Cn U Txt? Buyers & Sellers Can!

I’ve been absent from ActiveRain for awhile, focusing on getting my business in order, starting my own real estate marketing blog (Real Estate CyberStar™ Tips) and traveling a bit.  Time to get more active here, and I appreciate those of you who have posted on my previous blogs.

To kick things off, here’s a new post from my blog, based on an experience I had while doing a seminar for RE/MAX of Northern Illinois in Chicago:

Yesterday, I led a CyberStar(tm) panel for RE/MAX of Northern Illinois in Chicago.  Our main aim was to share what we, the CyberStars(tm) do to implement technology in our businesses in order to make money, save money and save time.  It was a tremendous session….the three panelists left the audience with a lot of ideas, techniques & strategies.

Spotting a row of "30 Something" agents early in the seminar, I made a point.  Knowing what their answer would be, I asked them to imagine that I needed to get in touch with them.  Would they prefer I call them?  All shook their heads "no."  How ’bout my emailing them?  Again, "no."  Well, what about my text messaging you?  This time, all heads nodded "yes."

Today’s buyers and sellers see their time as more valuable than most of us ever did.  Returning voice mails (with its inherent "telephone tag") takes too much time; replying to email takes too much time.  They want to text message….instant communication.

Part of our mission, as it is with all of my seminars, was to impress upon real estate agents the need to think differently when it comes to servicing today’s consumer.  The Internet has changed everything, and the successful agent needs to take this change into account…..even in the way he/she communicates with most consumers.

I previously outlined here a new way of structuring your real estate magazine ads, i.e. making a pitch for something on your Web site on the top 1/3 of the page rather than an overall emphasis on the reader calling you.  Again, the consumer’s needs lie behind this strategy.  They would much rather surf the Web for information than contact an agent.

Here’s your action item for today: if you don’t know how to text message, get a 14 year old to show you how on your phone!  That’s the way I learned, and you can, too.  Without the ability to text, we are handicapped when it comes to meeting the needs of most of today’s consumers!

(P.S.  Texting is the most effective way to communicate with those teenage grandkids of yours, too!)

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston…hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

Two Steps Forward For The New Year!

OK...time to take a breather and plan your business for 2008, if you haven't already.  From my perspective, here are two top steps you can take to a more prosperous (and happy) New Year for you and your business.

Take A 2-Day CRS Course

The CRS (Council of Residential Specialists) offers the absolute best courses in our industry.  Their length, the quality of the instructors and the quality of the materials you are presented with combine to insure that each course will help you build a better business...and have a better life!  Check out the list of courses on the Council's site, choose one and register.  It's an action step you won't regret!

 

Spend an Hour A Day Working On Your Business

I know...you're busy and you don't have an hour a day for business planning and learning.  You've got email to answer, fires to put out, messages to return, etc.  My point is this: if you don't spend time each day planning your business, you'll be right where you are today at this time next year.  In other words, if you fail to plan your business, it will control you for the rest of your career.

Let me present proof that this idea is worth considering.  I was giving a 3 hour seminar at a major franchise's convention.  My topic was how using the right technology can make you more money, save you more money and save you more time.  At the end of the session, I brought onstage one of my CyberStars(r) to give her views on what works.  I asked her, at the end of her segment, to share with the audience the single most important tip she could give them re. building their business.  Without hesitation, she said, "Spend 2 hours a day learning how to use today's technology."

One audience member came to the microphone with his comment.  He thought it unrealistic, given the fact that he had a business to run (email to answer, fires to put out, messages to return, etc.).  Without hesitating, my CyberStar(r) said to him, "John, no offense, but I know you, since you are in my general area.  I make about 3 times as much as you do, and I work about 1/3 less time than you do because I've taking the time to learn technology.  Who's right?"

We who are on ActiveRain wouldn't be here if we did not spend time learning some of the technology of the Web...and it has paid off.  Expand this concept: spend one hour a day working on learning more about technology that will help your business: no phone, no email, no interruptions during that hour.  Just learning.  I talked about ExpertVillage in my previous post: thousands of excellent videos to help you learn about anything...for free.  Well, you'll find video tutorials there on many of the tools and programs we use to build our business: Outlook, doing videos and posting them on YouTube, PowerPoint, taking digital photos, Photoshop, etc.  I guarantee that spending an hour a day learning from their videos will bring in more business!

So, at least give these two ideas some consideration.  Take it from me, if you act on them, your business will grow, and you will have more time to spend on what really counts: life.

It's a beautiful day here on the lake in Reston...hope it's a beautiful day wherever you are, too! 

A Top 10, Must See Web Site For Real Estate Agents

I spent my one-hour “learn my technology” time today watching 17 short videos on using layers in Photoshop.  I needed learn more about this technique, and the videos, well done and very complete, were just the ticket. 

They are on Expert Village, a site I just discovered and immediately bookmarked as one of my Top 10 sites.  It has instructional videos on a number of programs and techniques we use in real estate: Outlook, Photoshop, creating videos for YouTube, PowerPoint, Excel, setting up a video blog, Adobe Premier Pro, digital photography….and many more. 

These and more videos useful to real estate agents can be found under the “Other” category on Expert Village’s main page.  In addition, you will find videos on any subject you can imagine: how to untangle Christmas lights, automotive repairs, fixing a toilet tank (did I need that one!), beauty and fashion, food and drink, health and fitness, parenting, pets, sports and more.  An awesome free collection of "how to" videos.

The latest entry on my blog, CyberStar® News & Views, focused on another set of 15 videos dealing with cleaning our tech equipment: digital camera lens, DVD player, the inside of your computer, a keyboard, lcd monitor...and more. 

BTW: If you have not yet seen my blog, I urge you to visit it.  It is a collection of tips and techniques from me and my CyberStars® designed to help you use today’s technology to increase your market share.  Once there, you can subscribe either by email or RSS feed. 

I hope you will check out Expert Village, one of the most useful sites I have seen.  Warning: if you visit this site, be prepared to lay aside anything you’re working on, as you’ll want to spend a lot of time there! 

It's a great day here on the lake in Reston...hope it's a great day wherever you are, too!
 

Dad Gum It....This Isn't the 70's!

I read a recent post asking about the value of "agent tour days."  The post was thoughtful, and there were a number of comments, most of which mentioned not finding value in agent tours.

I started to just leave a comment, but those of you who know me know that once I get started, a short comment won't do.  :-)

Forgive my abruptness, but I need to make two points here:

• Tours are a waste of a good agent's time!
• Further, several comments mentioned the value of agent tours as a listing tool  Forgive me again, but if an agent needs the promise of a number of agents tromping their muddy feet through the sellers' home to get the listing, that agent has a weak listing presentation!

It really gets my dander up when I see so many agents relying on "tools of the 70;s" when we have available to us tools that get the job done faster, more efficiently...and more profitably. Too many agents spend too much time (while making too little income!) because they are stuck in the 70's.  In other words, they use old tools to market when new tools are available....tools that better meet the needs of today's consumer.

"New" tools that apply to agent tours would include virtual tours and Web sites. 

A number of my CyberStars(r) use virtual tours in lieu of agent tours.  First, because the virtual tour is just that: a tour.  Second, because virtual tours can be copied onto mini-cds and given to or emailed to the agents who are likely to sell the home.  10% of the agents sell 90% of the homes out there, and, if I'm not mistaken, these 10%ers are not usually wasting their time going on tour.

You should know who these top agents are through your networking (board functions, local seminars, etc.), and you should have gotten their permission to send them a tour of your special homes when you list them.  NOTE: Do NOT send emails to all agents in your Association announcing your listtings....it ticks them off!

As for your office, how 'bout doing a virtual tour and either showing it at your sales meeting (on your tablet pc, of course!) or getting a copy to each agent in the office. 

And the Web site?  Each listing should have a virtual tour linked to it.  Using your database, you can easily send a message, again to the agents who are likely to sell the home, announcing that the tour is up.  Remember, get permission from agents before you start emailing them the tour link.

Folks, so many agents are working too hard to make the money they make.  Holding open houses and agent tour days may work in your area: it doesn't, as a rule, work in most areas.  Why waste your time?  Look at the technology that's available to you and use it.

Which reminds me: one of my CyberStars(r) has reduced the time she spends driving buyers around looking at houses by 65-70% through the use of virtual tours.  She's working smarter, using today's tech tools, not harder....and she works only 5 days a week while making a very good income for herself and her family, even in her slow market today.

Another example that I also cover in my seminars: real estate magazines.  Take a look at your local magazine....you'll see that the ads are composed just as they were when such magazines came out in the 70's.  They promote the agent and a number of properties.  Why?  Because they were originally designed to make the phone ring, and most agents still believe that is their purpose.  If they would stop and think, they would realize that today's consumer does not need to call...and won't.  They've moved to the Internet.

Want a greater return on your r.e. magazine investment?  Chose your two or three best listings and include photos of them. But...use the top 1/3 of the page to focus on a specific feature of your Web site, along with a link to your site.  You'll be pleased with the results.

For those of you who don't know me, please note: I don't create or sell the technology, including virtual tours.  I just hang around with about 200 of the top agents in the US, my CyberStars(r), who show me what can be done with it.

My main point: it's a different world out there, and you should take a look at your business to see if you are using today's tools to make more money, save more money.....and save more time. 

For more ideas on the top tools of my CyberStars(r) and how they use them, check out the posts on my ActiveRain blog.

It's a great (rainy) day here on the lake in Reston....hope it's a great day wherever you are, too! 

Will You Lose Your Domain?

I just received this from one of my CyberStars(r) posted on our private listserve: 

"I need your help, guys!  I had a webmaster a few years ago who left town 'under the cover of dark' so to speak and left me and several others in a real mess with out websites.  He let my domain name expire without my knowledge and I cannot get it back.  If anyone can make a suggestion, please email me off serve."

It might be too late for my CyberStar(r), but here's what you should do when registering a domain to make sure it doesn't happen to you: be sure that you are listed as the administrative and billing contact.  That way, you will always know when the domain is about to expire.

If you already have a domain, and it was registered by someone else, you might want to go to WhoIs.com and check your registration information.

It's a beautiful (rainy) day here on the lake in Reston...hope it's a beautiful day wherever you are, too!

My Friend Burt: A Life Lived Well

My friend Burt died earlier this week.  I'd known him for 20 years, and he taught me some life lessons that I hold dear to my heart: service to others and humility.

The world we live places great value on achievement and acquisition.  We are often judged by what we have, not by who we are.  Burt did not die rich....far from it.  He did not die with many material possessions.  He didn't die with personalized licence plates on his car...he didn't even own a car.  He didn't have the latest big screen hi-def tv.  He lived at home with his parents during his last 10 years as his health deteriorated: diabetes, dialysis, heart problems....far too many ills to catalogue here.  And constant pain.

What Burt did have was a desire and an ability to help others, in this case recovering alcoholics.  Burt was one himself, sober for 20 years.  He showed them by his words and by his example how to lead a better, sober life.  He saved a number of lives.  That's quite a testimonial for a life lived well.

In the past few years, Burt came to meetings in a wheelchair.  Men he sponsored got him to the meetings.  It obviously was not easy for him to get there, given his pain.  However, Burt always put other people ahead of himself and his pain.  He was always there for others, no matter what his circumstances.

Burt never bragged about the lives he saved or the difference he made in hundreds of others.  He was humble.  He just went about his work....saving lives and asking for nothing in return.

I learned great lessons from my friend Burt, from his works and from his humility.  I will miss him, but his lessons will live on in me and in countless others.

Not a bad legacy, Burt!

It's a beautiful, somewhat sad night here on the lake in Reston...hope it's a beautiful day/night wherever you are, too!

Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places?

Looking for love in all the wrong places?  These words, from a famous country western song, are relevant if you feel "loved" when you have a number of qualified buyers today.

In most markets today, agents face an excess of listings and a shortage of buyers.  They need qualified buyers, and serious agents are increasing their marketing efforts in order to find them.  Unfortunately, many of these efforts are ineffective and bring little or no results when it comes to attracting buyers.

Why? Because many agents do not take into account the information sources used by today's buyers. The marketing methods they use to find buyers, in other words, are based on what worked in years past but do not work today.

Another way of saying this is: many agents don't know where today's buyers live. To paraphrase that good ol' country song, they are "looking for buyers in the all the wrong places."

The study, by Murray Consulting, Inc., showed the following as the leading information sources for Gen X and Gen Y buyers as they began their search for a home:

• Internet (cited by about 70% of those polled)
  
• Driving around neighborhoods
• Talking with friends & colleagues
• Yard signs

The least valuable sources cited, in descending order, were:

• Newspapers
• Real estate magazines
• Agent direct mail 

NAR also does an annual study of a significant number of buyers and sellers.  Here is their data on the use of the Internet to buy or sell:

• 2002: 41% of those polled cited the Internet as their number one source of information
• 2003: 71%
• 2004: 74%
• 2005: 77%
• 2006: 80%
  

What do you conclude from the above data?  My take is that the majority of today's buyers depend primarily on the Internet for their information. Which raises this question: can they find you when they search? Are you there?  Do you have a deep, information-packed, consumer-oriented personal Web site?

So....if you want more buyers today, make sure your Internet presence is a strong one. If you need tips on making your site better, you might want to check out my AR posts on the subject: 

Effective Web Sites To Check Out

So Many Sites: So Few Are Making Money.  Why?

Making Money With Template Sites

What Makes A Web Site A Money Maker? Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV

You will also find some useful tips on the topic on my personal blog.  You will also profit by taking the time to look at all the sites of my CyberStars(r). 

It's a beautiful (hot) day here on the lake in Reston...hope it's a beautiful day/evening wherever you are, too! 

Real Estate Agents: No More "Listing Wimps!"

When it comes to taking listings, especially in a down market, there are two types of agents: "The Boss" & "The Wimp."  The Boss has strategies for taking listings on his or her terms....and prospers.  The Wimp lets the seller dictate terms....and starves.

We had one of our monthly private "CyberStar® Friday Morning Coffee" online Webinars this morning.  The topic was "Pricing The Property Right In A Buyers' Market."  Lots of great ideas, strategies and scripts during our session, and one cocept formed a foundation for the entire discussion: you are the expert, and you don't take overpriced listings....no matter what the market!  In other words, you have to be the boss!

Here are a couple of comments on being The Boss from some of our CyberStar® participants:

CyberStar® Dianne Dunn of Keller Williams Realty, New Bern, NC, says: "I'm refusing to take new listings that are not well-staged and competitively priced.  I hope everyone has strategies for getting sellers to price the property right!  BTW: I just took 3 new listings over the past two weeks on my terms."

CyberStar® Allyson Hoffman of RE/MAX North, Chicago, IL, wrote: "I have taken to refusing listings from folks who will not give them to me on my terms.  I don't want or need those headaches.  I find when they return after failing with another agent, they then listen and obey ... Just like we would want sellers to do all the time!"

I, too, hope that you have strategies for taking only qualified listings, no matter what your market.  By "qualified," I mean priced right, shows right...and the seller is motivated.  Work on your pricing strategies, realize that you're the boss....and prosper!

BTW: If you are interested in attending a free open Webinar Sept. 24th, "Top Business Building Tips of the Allen F. Hainge CyberStars(r)," go here for information & registration.  No charge....just a service of my CyberStars(r).

It's a great evening here on the lake in Reston....hope it's a great day/night wherever you are, too!

Inspiration: A Video Well Worth Watching!

CyberStar(r) Steven Estein of RE/MAX Pros, Frederick, MD, sent us a link to an amazing video.  It is a 3 minute story of humility, talent, triumph and just plain joy! I know it gave me a real Feel Good moment....and I think you'll have one, too, if you watch it.  You can see it here.

I plan to watch it again when I need an uplift.....

It's a great (rainy) day here on the lake in Reston...hope it's a great day wherever you are, too!

Top Business Building Tips of The CyberStars(r)

A number of you have told me that you find the ideas and techniques I have posted, ideas I mainly learn from my Allen F. Hainge CyberStars(r). I got to thinking that it would be great to have a free online Webinar featuring some of these CyberStars(r), to let them share their ideas and techniques with non-CyberStars(r) who want to build their business.

So...I'm hosting a free online idea sharing session.  Again, no charge ...just great idea sharing online and via phone call in.

Topic:  Top Business Building Tips of the Allen F. Hainge CyberStars(r)

Date:  Friday, September 21st, 2007

Time: 12:00 - 1 p.m. EASTERN 

To Register: Go to https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/936571497. (You'll get your call-in number, the Web siteaddress, and your Webinar code) 

Guest Panelists:

    Gena Gilbert, NC Coastal Properties, The Crystal Coast, NC
    Linda DeVlieg, Coldwell Banker Legacy, Albuquerque, NM
    Brad Korn, Keller Williams Realty, Blue Springs, MO

These three top producers  will discuss what tools  & systems they use and how they use them to increase their market share.  Topics include, but are not limited to:

* Top 10 tools the CyberStars(r) use to build their business

* How to make $20,000+ from your Web site alone
* Converting internet leads into closings
* Using a virtual assistant to build your business
* Team building strategies
* Why most agents don't make money with Realtor.com...and how YOU can
* Maximizing your MLS effectiveness: seller reports, price changes, and more
* Using action plans in your database to save time and make money
* Building a huge prospect base automatically
* RealPing online contact system strategies
* Building your business using client log-in on your Web site 

I'm happy to open this to ActiveRainers, and I hope you will join us.  You'll learn!

It's a great evening here on the lake in Reston...hope it's a great day/evening wherever you are, too!