There is a rumor I heard once, that back in the day, the MLS (multiple listing service) was literally a printed book. Brokers would have to wait a week, or so, for a new book to be printed to see what new listings other brokers in town listed that week. Now everything is online and updated to the millisecond. But it leads one to think … If there are websites such as stumbleupon.com that allows users to jump around the internet seeing different and new pages while never seeing the same page twice, it makes me think that there may be too much content (I really do not think there is too much). If an office gets a new listing, it just gets tossed into the MLS and pushed through to other syndications too. But, just because there is a percentage offered to outside brokers does not mean that the outside brokers will search out to see what new listings other brokers post. Do not worry, here's my solution that has proven to have results for me.
- Put on your "fancy" suit. (You know the one. The one you bought for an interview, but then never got again after getting the job.)
- Print out an executive summary or flyer of the property (Take your time and do it right.
- Drive to your competitor's office. For me, I chose the top 4. However, I now drive to the top 6.
- Physically hand the flyer to the top selling agent or broker at the company. First, they will be glad to see your "fancy" suit. Then, will check out the time and effort you put into your listing flyer.
I have been doing this in my local market for a short period of time and have two additional contracts attributed to the distribution. I drive the market once a week delivering the flyers. It takes about an hour total (sometimes longer if the agent has an interested party). The additional contracts pay a commission that outweighs the one hour per week that I spent. Furthermore, when the other brokers are sitting at their desk my flyer is right there. The side benefit is the ability to show off to the other brokers on how hard you work to sell your listings.
All in all, do not get lost in the mix of the never-ending content continuously being generated. And, get your face back out there. So many brokers are lost behind their computer screen "working". Get back out there and kick it old school.