Posts Tagged ‘real estate’
The Truth Behind Untruth
Monday, November 14th, 2011
Ever have the rug yanked out from underneath you by someone you thought you knew and trusted? There is nothing like that kind of betrayal to put your world in a tumult. The blitz of emotions – shock, anger, confusion, disbelief, sorrow – churn over and over. The extent to which this happens depends on how close you felt to the person who stabbed you, but we all feel this to some degree in these kinds of situations. But the way you find your way through remains the same whether the betrayal came from a dear family member or a distant business associate.
Betrayal is the only truth that sticks. — Arthur Miller
Everyone suffers some kind of betrayal in their lifetime, it is one more thing that unites us. When we have to admit to ourselves what has happened, we desperately search for a way to prevent the inevitable disruption in our lives. You want the answer to one question… Why? But you are not likely to get the truth of this from your personal Brutus! So, you make justifications in order to rationalize what’s happening. In extreme cases you may even end up betraying yourself, your own instinct or intellect, in order to comfort yourself with more falsehoods.
The real danger here is not in what happened between you and that person. It lays in the future – your future. Whether in a minor way (say a past client goes to a different agent), or in a major way (say your Mother goes to a different agent – ouch!) in the back of your mind you will hold this bitterness and it will cloud your interactions with potential future clients with self-doubt or mistrust.
Instead, recognize that betrayal is, as with all things, a conscious choice an individual makes. As personal as it feels, it has nothing to do with you and all to do with that person. Release the disappointment, assign the responsibility where it belongs – squarely on them! Do not allow bitterness to get settled in your heart and destroy your trust in others, don’t let that grace be taken away from you. Then you will hold your own truth in your hands ever after.
Your Most Powerful Gift of All…
Thursday, May 12th, 2011
You’ve heard the expression “Great salespeople are made not born.” Well, sorry to burst your bubble but that expression and others like it exists for the benefit of those of us who were not so innately gifted at time of birth. As a speaker and coach I can assure you I’ve met my share of born salespeople. However, I’ve also met people not so gifted, yet somehow did a better job selling than many of their more endowed counterparts.
We all come into this world with certain gifts and capabilities, but these are just potentials until we put them to use. And, as human beings we have the ability to take the necessary actions to fine tune, hone and enhance these God-given abilities. My dad had an expression that I’ll never forget: “Turn your weaknesses into strengths.”—which says a lot about our ability to make good use of and improve what we were given.
Just about any kind of skill can be taught. If the student is determined enough, they can turn mediocre innate abilities into profound capabilities. In all my years of being a coach of top performers and an entrepreneur who depends on others getting things done, it has become abundantly clear to me that what can’t be taught is attitude. The fire in the belly needs to be stoked from the inside. Otherwise it just stays a flickering flame waiting for someone to turn it on, not realizing only its owner can do that…
Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go so much further than people with vastly superior talent.
~ Sophia Loren
There a lot of geniuses in this world “pushing brooms” who wasted their potential either through laziness or simple lack of drive. Given the choice, I’ll take someone with a roaring fire in their belly and lesser talents than someone who is immensely gifted but with little or no drive.
There’s nothing we can do to influence which gifts we receive at time of birth. However, the one gift we all received is the ability to choose how we use and improve other capabilities. free will is the one gift we’ve all received in equal amounts. And it’s the one gift that gives us the ability to influence all our other gifts —which makes it the most powerful gift of all.
How to Create Dynamic Contact Forms & Calls to Action on Your Website!
Friday, April 29th, 2011
Have you ever visited a real estate website that resembles an in your face used car commercial with flashing graphics, neon colors and every sentence competing for your attention all at once? You immediately feel the urge to click off the page and avoid being pressured to “act NOW!”
On the other hand, there are those websites that seem somewhat mysterious and finding any type of contact information feels like a treasure hunt with a dead end. After a minute of trying to figure out where the real estate agent is located or attempting to contact them to ask them a question about a property, you give up and find another more user friendly site.
So where’s the middle ground? How can you grab your audiences attention without “yelling” at them? How can you provide clear information in a compelling way?
There are two simple elements that can completely change how visitors view your website: contact forms and calls to action. Let’s take a quick look.
Contact Forms
Gone are the days of merely having your phone number and email posted somewhere on your home page. Today’s consumer wants to have an easier way to contact you. Consequently, the contact form has become a staple of cutting edge real estate websites.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1. A clear, easily accessible contact page. This should be a tab on your website that is easy to find.
2. This contact page will be a fill-in form that will feed directly to your email inbox.
3. You can also put your contact information on this page, but your main focus will be the contact form.
4. State clearly near the top or bottom of the contact form that their information will be kept confidential to make them feel at ease and built trust.
5. To make it even easier, a link at the bottom of each page of your website to your contact page will allow for even more immediate interaction.
Calls to Action
Our culture has become so used to the responsiveness of social media sites that they come to expect the same thing from a website. While you may not be able to respond right away once someone has filled out a form, you can give the feeling that your site is just as interactive.
Calls to Action are words that encourage readers to take action. You’ve all heard of them, but sometimes taking the time to get to the basics allows you to look at something from a fresh perspective. Imagine if you were visiting your site. What type of call to action would catch your eye and make you take time to fill out your information?
Here are a few key elements for creating effective Calls to Action:
1. Action words will instinctively draw in your readers. Words like subscribe, call, view now, search, etc… will provide a definitive action.
2. Offer an incentive. People will not freely give out their personal information, so a “trade” will make it easier to evoke a response. Provide a free market analysis, e-book of your community, or anything else you feel would interest your audience.
3. Graphical buttons are great for calls to action. Create buttons that complement the look of your site, but still stand out on the page.
4. Limit the number of calls to action. If you have too many on your site, visitors will get overwhelmed with the amount of choices. Three to five is usually an ideal amount as it offers variety, but keeps your calls to action from crowding up your site.
5. Keep it simple, yet creative. A short phrase or sentence will draw the reader in and will force you to choose your words wisely. Creativity in the graphic and wording will be the most effective call to action.
While often overlooked on a website, these two elements are essential for creating a website that reaches out to today’s audience. If you have more questions about creating a contact form or calls to action for your website, or need someone to create them for you; let your Real Estate Virtual Assistant know!
Contact Carrie
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I’m All Out of Ideas…So What Should I Post?!?
Friday, April 1st, 2011Having a populated, interesting Facebook page that engages people is difficult. Facebook is something that you have to allot time for every day, because you need to have an active page. You want your posts each day to be interesting, relevant, and engaging. You also want to make sure that you’re posting a variety of posts to keep your audience engaged and your content interesting. While we want to post about our community as much as we can, we have to admit that sometimes, there just isn’t a whole lot going on that day.
Getting “Facebook block” can be incredibly frustrating, as you feel as though you’re wasting time trying to find something unique to post, but at the same time, you don’t want your page to go unpopulated for the day. This is a dilemma that is all too familiar. So, here they are…the things you should post when you run out of ideas:
- A good quote. People love quotes. Whenever we post them for our clients, someone almost always “likes” it, comments on it, or retweets it. A good quote motivates the person who reads it and makes them want to get up off the couch and do something with their day. At RealSupport, we really like the website BrainyQuotes.com. All quotes are broken down into categories, and we browse the “Success”, “Work”, “Business”, “Inspirational”, and “Motivational” categories daily. While you don’t want to post quotes every day, it can be a nice change of pace once in awhile, and it’ll also show your fans how much you value success and motivation. The best part about posting a quote is that it doesn’t take much time, and you’re practically guaranteed to get interaction.
- Ask a question. While posting articles about real estate tips and events going on in your community is great, it doesn’t always invite interaction. Asking a question is always smart because it’s telling your fans that you care what they have to say and that you want them to participate on your page. Your fans want to engage with your page, or else they wouldn’t have “liked” it! Asking a question essentially invites your fans to share their thoughts and feelings on certain issues, and the sooner you start getting interaction on your page, the more likely it is that those fans will continue to interact with you. Try to make your questions relevant to what is happening in the world right now. For example, the end of March Madness is coming up for the NCAA Basketball season. You could ask your fans which team they want to win it all! Since it’s the beginning of spring, you could also ask them what their favorite part about spring is. Questions like that are easy for your fans to answer, they’re things that the world is interested in at the moment, and they’re guaranteed to get the interaction you want from your fans. It’s also a good cure for any form of “Facebook block.”
- Tell everyone what you’re up to! If all else fails, share a tidbit about what your company is up to! People love to hear success stories and updates about the people that they know, so sharing some exciting news about your business is always a great idea for a Facebook post. Are you hiring new team members? Have you had any closings lately? Any new clients? Are you attending a seminar any time soon? Sharing these things with your fans every once in awhile shows that you want to keep them informed on what is going on in your business, and that you want to share your successes with them ! At RealSupport, we call these success stories and updates “Kudos.” Your fans will love hearing what you’re up to, and we bet that you will get a few congratulatory comments, too.
- Think outside of the box…what’s the world talking about? We want our posts to be appropriate, professional, and interesting, but that doesn’t mean you have to confine every post to real estate tips, community events, and home improvement ideas. Sometimes, it’s good to take a second to think outside of the box of what you could post.One good way to do this is to sit down and think, “What is the world talking about?” For example, just a few short weeks ago, the iPad2 was released on the market. While this isn’t exactly real estate related, it’s something that everyone knew about, was talking about, and was anxiously anticipating. It would have been a good idea to post about the new iPad and see what your fans had to say about it. Another good example of “out of the box” things to post about are upcoming events that the whole country tends to get involved with. For example, in January, you could post about the Super Bowl. In July, you could post different barbecue recipes for Independence Day. If you know of a good sale or Groupon for the day, you could post about that. These are all things that people enjoy reading about, and they’re also things people care enough about to respond to. Sometimes, with a little thought and the willingness to expand your horizons, you could come up with great posts that aren’t confined to the “real estate” or “community” category.
This is just the beginning of the list of possible ideas to cure your “Facebook block”. While it can get frustrating when you run out of ideas in the real estate and community realm, these four ideas are great alternatives that will still get your fans talking and interacting. Not only will they help you populate your page when you’re out of ideas, but you’ll also find that it’ll help you get more of a variety of content on your page, and that can only spark your fans’ interests even more.
Remember, if you’re having a hard time thinking of things to post about, just take some time to think outside of the box. Your Real Estate Virtual Assistant can (and should!) maintain your social media presence for you!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
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5 Tips for Cutting Edge Print Marketing!
Friday, March 4th, 2011
Alot of what we talk about pertains to the latest in cutting edge technology and ways to be the most effective in online marketing. And rightfully so! We understand that’s where the majority of people are looking for homes as there are many online tools and resources available. But what about good old fashion print marketing? Does it even still exist in today’s fast paced, internet dependent society?
We recently received a question from an agent who is living in a very rural area. He, as any great agent should, understands the community he’s trying to reach. While he wants to encourage growth towards using online resources; he also wants to hold onto print marketing for many of this clients. Although there are many who couldn’t survive without having a world of information and connections at their fingertips; there are those prefer things in print form. This small town realtor’s question was in regards to making his print marketing a powerful tool.
We thought this was a great question and one that should be addressed! Print marketing is still alive and well, but it’s not the same as it was twenty, ten or even five years ago. This medium has found ways to keep up with the times, and we want to make sure your printed products are just as cutting edge as your online efforts!
Here are five key elements you’ll want to be sure to include in your print marketing.
1. Clarity- Have a clear message of what you’re trying to say. Sending a postcard or placing an ad just for the sake of doing is ineffective marketing. Make sure the message benefits the reader as it will indirectly benefit you. For example; if you’re offering free information or are announcing a home you just listed; they’ll hopefully think of you first when it comes to selling or buying a home!
2. Call to Action- You’ll always want to have a specific call to action! Never say “Call me!”, but “Call me for _!” This blank could be filled in with: a free market report, information regarding homes for sale in your area, etc…
3. Make it Irresistible- Always try to have an “irresistible offer” (as Michael Russer likes to call it). This goes along with #2, but if you can come up with an offer to include in your call to action; do it! Whether it’s the offer of a free market report (as noted above) or a free cup of coffee; give the reader something that will give them that extra boost of encouragement to call you.
4. QR Codes- Always, always, always use a QR Code on any printed material. This is your link from print to online marketing! A QR Code allows you to capture leads more easily and extends far beyond your printed piece.
5. Custom Design- Be sure to use a custom design as opposed to a template. It’s almost always apparent when a template design is used and this will send a clear message that you don’t mind the cookie cutter approach. People may wonder if you apply the cookie cutter approach to every area of your job. Creating a custom design for a postcard or flyer may take a few extra minutes or may cost a little more; but the result will be well worth it! Allow your print marketing to attest to your unique and custom approach to helping them buy or sell a home!
These five tips will allow you to take your print marketing efforts to an advanced level! You’ll notice a difference in their effectiveness and find that your money is being well spent. If you have questions about creating a custom design, irresistible offers or QR Codes; your Real Estate Virtual Assistant will be able to help!
We’re helping our clients update their print materials on a daily basis and they’re seeing the results! Contact your Virtual Assistant to turn your print materials into cutting edge marketing!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
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Get an Online Makeover to Enhance Your Business Face
Friday, February 18th, 2011
Everybody loves a good New Years makeover; even if we don’t get around to it until February. After we lose the pounds, there is, of course, a trip to the mall to re-vamp the closet and possibly even a trip to the salon to update the old hairdo. Then, just like every makeover show we’ve ever seen or ugly duckling movie we’ve ever watched, there is that iconic moment where the “After” results are revealed and everybody stops and stares with new admiration at a person who was there all along, but didn’t get a second glance until now. As we all know, unfortunately appearance does matter.
The makeover I am talking about, however, is a little bit more complex than that. What I propose to you is an Online Presence Makeover.
Most likely, if you have been around the block as a real estate agent, you are signed up with all of the major real estate portals. However, I also know that sometimes agents have a tendency to sign up for websites on impulse, only to never return. When was the last time you updated your profile on any of these sites?
First and foremost, you need to take inventory of what you already have. I know it’s difficult to remember all of the sites that you have signed up with throughout the years, so here is a checklist of some of the main sites to get your wheels spinning and spark your memory.
- Zillow
- Trulia
- Realtor.com
- Homes.com
- Realtytrac.com
- Homegain.com
- Patch.com
- Yelp
As you all know, websites are constantly changing, making updates, and offering new features. You need to revisit them, especially if they are free, and see what new options you have as their customer.
Not only are the websites changing, but you are too! In the last year, your business may have grown, you’ve taken new pictures, perhaps changed locations or got a new phone number. Are your sites up to date? What if somebody was to find you on Zillow, call the number you have listed, only to find that it has been disconnected. You just lost a lead. What does every makeover victim need? A savvy consultant, of course!
A knowledgeable Virtual Assistant will be your best bet to give your online presence an instant makeover. While it’s a big job for a busy agent, this is a task best left to someone who knows how to navigate all these sites and portals in order to completely cover all of your bases. Whether that means enhancing your Zillow profile by adding a video resume, or getting you and your business on Patch for the first time. Imagine the before and after:
Before Picture: A fair-weather agent, possibly puts a lot of time into your own website, but have completely forgotten about all of the other real estate portals out there. A half-finished Zillow profile, an outdated picture on Realtor.com, never quite got to adding contact info to Yelp…
After a VA steps in: A fully enhanced profile on every website, filled with home video tours, links to your website and all social networking sites, fully updated resumes, and all updated contact information.
Believe me, people will take notice. We know you were there all along, but with your new look, now online consumers will start taking notice too!
If you are ready for a makeover and would like to find out more about what Real Support can do for your style, just e-mail Info@realsupportinc.com or give us a call at (847) 705-1655! We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
Join Our LinkedIn Group
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How to Never, EVER Lose Another Software Download!
Sunday, February 13th, 2011
If you are spending any amount of time at all online, chances are you download a fair amount of software, maybe just to try before you buy. After awhile, it’s easy to forget where you put all those files (and their updates). Well, no more because here’s the secret to never lose track of it again!
Getting Organized As Easy As 1-2-3…
The following strategy is one that has worked flawlessly for the last 15 years –and I download a lot of software! Here are the simple steps to take:
- Create an installation files folder – at the top level of your hard drive create a folder called “Installation Files” (i.e. C:\Installation Files)
- Create a sub-folder for each different downloaded software – any time you download a new program create a sub-folder with the name of the software within Installation Files and then launch the installation of the software from that folder.
- Save all updates to any software in its respective folder – software is updated frequently so the best place to save those updates is in the very folder you created for the original installation!
To give you a better idea has to just how simple this is, here’s a short Mr. Internet Coach n’ Click video that demonstrates the process:
You don’t need to clutter your mind (or your computer desktop) with trying to manage software downloads any longer. Implement this process and you will save time AND peace of mind :0)
Build Your Business One Stick At a Time…
Monday, January 24th, 2011
Have you ever seen a cathedral made of matchsticks? We never cease to be amazed at the beauty and intricacy of the final result. And admiringly consider the amount of time, patience and commitment it took to build that structure by gluing one matchstick at a time.
Remonstrations of the press and “silver bullet” vendors to the contrary, building a successful business is very much like building a matchstick cathedral. It always starts with a plan, a vision of the end result (otherwise you end up with a pile of gluey matchsticks :0). Then it takes patience, perseverance and determined commitment to build it piece by piece, day by day.
We live in a society where instant success is glorified and held on a pedestal. The reality is that’s not reality. Oh sure, there will always be outliers to whom it happens, just as there will always be someone who wins the lottery. The real winners however are the ones who built their success one stick at a time…
The person determined to achieve maximum success learns the principle that progress is made one step at a time. A house is built one brick at a time. Football games are won a play at a time. A department store grows bigger one customer at a time. Every big accomplishment is a series of little accomplishments.
David Joseph Schwartz
Everyone looks for shortcuts to success, it’s just human to do so. The difference between consistently successful top producers and everyone else however is they don’t wait for them to appear. They keep plugging one step at a time. This is the essential difference I see between those that have a 10 year “over night” success and those that just wish for it.
A Free Powerful Tool With A Funny Name…
Saturday, January 15th, 2011
How many times have you just wanted to show something to someone really quick without the hassle of saving it to your computer before hand? There are plenty of free screen shot utilities available, but none have the utility and ease of Jing (rhymes with “ca-ching”), here’s why…
Funny Name, Serious Results
Jing is a free screen shot / video recording utility from Techsmith (the same folks who created the gold standard of screen shot software, SnagIt). What I love most about Jing is that you never have to save a screen shot or recorded video of your screen on your computer. Once taken or recorded, it’s a snap to immediately upload the image or video to Techsmith’s ScreenCast.com media streaming service (which is also free to Jing users with up to 2gbs of storage –that’s a lot of images and short videos!). What you end up with is a link of the image or video that you can send to anyone via email.
From the time you take a screen shot to the moment of sharing it can be done in seconds without having to store anything on your computer. And the same with video recording of your screen as well. Here are some of the ways you can use Jing in your daily business routine:
- Send prospects images of properties and their features from anything that shows up on your screen (e.g. your online MLS system);
- Create short video tutorials for prospects on how to use certain parts of your Website more effectively;
- Create short training videos for staff which then become part of your operations manual;
- Send screen shots to your Web designer annotated with changes you want done.
In fact, CLICK HERE or the image below for a very brief video tutorial on how Jing can help your business:
You can also CLICK HERE to see how I just recently used Jing to give Webinar setup information to one of my VAs.
It’s usefulness is limited only by your imagination. And because it is totally free, your budget will never be a factor in holding you back. Just go to Jing to download and install it, you’ll be mighty glad you did!
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.
How Wild & Dangerous Are You?
Sunday, January 9th, 2011
Just how wild and dangerous are you feeling these days? It’s probably very, well… safe to say that most people try quite hard to avoid feeling “wild and dangerous”. That’s really too bad because this potential resides in all of us. It’s part of what makes us human and is often the fountainhead of stunning creativity and high-performance in any endeavor.
Now before you go jumping to the conclusion that Mr. Internet just gone bonkers off his rocker, keep in mind this thought. By “wild and dangerous” I’m not referring to behavior that is purposely hurtful to oneself or others. No, what I’m talking about is allowing yourself to risk doing the things that scare the crap out of you. Those things that could be doorways to unbelievable possibilities if you only had the guts to let your wild side ride.
So what stops most of us from tapping into that wild and dangerous side? Fear, of course. But a particularly poisonous kind of fear. Fear of what others might think. Just imagine for a moment what your life and business would look like if you didn’t give a rats ass about what others thought. And you were totally unfettered to do and say what you felt needed to be done and said. Tap into that and you will see what it means to be fully alive…
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
Helen Keller
Here’s your take-away: Once a week do at least one thing that scares you, that let’s you get a glimpse of your wild and dangerous side. You do this and you will experience a sense of freedom and possibility for your life and your business that you never imagined in your… wildest dreams.
