Seminars are great to put on for your SOI, farm and target markets and can be tailored to suit your audience. For example, there are several agents I work with who have had very successfully seminars for investors, first-time buyers, financial aid for kids going to college, health and wellness, etc.

Just having an event will get you a jump in your SOI yield and establish you as an expert in your field, and the events multiply their effectiveness (and cost less) when you involve your strategic partners and invite their client base to join the event.

If you haven’t read the book Made To Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath yet you should plan on picking it up today on your way home.  It is a great primer on how to generate buzz, convey ideas that last and how to maximize your advertising and marketing dollars.

One of the villains they talk about overcoming in the book is “The Curse of Knowledge.”  Usually we look at knowledge as a good thing (it’s pursuit would even cause me to go out and pick up this book for example) but many times it’s what we think we know or what used to work that kills us.  Take this market for example.  The fundamentals are still just as applicable as they were 30 years ago.  We still need to spend each day getting to know new people, negotiating contracts and finding willing buyers and sellers to bring together for a mutually beneficial outcome.  But HOW we go about doing that has changed a bit over the years (or year for that matter).   Our tactics and tools need to change and what we need to be constantly open to growing , learning and changing.

Every day, starting today, commit to growing in something that is tangible, measurable and meaningful.  Maybe it’s sharpening your skills, your knowledge about your industry or business, or looking at ways to stay ahead of the curve.  Take 15-30 minutes a day and watch what a difference that time makes in the next week, month and year.

I came across an interesting article that talked about how to write ads that work.  It talked about how in 1999 an Israeli research team studied the effectiveness of advertisements, they found that all the best ads (measured by people remembering them or them causing people to take action and do something) fell into 5 different categories.  As I watched the ads during the football games on Sunday (and every knows the best ads are run during football games), I started to see the science behind the art of advertising.  Here is the five categories and a challenge to find ways to use them in your real estate marketing.

1. The Pictorial Analogy - features extreme analogies rendered visually.
2. Extreme Situations – A product is shown to be performing to an exaggerated extreme.
3. Competition - A product is shown winning a competition against another product in an unusual usage situation.
4. Interactive Experiments - Think taste tests.
5. Dimensionality Alteration - A time leap that shows the long-run implication of a decision.

Sounds like most of the real estate ads you see in the weekend paper?

Nope, that is probably why no one remembers them…

“Fortunes are made outside of the 9-5″

I talk a lot about balance.  Balance at work, balance at home.  Life is much bettter all the way around if we keep boundaries and have strict standards.  Mainly because I work with the super producers who are in risk of losing what they love most because of their insane lifestyles.  As much as I think balance is good and healthy – the reality is that our life is a life of seasons.  In order to become a super-producer and be on the top of the heap, you must be willing to do what others won’t.  Becoming out of balance for a season is necessity to achieving the extra-ordinary.

The secret becomes including those you care most about in the process so they feel a part of what you are doing. Recognize when to be “on” and when it’s time to snuggle in by the fire and some warm cookies with those you love.  Remember, life is more of a marathon than the 50 meter race.

I had the privilege of being a part of a small audience a while back that got to interact with Dr. John Maxwell on his book, Today Matters.  He is an amazing speaker and an insightful master of the teaching craft.  If you ever have the opportunity to catch him live or pick up one of his many, many books, you won’t be disappointed.  Here’s some of the “nuggets” from that day -

•·         The secret of your success is discovered in your daily agenda.

•·         The greatest hindrance to today’s success is yesterday’s success.

•·         We exaggerate yesterday’s importance, we overestimate tomorrow potential and we underestimate today’s power

•·         Make everyday your masterpiece

•·         If you give 50% today, you can’t give 150% tomorrow.

•·         Most people don’t lead their lives, they just accept their lives.

•·         Successful people make important decisions early then spend the rest of their life managing those decisions

•·         You cannot manage a decision you haven’t made

•·         Don’t expect others to make you happy

•·         Take responsibility for your attitude

•·         People don’t pay for average

•·         Attitude controls possibilities, it’s the difference maker

•·         Grow every day

•·         Do what you are best at

•·         Priorities bring focus, manage priorities to maximize time.

•·         If you leave something on the table today, it won’t be there tomorrow

Do you have a good answer when someone asks what you do? Is it compelling? Is it different?
Does it lead to more conversation?

One of the best marketing weapons you can develop is a great self-introduction. Make it different, make it “sticky” for the memory, make it sound like you, make it short enough to fit on the back of a business card.

For example, if I work trophy homes in Newport Beach, California - instead of saying “I’m Stephen with XYZ Realty” say “I’m Stephen and I assist VIP’s with their trophy homes on the coast” or If I work less than perfect clients say “I’m Stephen and I make round pegs fit square holes in the real estate market.”

Still stuck? Give us a shout and we’ll work on it together!

I came across this video today digging through my archives that really is an amazing 30 minutes on personal branding, social networking and internet marketing from Gary Vaynerchuck from the Inman conference.

Hope you enjoy!

One of the most common misconceptions I encounter regarding ‘Sound Bites’ that one has from 30 to 45 seconds to make one’s case.  And, frankly, :45 Seconds may be to long; you run the risk of boring your listener to tears. That’s not what you want, is it?

A true ‘Sound Bite’ can be delivered in, well, a small bite.

Sound impossible? It’s not.  We know that most people have very short attention spans, so you can be sure that 45 seconds of talking “at” your prospect is not what a ‘Sound Bite’ is all about.

When dealing with busy people, we just need / want a few seconds to deliver a pitch that would engender enough interest to merit a meeting. That means that we have to say just enough to explain the key benefits of our real estate services to whet the listener’s appetite for more details.

Obviously, the your name, company name, title, or any other information connected with your real estate business that doesn’t scream “GOTTA HAVE IT” is irrelevant to the initial pitch or ‘Sound Bite’. Sound counter-intuitive? I mean, isn’t more information better?

More information really isn’t better in this case, because if one has only three to four seconds (and trust me, that really is all the time you have to grab someone’s attention) one needs to spend that time talking about something that interest’s one’s audience. And frankly, your audience doesn’t care who you are or what your name is until you have convinced them of your value.

Smart writers and producers in Hollywood figured out how to use some sort of shorthand or phrases that made the most of their three to four seconds. For example, how about this eight-word three-second pitch for a movie: “Die Hard on a bus with Keanu Reeves.”

What this tells the listener (the person with the power to get this project made) is that the movie being proposed is an action film with the potential for sequels featuring some sort of law officer in a life-or-death struggle with an evil villain, as well as a love interest with a conflict of some sort, and that it has a bankable star attached.

The benefits presented in the ‘Sound Bite’ above included comparative revenue expectations (“Die Hard” was a blockbuster, meaning that it made more than $100 million in initial release, and three profitable sequels were made) with the added insurance of a big-name star.

The benefits were immediately obvious, and the only decision to make was whether or not the studio exec wanted to make this blockbuster action movie. If the answer was yes, there was a basis for conversation.

Notice that some important information was left out, enticing the interested listener to ask questions, such as: Who do you see as the love interest? Who do you see as the villain?

And even more information was left out that could be disclosed in the ensuing conversation to set the hook, such as the villain twist: Instead of an international drug kingpin or illegal arms dealer, the villain in this picture is…a disgruntled cop!

Good information, yes, but totally unnecessary until the interest was established, as were the names of the rest of the players and the cost of the project.

Did that movie get made? Yes, it did. “Speed” starred Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper. It’s truly forgettable follow up (remember, the “Die Hard” reference promised franchise potential) was “Speed 2,” so of course people aren’t pitching many movies using “Speed” as a reference to indicate sequel potential.

Kind of a no-brainer way to do business, wouldn’t you say?

Want to attract the interest and immediate attention of your ideal clients using this ‘Sound Bite’ technique created in Hollywood? Develop a ‘Sound Bite’ that presents the most intriguing and meaningful information first, so that continuing the conversation with qualified (interested) prospects is a no-brainer.

Once you’ve hooked your audience’s interest, you can start filling in the details, including your name, your title, your company name, and any other information is pertinent to the discussion.

You should focus on shifting from attempting to serve any and all potential customers to identifying and serving your ideal clients better. This upgrading process ultimately helps your viability and is continual, so keep losing the average customers and replacing them with those that are loyal, profitable and enjoyable.

Some key points to keep in mind -

- Remember profitability is dependent on serving your ideal/best customer not every customer. It’s ok to lose customers that are too costly.

- Pay attention to all customers for niche and innovation ideas, but get to know the top 20% of your customers.

• Why they use your service.
• What they want improved about their lives.
• How they feel and talk about you.
• How you can improve your service.

- Define your great clients as the ones that keep using your service and refer others consistently.

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision” – Helen Keller

Helen Keller spent her entire life in a dark and silent world.  Being both deaf and blind, she overcame and became an inspiration to millions.  Many of us who have the privilege of seeing take it for granted.  It’s really a two edged sword. Without our sight, we would miss every wonderful glory that God has painted in the colors of a sunset, the majesty of the stars, or the details in a blade of grass.  The flip side is that we tend to see distractions in every form.

Vision is essential to the creation of our future.  We will live according to vision, either ours or someone else’s.  What is it you want?  What is it that you were born to do?  What does this year hold for you?  What direction will you head?