LOS ANGELES 9-20-21

LOS ANGELES EDITION

7 REASONS WHY YOUR PROSPECTS AREN'T TURNING INTO CLIENTS

MODERN EMAIL ETIQUETTE FOR

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TODAY’S AGENTS

TIPS TO GET NEW CLIENTS

FEATURED AGENTS

MEG MIDDLEMAN

DEVELOPING YOUR PRICING PHILOSOPHY

COVER STORY

RUDY LIRA KUSUMA

COMPLETE RETROFITTING AND WATER CONSERVATION COMPLIANCE (PER SENATE BILL NO. 407)

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Call 1-800-771-5971 or visit us at www.lgscompliance.com email info@iusecompliance.com Top Agent Magazine

LOS ANGELES EDITION

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MEG MID

After 35 years in t industry, there’s n Meg Middleman It’s one of the m why her clients tr the most importa RUDY LIRA KUSUMA MEG MIDDLEMAN investment of th have a unique earned through CONTENTS riences with eve market,”15) Meg explains. “And I’ve consist 4) MODERN EMAIL DEVELOPING ETIQUETTE FOR YOUR PRICING my sellers get the best price and terms for th TODAY’S AGENTS PHILOSOPHY matter what’s going on with the economy.”

6) 7 REASONS WHY 21) 5 TIPS TO GET currently an agent with Century YOUR PROSPECTS AREN'T Meg is NEW CLIENTS TURNING INTO CLIENTS serving buyers and sellers in South Pasaden

RUDY LIRA KUSUMA

Altadena, and the other cities up and do Gabriel Valley. Averaging 30-40 transact she’s sold a home in just about every neig Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 the valley. Meg’s deep knowledge of the m mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com an invaluable forAgenther clients, a No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any mannerher whatsoever without prior consentresource of the publisher. Top Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published materials, Top coming back, rewarding her with a repeat Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com. business of between 65 and 70 percent. On Published in the U.S. seller expressed her satisfaction this way:

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“Meg is a true real estate expert. Her know

Modern Email Etiquette for Today’s Agents In today’s tech-forward culture, consumers are constantly inundated with promotional emails, alerts, invites, and social media blasts. As a real estate agent or a loan officer, how do you stand apart from the noise? What’s more, how do you stay relevant in a digital landscape that’s constantly changing?

For starters, there are a few timeless techniques you can apply to up your skillset when it comes email and digital communication: asking questions that 4

inspire conversation, politeness, and following up regularly—to name a few. Likewise, there are surely new tricks you can add to your arsenal to stay ahead of the curve. Let’s outline a few ways you can refine and update your email etiquette to compete in today’s virtual marketplace.

Make your subject line count Too often, we labor over the content of our emails without giving much thought to subject lines.

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Though email is no longer a new-fangled invention, there are certainly ways you can modernize its use and take advantage of its ubiquity.

However, these little headlines can go a long way in luring the consumer to open your email and ultimately click through to your website in search for your services. An enticing subject line should be short and sweet, ideally less than fifty characters.

You might also include the name of the recipient, and be up front (though concise) about the subject matter of your message. Remember: the first thing a client will see is your name and subject line—be sure to make this prime real estate shine.

Think mobile Research tells us that 79% of Americans check their phones within fifteen minutes of waking up. In fact, much of modern day correspondence occurs by smartphone. Accordingly, you’ll want to account for email readability on a mobile phone.

For instance, incorporating paragraph breaks for each new thought allows information to be parceled out in a palatable way for readers utilizing small screens. Also, any sort of graphic flair or links within your email should be shortened and streamlined for mobile consumption. Send yourself an email every now and again and access it from your phone—you’ll be able to double-check that all the elements of your emails are working well on a mobile platform.

Incorporate email tools There are excellent tools out there to enhance your email experience. With just a quick download, Top Agent Magazine

you can add spellcheck, a URL address shortening feature, or a delay option that holds emails for thirty seconds before they’re sent. Think about the possibilities! Haven’t you sent an email without including the attachment you intended, or realizing you sent correspondence to the wrong client? If that’s the case, a delay feature can help you save face and build in a window for error— just in case. Regardless of which tools speak to your email habits, there are plenty of add-ons out there that can revamp your digital correspondence style.

Use email to maximize your online presence These days, there are plenty of ways to communicate—email, text, phone, apps, and social media.

When you interact through email, consider it an opportunity to invite your client to follow you elsewhere online. Ensure that your email signature includes unobtrusive, streamlined links to your social media accounts, professional website, or review page. This will build in an opportunity for clients to engage with your brand, and you may even add an online follower for the long term.

Though email is no longer a new-fangled invention, there are certainly ways you can modernize its use and take advantage of its ubiquity. Keep these approaches in mind as you reenergize your email technique and fortify your communication in the digital era.

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7 Reasons Why Your Prospects Aren’t Turning Into Clients Real estate experts suggest prospecting daily so that your sales pipeline never runs dry.

But sometimes all that effort doesn’t translate into results. If your prospects aren’t becoming clients, there’s a reason, which is better than it sounds because that means you can fix the problem.

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1. You’re Too Slow The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials estimates that there are about 2 million active real estate licensees in the United States alone. Of course, not all these individuals are working in the same markets. Nonetheless, that

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If your prospects aren’t becoming clients, there’s a reason, which is better than it sounds because that means you can fix the problem.

means that realtors face a lot of competition. If you are slow to respond to messages from prospective clients, someone else is sure to beat you to it. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to return calls and emails within 24 hours.

If you’re too busy working with active clients to return the phone calls and emails of prospective clients, consider hiring a real estate assistant who can help take administrative or marketing tasks off your plate.

2. They Don’t Trust You There are different reasons why a client might not trust you, some of which overlap with others on this list. When a client asks you a question, do you answer it directly or do you sidestep it?

Do you have testimonials and reviews from happy clients publicly available? Do you have an online presence? Social proof of your skills and knowledge is key.

3. You Don’t Seem Knowledgeable Enough Is your client constantly coming to you with new listings or marketing ideas rather than the Top Agent Magazine

other way around? Do they mention real estate and finance terms you’ve never heard of or ask you questions you’ve never thought to ask yourself? Every agent starts somewhere, but if this seems to be a pattern, it’s one clients will pick up on too.

Your clients want to know that you will add value to their home buying or selling experience, and part of that value is your expertise and passion.

4. You Have No Web Presence It’s not enough to be on Zillow or have a Facebook page. There are clients who don’t use these platforms, and at the end of the day, you don’t own the content or your access to it. Both platforms could suddenly go out of business and any following you’ve gained could be lost.

It doesn’t cost much to create and maintain a website today. If customization matters little to you, sometimes you can even get up and running for free. At the very least, it’s a good idea to invest in a domain name because yourwebsite. wordpress.com looks a lot less professional than yourwebsite.com.

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5. You Don’t Seem to Care When clients don’t think you care, it usually means they don’t feel like you are listening.

You may have systems, processes, and a proven marketing strategy. You may like to get right down to business, but to your client, this isn’t just business—it’s their life and their family’s livelihood.

When your client tells you what’s important to them, they want to make sure that you really hear them. Make sure your body language conveys that. Slow down. Shut your office door.

Make eye contact, nod your head, and pause before you speak so that they understand that you’ve put thought into your words—that they aren’t simply lines from a script.

6. You Use Too Much Jargon Remember that your clients don’t speak real estate. At most, they might buy or sell a home once every few years. They hired you to be their advocate and may even expect you to be a bit of a teacher too. Use layman’s terms so that your

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client fully understands how the two of you will work together.

7. Your Target Audience Is Everyone Your clients are home buyers and sellers, yes, but who is your ideal client? Some specialties you might consider are college students and recent graduates, working professionals, military families, seniors, CEOs, or other high-profile clients.

As a newer agent, your target audience might be anyone who will hire you, but over time, you might find that you click more with certain clients, that their lifestyle is similar to yours, or that their goals align with your mission. Whatever the reason, marketing your business to this “ideal client” rather than every potential client will make selling your services easier.

Remember: It’s within your power to alleviate your client’s concerns, but understanding why your prospects aren’t turning into clients is a good start.

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RUDY LIRA KUSUMA Top Agent Magazine

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Top Agent Rudy Lira Kusuma Just Launched Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty to Revolutionalize the Real Estate Industry It uses a unique specialization model, whereby each Team Member focuses on one specific area of real estate.

In 2007, Rudy Lira Kusuma was selling promotional items door to door. One of his main clients was a brokerage, and one of the brokers suggested that he look into getting a real estate license. Rudy decided to take the leap, and after working for ERA Real Estate, Coldwell Banker, and 10 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

RE/MAX for many years, he launched Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty in 2019. Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty has experienced vast growth over the past two years due in large part to Rudy’s creative approach to his business model and his commitment to the Top Agent Magazine

success of the agents on his team. Its streamlined processes allow them to use their time efficiently, providing excellent service to clients without wasting valuable time.

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Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty uses a unique specialization model, whereby each Team Member focuses on one specific area of real estate. Members are split up into different sections, including 11 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

“Specializing each member of the Team smoothes out the transaction process, and creates an incredibly satisfying experience for our clients,” Rudy says. “In the last 12 months, we’ve gotten 75% of our business from happy clients coming back.” the Marketing Department, Admin Staff, Inside Sales Team, and Outside Sales Agent Partners, which enables them to be more efficient and productive while quickly gaining experience to become experts in their field. “Specializing each member of the Team smoothes out the transaction process, and creates an incredibly satisfying experience for our clients,” Rudy says. “In the last 12 months, we’ve gotten 75% of our business from happy clients coming back or referring their friends and family to us.”

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Through its deliberately agent-focused design, Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty is a great option for agents who are looking for a Brokerage that will take their best interests into account.

Agents in the Realty are given face-toface appointments with clients, allowing them to offer the best quality service without the hassle and time consumption of lead generation, as well as spending their time selling instead of prospecting. Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty offers Realtors a way to make more Top Agent Magazine

money doing what they love by waiving industry standards and providing an ergonomic framework through which to conduct real estate business.

When it comes to marketing, Your Home Sold Guaranteed uses its cultivated database of over 57,000 prospective buyers in California to make it easy for sellers to Top Agent Magazine

get offers on their home. The Marketing Department advertises listings extensively across multiple platforms, including social media, radio, billboards, newspapers, and the MLS - Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty is able to get competitive offers for their sellers quickly and efficiently, making it a major asset for anyone looking to put their home on the market!

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In his free time, Rudy enjoys hiking and swimming with his wife and two boys.

As a give-back-to-the-community brokerage, Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty is committed to investing in the needs of their community through their Go Serve Big Mission - “We are proud of our agents, as they give a portion of each transaction to a charity of their choice!” Rudy and his team know that when you put others first, you will never be second. In keeping with

that philosophy, Rudy hopes to connect with 100 team leaders by December 2022, allowing them to build their own Teams of an average of 10 agents each through his brokerage, leading to a total of 1,000 partner agents added to Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty by December 31, 2022.

These mutually beneficial relationships created between Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty and the other agents in California are the foundation for both parties’ success.

Contact Rudy at (626) 789-0159, or visit Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty online at YourHomeSoldGuaranteed.com www.

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Developing Your Pricing Philosophy

By Dirk Zeller

Ask a dozen agents to explain their home pricing philosophy, and you’ll

hear a dozen different approaches. And if the talk reveals frank responses, you’ll also learn that the most common pricing strategy is no strategy at all.

Here’s my advice: Break out of the ranks by establishing and following a specific strategy for arriving at the ideal selling price for each home.

Adopt the philosophy that, in real estate sales, price is king. Price trumps all other factors—including marketing approaches, home condition, market competitiveness, and sales approach. I believe that, in the end, marketing and condition of the property are controlled by the price.

The alternative, advocated by many agents, most sellers, and even some sales trainers, is to emphasize marketing over pricing. Rather than working to set the ideal price, they believe success will come from optimizing the home’s condition and presentation and then marketing it with skill and savvy.

I take the opposite belief, based on years of experience working with sellers who wanted unrealistic prices for their homes and who experienced firsttime sales failures as a result.

Over my sales career, I resurrected and re-listed more than 600 expired listings—nearly 75 a year. Among all those transactions, I never met an owner with an expired listing who thought that an unreasonable price had anything to do with the home’s failure to sell. They all blamed the previous Copyright Agent Magazine Top Agent Top Magazine

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agent and that person’s approach to marketing. Each sought some magic marketing strategy to change the reality of the law of supply and demand.

There is a magic strategy: Price the home correctly.

Price is the only factor that can overcome sales obstacles, compensate for a home’s deficiencies, and motivate a purchaser even if the condition of the property and your marketing approach is less than perfect.

Getting the listing at any cost Does this scenario sound familiar? An agent (usually a newer agent) is short on business or maybe even desperate for the chance to stake a sign in someone’s yard. The agent wants a listing at any price – even if the chance 16

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to seal a deal erodes the likelihood of selling the property. To gain a seller’s nod of approval, the agent makes a flatteringly high pricing recommendation, throwing out a number the client wants to hear and then hoping something good will result from the bad situation.

I can think of few examples, if any, where this philosophy works. Hope isn’t a successful pricing strategy. Worse, the please-the-client mindset is a hard one to abandon. Agents who achieve listings with unrealistic prices find it hard to later counsel their clients honestly.

If you take and price a good listing competitively, it will sell. You can’t keep a good price a secret!

The pitfalls of a “please the buyer” approach are many and significant. By overpricing, you can practically count on a reduction in your productivity, profitability, and salability, and here’s why: It’s impossible to keep your productivity high when your time is spent in conversations with an unsuccessful seller who lacks motivation to take corrective action. The seller’s negativity, concerns, and phone calls will only increase with each week or month the house remains on the market.

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As time goes on, you’ll devote more and more time unsuccessfully trying to create a sale not only for your seller but also for yourself. This will pull you away from activities that are more likely to deliver income. The ensuing frustration will de-motivate you and stunt your ability to secure better appointments that create other income opportunities.

An unsold, overpriced listing negatively impacts your profitability because it costs you time and money to service while it delivers no revenue to your business. And the situation only gets worse the longer the listing languishes on the market. You’ll end up deducting the expenses of this in-limbo listing from the proceeds generated by any revenue-producing deals you manage to close in the meantime, reducing your net profit and business success.

Unsold homes that linger on the market seriously diminish your salability, which is the term that describes your sales success track. Your salability is based on such key statistics as your average ratio of listing price compared to sale price and the average number of days your listings are on the market.

Obviously, these statistics, which prospects rely on when choosing one agent over another, can be crushed by a “get the listings at any cost” philosophy. They’re also harmed by the “start high and reduce later” tactic.

If you take and price a good listing competitively, it will sell. You can’t keep a good price a secret!

Dirk Zeller is an Agent, an Investor, and the President and CEO of Real Estate Champions. Copyright©, Dirk Zeller. All rights reserved.

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MEG MIDDLEMAN After 35 years in the real estate industry, there’s not much that Meg Middleman hasn’t seen.

It’s one of the many reasons why her clients trust her with the most important financial investment of their lives. “I have a unique perspective, earned through my experiences with every kind of market,” Meg explains. “And I’ve consistently helped my sellers get the best price and terms for their homes no matter what’s going on with the economy.”

Meg is currently an agent with Century 21 Masters, serving buyers and sellers in South Pasadena, Pasadena, Altadena, and the other cities up and down the San Gabriel Valley. Averaging 30-40 transactions a year, she’s sold a home in just about every neighborhood in the valley. Meg’s deep knowledge of the market makes her an invaluable resource for her clients, and they keep coming back, rewarding her with a repeat and referral business of between 65 and 70 percent. One very happy seller expressed her satisfaction this way: “Meg is a true real estate expert. Her knowledge, skills, and professionalism are at the highest level of any real estate professional I have ever worked with. She kept my family as a priority throughout the process and was able to sell our home for top dollar despite the COVID pandemic….I was thoroughly impressed by every aspect of her work ethic.”

with a professionally written property description to the MLS, all the social media platforms, and real estate websites like Zillow and Realtor.com. But the most important resource is the thousands of agents and former clients within her sphere. She reaches out to target specific buyers who might be interested in the kind of home her client is selling, or the neighborhood.

Meg’s relationship with her clients extends far beyond the closing table. She stays in touch with them in case any problems develop after they move into their new home, or to keep them apprised on how their investment has appreciated over the years. Mostly she just checks in to see how they and their family are doing, and to celebrate or commiserate with them depending on the events happening in their life.

Supporting her community is very important to Meg. She volunteers with two different churches, the South Pasadena Education Foundation, and various homelesssupport services such as Friends In Deed. She’s also an active member of South Pasadena’s Chamber of Commerce. When she’s not working or contributing her time, Meg enjoys reading, or attending local music and cultural events.

Going forward, she plans to work for 5 or 10 more years, continuing to educate clients on what they need to know to make good decisions when selling or purchasing properties. “I love meeting new people, and I strive to make sure their lives are a little better than before I met them.”

When it comes to marketing her listings, Meg advises her clients every step of the way. This includes advising on pre-market inspections, how to best stage the home to appeal to buyers and, of course, how to price competitively. “The most important part of marketing is setting the price correctly for the current market,” Meg adds.

“That’s another area where my experience of so many different kinds of markets pays off.”

After which she hires a professional photographer at no cost to her clients for quality photos that are uploaded 20

Contact Meg at 626-755-5551 or email MegMiddleman@gmail.com Copyright Top Top Agent Agent Magazine Magazine

5 Tips to Get New Clients If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’ve probably built up a healthy percentage of repeat and referral business.

Although it can be tempting to just maintain those relationships rather than generating new business, there’s something to be said for staying on top of

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your game by never resting on your laurels. Actively pursuing new clients is not only a way to generate more business, but depending on how you do it, it could even lead to a profitable new niche. Here are just a few ways to build up your new client base.

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1

Become a referral partner with industry peers

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Cold Call Expired and FSBO Listings

Everyone from mortgage lenders, to financial planners, to insurance agents, can be potentially lucrative referral partners for a Realtor®. You may already have great relationships with some that just need to be more formalized. But, you don’t just want to partner with anyone, make sure these are people you also feel completely comfortable referring your clients to - people who share your values and work ethic.

Another avenue to consider is divorce attorneys – yes, you heard that correctly. Helping people go through this difficult period actually requires a very specific skill set.

You need to be able to handle the legal aspects, as well as the emotional ones. There are numerous training courses you can take if you decide to take this route, which could end up being a lucrative and much-needed specialty.

This is a route a lot of agents take when they are just starting out, that usually leads to great success. You probably haven’t cold called since you started out, and this is a great skill to build up again.

It will not only sharpen your sales skills, but could generate a lot more business.

People with For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) and expired listings, are usually very motivated to sell. This is a great chance for you to really hone in on why they need to hire you. Do you offer innovative marketing plans? Access to a large sphere of influence? Expired listing clients are looking for ways to sell a property that seems impossible to move. With FSBOs, you need to show them how you can get them more money in their pocket, even 22

with paying you a commission. Pursuing both will really engage your mind to think outside of the box, which will not only get you more business, but make you better at what you do.

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Partner up with a Relocation Company

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Become a Builder’s Realtor® of choice

This is another niche market that you can really capitalize on if you want to pursue a new specialty. But, it is a specialty, so getting educated on the process will help you generate the business you want. It’s a complicated area of real estate, you’ll often

times be helping to facilitate dual transactions, as you try and secure a property at the same time you are helping your relocation client sell their previous home. This specialty is becoming an in-demand skill in areas that have major corporate headquarters.

This can be a real score for any Realtor®.

The competition might be fierce to land a client like this, but there are numerous ways to make yourself stand out from the rest.

Gain certifications and become knowledgeable about the construction process. Be wellversed on what trendy materials, features, and finishes will add value to a property.

Get the builder on board with you by offering to take just a segment of the subdivision then wow them with your marketing skills.

Take on properties they haven’t been able to sell. You can even offer to throw an open

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house for them. This is another way to show them the level of service they can expect from you. These clients might be harder to land, but the payoff will be enormous.

Create a Website that Offers Real Value to Potential Clients

Perhaps the most useful way of getting contact information for people looking to sell is by adding a home valuation feature to your website. When people are first considering selling their home, finding out how much

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it is worth is one of the first questions they want answered. By becoming a resource to potential clients (and current clients!), you just might be the first person that comes to mind when they’re actually looking to sell.

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