relationships: Auto-Reply Emails - Who Are You Trying To Impress? - 11/07/07 06:07 PM
Why are self aggrandizing auto-reply emails so prevalent?When email updates are sent to our clients, we receive thousands of automated replies in return.
Most of them are used to indicate they've received the email or are on vacation. Some of them (way too many), tell us the real estate agent is doing something like "helping someone achieve the dream of homeownership," or "busy with another client." This is true even when we've sent the email in the middle of the night. These are hard workers.
Did someone give a seminar somewhere that said consumers appreciate these chest-thumping automated messages? The numbers … (117 comments)

relationships: How The Sight Of Underwear Brought Me To Tears - 09/19/07 04:15 PM
Some People Just Get Relationships.I flew to Omaha Monday to give a Web 2.0 presentation. The invitation to do so was extended by Nate Dodge and Mike Riedmann of NP Dodge Real Estate. They are tremendous hosts and organized a great showing at the Omaha Marriott. After the presentation, I went back to their main office to meet with their residential real estate management team, including Jodee Drake-Soto and Robert Wiebusch.
When I walked into the conference room, there was an NP Dodge backpack sitting on one of the chairs. Mike said it was for me, "just a thank you," he … (71 comments)

relationships: 200,000 Points And Nothing But Great Relationships To Show For It - 08/07/07 06:30 PM
I stopped caring about the points a long time ago.It didn't take long to realize the the real value of this network went far beyond having my face move up the rankings. It's too simple to rack up meaningless points for that to even be a challenge, and lots have written about how to do that, so the points soon lost their appeal.
That's not to say the points don't matter. That's is clearly not true. The only folks who say points don't matter on ActiveRain are those who already have a lot of points. I'm not going to join that … (83 comments)

relationships: Why ActiveRain Is Working Even When It Feels Like It's Not - 02/07/07 04:46 AM
Years ago I read a book that changed the way I looked at leadership and my business. I can remember the first time I read it like it was yesterday. I was on an airplane from New York to Los Angeles. Bill Leider had suggested I read it in preparation for some of our sessions on vision and values.
I remember getting through the first chapter and feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. My business decisions had never been traditional. The rules and processes that seemed to govern other businesses didn't make any sense to me. And … (66 comments)

relationships: Make It Personal: No, There's No Template To Follow - 12/06/06 05:17 AM
I am new to the blogging world. I guess you could call me a "late blogger." But I've been reading other blogs for a good long time. I know what I like when I see it. Apparently, what I like is not unique to me. There are some common elements to a successful blog that apparently lots of people are attracted to. The one element that is common among all the myriad of different styles of writing and topics for discussion is this, the ones that allow us to see into their personal life, the ones who have found a voice … (52 comments)

relationships: Reach Your Buyer's Network of Family & Friends - 11/29/06 06:11 AM
You know there is no way to guarantee that your clients are going to run and tell their friends and family about you... no matter how great of a job you do for them on either side of the real estate transaction. You can't force them to do it. But on the buyer side there is a way to insure that they will email their friends. Create a "just moved" presentation about their new home. Do it in an evocative way. Make it emotional. 
Here's a fact. I've never purchased a home that, at the time, I wasn't proud of. I look … (21 comments)

relationships: Connect With Your Family & Friends - 11/29/06 01:54 AM
There has been a rash of Blog posts in the past 24 hours about your friends and family network.
I wrote this post a few weeks ago for my other Blog, but thought it would be good to share it here. I apologize for any self-promotion, but I'm not sure how to share this concept and the Realtor's comments without being somewhat self serving. Obviously, you can use other tools besides ours to accomplish the same goals, as long as those tools allow you to brand yourself as a Realtor in a way that seems natural. That's extremely important.
Whenever we speak … (22 comments)