Mail-Right Show Episode 231: How to Negotiate With a Marketing Agency To Market Your Real Estate Business
Realtors, at some point in their career, will want to work with a marketing agency to help them increase the amount of business they can do. Whether it’s setting up a new website, creating advertising campaigns, making your logo, helping you with your branding, and many more. Whatever the product or service-learning to negotiate with your marketing agency will help you get better service for your business or a discount on your total fee. I’ll be providing a summarized version of the podcast of the various pointers real estate professionals can use for their future marketing deals.
Listen to the Episode 231 Podcast
Negotiating with Real Estate Website Developers
The first tip I would offer is for those looking to set up a website for your business. There typically is a section in your footer where your developer will add a link back to their website. This link, no matter how small it is, provides valuable marketing value for your developer. It showcases the products that they create and allows visitors to your site to know who actually made your website and potentially become future clients for them. You can request to have the link removed, or if they want to retain it, you can request a discount on your contract or extra service in exchange for the link.
Read the Terms and Conditions of Your Contract
The following advice we have is for you to read the terms and conditions of your contract and, if possible, request an itemized breakdown of what you’re buying. I’ve had several experiences with clients where they do not read the agreement and just send me the check. I would argue that you should always understand what you’re buying and, if possible, negotiate various points in your agreement if you find anything you don’t like. If you get a list of the things you’re getting with your agency and find an item you can do without, you can ask a reduced rate to have that removed. Some agencies may be willing to change sections in your contract to close the sale or be prepared to add in something extra in exchange.
Long-term vs. Short-term Contracts
Opting for an annual contract. If your agency provides long-term contracts, it may be a good idea to opt-in for that. Clients that I know are in it for the long haul are typically better treated, especially if I know that your business will be a lot more valuable for my team. Usually, agencies look at you on a total contract price basis. If they know that they will be earning over $20,000 at the entirety of your contract, they will most likely provide better service or even offer you a discount for choosing to stay with them for a more extended period of time.
Reviewing the Development Notes
The last advice I would give would always be to examine the development notes. Whether you’re building a website or running an advertising company, if the agency knows you’re paying close attention to your account, they will, in turn, write internal notes to the development team to make sure they are on top of your account. I know based on personal experience that one of my clients was paying at the minute details of his website when we built it for him. He ended up getting a much better overall product as his site was filled with personal notes that only a local realtor would know. That site is probably doing over $10,000,000 in real estate sales for him now, which in turn makes him one of our most successful clients.
Final Thoughts
Always remember that it’s still good to ask questions and negotiate. There are instances that providers will say that the price is the price for their contract, but it never hurts to ask for a better deal if possible.
