There is a very powerful way to market your listing online that is under the radar screen of most Internet-savvy agents.  The benefits of using this unique method include: a) having hundreds, if not thousands, of interested people view your listing within days; b) driving more traffic (and leads) to your own Web site; and c) helping you take in even more listings by standing out head and shoulders above your competitors.

The best part is that this can all be accomplished for as little as $2.25 per listing and for very little effort.  The secret is listing your properties for sale in Yahoo! Auctions, and here is an overview on how it works:

STEP 1 - Go to Yahoo! Auctions and register as a seller.

STEP 2 - Submit your listing as an auction item using the listing price as both the minimum bid (i.e. starting bid price) as well as its "reserve" price (i.e. the minimum that the listing can sell for) . Include a compelling description, pictures of the property (up to 10 allowed), and links to your e-mail address and primary Web site. You can even get fancy by using simple HTML tags to make the text description look more appealing and professional. 
IMPORTANT: be sure you show full and appropriate licensing disclosure for each listing being auctioned.

STEP 3 - Create and customize your Yahoo! Auction "booth" to look similar to your Web site. Yahoo! auction booths are special areas of the auction site that are dedicated just to your items (i.e. listings).  You can further promote your auctioned listings by including a "Auction Specials" section to your Web site.

STEP 4 - Keep note of how many unique visitors viewed the property during the auction period (which typically lasts seven to ten days).

It is not uncommon for well over 1,000 people to view auction properties in just a few days (and properties have been known to sell during auction)! This means incredible additional exposure for your listings and for you since each listing has a link to your e-mail and Web site. Also, when you show a prospective seller how you will incorporate these auctions into your overall marketing plan (by showing them a sample), you powerfully differentiate yourself from your competitors for that new listing.

Now you could do everything mentioned above by yourself at little cost (other than your time).  Ultimately however, you maximize the benefits by letting others do the work for you (at minimal cost, of course!) so you can concentrate on doing the part of the business you enjoy most...

An Automatic Profit Generating Machine

Like any other part of your business, the more you systemize the above process, the more you can reap the profits without having to do all the work.  Here's how you do it:

SETUP...

Have your Web designer:

• Build an attractive Web page template (stored locally on your computer) that you can use to maintain a consistent "look" with every new listing posted on Yahoo! Auctions.  This template should contain pictures and descriptive text for an actual property so you can show it as an example during listing presentations.
   

• Customize your Yahoo! "Auction Booth" (using HTML) to have the same general look and feel as your current Web site.
   

• Create a special "Current Auctions" section on your site with links to all your active auctions.

If you don't currently have a Web designer, don't worry.  You can find the talent you need (typically within 24 hours) by going to eLance.com and submitting a request for someone who can complete your particular project at reasonable cost and quickly.  
(NOTE: I've referred to eLance.com numerous times in my previous "Ask Mr. Internet!" articles as an incredible virtual assistant / consultant resource for your business.)

ONGOING...

Have your virtual assistant (again, use eLance.com to find this person if you don't already have one) do the following every time you take a new listing:

1. Modify the template with the listing's information and post it in the appropriate location of Yahoo! Auctions and make sure it also shows up on your Yahoo! Auction Booth as well.
    

2. Add the link to the new listings auction page to your "Current Auctions" section of your site.
    

3. Send an e-mail to the seller with a link to the auction page so they see how you are going the extra mile to market their property.
    

4. On a weekly basis, remove links from your "Current Auctions" site for those auctions that have expired (i.e. their auction period is up).

The only thing left for you to do is take more listings and handle all those leads that come in �generated by the extra exposure from the online property auctions.  Keep in mind that the leads you do receive are probably highly qualified, otherwise they would not have bothered to look for specific properties in an auction site.

If you do end up selling the property through this auction process, great!  �just don't depend upon it.  The main benefit here is more exposure for you and your properties, more leads, and more listings as you powerfully differentiate yourself from your competitors.  Not a bad payoff for such a simple idea!

Subscribe to mrinternet! News - Mr. Internet's free monthly online e-mail newsletter with 

the latest in cutting-edge online success strategies for real estate professionals! 

(just visit http://www.mrinternetnews.com to subscribe.)

� Privacy Notice �
Your privacy will be completely protected and you will not receive any e-mail other than the newsletter --you have Mr. Internet's word and promise on that!

Many agents are already benefiting from the use of Human Click, a great little tool that provides real-time interactivity for your Web site visitors. However, in 2001 the standard featured Human Click will no longer be offered for free.

No problem. You see, I have uncovered another similar service that in addition to being free, has features and benefits that leaves Human Click in the dust! It's called LiveHelper and can be found at http://www.livehelper.com. Now before you go clicking off to check it out �check this out first:

• Voice and text chat capability - you or your assistant can actually speak to your visitors if they choose!
   
• Unlimited number of "operators" - you can have any number of assistants (especially "virtual" ones) monitor and interact with your site visitors!
   
• Complete records of every session (text and voice) - you can see how effective your assistants are in assisting visitors and whether or not they exceeded regulatory bounds!
   
• Easily build a library of pre-set messages - allows much faster interaction without typing when typical answers can be sent in a push of a button!

And much, much more. In fact, the feature set of this incredible tool is so enormous, it would take more than this entire article to explain it all! You can see their very comprehensive product comparison by going to: http://www.livehelper.com/products2/comparision.html

Rarely do I get so excited about a new product or service, but this one really pushed *my* interactive buttons!