Dick's Blog

www.DickBettsNetworking.com

Posted by Dick Betts on 09/11/2009 11:06 PM

Comments (8)

Smartphones now what?

The most frequently asked question I get asked either by email in the groups or in person is "what's the best Smartphone". Everybody has their own opinion but remember the average consumer is only using 30% of the functions of the phone. So when folks talk about the phone they are using they are not using 70% of the features and what are they comparing to? Your Smartphone needs to be part of your technology plan so all parts need to work together. What you want out of your Smartphone is also very important and only you can answer that question. Many agents are using the Supra lock box and do not want to carry a active or display key or mess with the fob which means you need a phone with IR and your choices are limited.

Contact and Calendar management should be one of the most important factors when selecting a Smartphone and we have great news and bad news when it comes to which phone works best. As I speak around the country I ask "how many are using Outlook" and about 60 to 70% of the agents raise their hands. On a side note when I show them Xobni they get very excited plus it's free, check it out www.xobni.com . Now the great news is if you use Outlook you can buy the smartest Smartphones on the market. The bad news if you use Top Producer or other 3^rd party programs they require you to buy a dumber phone.

Please remember 80 to 90% of the time the typical agent uses the phone for Contact and Time management which means the phone is quickly becoming an important part of your technology plan. They all do email, text, take pictures can give you internet access on your computer so on and so on.

When shopping for a Smartphone remember it has to meet the requirements you decide are important to run your business.

Dick Betts

National Speaker Real Estate

National Real Estate Speaker

www.DickBettsNetworking.com

Posted by Dick Betts on 08/01/2009 10:12 AM

Comments (3)

Geek Weekend Out

What a weekend! Dave Hall my Interent Technology Director for Dick Betts Web Services invited me to go to Tampa FL with him to attend a DotNetNuke conference. DNN is the MS software we use to build websites which is the best software out there today for websites, so I am told. I argued with Dave I would be lost and he said not to worry I would pick something up. Many of you that know me might think I am a geek, well no way! The group attending were the actual developers of the software and builders of modules that work with the system. These folks are two levels above the people who build and design websites.

The day started with a Keynote Address which I have made plenty in my time, well I understood his name and his closing "have a great show". They had 6 one hour break out sessions running all day which I thought this is cool I can go sit instead of presenting. I took notes for the first 10 minutes then it was zoom way over my head. How about "Extending your web application utilizing the MetaWeblog API (ASP.NET)" or "The DotNetNuke Core Registration Module and the Datasprings Dynamic Registration Module" don't want to miss that one when it comes to your town!

By lunch it was "Dave this isn't working" he said not to worry we have a DNN after dark party to attend with free food and booze, well okay i will stick around. Three more hours of CSS, templates and thrid party extensions then off to party. Now guess what you get when you put 150 geeks at an open bar? TWO MORE HOURS OF GEEK TALK. I was sitting at a table and these guys joined me well there went my evening as they just contuined the same thing I heard all day. I finally went to the bartender for conversation about oh I don't know FOOTBALL or cars anything but geek, come to find out he has only been in the USA for a few weeks. On the way home Dave was all excited about "US" attending next year, ah Dave find a real geek not one that plays one.

Dick Betts

a 3 on the geek scale of 10

National Real Estate Speaker

Posted by Dick Betts on 06/14/2009 03:18 PM

Comments (4)

Thanks to RE/MAX Premier Realty in Ocala, FL

I would like to say a special thank you to Nancy and her agents at RE/MAX Premier Realty in Ocala, FL for hosting my first dry run of my new class "This is not your Teenager's Networking - Business Builder". I recently built a new class designed to help agents understand and use social networking to build their business. Anytime I build a class I like to present it to a group of agents before I start getting paid to present it. They were very active, eager to learn and a great group to launch this class on. The three hours went by to quick which was good that means I have more material then time. I am throwing the class back up on the work bench tonight to rebuild a few sections to be sure to get my important parts out before time expires.

Thanks again my new friends,

Dick Betts

National Real Estate Speaker

www.DickBettsGuessWhat'sNext.com

Posted by Dick Betts on 06/09/2009 06:40 PM

Comments (0)

Looking for Palm Pre Help we got it!

I would like to make a go to place for information about the Palm Pre Smartphone. Together we can speed up the learning process by sharing what we have learned. I am spending as much time as possible learning the device but I am sure some of you have started someplace different.

I have two places set up the first one you can post directly to the group www.Realtown.com/groups and click on "Outsmart Your Smartphone". The other is on my website www.DickBetts.com then go to "Tips and Tricks" and look for the Pre page. If you have anything to add please drop me and email and I will post it.

So let's start sharing plus having REALTORS add what they are liking or disliking about the phone will help some decide.

First thing I have noticed which currently no other Smartphone has is to be able to run many apps (programs) at the same time. Instead of closing an app just hit the "Center Button" which reduces the program to about a quarter of the size. Open all you want and they look like a deck of cards using your finger just flick them side to side then tap to open to full screen. Just to test I opened 15 apps with no problem.

Thanks to all for helping!

Dick Betts

National Real Estate Speaker

717-860-3107

Posted by Dick Betts on 06/07/2009 08:02 PM

Comments (2)

Saturday Morning the Palm Pre is released

The hype is about over tomorrow morning lines will be forming at Sprint stores nationwide to get the Palm Pre, yes I will be there. Even with all my connections I could not get one for personal use. Yesterday Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street journal penned a great article comparing the new Palm Pre to the i-Phone. He rated the Pre higher then the i-Phone as far as the phone and hardware but lacking the number of apps compared to the i-Phone. According to Mossberg Palm plans to add apps quickly with the focus on more business apps.

Since the late 90's when I first became involved with Palm I believe the power of the devices has been business. Even today I will stack my 3 year old Treo up against any of the other 16 smartphones I have when it comes to handling day to day business. NO I can't use my Treo as a level or identify what song is playing. But I can handle the entire Microsoft Bundle of Outlook, Word, Excel and yes PowerPoint. The list goes on as far as what I am getting out of my smartphone.

Tomorrow morning I start my new journey with the Pre. I will not be switching over to the Pre for awhile until I am sure it can handle my needs. I will keep you undated and be very critical to see if it stacks up. I am not blinded by loyalty to Palm. If it does what I think it will do I'll let you know, if it falls short I will also tell you.

Dick Betts

National Real Estate Speaker

Mobile Technology Trainer

Posted by Dick Betts on 06/05/2009 09:51 PM

Comments (5)

Coming to NW Mississippi June 11th and 12th

We have put together two great days June 11th and 12th for the Northwest Mississippi Association of REALTORS and the community of Memphis. These classes are open to the public and every church, school, civic organization and business should attend, yep that sounds like everybody. Day one should create a lot of interest as everybody is getting into social networking and needs to know about web presence.

Here's day one;

Confused by what is happening with Internet marketing? Are you reaching your target market? No matter what type of business you are involved in your need to attend this full day of training.

Today's Top Technology Trends 8:30 a.m. - Noon
Take the confusion out of Web and Internet Technology! Come get a better understanding of this constantly growing, ever-changing field. Discover what is most important to be aware of and start learning to build your internet presence. You will walk away with many ideas that can be implemented right away without paying any monthly fees to a promotion company!

"This is not your Teenager's Networking" Business Builder 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Empowering you to create a Social Networking plan and manage how they can connect with their community and potential clients' and friends world wide. Many people are joining the ranks of social networking with the wrong outlook on how this platform can benefit them. If you are not making the most of your connections you are just spinning your wheels. This does not mean it is all about YOU but what can you do to help who you are connected to. So it is networking with a modern day twist. No longer are we confined to our standard local Chamber of Commerce but we can now reach out and touch someone on the other side of the world. You never know who knows who. The old saying "It's not what you know but who you know" is very real in social media.

Day two;

The Rules of Business are Changing

Today Real Estate professionals must meet the needs and expectations of today's connected customer. Learn how to stay on top of changes and help your business thrive.

8:30 am-Noon
Smartphone Fundamentals for Real Estate Professionals ~ Personalizing Your Device to Enhance Productivity
You purchased a Smartphone; now what?! Have you read thru the manual but are still confused about how to apply the functions to your real estate business? This three hour hands-on class is a "get to know your device" how to set up contacts, discover where to store information (do you put it under your Calendar or Memos or Task?), and some "Tips & Tricks" about getting the most out of the device. Dick will review some basic ways for agents to implement Client Management and Time Management systems to better organize their business. Class open to Palm/Windows/Blackberry/i-Phones

1:00 pm-4:30 pm
Taking Prospecting a Step Further
Every agent has sat thru a class on Prospecting - now let's take things a step further. It isn't always just about finding new people; it's about learning how to gather useful information (and then how to keep up with the details for future use). You will walk away from this class realizing just a few small changes in your daily habits will lead to your best prospecting ever! You already have the skills needed to be successful, come learn how to put a new twist on them and start a simple system of contact that will lead to life long clients.

For more information call 662-449-3553 or go to www.NWMAR.net for more info.

Dick Betts

National Speaker Real Estate

Posted by Dick Betts on 06/02/2009 01:41 PM

Comments (3)

When is the Palm Pre being released?

That is the number question hitting my email box! I have wrote about the Pre, excited about the Pre, read everything I can find about the Pre, been on shows about the Pre and you know what? I don't know. Just last week I got an email from Sprint teasing us with information about the Pre, but no release date.

So I go to Google as I do almost daily trying to get any piece of information about release date. Recently Sprint CEO Dan Hesse sat down for an interview with RCR Wireless. Here's a part of his interview;

RCR: Speaking of handset selection, let's talk about the Palm Pre. How long will Sprint Nextel have exclusivity on the new device?

Hesse: We haven't commented on how long the exclusivity period lasts. Palm and Sprint have agreed that we won't comment on that.

RCR: Is there a scheduled release date?

Hesse: We haven't announced that. The plan of both companies is to have [Palm Pre] on the market in the first half of the year. Obviously when you're bringing out a new device with this level of sophistication and functionality there's a lot of work required.

The guys at Palm are working 24/7 and we're working 24/7 to bring it out as soon as we can, but we're not going to bring it out until we're really confident that the launch is going to be really successful in terms of how it operates. Of course to be able to produce the devices we want to make sure that there's enough. Clearly it's going to be a device that's going to be in high demand and it is going to be in shortage no matter when we launch it, but we don't want it to be too early where there's only a handful of Pres in the whole country.

We want to make sure that we can also have production ramped up at a reasonable level before we launch the product. There are a lot of variables that go into when we're going to launch it. But both Sprint and Palm are very focused on launching as soon as we can and our target is to launch in the first half. There are also no price details yet.

One thing I read is Palm is gearing up production for a "Few Million" units. Sprint and Palm are definitely working the pre (on pun intended) release hype. So if I find anything out I will be passing it on!

Dick Betts

National Speaker Real Estate

Mobile Technology Trainer

Posted by Dick Betts on 04/21/2009 10:24 AM

Comments (9)

Time has come Today, HEY

If you read the title which has brought you to this blog, your showing your age! I saw the Chambers Brothers live, way back when. Little did I know the song released in 1966 would have so much importance in 2009.

"Time has come today
Young hearts can go their way
Can't put it off another day
I don't care what others say
They say we don't listen anyway
Time has come today"

Where has Time gone today? I have spent my entire day working with coaching clients and the number one thing I heard "TIME". It's not good enough to be a REALTOR like you did say 10 years ago, now you have even more then before. Blogging, Facebook, My Space, Linkedin, Plaxo all needs done before calling it a day. SEO, Google rankings, Pay for click and of course getting everything on your phone so you can tweet in your spare time. Oh I just joined a new one today Perfect Networker, send me an email and I will hook you up with them.

What about the housing and foreclosures? I was surpised when I read the second verse.

"The rules have changed today (Hey)
I have no place to stay (Hey)
I'm thinking about the subway (Hey)
My love has flown away (Hey)
My tears have come and gone (Hey)
Oh my Lord, I have to roam (Hey)
I have no home (Hey)
I have no home (Hey)"

I think each of us need to put our time management in order. Pick and chose what you need to do then what can you do.

"Now the time has come (Time)
There are things to realize (Time)
Time has come today (Time)
Time has come today (Time)"

So get yourself a cowbell and hum the song while your working, I do it all the time and it helps!

Chambers Brothers released "Time has come Today" in 1966, little did they know it would be a theme song in 2009, TIME!

Dick Betts

National Real Estate Speaker

Presenter of Time Management Classes HEY

Posted by Dick Betts on 04/20/2009 09:38 PM

Comments (3)

Harrisburg, PA sign up today for 2 great days!

To all my friends in Harrisburg, PA you have less then two weeks to clear your schedule to attend a whole bunch of Technology Training! The host Central Penn Multilist has hired me for two full days and I am looking forward to returning to a city I called home for a brief time in the Seventies, I think I lived there it was the seventies. Anyway if you live within 100 miles of Harrisburg get your name on the sign up sheet and let's prepare for a blast!

Here's the details;

** These classes are Pennsylvania CE certified **

Monday, April 27th

8:30 am - Noon Today's Top Technology Trends

Noon - 1:00 pm e-PRO Designation Information Workshop and FREE Pizza

1:00 pm - 4:30 pm Taking Prospecting a Step Further (CE Certification Pending)

Tuesday, April 28th

8:30 am - Noon Smartphone Fundamentals for the Real Estate Professional

1 pm - 4:30 pm Beyond the Fundamentals ~ Creating a Mobile Office

Monday, April 27^th and

Tuesday, April 28^th

at the Central Penn MultiList Office

424 N. Enola Dr., Suite 2, Enola, PA

To Register, Call: (717) 761-8440

OR email: rcrossley@cpml.com

Course Descriptions

Monday, April 27th

Today's Top Technology Trends 8:30 am - Noon

Take the confusion out of Technology! Come get a better understanding of this constantly growing, ever-changing field by discovering what is most important for today's real estate professional to be aware of and start learning. You will walk away with many ideas that can be implemented right away - without paying any monthly fees to a promotion company! Some of the concepts covered include: creating a technology plan, websites and your presence in the on-line world, promoting you and your listings thru domain marketing, email hosting, name branding, and how blogging effects you Google ranking.

e-PRO Designation Information Workshop and FREE Pizza Noon - 1:00 pm

This Information Session provides invaluable insight into the e-PRO certification course, the only technology certification course offered by the National Association of REALTORS. Attendees will not only learn about the online course, but will also receive numerous beneficial technology tips that they can apply immediately to their real estate business. All attendees will qualify for a special offer from the National Association of REALTORS - a coupon for a $25 discount on the cost of the program and an extended time period to compete the designation requirements. Please note: The e-PRO course is recognized for elective credit in the designation requirements for CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative) and CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist).

Taking Prospecting a Step Further 1:00 - 4:30 pm

Real estate prospecting is a very important part of building your business to the levels you dream about. It's more than sending postcards and newsletters - don't be an undercover agent! We cover 22 ways to prospect including ways to make it fun. Prospecting is about meeting people; now learn how to take that new contact to the next level. This class will teach ways to gather useful information without being obvious, why you need that information, where to store the details and how to use it later to build a relationship.

Tuesday. April 28^th

Smartphone Fundamentals for the Real Estate Professional 8:30 am - Noon

You purchased a Smartphone; now what?! Have you read thru the manual but are still confused about how to apply the functions to your real estate business? This three hour hands-on class is a "get to know your device" type of course. Agents will learn how to navigate around the device, the 6 different ways to input information, how to look up information with just a thumb (very helpful while driving!), how to "set up" their contacts, discover where to store information (do you put it under your Calendar or Memos or Task?), and some "Tips & Tricks" about getting the most out of the device. Dick will review some basic ways for agents to implement Client Management and Time Management systems to better organize their business.

Smartphones for Business Management ~ Creating a Mobile Office 1:00 - 4:30 pm

Most Real Estate Professionals spend their money investing in a Smartphone thinking it will magically improve their business. The reality is they need to also invest a little of their time to fully take advantage of all that this wonderful Real Estate Management Tool has to offer. This is not just an overview of information; it is not information that they will find in the product manual; this is hands-on training at its best! During this three hour class we will go Beyond the Basic Fundamentals of using the device and teach agents how to utilize the different programs with a "REALTOR frame of mind". We will show them where to store details about clients and how to set follow up reminders for future events. We will also cover how to set up Templates to consistently track the flow of current Contracts and the follow up process with Buyers. Agents will walk away with valuable shortcuts and tips feeling like they are truly efficient on using their Smartphone and getting the most out of their investment.

All hands-on classes are for Palm Operating System, Windows Mobile devices as

well as Blackberry and iPhones

*YOU DO NOT NEED TO OWN A SMARTPHONE TO ATTEND! IT'S A GREAT WAY TO LEARN MORE!*

So I hope to see you there!

Dick Betts

National Real Estate Speaker