Jeff's Blog

How has Top Agent Institute & Top Agent Toolbox helped YOU?

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:09:23 -0700

Dear Toolbox members,

If you would like to share your experiences with the Top Agent Toolbox and how it has helped to grow your business, we would love to hear from you!!! We would also love to hear any positive feedback you can provide regarding any of our training events held around the country.

Thanks in advance,

Member Services
Top Agent Institute

New Audio Quick Tips uploaded to the Top Agent Toolbox website

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 14:34:36 -0700

Hey Toolbox Members,

We have just uploaded the Quick Tip Audio files for the week of Oct 1. The first QuickTip includes advice on using Reverse Offers to sell your listings and get price reductions. The second Audio QuickTip includes several important announcements of new tools available to ToolBox members to continue to grow their businesses. Members, log on to http://www.topagenttoolbox.com/and go to Education Center: QuickTips: October to listen to these tips.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Institute
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

New PowerTalk Posted on Getting Started in Growing Your Business with the Top Agent Toolbox

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 14:30:01 -0700

Hey Toolbox Members,

We have just uploaded a new edition of PowerTalk. In this audio, we covergetting started with the TopAgent Toolbox, and what to do to get your business growing rapidly.

Members can log on to http://www.topagenttoolbox.com/ and go to Education Center: PowerTalk to listen to this program. You can either listen online or download the file to listen to on your MP3 player or burn to a CD.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Institute
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

New REO Asset Managers List/Profiles Posted to Top Agent Toolbox Site

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 14:26:59 -0700

Hey Toolbox Members,

We have just uploaded a list of REO Asset Managers to the www.TopAgentToolbox.com website. Each page includes a complete profile of the bank/investor, and shows states of focus, contact telephone numbers, investment strategies, etc. It is in PDF format for easy downloading and printing.

Members, log on to http://www.topagenttoolbox.com/and go to MyToolbox: Listing Tools: REO Tools & Information to download this file.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Institute
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

Uploaded a Sample of Matt Battiata's Pre-Listing Package to the Top Agent Toolbox Website

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:13:11 -0700

Hey Toolbox Members,

We have just uploaded a copy of Matt Battiata's Pre-Listing package to the www.TopAgentToolbox.com website under the Downloads: Pre-Listing Package Templages and Samples section. It is in PDF format and can be printed for your review.

Members, log on to http://www.topagenttoolbox.com/ and go to Downloads: Pre-Listing Package Templates and Samples to download this file.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Institute
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

New PowerTalk Posted on Building your REO Book of Business

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:00:46 -0700

Hey Toolbox Members,

We have just completed and posted a 1/2 hour PowerTalk interview with Mark Ottinger of St. Louis, MO. Mark is a veteran of the REO/Foreclosure business, and he shares his experience, along with tips and suggestions on how to get started working with banks to list foreclosure and bank owned properties.

In addition, we have created a special REO Message Board to answer you questions on this subject. A list of asset managers will be posted next week as well.

Members, log on to http://www.topagenttoolbox.com/ and go to Education Center: PowerTalk to listen to this interview.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Institute
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

Several Recent Quick Tips Broadcasts have been uploaded to the Toolbox Website

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:43:00 -0700

Several Quick Tip Broadcasts have been uploaded to the Members Only website at www.TopAgentToolbox.com.

These Broadcasts include tips on:

Generating more leads and creating brand awareness with vehicle wraps
Using a Buyer USP, like the Wise Buyer Program, to attract more Buyer business
An announcement of upcoming Listing and Buyer Institutes for 2008
Insignts from Jeff's conversation with Mike Ditka
Announcement of PowerTalk interview on REO/Foreclosure Business
What type of boxes to use with your pre-listing packages
And much more...

Members, log on to www.TopAgentToolbox.com to listen to these Quick Tips.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Institute
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

Discounted Mailing Service and Printing for Members

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:33:00 -0700

We have just finished negotiating with US Mailing House and Printing to assist members in their printing and distribution of marketing materials. Services include both the printing of all Top Agent Toolbox materials and the mailing and distribution of postcards via bulk mail services. Members can learn more about their services and the discounts offered, and can download a current price list, by visiting the My Toolbox: Toolbox Partners section of the website at http://www.topagenttoolbox.com/.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Institute
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

Toolbox Members: Last Month's Q&A Call Summary

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:12:25 -0700

Hey Toolbox Members,

Reminder that we posted the April Q&A Call last month. If you did not listen to it, log onto the Top Agent Toolbox Member Website to play it. Topics included:

What is the most effective lead generation system, dollar for dollar?
What message to start with to begin branding and name recognition
When sending farm mailings, how should you identify the farm to mail to
How to build your experience/credibility in the prospect's eyes, when you are new to the business
How to make door hangers more effective than postcards, for less money
How to script your hotline recordings to maximize lead generation
How and when to build your team. How to compensate them
Which websites to use and how to get them at a HUGE discount
and much more...

Members, log on at http://www.topagenttoolbox.com/ to listen to the call.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Toolbox
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

Toolbox Members: New File posted to Member Only Website

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:59:07 -0700

Hey Toolbox Members,

We recently posted the May Q&A Call on the Member Only website. Topics included:

Ideal Listing Presentation Flow
Scripts & Dialogues for getting clients to list their home for the "RIGHT" price
How to get a price reduction when the listing price is too high
How to position yourself as a top producer in your market
Tips for recruiting and building a top notch team
The upcoming Top Agent Toolbox Media Division
and much more...

Members, log on at www.TopAgentToolbox.com to listen to the call.

Jeff Wilhems
Top Agent Toolbox
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
800.799.8760

Quick Tip: Client Follow-up for NEW business

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:11:28 -0700

Quick Tip of the Week

This week, I want to share with you a tip that is common sense, but is often overlooked in this industry! In fact, statistics indicate that more than 74% of real estate agents fail to perform this incredibly important step! If as a real estate or mortgage professional you're not conducting a post-closing interview with each and every client, you're missing out on a great opportunity to learn how you can improve your service and increase referrals.

Also, by not following-up with clients, think about the perception you're creating. When your clients were warm leads, you talked to them just about every day. As they purchased, refinanced or were selling a home, you talked to them at least once or twice a week.

Finally, when the transaction closed, you got your check, and never called them again? It doesn't matter whether you planned it or not, but you've established that all you care about is a paycheck; that you have no interest in nurturing long-term relationships with clients who know you, trust you, and refer you to their friends and family.

This can be a recipe for disaster. Don't fall victim to this poor business practice! Break the pattern.

In order to create an extremely positive impression, call each client 2 weeks after their transaction closes and ask them for constructive criticism about how you can improve your service. Not only will you learn valuable lessons, you'll establish strong relationships and increase business.

Members, be sure to listen to the Q&A recording posted to the website. It includes roll-playing of scripts and dialogs for getting listings priced right and getting price reductions on listings priced wrong. We discussed the right advertising to run to generate many leads and when is the best time to run it. And we discussed how to recruit and build a powerful real estate team. For non-members... to learn more about the Top Agent Toolbox, the member website, and to get access to the Q&A calls, Top Gun Agent interviews, sample marketing materials for growing your business, free blogging tools, and much more, please visit www.TopAgentToolbox.net.

Top Agent Institute (my Training & Coaching Division) is launching a 25 city tour in June 2007. We are offerning 1/2 day training seminars for just $47. Jeff himself will be presenting... You are guaranteed to learn. To find out more about the tour, and to see if we are coming to a city near you, please visit: www.TopAgentInstitute.com

Jeff Wilhems
President, Founder & Coach
Top Agent Toolbox
800-799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox, Inc.

Quick Tip: Direct Response Mailing.. Maximizing the Effectiveness of Door Hangers

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:06:28 -0700

Quick Tip of the Week

This week I want to share with you a tip we discussed in detail on last week's Q&A call with Toolbox Members. Specifically, we discussed the difference in direct response postcard mailing vs. door hangers.

In that discussion, I addressed how to take the effectiveness of the door hanger, and turn it up 10 fold with simple door knocking. I know, it sounds old fashioned, and many of you may find it uncomfortable at first... but "technique" is everything, and it really works.

First, make sure you disarm the prospect at the door by letting them know immediately that you are not there to sell them something. Then simply run the "Would you take...?" script on them to see if they have ANY interest in selling. BUT, equally as important, be sure to ask them if they know of anybody else in the neighborhood that might be thinking of selling. This technique turns a passive lead generator into an active one, helping you identify NOW business before other agents even get a chance to know about it.

My team will go out as a group one night in a neighborhood and come back with 8-20 new listing leads, in just one night! Members, be sure to listen to the Q&A recording posted to the website for a complete description of the process, along with the complete "Would you take.." script. For non-members... to learn more about the Top Agent Toolbox, the member website, and to get access to the Q&A call discussing this week's tip in greater detail, please visit www.TopAgentToolbox.net. So until next time... happy selling!

Jeff Wilhems
President, Founder & Coach
Top Agent Toolbox
800-799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox, Inc.

Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course: #6 - Final Thoughts & Ideas

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:59:10 -0700

Real Estate Blogging Mini Course: Email #6 (Final Thoughts & Ideas)

Welcome to Email #6, the final email of the Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course on Real Estate Blogging. Today's lesson is titled "Final Thoughts & Ideas".

Before we move on though, we would like to ask you for a favor. If you haven't done so already, could you please take a minute to visit our website at http://www.topagenttoolbox.net/. It contains a short 3-4 minute video on who we are and how we can help you grow your business. Guaranteed! Plus, you can sign up for a free monthly newsletter. We greatly appreciate it!

OK, now on to blogging... So we have covered the primary types of blog entries... but what else can we create blog entries on? Well, as mentioned before, the topics can be endless. But here is a list of other kinds of information that can help drive traffic to your website for free:

1. Enter each of your listings into a blog entry. Add additional text: the schools, grocery stores, shopping malls, etc. that the home is close to. And don't forget to add the necessary information to get them back to YOUR website.
2. Add blog entries for special events in the areas you cover. For instance: city or county fairs, movie nights at the local park, concert information at a local venue or club, kid camps, sporting events, etc. And don't forget to add the necessary information to get them back to YOUR website.
3. Start a community forum for people in your community to post/advertise their yard sales. Create a post for open houses each week with the property addresses of every listing held open that week. And don't forget to add the necessary information to get them back to YOUR website.

And so on, and so on, and so on... As you can see, the options are ENDLESS. And I know, I sound like a broken record, but if you do not include a strong USP and a clear and easy way for the visitor to get back to YOU, your efforts are wasted.

In closing... this stuff really works. In the first 30 days of using this in our business, we took TWO listings. When done right, this can be a powerful way to generate tons of visitors to your websites. Now remember, you must make sure you have a great, "direct response" webiste to capture the lead information. Without it, your work will be lost. Top Agent Toolbox members can get the best lead generator site out there at a huge discount that we negotiated for you. Just visit the member section titled "Preferred Vendors" on the TopAgentToolbox.com website.

Well, that is it for now. If you have a great idea for a blog entry, find something that works really well, or just want to share some valuable insight regarding blogging, please visit our "Blogging Tips and Ideas" forum. We anxiously await YOUR suggestions. Blooging Tips

Also, the Top Agent Institute (my training company) is rolling out a 25 city tour starting in June. We are offering agents a 1/2 day training seminar, at the low cost of only $47. For more information, please visit the Top Agent Institute webiste at: Top Agent Training

So until we meet in a city near you... Happy Selling!

Jeff Wilhems
Founder & President
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
(800) 799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox; All Rights Reserved

Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course: #5 - What to Blog (Part C)

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:57:02 -0700

Real Estate Blogging Mini Course: Email #5 (What to blog? - Part C)

Welcome to Email #5 of the Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course on Real Estate Blogging. Today's lesson is on "What to Blog? - Part C".

Before we move on though, we would like to ask you for a favor. If you haven't done so already, could you please take a minute to visit our website at http://www.topagenttoolbox.net/. It contains a short 3-4 minute video on who we are and how we can help you grow your business. Guaranteed! Plus, you can sign up for a free monthly newsletter. We greatly appreciate it!

OK, now on to blogging... So we have covered the easiest blog entry to create: area/neighborhood real estate statistics. We have also covered a second blog entry: area/neighborhood facts & general information. It positions you as an expert in your community. Now let's discuss the last type of blog entry we will cover in this mini-course: the Consumer Information entry. This blog entry will position you as an expert in the industry.

The Consumer Information blog entry provides the real estate buyer or seller with valuable information that can help them when considering a move. The topics are endless, but some examples might include: Mistakes to avoid when moving up to a larger home. Is now the right time to buy a home? How to buy a home with no money down. How to stage your home for a quick sale. How to pass your home and pest inspections the first time... and so on. As you can see, these topics will require some planning and some writing to put together... but when you are finished, a consumer coming to your blog can't help but to consider you as their expert.

To help you with this process, we encourage you to visit other real estate sites, news sites, etc. and look for information you can use to write your articles/entries. Remember, you cannot post content from somebody else that carries a copyright... but you can use it for ideas to create your own material.

Lastly, remember to always close out your blog entry with a USP (i.e. Visit our website MySite.com for a free over-the-net home evaluation, or Visit us at MySite.com to be the first to know about hot new listings...) and include your contact information.

Now, this type of blog content is better at establishing you as an expert than it is at generating leads. Since it is relatively general in nature and is not specific to a single area or marketplace, it probably won't generate much traffic to your website. But, consumers visiting your blog from other trails/nuggets left by you, may be more apt to visit your website after you have established some credibility with them.

Well, that is enough for today. Tomorrow we will wrap things up with some final tips and thoughts to get you on your way.

So until next time... Happy Selling!

Jeff Wilhems
Founder & President
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
(800) 799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox; All Rights Reserved

Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course: #4 - What to Blog (Part B)

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:55:25 -0700

Real Estate Blogging Mini Course: Email #4 (What to blog? - Part B)

Welcome to Email #4 of the Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course on Real Estate Blogging.  Today's lesson is on "What to Blog? - Part B".

OK. So we have covered the easiest blog entry to create, area/neighborhood real estate statistics. So now let's move on to the second blog entry type, area/neighborhood facts & general information.

With this type of blog entry, you start to establish yourself as the expert in your community. You should have already made some decisions about the areas/neighborhoods that you wish to target. So begin by gathering information on each of those areas. Suggestions include: Population, number and names of schools, parks, public/community points of interest, lists of utility companies covering that area, etc. Essentially, you are gathering facts that would be useful to a home buyer/seller looking for information about the community.

Now, I would suggest that you break this information down into groups and post them as separate blog entries. For instance, create a blog entry for {My Area} Schools, one for {My Area} Information (for population, elevation, temperatures throughout the year, etc.), one for {My Area} Things to Do, {MyArea} Utility Companies, etc. As you can see, the list of possibilities are endless. Create a standard template/form for each type of content, so that you can use it for each of the areas you are focusing on. That will make it easier to create the entries, and also will make you look more professional when a consumer happens upon several of your entries for different areas.

Build a series of facts & general information for all of your 5+ areas. And remember that each of these entries will now be picked up by the search engines separately. So when you have 4 or 5 factual entries about each of your areas, you now have 20-25 new Google search entries driving traffic to you and your website.

[Remember, per the last tip, that the purpose of this blog is to generate real estate leads/business. These leads can be captured in 2 ways: The consumer picking up the phone and calling you (rare) or the consumer being enticed to your website where they request some kind of free information and "raise their hand" to tell you they may be in the market to buy or sell a home (more common). Make sure your blog provides adequate information to allow for both forms of contact.]

Here is just one sample suggestion for an entry. Please be creative... and don't forget to include your USPs and your contact information in every one of them.

*************************
MyTown School Information

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find information on all of the schools in {MyTown}. If you would like to know more, please feel free to give me a call. I can also share with you which neighborhoods tend to be more "family" oriented, discuss the real estate market in general, and assist you in finding your dream home. I can be reached at {Phone} or {emai}. Please visit my website at {website}.

Elementary Schools:

Name
Address
Phone
Summary/detail information if available
School rankings

Middle Schools:

Name
Address
Phone
Summary/detail information if available
School rankings

High School(s):

Name
Address
Phone
Summary/detail information if available
School rankings

{Then include 2 USPs. One for Buyers and one for Sellers. Remember to drive them back to your website to raise their hand, letting you know they are in the market to buy or sell real estate.}

Close again with your contact information.
*************************

After you type your blog, you can assign it Tags. These are key terms to help you organize your blog entries. They can also act as key words for the search engines to pick up. So choose carefully. Next, make sure that visibility is set to Public, you check the "For Consumers" box, and select an appropriate sub category ("About a Region" would be appropriate for this type of entry). Select your region and save (see notes about groups below).

That's it. Now, as you can see, when Google picks this up, you will now be indexed with every school in your area, every utility company in your area, etc. Great stuff!  The nice thing about this type of blog entry is that you only have to do them once (update once a year), and then they continue to generate traffic for you over and over.

OK, I also promised I would discuss Groups. ActiveRain allows you to create Groups (or mini blogs). This can be a great way to organize your content. It can also be a great way to create area/neighborhood specific Blogs. So on the left hand side of the screen, you will see a link titled Groups. Click on this. Again, on the left, you will see a button titled "Start a New Group". Click on this. Now you give your group a name... like "MyTown Community Information". You can add a photo and description as well. Then save.

Now, when you go to save any of your blog entries, make sure you check the box next to the group you want to COPY your blog entry to. It will now show up in both places. To take this a step further, you can purchase a URL (or website domain name) and point it directly to this group. Now you have an area specific blog (MyTownBlog.com) that you can advertise in that community.... and be the expert. Consumers can post questions, etc. and you can answer them. Just another way you can continue to be built as the "Expert" of your community.

Well, that is enough for now. In Tip Email #5, we will discuss the consumer information blog, and how to leverage that information to position you as THE expert real estate professional.

So until next time... Happy Selling!

Jeff Wilhems
Founder & President
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
(800) 799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox; All Rights Reserved

Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course: #3 - What to Blog (Part A)

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:53:24 -0700

Real Estate Blogging Mini Course: Email #3 (What to blog? - Part A)

Welcome to Email #3 of the Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course on Real Estate Blogging. Today's lesson is on "What to Blog? - Part A".

By now, your blog should be all set up, your profile entered, your picture uploaded, and now you are ready to start blogging. If you haven't signed up yet, be sure to view the first post to this blog site.

OK. So what to blog? While there is an infinite number of topics and ways to start filling your blog, we are going to focus on 3 specific types: A) area/neighborhood real estate statistics, B) area/neighborhood facts & general information, and C) consumer information.

Today we will focus on topic A: Area/neighborhood real estate statistics. This is the easiest topic to get started with.

[*NOTE: Remember that the purpose of this blog is to generate real estate leads/business. These leads can be captured in 2 ways: The consumer picking up the phone and calling you (rare) or the consumer being enticed to your website where they request some kind of free information and "raise their hand" to tell you they may be in the market to buy or sell a home (more common). Make sure your blog provides adequate information to allow for both forms of contact.]

Begin by dividing your marketplace up into the areas and/or neighborhoods that you wish to position yourself as the specialist of. Start by picking a couple (5 or so). Each day, search your local MLS and identify (from last week's statistics): how many new homes have come on the market, how many went into escrow, how many sold, and how many expired. Then create an entry that might look something like this:

********
Subject: {MyArea} Real Estate Market Conditions

Body:
{MyArea} Real Estate

We here at the {my team name} continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep our clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends. Below you will find {MyArea} real estate statistic for the {#} week of {Month}.

New homes on the market: ##
Number of homes entering escrow: ##
Number of homes closing escrow (sold): ##
Number of homes expiring: ##
Avg Days on Market: ##

{Enter your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or offer: (To find the value of your home with a free, over-the-net home eval, please visit: [your web address])}

If you would like a free list of homes for sale in this area/neighborhood, would like more information about <MyArea> or would like to {Another USP like be the first to know about hot new listings before other buyers do}, then give me a call at:

{Your Name}
{Your Team/Office Name}
{Your Phone Number}
{Your Web Address}
{Your Email Address}
********

After you type your blog, you can assign it Tags. These are key terms to help you organize your blog entries. They can also act as key words for the search engines to pick up. So choose carefully. Next, make sure that visibility is set to Public, you check the "For Consumers" box, and select an appropriate sub category (Market Reports would be appropriate for this type of entry). Select your region and save.

It can be as simple as that. It is important to remember that EACH and EVERY piece of information above is going to be indexed by Google and other search engines. So think carefully about how you select and identify your area name, your USP, etc. Make sure you script them as you believe buyers or sellers will type them when they search the internet. (i.e. MyArea Real Estate; MyArea Homes for Sale; etc.)

Each day of the week, post one for a different area/neighborhood. It usually takes 2-4 days for Google to index your entry, but before long, your blog postings will start showing up in the "Organic" search section (not the pay-per-click section) of Google searches. Be creative. Add other information that you think could get the prospect to contact you. Free lists of homes or other free information usually works well.

Well, that is enough for now. In Tip Email #4, we will discuss the area/neighborhood facts & general information blog, and how to leverage that information to position you as the expert in a community. We will also talk about how to organize your blog entries into groups.

So until next time... Happy Selling!

Jeff Wilhems
Founder & President
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
(800) 799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox; All Rights Reserved

Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course: #2 - Why Blog

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:51:09 -0700

Real Estate Blogging Mini Course: Tip #2 (Why blog?)

Welcome to Email #2 of the Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course on Real Estate Blogging. Today's lesson is on "Why Blog?".

Blogging is not new. It is not even new to Real Estate, comparatively speaking. BUT, few agents have jumped on the bandwagon and gotten started. My personal opinion is that this is because few agents really know how or what to do to get started. I hope to change that for you and the rest of our Toolbox Members.

There are 2 primary reasons to blog. The first is to create a presence for yourself in your marketplace and establish some credibility. By posting relevant information of value on a regular basis, you show frequent visitors that you are on top of the market, you know your business, and you are there to help them succeed in their efforts to purchase and/or sell a home. You should think of blogging as your own personal newspaper, of which you are the sole author. By providing continuous information, you become known as the go-to person when the prospective consumer is ready for help.

The second, potentially more important reason to blog is to generate business (leads). Blogs, like the one we have provided you an invitation to, are constantly being scanned by search engines. Key phrases and information are catalogued, and presented when a prospect searches for information on real estate. If you script your blog entries from the outset with this in mind, every entry you post can create a direct link back to your direct response website, designed to capture them as a lead. This creates what is called "organic" search engine placement. And it is FREE. No paying for the click!

So, in summary... if you spend just a few minutes a day creating a blog entry, and you script it right, you begin to build credibility for yourself in the marketplace and you start to generate traffic to your website... All for FREE. So what's stopping you?

Well, that is enough for now. In Tip #3, we will discuss more about how to script your blog for maximum effectiveness...

So until next time... Happy Selling!

Jeff Wilhems
Founder & President
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
(800) 799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox; All Rights Reserved

Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course: #1 - Setting Up Your Blog

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:48:48 -0700

Real Estate Blogging Mini Course: Tip #1 (Setting up your blog)

Welcome the Email #1 of the Top Agent Toolbox Mini Course on Real Estate Blogging.  Today's lesson is on setting up your Blog site.

To begin, you should click the link below. This will open up the blogging website.

http://activerain.com/action/referrals/jeffwilhems

Next, click the button labeled "Join the Network". You will be prompted to create your Blog. Please fill in the fields as prompted to set up your account. Remember that this is free. Also remember that this is a public site that your prospects will visit. So keep everything professional, use your business contact information, etc. Once you have created your account, ActiveRain will email you a confirmation to activate. This link, when clicked, will take you to your Profile page, allowing you to begin building your profile.

Building your Profile:

The top portion of your profile contains all of your contact information. Again, remember that this is the information your prospective clients will see when they find you via your blog. So make sure that you use your business contact information. This section also contains a brief description. This description shows up next to your photo and name when a prospect searches on the ActiveRain network. It should be a brief description of your services, or your mission statement, your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or anything that you want to communicate to the prospect that will make you stand out in the crowd. Remember to keep it short and to the point. Now save your profile so that your basic contact information is recorded and begins being displayed immediately.

The next part of your profile will take a little work on your part, but is VERY important.

{NOTE 1: [ActiveRain and how it works] This is a good time to explain a little about ActiveRain and how their Point/Ranking system works. As you may have noticed, there are already 26,000+ ActiveRain members around the country. There may even be a bunch in your county/city as well. In order to decide who gets to be ranked at the top of the list when a consumer searches your city for a real estate professional, ActiveRain awards you points. You get points for joining, you get points for completing your profile, you get points for inviting team members, points for posting blog entries, etc... The higher your point total, the higher up the list you will be. Aside from posting blogs, your profile is the single greatest point generator you have. You can be awarded up to 1000 points for creating a "great" profile. We will explore this "points" topic more later.}

So... Your profile. Begin by writing a company and personal bio. Remember though, the consumer doesn't really care that much about YOU, they really want to know what you can do for them. So keep it concise and to the point. You can write a little bit about yourself personally, but try to keep it to what and how your background can help them.

The second section is where you should really expand. This area addresses your area of expertise. What you can do for them. What special programs you may offer. What special reports you provide. Borrow ideas from your websites, real estate articles, etc... BUT, make sure that you have the rights to post the material you put into your blog. Be careful not to get yourself in trouble by violating any copyright laws. Make this section LONG. The more you can add here, the more points you get. Keep writing until you get to your 1000 points.

The last section can contain testimonials. If you have testimonials from past clients, letters from clients, etc... POST THEM! A third party endorsement of how great you and your team/company are goes a LONG way to proving everything you say about yourself. The more you can post here the better. If you don't have any testimonials, get on the telephone with a few past clients, ask them how you did when you were working with them, and ask them for their permission to quote them on your website. Trust me, this is one of the best things you can do to reinforce how good you say you are!

Lastly, don't forget to save your profile after you write it!

When you are all finished with your profile, click on the Points Summary link (just for clicking here you earned 50 points). If your Profile Points have not hit or exceeded 1000, go back and keep writing/adding content. Maximize your presence.

{NOTE 2: [Why Bother with a Big Profile?] Well earlier, I touched on the fact that by building your ActiveRain point total, you improve your ranking in the network when consumers begin using the site to find an agent. The MORE IMPORTANT reason though, is that everything in your profile will be picked up by Google! That's right, free Google placement! This is the real reason to blog. Over the next few days, we will share with you tips for how to get free traffic to your website using your Blog. And assuming you have the right kind of website, this traffic will quickly turn into leads. Toolbox Members: For more information on our website partner and to save $649 in setup fees as a Top Agent Toolbox member, visit the member area of http://www.topagenttoobox.com/ and view the "Approved Suppliers section"}.

Jeff Wilhems
Founder & President
www.TopAgentToolbox.com
(800) 799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox; All Rights Reserved

Top Agent US Tour

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Sun, 20 May 2007 23:11:36 -0700

Top Agent Institute and Jeff Wilhems will begin a national tour in June. Jeff Wilhems will be visiting 25 cities and holding 1/2 day training seminars for Real Estate Agents. The seminars will focus on what it takes to List and Sell more homes in todays real estate market. Be sure to visit http://www.TopAgentToolbox.com for more details on Jeff Wilhems coming to a city near you.

Top Gun agent Jay Kinder

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Sun, 20 May 2007 23:02:52 -0700

Listen to another featured Top Gun Agent interview with Jay Kinder from Coldwell Banker. Jay Kinder sold over 500 homes last year Log on to http://www.topagenttoolbox.com/ to listen to this interview. Find out what Jay and his team is doing to stay ahead of the current real estate market. Jay will share with Jeff Wilhems what he has been doing to build his real estate business. You do not want to miss this interview.

Top Gun Agent Ashley Leigh

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Thu, 17 May 2007 01:08:55 -0700

This month's featured Top Gun Agent is Ashley Leigh from Linton Hall Realtors in Virginia. Ashley has consistantly sold over 400 homes per year for the past several years. Log on to www.TopAgentToolbox.com to listen to this month's interview. Find out what Ashley and his team is doing to stay ahead of the current real estate market.

Quick Tip: Blogging to generate more business

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 01:32:05 -0700

Quick Tip of the Week

This week we want to share with you a tip we discussed during our recent interview with Top Gun Agent Michael Reese, of Frisco, Texas. As many of you know, Web Blogging has really taken off, even in the Real Estate industry. In this recent interview, Michael shared with us how he has leveraged this technology. By posting something to his blog site, it automatically gets picked up by the search engines at no cost to him. When visitors read his blog entry, he then encourages them to go to his real estate website where he converts them into a lead for his team. He is leverageing blogging to generate "no-cost" traffic to his direct response website. It is that simple!

Through the end of May, Top Agent Toolbox's Tool of the Month is a Real Estate Blogging Mini Course. It is provide at no cost to you. Even your Blog site is free! No gimicks, No obligations, No strings! Here is what you will get:

1. An invitation to set up a blog site at no cost to you. An no, there isn't even a bunch of advertising cluttering the page!
2. A follow-up Quick Start Email Tip Series to get you rolling with your blogging in no time at all.

So to receive your no-cost Top Agent Toolbox Tool of the Month, just go to www.TopAgentToolbox.com and click on the Free Tool of the Month Logo.

To learn more about the Top Agent Toolbox, the members only website, and to get access to Michael's interview and others like it, please visit www.TopAgentToolbox.net.

So until next time... Happy Selling!

Jeff Wilhems
President, Founder & Coach
Top Agent Toolbox

Top Agent Toolbox
5405 N. Oracle Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85704
800-799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox, Inc.

Quick Tip: Maximizing Hotline Leads

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:31:29 -0700

Quick Tip of the Week

This week I want to share with you a quick tip from our own Real Estate business that we have used with great success over the years, generating between 60-100 buyer calls into the office every week. As our Toolbox members know, every one of our listings is set up with an 800 information hotline and unique ID#. The scripting is the most critical element in making sure you get sign calls to your office. Never give a price on the hotline! Always require that the caller be transferred to your office for the current list price. Now you do not really want the caller to know they are about to get transferred to the office or else they will hang up. Make sure you carefully script the message so the callers WANT the price, and come to you to get it.

To learn more about proper hotline scripting, learn about the Top Agent Toolbox, the members only website, and get my "home run" hotline scripts that generate 60-100 buyer calls a week, please visit http://www.TopAgentToolbox.com.

Until next time... happy selling!

Jeff Wilhems
President, Founder & Coach
Top Agent Toolbox

Top Agent Toolbox
5405 N. Oracle Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85704
800-799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox, Inc.

Quick Tip: Maximizing Hotline Leads

Jeff Wilhems (Top Agent Toolbox) — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:26:08 -0700

Quick Tip of the Week

Until next time... happy selling!

Jeff Wilhems
President, Founder & Coach
Top Agent Toolbox

Top Agent Toolbox
5405 N. Oracle Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85704
800-799-8760

Copyright 2007, Top Agent Toolbox, Inc.