It would be nice if agents knew key statistics about the customers of products that they may be interested in trying. If every vendor supplied such information, not only would it make interesting reading, agents would have a lot easier time choosing the right vendor for their needs.

For example, Best Image Marketing caters only to top producing real estate professionals, and does not solicit business from Realtors at large. To be eligible for the company's NUMBER1EXPERT marketing system, agents must meet high minimum standards for total sales production and sales transaction quantity, and have at least three years experience.

The Number1expert system includes a high-end Web site complete with multiple lead capture tools designed to produce maximum exposure through advertising, search engine placement and listings distribution. The sites are expensive compared to template sites, about $4,000, as they are customized to the agent's personality, specifications and local market exposure. Agents get lots of freedom of choice and expression in what is included in their Web sites and what isn't, according to how dedicated they are about using the Internet and working with Internet-generated consumers.

And Best Image customers are dedicated to the Internet as the average Number1expert owns multiple sites from a variety of vendors and generates over $4.26 million in new business annually.

This information and more came from Best Image's recently completed fourth-year survey of its clients:

Annual Sales Volume

The average Number1expert generates $17.28 million in home sales annually. Data from the 2001 survey was $13.58 million

Top Agent Rankings

Thirty-six percent of Number1experts are in the top one percent of their markets. More than 50 percent are in the top two percent. Ninety percent are in the top 5 percent. Data from last year was about the same.

Annual Transactions

Number1experts do about 73.3 transactions per year. Data from last year was about 70 transactions per year.

Real Estate Industry Experience

On average, a Number1expert has about 16 years experience. One in three have more than 20 years experience. Data from last year was about 13 years experience on average.

Team Members

The average Number1expert has three assistants (2.85 to be exact). About one in four have four or more assistants. Data from last year was an average of two assistants (1.65 to be exact).

Number Of Web Sites

The average Number1expert has 2.5 Web sites. Sixty-three percent have three or more. Twenty percent have four or more. A few have as many as 10. Data from last year was an average of two Web sites. Forty three percent had three or more.

Leads

The average Number1expert Web site generates about two leads per day, or 13.25 per week. About one in five get 20 or more leads per week. Data from last year was about one lead per day, or 8.2 leads per week.

Pays For Itself

The average Number1expert Web site pays for itself in 8 months. One in three customers recoup their cost within 90 days. Sixty percent do so within 6 months. One in 10 pay for their site within a month.

Business Generated From Web Site

On average, a Number1expert Web site generates $4.26 million in new business. Once a site has been online for a year, the average jumps up to $5.18 million. Data from last year was $2.75 million and once a site had been online for a year, the average jumped to $3.48 million.

Income / Return On Investment

The average income or commissions paid from business generated by a Number1expert Web site is $71,600. This is more than a 1400 percent return. This represents a 40 percent increase over last year. Data from last year was over $40,000 which is about a 1000 percent return.

Percent Of Overall Real Estate Business

On average, Number1experts do about 22.5 percent of their overall business via their Number1expert Web site. About 1 in 4 do more than 50 percent of their overall business via their site. Data from last year: "Forty percent with sites online a year or more generate more than 20 percent of overall business via their Number1expert Web site. The NAR Reports that of all online Realtors, a dismal 4 percent - that's one tenth the rate of Number1experts at 40 percent - report doing 20 percent of their overall business online.

Best Web Site

Eighty-one percent said their Number1expert site generates the most business of their Web sites. This includes a large amount whose sites have been online only a short time. For Number1expert sites online one year or more, that number jumps to over 87 percent. Even though two-thirds of Number1experts have three or more web sites - some as many as 10 - about 9 in 10 rate their Number1expert site as the best income generator. Data from last year was about the same.

Customer Service Orientation

Rated on how Best Image responds to questions and other requests for service, Number1experts gave the company an 8.7. Clients with sites online one year or more rated the company an 8.6. Sixty-eight percent rated the company a 9 or 10. Forty-six percent rated the company a solid 10. Data from last year was about the same.

Sales Representative Helpfulness

Rated on the knowledge and helpfulness of sales representative, Best Image earned an 8.2. Clients with sites online one year or more rated reps an 8.3. Sixty percent rated the representatives a 9 or 10. Data from last year was about the same.

Rate Best Image

Compared to other real estate industry vendors, Best Image earned an average of 9.1. More than one third rated the company a 10. Data from last year averaged an 8.0.

Will You Renew?

Eighty-six percent of Number1experts with sites online one year or more are planning on renewing. The amount not planning on renewing is less than one percent - one client. Thirteen percent were still considering whether to renew or not at the time of the survey. Data from last year averaged 85 percent.

According to Lawrence Schoeffler, COO of Best Image Marketing, "These statistics tell me that smart Realtors who are willing to adapt to the web have a big fat payoff waiting for them."

Explains Schoeffler, "The demographics of online real estate consumers are skewed towards people with more income and more education: bigger homes bought and sold more often by people who need less of the Realtor's time.

"There is less competition online from other Realtors, compared to the bricks and mortar world," continues Schoeffler, "too many Realtors still have their heads in the sand about the Web, and of those online, too many still treat Internet leads as a waste of time. Out on the street there are 800,000 Realtors looking for buyers and sellers, but statistics show most buyers and sellers are now online. It doesn't take a genius to figure out where the growth curve lies in this industry."

Why does Best Image choose to work only with top agents in their markets? "Our survey shows that successful, smart agents who seriously commit to learning and investing in the Web will reap significant income results," says Schoeffler. "Their businesses will grow and their competitors will shrink.

"Adapting to the Web means getting people to e-mail you, and that takes some form of Web presence, some understanding of where consumers are going online and how to rope them in. It takes a serious investment in online marketing.

"Once you are getting e-mails from consumers, you need to learn how to convert these relatively anonymous Web leads into known prospects. Once you do that, once they raise their hands by sending you their phone number, you work them just like any other buyer or seller who walks into your office. But too many agents are simply not willing to learn this, and leave more business for the agents that have.

"I can not tell you how many of our clients rejoice everytime they hear some statistic like 'many agents still don't respond to their e-mails," says Schoeffler. "It's just more business for them. Our clients are leading the Internet wave in real estate."

Published: January 20, 2003

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.