With competition so tight on the Web between Website service providers, lead generations companies, and the agents they both serve, it's good to hear a success story. Here's a follow-up on an agent we covered back in April, 2003.

"Since my site went up about two years ago," says Roberta Baldwin, "I've had great success capturing clients from the NYC metro area -- where a majority of my leads come from -- but, also, from abroad. It's always rewarding to be able to help someone living thousands of miles away to better understand real estate options and to help them settle in.

"Last year I was privileged to work with Corrine Dufka, a former noted Reuters combat war photographer who became one of the world's most respected human rights advocates," says Baldwin. "From Sierra Leone, she found my Number1expert website, contacted me, came for a whirlwind househunting visit, and eventually moved to New Jersey. The week Corrine moved into her new home to work at the NYC office of Human Rights Watch NYC, she was awarded a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" for her work in Africa defending the poor, disenfranchised and terrorized -- for bearing witness to the atrocities of war in underdeveloped countries. It was a great experience meeting Corrine and now, having her as a friend. I credit the power of the Web and the power of njdreamhouses.com -- the Number1expert site I maintain -- for the opportunity to work with people like Corrine."

Baldwin is a successful agent who works without an assistant and who relies on her Website to bring business, an accomplishment that Barry Kushner, national sales manager for Best Image Marketing, Inc. which creates the Number1expert Websites admires. "Yet, the vast majority of agents still complain that they're not getting nearly enough business off the Web to make a difference in their businesses," he says.

Baldwin says, "If I'm asked by another agent - 'Do you get any business from your Website?', I know right away that they don't understand how it works. There has to be communication. People have to believe you are responding in a personal way."

One of the biggest misunderstandings about how to use the Internet is the assumption by many agents that the Internet will be effective as a passive lead generator.

"People will say, 'I thought this was going to be a magic bullet,'" says Kushner. "I say, 'It is, but you have to put the bullet in the gun.'"

Best Image sales and customer support train their agent customers like Roberta to respond appropriately to Internet leads. The sales people set up training classes via conference line numbers. "We walk them through to make sure they know how to use their tools, like adding listings, creating an email campaign, using per click, reciprocal linking or anything they need to do with the site to improve traffic and get more leads."

It's the agents like Roberta who use the training who are most successful.

"Roberta's site now averages more than 1,000 distinct visitors per week, and brings her anywhere from 20 to as many as 80 leads per week -- probably averaging about 50 leads per week," explains Kushner. "And she works the leads with our built-in Homecaster lead management tool that lets her send messages and listings to buyers without her ever having to leave the site. She tends to send a weekly message, along with the latest listings in her market, to buyers every Thursday evening. That drives the traffic to her site through the roof every Friday morning, as buyers click back onto her site to see her latest listings. It also sets up her showings for the entire weekend."

Says Kushner, "It's easy to forget things, so if they use the tools right away and they know how to use the tools and why the tools are important, then we don't worry about them. It's the ones who don't use their tools who tend to get lost."

Published: December 24, 2004

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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. For more articles by Blanche, click here.