blogging: Client tells Real Estate Blogger: "Don't I Know You?"
- 06/17/10 12:06 AM
I originally posted the following almost 3 years ago. That's when the effectiveness of blogging really clicked with me. It continues to resonate today as I have experienced this same thing over and over again. These types of "I Know You Already" appointments are exponentially better than the "I Need to Get to Know You" appointments. If you are new to blogging, social media, and the like, read below and learn how all this transparency can really make your business life much more enjoyable: Build rapport! Don't you love this definition from Wikipedia? -- "Rapport is one of the most important … (12 comments)
blogging: Crazy Little Thing... Social Media Video
- 04/14/10 02:49 PM
If you've been hanging out here long enough, you'll relate to this one. If you're a newbie to social media/social networking, see what your life will become in a couple of months. Just happened to run across this great video tonight and thought I'd share it with all of you. Enjoy:
… (0 comments)
blogging: You Don't Need a Bailout -- You Need Social Media!
- 12/27/09 01:54 PM
FACT: 25% of Ford's marketing spending is on Digital/Social Media. FACT: Ford is the ONLY U.S. auto company that didn't take a government loan. Are you new to blogging? New to social media? Welcome aboard. In planning for 2010 and beyond, you're going to want to increase your use of these tools. If you've been around the internet in the last 6 months, you've watched the video Social Media Revolution. What you might not have seen is the equally impressive sequel: Social Media ROI. This video below is a must watch. No matter what business you are in, for 2010, say … (55 comments)
blogging: Please Pardon this Blogging Intermission
- 09/22/09 03:09 PM
Many times I wish there were more hours in the day. I've tried stealing hours from sleeping, but that doesn't work so well, especially in a career that involves some time on the road. To be honest, I can't even imagine yet what it will be like when we (God willing) have children. My normal blogging schedule has been severely interrupted as of late due to several factors: Becoming a Managing Broker (back in March) and overseeing an office of 40 agents. Two weeks of teaching real estate pre-licensing classes from 5-9 p.m. every evening. Being busy with a bunch of … (14 comments)
blogging: A Genius? Who, Me? Aw, Shucks...
- 01/30/09 11:49 AM
"There's a fine line between eccentrics and geniuses. If you're a little ahead of your time, you're an eccentric, and if you're too late, you're a failure, but if you hit it right on the head, you're a genius" -- Thomas J. Watson, Jr., former CEO of IBM "The function of genius is not to give new answers, but to pose new questions which time and mediocrity can resolve" -- H.R. Trevor-Roper, British historian
While I did score 780 on my math SAT back in high school, graduated 5th in my high school class, graduated from an Ivy League University, … (10 comments)
blogging: 2008 Success Contest Deadline Extended by One Week!
- 12/29/08 07:49 AM
On December 23rd, I announced a Year-End Active Rain Contest. The deadline for entries was December 30, 2008. I hate to change up the rules mid-course -- I've had it done to me before when I entered contests. Of course, it's not fair to those who diligently followed the rules and were prompt with their entries. However, this tiime around an extension is warranted. The contest was announced right before Christmas, during Chanukah, and during a time that many people are away, out of town, and appropriately spending their time away from real estate, blogging, and spending it with their family … (10 comments)
blogging: Video: Vote for DESPERATE REALTOR in Virginia Real Estate Blog Brawl
- 11/22/08 09:05 AM
Thanks to you, my blog has made it to the semi-final round of the Virginia Real Estate Blog Brawl. I appreciate the continued support. The competition is really heating up. Heather Elias, Brian Chase, and Tina Merritt all have formidable blogs competing in this semi-final round. Please watch the video below and then vote for my blog at www.VARBuzz.com Hurry... Voting in this round ends at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25th.
… (17 comments)
blogging: I'm Asking for Your Nomination
- 11/04/08 11:03 PM
With the election finally over, it's time to gear up for some more voting, but this time it may be less contentious. Or maybe more. One things for sure -- there won't be any negative advertising.
Welcome to the VARBuzz Real Estate Blog Brawl!
You may recall that last March, VARBuzz, the official blog of the Virginia Association of REALTORS held the first annual national real estate blog brawl pitting 64 real estate blogs from around the country against each other in a March madness style bracket.
Now VARBuzz returns with a competition just for Virginia real estate … (14 comments)
blogging: Successful September: Active Rain Success Stories of September 2008
- 10/02/08 03:49 PM
Financial bailout. Lehman Brothers bankrupt. Partisan battles in the house. Home sales down. Does the media gloom & doom and the uncertainty of our economy have you feeling less than your best lately? Then it's time for you to read Successful September: Active Rain Success Stories of September 2008 as posted in the Active Rain Block Party group. One of my favorite things here (besides experiencing my own success) is to read about the success of others and learn from their efforts. There's no better place than the Active Rain Block Party group to read about the success that people are … (25 comments)
blogging: Poor Grandma Doesn't Understand. Most REALTORS Don't Either
- 09/21/08 06:31 AM
Friday night we spent some time with my wife's Grandmother. She recently turned 92 years old and is undoubtedly one of the most cheerful people you'll ever meet. When asked how she's doing, she'll smile from ear to ear and respond in one of two ways "Everything's wonderful. No complaints." or "Not bad for an old lady." As many people her age, she jokes about aging and takes it in stride. Her trademark line is "Old age is no bargain, even with social security."
Grandma's always excited to hear about my success. So on Friday when I told her that … (73 comments)
blogging: Awesome August -- Active Rain Success Stories
- 08/31/08 07:08 PM
More and more people are experiencing success with their efforts on Active Rain. Need proof? Take a look at Awesome August: Active Rain Success Stories of August 2008 as posted in the Active Rain Block Party group. There's no better place than the Active Rain Block Party group to read about the success that people are experiencing and which you too can experience with consistent blogging efforts. This group was established as a repository for the success stories. It's a great place for new members to come and read testimonials from other members and learn that Active Rain is indeed generating … (47 comments)
blogging: What's the Next Big Big Thing for Real Estate? Where's Real Estate 3.0?
- 08/29/08 07:10 AM
Blogging? Been there. Done that. Have the t-shirt. Social media? Sure. We tweet, plurk, link-in, poke, flick'r', etc. Video? Seen some good ones. And some really really bad ones. WHAT'S THE NEXT BIG BIG THING FOR REAL ESTATE? Blogging has been around for quite some time. Sure, it hasn't caught on with much more than about 5% of the real estate industry and I'm not sure that it ever will. For those who have caught the flame and blog consistently and well, you've no doubt seen a seismic change in your real estate practice and your success. Just read some of … (68 comments)
blogging: Keeping it in the Family: Social Networking, Family Trees, and Selling Real Estate
- 08/26/08 11:01 AM
One of the first things we're taught in real estate is to market to our sphere of influence. Our friends, family, acquaintances form the backbone of our business when we first get started. Don't you just remember your first day on the job when your broker asked you to take out a yellow pad and start writing down the names of everyone you knew? That was my introduction to Real Estate 101. Fast forward to today. Social Networking. We're all doing it. We're on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, LinkedIn, you name it... And yes, Active Rain. How about keeping it in … (25 comments)
blogging: RE/MAX Reads My Active Rain Blog
- 07/09/08 11:49 PM
Just another sign that you never know who is reading your blog. Apparently some of the powers that be at RE/MAX are reading mine -- right here on Active Rain. Yesterday morning, I was surprised and pleased when I got an e-mail from my broker (and from several other people in my brokerage) congratulating me on appearing in the RE/MAX Mid-Atlantic July 2008 Newsletter. Wow! I had no idea. Nobody contacted me for the article. That's right. I had no idea. Here's the article:
They even included a link to my Active Rain post Racing for the Cure with RE/MAX. … (32 comments)
blogging: Let's Learn More About Blogging -- You Can Help With a Quick Survey
- 06/27/08 10:44 AM
When Ben Martin enlists you to help, you don't decline. So, when I received a direct tweet today from Ben, I jumped into action. You see, Ben Martin is the Director of Communications & New Media for the Virginia Association of REALTORS. That's a fancy way of saying that Ben is schooling the Virginia Association and the membership on the benefits of blogging, Facebooking, LinkingIn, Twitter, and other Web 2.0 tools. Moreover, Ben's on a quest to discover or create Web 3.0. Here's the tweet I received today: "hey, I'd love to have your help promoting this in activerain: http://varbuzz.com/crest1"
Don't worry. Nobody is going to get hurt. The system will continue to work just fine. Your blogging and commenting will carry on as usual. Active Rain management itself anticipated the coming explosion and has prepared by digging in their heels with the server upgrade over the past weekend.
What in the heck is Brian talking about?
Pamela Geurds Kabati writes on page 6 of the latest REALTOR Magazine that according to NAR's 2008 Member Profile: "8 … (69 comments)
blogging: It's Pink, It's Cute, It's About Dancing -- Please Welcome My Wife to the Wonderful World of Blogging!
- 04/18/08 01:22 AM
Please welcome my wife Deborah to the wonderful world of blogging! No, she's not a REALTOR. Not a lender. In fact she's got no connection to the real estate business whatsoever besides being married to me. And she's not about to join Active Rain. Deborah's a ballroom dance teacher. Wait, she's much more than that. She's a business owner, an entrepreneur, and the CEO of the largest and most successful wedding dance company in the Washington D.C. area, and maybe the country. Her company, The Wedding Dance Specialists, through its 13 locations and 7 dance teachers, specializes in preparing brides and … (48 comments)
As REALTORS, we belong to the National Association of REALTORS, our State Associations, and our Local Associations. Some people even list these memberships on their websites and their business cards (as if there was room). Membership takes little more than paying yearly dues and subscribing to the REALTOR Code of Ethics. In most cases, REALTORS join the association for access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and because it is a requirement of their broker.
We receive the monthly magazine which may or may not have articles useful to … (34 comments)
blogging: Bright and Early on Saturday Morning: Brian Block will be on CBS National News
- 03/28/08 10:55 AM
Thank you to the legions of people who watched The Early Show on CBS all this week looking for me. I'm sorry to have disappointed you. Trust me, even though I recorded it every morning and I spent all week waking up early and watching in anticipation of my national T.V. debut. It didn't happen. I told a zillion people about it. My family, my friends, my clients, my prospective clients, my colleagues, all of you, and even a few strangers. It honestly felt a bit embarrassing and I thought for sure that I was on the cutting room floor, but hey, that's … (21 comments)
blogging: Please Help Me Dance into the Sweet Sixteen
- 03/09/08 09:24 AM
Thank you for your support in helping me get this far. I hope you'll continue to help as I pursue success in the First Annual Blog Brawl hosted by the Virginia Association of REALTORS on their blog VARBuzz.
In college basketball, the Sweet Sixteen is the elite group of 16 teams that have battled it out past two rounds of tournament play avoiding the ever-present upsets, last second three-pointers, and overtime games to survive another day and another round.
For the uninitiated, the Virginia Association of REALTORS hosts an exciting new blog at VARBuzz. Under the blogmaster reigns of association executive Ben Martin, … (26 comments)
I originally posted the following almost 3 years ago. That's when the effectiveness of blogging really clicked with me. It continues to resonate today as I have experienced this same thing over and over again.
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