Does a big name brokerage make a difference?

If you have a strong Internet presence, do you think it matters to the general population that they recognize the brokerage name? 

I've been with RE/Max for over 5 years and I've been wondering recently how much of my success is directly attributed to the RE/Max name? I have received a few RE/Max referrals over the years, but not enough to say they've had a big impact on my bottom line.

I've asked my title rep who took a poll.  The general consensus was that it DOES matter to SELLERS, but NOT SO MUCH to BUYERS ...unless those buyers are coming from another part of the country or world, then it might help to have a recognized name.

Since a big name brokerage typically comes with big time fees...I'm wondering if it's worth the investment.

So, what do you think?  Has anyone left a major brokerage for a smaller mom & pop shop with success?

Amy Jones, Realtor, ABR, CNE, CDPE
Top producing Realtor in Chandler, Sun Lakes, and the surrounding East Valley.
Rated in the "Top 50 Real Estate Agents" by the Phoenix Business Journal 

RE/Max Excalibur
4921 S. Alma School Rd
Chandler, Arizona
amy@amysellsaz.com

Visit www.AmySellsAZ.com for more information including free MLS search.

 

Reflections on Twitter

A Secret To Productivity

For those that follow me around they find out I get a lot done in a day. Some will ask, what is your secret? So

      A Secret To Productivity.

Before I give MY answer it is also important to get the RIGHT things done not just getting things done in general.

My secret? "Do, Don't Plan!!!"

I am not discounting to do lists, and the importance of short term or strategic planning. But coming from someone who burned too much daylight in analysis paralysis and fence sitting in an earlier stage of my life I don't do that anymore. Time is a wasting. The key to being highly productive is one word: ACTION. You have to do. You have to delegate. You have to leverage all your resources time, energy, and money.

Clean your house? Do it. Get your website polished? Do it. Check in on family or friends? Pick up the phone. Do it. Take a class? Look at the calendar and register. Do it?

Am I starting to sound like a slogan from a famous shoe brand you know?

I cannot underemphasize the power in your life to get things done by just applying energy to something. Do, don't plan in the execution step of something. I agree sometimes that first step of getting the motor started in cleaning that desk or writing that thank you or love letter is the toughest. But if you will just do, not plan or think so much, you will be amazed what you accomplish in a day. Oh look there I just did another do it with writing a blog. But I have to go now. More, many more things left to do today. Be the Energizer Bunny when it comes to accomplishing things. Start today, don't plan for it tomorrow. By doing it today you get one more day in your life of things done. Trust me, people will notice this NEW difference in you. A very positive one. Someone who doesn't just talk or think. Get out of your head, and

JUST DO IT!!!

For Up To The Minute News, It's Twitter, Not CNN that Delivers the Goods!

When the Myrtle Beach fires swept through our area, it was not the news I went to for up to the minute information.  No!   Instead, it was Twitter where I discovered which roads were closed and which ones had just opened.   (Thank you wmbfnews and fellow Twitterers!)

The first reports of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai were not made by CNN or Associated Press, but by regular folks who were in the area and Tweeted about it.  Here is another example:  "Before CCTV, CNN, and others mainstream media roll into action, people on Twitter immediately started capturing news and information about a fire at the TVCCbuilding within the CCTV complex and near the iconic Rem Koolhaas designed CCTV building in Beijing." (Feb 2009)

Using Twitter to track real time news like the terrorist attacks in Mumbai or disasters like fires, tsunamis or hurricanes, has proven that Twitter is in its emerging stages of being able to provide refined real world news in real time.

You can garner more up to the minute information from Twitter than from any other news organization.  Here are some recent Tweets on the swine flu:

•1.     stopflunews: Swine flu: Health officials urge restraint as virus continues to ... - Chicago Tribune http://tinyurl.com/czlzxz

•2.     stopflunews: not so frequently asked questions about the swine flu - San Francisco Chronicle http://tinyurl.com/decrky

•3.     WorkersCompAtty: CSULB student diagnosed with first confirmed case of swine flu in ... http://bit.ly/12jBU3

•4.     WorkersCompAtty: Monterey County schools, companies prepare for swine flu http://bit.ly/qZHwe

•5.     ahw: RT @ringernation90ppl get Swine Flu & everybody wants to wear masks 1M people have AIDS & no one wants to wear a condom 

Using a hashtag (#) in front of a subject, makes that topic searchable in the Twitter database and assembles it with other similar entries, creating a database of information that even Google would be envious of, since the information is live and fresh, not stale like Google's.  That way if you type in a particular subject in the Twitter search bar, it will give you an up to the minute stream of the latest Tweets on that topic. 

The top 10 most talked about topics appear to the right of your Twitter page.  Click on any one of these and get up to the minute information on that particular subject. 

You can also go to Twitter Trends to research the subject of your choice.  If you see a topic you don't quite understand, just go to WhatTheTrend.com.  You will find an explanation of each trending subject and why it is popular right now.  Here are some other sites to check out for trends:

Tweetscan.com   Type in the subject you are researching with the hash tag right in front of it (#TheWordYouAreLookingFor)  and find it.  You can also set up alerts for your particular interests.

Monitter.com   Whether it's the latest movie, or the subject of the day, find out what people are saying about it via an on-going stream of Tweets from all over the world in real time. 

Twitter has been the best source of information for me: from SEO and marketing advice, to the latest news and trends.  If you are currently not active on Twitter, you are missing a lot. 

Tweet you at the Top!     

*Also read:            What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing?    

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Part II - Play It Again, Sam!

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Part III - Feed your AR Blog to Twitter:

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Fitting It All Into 140 Characters:

 

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                      Join The Optimist Group!

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing?

 

Sure, you're computer literate:  you use e-mail, you have a website, you blog and you even have a Facebook account.  You keep hearing about this silly Twitter thing and you have no idea what all the fuss is about. 

 

You may have created a Twitter account, yet you just can't understand what to do with it.  First things first:  before you can experience the power of Twitter, you have to start "following" people; otherwise all you'll be looking at is a pretty and blank Twitter profile page.

 

How do you find people to follow?  You can use the search browser and look for them by name or you can employ any of these free sites: 

 

NearbyTweets.com    Find Twitter users nearby (check by location and zip code): 

 

LocalTweeps.com    Find Tweeters in your area and list yourself in the directory by zip code

 

Twellow.com    Twitter yellow pages

 

GeoFollow.com   Add yourself to this site and start becoming visible in your area

 

WeFollow.com     Whether you want to find Brittany Spears, Oprah, Ashton Kutcher or CNN Breaking News, this is the site for you.  You can enter your subject of interest and find the top Twitters for that niche. 

 

Setting up your profile and using Twitter is free.  Once you find the people you want to follow, the Twitter magic will start unraveling, I promise you!  Stay tuned for the next Twitter post!   I am an Information Hog, and Twitter has been feeding me plenty.  I will teach you everything you need to know in order to drive traffic to your website and blog using Twitter, plus learn a ton in the process. 

Tweet You At The Top!

New:  What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Part II - Play It Again, Sam! 

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Part III - Feed your AR Blog to Twitter:

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Fitting It All Into 140 Characters:

 

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection             Join The Optimist Group!

How's Your Phone Voice?

Like most of you, I talk to other real estate agents on the phone pretty regularly. Some in the course of my real estate business, some in the course of my writing, training & speaking career.

And I tell ya - there are a lot of unfriendly voices out there.

Within an hour the other day I spoke with two different agents, about two totally different topics. The first was calling me to ask about some Open House signs I had listed on Craigslist. He was distant and dismissive and didn't seem much interested in having a conversation with me. The second was calling for information on a listing and she was delightful. The kind of voice you'd like to ask to meet you for Happy Hour, and be pretty sure you'd have a wonderful time.

Last week, I participated in a couple of Real Estate Week online seminars in which all participants had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with other participants on the call. The difference among the various voices I was matched up with was striking. Some of the voices were hesitant and unsure; some were bold and somewhat abrasive and a few were warm and inviting. I naturally have fond memories of the warm & inviting voices; not so fond memories of the others.

Hey, I'm the last one to tell someone to change who they are, but it's a fact that many of your clients and prospects are going to judge you by your phone voice. Of all the real estate agents I've spoken with on the phone this week, only two or three of them would have inspired me to pursue a professional relationship with the person, had I been in the market for a real estate agent.

If you can stand it, record some of your phone conversations. Then listen... and see how you feel about both the warmth and confidence of this person (that would be you!). Try to be objective - I know it's hard - on one hand you hate the sound of your voice, but on the other, it's tough to admit that perhaps you sound a bit unsure or conversely, brash.

You might also pay closer attention to the people you speak with on the phone, whether they're in the biz or not. What is your impression of this person? That they're confident? Competent? Caring? Knowledgeable? Or bored, scared or clueless?

It sounds trite, but if you stand up (or sit up) straight when you talk on the phone, put your shoulders back and smile, your phone voice will improve exponentially.

By the way, I met the afore-mentioned "distant and dismissive" agent in person later in the day, and he was quite pleasant in person. But that phone voice... ugh!

 

 

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Where the Heck Do You Live (and work)?

To continue the fun from Monday's blog where I lectured us on our phone voices, let me offer some more unsolicited feedback...

I get emails from agents all around the country (which I love, keep ‘em coming!). Sometimes I'm so impressed with someone that I want to remember where they work in case I ever need a referral resource* there.

Many of these agents have fancy-schmantzy signatures on their emails, so that's the first place I look. And you know what? Very rarely is the agent's market area mentioned. Oh, I understand why, it doesn't seem like it would be all that important especially since most of your email communication is with people you know who obviously know where you live. But still...

Anyway, if I'm really impressed with someone and have a few minutes to spare, I'll click on their website link, if provided, to learn more about them. And I tell ya' - an awful lot of you do not make it clear on your homepage where the heck you sell real estate! Oh, there might be a picture of a skyline (which likely isn't much help) and I've even seen sites with a physical address that DOESN'T INCLUDE THE CITY AND STATE! Phone numbers - yes - and if I'm familiar with the area code, it might mean something to me, but don't count on it.

If you communicate via email with people outside your market area, you might consider including your city & state in your email signature. And definitely take a look at your website to ensure that it's awfully darn clear where you sell real estate!

Lecture Over. Happy Friday!

www.SellwithSoul.com

*To alleviate this anguish in the future, I'm in the process of creating an SWS Referral Network - it'll be free, but anyone who joins must agree to a SWS Code of Ethics (of sorts). The Network will be open to both agents (i.e. agent-to-agent referrals) as well as to the general public. Stay tuned!

Real Estate Marketing Strategies: The Biggest Mistake Real Estate Agents Make And How You Can Avoid It

THE BIG MISTAKE:

“The market is so slow and I don't even know where my next sale is coming from.” How often have you heard someone say that when business is down and the economy is questionable?

It seems logical, doesn't it, to tighten your purse strings?

“What! Are you suggesting that I should invest in my business now?” Even though it seems logical to tighten up and constrict spending, it is actually based on a “scarcity” mindset. In a scarcity mindset you focus on lack in your business, and on lack in outer conditions and the market. The result is a constriction in the flow of energy to your business. In fact, when you focus your thoughts on lack in your business, you have a problem even before you begin. Hence, THE BIG MISTAKE. Are you constricting the flow of energy to your business?

Here are some signs to watch out for:

1. What are your thoughts?

• I don't have enough clients

• My competitors are stealing business

• I can't succeed in today's market

Here's an example that contains a scarcity mindset: “There are so many new agents entering the business there isn't enough business to go around. Maybe I should just get a real job.” Have you ever had that thought?

2. What emotions do you experience?

• Fear

• Stress

• Struggle

• Anxiety

• Worry

Any of the thoughts above are likely to create the emotions of worry, fear and doubt. You find yourself dwelling in these negative feelings that will prevent you from attracting to your business and the very things you desire, such as more clients and more income. Your thoughts create your reality. Therefore, if you focus on what you don't want, like the lack of money, you'll get more of that.

3. ACTIONS

When you're stuck in a scarcity mindset, not only does it affect your thoughts and feelings, but also your actions. For example, “I was going to take the weekend off, but now I better not. Business is slow and I don't want to miss a call from a prospective client.”

Do you see how this is a scarcity mindset? What is the person missing out on? If you said “self-care and self maintenance”, then you are right. This is one of the actions that goes by the wayside when you're focusing on scarcity. You're simply afraid that you won't have enough so you ignore the importance of taking care of yourself.

So what is the big mistake?

The big mistake is that you are focusing your thoughts on outward circumstances, like the economy, to determine your mindset. If the economy is down you are down. Stephen Covey calls this the “reactive” mindset. You believe that you are acted upon, rather than being “proactive” and there is a constriction of energy to your business.

When you are proactive, you don't focus on what the economy or the market is doing, you are coming from an internal state of prosperity consciousness. You don't look to outer conditions to determine your state of mind, you determine your own state of mind by your thoughts, emotions and actions. In essence you create the mindset of being the deliberate creator of your life.

The solution:

If the mindset is the problem, then how do you switch to a more positive mindset?

1. Commit to building a “prosperity” mindset

A “prosperity” mindset is not something you are born with, it's not in your genes; it’s something that you develop through practice. Think of it as a muscle that you exercise. The more you exercise it, the stronger that muscle becomes. It's the same with “prosperity” mindset. Successful people have one thing in common – they believe in their own success and their ability to attract money into their life. They look for opportunities and find them... everywhere. Why? Because they had an internal prosperity consciousness and they focused on that state of looking at external conditions.

2. Adopt the beliefs of success

It's easy to adopt a successful mindset - it's just a shift in focus from scarcity to prosperity. The way you make that shift is to have a set of beliefs that are congruent and prosperous thinking. For example, Walt Disney once said, “All of our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” Here are the beliefs of successful people:

• Change is to be embraced because it represents more opportunity for growth and expansion.

• Determine what you want, and assume you'll get it. Don't worry about the ‘how’.

• There is an answer and solution to every challenge.

• Discomfort is part of charting the unknown.

• Obstacles will not stop them from attaining what they want.

• Money needs to flow in order to grow.

You'll notice that if you practice the beliefs above, you will experience positive emotions that expand the flow of energy to your business.

3. Be clear on what you want

How can the universe give you what you want unless you are clear about what you want? A challenge for you here is to break the “want” barrier. Accept the fact that it is not only appropriate and proper, but critical, for you to want anything, of any kind, to any degree. The main thing is to be clear about what you want for your business. I hear too many people saying, “I want to be successful” without even knowing what success means to them. I suggest visualizing your ideal professional life in 12 months from today. See yourself doing work you love and noticing approximately how many hours a week you're working. Ask yourself what kind of people you want to be interacting with. Who are your ideal clients? Are they motivated, decisive and respectful of you and your service to them? What is your income in 12 months from today? How much are you making per year or per month?

4. Clear away any opposing beliefs

When you think about your ideal professional life, what beliefs do have that are opposing your vision? Here are some beliefs that I hear on a continual basis when people are honest with me about discussing their blocks to success: “I like doing my work, I'm just not good at marketing.” (Remember, it's only a belief) “I'm really not smart enough or energetic enough to achieve what I want.” (Remember, it's only a belief) “The real estate market is so tough right now that I can't possibly make the income I was hoping for.” (Remember, it's only a belief)

5. Take inspired action not frantic action

What kind of action are you taking? Are you taking action because you're afraid? If you are, your action may be frantic action rather than inspired action. What is inspired action? Inspired action comes from your intuition and listening to your gut instincts. You follow your heart, you follow your hunches; you don't wait for someone to hand you a formula because there is none. You will know if you’re taking inspired action by the way you feel by the results you are getting.

You’ll be feeling relaxed and confident and the results that you will be getting will be one or more of the following:

• Increased clientele

• Increased income

• Increased passion for your work

As a review, remember to avoid THE BIG MISTAKE by being conscious of what you focus on. Don’t let the outer conditions determine your mindset. Keep a mindset of prosperity and practice the beliefs of successful people. Keep remembering to expand the flow of energy to your business, whatever the market is doing. When times seem tough, it is especially important to stay away from a scarcity mindset. Instead, go within and look for the opportunities for new ways to market yourself from a prosperity mindset.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Maya Bailey, author of, Law of Attraction for Real Estate Professionals, integrates 20 years of experience as a psychologist and 12 years as a business coach with her expertise in the Law of Attraction. Her powerful work creates a success formula for real estate professionals ready to double and triple their incomes. Get Dr. Maya's free report, 7 Simple Strategies For More Clients in 90 Days, by visiting www.90DaystoMoreClients.com

DO YOU WANT TO DO A DEAL TODAY OR TOMORROW?

Dear World Class Performer:

Which of these two approaches best describes what you do in your real estate business?

Approach #1 - You get a lead and you do everything in your power to try and convert that lead into an actual deal.

Approach #2 - You look for the one's who will and let go and/ or avoid the one's who won't.

I think most agents feel if they can do the "right thing" or say the "right thing" in a given situation they can get someone to do a deal. Personally, I think this attitude is pervasive in this business. Look at your own lead list. How many names and how long have you been working with each person? If you have been working with anyone for more than a month, what is motivating you to continue working with that person? Possibility or Probability? Have you really gotten to the truth with each of your leads in terms of what they will or won't do. And in terms of what they will do, how realistic is it TODAY?

Do you ever find yourself thinking that if you only knew what to do or what to say that somehow you could get your potential buyers or sellers to do something now?

There are some very specific questions you can ask any potential buyer or seller to find out what they are really going to do.

1. Do you absolutely have to buy (or sell)?
2. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being low and 10 being high, how would you rate your motivation to  buy now (or sell now)? What would it take to become a 10?
3. Under what circumstance or condition would you buy a home today (or put your home on the market today)?
4. What happens if you don't buy now (or sell now)? Can you afford to stay where you are and for how long?

These questions are meant to help you get beyond any surface answers. They are the start of a process we call going deep and wide in order to find the truth in terms of whether there is an opportunity to do business right now or not.

There is only one definition for a buyer - someone who actually buys now. Anyone who is not buying now, no matter the reason, is not a real buyer. Same is true for a seller. It is always best to pay more attention to what someone does vs. what they say they are going to do. Real buyers, buy and real sellers, sell.

Take a very close look at what you do each day. I bet you spend the majority of your day following up on your leads or your listings or your escrows and very little of your day is spent looking for a person or persons who will do a deal today. Let me ask you, "Is your approach working for you in this market?" It is a yes or no question.

I believe any agent reading this article will be much better off making their number #1 priority each day being in "the hunt" for NOW BUSINESS vs. nurturing future business. The world is waiting. You don't need to waste your time waiting with them. Find the person who want to do business today!!

TODAY IS THE DAY™!!

Steve

To find out how you can sell a home or more each week click here http://www.100daychallenge.ning.com

THE BATTLE OF IMPORTANT VS. URGENT!!

URGENT VS. IMPORTANT

This may be the most important battle you face in your business each and every day. To successfully conquer this battle it is vital to start with the understanding that:

1. Time is limited
2. Opportunity is unlimited

These two statements are fact. Unfortunately most Realtors operate their business as if the reverse were true. Namely that time is unlimited and opportunity is limited. Your perceptions of time and opportunity have a HUGE impact on how you organize and prioritize your day!!

First, let's define what we mean by IMPORTANT.

IMPORTANT is all the activities that are related to generating a new deal TODAY. We call this being in "the hunt". We call this Vending Opportunity™. We call this looking for a deal. Doing WHAT'S IMPORTANT includes:

1. Making your career just this week. Acting as if today is the only day you have to sell a home.
2. Talking to lots of people..... ABOUT REAL ESTATE!!
3. Asking lots of questions, going deep and wide, and beyond the surface "NO" to find the deal. Opportunity is everywhere and your job is to recognize and exploit it.
4. Getting to the truth with everyone you talk to. What CHANGE is taking place in their life and does it relate back to real estate in some way? And what about the people they know. Where is change taking place and how does it relate back to real estate?
5. Vending Opportunity™. This is the action of giving people an opportunity to do business now. To vend opportunity effectively you must identify Propportunities™ in your market. A Propportunity™ is an opportunity property. A Propportunity™ is a property that is not going to be on the market for more than a week or so because it is such a deal or such a unique value for someone.

Doing WHAT'S IMPORTANT is all about having a NOW, or TODAY ORIENTATION in your business.

Most agents if they are being truthful........ spend the majority of their day working on:

1. The possibility of FUTURE BUSINESS tomorrow.
2. Managing or administrating an escrow.
3. STUFF - all the things that don't directly lead to a paycheck TODAY!!

This leads us to the discussion of WHAT'S URGENT.

URGENT is defined as anything that distracts you from doing what's important. The things that are typically IMPORTANT are usually uncomfortable. The things that are typically URGENT lead to some type of INSTANT GRATIFICATION.

Take a moment to think about your day today in business. What are the things that felt URGENT?

Phone calls?
Emails?
Showing property?
Setting appointments?
Contract negotiations?
Appointments?
Property research?
Database management?
Paperwork?
Marketing deadlines?
Contract deadlines?
Inspections?
Problem solving?

Were any of these things related to doing a deal TODAY?

Were most of these things related to doing a deal TOMORROW?

Did most of these things eat up your day leaving you without time to do WHAT'S TRULY IMPORTANT as defined above?

Every day my coaching clients give me convincing stories (in their minds) of why they don't have time to do what's truly IMPORTANT.

AND EVERY DAY I GIVE THEM THE SAME ANSWER!!

I ask them.....

"If I booked a legitimate listing appointment for you each day between 10am and 12noon, would you be able to go on the appointment?"

The answer is always YES.  Somehow there is little or no time to VEND OPPORTUNITY however there is almost always time to go on a listing appointment!!

If you want to do more business on a regular basis you MUST learn how to balance both the IMPORTANT and the URGENT.  More IMPORTANTLY....

YOU MUST LEARN TO STRUCTURE YOUR DAY AROUND WHAT'S IMPORTANT!!

When you make WHAT'S IMPORTANT the number one priority of your day.....

No matter how busy you are....

You WILL most always figure out a way to get the URGENT things done.

Conversely when the URGENT things are your number one priority......

WHAT'S IMPORTANT will generally be pushed to side for another day.... MAYBE.

And when you keep moving WHAT'S IMPORTANT to TOMORROW.....

YOU ARE DELEGATING YOUR PRODUCTION....

And sooner or later....

Your pipeline will dry up and so will your checkbook!!

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF WINNING THE BATTLE OF IMPORTANT VS. URGENT!!

If you have a moment I would love it if you would take the following VERY QUICK survey http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/407783-160221

TODAY IS THE DAY™!!

Steve Shull
Performance Coaching
http://www.100daychallenge.ning.com
424-704-5030