Getting Started
Is there any cost to signup and request neighborhoods? (Return to Top)
No. You don't pay anything until you approve
your list of streets/neighborhoods. Only when you are satisfied
with your farm area do you pay the initial one-time signup fee to
get your reports customized and ready for mailing.
What does my Signup Fee include? (Return to Top)
The amount of work we do to set up an area for
mailing is significant. Our one-time set-up fee gets your
account set up and your mailings ready. You will work with your account
administrator to get your photo, signature, mailing areas, personal
listings, and Report proof prepared just the way you want. After your
first mailing, you can be as involved or uninvolved as you want. RSP can run
on 'auto-pilot' for you!
Can I send you my photo and signature? (Return to Top)
Yes. Once you have signed up you will have the opportunity to upload your
photo. Your signature may also be uploaded or you can fax us your
signature to scan into your reports.
Which mailing products should I choose? (Return to Top)
Our prospecting system requires that you sign up
for at least one of our four Neighborhood Report products. From there, you are welcome to add on
optional mailings to enhance your results. Many agents take advantage of our convenient insert
service, postcards, and expired listing letters. Call an RSP representative today; we
can help you choose the optional mailings that will be most effective for you.
Why do you have a contract? (Return to Top)
The key to being successful is to mail the same target homeowner important
information they want to receive over-and-over. Sometimes it produces results
immediately while other times it could take longer. An
independent research study shows conclusively that
results increase dramatically after the fourth bi-monthly mailing ...
after homeowners get a chance to know you and build perceptions of you as a
Neighborhood Expert. A contract is in place to make sure that all parties
are aware that results do not come overnight, but after consistent
mailings. Our contract is for six bi-monthly mailings (approximately one
year). After the first year, your mailings continue without a contract on a
month-to-month basis. The vast majority of agents continue
after the first year because they experience success that builds stronger and
stronger the longer you mail. These and other items are spelled out
in our
Terms & Conditions that we ask you to read and accept.
How much does the program cost? (Return to Top)
All program costs are summarized on the signup form. We take great pride
in keeping our costs low ... agents average 10 times more income than what the
program costs. This is why most agents add on neighborhoods as they
experience success. The average agent mails well over the 300 household
mailing minimum. There are no maximum mailing quantities.
Which web browser works best with your site? (Return to Top)
All web browsers work well. If you enter
the client services section of the site, you must use Internet Explorer as it is the only
browser that allows data to be passed back and forth to allow agents to save their edit
changes to owner lists and cover letters. If you encounter errors on this website, please
send a description of the problem to
info@rsppro.com.
Is there a cost to get my mailings ready? (Return to Top)
We charge a very reasonable monthly administrative fee to get your
reports ready ... think of RSP as the least expensive marketing assistant you
will ever have. There is a LOT of work involved in getting each mailing
ready ... from pulling current tax roll and MLS data to preparing/proofing the
reports. Each report is proofed four times before it is
mailed. We took great pains to establish a
patented state-of-the-art process that provides very high quality control
because when the reports go out, the data/figures must be correct without
requiring any work on the part of the agent to review/proof the materials!
Does RSP need permission to access my MLS data? (Return to Top)
A "Broker MLS Data Access Agreement"
(view/print the Agreement form) is required to be on
file for your agency. This enables RSP to access and utilize listing data
and other information needed to prepare your bi-monthly mailings to
target neighborhoods. Once your agency is signed up by the Broker of Record,
no further authorization is necessary. Brokers can choose to register
entire offices or organizations. Each agent is responsible for his or her own
account unless a corporate account is registered for your agency or RSP
already has an agreement directly with required MLS service(s).
Mailing Parameters
Why does the neighborhood report mail every 60 days? (Return to Top)
Homeowners value your Report because it
consistently delivers accurate information on local sales activity. A more
frequent Report (every 30 days) simply won't show enough activity to
hold its value with your target market. A less frequent mailing (every
quarter, for instance) doesn't put your face and name in front of your
prospects frequently enough to produce the dramatic results you
want. If you want more market exposure, we suggest including our
postcard program to mail on alternating months as your
Report.
How come there is a minimum mailing quantity of 300 homeowners? (Return to Top)
A smaller mailing number may work for your sphere
of influence. But when you market to a geographic area instead, anything less
than 300 will not give you the kind of market reach to succeed. Many of our
clients mail to much more than 300 homeowners.The rule of
thumb is: The larger your mailing areas, the more results you'll
achieve.
How often is the mailing list updated? (Return to Top)
We purchase and process county tax roll data to keep lists up-to-date.
This is typically done once every six months. However, if the county
only updates/releases their data once a year, then the frequency could be
longer.
Can I use my own list? (Return to Top)
This is not necessary ... RSP provides updated lists as part of our ongoing
service.
What happens with people that own more than one home -- do they
get multiple reports? (Return to Top)
Owners of multiple properties are combined so that they are only mailed one
report ... this is an exclusive service that is part of our business patent on
the neighborhood report. On average, netting out owners of more than one
property saves agents 10% of their total mail cost!
Can I change my list of areas/neighborhoods after I start
mailing? (Return to Top)
Yes! We take an active role in monitoring
your success because "Your Success is Our Business". If you are
mailing to areas that do not have strong levels of sales activity, we
will offer suggestions for changing to other local area neighborhoods
with higher sales/turnover rates that could provide more
success. We also encourage agents to add on more areas as they
experience success with our program, as the more areas you mail,
the more leads/business you generate.
How do I remove someone from my mailing list? (Return to Top)
Before your first mailing, an owners list will be sent to you for
review/approval. If there is anyone you do not want to mail to (such as
competing Realtors), just let us know. Also, the first mailing is sent
out first class to validate the mailing list. If anyone is returned to
you as an invalid mailing address, let us know and we will take them off.
However, as part of our service to you, subsequent tax roll updates may
correct the owner's name/address, at which time they are automatically put back
on the mailing list.
Report Options
Can I show report data on my personal web site? (Return to Top)
Yes. Just let us know and we will send you a link that you can
use to link to RSPpro.com to show your report data. An example of how this link works
is shown in the Optional Services section of this web site. A charge for this optional
service is added to your monthly program fee.
Can I change my cover letter? (Return to Top)
Yes. You may change your cover to add local/personal items of
interest. However, over the years we have found that most agents
simply use the letter of the month already prepared for you. It is
professionally written and is another feature that takes all the work off your
shoulders.
How is the initial list of Featured Listings developed? (Return to Top)
We develop the list from a sampling of active listings from your
brokerage in your office area. This sampling represents a range of
low/high price and property types. We want to provide the
reader with alternatives because many buyers come from the homeowner
sharing the report with friends/relatives who may have
different price points. Please note that Featured active
listings must come from the broker/agency where your license resides UNLESS we
have an email from you stating that you received permission from associated
competitive brokers/agencies to advertise/promote their listings.
Can I change the list of Featured Listings? (Return to Top)
You can change one or all of the listings, as you like.
Can I include an insert with my report mailing? (Return to Top)
Yes, and there is no charge to include an insert in your mailing. You
can either send us the insert materials OR we can print them for
you. Most agents prefer that RSP prints the insert because the cost is
lower once you take into account your time to have it prepared with a local
printer AND ship it to RSP for enclosure.
How much work is required on my part to get each mailing ready? (Return to Top)
NONE, after the first mailing goes out. We are a total turnkey marketing
company. We do ALL the work to get your mailing ready. If you want
to be involved to customize each report with many of the report options
available, you may. But this is NOT necessary to obtain success with the
program. Most agents let RSP do all the work, reaping the rewards of a
well written/delivered direct mail campaign consistently delivered to target
homeowners.
Can I order additional report copies to hand out myself? (Return to Top)
Yes. Just let us know which neighborhood areas you want extra copies
for. Some agents want extras for handouts while others would like to
forward some to over-seas prospects.
Printing Parameters
Can several agents participate as a TEAM? (Return to Top)
You have special considerations when setting up
your RSP mailings. What kind of photo will you use? Which phone number and email address will you
put on it? How will you work the billing? Don't worry! We work with agent teams all the time.
We're happy to help you set up your team account. We can even split the billing automatically,
so there's no hassle!
Do you offer print/mail volume discounts? (Return to Top)
Because of our high volume and integrated printing system, all of our customers
benefit from efficiencies of scale. Orders of all different sizes enter our
production stream and are processed together. This is how we are able to offer
the same low price, whether you want to mail 300 or 20,000.
What postage options do I have? (Return to Top)
Standard Mail postage is included within our regular pricing. You have the
option to upgrade to First-Class Presort postage at any time for 10 cents more each.
Some of my direct mail pieces came back "undeliverable." What
happened? (Return to Top)
The most common reason First Class mail gets returned is what the U.S. Postal
Service refers to as "Addressee not at address - unknown, moved, or deceased."
First Class mail comes with free forwarding and return, so the undeliverable
pieces are then returned to sender. According to the Postal Service, only 50% of residents who move complete a
National Change of Address (NCOA) form. While RSP takes considerable steps to
update and maintain the list, there will still be a percentage of undeliverable
addresses. A 5-10 percent return-rate is normal and to be expected. This is actually a more
favorable percentage than the national average, which has been reported upward
of 20 percent. However, if you are experiencing unusually high return-rates
(15 percent or greater), please call us so that we can personally investigate
the problem at (800) 298-1918.
What are the typical delivery times with your postage options? (Return to Top)
The U.S. Postal Service averages 5 to 10 business days for Standard Mail
and 4 to 7 business days for First-Class Presort. Please note:
Due to factors beyond our control, RSP is not responsible for postal delays.
Do letter/program costs change over time? (Return to Top)
As stated in our Terms & Conditions,
letter/program costs can change as we experience increases in the cost of
postage, labor and materials, many of which are not under RSP's control.
Any change in program cost will be announced in writing 30 days prior to taking effect.
Why do some mailings get delivered with smudges/smears on them? (Return to Top)
On occasion, mail pieces may arrive with some extraneous wear and tear due to
the automated postal sorting equipment used by the USPS. This may be seen
in scuffing, black marks, print degradation, etc. However, we believe this to
be a problem that impacts a small percentage of our mail pieces and that
percentage is on par with what other mailers in the industry experience.
Follow-up Options
Can I receive a copy of my mailing? (Return to Top)
Yes, a copy can be mailed to you at your office or home address, whichever
you prefer. You are also sent an advance PDF preview for review/approval
a week in advance of the mailing. If we do not hear back from you within
this time period, the mailing is released to keep it consistent every 60 days.
Can I receive a list of my homeowners that received my mailing
for follow-up purposes? (Return to Top)
Yes. When you start-up with the program, you are emailed a list of
homeowners in your farm area. You can also order mailing labels at any
time for just 8 cents each.
How and when do I pay for my mailings? (Return to Top)
RSP is a pay-as-you-mail system.
We accept all major credit cards. Your card will not be charged until your mailing
is prepared for your review. The monthly administration fee is also paid from your
credit card with each passing month. For your convenience, we accept a
personal or business check in advance for your first year's mailing/program fees in
full. Remember, if you're using your credit card, its always pay-as-you-go.