While on my balcony overlooking Lake Anne thother day, I saw a buzzard lazily floating.  It was covering a lot of territory as it surveyed the scene below.

As with all such birds, it floated in lazy circles and only occasionally flapped its wings.  It was a perfect example of maximum results with minimum effort, as the buzzard covered a wide expanse of lake and shore using air currents rather than its own energy.

I like that system: maximum results with minimum effort.

Real estate should be like that, I think…and thanks to today’s technology, it can be.

Basing your business on a good real estate database with its automatic followup systems, continuing through automatic prospecting systems such as Real Pro Systems or Gooder’s Rainmaker E-Central through online contract-to-closing systems, the tools are there that let you “float” as you cover the basics of real estate.

Maybe it’s time for you to “float” a bit more, use less effort while covering even more ground?   If you do, you’ll find more time for “life.”  Think about it.

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

Check out Allen’s new eBook, “Digital Essentials for Today’s Agent,” here.  228 tech tools/tips and strategies from 128 of Allen’s CyberStars®!

Ever think that Social Media is taking over your life a bit too much?  Consider this report I heard on NPR’s “Morning Edition” this morning:

A man reported a burglary.  When they visited the home, investigators discovered a computer in the house displaying a Facebook homepage.  Since the homeowner did not have an account, police realized the intruder did it.  He had paused while stealing cash and jewelry to write Facebook messages.  Using the messages, police traced his Facebook account, and he is now under arrest!

In addition to the lesson that crooks aren’t known for their smarts, there is another lesson here: like the burglar, some of us lose sight of our objective, take our eye off of the target and fail at their task.  Our main task as agents?  Building the best business we are capable of.

I hope you use Social Media to build your business….I do.  It is an adjunct to my business, though, not its foundation.  If I don’t have a solid business foundation based on solid business skills and techniques, all the Social Networking in the world won’t make my business successful.  In an agent’s case, he or she is spitting in the wind trying to build a client base and agent referral base if his or her business is not set on a solid foundation.

What attracts prospects to you and turns them into clients?  Here are 8 areas you want to consider:

• You have good people skills

• You have a specific prospecting plan based on today’s technology (and whatever traditional means still work for you) for attracting business and you implement it daily

• You have an excellent listing and buyer presentation focused on benefit to the consumer

• You have an effective automatic followup system for all prospects you get, no matter how you acquire them

• You have a complete, deep, consumer-oriented Web site and blog and you publicize them

• You use the technology that today’s consumer expects you to use

• You have good time management skills

• You schedule time for you, your family and your interests first!

These 8 skills, if learned and practiced, result in a good income, a good business that you can sell when you retire, and a good life!

Get involved in Social Media.  With a plan, it can be a good prospecting tool and a tool for building a network of other successful agents for referrals.  Just make sure the foundation of your business is laid before you look to Social Media as a “Magic Wand”!

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

Check out my latest eBook, “Digital Essentials for Today’s Agent,” here!

Hope you’ll check out my latest post on Active Rain, “CRS Core Courses & Designation? Skip ‘Em!”  You can find it here, and please leave your comments.

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

Check out Allen’s new eBook, “Digital Essentials for Today’s Agent”

I love teaching the CRS 206 technology course, which I just finished doing one in Bryan, TX. I did one the week before in Waltham, MA.  I polled attendees (30 in MA, 15 in TX) after the course, asking them to let me know the one idea they found of value to their business above all others.

You’ll hear more about these students in a future post, including who they are and where they’re from.  For now, here are some of their choices.

BTW: If it looks like you would benefit from the course, you’ll find a list of locations at CRS.com. I hope to see you in a course next year!

BTW #2: I am setting my teaching calendar for 2010. When your group (company, local or state Association, etc.) books a CRS 206 technology course for 2010, you can request a specific instructor. I would appreciate your requesting me. You can reach me by email here. Thanks!

For now, here’s the list so far:

• Snagit for screen capturing, annotating and emailing to prospects inside the email message
• Picasa for photo editing and “sexy” shows
• A workable, profitable Web strategy
• Reworking my Web site to provide complete consumer information
• Different Web site types and providers, pro and con
• Adding video to my site
• Working effectively with my assistant
• Eliminating unnecessary expenses (I’ve saved $140 p/mo so far!)
• Using technology to save time so that I can spend more time with my family
• Purchased a new Smart Phone
• Uses for Bluetooth
• How easy it is to use the Flip Video Digital camera and upload to YouTube…simple!
• The need to get my CRS designation
• Using Google Groups for agent networking and working with my clients
• Using Google Earth to market my clients
• Marketing with AtomSmasher signs and billboards
• Loaning out the “pre-loaded” GPS to buying clients
• Photo editing: using canvas paper to produce an “oil painting” of listing prospect’s home
• Available automatic lead management systems and what they can do for me
• Hiring a Virtual Assistant
• Advantages of using a real estate specific database instead of Outlook
• The idea of spending one hour a day on my technology
• Using Issuu for my CMA’s and listing presentations….cool eBook format, and easy!
• Microsoft Publisher for my presentations and TinyURL.com
• Using the right domain name…I’ve already purchased 5
• Networking ideas using technology

Again, I’ll be posting more on this, but that’s not too bad a list of ideas from one course, right?  Is it time for you to take the CRS 206?  I think so…

Hope you’ll check out my new eBook, “Digital Essentials for Today’s Agent,” here.

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

We tend to think that “getting the listing” happens at the end of our listing presentation, when we present the listing form and ask that they sign.  My mentor taught me differently.  “You get the listing (or lose it!) long before the end of your presentation,” she said.  “What you do from your first contact with them should be designed to impress them with your professionalism and competence.  Your listing book and all forms should look uniform and professional.  The object of all you do is to form a relationship with them.”  She also said that it didn’t matter that I worked with the largest firm in town (Long & Foster Real Estate): they would choose me, not my company.

She was right.

One of the most important things she taught me re. relationship building was to pay attention to the sellers’ children.  Think about it.  They love their children (presumably!), and if you pay attention to the children, you are scoring points with the parents.

Here are some ideas I’ve gathered as to how you can include young children in the listing/selling process, thus scoring points with the parents.  Note: Always get the parents’ permission before implementing any of these ideas or others you might have!

• Have a complete, professional-looking, children’s packet.  This would include a “Clean Room” certificate, something written in “kid speak” on how to help Mom and Dad with the move and a couple of blue ribbons the parents can give them for doing something special.
• Present them with a list of fun children’s Web sites….there are tons of them out there!
• Give each child a supply of their own business cards.  Do them in Microsoft Publisher.  Place their photo on the front, and give them the title, “Special Assistant To Emma Moore, ABC Realty.”  Your phone number, not theirs, should be on the front.  Place a picture of their home on the back, but not an address.  Tell them that they are your very special helpers and that you want them to have their own business cards…just like yours!  One of my CyberStars® has done this for years, and it has come to be expected when she lists a home in her farm area.

You can think of more ways to include the kids in the listing/selling process, I’m sure.  Just remember: they love their kids and they will think more of you if you pay attention to the kids.

BTW: MoversDirectory.com has some wonderful tips on moving with children.  Take a look at it for more ideas, and give the link to the parents at or before your first meeting.

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

Check our Allen’s new eBook, “Digital Essentials for Today’s Agent,” here!

One reason I love teaching seminars nationwide is that I hear from agents who have achieved great success applying what I teach. One such agent came to my attention today in Bryan, TX, where I am teaching the CRS 206 two-day technology course. She is Mari Montgomery of Keller Williams Realty, Huntsville, TX. You can see her Web site here and her dynamic blog here.

Tonight, while working in my hotel room, I got an email from Mari. Among other things, she shared the following:

“I knew from the beginning that my website was my everything.  I have been through numerous websites and experiments in internet marketing.  I drew the idea for my current website on a napkin and got it done by a very smart guy.  My business comes almost exclusively from internet leads.”

I learned the following about Mari:

• She entered real estate in August, 2008
• Prior to entering real estate, she was the Choral Director of Huntsville High School
• She has only lived in Huntsville for three years and therefore did not have a Sphere of Influence there
• She started with no people in her database
• She has closed over 30 transactions to date
• She ranks 14^th out of 150+ agents in her office
• She ranks 162^nd out of almost 2500 Keller Williams agents in the greater Houston area.

Mari added one other item to her note: “I’ve got a lot to learn and am looking forward to the ride!”

I’m not surprised, but many agents whose production does not come close to Mari’s are not in the CRS 206 course…nor do they attend other courses. They are “too busy” or they feel that education isn’t worth the effort. Last week, I had a number of very heavy hitters in my CRS 206 course there. It was held in Waltham, MA, and some of the heavy hitters came from California, Oklahoma, Vermont and several other states. They realize the value of good education and they travel to get it.

Here’s what I hope you take away from this post: your Web site and a commitment to real estate education, primarily the CRS courses, will get you to the top….quickly.

It’s a beautiful day here in Bryan, TX….hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

Check out Allen’s New eBook of CyberStar(r) Tips Here!

If it’s time you learned what technology to use and how to use it, I’ve got the eBook for  you!  You can read all about it here.

I’m pleased to announce the publication of my new eBook, “Digital Essentials for Today’s Agent”!  My thanks go out to the 128 CyberStars® who contributed 228 articles on what technology they use and how the use it to build their businesses…and how you can do the same.

“Digital Essentials for Today’s Agent” is Volume I in the CyberStar® Success Series.  The 228 specific tips, techniques, strategies, forms and examples show beginning and experienced real estate agents alike how these top producers make money, save money and save time with today’s technology.  It is a collection of specific tips, techniques and strategies to take your business to new heights.

The book covers every aspect of using technology in real estate, including:

• ·        Web site tips, techniques, strategies & options
• ·        Contact management system choices & uses
• ·        VA’s: finding, hiring & how to use them to build your business
• ·        Single property Web site use to get & sell listings
• ·        Automatic prospecting & followup systems: choices & usage
• ·        Digital imaging techniques
• ·        Video marketing techniques
• ·        Blogging and podcasting
• ·        Smart phones: choices & uses
• ·        Building an agent network using technology
• ·        Social networking choices, tips & techniques
• ·        What hardware and Web services to use…and which not to!
• ·        100+ tech tools that make you money, save you money & save you time

I know you’ll profit from the 228 specific tips, techniques and strategies from 128 of my CyberStars®, top agents from the US, Canada, Australia and the Bahamas who use today’s technology to dominate their markets!

The eBook is immediately downloadable and contains hundreds of active links.  It is also available in hard copy, and there is an additional 3 CD set of in-depth audio interviews with 12 of the CyberStars® who contributed to the book.  The interviews were done by my friend Michael Krisa, “That Interview Guy,” a fantastic interviewer.

I hope you’ll take a look at Volume I in the CyberStar® Success Series.  You can see it and order it here.  Once on the site, check out the table of contents, 23 Top Tips from the book and some testimonials.

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

Here’s a tip from one of my CyberStars®, Dave Robison (“Utah Dave”) from Salt Lake City, Utah.  You can view his well-planned, deep consumer-oriented Web site here.

Utah Dave

“One of my top tech tools is my ‘Crystal Ball’ on my website.  You can see it on the home page of my site. Potential listing owners enter their address and can view what their odds are at selling their home.  They always put their own address, so I gain valuable information of who is thinking of selling.  I can put them on a mailing campaign or even call or drop by.

“It is very valuable for my own Sphere of Influence.  When they do the Crystal Ball, I can follow up with them while they are thinking of selling.

“This also helps me predict trends and where to price properties.  This gets me price reductions at the beginning of the listing, not just when the listing isn’t selling.  It also generates new leads and gives huge credibility and value that other agents do not give.  This saves me hours of research, helps me price homes accurately, and gets new clients.  It is a small tool that gives me big results.

“I use the page in four main ways:

1. To know who is thinking of selling.
2. To predict the market and get sellers to do price reductions or avoid overpricing.
3. To build reports and blog about which areas are the hottest and which areas are the slowest.
4. To add data to my CMA’s so people can see value in numbers that tell a story
   
   

You can see a completed page here.  I entered a 500-750k price range in a 84095 zip.”

NOTE:  Dave’s tip is one of 228 tech marketing tips from 128 of my CyberStars® in my new eBook, “Digital Essentials For Today’s Agent,” which will be online shortly.

As you know, I teach real estate technology courses nationwide.  I am a Senior Instructor for the Council of Residential Specialist’s CRS 206 two day technology course, and I recently taught the 206 in Atlanta.  We had a full house, a great group, and lots of learning took place, as usual.

It is always a thrill to hear from students who use the tools we cover in the course, and I want to share one email I got from a student in the Atlanta course.  She’s Maura Carey Neill, CRS, a partner in the Gebhardt Group of RE/MAX Greater Atlanta.  You can see their #1 Expert Web site here.  Note how they have customized the site as well as taking advantage of #1 Expert’s standard features.

Here’s Maura’s note letting me know how she’s using one of the free programs we covered in class:

“Hi, Allen!

“I was in your CRS Technology class in Atlanta this summer. Just wanted to thank you again for introducing me to Issuu.com.  What a great tool!  Just thought I’d pass along to you a few things I’ve created so that you can see what a great influence/instructor you are (as if you didn’t already know)!

“You can see a brochure I did for my team here, and here’s a brochure I created for a nonprofit that I’m on the Board for.  There’s still a learning curve, but it’s a really great tool and it’s fun technology to use.

“Thanks again.  I hope you’re doing well, catching lots of fish and enjoying your cultural outings with Miss Ellie.  I hope to take another course with you soon!”

A good testimonial to the CRS 206, real estate’s best course if you want to know what tech tools to use and how to use them!

One final point: here’s Maura’s signture from her email.  I hope you, too, are using your signature as a marketing piece.  Note how she incorporates her Web site, blog and how to reach her on three social networks:

Maura Carey Neill, ABR, CRS, MA
REALTOR Partner - The Gebhardt Group
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta
10220 Medlock Bridge Road
Duluth, Georgia 30097

770-355-3438 (cell)
678-301-4350 (e-fax)
maura@gebhardtgroup.com (email)
www.GebhardtGroup.com (website)
www.NorthAtlantaRealtyBlog.com.com (blog)
Licensed in the state of Georgia.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mauraneill
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mauraneill
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/mauraneill

Summing up, it made my day to get Marua’s email and to see how the course is paying benefits for her!

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

Today’s Real Estate Tip on my Facebook page focused on the benefits of going out of town to take seminars and attend conventions.  Doing so enhances the learning process and enables you to build an agent referral network.  Many of my CyberStars(r) derive a large part of their income from agent referrals nationwide precisely because they do so.

Here’s an article from my new eBook, “Digital Essentials For Today’s Agent,” that will be on the Web next week.  It is written by CyberStar(r) Sandra Nickel of Sandra Nickel REALTORS, Montgomery, AL.  Sandra is a top agent in Montgomery and has been for years.  Her article reveals her system for building a profitable agent network.  Here’s what she says:

“As a small independent, I have no access to corporate referrals, so I am on my own to build an agent referral network.  To do so, I rely on attending a lot of REALTOR® functions, most out of my area, and have done so for years.  This, together with my use of technology, allows me to create an profitable agent referral network with over 2,000 members.

“When attending a function, I gather business cards and attendee rosters.   When I get back into the office, I place the agent’s contact information into my Top Producer database, labeling each with the contact type ‘RefAgt.’  My agent list, accessible instantly from my Top Producer database by searching for ‘RefAgt,’ now numbers over 2,000.

“Once a week, usually midweek, I send out my ‘Sandra’s SuccessGram,’ a sales tip and informal dialogue, to the entire database of agents.  Here’s an example:

Let’s face it:  No matter how well your price your listings right now, you’re probably going to get low offers.  Why?  Because buyers are being told by the media that they can get away with it.

So, warn your sellers that low offers might be coming in a way they will understand…and with a smile, too!  Here’s a script for you:

‘Mr. and Mrs. Seller, where buyers are concerned, there are more nuts out there right now than squirrels to eat them!  So be prepared for low offers.  And just remember: any offer is good because it alerts us that somebody out there wants to buy the house!’

We know how to communicate with buyers and sellers in any market, so look to us for all your Central Alabama referrals!

Thanks–we appreciate you!

“A few keystrokes for ‘RefAgt’ in Top Producer instantly brings up all contacts labeled ‘RefAgt,’  I insert my text, and one click emails the message to all 2,000 agents.  This keeps me top-of-mind with the recipients and enables me and my team to enjoy a steady flow of agent referrals, all at a zero cost!”

Several points from Sandra’s article are worth noting:

• She attends a lot of seminars and meetings (CRS annual meetings, NAR Conventions, StarPower gatherings, CyberStar(r) gatherings and more) out of her area so that she can indentify and network with high producing agents from around the country.
• She uses a real estate specific database, not Outlook, which allows her to easily use contact types, action plans and target marketing to stay in touch with her network.
• She sends out information which members of her network find useful in building their businesses.