Have you looked at the calendar lately? The reason I ask is that so many professionals I meet seem to think that they’re still in the 20th Century…back in the time when companies found their clients almost exclusively through direct mail marketing. Direct mail has long been an effective way to reach prospects and continues to work well for a wide range of goods, products, and services.
By the late 1990’s, however, so many mortgage companies were relying on direct mail that it had essentially stopped working. Prospects just tuned out the message. Instead of generating leads that generated income, direct mail was simply generating red ink in a company’s financial statement. And that was when the real downside to traditional direct mail campaigns became apparent: runaway expenses. With the postage and printing costs skyrocketing, it was no longer cost-effective for most companies to purchase address lists and do mass mailings.
In ‘the good old days,’ prospecting with mailing lists used to be profitable. It provided me (and other mortgage professionals) with a steady flow of new loans in the pipeline, not to mention a steady flow of cash into my pocket. Today, this outdated method of contacting prospects does little more than annoy consumers, overwhelm the post office, and make the list companies richer and richer.
Telemarketing is even more frowned upon by consumers and is no longer a reliable source of leads either. As legislation continues to close in on telemarketers, even leads marketed as “fresh, live, and hot” turn out to be stale, dead, cold, and very unreceptive to a sales pitch.
For decades, mortgage professionals have been locked into diminishing returns from direct mail and telemarketing. The problem was that there was no alternative. But all that has changed.
I have perfected a cutting edge technology that you can easily master, even if you’re not a computer geek or especially techno-savvy. I use it myself. It’s a simple business process that takes just 27 minutes each week to put into practice. It costs virtually nothing to do, and helped me generate $729,198 in loan fees just last year in personal loan production.
I hope that last statement has you wondering what this technology can do for your business and your income. It can do wonders, if you embrace it quickly before it becomes common practice.
The Better Way – Video Emails
A new technology that is producing phenomenal results across all industry segments is Streaming Video via emails. For just pennies, you can send an email to a prospect that is more than just an electronically delivered ‘direct mail’ letter. It’s a video message that is personalized by you. What makes this an attractive marketing alternative is cost. The hardware is a simple $10 web-cam and no special software is required.
Unlike traditional email correspondence that delivers a personal message, a video email actually delivers a person – YOU! . You’re two-dimensional, it’s true, but you’re a person they can see and hear nonetheless. The impact is tremendous. After watching an email video, a prospect feels they’ve gotten to “know” the person who sent it. This is the first, critical step in establishing trust and building a connection.
The Trust Factor
To understand the power of video as a means of getting acquainted, think about your favorite movie star. It is likely that you have never met them in person, talked to them, or even been in the same room with them. BUT…because you’ve seen their image and heard them talk, you feel as if you do know them. And, if you’re like so many consumers (myself included, I admit!), you may also feel like you trust them.
Trust is the reason celebrities are paid millions of dollars to endorse products. And if you can establish trust, you can be paid millions, too!
I’ve experienced this first hand. Each time someone walks into my office as a direct result of receiving my video emails over a couple of weeks or months, the words out of their mouths are almost identical: “Carl, I feel like I know you.” When they say that, I know that I have their trust, and their trust is well placed with me.
Trust is hard to earn and should never be squandered. I back up my powerful marketing strategies with an honest business that I run with honesty and integrity. I am dedicated to rewarding my client’s trust by always doing what’s in their best interest. If you don’t deliver on your promise of quality service, no video email in the world will be able to overcome the bad reputation you earn.
The Psychology of Video
The power of video is not an invention of marketers. Even social psychologists tell us that people are much more likely to trust you if they can hear and see you. Your message is more likely to hit home because you are connecting with more of your prospect’s senses and emotions.
And I’m sure that I don’t need to remind you of the critical equation in our industry and every other:
TRUST = INCOME!
Another psychological factor in play is perception. In the information world, video has a higher perceived value than the written word (like an ebook) or the spoken word (like an audio CD). The proof is in the pricing. When you buy an information product in ebook form, the typical cost is about $15. The audio CD version can be had for about $50.
But the DVD version can easily command a price of well over $200. Our society puts much more value on the audio and visual media.
When used properly, video emails (with you as the star) are is the 21st Century equivalent of showing up for a cold call in your clients’ living room, office, and their friend’s homes. The difference is that video emails allow your prospects to listen to your pitch when they’re feeling most receptive.
Yes You Can! (I Did)
I have been using this strategy for about 2 years now, and have won first place in the two national marketing contests that I have entered with my video email strategy as the showcase. But the true measure of marketing success is how much money it puts in yourpocket. Since I made this strategy the centerpiece of my marketing efforts, it has been the driving force of my business, generating well over $1,000,000 in loan fees with my personal loan production in the last two years.
The ‘secrets’ of my success are easy to emulate.
In my experience, the most productive way to tap into video is to send out a weekly video email. Although you’re the star of your video, it’s really all about the consumer. What do I mean by that? Simply that your video email should be informative and valuable to your prospect, not an obvious piece of self-promotion.
My “Tip of the Week” is often about mortgages and real estate, of course. But from time to time, I mix things up a little and provide more general “insider secrets” like how to get free 411 phone service, for example, or how to avoid identity theft.
And while I don’t do any kind of a hard sell, I do give a call to action at the end of each tip. That’s the trick…to present a tip that identifies a problem and then invite readers to call me so that I can provide the solution.
Easier Than You Think
So why aren’t you and every other professional on earth using this technology? “Too hard” some people think or “I’m techno-challenged.” Well what if I told you that you can have your first Video Email recorded, and distributed in less than 24 hours and with no cost?
I thought that might change your mind! Check out this website. They can get you up and going in no time. The pure simplicity of this system amazes the people who use it:
www.MPNVideosTips.com.
There’s another route you can take.
I had a realtor tell me how much she enjoyed getting her weekly video email tip from me. Suddenly a huge light bulb went off in my head. I said “Well, why don’t you stand beside me and we will do the email video together and you can send it out to your prospects and past clients?” I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was about to get catapulted into a whole new business and a whole new level of success.
Now, each week, I have a line of realtors that COME TO MY OFFICE and wait their turn to record a video email with me to send to their database.
Remember, I’m the scriptwriter, so my clients read what I write for them. At the end of the video, the agent looks into the camera and say, “Carl White is the man I trust to give me honest answers and think outside the box when necessary to help my friends and family members.” It’s a priceless promotion for me.
Yes, it’s a priceless promotion for me, but it’s also a priceless marketing tool for my clients. Rather than wasting time and money on direct mail, telemarketing, and other out-dated or unpopular marketing techniques, my clients reach their clients by simply reading a script that I write and that has been pasted just beneath the $10 webcam that we are looking toward.
Until Next Time
Congratulations! You’ve gotten your feet wet on the subject of video emails. Next month, we’ll really dive in to the video pool. I’ll explain exactly how create my messages, including details on where I get the information to write the scripts. I’ll even ‘pull back the curtain’ and let you in on some of the secrets that I have learned while perfecting this million dollar revenue-generating strategy that costs just pennies to implement.
Remember…your clients want to see the real you! There’s no better way to introduce yourself than with video emails.
About Carl White
Carl White is a visionary entrepreneur and the president of Time Mortgage, a thriving business based in central Florida. For nearly a decade, Carl has maintained a sterling reputation for honesty and integrity, and has been recognized as one of the top loan originators in the United States. His Wednesday Tips Email Video program has been a major contributor to his personal loan production of $729,198 in loan fees in just 12 months. Time Mortgage’s leading edge marketing strategy took first place honors at the prestigious “Business Plan 2006” national conference. Carl’s results-oriented mantra is “Knowledge isn’t power; action is.” His weekly call-to-action Tampa Bay radio broadcast “TIME for Real Estate” is heard locally on AM1340 WTAN and available nationwide on the Internet.
For more information about the author, Time Mortgage, and video email, readers may contact Carl through his email address of
Carl@WednesdayTip.com
