Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

I was just asked a great question from a student. They posted on Facebook the following question:

Also do you know if there is a shortcut to spell check on Facebook?

Here is my answer! How about downloading Spell Check to your Google Tool Bar to check your Facebook Messages? It works Great.

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, International Speaker

This blog is for anyone who trains. Are you standing in front of your students to create better performance, or more knowledge? It’s very important to clarify for yourself exactly what your role is. Why? Because it will determine the outcomes you get. And, if you can get measurable outcomes (your students make more money), you will assure you have a job—even in lean times!

Better Performers—or Know-It-Alls?

After graduating from the University of Oregon in piano performance, I applied to and was awarded a scholarship to UCLA as a graduate assistant in the music department. But, after I was at UCLA a few weeks, I became disillusioned, for I found out that the UCLA music department was all about ‘knowledge’, not performance. Professors earned tenure by publishing papers about sixteenth century Elizabethan madrigals–but they didn’t have to be able to play the madrigals…My interest and experience in music had been performance.

The Difference in Knowing and Doing

I’ve never forgotten that lesson about the difference in the knowledge about something–and the performance of it. I found out, again, that importance, as I started selling real estate, and sold a home my first week in the business. As the year went by, I saw dozens of very knowledgeable licensees who never sold a stick of real estate! What do you want your students to be able to do as a result of your presentation/training? Sure, just like musical performance, you must have some technique to perform. But, also like musical performance, lots of knowledge doesn’t make you a good performer.

If You Want Better Performers…..Five Areas of Concern

1. What percent of your program is instructor focused? That is, the instructor performs. If it’s more than 50%, you have a knowledge-heavy program. Model your program like the piano teacher teaches piano. He talks very little, demonstrates some, and listens to the student play and gives positive reinforcement and re-direction. The teacher knows he taught because the student can play.

2. Do you choose your instructors based on their knowledge and

their ability to deliver the message attractively? Start choosing your

instructors, instead, on their ability to facilitate performance. They

should be able to demonstrate a role play,set up a role play, and

draw conclusions. It’s ‘virtual reality’.

3. Who is held accountable for the program–the instructors or the students? In most programs, we ‘relieve’ the instructor if he doesn’t get good reviews from the students. The instructor’s the only one accountable. Turn it around. 75% of the accountability should be on the students to demonstrate they have learned the skill. Why? Because, without student accountability, managers learn quickly that your ‘graduates’ can’t perform.

4. Is your focus on curriculum? Are you attempting to create value for the program to management or owners by providing more information than the other school? Most training programs could cut 50% of their curriculum and graduate better performers. Instead of focusing on curriculum, create your program as ‘virtual reality’. Have a system that provides a series of “performance building blocks”. Don’t tell them all about playing a concerto. Just tell them enough to let them ‘get their fingers on the keys’.

5. Are the objectives of your program knowledge-based? How do the students graduate from your program? Do they pass a written exam? Managers want a graduate who can perform the activities of a real estate salesperson to reasonably high performance standards. A good training program should identify, teach, observe, and coach performance in several critical performance areas until the student can perform well enough to graduate.

Your Job and the Bottom Line

The more your training program resembles the ‘virtual reality’ of your specific performance, the more valuable your program to the people who hired your students –and you.

_______________________________________________________________

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is president of Carla Cross Seminars, Inc., a popular international speaker, and author of 6 books and 20 audio programs for real estate professionals, trainers, and presenters.. She is a National Realtor Educator of the Year, and was honored as one of fifty most influential women in business. Contact Carla at 425-392-6914 or email her at her website at www.carlacross.com.

“Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I’ll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things.”    ~Lawrence Bell

It was a just a s’more. 

Yes, I’m talking about a graham cracker, a little chocolate and a marshmallow.  It probably had a cost of a half-cent to the business offering it, but that s’more made an impact.  It symbolized a small act of kindness and generosity – with no expectations attached – that made a lasting impression.

And THAT, my friends, is what each of us MUST replicate if we want OUR businesses to last and thrive in today’s unpredictable economy.

People are interesting, aren’t they? 

The personalities, the opinions, the baggage we all carry.   But this “s’more experience” I’m going to tell you about reminded me of just how simple we can be…how little it actually takes to make us happy and to make a lasting impression.  Let me explain…

If you’re ever in La Quinta, CA, you MUST eat at The Homestead Restaurant.  Not only will you have one of the best meals of your life, but you’ll also get a massive lesson (from the welcome to the goodbye) in true, lasting and meaningful customer service.  No matter what your profession – take note!

As we walked into the lobby of The Homestead for dinner, it was crowded – very crowded.  Always a good sign for a restaurant.  But, I didn’t feel like I was in a restaurant.  I felt like I was in a comfy country resort just relaxing the day away. 

While waiting to be seated at our table, they placed us in front of a quiet fireplace with calming music playing in the background.  I noticed young families, older couples, middle-agers, twenty-somethings…all types and ages of people around me.  Another good sign. 

Here’s where it starts getting really brilliant…

A nice young woman soon came around with a tray full of graham crackers, chocolate squares and marshmallows.  You guessed it – complimentary s’mores while you wait. 

We roasted our marshmallows together over the fire, and we had fun with that simple task.  The gooey fingers, the delicious hot marshmallow melting into the cool chocolate and the crunchy graham cracker…makes your mouth water just thinking about it, doesn’t it? 

Now, if that was not memorable enough, it got even better.

There was an elderly couple sitting next to us while we waited.  The hostess recognized them because they’d come in and had lunch there that same day (she even remembered they’d had the chicken pot pie!). 

As she was helping them get their ingredients off the tray, the elderly woman – rather sheepishly – told the hostess that they’d only come back to have a s’more.  They weren’t going to eat supper as they were still full from lunch but just needed a little something sweet.

The hostess then made a decision that will dramatically increase revenue for

The Homestead Restaurant – guaranteed…

She said so sincerely, “You all come in ANYTIME for a s’more – it doesn’t matter if you eat a meal or not.  We just love seeing you!” 

You could tell they were so pleased and touched by her kindness.  It was evident on their faces.

Now, you may be thinking, “How could THAT dramatically increase revenue?  It was just one older couple and a s’more.” 

Here’s the deal…

You know as well as I do that that couple will tell absolutely EVERYONE they know about their experience at The Homestead Restaurant in La Quinta, CA.  However, the other 30-plus other people who were in the lobby waiting and listening will as well – me being one of them.  Heck!  I’m even writing a blog about it that thousands will read!

That small act of kindness – that inexpensive s’more – and those kind words will come back to that business ten-fold.

What are the “s’mores” of your business?  And, no, I’m not saying to give your clients or agents or students s’mores every time you see them!  You know what I mean…

What are the small touches, the meaningful words, the spirit of sincerity you offer that make a lasting and memorable impression on people?

For our clients, we simply send them a book we know they’d like.  Not an expensive one.  Just one we know would mean something to them based on what we’ve learned about them.

But these things – the small touches – don’t have to cost money.  In fact, some of the best ones don’t! 

For example, we also make a point of being sure that every single communication people have with us or from us (whether in person, by phone or by e-mail), is kind and personalized.  For instance, you wouldn’t believe the compliments we get simply because we take a few extra seconds to add personal touches and comments in our e-mail communications with people.

Here’s the bottom line:

If you want repeat clients…

If you want referrals…

If you want word-of-mouth marketing working for you…

If you want to be trusted with the “big things” in people’s lives…

Or if you just want to be a good person…

Practice the “s’more” style of customer service.

Give – with no expectations. 

Do those little things and you WILL be trusted with the big things.

© Jennifer Cummings 2010

For the past two decades, Jennifer Cummings has been one of the most sought-after marketing experts in the nation.  Her “out-of-the-box” approach to marketing has won her the respect of advertising agencies and the adulation of entrepreneurs and business owners from all over the world in over a dozen unique markets. 

Using the same strategies she now teaches, Jennifer transformed her life from being a juvenile delinquent at 15 to a millionaire by age 30.  With her practical, no-frills approach to marketing and revenue generation, YOU can now join the thousands of other agents and brokers who have been excited and empowered to get back into the driver’s seats of their businesses!

Jennifer Cummings ~ www.JenniferCummings.com ~ 888.208.2309

Whether your web site draws 10 or 10,000 visitors per day, conversion rates are critical.  However, when conversion rates are low most agents and brokers turn their attention to search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine placement (SEP), when it’s really their pitch that’s not working.

Certainly, SEO and SEP are an important component of driving traffic, but if you’re still not getting the results you want, you have to look at your overall strategy.

There are two parts to converting online leads:  first is having engaging tools to convert visitors into leads – to capture their information; second is working the leads from the time they engage to the point of sale through a follow up system.   You have to have a plan for both!

Let’s address the first part: converting visitors into leads.   Gone are the days of the brochure-type website—consumers don’t care about you or your credentials!  Instead they want, no, they expect more information and interactivity.  A good website is one that’s built to engage your visitors and convert them into leads.  In fact, it’s much like staging a home.

You stage a home to make it more inviting and attractive to buyers, and capitalize on the fact that they’ll save time and money by not making the changes themselves.  The same is true for your own website.  You want them to find your services inviting and attractive, and convey that you will provide them with time and money-saving tools and services to help them in their home search.

As Realtors, we often recommend that our sellers remove the clutter, pack away the family photos, throw on a fresh coat of paint (in a modern color) and accentuate the positive aspects by drawing the prospective buyers to those things.  The same concepts apply to your website.

The novelty of websites has worn off so you can’t get away with that busy website with a 50-item navigation menu, 8 different bolded or blinking fonts and colors, and 20 pictures of your dog.  I’m not saying personalization is a bad thing, but the reality is today’s consumer is seeking information.  If they see that your website doesn’t have what they need, or is difficult to use, they’ll surf to the next site.

For many agents, their website is an afterthought— a necessary evil—and it shows.  After all, you’re “not in the technology business, you need to be out there belly-to-belly with your customers.”  True, your time on the computer should be focused on moneymaking activities, but don’t let that be an excuse for a poor website, since your website can be one of your most productive and most profitable prospecting tools in your arsenal.

Not only that, but your website is a reflection of your personality and your professional style.  Clutter on your website says you’re trying to do too many things at once.  It says you lack focus and direction.  An outdated graphic design, mismatched colors and old images (uh, say your college photo) say that you’re not proactive or creative.  Your image becomes that 70’s house that the fix-and-flippers are dying to get their hands on at discount rates.

Is that hitting home?  Again, think staging.  Your website should be designed/staged to sell.  It should be modern, clean, and uncluttered with a clear path to the information they are looking for.  That way you come across, organized, focused and fresh.

Since you only have a few seconds to capture their attention and get them to click, images are one of the easiest ways to make a huge impact on your conversion rates…it’s like that fresh paint.  Your key lead generating tools (those with sign up forms) should always be prominently displayed with a powerful image that tells the story without having to read more than a couple words.

If you provide an IDX search of local properties (with a form to sign up) it should have a picture of a home or a for sale sign with the words Property Search.  If you offer free reports, they should also be visual images, telling (in 10 words or less) what they will get when they click.

Now, before you trash all those articles you’ve labored over, there is still a place for them.

Your interior pages, such as dedicated Home Buyers or Home Sellers sections, should be well organized and well thought out.  Your objective here is to build up your credibility by providing valuable content to guide them through the buying or selling process.  Visual content plays into that, but in this instance, they are added to enhance the story and create a better flow.

Cross marketing within your website is an easy and effective way to increase your conversions.  Use this 2×3 formula: every tool (including articles) and every page on your website should promote two other lead-capture features within your site.  In addition, each page should have three ways to get to that feature through a combination of links, hyperlinked images and ads.

For example, if you offer a list of the top 20 things first time homebuyers need to know, it should be peppered with opportunities to view properties and to join your newsletter. In this way, you are guiding them through your website without being intrusive. In essence, you’re showing them around and turning on the lights as you go.

Now that you’ve cleared a path for your customers to walk through and removed the distractions, you can turn your attention toward maximizing your search engine efforts.

If you are going to spend the money to run ads on Google or Yahoo or any other sites, make sure that your offer tells them exactly the result they will get when they click on the ad.  And, more importantly, when they click on the link, make sure it goes to the exact page and place where they can find or sign up for that information.

In a search engine environment, this is absolutely critical because consumers have so many choices of links to click on.  So, if your ad teases a free report or a daily email of listings, the link should go directly to the sign up page for that report.

Whether you’re evaluating website providers or building it yourself, these tools will help you develop a more effective strategy for capturing leads.  Once that’s in place, you can tackle the next step of developing follow-up systems to nurture those relationships into sales.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Verl Workman is a leading national speaker, coach and consultant.  Despite his busy speaking schedule, and role as co-founder of Pinnacle Quest Consulting Group, he still sells real estate so that he can test and stay abreast of the latest tools and techniques that maximize results.  He uses that knowledge to assist individuals and companies in building effective business strategies, implementing powerful technology solutions, and establishing strategic competitive advantages through coaching, seminars and private consultations.  To contact Verl visit www.PQPipeline.com or email him at AskVerl@verlworkman.com. Follow Verl! www.facebook.com/verlworkman or Twitter www.twitter.com/Verlworkman

Randy Eagar, CRS

If there is one question that I get asked more than anything else wih regard to creating sales from agent websites and using real estate SEO, it is what the features are that the top agents using to convert leads that they get to their website to sales. We here at WebsTarget SEO have become particularly interested in this in that our job is to make your website highly visible to your public. But if once they get there they shrug their shoulders and move on, what good was it? You need to have a nice website with compelling features. So THIS course is for YOU!

At my health club I was chatting with a top National fundraising consultant.  I asked him, “What’s the secret to success at getting people to make donations?”

He answered, “Two things, you want to be sure that the person asking for the donation has a relationship with the giver.  If you are asking for a big donation the request needs to be made by someone who has a strong respected relationship with the giver.”

He continued, “The second thing, particularly for large donations, is that you want to know enough about the giver’s financial situation, history of giving, and history with the organization you are representing, you want to know enough to know how much a reasonable request is.  If you have a good relationship, the giver has a good connection to the organization, and you make a reasonable request you will always get it.”

Driving home from the club this morning, after that conversation, of course I thought about how that related to success in Real Estate sales.  There is a direct connection.

First, the stronger the relationship you have with the Buyer or Seller before you even contact them, the better your chances of a successful transaction.  That is why you want to:

Work with people in your spheres of influence and past Clients
Work with referrals from people who know, like, and trust you
Create a marketing brand as a knowledgeable, successful and respected professional in the area.
Second, do your homework.  Find out all you can about the prospect ahead of time.

Check property tax records
MLS records
Google and other Search Engines and Web sources
Call and ask questions about what, where, why, when and who (how, too)
Finally, specifically ask about their current and previous experiences buying or selling Real Estate so you know the attitude that they bring to the transaction with you.

My friend, the fundraising expert related a number of stories where this background work wasn’t done and the effort failed; and where it was done and the effort resulted in major donations. 

These are the contexts of the best salespeople on earth.  Make them yours.

Identify & Obliterate Six Barriers to Your Success!

It’s the beginning of yet another year, and as many of us sit with pencil in hand we might be thinking…”Should I even bother to set new goals again this year…and if so… will it even make a difference?

At the beginning of every year we all start out at zero….and it seems daunting to look at next December and wonder how we are going to “get there”!  Will we beat this year’s numbers? Will this be the first year that you will really focus on success and profitability?

It’s all about what you do and how you do it…. but this time…differently!  We would all like for those goals to become a true reality!

Like every physical act, we start with a thought process; which leads to a vision or a picture of what we want.   The professionals that plan and implement their plan enjoy a different level of satisfaction and enjoy higher levels of success than those of us who fail to plan and hope for the best.

But visions are tough to come by if you don’t have a passion or purpose for your work.  No matter what your goal, if you have a vision, focus and a plan to get there, you still need the “fire in the belly” to deliver the end results.

So what you really need is a compelling purpose that won’t let you go astray.  The question is, “What is your “magnetic compelling purpose?”

Do you have a dream that is so all-consuming that you wouldn’t give up until you made it happen?  Perfect! That’s the kind of resolve that gets results.  

So back to those New Year’s Resolutions…

It is easy to get excited about resolutions in the early days of January, but to make it all work, you’ll need to decide if you are excited enough to get serious about the process and ultimately follow through to completion. 

It’s a fact that goals and resolutions barely have a chance to grow until we get them in writing, and when we convert those thoughts to document, we are on the right path to make them real and viable!

You’ll need to SEE them, SHOW them to others, or DISPLAY them on your refrigerator as a reminder.  When our resolutions are not written down they are much like the wind; here for the moment…then gone forever!

Here are six challenges that keep our resolutions from becoming a reality.  You might want to be aware of them to you can make 2010 your best year ever!

1. Lack of Clarity:  The more detail you attach to a goal or resolution, the more likely you are to follow through on it.  Describe it with whys (for the purpose of ..), whens (completion dates and interim progress dates), whats (including mention of your current reality, and what the end game will look like upon completion), and any other details that will help you vividly see the vision.  Don’t worry! You can’t overdo the detail!  Lack of detail equals lack of clarity.
2. Lack of Commitment:  When you are serious enough to write resolutions down and share them with others, it is your way of making a commitment to the process.  We simultaneously put the universe on notice that this is our intent.  Goethe said “The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.”  Your discipline to follow through demonstrates your continued commitment.
3. Lack of Belief:  Human behavior is the result of the human belief system.  If you believe your resolution is doable, believe you have a strategy to make it happen, and believe in yourself, you can’t miss.  If you are filled with doubt you will fail to go to the next step.  This is no time to be timid.  BE BOLD!  Share your resolutions with others! This helps reinforce your belief that you can do it.
4. Lack of Passion: Vision without action is hallucination!  Fire in the belly propels you toward action and results.  Step number one is having the courage to get started on your clarified resolutions. Get fired up! Get started! And Go for it!  Seeing even a small amount of progress is all it takes to inspire you to take the next step.
5. Lack of Congruence:  Your resolutions need to be in sync not only with your belief system, but also with your other goals, and your capabilities.   If it is too outlandish or unrealistic, the incongruence of it will short-circuit your belief in your ability to get it done.  It will be a non-starter.  Make it as significant as you can and still believe you can do it.
6. Lack of focus … Writing down clarified resolutions is the first step of an exciting process, if we can keep our focus.  Can you vow to stay focused on the vision?  Schedule specific follow through actions for specific times to help keep you connected.  The difference between high performers and mediocre producers is a focused intensity accompanied by the determination that you will not be denied!

Few people realize the power and potential which are derived from crafting one’s “Magnetic Compelling Purpose”.  During times of challenge like these, people tend to gravitate either toward scarcity or abundance.  The majority who go toward scarcity are focused on problems and the negative aspects of their existence.  Those who go toward abundance are more focused on possibilities and progress, and that prosperity consciousness is what inspires many people to take the actions that propel them into the next realm of their life.  It doesn’t matter where you went to school, or how old you are.  Freedom to excel in America is your individual birthright.

If you can articulate what your “Magnetic Compelling Purpose” is, put it in writing, and fine-tune it, you are on your way.  Serious resolutions and statements of purpose tend to cause one to behave the way the person they hope to become behaves.

Be courageous and take action today on your written plan for success in 2010 and beyond!   Then heed the words of my literary mentor, Orison Swett Marden, who said…

“Make every day a great day of achievement, because you never know when God might be watching, sizing you up for bigger things.”
 
Terri Murphy is an author, speaker, e-communication consultant, and author of 5 books, including her latest with Donald Trump. She is the founder and Pres. of WomensWisdomNetwork.com and serves as CIO of U. S. Learning in Memphis, and serves as one of the 12 GAME CHANGERS coaches for NAR. For more information or to book Terri call 1-877-211-6472 or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com

I get asked all the time, what are the top 3 “APPS” I recommend for a sales person to use on their smartphone? That is not easy, as there are amazing apps out there that can make you workload easier, save you money and are fun to use.

One tool that has save me and my coaching clients, lots of time is an application that allows us to “read” transcripts of our voicemail in emails or text messages on our SmartPhones.

Here are some programs you can investigate:
Google Voice
PhoneTag
YouMail
VoiceCloud
Jott

Google Voice is free, others offer free “versions” but do cost a monthly fee. I personally use YouMail, but let me tell you about the products I use.

One Phone Number that follows you

Multiple voicemail accounts can add hours on to your day as you retrieve and listen to messages. Consider one phone number that follows you, so you don’t have to check numerous voicemail accounts. Many of these products provide that.

Visual Voicemail

Convert your voicemail to a text or email.  These transcribed voicemails are sent to your email account, and archived up on the web. Most attach an audio file that you can download if you need it..

Imagine being on a home inspection and your phone rings. After the caller leaves a message you receive a text or email with a transcribed version of the call. You can respond with a text, email or just call. A real time saver.

YouMail also allows you to set up personalized greetings for each caller. Imagine getting someone’s voicemail and hearing

“Hi Amy how are you, I am not available right now,

but leave your message.”

My clients love it!

Jott also allows you to send voice to text messages to: groups, twitter, Outlook and lots of other products. Check it out!

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, International Speaker

Are you fustrated because buyers won’t buy and sellers won’t price right? Here are the answers. We agent types like to talk. In fact, many of us became agents because people told us that, since we’re good talkers, we’d make great salespeople! That’s an old idea today. Why? Because consumers, are over-whelmed with sales talk. We don’t just trust anyone because they have a good ‘sales spiel’.

Buyers and Sellers Stall on Decisions

At this moment, I’m in Albuquerque to do my presentation for this emerging market, “From Lambs to Lions: Take Charge of Your Business in Challenging Times”. As part of my regular pre-conference survey, I found that agents are having trouble getting buyers to make a decision—and sellers to list their properties are a marketable price. What’s behind this indecision? Low confidence in the economy—and lack of trust in the agent. So, how do we create high trust in a market that is so unpredictable that no one, in any business (or personal life), has a crystal ball on the future?

Stop Talking and Start Showing

A few months ago, I came across a brilliant article in our local Seattle paper describing how doctors in a prestigious medical center here have just adopted operation room checklists. This simple measure lowered infections dramatically. Now, it seems simplistic, doesn’t it, that highly trained doctors and nurses need checklists for things such as ‘wash your hands’? But, we all get busy. We get stressed. Having checklists reduces stress and increases confidence. (Wouldn’t you feel better if you were going into the operating room, and saw that checklist posted on the wall?)

What This Means to You

The idea for professional checklists comes from the book The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande. If doctors and nurses can increase their effectiveness with checklists, I’ll bet we can, too—and dramatically increase our clients’ trust in us.

Listing properties. If you’re finding it increasingly difficult to list properties at the right price, it may be because you’re working too hard  trying to talk the seller into it, and are not working hard enough to show a seller into it. Sellers, like all of us, believe what they see, not what they hear.

Go visual. Instead of trying to tell a seller what you know to be true, back up your statements with statistics, graphs, facts, and checklists.. You do this in your market analysis. But, most agents don’t do this with the rest of their marketing plans. Start now gathering information to back up your chosen marketing strategies.

For example, if you’ve found, through your experience, that open houses do not sell that particular home, start keeping statistics of your open house visitors, their needs, and what happened to them during their buying cycle. You want to provide sellers the information they need to make good decisions, and to support your marketing plan.

The truism behind show, not tell: We believe what we see, not what we hear.

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is a former master-level CRB instructor, popular international speaker, National Realtor Educator of the Year, and author of 6 books and 20 audio programs. She specializes in ‘people development’—strategies to get highest profitability. Learn more at www.carlacross.com, or contact Carla at 425-392-6914.

Virtual tours have evolved. They’re quick; they’re clear and simply said, statistics prove that consumers love them-increasing views and decreasing days on the market. So, which properties should you put virtual tours on? All of them!

Let’s break it down. First there is the listing side. My coaching clients throughout North America will tell you that they list more properties when they demonstrate their online marketing strategy during listing presentations, including professional photography and distribution partners to place the listing on a wide array of the nations top search sites for real estate.

Now the buyer side: 70-80% of all consumers are going on line during the buying process and many are eliminating your listings because of the poor quality of your photos or lack of a great tour. It’s true. Studies distinctly show that listings with more visual content are viewed more than twice as often and sell quicker than properties without.

That’s why I always recommend that agents put virtual tours on every listing including starter homes, fixer-uppers, vacant land, mansions and even crack houses. I am not talking about do-it-yourself, shoot-and-stitch pictures in a pretty window, but rather professionally shot photos and significant marketing tools to get the word out that the property is on the market.

One of my clients challenged my recommendation during a coaching call to put Obeo tours on all of his listings. He focuses primarily on REO or bank owned properties and many of his listings were in bad shape. His concern was that he would lose buyers because the homes did not photograph well. My response was simple, if you would show it offline, you should show it online.

I challenged him to test my recommended company on all of his listings and track the results. Well the proof is in the pudding as they say; he now orders tours for every listing because he has found that now when people call to see one of his “less than perfect homes” they are more qualified because they saw those imperfections online first.

Now he asks if a client has seen the tour before he spends his valuable time to run out to the home to meet someone who has not visually pre-qualified the property. Smart! In the process he has also picked up more bank managers, and because he can show the online stats of how many showings that property has had and where they came from, negotiating price reductions and less-than-full-price offers is much easier!

The bottom line is that every property needs a virtual tour. It’s a small investment to gain more listings and sell more property and with the right marketing partner it can help you put your marketing plan on autopilot.

So, which properties should you put virtual tours on? Let’s say it together: all of them!

______________________________________________________________
Verl Workman is a leading national speaker, coach and consultant. Despite his busy speaking schedule, and role as co-founder of Pinnacle Quest Consulting Group, he still sells real estate so that he can test and stay abreast of the latest tools and techniques that maximize results. He uses that knowledge to assist individuals and companies in building effective business strategies, implementing powerful technology solutions, and establishing strategic competitive advantages through coaching, seminars and private consultations. To contact Verl visit www.verlworkman.com  or www.PQPipeline.com  or email him at AskVerl@verlworkman.com.

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