Easily Persuaded?

Sometimes, someone comes along and tells you that they’ve solved all of your problems. It sounds like a great solution, it sounds like a good deal. STOP! Don't jump.

Every once in a while, someone pitches one of our clients and tells them that their solution is the best thing since sliced bread. Our clients are bombarded by advertisers, software companies, real estate website providers, online marketing companies, you name it. They're calling and emailing and calling again.

Most of the clients who buy from Boston Logic take a highly measured approach. They figure out what they need,  what it costs, compare solutions, and we come out on top. We're fine with this process. We're happy to go feature for feature with any platform.

Here's what stings: it's when the client gets a call from someone and doesn't do their homework. They make an impulse buy because the pitch over the phone was just that good. We're constantly amazed that business decisions are actually made this way.

Do you really have 2 completely different buying processes? For some expenses, you take weeks to figure out the right solution, document features, develop a budget, and then make an informed decision. For other purchases, you decide to spend thousands of dollars in literally minutes?

Here's a recommendation.

Consider any purchase carefully. Make decisions based on numbers, whenever possible. Real numbers. I'm talking about data. For example, If you're considering a new online marketing media, try to understand a cost/user or cost/lead. If you can't do better than where you are currently investing, don't buy it.

Also, don't get sold on one feature or even one idea. Look at a solution holistically. It's easy for a salesman to tell you about a nice feature in their website product and ask, "Does your real estate website do that?" Indeed, it may not, but there may be 20 features that your site does have that the product he's selling does not. I can't tell you how many clients have chosen other vendors only to come back to Boston Logic telling us that they made a poor decision.

If you need help developing specifications or comparing real estate web site design solutions, we're happy to help. Just contact the real estate website team of Boston Logic. Thanks.

by David

Posted on August 30, 2010 Filed Under Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Strategy, real estate internet marketing | Leave a Comment

What Makes Real Estate Companies Grow

When you get to the bottom of it all, real estate companies can grow one of two ways.

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.

by David

Posted on July 21, 2010 Filed Under Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Strategy, Wordpress, agent recruiting, lead generation, leads, real estate, real estate internet marketing | Leave a Comment

Real Estate Web Design

Boston Logic's offering of real estate web design pairs high quality websites for realtors with ease of use. Our leading real estate software, the ONE System, is now a more affordable, available for rapid deployment, and reflect the cutting edge work of the top designers we have working here at Boston Logic.

So...why Upgrade Your Website?

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

by Ashley

Posted on July 20, 2010 Filed Under Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Strategy, real estate, real estate internet marketing | Leave a Comment

Logic Classroom from 6.8.10: Keeping Up with Facebook

Thank you to everyone who attended our last Logic Classroom on June 8th.

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.

by Angela

Posted on June 9, 2010 Filed Under Facebook, Help, LogicClassroom, Personal Branding, Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Strategy, real estate, real estate internet marketing, social media | Leave a Comment

Logic Classroom 4.13.10: Maximizing Lead Conversion

Thank you to everyone who came to our latest LogicClassroom session on Maximizing Lead Conversion!

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.

by Angela

Posted on April 15, 2010 Filed Under Email Marketing, LogicClassroom, Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Strategy, lead generation, leads, real estate, real estate internet marketing, social media | Leave a Comment

Logic Classroom 4.9.2010: Maximizing Lead Conversion

Join us for our monthly LogicClassroom tomorrow night at 5:00 p.m.  for our Logic Classroom presentation!

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!

by Angela

Posted on April 12, 2010 Filed Under Email Marketing, LogicClassroom, Personal Branding, Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Sequoia Real Estate Solutions, Strategy, Webinar, What's New, lead generation, leads, real estate, real estate internet marketing, social media | Leave a Comment

MAR Webinar Questions Answered- Online Marketing and Lead Generation for Real Estate

A couple of weeks ago, I did a webinar of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. At the end of the talk, there were several questions from the remote attendees. I figured I'd type up some answers.

What is the Best Free Web Stat Tracker?

Google Analytics is the standard. We use it for our clients and thoroughly.

How to move an existing wordpress blog but wants to new domain name?

Wordpress has some pretty simple export/import tools that make it easier to grab your content from one blog, shut down that old blog, and import the posts into the new wordpress deploy. It very important that you take down the old blog. So, if you had a blog at realestate.wordpress.com and you moved it to yoursite.com/wordpress, make sure that they old site at wordpress.com is completely gone. Otherwise, the search engines will think that you're posting duplicate content and this will hurt your ranking potential

How can I get people to become fans of my Facebook Business Page?

Start with the people you know. Send them a suggestion to become a fan of your business on Facebook. Next, make sure you have a link on every page of you website to become your fan on Facebook. Also, don't overlook your email signature. Put a link at the bottom of your emails for recipients to click in order to become your fan. Also, include the link in your newsletters or drip emails. As a rule of thumb, when someone is consuming content that you produced, you should present them with an opportunity to follow, friend, become your fan, etc.

With so much information out there, do you find people get turned away when you ask them to register?

This is an age old question. I'll probably write a longer blog post on this soon. Basically, it works like this. If you want the maximum number of leads, then you need to ask them to register before giving them access to the data. If you want to only speak with people who have clicked on a contact form and indicated interest or picked up the phone, then you can leave the doors wide open. We argue that having more leads gives you a greater opportunity to market over time and convert. So, we generally suggest to require sign-ups to view search results.

Can you explain the One System?

The ONE System is Boston Logic's proprietary real estate website platform. It integrates Content Management, Property search, user management, lead management, blogging, neighborhoods pages, live chat, development profiles, deal tracking, and a whole lot more into one platform for Brokers and agents. Click here for more information on the ONE System.

What are some Free or Cheap Mass Email services?

Boston Logic is partnered with both Constant Contact and iContact. We recommend both. Also, our ONE System can be integrated with either platform. Since we're here in MA, and so is Constant Contact, I can tell you that I've met with their CEO and VP and that they are a well run and managed organization. They are also the industry leader with well over 100,000 businesses using them for email marketing.

Do you create Facebook Fan Pages for clients?

We certainly do! Give us a call for more information! 617.266.9166

by David

Posted on December 29, 2009 Filed Under Email Marketing, Facebook, Personal Branding, Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Sequoia Real Estate Solutions, Strategy, Wordpress, lead generation, leads, real estate, real estate internet marketing, social media | Leave a Comment

LogicClassroom Session 2 – Learning How to Blog Effectively For Your Company

Once again we had a number of attendees both on the phone and in our office for our second session of LogicClassroom. This session was a focus on how to turn a blog into a traffic and lead generation tool for your company. We explored how blogs work, how to start conversations with your readers, and how blog content can be syndicated to social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Don't worry if you missed the second session. We'll make sure that you're not left behind. When we start each LogicClassroom, we'll be careful to start with the basics and then get to the good stuff.

Please view the presentation on effective blogging below. Enjoy!

Our next LogicClassroom will be on 1/12/10. Learn how agents and brokers can leverage free social media to generate leads and a loyal client following.

by Aurora

Posted on December 9, 2009 Filed Under LogicClassroom, Personal Branding, Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Sequoia Real Estate Solutions, Strategy, Wordpress, lead generation, leads, real estate, real estate internet marketing, social media, twitter | 1 Comment

Learn How to Blog Effectively for Your Company!

by Katrina

Posted on December 2, 2009 Filed Under LogicClassroom, Personal Branding, Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Sequoia Real Estate Solutions, Strategy, lead generation, leads, real estate, real estate internet marketing, social media, twitter | Leave a Comment

LogicClassroom Session 1 – Online Lead Generation for Real Estate Agents and Brokers

We had a number of attendees both on the phone and in our office for our first LogicClassroom!  This session was an overview of the fundamental principles involved in online lead generation for real estate brokers and agents. Our future classes will delve further into many of the topics we touched upon.

But don't worry if you missed the first session. We'll make sure that you're not left behind. When we start each LogicClassroom, we'll be careful to start with the basics and then get to the good stuff. Also, below you can find the presentation that I gave. Enjoy!

Our next LogicClassroom will be on 12/8. Learn how to turn a blog into a traffic and lead generating machine!

by David

Posted on November 12, 2009 Filed Under LogicClassroom, Real Esate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate lead generation, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Sequoia Real Estate Solutions, Strategy, agent recruiting, lead generation, leads, real estate, real estate internet marketing, social media, twitter | 2 Comments

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