1
By
Randy Roussie
“Helping Agents Get Bigger Commissions Since 1987”
How To Capture Leads,
Table of Contents
Welcome 3
Sec on 1: Ge ng Started With Craigslist 5
Sec on 2: The 2 Ad Placement Categories of Craigslist 7
Sec on 3: Headlines For Lis ng Ads 9
Sec on 4: Final Summary 13
Sec on 5: Recommenda on 17
This publica on is designed to be informa ve. It is presented with the understanding the author is not mak-ing any specific claims to income earnmak-ings. The author is not engaged in rendermak-ing legal, accoun ng, or other professional services. The reader is advised the content discussed in this book serves only as a
recommenda-on.
This publica on may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmi3ed in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior wri3en permission of Randy Roussie. ( h3p://www.randyroussie.com )
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A Personal Le er From Randy Roussie
Thank you for downloading this book. Your decision to increase your sales sets you apart from other agents. Actually, it places you into the top 20% of agents in the real estate sales industry. Your next step is to come to a ‘more accurate’ understanding of ‘how’ this business called real estate sales ‘works’ when it comes to Craigslist. This is exactly what we will do in this e-book. But before we get started... allow me to share this with you.
Yes There Is A Secret To Success in Real Estate Sales!
What is this secret? Are you ready to hear it? If so… please listen very closely! ♦ Leads!
♦ Without leads... you are dead in the water.
You must understand these three basic business principles. 1. How to get a con nual supply of leads into your business. 2. How to follow up with leads.
3. How to stay-in-touch with leads. Yes An Assistant Is Required!
I am not talking about a ‘human’ assistant. I am talking about a ‘system’. A system will make it easier for you to ‘do’ your business. A system is your assistant in that it will do ‘things’ you cannot and ‘ought not’ to be doing on your own. A system places your business on auto-pilot. A system will do the automa c marke ng, automa c following up and automa c stay-in-touch for you. A system will work for you even when you are shopping, golfing, or sleeping!
And Yes Pa(ence Is Required!
Rome was not built in a day. It takes me to create a profitable business. For this reason you must be pa ent and allow the system to produce results. This is where the majority of agents go wrong. They try one ‘thing’ for a li3le while, then quit to try another ‘thing’, and then quit that ‘thing’ to try yet another ‘thing’. They never give any ‘thing’ the me required to experience results.
Our system is certainly no different. If you refuse to give the me required for results to manifest... it will not work for you. Therefore I ask this of you: to add to your faith ‘pa ence’ so in me you will walk in the rewards of your investment.
And remember… Craigslist is not rocket science. Just follow my recommenda ons and you will be giving yourself the best ‘chance’ at success. In life… having a ‘chance’ is all that ma3ers!
5
Sec(on 1
Ge+ng Started
With Craigslist
The Truth About Craigslist Real Estate Adver(sing 1. It’s Free!
Craigslist is like any other adver sing you do... except it is free. It requires daily engagement in order to produce results. It is not a ‘get-leads-quick’ approach. You will need to keep your ads fresh and add new ads to your account on a regular basis.
2. It’s Where Agents Find The Majority of Their Online Leads
For the typical agent using the Internet for lead acquisi on, 50.7% of their leads come off Craigslist.
3. What Can You Expect For Results?
You need 100 people to click on your AD, not just the headline, to end up with 1 lead that turns into a closed transac on. (Said another way: You made money!)
4. Click Through Rate (CTR)
What's a CTR? It is the percentage of people who read your ‘headline’ and then click on it to read your ad. A good headline can receive a CTR as high as 18%.
5. Pu+ng These Numbers Together
Based on the data available… to get 1 closed transac on... this is what has to happen. A. You need 555 people to read your headline.
B. 18% will click it.
C. That is 100 people who will then 'see' and ‘read’ your ad.
D. From those 100... You may receive many leads… with at least 1 closed transac on. E. Of course there are no guarantees, we are simply sharing our experience.
6. Summary
It kind of sounds discouraging doesn’t it when you consider the number 555. However it is not when you consider it is free to use Craigslist. Therefore you are not out 1 red cent. But here's the secret... to success with Craigslist… are you ready?
*** Good Headlines!
The be3er your headline... the more likely people will click on it to see your ad. I will discuss headlines in a few sec ons from now.
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Sec(on 2
The Two Ad Placement
Categories of Craigslist
Your 2 Ad Category Op(ons 1. Housing Sec(on
Place your lis ng ads in the ‘real estate for sale’ category. ♦ Only put ‘lis ngs’ in this area.
Craigslist will eventually close your account if you place other ‘landing pages’ into the for sale area.
2. Services Sec(on
Place your landing pages in the ‘real estate’. ♦ Do not place your lis ngs here.
Craigslist will eventually close your account if you place lis ngs into this area.
No(ce #1
1. We have provided HTML ads for you to use for the many landing pages in the Top Agent system. You would place these recommended ads into the Services sec on.
2. However that sec on has low readership by Craigslist visitors.
3. Therefore you ought to expect the CTR to be much lower as compared to the CTR within the Housing sec on.
No(ce #2
In the next sec on I will outline several headlines to you to use for your lis ng ads. Please remember to place your lis ngs into the Housing Sec on of Craigslist.
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Sec(on 3
Ad Headline Recommenda(ons For Your Lis(ngs 1. Fact
The be3er your headline... the more likely people will click on it to read your ad. 2. What Do You Write In Your Headline?
Not much... keep it short! 3. What Not To Say!
Never put in the ad headline things like... the # of bedrooms, # of baths, or even the price of the home. Why not?
♦ These items are dis-qualifiers.
If a lead is looking for a 3 bedroom and your ad states a 4 bedroom... most 3 bedroom leads will not click on your ad. This same thinking applies to the other dis-qualifiers too. So avoid using disqualifiers in your ads.
4. What To Say!
Leads... when they are on Craigslist looking around... they are doing just that... looking around. They certainly cannot buy a home online.
♦ So your en re goal is nothing more than to grab their interest so at the very least they click on your headline to see your ad and hopefully reach back and contact you.
No(ce #1
This gives you nothing more than 'a chance' at harves ng their contact info. And that is all you ever get in any kind of adver sing you do for leads. Ads simply give you nothing more than a chance to land a lead. There are no guarantees any ads will actually give you a lead. But ads you must run regardless and since Craigslist is free… what’s the issue!
No(ce #2
The minute you lose hope and stop running your lis ng ads is the very minute when any chance you did have to land leads is gone for good! So stay pa ent… remain persistent… run your ads and keep running your ads… and I promise you in me leads you shall land!
No(ce #3
The headlines we share are only recommenda ons. We make absolutely no guarantees at all regarding their performance or their poten al for viola ng Craigslist terms of service.
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Lis(ng Ad Headline Examples
Here are a few examples of recommended headlines. Once you review these headlines it will give you a good idea on how to write a headline. So be as crea ve as you want when you are wri ng your headlines. Remember… these are headlines for your lis ng ads.
1. $1000 per month gets you this exclusive home
2. Hurry... check this foreclosure home out before this deal is gone for good 3. Really desperate seller is begging for a sale and that means a deal for you 4. The lowest price in (City and/or subdivision name) will soon be gone 5. This is not your average home and it's way below market value too 6. Luxury home only wealthy people can afford
7. Luxury home for a middle class buyer
8. Low price means happy buyer for this home
9. A rare gem at a price so low you will hardly believe it
10. You can sneak onto the golf course right from your own backyard 11. Biggest kitchen I personally have ever been in
12. Smell the roses… hear the silence
13. What neighbors? This hidden treasure is all yours 14. Monster yard… so big you just may get lost
15. It’s not a bedroom… it’s a palace
16. It’s not a family room… it’s more like a conven on center
17. Enjoy a glass of fine wine as you swim in your birthday suit under the stars 18. Mansion awaits… don’t be late… book a date
19. Who else is looking for a steal of a deal? 20. Steal it… deal it… real it… you decide
21. Once upon a me… this home cost twice as much as now
22. It was a hot summer’s day… as I slipped into the pool with my honey bunny 23. So close to the beach… you can smell the ocean
No(ce #1
It is against Craigslist Terms of Service (TOS) to write ads like... list of foreclosures... etc., and
place them into the Housing sec on under 'Real Estate For Sale'. If you do your Craigslist will close your account. Those kinds of ads must be placed in the Services sec on under the Real Estate sec on. So make sure you are only pos ng lis ng ads to the Housing sec on under real estate for sale. And make sure your headlines do not contain any type of wording that looks like you're adver sing 'services' instead of a real lis ng.
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Sec(on 4
The Truth About Real Estate You May Not Like!
You know… I have been helping agents to succeed since 1987. That is a very long me. And I know you can appreciate it when I say I have been asked thousands of mes about shortcuts to success. Well… there isn’t any!
Think about it… if a shortcut existed wouldn’t every agent already be wealthy? Here’s the truth: Real estate is hard. You need to embrace this truth and stop looking for get-rich-quick scams and schemes.
Ads are just one way of ge ng your name out there for people to see and to recognize and to have a chance to call you. This is the be all and end all of adver sing. You simply must get your name extremely well known in your market area.
Why? The reason is you’re not selling hamburgers. People do not walk into your office like they do when it comes to McDonald’s. On the contrary… you need to walk out of your office to get people to discover you! This brings me to ask you this ques on.
What’s Your Why?
What do I mean by that? I mean this: ‘Why did you become an agent in the first place?’. Whatever your answer is, that is your why. Allow me to ask this ques on.
♦ Why Should You Run Ads, Prospect & Meet People?
♦ Just Fill In The Blank To Answer: _________
1. If You Can't Fill In The Blank... Don't Read Any Further!
Why? Because you’re not ready. And you're not alone, according to the American Business Management Ins tute 85% of salespeople cannot fill in the blank with a reason and those 85% never get ahead and never achieve any real meaningful success. (They just float around... eventually qui ng the business.)
2. Wealth Always Starts With A 'Why'!
Without a why, you simply will not do what it takes to succeed. Ul mately it is your 'State of Mind' that will drive you to wealth! Your why must be meaningful to you and it must mo vate you to take ac on. So once again I ask: What's your why? What did you say in the blank? And whatever you did say, does it mo vate you to take massive ac on? If not, then that is not the why you need. So go back and keep filling in the blank un l you find a why that move you to
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3. What Is The 'Secret' To Wealth?
Are you ready? Here it is... don't miss it.
♦ It is your why and how passionate you are about realizing your why!
My Success Story!
Allow me to share my 'why' with you… the why that resulted in me living a life of privilege. I
am doing this to give you a be3er idea on ‘why’ and its importance.
Here's 'Why' I Became An Agent... Cockroaches!
Yes cockroaches! You see, before I became an agent I had a job selling pickles. Yes pickles. And here’s the only thing about pickles you need to know. Selling pickles keeps you poor!
I Lived In A 2 Bedroom Cockroach Infected Apartment With A Wife & 2 Kids... Because I Was A Broke Minded Man With No Why In My Life!
I came home one night and turned the light on in my kid's bedroom, they slept in a bunk bed since I was too poor to afford a 3 bedroom apartment, and you ought to have seen the cock-roaches all over the place. They were on the headboard, night stand, and walls. It was gross! And it broke my heart. What kind of husband and father was I to allow my family to live like that! I'll tell you what I was... a broke minded man... going no where in life and at the speed of light!
♦ But at the same me… I had finally found my 'why'!
I Had To Change My Mind To Change My Money!
You see, I was brought up to believe in only 1 thing... to get a JOB. You know what JOB stands for don’t you? If not, here it is: 'Just Over Broke'. Why? Because that's all they pay you when you have a job. You are always just over broke!
My mind simply could not even entertain the idea of a life of wealth. You got to understand we are what we think! You can never live above the level of your thinking. If you do not think it is possible for you to become wealthy... you're right! If you think it is possible to be wealthy... you're right too! Wealth boils down to just 3 facts.
A. Your thinking… B. Your why… C. Your passion.
Honestly... I Did Not Become An Agent To Sell Homes!
Who the heck does that! I became an agent to make the money I needed to buy my dream. Here was my dream.
1. To give my wife and kids a future.
2. To get them out of that cockroach infested shithole.
And that's exactly what I did. Within 6 months of first becoming an agent I was ranked as the
#18 agent in the na on with respect to income. And with that money I moved my family into a beau ful 4 bedroom home.
Summary
How about your why? Do you even have a why? Nothing is ever going to change un l your why mo vates you to ac on!
Know Your Why... Live Your Dreams! Randy Roussie
P.S.
What is vision? Webster defines a vision as: “A vivid mental image, the perceptual experience of seeing what is not yet visible”. Even the Bible discusses the power of vision in Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people will perish”
To say it plainly…
♦ A dream is a vivid mental image of where you want to be and it is of such significance to you that you will do every posi ve ac on possible to make it come to pass.
P.S.S.
17
Sec(on 5
Recommenda(on...
“Leads This Week!”
Marke(ng System
h p://www.leadsthisweek.com
You Must Have A System! Your Business Is Very Complex
Real estate sales is not your average walk in the park. Plus it is not a job. You really do own a
business. And it is a very big business when it comes to what you must do in your marke ng to generate profit.
Think About It!
This business demands, at the very least, the following of you. 1. Market for general leads
2. Follow up with leads 3. Stay-in-touch with leads
4. Do lis ng appointments
5. Service lis ng clients 6. Service buyer clients
7. Internet marke ng
8. Email marke ng
9. Direct mail marke ng
10. Open house marke ng 11. Prospect FSBOs
12. Prospect expired lis ngs 13. Referral marke ng 14. Prospect investors 15. Craigslist marke ng 16. Google marke ng 17. Facebook marke ng
You Can’t Succeed Without A System!
Oh you may be able to sell a few houses here and there. If that is all you want, perhaps a lead marke ng system is not required. But if you want to sell more than 5 homes per year, then
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What A Lead System Must Do For You!
It Must Be Automa(c
Every successful business has itself on automa c marke ng. Gone are the days when agents could run their businesses on a 31 day index card program. Technology has changed the way real estate sales is done. The public are technology junkies. This is certainly true when it comes to real estate sales.
♦ The public rushes to the Internet when they first start to think about selling or buying. ♦ They have SmartPhones for instant informa on access and communica on.
♦ Notebooks, iPads, iPods, Androids, Tablets.
A System Must Include…
Basically, everything you need for communica on. • Name of leads.
• Lead websites.
• The email auto-responders, drip email, scheduled email. • The follow up database.
• The stay-in-touch database.
Yes… You Actually Own A Technology Company
Isn’t it wonderful! And you thought you were in the business of selling homes. Today’s agent wears many hats, is engaged in mul ple ac vi es, and must communicate instantly with leads and clients.
You Simply Cannot Afford To Say No!
⇒ Saying no to an automa c lead marke ng system is simply not an op on. ⇒ It is what your business demands of you.
Specific Lead Capture Sites Required For… “Seller Leads”
Your Must Have Mul(ple Seller Sites
What you must come to appreciate is this: ⇒ 1 lead site does not cut it.
Why?
Because not every lead has the same problem. Just because a lead is a seller does not mean
every seller is looking for the same solu on. Here are examples of sites you need for sellers. 1. Seller informa on report
2. Private seller report 3. Expired lis ng report 4. CMA report
5. Sold informa on report 6. Request site FSBO 7. Request site Landlord
8. Net more than market value 9. Save X amount off commission 10. Sell in less than x days
11. How to hire an agent 12. How to stop foreclosure 13. How to rent to own 14. Short sale op ons 15. Foreclosure op ons 16. Guarantee sale 17. Seller financing 18. I have buyers
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Specific Lead Capture Sites Required For… “Buyer Leads”
Your Must Have These Buyer Sites
Here are some examples of sites you need for buyers. 1. Buyer informa on report
2. Top 5 home deal in town report
3. Lis ng informa on report
4. Own a home for x amount down
5. Own a home for x per month
6. Find fixer upper homes
7. Find foreclosure homes
8. Find MLS homes
9. Find vaca on homes
10. Property alert service 11. Open house site
12. Buy a seller financed home 13. First me home buyer webinar
Our Recommenda(on
Leads This Week! Demo It Here
