The CE Shop Inc.'s Blog

We've Moved!

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:49:53 -0700

REALBuzz Online has moved!

You can now find us, as well as our weekly posts from the industry's best and brightest at blog.theceshop.com.

We've moved!

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:43:54 -0700

REALBuzz Online has moved to blog.theceshop.com.

We will continue to bring you weekly posts from the real estate industry's best and brightest.

You can like us on Facebook, follow our Twitter feed or subscribe to our RSS feed from our new site blog.theceshop.com

Are You Focused on What Really Matters

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:23:21 -0700

by Bernice Ross

It’s 2010. Chances are you made some New Year’s Resolutions [last January]. A good question to ask is, “Are you paying attention to what really matters?” To determine what matters most in your life, answer the three following questions:

Name the three most memorable events in your life.
Name the five most important people in your life.
Name three things you wish you had more time to do.
Name three people you would like to spend more time with (and include the activity where you would be together.)

Did any of these include work? If you’re like most people, probably not. Unfortunately, our society often portrays being a “workaholic” as something noble—”The market is really tough. I have to 16 hours a day if we’re going to succeed!” “We both have to work—the kids would be stuck in a lousy apartment and a lousy school if we don’t!” “My clients need me—I have to be available when they call.”

If you look back on your past, chances are pretty good that your most precious memories are not of work—they’re of times spent doing special things with those you love or times you’ve taken time for you. So the next time you’re considering missing time with loved ones to stay at work or putting off caring for yourself because work is more important, remember what matters.

Bernice Ross is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Bernice, view her bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

Does Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:35:37 -0700

by Amy Chorew

It’s 10 o’clock Monday morning – do you know where your company’s reputation is? As sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook become intertwined with business uses, real estate companies need to establish guidelines and best practices.

Whether we want to admit it or not, companies are learning that social networking, used properly, can be an effective business tool. We know by experience that having your sales associates involved in the community can enhance your company’s reputation and bring in more business. We are now embracing the concept that our sales associates can blog, tweet, and participate in forums and social sites and also increase business — so long as it’s done right.

But how do you monitor the conversation? You need a social media policy that explicitly lays out what is and isn’t permissible, both on the company’s network and outside of it if sales associates presenting themselves as representatives of the company.

If you do decide to take the “easy” way out and just block social networking sites at the company firewall, remember that what people post from home can still affect your company’s reputation.

How to get started

Consider creating a task force with people in your company who understand policy and procedures and others who are responsibly using social media. Together they can create a company platform. As always, before you can develop a policy, you need to define the company’s overall attitude toward social networking. A well executed social media strategy helps consumers and licensees follow an online dialogue protocol that shows promise of a successful outcome for consumers in real estate transactions. Create a statement that reflects the company’s mission statement and commitment to the consumer.

Do you know what your agents are doing on the web?
Do you know where your agents are placing their listings and what other listings they are claiming
Your company’s copyright dos and don’ts
Logos and company names - Who has the authority to start an online group using a registered trade name?
Q & A Platforms – Are they generating leads in the discussion thread, or are you putting your real estate license at risk?

Social Media Tools To Monitor and Maintain Reputation Management Controls

Educate agents in the correct use of tools to avoid problems and pitfalls and, engage consumers in a fashion that will BUILD and ENHANCE a company’s reputation online. Remember to always reward responsible interaction online. If you can show examples of online fires doused as well as positive examples of building reputation online your sales associates will be better informed. Consider hiring a social media director for your association or your company.

Brokers and agents need to learn how to use tools to MONITOR their online presence.

Google or Yahoo alerts. Set up alerts based on your company’s name, principals’ names, etc. These alerts will send you an email every time one of your search words is found by the search engines.

http://www.google.com/alerts

http://alerts.yahoo.com/

Twitter Search

http://search.twitter.com

http://tweetbeep.com

StepRep

http://myfrontsteps.com

Yelp

http://www.yelp.com

Here are some other reputation management tools to look at. They charge a fee, but will do the time consuming work for you.

Privacy Gurus

http://www.privacygurus.com/firm.php

Quality Service Certified

http://www.qualityservice.org

Incredible Agents

http://www.incredibleagents.com

Real Estate Ratingz

http://www.realestateratingz.com

Amy Chorew is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Amy, view her bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

5 Tips for Dynamic Blogging Posts

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:43:35 -0700

by Randy Eagar

1. Instructional

a. Instructional posts are meant to tell people how to do something. I find that my tips posts are generally the ones that are among my most popular, both in the short term (that is loyal readers love them and will link up to them), but also in the longer term. One of the reasons people search the web is to find out how to do things, and if you can rank highly with your posts you can sustain traffic over a length of time.

b. Make sure you give instructions on interesting topics. You will make your blog posts more compelling to read, and more likely to be linked. It’s getting others to link to your post that will build back-links for you.

c. Instructional blogs are highly recommended and bookmarked. The reason for this is in the nature of wanting to just click back to the instructions rather than take copious notes on how to do something of interest.

2. Informational

a. This is one of the more common blog post types where you simply give information on a topic. This is an easy one for most agents to use, but also a very good one, as we are constantly being asked about interest rates, appreciation/depreciation, foreclosure rates and so forth.

b. You can give information on any topic of your choice. The better the information that you give here, the more of an expert you appear. This is the nice thing about the informational blog post. It sets you up as the expert.

c. It could be a definition post or a longer explanation of some aspect of the niche that you’re writing on. The more of a niche that you target the more interesting the post becomes.

d. This is the crux of successful sites like Wikipedia. In fact many of my posts will reference Wikipedia and other reference sites to validate my point.

3. Reviews

a. Another highly searched for term on the web is ‘review’ - I know every time I’m considering buying a new product that I head to Google and search for a review on it first. Reviews come in all shapes and sizes and on virtually every product or service you can think of.

b. Give your fair and insightful opinion. Make sure that in your post, you mention the word “review”, as this is what will be used in the search engines. Think like a buyer might think for these.

c. Ask readers for their opinion. This is a great way to get input from your readers, is to ask for it. It also makes people feel special to have their opinions valued.

d. Reviews can be highly powerful posts that have a great longevity. People will bookmark and re-reference reviewed posts as purchasing decisions are often delayed for longer periods of time.

4. Lists

a. One of the easiest ways to write a post is to make a list. Posts with content like ‘The Top Ten Ways to….’, or ‘7 Reasons Why….’ Or ‘ 5 Favorite ….’, or ‘53 Mistakes That Homebuyers Make When….’ are not only easy to write but are usually very popular with readers and with getting links from other bloggers. One tip on lists - if you start with a brief list (each point as a phrase or sentence) and then develop each one into a paragraph or two you might just end up with a series of posts that lasts you a few days.

b. Examples:

i. Resource lists: The useful list of resources requires two ingredients: time and a good eye for quality. If a resource list seems useful many readers will bookmark or vote for it on face-value alone. If your blog is struggling, a useful resource list can be an effective way to spark up your traffic and links.

ii. Best-of lists: At this time of year you’ll see a lot of ‘Best of 2010′ round-ups, though best-of lists seem to work well at all times. They’re effective because people are constantly searching for the ‘best’ of everything. It’s a term that promises high quality. It also generates interest because ‘best’ is subjective - what’s best for you might be mediocre for others. Ranked lists always seem to generate links, traffic and debate.

iii. Lists of tips: Quantifiable lists of tips are really attractive to readers because they explain in just a few seconds what a visitors stands to receive in return for their attention. You see them everywhere - and that’s because they work.

5. Interviews

a. Sometimes when you’ve run out of insightful things to say it might be a good idea to let someone else do the talking in an interview (or a guest post). This can not only be good for you, but for your guest as well. I’ve done several interviews with those who do the same thing that I do, and I have just as much fun being the interviewer as the interviewee.

b. This is a great way to not only give your readers a relevant expert’s opinion but to perhaps even learn something about the topic you’re writing yourself. One tip, if you’re approaching people for an interview on your blog - don’t overwhelm them with questions.

c. One of two good questions are more likely to get you a response than a long list of poorly thought through ones. Make sure that you always give those that you are interviewing the chance to send you questions that they would like to answer.

d. Q&As with high profile people: Interviews with well-known bloggers always seem to get links, comments and traffic. The nice thing about this method is that the only work involved is writing questions and approaching bloggers. The success rates for getting interviews are pretty high as most bloggers love talking about themselves!

Randy Eagar is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Randy, view his bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

If You Don't Offer S'mores, You Should!

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:53:11 -0700

by Jennifer Cummings

“Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I’ll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things.” ~Lawrence Bell

It was a just a s’more.

Yes, I’m talking about a graham cracker, a little chocolate, and a marshmallow. It probably had a cost of a half-cent to the business offering it, but that s’more made an impact. It symbolized a small act of kindness and generosity – with no expectations attached – that made a lasting impression.

And THAT, my friends, is what each of us MUST replicate if we want OUR businesses to last and thrive in today’s unpredictable economy.

People are interesting, aren’t they?

The personalities, the opinions, the baggage we all carry. But this “s’more experience” I’m going to tell you about reminded me of just how simple we can be…how little it actually takes to make us happy and to make a lasting impression. Let me explain.

If you’re ever in La Quinta, CA, you MUST eat at The Homestead Restaurant. Not only will you have one of the best meals of your life, but you’ll also get a massive lesson in true, lasting and meaningful customer service (from the welcome, to the goodbye). No matter what your profession, take note!

As we walked into the lobby of The Homestead for dinner, it was crowded, very crowded. Always a good sign for a restaurant. But, I didn’t feel like I was in a restaurant. I felt like I was in a comfy country resort just relaxing the day away.

While waiting to be seated at our table, they placed us in front of a quiet fireplace with calming music playing in the background. I noticed young families, older couples, middle-agers, twenty-somethings…all types and ages of people around me. Another good sign.

Here’s where it starts getting really brilliant.

A nice young woman soon came around with a tray full of graham crackers, chocolate squares and marshmallows. You guessed it – complimentary s’mores while you wait.

We roasted our marshmallows together over the fire, and we had fun with that simple task. The gooey fingers, the delicious hot marshmallow melting into the cool chocolate and the crunchy graham cracker…makes your mouth water just thinking about it, doesn’t it?

Now, if that was not memorable enough, it got even better.

There was an elderly couple sitting next to us while we waited. The hostess recognized them because they’d come in and had lunch there that same day (she even remembered they’d had the chicken pot pie!).

As she was helping them get their ingredients off the tray, the elderly woman – rather sheepishly – told the hostess that they’d only come back to have a s’more. They weren’t going to eat supper as they were still full from lunch but just needed a little something sweet.

The hostess then made a decision that will dramatically increase revenue for The Homestead Restaurant, guaranteed.

She said, sincerely, “You all come in ANYTIME for a s’more – it doesn’t matter if you eat a meal or not. We just love seeing you!”

You could tell they were so pleased and touched by her kindness. It was evident on their faces.

Now, you may be thinking, “How could THAT dramatically increase revenue? It was just one older couple and a s’more.”

Here’s the deal:

You know as well as I do that that couple will tell absolutely EVERYONE they know about their experience at The Homestead Restaurant in La Quinta, CA. However, the other 30-plus other people who were in the lobby waiting and listening will as well – me being one of them. Heck! I’m even writing a blog about it that thousands will read!

That small act of kindness, that inexpensive s’more – and those kind words will come back to that business ten-fold.

What are the “s’mores” of your business? And, no, I’m not saying to give your clients or agents or students s’mores every time you see them! You know what I mean.

What are the small touches, the meaningful words, the spirit of sincerity you offer that make a lasting and memorable impression on people?

For our clients, we simply send them a book we know they’d like. Not an expensive one, just one we know would mean something to them based on what we’ve learned about them.

But these things, the small touches, don’t have to cost money. In fact, some of the best ones don’t!

For example, we also make a point of being sure that every single communication people have with us, or from us (whether in person, by phone or by e-mail), is kind and personalized. For instance, you wouldn’t believe the compliments we get simply because we take a few extra seconds to add personal touches and comments in our e-mail communications with people.

Here’s the bottom line:

If you want repeat clients…

If you want referrals…

If you want word-of-mouth marketing working for you…

If you want to be trusted with the “big things” in people’s lives…

Or, if you just want to be a good person…

Practice the “s’more” style of customer service.

Give – with no expectations.

Do those little things and you WILL be trusted with the big things.

Jennifer Cummings is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Jennifer, view her bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

Are ‘Dual Career’ Agents Hurting You?

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:53:41 -0700

by Carla Cross

Are ‘dual career’ agents hurting you and your business? In Stefan Swanepoel’s publication, Trends Report 2010, he calls the real estate licensee with another job the ‘dual career’ agent. That’s what we used to call the ‘part-timer’. Although ‘dual career’ sounds much more important than ‘part-time’, the result is the same:

Less time to devote to the consumer. The conflict that an agent feels when he has another job is causing the consumer to rate our service lower than ever before.

Dual Careerists Are a Growing Trend

More and more real estate agents are getting second jobs to make ends meet. In fact, the 2009 National Association of REALTORS® Member Profile says that 26% of REALTORS® stated that real estate was not their only occupation. (I’m sure that many more licensees that aren’t REALTORS® have other major sources of income). In addition, less than half of all REALTORS® surveyed reported that real estate was their primary source of household income.

Is the Dual Careerist Doing the Industry More Harm than Good?

Having been an agent, manager, and owner a long time, I know how difficult it is at times for an agent to ‘hang in there,’ put their heads down, and keep working through tough times. It’s a great temptation, and a relief for many to take that other job just to ‘tide them over.’ From the broker’s perspective, too, keeping the agent at least licensed with the brokerage to get that one transaction seems to be better than losing that one transaction. Several problems accrue, when the agent gets another job:

The agent’s mind, energy, and dollars drift away from the needs of the consumer because the agent must focus on another job
The agent can’t keep up on the technical, legal, and business developments
The consumer demands just can’t be met when the agent is unavailable for large blocks of time
The broker must carry a much bigger responsibility for the agent’s transactions

What We Need to Do About This Trend?

Managers: Set standards so you are living out that vision you took all that time to write in that business planning course! Do you have agents with you who are not dedicated? Do you have agents who don’t practice in the way your company wants? If so, you are ‘shattering your image’ and greatly hurting your chances to recruit. Fix it while you can.

Agents: Go to your manager and ask why the ‘dead wood’ (a horrible term, but, the consumers have told us to get rid of them, and we’re not listening.) is still there. What benefit do they provide you? What benefit do they provide the company?

Short-Sided: It May Destroy

Our Industry Unfortunately, our industry has spent too much time on the immediate, and not enough time on the long-term. One of the easiest ways to see this is to look at the low producers and part-timers we’ve kept as licensees. Why? Because we think they may sell a home or two before they get discouraged.

There is Leadership Showing the Way

There is a growing trend to upgrade the industry. Take a look at what industry leaders are doing right now. They are putting standards in place, training and coaching to get people to their standards, and are counseling out those who just aren’t meant—or committed—to a career in real estate.

Support on Putting Standards in Place

For the last year, I’ve done lots of work in helping companies put standards in place. Although it’s challenging, it’s absolutely critical if we are to protect our business models as we like them!

Note: See Four Steps to a Stunning Standards-Based Organization, a webinar I did for the National Association of REALTORS® Learning Library.

What Do You Think? Do you believe managers should keep anyone who wants to be kept? Let me hear your opinion–and, if you have a solution, let’s share it with our industry!

Carla Cross is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Carla, view her bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

66 Ways to Connect with Prospects

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:35:32 -0700

by Terri Murphy

If you think it has been a tough year and find yourself thinking from a scarcity point of view, you might find yourself believing that there is little you can do to get more business…Think again!

Before you go with “scarcity thinking”, expert Harvey MacKay gives us 66 creative and meaningful ways to connect with even the most elusive prospects.

MacKay is the bestselling author of “Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He says, “Anyone can get the order if he’s willing to stretch the truth far enough. Whether you tell the truth or not, you don’t come out a winner just by getting the first big order. The mark of the pro is to get the RE-Order!” That said, ask yourself these questions:

What am I willing to do to connect with a prospective client? (Or do I quit after a few attempts?)
Am I just trying to get another sale, or are there ways I can make an investment in a long term relationship?
What can I offer that will differentiate my service offering and add more value for prospects who will do business with me?

A great lesson from MacKay’s book is found in Lesson #3 – He says, “Knowing something about your customer is just as important as knowing everything about you or your product”.

MacKay was so passionate about wanting to know all he could about his customers; he is famous for developing his MacKay “66” question profile for each of his salespeople to fill out on their customers. He is adamant that when we know more about our customer, we enjoy a huge advantage when they know we care about them, their needs and ultimately then we have earned the right to work with them.

All too often, we fail the first step many high-paid coaches, consultants and top performers know and teach: Do a deep and thorough needs analysis of what THEY want, and not what you HAVE. But first you have to get the appointment and be willing to accept the challenge of winning their business.

Asking questions and then clarifying the answers is one of the most powerful ways to establish confidence and begin building a bridge of trust between you and your prospect. They want to know that you know not only what they want, but most importantly, why they want it. It is only when you act as their sales leader that you can help them determine what the appropriate solutions to their needs will actually be.

Many times we approach our buyers and sellers with a barrage of self-serving information about our experience, tout top testimonials and are convinced that WE are the answer to their needs, when in fact, that may not be the case at all! Regardless of your outstanding sales volume, negotiating acumen and years of experience, if they need a salesperson who can speak Vietnamese, you may not be their best choice!

The battle cry for successful sales that will never go out of style – RELATIONSHIP selling is the key to more sales. Ask well thought out questions, be a skilled, active listener, and craft solutions with your prospects for best results. You may not subscribe to doing a MacKay “66”, but knowing all the facts, motivations, limitations and best solutions for your customer will pave the way to create raving fans and endless referrals.

Terri Murphy is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Terri, view her bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

A Sales Lesson From Fundraising

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:26:36 -0700

by: Rich Levin

At my health club, I was chatting with a top national fundraising consultant. I asked him, “What’s the secret to success at getting people to make donations?”

He answered, “Two things, you want to be sure that the person asking for the donation has a relationship with the giver. If you are asking for a big donation, the request needs to be made by someone who has a strong, respected relationship with the giver.”

He continued, “The second thing, particularly for large donations, is that you want to know enough about the giver’s financial situation, history of giving, and history with the organization you are representing, you want to know enough to know how much a reasonable request is. If you have a good relationship, the giver has a good connection to the organization, and you make a reasonable request, you will always get it.”

Driving home from the club this morning, after that conversation, of course I thought about how that related to success in real estate sales. There is a direct connection.

First, the stronger the relationship you have with the buyer or seller before you even contact them, the better your chances of a successful transaction. That is why you want to:

Work with people in your spheres of influence, and past clients
Work with referrals from people who know, like, and trust you
Create a marketing brand as a knowledgeable, successful and respected professional in the area.
Second, do your homework. Find out all you can about the prospect ahead of time.
Check property tax records
Check MLS records
Check Google and other search engines and Web sources
Call and ask questions about what, where, why, when and who (how, too)

Finally, specifically ask about their current and previous experiences buying or selling real estate so you know the attitude that they bring to the transaction with you. My friend, the fundraising expert, related a number of stories where this background work wasn’t done, and the effort failed; and where it was done, and the effort resulted in major donations. These are the contexts of the best salespeople on earth. Make them yours.

Rich Levin is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Rich, view his bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

Asking for What You Need

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:45:19 -0700

by: Bernice Ross

Have you ever heard the phrase: “Ask, and you shall receive?” As common as this phrase is, it would be easy to conclude that many people have mastered this skill. In actuality, most people have mastered “giving” while very few have mastered “asking”. To develop the life you’ve always dreamed of, asking for what you need is essential.

The two key components in asking for what you need are giving yourself permission to ask and practice. While not everyone will accommodate your request, mastering these two steps can open a whole different world for you.

For most people, practicing is the easy part. The hardest part is actually giving yourself permission to ask. Consider your own life for a moment — how do you determine when to give yourself permission to ask for what you need? Is it after a fight? Must you struggle with something first before you give in? Do you need someone else to say it’s ok first before you give yourself permission? What belief or “truth” do you currently hold that blocks you from asking for what you need?

To determine what may be blocking you from asking what you need, sit quietly for a moment and picture someone you know who easily asks for what they need. Do you see this person as “pushy”, “forceful”, “obnoxious” or do you see them as a role model? By discovering your own attitudes towards those who are good at asking for what they need, you may be able to identify the beliefs that hold you back. For example, if you view people who ask for what they need as being selfish, you may avoid fulfilling your own needs because you don’t want to be perceived as selfish. To make the shift, consider fulfilling your needs as taking very good care of yourself instead of being selfish. Another common way people avoid fulfilling their own needs is to expect that other person “intuitively knows” what it is they need. Given that most of us aren’t mind readers, the smart move is to simply tell others what you need. This simple strategy helps to avoid anger and disappointment from unexpressed expectations.

To practice asking for what you need, a simple approach is to view it an expansion of a skill you already have. For example, when you go to a restaurant or to a movie, you have no trouble telling others what it is you want to eat or see. To build this skill, practice expanding it to other situations. A simple place to start is by asking someone at the grocery store to help you find an item or asking someone to help you with a problem you’ve encountered. Asking for what you need is neither a skill you can delegate nor overlook as you live your life. The time you spend practicing will return far greater dividends than any initial discomfort you experience.

Coaching Tips:

Ready to begin asking for what you need? One way to break through any limiting beliefs is by the simple step of taking action. The goal here is to practice asking for what you need in small areas of your life. As you gain experience, learning to ask for things in the major parts of your life becomes easier.

Choose one small area of your life that you feel confident and comfortable in. Choosing a small area where you do not have high expectations or “attachments” will make this process much easier.
Give yourself blanket permission to ask for what you need. This means that you can ask for anything you might need — period.
Consider your chosen area and come up with one thing you need. Again, by making it a small need, you increase the likelihood of success with this exercise.
Ignore any internal dialogue about whether you “should or should not” be able to get this need met. The larger and more significant the item that you need, the more likely you’ll run right into this voice. For now, just thank the voice (thought, feeling, etc.) for the feedback and move on.
Identify one person who can meet or exceed your specific need. If this is a friend who is willing to support you, then tell your friend what you are doing and ask for their support as you gain practice in the skill of asking.
Ask. Taking the action step is essential here.
Review what you experienced, felt, and learned about yourself and others during this process. Was it easy or hard? Fun or challenging? Emotionally draining or up-lifting?
Practice again and again and again. You may find yourself surprised at how easy it becomes asking for what you need.

One final word here — asking for something and receiving what you’ve asked for are not the same thing. Be willing to not get what you want while at the same time being focused on the skill of asking. Over time, you will gain clarity about what is really important to you as well as what really doesn’t matter. Just keep practicing.

A Real Time Saver - Visual Voicemail

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:22:29 -0700

by Amy Chorew

I get asked all the time, what are the top 3 apps I recommend for a salesperson to use on their Smartphone? That is not easy, as there are amazing apps out there that can make you workload easier, save you money and are fun to use.

One tool that has saved me and my coaching clients a lot of time, is an application that allows us to “read” transcripts of our voicemails in emails or text messages on our Smartphones.

Here are some programs you can investigate:

Google Voice is free, others offer free “versions” but do cost a monthly fee. I personally use YouMail, but let me tell you about the products I use.

One Phone Number that Follows You

Multiple voicemail accounts can add hours onto your day as you retrieve and listen to messages. Consider one phone number that follows you, so you don’t have to check numerous voicemail accounts. Many of these products [apps] provide that.

Visual Voicemail

Convert your voicemail to a text or email. These transcribed voicemails are sent to your email account, and are archived up on the web. Most attach an audio file that you can download, if you need it.

Imagine being on a home inspection and your phone rings. After the caller leaves a message, you receive a text or email with a transcribed version of the call. You can respond with a text, email or just call. A real time saver.

YouMail also allows you to set up personalized greetings for each caller. Imagine getting someone’s voicemail and hearing

“Hi Amy how are you? I am not available right now, but leave your message.”

My clients love it!

Jott also allows you to send voice to text messages to: groups, Twitter, Outlook and lots of other products. Check it out!

5 More Ways to Use Twitter for Marketing

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:36:06 -0700

by Randy Eagar

Use TwitPic To Share Photos Of Your New Listings.
1. TwitPic is a website that allows users to easily post pictures to the Twitter microblogging and social media service. You can easily locate it at TwitPic.com. If you’re a member of Twitter, then you’re already a member of TwitPic. You can post photos from your smartphone or the site itself.
2. TwitPic is often used by agents to upload and distribute pictures in near real-time of new properties for sale and as an event is taking place. TwitPic could be used independently of Twitter, in a way similar to Flickr. However, several characteristics make this site a companion for Twitter.
3. Again, TwitPic usernames and passwords are the same as the ones in Twitter. Comments to photographs are sent as a reply tweet. TwitPic URLs are already short, making it unnecessary to use URL shortening.
Remember, The Quality Of Your Followers Is Better Than The Quantity
1. While having a large quantity of followers can be valuable, don’t make the mistake of overlooking the quality of those who follow you. The addition of just a few good quality people can cause large numbers of others to follow you.
2. It’s not necessary to always be the content originator. Pointing to good content works too (and Twitter is the perfect platform for this). As I mentioned earlier, “retweeting” someone else’s post can be an excellent way of getting good quality material posted to your site.
3. On the Internet, as in life, people get major good will and brownie points for being helpful. So, even if you’re from time to time just the bird dog or pointer, people will remember you for helping them find useful information they need.
Group Your Posts and Others Using the Hashtag
1. Even if you’re new to Twitter and read a few posts, you’ve probably recognized the hash symbol (”#”) attached to many posts. That’s what Twitter users call a “hashtag,” and at any given time at least one of them can usually be found among the trending topics on Twitter. But what exactly is a hashtag? Hashtags are basically a simple way to catalog and connect tweets about a specific topic. They make it easier for users to find additional tweets on a particular subject, while filtering out the incidental tweets that may just coincidentally contain the same keyword. Hashtags are also often used by various boards, associations, large real estate offices and event organizers as a method of keeping all tweets about the event in a single stream, and they’ve even been used to coordinate updates during emergencies. In fact, hashtags were first popularized during the 2007 San Diego wildfire, when the tag #sandiegofires was used to identify tweets about the natural disaster.
2. Because hashtags tend to spread so quickly and because Twitter users often search hashtags for content from people they aren’t following, using hashtags can be a great way to extend your reach on Twitter and connect with your current audience in a more meaningful way. There are a wide variety of already established hashtags - and new ones being created daily - that you can join. You need to be careful, however, that your use of hashtags is consistent with both your brand and the tag itself. Proper etiquette dictates that you should only use hashtags if your tweet is actually relevant to the tag’s associated topic. So which tags should you participate in? That depends wholly on your business and your purpose for using Twitter. For example, it’s probably a bad idea to participate in the #FSBOsRus hashtag (which does not exist currently) if you own a real estate office and use your Twitter account to assist in listing properties. But if you do a large volume in short sales, you’ll more than likely want to join in the #shortsale or #SHORTSALES hashtags (of which both exist), in which people tweet about their interest in or questions about short sales.
3. Use sites like Twubs (that would be Twubs.com), a hashtag directory, to locate and identify hashtags that make sense for your business. Also, pay attention to tags being used by your followers and search for them on Twitter to see what sort of tweets are associated with those tags. If it makes sense for your business to jump on board, compose tweets that are on topic and compatible with that hashtag.
4. While you certainly shouldn’t use hashtags to describe all of your tweets, they can be very helpful for your real estate company as a way to track social media campaigns that help establish a sense of community and build your company’s brand among your core customers. The first step in creating a hashtag is deciding on the tag word itself. Pick something memorable, easy to spell, and perhaps more importantly, as short as possible. Remember that Twitter gives just 140 characters per tweet, so no one wants half of it to be taken up by an unwieldy hashtag. Once you’ve figured out the tag itself, the next step is simple: start using it and promoting it. Make sure your tweets using the hashtag are worthwhile and add something of value to the conversation. Promote your tag or the social media campaign that uses the tag via other social media channels, such as your blog or email newsletter. Tweet out calls to action explaining your new tag at regular intervals (but don’t overdo it!). For example, let’s say you’d like more information on short sales. Your explanatory tweet might be something like, “What’s the best thing you’ve learned selling short sales? Tweet and share your thoughts using #shortsales!”
Quick Support for Your Company and Others
1. With the speed Twitter is growing, more and more businesses are creating their user accounts. They’re even hiring a person who’s on their Twitter account tweeting back at their customers. So sometimes you might not even get a response through your email.
2. A response through Twitter is a way to connect with top bloggers and marketers as well. These guys have insane amount of emails to go through daily, so your email will be ignored, but tweets since they’re only 140 characters, they will respond because it doesn’t take them very long. You can get quick support if you join Twitter.
3. It’s one more way to make key players in your organization accessible. This is particularly handy for the customer service area of your company.
Good Learning Tool
1. You can never have too much knowledge. Especially if you’re a real estate agent or a search engine optimization specialist like me. Half of the people that I am following are real estate agents. About a quarter are high end real estate agents, and another quarter are political pundits.
2. I see so many great articles and resources that help me improve sales and SEO skills daily.
3. No matter what your niche is, there’s always someone there for your niche, and there are always resources for you. And if there’s not, then man you’re lucky because you can capitalize the zone, and take full benefit from the newcomers.

Einstein and Me

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:39:10 -0700

by Jennifer Cummings

My self-appointed mentor, Albert Einstein, once said,

“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”

I am a big fan of both the man and the message, and here’s why…

Simply put, our own unwillingness to accept ourselves as creative beings bogs us down. I happen to believe we are ALL creative in one way or another. However, I also know that most of the time we don’t feel that way, especially when we’re working on marketing campaigns and other promotional endeavors in our work.

For example…

How many times have you sat in front of your computer screen and willed a brilliant ad to materialize? If this sounds familiar to you, then I have a question:

How big is your marketing antenna?

What I mean by this is that creativity is simply being open to inspiration, and, if you have your antenna up – that is to say that if you are paying attention to other good marketing out there – you WILL learn the secrets of the master marketers.

And I’m going to share one of those secrets with you right now! Do you have your antenna up? Well, get ready folks, this is a good one…

It is better to edit than to create!

Now, you may be saying, “Just what does that mean?” Well, let me explain…

Creativity is driven by curiosity. Pay attention! Ask questions! Get inspired! Success leaves clues, my friend! Have that antenna up and you will find inspiration in the most unlikely places.

If you need to create a postcard, for example, you may find something really juicy you can use on the back of your grocery receipt, or in the way a dish is described on a menu. Or your teenager might actually say something incredible that you can use! Perhaps you can even justify reading that tabloid because the ads in the back have amazing copy that really gets your own writing juices flowing.

The National Enquirer is one of the most expensive magazines to advertise in, so those ads in the back HAVE TO work!

By taking an existing marketing piece and editing it as your own, all the work is done for you! You just have to breathe it all in and then make it your own – what a relief, huh?!

Einstein was absolutely right.

Creativity is being mindful enough to be stimulated by your environment. You then simply edit and mold that environment to fit your needs. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time we have to create a new ad or marketing piece – we simply have to let our surroundings illuminate our own wheels turning inside our heads.

That Einstein was onto something. Maybe he was so in-tune with his environment that the theory of relativity was something he creatively lifted from his own surroundings!

If we sharpen our own antennas, we could ALL be little Einsteins… Changing the world one postcard at a time!

For the past two decades, Jennifer Cummings has been one of the most sought-after marketing experts in the nation. Her “out-of-the-box” approach to marketing has won her the respect of advertising agencies and the adulation of entrepreneurs and business owners from all over the world in over a dozen unique markets.

Using the same strategies she now teaches, Jennifer transformed her life from being a juvenile delinquent at 15 to a millionaire by age 30. With her practical, no-frills approach to marketing and revenue generation, YOU can now join the thousands of other agents and brokers who have been excited and empowered to get back into the driver’s seats of their businesses!

Turning the Tables: How Well do you Qualify for a Buyer?

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:55:17 -0700

by Carla Cross

How well do you qualify - as an agent - for a buyer? We all talk about qualifying buyers and sellers. I hope you’ve made a goal of better qualifying methods for 2010. But, in addition, buyers actively qualify agents to figure out who to work with. (Or, if they just take any agent who comes along, they are disappointed because ‘the customer doesn’t know what he’s getting, until he doesn’t [get it]’.)

Why meeting buyer qualifying criteria is important: buyers today have many choices of how to find homes. You need to create competitive reasons to help buyers choose you. It will save you time and money. And, if you’re a newer agent, creating solid reasons to help buyers choose you will increase your self-confidence 200%.

Five Critical Questions Buyers Should Ask Agent ‘Candidates’

Here are five critical questions I believe buyers should ask agents to assure they have a ‘match’ between what they are looking for and what the agent provides. In addition, I’ve added what I believe buyers should look for in the answers (that means that we agents must be able to qualify on these terms). As you read these as an agent, ask yourself, “How would I answer these?” “What do I need to refine to provide better answers and stand out as that ‘value-added’ agent?”

“Is selling residential real estate your full-time career?” My advice to buyers: Listen to be sure the agent specializes in residential real estate. You want someone selling homes for a living, not apartment houses. Listen to see if this is the agent’s full-time career. Ask additional questions if the agent’s answers need clarification.
“How many homes did you sell last year?” My advice to buyers: You want someone successful; that means, at minimum, the agent sold homes to buyers at least six times in that year.
“How long have you specialized in residential real estate in this area?” My advice to buyers: Be sure the agent has been working in the area where you want to purchase for at least six months, so you know the agent has expertise and interest in that area.
“Describe the work you do in our price range and area.” My advice to buyers: Listen to be sure the agent zeros in on the area and price range you need. If the agent says, “I work anywhere with anybody”, that agent may not be for you. He may be trying to cover too much ground to know very much about specific areas.
“Tell us how you will work with us.” My advice to buyers: Listen as the agent describes the buying process, as he views it. Does it reflect what you’re looking for?

Agents: Think These Criteria are Too Tough?

Did some of those questions and my advice to buyers make you defensive and argumentative? That’s because we agents tend to look at things ‘inside out’ (from our perspective). Instead, pretend you are a discriminating buyer. You’re going to spend $60,000 on a car. What kind of customer service do you expect? Now, think in terms of the real estate buyer. What kind of service, preparation, knowledge, and skill should a real estate buyer expect?

Newer Agents: Panicked Because You Think You Can’t Qualify?

Okay. Relax. You don’t need to qualify on all terms. But, you need to have answers and explanations ready so you can provide buyers reasons to work with you. Advice: Educate yourself so that you are as well-prepared to help a buyer as an agent who has sold 100+ homes in his/her career.

Carla Cross is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Carla Cross, view her bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

Next week: "Einstein and Me"

3 New Ways to Pump Up Your Sales Using the e-Factor

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:06:23 -0700

by Terri Murphy

Whether you are in a fast or a slow market, doing the right things help buyers buy and seller sell. It sure does help when you are use the latest and greatest tools to engage, connect and convert those prospects into sales….especially if you are focusing on the larger segment of the buying demographic…GenX and Gen Y buyers.

To engage this demographic, incorporating some of the latest tools help your listings to stand out and be noticed in a plethora of available properties, and snag the attention of serious buyers.

Pictures and Virtual Tours:

A recent white paper authored by the WAV Group out of Dallas revealed that having a virtual tour available to buyers on listings has proven to boost views over 40% and yet less than 11% of all properties listed use this great tool…proving that pictures are nice, but tours promote engagement.

In order to engage this emerging segment of the market, using tools and features that encourage interaction and participation with a particular property is key. Some tour services offer design features that allow the viewer to change the color of the walls, flooring and cabinetry, direct connect contact options to the agent and cad systems that allow for furniture placement on a floor plan. (Obeo.com)

Interactive options create engagement which encourages interest and powerful differentiation in a crowded marketplace.

Email and Texting:

With email being “so yesterday” – texting is latest rage in real time communication. Goomzee.com provides an interface for buyers to get immediate information and connection with the listing agent. Agents that aren’t familiar with text messaging, or do not have text messaging available to them run the risk of not providing the latest tools systems and resources to help their seller get to sold, and may be missing the right tool to connect with today’s e-savvy buyers.

E-Flyers and Brochure Boxes:

Brochure boxes are a great way to provide property information, but all too often, the box is empty and the prospect is all but. The agent can’t follow up on a prospect that is invisible and the buyer may simply move on to another property. Smart agents know that accountability is key, and can’t report on traffic without a measurement of some kind. When the flyers are all gone, so are the sources of that traffic, the feedback from those prospects and the possible follow up. Without tracking prospects, the agent can’t report to the seller with solid data to help re-define and re-design future market navigation.

Using tools that measure and report on buyer activity supports the consumer demand for accountability. By using automated call response systems that indicate the sources of inquiries the times, dates and the service options the prospect used helps the agent report solid statistical information to the seller. By reporting how many actual prospects have called, or viewed their virtual tour, requested e-flyers, provides solid data on the sources of that activity to help define the effectiveness of the marketing and to respond in real time to the marketplace. It wasn’t that many years ago that if you didn’t have a mobile phone, you were in the dark ages. Technology and e-tools continue to evolve and are developed to meet the continuing evolution of consumer’s demands for what they want and when they want it. If you want to win the listing, minimize the costs of time, energy and resources, be pro-active about incorporating tools and systems that help you sell more properties, minimize marketing time and provide a strong differentiation in your marketplace.

Terri Murphy is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Terri Murphy, view her bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

Next week: "Turning the Tables: How Well Do You Qualify for a Buyer?"

How Many Calls or How Few?

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:54:13 -0700

by Rich Levin

An Agent asked me how many calls it takes to be successful.

I said it depends on who is making the calls and who they are calling.

He said, “You know Real Estate calls.” He said that he learned that if he made calls three hours a day it would make him successful and he wanted my opinion. How many calls does it take to be successful?

I said, “It’s the wrong question.”

Tony Robbins taught me a lot of things. One of the more important ones is that, “The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions you ask yourself.”

The same is true of your business. The quality of your business is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions you ask about it.

And, how many calls does it take to be successful is a poor quality question.

First, what is successful? Let’s pick an income level of $100,000 for the year, just to create a specific goal that defines success. And without elaborating on the math let’s say that will require twenty sales.

So, the question becomes, “How many calls do I have to make to sell twenty houses this year?” That’s a better question. Except that I asked it of a lot of Agents across the country and the answers were always discouraging. It was always a lot of calls and a lot of time. And it completely lacked insight and intelligence. So, I realized it was still a poor quality question.

Here is the high quality question. “How few calls does it take to make twenty sales?” I began asking that and the answers were amazing. In fact instead of answers, that question most often led to a bunch of other great questions.

Can you make some or all of those sales without making any calls by having people call you?

What are the calls that bring the best results? Could you make twenty sales with twenty calls? Ooh, if you could then forty calls would make forty sales. Can it be done?

This question makes you think. It leads you to greater insight and intelligence about your business, your skills, the market, the opportunities and more.

This question motivates you to begin to keep track of how many calls you make to get the sale, to notice who you call, what approach you use, and how well it all works.

This question leads you to continuously work to learn how to make sales with the fewest calls.

We do a webinar every day at 8:45 am eastern. Yes, every day. It motivates. It teaches. And it asks you to challenge yourself to achieve your goals in the most efficient and enjoyable way.

This great question arose out of that work. It is one of many that come up throughout the year on these free webinars. Our goal with this work is to make your business better as you make your life better. And it’s working for hundreds and a growing number of Agents. Please join us. It’s free. Register at www.1stFifteen.com.

Rich Levin is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Rich Levin, view his bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.

The Best Way To Keep In Touch With Your Past Clients

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:21:09 -0700

The CE Shop is the leading provider of online continuing education for real estate agents. We currently serve professionals in forty-six states and are growing daily. To see our course offerings in your state, visit The CE Shop.com today!

This week we are featuring The Lones Group. They specialize in helping Real Estate Agents, Brokers and Business Owners implement new systems and effective marketing techniques to give them a competitive edge.

The author, Denise Lones, has a rich variety of real estate experience (more about the author). She began as an agent, later as a broker and more currently a corporate trainer. To learn more about The Lones Group and Denise, check out The Lones Group.com.

The Best Way To Keep In Touch With Your Past Clients

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI

I love technology. I really do. I love the way it has simplified my life and my business. There’s no doubt we’re lucky to live in a time when technology has played a dominant role in our lives.

But many agents seem to be so caught up in technology that they have forgotten some ideas from the good old days—ideas that still work brilliantly. Most agents don’t think they need to do these things anymore, but they’re absolutely wrong!

For example, let’s talk about that ancient device that allows you to talk to somebody even if you’re not in the same room with them. Remember it? It’s called the telephone.

Sure, we all use telephones. We use them to take pictures, to send email or text messages, and to download music. But we seem to have forgotten that we can actually still talk to people on them.

Particularly when it comes to past clients, the telephone is your best friend. Many agents rely on email to be their complete follow-up system, reporting system, and contact system.

Yet email is not the most effective form of communication when re-connecting with past clients. I know this because I’ve actually tested the power of email as compared to the power of the good old-fashioned personal telephone call.

Recently, I asked some of the agents I coach to look at their database and make a list of thirty past clients they would like to reconnect with. Thirty is a manageable number, right? After all, that’s only one call per day for a month.

Initially, the agents were reluctant to make the calls. I could see it in every fiber of their body language. When I pressed them to explain their reluctance, the agents told me that the number one reason they don’t pick up the phone to call past clients is this: they simply don’t know what to talk about! So, I told them to put together a really good report about what’s going on in the market right now.

Once the report is complete, I asked them to call their past clients and say:

“Hi Barbara, this is Jen from Highland Realty. How are you? I’m glad to hear that! I’m just calling to let you know that I put a report in the mail for you that I know you will find helpful. The report talks about what is really going on in the real estate market right now.

There is so much competing news about the industry that I wanted you to have the real facts at your fingertips. The report focuses on our area and how it relates to a number of real estate issues, on both the state and national levels I hope you find it helpful.”

Now, isn’t that a fantastic icebreaker? It’s a perfect reason for the call—much better than “How are the kids? How is the dog? How are things going?”

Calling up just to ask ordinary questions raises a red flag. It makes them wonder: Why is this agent calling me? It can’t be just to find out about my kids and my dog.

But when you have something to offer—something that is helpful, informative, and reaffirms the value of their investment—your call makes much more sense and is no longer greeted with suspicion. When you offer service first, you create trust and connection with people.

So, my test team made the calls and I was pleasantly surprised at the results. One agent told me, “Denise, I have two listings that came directly from those thirty calls!”

That’s pretty substantial. Two out of thirty is a great ratio. Most of the time, agents send out hundreds of emails and may not even get one response back.

Another agent told me that one of her clients said, “I’m so glad that you called me. I always worry that you’re busy and that I might be bothering you. My husband said we would actually probably be doing you a favor by using a neighbor across the street who is a real estate agent. We do want to sell our starter home and move up to something nicer. But we figured you wouldn’t want to work on an inexpensive home like ours. You want better stuff to work with.”

Of course, the agent was shocked to hear this. The client wasn’t unhappy with the agent’s past performance—they just didn’t want to bother her.

Another agent told me, “Denise, I have four people who told me they want to list in the next three months.”

Performing this exercise really opened up the group’s eyes to the power of a personal call via the good old-fashioned telephone. While email is a great communication tool for dealing with day-to-day transaction details—your “now” business—it truly isn’t the best tool for keeping in touch with your past clients and building (or rebuilding!) your business.

Just the sound of your voice on the telephone can re-establish a past connection. That connection is only made stronger when the client realizes you are calling to offer something to them, not ask something of them! At the end of the day, a call is so much more personal than just a series of pixels that form an electronic message on a computer screen.

I challenge you to put this concept to the test. Call thirty of your past clients and see what happens!. And I want you to email me with the results. I’m willing to bet that you’ll be surprised at just how positive the experience can be!

Denise Lones became involved in Real Estate – first as an agent and then later as a broker and corporate trainer – almost two decades ago. During her sales career, she was consistently among the highest producing realtors in the market because she recognized that the home was the biggest purchase of a client's life, and she never took that lightly. During her management career, she was instrumental in helping companies reach the number one sales positions in their marketplace. The longer she stayed in the industry, the more she became convinced that she could make a difference if she focused on training others how to provide top-notch customer service as well as restructuring their businesses to efficiently use their time and effectively market their services to potential clients.

5 Ways to Make the Most of Education Sessions

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:38:41 -0700

This week our contributor is REAL Trends a leader in the real estate information industry and a long time partner of The CE Shop. You can learn more about REAL Trends or read more stories by visiting REALTrends.com.

5 Ways to Make the Most of Education Sessions

Networking is a must at any education session. Come prepared and you could walk away with more than just lessons learned at the sessions.

After attending the CRS ProACT education event in Las Vegas, Mike Dodge a sales associate with John R. Wood Realtors Inc. in Naples, Fla., immediately wrote himself a big note and posted it in his office: “You rarely get the opportunity to go the extra mile.”

“LeRoy Houser, CRS, said it during a session at the ProAct education conference and while it’s a tiny thing, if you stop and think about it, making opportunities takes energy. Apply this to your business and it will come back tenfold,” says Dodge, who currently has one more elective course between him and his CRS designation.

That one takeaway made the entire conference worthwhile, he says. “Although I did get so much in tips and insight from others who are successful in our industry,” he says.

More than anything, Dodge realizes that he has to be prepared before attending any conference or convention. “The biggest mistake I made is that I didn’t prepare. I figured I’d attend, bring some business cards and do a little networking. Sure, it’s education but don’t underestimate the referral network part of it.” Here are his five tips for getting the most out of education sessions:

Review. “Review the course of study and think about what you’re doing relative to those subjects,” says Dodge. “Be open to changing the way you do things. Be ready to have some kind of curveballs come your way.” Dodge says to plan which sessions you’ll attend and bring notes about what areas of your business you want to work on.
Bring. “Put together special promotional materials so at breaks you can hand them out specifically for referrals,” he says. “All I bought were business cards but some sales associates had great brochures made up specifically for these types of events. It’s something I’ll do next time.”
Attend. Take advantage and attend everything. You’re only there for a week and you’re there for a purpose. Sure, you can hit the casinos but you don’t want to miss the education sessions,” he says.
Implement. “When you get home, make it a goal to implement use one thing that you learned,” he says. He warns that many sales associates attend these sessions, make all kinds of notes and get excited about change that they never put it into action as the novelty wears off. “Write up a plan as soon as you get back to the office and try to implement even one new idea immediately,” he says.
Follow up. “Follow up with the people you meet, even the instructors,” says Dodge. “A couple of people I didn’t even remember meeting sent me notes.” So, send out e-mails, make some phone calls and touch base with everyone you met.

CRS students and designees make sure their referrals only go to others who have put as much into educating themselves as they have. The added value you help you make fantastic friends in the industry-friends who are more than willing to share their success stories.

“If you put the energy into it, you can meet fantastic friends in the industry, gain referrals [that will be coming your way for many years to come] and more. But, you have to work for it,” says Dodge.

REAL Trends has been a trusted source for useful, timely and trusted information for over twenty years. They offer research and relevant information for every real estate professional.

Test: Is Your Life Balanced?

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:02:45 -0700

This week we have a leader in the real estate information industry and a long time partner of The CE Shop, REAL Trends. You can learn more about REAL Trends or read more stories by visiting REALTrends.com.

Test: Is Your Life Balanced?

Core Value Assessment

Is your successful business running you ragged? Are you so focused on business that your personal life is compromised? Coach and Trainer Tom Ferry's new book, Life! By Design: 6 Steps to an Extraordinary You, offers a Core Values Assessment. Fill this out to determine how you're balancing your life in each of the Core Seven areas: Career, Intimate Relationships, Finances, Physical Health, Spirituality, Contribution/Giving Back, Desire to Learn or Grow.

Pick one answer in each of the Core Seven categories according to how you feel.

Career

Don't find any time for it.
Depressed and feel I've hit rock bottom.
I'm ready for a change.
I'm creating a plan and starting to take action.
I'm happy and improving.
I'm extremely satisfied and open for more.

Intimate Relationships

Don't find any time for it.
Depressed and feel I've hit rock bottom.
I'm ready for a change.
I'm creating a plan and starting to take action.
I'm happy and improving.
I'm extremely satisfied and open for more.

Finances

Don't find any time for it.
Depressed and feel I've hit rock bottom.
I'm ready for a change.
I'm creating a plan and starting to take action.
I'm happy and improving.
I'm extremely satisfied and open for more.

Physical Health

Don't find any time for it.
Depressed and feel I've hit rock bottom.
I'm ready for a change.
I'm creating a plan and starting to take action.
I'm happy and improving.
I'm extremely satisfied and open for more.

Spirituality

Don't find any time for it.
Depressed and feel I've hit rock bottom.
I'm ready for a change.
I'm creating a plan and starting to take action.
I'm happy and improving.
I'm extremely satisfied and open for more.

Contribution/Giving Back

Don't find any time for it.
Depressed and feel I've hit rock bottom.
I'm ready for a change.
I'm creating a plan and starting to take action.
I'm happy and improving.
I'm extremely satisfied and open for more.

Desire to Learn and Grow

Don't find any time for it.
Depressed and feel I've hit rock bottom.
I'm ready for a change.
I'm creating a plan and starting to take action.
I'm happy and improving.
I'm extremely satisfied and open for more.

Your answers will help you determine where you should focus your energies to move you from default by design (letting life lead you) to Living By Design (you lead your life.)

If your answers are primarily 1's and 2's, you're living by default. How does that make you feel? Are you ready to change?

If your answers are primarily 3's and 4's, living by Design should come easily to you. You're in a good place to embrace change and improve the quality of your life from good to great.

If your answers are mostly 5's and 6's, you're already on your way to living By Design. But, you're open for more, aren't you?

For more tips on how to recharge and retool your personal and business life, check out Tom's book, available at both Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

REAL Trends has been a trusted source for useful, timely and trusted information for over twenty years. They offer research and relevant information for every real estate professional.

Is Technology Driving You Forward or Holding You Back?

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:27:58 -0700

Is Technology Driving You Forward or Holding You Back?

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI

For any business owner, technology is a powerful tool. When used to its full potential, it helps you save time, make money, and can make the previously impossible a possibility.

On the flipside, technology is equally as powerful in its ability to slow you down. It can cost you money. It can create huge challenges in your business—if you don’t know how to use it.

For most agents I work with, the biggest challenge is learning how to use technology wisely. For example, I’ll often meet an agent in class who says, “Denise, I need a system to organize my client contacts.”

I ask them what they’re using. They usually give me an answer like, “I’m currently using Microsoft® Outlook, but it’s just not powerful enough.”

I have to stop them dead in their tracks because I know for a fact that Outlook is an amazing program. It’s actually very powerful, but the average agent has no idea just how much so. Most agents have never taken an Outlook class. Instead, they’ve had the program installed, read a few tips and pointers about how to use the basic features, and assumed that’s it.

What you don’t know about the programs you’re using may be even more powerful than what you do know. Before you run out to buy something new, first find out what you truly have right now. Your current tools may have a lot more potential than you realize.

One of the most important ways to take the fear out of technology is to face it—to actually take a hands-on practical course on how to use your software. Courses are structured so that you learn it while using it. This helps if you’re the type of person who learns by doing and can commit to a scheduled series of courses. Sometimes that’s hard in this business!

Some people—although very few in my experience—have the ability to browse through a manual and jump right into using the software.

But most of us lean technology best by doing it – by actually trying to use a technology, having a challenge, and trouble-shooting until we find a solution. It’s kind of like when you were a kid and asked your parents how to spell a word. If your parents were like mine, they probably told you to look it up, because you would remember the answer better than if they simply told you.

Well, technology is no different. And one of the most powerful websites I’ve discovered for teaching technology is lynda.com. With over 800 courses and 42,000 tutorials, there’s information on everything from Access to Zbrush3! In addition to every software system you can imagine, there is training available on Google, digital photography, podcasting, blogging, and email management. Lynda.com is the source if you have a technology challenge. The site offers the choice of either a $25/month subscription, or an annual subscription at two different price points. So not only is there information on almost any imaginable technology, you can log in and learn either via scheduled sessions or as you run into a problem and need help!

Whatever you’re doing in your business, at some point you will need technology. You can fight it for only so long.

It may seem hard to believe, but I know some agents who have quit the business because they couldn’t handle the new technology. Can you imagine that? These were strong agents with fantastic people and negotiation skills—and they leave the business due to technology!

What a sad ending to amazing real estate careers. All because they didn’t invest the time to learn about technology.

So…what specific technology should you master as a real estate agent?

First, I recommend a quality contact management system. This is critical. Whichever system you select, it needs to keep track of your contacts, your schedule, and your “to-do” list. It is your organizational system. We all need one. As I said earlier, I love Outlook – yes, Outlook!

You should also be able to understand and use Microsoft® Excel. So much can be done with this powerful program. There’s hardly a business in America that doesn’t rely on it for spreadsheets and analyses.

I also recommend that you know Microsoft® Word and Microsoft® Publisher. Microsoft® Word offers word-processing, while Microsoft® Publisher is a great tool to use when creating flyers and managing editable templates you use over and over in your business.

Regardless of how you learn, you need to invest some time in technology this year. And when I say “invest time”, I mean on a regular and ongoing basis. Because you can only absorb so much information at a time, you need to have regular technology teaching times set aside in your business.

Whatever software you choose, you have to use it. Face your fear and invite technology into your business. When you do, you will soon see how it helps your business run like a well-oiled machine.

What’s your biggest fear about technology, be it hardware or software? Tell me at denise@thelonesgroup.com. I can help you get past the fear and embrace it.

It’s a Sales Business...Not Social Work

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:43:02 -0700

It’s a Sales Business...Not Social Work

by: Coaches Mike and Donna Stott with Quantum Training Systems

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? You know the, "I can't prospect because I already have too many leads and too much to do!" feeling?

But then, your leads don't end up listing or buying with you, so you still aren't making the income you want--and you can't quite figure out why other real estate professionals seem to be able to do more with less effort. Sound familiar?

Here's the secret:

1. Set standards for your buyers and sellers and qualify all leads by those standards.

2. Use Qualifying checklists for both Buyer Leads and Seller Leads. We used to call it our Buyers Questionnaire and our Sellers Questionnaire. (See Part II for the Questionnaires)

Sounds simple, doesn't it? Many times we're so overwhelmed that we don't take the time to develop these standards and checklists. Let’s stop the madness.

Here's how to set standards:

What standards do you have in place now? For example, you're licensed to sell in your entire state, right? But will you take a listing or show a buyer that is 100 miles from your office? Probably not. See? You do have some standards! It's just time to work on tightening them up and implementing them.

There are three main items:

1. Area. Don’t try to be everything to everyone… everywhere. Be the best in a defined market area. When you're truly the expert in your area, you gain respect, recognition and referrals. Be careful not to narrow your area too much.

2. Price range or Minimum Commission. How much does it cost you to take a listing or make a sale? Calculate the average. Look at hard costs, time spent (how much are you worth an hour?), gas/auto expenses, your licensing expenses divided by the number of deals a year to you do, assistant costs, etc.

What about how many listings expire? Those have to be factored in too. You spent time and money and made no return on those. Make your personal minimum commission something that is going to profit you, not just break-even. Make that part of your listing agreement or buyers agreement on properties too close to the bottom range (work with your broker on this.)

If you make the business decision to set a minimum of $X in commission regardless of how low the property sells for, you in control of your income.

3. Frustration/cooperation level. If a lead is not going to cooperate, is it worth it? On the flip side, if a client is super cooperative, you might make other concessions for that client. Choose to work with the leads that won’t drive you crazy. Stop wasting your time… you are not a social worker. You're a salesperson.

Read Part II

REAL Trends has been a trusted source for useful, timely and trusted information for over twenty years. They offer research and relevant information for every real estate professional.

What Do All Thriving Agents Have In Common?

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:22:12 -0700

What Do All Thriving Agents Have In Common?

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI

You know them. You talk to them. You work with them.

They are those dynamic real estate agents who do well no matter what. The market can crash—but for them, that’s okay. They do well anyway.

They have that “special something”. They never become overwhelmed by anything—not by the market, not by their clients, and not by the day-to-day real estate grind.

So what is it that these thriving real estate agents have in common? What are the specifics that make them that much more successful than the rest of us?

Here are some characteristics I’ve noted that most thriving agents have in common:

1. They have blinders on.

Sounds bad, doesn’t it? We’re not supposed to go through our lives with blinders on, right? Won’t we hit something?

Think about it for a second. Have you ever watched a horse race in which the horse has blinders on? What is the point of that?

It’s to keep the horse focused straight ahead. With so much visual stimuli coming in from all directions, the horse has the potential to spook, to get off track, or to run off if something suddenly comes up along its side. With blinders on, the horse keeps its vision in only one direction: forward.

That’s what thriving agents do. They keep their vision straight ahead. They don’t look back. They don’t get distracted every time a problem arises. If a client calls with a change of plans, the thriving agent doesn’t become rattled. They just keep their focus on moving forward.

Blinders can be auditory too. When other agents are whining about the marketplace, thriving agents don’t even hear what they’re saying. They’re just too focused on what they need to do today.

2. They believe that failure is not an option.

One of the things thriving agents have is an uncanny belief that things will just come together. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. A thriving agent is facing incredible odds but says, “It’s okay. This will work out.”

The amazing part about this is that it usually does work out. Now, I’m not saying that there’s anything magical about this. That’s not why it works. And it’s also not just because they’re lucky. It’s simply because when thriving agents see things coming together ahead of time, they are prepared to take the action steps to make it happen.

They make it happen by getting on the phone. They make it happen by showing up. They make it happen by adding additional lead generation systems to their businesses. They make it happen with what they say, with how they say it, with their voice, with their tone, with the look they give their clients that says, “This is the most opportune time in history to buy real estate.”

They say it. They mean it. Their clients “get it”.

3. They have a sense of self-discipline.

Thriving agents do not need a boss to light a fire under them every day. They know exactly what they should be doing with their time and they do it.

Thriving agents do not waste time on personal emails, surfing the internet, or talking to friends on the phone. They understand that their time is valuable. Every second they spend on their business during business hours means money in their pockets.

It all comes down to the value of hard work. When you see a thriving and successful agent, I guarantee that it’s the result of working hard. Thriving agents aren’t afraid to put in the time.

4. They believe in themselves.

It’s not always easy to develop a belief in yourself. It takes time, effort, and experience. Thriving agents have made it over that hump. Thriving agents have a powerful belief in their own worth.

They believe that they truly are the best agent for the job. They believe in everything they do. Such belief is transmitted through every contact, every “hello”, and every smile.

Clients love a confident agent. They want someone who knows what they’re doing and can help them. If an agent appears wishy-washy or unsure of themselves, it sends all the wrong messages.

5. They take time off.

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. It’s one of my core principles. Time off is necessary to be a thriving agent.

You may think that this contradicts what I said above about working hard, but it doesn’t. When you’re supposed to be working hard, you work hard.

But you also need rest. Improper rest is the number one source of stress and frustration I see in agents. Time off regenerates you and gives you the edge you need to be a thriving agent.

Pay attention to what thriving agents do. Do what they do and before you know it, you will be one of them.

I Think I’ve Blown it With My Sphere of Influence - Can I Recover Their Support?

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:06:56 -0700

This week we have the outstanding entrepreneur, Jennifer Allan, who has published two books and contributed to The CE Shop course "Selling to Your Sphere of Influence." You can learn more about Jennifer by visiting her personal website: SellWithSoul.com.

I Think I’ve Blown it With My Sphere of Influence - Can I Recover Their Support?

by: Jennifer Allan, GRI, Author of Sell with Soul & If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right

"Dear Jennifer, I've been reading your blogs about sphere of influence (SOI) and my heart is sinking. I think I've blown it with my SOI by constantly asking them for business and referrals. Is there a way I can redeem myself with my friends, or do I have to go make all new ones? Bill"

I get this question a lot! Mostly from new or newer agents who have been brainwashed into believing that an SOI business model means that they're supposed to drive their friends nutso with constant reminders of their love for referrals. Most tell me that:

they felt it was wrong, but were convinced to do it anyway, and/or
they've felt their friends pull away and suspect they're avoiding the agent's calls.

Oops. Not at all good for business OR your social life!

Here's what I tell these distressed agents.

There are a couple of things they can do. If it suits their personality, they can address it head-on with an apology letter - very sincere, not too sappy, but friendly & apologetic, with a "let's move on" tone. I'm not convinced this is the best line of attack, but it might be effective if done well.

Of course, then the agent needs to follow it up with action - he needs to BE a non-referral-begging friend who happens to be a real estate agent. Coffee dates, casual emails, dinner parties - whatever socializing feels comfortable with the various members of his SOI. Oh, and he doesn't mention his real estate career unless it's appropriate, but strives to come across as a happy, enthusiastic, reliable, dependable, generally cool person who is probably a fabulous real estate agent, as well.

If the apology letter doesn't feel right, then he can just make a concerted effort to reconnect with his SOI, as above, and if the opportunity arises and it feels appropriate, give a little apology in person. The other thing he can do is strive to build his SOI by meeting new people and NEVER breathing a hint of referral-begging with them. He can meet new people thru his existing SOI and by being out there in the world with his antenna up. I consider an effective SOI strategy to be more about meeting people THRU one’s SOI, not necessarily generating business directly from the people one knows.

Of course, the best approach is to not annoy one's friends in the first place, so that there's no need for apologies or redeeming one's dignity after the fact!

Jennifer is a former top producing real estate broker, a published author, a speaker and a trainer. She has written five books about the business of selling real estate, including her flagship book: Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect. Jennifer sold real estate successfully for twelve years in Denver, Colorado. From her first day on the job, she resisted the efforts of her company trainers, her broker and her fellow agents to persuade her to implement the "traditional" real estate prospecting techniques of cold calling, FSBO hunting, door knocking and geographic farming. Instead, she focused her business building efforts on the people she already knew, or the people she met. Without ever pestering a soul, she built a business based nearly 100% from business and referrals generated from her sphere of influence. Jennifer is a regular columnist at Realty Times and other real estate media outlets, a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, and is one of the industry`s most popular bloggers.

You can read more about Jennifer`s philosophies at www.sellwithsoul.com.

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Six Ways to Destroy Your Real Estate Business

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:05:10 -0700

Six Ways to Destroy Your Real Estate Business

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI

Over the last twelve months, I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand how some real estate businesses have fallen into a death spiral. And yet in the same difficult market, I’ve seen other businesses soar.

What makes the difference? What are the most common things that real estate agents do to destroy their businesses?

1. Work in the moment.

While that sounds very enlightened, it’s a recipe for disaster. Working in the moment happens when an agent is working reactively—handling the crises of each day as they come along. If this describes you, then you are not paying enough attention to the past or the future. You’re allowing your business to drag you around and lead you away from the important tasks on which you need to focus.

Running your business this way leads to only two destinations: feast or famine. You are totally dependent on the whim of fate. You allow your business to run you instead of you running your business.

Instead of living in the moment, you should be planning ahead. You should have rules, including set times that you’re on and set times that you’re off. You should be following your marketing plan, which leads me to…

2. No marketing plan.

When you have no marketing plan, you are an active participant in the destruction of your business. A marketing plan clearly shows you the tasks you need to perform at specified times each month to keep your business moving forward.

Even big established corporations still have a marketing plan. Everybody knows Coca-Cola, right? So, why doesn’t Coca-Cola just stop marketing? Because if they did, a competitor would rise up overnight and steal all their customers.

“But Denise, I’m a salesperson, not a marketer.”

Wrong. We are all marketers. The shoe store on the corner sells shoes, but they’re really in the marketing business. They have to market themselves to get people to walk in the door to buy their shoes. Without marketing, they don’t exist.

By neglecting your marketing plan, you’re neglecting the building of your business. A solid, well-crafted marketing plan is the only true way to escape feast or famine.

What are the things you’re going to do on a monthly basis to keep your name top-of-mind with your clients?

3. Follow-up only when you need business.

This is possibly the biggest mistake I see agents make. They’re great at follow-up when they need a transaction now, when they see their pipeline shrinking, or when they get an unexpected bill.

If you want a successful long-term real estate business that flows with not a hint of feast or famine, then you absolutely need a strong follow-up program that runs no matter how many clients you have at any given moment.

Your clients need to hear from you on at least a monthly basis. No matter what.

And when I say “hear from you”, I do not mean email. They’re just going to delete your email. They need to be able to touch and feel something from the regular mail that they get from you every single month.

Follow-up is the driving force behind all successful real estate businesses. Without it, you will eventually burn yourself out, ending up with no leads and no ability to take your business to the next level.

4. Lack of presentation skills.

Many agents think it’s better to “wing it” when it comes to presentations. Many agents have been “winging it” for thirty years.

That may be your opinion, but your opinion doesn’t cut it when it comes to presentations. I view extensive presentation work and perform makeovers on hundreds of agents. I can tell you emphatically that I have never—ever!—seen an agent “wing” a presentation to me and been able to say, “Wow! That’s really good.” Even the agents who think they are good at presentations horrify me with their lack of skills.

Winging it doesn’t work in today’s hyper-competitive environment. You need a presentation that appeals to different personality types. It’s not a “one size fits all” world.

5. Lack of unique services.

We all tend to think that in the big picture, everyone sells real estate the same way. That could not be farther from the truth.

Every agent needs to sit down and take a good hard look at what unique services they offer their clients. What unique services do you offer for buyers? For sellers? What kind of buying or selling experience do you provide? If you can’t enthusiastically say to yourself or your clients that you provide a unique service that makes the transaction easier and smoother, then you are missing out on a great opportunity.

One of the quickest ways to destroy your business is to be like everyone else. You need to be a contrarian agent. You need to be different and special.

I know an agent who found himself working with senior citizens. Together, he and I created a “concierge program” for seniors. That included him picking the person up and delivering them home. It also included providing larger-font mailing packages created with senior citizens in mind. Was this a lot of work? You bet. Did his business dramatically improve overnight? Absolutely. Because the senior citizens rewarded him with referral business. Their children and their grandchildren lined up to work with him because his concierge senior program was so successful. Offer unique services and you will reap many rewards.

6. Lack of self-discipline.

Improper phone etiquette. Lag time in responding to emails. A messy and disorganized office. Sloppy marketing materials. All these contribute to the destruction of your business.

You need time in your daily schedule where you handle all the small tedious tasks that keep your business running.

Do you have a time set aside to work on your projects? Do you have a time where you do your communication and follow-up? Or do you get up in the morning and let the day drag you around? Start directing your own day! If you don’t, you will fall victim to exhaustion and burnout.

These are six easy ways to destroy your real estate business. If you can identify yourself in one or more of these, take the needed steps to make a change in your business.

When working with agents, I use a powerful tool that helps agents identify their weak spots. It’s called our Business Analysis. At almost five hundred questions long, it goes deep into the 30 categories that contribute to the success of your business. After completing the Business Analysis you receive a “prescription” on exactly what you need to do to take your business to the next level. You can read more about our Business Analysis here.

Becoming a 'Trust Agent'

The CE Shop Inc. (The CE Shop) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:22:13 -0700

This week we have the owner and founder of Walk the Talk Presentations, Cherolyne Fogarty, who has over 18 years in real estate experience. Walk the Talk Presentations develops continuing education programs, offers speakers bureau to various organizations as well as consulting services, determines education needs and converts those needs into leading-edge, budget-friendly programs. You can learn more about Cherolyne by visiting her website: WalkTheTalkPresentations.com.

by: Cherolyne Fogarty, owner and founder of Walk the Talk Presentations, Inc.

Becoming a ‘Trust Agent’

Realtors face many challenges in today’s market, so you need every advantage possible. One of the characteristics that Realtors are known for is being ‘people-people’. They have learned (the successful ones anyway) how to build rapport and earn the trust of the consumer. And as consumers, we all tend buy from those we trust. I ran into a terrific book (that actually referred to the real estate business) called, “Trust Agents” by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.

In this brief article we’re going to take just a brief look at the 6 Characteristics of a ‘Trust Agent.’

Make Your Own Game The first defining skill that trust agents seem to share is their recognition of the fact that there is the established way to do things… and then there is a game-changing way to do things. This new method, which usually involves skill, experimentation, and a comfort level with trial and error is how you break out of the mold. It’s about Standing Out.
One of Us One thing that distinguishes certain people as trust agents is the simple defining question of whether a specific community sees them as ‘one of us.’ In other words – to you have ‘street credit.’ Do you ‘belong’ to the community you represent? Have you listed or sold homes in that area? Are you familiar with the prices and trends? Do you happen to live in that area? It is about belonging.
The Archimedes Effect You can do any of these things well, but when you mix in your unique abilities to enhance them (i.e. using your knowledge, people, technology, or time), then what you do becomes immensely powerful. The Web is one of the best tools for increasing the power of what you do. You’ve probably seen that for yourselves. It’s all about leverage.
Agent Zero No, this doesn’t mean you ARE a zero…. It means you are at the center of wide, powerful, networks. It means you make building relationships a priority – long before any business is every transacted. As Realtors, you’re probably already doing this and didn’t realize it! You look for opportunities to network and to reach out because reaching out means reaching for business. It is about developing access.
Human Artist Ahhh… here it is. You may be an artist and didn’t even know it! The Human Artist is about learning to work well with people, empower people, recognize the strengths and weaknesses, and know when to improve relationships and when to step away. In business terms these are called ‘soft skills.’ This characteristic goes beyond good customer service but to a deeper level. It is about developing understanding.
Build an Army No matter how great you are – you can’t do it all alone. Developing teams, developing alliances, developing your own ‘network’ of colleagues is the key to success in any business. It is about developing mass.

Cherolyne was with the Florida Association of Realtors® for 18 years. She served as the Director of Education and developed numerous programs on all aspects of real estate. Striving to meet a need in the education arena, in February 2009, she started her own company, Walk The Talk Presentations. She combines her real-world experience with top-notch speakers and programs to bring affordable solutions to state and local boards of Realtors®.