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 »
Toby Boyce
By Toby Boyce
The question on my local NPR station was simple enough: “Why do symphonies sound different when they are made up of the same parts?” The response was very eloquent and educated — I assume. It made as much sense as Pig Latin to me. “Well each one focuses on different things…”
I’m sure that musicians in the audience totally understood what the conductor was describing. But the “common person” was lost and tuned him out.
Are you doing that to your real estate clients?
How about that letter soup? Or the intricacies of how your company differs from the next?
Make sure you’re explaining things without their eyes’ glassing over. All they want to know is that you are a great agent who will handle their transaction like it is the only one you have.
However, you have to continually read your clients and provide them the information they need to make a decision without overwhelming them. How do we do it? Well, it can be quite natural — just shut up. Yes, I just told a group of REALTORS® to shut up, and know that is almost impossible for any of us to do so. But we need to just stay quiet and let the clients talk.
Before you start rattling off the details on an FHA 203K loan, how about finding out if they need to know about the 203K loan. Kind of embarrassing when you explain it for about five minutes and she says, “I know, I created them for years as a loan officer.” Did I build any rapport with them during that five minute session? Probably not, as they already knew and were debating whether to use satin or silk in the living room.
The point is, if you listen to your customers and provide knowledge where the gap is present, then you have done exactly what they’ve hired you to do: You are adding value to the transaction. And the next time they hear a real estate agent going on about “blah, blah, blah,” they’ll just tune him/her right out because they’ll know — you’ll provide the answer they need.
Toby Boyce, MBA, is a real estate practitioner with Keller Williams Consultants Realty in Westerville, Ohio. Visit his Web site: www.delawareohrealestate.com.
Jennifer A. Klein
By Jennifer Klein
Follow these two rules during any negotiation and you’ll find success!
Jennifer Klein is a REALTOR® in Northern California who is experienced in short sales, investments, and property management. Connect with Jen at RosevilleAndRocklin.com, JenKlein.com, and @JenKleinSac.
Lincoln Crum
By Lincoln Crum
One of the people I admire so much these days is the hip hop star, music executive, and social entrepreneur Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. Jay-Z has worked tirelessly in building a brand of “him.” The elements that stand out to me is his ability to build a brand around his artistic talents, which equate into business deals and creative allegiances with other brands.
There are “brands” out there today who are centered only around someones popularity or looks. Not Jay-Z. He has a very keen sense when it comes to marketing all things in his world. One of his most admirable talents is his ability to free flow his rap lyrics. It’s a well known fact that he hasn’t written down lyrics since 1996. He’s written, recorded and produced 12 albums, not including collaboration projects, since ’96, all of them performed either live or in a recording studio without anything written down on a piece of paper or teleprompter. This tells me that he thinks, creates and sings from the heart, passion is king with Jay-Z.
I have to believe that Jay-Z uses his “flow” technique in his other business ventures. He sees in his mind what he wants to become, commonly known as Psycho-Cybernetics. Not only does Jay-Z dominate the music arena, he’s developed his own clothing line, recording and production company for music, concerts and musicals… his most recent ventures include our profession, real estate, with the development of a new line of J Hotels.
Knowing this, how can we emulate his flow process of song lyrics in our industry as real estate professionals? Continue reading »
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