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SOLD! Advertising Your Success

by Ralph Roberts

Advertising sells. As real estate agents and salespeople, one of our primary roles in the house selling process is to effectively market and advertise a client's home. I would venture to guess that you advertise your listings with flyers, brochures, and ads in newspapers and magazines. But just how much effort do you invest in advertising yourself?

At the recent Superstar Retreat 2007, hosted by Bill Barrett, the 50 top-producing agents and team leaders discussed this very topic. The question the group addressed was, "How much money do you spend on advertising SOLD listings versus current listings?" Common sense might tell you to invest more in advertising your current listings; after all, you have to sell homes and satisfy your clients' needs in order to earn commissions and positive word of mouth advertising. However, most of the top-producers invest significantly more in advertising their SOLD listings.

The recommended ratio: 80% SOLD listings versus 20% current listings.

In other words, if you're going to advertise a full page of listings, eight out of every ten of the listings should be of a home you sold. Two of ten should be current listings. You might want to leave one open spot labeled something like, "See Your Home Here."

The reasoning behind this approach is that sellers are not interested in how many homes you have for sale, but in how many homes you have successfully sold. Whenever I advise homeowners on how to choose a listing agent, I always tell them to look for an agent who has the most SOLD signs in the neighborhood. This applies to newspaper and magazine advertisements, too. Advertise your success by advertising your SOLD listings.

Published: January 11, 2008

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

Once dubbed by TIME Magazine "the best-selling REALTOR® in America," Ralph R. Roberts, CRS, GRI is an award-winning and internationally recognized real estate agent, author, coach, and speaker.

Throughout his career, Ralph has proven his commitment to helping other real estate and sales professionals build upon their past and present success, grow and expand their businesses, and provide a rich and rewarding future for themselves, their customers, their employees, and their families.

As president and CEO of Ralph Roberts Realty, Ralph has personally helped thousands of consumers realize their dream of homeownership. While selling over 10,000 homes (and buying and selling over 3,000 investment properties) throughout his 30-year career, Ralph has made the time to mentor and coach hundreds of professionals in real estate, sales, and a host of other fields. Ralph is a recognized authority on Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud; Residential Real Estate; Personal Salesmanship; and, Sales Force and Office Management, Motivation, and Design.

Ralph's numerous websites, blogs, seminars, and speaking engagements engage, entertain, and educate both consumers and professionals. Ralph is also an accomplished author with several successful titles to his credit, including:

Power Teams: The Complete Guide to Building and Managing a Winning Real Estate Agent Team
Mortgage Myths: 77 Secrets That Will Save You Thousands on Home Financing (John Wiley & Sons)
Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons)
Protect Yourself from Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud: Preserving the American Dream of Homeownership (Kaplan)
Foreclosure Investing For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons)
Advanced Selling For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons)
Flipping Houses For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons)
Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman (HarperCollins)
Real Wealth by Investing in Real Estate (Prentice Hall/Penguin Group)
Sell it Yourself (Adams Media)
52 Weeks of Sales Success (HarperCollins)

To learn more about Ralph, visit AboutRalph.com or check out his daily insights on real estate and mortgage fraud prevention at FlippingFrenzy.com.

You can reach Ralph at RalphRoberts@RalphRoberts.com or by calling (586) 751-0000.

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