I have been using a new sign technique lately. I had very nice contractor signs printed up and then built a frame around them with wood. They have a very quality look to them. I had them made 4 feet wide and 4 feet high. I go to homes located on very busy streets and talk to the homeowners. I offer them $25/month rent plus $25 Home Depot or other store giftcard (their choice) for every sale their sign makes. My signs have a customs designed logo, are all in color, and have a phone number on them. The phone number has an extension number on it that they must dial. The ext. number tells me which sign they saw. My phone service (800 number), records the callers phone number and pages me. I immediately call them back and find out if they are a seller or a buyer.
I live in a county with 80,000 people and this has been working for me. I have 4 signs and they get me, on average, 4 calls per day. Of these, 3 are buyers and 1 is a potential seller.
Very cool idea. Get’s around city laws with sign usage, get’s around vandalism of signs (for the most part) and constant replacement of signs (maintenance), and allows a more attractive package for producing leads.
Bravo! For $25 a month, i’d imagine a well placed sign would produce many hassle-free leads. Very good.
The signs cost me about $100 each. The majority of that price was to have a real nice sign printed up-color with a professional logo on each. I actually had my logo designed too. That cost about $100. I built the frames myself, and I install them into the yards myself. I admit it is a bit of work, but it gives me a very professional look. Oh, the phone line costs me about $20/mo. I also registered a company name- $25 in my state.
My signs have two sides. Side one says: Crownline Homes will buy your home. You will make money. No gimmicks. 10 years experience. Call ########.
Side two says: We have homes for sale. You can buy a home. We will help you.
Forget mortgage companies. Call#######.
These seem to work well for me. I call them back as soon as they call my number and the system pages me. Don’t wait. Call ASAP. Be professional. Do not use slang terms or bad language. Set up an appointment to meet. Do not sound or be desperate. Schedule the appt. like a doctors or lawyers office would. you are a busy pro, but you are going to help them. When you do meet, do it at their house (check the place out really well), dress nicely, and be prepared.
Have contracts with you, but do not force the situation. Keep your contracts in a briefcase if you can. Some type of nice metal CD cases work too. No cheap binders or clipboards. Remember you are a pro. Have buyers fill out an application. Sellers- you do a thorough check of their house. Think like a contractor- check everything important.
Here is a big don’t, but my customers have told me they have seen this- do not bring kids, friends, or animals. Be a pro.
Keep a list of buyers and sellers. they may not do it now, but they will later.
This is expensive, but you can start with 1 sign. Add to this when you can. 1 deal will pay for everything.
Hope this helps.
Hey: Update on my no yellow signs posting.
Last week I tried something new. In my area there are a number of contractors driving around with those enclosed 6X12 trailers. Quite a few of them do not have signs on them -they are just blank. I started asking a couple of them if I could have a sign put on their trailer. I showed them a pic of my sign and told them it would look like that. I also told them that if I could put my sign on the trailer, I would pay them $25/mo. 4 out of 11 said yes. The sign guy charged me $75 each side to put my signs on them. It looks really good, and I got 3 calls on the first day. Day 2 I got 5 calls, day 3 produced 4 calls, day 4 produced 7 calls, and today 3 calls so far. Money is not far behind and I am looking for more of these trailers. Forget street signs, this is crazy good.
I have seen a guy buy an old moving van and have it painted only to park it on a overcrossing for a month. Obviously it was legal to park there. the freeway under it had lots of traffic.
I have seen one of those fiberglass pools turned on its side along a busy road with a “we buy houses” ad in it.
One guy in my town has rented the same billboard at a busy intersection for about 2 years now.
I know an investor who has his ads on the grocery store carts.
I do not know how these work, but I live in a county with 80,000 people but as you can tell. we are very competitive.
Another option is to do what a local realtor did. He bought a moving truck and has a huge ad on both sides. It also says buy or sell with me and you can use this truck for free when you move. It’s a small incentive for the sellers to have a free truck to use when they move but the big plus is your ad driving all over town. While it’s not in use park it in a shopping plaza near the main road. Move from plaza to plaza every few weeks.
put fliers in shopping carts.
have following stores place your “we buy houses” sign in their window for a cut:
check cashing
pawn
liquor store
bail bonds
moving Truck Rentals
ask home improvement contractor vans to carry your car signs for a cut (hey, guess what areas they drive thru - :smile)
stick “we buy houses” signs on abandoned gas stations, abandoned lots, etc.
They all last alot longer than on telephone poles. ;D