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Dmcdonald

Gearing up for Postcards

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Hello all! I never thought my first post would be in the Marketing section of this forum, but Michael's manual was so cohesive that, well, I really understand the whole process of the deal and just think I need help with the marketing! We'll see if I'm still feeling that way when I actually work my way through the first one :P

 

I've decided to take a no-excuses approach to this and follow both Michael and John's advice and just get out there and do it, but treat this like a business - not a hobby. In doing so, I've created my LLC and a logo (costed very little and took me, what, a day?). I've also whipped up my first postcard based on a design that John had posted a while back (hope that's alright...you had said in that thread that you posted it so that we could indeed use it). So, I'm satisfied with my design and think that I've got a message that will appeal to sellers and plan on hitting them with this postcard, and possible a brochure in the future, every 3 weeks or so. So far, so good. Feeling confident. The whole goal here is to have the sellers calling me as opposed to the other way around. Now comes the hard part...

 

I've been having a heck of a time finding leads to send these too! I'm only looking for motivated sellers, so I'm not going to be using ListSource as I want to market to expired listing and houses with high days-on-market numbers. I've looked at various common sites (Realtor.com, Zillow, ShoreWest, Century 21, etc...) and have not found a clean way to get the listings. None of them offer a way to narrow by DOM, with the exception of Zillow which allows to narrow to ">90 days on Zillow" which is less than accurate I'm guessing. I've also looked into screen scrappers and web crawlers and, while these are doable with my IT background, they seem like more work than they are worth for the quality of records that I'd be getting. Besides partnering with an agent, is there any way to get a good solid list of current listings or expireds? I've heard that some use VA's and I'm completely open to that idea; I've just heard that oDesk and others tend to flag job postings that involve scrapping MLS listings and things like that.

 

Also, for those of you that market to listed properties, do you narrow it at all by time on market or do you just send to any property that meets your structural criteria?

 

Thanks for any and all answers, and thanks to everyone that has made this the BEST resource for everything Lease Option related :lol:

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Hello, Dennis, and welcome aboard! Glad you joined the community, and thank you for the kind words. :lol:

Get out and just do it. Probably the best advice anyone can give you and the best path to making something happen. At some point we need to stop studying and theorizing, and start doing by taking action. So I'd say you're off to a good start.

Although you addressed the issue, finding a cooperative Agent would be a good idea for accessing expired listings. Active listings can be had on realtor.com. Using a VA can be a time efficient and effective way to streamline your marketing, Dennis. John does this exclusively with much success. He should be along with some advice. If not, hit him up directly.

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Sounds like you are right on track Dennis, and you bet you can use that postcard...just don't put MY number on it! HA!

I use a VA to do my lists, and she sends me the list via e-mail on an Avery Template. Just got thru prepping a mailout myself actually....I'm about a week behind.

Can you believe when I started I put the list together BY HAND?! and I WROTE each address on the envelopes I was using...

You can put a post on Odesk for data entry, and that you are needing mailing lists compiled and put together on a label template etc.

You won't get in trouble from Odesk.

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Thanks for the replies. I sent some out before changing the phone number on them, so John you might be getting a few of Wisconsin's finest hillbillies asking for a good Lease Option nearest to the local cheese factory! Juuuust kidding :lol:

 

Continuing on with what I'm doing and incorporating what has been suggested here, I'm using Overnight Prints, looking at the options and looking to get the postcards ordered very soon. As Mike has said, I'm getting out and just doing it, and although I'm nervous not knowing what will happen I'm confident it'll all go well with a bit of work and determination. Bringing more into the plan, I've also been on oDesk and do plan on putting a request for bid out there for compiling a list of addresses from Realtor.com for the listed properties, but also ForSaleByOwner.com (why not? they want to sell too) and possible a FRBO site concentrating on houses for rent. The only reason I mentioned trouble form oDesk is because I've heard that using the word "scraper" will get your post flagged, but I figured I'll just ask for a "compiled list" or something like that.

 

Speaking of hand-writing addresses...for postcards, is it worth the trouble to hand-write the addresses? I've heard that it makes for a higher hit rate, but then again, it's a postcard so the read rate is already extremely high and I doubt anyone would consciously say "I'm not gonna flip this card over and read the message...I mean look at my address! IT WAS PRINTED!!!!" Also, does it matter if the owner's name is on the address label?

 

Thanks again for all your help! Hopefully next time I reply I'll be saying that my postcards are on their way!

 

EDIT: Michael, I've actually stumbled across an agent on Craigslist doing Lease Options, I assume on his own? Either way, I'm gonna shoot him an email and try and get a dialog going with him. What's the worst that can happen, right?

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A handwritten address will get more response...but guess what.....unless you are serving time...you are better off having them printed...

Seriously...I used to spend a week writing addresses...screw that...now.....

I'm just livin the dream.......

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Dennis,

 

I used one of John's postcard templates as well. Just sent out 800 as a test. I will be posting the results as I start getting calls or hits on my website. It definitely feels good to be taking action instead of studying. I definitely owe what I have done up to this point to MC and John. That have made this easy to understand and implement. Also, they are very generous with their time and knowledge. Good luck Dennis!

 

Mike P- Ohio

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Thanks Mike! I totally agree that it feels good to be actually acting and not just studying. I've got my postcards ready to go. In all it cost:

 

  • $12 for yellow cardstock
  • $6 for a pack of 750 Avery labels
  • $29 for postage stamps (100 postcard stamps)
  • a couple hours for design, printing, and cutting

 

I'm sending out about 100 postcards, which is how many listed properties there are in my zip code that fit my criteria. I plan on dropping these off at the post office Saturday or Monday to ensure a mid-week delivery (I've heard that Tuesday is the best day statistically? Not gonna be too crazy about that one). Also on the business end, I got my Vumber phone number, website up, some basic info onthe site, email address created, and have been going over the manual again to prepare for the calls. Exciting!!

 

PS: I printed these on my laser printer that I purchased a few years ago. The toner in it is lasting forever so I'm basically calling the cost of printing those postcards null.

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Nice work, boys. You've moved on from talking to doing. A huge step in the overall scheme of things, and one that many n00bs never get past. Keep us posted as to the results. Any questions, put 'em up here and someone will have the answer. . .or we'll do such a good job fakin' it you'll never know the difference. :D

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Nice work, boys. You've moved on from talking to doing. A huge step in the overall scheme of things, and one that many n00bs never get past. Keep us posted as to the results. Any questions, put 'em up here and someone will have the answer. . .or we'll do such a good job fakin' it you'll never know the difference. :D

 

As a wholesaling guru of mine once said "Fake it 'til you make it"! And for all those out there that don't want to or just won't spend the money to get started, take a step back and think about how a couple hundred bucks can get you started and get you some credibility. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, $130 for the LLC, $50 for some lead generation via direct mail, $97 for the nuclear codes lease option manual. I'm going to drop these postcards off on Monday; I'll post any results.

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Just thought I'd post an update, as promised!

 

Yesterday I got a voicemail from an older gentleman that had received my postcard stating that he was looking for more info into my program. GREAT! I called him back today with all my bullet points and scripts and...quickly deviated :P . It was sounding too scripted and I just started talking like a normal person that knows a little about the current market and the problems we all face. In the process I found out that he owned this house FREE AND CLEAR and even though he is moving out of state to live closer to family, he is still considering rent to own or a LAND CONTRACT!

 

Needless to say, I'm ecstatic, even though chances are still slim I'll get the deal as we are waiting on his existing Realtor contract to expire (1.5 months left). I'm excited because, even if I don't get the deal, I've proven to myself that I can send out postcards and get a response, as well as talk to a stranger on the phone without getting so nervous that I'm sweating <_< !

 

All in all, my faith in direct-mail marketing has been renewed and I will continue to keep it in my arsenal.

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Something you might want to try, is click2mail.com

It's inexpensive and... well, I can't say easy to use as it sometimes can be frustrating, but once you get the hang of it it's easy to use... and it'll save you a ton of time.... create your postcard and save it, upload your mailing list, and click a few buttons and you're done. You can mail merge too, to make the postcards specific to the recipient ("Hi John Smith, I want to buy your house at 123 Main St in Anytown...")

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Needless to say, I'm ecstatic, even though chances are still slim I'll get the deal as we are waiting on his existing Realtor contract to expire (1.5 months left). I'm excited because, even if I don't get the deal, I've proven to myself that I can send out postcards and get a response, as well as talk to a stranger on the phone without getting so nervous that I'm sweating <_<
Slim? If you getting the deal is dependent upon the listing Agent selling it in the next 6 weeks, I'd say get your paperwork ready. ;) That house ain't selling anytime soon.

 

All in all, my faith in direct-mail marketing has been renewed. . .
Can I get a "hallelujah"! :P

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