Comments on: What Real Estate Photographers Should Do When They Go To Realtor Meetings

By: M. James Northen

M. James Northen — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 00:28:20 +0000

Thanks for the compliment Mark always nice to hear nice things from others in the same business.

M. James

By: Mark Reibman

Mark Reibman — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 05:48:24 +0000

M. James

I really sorry I can’t help.Someone else asked me that same thing and I have completely blanked out what was asked including the lead question from the president/owner of the agency.

BTW, I really enjoyed looking at your gallery. I love the work you’re doing.

By: M. James Northen

M. James Northen — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 01:03:47 +0000

Mark,

I am curious as to what sort of questions you were asked ?

Could you just paraphrase a couple – it would be helpful.

On another note …… someone near the top mentioned a leather bound portfolio which means it can be kept nice and current. I am thinking about producing a book with say a hundred shots in it to hand around at the weekly sales/marketing meetings. They are not that expensive and I have even considered producing one for each high end listing that I receive.

M. James

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 09:21:56 +0000

Interesting timing for this article. I had my first full presentation at a real estate meeting today. I was a bit anxious about the presentation but prior to my introduction the owner of the agency read excerpts from the aforementioned NYT article before I spoke. I joked that he had already basically done my presentation for me but then they did more of an interview of me asking really good questions. They really put me at ease and I ended up not using my prepared presentation but covered a lot of important points. Now I’d like to do some more. I’ve discovered that I actually like to speak to large groups.

By: Scott Hargis

Scott Hargis — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 06:18:57 +0000

Well… maybe you CAN still link to it. I don’t understand why when I go from the link that I was originally emailing out to my list it doesn’t work anymore (I hit the NYT ‘registration’ page) but when I use Jason’s link above it works fine….I’ll try this again tomorrow.

By: Jason Bennett

Jason Bennett — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 01:33:52 +0000

Uhh..my apologies for the weird linking in my comment above The links do work though.

By: Jason Bennett

Jason Bennett — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 01:32:02 +0000

Larry - Great insights! I've linked to the on my website, and I also reference different passages from it during my presentations. Very powerful stuff in here. I would also recommend creating a professional pamphlet highlighting your offerings. This sample has done wonders for me. Cheers, Jason Bennett –

By: larrylohrman

larrylohrman — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:28:19 +0000

Cherie,
You talk like a marketing major! These are all great ideas.

By: Cherie Irwin

Cherie Irwin — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:23:45 +0000

I forgot to say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, so don’t say too much when you are in front of a group of agents. Show them what you can do, and emphasize quick turn around time and good customer service. These are things agents are looking for! And, please don’t give them the impression that you know more than they do, using Larry’s “10 Essentials” is a great way to point out how you can help them increase their listing’s exposure.

And it doesn’t hurt to throw in something for free. Agents LOVE free stuff! I include a BuildaTour.com slideshow for all of my shoots, at no additional cost to my clients. And, I get calls all the time because of that! It works, TRUST ME!!! Okay, I think I’ve said enough…I was a marketing major, go figure. And I know what clicks for Realtors.

By: Cherie Irwin

Cherie Irwin — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:14:56 +0000

It also helps to have a portfolio of your work that agents can open up and look at. I have a large leather bound portfolio that I pass around the room, and I bring a folder or a wire bound booklet for each agent to take with them. I include a few samples of my work in that as well…they don’t have to be full page photos, but a couple shots on a page will work. And make sure that if you are printing on an inkjet that you use glossy brochure or photo paper. That makes a huge impact, and the prints are much more clear than matte paper.

In addition, I make sure that my packets include a price sheet, and I include a discount certificate for new clients. This is a huge incentive to get agents to try me out, especially those that are already using one of my competitors.

I have found that a really good way to get in the door of a real estate office is to call one of the top agents in the office. I offer to do a photo shoot for an upcoming listing for half price. In exchange, if they like my work, they give me an endorsement and request to have me come speak at their next “vendor day” or at another office meeting. That has worked wonders for me! I’ve technically only been in business since January 2, and I’m already shooting 10-15 listings each week. I can’t complain!