Well, I'm going to tell you something that you may not want to hear. What you're looking for just doesn't exist. If you want to improve your performance, you're going to have to do a lot of little things.

In the end, all of these little improvement, these optimizations, will add up. I like to assume that every improvement I make will increase my effectiveness by 1%. Every time I improve my technique or add a feature or crate a special offer or improve a campaign, I can expect a 1% improvement. So, if I want to double my effectiveness, I need to make 100 improvements. In general, I find this to be a pretty good rule of thumb.

A very successful salesman once said that the secret to his success was that he called people back. Well, you might be thinking, "I call people back." Well, do you really? How quickly do you call them back. How many times do you call them back. Let me give you a few guidelines that I think will each give you a 1% (or probably much greater) chance of improving your sales performance:

• Try to call every lead back within 1 hour. If you don't see the lead for a while, that's ok. maybe you were on a showing or driving or taking a swim. It's ok. Just try to get back to everyone in an hour. if you get back to that home buyer in 2 hours, don't hate yourself.
• If you don't get them on the first call, call again the following day.
• If you don't get in touch with the lead after 2 calls, call again.
• Call back 5 times, once per day, over 5 or 7 business days. Watch how many more of your leads you'll actually have a conversation with!
• Use a real lead management package - of course we recommend LogicLeads, but I'm not selling here - enter each lead into the system. Enter each planned follow-up into the system and catalog your showings, emails and call, even if all you did was leave a voicemail.

OK, if you're reading this and thinking," I already have a system like this and I execute it every time." Good for you! I bet you're also a pretty good producer. There's always room for improvement, but I think you can focus your 1%'s on other aspects real estate marketing, like blogging or newsletter writing.

But, if you're reading this and saying, "I know. I really should be better at following up with my leads and contacts." Well, it's time to make some small changes. Those 1% improvements really add up.

OH - I almost forgot.

I was reading Matt Cutt's post about Google factoring in load speed into their search algorithm. I should mention that I was reading High Rankings Advisor and found the link to the post by Matt. At any rate, Matt mentioned that fewer than 1% of sites would see a change in their ranking in the search engine results are a result of Google including load time in their 200 or so factors which determine search engine placement. Now you know where I came up with the title of this blog post!

First, they can raise their head count. If we assume an average number of deals/agents - then the more real estate agents on your roster, the more real estate sales your real estate company will be a part of and the more commissions the company will receive. You can raise your head count by hiring more real estate agents or by buying other real estate companies. Sounds simple enough. Revenue is pegged to headcount.

Alternatively, a company can work to make ALL of their agents more effective. Remember that average number of deals per agent. Well, let's assume that the company doesn't want to hire more agents, just have their agents do more deals. The goal would be to raise that average. If your agents are doing 10 deals/year, on average, and you raise the average to 12, all else being equal, the office will make more money. By the way, so will the agents!

This somewhat assumes that the office is working on a classic split model - or does it?

Let me propose something radical. The best way to hire more agents is to have successful agents at your office. If your company has a reputation of making agents successful, then agents will want to work for you! Then it doesn't matter if you're on a desk fee model or a split.

Broker/owners, just imagine - instead of having 25 agents who do $50MM in transactions/year. You only have 10 - and they do the same sales volume! Sounds easier to manage, doesn't it. Or even better. Imaging you had 25 agents, 10 of them did $50MM and get a better split, the other 15 do another $50MM. You win either way.

So, how do you get your agents to produce more. Well, this isn't rocket science. First, they need leads. They need buyers and sellers reaching out to them. The office needs to be noticed. You have to stand out from the other guys in town. Next, you need to give your agents the tools they need to close deals with those leads. I'm talking about lead management, I'm talking about online marketing, I'm talking about social media and a great real estate website to serve as the foundation for it all.

If all you do is work on hiring agents and you don't give them the tools to succeed, they will come and go. They will under perform. Agents thirst for support, they want leads, and they want a company that gives them both. Real Estate agents will stand by a company that helps them succeed. If the agent was making $50,000/year at their last company and is making $60,000/year at your company, they're likely to stick around.

Also, the agents in town will take notice. They'll see your brand and your agents involved in lots of sales, on dozens and hundreds of yard signs. The agents will want to work for your company because you have the best website and your site has the best search engine placement.

Our clients see it all the time. Agents today want to work with a company that gives them what they need. They want a brokerage that provides leads and promotes their services.

The result is simple. The broker wins, the agents win, everybody wins.

Efficiency. Not only will you improve the image of your website with custom real estate website design features and templates, but you will also save time with our easy and efficient lead management system. And more efficiency for you means closing more deals!

Quick Turnaround. Our ONE System real estate software behind each real estate website allows you to simply chose a theme or template, and your website can be live in just 24 hours!

Customizable. Because Boston Logic specializes in  real estate website design, each website theme is designed to offer a unique aesthetic. Whether your real estate office desires a website with a classic layout or a sleek, modern style, we have just the theme for you. Additionally, we offer all-encompassing themes of the real estate market: so whether you specialize in rentals or sales, small towns or cities, traditional or contemporary, we can match your business style with a theme that reflects you.

Access to Countless Features. Purchase of a high quality, functional, and aesthetically pleasing website also includes access to countless real estate website features innovated by our development team. Among the standard and optional feature upgrades available, Boston Logic websites are  SEO Ready, Google Analytics installed, Mapped IDX Search, Blog, Live Chat, Neighborhood Profiles and much more! A few more additional standard features that are included with your real estate web site are mortgage calculators, saved searches, virtual tours, ConstantContact integration, and college search. Still not enough? We also have optional upgrades like Yelp! neighborhood info, Development profiles,  Zillow property valuation, and Dynamic Forms. (Find a complete list of features and read more about optional upgrades at our Sequoia brand's website here).

So what are you waiting for?  Take a step in the right direction towards a new and improved real estate internet marketing campaign today!

Contact us to get started!

617.266.9166

We discussed Facebook Fan Pages; what they are, why they're good for business, how to create one, and how to get people to 'Like' your page (aka 'Become a Fan').  We covered the brand new changes to Facebook Privacy Settings (yes, they changed AGAIN); how create 'Friend Lists' to categories the types of people you associate with on Facebook (friends, family, clients, etc.) and how to completely customize who sees what on your profile utilizing these lists.  Once your employees view this slideshow, they will know how to protect their privacy and be more willing to 'Like' the company Fan Page and interact with it.  This presentation was designed with businesses in mind, but is valuable to anyone with a Facebook profile!

If you weren't able to attend the Logic Classroom, you can view the presentation below!

We host a new LogicClassroom on the second Tuesday of every month.  Our next LogicClassroom will be on May 11th. Please email Katrina if you would like to attend or sign up for our Newsletter at the lower right-hand corner of our home page to receive reminders and information about the next LogicClassroom.

Understanding your website is essential to improving it. In this Logic Classroom, we'll use Google Analytics to understand the key indicators that tell us what's working, what's not, and how to achieve better results.

Analytics can tell us a lot about our sites. Learn how to analyze inbound traffic from search engines. Gain insight into how effective our website is.  Discover what pages are effective and split test copy, design, and functionality. If you're getting analytics reports, but don't know how to make sense of what they're telling you, you're not going to want to miss this webinar!

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic office (view map), or participate through an online webinar. Take this excellent opportunity to learn how to utilize search engine marketing to grow your business.

Contact Katrina at 617-266-9166 or ksierant@bostonlogic.com to attend. Please specify if you will be attending in the office or online via webinar. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Adding to the already robust rental property search functionality built into the Sequoia platform, Tri State Realty Group opted to employ a customized graphical search map. This feature allows users to click on the areas of the map they wish to search, select a few quick parameters and get fast, accurate search results tailored to their specific needs. The tool can be customized to suit any desired range of locations and themed to match the style of your site.

In addition, Tri State added an MBTA Search tool to their rental property search roster. This tool, which can be added to any Sequoia site that already uses our Neighborhood Pages feature, allows users to search for rentals near any major MBTA line with one click. This tool can be readily deployed for any site that already utilizes Neighborhood Pages, adding to the already significant boost in search engine rankings the Neighborhood Pages component provides.

Tri State Realty Group specializes in residential sales and rentals in the Boston area.

You may have noticed a new tab on the dashboard of your Sequoia site. We've added a thorough, written user guide that will walk you through all of the major functions you need to know.

Have a question about how to do something with your site? Look here first! We're constantly updating the guide as we add new features, and soon the guide will feature visual aids as well as the step-by-step instructions

We learned about the importance of the consistency of the user experience from when they begin their online search to when then land on your website, and various ways to KEEP them on your site.  We also talked about  lead capture and management as well as how to leverage social media, email, and other marketing techniques to help convert your leads into clients.

Don't worry if you missed this LogicClassroom session, you can view the slides below at your convenience. Enjoy!

We host a new LogicClassroom on the second Tuesday of every month.  Our next LogicClassroom will be on May 11th. Please email Katrina if you would like to attend or sign up for our Newsletter at the lower right-hand corner of our home page to receive reminders and information about the next LogicClassroom.

When a user registers on your site, what's the first thing you do? How do you follow up? How many times? How often should you reach out to your customers? The answers to these questions and the techniques you use will make a big difference in how you can convert leads into deals. As part of this presentation, we'll also look at some of the tools you will use when following up and how to use them most effectively. We’ll be looking at sites that efficiently convert users into leads. We’ll also discuss how leads are best incubated, and we’ll delve into a concept we’ve been preaching here at Boston Logic for years: consistency of the user experience.

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic office, or participate through an online webinar. Take this excellent opportunity to learn how to utilize search engine marketing to grow your business.

You can attend in person at our offices or you can sign in to the webinar. RSVP to Katrina at 617-266-9166 or ksierant@bostonlogic.com to attend. Please specify if you will be attending in the office or online via webinar. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Don't worry if you missed this LogicClassroom session, you can view the slides below at your convenience. Enjoy!

Our next LogicClassroom will be on 3/9/10. Learn how agents and brokers can create effective and engaging email marketing. Please email Katrina if you would like to attend.