Index • Welcome Letter………………………………………………………………………………………………………2 • Contact Information………………………………………………………………………………………………..3 • Explanation Of Powerline™ Features…………………………………………………………………………4
Chapter 1 Getting Started………………………………………………………………………………………………7 • Setting Up Powerline™ in 10 Minutes………………………………………………………………………..8
Chapter 2 User Guides…………………………………………………………………………………………………..11 • Complete Web Portal Guide……………………………………………………………………………………12 • Complete Phone Menu Guide………………………………………………………………………………….20
Chapter 4 Recording Guide..............................................................................................30 • Example Recorded Messages…………………………………………..……………………………………..31
Chapter 5 Maximize Your Advertising………………………………………………………………………….34 • How To Use Source Digits To Track Your Advertising………………………………………………..35
Chapter 8 Keys To Advertising………………………………………………………………………………………50 • Writing Advertising That Makes You Money……………………………………………………………..51 • Building a Successful Ad………………………………………………………………………………………..58
Chapter 9 Picture Ads.......................................................................................................60 • Keys To A Responsive Homes Magazine (Picture) or Newspaper Ad……………………………61 • Sample Picture Ads………………………………………………………………………………………………..63 • Why Picture Ads Fail………………………………………………………………………………………………66
Chapter 10 Direct Response Reports……………………………………………………………………………70 • How To Properly Use Informational Direct Response…………………………………………………71
Chapter 11 Sample Ad Campaigns……………………………………………………………………………….74 • Postcard Samples………………………………………………………………………………………………….75
Chapter 12 Following Up..................................................................................................78 • Converting Prospects to Clients………………………………………………………………………………79 • Follow-Up Scripts…………………………………………………………………………………………………..82 • Objection Handling………………………………………………………………………………………………..85
Chapter 13 For Sale by Owners…………………………………………………………………………………….88 • Profiting From FSBOs…………………………………………………………………………………………….89 • Identifying FSBOs………………………………………………………………………………………………….93 • FSBO Scripts…………………………………………………………………………………………………………95
Congratulations, you have taken an important step towards significantly increasing your sales productivity. By implementing the Powerline™ technology and marketing strategies you will immediately begin to identify and communicate to your most desired prospects – people who are ready to buy or sell real estate. Since 1992, we have been consulting with top producers to create real estate marketing campaigns; the result is proven business-building modules that work. This manual is full of best-use concepts, proven industry templates, and responsive scripts that will assist you to:
• Identify more qualified buyers • Capture additional listing opportunities • Provide you with a competitive advantage in your listing presentations • Track your marketing’s efficacy • Easily negotiate price reductions
For simple instructions on how to immediately start enjoying these benefits, turn to the section titled, “Powerline™ in Ten Minutes” and you’ll be on your way. We appreciate that agents have diverse perspectives on which lead sources to focus on and that specific market conditions present assorted variables as to where the best opportunities for you may be. Regardless of your preferred strategy, there is an extensive business-building module for you:
• Profit from For Sale By Owners • Convert expireds • Generate new business from old prospects • Responsive direct mail campaigns
Once you begin experiencing the effectiveness of the system, you may want to explore our other valuable Powerline™ add-on services that are designed for enabling you to invest the majority of your valuable time into developing relationships and closing contracts, instead of in managing the day-to-day processes; processes that are time consuming but essential to any successful real estate business. Those services include:
• Live Operator Call Coordinator Service that will call back your Powerline™ leads within fifteen minutes and prescreen them for you, immediately reporting the results.
• The Voice Broadcast system enables you to send thousands of voice messages to your clients or prospective database in the time it takes to record a single message.
• Auto-Direct Mail Fulfillment will mail a custom mail-piece to each unique lead the next business day.
• To save you time, our Professional Recording Services will script and record your properties. • The ArchAgent For Sale By Owner (FSBO) service will send you a daily up-to-the-minute list of
homes advertised FSBO. We have built our company on a single philosophy; we believe success comes when all are focused on a common goal. Our goal is helping our customers achieve theirs. Please contact us at (800) 882-9155 and we will set up your notifications and transfers and professionally record your first listing. After this short consultation, you will be up and running. Thank you for your business and we look forward to working with you. Sincerely, Steve Cortez ArchAgent
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Contact Information
Please use the following numbers and guidelines to expedite our response to your requests. Sales and Customer Support Toll Free: (800) 882-9006 Fax: (800) 882-0945 Email: [email protected] 24-Hour Emergency Contact Number Phone: (800) 882-8781 The Emergency Contact number is answered 24/7. Depending upon the nature of your call, an ArchAgent representative will respond in a timely manner. Customer Support is available Monday through Thursday 8am to 6pm (CST) and Friday 8am to 5pm (CST). Email Customer Support is available Monday through Saturday 8am until 9pm (CST) and Sunday 12PM until 7PM (CST). Detailed marketing support is available by appointment. ArchAgent will provide one on one toll-free consultation on how to tailor your specific marketing campaign to receive the best results from your Powerline™ system. Professional Recording Services ArchAgent will script, record, and load your SMS and fax brochure for all of your listings. To set up, contact [email protected] or dial 800-882-9006 Mailing Addresses Arch Telecom, Inc. 210 Barton Springs Road Ste. 275 Austin, TX 78704 Arch Telecom, Inc. 5718 Westheimer Road Ste. 980 Houston, TX 77057
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Explanation of Powerline™ Features
The ArchAgent Powerline™ service is the most comprehensive call capture system available in the real estate industry. ANI (Automatic Number Identification)/Call Capture Every caller’s phone number is captured and delivered to you within seconds of the call. Name and Address Match Powerline™ matches the phone record with a name and postal address. We have licensed access to a patented, multi-sourcing database technology with the most complete catalog of land and cellular telephone numbers linked to current and accurate names and addresses. Live Transfer(s) The caller can press “0” and/or “9” and connect directly to any dial-able phone number. The prospect can instantly talk to you, your assistant, or your business partner (i.e. lender) at the push of a button. Each extension can dial a unique phone number. Direct Connect Extensions If you require more than two live transfers per extension, you can program any extension to dial any phone numbers. Direct Connect extensions give you the benefits of large PBX systems at a fraction of the cost. Real-Time Lead Notification Within seconds of the call, Powerline™ delivers every lead to you via SMS (text to cellular phone), email, internet, or digital pager. Multiple contacts may receive the lead, customized by extension ensuring the proper people have been notified. The notification delivers the caller’s phone number, the property address, the caller’s name and address, the advertising source, and whether or not the caller is listed on the Do Not Call List. Spanish/English Voice Prompts With the Powerline™ Service you can give the caller a prompt to hear the recorded information in either Spanish or English. Ad Tracking The ad medium that prompted the caller to respond to your marketing is captured and reported to you in real time. Monthly ad tracking reports detail exactly how many responses each of your advertising mediums generated. Powerline™ Web Management The entire Powerline™ system can be managed through the ArchAgent web portal. Record your property descriptions directly through your browser or record them on a .WAV file and upload. Listen and delete recordings, retrieve voice and fax mail, edit your live transfers or notifications, add listings, edit your SMS delivery, and view detailed call reports all in real time. 800 Extensions The default Powerline™ system comes with 800 extensions. If you require more, unlimited extensions can be provided. Automatic Text Messaging (SMS) Fulfillment Each prospect calling or texting from a wireless phone can automatically receive property details immediately on their mobile phone via their SMS service. Once requested, the caller will receive two messages. The first will contain additional details on the property, while the second will
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provide them with a “business card” containing all of your direct contact information, including phone numbers and email and web addresses. Automatic Fax on Demand Your prospects will have the option to automatically receive additional information immediately by fax. This can include a feature sheet, free reports, resumes, an area map, self-promo sheet, or anything you would like to put into the prospect’s home. Custom Call Reports Detail your lead origins by property for listing presentations or demonstrate to the seller that their advertising is working and solidify price reductions. Contact Relationship Manager Integration Powerline™ will automatically import your leads in real time into several contact relationship managers with no manual download. Custom Delivery via FTP or Web For proprietary CRMs, each lead is catalogued and delivered directly to your contact management system via FTP (file transfer protocol), or is downloadable directly from our web interface into your database. Web Integration All Powerline™ system recordings can be played on your personal website by simply attaching a URL. Fax-Mail Powerline™ will accept incoming fax and automatically email the document, along with storing an archive inside of the Web Portal.
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Chapter 2
Complete Web Portal and Phone Menu User Guides
Learn to setup your Powerline™ system to ensure it is utilized to its maximum potential. Whether managing through www.archagent.com or through the automated phone system.
210 Barton Spring Road Suite 275
Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Powerline™ Complete Web Portal Guide Whether managing through www.archagent.com or through the automated phone system, this complete guide will show you how to utilize the Powerline™ system to its fullest potential; i.e. how to set up multiple transfers, generate listing or price reduction reports, and track your source digits. Most of these functions can also be performed over the telephone (telephone guide follows).
The Powerline™ Portal will allow you to administrate your ArchAgent system via the Internet. From the portal you can:
• Edit your mailbox information such as company name, address, and password
• View your invoices, line item billing records or make a payment
• Listen to voice mail or view fax mail
• Edit or add to your instant notifications
• Create, edit, listen to or delete a recording, or upload a .WAV file voice recording to an extension
• Upload Pictures to utilize the Mobile Marketing service
The Powerline™ portal is also where you will view your online service reports for Powerline™, Voice Broadcast, FSBO, or Call Coordinator.
• Powerline™ reports can be viewed by date range selectable by any query or downloaded via a comma separate variable file.
• FSBO reports can be viewed by date range. Mileage radius can be edited.
• Call Coordinator settings can be adjusted, such as days of the week to call, contact information, or enable/disable.
• Voice Broadcast reports can be viewed as well as all voice messages, databases and history.
All of these operations are performed by logging into our Customer Portal at:
https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx
Logging into the Portal 1. Access the Powerline™ Portal by logging in through the ArchAgent homepage at www.archagent.com or by entering https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx
2. Enter your 10-digit Mailbox number in the “Login ID” field
3. Enter your default password in the “Password” field
4. Click the “Login” button
You are now logged into the customer portal.
Creating a new Web Login You can create a new “Web Login” to use when accessing the Powerline™ Portal. The purpose of a “Web Login” is two-fold: first, you can change your user name and password to something more meaningful or easier to remember than your mailbox or
Note: The first time you log into the portal you will be prompted to enter an email address. We use this for notification of lost passwords.
Note: A Web Login will not affect your Default Password
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assigned password. Secondly, if you are part of a multi-user system the Web Login will enable you to add other user’s mailboxes, including voice broadcast mailboxes, and view them together without logging into each mailbox.
1. Click on the “New Web Login” link located at the top-right of the screen
2. Enter your Username in the “New Login ID.” The first four characters must be alpha characters.
3. Enter in your new “Password” and confirm. The first four characters must be alpha characters.
4. Click “Create”
Linking Multiple Mailboxes to a Web Login If you have multiple Mailbox numbers you can link and access them using a single Web Login.
1. From the Powerline™ Portal Home Page click on the “Mailboxes” tab
2. Enter in the new 10-digit mailbox number you would like to add in the “Mailbox” field
3. Enter the Default Password in the “Password” field
4. Click “Add”
Editing Account Information
Changing Contact Information 1. From the Powerline™ Portal click on the “Home” tab
2. Click on the link “Change Contact Information”
3. Edit your billing address, contact phone number, fax number, and email address
Note: To change the responsible party and company name you will need to contact Customer Service at 800-882-9006 and fill out an Account Transfer Form.
Changing the Credit Card on file 1. From the Powerline™ Portal Home Page click on the “Billing” tab
2. Click on the “Change Credit Card” button under “Automatic Payment”
3. Enter in the new credit card number and expiration date
4. Click on “Save”
Viewing Billing Statements 1. From the Powerline™ Portal Home Page click on the “Billing” tab
2. Choose the Monthly Statement you would like to review under “Reprint an Invoice”
3. Click on either “View” or “Download”
Note: To change the responsible party and company name you will need to contact Customer Service at 800-882-9155.
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SYSTEM SETUP Password Setup This password can be used without the Web Login ID. This password will work from the web or from any telephone. It may be any numeric number (no alpha characters) from 4 to 8 digits in length.
1. Click on the tab labeled “My Mailbox”
2. Click on Password
3. Enter in your Current Password
4. Enter your New Password and confirm it in the box below
5. Click the “Save Settings” button
Configuring Top Producer for Auto Import You can automatically download your Powerline™ leads into Top Producer 7i and 8i.
For 7i Users:
1. Open Top Producer Online 7i
2. From the “Contacts” tab choose “Leads” from the drop down menu
3. Select “Lead Setup” from the menu on the left side of the page
4. Choose “Add a website”
5. Enter the following information:
• Lead Provider Name: “Arch Powerline”
• User Name: Powerline™ Mailbox Number
• Password: Default Powerline™ Password
• Click “OK”
For 8i Users:
1. Open Top Producer Online 8i
2. Select “Preferences”
3. Select “Contacts”
4. Choose “Lead Provider Setup” under “Contacts Preferences”
5. Select “Add Lead Provider”
6. Enter in the following information:
• Lead Provider Name: “Arch Powerline”
• User Name: Powerline™ Mailbox Number
• Password: Default Powerline™ Password
• Click “OK”
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Zero Transfer Setup The Zero Transfer number is a direct dial number that will dial the number you input when a caller presses “0” at any time during the recording. You can also use the number “9” to direct dial an alternative number. For information on how to set up “9” please call ArchAgent.
1. Click on the “My Mailbox” tab
2. Click on “General Settings”
3. Enter the 10-digit destination number in the “Zero Xfer Destination” field
4. Click on the “Save Settings” button
Instant Notification Setup You can have your Powerline™ leads sent directly to you for instant notification of a lead. The leads can be sent to a numeric pager, cell phone via SMS, or a standard email address.
1. Click the “Notifications” tab
2. Enter your email address, pager number or cell phone and appropriate carrier tagline as listed below into the “Pager Destination” field
3. Click the “Add” button
Uploading a .WAV file to a Master Greeting You can upload a .wav file to your Master Greeting. If you are not using a .wav file to create your Powerline™ Master Greeting DO NOT use this feature. It must be created through the phone menu.
1. Click on the “My Mailbox” tab
2. Click on the “Greetings” tab
3. Click “Upload Greeting”
4. Click on the “Browse” tab and select the .wav that you would like to upload
5. Choose the Greeting Type (Regular or Temporary)
6. Click “Save Greeting”
Uploading a .WAV file to a Regular Extension You can upload a .wav file to create a standard IVR extension. If you are not using a .wav file to create your regular Powerline™ extension DO NOT use this feature. It must be created through the phone menu.
1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
Note: We can notify multiple email addresses and cell phones. Simply add the additional addresses individually using the same procedure.
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2. Click the “Create Regular Extension” at the bottom of the screen.
3. Enter the new extension number you would like to create in the “Extension” field
4. Optional: Enter an extension description in the “Description” field for future reference
5. Click on the “Browse” tab and select the .wav file you would like to upload
6. Click on the “Save Extension” button
NOTE: Only .wav files in the following format are supported - Mono is of course preferable to stereo, but stereo is accepted. - 8000Hz, 16-bit, PCM, mono is the recommended format. - 44,100Hz, 16-bit, PCM is also supported - .mp3 files are NOT supported
Creating a Regular Extension via your Web Browser You can record your extensions directly through our website to create a standard IVR extension. You will need a microphone connected to your PC and the latest version of Java Sun which can be downloaded at http://java.com/.
1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Click on “Create Regular Ext”
3. Enter the extension number to create
4. Enter the extension “Description”
5. Click “Record” in the dialog box
6. When finished, choose “Upload” in the dialog box.
Configuring Mobile Marketing Info After you create a regular extension you can add information to the listing that will be sent automatically upon request by the caller to their wireless phone. The caller will be sent two separate text messages; the first one will be information on the individual extension and the second will be your “Business Card” containing all of your contact information which will automatically be included with each extension. Each of these messages will be limited to 160 characters due to the constraints of the text messaging features.
Setting Up Your Business Card Message 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Choose the link “SMS/Text”
3. Enter your contact information inside of the “SMS Info” dialogue box
4. Choose “Save”
Note: It is only necessary to set up your business card one time. It will be included on every SMS requested.
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Setting up Mobile Marketing for a Regular Extension 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Choose “Edit” under “Controls”
3. Enter the description inside of the “SMS Info” box
4. Choose “Save Extension”
Adding Photos to a Regular Extension 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Choose “Pictures” under “Controls”
3. Click the browse button to select a photo from your hard drive.
4. Enter a Description for the photo to be displayed on your prospects phone (optional)
5. Click the Upload File(s) button when all photos have been selected.
6. Once uploaded, you may set the order your photos will be displayed using the drop down boxes under the Order column.
Deleting Photos from a Regular Extension 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Choose “Pictures” under “Controls”
3. Select the photo you would like to delete using the checkboxes under the Delete column.
4. Click the Delete button
Direct Connect Listing (Secondary Transfer) Setup If the back end system prompts “0” and “9” are not a sufficient number of Direct Connections, you can have an extension directly dial a phone number versus playing a recorded message. Callers can transfer from one of your regular recorded listings to a direct connect listing by pressing “5” (to return to the main menu), followed by the direct connect listing number.
1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Click on the “Create Direct Connect Ext” button at the bottom of the page
3. Enter in the Extension number you would like to create in the “Extension” field
4. Enter the 10-digit phone number where you would like the call to be forwarded to in the “Destination” field
5. Optional: Enter an extension description in the “Description” field for future reference.
6. Click on the “Save Extension” button
Note: Direct Connect Listings are available on select rate plans only.
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To Delete a Listing 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Click on the “Delete” link under the Controls column
Quickload Number Setup Quickload numbers are unique numbers that align fax images with listing extensions. Once you have recorded the verbal presentation, the Quickload number is created.
1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. A 14-digit number will be assigned to each extension under the “Quick Load” column
Loading Fax Images Using Quickload Numbers Use the following procedure to load your fax images by fax machine:
1. Load all of your pages for that particular listing into the fax machine
2. Set the fax machine to FINE for graphics, or NORMAL for text. When choosing between FINE and NORMAL, please consider that although setting your machine to fine mode will give you a higher resolution necessary for clear graphics, it will also slow the transmission rate, substantially increasing the cost of your fax.
3. Using the telephone built into your fax machine, call (800) 247-8853.
4. The system will prompt you to enter your Mailbox or Quickload number. Enter the 14-digit Quickload assigned to the listing you are attaching a fax image to.
5. Press START button on your fax machine. The fax image is immediately loaded behind the correlated listing.
NOTE: If your fax machine does not accept the Quickload number, chances are it is not in an interactive mode. If your fax requires that you press START to hear a dial tone, your fax is not in an interactive mode. If the fax machine has a PAUSE/REDIAL button, try the following:
1. Load all of your pages for that particular listing into the fax machine
2. Set the fax machine to FINE for graphics, or NORMAL for text.
3. Using the telephone built into your fax machine, enter 800-247-8853, but do not press Start yet.
4. Press the Pause button 5 times.
5. Enter the 14-digit Quickload assigned to the listing you are attaching a fax image to.
6. Press the Start button and your fax will load into the ArchAgent system.
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Creating a Shadow Listing A Shadow listing points to another listing within the same IVR system. For example, if you want listing 300 to contain the same recording as listing 200, you can create 300 as a Shadow listing that points to listing 200. Keep in mind that any changes to the original listing recording will affect the Shadow listing as well.
1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Click on “Create Shadow Ext”
3. Enter in the new extension number you would like to create in the “Extension” field
4. Enter the toll-free number where the extension you would like to copy currently exists in the “Source Mailbox” field
5. Enter in the current extension number of the recording you are shadowing in the “Source Extension” field.
6. Optional: Enter in a description of the extension in the “Description” field
7. Click “Save Extension”
Managing your Source Digits 1. Click on the “Powerline” tab
2. Choose “Top Producer 7i” or “Top Producer 8i” under “Configuration”
3. Enter the advertising source next to each source digit
4. Click “Save”
Listening to Voicemail 1. Click on the “Voice and Faxmail” tab
2. Click on “Listen”
Retrieving a Call Detail Report 1. Click on the “Reports” tab
2. Choose the “Powerline” report
3. Choose the date range for the report (report data is stored for a max. of 90 days)
4. Press “Get Report”
Note: If you are shadowing from our prerecorded direct response reports, the Source Mailbox is 8009519704.
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Powerline Complete Phone Menu Guide If you prefer the telephone, these are the complete Powerline™ service instructions.
All operations are performed from the Main Menu.
1. Dial your 800 #
2. Press * (star) when you hear the greeting.
3. Enter the initial default password provided on your welcome letter.
4. You are now in the Main Menu.
You may back up one Menu level by pressing * or press ** to return to the Main Menu.
Password Setup It may be any number from 4 to 8 digits in length. Corporate and standard systems have assigned passwords that cannot be customized. However, performing this procedure will automatically assign you a new password. From the Main Menu:
1. Press 9 - Personal Options
2. Press 4 - Administrative Options
3. Press 1 - Password, follow the voice instructions
Master Greeting Setup Personal and Corporate users only. Standard systems have set greetings. From the Main Menu:
1. Press 9 - Personal Options
2. Press 1 - Greetings
3. Press 1 - Regular Greeting, follow the voice instructions
Digital Pager Setup From the Main Menu:
1. Press 9 - Personal Options
2. Press 2 - Pager Configuration
3. Press 1 - Set Pagers Telephone Number, follow voice instructions to enter your 10-digit pager number
NOTE: This process will not set up text notification to your cellular phone. This must be done over the web portal or by contacting an ArchAgent representative.
Zero Transfer Setup From the Main Menu:
1. Press 9 - Personal Options
2. Press 5 - Call Routing
3. Press 1 - Configure Zero Transfer, follow the voice instructions
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Listing (Extension) Setup From the Main Menu:
1. Press 7 - Manage Your IVR Listings
2. Press 1 - Add or Change a Listing
3. Enter the 3-digit listing number you would like to add.
4. Press 1 - For Regular IVR listing
5. Record your listing and follow the voice instructions.
NOTE: You do not enter the source digit when setting up or deleting listings.
Direct Connect Listing (Secondary Transfer) Setup From the Main Menu:
1. Press 7 - Manage Your IVR Listings
2. Press 1 - Add or Change a Listing
3. Enter the 3-digit listing number you would like to add. You do not enter the source digit when setting up or deleting listings.
4. Press 4 - For a Direct Connect listing
5. When prompted, enter the 10-digit phone number you want the extension to forward to.
To Delete a Listing From the Main Menu:
1. Press 7 - Manage Your IVR Listings
2. Press 3 - Delete a Listing, follow the voice instructions
Quickload Number Setup Quickload numbers are unique numbers that align fax images with listing extensions. Once you have recorded the verbal presentation, the Quickload number is created.
From the Main Menu:
1. Press 7 - Manage Your IVR Listings
2. Press 8 - Administrative Fax Information
3. Press 5 - Fax of your Quickload Number
Loading Fax Images Using Quickload Numbers Use the following procedure to load your fax images by fax machine:
1. Load all of your pages for that particular listing into the fax machine.
2. Set the fax machine to FINE for graphics, or NORMAL for text. When choosing between FINE and NORMAL, please consider that although setting your machine to fine
Note: Direct Connect Listings are available on select rate plans only.
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mode will give you a higher resolution necessary for clear graphics, it will also slow the transmission rate, substantially increasing the cost of your fax.
3. Using the telephone built into your fax machine, call (800) 247-8853.
4. The system will prompt you to enter your Mailbox or Quickload number. Enter the 14-digit Quickload assigned to the listing you are attaching a fax image to.
5. Press START button on your fax machine. The fax image is immediately loaded behind the correlated listing.
NOTE: If your fax machine does not accept the Quickload number, chances are it is not in an interactive mode. If your fax requires that you press START to hear a dial tone, your fax is not in an interactive mode. If the fax machine has a PAUSE/REDIAL button, try the following:
1. Load all of your pages for that particular listing into the fax machine.
2. Set the fax machine to FINE for graphics, or NORMAL for text.
3. Using the telephone built into your fax machine, enter 800-247-8853 but do not press Start yet.
4. Press the Pause button 5 times.
5. Enter the 14-digit Quickload assigned to the listing you are attaching a fax image to.
6. Press the Start button and your fax will load into the ArchAgent system.
Requesting a Call Detail Fax You must request a fax detail to a fax-only system. Voice/fax systems will not work.
From the Main Menu:
1. Press 7 - Manage Your IVR Listings
2. Press 7 - Request a Call Detail Fax
3. Enter the 10-digit fax number where you want the call detail sent
If the fax number is busy, the system will re-try three times at five-minute intervals. You may also request a fax detail as far back as 90 days. To request a fax detail specifying a time range:
1. Press 7 - Manage Your IVR Listings
2. Press 8 - Administrative Fax Information
3. Press 1 - Call Detail Fax
4. Press 2 - Specify a Date Range, follow the voice instructions
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Chapter 3
Powerline™ Reporting Guide
Pull reports by date range, extension or source digit. Use your Powerline™ data to effectively track your advertising and negotiate price reductions.
210 Barton Spring Road Suite 275
Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Powerline™ Complete Reporting Guide
With the Powerline™ custom reporting functions, you can view your leads by date range, export data to a contact manager, track your advertising’s effectiveness, create a listing report, create a price reduction report, and track any type of variable call traffic.
Logging into the Reports Page To retrieve your reports through our website you will first log into the Customer Portal.
1. Access the Powerline™ Portal by logging in through the ArchAgent homepage at www.archagent.com or by entering https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx
2. Enter your 10-digit Mailbox number in the “Login ID” field
3. Enter your default password in the “Password” field
4. Click the “Login” button
5. Click on the “Reports” tab
6. Click on “Powerline”
Retrieving Call Records for a Specific Date Range You can view all of the calls into your system, sorted by the time of access.
1. Enter the date range in the “From” and “To” fields
2. Click “Get Report”
Creating a Price Reduction Report Using the Powerline™ system you can easily create a report to show the seller call traffic detail on their property extension as compared to other properties on your system.
1. Set the date range in the “From” and “To” fields
2. Click on “Filter by Extension or Source Digit”
3. Click on the individual extension for the seller’s property
4. Choose “Get Report”
Note: You can select multiple extensions by holding down “Ctrl” and selecting the different extensions or source digits you would like to retrieve.
Creating an Advertising Source Report 1. Set the date range in the “From” and “To” fields
2. Click on “Output Formatting”
3. Select “Source Digit” from the “Primary Subtotal” drop down menu
4. Choose “Get Report”
Note: You can view the call count for each extension by checking the “Subtotals Only” box
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Selecting the Columns to Include Note: If you choose all options you will need to set your printer for “Landscape” mode otherwise the information on the report will run off the page. 1. Click on the “Columns to Include” 2. Check the boxes for the information you want provided in your report:
• Date/Time: The time and date the caller accessed your system • Mailbox: The mailbox number the caller accessed • Mailbox Name: The directory name registered to the mailbox • Calling Number: The captured number for the call • City/State: The city and state where the area code and prefix is registered • Calling Line Type: The type of calling line used (Cellular, POTS line, etc.) • Do Not Call Flag: Designates numbers that are registered on a Do Not Call list • Called Number: The Powerline™ number the caller dialed • Duration: The amount of time the caller was active on your Powerline™ • Type of Call: The action taken by the caller (Extension access, Login, Hang-up, Zero
Transfer) • Extension and Source Digit: Extension and source digit entered in a single column • Extension: Extension entered by the caller • Source Digit: Source Digit entered by the caller • Description: User-entered description through the Web Portal • Voice Message: Did the caller leave a voice mail on the system • Fax Number: Fax number used to request additional information • Transfer Destination: Number caller where caller was live transferred • Transfer Duration: Amount of time caller spent during live transfer • Name and Address: Reverse append results for the calling number
Selecting the Calls to Include 1. Click on “Calls to Include” 2. Check the boxes for the types of calls to include in your report:
• Extension Access: Caller accessed your system and entered a working extension • Hang up: Caller accessed your system, but did not enter in an extension • Login: Administrative access of your Powerline™ system • Zero Transfer: Caller pressed Zero and live-transferred • Invalid Extension: Caller accessed your system but did not enter a working extension
number • Fax Mail: A fax was delivered to your Powerline™ system
Selecting the Display Order Calls can be displayed in order of Time, Extension, Source Digit, Calling Number, or Mailbox to help you organize the data. 1. Click on “Output Formatting” 2. Select how you would like the data sorted in the drop down menus
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Retrieving a Call Total for an Extension or Source Digit You can retrieve a total for the amount of calls made to a specific extension or source digit. The calls will be grouped based upon the criteria you set and will be followed by a subtotal. You can check the “Subtotals Only” box to view only a call count for the extensions or source digits. 1. Click on “Output Formatting” 2. Select how you would like for the calls to be grouped and subtotaled from the drop down menu
Advanced Selections 1. Master Mode- Includes all data for all mailboxes in the Powerline™ system. Corporate systems only. 2. New Leads Only- Removes duplicate calls from the same phone number. Note- You will occasionally run into the error “Call records for your mailbox are currently being processed - please try again in a few minutes (-539).” The system is matching up new calls against your call records and the results will be available shortly. Please give the system a few moments to run this report and resubmit your request.
Downloading a Report to a .csv Format You can easily download your report in a .csv format to import into any contact management software. 1. Select the Date Range in the “From” and “To” fields
2. Check the “Download” box
3. Click “Get Report”
4. Save the report to your hard drive
Custom Reports Other reports are available to you on our website. To access our Custom Reports page: 1. Access the Customer Portal 2. Click on the “Reports” tab 3. Click on “Custom Reports”
Selecting a Custom Report 1. Select the report you would like to view in the drop down menu 2. If the report is not listed select “Other” 3. Enter in the Report # you would like to view 4. Select the date range 5. Select “Get Report”
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Available Custom Reports Report # Description 115 List of all Hang-up Calls (Calls that did not enter an extension) 312 IVR- summary of all active extensions in an IVR system 315 Displays survey questions including type, labels, etc. 404 IVR accesses by hours of day 406 IVR accesses by day of week 407 IVR access by day of week for master mailbox 408 IVR access by day 409 IVR accesses by day for master mailbox in corporate system only 410 Summery of IVR calls by extension and source digit for a personal or shared
system 412 List of all active Quickload Numbers 413 List of all File URLs for web access to extension audio 414 List of all feedback line property codes 500 Delivered pages 501 Displays records of all voice messages received by a particular mailbox within a
date range within the past 90 days.
Printing Tips When printing the Powerline™ report your browser will automatically adjust the columns to fit the page it is printing. By printing in “Landscape” mode the reports typically are formatted in an easier to read layout. Also, if you find the rows difficult to read, try and remove some of the unnecessary columns.
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Chapter 4
Example Recorded Messages
Setup your Master Greeting and Property descriptions either through the phone system or directly through the Web Portal.
210 Barton Spring Road Suite 275
Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Example Recorded Messages
With personal systems, you have extensions 200-999 available to record property descriptions, direct response reports, voice mailboxes, or anything else you would like to advertise. The first recording you will make is called the Master Greeting and it is the first thing the caller will hear when they dial your toll-free number. It needs to be a short recording that lets people know they have dialed the correct number, prompts them to enter in the code for the information they would like to receive, and prompts them to press “0” if they do not know their extension number. Example Master Greeting Hello, and welcome to John Smith’s 24-hour property and marketing hotline. Please enter the code number for the information you wish to receive. If you do not know your code or would like to speak directly with me please press ‘0’ now. Thank you very much for calling. To record your Master Greeting through the Powerline™ phone system:
• Dial your toll-free number • Press the “*” and enter your password • Press 9- Personal Options • Press 1- Greetings • Press 1- Regular Greeting • Follow the voice prompts
Next you will record the individual extensions for your properties and direct response reports. There are four standard ways to place your recordings on your Powerline™ number. ArchAgent Assistant Services ArchAgent has professional voice talent on staff that will script, record and attach the fax to an extension, and best of all, they will do the first recording for free. To have an ArchAgent Assistant create your recording simply email [email protected] and include your toll-free number, the extension you want recorded, and attach a property flyer or the MLS sheet so we can script a recording from the basic property information. Through the Powerline™ phone system
• Dial your toll-free number • Press the “*” and enter your password • Press 7- Mange your IVR • Press 1- Add or Change a Listing • Enter the Extension Code you are creating • Press 1- Regular IVR • Follow the voice prompts
Uploading .WAV files
• Log into the Web Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx • Click on the “Powerline” tab • Choose “Create Regular Ext” • Enter the Extension number you are creating in the “Extension” field • Enter the property address or report title in the “Description” field • Click “Browse” and attach the .WAV from your hard-drive • Click “Save Extension”
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Recording Directly through our Web Site • Plug a USB microphone into your computer • Log into the Web Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx • Click on the “Powerline” tab • Choose “Create Regular Ext” • Enter the Extension number you are creating in the “Extension” field • Enter the property address or report title in the “Description” field • Click on the “Record” button and record your extension description • Click on “Upload”
Note: You will need to have the latest version of Java installed and active in order to use this service. This plug-in can be downloaded from their website at http://java.com. Tips for making your recordings:
• Use a call to action to get the prospect to press “0” and transfer directly to you. Most of our clients find using, “You may receive our most current price by pressing 0 at any time,” to be effective. This will also save you from having to rerecord the extension after price reductions. Other options include, “To schedule a viewing of this property press 0 at any time,” or simply, “To speak directly with me press 0 now.”
• Script the message out on paper before recording. It will save time and frustration. • Try to limit the recording to around 30-45 seconds in length. You do not want to lose
the caller’s attention before they reach the end of the recording. • You don’t want to give the caller too much information before speaking with them as you
could potentially disqualify them or have trouble beginning dialogue. Make sure to leave something valuable out for when you make the follow-up call.
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Example Property Recordings Example A You can receive our most current price at anytime by pressing “0.” Congratulations! You’re calling on one of our most prestigious homes. This property, located at 123 Main Street, has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, new carpeting, new paint, a backyard large enough for a pool, and an outstanding floor plan that is very applicable for grand entertaining. A gourmet kitchen and recently updated bathrooms complete this picture of an executive’s dream home. If you would like a property brochure emailed to you, please press “2” and leave me your email address or you can press “0” now to schedule a showing of this property. Thank you for calling and good luck in your new home purchase. Example B You can receive our most current price at anytime by pressing “0.” Hello, the property you are calling on is located on the beautiful coast of Laguna Beach. This 4-bedroom, 3-bath home was constructed with a fabulous Mediterranean flair. Both the kitchen and bathroom have been accented with Italian ceramic tile. The home has a beautiful pool and spa area overlooking a scenic southern coast. The owner is retiring and leaving the area so the property has been priced to sell. To receive the most current price please press “0” now. Thank you for calling and good luck in your new home purchase. Example C You can receive our most current price at anytime by pressing “0.” Located in the popular area of Barton Springs in Austin, this 3-bedroom, 3-bath home is the perfect starter home for a young family. The home sits on three-quarters of an acre, is beautifully landscaped, and has an attached garage. This home is just three years old and has a breathtaking view of the park and hill country. This modern home is listed below market value and has some amazing down payment options. For more information on how you can purchase this property with little or even no money down, please press “0” now. Example D You can receive our most current price at anytime by pressing “0.” Prestigious Big Canyon Development in Newport Beach. This house sits on five luxurious acres next to the finishing hole on the Newport Championship golf course. This stately manor has 3,000 square feet of opulent living space. The home has 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, with a fireplace and a beautiful imported Jacuzzi. A separate guesthouse is located on the back of the property. This home has impeccably landscaped grounds and a lagoon-style pool with an entertainment cabana capable of handling ten guests. This home is available for immediate occupancy. To schedule an appointment for a showing or to obtain our most current price press “0” now. Thank you for calling the Smith Team’s 24-hour property hotline and good luck on your new home purchase.
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Chapter 5
Using Source Digits to Track your Advertising
With the Powerline™ Service you are able to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts so you can apply your marketing budget efficiently and guarantee the highest return on your investment.
210 Barton Spring Road Suite 275
Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Using Source Digits to Track Your Advertising
With the Powerline™ Service you are able to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts so you can apply your marketing budget efficiently and guarantee the highest return on your investment. When establishing a new code, you can pick any extension between 200-999 (unless you have customized the listing length). By adding a unique fourth digit to the end of each extension, called a Source Digit, you will be able to identify the advertising medium the prospect responded from. You can track up to ten different mediums with digits 0-9 available for source digit use.
Adding the Source Digit to your Extensions After you record your extension, you will add the source digit to the end. You do not use the source digit when you are setting up or recording the extension. For example: You have recorded the property listed at 123 Main Street on extension 200. Now when you go to advertise the property it would read as follows when printed:
2001 On the sign rider 2002 In your local Homes magazine 2003 In the newspaper 2004 On a Just Listed postcard 2005 In your monthly newsletter
Every person who calls and enters one of these different codes hears the property recording 200 about 123 Main Street. But, when you receive your instant notification or web report, you are going to be able to determine which ad source the prospect found the property by the last digit listed in the extension number. Remember to keep the source digits consistent across your extensions so you can keep an accurate total of your response. For instance, you now record 234 Cherry Street on extension 201. When you placed the various advertisements, they would read:
2011 On the sign rider 2012 In your local Homes magazine 2013 In the newspaper 2014 On a Just Listed postcard 2015 In your monthly newsletter
To help you track your source digits you can enter them through our Web Portal. Once you have logged in, click on the “Powerline” tab and choose the “Top Producer 7i” or “Top Producer 8i” option. Simply enter in your Source Digits and choose “Save.”
Retrieving Source Digit Call Reports At the end of the month, you can now retrieve a Powerline™ report that will tell you exactly how many calls you received from each advertising medium. To retrieve this report:
• Log into the Web Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx • Click on the “Reports” tab • Choose the “Powerline” report • Set your Date Range • Click on “Output Formatting” • Choose “Source Digit” as the “Primary Subtotal” • Click “Get Report”
You can also check the “Subtotals Only” box if you want to only view a count of the call total into each source.
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Configuring Your Source Digits • Log into the Web Portal at https://portal.archtelecom.com/Portal/Login.aspx • Choose the “Powerline” tab • Choose the link “Miscellaneous” under “Configuration” • Enter in Your Advertising Sources • Click “Save”
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Chapter 6
Using Sign Riders to Generate Immediate Leads
Using your Powerline™ system to replace brochure boxes on your yard signs is one of the easiest and most effective ways to generate fresh buyer and seller leads.
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Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Using Sign Riders to Generate Immediate Leads
Using your Powerline™ number on sign riders is one of the easiest and most effective strategies for attracting buyer and seller leads. Even with all of the information available on the internet and through printed publications, many prospects still prefer to get in their car and drive the areas in which they are interested before calling a real estate agent. Capturing these prospects’ phone numbers before they speak with an agent often gives you the first opportunity to build rapport and convert the leads into clients. You will also have the first opportunity to generate a new listing if they have a home for sale, as Kiplinger’s Personal Finance reports that 74% of sellers and 61% of buyers hire the first agent they talk to. In addition to generating quality leads, Powerline’s™ technology allows you to track each lead using a special advertising source digit. Never again will you have to wonder who removed your brochures or whether any potential leads missed out on an opportunity to get information on one of your properties.
Key Strategies for Use of Sign Riders
Visibility - If possible, mount the rider on top of your signs. Use a two-sided rider with the toll-free number printed on both sides. Make sure to include a mention on the rider of the free 24-hour recording offered.
Compel People to Call - Remove the brochure box. This will force the prospect to call
your Powerline™ number to hear the talking ad, ensuring that you capture the lead. If you must use a brochure box be sure to print your Powerline™ number on the brochure and eliminate any disqualifying information such as square footage, number of bedrooms, and price.
Source Digits - Utilize a source digit (the fourth digit of your extension) so you can
determine the source of each of your leads. ArchAgent can provide you with Powerline™ sign riders. They come in distinctive colors and are made with corrugated plastic. You can find more information on ordering signs on our website at www.archtelecom.com/downloads/ArchAgentSigns.dot.
Use Powerline’s™ innovative technology to conduct dynamic listing presentations that will generate and close more listings.
210 Barton Spring Road Suite 275
Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Using Powerline™ In a Listing Presentation
Use Powerline’s™ innovative technology to conduct dynamic listing presentations that will generate and close more listings.
How to Win More Listing Presentations Prospective sellers choose a listing agent based on their perception of the value an agent offers relative to the competition. The prospect’s determination of value is influenced by a combination of an agent’s function, what he can offer the prospect, and their perception of the agent as a dynamic professional. In order to close more listing presentations, you must present a compelling and functional marketing plan, and most importantly, you must present yourself as a dynamic professional by differentiating yourself from your competition. Ultimately, every seller is concerned about one thing: selling their home at the maximum possible price in the shortest possible time period. You must communicate to prospects your unique ability to facilitate that process. Anyone with even a cursory understanding of the housing market, or free market for that matter, knows that all price points are determined by supply and demand. Consider this analogy: the price of a share of stock is not determined by earnings, price-to-sales ratios, market capitalization, or any other metric that some financial analyst would have you believe. The value of an individual stock is simply determined by the price at which an individual is willing to sell the stock (supply) and the price that another individual is willing to pay (demand). The housing market replicates this exact same relationship. Many factors, such as location, influence demand, but the single greatest mitigating factor is exposure. If your listing were to be showcased on the evening news each day, its exposure, and therefore its demand, would skyrocket. Your presentation should focus on the unique capabilities you possess that will create the greatest demand for the prospect’s house, allowing them to sell it at the maximum sales price in the minimum amount of time. Enter Powerline™. Despite the proliferation of electronic media such as websites, the majority of potential homebuyers still search for properties the old-fashioned way – they select a desired neighborhood and drive the area looking at For Sale signs. Powerline’s™ sign riders advertise toll-free information hotlines that compel prospects to call and allow agents to capture the information of prospects driving neighborhoods looking for their next home purchase. During your listing presentations, explain to prospects how Powerline’s™ technology allows you to immediately follow up on potential buyers who call the toll-free number and who might otherwise drive by, pick up a flyer, and disappear without the seller being able to track their marketing’s results. The stress-free and anonymous method of contact offered by Powerline’s™ toll-free information hotline results in more calls. In fact, by removing the intimidation of dealing directly with an agent on the phone, Powerline™ will lead to 300-400% more calls from prospects. More calls equate to more captured information and hot, quality leads. More leads equal an opportunity for you to build demand in the property. When you give your listing presentation, use these unique capabilities to impress the prospect with your ability to create the most demand in their house, and thus sell it at the highest price.
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Preparation Is Key to Your Success Prior to attending the listing appointment, you should acquire as much information about the seller’s home as possible. Draft a script describing the features of the home, placing emphasis on the points that are important to your seller. Next, call your toll-free number and record the prospect’s information on one of your available listing extensions. Once you begin the marketing portion of your presentation, explain how you intend to use the exciting and sophisticated technology of Powerline™ to help sell the prospect’s home. Call your toll-free number and have the prospect listen to the recorded listing of their property, and even directly transfer to you. Within seconds you will be able to show them their contact information that has been delivered directly to your cell phone via a text message. Additionally, have one of your assistants placed on the notification alert for this number, so that when you call the number they can call you back. Top-producing Realtors consistently tell us this is one of the most powerful benefits of Powerline™. For an added impact, incorporate special Powerline™ features such as ArchAgent’s Call Coordinator Service to add a flare to your presentation that will undoubtedly set you apart. Consider setting up Call Coordinator with a separate Powerline™ extension that you use solely in listing presentations. When you call that Powerline™ extension, not only will you be able to instantly show the seller that you have been alerted with the contact information of the caller, but through the power of Call Coordinator, you will receive a call from an operator within 15 minutes following up with answers to any questions you may have or to qualify you as a potential homebuyer. The immediacy and professionalism of this response communicates to the prospect that you have the service and technology needed to sell their home quickly and at the highest possible price.
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The Ultimate Listing Presentation
Example of a Top Producer’s (Sales Volume in Excess of $40,000,000) Listing Presentation: “My call capture technology enables me to offer free, recorded information about your property 24 hours a day. I will advertise the toll-free number on your yard sign and in all the ads I run. Prospective buyers can then call anytime, 24 hours a day to hear the recorded message describing your property. Since the information is always available, prospective buyers can inquire about it when it is convenient for them. Imagine a prospect is looking at one of my advertisements on your property late in the evening. He can call and get information right then, while his interest is peaked. Because this is a recorded service, it eliminates intimidation. The prospect does not have to speak with a live sales person immediately; therefore, at least three to four times as many people will call. Once the prospect has made the call, the true power of this system springs to life. When that prospect calls in and listens to the recording of your property, my system records the name, address, and phone number automatically, whether the name is left or not. This powerful technology enables me to follow up on every call, allowing me to have a steady stream of leads interested in finding out more about your property. The system records the caller’s information on a call report, just like this one (show the prospective seller a sample call report, or for greater impact, a three-ring binder of many sample call reports). At this point, I will follow up to find out if the caller is interested in viewing your home. Let me show you how it works.” Have him pick up his home phone and dial your 800 number and enter the extension you have assigned to his property… don’t tell him it’s his property. As he is listening to the greeting, tell him to enter the listing extension you have assigned to the recording of his property. About 20-30 seconds later a text message will arrive to your cell phone with the prospective seller’s home phone number, name, address, and property address on it! Show the text message to your seller. You have just solidified in his mind how you capture every single call. The graphic representation of the text message generates an emotional response from the prospect, and people make decisions based upon emotion. Close on that emotion! “Isn’t this impressive technology? I capture every potential buyer and within minutes I can be on the phone with them, getting them excited about your property. Now, that description may not completely describe your home, but you can see the concept. With this system, prospective buyers can access information on your property 24 hours a day and receive marketing information immediately…when they want it. Since I capture their information for follow-up, we won’t lose potential buyers and I will be talking to them when their interest is peaked.
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This is very important because if your agent can’t get the desired information to potential buyers immediately, that prospect will often move on to the next property. With this system, I can give them information immediately and follow up while they’re hot.” This presentation captivates prospects’ imaginations and demonstrates for them the unique value offered by your Powerline™ system. Any agent can claim to be the best or most successful agent in a neighborhood. It is the agent who uses tangible assets to show how they will generate demand in a property and sell it for the highest price who closes the listing presentation.
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Chapter 8
How to Write Advertising That Makes You Money
Writing ads that make you money is not a simple task, yet developing a cost-effective advertising campaign that generates significant response, and most importantly, makes you money is quite achievable.
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Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Chapter 14
Converting Expireds
Expired listings are one of the fastest and most efficient ways to increase your listing inventory. Since the seller has declared their motivation to sell and their willingness to work with a full-service agent, many agents target expireds.
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Winning Expired Listings
Expired listings are one of the fastest and most efficient ways to increase your listing inventory. Since the seller has declared their motivation to sell and their willingness to work with a full-service agent, many agents target expireds. Along with FSBOs, new agents target expireds because they are so easily identifiable. Typically, your MLS will send you email notification when a property expires or allow you to perform a targeted geographic query. Because expireds are so coveted, they are also very competitive. To win these listings you will have to:
• Understand and appreciate the seller’s mindset • Know how to communicate to that mindset • Offer a comprehensive marketing plan that showcases your unique services to separate
yourself from competition • Be willing to demonstrate the patience and persistence to repeatedly present those
unique and compelling values to the expired The Seller’s Mindset In most cases, the seller expected to sell their home in a few weeks; now, after six months their home is still on the market. The seller is angry and frustrated. The seller is not of the mindset to accept unsubstantiated claims from competitive agents. The primary challenge you will have to overcome is the distrust of the seller. Almost all listings expire for one reason; it was overpriced and the listing agent was unsuccessful in negotiating a price reduction. With few exceptions, a home in any market will sell itself if priced correctly. However, you will not earn the trust of the seller by stating that fact. You must appreciate their mindset; the fact that their previous agent likely told them they could sell their home at the listing price, and now that it hasn’t happened they feel deceived. You could show comparables to the seller that would substantiate that the reason their listing did not sell was price, but winning expired listings is not about evidence, it’s about presentation. Effective Communication Is About Listening First and Directing Second Consider this: if the seller had to sell, if they were relocating, building, under financial duress, or selling due to personal issues, they would have been sufficiently motivated to have lowered their price and they would have sold their property. If we agree that listings primarily expire because the property was overpriced, you can conclude that the seller is simply unwilling to lower their price and will only sell if a certain price target is met. This is an emotional barrier, one that can be removed but you will have to earn their trust first and address the price barrier second. Ironically, over 50% of expired listings re-list with the same agent they used the first time. Why is this? It’s because the seller has no comprehension or confidence that there is any substantial difference between agents, and no competitive agent was successful in changing the seller’s belief. To win the expired listing, you are going to have to change this belief. Uniqueness Is Key
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First you must establish the seller’s dominant preconceived notion as to why they feel they were let down by their listing agent. Simply ask them why they think their home did not sell. All that matters is what they believe the reason is, not whether or not you agree with them. You need to closely listen to these reasons and view what the seller says not as objections, but as opportunities to demonstrate to the seller your unique selling propositions (USP), and how these propositions will be used to overcome the reasons your seller believes their home did not sell. Most likely the seller will say the reason their home did not sell was lack of marketing by the listing agent. A common complaint is that “the agent simply stuck a sign in my yard and was never heard from again.” These are initiative and communication issues. What the seller wants to hear is how you will deploy a targeted and specific marketing campaign and keep them informed of the progress. The key is to implant uniqueness in your marketing plan and present that in an organized calendar with specific launch dates. Stress whatever is new to the seller that separates yourself from your competition. Example Expired USPs
• Specific marketing deployment with calendar • Hyper attention to detail and organization • Advanced technology systems that generate interest • Demonstration of technologies; i.e. 24-hour call capture with live operator follow-up,
virtual tours, visible web presence • Preauthorization to lower price at specific date if no offers are accepted
By presenting a structured and professional marketing plan that includes a calendar of deployment of your unique marketing initiatives to the seller, and demonstrating your commitment to executing that plan, you will earn their trust and inspire confidence that you are capable of selling their home. But that trust is not always earned immediately; it may require several follow-up contacts. Demonstrate How You Follow Up With Prospects (By Following Up With the Seller) As we previously stated, to win the listing you must overcome the distrust of the seller. They have just had a negative experience with the sale of their home and they are not in the mindset to believe any claims, especially initially. If the seller was upset that their previous agent stuck a sign in the yard and was never heard from again, they may sit back and see which of the competitive agents is willing to follow up on their presentation; believing (and rightfully so) that how they behave to get the listing will be how they behave when they follow up on a buyer lead. If you want to win this listing, you must demonstrate patience and consistency in your approach. On every follow-up with the seller, always present a unique selling proposition to them, a call to action to close (with perishable timestamp whenever possible), and if they do not close, inform them of a precise day and time when you will be heard from again. For example: You met with the seller on Wednesday, May 30th, and they said they would like to think about it and request that you call them on Friday. Always cut in half the amount of time a prospect tells you to contact them; so you call them on Thursday. Your approach would be something like this:
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“Mr. Seller, I know you asked me to call you on Friday, but something very important came to my attention and I must share it with you. This Monday, June 4th, is the cutoff date for me to submit any advertising for the Homes Magazine in our area that distributes over 200,000 copies per month. I would like to run an ad featuring your home on the back cover. I will use my call capture system in the ad to ensure that we are able to contact each and every prospect that calls on your listing. In fact, I will see that we make the initial call within fifteen minutes so we are sure to make contact. Since your former agent never featured your home in this Homes Magazine, or ever used call-capture to track their advertising, we will have a significant opportunity to showcase your property. The magazine will be distributed on June 11th, so this will give us a week to take care of some minor home improvements that I have listed here that I believe will help us capture the maximum sales price for you. From June 1st (today) until June 11th , when our ad comes out, I will personally contact the 23 prospective buyers I’m working with and let them know about your property. I will then contact, through voice message and email, the 854 prospects in my database to let them know about your property. On June 11th, I will follow up with you on how the contacts to my buyer universe went. If we have not received an offer by the following Friday, June 15th, I will send you a report detailing:
• how many calls we received on the Homes Magazine ad • the result of each call • how many showings we have performed • the feedback from agents and buyers
But for all this to happen, we need to go ahead and have our listing agreement executed today, so please sign the agreement.” If they do not sign, call the seller back on a designated day, offer another unique selling proposition, set a perishable time stamp when the offer expires, and ask for the agreement. For example: “Mr. Seller, unfortunately we have missed the deadline for the Homes Magazine, but I have contacted my editor in the Sunday paper and I have arranged for your property to be one of the featured listings on the front page. I will include my call capture on the ad and offer a three-hour open house. The deadline that I must respond by to feature your home is tomorrow, June 6th. With such short notice, we have to perform our minor home improvements immediately so that I can also offer an open house this Sunday. After the open house, if we have no offers, I will contact you on Tuesday, June 12th , and give you a report detailing each buyer’s feedback from the open house and what other agents commented. For this to happen, we need to go ahead and have our listing agreement executed today, so please sign the agreement.” Continue this practice until the seller signs with you. When the seller agrees to sign the listing agreement, present your calendar of marketing initiatives, and on a specific date have one of those initiatives be an agreed-upon price reduction. Preemptive Price Reduction Agreement As we’ve previously stated, the listing expires for one of two reasons:
1. the seller was unwilling to lower their price 2. the listing agent was unable to negotiate a price reduction
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Price reductions are far easier to negotiate if they are done in advance, when there is a certain amount of positive emotional expectation, versus later in the sales process when that expectation begins to turn to disappointment. The fact is that, in a free-market economy, agents do not determine the selling price. Sellers and comparable homes do not determine the selling price. The only thing that determines the selling price is the buyer. If no offers are coming in, then the market has spoken and you must lower your price. In your listing agreement, you should have a preset date for when you agree to lower the price. This is after you have exposed their listing to a full array of marketing initiatives, so there is no excuse for the seller to disagree with your position. If the seller is unwilling to lower their price, and no financial condition is present (such as they absolutely need to sell at a price or they cannot cover at closing), you must consider whether or not you are willing to take the listing. In most agents’ inventories, there are listings that they wish they had not taken, that they realize they will not receive a return on their time and marketing dollars invested. Saying “no” to a seller if they refuse to agree to a future price reduction is empowering and liberating because you know you’ve made the right decision.
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Expired Script
Hello, this is ____________ with ____________ and I saw that your home has recently expired and I was calling to see if you are currently interviewing agents for the job of selling your home? Great, once you sell your home where are you going to be moving? And how soon do you need to be there?
Before you can barrel ahead and start to ask them questions about their property, you need to first start to build some rapport. By asking them where they are going to move, you are opening them up to where they want to be in the future instead of starting with the problems they have recently experienced in selling their home. You can also gain valuable insight into what their motivation to sell their property is.
Excellent, why is it that you are looking to move?
This is another rapport-building question. However, by using this question you could gain insight into possible problems with their current property.
How did you choose the agent that you worked with initially?
Over 50% of the homeowners who have an expired listing eventually re-list with the original agent. This happens for one of two reasons: the seller has no comprehension or confidence that there is any substantial difference between agents, or no competitive agent was successful in changing the seller’s belief because other agents were not diligent in continuing to market to the seller.
What did you like best about the marketing they implemented?
By asking them for a positive to begin with, you can immediately get a handle on where you need to start designing your marketing plan to satisfy the client. You also will be able to continue to gauge where the seller stands with the previous listing agent, who is your main competition.
What do you consider the major reason that your home did not sell?
Converting expireds is dependent upon your understanding of the perceptions of the seller. 90% of the time the problem is the price, but winning expired listings is about presentation, not educating the seller on the facts at this time. This is the most important question that you will ask; it is the foundation for your focus during your Listing Presentation. Write down every problem that they bring up at this point and make sure you address it thoroughly during your presentation.
Did the property receive any offers? Why where they not accepted?
As we have stated before, 90% of the time the property is priced too high. This question will give you a good idea of exactly how far out of the current market conditions the property is priced and could also uncover some needed home improvements.
What type of marketing strategies did the previous agent use? • Did they use 24-hour call capture? • What type of print marketing was used: newspaper, homes magazines?
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• Were Just Listed and other mailings done to the surrounding area? • What type of web placement was used? Was it only listed on the corporate site? • How many public open houses were conducted and where were they advertised?
Use these questions to continue to probe the client on how proactive the agent was. Remember, during this call you are not giving your listing presentation, but trying to gather all of the information you need to present properly to the prospect once you have set an appointment.
How much buyer traffic came through the house and what kind of feedback did you receive? I really appreciate your time and I would like to apply for the job of selling your home. In today’s market you have to be proactive in your marketing and utilize the latest technologies. I would like to schedule an appointment to show you the techniques that I use to sell homes in the _____________ area. Would tomorrow at ______ o’clock be good?
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Chapter 15
Cultivating New Business From Past Prospects Using Drip Marketing Campaigns
Every qualified lead should be placed into a drip marketing campaign, defined as an automatic program that contacts (or instructs you to contact) the prospect over a period of time with various promotional or call to action messages.
210 Barton Spring Road Suite 275
Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Cultivating New Business Using Drip Marketing Campaigns
No matter how well you execute your follow-up, you are not going to convert every prospect into a client. But don’t discard the lead. You should import the lead into your contact relationship manager (CRM) to build your database and sphere of influence. The Powerline™ system has multiple auto-import features to assist you with this task (by logging into the ArchAgent web portal you will see a list of CRMs that we will auto-import into or you can manually import the data into any spreadsheet CRM). Every qualified lead should be placed into a drip marketing campaign, defined as an automatic program that contacts (or instructs you to contact) the prospect over a period of time with various promotional or call to action messages. There are various methods and strategies taught by coaches as to the appropriate way to run a drip marketing campaign. We will assist you with ideas and tools needed to help you automate your follow-up marketing campaign to create new leads from your subset of old leads. To help you avoid common mistakes, we will explore the keys to an effective drip marketing campaign, identify the pitfalls, and focus on solutions to assist you in managing your prospective and client relationships. Five Keys to Drip Marketing: Immediacy The first follow-up piece should “arrive” within 48 hours -- whether that piece is a voice broadcast call sent 48 hours after the initial call, a personal phone call, an assistant call, or a letter. Value The marketing pieces should contain a value. Whenever possible that value should be specific to the prospect or address the needs of that prospect. For example, if the lead was created from a home seller piece, your follow-up offer could include a free home evaluation or CMA. Call to Action The second piece should arrive within ten days to two weeks of the initial call. While the offer can be the same as your initial follow-up, it should be positioned differently and with more urgency. The free home evaluation offered in the first letter should now have a date-stamp for expiration. Consistency The third piece should arrive two weeks after the second. You can not expect every sales technique to work the first time, so it is imperative that you perform this task consistently, repeatedly, and over time to measure the results. After three follow-up pieces, send your prospective client a quarterly newsletter or other contact service. Vary Your Mediums You should vary the mediums in which you contact your prospects. Utilize the mail, electronic mail, personal phone calls, voice broadcast, newsletters, etc. If a prospect sees you in the mail, receives an occasional telephone call, gets invited to a client appreciation party, and receives an occasional email, they will appreciate your efforts and respect your professionalism, and the persistency of marketing will pay dividends.
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Common Pitfalls
Disregarding Cold Leads Many agents do not place enough significance on leads that are in the early stages of the home buying/selling process. If a lead is not going to purchase or sell in the next few months, many agents simply disregard them. This is unwise when you consider that the NAR reports that approximately 70% of homebuyers and sellers do business with the first agent with whom they come in contact. Misappropriating Funds Marketing dollars should be treated like sales people; either they produce or they get fired. If you don’t track your marketing’s efficacy, you won’t know if it’s working and may be investing into the wrong mediums. The mediums that yield the highest returns should receive the appropriate allocation. Mismanaging Databases Many agents mismanage their databases and hardly utilize their contact management software at all, much less to its potential. Any worthwhile CRM will enable you to query and select variable information so that you can manage multiple campaigns, such as one for your new prospects and one for your clients. Aborting Campaigns Quitting a drip marketing campaign before you reap the rewards undermines your long-range goals. A successful drip marketing campaign hinges on three key points: message, frequency, and targeting. Suspending a campaign without giving it time to run its full course undermines your ability to establish brand identification and interest from prospects. Example Campaign 1st Follow-Up Action: Telephone Call In the initial telephone call you should build rapport as quickly as possible. This is achieved by uncovering areas of commonality and asking the right questions to elicit more information. In some cases you will develop the prospect into a client on the first follow-up call. If not, use this as an information-gathering step, where you verify the prospect’s information and consider asking “permission” to continue to correspond (via your drip marketing campaign). 2nd Follow-UP Action: Mail Piece This piece is offering a value of a free home sale analysis. Make it unique by separating yourself from the more common CMAs or valuations other agents offer. Tell the prospect how to respond and lower resistance by including the “no obligation” tag.
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3rd Follow-Up Action: Email or Newsletter Here you are demonstrating your desire to work with this prospect and continuing to build legitimacy. If possible, send a newsletter that has a value specific to that prospect’s needs and desires. 4th Follow-Up Action: Mail Piece This piece has a “last chance” offer.
Now you’ve reached out and touched this prospect four times in 28 days. You have made an offer to perform a free, no obligation home sale analysis, created value with the offer because you are willing to go beyond a typical CMA, and inserted a shortage on that offer by giving them
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a date to respond by or the offer is rescinded. This is sequential marketing, a multi-step process that will generate you a much greater response than randomly mailing a “just listed” card with no call to action or perishable offer.
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Chapter 16
Enhanced Services and Frequently Asked Questions
ArchAgent provides a variety of enhanced services to simplify your follow-up and increase your conversion.
210 Barton Spring Road Suite 275
Austin, TX 78704 800-882-9006
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Powerline™ Enhanced Services
Powerline™ Call Coordinator Service ArchAgent Call Coordinator Service’s (CCS) trained operators call each lead that has accessed an extension number on your Powerline™ Interactive Voice Response System. Using information you provide, the operators follow a series of scripted questions to qualify buyers, uncover available listings, determine whether or not the prospect has been prequalified, and obtain a referral. We offer scripts for Realtors as well as loan originators. Contact an ArchAgent representative to review the available scripts. Once CCS operators have qualified your latest leads, you receive instant notification of the results, including indications of your hottest leads. By identifying potential homebuyers, you also have the lead on a potential seller. This often affords you the opportunity of being the first agent to list their home, often in a non-competitive environment. ArchAgent For Sale by Owner (FSBO) Service (http://www.archtelecom.com/products/data_service/fsbo.asp) ArchAgent’s FSBO Service identifies and delivers information on homeowners who have listed their property “for sale by owner.” We deliver FSBO leads in order of geographic proximity, providing you a list of all the FSBO leads within a fifty-mile radius of your preferred zip code. We harvest the data using an automated network of web and server-based tools, searching newspaper ads, websites, and other sources. The data is quality controlled by operators who review the FSBO listing and ensure accuracy of the information. ArchAgent also identifies and purges any FSBO leads that are actually investors, Realtors, or assisted FSBO listings. Finally, we employ live operators to enrich FSBO data by filling in any missing elements, such as the homeowner’s name, address, and phone number. Powerline™ Professional Recording Services ArchAgent’s Professional Recording Services will use your proprietary information (MLS links, property guides, flyers, or brochures) to develop a professional and precise script for each of your recordings. We master the recordings with an experienced, professional voice (male or female). Additionally, we will set up your entire Powerline™ system, including text notifications, direct transfers, and direct response reports. Voice Broadcast Service (http://www.archtelecom.com/products/voice_broadcast/index.asp) Voice broadcast technology enables you to send hundreds or thousands of recorded messages to your target market to be delivered virtually simultaneously. Your messages can be delivered to answering devices, live answers, or a combination of both. For live answers, the recipient can choose multiple transfer options such as to a live operator, survey, poll, or automated attendant systems. The service offers unrivaled value in terms of touching your sphere of influence. From Just Listed/Just Sold to price reductions to holiday greetings, the Voice Broadcast Service will keep your name in front of your most important audience…your referral base.
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Frequently Asked Questions
General I just had a number access my system and when I called it back I received an Error Recording. How do I get the valid number? In this case the cellular carrier has passed us a “Trunk” or “Tower” number. It will only affect calls received from a particular carrier and is typically only passed when the provider is doing maintenance on their system and will be resolved shortly. Unfortunately, we will not be able to capture the caller’s number. I received my sign riders and there are no holes. How do I attach them to my yard signs? Due to the wide variety of yard signs available, we do not pre-punch the signs. Simply align the signs with the holes on your yard sign and use a standard hole punch, and then attach them using a bolt and wing nut. I received a notification saying that I have a new voicemail available. How do I retrieve this? The easiest way is by logging into the Web Portal and clicking on the “Listen” tab. If you do not have web access available you can receive the voice mail through our phone system. To retrieve the message, call your toll free number and press “*” and enter in your password. You will hear a prompt informing you that there is a message waiting, and simply press 1 to listen to the message. Can I see how many callers one of my individual extensions or source digits has received over a certain period of time? Log into the Customer Portal and go the “Powerline” tab, where you should click on the “Powerline Reports” link. When you choose Output Formatting, you can select Primary Subtotals and sort by extension or source digit. Running a report in this manner will allow you to group your data and see how many calls each extension (or mailbox or ad source) has generated. I have lost my original materials. Are they available anywhere online? Yes. You can always view all of our marketing materials and also download the latest version of the User Guide online at www.archtelecom.com/downloads. Do I have to call through the phone system to make my property recordings? No, there are several other ways to place your recordings onto the Powerline™ system. You can make the recordings directly through our Web Portal by clicking on the “Powerline” tab. At the bottom you will see a link to “Create Regular Ext.” To make the recording, plug in a USB microphone and press “Record.” Once you are finished, choose the “Upload” option. You can also upload .WAV files that you have created by entering the “Powerline” tab and clicking on “Create Regular Ext.” Enter the extension number that you wish to create, click the “Browse” button, find the .WAV file on your hard drive, and then click “Save Extension.” I just don’t want to make the recordings myself, do you have somebody who will make them for me? With ArchAgent Assistant Services, all we need is the basic property information and we will script, attach the fax, and professionally record your listing. You can find more information on this service at http://www.archtelecom.com/products/powerline/assistant_services.asp. Some of my notifications have “Do Not Call” inside of the message. Does this mean they requested not to be called or that I cannot contact them? This designation is only for your reference and is informing you that the caller has registered their number on either a state or federal Do Not Call List. However, that does not necessarily
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affect whether you can contact this person. To find more information please visit http://www.archtelecom.com/downloads/PowerlineDNC2.pdf. Does the Powerline™ service have an option to let the caller listen to the information in Spanish? Yes, we can set up your system so that the caller is initially prompted to enter their language choice before receiving the recorded information. Please contact your account representative for more information about this service. Billing I received my statement and there are calls from outside of my area. Where did these come from? With any toll-free number, you are going to receive a certain amount of misdials. There are several reasons this happens, but most often these people are trying to dial your number with a different prefix, such as the 866 or 888 versions. If you are seeing more than two or three of these calls per month, please contact Customer Support to activate ANI passing or blocking. I am set up for Automatic Credit Card Billing. When is my statement amount removed from my account? We do all of our billing in arrears and the previous month’s balance is processed around the 5th day of the next month. I want to change the credit card you use to bill me monthly. Can this be done online? Log into the Web Portal and choose the “Billing” tab. You will see a button at the top labeled “Change Credit Card.” Some of the calls on my statement were just me calling in to set up my system. Am I being billed for these calls? Yes, any time your number is active you will be billed your current per minute cost. However, all administration can be done through our Web Portal, including recording your extensions, so you do not have to access the service through the phone system. Reporting Why is there no Name and Address Append or it says N/A on the call report? Most likely the call was placed using a cell phone and we were unable to successfully match the number with a name and address. I received an error report marked “Call records for your mailbox are currently being processed - please try again in a few minutes (-539).” When you receive this message, you have selected the “New Leads Only” box underneath “Advanced Selections,” and we are currently trying to match up your most recent calls to see if they have accessed your system previously. If you wait a few minutes and pull the report again it should be available. If you need your call records immediately, please uncheck the “New Leads Only” box and request the report. I would like to receive a weekly call log of all of the numbers that have accessed my system. Is that possible? Yes, we can send you daily, weekly, or monthly reports via email. Please contact Customer Service to have this service activated. How do I import my call records into my contact manager?
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When you request your Call Detail Report, check off the “Download” box directly above “Get Report.” You can then save the .CSV file and import it directly into your contact manager. If you use Top Producer 7i or 8i, you can have the leads automatically imported by following the directions found under the “Reports” tab inside of our Web Portal. Web Portal I often forget my toll-free number and password and would like to change them to something easier to remember. You can change both your Login ID and password inside of the Web Portal. Once inside, click on the link “Create Web Login” on the top right corner of the page. Please note that the new password only affects your Web Login; you will still need your default numeric password to access the phone system. I have multiple mailboxes on my system, including the Voice Broadcast service. Can I log into the system and view all of the mailboxes at once? Certainly. You will first need to create a new web login. After logging into the portal, click the link in the top right corner labeled “Create Web Login” and establish a web Login ID and password and you will then be directed to the Web Portal Administration page. Choose the tab labeled “Mailboxes” and at the bottom you will see the section “Add Associated Mailbox.” Enter in the next mailbox number and password then click “Add.” You can now choose which mailbox you want to view from the drop down menu at the top of the page. Notification/Zero Transfer I am not receiving my instant notification when somebody calls my system and hangs up without entering in an extension. We find that these are typically misdials into your number, and so by default we do not send out notifications on these calls. If you would like to receive these notifications, please contact Customer Support. I need to have different people notified on different extensions; is this possible? Yes. We have several different options to help you ensure that the proper people receive their notifications. Please contact Customer Support to activate this feature. I recently switched cell phone providers and I no longer receive my text messages. What changes do I need to make? You can update this information through the web portal. Once you have logged in, click on the “Notifications” tab and click “Delete” on your old notification. You can then set up your cellular phone with the correct provider information. After receiving my text message notification, I have trouble remembering what property is associated with the extension. Can this be included? Inside of the Customer Portal, click on the “Powerline” tab and then choose “Edit” underneath “Controls.” Type in the property address or report title inside of the box labeled “Description” and choose “Save Extension.” Can I give the caller the option to transfer to multiple people (i.e. a lender partner or assistant)? Yes, in addition to the Zero Transfer option we can give the caller the option to press “9” and transfer to a secondary number. Please contact Customer Service to activate this feature.
