When I publish articles on the Web, I drive a lot of Web traffic. Not just any traffic, but highly targeted traffic.
But, do you know why the articles I write drive a lot of the right kind of traffic? It’s not because I’m special or eloquent, and it’s not because I’m a fabulous writer.
The reason I drive a lot of the right kind of traffic is because I talk and teach about a topic that is the highest priority in a real estate agent’s mind — lead generation and business growth.
A case of theory versus reality
In a nutshell, I help real estate agents feed their families by teaching them how to generate real estate leads in ways that are realistic, in ways that work and in ways that are true to their own essence of who they are as an individual.
Real estate agents are looking for the key to building and sustaining a business that fulfills their needs, both personally and professionally, and the key to this is lead generation.
Everything else is interesting, but most of the time these topics are a complete waste of an agent’s head space because most of it isn’t realistic. And, most importantly, most of the debates and discussions are not even relevant to our businesses.
They are debates and discussions for debate and discussion sake — an excuse to not focus on what’s truly important and an attempt to make something unimportant, important.
- How we define a lead
- How websites are old news and mobile apps are in
- How our IDX just isn’t important anymore
- What we should (and shouldn’t) do with our buyers
- Overcoming objection scripts
- How online reviews are the next big thing
- Why the real estate agent’s job is going to be extinct because of X, Y or Z
- How to reach seniors, millennials or Gen Xers
The lesson I had to learn
We spend too much time appealing to our colleagues and not enough time focusing on our ideal client. We spend an inordinate amount of time in industry groups on Facebook debating the merits of online reviews, Zillow, scripts, etc., and almost zero time serving our ideal client.
You need to focus on and write about what your ideal client finds important — not what some say is important to them, but what truly drives them.
I’m not writing and publishing articles geared toward other real estate trainers or vendors about how they should be running their training or communicating with their email list because here’s the deal — none of it matters.
Yes, there are scammers. Yes, there are people out there just to make a buck. Yes, there are trainers and vendors out there who care nothing about your business. But my time is best spent on creating higher standards, rather than on debating about raising the current standards. It’s the same focus I used in my real estate business.
Nothing else matters
What matters is how I run my business. How I communicate with my ideal client, real estate agents. What matters is whether I give agents value. Spending my time debating the merits of how everyone should run their business is not beneficial to my ideal client or myself. Debate produces nothing. Action produces results.
Although we might be rooting for higher education standards for becoming a real estate agent, as real estate agents, we are rooting for a stable more consistent business.
Our business is our priority; everything else is secondary. Unless you are already financially independent, the No. 1 reason you are building your real estate business is to provide an income. You are building it to feed, clothe and shelter your family. The most utopian ideals are destroyed when hunger becomes a driving factor.
If you aren’t giving your ideal client what they truly want or need, your Web traffic will always be abysmal at best.
Stop writing for other agents. Your client doesn’t care how you define a lead or that you are fighting for higher education standards. Your ideal client cares about their lives — give them what they care about.
Stop engaging with your fellow colleagues about the best objection scripts and get out there and give your ideal clients what they are looking for. Writing about online reviews isn’t going to bring you business. It might bring you adulation from your colleagues, but it will not put food on your table.
Your business is directly dependent on what you do. Focus on your ideal client first and foremost and the rest becomes unnecessary. Put your head down, put your blinders on, ignore the debates, give value and serve your ideal client.
Christina Ethridge is the founder of LeadsAndLeverage.com, helping real estate agents capture, convert, and close Facebook leads.
