Best Image Marketing and a la mode have different approaches to creating Websites for Realtors and getting them found by consumers on the Web, but they have a lot in common when it comes to dealing with agents' expectations of what Websites really do.

To purchase a Number1expert^TM Website from Best Image, an agent must meet stringent standards in yearly sales volume, number of transactions per year, and years of experience.

But that doesn't mean that these top agents understand how Websites work on the Web. Barry Kushner, spokesperson for Best Image says that some agents want their Web sites to be passive lead generators that work like a big fishing net, where they can pick out the best catches. That means they are likely not to use the tools the Website vendor supplies them for best results.

"The sales people do training classes for new clients via a conference line number," says Kushner. "Clients love it. They forget things. As sharp as these agents are, without knowing how to use the tools, they get lost. If they use the tools right away and work the site within the first few months of being online, we don't worry about them. It's the ones who don't use their tools who struggle."

A big misconception is that some agents think their sites show up on Yahoo! and Google in a matter of days, he says, but traffic has to build slowly. "Many aren't patient at all with the results they are going to get," he says. There is a big difference in expectation VS reality. A lot of agents who have high and low expectations based on what they expect we know they are looking for. If they want to sell a home a month from the Internet, they are excited, and others think they should be selling a home a week."

Rusty Lindquist, product manager for a la mode's Agent X Websites agrees that the most common misconceptions for agents have to do with their Websites.

"A common misconception is if you have a Website, you'll get leads," says Lindquist, "and the second is if you have a Website you'll automatically show up on search engines. Really, it's all about marketing."

Lindquist suggests, "Agents have to ask themselves - once they have a Website, does the site convey professionalism and instill confidence? In me as an agent? Is my content compelling and relevant? If I capture their attention, do I have mechanisms in place to convert that attention into a qualified lead? Do I have an automated method to respond to leads? Do I have drip marketing in place that keeps me in contact past that first contact?"

Agents must understand that there are "billions of possible destinations for consumers." "If you don't have an integrated marketing solution that is tied to a lead capture-centered Website, you are losing business to your competitors," he cautions.

As with some Best Image customers, expectations can run too high from a la mode's as well. "They think - as soon as I have Website, I'll get the leads," says Lindquist. "They fail to customize the site to their specialty or neighborhood such as luxury homes. A Website needs to be tailored to the type of business you want to conduct."

The second problem, says Lindquist, is agents often stop working on their Websites after they get them. "They stop after getting the Website," says Lindquist. "After that, you have to tackle search engines. There are reports of massive traffic that begin home searches online, so you have to identify what market you are going for and submit your site so that when they type in a phrase, your site will show up."

Often Lindquist is asked, "So does this mean I will come in first for Florida real estate?"

"They don't realize how many real estate Websites are out there," he says.

On the low end of expectations, the misconception is that a Website is unnecessary or irrelevant, says Lindquist. "Agents underestimate what a difference a Website can make in their annual revenue. Some spend $200,000 a year in Website marketing. It results in so much revenue, they don't realize how effective a Website can be when it's tied in with an automated marketing system. Only recently have Web sites become the de facto standard. There is a lot of this that's young for agents like the idea of putting your business online. It has to be treated differently from an offline strategy so I applaud all efforts to make it work online, because the more an agent makes the more they are willing to buy technology services."