Are you Old School or New School?

Today I want to draw a line in the sand—I want one side of the line to be Old School Real Estate Marketing and the other side to be New School Real Estate Marketing.

Many Realtors are struggling to keep up with the rapid changes that are happening in the marketplace and reflecting these changes in their company's marketing programs. Technology and communication are advancing so quickly that marketing is becoming real time making Old School Marketing tactics only a fraction as effective as they used to be. Think about direct mail, for example. By the time you create a piece, mail it and have it in the hands of the prospective buyer, weeks have passed. Marketing today, however, is so much faster. With just a few strokes and the use of Google, you and your prospective clients can find anything they want.

Think about real time like this: if you're standing in front of a restaurant deciding whether or not to go in and have a meal, you could pull up Yelp, get some user reviews and make your decision right there on the spot. That's how quickly marketing is moving today! As a result, buyers are beginning the buying process long before they have to write a check. They go deep with their research to understand the company, its products and its services. They're constantly gathering information and reaching out to their networks for referrals, testimonials and success stories, so if they do decide to purchase, they feel safe about their decision. The buyer's decision is made by the company that's giving them enough content to know, like and trust them—not sell to them.

So how does this affect you? Your company has to provide in its marketing strategy all the content you need to make that decision. Buyers are not permitting selling anymore—they just want content so they can make the decision themselves.

So, if buyers don't want to be sold, why not Consult with them, become their advocates and their trusted advisors.  Why not add an Alternative Compensation Model to your existing array of tools, it's not about stopping doing what you do, it's about updating your Marketing Curriculum. 

Check out Homebuyingevolution.com and Nucazza.com