Realtor Coaching & Training: Technology
Is the Apple Tablet Computer the perfect computer for real estate professionals?
This week we will know for sure but, here are the juicy rumors about this new PC:
* According to many sources the new computer will be called: ipad, iSlate, iBook or itablet.
* The key board will be on the screen.
* Love your iphone? You will love this new computer…some refer to the new Apple Computer as a giant iphone.
* Connection to the internet.
* Download videos, books, magazines etc. directly off itunes and partner sites. Seems that the idea is that you will replace your Amazon Kindle with this new Apple computer. The Kindle was a e-reader using digital ink technology. Meaning, the actual screen on the kindle made the text look like printed paper (more or less). Downside was that there were no color images etc. The new Apple Tablet will give all of us carnivorous readers more options.
* Perfect…on the road….MLS access devise.
* Hey…here is an idea….attend your Harris Real Estate University classes via the webinar using your new Apple Slate!
* Price will be around $1000…..coming to an Apple store near you in the next 30 days! Look for the offcial announcement in less than 48 hours!
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What is one of the biggest potential time wasters…and when used correctly…
……MONEY MAKERS… for Realtors?
Simple….
Blogging and social network marketing.
Go here now to listen to FREE Replay
Everyone (and their brother) is telling agents to learn how-to use social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin……at this point….you know that you should have a blog.
Enter, confusion.What to do first….how much time should you spend doing this….HELP!
We hear you and we are going to help…..
Listen now to this weeks Superstar Interview and we will do our best to demystify the murky waters of social networking.
As any long time HREU Student will tell you…we love technology. For any small business, technology gives you an advantage. The challenge is when agents don’t know how to bridge their online ‘work’….to ‘offline’ sales.
Whats worse is all the companies that are (frankly) over charging agents for things like….blogs….. that are FREE..if you know where to look.
Go ahead and listen now to the replay of this week’s HREU Superstar interview. I have arranged for 4-5 agents to share with YOU exactly what they are doing to not just generate leads but..close sales….ya know, make actual money from their online efforts.
Here is the info for your schedule.
Here is the direct link to listen NOW to this FREE Replay:
http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=9768810
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
FREE Blogs and real estate social media training.
One of the top requests we have at HREU is agents wanting to learn how to uses the social networks and learn how to blog.
We have created a FREE blog’s system for you called…
Do this…go to Ethical Real Estate Pro now…watch the FREE video on how to set up your blog…..and in less than 60 seconds you can have your own blog. Really, 60 seconds is all it takes for you to have your very own working…lead generating real estate blog…check it out!
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I love this post that I found over on Sellsius.com
It honestly makes be feel proud to be in the real estate industry when I discover other real estate professionals that truly ‘get-it’.
The only true hope for homeowners are Realtors who have the mindset to be of service and the skillset to serve.
Read this blog post and share your comments….
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give ~Winston Churchill
I have been campaigning for the NAR to add a Pro Bono Article to the Realtor° Code of Ethics. It has been a grassroots effort. Thanks to the help and support of Bill Wente, Frances Flynn Thorsen, Sherry Chris, Bill Lublin, Benn and Lani-Anglin Rosales, Scott Forcino, Esq., Jay Thompson, Collen Kulikowski, Kelly Roark, David Steinberg, Larry Yatkowsky and many, many others, a buzz has been building.
5 Reasons Why It Must Be Done:
1. An iconic brand MUST do more than just sell homes. It must innovate beyond product, be a maverick in word and deed and LEAD by example. NAR ought promote the fact that public service is good for the community, good for the economy, good for business and good for the agent. It will distinguish (and elevate) the brand. Is the Realtor brand iconic? Prove it.
If you cannot feed 100 people, then just feed one ~Mother Teresa2. The National Association of Realtors must re-establish the fundamental principle that Realtors have a duty to SERVE consumers. This includes consumers who are in real need, not just those with 750 FICO scores. Do not leave any doubt of this.
If you have no charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble ~Bob Hope
Realtors, are you ready to learn how to start your own blog….to learn how-to make money from social media? Watch the FREE Agent Tech Secrets video now…learn how to make money from Social Media…learn how to use Twitter!
3. Goodwill. There is no denying Realtors have a bad public image. NAR must raise public awareness of its commitment to public service and benevolence. And let’s be clear about one thing– real estate professionals throughout this great country ARE doing charitable acts– every day– except few know about it. It’s time to tell folks about this good work and encourage others to follow.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted ~Aesop
4. It’s good for business. People who are in need will reach out to those professionals expressing a desire to do pro bono work. After these folks are helped, they will tell others. And they will never forget the good deed. People who are not in need will nonetheless be drawn to professionals whose moral compass is pointed in service to their fellow man. Competence with charity is a compelling message.
Charity sees the need, not the cause ~ German proverb
5. The times cry out for it. Americans have been hit by a financial Katrina. Do not leave them to wait for their government to help them. Let us find ways to keep families (children) in their homes instead of figuring out ingenious ways to make money from their misfortune. The time for pointing fingers is behind us. If, indeed, we, as a people, have voted for Change, let us work for change in the industry which is the foundation of this nation’s wealth.
The existing Realtor Code demands it:
Such interests impose obligations beyond those of ordinary commerce. They impose grave social responsibility and a patriotic duty to which REALTORS® should dedicate themselves, and for which they should be diligent in preparing themselves. REALTORS®, therefore, are zealous to maintain and improve the standards of their calling and share with their fellow REALTORS® a common responsibility for its integrity and honor. (Preamble, National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics, 2008)(emphasis added)
Here is a simple starting point:
Voluntary Pro Bono Public Service
Every Realtor who is able has a professional responsibility to provide real estate related services, without compensation, to those unable to pay or of limited means. Every Realtor should aspire to render pro bono service on at least one (1) real estate transaction per year.
You must be the change you want to see in the world ~GandhiLet’s do more than just think about it. Let’s do it.
If you support this initiative, add your voice and share this with other real estate professionals, especially those who are in position to effectuate or influence change. I have witnessed bloggers bring about change before.
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Great This Week In Real Estate (TWire) radio show today….
Every Wednesday I participate in a podcast along with Brian Wilson and Ken Brand.
The topic this week was….
Discovering your niche.As the real estate markets across the US experience a ‘hard reset’ many agents are rediscovering an ‘old fashion’ but, effective way to build their real estate practice’s….
Being a Niche Player.
In other words, how do you become a specialist…the absolute, undisputed expert in a geographic area (traditional farm), sociographic area (people farm). We also discuss how to use the many online social media sites as a way to be a niche player.
Great call…go ahead and listen now:
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Here is a great book review that I found over on the NAR’s Realtor.org site. If you haven’t discovered that site…check it out. They do an excellent job writing about what matters most to Realtors…
Quick Skim
The micro blogging site Twitter has generated plenty of buzz lately and all from the simple question: “What are you doing now?” Those who use the site have 140 characters or less to respond to the question. Members “follow” other members, and vice-versa, to stay up-to-date on what everyone is doing. Many real estate pros have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, using it as a way to connect with clients. In the book Twitter Power (Wiley, 2009), authors Joel Comm and Ken Burge show how individuals and organizations can use it as a marketing tool and how such short “tweets” can even land new business.
Buy the Book
Realtors: Watch the FREE Twitter How-To Video Now. This 30 minute video will take you step-by-step showing you exactly how-to get started on twitter. This FREE video is perfect for you if you are new to Twitter or if you are already ‘tweeting’. Agents, you can make contacts…create business….AND make money from Twitter. Watch this FREE Video and we will show you how. Watch the FREE Twitter How-To Video Now.
From the Book: 5 Ways to Use Twitter for Business
When you use Twitter for business reasons, you want to “blend in” and make sure your messages don’t come across as blatant sales pitches, or you could face a backlash from followers, the authors write. Your goal for using Twitter should be to make your business stand out and turn your customers into a community.
“Your Twitter timeline is not a sales page,” Comm and Burge write. “Gripping headlines and hard call-to-actions on Twitter are more likely to drive people away than drive them to buy. Your Tweets need to be subtle. They have to build interest and trust. Only then will your followers feel that doing what you want them to do will be worth their while. ”
Here are five tips from the book on using Twitter for business.
1. Make yourself personable. You want your messages, or “tweets,” to be written in a laid-back tone that creates the impression that you’re chatting with others. “Businesses that tweet like a corporate executive addressing a board meeting will … scream that they have no idea what they’re doing—or who they’re talking to,” the authors write.
To help make your Twitter account more personable, use a photo or an icon that represents your business instead of your company’s logo as your Twitter image. For example, Southwest Airlines uses an image of its planes’ tail and the sky as its background; Comcast’s Twitter.com/comcastcares uses a human face and tweets in an informal, friendly tone.
2. Give your tweet the “who cares?” test. If you just repainted your office or grabbed a donut on your way to the kitchen, should you really tweet about it? You’ll read a lot of random thoughts from Twitterers, but if you’re using it to land new business, think before you tweet.
“News announcements that affect the reader are always going to be the most interesting,” the authors write. “The best way to handle news for branding, then, is to mix it in with other kinds of content and to add a personal comment so that it sounds like its coming from a real person, not from a company. ”
If you’re tweeting on behalf of a company, keep it human, but not too personal, the authors write. And if you’re tweeting on behalf of a personal brand, you might include random thoughts
(e.g., the donuts on the way to the kitchen) but keep them limited and mix them in with helpful tweets.
Realtors: Watch the FREE Twitter How-To Video Now. This 30 minute video will take you step-by-step showing you exactly how-to get started on twitter. This FREE video is perfect for you if you are new to Twitter or if you are already ‘tweeting’. Agents, you can make contacts…create business….AND make money from Twitter. Watch this FREE Video and we will show you how. Watch the FREE Twitter How-To Video Now.
3. Build a following. Once you’re using Twitter, of course, you’ll want others to be reading and responding to your messages. So how can you build a strong following? Simply, start following others. Reciprocal following is like good manners in the Twitter universe so those who you follow will likely start following you. Follow the major Twitterers and reply to their tweets with interesting, valuable information. Others will notice your comments and reciprocate.
Follow us at Twitter.com/TimandJulie
4. Find who’s talking about you and your business. You might want to reply to others who appear to have an interest in your topic. Try using Twellow (the site allows you to find who’s talking about what in a field or topic) or use TweetBeep (to receive alerts for keywords you set). You might want to use these sites so you receive alerts for mentions of your business name, blog, Twitter name, or topics such as “real estate” or “short sales.”
5. Know your audience. Offer advice and solutions to Twitterers who pose questions or are struggling with something in your field of expertise. This also helps you build a core group of followers. If you have a real estate blog, you might want to use Twitter to provide quick notices about upcoming blog posts and what you’re working on. Include links to your blog or Web site where your followers can read more. Just watch out for linking overload: If you want to increase the odds that your followers will click on a link that you offer on Twitter, make sure to limit links in your tweets so they don’t suffer from click fatigue.
Try to tweet at least once a day—and ideally, more often that that—if you’re using it as a branding tool so you’ll build community and develop momentum, the authors suggest.
Realtors: Watch the FREE Twitter How-To Video Now. This 30 minute video will take you step-by-step showing you exactly how-to get started on twitter. This FREE video is perfect for you if you are new to Twitter or if you are already ‘tweeting’. Agents, you can make contacts…create business….AND make money from Twitter. Watch this FREE Video and we will show you how. Watch the FREE Twitter How-To Video Now.
Sneak Peek
“What on Earth can you put in 140 characters that could possibly be worth reading? Surely you can’t promote products, build a brand, generate interest in your company, and keep people reading with such small amounts of content? The answers it turns out, are ‘a lot’ and ‘yes, you really can!’ Twitter has proven itself to be incredibly addictive and, for business owners, very valuable too.
“Ever since I stumbled onto Twitter, I’ve spent many hours thumb-typing messages. I do it frequently and I love it. It’s fantastic fun, like writing a personal blog but without the effort. The pleasure alone would be enough reason for me to recommend Twitter, but Twitter isn’t just good fun. It’s also proven to be a very important and easy way of finding new users and customers, a powerful networking tool, and an excellent way of picking up useful information.
“It ’s helped me to build deeper relationships with my partners, my clients, and other entrepreneurs. It’s extended the reach of my brand, making the name of my business known to people who might never otherwise have heard of it. It’s brought me advice and suggestions from experts I couldn’t have reached any other way. It brings me a steady stream of additional Web site users and provides a channel for me to alert people who have visited my sites when I’ve uploaded new content. And it’s brought me some fascinating reading and a bunch of wonderful new friends, too.”
About the Authors
Twitter guru Joel Comm (@joelcomm) is a speaker on Internet marketing and business. He is also the author of The AdSense Code (Morgan James Publishing, 2006) and Click Here to Order (Morgan James Publishing, 2008).
Co-author Ken Burge (@KenBurge) is president of InfoMedia Inc. and also an expert on online marketing. He is an eight-year veteran of Microsoft.
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Hope you had a great week!
Just found this video….and knew you will love what you are about to learn
. As you (hopefully) know by now Social Media has become bigger than big.
So, if you aren’t convinced yet that social media is more than just a fad….check this out:
Watch this video and then watch the FREE Agent Tech Secrets video…that’s the free 30 minute Twitter How-To Video that we made for you.
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