Glenn Clawson's Blog

The Money is in The List

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:47:29 -0800

So many business owners struggle with marketing their businesses. Why is that?

Most likely it's because the business owner is just to busy trying to run his or her business to even think about how to market their business.

They usually resort to the "old fashioned" way of marketing, Yellow Page ads, print ads, maybe some radio or tv ads for a small fortune. But what tv or radio station does your customer base even watch or listen to, do you even know.

It's the shotgun approach to marketing. Spread enough "bullets" around and your bound to hit something. At what expense are you willing to keep thinking that type of marketing still works? How deep are your pockets?

Here's some interesting statistics recently put out by the Kelsey Group that every small business owner should pay close attention to:

70% of U.S. households now consider the Internet as the primary information source for shopping locally for products and services compared to 45% usage of the Yellow Pages
92% of Internet users say the Internet is a great place to get everyday information.
82% of Internet traffic starts at the search engine. If your not listed in the search engines your going to have to get creative to generate traffic for your website.
54% of all Americans have substituted the Internet for their local phone book.

Further findings suggest that local Internet searches are poised to surpass newspapers as the primary source of local shopping information. This means that if your customers can't find you online they'll most likely find your competitor. It was also reported that 27% of the searches online were local searches.

There is over 400 million websites online. That's 400 million other reasons for your customer to go elsewhere. Don't even worry about those 400 million other websites though if you're just marketing your business locally. You want to place high in your local searches for your keywords and build your customer list from there.

Local targeted traffic will drive customers to your business.

Online customers prefer to shop locally whenever possible! 75% of Internet users have looked for products and services within an area close to their residence or place of business. These people are looking to buy!

Take a look at your website...if a customer visits your site but doesn't purchase anything, how do you know if he or she will ever come back? How do you know if that customer actually visits your establishment that they found you online?

Do you know how to track it so you know if your website is costing you money every money, or making you money?

I can explain it to you and tell you what you need to do to turn that train around and it's a very simple process that involves building your customer list online. (that's my specialty with small businesses)

Building a customer list will immediately do a couple of things:

It gives you the opportunity to keep your name in front of your customer by frequently marketing to them, discounts, specials, upsells and builds brand awareness...
A customer list adds value to your business. More customers = more value.

You've undoubtly heard the phrase "the money is in the list". With the Internet now becoming so viable it is now easier than ever to build your customer list and market your business online for a fraction of the cost of marketing your business offline.

A huuuuge portion of small businesses are doing it all wrong when it comes to their online marketing.

The statistics show that the "old fashioned" marketing methods are fast changing. Spending big bucks on newspaper ads, Yellow Page ads, other print media, radio etc... there is no way to track just how effective those big dollar ad campaigns are doing for you. You're literally throwing money into the wind.

When a customer searches online in your local area for a product or service, do they find YOU, or your competitor?

If it's not you, you're leaving money on the table. If you want to capture some of this targeted traffic, you need to be found where they're searching.

A strong, online presence that captures local targeted traffic is essential for all small businesses.

Get them to your website, give them something of value in exchange for their name and email address, and begin building your customer list.

If you have a retail establishment that gets walk-in traffic, start collecting email addresses and build your customer database online. People check their emails almost daily and if your emails contain something of value, they'll get opened and you'll benefit from it. It's a win-win.

It's not a matter of if the Internet will affect your business, but when. Use the Internet as a marketing tool and your bottom line will grow like you never thought possible before.

Offline eMail - Building Your Customer List

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:57:28 -0700

If you really want to build a highly-responsive customer list via email marketing, then this post is a must read.

Unlimited follow-up at virtually no cost makes this one of the cheapest and easiest forms of marketing.

But have you ever thought about how to effectively use email marketing in your business?

Typically, with an online website, you'd have an opt-in form for your customers to submit their name and email address.

Depending on how effective your website sales copy is, your layout, and your offer, you'd get anywhere from 10%-40% of your website's visitors signing up to your list. Perhaps even up to 70% or more if you had a killer offer and highly targeted traffic.

However, there is another much more effective way for an offline business to build an email list.

Interested?

Actually, It's quite simple. (Why over-complicate things when you don't have to?)

Most offline businesses already have a steady flow of customers coming into their place of business every single day. Depending on the type of business they may see anywhere from 10-100 or more prospects and customers a day walking through their door.

Imagine building an email list at the rate of 10-50 new prospects a day!

That's 50-250 a week - that's 200-1000 a month - up to 12,000+ per year!

And these are HOT prospects.

They've already shown an interest in your products and services simply by being there and having frequented your establishment (or even your website).

Collecting the email addresses of everyone who comes into your place of business (or visits your website) is a necessary tool to building your online customer list and establishing your online presence.

The benefits of building your online email customer list are:

Unlimited Follow-up
Pre-sales, Post-sales, Special Offers, a Newsletter
Virtually No Cost
Relationship Building
Business Asset

Here's what you do Step-by-Step:

1) Sign up for an automated marketing responder account

2) Create an opt-in form where your customer (or website visitor) can enter their name and email address. Now, most people will be reluctant to just give you their name and email address unless you make it enticing enough for them to do it. Provide something of value in exchange for their name and email address, it could be a report, a discount coupon, a recipe, a digital download containing anything of value your customer's would want.

3) Get in the habit of asking for the name and email address of everyone you do business with, especially customers. Make it a condition of doing business. Radio Shack does this and very few people ever refuse, and they've built a customer list worth millions of dollars.

4) If you're using a double opt-in system then make sure you tell your customers to click onto the link in their confirmation email which then activates them to receiving your emails.

5) Write out your automated marketing emails - these can be weekly newsletters, special offers, per-sales information, or just post-sales support.

6) Don't make it too complicated at first. Just focus on list building and start off with a simple newsletter and special offers.

I was chatting with a collegue of mine a few days ago and she told me that implementing a system just like this for her client garnered him 2 new customers in the first week - each worth $5000.

That's $10,000 in the first week! At that rate you're looking at a system worth $520,000 every year to that business. Of course, that's an exception to the rule but you can see how profitable the upside of having an email customer list can be to your business.

So, how many people walk into your business every day? How many visit your website? How many of those can you sign up to your automated marketing responder? How many of those can you convert into customers? How much is a new customer worth to you?

You may be surprised at how quickly the numbers can add up.

Settling Your Reverse Mortgage Debt

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:47:48 -0700

If you're considering whether or not a reverse mortgage is right for you, you probably have a lot of questions. One particularly important topic weighing on your mind could be the settlement of your mortgage. When will your mortgage become due? Will you still own your home?

The first thing you should know is that your mortgage will never become due as long as you are alive and living in your home. If you are married and you and your spouse are both borrowers on the mortgage, both borrowers must be out of the home before any settlement of the reverse mortgage is necessary. So, rest assured that you will always have a home.

Borrowers who are worried that they might need to spend some time in a care facility needn't worry that their home will be taken away while they are receiving care. If you have to leave the home for a few months while you recuperate from an illness or surgery, your home will still be waiting for you when you return. The reverse mortgage definition of no longer being in the home requires that you be out of the house for more than six of the last twelve months.

Once you have passed away and your reverse mortgage comes due, don't be concerned that your heirs will become saddled with your debt. Your heirs can sell your home and use the proceeds from the sale to pay off the outstanding mortgage. And, if the house sells for more than is needed to pay off the mortgage, your heirs will even be able to enjoy the excess funds. How's that for an inheritance?

You may wonder what happens if the home's sale doesn't provide enough money to pay the mortgage off in full. Will your heirs become responsible for the remaining balance? No, they won't. Because reverse mortgages are a type of non-recourse loan, the lender will not be able to collect from your heirs. The lender will simply have to accept the sale proceeds as payment in full.

As you can see, reverse mortgages allow you to enjoy your home forever with little to no consequence to you and your heirs. Your home will be there for you as long as you need it. In addition, there are no real financial ramifications to your heirs after you are gone. A loan with these features makes it easy to see why you should consider how a reverse mortgage will fit into your life.

For additional info and how you can apply a reverse mortgage to your situation if you're over the age of 62, call or email us at GCCPropertySolutions@yahoo.com . Right now we have many homes in Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties that are HUD qualifed for reverse mortgages. Eliminate your house payment, eliminate paying any rent and see how a reverse mortgage can benefit you if you're over the age of 62. Contact us at GCCPropertySolutions@yahoo.com of call Glenn at 517.930.1919 for more info.

Payment Methods for Reverse Mortgages

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:03:06 -0700

Now that you've decided that you a reverse mortgage is right for you and your family, you still have one decision left to make; you must decide how you want to receive the proceeds from your loan. You can receive the money from your reverse mortgage in a variety of different ways. Each one has its own distinct pattern and advantages.

The first option for receiving your reverse mortgage proceeds is receiving it as one lump sum. This payment method is popular with borrowers who are using their reverse mortgage to pay for their home. Using our special program available to residents of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne Counties, borrowers can use the proceeds to purchase their home from us.

Another option is to treat your reverse mortgage as a reverse annuity mortgage. In this instance, you will receive regular monthly payments for as long as you live in your home. The amount of the payment is determined by the value of your home, your age, and the amount owed on the home before you took out your reverse mortgage. The annuity payment plan is particularly helpful for borrowers who wish to use their mortgage to supplement their income. A payment plan that is very similar to the annuity plan allows you to receive those regular monthly payments, but to specify how long you will receive those payments.

Finally, the most popular payment plan for reverse home mortgages is the line of credit method. When this method is chosen, the borrower is approved to borrow a specific amount of money from the lender. Then at the time of his, choosing the borrower can withdraw all or a portion of the funds as they are needed.

Borrowers who are torn between one method of receiving funds from his reverse mortgage and another method don't necessarily have to choose between them. It's perfectly acceptable to use a combination of methods to withdraw the funds from your reverse mortgage. You might want to set up regular monthly payments and keep a portion of your mortgage proceeds available for withdrawal for special purchases.

With so many different payment options available to them, reverse mortgage borrowers can really use the money from the reverse mortgage for anything they want. Whether you want to purchase a home, get monthly payments to supplement your income, or draw on your mortgage to make retirement purchases, a reverse mortgage is a great way to make your home work for you.

Contact us today at GCCPropertySolutions@yahoo.com to get started and we'll walk you through the entire process step-by-step.

Seniors Over 62: It's Not Too Late to Realize Your Home Ownership Dreams

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:28:52 -0700

Thanks to the availability of the FHA-sponsored Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) seniors in Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties in Michigan have the opportunity to finally achieve their goal of home ownership. Also known as HUD's (Department of Housing and Urban Development) Reverse Mortgage program, a HECM allows senior citizens to purchase a home, even if they've never owned a home before. Qualifying individuals over the age of sixty-two can even enjoy their new home without facing the obstacle of monthly mortgage payments.

The road to home ownership begins with selecting a home from our inventory of available homes. These homes have been handpicked to meet all of the eligibility requirements of HUD. They are single-family homes that are ready to become your primary residence. In addition, each of these homes' prices fall within the allowable loan HECM loan amounts.

After you've chosen a prospective new home, you will contract with us for the purchase of your new home. Don't be too worried, though, about making payments on this loan. This is the point where your HECM mortgage will take its place in your home purchasing plan. By securing your reverse mortgage financing you will be able to access the funds from your reverse mortgage to pay off your contract with us. The HECM will become your only mortgage holder.

With your obligation to our contract met, you will be free to enjoy life in your new home. Because your home debt is deferred by the reverse mortgage, you will never have to make a house payment. Your responsibilities will be to simply maintain the home and to keep your homeowner's insurance and real estate taxes current.

Remember that you will never outlast your reverse mortgage. As long as you are living in your home, the note will never become due on your mortgage. Only after you have passed away or chosen to live somewhere else will you have to settle your mortgage debt. At that point, you or your heirs will be able to use the proceeds from the sale of the property to pay off the mortgage.

For senior citizens who thought they would never be able to own their own home, a reverse mortgage may be the perfect solution. With no monthly payments to make and houses available right here in your part of Michigan, our home ownership program makes perfect sense. Contact us today to find out how to schedule your interview session with a HUD-approved counselor to find out if a reverse mortgage might be right for you. We can find you a house as soon as you have your brief interview and you can be on your way to a brand new lifestyle.

Use a Reverse Mortgage to Stop the Foreclosure Process

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:18:01 -0700

If you're over the age of sixty-two and facing a mortgage foreclosure, applying for one of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) home equity conversion mortgages (HECM) may be the your ticket out of financial ruin. Once you're approved for one of the reverse mortgages, which are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), you can stop the foreclosure process and save your home.

To be eligible for a reverse mortgage, your home must be a single-family residence. An individual unit in a condominium complex is also eligible as long as the building does not include more than four residences. One other eligible property type is a FHA-approved mobile home.

When you obtain a reverse mortgage, your new home loan will pay off the loan that was in danger of default. No other payments on that old loan will be needed. Then, by obtaining a reverse mortgage loan, you are essentially deferring your mortgage payments for the rest of your life. You are never required to make a payment on a reverse mortgage. The reverse mortgage debt is settled when you are no longer using your home. At that point, the property is sold and the proceeds from the sale are used to pay off your reverse mortgage.

Funding your home with a reverse mortgage allows you to keep your home as long as you are living in it. Married borrowers can keep their home as long as one of them remains in the home. There is no expiration date on a reverse mortgage. Even if you have used all of the proceeds of the mortgage, you can continue to enjoy your house without worrying about how you're going to settle your debt.

Although you will not be making any mortgage payments during the life of your reverse mortgage, there are certain financial requirements that have to be met by the borrower. First, the borrower must maintain continuous insurance coverage on the home. This coverage may include premium mortgage insurance, as well as insurance that covers the house in the event of a fire or flood. In addition, the borrower must make all of the tax payments due on the property. Finally, the homeowner must keep the home in good repair.

Potential applicants in metro Detroit who are interested in receiving reverse mortgage information should contact us today. One of our representatives will be happy to answer all of your questions and get you started on the path to your reverse home mortgage. In no time, your foreclosure worries will be over and you can get back to enjoying life in your own home.

You can email us at GCCPropertySolutions@yahoo.com

How A 62 Year Old Senior From Wayne County With Lousy Credit and a Fixed Income Was Able to Buy a $125,000 Home With No House Payment

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:48:16 -0800

Gerald Morgan had been living in the 1 bedroom apartment in downtown Detroit for the past 7 years. The 62 year old semi-retired truck driver was making ends meet but the apartment wasn't where he wanted to relax when he officially retired and got off the road next year.

Looking out his apartment window to the vacant building across the street wasn't his idea of a room with a view. Constantly hearing other tenants in his building flushing toilets and slamming doors, he new he wanted someplace better to live. But what could he afford on his part-time income other than where he was, he frequently asked himself.

Gerald dreamed of owning a home. He was never in a good position financially to ever afford a home of his own. Plus, being gone on the road trucking for days didn't make it feasible for many years. But those days were now behind him and he really wanted something better for himself, something he could call his own when he retired.

One day recently Gerald was reading an article from AARP. The article went on to mention a fantastic mortgage program subsidized by the government for seniors called a reverse mortgage.

The article talked about the Michigan real estate doldrums and how this program was really a benefit to seniors in Michigan's Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties who always wanted to own a home but never had an opportunity to do so before. Now they could.

The more Gerald read the more excited he got. He could get into a home with lots of built-in equity that he'd never have to make a house payment on for as long as he lived in the home, and, he could use that equity to supplement his income anytime he wanted and all he ever had to do was be able to afford to pay the taxes and insurance on the house every year. He could even use some of that money to take a vacation to Arizona every winter to visit his kids and grandkids.

Gerald picked up the phone and called the number at the end of the article.

He was told that one of the requirements was he had to first meet with a certified HUD counselor as a formality, he had to be at least 62 years old, and his credit wasn't an issue because the Mortgage Company isn't looking to get payments on the home. The loan is based on the equity in the home, which must be a single family residence (up to a four-unit) and be the primary residence of the senior homeowner.

Gerald was told it takes roughly 60-90 days to close the deal once he finds a home he likes. The home must meet HUD's minimum standards, of course, and he was told he was already pre-qualified for a reverse mortgage that was guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration and funded by Fannie May. His day couldn't get any better.

At 62, Gerald's hopes and dreams were becoming a reality before he even hung up the phone that day.

The representative on the phone told him the same thing he read in the AARP article. He confirmed there were no out-of-pocket expenses, no house payments, no loan payments, and no income requirements. His Social Security and Medicaid benefits wouldn't be affected either.

All the benefits of a reverse mortgage were becoming clear to Gerald now and why he read they were becoming one of the fastest growing financial products in the country.

All his questions were answered and he was now a man with a new purpose in life. No more paying rent, no more feeling sorry for himself for his past credit mistakes. It no longer mattered.

With this reverse mortgage program for seniors over 62 he was able to buy a house finally after years of struggling just to pay the rent. He fell in love with a remodeled 3 bedroom, fenced in yard with his own garage in a quiet neighborhood on a tree-lined street. The best part is it came with over $50,000 in built-in equity that Gerald can tap into whenever he wants, for whatever he wants, and never has to worry about paying anything back.

Next winter Gerald has made plans to spend 2 months in Arizona, something that would never have been an option for him living in his tiny apartment just a few short months ago, thanks to the relatively new reverse mortgage program for seniors over 62 guaranteed by the FHA, HUD and Fannie May.

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We currently have properties available in Wayne, Macomb, Oakland counties that have been qualified by HUD to meet the criteria necessary for this program. If you, or someone you know is 62 or older and desires to live in the 3 counties above, please drop me a line and we can set you up with a brief HUD counseling session over the phone to qualify you. Gerald Morgan did it and so can you. It's really that easy!

Senior Citizens a New Market for Michigan Real Estate Investors

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:36:36 -0800

Hello Fellow Investors,

With the Michigan real estate market being as dismal as it is right now, believe it or not, I have some great news to pass on to you about a new program I recently became introduced to.

If you've never been ahead of the curve before, I'm not kidding when I say you now have an opportunity to make that happen.

If you're a realtor, or, investor who works the short sale market, or a wholesaler, or any number of other strategies, you're going to want to sit up and pay attention to what I have to tell you in this post.

We all have homeowners we've run across that there is just nothing we can do to help them out of their situation. They either have bad credit, lost job, can't get qualified....any number of reasons why we can't help them out. Especially seniors.

How many of you have worked with seniors and have faced that dilema?

Well, I want to tell you right now I have found a way to erase that problem here in Michigan in the current real estate market. Yes, it is legal. Actually, it is even backed by HUD and Fanny Mae so it's federally insured and it's available in all 50 states, not just Michigan.

If you work with or know of anyone over the age of 62 years old, no matter how bad their credit is, I can help you put that senior into a home with built in equity, no out of pocket expenses or closing fees, and they'll NEVER have to make a house payment for as long as they live there.

It has to be a single-family residence up to a four-unit dwelling. No mobile homes or co-ops.

It's a win-win-win for everyone involved. It's an excellent strategy right now to seriously consider if you know of anyone 62 and older whose been renting, had a home and lost it in foreclosure, or has never owned a home before and would like to. Now they can.

You can help them out and help yourself out at the same time. Contrary to what you've heard or been reading about the real estate market in the Great Lakes State, all is not gloom and doom. There is a ray of sunshine on the horizon and I'll explain to you how everyone can benefit.

Look for my next post and I'll tell you more about who is eligible and what the criteria is to make this happen.

Have a Successful Week,

Glenn Clawson

"The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does." - Earl Nightengale

Winners vs. Losers

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:58:43 -0800

This is something I recently dug out from one of my "I'll never know when I'll need it" piles that I haven't done anything with yet. Well, I finally got to it and I found this nugget of profound wisdom written down on a sheet of paper. I had written it down years ago and it got buried in one of my paperwork piles (it's my organized chaos).

With the Super Bowl coming up (winner vs. loser theme), and most everyone that's a sports fan is looking forward to some Super Bowl reason-to-party somewhere and watch the festivities on the boob tube. Normally I'd watch it but I could care less about either team to be honest with you but that's beside the point. The US economy (heed: real estate) is nosediving faster than Michael Vick's career, the value of the dollar is taking a big hit, housing (heed: real estate), everything related to housing, auto industry, everything related to the auto industry, rising energy costs,...and the list goes on. But you got the idea.

I hope this little "nugget of wisdom" type will plant a seed in your subliminal mind and after you read it you won't even have to think about it. You'll automatically think like a winner would think. How a champion would think.

When things get tough you have to think like a winner.

THE WINNER IS ALWAYS PART OF THE ANSWER.

THE LOSER IS ALWAYS PART OF THE PROBLEM.

THE WINNER ALWAYS HAS A PROGRAM.

THE LOSER ALWAYS HAS AN EXCUSE.

THE WINNER SAYS "LET ME DO IT FOR YOU"

THE LOSER SAYS "THAT'S NOT MY JOB."

THE WINNER SEES AN ANSWER FOR EVERY PROBLEM

THE LOSER SEES A PROBLEM FOR EVERY ANSWER.

THE WINNER SEES A GREEN NEAR EVERY SAND TRAP

THE LOSER SEES 2 OR 3 SAND TRAPS NEAR EVERY GREEN.

THE WINNER SAYS "IT MAY BE DIFFICULT BUT IT'S POSSIBLE"

THE LOSER SAYS "IT MAY BE POSSIBLE BUT IT'S TOO DIFFICULT."

Be a WINNER!

Thx 4 reading

5 Questions to Ask Before Considering a Reverse Mortgage

Glenn Clawson (TOP VOLUME Marketing) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:57:25 -0800

1) Do you really need a reverse mortgage? Start by assessing honestly why it is that you are interested in a reverse mortgage. If you want some cash to take that dream vacation, a reverse mortgage is an expensive way to pay for it. Taking out a pricey loan to make investments or to purchase insurance products is also not a very good idea. Make sure the neeeds you really want to address are really worth the costs. If anyone is trying to sell you something and recommending you use a reverse mortage to pay for it, run the other way. That's generally a good sign that you don't need it and shouldn't be buying it.

2) Do you have less costly options? Do you have other financial resources that you could use before taking out a loan? If you could easily make the monthly repayments on a home equity loan or home equity line-of-credit, these alternatives are less costly than a reverse mortgage. Many state and local governments offer low cost reverse mortgages that can be used to pay your property taxes or make home repairs. Have you looked into the costs and benefits of selling your home and moving to a less expensive one?

3) Can you afford a reverse mortgage? These loans are expensive, and the amount you owe grows larger at an ever increasing rate. The younger you are when you take out a reverse mortgage, the longer the compound interest will grow, and the more you'll owe. On the other hand, due to high up-front costs, these loans can be especially costly if you sell and move just a few years after taking one out.

4) Can you afford to start using up your home equity now? The more you use now, the less you will have later when you really need it more, for example, to pay for future emergencies, health care needs, or everyday living expenses, if your current needs grow or your income does not keep up with inflation. Or you may need your equity to finance major home repairs or a move to assisted living. If you are not facing a financial emergency, then consider postponing a reverse mortgage. Homeowners who wait have a "reasonable expectation of securing a better product at a lower cost in the not-too-distant-future," according to a report by the Fidelity Research Institute.

5) Do you fully understand how these loans work? Reverse mortgages are quite different from any other loans, and the risks to borrowers are unique. Before considering one, you need to do your homework carefully and thoroughly. You can find many of the answers to your questions by logging onto AARP.com

Source: AARP.com Republished by Glenn Clawson and GCC Property Solutions