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Getting Blacklisted for Spam (Cold Email Lead Techniques)

Real Deal Denver

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  • Some people will take the course and hire you because they don't want to go through the steps.
  • The course gives you more credibility for those who would hire you.

I've already had many people push me into developing this into a course, so your information is right on track @Andy Black.

Eventually, I'm going to take that to an even higher level by having it accredited as continuing education. I'll also publish it. This is the type of information that doesn't exist in any quality form. You really have to know someone that deals with this.

I am sure I will incorporate your course/methods when I reach that point.

Today was a total home run.

I do bring a lot to the table for people in this business, so I get a lot of genuine feedback. People are actually excited to work with me right now on this. One managing broker that is in charge of over 400 agents told me that he has very successful agents that have teams of people already doing this work. Other agents want to do this also, but don't have the business to support a team. Enter my plan - they can hire me when they want to, and it's not an ongoing expense. Now the mid level players can compete with the big players. And the beginners desperately need my services as well.

This thing might take on a life of its own, and who knows what could happen? I can see me hiring people if this expands. I do have a list of appraisers that don't do particularly good work, but are good enough to start with. I'd have to put in the nitty gritty analysis to complete things, but they could do a lot of the work without my help.

This could take off. Amazing.

And to think this started out by me visiting offices and trying to break through to attorneys that were too busy to be bothered. (I'm not blaming them for that. That's the nature of their business.)

This just proves to me once again - I don't know what I don't know. Sometimes things blow up unexpectedly, but in a good way. Hard to believe, I know... but it can happen!

Once again - despite my doubts - this thread continues to improve! Best info I've ever had! So much knowledge and experience here. I'm actually breathless (not a joke).
 
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AgainstAllOdds

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This thread is filled with great information, but it doesn't address your original question.

CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 - Wikipedia

Read that.

Then buy and read this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X7THBWG/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20.

To summarize: It's not spam in the United States until they unsubscribe or tell you not to email them again. Otherwise it'd be impossible for people to approach prospects.

Now the issues you have are:
  • Value Proposition (Product - Market Fit)
  • Cold Email Copy
  • Understanding of Cold Email Techniques
You need to study cold emailing for a bit before approaching the market again.

What you're doing is not "spam", you're just doing a bad job of conveying value (or your product isn't actually valuable for the target customer even though you think it is).

Customization like @MJ DeMarco mentioned is essential. Note that there's ways to automate all of that.

Good luck.
 

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This thread is filled with great information, but it doesn't address your original question.

CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 - Wikipedia

Read that.

Then buy and read this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X7THBWG/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20.

To summarize: It's not spam in the United States until they unsubscribe or tell you not to email them again. Otherwise it'd be impossible for people to approach prospects.

@AgainstAllOdds is right. The issue is effectiveness, not legality.

CAN-SPAM has certain technical requirements. If you meet those technical requirements, you aren't violating the law even if you are sending complete garbage offers that all receivers would consider to be "spam."

Furthermore, even if you did violate the technical requirements of the law, there is no private right of action. That is, only the government (Federal Trade Commission or state attorneys general) can bring a suit against you. Government has limited enforcement resources. Try to imagine the FTC's appetite for chasing down solo appraisers trying to drum up business by sending emails. Hint: it is pretty darn small.

So, comply with CAN-SPAM. It isn't hard. But even if you don't, you probably aren't running a high risk as a practical matter.
 

Real Deal Denver

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What you're doing is not "spam", you're just doing a bad job of conveying value (or your product isn't actually valuable for the target customer even though you think it is).

CAN-SPAM has certain technical requirements. If you meet those technical requirements, you aren't violating the law even if you are sending complete garbage offers that all receivers would consider to be "spam."

I should have checked into the technical details more. I thought I was doing everything right, and as it turned out, I was.

But I will say that a few posts here did make my heart stop. Sending something illegal to lawyers? Yeah, if that doesn't wake you up and make you pay attention, nothing will.

Thanks @AgainstAllOdds and @Kruiser for pointing these things out.

I just had a managing broker want to schedule a meeting with me next week about some high powered information I had sent to him. Meeting? Next week? I agreed, basically because I had no choice.

BUT NOW, with the insight and reassurance that @AgainstAllOdds and @Kruiser have provided to me... a new wave of legal spam is going out tonight.

Do I look like a big corporation? Do I look like a government agency? Do I look like I have time to drive across town for a meeting?

Side stepping the process. I am, after all, a somewhat talented dancer. Might as well put those cha cha and swing moves to good use. By tomorrow morning 300 high powered agents will know who I am and what I can do for them. And it will all be totally legal. HA! I only need four of them as clients. Hoist the anchors matey and set the sails.

Oh, and one more thing. Start the music! I'm ready to dance!
 
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Bekit

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I think you've really got something going for you there with the super-valuable, almost-secret information on appraisals.

Give it a little copywriting love and you'll have people opting in for it like crazy. Something like...
--------------------------------------
Rock-Solid Strategies to Deal With a Low Appraisal
An inside look at the secretive profession of appraisals... and what to do about it

REVEALED INSIDE...
  • Why the majority of appraisers are not good (20% of the players in this business get 80% of the market)
  • The one thing you should know before you call another appraiser to step in (miss this, and you're likely to end up in the same boat as the first time)
  • How to use this knowledge to navigate property issues with ease (bankruptcy, divorce, probate, and more)
  • The 7 signs that an appraiser has screwed up (and what your next steps should be)
  • How the lenders have turned the appraisal business into a commodity...and what to do about it
Do you hate it when an appraisal comes in low?
Do you wish that appraisers were held to a higher standard?
Have you ever wished that you could even get a glimpse into what it is that they actually do?
Have you ever been in a situation where your client's deal was hanging in the balance...and everything depended on the whims of an appraiser?

Download this free PDF that's packed so solid with INSIDERS information, you'll gain an edge over the competition. Protect yourself and know exactly how to react when an appraisal comes in low.

Hi, I'm [Name] and I know this business inside out because [reason... your background]. A lot of people are frustrated at the experience of getting an appraisal, and even worse, they're in a fog because no one will give them any information.

All of that is about to change when you download the document I've prepared for you. Simply enter your name and email address and this PDF will be on its way.
--------------------------------------

Another note related to the thread title:
I worked for two years at a major email marketing company whose name you'd recognize. Here are some of the things I was trained on regarding emails that get blacklisted. (Note that this information was current as of 2016, but there may be updates since then that make some of this out of date. But most of it should be accurate.)

If you're sending bulk email from your regular email account, you're running the risk of ruining the deliverability of ALL your messages. In other words, because Joe Blow and Jane Doe marked your email as spam, all the sudden, even your personal messages to your mom, your employees, and business contacts you've corresponded with for years may suddenly start landing in their spam folder.

The threshold for getting blacklisted is extremely low. It's like... 2-3 people out of thousands. If just a couple people mark your email as spam, your email server can be blacklisted.

Getting a server off a blacklist is nearly impossible. For most people, getting a new server is the only choice you have to start getting your emails delivered again. And that is expensive. (The major email marketing providers build relationships with all the major email clients--gmail, hotmail, outlook, etc--and when they get blacklisted, they ask to be un-blacklisted. But regular people can't typically do that.)

Strategies to avoid getting blacklisted:
  • Make sure you set accurate expectations when someone signs up for your list. Every person who joins your list should know very clearly that they will be receiving mailings from you.
    • For instance, sending emails to someone after you've obtained their business card is a gray area
    • Cold emails that you customize and send one at a time are also a gray area (see the CANSPAM posts above). It's a good idea not to add that person to non-personalized bulk messaging unless you've sold them on the idea first (for instance, by getting them to download your awesome lead magnet where they have to put in their email and clearly see the statement that they'll be hearing from you).
  • Have a working unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email. It's a WHOLE lot less damaging to you if someone clicks "unsubscribe" than if they click "this is spam."
  • Send your bulk email through an email marketing provider (if you're not already doing so) to protect your regular email address and keep it "clean" for everyday business transactions. Let the email marketing provider do the heavy lifting of deliverability and servers and protection from being blacklisted.
  • Use a clearly-identifiable name as the sender of the email (i.e. "MJ from the Fastlane Forum" rather than "MJ" or "Support" or "Noreply")
Hope this is valuable to you!
 

Real Deal Denver

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Give it a little copywriting love and you'll have people opting in for it like crazy.

Great idea. Too late though. @JScott turned me onto selling books. He puts out great books. I buy them. And we're both happy. I can expand this concept, which is already fleshed out pretty good into a nine page article. With some work, I can make it 300 pages. By the time the reader is done they will be an expert inside out on appraisals. That's gotta be worth $12.95 right? I think I pay $15-$20 for most of my books. I know I just bought one for $35. Specialized. Worth every penny. Of course my technical "industry" books are hundreds each.

Cold emails that you customize and send one at a time are also a gray area (see the CANSPAM posts above). It's a good idea not to add that person to non-personalized bulk messaging unless you've sold them on the idea first (for instance, by getting them to download your awesome lead magnet where they have to put in their email and clearly see the statement that they'll be hearing from you).

I recall getting teaser emails from companies to get me to sign up on their email list. I don't remember clearly if I did that, because it was not a big deal. I'm tough - I can take an solicited email that is of interest to me. But somehow I did sign up. I know because I get several a month from many different companies. Most of these companies I have never purchased from or contacted. They just found me somehow and lured me into signing up with them.

That's my goal. I want to lure someone to sign up - I thought. Now I've changed my mind. I'm trying to identify the top 20 clients instead, and target them directly. That technique has been addressed earlier in this thread, quite well.

Your post content and suggestions are fantastic though. I do have several premier players in the market I am talking to right now. Things took a different direction. Now I'm one on one with these people.

This thread has really catapulted me forward. So much great information here. I came here not expecting to find anything new or exciting. Boy, you sure blew that out of the water @Bekit! Thank you!
 

Real Deal Denver

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appraisal book image.JPG

This monster is 704 pages long and only covers the basics.

Yeah, I can have no trouble putting out 300 pages.

The one thing I've learned over the past 20 years about appraisers is that they can talk the bark off a tree if you let them.

I've seen blogs that went on for months about topics like; define customer, or define report. Months people. Now you see how they can put out a 700 page anchor like this...
 
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AgainstAllOdds

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a new wave of legal spam is going out tonight

Stop calling it spam and start calling it cold email. Spam implies that your product is of little value to the customer.

Also, if you haven't read the book I recommended, then stop your campaign, buy it, and read it.

If your domain or email gets flagged as spam, then good luck reaching any of those 300 potential prospects.

You're lacking knowledge which is preventing you from utilizing cold emails as an effective marketing tool.
 

Bekit

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Great idea. Too late though. @JScott turned me onto selling books.

This doesn't have to be an either-or thing. When you have your book for sale, you can still put up a sales page with some enticing copy to get people to see the value of the book and be hungry to get it.

I want to lure someone to sign up - I thought. Now I've changed my mind. I'm trying to identify the top 20 clients instead, and target them directly.

Not a bad idea. All things considered, I think this is a more powerful strategy. Actually, I thought that's what you meant you were doing with the cold emails... picking people you considered to be good prospects and sending them something to show they why they should work with you. Of course, a lumpy package is always WAAAAAY more appealing than an email! :D

Sounds like you've got some good things going... keep us posted!
 

Real Deal Denver

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Stop calling it spam and start calling it cold email. Spam implies that your product is of little value to the customer.

Also, if you haven't read the book I recommended, then stop your campaign, buy it, and read it.

If your domain or email gets flagged as spam, then good luck reaching any of those 300 potential prospects.

You're lacking knowledge which is preventing you from utilizing cold emails as an effective marketing tool.

Wooo. I need direct answers, and you deliver the goods @AgainstAllOdds. Thanks for the valuable insight.

Kind of a punch to the gut. I'm not complaining; in fact I'm grateful.

By all means keep it up. I appreciate your feedback.
 
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AgainstAllOdds

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Wooo. I need direct answers, and you deliver the goods @AgainstAllOdds. Thanks for the valuable insight.

Kind of a punch to the gut. I'm not complaining; in fact I'm grateful.

By all means keep it up. I appreciate your feedback.

No worries, and sorry for the negative tone... just wanted to highlight the severity of running an email campaign too early.

Once you get an email marked as spam, it's likely that every email on your domain becomes worthless (auto marked as spam). This is one of the few instances in business where learning first before taking action is the correct way to go forward; otherwise you'll just be burning through lists and domains.
 

Real Deal Denver

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The threshold for getting blacklisted is extremely low. It's like... 2-3 people out of thousands. If just a couple people mark your email as spam, your email server can be blacklisted.

Once you get an email marked as spam, it's likely that every email on your domain becomes worthless (auto marked as spam).

I followed the CAN-SPAM rules. So if someone reports it as spam, is it an automatic strike against me? Even if I followed the rules? (since I technically followed the rules, it's cold email - not spam anyway)

And what if only 6 or 8 people reported my email as spam?

And will I know? Will I get notified somehow?

As usual, the government makes it super hard on honest people, while the crooks send out spam by the bazillions.
 

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I followed the CAN-SPAM rules. So if someone reports it as spam, is it an automatic strike against me? Even if I followed the rules? (since I technically followed the rules, it's cold email - not spam anyway)

And what if only 6 or 8 people reported my email as spam?

And will I know? Will I get notified somehow?

As usual, the government makes it super hard on honest people, while the crooks send out spam by the bazillions.
Yes, AgainstAllOdds is absolutely right. And no, it doesn't matter if you follow the CANSPAM rules to a T, you'll still get the strike against you. This is because the power lies in the hands of the individual companies (Gmail, Microsoft, etc), and they give their users the power to define what spam is to *them*.

In other words, if someone thinks a message is spam, it counts as spam, even if it is fully compliant with CANSPAM.

You can think of it like this:
If an email is compliant with CANSPAM but users mark it as spam, it'll still get you blacklisted, but you won't be in legal trouble.
If an email is NOT compliant with CANSPAM and users mark it as spam, you'll both get blacklisted AND be in legal trouble.
 
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AgainstAllOdds

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I followed the CAN-SPAM rules. So if someone reports it as spam, is it an automatic strike against me? Even if I followed the rules? (since I technically followed the rules, it's cold email - not spam anyway)

And what if only 6 or 8 people reported my email as spam?

And will I know? Will I get notified somehow?

As usual, the government makes it super hard on honest people, while the crooks send out spam by the bazillions.

There's something called "sender score". Each email provider like Google will have its own score, but you can get a reference score. You can check it using services like SendGrid: Pricing and Plans | SendGrid. *Use the free version*.

It doesn't matter if your email follows the law, if enough people mark it as spam, it's labeled as spam.

Just think of it this way: "If I got this email, would I mark it as spam, or keep it in my inbox?" Basically you have to create something that's valuable, and doesn't look automated. People are less likely to mark you as spam if they think you're a real person (which you are), trying to help them out.

Other things that get you filtered into spam:
  • Sending the same exact email with no customization
  • Sending too many emails per day
  • Sending too many emails to addresses that don't exist
  • Being on a domain with another email that already has a bad reputation
  • Using images/attachments
  • Using website links
  • Using common spam words like "FREE VIAGRA"
  • Etc.
You have a bit of studying to do. Study up and then approach the cold email campaign.

Cold email is insanely powerful. If you know how to do it, you can hit up 50,000 prospects in less than a month. If you don't know how to do it, well, then you're shit out of luck and relegated to cold calling and other forms of sales that are typically less efficient.
 
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Real Deal Denver

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This thread is filled with great information, but it doesn't address your original question.

CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 - Wikipedia

Read that.

Then buy and read this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X7THBWG/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20.

To summarize: It's not spam in the United States until they unsubscribe or tell you not to email them again. Otherwise it'd be impossible for people to approach prospects.

Now the issues you have are:
  • Value Proposition (Product - Market Fit)
  • Cold Email Copy
  • Understanding of Cold Email Techniques
You need to study cold emailing for a bit before approaching the market again.

What you're doing is not "spam", you're just doing a bad job of conveying value (or your product isn't actually valuable for the target customer even though you think it is).

Customization like @MJ DeMarco mentioned is essential. Note that there's ways to automate all of that.

Good luck.

Hey @AgainstAllOdds - I bought the book. Thank you so much for that recommendation. It really fills in ALL the blanks. I can't believe the author, who looks soooo young, can know so much.

Thought I would also post a quick update here, as the information here has dovetailed nicely with other sources that I work with.

As far as the lumpy envelope goes, I talked to a guy that had enormous success sending a small, but very classy looking, desk clock to attorneys. He wanted to send something of value that would be appreciated, and this received great response. That is on my list to do. I'm going to get a hundred or more from Alibaba.com. He had an engraved plate on each one that said "Time to call XYZ company for great XYZ." Each clock generated multiple orders for him. I like this idea so much. It shows a lot of class and confidence.

Another update. I talked with a guy that is very knowledgeable and does what I do in many ways. In some ways he is much better than me, actually. In him I unexpectedly found a hidden gold mine. He writes articles about real estate every week. These articles get published. He just throws them out there - no sign up or trying to capture leads. And they are really good articles too. So what am I going to do? I'm going to take the gist of all of his articles and make a landing page from each one! Talk about having a gold mine of information! He knows a lot but he markets in a very old fashioned way. I google him and find very limited information. I'm going to adapt these to the power of internet marketing. I'll be throwing 4 a day on the internet. At the end of the month I'll have well over a hundred out there. (This is from a real estate agent's perspective, not appraisal. I am both.)

Another update. You might have to sit down for this one. It almost knocked me out, and I can take a punch. (LOL)

I heavily researched my MLS to see how I could mine data. It turns out that I can extract the top agents, how many transactions they do from whatever time frame I choose, and the total volume of real estate transactions. For example, the number one agent out there has done a volume of over 380 million so far this year in sales volume. That is not an agent, by the way, that is a team. That's 805 transactions to date, which is about 73 a month. Think about that. That's over two a day. Taking an educated guess at their income, based on traditional commission rates, they are likely making close to ten million a year. Give or take a mill. Who's counting when you get that high?

This has opened up yet another avenue to consider. Maybe I should throw in the towel and join a high powered team. If I structure this right, I can work at my desk in my home, and make well over $100K a year. I can make that much now, but it involves a lot of travel, time, and physical work. In contrast, this work would be putting my skills to work - without doing anything near the travel or physical work. If I wanted to take this a step further, I could join their team and do all of the work, from A to Z for a listing, and make even more money. My skill set includes being an appraiser for 20 years, and an agent for 9. Those are very specialized skills. That's why I know how to analyze the market better than almost everyone. BUT I sure don't know how to market and parlay those skills - OBVIOUSLY. Man, did I miss the boat on this one! But I'm catching on...

Of the top agents I've analyzed, there are about 50 of them making over a million a year. I should be able to find SOMEONE that would value a partner/adviser with my skill set.

One way or another, it's time to count my chips and move to a bigger stakes table. I've been in the trenches doing grunt work far too long. I'm not complaining because I have become an expert at what I do. But do I want to continue this way?

I don't know. My plan is to work a lot smarter, and become very successful. If I decide I don't like it, there is always plenty of room in the next trench for me.

But I'm guessing I'm going to not be back to the trenches.

Here's a life lesson that I've learned. When times were really good, I worked myself into a stupor. I made good money. I thought I was doing well. But, had I opened my eyes, I would have sidestepped over to the much greener pastures, and I'm sure I'd be a millionaire by now. In fact, long ago. I didn't have a plan, and I became addicted to the kool-aid. I hope that helps open someone's eyes so they don't overstay being in the beginner ranks, when they should have been advancing at a steady pace. Not just increasing skills, but the paychecks as well. >>>stupid me<<<

The 50 people all making over a mill are not especially noteworthy. I've studied their profiles, websites, etc. They're all above average, for sure, but no genius material among them. Not like me - I am close to being a genius. NOW that I've discovered all of THIS anyway! Last month - yeah, just another cog in the machine thinking I was doing good... {wrong!}

At least now I am learning more in each day, by leaps and bounds! That much is for certain.
 

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Hey @AgainstAllOdds - I bought the book. Thank you so much for that recommendation. It really fills in ALL the blanks. I can't believe the author, who looks soooo young, can know so much.

Thought I would also post a quick update here, as the information here has dovetailed nicely with other sources that I work with.

As far as the lumpy envelope goes, I talked to a guy that had enormous success sending a small, but very classy looking, desk clock to attorneys. He wanted to send something of value that would be appreciated, and this received great response. That is on my list to do. I'm going to get a hundred or more from Alibaba.com. He had an engraved plate on each one that said "Time to call XYZ company for great XYZ." Each clock generated multiple orders for him. I like this idea so much. It shows a lot of class and confidence.

Another update. I talked with a guy that is very knowledgeable and does what I do in many ways. In some ways he is much better than me, actually. In him I unexpectedly found a hidden gold mine. He writes articles about real estate every week. These articles get published. He just throws them out there - no sign up or trying to capture leads. And they are really good articles too. So what am I going to do? I'm going to take the gist of all of his articles and make a landing page from each one! Talk about having a gold mine of information! He knows a lot but he markets in a very old fashioned way. I google him and find very limited information. I'm going to adapt these to the power of internet marketing. I'll be throwing 4 a day on the internet. At the end of the month I'll have well over a hundred out there. (This is from a real estate agent's perspective, not appraisal. I am both.)

Another update. You might have to sit down for this one. It almost knocked me out, and I can take a punch. (LOL)

I heavily researched my MLS to see how I could mine data. It turns out that I can extract the top agents, how many transactions they do from whatever time frame I choose, and the total volume of real estate transactions. For example, the number one agent out there has done a volume of over 380 million so far this year in sales volume. That is not an agent, by the way, that is a team. That's 805 transactions to date, which is about 73 a month. Think about that. That's over two a day. Taking an educated guess at their income, based on traditional commission rates, they are likely making close to ten million a year. Give or take a mill. Who's counting when you get that high?

This has opened up yet another avenue to consider. Maybe I should throw in the towel and join a high powered team. If I structure this right, I can work at my desk in my home, and make well over $100K a year. I can make that much now, but it involves a lot of travel, time, and physical work. In contrast, this work would be putting my skills to work - without doing anything near the travel or physical work. If I wanted to take this a step further, I could join their team and do all of the work, from A to Z for a listing, and make even more money. My skill set includes being an appraiser for 20 years, and an agent for 9. Those are very specialized skills. That's why I know how to analyze the market better than almost everyone. BUT I sure don't know how to market and parlay those skills - OBVIOUSLY. Man, did I miss the boat on this one! But I'm catching on...

Of the top agents I've analyzed, there are about 50 of them making over a million a year. I should be able to find SOMEONE that would value a partner/adviser with my skill set.

One way or another, it's time to count my chips and move to a bigger stakes table. I've been in the trenches doing grunt work far too long. I'm not complaining because I have become an expert at what I do. But do I want to continue this way?

I don't know. My plan is to work a lot smarter, and become very successful. If I decide I don't like it, there is always plenty of room in the next trench for me.

But I'm guessing I'm going to not be back to the trenches.

Here's a life lesson that I've learned. When times were really good, I worked myself into a stupor. I made good money. I thought I was doing well. But, had I opened my eyes, I would have sidestepped over to the much greener pastures, and I'm sure I'd be a millionaire by now. In fact, long ago. I didn't have a plan, and I became addicted to the kool-aid. I hope that helps open someone's eyes so they don't overstay being in the beginner ranks, when they should have been advancing at a steady pace. Not just increasing skills, but the paychecks as well. >>>stupid me<<<

The 50 people all making over a mill are not especially noteworthy. I've studied their profiles, websites, etc. They're all above average, for sure, but no genius material among them. Not like me - I am close to being a genius. NOW that I've discovered all of THIS anyway! Last month - yeah, just another cog in the machine thinking I was doing good... {wrong!}

At least now I am learning more in each day, by leaps and bounds! That much is for certain.
I like the way you’re thinking. As I keep trying to remember:

“Commercial skills beat technical skills.” (Blaise Brosnan)

I’ve great technical skills and experience, and I’m trying not to improve those now, but improve as a business operator instead.

A classy little clock is a great lumpy mail. When they do their research to find out more about who sent it, what will they find? Is it worth doing anything on that first? Can you get some of those articles written beforehand? (My previous post about positioning yourself could help.)

Can you create some great written resource that they keep on their desk to help them? Russell Brunson has some split-testing book he sends to folks knowing the people most interested in what he provides will love the book and have it near to hand forever. (Pair it with the clock as it should stand the test of time.)

Speaking of which, Russell has “Expert Secrets” and another book out. I haven’t read them but have watched a few of his videos and the guy knows his stuff (although I’m wary of the cult he’s created behind Clickfunnels).

There’s a tonne of data in the MLS. Well done using it to get those insights.
 
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Tommo

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Hey Real Deal Denver, can I just say that I have noticed a big change in how you handle things now. You listen and learn and have a better way about you. Please take this as constructive as I also liked the "old" you , if that makes sense. Kudos buddy.
 

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I think you are taking it too personally. See it as feedback. The market is telling you something try and figure out what it's telling you. Are you making any money on this?
Another thing I know is that people don't value things they get for "free". They figure if it's free it must be a scam or some way to hook me. Also if it's free they figure it has no value. I know I read what I pay for because I paid for it and saw value in it. I am different also because I read the free stuff too if I think there is value in it for me or I just want to figure out why it's "free". LOL
Maybe you are right, maybe you are giving away the farm. Maybe you should sell it on Amazon and see how that goes? It can't hurt. Right? Give it a shot. All the best.
I agree with Lionhearted. Whether your product is great, or not, you're not articulating enough value in the prospects' minds. Moreover, unsolicited "push" marketing often screams "scam" to them. Of those who have responded positively, what's your conversion rate? I suspect you have a messaging and sales funnel problem.
 

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I like the way you’re thinking. As I keep trying to remember:

“Commercial skills beat technical skills.” (Blaise Brosnan)

I’ve great technical skills and experience, and I’m trying not to improve those now, but improve as a business operator instead.

A classy little clock is a great lumpy mail. When they do their research to find out more about who sent it, what will they find? Is it worth doing anything on that first? Can you get some of those articles written beforehand? (My previous post about positioning yourself could help.)

Can you create some great written resource that they keep on their desk to help them? Russell Brunson has some split-testing book he sends to folks knowing the people most interested in what he provides will love the book and have it near to hand forever. (Pair it with the clock as it should stand the test of time.)

Speaking of which, Russell has “Expert Secrets” and another book out. I haven’t read them but have watched a few of his videos and the guy knows his stuff (although I’m wary of the cult he’s created behind Clickfunnels).

There’s a tonne of data in the MLS. Well done using it to get those insights.
Expert Secrets is a great book and Russell has a ton to offer. I also agree about his cult-ish following, though. Learn from him, but beware.
 
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Walter Hay

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Maybe there might be a case for a thread dealing specifically with marketing tricks that have worked, but here is another successful direct mail one.

I sent a letter with as usual a killer headline, in a standard envelope, and the only lumpiness was a coin. Great response. People just had to open it.

The coin was custom made by one of my suppliers that made metal labels for what had become a growing part of the importing business.

It was close to the size of a $1 coin, but I was careful to avoid having the exact size. Thickness was sufficient to make its presence in the envelope obvious. It was double sided, with different wording depending on the target market.

Here are some examples of the wording:
One side: Buy. Other side: Sell
One side: Yes. Other side: No
One side: Hire. Other side: Fire .......... There were others, but you get the idea. The most popular was Yes and No.

The letter explained that the coin was a Decision Maker. It carried our business name and phone number, and so many people loved it that we finished up selling thousands bearing the name and number of businesses in many fields. They handed them out to business associates and clients.

If anyone wants to copy the idea I would be happy to put you in touch with a manufacturer.

Walter
 
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LuckyPup

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Myabe there might be a case for a thread dealing specifically with marketing tricks that have worked, but here is another successful direct mail one.

I sent a letter with as usual a killer headline, in a standard enevelope, and the only lumpiness was a coin. Great response. People just had to open it.

The coin was custom made by one of my suppliers that made metal labels for what had become a growing part of the importing business.

It was close to the size of a $1 coin, but I was careful to avoid having the exact size. Thickness was suffient to make its presence in the envelope obvious. It was double sided, with different wording depending on the target market.

Here are some examples of the wording:
One side: Buy. Other side: Sell
One side: Yes. Other side: No
One side: Hire. Other side: Fire .......... There were others, but you get the idea. The most popular was Yes and No.

The letter explained that the coin was a Decision Maker. It carried our business name and phone number, and so many people loved it that we finished up selling thousands bearing the name and number of businesses in many fields. They handed them out to business associates and clients.

If anyone wants to copy the idea I would be happy to put you in touch with a manufacturer.

Walter
Brilliant idea for a lumpy mail piece! I'd love the name of the manufacturer, Walter!
 

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How many unsolicited emails do you think realtors and lawyers get a week? What's the probability that they end up in the trash before being opened
This speaks to my two cents' worth. When I was a real estate agent and then broker, I got offers from appraisers ALL. THE. TIME. I was going to suggest what the OP needed was a USP. However, I see that he later did post what it was. Brilliant! And thanks for standing up for the poor, beleaguered agents, who all have their own issues with getting out the word about their services. It's not easy being a marketer in a world where no one wants to be marketed to. ;)
 

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Something that worked for my painting business was I had half gallon custom paint cans w company logo and info as the label and business card holder attached to the can. I would personally go to realtor offices (beauty salons, day cares, etc..) explain my USP and ask if I could place the can filled with candy at the receptionist's desk or somewhere near the entrance or exit. I'd buy decent candy in bulk at Costco. Replenish my cards and candy about every 1 or 2 weeks. Important to touch / contact somebody everytime I replenished the candy can. Ironically, the most clients I got was from a realtors' office that made me put the can in the back corner of their mail room.
 
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Real Deal Denver

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Update.

This gets better every day.

I had a meeting with the owner of a very large brokerage today. I sure did not want to go to the meeting. Why would someone want me to drive across town for a meeting, when I have beautiful brocheres and web pages showing what I do.

Little did I know what was in store. I hope you like this as much as I do.

The owner wanted to see exactly what I had to offer. He loved it so much that he wants me to private label it for him and to work with his company exclusively. He does not want to even the playing field by having competitors have access to my services. He will push it hard to his company. It can be successful because his company has well over 1,000 agents. Not a small time operation.

He also wants me to take credit cards for easy payment. I told him I just won't do that - too complicated for a side gig. Maybe if things take off - we'll see. So he says that he will take the credit cards and cut me a check for the amount. What? Love this guy. And then it gets better.

He suggests I should team up with a transaction coordinator. Side note - a transaction coordinator is someone that manages the paperwork, deadlines, etc. for a deal. It's a lot of work. Some people specialize and do this as their only service. I said that is exactly the direction I am headed, as we would be able to supply everything from A to Z, more or less - except professional photography. He says their company has their own TC and he is sure she would love to partner with me. Oh, and it's his wife. What? So I meet his wife and go over what my plans are. She thinks we would go together perfectly. So do I, of course.

So today I private labeled flyers, etc. just for him. He offered to scan mine in and use it, crude as that might be. I said no - we have to do this right, and I did all my flyer design and website design, so anything he might need, I can create in a few hours, or less.

I followed up with his managing brokers in different offices. They are going to highlight me as the provider for this exclusive service. There competitors are not anywhere up to speed on something like this. And he wants to keep it that way.

Well, I'm mentally exhausted after the roller coaster ride today. I didn't do much work at all. I've worked ten times harder and not been tired. It's amazing how excitement can take the wind out of you.

Things are ramping up fast. I told his wife that when this takes off - which is not a matter of if, but when - we are going to need the entire front of the main office space. That consists of four conference rooms, a lounge, and the luxurious office where the boss works. I said I don't think the boss is going to like that. She said she would handle it - no problem...

Looking back at how things have developed, I see now what I should have seen a very long time ago. I am selling a top shelf service that a very few people can provide. Sure I have people that do what I do, but they are on the level of McDonalds - fast and cheap. I have improved what I deliver steadily over many years - despite it taking a lot more work. As a perfectionist, I loathe doing sloppy work, and I don't want to let my skills get rusty, so I do top quality work all the time. It's not good business sense, because I could do things faster. But I'd rather spend an extra two hours and deliver excellent quality.

The trouble is, not many people appreciate quality in my line of work today. But I don't need *everyone* to appreciate me. I just need the percentage of big hitters that do things on a much higher level. And now I've found them.

I wanted to branch out to other companies. That's what I should do. But that would be this guys competitors. So I will set up camp in this most welcome company. We will all do very well. I just need it to take off quickly. I've spent well over a month bringing this up to speed, and I need to win the race and start collecting prize money quick! My race car is built and ready to go.

Build it and they will come. Remember that line from a movie long ago? I did have serous doubts about my sanity more than just a few times while I was going through this...
 

garyfritz

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Outstanding! Kudos for accepting feedback, pivoting with the suggestions, executing hard, and now landing a major client/partner. Good luck with it!

I guess this probably means you haven't been looking into that Learn-Plan-Profit stock-trading program... :playful:
 

Real Deal Denver

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Outstanding! Kudos for accepting feedback, pivoting with the suggestions, executing hard, and now landing a major client/partner. Good luck with it!

I guess this probably means you haven't been looking into that Learn-Plan-Profit stock-trading program... :playful:

Oh, and it keeps getting better.

I found a competitor that does what I do, but not to the high level of quality I do. That's perfectly fine. They only charge $100. I am charging $375 and up.

When this takes off, guess who I'm hiring to do the heavy lifting for me? My competitor. I have to spend about 2 more hours refining their work, but they definitely will be doing the hardest part of the work. I'm going to hire them when this rolls out. My profit for two hours of beefing up their work will be $275.

Hire my competitors. Love it. I don't even want to have them work for me. I don't want the headaches, and they are already established nationwide. So I have my work force already established and deployed.

Now let's think about this. Riding on my competitors back with them doing the hard part of the work, I can open the door to do, say 1,000 jobs a month. I'm hiring it all out, by the way. I figure I'll easily net $180 per job. Times 1,000. What is that a month? I may have to lower it by $100, because there are companies doing this already. I can run with that.

The companies doing this already have crap penetration into the market. That's because they want high quality work but they charge so little that they can't pay their help anything. They wanted to hire me. They charge $170 for a deluxe package, and I do all the work. What is my cut? $80? For that reason, they are not in the business in any real sense. I'll charge more, but get good people. They can't support their product. I can. Let's see who rolls out with a plan and takes over the market. I've been on both sides of that fence - I've taken over markets, and I've had my markets taken over by someone else. Get too cheap, and you can't do anything. I'm going to use one market to conquer another - and so on.

I am getting the launch pad ready. I do have to say, this is the best thing I've come up with that CAN launch easily. I do have other ideas, but they won't launch nearly as easily or as quickly as this will.

I owe this all to shutting my mouth and listening. Wow - who would have thought THAT technique would work? I continued to do that, and the more I did that, the more doors opened for me. I might have to try that again some day LOL...
 
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mikecarlooch

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Put together a shock and awe package. Make it a box or at least a lumpy envelop/package. Ship via FedEx in an Express envelop or box. Include a printed out version of your report plus anything else you determine would be beneficial. Include a day and time you will call them back and be expecting your call.

That worked incredibly well for us. Some even call us first because they didn't want to wait for my call. This is just a skeleton version of the method so you should know it's much more involved. I'm sure you may need to tweak a few things considering your target market but you should get the idea.
Hey Allen,

I have a question about shock and awe packages -

since you were a digital agency, everything was obviously digital for the most part i'm assuming.

What kind of value can you provide in a shock and awe package if your services are 100% digital?

Is it literally just a piece of paper with a nice material in a nice box showing the benefits of working with you?

Thanks!
 

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