Although I've had a web site since Day One, which was back in August 2005, leads were few and far between, and lead conversions were nonexistent.

I hired a marketing professional in March 2007 to help me with my web presence, and by offering incentives to those who visited my web site, both leads and lead conversions increased. The two major incentives I use to get useful information from leads, as well as the opportunity to sit down with them and talk about their needs, wants, and goals are my monthly newsletter and a CD of hundreds of useful documents not about buying a home, or getting a mortgage, or how great my company is, or how great I am, or any of the traditional things that Realtors, especially my competitors, like to talk about.

Rather, I take the tack of providing something that they can't get anywhere else. Sure, they can get a monthly newsletter, but my newsletter is full of helpful tips and tricks for staying safe in our homes and easily maintaining them without spending an arm and a leg. The monthly newsletters that I get from my competition sometimes even have the same articles in them, but almost all of them have articles about how much your home is worth, now being a great time to buy, how to find a good mortgage lender, same old, same old. You can even find thousands of similar articles online. It's much more difficult to find useful information about water heaters, regular maintenance on them, what a TPR valve is and why it should be inspected annually.

I do the same thing with my free CD of tips and tricks. Every article that I have so far is on the CD, and I always include an introductory document that simply has the URL to my ActiveRain profile and blog.

Articles are written by my Power Partners -- home inspector, electrician, plumber, roofing contractor, landscaper, chimney sweep, etc. They get to put their names on the articles, so it's a win-win for them and for me.

My premise is that if I can be extraordinarily helpful to someone when they ARE NOT paying me, imagine THEM imagining how helpful I will be to them when they ARE paying me.

Since I started doing this in August 2008 (coinciding with my serious involvement at ActiveRain), Internet leads and conversions have increased significantly. Now if I can just get those lead conversions into homes — suggestions are welcome!

For other methods of converting internet leads, be sure to check out giftofshift.com/activerain where you can purchase a limited edition hardcover of Gary Keller's book SHIFT, which comes with a free version of the eBook Soci@l: Attract Friends, Followers and Connections to Your Business, written by Ben Kinney and Jay Papasan (in which Ben shares his 'ten days of pain' lead conversion method) as well as free audio versions of Millionaire Real Estate Agent and Millionaire Real Estate Investor all for $19.99.

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If you have a cat, or used to have a cat,
and have a picture of the little darling, post it here.

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I'm available 24/7, so feel free to contact me by phone or email.

Jim Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award Mission Valley
California DRE License #01458572
619-729-5701
jimfrimmer@century21award.com
Mission Valley Condos Information

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15 most recent blog posts:

1. The ActiveRain History Station: San Diego Rainmakers
2. If it's cold, wet, rainy, or snowy where you are, this should help
3. The ActiveRain History Station: San Francisco real estate trivia
4. Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air
5. Santa Claus spotted leaving Coronado Island on January 10
6. Calling all cats. Calling all cats. It's the Chinese "Year of the Tiger"!
7. Marriott's Coronado Island Resort and Spa
8. Downtown San Diego from Coronado Island
9. Extra! Extra! Clouds in San Diego! Read all about it!
10. Open house update for Sunday, January 10
11. Announcing the ActiveRain Silver and Bronze medalists! - Featured
12. The ActiveRain Nature Station: Birch Aquarium slide show
13. Free H1N1 flu shots in San Diego County
14. Cats like doors left open, in case they change their minds
15. Do we have President Obama's birth certificate yet?

My favorite ActiveRain Groups:

ActiveRain Convention Station
ActiveRain Guerrilla Marketing Station
ActiveRain History Station
ActiveRain Library Station
ActiveRain Nature Station
ActiveRain Symphony Station
ActiveRain Travel Station