Having your listings stand out on REALTOR.com is a lot
like trying to get the crowd's attention at a
cheerleader convention —everyone is jumping up and down
doing the same thing! This issue's VA interview features
Dan Hait of Listing
Closers, LLC who is a master in having your online
listings stand way above the crowd.
MI: Dan, your VA
services are highly specialized within the arena
of increasing the business REALTORS see from
their online listings whether they reside on
REALTOR.com or some other Web site. Tell us a
bit about your background that led you into this
kind of work.
DH: Having worked
among REALTORS during the past several years
as an Account Executive for REALTOR.com, I've
found it to be an eye-opening and enlightened
journey. During the past 2 years, I have been
approached by literally hundreds of REALTORS
acknowledging that the Internet is vital to
their success and survival in this highly
competitive career choice. However, the question
I hear most often is "Isn't There Someone
To Do This For Me?" With a degree in
Marketing, the knowledge of HTML, the experience
I have had teaching online marketing, and the
fact that I'm a computer techno-geek, my wife
and I decided to launch Listing Closers, LLC…Your
Online Real Estate Virtual Assistant!
MI: In addition
to enhancing and differentiating online listings
for real estate professionals (which solves a
major frustration for most sales people), what
other VA services do you specialize in
providing?
DH: Many REALTORS
have spent a lot of money on their web sites,
however, due to time constraints or lack of
knowledge, many of these web sites are
ineffective for the agents. In addition to
making their listings stand out above others, we
offer custom web design for their existing
sites, to help them receive the value that they
hoped to get when they invested in the web site.
We currently work with Realtor.com, Homes.com,
Advanced Access, Z57, Ihouse 2000, Comstock and
many others. Other than that, we offer Online
Prospecting (for Realtor.com customers),
Slideshows of their properties, Flash
Presentations or Web Commercials about
themselves or their listings, property photos,
virtual tours, and more. Our goal is to take the
burden of Internet Marketing Off the Shoulders
of the Real Estate Professional as much as
possible.
MI: Many
REALTORS see REALTOR.com both as a blessing and
a curse. It is the most trafficked real estate
listing site on the Web, yet many sales people
feel stymied in being able to stand out from
the crowd. How do you help them do that?
DH: We utilize
special software that allows us to transform a
basic listing of "just text" into a
listing filled with color, animation, property
photos, scrolling marquees, agent photos,
contact information, and personalized animated
banners. What we end up with is a listing that
is not only an extremely impressive listing
tool, but also a listing that will stand out in
the crowd and be seen. The best part of this is,
not only is the listing enhanced on the listing
page, but more importantly, it's enhanced on the
search page. Now, when both buyers and sellers
are searching for properties and REALTORS, there
is no question who knows how to market homes
better than the rest on that page. We are
hearing incredible reports back from our
customers that sellers are contacting them and
wanting them to list their house, if they do
this to their listing as well!! In addition,
we're seeing the time the home is on the market
reduced greatly, and the listing agent now has a
much, much greater chance of selling that home
themselves.
MI: You recently
took on a client, Dorothy
Shumway of Coldwell Banker in Cedarburg, WI, who had an old listing that was seeing no
traffic at all on REALTOR.com. Apparently after
you did your magic, she started to see all kinds
of activity. What did you specifically do to
create such a turn-around in results?
DH: At first,
Dorothy was a bit hesitant to give me this
listing to enhance, because she had literally
seen no traffic in many months on the market,
and was leery about spending any more money on
it. Our "magic" consists of a
scrolling marquee banner across the screen, and
all of the property photos added into the body
of the description. In some cases, where needed,
we then convert the sometimes lengthy and hard
to read paragraph into easy to read bullet
points, and lay it out in a pleasant-viewing and
eye-appealing fashion that will capture
eyeballs. You can see what I mean by looking at
the Realtor.com Search Page at http://www.listingclosers.com/shumwaysearch.htm
. There should be no question who knows how to
market homes better than the rest, when online
prospects see this.
MI: If a REALTOR
asks you to do something that is outside of your
core competency, what do you do?
DH: Well…if it's
not too outside, we will attempt to learn it
ourselves. Otherwise, we direct them to the REVA
Network of Virtual Assistants around the
world.
MI: What do you
think are the most important qualities a REALTOR
should look for when looking for a VA?
DH: Depending on
what they are hoping to have the VA do, they
should look for someone with a background in
that area, with proven experience, a positive
track record, someone able to offer references,
and someone that is not trying to be all things
to all people.
MI: Last
Question: What words of advice do you have for
REALTORS who are considering using a VA but
never have before?
DH: Whatever type of
work you are looking to have done, ask to see
samples of previous work. Also, ask for
references, and don't be afraid to interview the
VA before you hire them. Keep in mind that no 2
VAs are exactly alike, and even though the
services offered may be the same or similar, the
quality of work, or should I say the skills, of
the VAs may differ dramatically. Compare work
done with 2 or more VAs and choose the one that
most suits your style. Also, seek someone who is
able to take constructive criticism, and won't
be offended if you want something done
differently. They should be an extension of
yourself, and someone that you feel very
comfortable communicating with.
MI: Dan, thank
you for sharing your thoughts and ideas with our
readers!
DH: Thank you
Michael, for inviting me to do this interview. I
sincerely hope my answers will be a help to both
VAs and REALTORS alike. And Michael, a huge
thanks to you for having such a valuable tool as
this newsletter, as well as, your support for
the Virtual Assistants around the world. We hope
you and your readers have very happy holidays
and a prosperous new year.
As a special bonus, we also interviewed Dan's
client, Dorothy Shumway of Coldwell Banker in
Cedarburg, WI, who goes on to share how Dan helped
her market a very difficult property...
MI: Dorothy, Have you
previously worked with Virtual Assistants, or is
Dan the first one?
DS: Dan is the first
Virtual Assistant I have worked with. I consider
myself a computer Geek, and didn't feel the need
to have someone do this type of work for me.
However after hearing what Dan was able to do, I
decided to try him out. He enhanced a listing
that wasn't selling, plus updated my web page on
Realtor.com to show that I was working as the
Shumway Team instead of alone, which was
something I had kept meaning to do, but never
found the time.
MI: Please share with
us what he did to enhance that listing and the
results you saw.
DS: The listing that Dan
helped me with was a Hobby Farm, which had been
on the market since early summer. Up to this
point I hadn't gotten one inquiry from the
listing on Realtor.com. I had been trying
different ways to advertise to interest buyers,
and none were working out. I talked to Dan on a
Thursday, and by Sunday he had the enhancements
on Realtor.com. I was surprised to get an e-mail
that day that turned into a showing. It didn't
sell the Hobby Farm, but I have picked that
person up as a customer. In the week and a half
since then, I have received four more e-mails and
ended up showing the property two more times,
and am working with two of the people who
e-mailed me from the Hobby Farm on Realtor.com
There was one more benefit, I went and did a CMA
and showed the potential seller the way the
Hobby Farm showed up when you did a search on Realtor.com, they loved it, and told me they
would list with me, and for me to do the same
for their home.
MI: You now have
someone that you don't have to manage or support,
that can bring measurable results to your online
listings. In what other areas of your business
can you envision one or more VAs helping
you?
DS: I plan on having Dan do
a web page for me, and to use him with all my
listings to enhance how they look on Realtor.com. He also helped me by telling me about the Leadphone
service, which calls you when you get e-mails, so
you can get back to the customers right
away.
MI: Many REALTORS are
looking at the concept of using VAs within their
business but don't know quite where to start.
What advice do you have to help them take that
first step comfortably?
DS: I would tell them, to
start out by having the VA do something simple,
like enhance a listing, and they will soon find
out how much the service is worth. Most realtors
don't have enough knowledge to easily do what a
VA can do, so they can save time by having someone
else do that kind of work, and use their time to
list and sell homes.
MI: Where do you see
the use of Virtual Assistants within the real
estate industry over the next 2 - 3 years?
DS: I see most successful
realtors using a Virtual Assistant as more and
more people are starting their home buying
and shopping over the internet. Realtors don't have
the time to stay on top of the best ways to use
the internet to market homes.
MI: Dorothy, thank you
for sharing your VA success story with our
readers —they always appreciate hearing how one
of their own "made it happen" with
innovative new ideas!
DS: Thank you for letting
me tell you about Dan, and how important VAs
are to the success of a realtor. As time goes
on, utilizing the help of VAs will become more
and more necessary for us to do our business
well.
You can learn more about Dan Hait and his VA
services by contacting him via e-mail at Dan@Listingclosers.com or by phone at
262-613-0340. Always remember to do a thorough
due-diligence before hiring any kind of assistant.
This interview is part of an ongoing series of VA
profiles designed to help you find that perfect VA
that will launch you to the top quicker and with
less effort than you ever thought possible!
