All Forum Posts by: Mike Cooke

@Scott Beck, 

I sent a card for every new listing and every sale (just listed / just sold) and a monthly card show everything that was currently on the market and everything that had sold, including selling price and days on the market. At the very least, they should have received the monthly card.  Consistency is the key. As Tom stated above, you might not see any results from your first few mailings, but they will come. I believe the "rule of thumb" that I was given was that the average person has to see your cards seven times before they make an impression. That said, timing plays a role as well. If someone is about to start interviewing agents, (and not just hiring their brother-in-law) the arrival of a post card positioning you as the neighborhood expert should get you invited for an interview.

I am a former multi million $ agent and I used farming postcards extensively. Just Listed, just sold and monthly cards showing what was on the market and what had sold in the neighborhood. I used the cards to help position myself as the expert in the neighborhood. I previewed all listings, took pictures to have a record of things that would add or detract from the value and kept a notebook containing all the information I gathered. When I went to a listing appointment, I would pull out my notebook and explain that no other agent would be in a better position to negotiate the best price for the home because no other agent had the depth of knowledge and documentation to back up the asking price. This also helped sellers to understand and accept my suggested listing price. These days a database and a laptop could replace the notebook. The biggest problem I had was finding the time to stay consistent with the mailings. When I was consistent, it worked. When I got too busy and let the mailings slide, so did my business. The typical roller coaster marketing cycle.