(I wrote the article below for Loan Officer Magazine and received permission from Karen Deis, the publisher, to post it here too.)
Imagine having a network of business professionals nationally and internationally who actively want you to succeed. Friendly people who will give you frank input, guidance, and feedback. People you’ve never met, except online. Yet they would willingly help you and you would help them, or “pay it forward” to others.
I’ve found such communities on ActiveRain and LinkedIn. ActiveRain is a social media blogging and networking platform with over 220,000 real estate professionals as members. LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site mainly used for professional networking.
People generally use these social media sites to market themselves and generate leads. LinkedIn and ActiveRain (AR) profiles are viewed very favorably by Google. In my previous article, I explain how a single post I wrote for my AR blog led to some national media exposure, including writing these articles.
To me, these are just byproducts of why I invest time each day reading posts of interest, writing meaningful comments, and posting to my blog. The deeper benefits for me are 1) the practical knowledge obtained and shared; and 2) the professional relationships established.
The amount of practical knowledge that is freely shared in ActiveRain blogs and in LinkedIn groups is staggering. Ideas, thoughts, tips, and techniques that might be jealously guarded within an office are published online for all to read and learn from. We can obtain a practical, graduate level education in real estate, business, and marketing by reading and implementing what is written here.
Do you have an idea that you’re unsure about? Curious about what others are doing to generate business? Working on a tough business problem that no one can help you with? You can probably find the answers here. Even if you can’t, ask the ActiveRain or LinkedIn communities and then read the resulting comments. There is a wealth of knowledge from fellow professionals available with just a little effort.
The knowledge is invaluable, but even more so are the people that I’ve gotten to know online. I didn’t understand how valuable these relationships are initially. I was more focused on creating nice profile pages, learning how to write useful blog posts, reading what others had to share, and implementing techniques that I had learned.
I have “met” some wonderful real estate professionals across the U.S. and internationally through LinkedIn and ActiveRain. I’m constantly amazed at how friendly and helpful these contacts are, like an embodiment of the Golden Rule. It is people helping people without thought of mutual benefit. Below are just a few of the many examples I can cite.
Recently I wrote a blog post that was featured on ActiveRain. Margaret Rome from Baltimore, MD read the post and called me out of the blue to chat. Margaret is an early member of ActiveRain and a published real estate author. Our professional support networks both expanded.
In another AR blog post I asked what mentoring advice experienced Realtors would give to new agents. Several agents recommended that “newbies” read Sell with Soul (SWS), a practical real estate book written by Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn. I’m a big fan of Jennifer’s work as a real estate coach, have read her books, and listen to her webinars.
She has no idea who I am, but on Super Bowl Sunday I contacted her through ActiveRain and let her know that she was getting “shout outs” in the comment section of my post. Amazingly, Jennifer responded within minutes and later left an insightful comment. She also posted to her SWS forum with a link back to my post.
I’ve contacted ActiveRain members with business questions, referrals about fellow members, and general information. The responses have been quick, highly frank, and upbeat. I’ve been contacted and shared my experiences in return. It’s like having my own private advisory board that actively wants me to succeed. All this in exchange for sharing knowledge online, networking, and reaching out to fellow professionals.
More importantly, the sense of community here is very strong. Active members want “newbies” to become more involved and succeed. They reach out and encourage, offering a welcome support network in a difficult industry. This is rare and special in an oftentimes cut throat business.
I’ve had similar experiences with LinkedIn groups I participate in. There I frequently fill the role of a more experienced virtual assistant helping others. Tiasha Pickett in New York City contacted me for help with a client she has. A few months ago, I wrote a short comment about a LinkedIn discussion she had started. Tiasha remembered how sincere the comment seemed and reached out for advice.
Cindy F. asked me for input on an e- book she is writing, purely as a result of a comment that I left on one of her posts. The future book will include acknowledgements and links to my website. Less than a minute of time resulted in a new professional contact and a new opportunity.
An insightful LinkedIn group post caused me to send a quick e-mail to the writer in Canada. She responded and I may end up referring clients to her and doing business with her. All that from a blog post that she wrote, I empathized with, and simply reached out to make a connection. Other group members have reached out for business advice or to ask if I’d be an informal mentor for them.
Reid Hoffman, one of the founders of LinkedIn, has a new book entitled “The Start-up of You.” In it he says:
Building a genuine relationship with another person depends on at least two abilities. The first is seeing the world from another person's perspective. No one knows that better than the skilled entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs succeed when they make stuff people will pay money for -- and that means understanding what's going on in the heads of customers. Likewise, in relationships it's only when you put yourself in the other person's shoes that you begin to develop an honest connection.
The second ability is being able to think about how you can collaborate with and help the other person rather than thinking about what you can get. We're not suggesting that you be so saintly that a self-interested thought never crosses your mind. What we're saying is that your first move should always be to help.
What makes a relationship an alliance? First, an ally is someone you consult regularly for advice. Second, you proactively share and collaborate on opportunities together. You keep your antennae attuned to an ally's interests, and when it makes sense to pursue something jointly, you do. Third, you talk up an ally. You promote his or her brand. Finally, when an ally runs into conflict, you defend him and stand up for his reputation, and he does the same for you.
You never know what can happen if you intelligently reach out on LinkedIn, ActiveRain, or other social media networks. A future mentor, supporter, friend, or customer may be just a few keystrokes away.
Comments(12)