THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER, I MEAN SOI.
A comment made by Jim Paulson to a post by Jennifer Allen about "client appreciation parties", and SOI was very interesting.
Back in the olden days, I did, indeed, workan SOI. The operative word is work. It was the way I was 
taught. Anyone remember Sweat Hogs??? Anyone remember 10 calls a day,. . . . ?? Anyone remember door hangers???
ALONG CAME THE INTERENT. For me, it came in December 1994 when I had a pathetic black and white monitor with a computer slower than molasses, DOS. Yes, DOS. Anyone remember DOS. Yet, with that pathetic system, I was able to subscribe to an Internet connection through one of the few ISPs in 1994, Digex. A sorely limited program by today's standards. However, it gave me Veronica and Archie and BOOM!!! I was searching the Internet. I WAS HOOKED!
I said to myself, "Self, this thing will change the world!".
By April of 1995 I had researched "Internet schools" and enrolled in a class for "Internet for Beginners". I learned little because they concentrated on e-mail and had MACs. But, it was just more food for thought and one thing led to another and by May, I had plunked down $1,500 cash money for a local ISP, web design company to make a web page for me.
RELOCATING HOME BUYERS ARE MY MARKET. My goal from the beginning was to appeal on an international level to relocating home buyers. That's is precisely what happened and hasn't changed to today. Relocating across town or across the ocean, "We can help". The domain name "homefinders.com" was obtained in May 1995 and never limited me to any area or type of service except that the content was always directed to home buyers.
SUCCESS on the INTERNET. My web site was wildly successful from the beginning. More successful than I ever dreamed. I left the broker I was with, opened my own brokerage and eventually hired a number of agents ALL TO SELL HOMES TO BUYERS THAT RESPONDED TO MY INTERNET ADVERTISING.
ALONG CAME GOOGLE. A GAME CHANGER!! SEO became the name of the game. I matured along with Google and learned every step of the way. I still do. I or my agents and network of referral agents and brokers have sold homes in MD and Northern Virginia from buyers relocating from Japan, Tiawan, China, Africa, England, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, South America, Mexico, Canada, and more, and all across the USA. The world is my market area.
So, when Jim Paulson says that I do in fact have a SIO, he may be right. However, it isn't family and friends, neighbors, community, etc., it's those 45,000 daily viewers of Homefinders.com and other web sites that does the job.
MY SIO IS THE WORLD!
Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com. 800-711-7988, Serving home buyers in MD & VA.
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Lenn, I have been with Jennifer on the SOI for about a year. I love the enthusiasm she brings. And, yes, I remember 10 calls a day, door hangers, the whole nine yards. I still do it most days, and I still farm and flyer neighborhoods. I try anything and everything to market homes. But, I love the Internet, the webinars and Active Rain especially.