Most Significant Projections of RE Trends for 2008

What will be the biggest change factors for the real estate industry in 2008?

I read daily year round but during the last quarter, I'm in business/life planning mode. So are lots of other people. Here's some of what is being talked about and my thoughts on what I think is really important and why.

Brand building- Capturing Business from BRAND NAME awareness

Advertising, marketing, and branding are not the same animals and can't accomplish the same thing. The differences may seem subtle, but to be successful, you must recognize that they are there. Both advertising and marketing are mechanisms used to connect customers and businesses. Branding, on the other hand, is the creation and support of a powerful perception and image of someone or something based on unique, emotional experiences-so powerful that the perception or image becomes a belief.

Well-known Economist, J Edward Deming says, "Branding, as I conceive it, is a feeling...You feel trust, loyalty, comfort, love, need, desire, and happiness for brands because of beliefs derived from very precise experiences. Maybe the advertising or marketing efforts of a company got you interested in the product, but they're not the factors that are going to build brand loyalty. That requires interaction with the people and with the brand, and these differences shouldn't be overlooked."  Does this work for the service business as well as manufacturing?

Your values and sincerity are your brand, and any marketing or advertising efforts need to be based around that brand identity. Your brand can be created only by you and the relationships you develop."

Team Models for leveraging your performance, and production in sales units and volume.

Lead Capture and Conversion with Instant Response AND Followup

There is a fine line between process and results. These two key words battle in our mind on a regular basis. If we get too focused on the result, we become completely attached to the outcome. We let the unmotivated client control our time because we need the deal. For some of us, we focus on the process: Sometimes, we think too much, and we don't have enough action.  Nike created a great slogan ten years ago: Just do it! That should be our mantra!

What about defining a Niche for your business?

Buyer's Agent, Seniors Certified, Gen X Proficient, Gen Y Ready, etc. This is for further discussion. Is it what you say, how you say it, the source, the message, the colors you use?

I think you just find those transactions that you most enjoyed, that were most rewarding to you and your Team personally, where you connected and created a true Win-win and ID what it is about them. Go for that!