Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

The Internet has increased the expectation among consumers that your business will have a credible online presence. Prospects you’ve never met are forming opinions about your business at the click of a mouse.

Internet first impressions are not just influenced by how your website looks, but also by how often your business appears in searches on their key words and if you have a presence on the more popular real estate sites. Establishing a good reputation, offline and online, is the only way to be truly successful in business.

Online networking is just like networking in person; being social - meeting people. Create, build and develop relationships.  Starting and “getting out there” is no different than conversations about real estate (sometimes bringing it up intentionally) while at the PTA meeting.

Understanding the way business has shifted with the internet age can help you market your business in the virtual world. You do that by:

• establishing a powerful online reputation and presence
• being available where the consumer is, so they will contact you
• providing content that reflects the specific key words consumers look for
• and using social media and the deep content you create to build and develop relationships with potential clients.

The Hub & Spoke Principle

Real estate professionals often approach online marketing in a disjointed fashion.

They have a website and then decide to create a presence on social networks, not utilizing the power of integrating them. The agent spends a lot of time visiting these various sites to communicate information, reducing their effectiveness.

Like the hub on a bicycle wheel, a website facilitates resource sharing and communications (via the “spokes” in the wheel) to every Web 2.0 tool the sales agent decides to incorporate into their business.

While you want a presence in other places (on and off line) your website should be the place to return as the foundation. It is the hub, your central spot, your foundation that will have searches, information and most importantly, ways for the consumer to get in touch with you when is they are ready to buy or sell.

Whatever other social media or online activities you participate in are the spokes. This is where you establish your reputation and begin to build relationships as consumers get to see bits and pieces of who you are.

The more search traffic you can drive, coupled with the social media traffic you move from your spokes (like Facebook) the more you will be found.

Amy Chorew is a national technology speaker and coach. She is founder of TheTechByte which offers a variety of technology coaching and training programs.

DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE … the way they want to hear it!
Here’s a big question when it comes to generating leads: how do you get the message out most effectively?   Newspaper ads?  YouTube videos?  Social media,  print marketing,  a website, open houses?   Talk to different people, and they’ll all give you a different answer about what’s effective.

I can’t tell you how many agents tell me that newspaper advertising doesn’t work.  Or that their social media activities aren’t generating business.  The fact is that all types of outreach can generate results – but you have to be directing the right message to the right market … and deliver that message in the way the client wants to receive that message.
The bottom line: different social generations prefer information delivered differently.But before I talk more about delivering the message in a generationally-appropriate manner, I want to touch briefly on another important piece of the puzzle – and that’s making sure you identify your target market.If you haven’t identified your target, it’s like the old saying “Ready.  Fire.  Aim.”  You can’t expect to hit a bulls-eye if you haven’t aimed.  In this case, aiming involves determining who your target is, then crafting a message that will appeal to them, and finally delivering the message in a way that’s appropriate for your target market.

But let’s imagine that you have determined your target market, and have developed a strategic message that will captivate and engage your target market.

Now you need to determine the best way to distribute your message, and that needs to be done based on social generations.

As time has gone by, our society has become more and more technologically dialed-in.  Not surprisingly, this means that the older the potential client, the more “high touch” your message needs to be.  And obviously that means that younger potential clients are looking for “high tech” message delivery.

Let’s take a look at the different generations, the birth ranges of those generations, and how your brand message should be communicated to each.

The Silent Generation:  1925 -1945
Typically wants only via “high touch” — in person, snail mail, radio, and telephone.

Baby Boomers; 1946 -1964
Wants primarily via “touch”, but with a little “tech” — snail mail, telephone, email, and websites.

Generations X (“Baby Bust”): 1965 – 1981
Prefers a good mixture of “touch” and “tech” — snail mail, telephone, websites, email, text, and social media.

Generation Y (“Echo Boomers”): 1982 – 2000
Wants primarily via “high tech” — text, email, websites, and social media.

Generation M (“Mobile Generation) / Generation Z (“Digital Generation”):  2001+
This generation isn’t purchasing homes yet … but when they do the will be anticipating a “high tech” message — texts and social media.
Let’s pretend your target market is women who don’t currently own homes, between the ages of 23 and 29.

Since the target market is Gen Y women (or “echo boomers”, as they’re sometimes called), effective delivery of your brand message should occur primarily via technology – through text, email, websites, and social media.
Had your target market been someone in the “silent generation” – your brand message should be delivered primarily through “touch”, face to face and voice to voice interaction with very little technology.

So remember: for your lead generation efforts to be effective it’s critical that you deliver the message in a way that resonates with your target market based on the preferences of their “generation”.

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

79% of the Internet Retail Top 500 retailers have Facebook pages, yet only 12% offer apps or widgets that enable ecommerce transactions on the social network. More than half (53%) of Facebook users have reached a retailer’s website from its Facebook page, and 35% of online shoppers said they would be likely to make a purchase through Facebook. Additionally, a third of respondents “like” six or more retailers or consumer products companies on Facebook.
The prospect of finding out about sales and promotions is a big lure. Over 56% of those surveyed visited retailers’ Facebook pages for this purpose, while 58% in the Shop.org study, which included Twitter and a company’s blog in the figure, cited deals as a primary motivation. Learning more about a retailer and keeping up to date on products were also important.
Retailers and consumer products companies could give the group currently connecting with them on Facebook access to sales. Even if these online shoppers are not yet able to make purchases directly through Facebook, exclusive offers can engender goodwill, loyalty, sharing which will ultimately result in sales.

Statistics provided by Ability Commerce Shop.org, comScore and Social Shopping Labs

1. Knowledge, Experience, and Service

For starters, we’re among the most experienced. Two decades of actively working with hundreds of speakers and meeting planners has made us the most knowledgeable Speakers Bureau in real estate. Period.

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Many bureaus have just a few speakers with limited topics. With Broker Agent Speakers’ Bureau, you can avoid the hassle of dealing with several different bureaus in order to satisfy all your programming requirements.

Our one-stop shopping makes it convenient for you to get exactly what you want for your entire meeting — from the opening bell to the closing farewell. We can bring you motivators, educators, and even leaders in the real estate world. Whether you are looking for headliners, keynoter speakers, seminar leaders, or breakout workshop facilitators, Broker Agent Speakers’ Bureau will fill your every need.

3. Customized Service

Our innovative approach to customized service is what makes Broker Agent Speakers’ Bureau stand out. We do all the research for you, making your job of selecting a speaker as easy and efficient as possible. Our customized service is designed to save you time, money and hassle while getting you the very best and most appropriate programs for your audience.

It is our honor to serve you. The BASB Team

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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.

In this turbulent real estate market – with short sales, foreclosures and bankruptcies at an all-time high – we must ask ourselves a simple question:  Is it still the best policy to be honest with our clients? And if so, when is the best time to “share the truth”?

The manager of a local real estate office recently emailed me an article, and the idea behind it was brilliant, yet very simple.  It went something like this: If all the agents with current listings today were to cancel every one that is overpriced, it would dramatically change the landscape of the market.

What a great idea! It is certainly time to stop spending money, time and emotion with clients who don’t wish to “get real” when it comes to current market conditions.

It appears that we (the agents) either don’t understand how to correctly price a property or we are not skilled in the art of having successful discussions with sellers about pricing and marketing a home to sell.

There seems to be about a four- to six-week window after a property is listed, in which the seller is hopeful, excited and cooperative with the amount of ads, virtual tours, open houses and showings on his or her property. It is after that time frame (it varies from market to market) that stress begins to increase for both the seller and the agent. With the average days on market dramatically increasing, isn’t it time to start having honest conversations with potential sellers before the sign goes in the ground and the lockbox is secured on the property? Unfortunately, in this changing market, comps from 90 to 180 days ago may not be relevant today. And agents have been known to over-promise and under-deliver, and then disappear!

It is time to have effective conversations that create expectations for both the agent and the seller.

It’s time to be honest about how the seller feels when strangers (buyers) come through his or her home. And it’s time to be honest about the sale price and what will happen if the seller is not able to get the price he or she expects.

If agents and sellers would begin to have more intentional and meaningful conversations, the outcome of the transaction would become much more agreeable for both parties. Let’s start by getting honest with ourselves and then with our clients. If we are to ever change the perception of “the disappearing Realtor”, it needs to start today with you!

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

Bob Pike (1994) suggests the 90/20/8 rule:

“No module we teach ever runs more than ninety minutes, the pace is changed at least every twenty minutes, and we try to find a way to involve people in the content every eight minutes.”

Always Inform attendees what the purpose or goal of your event or training is and how they may be able to participate and especially what they are going to learn.

With conduct alot of training webinars so keeping in mind the above rule here are some tips for running a successful training webinar:

Sorry about the tone, I wanted to get your attention, particularly those of you who know that your listing presentation needs help.

An Agent with three years experience just started coaching with me.  She did her listing presentation for me.  It was clear that she had never had professional help on it.

A few keys, she was doing a two step approach.  Many good Agents do a two step.  The first step is just looking at the property and having an informal rapport building conversation with the owner in which you also subtly probe for motivation and urgency.  This Agent was sitting down and presenting her entire marketing plan, then coming back the second step for pricing the house.  This is a bad approach for a lot of reasons.  The point is that she didn’t know better.

There were almost no questions.  She talked on and on without asking a question and without checking in to confirm the level of attention and understanding.

Presentation is really the wrong word for a listing presentation.  It really needs to be called a Listing Consultation or better yet a Seller Consultation.  A consultant is continuously asking questions to understand the need of the client and their particular situation.  Then as he or she presents, they offer possible solutions, a consultant continues to ask questions for two reasons.  One is to ensure attention and agreement.  The other is to create positive (yes) momentum.

As she was discussing her marketing plan for the property she reviewed the listing contract, and then at the end presented pricing.  This structure is very weak.  There is a simple strong structure for a listing presentation; build rapport, present marketing plan, present pricing and value, review Seller’s expenses and net, review paperwork and ask for a decision.

The point of all this for you is this.  Do you have confidence in your listing presentation?  If you don’t, get with your Broker, Manager, a Trainer, a Coach, or work with a successful Agent.  Get professional help.  Even if you think your presentation is good but you don’t have real confidence in it.  Work on it with someone that will be really honest with you about it and who can help you make it as strong as possible.  Don’t let this weakness persist.  It will erode your integrity and your confidence.