A few words before you start “Prospecting By Texting”

First: Texting is VERY personal.

Think about all the texts you have on your phone, I can almost guarantee 90% of them are from people “you know” or “they know you”. So the first rule of thumb: Treat your recipients as you treat your friends.

Let me give you an example:

Instead of:

“Good day dear sir or madam, I wanted to let you know we just recently listed a property in your neighborhood and we thought perhaps you may be interested in making an appointment for a private tour, would today or tomorrow work for you? Let me know and I will schedule you in”

Say:

Hey George, this is Rony Velasquez, check out this house we just listed: wwww.insertlinkhere.com pretty amazing huh?

Even if they don’t know you, always treat them as friends. Remember (because you customized the message with their name and their city) if they think you know them, your chances of getting a response are more likely.

Keep them SHORT.

Remember texting is NOT EMAIL, limit yourself to 160 characters (LESS IF POSSIBLE) go straight to the point and focus only on the action you want them to take.

Instead of:

We just listed a Beautifully remodeled to create the modern and open concept living that we all desire in a home! The kitchen has been thoughtfully designed with a huge butcher block island with seating for six along with with Quartz counters and a designer Subway tile backsplash with Stainless Steel appliances! A built-in bench seating at the breakfast nook will be perfect for those family meals in your new gorgeous home! The soaring vaulted ceilings greet you with natural light as soon as you walk in the entry and the great room is completely open to the kitchen and dining area. Upgraded tile floors throughout the main living area, the bedrooms feature new carpet and neutral paint throughout! Many of the major systems have also been upgraded including newer AC and Furnace, water heater, windows and sliding patio doors, newer garage door and motor and updated vanities in the bathrooms! The back patio is perfect for entertaining or barbecues with friends! Incredible amenities including the RSM Lake and beach club, lagoon, beach volleyball, bbqs and walking distance to the highly-rated Trabuco Mesa Elementary School! This special home will only be available for a very limited time for one lucky buyer!

Say:

Hey George, check out this house we just listed: wwww.insertlinkhere.com wanna see it? Let me know, Rony Velasquez

The first message has to be informational

FTC rules stipulate you are NOT allowed to (call, email, text) people for “solicitation” purposes unless they have given you written authorization to do so. But it also states (calls, emails, texts) for “informational purposes are okay”

So, your first message CANNOT be a straight solicitation text (do you want to sell your house?) it can only be for information purposes for example:

• Check out this new listing…
• I wanted to invite you to our open house…
• We just sold this property in your city…
• And so on.

For more example watch this video: https://youtu.be/2HosGE3ULq8

You have to give them an option to Opt-out

To be in compliance, the text message says: Hi Alma, this is (your name). I’m using an app to text you. You will not be billed extra for any texts, reply STOP to opt-out. 

And if someone asks you to STOP, don’t try to convert them, Optout them immediately or you can get in trouble*

Best uses:

The best use of Prospecting by Texting is:

• Birthday messages to your contacts and leads.
• Holiday reminders to your contacts and leads.
• Anniversaries (weddings, property purchase, etc.)
• Heads up on important things that matter to them (for example Lakers fans SMS would be: I am getting ready to watch the game, are you? Go Lakers!
• Open House Invitations
• Just Listed in your area
• Just Sold in your area
• Anything of importance to the recipient (community events, etc.)

You can also create Webpages in WordPress.

WORDPRESS: A WordPress page is not a website is a blog site where you can make social posts for free. Once set up, it will automatically share your content to all your social media pages! I love WordPress because of it easy to use, I can post pages, articles, pictures of homes, new listings, etc. and it will automatically deliver to all my social media business pages (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest). Investment: FREE

Create your Replies Beforehand.

If you send out 500 messages about 10% of people will respond back almost immediately (the bulk will be within 4 hours) you need to BE READY to answer those texts as soon as possible, remember they don’t know you are sending the text in bulk so they expect and immediate response. Create a document with pre-written SMS responses you can COPY AND PASTE into the SMS, it saves you a lot of time.