Years ago I wrote a post about selling to Realtors and since then I have heard from MANY different vendors who want to sell to real estate agents. Here are some more tips and ideas if you are trying to sell to Realtors!
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My Realtor Products Story
Okay, I am having feelings today because a company emailed me and then texted me today. They offered me a cup of coffee to “pick my brain” about how to sell to real estate agents.
I have spent over 15 YEARS talking to, writing for and working with Realtors and because they started a company they think that I should spend my time helping them sell to real estate agents.
THIS is the problem when you pick a demographic like Realtors… it seems like a great idea, but unless you have an “in”, it can be really hard nut to crack!
3 Things To Think About When Selling To Realtors
So here are three more things to think about when selling to real estate agents that I have figured out over the years while talking to people who want to sell to Realtors!
A Task Rather Than A Treasure
I was talking to a fellow who had a great idea for real estate agents. He thought that his technical product could really revolutionize the industry. But my first answer to him was…
Yep, cutting through the noise that Real Estate agents hear all day is hard and most of them are “people people” not “techy people” so your product might seem like a task rather than a treasure.
If you are selling something that will take time to implement or that requires a lot of work on their part, most real estate agents will not take the time to even look at it.
You will have to make it super easy to use, maybe even setting the whole thing up for them!
IF you get them to listen, and IF they like your product, please agree to help them do all the work, especially for the first 100 or so agents you work with.
The benefit of this is that you will learn all the easy problems to fix, be able to write a complete step-by-step guide tailored to Realtors and have great testimonials to share on your sales pages!
Better Than The Thing They Are Already Using
Oh my gosh, I have gotten so many emails and text saying that the product that a company is selling is just like another product, but better.
As a person who uses an email platform that is okay, not great, but functional, I am here to say that changing over to something else would have to be earth shattering to make me move!
I already have it all set up, I know how it works, I know it's quirks and how to work with them. To move to something new would be a huge time suck and ESPECIALLY if it was a new product I would not take the chance.
As someone who wants to sell to real estate agents, you can't just say it is better than what they are using now.
You need to have something that is “more” than what they are using now. More could mean cheaper, easier to use, works with other products they use or any other kind of value proposition that will at least let them take a peek at what you are offering!
And THEN you will have to hold their hands and help them implement your product!
People With Access To Realtors
As someone who has a database of real estate agent emails I get A LOT pitches!
Companies contact me and offer to buy me coffee, hire me as a consultant or pay me commissions to sell their products to my peeps.
So first off, imagine if I had sent my Realtors every one of these of offers, taking a cut of each one over the years and just using my list as an asset. Do you think my real estate friends would trust me anymore… nope!
So here is my best tip for you if you want to sell to Realtors….
Do something for them! Help them! Be an asset for their business before you try to sell them something!
I know it is tempting to try to find someone who is already embedded in the real estate niche to use to for marketing your business, but there are very few people who will be willing to burn their own lists if they have integrity and really want to help real estate agents.
You are going to have to figure out how you can help them yourself!
Here are a few things you could do…
❥ Start a specific blog about the topic of your product, make it an amazing resource for Realtors and I promise you they will want to help you launch your product!
❥ Go on real estate podcasts and talk about the topic your product helps (NOT a sales pitch for your specific product)
❥ Pay for a real estate agent focus group to look at your product and give you “real world” feedback on what they like or don't like
As a product vendor you either have more time than money or money than time. The first two suggestions are great if you are on a shoestring, the last is good if you have a wee bit of funding!
Selling To Real Estate Agents Wrapup
If you are developing a product for Realtors right now and haven't launched yet, good on you! Get some Realtors on a list to give you feedback every step of the way and also start reaching out to people looking for content for real estate agents.
Become an expert on the TOPIC of your product and how it directly relates to real estate agents!
For example, if you sell a Real Estate CRM, first off find out how agents use their database. You might differentiate yourself by having an “internet leads” and “sphere of influence” option that will help them sort their contacts.
Then become an expert on how they can convert internet leads to listings or buyers in the car and talk A LOT about that anywhere you can.
Figure out a problem Realtors have that your product can solve and then talk about that until your ears fall off (of course I am being facetious!)
Please note: I can give you a great reference to a consultant who can brainstorm marketing ideas for your product with you. Shoot me an email at [email protected] and I will give you her contact info. She does charge for her time.
