outfront
VOL. 2.2 2020
South Africa
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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HOSTING A VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Although we are still in Lockdown Alert Level 3 in South Africa, we know that there will be a time in the near future where we will return to normal. The reality is that we will never 'return to normal' as the dynamics have shifted, and we need to shift along with it or fall behind. We will do a seriers of articles to help you 'ease' into the 'new normal'.
Interactive/Live virtual open houses: These can be hosted on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, or online conferencing platforms like Google Hangouts and Zoom. Static videos: These can be filmed ahead of time and housed strategically 2
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on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, etc.
Promote Once you decide on a platform, you’ll want to plan and advertise as if this was a traditional, in-person open house. Whether you will be hosting the event live or simply uploading the prerecorded video to YouTube, choose a date and time and let your clients know when the event will happen and how to get connected.
Prepwork The adage is true, that practice makes perfect, especially when
it comes to virtual open houses. A dry run is important to avoid hiccups on the day-of so you can look professional and polished. “When you do your dry run, make sure that you’re getting as true-to-life as possible,” shares Lisa Archer, KW agent and chief opportunity officer at Live Love Homes. This means: Doing a walk-through:
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Make sure you understand the house layout, especially knowing where potential obstacles may be to avoid accidents and falls
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here are two different ways to host a virtual open house, but both will require that you have access to either a smartphone camera or a higher-quality video camera. Smartphones have an advantage because they can connect directly to online platforms.
says Archer. “This will also give you an understanding of unique features you want to point out in your video.”
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Outlining your talking points: Archer continues, “Practicing what you are going to say on camera without the camera. You can even have a checklist of talking points with you if you are going to be livestreaming the open house. It will not be seen as unprofessional on air.” Testing your tech: If you will be going live, connect and stream to the platform you will be using before the big day. When you do this, make
sure someone else is watching on the platform to ensure the sound, lighting, and logistics are in check. You do not want to be configuring this before your open house.
Pre-event communication: Leading up to the open house, Finnegan recommends: Monitoring and responding to comments on any social media posts where you promoted the open house Sending a reminder email to your registrants with information on how to attend Sending a text reminder (preferably one)
Day-Of: You’ve made it to the big day! As you execute, here are some points to keep in mind, which can be especially beneficial if you’re streaming your open house live.
key features, and sharing things you would normally see in an in-person showing. “Avoid scripting,” Archer emphasizes. “The more you try to script something, the more unnatural it will come off. Simply stick to your outline.” Additional Technical Tips to Remember:
• Hold your camera horizontally. This is Arrive early to get set up. going to give your viewer a wider angle so Turn on all the lights; open all they can see more. doors to the house and all the • Recruit a friend to be your camera person. rooms – you don’t want to have With help, you’ll be able to focus on the features of the house and also take notes. • If you are shooting the tour, remember to use the functionality of your phone, utilizing the forwardfacing camera for your introduction and swapping to the rear-facing camera for tours. • Have team members tune in and plant questions! Getting real-time feedback can help you redirect if you’re describing off-screen or you happen to forget one of the house’s features you wanted to draw attention to. Questions also encourage more questions and engagement. to turn on the lights and open doors while giving the tour. Start your tour on the street, making sure people can see the whole house and yard. Introduce yourself, thank people for joining you, and encourage them to engage by asking questions in the comments or chat functionality of the platform. “You should also express your hope that everyone is happy and healthy,” says Finnegan. Once the tour is underway, have fun! Speak to the audience as if they are walking through the house with you, making sure that you’re narrating the specifics of the house, pointing out
Bonus tip: Most live platforms allow you to save your online open house, but it might be beneficial to do another walkthrough tour after your live showing for upload to your websites and online profiles. This way there’s a tour available for potential buyers to see all across platforms.
Post-Open House After the tour is complete, open the floor to questions and ask attendees to turn their microphones off mute (if you are doing the open house via Google Hangouts or Zoom). Similarly, you can review questions in the feed if you’re streaming live. When you’re finished, wipe down all surfaces you touched and follow up with everyone who tuned in, commented, or shared the link. You’ll never know how many leads you can get from a single opportunity – the entire internet is your front door.
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LAND THE LISTING REMOTELY
You’re doubling down on lead generation and experimenting with virtual open houses, all while balancing working remotely with your personal family responsibilities. While many things have changed in the way you run your business, the importance of connecting with your sphere has not. Now more than ever, it is important to establish yourself as a resource within your community, and leveraging your social media platforms for business is an effective and safe way to do that.
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hen it comes to listings, listing remotely. The Haro Group of The Home Court Advantage Keller Williams knows what it takes to close the deal. Moving listing appointments from Collectively, the 15-person team in-person to a virtual setting hasn’t sold 255 homes last year … and brought overwhelming disruption while the market of the moment to the team’s operation. In fact, it has undoubtedly presented new aligns perfectly with the strategy challenges, the team is moving they set in 2014. ahead with confidence. “We’ve built our team on the bedrock of “Six years ago, we decided to move models and systems created by all of our listing consultations to the Keller Williams and have been office. Because our territory has a able to shift at lightning speed,” says founder and CEO Haro Setian. one-hour radius, I was driving 30 minutes round trip to meet with sellers and was going over the 45 Setian lays out the team’s minutes allotted because I enjoyed approach to working with sellers the conversation so much,” shares and offers practical tips and Setian. takeaways to help you land the
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“When our goals increased, I realized that we’d have to go on more listing appointments, and practically, wouldn’t be able to fit in the amount needed if we went to our seller’s homes. Bringing people into our environment has been huge. Besides saving time, it’s placed us in control of the setting where we can fertilize the ground for decisions to be made. We have a more favorable posture and can convert faster. Going fullyremote hasn’t changed our passion, our confidence, and this home court advantage.”
The Process Prior to moving remote, the team:
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Invited potential sellers to the office to discuss “their needs, pricing, and reach an agreement,” shares Setian. “We want to make sure that we are a good fit for their needs.” Invited clients back to the office to present their official listing presentation. “We lay out a custom plan, complete with data and tools at work to help them sell their home. The idea is to make it as easy as possible
Send a stager to the home to make recommendations for adjustments. “We make sure to let our sellers know how we are taking the utmost precaution at this time. When the stager enters the home, sellers briefly leave to ensure proper social-distancing measures are being taken. In the home, the stager is wearing gloves, boots, and uses Clorox wipes to sanitize all surfaces they touch. This can also be
Leverage KW tech myEdge opens opportunities creating campaigns, 8x8 for Sellers, 8x8 for Buyers, 33 Touch, 12 Direct and beautifully designed listing presentations. Don't recreate the wheel. Take advantage of the tech at your disposal. By doing so, you can also slash your tech expenses. myEdge training videos
Practice, practice, practice Our practice is twofold. Before we hold a virtual listing appointment, we invite a member of the team on to make sure sound and screen share is working properly. We also practice our scripts daily. Don’t be discouraged. Things get easier the more you expose yourself to them.
for them to make a decision to partner with us,” shares Setian. Now, they: Have combined the first and final listing appointment to deliver one listing presentation via Zoom or Google Hangouts. “Video conferencing allows us to take note of body language and tone so we can effectively communicate our value proposition. I have dual monitors so I can have the presentation pulled up on one screen and a script on the other,” shares Setian.
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This has been very helpful as questions and objections arise
done virtually.” Related Read: Win with Sellers Setian offers the following advice and encouragement to those who find themselves feeling anxious about going digital with sellers.
Focus on your value We’ve sold over 700 listings without an agent stepping foot in their home. Winning with sellers comes down to consistently communicating your unique value proposition – or what sets you apart.
Related Read: 4 TACTICS AND SCRIPTS FOR LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Open up to new ways of doing things Change is hard, but you must get comfortable with discomfort; that’s where the growth happens. Three things that have been very helpful for me during this time are prayer, meditation, and focusing on taking it one day at a time. What about you? Now is the time to pursue activities and seek resources that will contribute to a positive mindset and your personal/professional growth.
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ENTERTAINMENT
6 VIRTUAL EVENTS THAT DELIGHT AND BUILD GOODWILL
Successful agents recognize the importance of staying connected to their sphere of influence. Especially in a shifting market and time where current/past clients, friends, neighbors and families are looking for creative ways to escape from everyday worries and disrupted plans. With your vast repertoire of value (relationship-building, creativity, and digital prowess), you are wellequipped to provide the community and connection your sphere craves through virtual events. Affordable and safe, virtual events allow you to provide memorable experiences to stay top of mind while building your book of future business.
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et started by selecting one or more of the fun, virtual events we’ve compiled below!
#1 – Virtual Scavenger Hunt This family-friendly crowd pleaser will bring out everyone’s competitive side. Choose the date, time, and platform you will be hosting on. Once the event details are set, decide on the best way to bring awareness among your sphere. Create a slideshow (or copy/customize one we created for you) containing game rules, points breakdown, and the items that players will be required to find. Having your hunters find 20 items total (one minute per item) and allowing for breaks will ensure a 30-45 minute game. 6
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On the day of the event, take your host role seriously. Walk your guests through the rules, cheer them on as they race to find the items, and keep track of their score (Griffin Group Realtor James Adair believes doing this by hand on a large Post-it sticky note gives contestants more satisfaction). You can also rely on an honors system. Once everyone has virtually arrived and you’ve gone through the rules, set your timer for one minute and announce the first item that players need to go find. In order to gain points, they will need to bring the item back and show it on-camera. At the end of the hunt, tally up the points. To generate more excitement as the scavenger hunt begins, consider including a few fun prizes for the top three players.
DOWNLOAD YOUR SLIDE DECK #2 – Virtual Trivia Night Test your sphere on anything from pop culture to ancient history, and even local favorites! Choose the date, time, platform, and topics of your trivia night and generate buzz among your sphere of influence. Create a slide deck including the rules of the game, points system, and the topics that you will be covering. Real estate topics such as famous homes might be a fun time. If you’re expecting families with small children to join, cartoon characters might also be a topic of interest. Let your players know that they will need a pen and paper to keep track of their score, as well as a dry-erase whiteboard
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to write out their answers. For each question, give participants 1 minute and 30 seconds to write down their answer and have them raise their boards simultaneously. There will be five rounds total, with six questions per round, for a total of 45 minutes. After each round, there will be a 2-minute housekeeping break during which you will establish the rounds’ winners. At the end of the event, tally up the final points. Generate more excitement by offering up a prize. #3 – Virtual Bingo One of the easiest events to throw together, this classic game will get your sphere loud.
Invest in a few coloring pages from online vendors on platforms such as Etsy or Fiverr. Share the pages with those attending and encourage them to download and share with their little ones. Choose whether to turn this into a live activity, where kids can interact with each other and get timed on coloring, or simply keep the activity on social media. Have parents upload their children’s completed work in a closed Facebook group or the event page you created for the contest. For more visibility, encourage them to take it one step further and post on their own social media pages, tagging the event.
Choose the time, date, and platform for your event and share the news with your sphere. Decide on the common household items to be featured on your bingo cards, and use an online resource such as Bingo Baker to create your cards. Once everyone is settled into the call, point them to the cards so they can download. Then, simply enjoy the game. For a more competitive atmosphere, Denver-based The Ribble Group team leader Gaye Ribble suggests offering up prizes. “For each bingo night, we do three bingo games and give prizes,” she says. “The first game prize is R500, the second game is R1000, and the third game is R2000. Our in-person events are a lot more expensive than that, so we figure we are still saving money by giving away prizes.” #4 – Coloring Contest Engage the little ones with a fun activity where everyone’s a winner.
host a one-off class, or even turn it into a series. Choose the date, time, and platform and build excitement around your future class! #6 – Virtual Graduation Party Celebrate your community’s achievements. Decide on the date, time, and platform you will use to celebrate your client’s graduates. If you’re a Keller Williams agent, use Designs to create aesthetically pleasing e-invitations and send out to community members. Access free stock photography from sites such as Unsplash to create celebratory virtual backgrounds and share with attendees. Invite attendees to join a few minutes early in order to sort out any technical difficulties, and wear festive attire that gets them in the spirit.
Rainmaker Laura Gillott of The Laura Gillott Team uses virtual coloring pages as part of her engagement arsenal. In order to generate more buzz, she suggests committing to giving every participant a small gift card, and handing out three major prizes through a random drawing. #5 – Fun, Engaging Virtual Classes Use your connections to bring professionals to the small screen. Brainstorm a few engaging activities that would translate well on-screen by being interactive and fun. Think of activities such as art classes (like painting or origami), fitness (like Zumba or yoga), or child-friendly (like storytime). Tap into your network of connections and ask your professional friends to
Find someone who is involved in the community and well-regarded and invite them to give a virtual speech and emcee the gathering. Compile a collection of photographs from the attending grads and create a slideshow or video filled with these precious memories. No matter your area of service, these universal virtual event ideas are sure to generate goodwill among your sphere of influence. Remember, the focus is on building connections – but, if the real estate question arises, there is no need to dodge it. “We are going in as good stewards to the community,” Gillott says. “When the real estate question comes up, then we let them know that things are still selling.” Ribble suggests taking a moment at the beginning of your event to give folks a quick market snapshot, then diving right into your event. 7
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STORIFY YOUR SUCCESS: 10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A WINNING BRAND WITH INSTAGRAM STORIES
As an agent, social media is the fastest way to address your audience’s curiosity while building a recognizable brand that stands out from the crowd. Among the growing list of social media networks is Instagram – a powerful visual platform that can show the intricacies of your real estate business in a digestible manner.
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hether you’re new to Instagram or looking to grow your presence, Instagram Stories is a great tool to leverage. The feature allows you to post vertically shot content that is separate from the main Instagram feed, and disappears after 24 hours unless you choose to add it as a Highlight (which would appear under your bio). For real estate professionals, this tool provides an open, two-way communication forum between yourself and clients. You’re able to build rapport by providing a peek behind the path to homeownership curtain, as well as share strategies and build relationships that generate leads.
To gain insights into how to achieve Instagram Stories success, Outfront spoke with three Instagram-savvy real estate professionals. Here are their strategies. 8
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Creating a Professional Presence: Mercedes Scrivens-Erhahon Since becoming a full-time Realtor in April 2019, Mercedes ScrivensErhahon’s career has rapidly ascended. As a five-time BOLD attendee and president of Keller Williams Young Professionals, Scrivens-Erhahon has quickly built a recognizable online brand by drawing from her experience growing her personal page (which boasts 20K followers). In building her brand, she chose to separate her personal and professional life, and constantly uses Instagram Stories to offer her followers a deeper look into her career. Mirror Scrivens-Erhahon’s success by: Distinguishing between your grid and Stories. For Scrivens-Erhahon, the grid (the main Instagram profile) and Stories serve two different purposes. The
Mercedes Scrivens-Erhahon @ms_realtor; 4.2K followers images posted on her profile are clear and direct, making it easy for clients to understand that she is a professional and she is in production, but also the fact that she is human. Here is where she shares ‘just solds,’ under-contract properties, as well as client photos, while making sure to space out content. While the grid is generally the final product, her Stories are a behind-thescenes look at the work of getting from point A to point B. “It’s where you’ll build the warmth,” she shares while outlining
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her Stories content: • Inspections • Walk-throughs • Property viewings • Funny moments (like getting lost on the way to the property). • Enthusiastic client interactions “Rarely do I have somebody telling me no, because I typically attract clients that like me first, before even the business side.”
#milliondollarmercedes – a nod to her specialty, luxury. Depending on whom she is targeting with the specific post, she will add additional hashtags to her content, making it visible to more individuals. “If I am targeting my sphere of influence, the hashtags will be based on the specific area I am targeting. However, if I close something at $1 million or above, my additional hashtags look different (e.g., #luxury, #listing, #findhomes). Engaging your audience. ScrivensErhahon constantly engages her audience by building rapport through commenting. She responds to every comment and direct message, even if it is something as simple as a smiley face. On Stories, she specifically seeks out the people who watch her content, but are not following her, and engages them in conversation. Connect with Scrivens-Erhahon on Instagram here. The Path to Thought Leadership: Johnny Giangregorio
Being mindful of #hashtags. Since Instagram’s inception, #hashtags – generally added at the end of a post or within an Instagram story in order to help distinguish the type of content being presented – have always served a huge purpose in categorizing content and bringing posts in front of more eyes. Because Instagram gives the option to follow specific hashtags instead of just accounts, this is a huge opportunity to get your profile in front of people that are not following you. One of Scrivens-Erhahon’s claims to fame on Instagram is her personalized hashtag,
Johnny Giangregorio @johnnygproperties; 7.6K followers Now the manager of KWYP and dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders, Giangregorio built his following as an agent and local market expert in the Los Angeles area under the Instagram moniker @johnnygproperties. “I very early on created my handle, @ johnnygproperties, so if any of my friends went to tag me in a photo, my name was associated with the word ‘properties,’” he shares. Here are his tips for establishing yourself as a
leader on the platform. Gain more mindshare through Giangregorio’s tips: Create an experience. “When Instagram Stories came into fruition, I became purposeful in creating an experience that clearly showed what I stood for,” he says. In particular, Giangregorio is mindful of the ratio of business posts versus personal posts on his profile. As an agent, he posted three personal posts for each business one. As a leader, his ratio is closer to 50/50. “I think that personal development and leadership can be helpful to everyone,” he shares. On his profile, he showcases his life as a real estate professional and a leader through KWYP, while still maintaining a human element. Aesthetically, he streamlines this content by creating cover logos with appealing illustrations and fonts using Canva. Focus on value. One of the best ways to grow your following and authority on the Instagram platform is finding your niche. “Whatever your superpower is as a real estate agent, focus on that and build out additional levers to enhance it,” Giangregorio says. Think through your value proposition and identify 2-3 things to focus on, whether you’re skilled at cold calling or an area expert, focus on that strength. Then, choose some personal passions to showcase your human side as well. Curate your Stories content. Giangregorio’s Story Highlights section (clusters of Instagram stories that live on your profile beyond the 24-hour time period generally allotted to Stories) has seven categories: agent tips and takeovers (catering to his switch from agent to leader), LA estates and LA to-dos (positioning him as a market and local expert in the City of Angels), and being silly, an Austin category showcasing his new city, and one dedicated to his cat. The last three humanize the man behind the profession and showcase his personality. 9
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Connect with Giangregorio on Instagram here: your Stories, then clicking Poll. “That’s something that I was quick to jump on whenever Instagram put it out, and it is a great way to engage my audience and give insights into the type of people that are following me,” she says. Acuña uses the feature especially during walking tours, where she shares fun aspects of the home and asks her audience whether they’d enjoy them.
Real Estate Is a Lifestyle: Leann Acuña
Provide a call to action. In writing for Instagram, Acuña makes sure to firstly, write the way she speaks so that her voice shines through, and secondly, provide an action item for her audience to follow through on. “Something that I like to end my captions with specifically is, ‘Do you have any questions?’ or letting them know I will be doing a Q&A or an open house that they can tune into and look forward to.”
Leann Acuña@leannacuna; 2.2K followers A buyer’s agent with The Loken Group, Leann Acuña just celebrated her fiveyear anniversary in the real estate industry. She describes herself as lucky for having found what she wants to do for the rest of her life, a mindset that radiates through her Instagram content. Before posting, Acuña thinks, is the content going to be educational, entertaining, or inspirational? From there, she creates. Here are her best practices. Acuña shares three ways to grow your audience while staying true to you: Be forward-facing. Whether it is on the grid or Instagram Stories, make it a point to show your face more 10
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often than not. On the grid, “posts that only have quotes or a landscape don’t do as well in engagement and don’t get people to scroll,” Acuña says. And within Instagram Stories, being forward-facing helps establish a human connection between yourself and your audience and gets more engagement when putting together content such as Q&As. Use Polls. Acuña has found tremendous success in engaging her audience through Polls, which can be added by clicking the sticker section on
Consistency is key. For her Instagram Stories, Acuña commits to being consistent throughout the day. “I’ll have a vibe at the beginning of the day when it comes to fonts and colors, and I will be sure to keep the same aesthetic throughout the day for those stories,” she says. She focuses on keeping a colorful font, as she believes it makes people happy, and tries to stay away from distracting fonts, making sure everything looks thought-out and put together. Connect with Acuña on Instagram here.
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SOCIAL POST TECHNIQUES TO HIGHLIGHT YOUR BUSINESS
Hyperlocal Information
• Create a weekly, monthly, or seasonal roundup to keep your If there’s one thing clients followers informed of the latest love, it’s hyperlocal information. changes Keeping current and potential • Things are heating up this customers aware of the latest spring, including [insert market trends in their neck of neighborhood] real estateđ&#x;”Ľ! the woods is a surefire way for Take a look at the latest agents to position themselves as market stats. experts while providing valuable • Highlight a popular activity in a information to their audience. specific area • It doesn’t get much better What to share: than the coffee scene in [insert neighborhood]☕. • Stats that change on a Browse the fresh-brewed regular basis (number of listings in the area! houses for sale, average home price, average days on Client Testimonials market, etc.) • Local lifestyle insights Word-of-mouth recommendations in (hobbies, interests, popular real estate carry the same weight as dining and shopping they do in any industry. Highlighting establishments) a quote from a happy customer is a great way for agents to establish When to share it: credibility while allowing their brand to shine. • Whenever something in the neighborhood changes What to share: How to share it:
• Quotes and images from happy clients
• Stats about how many people you’ve helped buy or sell a home When to share it: • Interspersed between listings and other lead-generating announcements How to share it: • When a customer thanks you for going above and beyond for them. • From answering 3 AM phone calls to knocking on doors, there’s nothing I won’t do to make sure my clients are happy. • When a client has a positive and unique memory about working with you • Working with people like [insert client] is why I love real estate. Shoot me a message if you’re looking for an agent and a friend. • When you help a significant number of people find the home of their dreams • I’m humbled to have earned the trust of [insert number] customers, and if you’re looking to buy or sell a home, I always have room for one more.
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This course helps you to focus on mindset, lead generation and understanding the models shared by Gary Keller in the Millionaire Real Estate Agent book. The course has started on 22 June, and will continue to run until 20 July 2020. The sessions are presented by the Operating Partners of Keller Williams South Africa *If you missed out on the first few sessions, you access them on the Google Drive.
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VIEWPOINTS
SESSION
TOPIC
DATE
TIME
1
The MREA Foundational Models
22 June
13:00 - 14:30
2
The Six Common MythUnderstandings
23 June
13:00 - 14:30
3
Think
24 June
13:00 - 14:30
4
The Big Why
25 June
13:00 - 14:30
5
Value Proposition
29 June
13:00 - 14:30
6
The 80:20 Rule
30 June
13:00 - 14:30
7
Know Your Numbers
1 July
13:00 - 14:30
8
The Economic Model
2 July
13:00 - 14:30
9
The Lead Generation Model
6 July
13:00 - 14:30
10
The 8x8
7 July
13:00 - 14:30
11
The 33 Touch
8 July
13:00 - 14:30
12
The 12 Direct
9 July
13:00 - 14:30
13
Lead Generation Ratios
13 July
13:00 - 14:30
14
The Budget Model
14 July
13:00 - 14:30
15
The MREA Budget Model, Graph
15 July
13:00 - 14:30
16
The Organizational Model
16 July
13:00 - 14:30
17
The Profit Sharing Plan
20 July
13:00 - 14:30
18
Net
21 July
13:00 - 14:30
19
Systems Documentation
22 July
13:00 - 14:30
20
Goal-to-Action 20%
23 July
13:00 - 14:30
21
Counterbalancing Your Life
27 July
13:00 - 14:30
22
Time Blocking
28 July
13:00 - 14:30
23
Five Simple Steps
29 July
13:00 - 14:30
24
MREA Energy Plan
30 July
13:00 - 14:30
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OutFront is published by Keller Williams Realty, Inc. The entire document of OutFront is copyrightŠ by Keller Williams Realty, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the publisher. Editorial or advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative. CopyrightŠ 2018 Keller Williams Realty, Inc. All rights reserved.
