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Let The Information Flow Through You and PULL Clients To You.

It's an interesting internet world these days. To say the times are changing is a reality that's understated. To say that information moments are changing each and every day is closer to the truth.

Illusions are becoming echos of the past. Illusions have been the reality of real estate for over a decade. Look where we all are now.

The freedom of information online is not a deterent to business, but when artfully executed, it is a moneymaker. If you are just getting started in social networking and blogging I want to encourage you to let the information flow freely. If you have been online awhile and have not reaped the benefits of your work this may just be where your stumbling.

The first blogger who schooled me on the importance of giving free information online was Missy Caulk of Ann Arbor Michigan. One of the first posts I read was a post Missy wrote about what she included in her pre-listing presentation. I read this post and my jaw literally hit the damn floor.

I couldn't believe it. Missy was giving away some prime storefront property. Real estate agents whom I had spoken to for the past 17 years had always been so protective of their marketing information. They never wanted me to sell my advertising to their competitors, but they always wanted to be where their competitors were. I shook the disbelief welling inside of my eyes. A smile started to creep unto my face as a wave of refreshing tranquility seeped through me. What a great way to do business was all I could think.

Let the information flow through you and pull clients to you.

conversation When I first got started blogging my writing was stiff. The sheer task of getting up every morning and writing felt like a 60 lb. weight was tethered to my back. My first month or two was literally painful and each post that I kicked out felt vaguely reminiscent of the birthing process of my three children minus the wonderful miraculous results at the end.

My posts were stale, boring, and completely lacking of any unique flavor. I did have a coach who had been encouraging me to follow the crowd.

I realized that the more rehearsed I sounded the less I liked what I wrote. The more I tried to write what other people wrote about and how other people wrote, the more labored my blogging became.

One day I jotted down a few notes during a small epiphany I had while playing monopoly with my children. I realized that I could use the same process I had for creating my marketing ideas as I could for creating topics for my posts. The process became easier and a few months later I wrote one of my favorite posts Ever.

I came to understand that expressing myself freely was being the best blogger that I could be.

The more I wrote the more rhythmic I became. The more I treated blogging as a conversation the more likely my readers were to engage. I liked to talk, but I really started to love listening.

My blog readers' conversation, without a doubt, is better than my initial posts could ever be. Web 2.0 it's about you, it's not about me.

If free flowing information is the vein of a blog, then listening is the blogger's life blood. The Art of listening makes or change breaks the most well planned and successfully executed marketing strategy. In the end, if you are not listening you lose touch with your clients, your mission, your focus and your purpose.

You lose site of what interactive means on the web. Stop pushing and start pulling.....let go.

I also came to a point where it became increasingly difficult to tolerate views that were opposed to change. As a blogger I had begun to take a journey and I learned that even though I was taking that trip there were those that refused to ride with me. The lip service grew to a point where I could no longer be transparent and continue on my cluetrain.

I ended up changing venues and continuing my ride and surrounding myself with like company.

I've said it before and I will say it again, let the information flow through you and pull clients to you. Blogging is YOUR journey.

Blogging Posts

listening DIY Real Estate Professionals have fun. Real Estate Professionals already using a marketing consultant feel free to share these ideas with your advisor.

Real Estate Professionals in general- Here's an open invitation to get to know me.

My email address
My phone number #262-203-5231
My DM on Twitter- @rebeccalev

Or read my posts until I have piqued your curiosity.

I don't have any plans to blog tomorrow. I do have plans to spend the day listening.

***********************************************************************************************

Looking to hone the inner blogging voice in you? Seeking a focus in your blogging efforts that incorporates social media marketing? Real Skillz is on the case. Visit the Real Skillz Blog Tune-Up Program.

You can also Call #262-203-5231 or email rebecca@realestateskillz.com for more information.

Posted by Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant on 01/21/2009 02:56 PM

Comments (79)

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79 Comments on Let The Information Flow Through You and PULL Clients To You.

JAN

2009

Rebecca,

When you face your market, I am sure the market smiles back!

Steve

Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant- I have been blogging for almost two years now and I am still haven't gotten this thing down pat yet. However,I do feel that I have improved as a blogger here on Active Rain. And as long as I keep reading more blogs,I will continue to get better. This post should be featured. Great post.

Wow! I am a newer blogger and I am impressed with this and what you can do! I have to get learning more......fast! Thanks!

Rebecca

You would be suprised that when you give back more the public actually calls you first. I think we are of the age where information is more accessible, and we want them to call us for help

Tom

Rebecca,

You would be proud of me. I have been doing what you suggested and that is keep a note pad and when I have an idea, jot it down. --- worked for me yesterday and today in writing my blogs.

You make a lot of great points in this blog including not being afraid to share your knowledge with others.

Thanks.

Liz

Sounds like you find your voice to me Rebecca. I want you to know I like that voice:)

Wow Rebecca, just the title is powerful. Then yo get to the content! Great job! Thank you!

Anything and everything can trigger a blog for me - I do get a legal pad in several spots & start writing in lines, waiting rooms etc. I share freely as I have learned much from others and pass on the favor.

very nice - I have seen my blogging change, too, but I am not there yet:)

Great post, I totally relate to your journey, I'm still working on coming into my own but I'm definitely starting to really enjoy and embrace blogging.

I think that I'd have to dig really, really, really, really (get the picture?) deep to find a post where you don't sound like "you", Rebecca. It's a journey getting to that point in blogging, and you are blazing a trail.

Rebecca,

I tell you what your blogs have come along way from being "stiff"

One consistent in life, CHANGE HAPPENS!!

Ha, I kept getting emails today from people asking for this. I couldn't figure out what was going on as the post was sorta old. Then someone mentioned Rebecca Levinson sent me here. Thank you for the mention of that post and your kind words. I have emailed that out so many times. I am glad to share. Most of the time when I speak I know most people never follow through so I just let it fly. LOL

I would recommend an internal blog and not one on a subdomain for best search results and traffic - check out www.imoria.com

I like your approach. I feel like just trying to say what I want and let people know the truth they will pick me. I just need to get the message out to enough people.

Thank you all. I am going to back tomorrow morning to reply to your comments individually, but not me time means sleep time.

JAN

2009

Steve-I sure hope so 'cause I face my market daily.:-)

Lanre- After awhile the practice of writing becomes the primary growth factor. Reading is such a great listening tool.

Steve- It is truly a journey- A NeverEnding Story, if you will.

Tom- Not surprised at all. Most of my first contacts now have engaged me, not the other way around. Though I still do take the initiative in some cases because calls and face to face is important.

Liz,

I am proud of you and I am seeing the voice that you have on your inner office blog shine through to your Active Rain Blog. That voice is strong, creative, and unique. I look forward to reading more from you.

Bill- I admit, I did find my voice because I hung in and did some soul searching. I've never been one to be concerned about what other people are doing anyway.

Thank you I like your voice too and your willingness to share is fantastic.

Evelyn- Thank YOU. I didn't forget about the meme, btw:-)

Hi Rebecca - Having an on-line presence is important to marketing your brand and connecting with other professionals and potential clients. Thank you for your post; you have made some great points!

Kathleen- I agree that with time, blogging ideas just seem ready to spring from all the corners of your world.

Courtney- I am still continuing to grow and I think it will always be this way.

Meris- It doesn't really start out easy for most, does it?:-) But it then becomes a pleasure to write when you stick with it.

Lisa, You always know just the right things to say:-) BTW thanks for your recent updates about situations in New Orleans....I do wonder about the state of New Orleans today sometimes.

Larry- Had you spoken to me nearly 2 years go I wouldn't have been so sure this was a point I would be getting to. Honestly.

Marchel- You've got that right.

Missy- Thank you for so willingly sharing. It's funny what you said, I just said something very similiar in a recent seminar that I gave to r.e. professionals on community building. I told them there are three kinds of people in life

ones who don't know how to to find the information
Ones who read the information but don't act.
Ones who read the information and act.

It's funny that you said that in this post, because I think at the same time I had made a reference to your willingness to share information online.:-)

imoria- I have been to your site and on your blog. What is your name?

Mike- Keep writing in your voice and syndicate your content.

Jon- Online Marketing is essential to your brand. Absolutely it is:-)

Thanks, Rebecca. You continually impress me with the content of your blogs. I am amazed at how the tide has turned to social networking and how more and more people are accessing the blogging community to get ideas out there. It makes sense that realtors need to reach out there as well.

Rebecca good for you- blogs can be a reflection of not only how we were but what we are becoming

Very Zen post, Rebecca. It's great. Thanks.

Thanks for the blog information! I hope you are doing great!

Rebecca, Zig Ziglers most famous line is "Help enough other people get what they want and eventually you will get what you want" Suzie Orman is a prime example of this. She tells you to buy her program and copy it and give it to all your friends. I think it has worked for her in a big way. Keep up the great work you are doing!

Rebecca - I might have to say that this is the best post yet... You just earned another subscriber.

Thanks, Rebecca. Positive people breed positive outcomes. Sharing information is a great way to draw people towards you.

Hi Rebecca, I really support ( and practise ) your premise of providing in-depth info to future customers !

Hi Rebecca, great blog on Let the information flow through you and pull clients to you. thanks for sharing.

Rebecca- "Nice Post" LOL :) Seriously what I like the absolute best is that although someone told you to do some cookie-cutter blogs, you realized they didn't work for YOU. None of us are the same, and I listen to the people (read blogs) that are real. I like to hear what someone has to say, whether I agree with it or not.

Like you, I was amazed when I started Blogging that people shared information so freely. This has always been how I work, but not how my Broker trained me. I love Blogging because I can be myself, and anything I have to share, I will.

I am so glad you grew into your blog :)

Rebecca, the great thing about change is that it keeps us on our toes.

What a way you have with words Rebecca.

You have this great way of capturing your audience with your blog posts !

... I love your message here, and I am going to tie it into my post this afternoon. Fabulous post !

Nice blog, and it reminds us to be more expressive yet to the point.

Rebecca,

You're absolutely right, positivity and honesty draws people in unlike anything else out there.

It's not only great for business but does wonders for your social life as well. People will feed off your enthusiasm and positive energy and, in turn, leave feeling better than they did coming to you.

Rebecca--You have always had a nice blogging voice...It has just become stronger and your own. :)

I am new to the blogging thing and excited about getting started but wasn't sure where to start. Thanks for posting this. I am glad I am not the only person who needed a little push.

Rebecca- Since attending your seminar last week, I have posted one personal blog. Understanding the need for transparency with people and letting them get to know to attract potential clients to you.

Love this post. I am still in between finding "myself" in my blogging. I have noticed a change and it is getting to be more me, but still is a little off..... I am sure with time it will change more to "me". I hold back a lot of times from putting something out there - I do believe in the sharing - and I am right there to share what works for me or doesn't or pretty much anything because that is how I am. I also believe that it is ok to share because even with marketing it would be unique to an individual. I love reading your blogs because to me your voice "dances" on the page with your words. Thanks Rebecca. I look forward to hearing your voice many more times!

Rebecca,It is true, my favorite posts have been the ones from my heart.. .(I like to call them mental Vomits) where you truly share what you know and what you enjoy!

Great advice Rebecca! Letting go and finding your own voice is quite the task! You have done a great job of letting go and are now able to express yourself and teach through your blogging voice.

Dear Rebecca,

Great post! I am still waiting for my Muse to gift me with a good blogging song!

Barbara

In our marketplace, if the information isn't readily available on the Internet, in brochures, etc., customers will jump to the next company site or storefront to get the information they seek. Only when we have a client do I begin to breath easier that we may have something viable...

thanks for the info you have really good points I need to work on myself

Rebecca, you have certainly found your voice and it's one that I like listening to. Your posts and our chats have become such a source of inspiration to me and something I have come to depend on (no pressure though, LOL). Truly you have a gift for getting me/us thinking and I continue to look forward to learning more from and with you. ~Anne Marie

Pauline- People do want to connect with other people. It is a human need.

Allison- My blogging really has been a lesson on growth for me personally as well.

Real Estate One- Zen, thanks I'll take that.

Team Honeycutt- Thank you and yes I am doing fantastic:-)

Rick- Thank you I appreciate it.

Debbie- Thank you for your readership. Those are the numbers I value:-) I love a great conversation.

Cheryl-There is no doubt about that. That's why some marketers just fail.....u gotta wonder about the information:-)

Bill- We will all have more in depth information and ideas to share...so why not give. You have to give to get what you want. Glad you join this logic.

Otis- Thank you I really enjoyed writing it.

Kathy- Thank you. You know I really like your voice and style. Your series on Mondays and tuesdays is truly unique. Like you say, this is the way I have lived, sold, and marketed for so long and so when I really understood bloging and social networking it was like,

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.

It's really exciting.

Danny- change breathes life into things.

Sheldon- Thank you...I would hope you would say that if we were talking. I like to talk on my blog. I am glad people come and talk with me.

Charlie- To BE YOU. Pretense is gone. There's no one out there with a measuring stick and if there is they don't truly understand blogging and social media.

Donna- <<<SMILE>>>>>

Teri- Glad you've been here with me:-) I know your hat tip was really encouraging for me. Thank you.

Steve- You won't end up being sorry to have spent the time invested in blogging.

Kim- That is so good to hear. Clients want to know, like and trust us and they want to get a good dose of this before they do the phone or face to face traditional stuff. A blog is a great way to get to know us. that's why I think it's important that it is our unique voice on the blog, not a ghost....but I have already written that post.

Valerie- Thank you and when I just read that I felt like you were speaking to me....so your voice is coming out...be encouraged and continue, there's no end to this...you just keep growing.

Robert- LMAO- mental vomits.

Well that's transparent and very visual:-)

Terrie- I love my job....I love being able to further my skills and adding blogging and social networking to my forray. It's empowering to help others empower themselves. LET FREEDOM RING.

k, I can be a drama queen, but I DO MEAN IT:-)

Barbara- Hmmm...that's very poetic. I think your muse found your song.

Weichert REALTORS- Yes because it's not about the information, it's about the knowledge, how to use the information to make decisions and it's about relationships.

Andrea- I am sure you will find other things too because it is your journey...your own special unique journey.

Ann Marie- Can I just say ditto? o.k. Ditto:-)

If you are not willing to give the FREE information... your prospect will go some where else to find what they are looking for.

Rebecca - You are just full of features from the AR Gods and another wonderful blog. Keep up the great work young lady!

Rebecca -- Wonderful post! I am still a little stiff with my writing and haven't quite found my style yet, but it is getting a lot easier than it was 6 months ago.

Congrats on your Feature!

Great blog....you make it sound so easy! I am trying...but lately it i just getting the time to do sit down and log on to AR. But, busy is good!

JAN

2009

Rebecca, I really feel like we need to be conduits and in letting information travel from one blogger's post to someones notebook is a wonderful thing. After all, Activerain's foundation is based upon this very concept. Take care and happy blogging!

Everything now can trigger a blog, we think about it all the time. Funny thing, life can be so interesting! Thanks for the great post and good luck, we'll look forward to more great blogs from you!

Awesome post - you have the "flow" down!

Rebecca, Thanks for sharing a little more of your journey. I read repeatedly here on AR that the focus needs to shift from how great we are to what the consumer needs.

If anyone allows fear to block their motivation...the flow will be dammed forever..blog on !

Rebecca, The Mental Vomit has always been my writing style... when I just let go and type away... I think the more appropriate way of saying it is "stream of consciousness" But I am going to stick to "mental vomit" I like that better!

Hey Rebecca- this is so true, what is the point of hoarding info anyway... share... the odds are small that a Realtor down the street for you would have found some fantastic piece of info out and beat you to a client.

Roland- Too true.

Robert- Keep calling me young lady and I just might. It's refreshing to hear being a mom of three children. I love when I get asked for ID when I order a glass of wine with dinner.

Kerry- Practice eases the blogging soul.

Sonya- Busy is good. Break up your blogging time- slot a chunk of time/day or per week to blog.

Jason- Really good point.

Jim- It is a journey and part of how you live really.

Marzena- Thank you....I like flowing now, so much easier than in the beginning.

Barb- Pull not push. Exactly right.

Sally and David- Fear is not a word that I like to entertain.

Robert- LOL, that's funny.

Eugenie- Hoarding is dated and overrated.

Rebecca,

Wow! Great post and congratulations on your featured post. Great advice and tips. I like your wordings!

2 features in a row! Congrats! I'm so proud of you Rebecca - I've watched your posts develop over time......as you honed your skills and knowledge and created your own special voice........and its been amazing! :-)

Nice post, that is the hardest part for me is letting the writing flow. Thanks for the great tips.

JAN

2009

Rebecca-Thank you for this post! I'm still finding my voice on AR and you hit home with some very good food for thought! I try and jot things down to blog about so I don't lose my big idea!

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Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant

Lake Geneva, WI

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Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision

Address: Lake Geneva, WI, 53147

Office Phone: (815) 219-0691

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