Marketing Good Time or Bad?

[Steve Metz]

Is now a good time to market yourself to local lenders? I had been doing consistant marketing to local lenders for the last 4 years. Got some clients and then got dropped recently when I did not hit the number and correctly called the current market. Like every one work has dried up considerably with the clients I kept.

Is it worth my time to go and knock on doors again or should I start up when things are starting to improve? I have been working on some of my other projects that are giving me good cash flow and paying the bills and I am reluctant to take time away from that. I just do not see things improving for at least another year or 2.

 

[Claude From NY]

I have though about that also, Steve. I'm sure you can successfully market under most conditions however the best results are when (lender) clients actually have a need or your competition has dropped the ball and you happen to be marketing at the right time. My experience is that it's best to go after new clients when it's busy.

 

[Steve Metz]

I have though about that also, Steve. I'm sure you can successfully market under most conditions however the best results are when (lender) clients actually have a need or your competition has dropped the ball and you happen to be marketing at the right time. My experience is that it's best to go after new clients when it's busy

That has what has made me sucsseful in the past and how I was able to build a good business the last 4 years. My wife hates seeing me working in the guitar shop all day. She has been hounding me to go out and do sales during the week. I keep telling her not much use in it as that business will be slow for a couple of years from what I can see. I am spending my time going to nightclubs and concerts to see if I can sell some custom guitars again. I guess she was used to those months when I was making $18,000 + a month doing real estate appraisals.

Thanks for the reply

 

[Ray Miller]

You have to keep your marketing up year round, in good times and in bad times. No marketing just as well go sit in a boat and fish all day. Cause if they don't know you are out there, they can't find you.

Try to market in different areas of the appraisal business. Expand you appraisal to take in other things then just RE. Market your self to others the RE Lenders. The world is full of tax people, lawyers, accounts, and insurance people.

Diversify yourself as it sounds like you are doing. I would not expect to ever see $18,000 a month income again off the RE Market for at least another 10 to 20 years if ever. The gold and diamonds are gone and all that left is a few bits and pieces found in all the mud.

 

[Liz Mura]

when I was making $18,000 + a month doing real estate appraisals.

I must be doing something wrong. Even in the best of times, I never made $18,000 a month.

 

[Ray Miller]

I must be doing something wrong. Even in the best of times, I never made $18,000 a month.

Me too in the appraisal business. Didn't even come close to that at Gross.

I am hoping that "Beef N Taters" will make that for me starting in a week or two for about for about four more months then drop off to around $8k a month. Now thats gross, not net.

 

[Steve Metz]

Be the guy that does the rural apprisals in a remote part of Georgia that does them right and on time (2 days max)clients were glad to pay my $450 rush fee 18-22K month no problem. I got a lot of biz when skippy dropped the ball and these clients were desperate to get some one to do the work right. i was the guy to call. At that time most of the small counties were not on line and I had every sale for the last 3 years in the small counties in my ACI data base with photos. I had my own mini Zillow going. My competition's turn time was over 7 days on average and the reports were poor according to my clients. Of course when things got slower and the numbers were not being hit in a declining market my niche vanished.

 

[Josh Shapiro]

When times are slow that is when you need to market the most. Most companies cut their marketing budget first when things get rough. Personally those need to be the last things to be cut. If and thats a BIG IF 1/1/09 comes into play......its 6 MONTHS AWAY PEOPLE. What are you gonna do until then, sit here and complain?????? Or are you going to try to get some business......

 

[TN Pro]

When times are slow that is when you need to market the most. Most companies cut their marketing budget first when things get rough. Personally those need to be the last things to be cut. If and thats a BIG IF 1/1/09 comes into play......its 6 MONTHS AWAY PEOPLE. What are you gonna do until then, sit here and complain?????? Or are you going to try to get some business......

Delete 1/1/2009 from your mind, its not going to happen as it is currently proposed. Not even close.
Too much money to be lost by the big players, and if i have learned one thing since i have lived in your country, the USA is run by the moneymen.

 

[Josh Shapiro]

I did say it was a BIG IF!