Scott Newman
By Scott Newman
With new communication and social media technology emerging everyday, it seems all you can do is try and stay on top of it all so you’re not left in the dust and viewed as “out of touch.”
However, as we enter this new, super-connected world as real estate professionals, I think we need to make sure we are on the forefront of establishing good policies and rules for how we use all this technology to connect with our clients and the general public.
Below, I’ve outlined 3 “Golden Rules” to consider when choosing how to use technology to engage your network.
Rule #1: Just because it’s a text, email, or blog comment, doesn’t mean that grammar and spelling should become afterthoughts. Anytime you’re communicating with anyone, it is imperative that you put your best foot forward — and that means taking the time to spell-check and make sure what you have written is grammatically correct.
Rule #2: Do not use your phone to do your dirty work. Yes, we have all been running late to meet a client and thought that it would be easier to just shoot them a text, but I personally feel that is the wrong way to handle it. Your character is defined by how you react to adversity. So when something goes wrong, pick up the phone immediately and call so they can hear the sincerity in your voice. That way whether it’s a giant issue or a tiny one (like you running a few minutes behind), they know they are still your top priority and that you are making the necessary time for them.
Rule #3: Do not use your technology while you are with your clients. Continue reading »
Jared James
By Jared James
I was thinking about our culture recently in this time of voicemails, emails, and social media, and it appears that everyone has a greater desire to communicate, but a lesser desire to actually have conversation.Believe it or not, communication and conversation are two completely different things. The actual definition of the word “communicate” is the activity of conveying information, while the definition of the word “conversation” is the spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk. The key difference between the two is the word “exchange,” which occurs during communication. Communication is a one way street, while conversation runs both ways.
We have gotten to a point where we love to communicate through emails, text messages, and social media, as long as we don’t have to actually hold a conversation with someone because that may actually require us to invest a little bit of our time in the present and not in the future at a time when we deem possible to respond. This infatuation with communication over conversation has reached such levels even on our cell phones — a device which was solely created with mobile conversation in mind— that we actually have an app called slydial that allows us to go straight to people’s voicemails…because God forbid they pick up the phone and respond to what we have to say. That would be way too inconvenient.
Now let me say that if there were a line for the guilty in this battle of communication vs. conversation, I would be at the front of the line. Shoot. I would be the spokesperson. But I also understand that almost every good thing can be a double-edged sword. Continue reading »
Anand Patel
By Anand Patel
I received several emails from my last post on using a vision board to help engrain your personal and professional goals, which reminded me of a very important point I did not discuss – “the buy-in.” Many asked if your vision board should be kept private or shared with others. Well, that is entirely up to you.
What I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing like having the support and encouragement of your loved ones in the pursuit of your goals, dreams, and aspirations. For that reason, I recommend sharing your board with your spouse, parent, children, best friend… whoever you confide in and rely on for support and strength. More than likely your goals involve them anyway so the sooner you get them to see how they are a part of your “big picture,” the sooner you will have their encouragement in achieving your goals.
Santorini, Greece
I shared my vision board with my wife and it didn’t hurt that I included a picture of Santorini, Greece (My wife and I have been wanting to visit Greece for some time now). I also incorporated the phrase “Family First” as a reminder to keep everything in perspective and how to allocate my time. That, among several other phrases and pictures on my board, helped her understand my “why.” There is a big difference between TELLING someone your goals versus having them SEE your goals first hand. The same effect it has on you, it will have on them.
So, it is entirely up to you if you want to keep your board private, but getting your support team to “buy-in” on it will definitely help you along your journey.
Good luck and Happy New Year!
Anand Patel is a broker licensed in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi with Elite REO Services and Elite Premier Properties. You can connect with Anand on Twitter: @anand_tampa; Facebook: www.facebook.com/livingelite; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anandpatel1 or on the Web at www.anandsblog.com.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
You may wondering what science has to do with sales…really what I am referring to is the chemical reaction that happens in your clients brains that ultimately leads them to begin a relationship with you. What mental perception does your client get that triggers a spark?
You can look at the beginning process of a client contacting you for the first time. What initiated their contact with you? There are several levels a client could be at in the process, all stemming from how they initially contacted you.
- They randomly came across your name somewhere, but they really don’t know much about you.
- They came across your name and have done a lot of research on you and are ready to sign a contract with you.
- They were referred by a friend or business partner and may or may not be sold on you yet.
Realistically, you can look into these three things to “get inside their mind.”
The person in #1, it’s still up to you to sell them your services. What you should be doing is researching your competition and finding out what led them to you. You can really figure someone out by their impulse decisions. You can think of it like when someone is standing at a cash register and they end up grabbing something close by the register. Was it just because it was there or was it because they needed it? Continue reading »
Kelly Reark
By Kelly Reark
What ways do you network with your fellow real estate agents? Do you walk away from a happy hour or business card exchange really knowing much about them or their business? Likely not. Do you ever wonder why?
Having a pocket full of business cards is one thing, but getting to know other real estate agents is another, and very beneficial. You want to broaden your referral network with more than just a name on a business card.
Recently, I made it my mission to take networking a step further. I had collected business cards from a real estate retreat that I had attended. I began with an agent I thought I could refer business to that is in a market about two hours from me. She brought in another agent, who brought in another agent… and on and on. The best part is that we all have specialty areas in which we work. We have spent a full day in many of our markets, learning about the areas from one another. The plan is to keep learning and growing. It is amazing how much we are able to teach each other. Frequently, our preconceived notions of an area were corrected.
I now know that I have a completely fabulous, intelligent, trustworthy, bright agent network to refer my customers to in a variety of market areas. I know that they will be taken care of, and so will I. I know that if they have sticker shock in one location, they can be referred out to another with similar lifestyle qualities. Or if their preferred lifestyle is not available in my market, I know which agent to send them looking with. Plus, I can call on them to tap into resources or fresh ideas for marketing, technology, and peer training. My network of international agents grows stronger by inclusion of each of their networks. Continue reading »
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