RISMEDIA, Sept. 12, 2007-According to some, the media continues to sensationalize the notion that we are in the midst of the worst real estate market in recent history. These perspectives completely overlook the actual numbers, which indicate that even with the rising foreclosure rate and the sub-prime meltdown, we’re still in the fourth best market in history.Rookie agent of just a year Shannon Byrdsong of Metro Brokers/GMAC in Duluth, Georgia would probably agree with that statement, but her optimism is not based on mere rookie inexperience. In fact, it might very well have been her enthusiasm and rookie exuberance for the business that gave her the mindset that she could succeed in the first place, choosing as she did to venture out into the wild world of real estate in what’s been called the worst market in years.
However, having experienced one of the many corporate layoffs that occurred in 2006, Byrdsong was at a crossroads; should she continue on her current path or choose another? Ultimately she chose real estate, and as a single woman with precious little financial resources to carry her through that first year, Byrdsong’s excitement for the industry was tempered by a more immediate need to keep a roof over her head and food on her table.
They say “necessity is the mother of invention,” and indeed that seems to be the guiding force established early in Byrdsong’s career. It steered her towards finding new and unique ways to maximize her exposure, but most importantly with minimal dollar investment.
“When you’re starting out, everyone and their dog is calling you pitching you products; lead generation programs, CMA programs, and you feel like ‘Oh I need that, and I need that, if so-and-so said they use that, that’s what I need,’; I’ve heard of agents spending $3,000 on one thing and then immediately going out and buying something else; it’s crazy. When I got into the business I didn’t have a lot of money; I had just gotten laid off so I was thinking, ‘Okay, I need to be really creative in how I use my dollar,'” remembers Byrdsong.
And indeed she was; drawing from her background as Founder and President of Byrdsong Marketing, Byrdsong immediately began employing out-of-the box thinking and innovative marketing strategies to get her name out and visible in the industry. In her first few months of business Byrdsong devised a marketing program that combines multiple technologies, modalities, and delivery systems, and which at the end of the day runs her about $100 per month.
But can you actually close any deals with a marketing budget that low? You can, as Byrdsong’s 11 closed transactions and $2.1 million in gross sales last year can attest.
Although she’s just days into her official second year in real estate, Byrdsong has been mentoring other new agents for months, invited by GMAC and others to speak at various new agent training sessions. A firm believer in giving back to the industry and the community, Byrdsong shares some of her marketing secrets this week in the iSucceed/RISMedia training call Launch your Rookie Career With Just $100 Per Month for Marketing
Hosted by iSucceed’s own Kelly Kelley, the interview will be available for one week only at www.isucceed.com/rismedia. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GMAC rookie Shannon Byrdsong has made quite a splash in the last 12 months she’s been in the business. Her weekly radio show program “The Real State of Real Estate” is a cornerstone of her marketing efforts, and her a.m.-station based program is marketed heavily via simulcasts, podcasts, e-mail campaigns, and a Web site dedicated solely to the content of the show. Her determination, innovative business practices and hard work have paid off; now just wrapping up her first year in the business, Shannon boasts sales totaling over $2.1 million in less than one year total of 11 units sold.
Every Wednesday the RIS Media/iSucceed Business Development and Training Call presents profitable real estate strategies and introduces agents across the country to the full 30-minute iSucceed Weekly Counseling Call, available only at www.iSucceed.com – the most comprehensive online provider of real estate tips, tools, secrets and success strategies, directly from North America’s 200 most successful real estate professionals.
