Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

SNAGIT – Screen Capture Tool

Want to share an idea but don’t know how? Try this inexpensive piece of software from TechSmith.com called SNAGIT.

This handy software program can capture an entire screen or just a portion of it with your mouse. It can then output the file in the smaller .JPG format and even build a “catalog” of clips so you can reuse them again in other presentations.

SNAGIT also captures text, web pages and video. Perfect when you are inspired by something and want to share it!

authorSTREAM or SlideShare

Need to spruce up or just starting out and need help. These tools will inspire you to build fabulous presentations.

• Showcase marketing presentations on your products and services.

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• Embed PowerPoint presentations in your blog or website.

• Convert and download them as video or share on iPods, iPhones and YouTube.

• Find, browse and download PowerPoint presentations created by other members.

Technology Tip:

Convert PPT to Video for iPod and YouTube-Share your PowerPoint presentations on iPods, iPhones and YouTube or download them as video! The presentations remain the way you created them, with animation, slide timings and even audio narration.

A Coaching Client recently sent me this in an e-mail.

“I don’t believe that if I do put in the effort that I can see the financial results.  Because of that I hesitate to initiate the work.  Even the most successful agents are struggling today. ”

There are a number of major, and I mean major problems with this statement.  Obviously, if an Agent does not believe his or her effort will produce results that belief immobilizes the Agent.  Second, hesitation shows up as a lack of confidence to the prospects or Clients.  The Clients feel like there is something wrong.  So it slows down or stops their decision making.  Finally, the last statement isn’t true.  The most successful are doing just fine.  Many are succeeding and having best years ever.  I have many coaching Clients who are having their best years ever.

This is a deep seated belief.  I asked the Client if he experienced that sense of disbelief in other areas of his life, with his marriage, his children, his hobbies, etc.  Sure enough, in some areas like personal relationships it didn’t seem apparent, thank goodness.  In others, it was the same, a belief that his effort would not produce results.

Now, I am not a psychologist but it shows up that way sometimes.  I asked him to describe the careers of his mother and father.  Sure enough, he described his parents as working very hard and being extremely frustrated with their results.

This will take a truly monumental effort on his part to overcome.  He will have to battle emotions that show up as fatigue, frustration, fear and more.  It will require him to keep doing the right things, calling leads, conducting presentations, marketing and more despite those limiting beliefs and negative emotions.  As he slogs through the work, and it will feel that way to him at first, he also needs to consciously put his body and his mind into a positive state.  That will cause his emotions to follow.

If he does it, his Real Estate career will turn out to be the catalyst for a life with greater fulfillment and satisfaction than he can now imagine.

As a coach, these are the Clients that you think of when you go to bed and when you wake up.  Their success is what drives my world.

As a small business owner, you are the boss. You run the show. You’re in charge of marketing, promotion, operations, and service.  Perhaps you’re a master of all of these.

Yet, one of the biggest mistakes I see in small business owners – and, yes, that includes you as a real estate agent – is something very basic, and deadly to your business.

Not doing what you say you’ll do.

You’ve all no doubt heard this piece of great advice:  If you really want to impress someone, “under” promise and “over” deliver.

Simply put, under-promising and over-delivering places in you a position of having exceeded your clients’ expectation.  It’s a great model for running your business!

But not only do few agents adhere to this principle, they don’t even deliver on the mostbasic of things they tell their clients they will do for them.

Think this is no big deal?  Wrong!  This may, in fact, be the one thing that makes or breaks you. If people don’t see you as someone who lives up to their word, you’re sunk.

How about you?  Do you do what you say you’ll do 100% of the time?  I mean, really 100% of the time?  You may think you’re doing well if you do what you say you’ll do 90% of the time—or even 80%.

Well, being on the receiving end of 80% – or even 90% – isn’t a great feeling. You need to keep your word a full 100% of the time. If you don’t, you’re losing out on potential business that could make the difference between you being marginally profitable andextremely profitable.

Want an example?  You take a listing.  You tell the sellers you’re going to sell it.  Six months later, it’s not sold.  In this case, did you do what you said you were going to do?  I’m pretty sure you didn’t.

You may argue that the seller didn’t do what they were supposed to do – reduce the price. But did you ask them to?  I can’t tell you how many overpriced sellers I’ve talked to whose homes have expired and said, “My agent never asked for a price reduction.” That tells me that the agent didn’t do the job as promised.  Asking for a price reduction is a necessary task in order to get this home sold – a task that was not accomplished.

If you promise someone a sale and you don’t deliver, you damage your reputation. To make sure this doesn’t happen, you may sometimes need to have a difficult conversation with your client.  Like most of us, you probably hate conflict and avoid confrontation. However, if a home is overpriced, you are doing your clients a disservice by not being firm with them about reducing it.  Getting that price reduction will allow you to be more successful in keeping your word to your client when you say “I will sell this home!”.

The smarter tactic to take when talking with a seller isn’t to simply say “I’m going to sell your home”.  It would instead be:  “Let me show you my marketing plan and all of the tools I’m going to use to help you get your home sold.”   Then show them high-quality materials, coupled with a marketing plan that you actually execute as promised.

Let’s talk now about buyers. You sit down at an appointment with a couple who want to buy. You promise them that you will help them find their dream home.

Three months go by.  No home found.

The buyers call you one Monday morning to say, “We bought over the weekend.  We stopped in an open house and fell in love with the home.”   You can hardly believe it!  Of course, you get upset with your (now former) buyers.

But you should really be upset with yourself.

Why wasn’t that open house on your list of homes for them to see?  Why weren’t they prepared to have the other agent call you immediately if they did visit an open house that they liked?

Part of helping somebody find their dream home is being realistic about the fact that they will be out driving around seeing homes and may just fall in love with one of them. You need to prepare them to involve you in the transaction should this occur.  This is part of helping someone find their dream home!

Another example of not doing what you say you’ll do:  At a listing presentation, the agent promised to have high-quality photographs taken by a professional photographer. But when the homeowners saw the photos online, they were horrified.  The pictures were obviously taken with a digital camera by the agent herself.

Once you have proven that you don’t do what you say you will, your clients will begin to doubt everything you tell them…and their trust in you will erode.

So, are you doing everything that you say you’ll do?

When you take a listing and tell your clients that you’ll get their home sold fast, do you then take all the steps to ensure that the maximum number of potential buyers are exposed to the property?

When you hold an open house and promise someone that you’ll find similar properties for them in the area, do you actually follow up?  Even if you’re incredibly busy that week and can’t seem to find the time for lunch?

When you negotiate, do you tell your client you’re going to stand firm on an issue and then back down?

When you finish working with somebody on a sale or a listing transaction, do you stay in touch for years afterward as promised?

In a business such as real estate, you aren’t selling a product.  That means, more than in many businesses, what you have to offer is your experience and integrity.  Simply put:  You are your word. Without following through on commitments, you won’t have the trust of clients.  Without clients, you will not remain in business.

The words that come out of your mouth are the little jewels that make or break a profitable real estate business. Watch very carefully what you say because people remember.  They listen and expect you to deliver on what you promise.

Starting today, be true to your word.  Don’t make promises that you can’t – or won’t – keep.  Work hard for your clients, and try practicing the concept of under-promising and over-delivering. When the world sees that you are that rare breed of agent who actually does what you say you will do, trust (and success!) will follow.

If you are a geographic farmer, listing agent, or focus on a niche market (for example seniors or college communities), your main focus in social media is best spent on blogging.  It is the quickest way to establish geographic expertise, and attract a crowd that has an interest in a specific area or a niche.  Blogging does come with many pro’s and con’s however, and isn’t for every Realtor.  Are you a natural, or good, writer?  Are you prepared to frequently update your blog?  These are important questions to consider before deciding if blogging is the best focus of your time.  However, the benefits of blogging can be significant for a real estate business and lead to quality lead generation over time.  When I was selling real estate, I saw blogging generate quality leads for my business and there is a growing list of real estate practitioners who can attest to the power of blogging as a business driver for them.

Sphere of Influence (Social) Farming

In contrast to the agent whose primary business focus is geographic farming or listings, if your primary business driver is who you know (you are a sphere of influence or social farmer), then you should absolutely be focusing on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.  The main point of these sites is to put you in contact with people you already have a connection with from all facets of life.  These social media sites make it easy to connect with people who you went to school with, who you worked with, who you are/were in organizations with, etc.  In a business often driven by who you know, if your social network is your major business driver, start engaging them on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Cold Calls, Door Knocking or Agent Referrals

If you have success with cold calling, door knocking, or your business development strategy is to have a network of agents around the country who refer you business, I suggest that your social media experience should start with Twitter.  Unlike Facebook where it is perceived as “creepy” to connect with people you don’t know, it is culturally acceptable to connect with total strangers on Twitter and it is a rich ground for meeting new people.  There are also lots of agents around the nation who are on Twitter, interacting with each other, and asking for referrals in other parts of the country (I know, I’ve done it.  And, my tweet put me in touch with a qualified agent who is showing property to my client next month).

Buyers Agent or Relocation Specialist

If you work primarily with buyers or deal extensively in relocation business, I suggest that there is benefit to be gained from many of the social media vehicles and social media is an area you would dedicate more of your time than, for example, an agent who primarily handles listings.  There is potential power in not only articulating your expertise in a blog, but also networking through Twitter, and interacting with people who can sing your praises on Facebook.  To get started, pick the social networks that feel most comfortable to you, and start interacting.

In Conclusion, A Word of Caution

Just because I suggest these are the social media places to focus doesn’t not meant that they will immediately create leads for you.  It will take time and regular, effective participation in the vehicle of your choosing is paramount to achieving success.  In addition, you need to understand the etiquette of each social media space in order to succeed there.  The rules of branding and engaging on line are different from the rules off line (promoting listings via postcards is very accepted, for example, but will not gain you ground on Twitter, Facebook, or blogging).  This post is meant to merely point the Realtor in the direction of what social media site to begin with for the greatest degree of success and efficient use of their time as they begin to explore the addition of social media to their business strategy.

It seems as though the sensitive and delicate job of real estate sales is taking a dramatic turn in the

area of customer service. Most agents work diligently with their clients, helping them search for a home and taking care of them all the way through to closing. Agents may work seven days a week and between 12 and 18 hours a day. They pay very close attention to their clients, yet there appears to be an attitude of entitlement amongst agents with respect to repeat and referral business.

I believe that T.L.C. actually stands for “Trust, Loyalty and Commitment”; although “Total Loss of Control” and “Taking Lower Commissions” may also apply. Agents give a tremendous amount of themselves and make large sacrifices for their clients, sometimes forgoing their own family time or personal time. But “Trust, Loyalty and Commitment” quickly turn to “Disappointment, Frustration and Financial Loss” when a client ends up choosing another agent to help them actually purchase or list a home after spending substantial time and money with the first agent.

One challenge that agents face today is that they don’t exclusively possess much of the information clients need. With the advancement of technology and all of the market information at a client’s fingertips, it is crucial to define the relationship and responsibilities between the agent and the client. As the industry continues to evolve, it is more and more important to increase the quality of that relationship. It is now time for agents to ask or require a mutual commitment between both parties.

As you venture out into this new and exciting real estate market, take the time to ask prospective clients about their past experiences in the industry as well as their experiences with other agents—both good and bad. It will give you a good perspective and an inside track on how to be the very best Realtor for them.

We are truly in the people business. By understanding your client’s needs and expectations, you can have successful transactions and repeat and referral business for life.

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

Generations are our new diversity. Our current education departments are being challenged with generational differences. Instruction as it stands now, is not consistent with the four generational groups in our industry.

As a result, we must focus on harmony to form a mix. Students are not used to hearing communications and strategy the same way. In addition, each generation views the business world differently. These differences impact our ability to educate effectively.

These, of course, are just some examples. Done right they are extremely powerful. I use many of these techniques in my live classes, training webinars and one-on-one coaching.

Every day on our Free Webinars (www.FreeCoachingWebinars.com) we reinforce four things that lead Agents to survive and succeed in this market.

1. Remind yourself every day, at the beginning of the day, what you want your Real Estate career to do for your life; and why you want it.
2. With that in mind, consciously and intentionally put yourself in an empowering attitude, a positive mental and emotional state by using the triad of your physiology, your focus, and your self-talk. In its simplest form stand up, stomach in, shoulders back, chest out, and smile. Focus on what would make it the best possible day. For the self talk, use affirmation, expressions of gratitude, prayer, or whatever leaves you feeling good and strong.
3. With that positive mindset look at your numbers. Look at your weekly, monthly and year to date goals. This is tough sometimes. That is why you want to establish that empowered state before you look at your where you stand in relation to your goals. (On the daily webinars we teach you how to set those goals in the simplest and most effective way.)
4. Then with your focus on what you need to accomplish to reach your goals open your calendar to organize and prioritize your day. We recommend some consistent priorities for specific days, prospecting, marketing, technology, service, skill building, and planning.

These four steps will take as little as ten minutes; up to thirty if you really get into it. This daily habit gets you motivated, focused and into action. At the same time it gives you the perspective to not get caught up in petty distractions, stay focused on your goals, and build greater confidence in every action and every decision.

In the last few Zebra Reports I talked about a topic near and dear to my heart – lead generation.

I even shared some of the methods of lead generation that are tried and true – such as open houses, working expired listings, or pursuing FSBOs.

All of those methods are great – and they DO work!

But I want to talk today about a venue for lead generation that is a little scary to some of you … and that’s “social media marketing” or “social networking”.

Social media is a term that gets tossed around a lot, and it means different things to different people.  Simply put, social media involves electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information and ideas.  There are more social media sites than you can image on the internet – and more are added every day!

Not a day goes by in my consulting business that I’m not asked whether it’s possible to generate real estate leads through social networking.  Real estate agents who may be feeling the financial pinch of the last two years are anxious to find inexpensive ways to create opportunities for their business.  And they’re turning to social media.

If you think the jury’s still out on social media and its effectiveness in generating leads, think again!  There’s no question that you can leverage the power of social media in your business.  But you must follow many of the same principles that apply to “traditional” lead generation.

Lead generation via social media requires consistency, diligence, and persistence.  Just as you wouldn’t expect someone to become a client after receiving your newsletter once in the mail, don’t think that everyone you engage with online will beat a path to your door.  It’s going to require a consistent stream of quality communication from you to make that happen.

You’re also going to have to spend a little time to determine which social media outlet is the best fit for you and your business.

What I love about social media is the opportunity to connect you with so many other people in the blink of an eye.  However, simply finding people and connecting with them is not enough.  You must be sincere.  You must add value to the discussion.  And you must contribute in a meaningful way so that these nebulous connections want to continue the discussion with you “offline”.

While the online engagement should be the start of communication, for you to garner business from social media it has to go farther than that.  Getting great marketing materials to – or meeting live with – a potential client is the next logical step toward parlaying a connection into closed business.

I know that you’re all looking for inexpensive ways to generate business, but it’s important to remember this: while most social media sites don’t charge for participation, you still need to invest money in your business so that you have the top-quality, professional materials to share with a client once you move from “online” to “offline”.  This is especially important when you’ve first made a connection online, and a potential client hasn’t had an opportunity to “see your stuff”.  Even more importantly, don’t underestimate the value of your time.  If you’re spending hours and hours online trying to generate business, but you’re not getting results, I believe you are losing money.  It’s easy to forget that your time has value, especially if your business is slower than you would like.  Don’t fall into the trap of trading your valuable time for few results – and that applies to “offline” lead generation too!

Although it will evolve over time, social media marketing and networking is here to stay.  Social media provides unparalleled opportunities for you to begin to connect with potential clients in a very inexpensive way.  Just remember: to leverage the efforts you put in to social networking, be sure that the work you put in on the front end is coupled with sincerity and value, and followed up with great materials that showcase your value as a real estate agent.

Realtors unfamiliar with social media are often overwhelmed by the array of choices and opportunities in the social media space.  The most common objection I hear is “How will I have the time to do all of this?”  I tell Realtors don’t do it all.  No doubt about it, social media is a time suck.  And, it is too new a medium to say that it should replace your off-line business generating activities.  Realtors should keep in mind that there are clients who will never embrace social media as a way to interact with an agent.  However, the pool of people who are adopting social media sites as a way to interact with others is noteworthy.  And, if you:

• are interested in reaching a growing segment of people
• see social media as a brand building channel
• believe (like I do) that social media is changing how we interact with each others and how we do business

then participating in social media as a part of your real estate business plan is something to look at.  So, the question for these agents in this camp is, where do I start?  And, on what social networks should I focus my time?

Let’s first take a step back:
Before social media came along, Realtors had (and still have) a lot of options for building their business.   For example:

• Some are geographic farmers, spending their marketing dollars and time on repetitive post card campaigns to their farm.
• Others work open houses and work to convert those who walk through into clients.
• Many sign up for floor time, sit at the up desk, and take incoming calls.
• Some are social or sphere of influence farmers and gain business by joining a country club or the PTA or their alumni association.
• Others focus on cold calling and/or door knocking in order to generate leads, buyers, and listings.
• Some agents write articles for the local newspaper that showcase their expertise.
• There are agents who focus exclusively on listings.  Others work primarily with buyers.  And still others deal just in relocation business.

The point is there are numerous strategies for a Realtor to grow a business, and although a Realtor is happy to take a lead from any of those sources, most Realtors focus on one or two strategies for building their business.  Realtors focus their strategy on what reaches the audience they want to work with in a way that suits their own business style and goals.  Some ways simply work better for some agents than others.

So, when I’m coaching agents who are looking to start in social media, I ask them to tell me what is the primary source of their business TODAY?  I ask them, where did the greatest percentage of your deals come from in the last year?  What do you focus on off line in order to drive business to you?  Realtors should be already asking themselves this question in order to decide how they are going to spend their time and dollars.

Social media simply expands the array of marketing and business development channels from which Realtors can choose to brand themselves.   And each of those channels has their own nuances, demographics, and success strategies. All social media sites are not the same and can be as different a strategy as postcard farming is to working open houses.  Some may work well for you…others may not.  And just because one is successful for your colleague, doesn’t mean it plays to your strengths and the target audience you want to reach.  And, just like off-line business building, you don’t have to do them all to succeed.  So, why not take this same strategy into your social media efforts?