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denise lones: Finding Your Brokerage "Fit" (part 1 of 2) - 05/11/12 08:38 AM
Finding Your Brokerage "Fit" (part 1 of 2)
Not a week goes by that I don't get a question, comment, or complaint from an agent who's thinking of switching offices.
I'm always eager to hear why an agent feels the grass is greener somewhere else. It's human nature to feel that there is something better out there!
And sometimes there is. We've seen a lot of agent movement in the real estate industry in recent years. Sometimes the move is beneficial; often it is not. That's because agents often don't ask the right questions before making a move.
But I'm … (3 comments)
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denise lones: What You Can (And Should!) Learn from QVC - 04/27/12 12:00 PM
What You Can (And Should!) Learn from QVC
It's been around for over 25 years, it's the butt of many a spoof or joke ... and it's one of the most finely honed selling machines in existence.
What am I talking about? QVC, or course!
I know you're probably wondering why in the world this Zebra Report would focus on QVC. Well, stay tuned - because I think QVC has a lot to teach us.
First, a little background about QVC, which stands for "Quality | Value | Convenience". At its most basic level, everything about QVC's message can be … (6 comments)
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denise lones: Step Out … of Your Comfort Zone! - 10/21/11 05:08 PM
Step Out ... of Your Comfort Zone!
For a long time now, I’ve talked about the value of blogging for real estate agents (and other entrepreneurs!). When blogging first appeared on the scene, it appeared to be a mystical, magical kind of thing … something that only a select few individuals would have the time or energy to master.
There were a lot of questions early on – questions about which blogging “platform” to use, questions about how to blog, when to blog, and why to blog. Questions about whether blogging could really contribute to the bottom line of your … (6 comments)
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denise lones: Why Savvy Agents Brand - 10/07/11 12:25 PM
Why Savvy Agents Brand
I’ve been flooded with questions and comments about real estate logos and branding in the last 30 days. We had such positive response to our recent “before and after” contest … and it made me realize that I need to talk about the power of branding more regularly.
I’m a proponent of branding because it works. Branding your business will increase the success of your business. That’s why my company offers branding and design services to our clients.
I want to be very clear on my next statement. I don’t talk about branding because my company … (13 comments)
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denise lones: Social Media -- It's Time to Get on Board! - 06/03/11 12:58 PM
Social Media -- It's Time to Get on Board! Even if you’re not interested in social media, I want you to read this Zebra Report.
I’m going to show you how to dip your toe in the social media waters, without being intimidated or overwhelmed.
Regardless of whether you’re a brand new agent, a seasoned agent, or somewhere in-between, there are tools that you simply cannot ignore if you want to have a healthy and successful business. And social media is one of the newest and most important tools you must take advantage of.
I talk to agents all the time … (8 comments)
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denise lones: Follow-up & Communication ... the Final Keys to a Successful Open House - 05/27/11 06:45 PM
Follow-up & Communication ... the Final Keys to a Successful Open House As the fourth and final installment of my open house series, I’m going to share the importance of strong follow-up and communication plans, and why you’ll never achieve the full potential of an open house without them.
Follow-up … or fail! Quite often one of my clients will call me and say, “I thought I had the best open house! I was so excited afterward! However, nothing has come of it. Not one person has called me back. What happened?”
I’m here to tell you that if you are expecting people to magically call … (2 comments)
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denise lones: Open House Preparation ... it's More than Signs and Flyers! - 05/20/11 12:25 PM
Open House Preparation ... it's More than Signs and Flyers! As the third installment of my open house series, I want to discuss how youprepare for your open house, and then how to actually host a highly successful open house.
In order to have a highly successful open house you must prepare, prepare, prepare. Simply showing up at an open house with a couple of directional signs and some flyers is not enough! If you’re like many agents who tell me “Open houses don’t work”, I’m willing to bet that signs and flyers are your only open house tools. That simply is not enough!
Let’s … (4 comments)
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denise lones: Put on Your Thinking Cap - 05/17/11 05:22 PM
Put on Your Thinking Cap ... and Find the Right House to Hold Open This week, I want to discuss why it’s so important for you to choose the righthouse for your open house. It’s not just a matter holding an open house because one of your sellers wants you to. I want you to avoid doing that! Instead of letting the house choose you, you need to choose the house! And I’m going to tell you exactly how to do that.
First and foremost, not all houses are great candidates for an open house. If a house is in a rural area, … (3 comments)
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denise lones: Throw Open the Doors! - 05/17/11 05:18 PM
THROW OPEN THE DOORS! Think open houses aren’t effective in today’s tech-driven society? Think again!
Open houses – if done strategically – can generate more business than you would ever imagine.
Open houses have been around for a very long time. Twenty or thirty years ago, they were one of the only ways to get buyers into a home without an appointment. They were much more effective than printed ads because buyers had a chance to really look around and get a feel for the home. They were certainly the best way to do some low-cost marketing! Buyers simply showed up at as … (5 comments)
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denise lones: Powerful Home Presentation Tools - 05/17/11 05:12 PM
POWERFUL HOME PRESENTATION TOOLS
This is the sixth article in my series on powerful listing presentations. So far we’ve covered pricing, communication, technology, and marketing. This week’s topic is home presentation & photography.
Humans, by nature, are visual creatures. What we see with our eyes is what tugs at the strings of our heart, and engages us emotionally. Because of this, visual cues are extremely important in real estate – it’s the way we first connect buyers to homes, and it’s the way those buyers ultimately move beyond simply looking at homes, to mentally creating new memories in that home … before they even … (0 comments)
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denise lones: Powerful Print Marketing Tools - 04/26/11 11:59 AM
POWERFUL PRINT MARKETING TOOLS
This is the fifth article in my series on powerful listing presentations, where we’ll be covering pricing, communication, technology, marketing, and home presentation & photography.
This week I want to discuss the power of your print marketing tools … and why you simply must spend time creating a portfolio of materials that represents your professional expertise and shows your sellers exactly how you’ll market their home.
As I’ve said in each of the previous Zebra Reports about listing presentations, sellers want to see how you are going to sell their home. They expect you to outline the steps you will take, and they want … (4 comments)
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denise lones: Fresh From The Lones Group’s Instant Image Gallery: "Fireside Chat" - 04/20/11 01:20 PM
Fresh from The Lones Group's Instant Image Portfolio: "Fireside Chat"
Our “Fireside Chat” brand evokes a sense of calm, while the use of various shades of brown reinforce a feeling of safety and security. A sliver of red brings the brand to life – offering just that little touch to ward away the expected and keeps this brand from being too predictable.
Whether you want to develop a completely custom brand, or select from one of the amazing designs in our "Instant Image" portfolio, we are here to help.
Interested in learning more about developing your custom branded image? … (0 comments)
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denise lones: Powerful Technology Tools - 04/20/11 01:17 PM
POWERFUL TECHNOLOGY TOOLS
This is the fourth article in my series on powerful listing presentations, where we’ll be covering pricing, communication, technology, marketing, and home presentation & photography.
This week I want to discuss powerful technology tools and the importance of these tools in your listing presentation.
Regardless of whether technology is important to you in your personal life, you must step up to the technology plate when it comes to your business. In today’s world, providing the widest possible array of online marketing tools is critically important to your success as a listing agent.
Here’s why: Sellers are hiring you to expose their home … (2 comments)
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denise lones: Where Will Your Business Be Four Weeks From Now? - 04/14/11 12:29 PM
WHERE WILL YOUR BUSINESS BE
FOUR WEEKS FROM NOW?
Without intervention, it will probably be exactly where it is today.
Now, if you’re exactly where you want to be … great!
But if you are searching for more success, or you need a jolt of inspiration, you need to join us on Safari to learn how to make business-building changes that will carry your forward.
Are you ready to set aside your belief that “the market” will dictate your success? (Hint: we are coaching clients who are having their best year EVER!) Do you love the synergy that comes from … (3 comments)
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denise lones: New from The Lones Group Design Team! - 04/12/11 05:19 PM
New from The Lones Group Design Team!
Toren's direction on brand development made it clear that we absolutely, positively had to incorporate his love of water.
Having formerly served in the navy, it was important that the brand be both conservative and strong. We incorporated Toren's love of sailing with clean lines and we incorporated an "all-American" palette which is a nod to his military service.
We think Toren's brand perfectly captures his key personality traits of dependability and loyalty.
Whether you want to develop a completely custom brand, or select from one of the amazing designs in our "Instant Image" … (2 comments)
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denise lones: Does Your Business Deserve Some Attention? - 04/05/11 04:46 PM
DOES YOUR BUSINESS DESERVE SOME ATTENTION?
Like a garden, your business will flourish only if you seed, feed, and water it. And we believe the best way to do that is to step away from your business for a couple of days to really focus on where you’ve been … and where you want to go.
We also believe your business deserves a commitment to nourish it. Today is the day to commit to spending two days with us to revitalize your business!
We want to see you at our next Safari event. What is Safari? Simply put, it’s a … (0 comments)
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denise lones: Powerful Pricing Tools - 04/01/11 02:28 PM
POWERFUL PRICING TOOLS
In last week’s Zebra Report I talked about the importance of having a powerful listing presentation that covers five critical areas: pricing,communication, technology, marketing, and home presentation & photography. This week I’m going to look at the first of those categories – pricing – to illustrate how powerful pricing tools can enhance your listing presentation.
What pricing tools do you take to your listing presentation? Most agents take a CMA … but I actually believe that a CMA doesn’t provide the right information for your clients to get a good idea of how to price their home. Successful listing agents understand – and provide to their … (41 comments)
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denise lones: What Are Your “Lost Opportunities” Telling You? - 12/17/10 06:22 PM
WHAT ARE YOUR "LOST OPPORTUNITIES" TELLING YOU?
We’ve all lost listings … either because the property didn’t sell and the listing expired, or because the seller decided to cancel the listing. It’s not something we like to have happen, but it does, and we move on. There’s always more business just around the corner. Right?
Here’s something to think about, though. How much income are you losing to your expired and canceled listings? I’ll bet it’s a LOT more than you realize. If you added it up, it could be thousands of commission dollars that you have given away.
Here’s something … (3 comments)
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denise lones: HOW TO GET REFERRALS – NEVER ASK FOR THEM! - 11/06/08 03:11 PM
HOW TO GET REFERRALS – NEVER ASK FOR THEM!
Many real estate trainers, speakers, and ‘gurus’ preach the same gospel : “If you want referrals, you better ask for them.”
I say just the opposite.
All the gurus that tell you to ask for referrals after every sale are missing one big point. Think about it. How do your potential buyers, sellers and past clients FEEL when you ask for a referral?
It’s an uncomfortable moment. They know you want something from them and it tarnishes the trust you’ve built together. Instead of a confidant, you become a typical salesperson. And … (16 comments)
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denise lones: FOLLOW-UP AND FOLLOW-THROUGH…WHEN THEY LEAST EXPECT IT! - 11/06/08 03:04 PM
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FOLLOW-UP AND FOLLOW-THROUGH…WHEN THEY LEAST EXPECT IT!
Almost five years ago I first met her. Her name was Jill. (No, … (5 comments)
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Denise Lones
Bellingham,
WA
More about me…
The Lones Group Inc.
Address: 2200 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, WA, 98225
Office Phone: (360) 527-8904
Email Me
Join Denise Lones each week as she looks at the world of real estate and the world at large from customer service to the importance of listing presentations in a one-on-one style. Denise has more than 20 years of experience as a successful agent, broker, trainer and coach. Denise is someone in the know when it comes to real estate.
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