By Amanda Okker, RE/MAX Times Online Editor

Two RE/MAX Associates were among the top three finalists in the 2010 CDPE Momentum marketing contest. Jeff Scislow and Cindy Keil presented their marketing plans to a crowd of nearly 700 Certified Distressed Property Experts at the May conference held in Tempe, Ariz.

Download their presentations from the CDPE website.

Scislow, a Broker Associate with RE/MAX Results in Apple Valley, Minn., has seen his listings increase 450 percent in 2010 from 2009, after he first launched his CDPE marketing campaign. The RE/MAX Circle of Legends and Platinum Club member had his best year ever in 2006, and he's on pace to return to that level of production with 13 closings in May alone, eight of which were Short Sales.

"I entered the contest, because I wanted to show others that they can do what I've done," says Scislow, who won the contest in an audience vote. "I wanted to motivate and encourage people to write their goals and launch a marketing plan today."

Keil (ABR, CDPE, ePRO, QSC, SFR), a Sales Associate with RE/MAX Metro in Layton, Utah, and RE/MAX Masters in Perrysburg, Ohio, launched her distressed property business in 2006, at the urging of her Broker/Owner Jon Modene. She took a foreclosure intervention specialist course and started her marketing program with a series of successful foreclosure bus tours. She and her partner Brett Varner in Toledo, Ohio, have closed hundreds of Short Sales across the United States.

"At the time I started, my business wasn't down, but I knew I had to adapt for the changes that were coming," says Keil, an advanced member of the Distressed Property Institute. "I have streamlined processes 60 percent with Short Sale Commander, and I've had a great system in place from the start. Since earning the CDPE in 2008, it has only gotten better."

Market your expertise
Here are Scislow's and Keil's top marketing tips for getting the word out to prospective distressed property clients. You'll find more information and examples in their presentations.

1. Start in phases – Scislow began with a one-year plan that he launched in four phases: the first 30 days, 30-90 days, 90-180 and 180-360. He took basic, but key marketing concepts and implemented the simplest and least-expensive first, then gained momentum and built from there.

2. Apply broad strokes - Scislow began simply by creating new business cards, creating flyers to leave with local businesses and writing letters to the editor about the distressed property market. He progressed over the 180 days to building a Short Sale website, creating an e-mail marketing campaign, blogging, developing videos, visiting radio shows as an expert guest, airing TV commercials and producing a Short Sale educational TV program. Read more about Scislow's "Real Estate Today" TV show. Keil has applied similar strategies, and she airs TV commercials and radio ads as well.

3. Get on the Internet – There are free ways to boost web presence, Keil says. Many blogging platforms are free, and blogging is a great strategy for interacting with consumers and making it easy for them to come back to you. She has received listings and found buyers from blogging. Both Scislow and Keil pay special attention to search engine optimization on their websites by using straightforward language, including popular search terms, about Short Sales and foreclosure alternatives in their specific markets. Their Facebook pages are named using similar language: Twin Cities Short Sales (Scislow) and Utah Foreclosure Relief Team (Keil). Scislow recommends that all of your websites and online profiles cross-reference and link back to each other.

4. Think education – Scislow launched a market awareness campaign to teach buyers and sellers about Short Sales and the distressed property market in general. His messaging in print, electronic formats, online and on the air was crafted to advertise learning opportunities and solutions that are available only from an expert in foreclosure alternatives. He offered live seminars for a time before producing his TV program that airs twice a day on a local channel.

5. Rally the experts – Compile a list of people you trust and do business with on a regular basis, Keil says. Include lenders, attorneys who specialize in bankruptcy and foreclosure, appraisers, home inspectors, contractors and representatives of a few title companies to ensure compliance with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). She consults the group and vice versa on Short Sales and REO listings. Keil refers to and updates her list regularly. She also continues to network by going to various community and professional functions to let people know what she can do for buyers and sellers in a tough market.

6. Be consistent and constant – As you track the results of your marketing efforts, choose the highest-performing strategies and hit them hardest, Scislow says. You can't be too repetitive, especially if you want people who may not need your services now to remember you if they ever find themselves in a tough situation down the road.

7. Put "CDPE" to work – Keil visits the CDPE website regularly for new tools, templates and more. The Certified Distressed Property Expert name and logo can help boost your personal promotion, she says. It lends a level of credibility that can set you apart from the competition. With dishonest companies out there preying on people's misfortunes, she says, consumers need to know there are experts out there that they can trust.