Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Wordless Wednesday--Painted Birds - 02/29/12 02:51 PM

One of our favorite exotic flower vendors at the Farmers Market in Santa Barbara on Tuesday sells unsusual flowers.  When I saw these as pictured above, I was curious.  Were there a new type of birds of paradise?  "No, I paint/airbrush them  with a natural vegetable dye, and they sell out, unlike the natural ones".  I have to admit they do have a dramatic flair, and would certainly start a conversation.
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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Worldless Wednesday On Tuesday - 02/28/12 04:37 PM

Today, we were in meeting from one end of town to the other.  Luckily, the impending storm did not materialize and we had a beautiful chilly day.  I attempted to write a blog in between times, but gave up.  Here is a bouquest of cymbidiums and giant phalaenopsis that are grown in Carpinteria.  This magnificent arrangement was at the historic Biltmore hotel, where we jsut had our last meeting of the day.  It is always wonderful to meet in beautiful places!
Happy Tuesday (what is left of it)
… (9 comments)

50 Top Luxury Real Estate Markets in the USA: Sun Valley, Idaho - 02/27/12 09:53 AM

Author Ernest Hemingway completed For Whom the Bell Tolls while staying in suite 206 of the Sun Valley Lodge in the fall of 1939.  Olympic medalists including Gretchen Fraser, Christin Cooper, Picabo Street, and Muffy Davis have all called Sun Valley their home. Today, Sun Valley, known for its extensive cross country ski trails, is a serious contender to become the Official Olympic Nordic Training Site.  It is also considered by many to  be a  top winter resort, a summer getaway, and simply a wholesome place to raise a family.
To view the slide show, Click to read more ...
… (8 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Speechless Sunday, Double Delight - 02/26/12 09:17 PM

The colors of the tulips that are grown here in Santa Barbara, look great in any container  We had parked these temporarily in this cachepot.  A few hours later, they had formed themselves to it, and looked great!
Happy Sunday, Wishing You a Wonderful Week,  Cheers, Ron & Alexandra Seigel
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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: An Old Fashioned Notion not Speechless at All! - 02/26/12 12:45 PM

This morning during our mastermind meeting, I promised our best friend and partner that I would email our favorite car salesman who works at Santa Barbara Auto Group.  This dealership handles several brands and our partner is ready to buy one of them.  My Outlook was doing weird things and I could not access my email, 
So I actually called  our best car salesman, our friend Sam. I asked for a referral for the best salesperson for that particular brand, which he gave me.  I checked again to see if my email was working, and it was not....Yes, I used … (14 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Luxury of a Perfect Ruben in Santa Barbara - 02/25/12 04:55 PM

Last evening as we turned on the TV, we heard that Guy Fieri of the Food Network was going to visit a diner in Santa Barbara.  That caught our attention.  So we suffered through what seemed to be interminable commercials and found out he was reviewing Norton's for their famous pastrami. 
We had driven by it many times on our way to the FedEX store.  So we watched Guy eating pastrami with local Santa Barbara celebriites and everyone was praising the pastrami...Could it be we wondered, that we have a deli that serves pastrami and rivals our favorite place in … (9 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Nature's Color Extravaganza - 02/25/12 10:44 AM

We are fans of coleus plants.  When we lived in Brentwood/Los Angeles, we had a bed devoted to various species of coleus.  Today at the Farmers' Market in Santa Barbara, one of the flower growers had an incredible variety. The one pictured above iis one we had not seen before.  The combination of colors is so amazing, it made us smile, we just had to share it with you.
Wishing you Saturday Smiles, Cheers, Ron & Alexandra
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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Does Your Website Have a Privacy Policy? - 02/24/12 08:46 AM

The Privacy issue continues to be a hot topic and one that has brought the warring factions of the Congress together.  Just yesterday, web firms have agreed to install a "Do Not Track button",and today's headline in the Wall Street Journal is "Tech Giants agree to Deal on Privacy Policies for Apps."
Some states such as California require that websites have a privacy policy. Luxury real estate buyers are usually privacy minded and guarded, when it comes to divulging personal information.  We have included a privacy policy in our websites and the websites whose designs we oversee.  They are written … (10 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Pruning to Insure Your Success - 02/23/12 07:43 AM

What are the sweet spots in your business?  What are the most fruitful aspects of your luxury real estate marketing practice?  What is working to produce results consistently?  These are the questions that can get you focused on what works and know what needs to be discarded or pruned from your winning formula.
Once you are aware of the fruit bearing sources of your business, it is important to strengthen these sources.  A business can be likened to growing a fruit tree.  You need to prune and feed a tree in order to produce a healthy and bountiful crop.  The … (8 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Luxury of a Spring Bouquet - 02/22/12 09:36 AM

We enjoy having flowers in our office.  As Spring approaches the growing flower fields and greenhouses of Santa Barbara county are producing wonderful flowers for our delight. It is also a welcome place to rest our eyes after concentrating on computer work.
This bouquet is comprised of alstroemeria, aka, the Peruvian Lily, and irises which remind s us of  Van Gogh's painting of Irises.  In 1990, this painting was one of the most expensive ones sold to J.Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.  If you find yourself in Los Angeles, seeing this painting is well worth the trip to see … (14 comments)

Marketing Luxury Real Estate: Focus is Your Crystal Ball - 02/21/12 07:58 AM
 

As a Luxury real estate marketing professional, have you taken the time to focus upon the source of your bona fide leads, i.e., those leads that have actually converted to sales or listings? What percentage of your overall sales volume comes from knocking on doors (cold calling), referrals, open houses, website leads, sign calls, your blog, networking (online or offline) or from some other source?  By focusing in this manner you can strengthen what is working, and also spend less time and resources on those things that do not produce strong results. Focusing can empower you to predict the … (8 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Luxury of the Work of No Work - 02/20/12 02:00 PM

Today, Presidents' Day is a holiday/working day depending on your marketplace.  A few years back, we were in escrow on our home in Los Angeles, and had 3 weeks to find a new home in Napa--our then, new destination.  We went up for Presidents' Day weekend to look at homes, and found one.  No doubt many of you are showing homes today.
Since the phones are quiet and all our partners wanted the day off, we happily have deemed this as a reflection day.  We review our work for the month and make plans for the following month.  We usually … (10 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing; Speechless Sunday/Posing for a Picture - 02/19/12 04:35 PM

As we were coming out of Nordstroms' in Santa Barbara's Paseo Nuevo, we spotted this cute dog sitting patiently waiting for his/her owner who was shopping near by.  We just had to take the picture.  We waited for a couple of minutes to see if the owner would energe from some store nearby to ask for the dog's breed. Do you know the breed?
Hope you all had a great Sunday!  Cheers Ron & Alexandra
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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Luxury of a Perfect Brownie - 02/19/12 08:44 AM

Yesterday I created what Ron and I think is the perfect brownie recipe.  I have tried many recipes and tinkered with them.  This one in our opinion is luxurious perfection, fudgy in the middle and chewy on the outside.  The original recipe was in Bon Appetit, February 2011, and contributed by Alice Medrich.  Here it is with my changes.
. Cocoa Brownies NGREDIENTS Nonstick vegetable oil spray 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup of sugar 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (packed and leveled) 1 teaspoonof Kahlua Liqueur or vanilla 2 large eggs, chilled 2 teaspoons of water (or … (18 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Luxury of Peach Blossoms - 02/18/12 10:50 AM

Spring Fever is in the air.  This morning at the Farmer's Market in Santa Barbara there was a new stall selling peach blossoms.  The owner explained that this varietal of peach trees does not produce flowers, just blossoms. 

The ones pictured above do produce peaches, and the trees are pruned just before they bloom to encourage air circulations and a better crop of peaches.  They are a lighter pink than their fruitless cousin above.
Wishing you Saturday Smiles, Cheers Ron & Alexandra
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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Food for Thought: Is Free Really Free? - 02/17/12 07:34 AM
 
A few years ago we discovered a  company that gathers information about wealthy people and sells it to product and service providers and also charities who target high net worth individuals. Our interest was to see if there was a beneficial application for luxury real estate marketing professionals.
The information they gathered about the wealthy is all public information. However, what is unique about their service is what they do the information.  They correlate the data using proprietary algorithms and are able to develop profiles on high net worth individuals (approximate net worth, likelihood to invest, donate, buy a … (32 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Signs of Spring in Aspen - 02/15/12 05:44 PM

Baby cones are showing up heralding the first signs of spring in Aspen.  Above it an aspen tree is still bare.  Happy Wordless Wedbesday,
Cheers, Rion & Alexandra
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Marketing Luxury Real Estate: Is Power Schmoozing for You? - 02/14/12 01:15 PM

Have you ever wondered  how it is possible that certain luxury real estate marketing professionals can earn a massive income with just a basic website that is not well optimized to appease the Google Gods and  logging into Facebook only occasionally, if at all?  Marketing luxury real estate is more of a people business than a technology business.  And, these agents get that point loud and clear. They excel at the art of the in-person Power Schmoozing, the ultimate social networking skill, in our opinion.
With all of the hoopla over social networking and internet marketing too many very capable … (19 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: When Your Name Becomes a Brand - 02/13/12 12:43 AM
 

Achieving celebrity status within your marketplace as a luxury real estate marketing professional can elevate you to “top-of-mind”.  At this point you become both well-known and well thought of locally by your target market and potential referral sources. Only then, when your name itself becomes very well-known, is it worthwhile to use your name as your brand and also as your website address.
 The sudden death of Whitney Houston, one of the great voices of her generation amplifies this phenomenon. Just the mention of her first name associated with the recording industry sparks immediate recognition of the performer.  Rihanna … (7 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Luxury of Pincushions/Speechless Sunday - 02/12/12 07:39 PM

As we meandered through the Farmers' Market, I spotted a new flower that looked like fireworks in bloom.  I asked the vendor what they were and he called them "pincushions."  They are so beauiful and I took several shots of them, and even rearranged the bucket they were in for the second shot, so that the various colors could be seen in a better light.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Do You Speak Maitake? - 02/12/12 12:00 PM

Yesterday, we bought these beautiful mushrooms at our "vegetable pusher's" stand in Santa Barbara.  Among his many vegetables he also grows mushrooms on organic matter and uses purified water.  One of his helpers likes to add them to her scrambled eggs. She also told us that the American Indians ate them for their curative powers.  Of course, we had to try them, and research them.  Here is another picture from the side angle.

Maitake is an edible mushroom also known as "hen in the woods" in America, as it grows in clusters at the base of oak trees.  Besides … (14 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Saturday Smiles, Flowering Kale Part 2 - 02/11/12 01:12 PM

This species of kale at the Saturday Santa Barbara Farmers' Market looks like coral one would see underwater snorkeling or scuba diving.  I just loves how it differed from the first post I wrote, yet it is in the same family.  Every one likes to have a brand, even kale.
Wishing you Saturday Smiles, Cheers, Ron & Alexandra
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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Saturday Smiles, Flowering Kale Part 1 - 02/11/12 12:58 PM

This morning as we strolled through the Farmers' Market in Santa Barbara, we were delighted in seeing flowering kale.  Kale is one of those super healthy good for you vegetables, however, it is also a lovely decorated plant for one's flower beds. 
Wishing you Saturday Smiles, Cheers Ron & Alexandra
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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Trends: Eco Friendly Packaging in 2012 - 02/09/12 05:00 PM
 

One of the important trends to take note is that many companies are considering alternative methods of packaging their products.  For instance, the photo above shows eco Vino, a chardonnay from Mendocino County.  The eco-friendly package (recyclable) contains the equivalent of 2 wine bottles.  I asked my friend Walt (the wine expert at our local Trader Joe’s) if the wine was good.  He said absolutely and added that this packaging was perfect for picnics, outdoor concerts (no glass is allowed). 
Here is their mission statement as stated on their website.
“At ecoVINO, we proudly source responsible vineyards that … (14 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Tulips on a Wordless Wednesday Pesticide Free! - 02/08/12 01:25 PM

This morning I was at Trader Joes in Santa Barbara, and these beauties said, "buy me". I put two bunches in my cart.  After having read Debb Janes post,our resident Active Rain eco-broker guru, Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, Don't Give Pesticides, If Your Love is True, I questioned my friends at Trader Joes' about the flowers they buy.  They assured me that they do not buy anything with pesticides, and these tulips were grown in California in greenhouses close to us.  Happiness is two vases of tulips and pesticide free!
Happy Wednesday, Cheers, Ron & Alexandra
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50 Top Luxury Real Estate Markets in the USA: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - 02/07/12 01:38 PM

Pristine and serene are words that best describe one of the most beautiful lakes in America. Yet, Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho is just one of 13 magnificent lakes in a mountainous region that includes the towns of Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint and Hayden Lake. With 5 ski resorts within a short drive of these towns, the area is steadily gaining a reputation for quality of life that is unsurpassed, especially if you enjoy a full range of winter and summer recreational sports.  Located just 30 minutes from Spokane International Airport, the Coeur d’Alene area is not just a destination for … (14 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Website Design: 7 Components of an “Authoritative” Website - 02/06/12 02:49 PM
 

So much attention has been paid to get website visitors to find you, but what is going to keep them on your site and keep them coming back so you can capture their leads? In marketing luxury real estate online your website should give the visitor a strong level of confidence that you are the expert, the authority in your field.  Visitors should feel like they do not need to look any further once they have discovered your site because they have found the most authoritative website in your marketplace or the niche in which you focus.
"Authoritativeness” is … (15 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Luxury of Tulips Speechless Sunday - 02/05/12 12:20 PM

These lovely tulips were at our favorite flower stand at the Santa Barbara Farmers' Market, and they come from the many greenhouses in Carpinteria. 
Happy Super Sunday, Cheers, Ron & Alexandra
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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Do You Speak Cherimoya - 02/04/12 12:46 PM

Cherimoyas aka chirimoysa are fruits with white and creamy custard like flesh.  Mark Twain aka Samuel Clemens  loved cherimoya, and said, "it is the most delicious fruit known to men.  The fruit is also known as a custard apple, because when it is ripe the flesh is creamy like custard and can be eaten with a spoon.  They are in season here in Santa Barbara and many of the vendors at the Farmers' Market had them in various sizes.
Happy Saturday from our home to yours,  Cheers, Ron & Alexandra
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Luxury Real Estate Web Design: Information Overload? - 02/03/12 02:34 PM
 

You may have heard the phrase, “sticky website” bandied about.   It has to do with the time a website visitor says on your website during a given visit.  The stickier the site the more time they spend there and the more chance you have for capturing their lead which is important if you want to gain or sustain market leadership as a luxury real estate marketing professional. But, is there point where providing too much information is detrimental to your succcess?
Content rich websites are sticky to the extent they offer compelling information.  But, how much information should you … (27 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: A Mission Statement - 02/02/12 11:33 AM

Back in the late 20th century, it was in vogue to have a mission statement in the entrance of every business establishment.  Some were simple and easy to read and some were so complicated, lenghty and verbose that we would easily give up reading.  We would notice and read these statements as we leased office buildings in our commercial real estate business.  These days, these mission statements are gone and long forgotten.
This morning we stopped at one of our favortie markets in Santa Barbara, Gelsons.  I noticed that one of their walls, the mission statement, still proudly displayed. We … (20 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Saying Yes to Small Indulgences & Phil - 02/02/12 11:09 AM

This morning we woke up early and decided to start with one of our favorite small indulgences, an almond croissant from Reynaud's bakery.  We find that these small indulgences set the tone for the day.  When we get back home, we are raring to work and getting things done. 
The Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog famous for making midwinter predictions, tells us that we are in for 6 more weeks of winter.  Our weather people tell us we are going to have more warm weather this weekend, and more "faux" spring.  Our fruitless pear trees are blooming!
Regardless, we hope … (12 comments)

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: A New Month, New Opportunites/Wordless Wednesday - 02/01/12 12:29 PM

Here we are in February 2012.  We have a new sunrise signaling a new beginning of a day.  Every day, we have the opportunity to begin again putting the past behind us.
Happy February 1st, 2012.  Cheers, Ron & Alexandra
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Ron & Alexandra Seigel (Luxury Real Estate Marketing)

Carpinteria, CA

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ra@napaconsultants.com

Office Phone: (805) 684-8180

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