Marketing to Realtors, Car Salesmen, and Apartment Managers

agent C

Super Genius
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Looking for new ways to Market to Realtors, Car Salesmen, and Apartment Managers. Tried the stopping by and dropping off promotional items with limited success. People need to be motivated to send you business over who they have been sending business to other than you bring by promotional items and promiss that you will do everything you can for their customer. Does anyone have some type of program set up with Realtors, Car Salesmen, and Apartment Managers that actually gets them motivated and sending you quotes like clockwork?
 
I would strike apartment managers from the list, unless you are just looking for policy count growth. I've never figured out a way to market for renters policies that the costs don't far exceed the benefit.

In general, I would recommend you ask your potential referral sources this question. Everyone is different and what it takes to get referrals from them will vary. You have to set this up yourself.

In general, auto dealers are looking at a way to close their loans and get paid. Outside of needed to provide proof of insurance to the finance company, they probably don't care much about whether the person is insured or not. They may be on the hook for the car for a few days till the loan is placed, and if so, then they will care about having coverage when they drive off the lot.

Realtors are much tougher nowadays. Their volume is down and for the most part, the number of agents has dwindled SIGNIFICANTLY. Those that remain tend to be ones that have built strong networks over time. This makes it much harder to enter the market with them, but better when you do. For the most part, it is a matter of working with them over time and perhaps offering to do some co-marketing with them. Again, it's a matter of having a good conversation with the realtor to find out how to do business with him.

There is no secret sauce right now.

Years ago, I would have told you to look at a program called recamp, but in my area, the agents that were doing it have stopped using it, due to the number of foreclosures and realtors who have left the business (not really any issue with recamp). I created my own system similar to it which I use.

Dan

P.S. Recamp seems to be a difficult system to buy. They only want to sell it to you in a way that could lead to multiple sales, i.e., in a group presentation. I didn't want to have to pay them to do their marketing for them, so I created my own. Likely, they have changed this poor thinking.
 
Get them motivated to send you business like CLOCKWORK?

First of all, I wish you good luck. But, if you're looking for an easy way, you ain't gonna find it.

Secondly, no offense, but I've been a REALTOR for 23 yrs, and I can tell you that that very idea is hysterical.

For example, if I didn't unsubscribe to every one of the major companies that send bulk emails out for individual businesses, I would be bombarded every day by emails from every imaginable vendor.

When I worked in a traditional office, the salesmen came through constantly. 99% of what they handed out was thrown in the trash as soon as they walked out the door. Visit the same office 4-5-6 times, make a good impression, and maybe someone will recognize you and keep your business card.

Although some agents I've known are very finicky and will dump you in a second if you do anything to that causes them grief, many--like me--are very loyal to their vendors.

Here's a great example: Yesterday, I got a letter in mail from a lady who did the loan on a house I sold 8-10 years ago. It was memorable because it was one of her first loans and it was the other agent's first sale. The loan officer is now an Allstate agent. Well, I have been using the same P&C guy for 10 yrs, and I summarily threw her letter in the recycle bin. I may look her up if my agent dies.

If you want to cultivate business with real estate agents, you'd be best off to join your local board of REALTORS as an affiliate, volunteer to work on some committee (probably the Community Service Committee) and dig in for the long haul.

If I were you, after I joined the Board and got on that committee, I'd get the ongoing list of new members, send each one a letter of congratulations, introducing myself and my services. I would follow that letter up with a phone call or visit to the agent's office. Make it personal and when you get the call, deliver on your promises.
 
I would also scratch apartment managers and car salesmen off the list. They are a big waste of time and effort.

Realtors on the other hand can develop into a very profitable relationship. But it has to be tended to and cared for. You just can't expect to drop in with a flyer and say hey.

I don't think anybody will send you business like Clockwork except for yourself.
 
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