I learned a few things about Facebook last week. First, the behemothth most of us have come to know, is now valued at 33 billion dollars. It is also the largest photo sharing website in the country. But I also learned that a good friend is engaging in something I can only refer to as *Extreme Facebooking.*
A little background. My friend Traci is in her early 20's, a recent college grad, a lender, and has friended close to three thousand people. To say she is ambitious for someone her age is an understatement. Politics, not banking, is her ultimate goal, and while I, and most of my friends, were spending most of our early 20's on the popular 6th Street here in Austin, she is meeting congressman, police chiefs and bank presidents. Some of these folks are bebefriended through conventional means- luncheons, speeches, chamber of commerce kind of stuff. But most of these contacts are achieved by implementing an aggressive Facebook campaign.
After my initial reluctance, I came to appreciate Facebook for what it is a few years ago. Contacting old friends is pretty cool, setting up reunions, and adding some folks here and there, that I meet is fun. Traci takes an entirely different approach. When you start out in a challenging business, in a challenging time, at a challenging age, you have to get a little creative. She pulled names of real estate agents in town, used some deductive reasoning to see who she thought might be successful, and simply requested their friendship. She then gave it a few days, and offered a coffee or lunch invite.
I just happened to be one of those folks, and listened to her pitch thirty minute pitch- which turned in to an hour. Long story short, I sent her a small deal that another lender couldn't do, and she closed it in less than 30 days. She answered her phone on weekends, and frankly called, emailed, and texted me and my clients, as often as most lenders would for three transactions. Communication is extremely valuable, so I was sold. Traci gets my referrals, and I know several other agents have become Facebook buddies/referral sources, as well. This doesn't take in to account the refi's from adding her parents friends, the business contacts, or the long list of political and media types that she has consistent contact with.
The first thing most new agents don't do, but should, is get a mentor. There is that successful agent in any office, who is what we all aspire to be-a true real estate professional. I have been fortunate enough to listen to several over the years. They have a fantastic business model, and have forgot more about real estate, than many of us know. But I also believe that we should have mentors in reverse. Why not learn from a younger colleague with a creative idea? Or match that admirable quality to puts ones self out there? We can offer them wisdom on an array of subjects, while they inject fresh ideas, and a new energy, into our business.
We constantly talk about how this industry has changed. The days of paying exorbitant fees for websites, lead generating services, and coaching is over. Generation Y looks at that as insane. Frankly, I do too. There is a free resource in Facebook. Beyond that, the greater lesson here is really good old fashioned power networking. So in addition to writing a blog on a consistent basis, and adding to my sphere of influence, I'm going to commit to adding a certain number of contacts on Facebook each month, and get to the business of Extreme Facebooking.
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