real estate: Ten Tips for Networking Your Way to More Referrals - 08/28/18 09:12 AM

We’re in the throes of prime networking season. Summer parties and industry events all provide real estate agents with opportunities to make connections and generate more business. Just like anything else, networking is a skill — one that many of us are uncomfortable practicing.
Below are 10 tips to help you network and garner more referral business like a pro.
1. Have a plan. Whether it’s committing to make three new connections or to meet one specific person, it’s important to decide what you want to get out of each event you attend. If you can get a list of attendees in advance, … (5 comments)

real estate: How to Find Success in Your Sphere - 06/07/18 11:13 AM

As a top performing agent, you don't need to be convinced that relationships are your most important asset. Yet, creating a day-to-day strategy to develop and maintain those relationships can be a real challenge.
Zvi Band, CEO/founder of the intelligent customer relationship management (CRM) platform, Contactually, recently joined us for a webinar to share the key steps of the CAPITAL strategy for relationship building, unique ways to add value and gain intelligence, and how to effectively leverage a database as your launchpad for growing and nurturing your sphere of influence.
Relationships still rule, but much has changed. Relationships in real estate have always … (9 comments)

real estate: Finding and Supercharging Your Squad - 03/22/18 09:10 AM

By Lisa Fettner 
I recently spent three weeks on the conference circuit reconnecting with old colleagues, making new friends and meeting potential business partners. All this networking got me thinking about “my squad” — the people in my life on whom I rely both personally and professionally for support and advice.
To borrow from Jim Rohn, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Squad members can change over time, especially if you move on to new industries or roles, but it’s important to have the following people around if you want to maximize your growth and … (0 comments)

real estate: 5 Things to Do Before 2018 - 12/01/17 11:39 AM

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we’ve officially entered the chaotic weeks leading up to the holidays – oh, and the end of 2017.
As we reflect on what we’re thankful for (i.e., our talented team, hardworking agents, incredible partners) and continue planning for next year, we’ve put together a few things you can do in the coming weeks to make 2018 even better than 2017.
1. Acknowledge who helped make 2017 a great year. This sounds simple, but who made this past year memorable for you? Perhaps it was your team, clients, family, friends, vendors, or referral sources. Make a list of these … (3 comments)

real estate: Increase Your Persistence (PQ) to Create a Great Business and Life - 06/22/17 08:41 AM

“How to stop resisting and start persisting.”
Are you looking for better balance and resilience in your personal and business life? If you nodded your head, keep reading. Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com and author of The PQ Factor, recently joined us to share how to stop procrastination, be more successful, live longer, increase your emotional resilience, and truly make your dreams a reality.
During the webinar, Bernice shared how to apply the seven steps of the PERSIST model to improve your business and your life, become more persistent by increasing your emotional resilience and "Walk in the solution" to get the best … (0 comments)

real estate: What Every Agent Needs to Know About Down Payment Programs - 04/27/17 08:32 AM

The biggest obstacle to home ownership is often the down payment — both for first-time and some move-up buyers. With rising interest rates and home prices that continue to grow, saving enough money for a down payment has become even more difficult.
Sean Moss, SVP, Director or Operations and Customer Support at Down Payment Resource recently joined us to share information about down payment programs, which agents can use to turn their sidelined buyers into homeowners.
Sean encouraged everyone to contact their mortgage partners and local housing agencies to learn about programs available in their specific areas. Agents can then promote these programs … (1 comments)

real estate: Drive Referrals from Your Vendor and Professional Network - 04/06/17 08:47 AM

Vendors and professional resources can be a huge source of referral opportunities — but you must keep yourself top of mind with both them and your clients. Rob Morelli, CEO and Co-Founder of HomeKeepr — a home vendor recommendation app that agents can customize and give to their clients — recently joined us to share tools and tips that help maximize the potential of your network precisely to increase your referral business. Rob, whose company helps homeowners discover the best home service pros in their communities through "local expert" recommendations, shared how to accomplish all of the following:
Generate the most … (0 comments)

real estate: Maximizing your lead gen ROI: 5 tips for lead management success - 04/05/17 01:42 PM

Converting purchased leads can be challenging and frustrating. Prospects don’t return phone calls or emails — and it’s often difficult to stand out from the digital crowd.
 
During this webinar, we reviewed five best practices for turning cold prospects into closed deals:
Help your leads get to know the “virtual you” It’s not about you (it’s about the needs of the lead) Provide instant gratification Be prepared to play the long-game Have a lead management plan
Your real estate business is bigger than you think.  
Watch the full webinar recording here. 
… (0 comments)

real estate: Key Findings from Our Referral Report - 03/29/17 10:03 AM

Agent-to-agent referrals are a foundational piece of the real estate industry. Back in January we released “The Real Estate Referral Economy” – a study on the power of real estate referrals, conducted in partnership with the Council of Residential Specialists (CRS). We surveyed 1,400+ top-performing agents nationwide to learn more about the impact of referrals on their business. The result is a deep dive into referrals, their value, the methods used to make or take successful referrals, and more.
Key findings from the report include:
Referrals aren’t purely important to agents for their monetary value. Many agents’ primary concern when referring out … (2 comments)

real estate: Webinar Recap: Learn How to Build Your Personal Brand - 03/16/17 08:45 AM

“…You, my friend, are a brand. Personal branding, by definition, is the process by which we market ourselves to others.” —Seth Price
Enhancing your personal brand can help take your business to the next level. Real estate writer and speaker, Seth Price, recently joined us for a webinar to share tips on how to create a personal brand in the complex world of digital media. When you think of Seth, you think of personal branding. For him, it’s the key to scaling a business, negotiating well, raising money and attracting new customers — yet you must build a reputation. Seth shared how … (0 comments)

real estate: How to Be a More Valuable Agent (And Drive More Clients!) - 03/09/17 08:53 AM

Your job as a real estate agent is to help clients sell or find their dream home. While your general guidance is likely valuable, there are many ways you can make yourself a greater asset to clients.
Providing more value is a win-win, because when clients are impressed with you, they’re more likely to share their experience with friends, refer your services, and leave a great review—all of which drive more business opportunities. The following three ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, but can be used by every agent, regardless of location.
Offer Advice for Buyers
You may have sold enough houses … (2 comments)

real estate: Webinar Recap: Grow Your Referral Business with Social Media - 02/23/17 10:16 AM

We live in a very visual and virtual world — something social media plays a big part in. Different social channels allow users to share candid views into their business, offer two-way engagement in a fun way, help reach audiences who haven’t engaged with you online, and easily communicate your company and value proposition. Our VP of Marketing, Lisa Fettner, recently hosted a webinar alongside Orlando Realtor® and ReferralExchange member, Nicole Mickle, to share how to strategically use social media to generate business-sustaining referrals. During the webinar, Lisa and Nicole covered the following: 
• Benefits of the most popular social channels
• Essential … (0 comments)

real estate: Inside the Real Estate Referral Economy - 01/11/17 09:50 AM

Referrals maintain a coveted spot in real estate. In our report, we examined how well referrals close, how much they're worth to agents, standard expectations for fees, and more.
 
We surveyed 1,400+ top-performing agents nationwide to learn more about the impact of referrals on their business. The result is a deep dive into referrals, their value, the methods used to make or take successful referrals, and more.
 
Get our new report, "The Real Estate Referral Economy" for a full look.
… (0 comments)

real estate: Nurturing Your Referral Network Online and Offline - 01/05/17 08:14 AM

“People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted referral. A trusted referral is the holy grail of advertising.” –Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
As a new year begins, it’s important to nurture your referral network in a variety of ways so that you continue to stay top-of-mind. Keep your contacts organized and updated in a Google drive or CRM to make your interactions with them more effective. Recording notes on each person such as when you last spoke with them and important details (e.g., dog lover, five kids) or notable dates (e.g., birthdays, relocation), will guide when and how … (1 comments)

real estate: Webinar Recap: Start Planning for 2017 - 11/28/16 11:27 AM

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” — Antoine De Saint Exupéry
With less than 40 days left in the year, it’s absolutely time to get ready for 2017. Real estate broker, writer, and speaker, Melissa Zavala, recently joined us for a webinar to share how to clearly define your vision and develop the success strategies necessary to create a game-changing business plan for 2017.
 
Melissa discussed how to:
• Set personal and professional goals you can achieve.
• Identify potential obstacles and how you can easily overcome them.
• Adjust your attitude to stay on track.
• Stay focused on the right things … (1 comments)

real estate: Webinar Recap: The Power of Giving - 11/02/16 01:30 AM
“The secret to happiness is: Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it.” –Dan DennettLast week we sat down with Caroline Pinal, co-founder of Giveback Homes, a company that empowers real estate agents to turn their everyday business into an opportunity for social change.
Caroline, who previously worked at TOMS, has always been passionate about making social giving a priority, and inspiring others to do the same. She shared how to:
 
Develop a social-giving plan that works for your business Identify giving partners Determine how much to donate Easily jump-start your giving efforts, no matter your resources Simply put, … (0 comments)

real estate: 6 Ways to Improve Listing Photos for More Engagement on Social - 10/27/16 02:31 AM

With the rise of digital marketing and demand for compelling visual content, real estate agents now have to use a wide variety of tactics to reach and engage with their audiences across all platforms. With a heavy reliance on visual images to sell properties, it makes sense that social media is now a great platform to circulate listings.
Without well-shot photographs and carefully crafted captions or hashtags, however, you’ll have trouble driving any real leads from social. Make the most of your efforts with these six tips, which will help improve your listing photos to increase social media engagement.
 
1. Check your … (2 comments)

real estate: New Kids on Your Screen: Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook Live & Periscope - 10/13/16 02:40 AM

“Choose your social channels based on what your clients – and future clients – are using.”
 
Our VP of Marketing, Lisa Fettner, recently spoke at the California Realtor® Expo and explained the value in embracing the new social media channels that have burst onto the real estate marketing scene. Lisa shared how these social platforms are expanding to touch all generations, and how you can easily integrate Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook Live, and Periscope into your everyday marketing.
 
Snapchat
Snapchat has 100 million users (60% of which are under 24) who spend an average of 19 minutes a day on the platform. While … (1 comments)

real estate: Webinar Recap: Content Marketing Works! - 10/06/16 01:22 AM

Yes, content marketing works! But it's hard, has many moving parts and doesn't play directly into a cold-eyed ROI analysis. That was the topic of our recent webinar with Paul Hagey – managing editor at T3 Sixty and founder of HageyMedia.  
 
Paul, who has years of writing and journalism experience, explained the importance of content marketing and shared its components, strategy roles, and goals.
 
Content Marketing
Simply put, content marketing is a strategic approach to creating and distributing information to attract a specific audience. It’s more important and powerful now than ever because consumer attention is very difficult to attract and maintain. … (0 comments)

real estate: Building #ForSocialGood: ReferralExchange Sacramento Build Day - 09/22/16 01:36 AM

Earlier this year, we announced our new partnership with Giveback Homes to help create social change through the real estate community. As part of this effort, we recently hosted a Sacramento Build Day with Giveback Homes and their build partner, Habitat for Humanity.
 
Forty of our employees volunteered to work across three job sites alongside Giveback Homes agents, Habitat for Humanity members and future home owners. We are incredibly proud of our volunteers who jumped right in and put their handyman skills to work. And we’re especially grateful to Giveback Homes for organizing an amazing day of giving back to our community.
 
Here’s … (0 comments)