By Leslie Geary
RISMEDIA, July 2009-John Bendall
RE/MAX Classic Group
Years in real estate: 23
Region Served: Central New Jersey.
Average sales price in your market: $400,000
Average number of days a home spends on the market: 61
What is your message in the marketplace and how does this message help you stand out?
In this market, it is the years of experience I have, my knowledge of the market and my negotiation expertise that really sets me apart from the rest. I have fans-past customers-who are raving fans and that allows me to really run my business by referrals.
What marketing strategies make the biggest impact?
As I tell my agents, it’s not just one thing that can make a difference when it comes to marketing. It’s having different streams and how you combine them that makes the difference.
How do you decide where to invest in marketing, especially in a difficult economy? At the end of the year we look at where our deals came from. And we gather all of the information we can about those past deals and figure out how we advertised to get them. Then we budget from there. Whichever methods or streams of advertising were most effective are the ones we invest in for the coming year.
What are some of the most effective technologies for getting your marketing message across?
Probably the greatest piece of technology has been the ability to collect a computer database and certainly the Internet has allowed us to be a lot more efficient. So between the two of these, I am able to save lots of time and have great marketing in the process.
What factors ultimately help differentiate you in the marketplace?
My experience and my results. I am able to show that our average sales price is higher than most in the market, much higher. Our listings spend less time on the market. Through the Internet, we can get more exposure than other agents in the market.
Why did you become a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®?
My philosophy has always been to learn from the best and not try to re-invent the wheel. Top 5 is a new network that will provide a great way to learn from the best; where the best of the best learn from each other.
Which Top 5 marketing tools have you found most useful?
I do a lot of blogging, so I find the Top 5 articles invaluable. I put them on the various social media. Having these articles provides an important time management tool. They make my job and my life easier.
What is the key to a successful life in real estate?
Work hard. Have integrity. Try and do things other people won’t and always look to further educate yourself. Never stop learning.
