I just went through my mailing list of several thousand. Well, I didn't go through all several thousand; just the names of the people who aren't getting my emails because I'm being blocked by their email server.
Because I just kicked off my Prospecting with Soul Workshop, and it's a paid program, I wanted to make sure that everyone who signed up is actually GETTING what they're paying for, which includes daily emails from me.
Well. Guess what I found?
I discovered that one particular email server was blocking my emails far more than any other. Was it @aol? @hotmail? @yahoo?
Nope, although those were certainly well-represented.
By far, the most-blocked email server was... drum roll... @kw.com.
Hey, no disrespect to KW; I'm just passing on information. And it's not news to me; when a subscriber tells me they aren't getting my emails, it's very often an @kw.com email address.
Now, whether or not you hear from me (outside of a program you paid for) may not be of utmost importance to you - I doubt my emails are the highlight of your day.
But I have to wonder who else is being blocked from contacting you? Aren't you?
And while we're at it, there's another category of "undeliverable" emails in my mailing program - email addresses that are "non-existent." Hundreds of them. And again, most of them are brokerage-specific email addresses (@kw.com, @remax.net, @abcrealty.com, etc.). Yes, I know you hope you'll stay at your current brokerage firm forever and ever, but what if you don't? Do you really want your sphere of influence NOT to be able to contact you with an invitation to their next party... or, egads, if they want to hire or refer you?
Please add it to your to-do list to get your very own email address. Like, today. It's very easy to do, but even if it's beyond your technical capabilities, it's well-worth it to pay someone to do it for you. Seriously, you could be losing commission checks this very moment. Or at the very least, not hearing from me anymore! ;-]
If you thought you were on my mailing list, but haven't heard much from me lately, just ask me if you're being blocked. I'd be happy to look it up for you and correct that problem when you give me a NEW email address of your very own!
Jennifer: You know I just have to push the 'Suggest' Button on this one. Wears me out dealing with all this Big Brother foolishness! When it's over, it's over; let it go -- why would you want to impede anyone from building their business!?! Even if/when they leave you, don't you want them to work with your agency and still allow you to get a piece of the pie? Good Grief!
Good morning Jennifer,
Great information and you are right. I've always used my own address for that very reason.
I'm amazed how many agents use a company email. When I call them on it, they say "Oh, if I leave, I'll just notify everyone!" Um... BAD plan. Once your email address is stored in someone's address book, it's darn near impossible to get it outta there. I've also heard agents say "Well, I'll just forward my emails." Nope. Once you leave a brokerage, that email address will be shut DOWN and not forwardable.
One more reason to have your own... I found out the hard way that if you're using someone else's email server, they can get into your email if they want to. That was enough to convince me!
No kidding. When I do business with .kw emails, I almost always need to use my GMAIL. I can send them an email (the first time) but when we hit reply and go back and forth, it's disappears. I used to think it was just my email server.
You've hit this before.... but I think agents should have their own email address. Whose to say they will be a KW agent the rest of their life?
Jennifer. This is just another reason why I LOVE gmail!! They have great spam filters but I also have no problem receiving the mail I want. I know it's not a branded address but does it really matter? When I see someone with a gmail account I automatically think they are tech savy.
Interesting that the big name real estate brands are not getting all of their emails. This woulod certainly concern me if I were an agent with them.
Good morning Jenn..........
From a practical point of view (well actually a selfish point of view) any one with a desire to really be successful has to have their own email address.
If an agent thinks it is grand that their broker provides them with an email account...they are not understanding the big picture.
Let's see, one problem is that the emails can be screened, read, and or collected by the broker. Another problem is the one that you mentioned in the blog, they can block anyone they choose.
Now for those that think those two items aren't that important, understand this one...you are branding your broker with every email you send. Now if your broker is compensating you for this branding on a per email basis ...well your broker will be the first.
Every agents has to understand, and most don't, it is THEIR career. As an agent your a portable and your email address should be yours and portable too.
So, some think, well I like my broker and I don't care if my broker reads, screens or collects my email. And some don't mind having that big name in their email address because it gives them credibility and they never plan to leave... surprise surprise, brokers go under. happens every day. and if your broker does, well you just might have to kiss all that email data and anything else the broker is storing for you goodbye...........
gmail is free..........
nice post
Loreena - it was startling looking thru the "Undeliverable" list in my mail program and seeing SO MANY @kw.com's. Interesting that as an individual you're being blocked as well. Now that's really scary!
BB- I'm using google apps email - it's similar to gmail, but I can use my own email address - and it's wonderful. I control what gets filtered and not filtered... and being the control freak I am, that's important!
JMac - Thank you! I always wondered about the receptionists at the office entertaining themselves on slow days by reading everyone's email...
Jennifer, great reasons as to why we should be using our own emails in lieu of company sponsored ones.
I can't understand why Realtors do not realize that using an email ending with their current company's name.com is not a good idea for many reasons.
Well.......I am a KW agent, so I am glad you all are sharing this bit of information with us! I'll be sending this post to our corporate office and hopefully it will get corrected soon.
However, I use gmail and I absolutely love it! I am pretty much hooked on Google in general though!
So Big Brother blocks you. That really does tarnish them. There is so much spam out there for the others that I almost always end up calling after i email because 4 in 10 times I am stuck in spam filters
Before I even got my license in the mail I signed up for my own domain and associated email address. Just looks more professional than yahoo (or even gmail) without going the brokerage route. And I can run it through gmail.
No fuss, no muss & it will be mine forever.
JA - A small e-blast I did recently returned several associates emails and yes, they were company generated ones. Lesson learned and I'll be letting them know. I'd hate to think I may have been one to take the business they were unable to receive. Not!
"I'll never leave my broker. I've got it too good here."
Ha! Famous last words.
Expect the best but plan for the worst.
Suggested :)
I am a KW agent and I run across that everyonce in a while when I have to use that email address. I never get what "has" to be sent that way. Glad I use my gmail address for 99.9% of my correspondence. Best wishes,
I, too, and a KW agent and never suspected that things I want might not be getting through. (Silly me...!!!) I just hit the "suggest" button too!
Just another good reason to not use a companies e-mail domain. Always get your own domain; they are very cheap. I hope you tell people this in the News Letter.
Gmail + Imap = the best! I can have my branded email and eat it too! Got to love Google! :D
Gene said it.. it is so easy to get your own domain....I don't understand why more agents don't do it.
Another kw.com agent.
Filters a lot of junk mail.
Phil
Jennifer - I've had the same problem... KW.com blocks almost everything. Did you know that an agent's KW.com email address forwards to another email? So I don't understand why KW would block any incoming messages when it's just passing them along. What if it was a lead, referral or an important message?
All my KW clients and KW friends and even KW acquaintances send me stuff everyday... newsletters, caravans, open houses, market reports...and I don't block their emails! Or unsubscribe! I like seeing what's happening in the different markets. When you are in the business of sales, it's a good idea to "treat others as you would like to be treated." Just sayin'
I see that happen all the time - Mostly due to a block by the company, but some are from the person that has some personal spam filter where you get the message "in order to minimize spam I have to approve your email address....."
pretty easy to lose a client if you make it difficult for them to get in touch with you!
Oh boy, JMac comment about brokers having the ability to go thru agents email is s c a r y! I have had my own email address from the get go and I have heard of other agents talking about it taking so long for them to get their emails that they thought the staff was sorting and filtering and just plain reading them. Can they really do that? It blows my mind and makes me very very glad mine are my own!
I used to work at KW, and they told us that they blocked anything that looked like "spam". How could they tell? I guess if it went to over 10 people at a time, it was spam. They were "protecting" us. As grown ups I think we can hit delete just fine and don't need to be "protected".
Never used a company email from the time I started 7 years ago, never will.
Thanks, Jennifer. This post makes you stop and go "hmmm". Good to know.