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What is Attraction Marketing? by Wanda Loskot

One of my other web sites is called AttractionMarketing.com - from time to time I get asked what is attraction marketing and how does it differ from other forms of marketing...

Traditional selling
Let's examine first the traditional methods of selling. It starts with prospecting, cold calls or advertising to find leads. You qualify those leads, usually based on people's urgency to buy or sell and their ability to qualify for a loan. You do a presentation to demonstrate the superiority of your own service and/or company.

Because prospects resist selling, agents are trained to be more persistent and to push harder. To convince prospects to hire you, you might have to work hard on overcoming their objections.

Troubles with selling
Sadly, the more you sell the more people resist it. Agree with me or not, selling doesn't work as well as it used to. Today most people dislike selling. On both ends. They don't like being sold to and they don't like selling to others.

They are sick and tired of all those objection-handling techniques, cold calls and other interruptions, advertising, prospecting. The slicker you are the more likely they will resist your approach...

Why?
It has a lot to do with the freedom we enjoy...

We are empowered and more sensitive to manipulation than our parents were. We are spoiled. We have more choices and we like to choose to do business only with those who care about us and who make the process of buying pleasurable, even fun.

Good news: people LIKE to buy!
Interestingly, people like buying. Even people who hate to be sold, LIKE to buy *IF* the shopping experience is fun and pleasurable.

What's fun and pleasurable?
Visit your local GAP store and take a closer look. It is a perfect example of creating fun and pleasurable shopping experience. To begin with, GAP stores are meticulously clean and very well lighted. Chances are that when you enter, you will hear your favorite kind of music. Stores are also well stocked and rarely run out of your size...

But is there anyone bugging you to buy that khaki pants you look at? No. Is someone overcoming your objection when you are simply not ready to buy? No way! GAP people just work hard on serving you. They will let you touch anything you want to touch, even if you ruin their amazingly folded stuff on display.

Why? Because they know that if you don't buy today BUT you have a pleasurable experience, you will feel so attracted to them that you will come back.

And they are right.
They don't concentrate on making a sale.
They concentrate on creating a customer for life.

Want to see some online example? Take a closer look at the most famous: amazon.com -- it's a pure shopping pleasure! Their special programming remembers your preferences, so you get an intelligent, personalized advise each time you enter the site. They will tell you what people said about books they sell - whether it's positive or not. Because they are there to HELP you.

And when you are ready to buy, they don't offer you a long form to fill out but a process reduced to just *ONE* click. No wonder we are coming back!

Think like a leader - not a salesperson
Attract real estate buyers and sellers by making their shopping experience pleasurable. Begin with identifying what are their frustrations associated with buying and selling real estate. Then share with them your knowledge of the industry to alleviate those pains. Advise them how to select the best services, educate them how to behave in various situation....

Your aim should be to solve your prospects problems. The key word here is "lead" - not "sell". Basically, you want to take them by the hand and lead them through the process.

You need to make it interesting, engaging, unpredictable. You need to offer support in the areas less obvious than that traditional stuff everyone else in real estate does.

Becoming irresistibly attractive
It is not about being handsome although it helps to have a good hair cut and tastefully selected clothes. On the Internet, an attractively designed web site and carefully formatted e-mail go a long way.

Becoming a magnet for buyers and sellers is easier than you think when you take the dollar sign off your forehead and start truly focus on the people you serve.

Buyers Remorse Pills
I used to give my clients a jar of Buyers Remorse Pills, delivered with a sales contract signed already by all parties. That's the time when the remorse process quite often begins. Of course everyone in real estate knows about buyers remorse. Many agents even make their clients aware that it is normal to have a sleepless night after having an offer accepted. But no one else, beside me, in my area at least, was giving people Buyers Remorse Pills...

They were colorful, yummy and very silly. They made remorse feelings normal (because expected) -- and they made it fun. They also made me look thoughtful, resourceful and unique. Not bad, eh? Indeed my Buyers Remorse Pills made me very attractive in the eyes of my buyers and they brought me many referrals.

By the way... they were also cheap and easy to produce. Would you like to step-by-step instruction for making your own Buyers Remorse Pills? - click here!

But even handing people Buyers Remorse Pills is not enough. Not nearly enough.... It is your attitude towards others that can make you attractive. It is developing a cheerful and upbeat personality. BEING the type of person someone would want to do business with.

Is it worth the trouble?
Attraction marketing is the most natural and pleasurable way to grow a business. Yes, it takes time to make it work. And knowledge. You need to implement solid business systems to support your efforts. But it is worth the trouble.

You will be amazed how many GREAT clients you will attract to do business with you. Even people who will never become buyers themselves will send you referrals!