Would you be impressed...

[VistaLeigh'smommy]

Since this is the largest demographic of people I know, from all over the country, I figured I would ask all of you...


I went to a seminar yesterday and it turned into a sales pitch (surprise surprise ) for multimedia business cards. I am a real estate agent and he kept on pounding home that we need to seperate ourselves from the crowds. It is a BEAUTIFUL package. 7x3 inches of really good quaility plastic. Inside is a cdrom that has tips for buying and selling a home. I mean, I was EXTREAMLY impressed when I saw it on my chair as I walked in. I thought "sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet a free CD rom!!!"


Now my question is would something like that (a beautiful, good quaility, cd rom business card) impress you enough to use that as your reason to pick a realtor?

If you have ever tried anything like this in your business how well did it work and do you have any stories to share (good or bad)?



oh, and the kicker... they are $36 EACH!!!! so that is why I am pretty nervous about jumping in even though they are beautiful!!!

 

[In a hurry]

No. It would not impress me, much. That is the kind of thing that you look at, think..."Hey, that's cute"... and go on. We picked our realtor because friends really liked her. One of 60,000 opinions!

 

[Poohnatic]

No, that wouldn't sway me to use a particular realtor. We picked our realtor to sell our last home because he lived in our neighborhood and was always visible.
He runs a 'boutique' realty, and we knew we'd get individualized attention.

There was another person who lived in the neighborhood who sent out postcards and her signs were everywhere. I'm sure she probably uses the CD Rom cards, but I felt she had too many listings to be there for us, KWIM?

Suzanne

 

[chris1gill]

Count me as another NO.... we'd pick our realtor based on their sales ability.... a CD rom would not sway us one way or another....

 

[sajetto]

I'm another no, it wouldn't sway me. All of our realtors have given us a regular buisness card and a magnet or some sort of keychain. I think that's all the advertisment we need. If I got a CD rom I can be certain that I'd probably never even use it and it would get thrown in the trash.

The main thing that impresses me about a realtor is if they can sell what I've got, but I guess that's what everyone is looking for

 

[Charade]

Another no. That's what websites are for.

 

[Aurora63]

No. Are you saying a potential customer would have to put your CD Rom into their computer in order to see it? Way too much work, I'd be more likely to pass you over.

 

[canwegosoon]

I'm too busy for a CD-ROM...what counts is if you can sell their house or help them get a new one. Having good technology like the ability to scan homes room by room, to preview a home for a customer, saves them time, an can help narrow their choices. ALso doing things like sending out daily updates, and helping customers find homes that meet or exceed their requirement is essential if you want to be a great RE sales person. I buy property all over the NE, and I have a few agents I work with. I have a lot of respect for professionals who can help me and not waste my time with fluff. You don't need this persons business to help you make yours successful. Get a great photo and a nice business card, and some magnets and pens. If people are happy with your service their happiness will spread like wildfire.

 

[Disney Doll]

In our area of the country...no. Folks around here are pretty real estate savvy and not impressed by trappings, because a lot of them have the ability to buy a lot of trappings. Plus, most of the real estate companies have all kinds of written materials and websites that give you all that same info about buying and selling homes.

My DH is the Sales Manager of a real estate company, and he always says that if you do well by your customers, you don't need a lot of gimmicky type things. At a recent realtor event, one person was handing out these business cards that were some kind of metal, gold colored, in a fancy little envelope thing. Just seemed so pretentious that everyone was .

There may be some areas of the country where something like that might be very well-received though. Only you know your particular area. Clients here would be saying "No wonder the commission is so high if my realtor is giving out stuff like this."

 

[Buckalew11]

No. Word of mouth is your best advertisement. DH's cousin has these CD roms for his business in another city. He is the type to try to impress people with similar things such as this. I'm impressed by very little. Just show me your real deal! A waste if you ask me. A well built website is much more important than a CD rom--no matter how nice that CD rom is. Just MHO.

 

[mainewmn]

Another no from me. We went with someone I knew before she even became a realtor, and we wore very happy with her. On the other hand if I got something like this in the mail, I would probably use it to see what was on it read tips and such but to be honest I read so many web sites about buying and selling homes that by the time we did it I think I knew more the some of the real-estate agents out there.

 

[VistaLeigh'smommy]

goooooooooooood, cause that's what I was thinking too! I mean, the package IS impressive, but could that make people choose me over anyone else? I doubt it.

I work mostly by referral as it is, and in this market people want to work with agents who have a proven track record.

thanks for your input!

 

[nliedel]

Nope. We met with several face to face and that is how I winnowed them. I want someone that really cares about finding the right place for us.

 

[sakura-panda]

When we sold our house, our first realtor was a friend of the family, but she didn't normally sell houses in our area and after six months she still hadn't sold ours. We chose our next realtor because he sent us a packet in the mail that had a list of the homes that he had sold in our area, as well as how much he has sold them for. The packet had a page for each house, so we were able to compare the houses' features and locations with the prices. We were very impressed -- it made us feel like he really understood the market that we were in -- and he was the one that sold our house for us.

So...I guess it depends on what was on the CD-rom -- if it was examples like that packet, then, yes, it could sway me. But if it is just a generic sales pitch, then it wouldn't make any difference.

--Katie

 

[grlpwrd]

No, because I think info on CDs are kinda archaic now that anyone can have a website.

If an agent distributed those I would think twice whether he or she is competent, current with technology and the business/listings/etc, and so I would be concerned whether they would be good at their job or not. I really would want someone computer savvy, more resourceful and focused on selling my home rather than fluff, and with the times, KWIM?

 

[Dan Murphy]

By far, my business is a referral business, 30 years now. I have a traditional business card, an introductory brochure (fairly simple) that can be mailed or left with a person. That has a very brief explanation of my type of work, credentials, experience, etc, along with a small picture. I also have a comprehensive website, both for prospective clients, with much of the same information as my brochure, as well as a working tool for current clients.

I do know of an associate within my firm who purchased what I think is the CD program you are speaking of, and did not have a very productive experience with it.

(not to be considered a solicitation)

 

[MoniqueU]

The only thing that will make me use a realtor is if the reator is the one I am dealing with. As in no assistants that don't know what the heck they are talking about, have to get back to you on that, are still learning their job etc etc. I have had my last 2 deals nearly wrecked by very successful realtors who used assistants who had no brains.