Posts Tagged ‘differentiate’
See Mr. Internet LIVE at the National Real Estate CyberConvention & Expo
Monday, February 15th, 2010
This note is to let you know that I will be the only featured LIVE speaker presenting “Dominate Your Online Competition” at the upcoming National Real Estate CyberConvention & Expo, February 21-27, 2010. To register just go to http://recyber.cyberconventions.com/
This is a wonderful on-line convention and you may attend all events — without leaving home! The event is expected to attract over 10,000 real estate professionals during its seven days (Feb 21-27) and is open to the real estate community worldwide.
This year’s speaker line up, the largest ever, in addition to my talk, includes 50 sessions plus an address by Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist of the National Association of REALTORS who will tell us what’s going to happen!
You can network in the CyberConvention Social Networking Community, check out the latest business building products and services at the Expo — and of course attend my session! Once again, my session will be the only one that is LIVE (i.e. real-time) while the others are pre-recorded.
Register for your pass at: http://recyber.cyberconventions.com/
Turn Weaknesses Into Strengths
Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Think about this for a moment: What’s your biggest weakness that affects your business? Is it not being detail oriented, inability to delegate or is it that technology makes your skin crawl?
Whatever you just identified is potentially the source for the most positive change in your career. My dad often told me to turn my weaknesses into my strengths. It was a great saying that I really never thought much about until recently.
It’s easy and frankly a lot more fun to keep focusing on those talents we are very good at. However by just concentrating on what we do best we risk the potential for becoming out of balance and not very effective. It’s like exercising just your right arm because you happen to be right-handed. Imagine how weird that would look. Just as an aside, I once worked for someone who broke his left arm which caused it to atrophy and become very weak. He took the idea of turning weakness into strength quite literally until he could do seven one-handed chin ups with that “weak” arm!
Working to strengthen our weaknesses by definition takes us out of our comfort zone, but the payoffs when we do are enormous…
…transforming a weakness into a strength can make all your other strengths more effective. When the weakness is no longer holding you back, every part of your life will see the benefits
Ralph Marston
If you had ever met me in high school I would have been the last person in the world you would have expected to become a successful international speaker and author. I had the social skills of a rusty lamp post. So take another moment to think about how your career and life would be different if you turned just one weakness into your strength…
First Time Buyer Niche Success Story
Saturday, February 6th, 2010Take one relatively new sales associate, add liberal helpings of passion and commitment and you end up with someone who comes out on top. Here’s how she did it (in her own words).
Hi Michael
Just wanted to say I’ve loved what having a niche has done for my business from a personal enjoyment point of view. (it sucks to hate your job). Tomorrow I meet with my broker to go over my business plan for 2010 and I am excited and proud of what I’m doing.
I just had my second annual VIP Client appreciation party, and put pix up on my photo blog. I got a lot of community involvement (donations of prizes) which generated awareness of my business, re-grouping with old clients (who now really love me) and the photo evidence is now further marketing material… so I am sure things could be improved upon, but I wanted to share it with you – here’s the link to my latest photo blog entry: http://photos.dreamhomearlington.com
But the point of this email was to tell you how much I’ve personally enjoyed developing my niche of working with First X Buyers – it totally gives me focus, and something more interesting to talk about than “I sell houses” My broker thinks I’m brilliant. (blush) and credit to Mr. Internet!
Also, something I just did that others may find interesting: I had $50 American Express gift cards made up with my logo on them - and I’ve been giving them to buyers at Closing, along with a bottle of champagne. I have also used them as “THANK YOU!’s” for referrals. People remember me when they spend the money, and it’s kind of a hit – so I thought I’d share it in case you think others may want to do this. Thanks again, and I welcome any input on my blog/ site, or whatever!
Bija Satterlee
Bowes GMAC
1010 Mass Ave, Arlington 02476
781-354-4835 c
781-643-1741 f
www.bowesre.com
www.dreamhomearlington.com
http://photos.dreamhomearlington.com
http://blog.dreamhomearlington.com
I received the above email last Wednesday. Bija has since had her annual business review with her broker and followed up with this (received just a few hours ago):
“…I had my annual business meeting review with my broker, and he said not only was I among the top producers in town, and in our office, in his words “Ive never seen an agent put the ‘whole package’ together quite like you have – with your niche, your web site, your blog, the seminars, the whole deal.” I have areas I need to improve in, but he said he was very impressed and proud to have me as an agent in his office. So that was like hitting the jackpot – to get recognition like that from him.”
Do you get a sense of how much she loves the process? That is actually one of her most powerful success secrets. If you don’t believe me, just read the following post…
So that was like hitting the jackpot – to get recognition like that from him.
What it Takes to Succeed in Business
Friday, October 30th, 2009Chances are you have heard of Godaddy.com. Either by reputation as the largest domain name registry or their racy commercials. Bob Parsons is the rather colorful owner / founder of Godaddy and he has some rather entertaining tips for business success (be sure to hit the play button when the video loads)…
Even if don’t like his commercials, you have to admit this guy has chutspah –which is one more business success tip I’d like to add…
A New E-Myth Book You Will Either Love or Hate
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
The E-Myth Enterprise: How to Turn a Great Idea into a Thriving Business
You are either going to love this book or hate it. First of all if you haven’t read any of the E Myth books yet, DON’T start with this one! I suggest going with The E-Myth Revisited and first have your world rocked about what it means to be in business.
The subtitle of The E-Myth Enterprise is almost a misnomer because it is so much more than just having a thriving business. What Gerber refers to as “E-Myth Enterprises” are rare gems indeed, that we can only hope to aspire to but very few indeed will achieve (bummer –sort of…)
The author (who is a very powerful and compelling 70+ year old speaker as well) waxes absolutely philosophical and even existential in bravely exploring how important one’s business needs to be in alignment with their purpose in life. And that ultimately the only hope for us as a species will be if more of us realize this and act accordingly (told you this was different
). While he does give some specifics of what constitutes an “E-Myth Enterprise” (even if only of a company consisting of one person —you.) They tend to be high level concepts and not much more meat than that.
I give this book a mixed review: 6 out of 5 for inspiration, 3 out of 5 for content and writing style. I was profoundly inspired when I realized that here was someone who so powerfully articulated the vision I always had for my companies and providing clues on how I might reach this vision. On the other hand, his last chapter rant makes me wonder if the editor that allowed this kind of disjointed thinking to make it to the printing press still has a job. He almost builds into a rage and then stops abruptly with a self-serving suggestion to contact him on how to create an E Myth Enterprise. I’m afraid that last chapter will hurt his otherwise great reputation. Everything else before it is very much worth the read. This is not Gerber’s best book, but in some ways it may be his most profound.
(**** Four Stars – reviewed 8/1/09)
How to Use Virtual Seminars to Generate Real Business
Monday, July 20th, 2009
The fastest way to establish yourself as “The Expert” in any field or specialty is to give seminars. When people attend a seminar some part of them has already accepted the speaker as an expert, otherwise they would not have shown up. REALTORS putting on seminars is nothing new. However, traditional seminars are expensive and time consuming. Thanks to the ever evolving Internet, there is a much more powerful and easier way to put on seminars for nearly any size audience at a fraction of the cost of renting a room. Here’s how you get the most new business bang for your seminar buck…
Virtual Seminars – Better Than “Being There”
A virtual seminar is a live event with a main speaker (you) where your screen is viewed via the Internet and your voice is heard through the phone or computer speakers. Another more common term for virtual seminar is Webinar. The advantages to you and your audience (i.e. prospects) are many:
- Convenience – your prospects don’t have to get into a car and go somewhere (nor do you). They can participate right from the comfort of their home or office which means they are more likely to attend;
- Control – attendees will have less fear of being “overpowered” by a sales pitch because they are not physically present and can click off at any time;
- Interaction – most Webinar systems give the speaker the ability to interact directly with attendees using real time polls, “hand raising” to ask questions verbally or type questions;
- Feedback – some Webinar solutions allow you to automatically launch a survey immediately after the seminar ends. This is a great tool to receive candid feedback to gauge how well you did, how you could make it better and expression of interest (i.e. buying signals);
- Cost – if you choose wisely, you can put on a Webinar for a fraction of the cost of a traditional seminar;
- Content – if your Webinar system allows you to record your sessions, then you have a ongoing source of updated multi-media information for your Website or blog.
At this point you may be wondering “Okay, great –but does it really work to generate new business?” Let me put it this way, as a professional international speaker for nearly 15 years, I can attest to the business generating power of seminars. And in the last six months or so, Webinars have been my only method of delivery. They have empowered me to make more money reaching more people with just a fraction of the effort and time of traditional seminars.
You too can use Webinars to establish yourself as The Expert, reach far more prospects and convert more of them into clients. The key is to follow the Webinar success guidelines detailed below that will save you many missteps and propel you to Virtual Star status in no time…
Webinar Logistics – The Right Tools
Here are the things you want to have in place before announcing your first virtual seminar:
- Webinar System – the one I recommend is GoToWebinar.com from Citrix. It has all the bells and whistles, it’s easy to use and best of all it is much less expensive than most of its competitors. They offer a very reasonable “all you can meet” pricing model either by the month or annually. This means you can use the system as many times you want, with as many people as you want (up to 1000) at any time. This works out to be far less expensive than being charged $/person/minute typically used by other Webinar providers. You can even try it free for 30 days. Do not confuse GoToWebinar.com with GoToMeeting which is made by the same company. GoToMeeting does not offer the ability to launch polls or surveys, has no way to register attendees or provide after session reporting and is limited to 16 people at a time. IMPORTANT: practice using GoToWebinar until you are totally comfortable on how to operate its main functions —your first Webinar is NOT the time to do this!
- Internet Connection – make sure you have a reliable broadband connection because you will be broadcasting your voice and your computer screen.
- Cordless Phone Headset – during a Webinar people will hear your disembodied voice and see whatever you are sharing on your computer screen —that’s it! This means your voice has to do the heavy lifting to keep the group engaged their energy up. The easiest way to do that is to stand up and move while you are talking. This automatically imbues your voice with that extra dose of energy and enthusiasm. Only a cordless headset can give you that freedom. HelloDirect.com has many to choose from, I personally prefer the GN950e which gives you 350’ of cordless freedom and you can also use it as a cordless computer headset as well (i.e. microphone / headphone pair).
Setting Up Your Webinar
Here are the things you want to do to set up your Webinar so you have no surprises when it comes time to put on your show:
- Schedule day & time – set the time, duration and date that works best for your prospects. Try to keep the duration to no more than one hour until you develop strong confidence in your presentation skills. Also, be aware of what time zone you are using. Obviously use your local one if all your attendees are local. Otherwise for North America, use EST / EDT which attendees outside of the Eastern Time Zone can calculate for their own time (at least you hope they can
)
- Describe the webinar – give your Webinar a title and description. Make sure your Webinar title is very compelling and attractive to your intended audience; otherwise they will not even bother to read on or register. Also, it is crucial that the Webinar description copy needs to bullet point the benefits they will receive by attending.
- Add panelists – these are people that either present with you or help you present (more on this later).
- Customize the Webinar theme – this is the look and feel of what attendees will see when they first login and when they receive your email announcement. You can change the color, upload your logo and your photo.
- Set up registration form – these are the questions (mostly contact info) that your attendees will need to fill out to register. Avoid mandatory fields whenever possible (GoToWebinar forces mandatory name and email address, everything else is optional).
- Set up your post-Webinar survey – think through the questions you want your attendees to answer and be sure to ask if they would like to schedule an appointment with you (the call to action).
- Set up you polls – polls are a way to get attendees to anonymously interact with you and each other in real time. They are typically used for larger audiences (50+). If you expect to use them, set them up well in advance of your Webinar and be sure to practice using them with a friend.
- Set up your email reminders – determine when email reminders are sent to the registrants (which are fired off directly through the GoToWebinar system) and what they will say, which you can modify.
Once you have your Webinar set up, you are now ready to announce it.
Announcing Your Webinar – Getting People to Register
There are two primary ways to announce your Webinar:
- Email – GoToWebinar will send you an HTML email announcement which you can then forward (with some additional words of your own) to your prospect list. This message contains the Webinar registration link. CLICK HERE to see an example of an email announcement that was sent out to members of the Maryland Association of REALTORS not too long ago. We used the basic format generated directly by GoToWebinar and then modified it slightly before sending it out. Notice the attention-grabbing title and benefit bullet points. We received close to 1,000 registrations because of this email announcement!
- Web – you can post the registration link (using suitable promotional copy) on your Website, blog or social media sites you belong to.
Don’t hesitate to use affiliate relationships (title companies, mortgage lender, attorney’s etc.) to help spread the word. In terms of emailing the announcement, we have found that three times over about a 45 day period works best, with the last one just a few days before the Webinar date. You can log into your GoToWebinar account at any time to see who has registered, who they are and if they had any pre-attendance questions.
Pre-Webinar Preparation
Here are some things you want to have ready before your Webinar goes live:
- Prepare your materials – make sure that you have pre-loaded any Websites and/or your PowerPoint presentation well in advance of launching your Webinar;
- Adjust your screen resolution – make sure your screen resolution is set to 1024 x 768 especially if you have a high-resolution screen. Otherwise your attendees may have a hard time viewing details on your screen.
- Make a friend a “panelist” – it is very important to have someone run the typed in questions via the Q&A box of GoToWebinar that knows your content and can answer most questions. There is no way you can do this yourself and keep your presentation flowing smooth and sound professional. When your friend logs in as a panelist be sure to make them an “Organizer” (right-click on their name) so they can see and respond to the typed Q&A questions.
I’m going to save the details of how to deliver a high-performance and engaging Webinar for a later article. However, just to get you started remember these things:
- Have a killer opening – briefly introducing you and why they are there (keep it benefit oriented) in a way that will grab them immediately;
- Give an overview – tell them what you are going to cover (stress benefits);
- Give the presentation – keep it benefit oriented and allow for audience interaction which is much more engaging than just listening to someone. NOTE: don’t overwhelm your audience with PowerPoint slides. Use as few as possible and fill in the blanks with your personality and words;
- Review what you just covered – stick to three main points and the benefits they received from learning them;
- Close with call to action – thank them for attending and be very clear what it is you want them to do (be sure to remind them to complete the post-Webinar survey too). In addition to establishing you as The Expert you want to use this opportunity to have them take action that will cause them to eventually become your clients.
Just doing those five steps will put you light-years ahead of even some very seasoned speakers. Many speakers who are perfectly comfortable on stage do not do well on Webinars simply because they either didn’t prepare or haven’t realized that it is an entirely different communications medium. CLICK HERE to view how I used GoToWebinar to present to hundreds of MAR associates last April. Watch and listen carefully how I used the five steps above.
Thanks to the Internet and the latest in affordable Webinar systems, having prospects come to the conclusion that you are “The Expert” has never been easier or more fun. The best way to learn is use the tips and advice given above and then just jump right in, don’t wait. There is a whole new world of business-generating opportunity waiting for you!
NOTE: Mr. Internet®, RUSSER Communications, its staff and officers receive no compensation whatsoever from any third party vendors (unless he/they are directly involved with the creation and/or improvement of a vendor service or product), and make no recommendations as to the suitability of the products or services mentioned in this article. Always thoroughly investigate any product or service before trying or purchasing.
This article is reprinted in its entirety from the July 2009 issue of REALTOR® Magazine by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright © July 2009. All Rights Reserved other than mentioned above. Mr. Internet® is a registered trademark of RUSSER Communications.
Hear Valerie Fitzgerald – Agent to the Stars!
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
What do you do when you have a chance to hear how a struggling agent goes from zero sales to $160 million/yr? —You listen, very very carefully!
We are proud to announce Valerie Fitzgerald as our next Guest Expert as she shares how she started out in this business making as many (or more mistakes) as anyone and not selling a single thing her first nine months. She will then cover what she did to radically turn this around to become a multi-millionaire sales professional, corporate executive, philanthropist, speaker and coach all while raising her daughter as a single mom.
There are so few opportunities to experience “the real deal”, and this is one of them. If you want real world experience on how to change challenge into opportunity and build a business that serves you, DO NOT MISS THIS SESSION!
IMPORTANT: You must register to view the live Webinar. Just go to the following URL: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/448680696 and complete the registration form. The registration confirmation e-mail will give you instructions on how to login to the Webinar.
When: Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 – 7:00pm (EDT)
Call In: Will be given at time of registration
NOTE: This Webinar is part of the regular Online Dominance Live Group Coaching Guest Expert series which is usually for Online Dominance members only. However, since Valerie is a personal friend of mine I have decided to open this up to Mr. Internet News subscribers as well.
Heart and Sold —Diary of a Winner
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
I’m very excited to tell you about the new book from my friend Valerie Fitzgerald. It’s called Heart and Sold: How to Survive and Build a Recession-Proof Business. Endorsements and advance reviews sound fabulous. Larry King calls it, “A great read” and Vanna White says, “After reading this book, you will feel that you too can accomplish anything your heart desires.” Valerier is a long time friend and student of mine whose personal story is the classic rags to riches with a great deal of warmth and wit thrown in to boot.
Heart and Sold recounts Valerie’s personal journey from unemployed single parent to entrepreneur, philanthropist and renowned corporate executive. The book is a must-read for anyone in business looking to take their game to the next level. It’s a practical and illuminating guide with tips and strategies that are remarkably easy to implement. Leeza Gibbons says, “Heart and Sold is inspirational for any woman–or anyone–struggling to build a business of their own. Valerie’s personal triumph will make you feel like you can do anything.”
To order the book, simply go to: http://www.valeriefitzgerald.gesprojects.com/promo
A Special Gift From Valerie to You
In celebration of the book launch on May 19th, Valerie is providing a free Heart & Sold reflective workbook to anyone who buys the book. This workbook is a compilation of summaries and reflective questions for each chapter in Heart & Sold. To order, click here: http://www.valeriefitzgerald.gesprojects.com/promo.
Please forward to anyone you believe may benefit from hearing about Valerie’s amazing story of re-invention and her guidance on how to attain lasting fulfillment and success.




