NEW YORK 10-1-18

NEW YORK EDITION

GOOGLE ADWORDS:

HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE DO THE WORK FOR YOU

COVER STORY

TRY vs.

DO

LISA GANZ

NEW YORK EDITION

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LISA GANZ

CONTENTS 4) HOW TO ANSWER THE INEVITABLE QUESTION: WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE YOU?

16) PROPERTIES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

6) GOOGLE ADWORDS: HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE DO THE WORK FOR YOU

21) TRY VS. DO

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How to Answer the Inevitable Question:

Why Should I Choose You? In some markets, a real estate agent is competing against thousands of other individuals and teams. There are only so many bells and whistles—so many buzz words you can throw at prospective clients. To a buyer or seller who has interviewed several other agents already, all of it begins to blend together and every realtor sounds as though they’re reading off the same script.

Your clients want to know why they should choose you. They want to know what makes you different. It’s highly likely they’ll even 4

ask you this question directly in your initial interview, but as an agent, you might have a hard time coming up with a response that either you or your clients are truly satisfied with.

To answer your client’s why you must go back to your own why.

WHAT SKILLS DO YOU HAVE THAT OTHERS DON’T? Just because there are other agents in your area doesn’t mean those agents have the

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same skills that you do. We each bring our own backgrounds and experiences to the table. What comes naturally to you? Maybe it’s your negotiating skills or your ability to connect people that sets you apart from the rest.

WHAT PART OF THE BUSINESS DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST? There are skills and then there are passions.

In real estate, there’s so much to enjoy.

There’s the opportunity to match a family with the right home and the sense of safety and comfort that brings their loved ones.

There’s the ability to give someone a sense of financial security by advocating and negotiating on their behalf. And then there’s the houses and neighborhoods themselves— the architecture, history, and community.

WHAT ARE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS? When you look at your client list and the portfolio of work that you’ve built over the years, what are you most proud of? Sure, there are financial rewards, but there are also other accomplishments that your prospective clients will likely be eager to hear about, such as happy client testimonials, a thriving referral business, volunteer and charity work, or even how you lift and support your own team.

Everyone needs money, but those other accomplishments and how you speak about them show your client what kind of person Top Agent Magazine

you are and if that’s the type of person they want to work with.

WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS? Real estate might seem like your entire world at times, but you also have a life outside of work. Maybe you like music or traveling or being outdoors. The best part about being a realtor is that there are often ways you can thread these interests into your work, like hosting client functions and events.

WHAT DOES YOUR CLIENT CARE ABOUT THE MOST? Let’s face it, your clients likely care the most about only a few things: saving or making the most money, doing it as soon as possible, and making sure that doing so isn’t too stressful. Your response to your client’s question—why should I choose you?— should address these concerns.

Maybe you excel at creating systems that make the selling process efficient and profitable for your client. Or maybe you excel at providing a personalized experience for homebuyers.

Try out a few responses. You might even start with a template: My [skills or passions] helps me [provide this service] because I can [achieve my client’s goal].

Like most things in life, coming up with a compelling and concise response for why clients should hire you will take time and practice.

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Google AdWords:

How To Make Google Do the Work for You There is no denying that the internet is the first place a buyer begins looking for a new home in this digital age. Knowing how to put the powerful tools available on the internet to work for you can give you a decided advantage when it comes to attracting prospective buyers to your listings, as well as you as an agent. Google is easily one of the major superpowers of the internet, and they have one of the most powerful advertising tools available. Knowing how to utilize Google AdWords in the correct manner can make your internet advertising immensely powerful and possibly your best way to reach prospective buyers.

Google AdWords is also extremely cost-effective. This multifaceted tool gives you much more control over your advertising campaign than other more traditional methods. You can target specific audiences, choose the specific search terms, also known as keywords, that will bring up your ad in someone’s search results, and you can set a budget for each campaign that will dictate it’s reach and how long the campaign will run. Here are some tips for how to put Google AdWords to work for you.

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ent websites. You want to set yourself apart from every other real estate website users are viewing in their search for a house.

MAKE SURE YOUR ADS ARE GOING TO SEND USERS TO A SITE THAT WILL CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION

You can spend an infinite amount of money on Google advertising campaigns, but if those ads don’t send users to a site that will capture and hold their interest, then you’ve just wasted all that money. Don’t put your cart before the horse. Make sure you are considering exactly where these ads are going to send users. To set up your website for success, at the very least you want to make sure users are greeted by clear call-to-action, such as a message that will encourage them to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog. You want to set up your website to maximize and capture the leads the ad campaign sends your way.

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BUILD CUSTOMIZED OR CUSTOM-MADE WEBSITES RATHER THAN TEMPLATE WEBSITES It is easy and tempting to use template websites, or to offer your agents template websites if you are a real estate manager or broker. While this offers a cost-effective solution to providing every agent with a website, it does little to set you or your agents apart and capture the attention of users that are used to seeing a wealth of differ-

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MAKE SURE YOU ARE OFFERING VALUE ON YOUR WEBSITE

Don’t simply use your website as a kind of brag sheet. Let users know what makes your particular services valuable to them. Highlight your expertise in a certain location through tools such as blog posts, providing market updates, or giving pertinent information on a unique type of property. This will ensure that your online advertising campaigns are much more successful.

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LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!

Location is everything in real estate, and the same holds true for Google AdWords. You can target specific locations in your ad campaign. While one approach is to focus on the area around your location, a more advanced approach would be to link AdWords campaigns to your Google My Business account. This is a Google service that includes your address in the ad, allowing people to then click on it and see exactly where you are located on a map.

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USE GOOGLE ADWORDS IN YOUR CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS IN GENERAL

Focus an AdWords campaign on expanding your business by incorporating specific zip codes and neighborhoods that will help you establish a presence in an area where you would like to increase your real estate business. Making sure that your ad appears in search results that are related to the real estate in a specific area will help shape the image and brand of your business as well as bring in new leads.

HARNESS THE POWER OF DATA

When you run a Google AdWords campaign Google Analytics captures a wealth of information about your target client demographic.

You can gain real insight into your online visitors, such as when they visit, what they do and look at on your site once they get there, and what search terms they use. You can use all of this information to grow your business. Use Google Analytics to determine which users (location, gender, age) are utilizing specific aspects of your site, such as looking at multiple listings, reading your blog, etc. You can then use this information to target these specific demographics in your AdWord campaigns, Gmail ads, the Google Display Network, and other advertising.

Using the internet to help advertise your business and your listings is one of the smartest moves you can make as an agent in this modern age. However, you don’t want to simply go into the process blind or you’re wasting a lot of potential resources and data that could make all the difference. To reap the benefits of Google AdWords, you must apply an intelligent strategy to using these campaigns.

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LISA GANZ Top Agent Magazine

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Top Agent Lisa Ganz of Carrington Real Estate Services in East Meadow, New York, was ranked #24 in the nation in her company in 2017.

LISA GANZ Top Agent Lisa Ganz, of Carrington Real Estate Services in East Meadow, New York, is rapidly approaching two decades in the real estate industry. Lisa’s business continues to grow and thrive not just because of her true commitment to excellent customer service, but because of her forthright, empathic and integrity-based approach to working with buyers and sellers. Incredibly professional, Lisa has made a name for herself as an agent who can be consistently trusted to put the needs of her many clients front and center during every transaction.

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Lisa, who ranked #24 in the entire nation in her company, Carrington Real Estate Services, began her journey in the world of real estate in 2000.

“I wanted to buy my first house,” she recalls.

“There was absolutely nothing available to help someone educate themselves about the home buying process, so I decided to take a real estate class, and ended up taking the test and getting my license. Then I bought my house and made the commission from that. Obviously, I gained a major affinity for the process!” Lisa found success immediately, and she now can boast that it is comprised in large part of repeat and referral business, a true metric of success in this highly competitive industry.

Lisa, along with her equally-dedicated team, services a great swath of New York’s Long Island, both Nassau and Suffolk Counties as well as Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Manhattan, rather than limiting herself to farming a certain area Top Agent Magazine

only. “Have car, will travel,” she says with a smile. “I’m not afraid to go anywhere. If someone is looking for a property in an area I’m not completely knowledgeable about, I see it as an opportunity to educate myself, learning more about the market to better assist them, and future clients!”

There are many reasons for Lisa’s continuing success, the chief among them is her commitment to continuing education. She is an experienced REO expert, privately certified by a number of Top Agent Magazine

national banks, as well as locally “SFR Certified” in short sales and foreclosures. Lisa’s affinity for creativity ranks her at the top of the list in staging and design (HSE, Home Staging Expert Certified). Her own experience in the last 3 years, personally flipping 13 homes, designing and building (3 of them) from the ground up, has translated into a wealth of invaluable experience that continues to benefit her clients. Lisa is CIREC, “Commercial Real Estate Investment Certified” and has done a plethora of commercial leasing in the last 12 years, working with well11 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

“Lisa Ganz is a wonderful, hard-working agent. She is in contact with her clients at all times, and goes above and beyond to help them achieve their goals...”

—Testomonial

known national tenants. Last but not least, Lisa’s CBR (Certified Buyer Agent) and her GREEN certifications represent her constant commitment to helping others, caring about not only helping buyers find their dream home but also interest in the better treatment of the planet.

The appreciation her clients feel for her is perhaps best evidenced by the sheer number of glowing Copyright Top Agent Magazine Copyright 12

testimonials she has received on multiple online platforms, including this one from Zillow.com: “Lisa Ganz is a wonderful, hard-working agent.

She is in contact with her clients at all times, and goes above and beyond to help them achieve their goals. She considers her clients her family when she works for them. Lisa is the most amazing person that any prospective seller or buyer would want for an agent. She is very professional Top Agent Magazine

and her work ethic is outstanding. I would highly recommend Lisa Ganz to everyone, there is none better in my opinion.”

Lisa cherishes the relationships she builds with her many clients and works hard to nurture them.

“I’m a little old-school in that I like to make phone calls or a quick text to say hello to check in with them,” she says. I like to let them know that I’m thinking of them. I try to always be thoughtful and considerate, treating others the way I would like to be treated. I remember the things people tell me. I try to be a good listener when it comes to people’s needs and interests,” she says. “It just makes me that much better at what I do!”

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Lisa is extremely passionate about giving back to her community in a multitude of ways, one of her chief interests at current is animal rescue. “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated…” ~ Mahatma Gandhi Lisa passionately expresses, “They can’t help themselves! We should always try to be kind, especially to the helpless!” Another of Ms. Ganz’s goals, with a plan already underway (she happily expresses), is to better assist America’s Veterans.

“Veterans have a ton of possibilities for homeownership that they may not even be fully aware of! I’m going to focus much of mine and my team members time, helping to get our ‘Heroes’ a roof Copyright Top Agent Magazine 13

over their heads! They deserve ‘The American Dream’ just as much if not more than anyone, for sacrificing and fighting for our Freedom!!” Lisa also recently professes a huge affinity for Down Syndrome and Autism causes and has plans to do a charitable event to benefit both, following the death of one of her childhood best friends who has children dealing with those issues. “I’m going to do that one in her honor,” she says.

Lisa’s plans for the future are in keeping with her gregarious and generous nature. “I just love

to help people, whether that’s helping people change their lives, leveraging themselves to get into the business, to help a (first time) home buyer find their dream home, or to help an owner sell their current home (and obtain the most profit) to move into the next phase of their life confidently. Wherever anyone needs my help, I’m honored to be there for them. God leads me to all of those places. I just have to keep showing up! I am very grateful for every opportunity presented to me and I am very blessed.”

For more information about Lisa Ganz, please TEXT 516 - 351-6137 and/or email TheGojiPrincess@aol.com

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Cliffco Mortgage Bankers congratulates

Lisa Ganz

on being featured for the state of New York in Top Agent Magazine!

1065 Old Country Rd., Suite 205A Westbury, NY 11590 (516) 350-5341 | info@cliffcomortgage.com cliffcomortgage.com www.

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Properties: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

by Denise Lones

I was shocked. There it was. An expensive property near a busy intersection that had stayed on the market for almost a year.

I asked one of my agents, “Why hasn’t this one sold?”

But none of these are reasons to put this property on the back shelf. In fact, there is a market for every market, no matter its location or condition. Too often, we make the mistake of shortchanging sellers who don’t have manicured lawns on cul-de-sacs with perfect houses. We prejudge our own listings to the detriment of the people we’re supposed to be serving.

He said, “Because it’s a dog. Look at it. Nobody wants those turrets that stick out like that. And besides, it’s at that intersection where there’s traffic all day long.”

I’ve been there. I’ve driven to properties hoping for a terraced I couldn’t believe what I was masterpiece with a stunning garden, hearing. This agent had “classified” and then felt that sick dropping this property in his own mind as feeling in the pit of my stomach something that wasn’t worth the when I finally saw it. trouble to market—pretending to service his customer while doing What do most agents do? They’re nothing. True, it wasn’t as beautiful polite, they take the listing, and they or pristine as surrounding neigh- get out of there fast. They rely too borhoods. True, it was in a not-so- much on their own opinion of the prime location. True, it could use property rather than pulling statistics to determine its true market value. some handyman work.

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OR they tell the seller, “This house isn’t going to sell unless you change the carpet, fix the paint, install new roofing, etc.”

Beware! This could lead into a legal nightmare. While on the surface this agent is giving generic advice, what if the seller does everything the agent suggests—and the house still doesn’t sell? That agent might want to call a good lawyer.

If a property needs work, that’s never a reason it won’t sell. There are investors, handypersons, contractors, and do-it-yourselfers who love these properties. Go to your local real estate investment club meeting and you’ll find people searching frantically for such properties. Advertise it as a “Handyman’s Special.” Target these people directly. You may be amazed how many of them are out there.

Here’s the truth: Every property— True, you may have to advise the good, bad, and ugly—will sell if seller they won’t get top-dollar if priced right. It is always about price. a lot of work needs to be done.

There is always someone in the But this is the true issue here—not market ready and willing to buy the work itself. It’s always about right now for the right price. price.

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Let’s talk ugly. A house is in pristine condition, but has a rather peculiar look. Well, I have news for you: Just because you think a house is ugly doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out there who will say, “This is the home I’ve been looking for all my life!”

cannot tell you how many times my jaw dropped when someone told me, “Perfect! We love it!” So, I’ve learned never to judge a house by its paint job, landscaping, or design.

You have a job to do: sell the house at top-market price. You are hired to be the market expert. Sellers don’t Did you know there are people out have the time to do so themselves. there who prefer ugly houses? Yes, That’s why you have a career. ugly houses! Some people don’t care about the outside of a property. It’s always the market that They’re only interested in the determines what sells. No matter the inside, where they know they will shape, size, or condition. And you be spending most of their time. are not in charge of the market, These are people who don’t buy to which as always is based on supply impress others, but rather to please and demand. Whatever is in demand themselves. Thank goodness for will sell, whether it’s a beachfront these people. Without them, we’d mansion or a shack in the woods. Be creative. Use your marketing to have to tear down half the planet! target people who truly want these I’ve seen houses that look like properties. But most importantly, something from a Stephen King price the property correctly for the novel sell overnight while another market. that could be on the cover of Home and Garden languishes on the market Know thy market and thou shalt for weeks. Why? Because somebody know what sells—good, bad, or ugly. wanted that house. Period.

You are not the world’s taste critic. Copyright©, Denise Lones.

You cannot tell what people want. I All rights reserved.

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Laughs!

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Try vs Do

By Barry Eisen

“Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda (1977) The day is done. It seems you’ve done a million things. Everything went well. You had loads of energy and you’re stoked. Clients listened to you and acknowledged the clarity and wisdom of your suggestions. Your kids paid attention. Even the dog obeyed. Great feelings!

Dawns a new day... You wake up groggy, you become a magnet for clients’ frustrations, you feel invisible, the dog spits up on the thick white rug, an associate points out a huge stain on your shirt, a selling appointment cancels and it’s not even 10:00 AM. Know what you are? Normal. Look around and you will find a lot of normal. Stuff happens to us all. To some, who seem to attract more stuff than the rest (something to be said about selffulfilling prophecies) the distractions feel overwhelming and continuous.

Some try their best to turn the tide. Trying doesn’t work. Doing does.

Effort is appreciated, but accomplishment creates the lifestyle and is a lot more satisfying.

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We use the word often and teach our kids to try hard. Think of what the concept of “trying” implies. We are telling ourselves to make the effort.

But how often do we confuse effort and activity with accomplishment? Is it not our egos protecting ourselves from the perceived agony of failure by saying...you don’t have to do what it takes, just appreciate the effort.

It’s kinda like the controversy raging on today about all kids getting trophies for participating in a competition, even if they came in last place. Maybe rewards for the little ones keep them engaged, but the reality of life for most adults is about accomplishing, not efforting.

Some try their best to turn the tide. One of the surest ways to become a victim is to try.

Trying doesn’t When we commit to trying something and fall short work. Doing oftoadosuccess, we can always claim “ I tried.” Even in failure does. we can claim victory as we achieved what we committed to... I tried! Be careful of the words you use as they become converted into action. As in sports, good effort is appreciated, but the ones who want it more generally prevail. They call it Scoreboard.

The “doer” is the person who takes the bigger risk of making the extra effort. Without the risk to continue and create a victory, you create “normal.” It’s safe but unsatisfying. And worse yet, this settling for the lazy way out develops into whining, excuse making, low energy, irritability and much more. Do what’s right, not what’s easy. The best of your intentions won’t create a better relationship, clean up the planet or make you more money.

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7 DO’s to make a difference:

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Leave every part of your day with a positive accomplishment (even a small one).

In every endeavor, act AS IF you were already successful and capable. Show yourself what you CAN DO.

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Do what’s right, not what’s easy.

Read or listen to positive books or recordings at least 30 minutes each day-spend as much time with personal development as you do growing your business. Look for and apply the lessons that feel right.

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Write out your to-do list every night before you go to sleep, whether you feel like it or not and prioritize it. Let it guide you to better decisions during your day.

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Create a Value Added mindset that allows you to under promise and over deliver. That unexpected extra personal touch, that personalized attention, that piece of humanity, the extra door you knock, the thank you, please, your welcome can put you over the top. It is usually the little things that make a difference.

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Develop strong enough “whys” and the “hows” answer themselves.

Dig deeper than just an amount of money. Money doesn’t motivate.

Figure out what moves you and your focus will become laser-like.

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Follow through and do it not because you “have to,” but because you “get to.” Play, have fun, lighten up and shine.

Barry Eisen teaches personal development seminars and coaches Southern California top producing REALTORS®. “Your business will never grow more than you do” is the theme; self hypnosis and behavior modification are the tools for playing a bigger game. barryeisen.com, barryeisen@LA.twcbc.com Copyright©, 2016 Barry Eisen. All rights reserved.

818-769-4300

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