Get those buyers pre-qualified and under contract or tell them to find an agent who can afford to work for free. Don't take overpriced listings - you'll save money in the long run. If clients don't take your advice, make them sign a waiver. And document, document, document every phone call, e-mail, and notation on every transaction. Direct mail reaches a lot of people but much ends up in the trash.
Agents rely on ads and mailers because they can blanket a large farm of strangers.
But the cost per lead is high. The reason newspapers are so effective for bringing in business is that brokers have systems in place to capture the leads. Now buyers are using the Internet, but brokers and agents aren't as adept at capturing leads online. If you systemize your Internet leads, you'll be just as successful as if you were blanketing your city with ads, and at a fraction of the cost. Establish plans for reaching the goals.