Online business has a major advantage over traditional, offline businesses. You can track and optimize every part of it. Think about it for a while. If you have a money-making machine that consists of some 10 parts, how much can you gain by improving each part efficiency by only 20%? The answer is a 6 times improvement!

Can you imagine that? I’m talking about making 6 times your current profit, with the same amount of daily effort, after running several tests and implementing a few one-time changes. Does it sound like it’s worth your time?

Yet a lot of people overlook this potential. That’s why I wrote this wake-up call for you, and why I offer you a list of what you can improve in your business to make more money with what you have.

Your sales copy:

1. Headline
2. First paragraph
3. What benefits you emphasize
4. Testimonials
5. Guarantee
6. Proof of authority
7. Product images
8. Bonuses
9. Price
10. Order button
11. P.S. section
12. Urgency notice
13. Short copy vs. long copy
14. Single page vs. sequence of pages
15. Your photo
16. Your signature

Advertising on your blog or website:

17. Number of AdSense units
18. Ad unit sizes
19. Ad unit types (text ad / banner / links)
20. Ad unit color schemes
21. Ad unit placement
22. Spacing around ad units
23. Text around ad units
24. Alternative / additional ad networks
25. Self-managed banners or text ads
26. Inline text ads
27. Paid reviews
28. Affiliate programs

Your mailing list:

29. Email subject lines (open rate)
30. Your “From” address
31. Personalization in subject line and message body
32. The opening passage
33. Call to action
34. Link text
35. Message length
36. Writing style (informative, promotional, notification)
37. Landing page

Your Pay-Per-Click advertising campaign:

38. Keyword choice
39. Matching option (broad / phrase / exact)
40. Enable / disable AdSense network
41. Geotargeting
42. Ad headline and text
43. Ad link
44. Landing page
45. Bidding strategy

Your landing pages:
46. Headline
47. List of benefints
48. Images
49. Call to action
50. Proof of authority
51. Testimonials
52. Action button

Your traffic sources:

53. Types of advertising you use
54. Link building techniques you use
55. Places where you advertise or place links
56. SEO / link building companies you hire
57. SEO / link building software you use

Search Engine Optimization:

58. Target keywords
59. Unique title tags on each page
60. Unique description tags on each page
61. Address line
62. Link text (anchor text)
63. On-page factors (sub-headlines, formatting, images)
64. Off-page factors (link placement, PageRank)

Business process:

65. Target market niche
66. Unique Selling Proposition
67. Client path and actions (visit, subscribe, recommend, trust, order, re-order)
68. Profit sources
69. Back-end products
70. Branding
71. Joint ventures
72. Cash flow

This list should get you started. Some of these items you can improve with a quick split test, some of them require re-thinking your strategy and introducing a change plan.

As an independent real estate agent or agent in a small office you are at the mercy of your printed marketing materials. Some materials you can run off copies on a copier at your office once you have a compelling graphic design completed that will assist you in generating leads and sales. But before you have that initial set done the greatest value to your business will come from maximizing your closing opportunities and commissions through custom design work.

Finding that printing partner can be a challenge. Should you shop online or go to your local printer? How do you design the card so it is memorable to your clients increasing your referral business? How quickly can you get the cards?

Many people will go down to their local printer, look through their portfolio book and pick one, adding their own contact details and a logo and a week or two from then have their business cards. It’s one way to do it that is fine for a generic business card. But the smart money is going shopping online and looking for a printer that targets your industry specifically.

Browse out to your favorite search engine and type “real estate business card” or “realtor business card”. The companies offering printing services can be classified into two broad categories. The first are the ultra large printing companies who offer super low cost printed products normally from a template library on their website. Graphic design is not part of the service; they charge extra for it. The second type of printing company is a boutique real estate printer who offers graphic design services with the product order.

No matter if you choose an online or offline company, go with the printer who has demonstrated industry knowledge and design work. The best companies to maximize your sales will be able to guide you through the process of creating specific targeted material for your market segment and customers.

Consider this as a potential customer. You are handed a flimsy business card with ho-hum graphic designs and no targeted message. You are also handed a sturdy business card made from superior (thick) card stock with a photo quality graphic design and laser focused targeted sales copy on the business card. What are you going to think about the respective owners? As the business card owner make the most of this first impression and grab the customer by their eyeballs to command their attention and cement your business relationship.

Selling any product but most especially real estate requires solid relationship building skills as well as plenty of perseverance and professionalism. All qualities that exist inside you. The primary way you can complement your qualities is through sharp printed marketing material that enhances your personal image and offered services.

The process of printing is important but not the most important way to enhance your personal image and professionalism. Impacting that is dependent on the graphic design you choose. The sum of the logos, photos, text, glossy or matte finishes on the final product. All things that the printing company is an expert in.

Choose the printing company at the end of the day that fits best with your business and personal goals. There is something to be said for you using the local printer in your home town as well as for using a specialty printer on the internet. Go into the process with the end goal in mind and maximize the opportunity to increase your sales. Good Luck!