The
ISSUE FIVE
Marketing Challenges and How to
Overcome Them
A ll marketers face
challenges, and real
estate marketing is no
different. But sometimes we
have a way of letting our
challenges grow "too big for
their britches."
In our minds, hurdles can
become impossibilities, when
in reality they're anything but
impossible.
To overcome a real estate
marketing challenge, you
simply have to look at it with a
fresh perspective, ask the
right questions, and then
charge ahead.
With that in mind, here are
some of the common
marketing challenges I've
heard real estate agents
express over the years, as well
as ways to overcome those
challenges:
Marketing Challenge #1 - I
don't know anything about
marketing.
Every marketer
approaches their first project
with little or no practical
experience. Practical
experience comes from, well,
practical experience. So in
your real estate marketing
endeavors, start by gaining a
knowledge base through
reading and research. Then
build on that base through
actual experimentation.
"Analysis paralysis" affects
a lot of would-be marketers.
This is the condition where
every element of a marketing
campaign is analyzed,
scrutinized and conceptualized
-- to the point that nothing
actually gets done.
Learn as much as you can
about a particular marketing
VOLUME ONE
Press
channel or tactic by studying
what others have done. Then
get out there and do it for
yourself. Sure, you'll make
mistakes. We all do. But that's
part of the learning process.
Marketing Challenge #2 - I
don't know where to start.
If you're new to the world
of real estate marketing, start
with the basics. First
determine your goals. This will
make the entire process
easier. Too often, I see people
define marketing goals that
are overly vague. "I want to
grow my business," is not a
marketing goal -- it's
something we all want.
Of course you want to grow
your business. But to gain any
direction from this step, you
have to get specific. For
instance:
"I want to create an
educational website with free
downloads and reports, and
promote the site with direct
mail. Using this system, I want
to capture 20 new leads per
month."
Now that's a goal --
specific, measurable and
directional.
Marketing Challenge #3 - I
don't know anything about
technology.
Technology. The word alone
scares people. But in truth,
marketing technology has
evolved to a point of user-
friendliness that it never had
before.
Today's marketing tools --
from website creation to list
management -- are more
usable than ever, even by
people with little to no
technical skill.
AUGUST 2007
And even when you can't
find user-friendly technology
to help you with a certain
marketing task, you can bet
there's a vendor willing to step
in.
When researching
technology, break the process
down into simple parts. First,
refer back to your goals from
Challenge #2 above. What
technology can help you
achieve those goals? Once
you've answered this question,
you'll have taken an ocean of
technological possibilities and
narrowed them down to a
channel that best applies to
you.
And always remember:
technology can deliver the
message, but it can't create
the message. It can help you
show the value of your
services, but it can't create
that value in the first place.
That's your job.
Marketing Challenge #4 - I
don't have time for
marketing.
This one is simply a matter
of priorities. If your marketing
is a top priority, then you can
make time for it. Here's an
easy way to do just that:
Start small, with just an
hour a day. Spend 15 minutes
reading up on a particular
marketing tactic, and 45
minutes actually practicing it.
The 15 minutes of research
also helps reduce Challenge
#1 (not knowing anything
about marketing).
Marketing Challenge #5 -
I'm new to real estate.
Every expert from every
industry was the new guy or
gal at some point. They
 THE PICKFORD PRESS ● VOLUME ONE ● ISSUE FIVE ● AUGUST 2007 ● PAGE 2

managed, and so can you.

Even if you're new to real
estate, you're still a
professional, right? You'll find CALLING ALL
that people judge you by your
personal behavior as much as BUYER’S
your credentials.
When it comes to your AGENTS…
marketing message, this
means being knowledgeable
and professional. Proper
spelling, relevant information,
professional design and
delivery -- these factors add
up, and they'll help you make PHIL CLARK
a strong impression regardless
of how long you've been AND
practicing real estate.
SONIA VIERA
Reprinted from Pickford Escrow Company,
www.armingyour farming.com,
Inc.
article by Brandon Cornett
25909 Pala Drive, #150
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Phone: (949) 586-2700
Fax: (949) 206-1259 Today’s market provides
E-Mail: you the rare occasion to
pclark@pickfordescrow.co be able to ASK FOR
m SERVICES when you’re
or representing a Buyer in
their pursuit of the
Real Estate Tax Tips for Sale of American Dream.
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Loss
You cannot deduct a loss
from the sale of your main
home.
Worksheets
Worksheets are included in
Publication 523, Selling Your
Home, to help you figure the:
• Adjusted basis of the
home you sold
• Gain (or loss) on the
sale
• Gain that you can
exclude
Reporting the Sale
Do not report the sale of
your main home on your tax
return unless you have a gain
and at least part of it is
taxable. Report any taxable
gain on Schedule D (Form
1040).
More Than One Home
If you have more than one
home, you can exclude gain
only from the sale of your
main home. You must pay tax
on the gain from selling any
other home. If you have two
homes and live in both of
them, your main home is
ordinarily the one you live in
most of the time.
Example One:
You own and live in a
house in the city. You also own
a beach house, which you use
during the summer months.
The house in the city is your
main home; the beach house
is not.
Example Two:
You own a house, but you
live in another house that you
rent. The rented house is your
main home.
Business Use or Rental of
Home
You may be able to exclude
your gain from the sale of a
VOLUME ONE
ISSUE FIVE
Press AUGUST 2007
home that you have used for
business or to produce rental
income. But you must meet
the ownership and use tests.
Example:
On May 30, 1997, Amy
bought a house. She moved in
on that date and lived in it
until May 31, 1999, when she
moved out of the house and
put it up for rent. The house
was rented from June 1, 1999,
to March 31, 2001. Amy
moved back into the house on
April 1, 2001, and lived there
until she sold it on January 31,
2003. During the 5-year period
ending on the date of the sale
(February 1, 1998 - January
31, 2003), Amy owned and
lived in the house for more
than 2 years as shown in the
table.
Amy can exclude gain up
to $250,000. However, she
cannot exclude the part of the
gain equal to the depreciation
she claimed for renting the
house.
Information taken from the
Internal Revenue Service
website, www.irs.gov
Fi ve Yea r Perio d Us ed a s Ho me Use d as R en tal
2/1/98-5/31/99 16 months
6/1/99-3/31/01 22 months
THE PICKFORD PRESS ● VOLUME ONE ● ISSUE FIVE ● AUGUST 2007 ● PAGE 4
4/1/01-1/31/03 22 months

TOTAL: 38 months 22 months