In my second year I bought leads...Over $1000 and all I got was names many others got also.  NEVER AGAIN!!!!

Don't blindly sign up for the latest, greatest shiny object just because someone says it's the best thing since sliced bread. Do your due diligence. Ask questions. Have a plan in place on how you will use it and track the results.

There were so many...where do I start.  I think this will cover many of the mistakes.  Early on I was throwing hand grenades out very which way and hoping to hit something.  I did not have a specific plan or target.  Did not follow ROI on my marketing.  I would suggest anyone not just a newbie track any marketing and its results.  Start with a time frame in mind and just don't do something once and move on to the next.  Have a plan and give it a fair chance to work.  In Real Estate EVERYTHING takes time and consistency.  Mark

Shopping carts was a disaster. Thinking that I could setup my own Wordpress site was another time suckhole.

Find someone that's actually doing something successfully & copy it. Why reinvent the wheel? Some agents won't tell you what they are doing though because, after all, they are your competititon.

buying leads is usless at least to me, thanks have a great day

One mistake would be not sticking with something long enough to really see if it was working or not.  Another would be to ask everyone how they got your name, so you can really track what works.

Mis-spell the address.

Buying Leads.  But the biggest mistake is being so afraid of rejection you stop making calls to people.

Russ - There were (and sadly, still are at times!) many mistakes made, but the one that hurt the most was siging up for a lead service at $425/month for a minumum 6-month term ($2,550 total) for a bunch of worthless leads.  Never made one sale from it and only cultivated a few leads that were even remotely interested.

 Inconsistant marketing.  The idea that one postcard will make it rain...not effective.  If you do an ad campaign, stick to it for at least 6 months.

Three months into the business I got a call from a high school friend.  She asked if I could help her buy a new home.  I was so excited that I went to her Facebook wall and thanked her for calling me to help her buy a new home.  

Her family had no idea and it caused a sh** storm.  OOPS.  Never again.  

Paid big buck for a TV ad campaign through MLS Experts.

Created local URL to capture the anticipated wave of activity.

They cashed the $12,500 check and nothing but a few phone calls.

What happened?

www.dunedinMlsExpert.com was flagged by ALL the gaurdians of the internet as;  www.dunedinmlSEXpert.com

Don't forget the fundamentals with you are feeling really excited about an opportunity.

I have to follow through with internet leads in a timely manner . 

Trying to do too many things well verses focusing on doing One Thing well.

Television

Not checking ROI on marketing.

Spending money on the latest lead generation companies.

As a newbie I really appreciate this post! Thank you!

There is so much advice for new agents--I remember thinking, what is the best way to go about marketing myself?  What to do first?  I agree there is so much social media that if you can afford it--get someone else to take care of it for you if you want to be very active in that area.  I also 'bought' leads early on, that was a waste of money.  I would say be consistant in the marketing you do and stay in touch with people as much as you can without being obnoxiuos.

I bought leads - it sounded so good but realized that many either didn't speak English, or the were just invalid leads.  The icing on the cake was when I realized another agent in the office was getting the exact same leads.  We both quit but it cost a few hundred dollars.  

Not copying and emulating other proven, verifiable, current super successful agents' marketing and lead generation tactics and strategies. There are plenty of low production agents (or "former", "I used to be" a high production agent) that will offer you advice, training, coaching, and lead gen products; however, just stick with the agents that are producing high production numbers now (whether that be in your own office or online).

Internet leads can yield results but you have to reply quickly and have a consistent follow up system; I'd estimate a newbie would be doing well to turn 5% into real clients.   Track your results if you do it!  

Ask this group if you come across a "new" lead source you haven't heard.    One company in particular was a bad investment for me - they sold me only bogus, duplicate, and leads that did not want to be contacted: Reply Real Estate.

Everybody is right in their particular world. Turning suspects into prospects from online leads or even good referrals is a precise strategy that many agents fail to realize...go back to work people

I sent out big mailing with my signature line misspelled!  It always shows up as misspelled so I missed it.  I was embarrassed.

The biggest mistake is relying on internet leads and not concentrating on marketing to my sphere. 

Spending money on Grocery sign ads, game cards at resturants, etc. Print advertising from door to door salesmen has never brought in a lead.

I agree that buying leads is the single biggest waste of money. These lead programs come in all varieties now by different names like pre-qualified, ready to buy, ready to sell...etc. Fool me once...but never again.

Good question!  Following...

I signed up for way to many social media sites.  I didn't have time to handle them all or learn each of them to benefit myself.  I had to get rid of some.

Russ Ravary Mine is perhaps the worst mistake of all!

I generated too many leads - without a follow up plan and system in place! Yes, that's true - and I am still hanging on to those leads!