Realty Times October 28, 2009

Recession? What Recession?
by David Fletcher

Developer/Owner Mark Tolley just sold his fifty- two units in Phase 1 for The Lone Star Brewery condominiums in San Antonio, Texas in 5 months. He will be announcing Phase 2 within weeks.

What he did is encouraging. How he did it and what he did without is revolutionary.

He did it without MLS, any print ads or a single piece of paper.

Tolley said he did it with SaleAMP, a real estate internet marketing company founded by Paul Kirchoff, a former six-year marketing superstar with Dell computers.

How Kirchoff drives homebuyers to his clients is on the leading edge of the leading edge. How he gets paid is the old fashion way -- by results as measured in sales, not just leads.

Kirchoff took complete charge of Tolley's marketing program from day one. His company designed landing pages, networking, online videos, search engines, emails, and lead qualifying and captures programs as feedback dictated.

Tolley is sold.

"SaleAMP is the future of real estate marketing. I have done 26 major projects and wouldn't do another without them," Tolley said.

Amy Garcia, marketing director for The Reserve At Lake Travis in Austin, Texas, and The Boardwalk at St. Charles Bay, Texas, agrees with Tolley.

She credits SaleAMP's synergistic internet marketing system with a forty percent increase in sales of lots and cottages.

"SaleAMP has responded with a solution to every idea we have thrown at them and gives us great feedback based on its tracking systems, as well," Ms. Garcia said.

"Today's home buyers are careful, and know what they want before they take one step on your property. They want to be contacted with their own preferences, whether it by phone, text message, email, or voice.

"Our sales team loves SaleAMP, because it has interested prospects to contact every day with a great tracking system that keeps everyone on top of prospects and sales," Garcia said.

"We also use an agency for our billboards and we do newspaper advertising. The agency was concerned at first, but now they talk with SaleAMP representatives all the time. It is working out great.

According to Ms. Garcia, SaleAMP had the total system operating and tweaked within the first two weeks.

Tools such as search engines, websites, email campaigns, social networks, internet public relations, online video, article marketing and customer reporting systems are all included.

On a personal note, normally I would not be writing with such enthusiasm about a vendor's service, but when I started to understand what SaleAMP is bringing to homebuilders at risk to themselves, I considered it be not only news, but a much needed service the new homes and condominium industry needs to know about.

Kirchoff, who holds a masters degree in Business from The University of Texas, puts skin in the game. He only gets paid from closings.

My prediction; SaleAMP will become to the homebuilders and condominium builder/developers what the MLS is to Realtors, a membership magnet and a stand alone cutting-edge internet marketing system that delivers sales. Fast.



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