July 2000

MAINE MEDIA & MARKETING
The importance of a cohesive marketing team

by KIMBERLY MCCALL

Copyright © 2000 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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My husband and I recently sold one home and purchased a new home "out in the country." It was our dream for more than six years to buy a place on a large piece of land, a spot devoid of city noise, high taxes and most importantly, neighbors. The speed and efficiency with which the past five weeks have passed have served as a primer on how crucial it is to assemble an erudite team whenever you undertake a project — and that goes for marketing and public relations as well.

Like so many small business owners do with their marketing efforts, I sought ways to save money. So I figured we'd sell the house ourselves. I researched the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) option, read two books on the topic, and started strategizing with my husband. After ten days of due diligence, I had an epiphany: I'm always pounding the "hire a specialist" marketing pulpit, and there I was spending my time trying to become a realtor in a week.

I asked my mortgage broker, Angela Levesque at Wells Fargo in Scarborough, Maine (this woman is awesome, and I'm a tough customer), for a real estate broker recommendation. She came up with three options, describing their work styles and experience. I quickly opted for the "no BS" broker, Jim Connolly from ReMax in Scarborough. After a phone interview and face-to-face meeting with Jim, we signed on the line that is dotted, and our house went on the market within two days.

Simultaneously, we had met a buyers' broker while looking at a potential home. Diana Fournier, of HomePro Realtors in Portland, represents only the interests of buyers. She was personable, knowledgeable, and we signed on her dotted line as well.

The power of a cohesive team of experts is mighty. I've been fortunate enough to work with marketing, design and PR professionals to get major impact for clients. My adventure in real estate was similarly gratifying, especially considering we sold our old home and moved into our new home in just over one month's time. Each team member did their job beautifully: Our old home sold on its first showing; we got a fantastic interest rate; and we beat out four other offers to get the home of our dreams.

The moral is this: When you're marketing your business, do a cost-benefit analysis. Take into consideration the value of your time, the knowledge curve to become proficient in a discipline, and the peace of mind that comes with not having to manage the nitty gritty. Then consider the hoped-for end result; if you try to do it yo

Kimberly McCall is the president of McCallMedia & Marketing, Inc., a marketing, public relations and business communications company in Freeport, Maine. She is the monthly marketing columnist for Entrepreneur's Start-ups magazine, and an inc.com contributor. You may reach her at: Kimberly@MarketingAngel.com. Web site: www.MarketingAngel.com.

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