Selling Tips: Fingertip Branding

Looking for the perfect promotional item—something people will keep that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? Frank P. Edwards, a selling broker with Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty in Stony Brook, N.Y., says he’s sharpened his marketing edge with nail files: nine-inch, padded emery boards printed with his contact information and the slogan “File or dial for Frank.”

He says the files cost about $2 each with a minimum order of 500. To help defray the cost, he let one of the lenders he works with advertise on the other side of the file. When the lender stopped participating, Edwards, who specializes in waterfront properties, began featuring a beach scene or a picture of one of his listings on the other side. “A file is something people won’t get rid of,” he says, adding he frequently gets calls for replacement files.

Dual-purpose cards

Practitioners at Prestige Real Estate Group LLC in Englewood, Colo., get extra mileage out of their business cards by using the back sides to promote their listings. The company, which creates a separate Web site for each property listing, set up a template so that salespeople can print a picture of a house and its specific URL on a regular adhesive label, which can be affixed to the back of their business cards. Leeann Iacino, GRI, president of Prestige, says the approach gives practitioners flexibility. “It’s target-specific. If they’re going to a meeting at a country club, they can use an upper-end property. If they’re going to their kid’s sporting event, they can highlight a different property.” She says sellers often ask for cards featuring their own home to give to friends and family, which increases exposure for the salesperson and Prestige. Iacino says the labels, which can be purchased at most office supply stores, cost only a few cents each.

Cyberside chats

Phyllis Staines, ABR®, CRS®, broker-associate with RE/MAX Coastal Real Estate in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., looks for every opportunity to add a high-tech element to her business. For the past year she’s conducted monthly online Q&As for consumers interested in buying or selling real estate. She subscribes to a real-time chat service from LivePerson Inc. (www.liveperson.com) that lets her respond to queries immediately. She’s found that not only can she save on the overhead costs of holding in-person seminars, but “folks love that they can choose to remain anonymous and can participate from their home.” She promotes the Q&As on her Web site and through the local paper, netting 20 to 25 visitors per session. Staines attributes at least five closed deals and dozens of leads to the sessions.