https://activerain.com/blogs/yoana en-us https://activerain.com/blogsview/12065/getting-your-name-known-for-free Active Rain                                                                                                                                                                                     Being on ActiveRain is a great tool for every realtor. For example: Let’s say you’ve sold a house in the past and that client is looking to get a hold of you. If he/she types your name in a search engine and you post or have a good ranking on Active Rain, your profile will come up for the website. Now all you have to do is make sure that your Active Rain profile is full of pertinent information, a link to your own website, and a contact number. Myspace.comMyspace.com is a great way to meet people and let everyone know what you do. I’m sure you will find at least one person already on there that you know. When you add them as friends and they go visit your profile, they will see that you do real estate (if they don’t already know) and now they say “Hey, I know someone in real estate, we used to go to college together”, etc… Wannanetwork.comThis is another website that is geared especially towards real estate agents and related fields (much like activerain). You get points and there’s even a guestbook to leave comments about yourself or to the person (although mostly used as advertising space). CustomizingYour profile should be unique but uniform on each site. If your company colors are blue and purple, make sure you try to incorporate those colors into all your profiles (you’d be surprised how much you can customize each area of your profiles). There are free editors for your myspace.com profile that are awesome! People like profiles that stand out and are interesting. Haven’t you ever stopped to read something because it just looked so weird or different than all the other ones? I do it all the time!  The great thing about these websites is they are all free and great for networking if you work them. However, it can get overwhelming and sometimes you forget all the places you have to post, etc… I’ve come up with a way to streamline this process. Set up a folder in your internet favorites specifically for the links to these websites. Group them all together. Then decide on a “visiting schedule”. All this means is set aside time every day or every other day (like 8:00 am every Tuesday and Thursday) to update and post, reply to other people’s posts, fix up your profiles, etc..  This way you’re not overwhelmed. Set up a folder on your desktop for ideas about things you would like to post or incorporate into your profiles (such as a new color scheme or link) so you can remember it next time you’re trying to come up with a topic. Outsource the work if you don’t have time. Let someone else post your daily blogs, update your profiles and add awesome html content to them. If you're not already on these websites, join and add me as a friend :) If you know of any other networking sites such as the one’s I’ve mentioned above, let me know! Yoana Pedroso (Advantage Virtual Support) Tue, 03 Oct 2006 04:58:01 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/12065/getting-your-name-known-for-free https://activerain.com/blogsview/8064/just-be-nice Last week I sent a letter about my company to some real estate agents here in town. When I called to follow up I was a little disappointed. These people are supposed to be the top agents in the area! Some of them have even won awards for being the best in customer service etc… Well, let me say this; after speaking to them, I would never refer those agents to anyone that I know or asked me for a referral.   There were a few however that were very kind and courteous in their response. They didn’t act rushed or tried to get me off the phone ASAP. One guy went as far to return my phone call and give me his e-mail address so I could keep in touch with him in case he ever needed my services.   But the agents I remember most were the ones that sounded very sour and rude! Do you think that when my husband and I are ready to buy our house we will call one of them, or do you think I will remember the guy that returned my call and took the time to listen? This agent backed up what his advertisements were saying, this is the sort of agent that I would vote for “Best Customer Service”.   Everyone needs a house or knows someone that knows someone that needs a house (condo, land, etc…). It only takes you a few extra seconds to make sure your voice is pleasant on the phone and that you’re not sounding rushed or impatient. Those are the small things that make you stand out from the crowd! And it’s a very large crowd!   Another experience, I sent a couple e-mails to some agents, one of them is right here in the town next to mine. She is one of the top agents here on ActiveRain. When I received her reply e-mail I could tell why. She wrote a wonderful, but short personalized message! It made her sound like a REAL person! Not just some other agent. Not only was her response great, but she had the ActiveRain rank to back her up. She is one of the highest ranked in the state of Florida.   As a business owner, I know that a lot of people may call and offer you services you may not be interested in, but it only takes the same amount of time to decline in a POLITE way that would still leave a good impression on the person. You never know who is a friend of who! Yoana Pedroso (Advantage Virtual Support) Tue, 12 Sep 2006 03:43:05 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/8064/just-be-nice https://activerain.com/blogsview/7903/realtor-safety-week This week (Sept. 10th -16th) is Realtor Safety Week. Here are some tips on how to stay safe;Don't meet with someone for the first time at a listing, always offer and meet with them at the office. A serious buyer isn't likely to say no, and this way you can also get some paperwork done (like their contact information and preferences). If you don't have a cell phone by now (highly unlikely) get one, or borrow one from a friend if your weary about the meeting. Make sure you have clear directions to and from the property. Double check them for accuracy. Get some mace :)Check to see if there are any pets on the property and if so that they are securely locked up. Call the owner before leaving and verify they locked up Killer. Trust your gut!For more information visit the Realtor.org website and type in "Safety. Yoana Pedroso (Advantage Virtual Support) Mon, 11 Sep 2006 04:33:40 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/7903/realtor-safety-week https://activerain.com/blogsview/6952/real-estate-niche--the-hispanic-community- The Hispanic population is steadily increasing and is the largest minority group in the US. There are many realtors that specialize in working with the Latino population. If your not one of them, now would be an excellent time to join them. Do you speak Spanish? Do you have someone on your team that speaks Spanish? Do you work with other Spanish speaking professionals (title companies, home inspectors, etc.)?If you're not fluent in the language, don't despair. With a winning personality and strong dedication you can still be successful. Consider hiring other Spanish speaking team members or agents. They can be in charge of translating the basics of the contract and answering any questions you might not be able to understand. Don't rely on the client's children to translate for you! The home buying/selling process includes terminology that they don't understand and have never used before (I know, from personal experience). Develop a list of Spanish speaking professionals that work with the home buying process; mortgage processors, title companies, home inspectors, and anyone else you regularly do business with. Start with a search on ActiveRain, see who is in your area that speaks Spanish, or ask other people for referrals. When choosing their real estate agent MOST Latinos will ask their friends and family for a contact name. What does this mean to you? You want them to refer your name! Make sure that you implement a sound marketing plan for your Hispanic clients. Keep in touch with them at least twice a year. A simple phone call on their house purchase anniversary date, a card or small gift for a special event (such as a birthday or Quinceañera*), are simple and very affordable ways to make sure they don't forget you! Like most Hispanics, if they liked buying their home through you, they will refer you to everyone they know!* Quinceañera- the Latino's coming of age celebration for young women. This event happens on their 15th birthday. It is a very important date with a huge celebration, almost like a mini wedding (the young lady will have a "partner" and wear a white or pink dress, there will be other "partner couples", etc...) You should definitely find out if your clients have any young daughters under the age of 15! When you send a small gift on this special date, they will ALWAYS remember you. Contact me if you would like some simple gift ideas!(This is a series of blogs that I will be posting about the Hispanic real estate niche.) Yoana Pedroso (Advantage Virtual Support) Tue, 05 Sep 2006 03:02:10 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/6952/real-estate-niche--the-hispanic-community- https://activerain.com/blogsview/6156/5-things-to-outsource-to-your-reva Pick one or more of the items below, give them to your virtual assistant, and watch how much time you can free up today! Your Contact List- once you hand over this information to your virtual assistant they can start keeping track of reminders, coordinate routine mailings, send holiday cards and special offers, organize them in relevant categories, and make life easier for you! Print out the list and put it in the mail, attach it in an e-mail, or fax it! Just Listed Mailing- just got a new listing? Call up your REVA (or send them an e-mail) and let them know, they will implement the postcard/flyer/letter mailing to your database (provided they have it).From postage to printing they will make sure it gets done and mailed ON TIME!FSBO- is your niche working with FSBO's? Why not let your assistant track them for you. They can clip out and e-mail or fax copies of all the FSBO's in the newspapers of your choice, contact them, send them your promotional materials, and more. They can even create a checklist to automate the steps taken with each FSBO and keep track of dates and deadlines. Update Your Listings- does your website have old listings? What about your Realtor.com listings? Your virtual assistant can keep track of ALL your listings and update them as often as needed. Plus, when one of them sells, she can also send out Just Sold postcards or flyers!Appointments- do you have a list of appointments with buyers and sellers? Let your virtual assistant know, she can schedule future appointments, confirm existing ones, and make sure everyone is on the same page! These are just a few ideas, your virtual assistant is virtually capable of doing any office help you need! Contact me if you have any questions about getting started in working with a REVA. Yoana Pedroso (Advantage Virtual Support) Thu, 31 Aug 2006 03:26:01 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/6156/5-things-to-outsource-to-your-reva