We all get them, probably too many in a day. I'm talking about receiving a blast email from someone looking for your business. As a Realtor, I get way too many blast emails from mortgage people with their picture and company logo and saying how they're the best best best, yadda yadda. I get so many, sometimes I'll sit there and unsubscribe from all the lists in a day, and guess what happens the next week? A new set of mortgage people are emailing me...
Anyway, I have a client who is looking to start buying some investment properties to add to his portfolio for his end goal of buying a Wing Stop. He really only wants to put 5% down on each property, and he has great credit, mid 700's. My regular mortgage professionals are all saying they can only do 10% down right now. Not a problem, he'll save a little more money.
However, right after hearing this news, I received another blast email from some no-name company I've never heard of, but of course, they say they're a large, competetive company and they want my business. I actually hit "reply" and emailed a very simple, one line response to him saying:
"Do you have 5% for investors with great credit?"
His end goal of sending blast emails out to Realtors should hopefully be to get some of those Realtors to respond so he could benefit from the extra business, right? You would think...
I have not heard from this mortgage person. Do you think he's going to benefit by not responding? As soon as I hit submit on this post, I will be hitting the unsubscribe button from his email to never receive them again... I'll wait for the next group of emails as they're never-ending no matter how much I wish they would... I mean, why would I do business with a stranger?
I read it if I think its from a client or someone I know. If not I send it to the goverment spam email and delete it.
OK, so I guess no one understood what I was saying in my blog. Yes, I'm annoyed by the emails, but that wasn't my point at all. My point was that I actually responded to one of the emails asking if he had a 5% down program because I had a referral for him, and he did not respond. Why would someone spend all that money getting email lists, receive a response, and then not respond back?
He just lost some big business if he would have just answered my email.
Mostly I ignor them... if one looks interestng I may look into it. I disagree with one of the people responding...I do not think the future of real estate IS the internet. It MAY be the internet, but the internet is suffering from its own excesses and until that is corrected (i don't have a clue how) it will be a mixed bag. But even if it is you still need people and people work best by relationships.
So a long winded answer...no.
I have a great email provider that filters most of this stuff into 1 email they send 2x a day. I can quickly scan and if there is one that I need to see I can release it and teach the system to allow more from this person. It was a painful first month to get it all set up, but it was time well spent. I don't see much spam.
I got a blast yesterday and just deleted it.
My biggest complaint if from the telemarketers that call me trying to sell me all kinds of goodies, even though the cell number is on the DO NOT CALL list.
I disagree with Anthea. In order to obtain and build those relationships, you have to get a lead from somewhere. It is much harder just walking into a business "cold" with no prior communication and try and build something. With email marketing it gives the receiver the option of whether or not to respond. If they do not respond, fine, no ones time is wasted. If they do respond, great, you have a lead, you know they are already interested and you do not have to go in "cold".
Plus as I have said in the past, with gas prices the way they are, why would someone waste their time, energy and hours of driving around WITHOUT some kind of lead? It just makes sense.