More than 400 real estate professionals traveled to the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix to attend the Council’s annual educational conference, Sell-a- bration®, Jan. 19–21. This year’s event featured a popular new pre-conference day of sessions, Listing Legends (see sidebar), in addition to the usual three-day lineup of workshops, keynotes and general sessions.

 

The official event began with a full day of workshops that emphasized how REALTORS® can do their jobs better, especially by harnessing the power of technology and social media. In his opening keynote presentation, Sell-a-bration® emcee Brian Copeland, CRS, stressed the need for REALTORS® to embrace new ways of conducting business.

 

“A CRS who is trying to apply the market’s principles from five years ago will not survive. Adapt to the new reality. Prove and reprove your value every day to your clients,” Copeland said. The key to accomplishing that goal is to engage with existing and potential clients who want REALTORS® to “be all things to all people,” he continued. That’s certainly a tall order, but technology can help. For example, rather than viewing social media and online listing aggregation sites such as Zillow as threats, agents would do well to make such technology “sing throughout [their] business plan,” he said.

 

That sentiment was evident throughout the Sell-a-bration® workshop sessions. And while some REALTORS® have embraced social media as a way to enhance their consumer outreach efforts, others simply do not see the value of engaging with clients via social media.

 

That’s OK, said Brandi Peal Thompson, CRS, who led the Twitter Jumpstart workshop. Simply “think of it as a tool,” she said. “If you want to use this tool, use it. If not, leave it in the tool shed.” But REALTORS® looking to connect with younger homebuyers and sellers should consider all media that allow them to communicate with this demographic in a way that is familiar and comfortable.

 

REALTORS® can use Twitter as a listening tool to get to know their market better, and that will help them address their core customers’ needs, she said. For example, by following local journalists’ Twitter feeds, agents can get in tune with what is happening in their community.

 

Maura Neill, CRS, echoed that same sentiment in her session, Spin It: Putting the R in PR. She said REALTORS® who cultivate relationships with influential journalists — via email or social media — can reap big rewards. By creating relationships with reporters, conversing with them and giving them valuable information they can use when they need it, agents will gain visibility in their local market.

 

Speaking the Language

 

The words REALTORS® use when marketing their listings can make all the difference when it comes to satisfying clients and getting a home sold. In her Lifestyle Marketing keynote session, Laurie Moore-Moore gave Sell-a-bration® attendees a lesson in using words that matter — both to buyers and sellers — when marketing a property.

 

Moore-Moore said agents should follow the age-old lessons demonstrated by Madison Avenue advertising agencies. Instead of referring to a “listing presentation,” for example, agents can call it a property “marketing consultation appointment.” And rather than talking about similar properties in the area as “comparables,” REALTORS® will find more success by calling them “relevant properties.” That language helps sellers realize which properties they must compete with to find a buyer.

 

Effective marketing can make the difference between listings that sell and those that sit. Sam Miller, CRS, said in the List to Live session that his main goal is to gain top-of-mind awareness in his area. “I want everybody in the community, when they think about REALTORS®, to think about me.” At a time when fewer homes are being bought and sold, agents must realize that they need to work harder to get a piece of a smaller pie, he said.

 

Leigh Brown, CRS, pulled no punches in her Educating the Client session. Her client research showed that sellers look for an agent who is aggressive, so she delivers just that. “I am in charge [of the transaction], and they are not. The sooner they realize that, the better our relationship will be,” she said.

 

But given the state of the current market, “sellers need to know how much they’re up against,” Brown said. To help them through the process, she provides them with a detailed “State of the Market” report that includes current home sales rates, home prices and the absorption rate. Brown also said she uses humor to disarm her clients and make them laugh. That makes agents “seem less like automatons who are just out for a sale,” she said.

 

In his keynote presentation, Jeff Turner encouraged REALTORS® to focus on building community rather than simply having conversations. And while the trappings of a technology-enabled world tend to dominate our lives, Turner encouraged attendees to put their smartphones away when they want to engage with other people. After all, “the greatest gift you can give your community is your undistracted attention,” he said.

 

Engaging Generation Y

 

Generation Y (people born between 1980 and 1999) currently makes up approximately 34 percent of the U.S. workforce, and that will grow to 50 percent within two years, Travis Robertson said in his keynote presentation. More important for REALTORS®, this generation purchased 31 percent of all homes sold in the U.S. last year. That’s a market that is simply too big to ignore.

 

But how can baby-boomer agents relate to today’s Gen Y consumer? The key, Robertson said, is to find emotional triggers that induce people to take action and purchase a home. For example, members of Generation Y (also called “Millennials”) tend to prioritize work-life balance more than their boomer parents did. As a result, they tend to prefer homes and locations that reflect those values.

 

Millennials love collaboration, and they grew up in an environment in which there were no winners or losers. “We got trophies and ribbons for everything,” Robertson said.

 

The 13-to-32 age group also tends to be more aware of multiculturalism, and they are much “greener” than any other generation. They would rather live in a smaller home on a smaller lot than have a long daily commute to work, Robertson said. The good news for REALTORS® is that those Generation Y buyers’ parents, who raised them in the suburbs, are also looking for a more urban lifestyle to enjoy in their later years. Smart agents will work to position themselves as “lifestyle experts” who can be relevant to both audiences.

 

The 2012 Sell-a-bration® audio library — including recordings of the keynote sessions, workshops and breakout sessions presented in convenient MP3 audio — is available for purchase. Visit http://bit.ly/x43ifQ for details, pricing and purchase information.

 

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Sell-a-bration®: Listing Legends

 

“If you can’t track it, don’t do it.” That sentiment was one of the key takeaways for attendees at the CRS Listing Legends event Jan. 18 at the Arizona Grand Resort. Session moderator Frank Serio, CRS, led a panel of top producers through a discussion of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to winning leads and clients. The tried-and-true methods work for some, while others find that a mix of more modern tactics and technologies have helped them succeed.

 

For example, while many agents have abandoned print advertising entirely, several panelists said that the tactic can pay dividends if used wisely. Panelist Maura Neill, CRS, said she employs print advertising to promote specific local happenings, such as charity events that support the U.S. military. “We get more calls on those ads than we ever do from ads focused on our business, or our listings — or ourselves,” she said.

 

The panel tackled the question of whether open houses still produce results in today’s market. And while many agents have abandoned them, Carol Greco, CRS, recommended that agents give a “sneak peek” open house for neighbors in order to help generate buzz about a new listing. She says open houses have generated big returns for her team working outside of Washington, D.C.

 

Radio advertising also has fallen out of favor with many agents. But panelists Russell Shaw, CRS, and Leigh Brown, CRS, have found a way to make it succeed. Although she admits it is expensive, Brown said her radio campaign won her an average of six listings each month in her Charlotte, N.C., market. Shaw says it took him more than a year of trial and error with his radio ads until he got a single phone call, but it has since become a staple of his lead-generation strategy. He stressed the need for agents to use exceptional ad copy and to present it in their own voice to gain the maximum return on the advertising dollar.

 

Clients Speak Out

 

 

The Listing Legends event concluded with a panel featuring five recent homebuyers and sellers who delivered some real-world advice to the 180 REALTORS® in attendance.

 

Agents who manage to foster a sense of trust with potential clients will win more listings, panelists said. Karen Rudnick said that due to the state of the economy, her income fell 50 percent a year and a half after she bought a $250,000 condominium. She tried to work with her mortgage company to get a loan modification, but they could not come to an agreement. When she found a REALTOR® she trusted to help walk her through the short-sale process, she was comfortable with the need to sell her home and move on.

 

Specialization is key, panelist Al Arpad said, whether REALTORS® focus on short sales, buyers or sellers. Consumers tend to look for expertise, and agents who can deliver will be rewarded with consistent business and referrals.

 

Rebecca Kennel, who has two master’s degrees, said agents do not do a good enough job of marketing their professional designations and training. “Tell me why I should pick one person over the other,” she recommended.

 

Julia Gonzales, who recently purchased her first home, gave some more sound advice to REALTORS®: “Just be patient with first-time homebuyers. We don’t know anything [about the intricacies of the home-buying process],” she said.

 

What’s more, agents must focus on engaging in two-way communication with clients to ensure that they achieve their goal of buying or selling a property. “You need to ask me what I want before you tell me what you’re going to do for me,” panelist Kathy Garrett said.

 

After all, results matter — both to agents and clients. Confidence that a REALTOR® can deliver an acceptable result helps real estate professionals win clients and all-important referrals. As Rudnick said, “I want to trust you enough to refer you to somebody else.”