In real estate, there's an age old axiom: Always Be Closing! Generations upon generations of agents have been trained to orient their mental compass - and therefore their actions - towards that closing North. Even, arguably the best book on residential real estate, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, makes a similar point when Gary Keller talks about the need to focus on "dollar producing activities". All else is a waste of time. If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense.

Show me the money.

Skip forward to a room full of  veteran real estate agents attending a conference on social media marketing. The question arises every single time. It might come in different packaging, but it's ultimately the same question.

How many blog posts do I need to write to get a client?

What's your ROI for Twitter?

Made any money out of this Facebook stuff yet?

Exactly how is Linked In going to help sell my Northwest Houston listing?

When it comes to social media marketing, the Always Be Closing approach is a self administered poison pill. It's the approach that leads you to alienate your social prospects (if you will) by spamming them with incessant sales pitches and links to your listings. Let me save you some time. You will never be able to figure out how many tweets it takes to get a sale. Or how many Facebook friends you need to book to get a referral. This is NOT a number's game.

It is an involvement game. An engagement game.

This is an invitation to change your thinking much in the same way that social media will change the way people select who they do business with in the future. And the future is now. Unlike any other medium in the history of the world, social media provides you with a window into the real lives of people but in return provides them with a courtside seat into your life. Show them your passions, your personality and your expertise and they will let you know when it's time. Twitter is not a sales call  - It's an investment. Facebook is not an appointment - It's a casual lunch at a local cafe. Social media is not a brochure. It's a panoramic view of your life.

Change the way you approach social media. And your business will flourish like you cannot begin to imagine.

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