9 touting letter mistakes made by estate agents

If your branch is sending bad marketing with bad copy, you could be missing out on valuations.

That may sound like a tough opening, but the property sales market is crowded. Other estate agents are writing to the same streets, speaking to the same homeowners and trying to win the same instructions.

A touting letter only has a few seconds to earn someone’s attention. If the wording sounds pushy, vague or careless, it can do more harm than good.

Thankfully, there are a few common mistakes you can avoid when writing estate agent sales letters.

Never talk down the competition in your marketing.

You may have heard horror stories from their customers. You may be confident that your branch would put in more effort. You may even have a few office nicknames for them.

Keep those in the office.

Criticising another estate agent can make homeowners uncomfortable. They chose that agent in the first place, so attacking the competition can feel like you are attacking their decision too.

Try showing confidence without turning the letter into a playground argument.

For example: “We noticed you’re with Selham Kwikh. They’re good with lettings, but we really excel with properties like yours.”

Cut vague sales phrases from your letters and emails. Tone and language matter too much.

Selling a home is emotional. Estate agents see the nerves, excitement and relief that come with a completion, yet plenty of property marketing letters still sound cocky instead of confident, pushy instead of helpful.

Ask someone outside your branch to read the letter and give you three words to describe the person who wrote it.

If the answer is anything other than warm, knowledgeable and friendly, the wording may be costing you valuations.

Big, bold capital letters do not automatically make someone read a letter. They often make it feel as though the branch is shouting.

Are you sending a debt demand, or a friendly letter from a local estate agent who wants to help?

The only time most of us buy from someone shouting is at a market stall. “Pound a bag o’ ban-aanas.”

You are not a market trader. You are a property professional. Let’s keep it lower case.

How often do you check reviews before buying something or choosing a service?

People tend to trust what other customers say about a business more than what the business says about itself.

When someone is happy with your service, get into the habit of asking for a review. Whether you fixed a light in one of your rentals or sold a house that only Zig Ziglar could have shifted, ask while the experience is still fresh.

Once you have good reviews, use them.

Include short quotes in touting letters, property marketing materials and suitable email footers. A specific customer comment will usually say more than another paragraph about how brilliant the branch thinks it is.

Star ratings can also help establish trust quickly, but keep the design professional. Gold stars are useful. Covering every available centimetre with them is less so.

See what we did there?

Spelling mistakes, bad grammar, typos and broken mail merges can make a professional estate agency look careless.

The most serious mistakes often come from poor data. Sending letters to the wrong address or to someone who has died can cause genuine distress and damage the reputation of your branch.

Clean your data before you send anything. Spending a little on removing deceased contacts and correcting outdated records can prevent much bigger problems later.

A free audit of your data can also help you spot issues before the mailing reaches the doormat.

Everyone likes to feel as though they are getting a good deal, but that does not mean every normal part of the service needs to be dressed up as a special offer.

Take the “free valuation”. Sellers generally expect a valuation to be free. Promoting it as though it is an unexpected bonus can feel a little like a café advertising that customers may look at the menu without paying.

By all means, make it clear that there is no charge. Just do not pretend the ordinary is extraordinary.

Do not simply tell homeowners that their property has been on the market for too long and that they should reconsider their agent.

Be specific about what you do, which properties you understand and how you want the homeowner to respond. If the next step is unclear, they probably will not take it.

Try something like:

“I specialise in selling two and three-bedroom houses in the St Albans area, specifically between Green Lane and West Avenue. Call 0207 455 5555 and ask for Gavin. You’ll come straight through to me and I’ll explain how I would approach selling your property. If you like what you hear, we can arrange to talk further.”

Specific knowledge feels more credible than a generic promise that your branch can sell every type of home on every street.

A page of solid text can feel heavy, especially when it arrives among a pile of other letters.

The right image can make an estate agent touting letter easier to notice and more enjoyable to read.

Choose images based on the emotion you want to create, not simply the thing your branch does.

A happy couple moving home may connect more strongly than another photograph of a sold sign. The sign says what happened. The people show why it mattered.

Pay close attention to every piece of marketing that leaves your branch.

Agents should be encouraged to take initiative, but every letter still needs to be checked for tone, accuracy, personalisation and a clear next step. A strong estate agent sales letter should feel like it was written by a knowledgeable local person, not copied from a template that has been sent to half the postcode. After all, it only takes another local agent to give the homeowner the clarity, honesty and respect they are looking for.

Postworks helps estate agents send touting letters online without printing, folding, stuffing envelopes or making trips to the post office. Upload your letters through the Postworks platform and manage your business post online, whether you are sending a handful of targeted letters or a larger property marketing campaign.