Sample Cards/Letters

★★★ Postcard to distressed homeowners that generated 16 listing

A subscriber to our pre foreclosure data used the following post card to get sixteen listings in a month’s time. She sent the postcard out to homeowners 60 days late, multiple times. Each time, she changed the font color. After the third mailing, she followed up with a phone call or a personal visit.

Although her home office offered postcard designs, she said that those were too much “in your face” and came up with this design. I like the picture of the little girl – it puts a personal face on the human element of foreclosure.

Notice that the postcard does not profess that there is any inside knowledge that the homeowner is late on their payment. Instead, the question is, “Do you know people in this situation?”. This disarms the homeowner. Any thoughts?

Here is an introductory letter I came across that offers solutions to problems with real estate loans.
I like it because there are no bells and whistles – it’s straight down the middle. This person portrays them-self as an adviser with several options on the table. I think it is much better to educate homeowners on the array of options available to them (forbearance, refinance, Deed In Lieu of Foreclosure, etc ) than to only pitch a short sale, because the message you send is that you have the homeowners best interest in mind. It can’t be emphasized enough – before a homeowner allows you to work with the lender, they have to trust you.

As I explained in an earlier post, repetition produces the best results when offering your help to homeowners that have defaulted on their mortgage payment. If the first letter doesn’t generate a response, a second and third letter is in order. Subsequent letters should escalate in tone and urgency by explaining the consequences of doing nothing, and stress the magnitude of what the homeowner will experience if they chose to go into hiding.

Sample Letter

Dear Bob/Sally,

My name is _______. Please do not be embarrassed, but I offer ethical and compassionate solutions to problems with real estate loans. My initial consultant is free. I can often refer you to other prescreened, ethical professionals in the fields of refinance, bankruptcy, or credit management.

Other times, I might be able to arrange for a quick and discreet sale and leaseback of your property, allowing you to preserve your credit, your reputation, and your day-to-day affairs. In some instances, people want to sell their property and make a clean break – moving some place else in order to begin building better times and better memories.

Whatever your goals, you can rest assured that I am not just another opportunist trying to make money at your expense. If I can help, and we can both come out ahead, then we need to work together. If I can’t help, then I can save you lots of time and anguish by referring you to people who can assist you.

Please take that first step of putting yourself back in charge of your life – contact me for some additional information and possibly a personal consultation.

Sincerely,

Your Name

At www.ConsumerDataLeads.com, we provide early, accurate and exclusive pre foreclosure data on homeowners that need your help. If you found this post informative, follow us on Twitter @ consumerdata

To get the creative juices flowing, I asked a potential client if he had any ideas on how he would use the list of homeowners that are preforeclosure, and he came up with what I thought was a hugely clever strategy – fortune cookies.

A troubled homeowner would be sent a custom fortune cookie. When the homeowner opened the fortune cookie, they would be greeted with a slip that said, “Solve your home problem – call me. 555-5555.” How clever is that?

I didn’t get the name of the website that crafted these custom fortune cookies, but later, did a Google search for “marketing fortune cookies”, “custom fortune cookies”, and the like, and a handful of promotional companies came up on the search.

This brings up a great point – the more creative you get in your campaign to troubled homeowners, the greater your ROI. Dimensional mailings can come in many forms, but they have one thing in common – they are guaranteed to get opened. Imagine children hovering under a Christmas tree opening presents, and it’s easy to understand why.

Sure, the costs of mailing something other than an envelope can be high, but the Return on Investment is superior to sending something flat. I’ve heard of double-digit response rates when using dimensional mailings because they are unique and commands the attention of their recipient – they are screaming to be opened. It’s not about ROI anymore… it’s about Return on Creativity.

When we provided a list of new homeowners that recently moved in, a few clients used dimensional mailings with stunning success. For example,

A dentist sent a manilla folder with “Dentists” in the subject line, for easy filing. Inside the folder was helpful oral hygiene tips, a profile of the dentistry, and, get this – a toothbrush with the practice’s contact information. The cost per mail piece was high, but the response it yielded was well worth the investment.

Similarily, a landscaper in Colorado sent out an evergreen sapling to new homeowners. This creative mailing ”sprouted” many new jobs.

If you think inside the box and use dimensional mailings, your fortune cookies will read, “More consummated transactions.”

At ConsumerDataLeads.com, we provide early, accurate and exclusive pre foreclosure data on distressed homeowners before their hardship reaches any public file.

Disclaimer: Per CDL Data ‘Terms of Service’ following conditions apply to Your use of any of the CDL Data – Model Late Data :
1. You shall use CDL Data – Model Late Data solely for Your internal use and direct marketing purposes only.
2. You shall not use CDL Data – Model Late Data directly and/or indirectly or reference any type of Model Late directly to the Consumer without written prior consent of said Consumer in any (i) direct mail; (ii) conducting telephone solicitation; or (iii) conducting telephone or direct mail surveys.
3. You acknowledge that any contact either written and/or spoken with a Consumers as a direct result of CDL Data – Model Late Data is purely informational regarding your products and services.

Sending Postcards To Homeowners In Pre Foreclosure – Some Pointers

When reaching out to distressed homeowners in pre foreclosure, one popular marketing vehicle is a postcard, because they are cheap to print, cheap to mail, and a postcard doesn’t have to be opened – they stare distressed homeowners in the face. Yet despite the advantages of this “tiny billboard”, there are potential pitfalls to avoid. In this post, I’ll hopefully give some insight when planning a postcard campaign to upside down, struggling homeowners that are eager for hope and solutions.

Focus on Benefits, Not Features

One of the biggest mistakes we’ve seen with postcard campaigns is the tendency to focus on features, which talk bumpkins about the REALTOR. The reality is, the homeowner doesn’t care about you, your expertise, your training, how big you are, how many homes you sold, or what association you are a member of. Let’s say you helped 28 homeowners avoid foreclosure last month, or you are a member of the Better Business Bureau, or you completed a course on short sales. That’s great, but it doesn’t answer the homeowner’s only question – WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? People buy on emotion and justify it later with logic – they’ll come back to your credentials later, according to world renowned sales trainer Zig Ziglar.

While features are the language of logic, benefits are the language of emotion. Here’s some examples of benefits:

“Get a good night’s sleep for the first time in six months”…
“Move on to build better memories”…
“Stop harassing collection calls”…
“Lift a ton of bricks off your shoulders”…
“Help your family”… etc.

In another post, we showed an example of one client’s postcard that did a good job focusing on benefits, and it paid off. > See her postcard here.

The point to get here from 40,000 feet is that you should talk less about you and more about the homeowner that is experiencing a very difficult period in their lives.

Postcards Will Not Close The Sale

Not much can be fitted on a 4 1/2 by 6 postcard. The objective then of a postcard is to tease the homeowner and encourage them to learn more. In our view, the best call to action is to drive them to a landing page, where they can access something of high perceived value, such as a free report. Once on your landing page, you can capture the homeowner’s contact information and nurture
the lead with “drip” marketing.

People Respond To Repetition

If you send one postcard one time to one list, hopefully you can get a deal. One listing will pay for the postcard campaign and put money in your pocket. But the reality is marketing has never meant to be and never will be a one-shot deal. To create big, predictable results, you have to market your services repetitively and be “in the face” of your listing prospect with several touch points. It’s like a parent that finally gives in to repeated requests for a new toy, a piece of candy, or permission to stay up late. Distressed homeowners are the same way. The best results come from multiple mailings. Through repetition, you establish familiarity, which in turn builds credibility, which in turn builds trust. You then have more of a license to call the homeowner or knock on their door.

Use Creative Calls To Action

While you ideally want the homeowner that is falling behind on their mortgage payments to call you, the reality is many of these homeowners will not immediately pick up the phone and warm up to a stranger that has sent one post card. Yet those homeowners that would not otherwise pick up the phone will feel feel more comfortable going to a landing page where they could download a free report on the 5 things they should never do if they fall behind on their mortgage payment, or a leery homeowner would feel more at ease listing to a 2 to 3 minute hotline that provides an overview on their options available. The soft sell approach works.

Instead Of A Logo, How About A Map To Your Office?

In our view, a logo isn’t as important as a brick and mortar address. It’s a virtual world and there are a lot of shysters on the internet, so people want to see a real place. This is especially true with distressed homeowners that feel vulnerable. Remember, the entire media for the past two years has been telling everyone that if someone approaches homeowners with foreclosure help, they are probably a vulture. Having a real place for the homeowner to see and visit will go a long way in dispelling this myth.

There are myriad other variables that will determine the success of your postcard marketing campaign. The headline, your choice of color, font selection are just a few factors among them, but we won’t divulge all on this blog. For expert consultation, call us at 866-377-4599.

At ConsumerDataLeads.com, we provide early, accurate, and exclusive data for real estate professionals. Armed with insider information from the credit bureaus, you will know exactly which homeowners have just missed a mortgage payment. Since this is not yet public record information, you can get more listings by being the first to advise distressed homeowners on their solutions, long before your competitors.

At ConsumerDataLeads.com, we provide early, accurate and exclusive pre foreclosure data on distressed homeowners before their hardship reaches any public file.

Disclaimer: Per CDL Data ‘Terms of Service’ following conditions apply to Your use of any of the CDL Data – Model Late Data :
1. You shall use CDL Data – Model Late Data solely for Your internal use and direct marketing purposes only.
2. You shall not use CDL Data – Model Late Data directly and/or indirectly or reference any type of Model Late directly to the Consumer without written prior consent of said Consumer in any (i) direct mail; (ii) conducting telephone solicitation; or (iii) conducting telephone or direct mail surveys.
3. You acknowledge that any contact either written and/or spoken with a Consumers as a direct result of CDL Data – Model Late Data is purely informational regarding your products and services.

When marketing to a list of distressed homeowners, we’re often asked what’s better – a post card or letter?

Before answering that question head on, a preface is in order. In my view, there is no singular magic bullet to get through to struggling homeowners. The biggest determinant of success has been repetition through multiple channels. Repetition builds familiarly, which in turn builds credibility, which then cements trust.

Having said that, given the choice between a letter or postcard, the letter will create the most impact in our view, a view that has been bourn out by the feedback we’ve received. Why?

In today’s fast-paced society, no one seems to take the time anymore to write a personalized letter. Anything that strikes of personal correspondence will smash through the clutter. Handwriting the envelope and letter will achieve a personal look, touch and feel that other mail can’t duplicate. It’s like receiving a wedding invitation or a birthday card from Uncle Harry.

Let’s face it – we all judge a book by it’s cover, and homeowners will judge the envelope. While ink jet labels can be tempting, consider handwriting the envelope with your just your name and address on the upper left of the envelope, with no mention of your real estate company. Some homeowners in financial trouble may have a stereotype of a REALTOR and your company name could serve as a barrier to opening your mail piece. More than half the battle is getting your message noticed.

To see a letter that has generated several listings for a successful short sale agent that has used our list, see a PDF copy here .

This is not to discount the effectiveness of postcards. Postcards are cheap to print and cheap to mail when compared to letters, and there is no barrier to get them opened. Yet a greater number of postcards would have to be sent, in our view, to achieve the same impact as a letter. You can view sample postcards here, or to get tips on how to manage an effective postcard marketing campaign, read this earlier post.

We have collected the above information from various sources for your convenience.