Here are my top 10 most notable points of Inman Connect through my eyes.
10. Social Media is the new "Big Thing": Not that I'm unfamiliar with social media. I'm familiar. I just wasn't as wired in about social media as I probably should be. For example, I've had a twitter.com account for awhile now but simply "didn't get it"...until after one of the sessions yesterday. I hopped on hoping to be hit in the head with why so many people like it so much....and then...a twitter...tweet...whatever from Desiree Daniels with her phone number so we could meet. Thanks Des....I finally get it. That on top of a number of other social media options were also discussed like meetup.com. Social media has taken over the "hot topic buzz". Last year it was all about blogging and that is how I found Active Rain.
9. Nobody To Somebody In One Short Year: Last year I came to Connect knowing two people both of whom were from Naples, Florida. I remember rushing through hallways feeling exhilarated and overwhelmed about all the information I was taking in but uncomfortable in a hotel full of strangers. Due to my involvement with Active Rain, I had the opportunity to meet people I feel like I've known for years although I really had never "met" them at all. It was so great to meet members of the Active Rain gang and absolutely amazing how I could go from invisible to recognizing and "knowing" people around every corner. VERY COOL!
8. So Many Websites, So Little Time: As usual, we were exposed to all sorts of websites and companies we were encouraged to check out. Here's a short list:
- www.wufoo.com
- www.yelp.com
- www.twhirl.org
- www.friendfeed.com
- www.clicktail.com
- www.frontdoor.com
- www.shadowstats.com
- www.chumby.com
- www.urbanmapping.com
7. There were some terrific, smart and talented speakers and panelists featured throughout the entire Connect still making Connect the best thing you can attend if you have anything to do with real estate.
6. Matt Fagioli with Diamond Dwelling Realty is building a company based primarily around smart agents who know how to blog...a new and different business model. He seemed like a very intelligent and nice guy with a smart concept and came across as someone you might want to work for should he have an office in your locale. You might keep your eye on this guy if you're thinking about a change.
5. Lennox Scott, CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate still ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS!!! Dang this guy is a class act. If you're thinking about a change in that market, you might consider working for them. That company is AWESOME! You can tell he's still a little anxious about blogging but respects his agents and you can tell how much he does when you hear him speak......unlike my next point.
4. A Co-Chairman, Co-owner of a prominent real estate company in Scottsdale, Arizona showed his ignorance by beginning his spill with something to the effect of, real estate agents shouldn't blog because we don't know how to spell and we can't type and we're all basically stupid and ended it with something to the effect of, nobody is choosing an agent because of their blog which makes me laugh because I personally know one agent who sells real estate in Scottsdale, Arizona and I would not only trust him with every lead I can find for him but he would be the ONLY person I would work with in Scottsdale, Arizona and by the way that person is Paul Slaybaugh and no, he doesn't work for that guy's company and yes, I know him because of his blog here on Active Rain. That coupled with the people who chose me and bought something through me because of my blog reminds me that it doesn't really matter what you do for a living or what you're part owner in, you still don't always know it all.
3. Currently there are over 100 3D movies being filmed right now that will be released to 10,000 movie theaters within the next 18 months and Ray Ban is currently manufacturing a groovy little pair of glasses which you can view them on. They're also working on technology coming at a later date that will allow you to punt the glasses....Oh yeah, there's also already over a million t.v. sets that have sold which will allow you to download some software on your t.v. that will allow you to watch 3D t.v.
2. A great way to figure out a password that's secure and easy to remember on all of these new sites you're signing up for is: Take a part of the website address for example, the last 3 letters of the domain name you're on and add a number and voila, every time you log onto that site, you know what the first part of your password is and now all you need is that same magic number you use on all your sites.
1. If you don't know what your client wants, you will not get them closed. I had the chance to hear lots of pitches from lots of people. One person in particular did a great job assuming he knew what I needed and what I wanted to hear. He was wrong. He missed me with his pitch and I didn't buy. I encourage those who may have forgotten to ask your questions first...find out what your customer needs and then close. That's how we get stuff sold. That's how we provide a service.
I hope you enjoyed my recap. I would've put more links up but for whatever reason, that's not working tonight. I think it's my browser.
Best Regards,
Your Naples Smart Girl!
Okay....I'll learn more yet....some stuff I just don't get....I'm going to check out some more stuff :) Nice talking to you for those few short minutes...sorry...I just couldn't hear well above the noise. That Tom....he calls me everywhere he goes to meet AR people ...gotta hug him :)