Entries from April 2008

April 30, 2008

Local trump

What if the “Don” decided to get into the note industry? What would that mean for business? How would it hurt? How would it help? What are some of the things you think he would do? How would he market? Would lawyers run to him to refer clients to him?
To be quite honest I don’t [...]

April 27, 2008

Straw man marketing

ABC Funding & Cash Out Investors* both broker and buy notes. They have access to roughly 50 different investors, but usually work with about 2 on a consistent basis. They have websites, do free consultation, and direct mail.
Sally Homemaker* heard about selling notes from a [neighbor]. She decides to hop on that computer doo-hickey and do a search with the [...]

April 27, 2008

New Claim: #3 Licensed Broker in the Country

Went website browsing today and stumbled across a broker who had these credentials on the left side of their site.

These are membership logos to mortgage broker associations. Whats the problem?
We are note brokers!
So while it seems as though this particular company seems all-the-more legit by boasting credentials, what they are really doing is tricking their customers. They [...]

April 23, 2008

Bad apples

It seems to me the more info-pupils there are the better it makes a legitimate company look. Of course there comes a lot more skepticism, but its not hard to outshine a broker who doesn’t know what they’re doing. So what a blessing for us that bad apples really don’t spoil the bunch. In fact, [...]

April 22, 2008

Challenge: Make yours like this

What could your company take from this simple postcard?

Simple colors
Attention-getting words
Change of orientation
Handwritten (or appears to be)
Doesn’t say, “I BUY NOTES”

April 22, 2008

Info-pupils

Info-pupil: one who’s entire knowledge of the note business is learned from a tv infomercial program.
I have been noticing a large influx of Info-pupils lately. Fans of the oh-so infamous tv infomercial. I really shouldn’t say fans because its not very accurate to the real meaning I am placing behind it. Its more like pawns, drones, seedlings; [...]

April 21, 2008

Closed: Permanently

I started a note company a few years back called Cambridge, West & Rogers (CWR). Not only is it a mouthful to say, but only one of those names actually belonged to any of us (had 2 partners). I did all the normal things too. I registered an email address, purchased an 800 number, yadda [...]

April 16, 2008

The pony and the goose

Do you use the same marketing strategies to gather professional clients and note holders? Stop.
Note holders and professional contacts are not the same- don’t market them the same. Note holders do well with direct mail flyers and postcards if for no other reason, you only work with them once (most of the time). One-trick ponies.
Professionals [...]

April 14, 2008

Why you think your clients are stupid

You assume they believe you. This is the day of the internet, make sure you don’t say anything contrary to other note brokers found in a search. I recently read a broker who went beyond the call of duty and totally disclaimed even being a broker! He claimed to be an “industry finder” (or something like that) contracted by [...]

April 14, 2008

Marketing Placebo

Here is a little ditty I adapted from Harry Beckwith’s book What Clients Love.
We all know about the effects of placebo vs. pharmaceutical drugs. People take the pill expecting it to make them feel better, and so they do. They expect it to work, so it does!
This effect goes past medicine and seeps into everyday life. [...]