tips: Mea Culpa! Mea Maxima Culpa!
- 11/20/08 05:29 AM
It's my fault. It's my grievous fault. I have broken one of my own cardinal rules - Thou shalt be consistent in thy posting.
It has been almost 2 months since I last posted, and that is not acceptable. It is not a valid excuse that I have been hit with a series of family health issues. It is not a valid reason that I have been traveling back and forth to Virginia. That does not matter. What matters is I have not been consistent with my blog posts. What should I have done? Clearly, in the midst of a … (1 comments)
tips: Craig's List Scam Alert
- 09/18/08 07:49 AM
I got a call recently from one of our office managers. It seems one of her agents took a call from a consumer warning us about one of our listings on Craig's List. It seems when the consumer contacted the "owner" she got a reply indicating that the owner was out of state; however, if the consumer sent a $500 key deposit a key to the property would be sent overnight to the caller and the $500 returned when they sent the key back. Needless to say, we do not put our listings on Craig's List and this was a total … (36 comments)
tips: How NOT To Convert an Online Lead - A True Story
- 09/15/08 02:50 AM
Last Friday morning, I was browsing through my company's web site (www.NewEnglandMoves.com) and I came across a listing that was particularly interesting to me. The property description noted that there were deed restrictions because it was an historical property, so I emailed the listing agent (not an agent in my company) asking what those restrictions were. It seemed like a straightforward enough request. I got no response Friday. Well that isn't 100% accurate; I got a response at 10 minutes to midnight Friday. However, I was already in bed by then, so I didn't read the email until Saturday morning. That was … (3 comments)
tips: How Large is Your Internet Footprint?
- 09/11/08 08:31 AM
ActiveRain is a great community. It's a great place to network, make professional connections in real estate and affiliated businesses, pick up a few tips, and even get some serious advice. However, it is potentially only part of your Internet Footprint. In fact, it probably should be just one component of your overall footprint. What other components do you have? Do you have a web site? A blog in addition to your AR blog? How about a profile on LinkedIn? FaceBook? Ryze? Have you created or joined a community on WebJam? DelphiForums? Do you belong to any non-real estate, non-business networks like CafeMom or Eons.com? Do … (11 comments)
tips: If You Don't Tell Them, Don't Blame Them for Not Knowing
- 09/05/08 07:56 AM
Suppose when you get home from work tonight, you learn that your clothes dryer is broken. What would you do? Well, many of us would probably begin researching a new dryer online. Perhaps going to GoodHousekeeping.com or ConsumerReports.com to learn a little, or perhaps straight to Sears.com or Lowes.com to begin to price them. Let's say you've done that and have narrowed your search. Some of us would order online, but others wouldn't feel comfortable spending several hundred dollars sight unseen. So, you hop in your car and head to the store. Once you are there, you narrow the selection down … (8 comments)
tips: You Can't Sell What You Don't Buy
- 09/03/08 01:58 AM
You can't sell what you don't buy. I've repeated that phrase in front of real estate professionals all across New England. In front of small groups and large, new agents and experienced, managers and owners, I've said it, repeated it, preached it. But what does it mean? You can't sell what you don't buy. For a real estate sales professional, it means you will not be able to convince a consumer that you are the best person for them to hire unless you believe it yourself. Let me caveat that. We've all met someone who could look us in the eye, … (9 comments)
tips: Different Laws, Different Customs
- 08/20/08 02:15 AM
When I first started as an agent, I learned how to do business from my manager. Oh yes, I went to a real estate school, knew the rules/laws, took the test, etc, but that doesnt really teach how the "other" things are done. For example, in my marketplace, we did not do "accompanied showings." The first time I heard about such a thing was when I called to make an appointment to take my cousin to view a home 3 or 4 towns away - in a different marketplace - and was told we could not see it until 4 in the afternoon because … (0 comments)
tips: The Law of Diminishing Intentions, Part 2
- 08/13/08 10:47 AM
I posted the other day about the newly (for me) discovered "Law of Diminishing Intentions." This Law states, roughly, that the determination one has to accomplish a task decreases with time. Yes, I've fallen prey to this Law and I suspect most readers have too. I suppose it is part of being human. But it can't be part of being a blogger. At least, not if you are serious about using your blog as a part of your Internet presence. Whether the purpose of your blogging is to raise your public visibility, generate referrals, become the "local expert" to consumers, increase cross-linkage … (1 comments)
tips: The Law of Diminishing Intentions vs blogging
- 08/08/08 09:36 AM
I was giving a presentation recently and afterwards an agent approached me. He said he loved some of the things I suggested and was going to implement them immediately. I jokingly said he could at least wait until he got back to the office, and that was when he used a phrase that I had not heard before. He said if he didnt start it right away, he would fall victim to the "Law of Diminishing Intentions" and may never start. The Law of Diminishing Intentions. Im sure it has been around for a long time, but that was the first … (7 comments)
It's my fault. It's my grievous fault.;)
;)
