business tips: Andy's 10 Commandments of Closing the Sale...Part III - 11/18/08 05:33 AM
If you've missed the first 2 installments, Click Here
#6: Thou Shalt Be a Shining Beacon For Our Industry
The general public is a little leary about the real estate market right now, and it is up to us to reassure them that it is STILL a great time to buy a house. One of the ways we can do that is by staying on top of REAL market statistics, trends, and variances. Today I went to a women's networking group here in Orlando. It is not a real estate group, just a general topic group. One of the ladies saw … (1 comments)

business tips: Cool Olympic Success Lessons & Curiosities - 08/12/08 08:56 AM
(Drum-Roll Please...)
How 'Bout Team USA!
Are you watching the Olympics? I've been watching some, and I've learned a few interesting things:
(first of all, you can watch EVERYTHING live and recorded at www.NBCOlympics.com)
1. In soccer, statistically, the other team is more likely to make a goal in the 5 minutes after you make a goal. Do you think that's a technical fact? or do you think that's a mental thing... "Oh no, they scored, we better kick it up a notch and score one on them!" So let's apply that in our business: "Susie Realtor had 3 closings last … (0 comments)

business tips: Weekend Update (Rentals, Olympics, and Richard Flint) - 08/09/08 08:33 AM
I couldn't wait to tell you, because I am SOOO EXCITED and I wanted you to help me celebrate!  Ready?Wait for it!As of Today, I am at 100% occupancy on all of my rentals!Yep, I filled my last vacancy today!  I haven't been at 100% since OCTOBER! (Yes, Florida has been a little tough!)Yayyyyy!How did I do it?  A whole lot of dedication and tenacity!  It was a whole lot of attitude of "I'm going to get them filled no matter what!"Here's the thing...there are other vacancies on the same street? Why is mine now full when other units aren't?Why are … (2 comments)

business tips: "Kiss"ing Tips for Realtors - 07/22/08 03:19 PM
Did I get your attention with my Subject Line today?  "Kiss"ing Tips"Well first of all, get your mind out of the gutter!  What I was talking about is a quote from KISS Guitarist, Paul Stanley on an interview by Donny Deutsch on "The Big Idea" on MSNBC last night.  The whole show was about overcoming obstacles and how people have overcome hardship to be wildly successful.  Here's the quote:"Obstacles are what you see when you lose sight of your goals"Pretty deep from a rock star, eh?
 
Just thought you'd like a different perspective!
 
ROCK ON!
 
Andy
 
P.S. … (9 comments)

business tips: How's Your "elevator pitch"? - 07/22/08 03:06 PM
30 Second Infomercial Revisited
You may know that I am a big proponent of having a strong "Elevator Speech" or "30 second Infomercial" basically that is how you answer the question: "What do you do?" Today I want to revisit this topic for a few minutes and really get you to stop and think...how would YOU answer the question, "What do you do?"
Really, write it down quickly on a piece of paper...go on, I'll wait. Got it? Good.
Now look at what it says. If someone ELSE had just told you that exact same thing, would your response (with your … (2 comments)

business tips: Do you know where 70% of your business comes from? And how to grow it? - 07/18/08 09:10 AM
According to a 2004 report from the Federal Bureau of Labor, 70% of our new business comes from some sort of networking, and yet many real estate professionals just aren't very good at it.  Right here on AR there are examples of people that have taken their networking skills online and EXPLODED with it, and others that struggle and wonder what all the fuss is about.
As I travel all over Florida and meet with Agents, one of the biggest things I hear is they want more business!  I'm also shocked when I find out that only a handful of them … (0 comments)

business tips: Marketing Lessons from the Beer Booth at the Sanford Fireworks! - 07/08/08 09:34 AM
Marketing Lessons from the Beer Booth at the Sanford Fireworks!
OK, every year Tim & I volunteer OUR 4th of July to work a beer-booth as a fundraiser for the Sanford Rotary group. Every year, we work our tails off, because EVERYONE loves an ice cold Bud on a hot July day.
Except this year. Our booth was DESERTED!!! No buyers! Lots of Sellers (us volunteers)! Felt kind of like the real estate market. The ironic thing? Out of 3 couples assigned to our booth (6 people), 4 of us are in real estate! Ha Ha :) :)
At first we … (2 comments)

business tips: "Due to the economy, we've lowered prices" - 05/22/08 01:30 PM
Yep, that's what I just saw on a billboard at an oil-change place...
"Due to the economy, we've lowered prices"
THAT'S TOTALLY THE WRONG THING TO DO!
I know that this post is going to get some comments, both agreeing and disagreeing, and that's what makes America, America.  We can disagree and we're still OK!
Lowering prices is NOT what we need to do to stir the economy, in fact, every time a seller lowers their list price on their house, they are MAKING THE REAL ESTATE MARKET WORSE!
I would rather see a billboard that says "To make your car … (8 comments)

business tips: What Image is your Email Address Sending? - 04/28/08 07:41 AM
What Image is your Email Address Sending?   bobsdad @ yahoo.com ... realestateguy72 @ hotmail.com ... sexychick @ Aol.com  What message are you sending every day as you email potential clients, hand out business cards, and pay good money for advertising?  Everyone knows that they are free email services, so right off the bat they know you won't invest in your own business, and the "sexychick" one speaks for itself...(what business ARE you trying to promote, anyway?)  I often mention this in my trainings, and I often get questions from you about HOW to set it up, and how expensive is … (1 comments)