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• For Social Media ROI, Content Rules

  MSC Marketing 9:17 am on July 15, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: agents (23), Best Practices (27), Business Development, social networking (14)   Filed under: Agent advice, Best Practices, Business Development, networking, social networking

  The Real Estate Professor by Gee Dunsten

  RISMEDIA, July 15, 2010—If we turn the clock back 30 years ago, when we started down this path as real estate agents, it was all about “Call us if you want to sell your home or find a home.” Eventually, we moved from a selling and listing focus to a marketing and then social marketing focus. In the last 2-3 years in particular, however, our industry has experienced perhaps our most significant shift—we’ve moved from being a product-based industry to an advice-based industry. This is exactly where social media comes in.

  As real estate professionals, social media allows us to expand our reach and can help position us as what I call “knowledge leaders.” But this doesn’t happen just by posting or tweeting. Using social media effectively requires creating a specific strategy, and this strategy must revolve around providing content, because this business is no longer about us, it’s about understanding what we can provide in terms of advice. It’s no longer about who we know—it’s about who knows us and this is where social media plays a big role. (More …)

  
   
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• The 5 Fastest Ways Realtors Can Put Technology to Work Today

  MSC Marketing 5:23 pm on May 19, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: agents (23), Business Development, social networking (14), Technology (11), web exposure (27)   Filed under: Agent advice, Business Development, Technology, Web

  RISMEDIA, May 19, 2010—Technology comes in many shapes and sizes. When it fits, technology automates everyday routines, so we may focus on what it is as professionals we do best.

  Per usual, time is money, so speed-to-market must be considered when reviewing all new technologies. What is the implementation and training period? Is this something that everyday businessmen and women can use today?

  What matters most is what works best, and the fastest to help you achieve your goals. All things considered, here are five of the fastest ways Realtors can put technology to work for themselves today.

  Get Relevant in Your Social Media
  We know you love your kids. We all do. But is baby Bobby’s third birthday really relevant to the online audience? Facebook and Twitter all have righteous applications written for business. Don’t waste your audience’s precious time. (More …)

  
   
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• The Art (and Business) of Finding More Time: 10 Ways to Organize Your Time and Resources for Maximum ROI

  MSC Marketing 11:50 am on May 13, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: agents (23), Best Practices (27), Business Development   Filed under: Agent advice, Best Practices, Business Development

  RISMEDIA, May 13, 2010—Time is money. We’ve all heard it before, but these days, it bears repeating. Yes, it’s always been important for workers to make sure that they’re doing the right things and staying on task. But in shaky economic times it’s a matter of survival (your own, career-wise, as well as your company’s). Yet nearly all of us are guilty of sabotaging our performances to some degree because we fail to go on the offensive against two specific threats: disorganization and poor time management.

  Well, that’s true, you might agree. Sometimes we get our priorities mixed up, and lose one minute here and there. But maybe you’re thinking: “I’m just a regular Joe—not an efficiency or organizational expert. How can I improve the way I spend my time?”

  A new book offers some insight. “Thriving in the Workplace All-in-One For Dummies®,” comprised of seven books in one volume, gives people of all ages, in any job, and in any type of workplace, the information, tips, and action plans needed to boost professional value, increase visibility, and manage stress, according to its publisher. (More …)

  
   
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• 4 Steps to Come Out of the Recession on the Upside

  MSC Marketing 8:56 am on April 22, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: agents (23), Business Development, competitive information (50), economy (72)   Filed under: Agent advice, Best Practices, Business Development, economy

  RISMEDIA, April 22, 2010—When asked to sum up the year ahead, Stan Ross, chair, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, believes values will further drop, foreclosures and delinquency rates will increase, and a limping economy likely will continue to crimp property cash flows. But capital will start to come in at a time when higher lending rates, more stringent underwriting, increased equity requirements and recourse terms will continue. So with all this doom and gloom, how do you survive during these times?

  This year, the real estate industry has to focus on survival and solutions, looking toward expansion and new opportunities in a distressed market. The best approach for coming out of the recession on the upside involves four steps: checking your assets and liabilities, performing an organizational restructuring, improving relations with lenders and going after some great opportunity ‘buys.’ (More …)

  
   
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• 3 Tips to Effectively Connect with Today’s Client

  MSC Marketing 2:51 pm on April 6, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Agent advice (15), Best Practices (27), Business Development   Filed under: Agent advice, Best Practices, Business Development

  RISMEDIA, April 5, 2010—There’s an awful lot of noise out there today. To rise above the din, Realtors and brokers must take a look at the consumers in their marketplace, while reviewing the various technologies available, merging both into a sound business practice that applies time-tested principles with the realities of new media.

  So how does one connect with today’s clients? How can technology be harnessed to communicate with them on their terms?

  In the real estate business–and in any industry, for that matter–the challenge is to cut through the clutter, reduce the racket and convert the clamor of commerce into a symphony of sales.

  Your ability to overcome the chatter of the crowd and differentiate your product/service will determine whether you sink or swim.

  But first things first: how connected are you?

  Connect yourself first
  Let’s not take anything for granted. There are various levels of connectivity, so the concept of “being connected” varies between professionals, but suffice it to say you need a smartphone to get started. Says who?

  (More …)

  
   
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• 4 Tips to Profit from Niche Marketing

  MSC Marketing 3:17 pm on March 18, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Best Practices (27), Business Development, competitive information (50)   Filed under: Best Practices, Business Development, Marketing, Motivation

  RISMEDIA, March 17, 2010—In 2009, the total number of available transaction sides per agent increased by a whopping 13%. This is the largest recorded gain in over 25 years. Simply put, there is still a lot of business to be had and a lot fewer agents going after it. Successful agents have embraced the change and are already profiting. The current marketplace is full of challenges but it also provides more niche opportunity than ever before. The following four strategies will help you profit from niche marketing in today’s market. (More …)

  
   
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• Online Marketing: The ‘Silver Bullet’ for Internet Success

  MSC Marketing 9:26 am on March 3, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Best Practices (27), Business Development, Technology (11), web exposure (27)   Filed under: Business Development, Technology, Web

  By Mike Parker

  RISMEDIA, March 3, 2010—Everyone wants to somehow profit from the Internet. These days – with 80+% of all homes sales beginning on the Internet, the ‘wants’ has changed into ‘must.’ Any agent who is not making a significant percentage of their sales from Internet activity is missing out on more commissions than they can imagine as well as continuing up that traditional methods trail that surely is becoming a dead end.

  That’s part of the reason so many methods of trying to succeed online are out there: everyone is looking for the ‘Silver Bullet’: the one thing that will make them successful. (More …)

  
   
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• 7 Tips to Motivate Your Sphere of Influence to Refer to You

  MSC Marketing 3:49 pm on March 1, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Best Practices (27), Business Development, real estate (165)   Filed under: Best Practices, Business Development

  By Maya Bailey, Ph.D.

  RISMEDIA, February 27, 2010

  As a business coach for entrepreneurs, my clients often say to me: “I just can’t pick up the phone and call my sphere of influence.” The responses I get when I ask “Why not?” include:

  -“I don’t know what to say.”
  -“I can’t ask my friends for business.”
  -“I have no reason to call.”
  -“I don’t want to bug them.”
  -“It’s not okay to call them too often.”

  The following tips will enable you to motivate your sphere of influence to refer to you easily and effortlessly. (More …)

  
   
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• Monday Morning Mobile: The Meetings of the Moment

  MSC Marketing 11:03 am on February 22, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Business Development, Technology (11)   Filed under: Technology

  

  By Seth Kaplan

  RISMEDIA, February 22, 2010—During the last four weeks we have looked at the evolution of the cell phone from a functional utility to a cultural phenomenon and discussed how over the course of the last 10 years we have gone from struggling to find a cell signal to sending hundreds of billions of text messages per month. Our mobile devices never leave our side and the evidence shows that has caused a shift in the way we communicate—making mobile truly the medium the of the moment.

  Simultaneously, during the same four-week period out in the real world, two events have taken place that will undoubtedly alter the way the world’s economy and infrastructure operate in the years to come; The World Economic Forum and the Mobile World Congress.

  The World Economic Forum took place recently in Davos, Switzerland (January 26-31). CBS’ 60 Minutes did a feature on the forum in which they stated, “Nowhere in the world can such a concentration of power be found than at the World Economic Forum.” A few of the heads of state and captains of industry in attendance included President Bill Clinton, computer tycoon Michael Dell, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and Google CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt. What surprised me was not who attended this premier who’s who event, but that just two weeks later (February 15-18) in Barcelona, Spain, both Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Google CEO Eric Schmidt were in attendance again for the Mobile World Congress – as key note speakers.

  (More …)

  
   
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• Are You Afraid to be Successful?

  MSC Marketing 11:03 am on February 16, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Best Practices (27), Business Development, competitive information (50)   Filed under: Listing Presentation, Marketing, Motivation

  By Dr. Maya Bailey

  RISMEDIA, February 13, 2010—In my 13 years of coaching entrepreneurs to be successful, I have uncovered that many people have a deep-seated fear of success. When I probe for the reasons behind this fear of success, the pattern is very similar. The clients that I work with who are afraid to be successful often had situations in their childhood that caused them to retreat. There were hostile environments, turmoil, chaos and fighting, and the individual did the only safe thing to do, which was to withdraw and form the belief that it’s really not safe to be visible. Along with that, other core beliefs that were formed include: It’s not safe to express my feelings; it’s not safe to be myself; it’s not safe to succeed. Basically, succeeding was not safe because succeeding left the client more exposed, more visible, and therefore a possible target for punishment or disapproval. (More …)