By now you understand my definition of One to Many marketing.
Like this book. One book – sent to many people.
I was first attracted to the one to many marketing philosophy out of desperation. Cold calls and door knocking and pop-bys and glad-handing just did not align with my soul.
As much as I wanted them to.
They did not.
My first attempt at one to many marketing was way back before the ink was dry on my real estate license.
I bought a course online from Craig Forte for expired listings. The course instructed me to buy little cardboard boxes, construction paper, yarn, sewing needles, and a bale of hay.
(I’m not making this up!)
Mrs. Ed and I then sat in our spare bedroom at our very first home on Westside Park Avenue (Wesssiiidddee!) and put together the boxes, cut out squares in the construction paper, attached the yarn to the needles, and piled a handful of hay into each box.
The note scribed on the construction paper said, “Finding a good agent is like finding a needle in a haystack.”
(Still not making this up.)
We then carted dozens and dozens of boxes to the post office and mailed them off.
I waited… eager to get rich from this amazing marketing concept.
Within just a couple of days my pager buzzed (yes, pager). Notification of a voicemail. I grabbed the Motorola Startac flip phone and dialed into the voicemail box (I was at my full-time job) and listened intently to what was sure to be a listing appointment invite.
“I don’t know who you think you are mailing me this ridiculous box. My living room is now a mess with hay! Don’t ever contact me again!”
Uh oh.
I never mailed another hay filled box ever again.
(Stacey was happy because I stopped using my Mr. Ed voice during our box packing sessions)
Although my first attempt can be deemed a failure, now that I know better and understand the concept of marketing…
… the only reason the hay box boondoggle failed is because I quit. One and done can never be the process for marketing.
Patient persistence is required for one to many marketing.
And when you do find the most responsive audience.
Marketing will change your business and your life forever.
The best first step. The best foundational marketing piece. The best way to deliver your message…
… is with the newsletter.
Continue doing each and every thing that is driving business to your business – AND, deploy the newsletter.
Over time, this will be the greatest decision you’ve ever made (in business).
My second attempt at One to Many marketing produced 16 listings
In early 1999 I attended a Roger Butcher seminar with my Century 21 office. Out of the 30 or 40 agents in attendance I’m the only agent that shelled out $300 bucks for the program Roger was selling.
And believe me, I was probably the agent with the least amount of money at that time.
The program was pretty simple.
Collect names and addresses from the local tax rolls and mail out letters.
I was instructed to collect the names of people that owned local property but had out of town mailing addresses for their property tax bills.
(This program will still work today – by the by)
The program then had me writing handwritten notes that said (with a straight face), “I have local buyers interested in your property at 123 Banana Street. If you have any interest in selling call me at ###”
Of course I didn’t have any buyers! But that’s besides the point isn’t it? I was just doing what the program instructed.
Boss Lady Bride and I spent countless hours, countless days in the Treasurer’s office of the local county building going through the tax rolls.
By hand!
It was 1999. We were partying like… umm, you know.
We compiled lists. We wrote letters.
We compiled more lists. We wrote more letters.
And then…
… the phone started to ring.
Over the course of the next couple of months I collected 16 listings!
I sold several of them. All of my first deals in this business were the result of that $300 information system purchased nervously from Roger Butcher.
(If only agents would take my advice. Join the Inner Circle… deploy the newsletter… grow the list… well, maybe someday)
During this time the managing broker called me into his office.
“I need you to explain exactly what you are doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re taking all of these listings. Calls are coming in for you left and right. I need to make sure what you’re doing is on the up and up.”
“Remember that Roger Butcher seminar you took us all to?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s what I’m doing.”
I still didn’t get it completely at the time, but I was beginning to see the results of what would ultimately be the one and only way that I operate my lovable lifestyle business…
… with One to Many marketing.
No cold calling.
No door knocking.
No telemarketing.
No trespassing.
No bootysmooching.
No pussyfooting.
Only… lovable. (okay maybe not, only)
“Tell ‘em about that time you created a six figure yearly one to many marketing campaign out of thin air.”