A frind of mine in Florida (I'm in Illinois) called me the other day to tell me about something she stumbled upon in one of her networking group meetings. She is always looking for innovative sales and marketing ideas. She reluctantly went to one that she thought she would never be interested in, but did it as a favor to one of her network cohorts.

In just a short time after seeing this program/tool she was hooked. Not being a techno savvy person she was amazed that not only did she find this easy to use - she made a video and sent it out in less than 5 minutes. One of the videos she sent via email was to me.

When I opened the email that said a video email from Beth I wasn't sure what to expect. Beth isn't the greatest at a computer and so I was expecting something funny. It turned out that it was the best thing I had seen in new and usefull technology in ages. And it would apply to so many different aspects of my real estate life that I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

Video email isn't new. You've all received web-cam emails with grainy foggy photos or a robotic looking person speaking in a eerily non human voice. Well all of that is gone with this program. And the best part of it is that if you don't want to record your own personal self talking about something they have preformatted templates and messages. If you want to see more of this go to www.talkfusioncustomer/1461150 and watch their tutorials.

Since ordering Talk Fusion I have been having a wonderful time sending out emails to clients wiith personal messages. I sent a buyer a video talking about the importance of getting their finances in order. They saw me talking about how much better off they would be with a true pre-qualification. I think the message is so much more real and personal when they see me talking in the video and not just a typed email they may or may not read. Their first reaction was "Hey,c ool email. What's that all about?" We did get to my email point later, but I really connected with these buyers through a soft approach. Now they want to talk to me in email. They want me to send them video emails. They can play the email and listen to me while eating supper, doing dishes, playing with baby.

I have only just begun to use this in real estate. I can't wait to keep going with it. It is great to email messages to your family or to send a record of events to someone across the country. When you watch the information video and look at the uses available you will wonder how you lived without it. It is reasonably priced and very user friendly. This could change the way you do business. It is changing my life right now!! One more tool to add to my tech arsenal.

 Let me know what you think!

 Starting out in real estate can be a daunting adventure even for the most fearless new agent. Many get into real estate without a clue on how they are going to get started in the business. How do I make decisions on which office is best for me? What am I even looking for in an office? Why should I look at more than one office? Who do I talk to? What should I say?

Be a pre-license instructor I am asked frequently , "Now what?" There is not one simple answer. Every agent with a fresh new license has a big choice to make. Lot's of them come into real estate after a prompting from someone already in the field. That may be the first place to go to seek a job, but not the only place.

Agents need to ask themselves what they want out of their career. They need to know where they want to be in a year. Who is going to help me get to that goal in a year? How are they going to do that? What help do they have? Training? Where? How soon?

All of these questions are designed to help an agent get the most out of the company they want to work for and in turn help that company make a decision on whether you are right for them or not. The old answer to the question of "Who is hiring new agents?" was always easily answered with "Anyone!" Thats not the case these days. Not only are new agents a liability, the cost to train and educate a newbie can be a drag on company dollars. Agents that don't participate in training are an even greater liability to the company and to themselves.

If the company you plan to work for can't give you a definite promise on training, you probably should be looking for another company. Agents without training are like kids with matches. If you don't know what you are doing you should not be left alone! We can't afford agent who are costing time and money because their actions turn clients away or those that provide lousy service to clients.

So pick an area of specialty such as residential sales, rental, income producing properties, farmland. Then research of offices in your area that specialize in your interest. Next interview the office sales manager or broker to find out what they can do for you. You also should be able to provide a testimonial on what you can do for them. Or what you want to do. Ask about training, expenses, sales quotas, rules, regulations, policies,  names of agents working for the company, even references.

Do your homework and you will find that the right company can help you build your career faster than you could struggling on your own. Be clear on what you want and what you expect. Most of all devote yourself to your goals,  be true to them and to yourself.