For the most part, calling upon your community of real estate colleagues is a fantastic idea when it comes to asking for advice. Who else is more likely to relate to your situation than people that have been there before? However, there are some situations when other real estate agents might give you well-meaning bad advice.
Here's is Some Advice You Should Think Twice About:
Use That Caricature For All Your Branding!
Using a caricature is a great way to have people avoid wanting to meet you face to face, because they don't know what to expect. Home buyers and home sellers are looking for as few surprises as psosible. This is similar to the real estate agent that uses an agent photo that looks nothing like they do now. As talented as that artist friend of yours is, a good photographer can give your prospects a better representation of who you are before they meet you.
You Should Make Your Website Yourself
In theory this sounds like a great plan...but so does trying to sell a home yourself. There are plenty of services such as wix or squarespace to make your own website, but they lack crucial tools that real estate agents need to succeed - namely integrated IDX solutions, an integrated CRM, and relevant email follow-up system.
You Shold Never Pay for Leads
Actually, this one is good advice - but layered with a misunderstanding of what you are paying for. You shouldn't pay for leads. You should set aside a marketing budget to advertise to people that will convert to leads. If you are looking for new business, spending money on getting in front of that audience is something you should invest in.
Online Leads Stink, Stick to Door Knocking
Online leads are just as good, if not better, than door knocking leads if you understand the consumer lifecycle. Those door knocking prospects that never answer the doorbell or tell you "no thanks" will never lead to a transaction. Since online leads take longer to convert, due to the time they take to do their research, you need a strong follow-up and nurturing plan to earn their business. While they may not transact within 30 days, there is still an opportunity to earn additional income by properly communicating with these leads.
