Joe Harris Real Estate Agent - Real Estate Agent Website of the Month

"Innovative Michigan Realtor's Success in Slow Market"

Joe Harris became a Michigan Realtor in 1989 after losing faith in being a DJ and the radio industry. It wasn't until he joined Z57's family of agents in October 2004 that his business really started to grow in a positive way.

In December 2005 Joe made one of his best decisions as a Realtor - he joined the BuyerLink traffic generation program and has had astounding results with it - generating a sale from it in just two days! This is all the more astounding considering his market, Michigan, has become the worst it's been since the early 1980's. Joe hasn't looked back since!

We asked Joe to reveal how he achieved his great success:

Z57: How did you want to grow your business? Joe: My first priority was getting into the "IDX" arena ahead of the majority of my competitors, judging from the number of hits we're getting monthly I'd have to say we're ahead of the curve. Given the fact I finally surrendered last year to the idea that in order to grow, I needed to take on a "Buyer's Agent," I was actually looking for innovative ways to generate leads. With the explosion of the Internet all too obvious, "BuyerLink" seemed like a natural transition.

Z57: What were challenges existing in your business that you wanted to overcome? Joe: The main challenge we all face as Realtors is trading time for money?trading LESS time for MORE money is the ultimate challenge! The combination of my website and BuyerLink puts my name in front of more potential buyers than I could ever expect to reach via conventional "old school" marketing methods (i.e. print, phone, signs).

Z57: What specific results have you experienced? Joe: The results so far (barely 45 days into pairing BuyerLink with my website) have been awesome. We've already closed three transactions that were a direct result of BuyerLink, and am currently working with a number of other pre-approved buyers that were generated from my website. Our first deal from BuyerLink came through just 2 days after signing up! I was talking to the prospect on the phone while he was on my website, asking me questions about a listing on my site. He had even assumed that the listing was mine thanks to my site's IDX. I showed him houses that day, wrote an offer the next and closed within 3 weeks. I have had nearly $15,000 in commissions in the first 90 days with BuyerLink, and in the WORST market my area has seen in 20 years!

We also currently have hundreds of prospects on "drip email", of which very few have requested removal. I find the "drip email" helps in generating open dialogue with many of our leads, over 40 of them have allowed us to set them up on "auto email" alerts directly from our board's database for homes that match their search criteria.

Z57: What role did your Personal Marketing Coach play in your success? Joe: Let me begin by saying Gretchen "The Gretchen" Williams is probably one of the most personable people I've had the pleasure to meet. Her interest in my success, and suggestions to help me achieve have truly translated into real dollars. Equally as important is her "patience" with my forever changing schedule, which must be earning her some favors in the next life!

Z57: What advice can you give to other Realtors with similar goals or challenges? Joe: Best advice? Do not fight the future...invest in it, there's a new generation of real estate clients with faith in the Internet. Their lives are getting busier by the minute...simplicity is the key, and the Internet is the way. Becoming innovative was not just a "good idea," it has been necessary to survive.