strategy: My Webinars - You're Invited - 03/07/08 07:09 AM
Since quite a few of you have asked, I wanted to give you the links to register for my live webinars.  They're totally free and I do them twice a week, with new topics.  I hope you all can make it, and I will try to post a new invitation each week.
Tuesday, 3/11/08   2:00pm EST:    The Popcorn Concept & How to Butter Better Market Yourself Register Here:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/653601606 Topics Covered: The Meaning of Life                               The Popcorn Concept of Lead Follow-Up How to Better Market Yourself                       How to and Why You … (2 comments)

strategy: Have You Reminded Your Database About Daylight Savings Time? - 03/06/08 01:22 AM
This reminder was emailed to me by Gary Rossignol of Cincinnati, OH, who REALLY understands what follow-up is all about.
Check it out:  http://www.realestateecards.com/forward/grossignol
 
Remember...don't take anything for granted.  I have Daylight Savings Time marked on my calendar at home, on my calendar at work, on my pocket PC...and guess what?  I STILL didn't know that this weekend is Daylight Savings Time. Thanks to Gary, I'm now on the same page with the rest of the country.
The world (and your database) is full of lunkheads like me.  Feed us the info and we'll love you for life:)
And when you get the … (4 comments)

strategy: How To Attract Buyers - 03/05/08 07:40 AM
Do you need buyers?  Do you want to have fun?  I've got your solution here.  A Tour of Homes.
Use an email campaign, direct mail or an ad in the newspaper to advertise a "Tour of Homes."  What you will do is use your own Minivan/SUV, or rent a vehicle where you can transport a small group of people and show them your listings.  Provide lunch for them or some kind of snack/beverage, depending on the time of day.
Let your listings know what you're doing and use this as a motivator for them to make their houses as presentable as possible, … (1 comments)

strategy: Do You Need Buyers? - 03/05/08 07:39 AM
Do you need buyers?  Do you want to have fun?  I've got your solution here.  A Tour of Homes.
Use an email campaign, direct mail or an ad in the newspaper to advertise a "Tour of Homes."  What you will do is use your own Minivan/SUV, or rent a vehicle where you can transport a small group of people and show them your listings.  Provide lunch for them or some kind of snack/beverage, depending on the time of day.
Let your listings know what you're doing and use this as a motivator for them to make their houses as presentable as possible, … (3 comments)

strategy: How To Attract Buyers - 03/05/08 07:38 AM
Do you need buyers?  Do you want to have fun?  I've got your solution here.  A Tour of Homes.
Use an email campaign, direct mail or an ad in the newspaper to advertise a "Tour of Homes."  What you will do is use your own Minivan/SUV, or rent a vehicle where you can transport a small group of people and show them your listings.  Provide lunch for them or some kind of snack/beverage, depending on the time of day.
Let your listings know what you're doing and use this as a motivator for them to make their houses as presentable as possible, … (1 comments)

strategy: Consider the Source - 02/28/08 12:47 AM
Do you hate email drip campaigns?  A lot of agents do, and in my opinion it's for the wrong reasons.  In the court of opinion, I always go by the rule "Consider the Source."
If someone tells you email drip campaigns don't work, don't take it at face value.  Consider the source.  How is that person utilizing email?  How are they communicating?  If you don't put at least a little thought into your verbage, all it takes is one word and you can sound unapproachable...or even offensive.
Email campaigns DO work, it's just that so many people are BAD at it and … (4 comments)

strategy: And YOU Are...? - 02/26/08 02:36 AM
How many times have you found yourself in a situation where someone remembers you...and you can't remember their name?  Crazy as it seems, details like remembering names will truly help you stand out from your competition...and help THEM remember YOU.
I've always been a stickler for remembering names because mine is so simple...Mark Boyd.  You can forget my name just as quickly as you can say it.
I don't have one of the cool names like Mario, Jonas, Lleyton, Xavier or anything uncontrollably memorable like that, so my obsessive-compulsive tendencies manifest themselves through trying REALLY hard to remember peoples' names.  … (12 comments)

strategy: And YOU Are...? - 02/26/08 02:35 AM
How many times have you found yourself in a situation where someone remembers you...and you can't remember their name?  Crazy as it seems, details like remembering names will truly help you stand out from your competition...and help THEM remember YOU.
I've always been a stickler for remembering names because mine is so simple...Mark Boyd.  You can forget my name just as quickly as you can say it.
I don't have one of the cool names like Mario, Jonas, Lleyton, Xavier or anything uncontrollably memorable like that, so my obsessive-compulsive tendencies manifest themselves through trying REALLY hard to remember peoples' names.  I found an … (0 comments)

strategy: Business Card Power - 02/25/08 06:58 AM
Did you know just how powerful your business card is?   Okay, I'm sure you know, but I would be willing to bet that you'll find some good ideas you didn't think of when you follow this link: 
http://activerain.com/blogsview/390542/Everything-You-Need-To 
Is your business card in Braille?  Do you use it to promote your presence online?  Do you use BOTH sides of the card?   And my favorite question of all...does your business card show your personality?
Check out the link...and special thanks for this great post to Lindsay Pendleton from Baton Rouge, home of my alma mater...LSU.  Geaux Tigers!!!!!!!!!! 
… (3 comments)

strategy: Referrals & How to Build Them - 02/22/08 01:03 AM
"One of the most inexpensive and effective forms of marketing yourself is networking. Many people realize this, but few do it well." 
This is the opening line in an RISMedia article I read this morning (great piece by Kelle Sparta).   I make no bones about the fact that I believe fear is at the root of the vast majority of the struggles we have both as professionals and as people.  When I look at the successes and failures I've had in my own life, as much as I hate to admit it, fear has been the cause of the failures.  How … (4 comments)

strategy: Easy Birthday Reminders! - 02/22/08 12:43 AM
I just HAVE to share this with all of you!  I received it in an email yesterday from Felicia Novak, an agent in Nevada.
You all know how important it is to find out important dates in the lives of all of the people in your database, and this is an easy way to get birthdays AND be reminded of them.
www.birthdayalarm.com
Here is the link that was in the email I received, where I entered my birthdate:
http://www.birthdayalarm.com
I loved Felicia's rationale as to why she's doing this:  "More people prefer to communicate by email and are more likely to give me this information … (4 comments)

strategy: Seducing The Fickle Public - 02/21/08 01:57 AM
Everything is coming full circle.  Sexy hooks and flashy credentials basically raise skepticism with the general public anymore.  It has been said many times before that the general public is quite fickle.  More and more that is changing. 
There will always be a fickle element to the general public because, hey, we're all humans.  However, we've all had every hook thrown at us in every different way, dressed up to look like something else, turned upsidedown, thrust insideout...every which way.
My favorite analogy with regard to marketing and how fickle the general public (yes, including yours truly) can be is from … (1 comments)

strategy: Are You Great? - 02/21/08 12:37 AM
What really sets you apart from your competition?  What do you do better that would make someone choose you over someone else?
Every year at this time RISMedia does their annual Realtors On The Rise search, and in reading the criteria of their search I felt it was something we all should see and keep in mind.
The article begins with this line:  "The market has certainly changed in the past 18 months. Quite frankly, things are just not as easy as they once were. A real estate agent’s job is now more about actual salesmanship, hard work and determination-which is why … (2 comments)

strategy: Recognizing A Winner - 02/20/08 07:57 AM
My webinar yesterday was a marketing-and-follow-up focused webinar and the people in attendance asked some great questions and related some powerful experiences.  None more powerful than this one from an agent in Missouri:
In her first year in the real estate business she sent a lot of business to a particular loan officer...well over a million in business.  This loan officer didn't send any leads her way.   Not only that, he LIED to her when she asked about receiving leads from him.  He was sending all of his business to someone else, and she knew...so she stopped sending business his way … (3 comments)

strategy: 4 Quick Sales Tips - 02/20/08 01:20 AM
I got a great email this morning with these 4 tips I wanted to share with all of you.  Click anywhere on them to see the entire article they came from (Cohen & Pratt): Tip 1: Educate your customers.Make sure your focus is not on how great you are and what you do...it's what you can do for them that really matters.Tip 2: It’s about the relationship, not the sale. Treat your prospects like you would like to be treated: with honesty, candor and respect. Don’t pressure them and try to manipulate your way to sales success...
Tip 3: Don’t … (10 comments)

strategy: Recognizing A Winner - 02/20/08 12:42 AM
My webinar yesterday was a marketing-and-follow-up focused webinar and the people in attendance asked some great questions and related some powerful experiences.  None more powerful than this one from an agent in Missouri:
In her first year in the real estate business she sent a lot of business to a particular loan officer...well over a million in business.  This loan officer didn't send any leads her way.   Not only that, he LIED to her when she asked about receiving leads from him.  He was sending all of his business to someone else, and she knew.
Long story short, she became a top … (1 comments)

strategy: Market Yourself Effectively - 02/18/08 12:55 AM
In a point-and-click world, there's a lot of emphasis on immediate gratification.  If this is your mindset with your marketing efforts, your efforts will fail.  Plain and simple.
You might have the occasional moment where the planets align and you get that immediate gratification, but that's the exception and not the rule.    It's those fleeting moments of instant gratification that allow us to hold on to the funny (really quite hysterical) notion that that is the way to determine whether a marketing effort is successful or not. 
It's very much like the analogy I've heard from countless experienced real estate … (7 comments)

strategy: Marketing to Seniors - 02/18/08 12:00 AM
I've had quite a few agents recently ask me for advice for marketing to senior citizens.  Over the weekend, I received an article by email that I think really sums it all up really well.
There are some great pointers in the article, including a reminder that the senior population is more likely to read your direct mail and respond to it than other demographics.  I also really liked this extremely insightful quote:
“Half of all the households [with people] over 65 [years old] are headed by a single person, and 80% of those people are women. So, one of the bigger mistakes … (4 comments)

strategy: The Successful Person - 02/15/08 07:40 AM
Just wanted to share one of my favorite quotes with you before the weekend... 
 
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will."
- Vince Lombardi, former NFL Coach and winning coach in the first two Super Bowls
 
 
 
… (3 comments)

strategy: Come Out On Top...Online! - 02/15/08 02:35 AM
It's not rocket science.  It's easy.  All of you can do it.
Yet so many of you don't.
I'm a great believer in consistency.  I also believe in leadership by example.  And then there's serendipity, which brings us to this blog posting.
I teach my agents the importance of not just having a blog and a website, but the importance of being active online and keeping your online presence fresh.   This concept was never more clear to me than yesterday. 
I Googled my name yesterday and found out I'm a scientist, a university professor (for 2 universities), a professional soccer player, and a bicycle expert … (11 comments)