Marketing: real estate agents/apartment search services

[E&L]

Has anyone had any success with marketing your practice by contacting local real estate agents and/or apartment search services and asking them if they would be interested in handing out coupons for your services to their clients, or better yet purchasing GC's to give to their clients?

I know if I just bought a house, I'd rather have a free massage than a cheesy wall sized tv. :

 

[aqua_diente]

Apartments are fertile grounds...

We have a contract with Archstone-Smith apartments nationwide.

Not only do they offer our services to their residents via the live and on-line concierge service, but they purchase dozens of Gift Certificates each month.

When a resident renews a lease, instead of giving them a month's free rent, they get the equivalent in free services from vendors like us.

Since we give them a 20% discount for giving us so much business, the resident sees $100 value but it cost the apartment $80.

 

[Bob White]

I had a thread on that a while back. I think it was called Marketing to Realtors.

I met with a realtor and she told me how to go about it.

 

[LD50]

Thanks AV, I didn't see your thread before I posted!

 

[muncie birder]

Does anyone have any copies of their letters that they've sent to the real estate agents or apartment complex's? I am having trouble coming up with some good wording.



Jen

 

[missjaimy]

What my friend (the realtor) said to do is to call the real estate office (talk with the broker) and offer to do a quick presentation at the sales meeting. You could talk about the stress of moving both physical/mental (as if the realtors didn't know that) and what the benefits of massage are as related to the stress. Then explain that massage is one of the fastest growing industries and that more and more people are seeking massage as a form of alternative health care now. So the chances of them having had a massage in the town they left are pretty good. So finding a new MT is on par with finding a new health care provider. And you just so happened to bring your brochures with you and on the back (say a tri-fold brochure) of it is a coupon for a free 30 minute massage with the puchase of an additional 30 minutes. (My friend said a free something with purchase sounds better than 50% off.) You will provide the brochures to the realtors if they will put them in a new resident information package. You could talk about all of this while giving a chair massage to say the office manager. Have a drawing for a free 1 hour massage (or 30 minute).

You could also give an extra incentive to the realtors by letting them know that for every X number of gift coupons redeemed by the realtor's customers (suggest having the realtor put their name on the coupon), the realtor will receive a free whatever.

It's a win-win-win-win situation. (client, realtor, broker, you)

 

[rauma_raumamary]

Avtr8x,

I love your ideas. Honestly I am not ready to be personally visiting/calling the realtors at this time. I was hoping at this point, to just send a ton of letters out and hope I get a couple calls. Thanks though for the great idea.


I'm still looking for a letter if anyone has one! Thanks!

 

[Cliff Jumper]

That is what I did Jen. I printed out a letter and sample gift certificates and coupons and sent them to local realtors, a few apartments and an apartment serach locator. I will do follow up calls next week.

 

[Elliott N]

Gess,

Would you be willing to share your letter with me? I am literally at a loss for words. I sit at the computer to try to start it, and NOTHING comes out!! If it's ok, I can use yours as a guide and it might help me go from there. I'd really really appreciate it Gess!



Jen

 

[tomboy]

Jen:

I started out my introducing myself and letting them know what I do and where my office is and said that I was writing to inquire if they would be interested in providing their clients with coupons for my services.

Then I mentioned how moving can be stressful and that massage is a great way to get through that...blah blah blah. I also mentioned that providing coupons does not cost their company anything, etc.

Then I mentioned that if they were interested in buying GCs to give to clients, I would personalize them with their company's name/logo and provide them at a reduced cost.

I thanked them and said that I would make a follow up call in the next week to answer any questions...and mentioned that they could learn more about my practice at my website...

I enclosed my brochure, some business cards and a sample GC and coupon so they could see what they would be getting.


Hope this helps a little. Just be yourself and write what you would say if you were meeting with them for the first time about your offer.