I just received this message from Allen F. CyberStar(tm) Pete Doty of Denver, CO (www.DenverRelocation.com):

"Just wanted you to know that 50% of my business this year has come from the Web & 50% from friends, family & referrals, both broker and past clients."

Now that’s running a business!  I asked Pete to give me some background as to what he did over the years to achieve this balance.  I hope his response can help you build a better business!

"Here’s a rough view of what I’ve done.  I used SEO ("Search Engine Optimization) to bring my site from page 47 to a 3rd or 5th spot on page #1.  Also,  everyone I have ever come in contact with is on a drip email campaign.  I use RealProSystem’s  drip  campaign and stealth Web sites and swear by them.  I only had to do minor editing on RealProSystem’s pre-planned emails…they are terrific!  I duplicated one of these drip emails and put it on my 3 IDX follow up programs.

 "I have 4 major Web sites plus some minor ones:

• www.DenverRelocation.com, done by myself and a Web coach
• www.PeteDoty.com, my RealProSystem stealth site
• www.DenverHomeSource.net, self-published
• www.DenverHomeSource.com, self published
• www.SuburbanDenver.com, template from my franchise

"I have to emphasize that my membership in your CyberStar(tm) networking group has had a huge impact on my success.  The techniques I learn and the tools recommended by others, such as RealProSystems, are priceless!"

NOTE: After investigating RealProSystems, you can order it at a discount from www.AFHSeminars.com or by calling us at 800-695-3794.

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

I asked my fellow CRS 206 instructor, Mike Selvaggio, to contribute his Ten Top Tips for the revision of my best-selling book, "Dominate! Capturing Your Market With Today’s Technology."  The CRS 206 course is the Council of Residential Specialist’s 2-day technology course, the best course, in my opinion, for learning how to market with today’s technology.  Mike does a superb job on the digital photography module of the course, and he’s my "go to" guy when I want to learn more in this area.

Here are Mike’s top ideas…Top 10 + a bonus #11:

1.       Shoot lots of shots

2.       Shoot bedroom shots 4 feet off the ground

3.       Buy a wide angle camera like the Canon sd800

4.       Have at least a 512 mb card for storing your photos

5.       Reformat your card while in the camera at least once a month

6.       Always have your camera ready for that great shot

7.       Shoot kitchens by holding your camera over your head and if possible, stand on a chair

8.       Shoot exterior front shots at ¾ angle, not straight ahead. Stand on the non-garage side.

9.       Best shots are on cloudy days, not bright sunshine. Avoid harsh shadows.

10.   Take your best shot in the field so you do not have to work it over in your computer

11.   Set the resolution of your camera BEFORE you shoot so it matches the ultimate use (bonus tip)

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

I’m on vacation in Israel with Miss Ellie’s family, in Jerusalem at present.  Israel is a fascinating, varied and complex country, and I feel blessed to experience it on this visit.

Today, being on vacation anywhere in the world does not mean we are out of touch.  There is email, of course, and we can usually connect to the Web, but a free service I have written about before, Skype (www.Skype.com), provides extra benefits, as I have found on this trip.

Yesterday, I connected via Skype to a real estate agent here in Jerusalem (a potential CyberStar(tm) candidate) and with my son in Japan.  Miss Ellie and I met the agent by accident while touring the Old City of Jerusalem.  We had asked him for directions.  Like any good agent, he mentioned that he was in real estate after giving us the directions.  I took his card, on which was his Skype address.  Later, I Skyped him from the hotel, and we had a pleasant chat about his joining the CyberStars(tm), each seeing the other via Web cam (mine is built into my travel notebook).

My daughter and her family are visiting my son in Japan.  We connected via Skype later in the day and caught up with each other by voice and by video.

This morning, CyberStar(tm) Ira Serkes of Berkeley, CA, noticed that my computer was on and Skyped me.  Again, a pleasant chat, and it sounded as if we were on a local telephone line although we were half a world apart.

Here’s why I’m sharing this: you NEED Skype, both for business and personal reasons.  Nothing to it, and it opens up a whole new world of communication, both business and personal, for you.  The Skype download is free.  Skype-to-Skype calls are free.  How can you not have this valuable, near-miraculous tool in your technology arsenal?

Take a tip from the agent here in Israel who has Skype and who lists his Skype address on his business card and Web site.  Take a tip from the many CyberStars(tm) who use Skype to communicate with family and business clients world wide.  Get Skype today…you’ll be glad you did!

It’s a beautiful (hot!) day here in Jerusalem…hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

Regards,

Allen

So much technology….so many decisions!  How is one to decide what’s "the best" when it comes to buying a new computer, a scanner, a digital camera, new software or new Web services?

When faced with a major purchase, many of us are prone to "Analysis Paralysis."  We research, study, research and research again.  By the time we make a decision, we have lost time, productivity……and the technology we are researching has probably been improved upon!

This doesn’t have to be the case if we rely on experts who know a lot more about whatever product we’re researching than we do.  Here are two sites I depend on when it comes to making good, quick decisions when buying new technology.

PC Magazine’s Top Rated Products
This is my "go to" site when I need to buy technology….it has never let me down.  Checking out PC Magazine’s top picks online is quick, easy and accurate.  Go to PC Magazine online and click on "reviews," pick your product, then look at their top rated products.  Don’t think…just pick one of them that is in your price range, and you save a lot of time and avoid making costly mistakes!

CNET’s Editors’ Top Products
As  with PC Magazine, CNET offers a "top picks" section.  Like PC Magazine’s top picks, this where I go to make a fast, on-target decision when making a major purchase. To see CNET’s system, go to CNET, click on "reviews" and your decision is made easier!

Top Ten Reviews
I don’t use this site as often as I use PC Magazine’s, since it’s not as business oriented, but it is useful at times.  See it here.

So many agents lose money because they just can’t make a decision when it comes to buying today’s technology.  Remember: you do not need to suffer from "Analysis Paralysis."  Use the experts, make your choice, buy it…and start making money with it today!

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

Having a networking group of agents who, like you, sees the importance of using today’s technology in their businesses really helps.  I’m fortunate to have such a network, 185+ agents from the US, Canada, the Bahamas and Australia, the Allen F. Hainge CyberStars(tm).  We share tips, techniques and strategies, and it helps us all grow.

  One of our members, Pei Lin Huang (Keller Williams Syracuse, Syracuse, NY)  just shared a YouTube video with us.  It’s a tv report on a new service that sends listing facts via text message when prospects text the number on your sign.  You can see it here.

Texting has replaced email for a significant percentage of today’s buying public.  Knowing that, an agent should be looking at using text messaging in ways that connect with today’s consumer.  The service highlighted in the news report is one way of meeting that need.

BTW: One non-tech way you can serve these folks is to ask, during your qualifying interview or on your buyer/seller info sheet, how they wish to be contacted: phone, email or text messaging.

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

Here’s another success story from my CyberStars(tm).  This one combines the power of networking and the value of referring to a tech savy agent.  CyberStars(tm) Leslie McDonnell (RE/MAX Suburban, Libertyville, IL), Sven Andersen (RE/MAX Leading Edge, Boston Suburbs) and Crystal McCall (Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty, Ocala, FL) played their parts in this great example of networking, technology and referral success.

Leslie writes:

"First of all, I MUST thank Sven for his ‘anywhere agent’ idea. Quick story.  I sent it out to 10,000 people including my past clients, farms, orphans, prospects.  The first day it went out I got a call. The guys lives in an 800K house and wants to buy a house in The Villages in Florida.  I immediately called Crystal McCall  at the suggestion of you CyberStars(tm), since I had no idea where that was.  Anyway, the guy tells me that he really doesn’t want to bother going there to find a place, since he knows the area.  He said he specifically wanted someone ‘tech savy’ who could help him buy a place without going there.  So, within 5 days, he buys a house from Crystal, whom he has never met!  Cash buyer, no home to sell, didn’t even have to show one house.  Isn’t life great!

"Thanks to Sven for the great idea and to Crystal for making me proud!! Fabulous, and it really knocks my socks off to be part of this group!"

BTW:  If you are a high producer who uses technolgy to build your business and want to be part of real estate’s best networking group, email me and I’ll send you information on joining the CyberStars(tm).

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!

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!

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!