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Active Rain | A Referral Network & Business Goldmine

Are you looking to do more business in a market that has obviously changed? Do you want to get more out of Active Rain than just using the Blogging as social networking? Is Active Rain any different than the other groups or networks you're already a part of? Are you doing business with other Active Rain REALTORS®, Lenders, and Affiliates? Could Active Rain be the Goldmine you're looking for? These are some questions you might find yourself asking.

Click on "Your County" to see what other Active Rain members are in your area. These are the people who can relate and appreciate all that you are trying to do here. Don't compete with each other for points or for the featured spot. Who cares if you're featured if you're Blogging all the time and not doing any business. Just look at the list of all the other members in your area. What a "Powerhouse Resource!" Some Counties will have many members and some will have just a few. The more, the better! You might try the County next to you, maybe they are panning for gold like you?!

What if you were to contact other members in your area, and create a Networking and Referral Business Group? There is some truth to the words in the song "I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends."

There are some great opportunities here for us to help each other through the market right now. The Beatles's sang it best with ..."Come Together, Right Now!"

*Create a Networking and Referral group that meets in person monthly or quarterly.
*Exchange ideas and resources to help each other with some of the same and different challenges.
*Don't see your counter-parts as competitors, but as counter-parts, they understand.
*Take the time to invest in your resources here on Active Rain, you'll get REAL points.
*Refer business to each other and to your affiliates, that's HUGE in this market.
*Don't miss an opportunity to grow other business relationships because of unknown fears.
*Make a commitment to give to other members instead of receive. It will come back to you!

I think Active Rain is one of the "BEST" referral networking goldmines there is! It's right in front of us, but maybe the focused effort of "Blogging" is diluting some of the other true "value" here. Blogging and all that comes and goes with it, remains to be a proven asset for those who use and believe in it. However, are you using this Referral Network for all that it can offer? Is there more we could be doing to become "United and Survive?" How can you use Active Rain in your area to do what the name symbolizes? To a "Rain Maker" Active Rain means "Survival!"

I challenge you to step out of what might be your comfort zone here. Create some of the same great relationships locally that you have Nationally. Look at the associates you've added, and those that have added you, how can you help them? See other AR members as people who share the same needs, concerns, and challenges you do in today's market. How can we help each other? Lets dare to make a difference in this network, be a part of the solution, and help those who have made it their decision to get through these times with success. All the good things in life as well as the bad, shall eventually come to pass! It's how we work through these times "together" that will really make the difference!!

TIP: At the end of the day, people may forget your name, they may even forget what you've said, but they will NEVER forget how you made them feel!! Be sure to Live, Laugh and Love, because life is precious but short! Have no regrets!! :-) Just get on your feet, Get up and make it happen!!

"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount

Posted by Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager on 10/11/2007 05:18 PM

Comments (58)

activerain community support, referral networking, social networking, real estate goldmine

58 Comments on Active Rain | A Referral Network & Business Goldmine

OCT

2007

Brad,

Thanks..I am always playing with all the features here just to what changes have been made...sometimes before most members see it...Thank you for the update

Howdy Brad

Thank you for taking the time to post some very good tips for all of us on AR.

Have a good one

Hey Brad. The day ActiveRain introduced the Private Groups, I formed one for Homefinders.com and we have 20 members and it's handy for sending out group mail and special posts.

Problem is, it won't let some of my primary referral brokers get in. It ignores their attempts to join. So, I can't use it exclusively, but it's helpful.

I agree that ActiveRain is a tremendous referral resource.

Hey Brad,

Great post and I agree with you 1000%. AR is a huge resource for sharing business and picking up new customers. Those people who do not realize that fact and embrace it will lose out.

Sean Allen

You nailed it, by friend.

I really appreciate your thoughts and, more importantly, your attitude! Thanks, Brad!

Brad - Where do you find the time? we do appreciate the fact you take the time to provide very helpful tips.

Brad, I wholeheartedly agree with every word you wrote in this great post. Active Rain has become my central repository for real estate knowledge and potential referrals (in and out).

Networking differentiates successful agents from the rest of the pack. This is a great topic, Brad!

Brad, Great ideas on networking! Thanks for the info.

You make great points Brad. There are 40 agents in our county - that's double what we had just this summer so the list is growing rapidly and that's exciting to see. I've sent numerous invitations to other local agents and several have signed up, I'm hoping the list will grow to over 100 by the end of the year. Who knows maybe we'll organize a Redding Bloggers Christmas Party! Any ideas on what to include or type of content if any, or do we just party???

Brad,

This is an amazing idea! Creating a local networking group of AR members is BRILLIANT! Thank you for getting my wheels turning. Who knows, maybe there will be offline groups all over the US of AR members. You Rock!

P.S - I love the new pink ribbon on your picture.

Brad, how do you find the time? Your posts are always good!

SO true! Another agent on AR in my market came up to me at a meeting and said "hey- you are my competition on Active Rain." I am not competing against anyone but myself.

Brad - I'm happy to say that I've referred and been referred by Realtors and Lenders here on AR. It is indeed an incredible resource of incredibly talented people. Thanks for your post and for going pink.

OCT

2007

Brad - powerful - great and super - thanks for sharing and being so right on

This is a terrific source of ideas, Brad. AR is an amazing place for learning AND networking, and the connections that one can make with little effort are mind-boggling. I, too, have had referrals, and have made referrals as well. I love it.

Jeff

Brad, it amazes me that you carve out the time to write such posts. I appreciate the ideas you share. You must sleep about 4 hours a day.

Neal - great to see you again and so quickly to boot! thanks my friend!

Dale - this is just an opportunity for me to share my thoughts and ideas on how to better use our network to do more business. We can always use new ideas, and what better place to draw them out than AR? Meeting in person changes the whole dynamic of social networking. Leaving a comment with a smile :-) is nothing like shaking a hand in person. :-)

Web Conferencing is the next best thing for those long distance Networking Groups and Referral Business meetings.

Brad- I will ditto many of the comments resources here are phenomenal.......I try to give and take, and this, as Brian, stated has become a huge resource for me......Thanks for posting this.

Lenn - I like the private group idea, it's the same concept I was trying to put across here, it's too bad that others are having difficulty getting into it. I am looking to contact the members in our areas to create a meeting or group where we all meet in person. The hand shake and a smile can go a long way. Just trying to create some synergy in and out of the "rain!" :-)

Brad, thanks for the great tips that you posted. Active Rain has been a success for me.

Sean - there are many who will get it and many who won't. Shame on us if we don't share, share on them if they don't listen. AR is an unsurmountable amount of resource and knowledge. What we learn and share online is phenomenal, imagine the possibilities of a group in your local area meeting regularly to discuss how to better use Blogging, Active Rain, and to share ideas and refer each other business. I am going to give it a try, we'll see what happens and what successes come from it. :-)

Missy - thanks!

Martha - I appreciate that, I think attitude is EVERYTHING! Having said that, I like yours too! :-)

Very true my friend, very true. An outstanding source for ANYONE in this industry and many aren't taking true advantage of it. Myself included..but I'll get there!

Jennifer - I don't find the time, I just try to make the time for the things that I want to share here. Believe it or not, It doesn't take as much time as most people think. Coffee and comment in the morning, ideas during the day, and post in the evenings when can. That's it! :-)

Brian - Sounds like you have experience doing what I am suggesting here. Your comment affirms my intentions of this post. Do you meet with other members in person? How often do you get together? What kind of business or referrals are you able to generate to others? I do get leads and business from AR, I just want to do more and more for my fellow associates. Love the idea, now I want to take it to the next level!! :-)

Eric - the networking here on AR is AWESOME! I am just wondering how much more successful it can be by getting together at a physical location to share, network, and brainstorm ideas. There's something that happens in the real world that doesn't happen on the computer and visa-versa! Thanks for your comment. :-)

Roberta - great ideas are a dime a dozen, it's those that we implement and use that change ideas from being thoughts into reality. Thanks for your appreciation of this post. I hope it inspires all who read it.

Chris and Maria - the growth in your area will happen guaranteed!! I think a Christmas party is a great idea. They call those Active Rain Gatherings and you should advertise those in the "Gatherings" group on AR. The gatherings I am referring to are the one's just like other Business Referral and Networking meetings. As far as content, I guess that depends on how often you get together.

If you meet quarterly or monthly, I think the agenda changes. The main idea is to come together to discuss things like the market, business opportunities, how to refer each other business, and share ideas as to what will help turn your local market area around. Having a guest speaker or affiliate participate in topics like Loan Programs available, how to help REO's, Foreclosures and Short Sales. You can discuss how to improve current conditions to increase consumer confidence and get the market moving. So many ideas, just be creative, meet in person, and commit to doing more business with each other. Like "Nike" always says, "Just Do It!" :-)

What great advice. I'm meeting with another agent next week that lives just 10 miles away. Why, she is interesting to me and I really don't try to focus business where she works. I am working on making my business within 10 miles of my home and where I want to live and know.

I want to get to the point that if I can survive on my niche in my area, I don't have to travel 11 miles and I want to meet people who I can work with and trust to send referrals to! Our communtiy is a building block of business and I have to take the first step.

Brad,

P.S - I love the new pink ribbon on your picture.

Anthea - Glad you're wheels are turning and that you get this post! There have been quite a few of AR Gatherings across the Country, but it makes no sense (cents) why we don't do more locally. If all the members in your area have time to blog or don't, it doesn't really matter. In fact, we are missing out on the chance to work with the members who aren't very active on AR. What an opportunity to Network and refer each other business!

BTW - The pink ribbon is in support of a post I read by Sarah Cooper! Everyone needs to go Pink this month!!
It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Benjamin - thanks for that compliment. The time sacrificed doesn't compare to the rewards. Your comment being one of them! :-)

Ginger - that's what I mean, some people are seeing AR as the competitive place to be the featured Agent and just get tons of points. We do have to compete with ourselves every day, we should unite our strengths to strengthen our weaknesses. Meeting with other AR members is not only very advantageous, it's also very fun.

When I went to the Inman Real Estate Connect, it was awesome meeting people like Jeff Turner, Marlene Bridges, Gena Reide, Jeff Dowler, Laurie Manny, Sharon Simms, Jim Cronin, Brian Brady, Dustin Luther and so many others. These are the folks I wouldn't mind meeting with every week. So much knowledge and synergy, it's impossible to walk away and not be successful.

You're close enough that I would love to create a group that meets quarterly in both our areas. I'd love to exchange ideas, share successes in how we've survived ANY market, and refer each other business. What if a group like this could generate you 3-5 more transactions a year? Everyone would be doing them. I'm willing to put my neck out and give it a try. If you're interested, let's kick around some ideas, and get more members in our areas interested. I'm starting a program along these lines next week. :-)

Now we're going to start Blogging with each other in person, hmmm.... I think we'll call it Clogging! LOL!! :-)

Marlene - I love your comments here on my posts! I really do!! But it's nothing like the time when I got to meet you in person in San Francisco. I loved those comments and discussions SO MUCH MORE! Honestly, I would refer you business in a heartbeat! Meeting you in person gave me a sense of your Integrity and I could detect that you're very trustworthy.

I liked you on Active Rain already, but when I met you in person, I really became much more attached and felt more connected. This is exactly why I wrote this post. Meeting in person with those we blog and comment with all the time, changes the whole dynamic of social networking in my opinion. There's is nothing like the handshake, the look into another's eyes, and that hug goodbye. It's "Live" Blogging, that's all. You post and others comment. (We tend to say much more in person than we can ever type...LOL)

I truly hope that Blogging doesn't create a gap between the online communication and the REAL thing. We can get into such a comfort zone and be just plain lazy with our computer communication, but will that eventually make us socially inept or disabled? I'm gonna fight that whole theory, because I think it can! :-)

By The Way, what the heck does this word mean? haha

Notify me of new comments: What does the graphic say?

Thesa - WOW! Those are "Red Tie" words! LOL!

Thanks Thesa, I'm always happy to see your comments here. I wonder what will happen when I finally write a really controversial post here on AR. Just look at all these comments, I'm over 10,000 now and.....

Comments Received:
Comments Made:

6153

4178

Not one of them is negative or controversial in any way, guess I've just been lucky, thanks for contributing to the "Many Received" category! :-)

Jeff - sure wish I could refer or network you some business! You're not that far and with Internet, Email and Technology, I hope we'll get the chance to refer "each other" some business in the near future. You know I got your back anytime, anywhere. I think meeting you in person gave me a confidence about you that I could have never gotten just online.

I know if I can send you business, there's a higher "code of honor" we place on referrals from other AR members! I'm confident you'd take great care of any clients referred from any other Active Rain member or Affiliate. See? Meeting in person does have a greater impact on one's perception and impression of an individual. Your a good man in my book Jeff!

Dan - Sleep? What's that? Oh that thing they say you spend 1/3 of you entire life doing? Well, I guess I'll only be spending 1/4 compared to everyone else! LOL!!!!!

When I read your comment about carving out time. It reminded me to go get pumpkins for Halloween. It's a tradition every year. Then a stranger thing happened when another thought popped into my mind.

If I referred you some business, say a buyer or seller or investor. Would you take extra special care of their needs because I referred them? I think you would. Would the fact that I'm a fellow ActiveRainer put any additional accountability on your part? I think it would, Why? Because if you didn't take the "ULTIMATE" care of my referral, I'd put up a post on AR about you! :-O

All that to say this. The idea of meeting with other members is even more powerful knowing that our Active Rain Blogs will keep us all accountable. Nobody wants a bad post about them, on the contrary, what would a good and endorsing post on AR do for your business. Just some thoughts to ponder, and you had the lucky comment box! LOL! :-)

See how a lack of sleep makes one think? Not sure if that's good or bad! hahaha!!

Gotta love the Fab Four! This is a great post and is full of useful advice. This is indeed a great resource for those willing to use it.

OCT

2007

Danny - It's great to hear that AR has contributed to your success. I hope you continue to benefit from your efforts here.

Very true my friend, very true. An outstanding source for ANYONE in this industry and many aren't taking true advantage of it. Myself included..but I'll get there!

Beth - Active Rain is truly an incredible source for networking, business and referrals. I hope you'll find the time and a way to benefit fully from all the "power" here. You will get there, it doesn't take much!! :-)

Todd - I hope your meeting goes well with the other agent. It's great to see you both helping each other out! That's how it should be and that's what this post is all about. You're taking the first step and that's the one that really makes a difference. Best of luck to you, I'd love to hear how that works out for you both! Thanks.

Simon - Glad you're a fan of the "Fab Four!" Thanks for your compliment and this will be a great resource for you if you're willing to use it!! :-)

OCT

2007

Man Brad, just reading, absorbing and staying on top of your blog makes my headspin they are so chock-full of information, tips..... Thank you SOOOO much!

Janie - thanks! (except for the head spinning part) LOL! I have to stop my head from spinning long enough to write them! haha. :-)

OCT

2007

Bright - thank you, and some of the reward comes from comments like yours! Have a great day in return! :-)

NEWS-FLASH

We are starting an Active Rain Networking Group in our local area! We are bringing Active Rain members from inside the box, together outside the box and calling it the "Real Rain Network". We are meeting next week on Monday for the very first time to Network in person "LIVE" and take the Blogging and Social Networking to the next level. To "Bring It Home" as they say!!

I suggest that Active Rain members should do this in each of your areas, it's one thing to meet and like the people you encounter here online, it's another thing to meet them in person. It really does create opportunities to exchange ideas, challenges, marketing concepts, and referral business. Try it in your area, and join those of us who want to get more out of Active Rain than Blogging and Social Networking and the occasional business transaction.

Like the "Title" of this post, we want to make it REALTY REALITY!!