When I first entered the real estate market, I didn’t have a clear understanding of how I could develop leads and more importantly, I never really understood its importance. Eleven years later, having lived through many downs, I have finally reached a place where I can say that I am successful.
There was a time when I had no leads, no sales and zero profit till I understood the importance of real estate leads. I gave advertisements in the local newspaper, put up a website and displayed ‘bandit signs’. Initially, the bandit signs also known as ‘road signs’ or ‘yard signs’ didn’t generate any response except for a few calls of curiosity. Just when I had almost given up and my patience was at its edge, the bandit signs started to work.
I realized that the bandit signs that actually started to generate real estate leads were the ones situated near the intersections or stop light. They worked because I had focused on certain key factors like location, reach, size and the advertisement or copy on the signs. You will probably ask why the location and reach is so important for bandit signs. Here’s why:
Location: I had put up my bandit signs near busy road crossings, stop light or intersections. The reason being, when a car stops at the stop light, people get almost 3 minutes before the light changes to green. The retention value of bandit signs and advertisements are more when the car is stationary than when it’s moving.
Reach: I had not put bandit signs all over the city instead I put multiple signs at strategic points.
Size: Size is extremely important because if you put a small bandit sign then people will have to strain to read it. They will think that it is not worth the effort. There are four main sizes 6″ x 18″, 6″ x 24″, 12″ x 18″, 24″ x 36″, and I used 12″ x 18″ because it was neither small nor too big.
Copy: What you write on the bandit sign is as important because if it is not good enough then no one will look at it the second time. I used catchy slogans in bold like SELLING DREAMHOUSE.
