You Don?t Have to Rob a Bank to Get a Million Dollars

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Budget-friendly moneymaking for the budget-conscious agent
RISMEDIA, August 10 ? For Marta Dupree, it?s all about prospecting, participation, and patience.

?This business does not happen overnight. It took me about 20 years to reach the million dollar mark in gross revenue, and I started my business in 1976,? Marta adds. After that, a curious and long-awaited snowball effect began. Seven years later, in the middle of 2005, the husband-and-wife Dupree team expects to gross more than $90 million.

Their patience eventually paid off, but they weren?t just sitting around doing nothing for more than two decades. Early in her real estate career, Marta realized the value of consistency in branding. She explains, ?You have to get your face and your name out there for people to see who you are. It?s what I call branding ?up-front?, and these exercises must be constantly repeated.?

But how can a new agent develop exposure with a limited sphere of influence? Marta remembers how she created buzz, ?When I first started, I got out and met people. I would give myself to the community ? helping out at the ball field, or doing some charity events ? and I would wear a T-shirt with our company logo and contact information.?

Once the business gains some momentum, Marta suggests agents increase their internal manpower. Although an ambitious goal, she recommends that newer agents, ??add a team member within the first six months. This frees you up to attend open houses, knock on doors, and get involved in the community. These are dollar-productive activities.?

On this week?s RISMedia/iSucceed Business Development and Training Call, Marta Dupree advocates the only kind of prospecting that is free and the most feared by newer agents: one-on-one marketing. Marta also shares a myriad of inexpensive activities that are guaranteed not just to drive business, but also keep the newer agent focused on acquiring the listing. The interview, hosted by iSucceed?s own Bill Shue, will be available from Aug. 10th to Aug. 16th at www.rismedia.com

A former schoolteacher who was laid off because of budget cutbacks in 1976, Marta was prompted to begin a successful career in real estate. She developed her business through extensive farming and personal promotion, so that now more than half of her business comes via referrals. From selling residential lots for the first ten years to selling estate homes with a team and three buyer specialists, she’s always ready for new challenges. Together with her husband Neil, the Dupree team closed over $64 million in 2004.

Next week enjoy a revealing conversation with Kathy Toth, who shares the vital precautions every agent should take in order to endure the ?inevitable years of famine? in a feast or famine industry.

Every Wednesday the RIS Media/iSucceed Business Development and Training Call provides valuable real estate strategies, and introduces agents across the country to the full 30-minute iSucceed Weekly Counseling Call, available only at www.iSucceed.com – the online provider of real estate tips, tools, secrets and success strategies, directly from over 175 of the industry?s top producers.

Listen to this week?s interview at http://www.isucceed.com/rismedia/interview

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