What percentage response are you getting from flyers (and other letters) prospecting for listings? Out of the responses you get, what percentage turn in to listings and sales? Thanks.

I have recently made a decison to probably stop any mailing. I have had zero success with just listed postcards, recent sales, flyers, etc. I mean absolutley NO calls from a fairly consistent mailing campaign....

If I do not quit it all together, I will certainly rething the tactics I am using. I really have nothing good to say about direct mailing due to the lack of success I have had with it. I am thinking that money is better spent elsewhere....

HOw long did you send flyers? Did you repeat the same farm with each mailing?

I am interested to know if you were consistent with mailing to the same farm as well.

I have a once monthly mailing I've been doing (only 100 homes, I picked only homes I would actually be interested in selling) and had zero response for the last 5 months.

This weekend I had two calls inquiring about listing homes - these calls came from people in my farm. So keep at it!

All Marketing efforts require a great deal of commitment, so don't get discouraged. Typical return from direct mail is less than 1%, anything above that is good, a great campaign may yield 3%. Typically, for real estate agents, the return is below 1%.

Their is not ONE SOLUTION that will give you what you are seeking, which means that you have to diversify your marketing efforts as best you can. This means that like a financial portfolio, it should be dicersified. That being said, understanding that creative forms like TV, radio, flyers, direct mail will only work if you catch someone at the time they are looking to make a transaction, and hopefully help create name recognition.

You may want to consider directional advertising/marketing opportunities. For instance, going to real estate investment seminars for the general public, so you can network there, also, with 80% of buyers starting their searches online (NAR Statistic), you may want to find an online solution ASAP.

Also, realize this... any lead, referral, etc, is only as good as how hard you work it, as will any marketing program. Don't think that because someone says they want to buy a house with you they will. Many things could impede them fro doing that. Also, if you can find someone that also provides a good prospect management system, with trackable drip email, etc.

We provide a complete internet based marketing system, CRM with tracking capabilities, drip email, fully customizable websites (with unlimited listings and 36 pics per listing), conference calls to help you develop your skills, and much more.

If you guys are interested, drop me a line anytime.

I'm sick and tired of marketeers going after my hard-earned dollar. Please take your plugs elsewhere.

As far as direct mailing is concerned, at my broker's insistence I spent a bucket of money on just-listed, just solds and general marketing infromation for a farm area. $4000 later I had not ONE response. Note - I didn't just not get a CLOSING - I didn't get so much as a phone call or an email. I'm done with that type of promotion. Direct mail is a complete waste of time and money.

Siberian,

I think that direct mail might have been a "waste of time and money" in your market, or your materials might not have been compelling enough to get people to call.

Direct mail is a tricky business, and it's an art in itself. It is unfair to make such a blanket statement since we don't know how often you mailed, who you mailed to, and what you mailed.

Quite frankly, if you don't mail to people often, with the right materials, then your campaign won't work.

There are sooooo many reasons why it might not be drawing what you would like that to give up on it all together would be a mistake.

Maybe tweak it, send to people you have already worked with for referrals. Its always easier to sell to existings over new. What have you sent out? How have you tracked it? What was the message? Do you fall in with everyone else or better yet, how do you stand out? How did you do comparison campaigns?

There just are not as many people buying homes as there were last year! I think there is always room for some type of direct marketing if for no other reason then it provides branding. I for one, don't think anyone on this board has the marketing budget that Coke or Ford or Merck have, so all marketing MUST provide the ability to pay for itself and continue to self fund going forward. BUT, some highly targeted direct mail pcs will cheaply continue to drive your message and keep you above the chaff.

Boy, hope I didn't get too long winded on that one!

Ever try calling houses in the farm zone and see what they thought about the letter?

I know when I was walking a subdivision 3mo after I started, I asked him what he thought about the information I gave him and he said "Its nice, XXX Company sends me something similar in post cards, we think we'll sell our house in 4 years".

After doing that.....I could throw him in a followup program over 4 years and have a great chance of a listing. Its not all about mailing and that being it. I was told when i started, send 3 letters , call once , knock on thier door once for a very high responce rate.

I sent out 400 letters 4 times to the same people. 3 called and asked to be taken off the mailing list because the weren't interested or were relocating.
1 call because she was interested in buying a house.
A few hundred dollars on mailing and only 1 response , yet I am happy with the $8500. commission I collected as a result.


I'll keep mailing that same list till it disappears.

I farmed two different subdivisions for four months. It cost me about $2000 and I got zero response. A top producing team in my office says it may take up to one year before you get results. It failed for me and I do not plan on doing anymore direct mailing at this time. Good Luck!

I think it all has to do about marketing and creativity. I am starting to mail out on yellow bright paper and also door knocking >>> I will sell your house in _"_______" days or I will "_________" call for details
straight to the point in one sentence really big to catch their attention just to get the phone ringing. My goal is to get the appt. and not to go over too much over the phone till I get in the door . then give them options (todd bates)
Just started doing it will let you know what happens

I've been mailing postcards for the last month. About 150 postcards so far and still no response! I'll give it another 2 months. I send mine out to expired listings.

It didn't fail for you - you simply didn't do the minimum that was required to see if it works. You even said yourself a top team that has experience in doing this told you it would take at least a year.

It takes a minimum of 12-24 months for a farm mailing to work WHEN you are consistently sending something at minimum twice a month. These are specific numbers for a specific geographic farm in which you have done nothing face-to-face.

How many times and how often are you sending a postcard to the same expired listing?

What content are you including in your mailings?

In direct mail, your highest response will be between mailings 4 - 6. Additionally, the closer the mailings are together, the better your response rate will be.

For expireds, try sending something the first, third and fifth day - then once a week until 8 weeks. Then, add them to your bi-weekly mailing program - newsletter and whatever else you send out every month.