I began blogging August 24th, 2010, with this inauspicious blog, South Land Park Open House. Given that it took twelve years to get my first comment on that first blog, thank you very much Kathy Streib, you might wonder why I continued to blog. I may even have questioned my efforts from time to time. Below are a few of the reasons that I have stuck around and become an even more ambitious blogger.
My Brand
When I first started in this business, I took every class I could that I thought would help turn me into the person I needed to be for success. I took negotiating classes, scripts classes, listing presentation classes, and even a Neuro-Linguistic Programming class. I really did try to implement everything that I was learning, but very little of it felt comfortable to me. In hindsight, I used very little of it.
Blogging helped me sort through everything that I was learning. When I put ideas down on paper for everyone to read with the words staring right back at me, I felt like they better represent who I wanted to be. Blogging on ActiveRain also connected me with successful agents all across the country. Many did not fit "the mold" of what I was being taught and I liked the way they did business. It was eye opening for me and I decided I could just be me. Blogging helped me decide who I wanted to be as an agent and how I wanted to be perceived. In other words, it helped me determine how I wanted to brand myself. For me, that meant success.
Networking
I was born in Stockton and have lived within about 45 miles of my hometown for my entire life, 59 years. I did not know many people from out of the area and I did not really know much about the rest of the country. Blogging connected me in ways I really had not anticipated. There are very few areas of the country that I do not know at least a little bit about and several areas that I know a lot about, including how the real estate market is performing in those areas. What I do not know, I can pick up a phone and ask one of my new friends across the country. How powerful is that, Carol Williams? Your trip across the country visiting ActiveRain members along the way really does show what a powerful network of friends we all have. And speaking of networking...
Brass Tacks
Okay, so those are ancillary or secondary success stories related to blogging. Let's get down to brass tacks. Does blogging help you make money? On occasion, I have seen this question on ActiveRain, "Does anyone know an agent in the Elk Grove area?" There is nothing better than seeing a number of your blogging friends say, "You need to call Ray Henson!" Oh wait, there is something a bit better, getting an actual referral, like when Maria Gilda Racelis called me with a wonderful referral to help her friends from Connecticut find a home in Elk Grove. We ended up finding them a beautiful home with a gorgeous backyard and pool. Maria's clients were successful getting a beautiful home and Maria and I had a successful transaction to share. Win, win, win!
Staying in Touch
I have also found that blogging is a good way to keep in touch with all of my clients and friends. After I write an article, I share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other sites. I have found that my friends may not comment on the posts, but they do read them. Just yesterday, one of my biggest supporters thanked me for my monthly market update. He even knew the Elk Grove statistics published in the article. I have been pleasantly surprised how often my friends mention my posts and I do count that as a true success!
The Bottom Line
When I mentioned the scripts classes I took above, it reminded me of an agent that used to work in the same office as I did when I first became a Realtor. He would show up every morning dressed in a nice suit and go straight to work. He would grab our Elk Grove phone book, place it on his podium and open it randomly to a page. He then began making calls, starting from the top of the page, using a script similar to this, "If I told you that I had a cash buyer for your home, would you be interested in selling?" He would continue calling until he made several appointments. He even randomly called me once with his well rehearsed script. I chuckled and answered him with, "Hey, I am the Ray Henson from your office, I can sell my own home." He laughed and responded, "Hi Ray, see you soon" and...click, he was off to the next name in the phone book. He had found what he was good at and, that is the thing, there are a lot of systems that work. Each of those classes that I took had successful strategies for the right person, some better than others, but I really do believe to be successful, you have to be you. For me, success has come from creating an ever increasing sphere. I think it is a slow road, but the road seems to have a strong foundation.
Thank you
I appreciate the opportunity to participate in our October's Challenge, Aura Alex, Leanne Smith and Carol Williams. Thank you for putting it together and for being an essential part of the ActiveRain network that makes us all successful.
Happy Halloween ! ! !
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