The trouble with most letters (and not just to expired listings) is they sound too stuffy, too professional, too much like a loud and cheap radio commercial.
You may be better off writing it yourself rather than recycling what has been said and trashed thousands of times. But it’s not an easy task to come up with a fresh letter that would get seller’s attention and persuade them to call you.
Here is a method that has helped me come up with some good marketing writing. I use a small Sony digital recorder, but a mike and a computer would do just fine.
First I come up with a list of seller’s questions. Here is an example:
- What are three things most home owners are interested in when they are considering to sell?
- What are the tree biggest problems most sellers face?
- How can I solve those problems?
- How can I provide them with the information or answers?
- If I were to sell my house, what would I look for?
- What makes me a unique and different agent?
- Why should home owners list their home with me?
- What can I do to make their goals a reality?
- Why should they believe me?
I think about the questions a bit, maybe jot down an idea or two on how to answer them. Then I turn on the recorder and simply answer the questions as if I had a pleasant conversation with a nice home owner on the porch of the house.
Next, I listen to the recording and write down ideas and thoughts that stand out; first in just a skeleton outline, then in a letter form. Then I take a break, get a cup of tea, and let it go for a while.
As they say – There is no great writing, only great rewriting. I go over the first draft, rework it, polish some ideas, discard others, change and edit the piece. It helps me to read it out loud, or have somebody else read it back to me (my wife Monique helps me with each marketing piece I create, bless her patient soul). Does the letter flow? Does it make sense? Is it interesting? Is it compelling?
Many times I end up with material for more than one letter. Try this method and you’ll discover that your expired letter is better than 99% of the recycled “professional” sales letters out there.
Expireds get them all the time and trash right after “Dear Homeowner, I know why your home hasn’t sold.”
One final tip: I spell check, grammar-check, and proof read it several times. Even the best writing will get crushed by typos.
Seal, sign, send off. Done.
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