Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials:Achieving Momentum-- Part 4

If you discover that you are losing momentum in your luxury real estate marketing practice, do not panic! Don't get derailed. Just re-invent yourself and change tracks.

Look around for new opportunities. You may discover that you need to make some fundamental changes in your normal operating procedures in order to take advantage of new opportunities, gain traction and build a new head of steam.

Here are three areas to consider to get yourself on track :

Retool

One example of retooling is developing a better website that captures buyer leads more effectively

Re-position

You may need to learn additional skills or acquire additional specialized knowledge to work with clients that heretofore you have not worked with, such as investors, or second home buyers. Then, reposition yourself as a specialist in a new niche.

Reformulate-Re-focus

You may need to temporarily focus more on buyer vs. specializing in listing properties that languish on the market.

Once you have retooled, repositioned (yourself or your company) and reformulated the focus of your practice you then need to PROMOTE like crazy! Promotion begets new momentum of productivity.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Achieving Momentum Part 3

Are you currently inspired by your work as a luxury real estate marketing professional? Do you wake up in the morning eager to go to work? Do you love what you are doing? Are you feeling steady progress in achieving your goals, despite economic conditions?

Or, are you frustrated, angry, fearful or even depressed because your sales momentum has slowed down? Could this be clouding your perception of the abundance of opportunities that still exist, right here, right now?

If you really do love what you are doing, the only thing that can get you down is a feeling of powerlessness, the lack of power to control the flow of new business. In Part 1 of this series we defined momentum as the power to increase the flow of business at an ever-growing pace. Understanding how to increase momentum in your practice in any economic condition is therefore paramount to your happiness in your job.

The first thing you need to understand is that the market has not come to a complete standstill. Perhaps the waves of business are not as big, but there still is  a plentitude of smaller waves, i.e., there is still activity in your marketplace. You just need to capture a larger share of the existing activity and enjoy that ride.

However, to be able to perceive the abundance of opportunity that is right under your nose you may need to give yourself an attitude adjustment.

Here is how to start:

• Take stock of your accomplishments.
• Take time to appreciate yourself and others more.
• Ask yourself, “What is perfect about my present situation?”

Now, take a look around and see if you can spot some new opportunities through which you can build a new momentum of business. Catch a new wave of momentum and ride it.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Achieving Momentum Part 2

Momentum is the power to increase the flow of business in your luxury real estate marketing practice. What is the mindset that creates momentum? The answer is threefold:

1.  Alignment and Focus

Personal alignment occurs when you want something and you are clear about why you want it. You are also clear that you are setting out to achieve your goal for your own sake and not to please others. Team alignment occurs when there is a mutuality of interests, i.e., when the goal serves the self-interest of each team member. When there is alignment  and single-minded focus your goals become magnets that pull you toward accomplishment which is the sensation of forward  movement and momentum.

Think of the extensive alignment and focus that was required to produce the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Everything seemed to flow flawlessly and effortlessly. Spectacular displays of well orchestrated teamwork created a tremendous opportunity for Chinese self-promotion. Promotion is the act of furthering the growth or development of something which builds its momentum. A tremendous amount of momentum in positive public relations was gained by China because they hosted the games.

2.  Inspiration vs. Motivation

You know you are aligned with you are inspired to take action, when the very thought of taking action thrills you. If you feel like you need to motivate yourself to achieve your goal you are not aligned. Gaining and sustaining momentum can be gut-wrenching if you are trying to motivate yourself in the absence of inspired action.

3.  Pride of Ownership vs. Accountability

If you feel like you need to hold yourself accountable for your goal you are not aligned. When you have pride of ownership you naturally want to take care of your enterprise and consistently keep it in good condition which adds to the momentum of your success.

The combination of personal and team alignment, inspired action and pride of ownership is the mindset that gives you access to momentum. This is the power to steadily increase the flow of business in your luxury real estate marketing practice.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Achieving Momentum Part 1

Momentum is the capacity for progressive development. In your luxury real estate marketing practice momentum it is the power to increase the flow of business at an ever-growing pace. The sensation of momentum can be exhilarating. But, it is the feeling of control over the volume of business you attract that feels the best. How can you achieve this control? That is the subject of this blog series on momentum.

Clues for creating momentum can readily be found in sports. The famous basketball announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers, Chick Hearn, referred to a phenomenon that he called “Mr. Momentum” He observed that, at times ,a team would ride the wave of consistently outscoring their opponent. Then, suddenly, Mr. Momentum would shift and the same phenomenon was experienced by the opposing team. In each case, he was referring to a stretch of time in which everything was “clicking”, all gears were in mesh, the teamwork was impeccable and results were consistent.

A specific example of momentum in basketball occurred in the 2007-2008 season. The Houston Rockets experienced a 22 game winning streak, which was the second longest streak in NBA history. What was most remarkable about this achievement was that it was accomplished without Yao Ming, the famous Chinese center, playing in the last 10 games of the streak. This was the first season for Rick Adelman, their head coach. Certainly Rick brought a different mindset to the team which became evident.

Mindset has everything to do with momentum. Players have described stretches of time where they could do nothing wrong. One player said that he experienced stretches of time when the diameter of the basket was as big as a lake; every ball thrown in the general direction of the basket went in. Clearly, this was an altered state of mind.

What, then, is the mindset that creates momentum, the power to increase the flow of business in your luxury real estate marketing practice? Stay tuned to the next post for the answer!

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Pull, Don’t Push

As a luxury real estate marketing professional you should understand the difference between push and pull strategies. The perfume industry often relies on pushing their product by spraying approaching customers and insisting that they smell the new fragrances. Magazine ads soaked in fragrances can be annoying, especially if you are allergic to perfume. This is another example of a push marketing strategy.

When a customer asks for an item, he or she is pulling that item towards themselves. It is a subtler form of marketing, and one that works well with luxury marketing. The concept of scarcity, limited production and exclusivity becomes the pull strategy. Marketing the perfume essence in a limited edition crystal bottle signed by Lalique or Baccarat makes it a pull strategy.

In marketing yourself in the luxury real estate arena, it is important that your strategy has a pull nature. Bragging about your accomplishments is definitely a push strategy and a turn off.

One of the best ways to create pull is to be involved in your community and responding to its needs. Two of our lender clients regularly sponsor educational projects for the kids in their community in honor of their wives who were formerly teachers. They believe in education, and they spend part of their marketing dollars to further their community. People needing loans are drawn or pulled towards them, and regularly refer them. When considering a sponsorship as a pull strategy, it is important that you are aligned to the cause and it is something you believe in.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Enough Twittering. Go out to Lunch!

Painting by Boris Kustodiev, Restaurant in Moscow 1916

Technology makes it easy to stay in touch via email and social media networks. However, it is also important to keep the human element alive; such as a phone call, snail mail and even getting together. Isn’t it time to revive the old fashioned ways of networking?

It is much more fun to actually meet people face to face than to look at their picture in Linked In or Plaxo, or even by webcam. You can start by calling them and finding out what they are up to, instead of reading about it in their Twitter. That’s right! Startle them with that question! Remember when actual contact lead to all sorts of great adventures and friendships?

One of our friends in luxury real estate has a simple solution that keeps increasing her business. She regularly invites several clients to lunch. The idea is to get together and enjoy each other’s company, and catch up. She picks a restaurant with ambience such as by the waterfront, in a secluded garden, or in a gallery setting. She feels the location creates the atmosphere in which to take time and enjoy each other’s company. In the process of having a good time, she usually ends up with several leads, which eventually lead to closed deals.

Review your data base. Who will you steal them away from their computer and invite somewhere special for lunch?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials:Is it Time to Re-invent Yourself? Part 1

In challenging economic times for luxury real estate marketing professionals, it is often discovered that your old success formulas are no longer working. For many, facing this brutal fact plus realizing that there is a pressing need for change is the toughest part of all. However, welcoming change and going through the process of re-inventing yourself can be one of life’s most exhilarating and rewarding experiences even though it can be painful at first.

Here are the steps involved in starting the process of re-inventing yourself:

1. Look for Evidence of Good News! Champion those people who are succeeding despite the economic news. Forget being jealous. Find out what they are doing right. For example, in Beverly Hills, the famous William Morris Talent Agency buildings recently sold for a record price per square foot with foreign financing.
2. Give Yourself an Attitude Adjustment . Be Kind to Yourself. The process begins by accepting your circumstances and even more importantly by accepting yourself, fully. You must completely factor out of the equation what other people might be thinking about you. Stop judging yourself by other’s standards. Your business is none of their business.
3. Mind Your Own Business, Literally! Avoid the temptation to compare yourself with others. No one can really know what you are going through. Only by being kind to yourself and minding your own business can you clearly perceive the opportunities to reinvent yourself.
4. Pick Yourself Up. Brush Yourself Off. Start All Over Again. When you were a kid and you were learning to walk, then fell that is exactly what you did. Remember?
5. Stay Positive. Use any excuse in the book to feel good. Staying positive in difficult times IS the way out.
6. Hang out with Upbeat, Optimistic People. Seek out positive news and positive people as much as possible.
7. Discover Where the New Opportunities Are.  Except in extreme emergencies, business does not come to a complete standstill. Repeatedly ask yourself and others, “where are the opportunities?”
8. Acquire Some New Skills. Take some classes. Learn more about your market. With a little bit of focused attention you can learn some new skills that can make all of the difference in the world. For, example you may want to learn about 1031 Exchanges that do not necessarily require new financing.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Are you a Lemonade Tycoon, Or Are You Feeling Sour on the Economy?

Attention luxury real estate marketing professionals:  Are you a Lemonade Tycoon or are you feeling sour about the economy?

The headlines roar exclaiming that the economy is in dire straits. The Christmas Grinch is on his way. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!  Every economic prognosticator has his or her opinions based on fact and statistics. It doesn’t matter which side of the argument they are on, they are right.

CNBC reported that retail sales over the holidays would be bleak and many stores would close because they would not be able to get the credit necessary to purchase holiday inventory.  A Wall Street Journal online headline read, “Kohl's makes a Grab for Market Share as Holiday Season Nears; Retailer Opens 46 More Stores” Clearly, here are two opposing viewpoints discussing the same thing.  Some retailers will evaporate, while others will expand, such as Kohl’s, who sees an opportunity to expand.

Those who own the commercial real estate that Kohl’s occupies will also prosper. They may become luxury home buyers

or sellers who want to upgrade.  The luxury retailers are expanding in other parts of the world as well as domestically where opportunities abound.  For instance, Houston has a new luxury mall that is thriving. The ones who survive focus on the lemonade side of the equation rather than the lemon side. They are the Lemonade Tycoons.

There are many industries that are doing well.  One of them is the private jet industry with waiting lists of three years or more.  The vendors who supply that industry are also thriving.  Hermes has a three to five year waiting lists for its $15,000 handbags.

Every economy has its opportunities and its people who prosper.  While you are reacting, grumbling, complaining and blaming someone for this mess you are blind to opportunities, and you are a bear to be around.  A better use of your time would be finding out where the fish are biting in your market place.  It is a wonderful time to secure and expand your market share and include the new fish.

Now is the time to:

• Meet new people
• Be visible  
• Explore new worlds
• Look beyond the headlines and find out who is prospering  
• Think of all the fun you will have drinking lemonade!

Are you going to be a Lemonade Tycoon?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials:Is Your Service Remarkable? Part 3

  

This is part 3 of a 3 part series on creating a remarkable brand as a luxury real estate marketing professional. Part 1 addressed the importance of remarkable service in triggering word-of-mouth advertising. Part 2 addressed the importance of consistently keeping your brand’s promise. Here we discuss genuineness, which is defined as having the qualities or value that you claim.

We are drawn to genuine people; in our eyes they are remarkable. They are undaunted by political pressures, impervious to peer demands and unimpressed with their achievements. They feel it is normal to excel, and normal to respect everyone regardless of stature. In a relationship, they are predictable. You can count on them. You can trust them and over time develop a high trust relationship with them. Here is an example of genuineness in action.

In 1982, actor Paul Newman and author A.E. Hotchner founded a food company as a for-profit corporation. 100% of the profits from product sales are donated to various charities. The first product was salad dressing. Then the company expanded into items such as pasta sauce, tea, lemonade, popcorn and pet food. His daughter, Nell, added an organic division, and also contributes the profits to charity.

If you are drawn to this brand because of its generosity, you are apt to pay a little more for the salad dressing or the pet food knowing that you are getting a great product, and contributing to a great cause such as the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a summer camp for seriously ill children. Also, if you like one product, you are more likely to choose Newman’s Own as a brand preference in other food categories.

That is genuineness in action and that is remarkable!

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Is Your Service Remarkable? Part 2

This is part 2 of a 3 part series on creating a remarkable brand as a luxury real estate marketing professional. Part 1 addressed the importance of remarkable service in triggering word-of-mouth advertising. Here, in part 2 we address the importance of consistently keeping your brand’s promise.

A remarkable brand must communicate and keep its promises, consistently. Only then can you achieve brand loyalty. For instance, there is a luxury real estate firm that promises that you can speak to one of its friendly representatives 24/7, and not have to deal with voice mail. To succeed they have to consistently keep this promise which means their team must be well versed in representing their brand message. Every time the phone is answered by a live representative there is an opportunity to demonstrate and communicate the essence of their brand.

A great example of a brand that consistently keeps its promises is Nordstrom’s. If you ever need to return anything to the store, the entire sales force is trained to cheerfully accept your purchase and give you credit without any hassle. The good will that this generates is worth far more than the cost.

Another example of a brand that consistently keeps its promise is the Swiss Army Knife. It has achieved an iconic status because of its versatility, dependability and quality. Over the years the design has remained virtually the same and the product continues to sell itself. That in and of itself is remarkable!

At Napa Consultants, International our promise is to help you accelerate the process of developing an abundance of high-trust relationships that naturally lead to referrals. What is the promise of your personal or company brand?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Is Your Service REMARKABLE?

Your most highly valued asset in your luxury real estate marketing practice is your database of contacts, particularly those who would go out of their way to refer business to you because you have earned their trust and respect. It stands to reason that understanding and consistently implementing the best practices for building a high volume of high-trust relationships will not only yield a high volume of referrals, it will also open up the opportunity to sell your practice in the future at a premium.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to inspire people to spontaneously go out of their way to refer business to you? What sparks the urge to originate word-of-mouth advertising on your behalf?  People are still lining up to get their iPhones. Why? The answer is creating extraordinary value far beyond the fundamentals that are expected of you. Your service must be REMARKABLE to trigger word-of-mouth advertising.

This morning we felt the urge to tell a friend about a spectacular online computer backup system that is extremely easy to use called Sugar Sync. What makes Sugar Sync so great is that it has web and mobile access, file sharing and sync built right in. Best of all prices start at only $2.49 per month (we pay $4.95 per month for extra storage).

When one of us writes an article on the laptop, for example, and saves the document it instantly becomes accessible on the other's desktop computer and vice versa. Five versions of edits are kept too so we can always go back to a previous version. When we travel all of our documents, photos, music and contacts are accessible online through any web browser. And, any changes we make on our remote computer is automatically synced with our office computers.

What prompted us to go out of our way to tell our friend about this was an email from Sugar Sync announcing a new feature. Now, we can access all of our data from an iPhone and send it to others via email from the phone! That’s remarkable!  This feature alone did not cause us to spread the word about Sugar Sync. We have been raving about  it to each other for some time. But, the iPhone feature was the tipping point that prompted the urge to tell others, like you! 

Is your service REMARKABLE?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Marketing Essentials: The Magic of Dolphins

By Alexandra Seigel

To keep your luxury real estate marketing practice in perspective, take the time to commune with nature. Exploring the wonders of your environment can help you stay happy, creative and stress free.

Our favorite way to commune with nature is walking on the beach in Santa Barbara and Carpinteria at low tide, when the ocean recedes and reveals more land. New sea shells abound, crabs rush to bury themselves so do the clams.

One of the joys of these nature walks is spotting dolphins frolicking near the shore. Like the ancient Greek sailors we welcome them as a good omen for a smooth voyage.

Earlier this year, we took a whale watching trip around the Channel Islands that are just off our coastline. The whales were a “no show”. Instead, we saw a super pod of dolphins which number over a 1000, indicating that there was an abundance of food in the area. A regular pod averages a dozen. Although, the membership in pods is not rigid, they establish strong bonds. Dolphins will stay with injured pod members helping them breathe by nudging them to the surface.

Dolphins are also known to help other species. Moko, a dolphin in New Zealand was observed guiding a whale and her calf out of shallow water after they were stranded several times. They also protect swimmers from sharks by either swimming circles around the swimmers or charging the sharks. My father, while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, was guided out of the strong downward pull of an eddy by a pod of dolphins. I owe my existence to these creatures.

Dolphins are part of human culture. They are common in Greek, Roman as well as in Hindu mythology. They are considered to be one the most intelligent animals. In 2005, Australian scientists discovered that some dolphins teach their young to use tools, (one of the benchmarks for rating intelligence). While foraging the dolphins protect their snouts with sponges that they break off to cover their snouts. The male river dolphins in Brazil use weeds and sticks as part of a mating display.

Watching these magical creatures always brings a smile to our faces. Time stops when they appear. They seem to be having so much fun. What a great reminder of the magic of life.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Attracting Your Ideal Clients

As a luxury real estate marketing professional it is vitally important to deliberately clarify and craft your marketing message so that you attract your ideal clientele. As long as we interact with people, we are continuously in the process of marketing ourselves to others, presenting ourselves in such a way as to attract what we want. But, are you projecting your authentic self, the self that you would ideally like to be if you were not concerned about what others thought of you. Or, are you trying too hard to please people and lose your authenticity in the process. That is a big question!

In your luxury real estate marketing practice do you love all of your clients? Do you believe it is possible to work only with ideal clients? Are you willing to fire the clients that are not ideal? Think about what your day would be like if you only were working with your ideal clients. Would you look forward to waking up in the morning and going to work?

The great thing about working only with your ideal clients is that they usually hang out with people like themselves. That means when it comes to referring their friends and family to you, chances are their referrals are going to be ideal clients too.

To discover your authentic self, be still and quiet your mind. Get the idea that you are looking at yourself in a still body of water, like a pond or a lake. If the water is turbulent you will get a distorted image of yourself. If it is still, the water will reflect your authentic self.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: The Nest Egg of Your Brand

It is said that ostriches and some people bury their heads in the sand when they don’t want to hear bad news. The fact is that most people should be like ostriches as they are not hiding themselves in avoidance. They are rearranging their eggs. So, as the bad news arrives, this is an opportunity to become a sophisticated investor in your brand which is one of your nest eggs. This applies to luxury real estate marketing professionals in particular.

For most the knee jerk response to bad news it to  cut back on marketing their brand. By not reacting to the economy you stand to take over the territory that the rest are abandoning. Also, advertising rates drop as demand slows, and you are getting more for your dollars. Sophisticated marketers understand this. For instance, in the down market of the 90’s Nike realized a significant increase in profits from a modest increase in marketing. Think of the numerous times you see the famous swoosh logo. It seems every sports team, both amateur and professional, has it somewhere on their clothing.

Invest in your brand during these times. Be the stand out in your marketplace. Invest in your future so that when the good news returns you are way ahead of everyone. They will be scrambling to catch up to you.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: What you can learn from Emily Post and MickeyMouse

Photo by JoeyGil in Los Angeles Chinatown Parade

In the luxury real estate marketing arena excellent manners are important to a successful career in selling fine homes. The concept of manners was developed as a way to express oneself in order to be viewed as polite, sophisticated and refined. Sociologists define it as a standard of conduct and as a norm. Manners adapt to reflect social changes. Manners differ from culture to culture and occasions such as a wedding, an audience with a royal, the president or the pope. If you intend to have an international clientele of buyers, it is important that you are well versed in their customs and manners, and invest time in learning these.

The importance of manners can be seen in the number of books written and courses taught on the subject. Education on manners is a viable business. Emily Post was one of the first American's to write a book on manners in 1922. Her name is identified with etiquette and manners. Today, her family runs the Emily Post Institute and writes bestselling books on the subject. Disney Princess Academy is also a school for manners. They produce videos on table manners, waltzing etiquette and appropriate make up for their target market.

Manners are a form of communication. They are not the province of the elite; everyone should be treated with the utmost courtesy regardless of their status in your eyes. Senior to communication is the unspoken understanding, respect and acceptance of the whole world at large. You cannot fake sincerity, no matter how many manner classes you take. Sincerity is the very thing that will save you if you make a faux pas, or are ignorant of the necessary protocol.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: How to Stay on the Leading Edge Without Falling OFF!

Professionalism in marketing for luxury real estate agents now includes being web-savvy and tech-savvy. It is one of those brutal facts that you must face if you are to be successful in the Web 2.0 era. Get with it! Or, get someone on your team who is with it, someone who has the passion to stay on the leading edge. But, do not get carried away by technology. Find the right balance for you and your target market.

"They say a year in the Internet business is like a dog year. It is equivalent to seven years in a regular person's life. In other words, it's evolving fast and faster."

— Vinton Cerf, one of the "founding fathers of the Internet", co-created TCP/IP protocols

The internet age is the closest example of perpetual motion. Every day we are bombarded with the latest and greatest technology. How do you stay up with all of it? When presented with a new invention to add to your already groaning table of tech tools and web enhancers, use common sense. Ask yourself, how often will I use this? Will this be easy for my clients? Do I really like it? Is it easy to use, or do I have to spend time on a tutorial? Will this save time or become aggravating in the long run? Research shows that sites that talk to you as you click on them are annoying to the viewer. The initial novelty wears off after 5 seconds. They do not want to come back to the site, to hear it again.

Most new idea sounds good at first glance. Take the time to research before you buy. We recommend Walter Mossberg’s column in the Wall Street Journal, every Thursday. He reviews the latest and greatest, and he is not paid by anyone to promote their goods. He reviews items, uses them, and sends them back to the source. He and his Wall Street Journal colleague, Kara Swisher co-edit All Things Digital which includes all his columns, her blog, video interviews and other posts. The site has an archive for all types of technological advances and is a wonderful resource.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Successful Luxury Web Design for Lead Conversion—Part 2

This is Part 2 of a 2 part series on creating a lead converting luxury real estate website.

A lead is a visitor who finds your site or is directed to it. A lead conversion is a visitor who voluntarily gives you their contact information. Your luxury website must be just that. It must feel luxurious to visit your site. But, use restraint with special effects.

1. Limit Flash Movies or Animation. Better yet, forget it.

Good Flash sequences can be eye-popping and make a great first impression. But, it does not make a great second impression, if you want return business. Your site is like a gateway to information. Flash can be a gatekeeper that wastes your visitor’s time or distracts them, once the effect has been created, the first time.

Whatever you do, do not bore your visitors with a movie where you walk onto the screen bubbling with your welcome message. It is like an annoying, effusive salesperson who accosts you the moment you walk through the door. They will not come back just to avoid seeing you again.

2. Make Information Easy to Find.

One of our clients was approached by a famous luxury real estate magazine to place an ad on their website. It took five clicks and eye strain to get to the advertising section. In today’s technological world, we expect speed and immediate search results. Consider Southwest Airlines. It is easy to choose your destination. You do not have to look up airport codes. Buying a ticket is quick and easy.

3. Be Discriminating with your Outbound Links

If your site has community, lifestyles, and educational links make sure you know who these people are before you link to them. It is better to have real referrals than the whole phone book. You are building a relationship with you new prospects and existing clients. Refer only people and companies that you know, or those your friends would recommend to you.

4. Keep it Simple!

Be kind to those website visitors who may be technologically challenged. Insist that your website software is compatible with the majority of web users so that your visitors do not have to download the latest and greatest gizmo just to view your site. Otherwise, if visitors do not upgrade their browsers, plug-ins or media players, they may not be able to see parts of your website. And, they will quickly abandon it .

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Successful Luxury Web Design for Lead Conversion—Part 1

Fortnum and Mason Fruit & Flower Department

This is Part 1 of a 2 part series on creating a lead converting luxury real estate website.

1. Build Trust, Convert Leads

Keep in mind that your website is a relationship marketing tool. Give your visitors what they came for. Build trust, and they will give you their contact information. That is called a lead conversion.

2. Resist Clutter

Your potential and existing clients are looking at your website with a purpose in mind, their purpose. That is, they want to search and gain information about luxury homes. Limit the focus of your site to that information. Make it easy for them to find what they want in just a couple of clicks. Resist the temptation of adding weather, news feeds, and financial reports. If you are going to include mortgage think luxury, think private banker. Become a minimalist. Less is more!

3. Your Website Must Be Like a Luxury Store

Visit stores that sell luxury goods. Note the way things are displayed. The majority of the great brands do not encumber the space with every size and every item for sale. They leave room for you to admire the items, to get interested in the design. The windows are usually sparse and thematic. The entry is dramatic as well as welcoming.

4. Give Your Website the Look of Luxury

Select colors that exude luxury. Black and gold are not the only colors associated with luxury! Your website should be in concert with your personal brand and the geographical area of your marketplace.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Marketing Essentials: Time for Slow Travel

Every so often, you need to put your brain and your body on pause in a grand way. We have friends who swear by the six day Transatlantic Crossing aboard the Queen Mary 2. The service is legendary as is the food. QM2 is the largest ocean liner ever built. It has every conceivable amenity on board including the Canyon Ranch Spa Club.

The company brochure bills it as “the Golden Age of Ocean Travel was a time when travel by sea embodied the good life and the Transatlantic Crossing was a rite of passage. It was a time when elegance and refined British traditions ruled the day”. Given that you arrive either in New York or England refreshed without jet lag, there is something to be said for this mode of travel as a time saver.

Ah, the ultimate luxury as expressed by our favorite Latin American toast: Salud y amor y peseta y tiempo para disfrutarlo . Simply put it means: salutations to love, money and the time to enjoy it.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: The Art of Advertising

Photo by Eric Pouhier

Advertising is a form of communication. In the realm of luxury real estate marketing, it needs to be an art form as well. An ad, like a fine home with curb appeal, must offer a great first impression. The majority of luxury real estate magazine ads look the same. They basically say the same things as do the agent’s profiles. It is as if the luxury real estate industry adheres to a template and does not deviate from it. The color black is the dominant color in those magazines. In most cases, the only distinguishing factor from page to page is geography.

Your first goal is to grab your readers’ attention. You almost need to startle them with the extraordinary. Check out ads for luxury brands outside of real estate. For example, in the Chanel ad depicted above, you can see a reflection of the Place Vendome in Paris, site of the Chanel headquarters. The Place Vendome is home to famous hotels such as the Ritz and the Bristol as well as famous jewelers, and clothing designers.

Study high end magazines that cover fashion, autos and sea craft. Each brand looks different in color, layout and presentation. Their appearance is intriguing. It invites the reader to participate by asking questions which can be answered by visiting the store or the web site.

People love a mystery, the process of discovering something special. Most fine homes have some exceptional features. Look for a unique selling proposition. It is the unexpected that sells them. Don’t spoil the surprise by editorializing about it. Just give them a hint. Evoke the participation of the reader with a call to action. That is what makes your phone ring or your email box full. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to make a new friend by answering the query, or better yet, showing the home and letting them form a bond with it.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.