As many of you know, I am a Senior Instructor for the Council of Residential Specialist (CRS.com).  The Council is comprised of the top wage earners in real estate…the average CRS designee outearns his or her non-designee counterpart 4-1.  Truly the elite group of agents, I continually learn from them, both in my CRS classes and from the desingees among my CyberStars(tm).

Those who earn their CRS designation obtain many benefits.  Two of the most important are education and referrals.  As for education, the CRS core courses are two days in length and really focus on the topic, much more so than courses of 1/2 or 1 day can.  CRS 2-day courses include:

• Business planning & marketing
• Financing & Tax Advantages For Agents & Their Clients
• Listing Strategies
• Professional Sales Training
• Building An Exceptional  Customer Service Referral Business
• Technologies To Advance Your Business

Each course is taught by instructors ranked the best in the business….you’ll benefit from each course as you work towards the designation!

BTW: If your group is bringing in the 2-day Technology course (CRS 206), I would appreciate your requesting me as the instructor for the course!

The tangible benefit of becoming a CRS, of course, is the referrals you receive from other CRS members.  CyberStar(tm) Tim Kinzler of Boca Raton, FL, recently posted this testimonial to CRS’s referral power on our private Google Group:

"This week I had 3 referrals from the CRS Directory, including one about 30 minutes ago. One earlier this month
resulting in potential of 10 condo listings and a home listing with a value of over $1,000,0000, which translates to over 30k in commissions. Being a CRS pays!"

You can find the designation requirement and a course schedule on CRS.com.  Join the elite in real estate today!

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston…hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

I just returned from teaching a wonderful class in Medford, Oregon.  We did a lot on video marketing during our time together using the new FlipVideo.  A student who had never done a video before (much less posted one to YouTube) used the camera, took some videos during the day, stitched them together into one video and uploaded them to YouTube.  "Easy," agreed the class!

During group discussions on how to use video on sites such as YouTube, the following suggestions came out.  Perhaps you can use them to further your use of video on the Web in order to make more money and to provide better service!

1. Counseling interview (see CyberStar(tm) James Nellis’s great counseling interview here)
2. Interface with lenders for foreclosures & short sales
3. Client testimonials
4. Listing presentation
5. Buyer presentation
6. VIP buyer presentation
7. Tours of local attractions (golf course, amusement park, historical sites, etc.
8. New resident tours
9. General area tours
10. Special community event involvement
11. Preparing your home for sale
12. Listing tours
13. Previewing property for out-of-town buyers
14. Short sale education
15. Lender & broker price opinion presentations
16. Home inspections
17. Inspection before going to closing
18. Self-promotion of any type
19. Office recruiting
20. Promoting affiliates & business partners
21. Promote client appreciation events
22. Client weddings or other special events
23. Youth activity events
24. Family events
25. Vacations

You will be able to think of others, I’m sure.  The main point is that YouTube’s 70 million unique visitors per month make it a marketing vehicle you just can’t ignore!

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston…hope it is a great day wherever you are, too!

Here’s a quick tip for improving your contact with your Web site or other leads….

CyberStar(tm) Linda DeVlieg of Coldwell Banker Legacy, Albuquerque, NM, sent in a query to our CyberStar(tm) Google Group re. improving her drip email.  CyberStar(tm) Pete Doty of  Pete Doty & Co. Metro Brokers, Denver, CO, responded.  Thought you’d like to see it…and learn from it.

Linda: "All of my internet leads go into a GOODER drip system.  I’m seeing that other agents are finally using some type of drip system.  So to stand out and be different, what else can I be doing to keep in touch that will be what someone else doesn’t want to do?  My leads come in either with a phone number or without a phone number.  All of them have email  addresses."

Pete: " I have found the secret!  If there is a phone number, you call!  Right now!  Not an assistant, not a lender, not your VA…..YOU.  Boy will you be different!   No negative responses, a fair number of fax numbers and disconnects (maybe 50%) but some very grateful and surprised future clients. And you spoil them for all the other sites/agents they visit who never call back."

A simple technique, but one guaranteed to increase your income!

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston…time to go fishin’!  Hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

Yesterday, I led a CyberStar(tm) panel for RE/MAX of Northern Illinois in Chicago.  Our main aim was to share what we, the CyberStars(tm) do to implement technology in our businesses in order to make money, save money and save time.  It was a tremendous session….the three panelists left the audience with a lot of ideas, techniques & strategies.

Spotting a row of "30 Something" agents early in the seminar, I made a point.  Knowing what their answer would be, I asked them to imagine that I needed to get in touch with them.  Would they prefer I call them?  All shook their heads "no."  How ’bout my emailing them?  Again, "no."  Well, what about my text messaging you?  This time, all heads nodded "yes."

Today’s buyers and sellers see their time as more valuable than most of us ever did.  Returning voice mails (with its inherent "telephone tag") takes too much time; replying to email takes too much time.  They want to text message….instant communication.

Part of our mission, as it is with all of my seminars, was to impress upon real estate agents the need to think differently when it comes to servicing today’s consumer.  The Internet has changed everything, and the successful agent needs to take this change into account…..even in the way he/she communicates with most consumers.

I previously outlined here a new way of structuring your real estate magazine ads, i.e. making a pitch for something on your Web site on the top 1/3 of the page rather than an overall emphasis on the reader calling you.  Again, the consumer’s needs lie behind this strategy.  They would much rather surf the Web for information than contact an agent.

Here’s your action item for today: if you don’t know how to text message, get a 14 year old to show you how on your phone!  That’s the way I learned, and you can, too.  Without the ability to text, we are handicapped when it comes to meeting the needs of most of today’s consumers!

(P.S.  Texting is the most effective way to communicate with those teenage grandkids of yours, too!)

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston…hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

Here’s an update on where I’ll be in the near future.  Hope to see you at an upcoming seminar!

April 21: Chicago, IL

    CyberStar(tm) Panel RE/MAX of Northern Illinois.  Register with Candy Kissner, CKissner@RMXun.com, 847-219-4097

May 5-6: Medford, OR

    CRS 206.  Register with Oregon CRS Chapter, Jane Robertson, OregonCRS@OregonCRS.org  or 866/ 625-8494

May 21-22: Duluth, GA (Atlanta)

    CRS 206.  Register with Northeast Atlanta Metro AOR, Barbara Janes, barb@namar.org or 770/ 495-7300

It’s a beautiful Spring day here on the lake in Reston…hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

After 16 months of floundering, I became a top listing agent in the Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS.  How?  My mentor made me practice my presentation over and over, and she critiqued it each time.  She taught me to focus on the seller’s needs, to have professional looking materials and, above all, to come prepared!

Along the way, my CyberStars(tm) learned the same lesson: that’s one reason why they are such successful agents.  Allen F. Hainge CyberStar(tm) Linda DeVlieg of Coldwell Banker Legacy in Albuquerque, NM, is a real pro.  She has shared her ideas with us ever since joining the CyberStars(tm), and last week she posted the following on our private CyberStar(tm) Google Group.  Her post shows the value of preparation before a listing presentation:

"My potential seller complained that the other brokers she interviewed didn’t hand her any marketing materials….I came in with full color flyers featuring her home.  I used Google Maps "street view" for the photo.  I also brought in my color brochure, market stats in full color, my newly printed CD seller presentation, my listing book and a thank you letter.

"Looking at the stack of prooganda on the table as we were sitting there, it was pretty impressive, especially considering that I prepared it all in my home office 3 hours before the listing presentation."

There are so many tech tools you can use today in order to get the listing every time, including, but not limited to:

• eNeighborhood profiles
• Virtual tours of the seller’s home if you have previewed it beforehand
• A tablet pc, on which you can show your personal Web site
• A neat digital camera like the FlipUltra that will amaze the sellers as you video the home for your Web site
• An AgencyLogic Web site already prepared for their home…including their adress as the site’s URL

You probably use other tools, but the point is that by taking the time to really prepare before your listing presentation, you will be much more successful!

Interested in joining the CyberStars(tm)?  Go here for information and an application.

It’s a beautiful Spring day here on the lake in Reston….hope it’s a beautiful day wherever you are, too!

CyberStar(tm) Helen South of Lane Realty, Queensland/Mt. Tamborine, Australia, has a very successful Web site.  You can view it here.  Helen not only pays great attention to her site content (including her absolutely stunning photos and her much-visited recipe page!), she pays attention to visitor statistics.

She recently wrote the following on our private Google Group.  In her post, she shared information on VisiStats, the service she uses to monitor her Web site traffic, measure visitor activity, collect geographic information on her visitors and more.  Helen writes about VisiStat:

"There are many reasons I like their service, but here is just one example.  It allows me to analyze how good the feed through is from my home page.  Today, 77% of the visitors who landed on the home page went onto look at other pages.  More than half of the remaining 23% came from overseas, & I have to presume landed by accident.  One Australian visitor actually viewed 56 pages, another viewed 39 pages!"

If you have a Web site, I trust you know how to measure your visitor statistics.  You might have a "seniors" page, for example, and if your stats show that it is the most viewed page, you have some valuable information.  You can use that information to beef up your seniors page….and to tweak your traditional marketing.

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston…hope it’s a great day whever you are, too!

I posted before on the Flip Ultra, a light, inexpensive and oh-so useful digital video camera.  I said that I was going to order it, I did, and I love it!

I opened the box, and the Flip Ultra was even smaller and lighter than I had imagined, fitting easily in my shirt pocket with room to spare.  I stepped out on the balcony and took my first video after only 5 minutes of experimenting with it.  The video quality was excellent, complete with zoom and sound.

Back inside, I  flipped out the built-in USB plug, plugged it into the USB slot on my notebook, and the software  in the camera automatically downloaded.  Once the software downloaded, I was able to (among other tasks):

    * Download the video to my computer…one click

    * Edit the video

    * Grab single frames to save as photos

    * Add music to the video

    * Email the video…with one click, which both compresses and emails the video

    * Upload the video to YouTube ….with one click! (You can one-click the video to other video sites or to your site)

I’m going to use the Flip Ultra on family occasions, when fishing, on trips, etc.

The main reason I’m mentioning it to you, however, is that it has any number of real estate uses.  Among them are:

• Video tours of your listings posted on your Web site
• Video tours of you area posted on your Web site or given to other agents at conventions or seminars as part of your campaign to build referrals
• Video tours of the neighborhood around your listing
• Video updates for out-of-town buyers who bought a new home
• Promotional videos to post on your site or on sites such as YouTube
• Video of your counseling interview or marketing presentation posted on your site or on YouTube.  To see a great counseling interview by CyberStar(tm) James Nellis, go here.)

You can think of many more uses for online video, I’m sure.  The Flip Ultra makes it easy to capture the videos you want to use in your marketing efforts.

I ordered my Flip Video Ultra, 60 minutes of storage, from Amazon.com: $139.99 + Shipping.

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston….I hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

My friend Dan Gooder Richard knows more about real estate marketing than anyone I know.  He started out as the Marketing Director for Long & Foster here in my area before forming his own firm, Gooder Group 25 years ago in March of 1983. Back then, print marketing materials were just about the only marketing tools we had.

When the Internet came along, Dan was one of the first to see its implications for real estate agents, both in extending the agent’s marketing reach and in cutting his or her marketing costs.  Many of my CyberStars(tm) use his excellent product, RAINMAKER E-CENTRAL and make money with it.

Dan’s recent marketing tip, "4 Proven Ways To Collect Email Addresses," just came via email.  They are:

1. Popup "Gateway Forms" on your Web site that send the prospect to a targeted landing page such as your home-search IDX page
2. Numerous Web forms (more is better!) that offer free services, free reports or free information where registration is free and options.
3. "Forward to a Friend" forms that capture two sets of contact information
4. "Customers Only" or "Members Only" section that requires an e-mail address for access

You know by know that 82% of consumers go first to the Web for information on houses….or to select an agent.  Your site, then is crucial, but be sure to incorporate Dan’s tips into your site so that you can increase your email responses!

BTW: You will enjoy a $100 setup savings on Dan’s RAINMAKER E-CENTRAL integrated system of Web forms, unlimited micro sites, We content and automated email.  Regular one-time setup is $199.  Anyone ordering with my code, #588 will pay only $99.  Check out what his RAINMAKER E-CENTRAL program contains here.

Most importantly, remember Dan’s 4 tips for increasing email responses from your site….than put the addresses into an automated followup system.  You’ll be glad you did!

It’s a great (misty) day here on the lake in Reston…hope it’s a great day wherever you are!

Successful agents like my CyberStars(tm) see a monthly electronic newsletter as an essential part of their marketing arsenal.  The majority of home buyers and sellers today get their information from the Web, and a good, consumer-oriented newsletter is an excellent way to keep in touch with them.

There are a number of template newsletters out there…some good, some bad.  One of the most popular is not my cup of tea: too much like a "business news" publication that, in my opinion does not present items of maximum interest to home buyers and sellers.

I think you’ll get more responses out of a more real estate related newsletter.  Many of my CyberStars(tm) for example, use the newsletter supplied by RealProSystems in both their Silver and Gold programs,  Click here to see CyberStar(tm) Allyson Hoffman’s RealProSystem’s latest newsletter.  She, as well as the other CyberStars(tm), reports good results using this company’s newsletter.

A good template newsletter such as RealProSystem’s, allows you to customize it so that it is specifically targeted to your area.  Any template newsletter you subscribe to should give you this functionality.  If you really love to write, you can, of course, create your own newsletter.  My CyberStar(tm) Alice Held, for example, has created her own newsletter for years.  It is famous world-wide, and she has thousands of subscribers.  You can view her current edition here.

Whichever you choose, make sure your newsletter:

• Comes out on a regular basis
• Contains content relevant to the consumer
• Is visually appealing
• Has some "call to action" that causes some reader to email you (free relocation packet, etc.)

BTW:  If your company, franchise or real estate organization is looking for an exciting seminar on using today’s technology to build your business, I’d appreciate the referral.  Just leave me a contact here, and I’ll get back to you.

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston…hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!