Here are some of the ideas I liked the best from the CyberSpace Convention that I mentioned in a previous blog.  There will be another Convention next month.  It is free!  Check it out: www.cyberspacesociety.com.

Matthew Ferrara: The Next Generation

His premise is that the next generation of real estate companies needs to be mission focused, consumer centric and technology enabled.  He mentioned that Gen X and Y are generally 20 years younger than the average Realtor.  They are online.  When shopping, they can find 7 photos on Zappos.com for a pair of shoes!  That is much more than most agents provide for million dollar homes.  Look at car websites. They offer videos with narration.  With that type of online marketing, which Gen X & Y have come to expect, we need to step up our marketing. These were great analogies.

Gen X: work within their sphere.  They are very involved with social networking, text and videos. You need to respond in seconds using a smart phone.

Gen Y:  are the youngest generation of buyers and sellers ever.  They are 80 million strong- even larger than the Boomer generation. They are a highly networked generation; they are wireless- use text and IM.

Dave Beson: The Most Important Thing for Agent Productivity

"1. Pipeline management is the single most important skill for agent success; it involves recognizing every contact as a profit center and getting the most benefit from people at all stages in the real estate process.

2. Technology is a boon for pipeline management; communication with prospects can be customized, scheduled and implemented database; automatic follow-up can run for years."

This information really resonated with me. It is compatible with our Real Estate Base Camp philosophy and approach to the business.

Sherry Chris: Fundamentals of Social Networking

Build your network before you need it

Give more than you take

Don't keep score- if someone doesn't respond immediately, don't worry about it                                            

Connect to connectors

Build your brand

Broadcast your brand: Facebook, Twitter , LinkedIn,

Blog Be involved- you need to let your personality show; you really cannot have your assistant do this for you

Dan Gooder Richard: Lead Generation

Lead generation is the number 1 job of real estate professional

Offline and online combined works best

Web capture: forms and micro-sites maximize web leads Go green! Use email and save

Stephan Swanepoel: Social Media, Social Networking

Stephan Swanepoel recommended using technology, social networks and blogs to provide info and service to consumers.  His philosophy and approach to the business is a mirror image of the approach we take at Base Camp.  Update, innovate and use web 2.0 to market yourself and your listings.  One of the best sources of info is Swanepoel's 2009 Trend's Report.

We use Swanepoel's annual trends report to ascertain the gap between what consumers are doing and real estate professional are doing.  That helps us target and provide leading edge training, especially to target Gen X & Y buyers.  The numbers are telling.

There were many other fabulous speakers, including Bernice Ross and Raleigh Pinskey.  This is an exceptional event with smart bites of information and topics to appeal to both brokers and agents.