplan Online
RedX
Vyral Marketing
SmartZip
Dot Loop
Atlantic Home Loans
Market Leader
Chicago Title-Dallas
GMAC Mortgage

You can register for the all-day conference at HearItDirect.com. Let us know if you decide to attend. We’d love to hear all about your good time and what you learn.

No matter how attractive and information-packed your site is, your target audience still has to find it. A fantastically written page can be buried in the search engines just as easily as a poorly written one. To get more targeted visitors to your website, you have to employ sound search engine optimization (SEO) strategies along with all of your other efforts. With the majority of website traffic coming from search engines, good SEO is a must.

The Right Keywords

Keyword research is a key part of SEO. You can probably come up with a long list of keywords and phrases that apply to your real estate business, but they may not prove the best for getting prospects to your site. Instead, the best keywords are those that draw a high level of searches yet have less competition. Such keywords provide a better chance of ranking higher with the search engines and getting more visitors to your site. Of course, it’s critical that you choose keywords that are relevant to your content as well. Just think how frustrated visitors will be if they land on your page from a luxury home keyphrase and find commercial property information instead.

SEO Keyword Incidence

Figuring out how to use the keywords you choose can be confusing. We’ve all seen pages that are 90-percent keywords and only 10-percent valuable content. These pages may spend a little time at the head of search results, but eventually they get slapped down by the search engines. And the visitors who do see the pages? They are often so annoyed by the lack of valuable information and poor writing that they get off the website as soon as they can. Many SEO experts recommend including your keywords just a few times per page. For example, you might do well to focus each page of your site on one keyword and include that keyword or phrase once every 100 words of content.

Keyword Positioning

Besides the body of your page (your article, blog posts, listings, etc.), there are others areas that need well-targeted keywords. Use them in your meta tags and description, title, subheadings, and image tags. For example, write a title that includes your keyword and then add the keyword to one subheading on your page. Add keywords to the anchor tags of your links and in your page URLs. If you can include your keyword in your domain name, that’s even better.

Company or Custom Website

Company-provided websites are easy to set up, as many only require you to upload an image, contact information and a short bio. They often boast clean, attractive design elements and simple navigation. The problem with these sites is that they don’t show off your unique style, and it’s your unique attributes that set you apart and make you attractive to clients. If you can design a website that is uniquely yours or hire a designer to handle it for you, you can better demonstrate the reasons a prospect needs you rather than the agent down the lane. Likewise, you may find it easier to optimize your custom site for the search engines.

Let REVStaffing boost your productivity. Take the next step towards better organization and exposure for your business. Shoot us an email or give us a call for a free needs analysis.

For Homeowners

You can always interest homeowners with blog posts that help them save money, learn how to do something new, or develop a better understanding of a confusing topic. For example, you might write a post on a home improvement topic. Do-it-yourself posts help homeowners improve their properties on their own or figure out that it’s time to call in a professional. Likewise, posts that help homeowners save money on energy or choose the right contractor can prove beneficial.  Other ideas include how-to’s for organizing community events and keeping Internet connections secure, lists of local charities in need of volunteers and home-safety tips.

For Buyers

Buyers aren’t just looking for a home. They’re also looking for a community and a lifestyle. You can help by creating blog posts that describe communities in your market and provide insight into not only various types of properties and average home costs, but also the local flavor and recreational opportunities. Many buyers also have an appreciation for comparisons of different communities. Instead of just writing about one community, set up a post that lists communities side by side, making it easier for buyers to note the differences in cost of living, home prices, utilities and other items of interest. Additionally, posts that cover the financial concerns common to buyers can go over well. For instance, you might offer pointers for securing the best home loan, evaluating affordability, finding furniture bargains and having fun on a budget.

For Sellers

Sellers often appreciate blog posts that offer tips for preparing their homes for sale, setting a sale price and negotiating with buyers. Ideas for remodeling projects that increase home values, discussions of curb appeal and analysis of the legal concerns involved in selling a home can interest sellers. Blog posts that help homeowners decide whether to sell or rent out their properties often prove helpful as well. Other post ideas include discussions of home inspections, appraisals, sellers disclosures, the home-selling process and close of escrow. Don’t forget to write a post or two about moving. Sellers are always looking for ways to make moving efficient and affordable.

Let our REVStaffing virtual assistants give your blog the lift it needs for success in 2012! Discover today how we dramatically boost our clients’ productivity. Take your next step towards better organization of your residential or commercial business by sending us an email, or give us a call for a free needs analysis.

1. Your Attention: Your clients want to know they have your attention. They want to feel that you’re interested in their needs and remember them as individuals. If you can easily recall your last conversation with a client, remember important dates like birthdays and anniversaries, and keep track of the most important criteria in your client’s home search, this can go a long way towards satisfied clients and new referrals. No one wants to be just another contact on your list. Personal attention is key.

2. Consistent Contact: This goes hand in hand with the attention your clients want. Frequent contact via phone calls or email lets clients know they’re on your mind. How many times have you waited for an associate to handle something for you and thought he forgot about you because of the lack of contact? Staying in touch, even if only to say hello and that you’re still on task, can increase client satisfaction. It may even provide the opportunity to get more work. For example, your phone call or email may stimulate your client to remember a friend who needs an agent with your experience and expertise.

3. Easy Access to Listings: This is the technology age. People want access to listings online, through their smartphones and via email.  Make it easy for your clients and prospects to search for properties and research prices by providing access to featured properties and MLS listings via your website. Consider offering an app that allows your clients to access listings, get real estate news, request showings, and contact you through their mobile devices. Providing email listing updates can increase client satisfaction as well.

4. Details: Your clients expect you to be a reliable source of details useful in searching for the right property or selling their homes as quickly as possible. Help buyers learn more about the areas they are considering by providing updated community profile information on your website or blog and in your email blasts. Fill them in on schools, transportation, crime rates and recreational opportunities. And be sure to share your personal observations when you speak with clients. Will they know their neighbors and enjoy a community feel or is the area more likely to please busy professionals who don’t want much  interaction? Is the community mostly homeowners? Are there a lot of renters? Include a little history of the area and some human interest anecdotes to help your clients develop a picture of the area.

5. Advice and Education: Any agent can show a home; your clients want so much more from you. They don’t need you to just  help them find a home; they need you to help them find the right home. And often this means educating them on the market, helping them evaluate affordability and helping them negotiate.  Sellers want the benefit of your expertise with pricing their properties and attracting serious buyers quickly.  Your advice? Make it honest. Do you think an area is up and coming or on its way downhill? Is a community excellent for young families hoping to stay put until retirement? Do you think your client can do better for the price? Share and show your clients that you are always on their side.

Our REVStaffing virtual assistants dramatically boost our clients’ productivity. Take your next step towards better organization of your residential or commercial business by sending us an email, or give us a call for a free needs analysis. We’ll be happy to discuss ALL of your unique 2012 business needs; ask how we can give your business a LIFT!

Apply these tips to your next campaign:

Stand out From the Crowd

Focus your ad creation on being different. Writing headlines and crafting ads that are just like everybody else’s won’t help you stand out or generate leads. If you blend in, what reason do prospects have to call you over another agent? Instead, take your time with writing exciting, crafty ad headlines that make your prospects stop and click. Don’t be afraid to use humor or emotion to draw interest. As for the text of your ads, make them upbeat and descriptive to keep readers’ attention, and don’t forget to include a strong call to action.

Visually Appealing Ads

Though you can type your ad in plain text, click submit and finish up your posting in mere minutes, this isn’t the best route to take if you want to generate the most leads. Instead, use html to craft a post that is easy to read and understand. Use headings, subheadings, bulleted lists, bolding and italics to make the most important parts of your ad stand out. Insert images to ad to your post’s appeal.  

Stay With It

Posting just once might get you a few bites, but getting the most out of Craigslist lead generation means planning a campaign and posting consistently. If you plan a month-long campaign, don’t give up midway through, as many prospects have to see your ad at least a few times before they will take action and contact you. Take care, however, with following Craigslist’s posting rules throughout your campaign. You risk having your ad flagged for removal if you post the same ad in more than one location or do not allow at least 48 hours to pass between repeat postings.

Track Results

You want to know which ad a prospect is responding to, so make sure you track the origin of your leads. Here are a few ways to track your Craigslist results:

• Use tracking links in your posts

• Use a different referral code in each of your ads

• Use a different email address for each ad

• Use a tracking program to monitor activity

• Ask your prospects where they heard about you

Remember, tracking results helps you determine what you’re doing right.

The Right Timing

You can post your Craigslist ads at any time of the day, but you may draw more attention at certain times. If you post during a slow time of the day, your ad may get buried before your target audience even sees it. Instead, post right at the start of the business day, at lunch time and after the dinner hours.

Let REVStaffing boost your productivity. Take the next step towards better organization and exposure for your business. Shoot us an email or give us a call for a free needs analysis.

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You are NOT just like every other real estate agent out there. You are unique and have something special to offer your clients. Your unique characteristics and abilities make up your brand. They are the reason your clients need you rather than some other agent. Developing a widely recognizable, effective brand image can significantly help your business.

Your Competitors

Start by checking out the competition. Sure, there’s a lot of it, but you can learn from them. What are the agents in your area doing that makes them special? Do they have a unique message or handle a particular specialty? What makes their marketing messages effective, or how are they falling flat? Is there a niche left untapped? Use your analysis of the competition to determine where you can fit in and make a mark for yourself.

Your Clients

Many agents talk a lot about why they are so great. When an agent is good at his job or sells many homes, he wants to shout it from the rooftops. That’s only natural. The problem, however, is that clients and prospects don’t really want to hear all about you. They want to hear the following:

• That you understand who they are

• That you understand their needs

• What you can do to help them

• Why they should choose you

It’s okay to name your achievements, as doing so shows prospects that you have plenty to offer, but keep the focus of your message on how you can–and will–help them.

Provide Details

We’ve all heard the same promises. This person will go the extra mile for us and that one will work tirelessly, but what does that really mean? Let your prospects know what you mean when you say you’re dependable. If you say you’ll be there for them, back up this promise with how you will be there and how it will benefit them.

Tell Them Again

It would be great if you could say something just once and expect your audience to remember and absorb it right away. But people are so busy that it often takes several contacts to get your message across. This means you may have to tell them, and tell them and tell them again, repeating your message in many different ways and across many different platforms. If prospects see and hear your message enough, they’ll know just who to turn to for help.

Your Slogan

A slogan sums up the most important point about your business in a short, catchy phrase. Make it count by creating one that speaks to your audience’s needs and embeds itself in the memory. Then, spread it far and wide, including it on flyers, business cards, letterheads, signs and display ads. Use it on your website and blog as well as in your email blasts and social media profiles. When prospects need help, they should remember your slogan, associate it with their real estate needs and immediately think of contacting you.

Your Logo

Create a memorable logo or hire a designer to do it for you. Choose colors that will appeal to your target audience and make sure that every part of it, from its shape to the words you include, is unique. You want something memorable that your clients and prospects will quickly learn to recognize and associate with you. Eventually, they will come to associate your logo with your positive attributes, and hopefully, favorable feelings about your business.

Let our REVStaffing virtual assistants give your business the lift it needs for success in 2012! Learn how we dramatically boost our clients’ productivity. Take the next step towards better organization of your residential or commercial business by sending us an email, or give us a call for a free needs analysis.

Use email marketing to support your real estate marketing efforts. Well-crafted emails generate more traffic to your website, interest prospects, engage current clients, and establish your reputation as an expert. Real estate email marketing is not only an effective way to keep your audience focused on you, but also a proven way to reach out without spending a lot of money.

Build a List

The most important tip for real estate email marketing is to build a list of clients and prospects who want to hear from you. If you send mass emails to people who never asked for them and aren’t really interested in your content, you risk being labeled a spammer, and you are far less likely to benefit from your marketing efforts. Instead, place a form on your website or blog that allows readers to sign up to receive email updates and newsletters from you. Then, send engaging emails to your subscribers.

You don’t want to waste your time sending a single email out over and over again, and you don’t want your recipient to see all the other names and email addresses on your list. Instead, make email marketing easy by using an online tool that allows you to send professional-looking emails to your list, create or customize templates, and even monitor which recipients read your emails. Here are a few options you might consider:

Aweber: This tool offers many features, your choice of pricing plans and a one-month trial for just a dollar.

Constant Contact: Choose this tool for one-click editing, an anti-spam checker, a range of features and a free 60-day trial. Pricing varies, depending on the size of your list.

MailChimp:  Get pre-designed templates or make your own, set up autoresponders and integrate social networking. This tool offers a forever-free plan as well as monthly plans based on the size of your list and the number of emails you plan to send.

Real Estate Newsletter

Once you’ve built your email list, which should continue to grow, and settled on a tool for creating and sending mass emails, you need some good ideas for content. A monthly newsletter allows you to stay in touch with customers on a regular basis. Make it count by including market updates, agency news, community and schools profiles, and information about interesting local events. You can also include handy tips for buyers and sellers in your newsletter. If you’ve written a particularly interesting or exciting blog post in the previous month, your newsletter is a good place to showcase that as well.

Invitations and Announcements

Sending an email blast is a perfect way to keep your list abreast of important announcements and invite your subscribers to events. For example, emailing invites to your open house ensures that fewer prospects miss out because they weren’t informed. Even if a prospect doesn’t visit your blog or website regularly, he’ll still have the chance to learn all about your open house.

Hints and Tips

Everyone loves learning something that makes life easier. Meet this need by sending tips for preparing a home for sale, planning a long-distance move, DIY home improvement, or hiring contractors. Brainstorm ideas that will interest home buyers and sellers, and include them in your emails. This will keep your subscribers reading even if they aren’t interested in a particular property or market report.

No matter what you include in your email marketing campaigns, there are a few critical points to keep in mind:

●    Less is more. Send emails sparingly to avoid annoying your list and to encourage subscribers to look forward to your next mailing.

●    Avoid cluttering your emails with too much information and too many graphics. Aesthetic appeal counts.

●    Monitor your email marketing statistics. You want to know who opened your email and who clicked your links. This can help you evaluate what works and what doesn’t and craft better emails in the future.

●    Include a call to action in each email. You want your readers to do something, so tell them what to do and make it easy for them to comply. If you want them to click a link, don’t hide it. Put it front and center. If you want them to call you, make sure your phone number is prominently placed.

Call on REVStaffing to help you reach more prospects and enjoy greater productivity. Take the next step towards better organization and exposure for your business. Shoot us an email or give us a call for a free needs analysis.  

Create an Engaging Profile

Many people use Twitter to promote their businesses but neglect their profiles. They tweet regularly but do not take full advantage of their profiles to interest their audience. Your Twitter profile should tell readers about you and what you have to offer, include a personal touch, provide a link to your website or blog and help with search engine indexing.

Look at your profile from the point of view of a potential client. Does it include a personal touch to make clients want to contact you instead of another real estate professional? Try adding a headshot in which you look friendly and competent. Most people will feel more of a connection if they can conjure an image of your face when they think of your name.

Take maximum advantage of the space allowed for your profile by making it unique. This is your chance to compel your audience to follow you and contact you for help. Include your location in your profile. For example, if you sell homes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, include your location. Likewise, include a carefully chosen keyphrase in your profile. Use a keyphrase your target audience is likely to search for, as doing so helps your profile get indexed in the search engines and ensures that more of your audience sees your tweets.

Write Valuable Tweets

As with everything you post on the Web, make sure your tweets are engaging and compelling. Post engaging content on your blog and tweet links to your posts. Do the same with articles you write or videos you post online. Planning an open house? Tweet that as well. And while you won’t want to overdo it by tweeting all of your listings, do pepper your tweets with particularly interesting listings, asking price changes and announcements of sold properties. Be sure to tweet virtual tours as well.

Focus on sharing information of interest for people looking to buy property. Buyers want to know about the neighborhoods in which they’re searching, so include information about schools, recreation, safety and property values. Likewise, information about a community’s feel attracts interest. Buyers want to know if a community is family focused, friendly enough that they will know their neighbors, or mostly young professional couples.

Make a habit of sharing and discussing rather than just talking. Tweet about current real estate trends, start conversations, and ask and answer questions. Retweet interesting, relevant content posted by those you follow. Make use of hashtags, such as #floridavacationhomes, so that Twitter users can easily find and share your content.

Promote Your Twitter Account

While some people will follow you without any additional effort on your part, promotion is key to gaining more followers who are actually interested in what you have to offer. Add your Twitter information to your business card and advertisements, and use Twitter widgets to add tweets to your website or blog. Integrate your Twitter account with your accounts on other social media networks, including Facebook and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to add your Twitter handle to your email signature. You’ll be surprised by how many people notice and decide to follow you.

Let REVStaffing boost your productivity. Take the next step towards better organization and exposure for your business. Shoot us an email or give us a call for a free needs analysis.