Scratch that international niche

Patricia Tan, international sales director at Prudential Palm Realty in Sarasota, prefers to work with international investors, while another real estate professional in her office deals primarily with international buyers who are looking for second homes in Florida. Finding a niche can help you narrow your marketing efforts, giving you a better return on your investment.

You may focus on working with buyers from a specific country, or target overseas clients who share your interests and hobbies.

For Tan, the investment route made perfect sense. “I have a background in structuring deals and I love working with numbers,” says Tan. “I enjoy dealing with investors because there’s not much emotion involved – it’s all about the deal.”

To find clients, Tan networks with international sales associates who send her leads from Europe and Asia. Traditional marketing and advertising methods don’t work well, she says, since investors “aren’t sitting around reading advertisements. Instead, people are seeking them out and putting deals in front of them.”

And while many international deals start with simple e-mail communications, Tan says face-to-face meetings work best for turning that business into actual closed deals. She visits Europe three times a year, and visited three countries in Asia in 2008. “I’m usually more successful when I can meet clients in person,” says Tan, “and start building trust face-to-face.”