Internet Resources are My Friend

Well as much as I have resisted the idea of drip e-mails and other technology in my real estate practice, I must admit that (when used effectively) this stuff works! Here are some cool things I have discovered lately.

First of all, drip e-mails have been a tool that I just never used before. There are a number of things you can send via drip e-mail but I think the best is to have listings sent either from the MLS (if that option is available to you) or from your web site (especially you RE/MAX Northwest people!). For the last couple of weeks, I have been setting people up on automatic e-mails - even sellers. They like to see what's happening in their neighborhood too - especially when their home is on the market. I also signed up buyers who said they didn't think they wanted to move until next spring - why not? Well, today one of those buyers called and said she would really like to see a couple of homes that I sent her and she would now be willing to move in the next couple of months.

A second buyer also e-mailed me in response to a drip e-mail and has scheduled a showing for this weekend. So without lifting a finger other than to set up the auto search, two buyers have called to schedule showing appointments. They're happy with the ease of information and I am able to do a better job for them without putting any tasks on my "to do list" and hovering over the MLS to see the latest listings.

Secondly, I have finally gotten off the dime and started using postlets.com. My former Tech Crutch - Ryan Fast - introduced me to postlets in one of his classes many months ago - maybe even a year ago now. I wrote the information down at the time with every intention to race out and use it! Did I? Heck no! Well, after the conversation with my Broker last Friday I decided it was time to pull out all the stops and get to work on craigslist and other vehicles for advertising. Darn Internet - can't seem to avoid it no matter what. But www.Postlets.com was actually a lot of fun and my ads looked so cute! I found myself giggling and playing with the color schemes and all kinds of great things. It's really worth checking out. Makes your craigslist ads very professional and saves them so you don't have to re-create them in order to re-post. Also, it sends out your ads to trulia.com, googlebase and lots and lots of others too - all for free. You can't beat that. And talk about a great tool to let your sellers know what you are doing for them EVERY WEEK! Postlets will do a lot of work for you in very little time. Here is a link to one of my ads for today: http://www.postlets.com/res/1450637

Third, for those of us who are RE/MAX agents, you gotta check out LeadStreet for your contact management, drip campaigns and more. When you really get to know the power of LeadStreet, you might be amazed. Even better, they have come out with a new tool called LeadStreet Accelerator! It creates a personal web site that is fully tied into RE/MAX.com and it makes you a featured agent on RE/MAX.com - kind of like Realtor.com when you pay lots and lots of money - except that LeadStreet accelerator is only a little money. You also get a super slick tool called "Home Sale Alert" that is an auto-generated e-mail to everyone in your database that sends them the last 5 most recent sales closest to them in their neighborhood every month in a very professional looking format. Great for current, past or future clients. There are some other cool tools as well. If you are interested in it, I am happy to e-mail you some information that I received from them. I signed up today! My web site will be up on Tuesday.

Lastly, don't ever forget the power of staying in touch with your database. My business partner just prepared a "Real Estate Special Report" that we e-mailed out to his database today. He is now following up with phone calls to touch base with people directly - oh and writing notes afterward! :-) Staying in touch with your clients and offering them answers to the questions that they may be contemplating in these unique economic times is of great benefit to them and will position you as the resource for their real estate needs of all kinds. That's what we want to be right? He is getting very favorable feedback already.

So who would've thought that Internet resources would be my friend in business. Not I! If you have any other great tools that you use, please post a comment. Have a great day!

Practice What You Preach...YEAH RIGHT!

So for the last 3 years I had the great honor of mentoring a number of agents through 100 Days to Greatness - a new agent training program created by Buffini & Company. Sean, my co-instructor, and I spent countless hours in front of the classes; watching the DVD's; imparting our "words of advice" and giving guidance and suggestions to agents who were working hard to build a successful career in real estate.

Our primary frustration was always the low numbers that the agents reported every week that related to their proactive business-building activities. I mean come on, how hard is it to write a few notes every day, make a few calls and meet a few people?! We wondered what else could be occupying their time since most were new to the business and not yet involved in actual sales transactions yet. Week after week, class after class, the same problems and excuses brewed....

"I have run out of people to write notes to."

"I am worried about what people will think when they suddenly start hearing from me all the time."

"I didn't get my CAP item out because I am struggling with the wording. It just doesn't sound like ME."

" I was too busy doing a CMA to do all that stuff."

These were just a few of the many excuses we heard.

We tried to be creative with techniques and ways to help hold everyone accountable to themselves and each other. We ourselves tried implementing these skills within our own business - but we weren't NEW agents. As such, I have come to realize that we had a different mindset on all this & a vastly different set of tools to work with.

So here I am in Maryland. PUSH has come to SHOVE. I AM the new agent. I have to put my money where my mouth was and do all this Buffini stuff with a bunch of people I don't know and in a place wherein I have no database to speak of.

Write 5 notes each day!? Hahahahaha. Yeah RIGHT!

Call 5 people today!? Hahahahaha. Yeah RIGHT!

Hand out 5 business cards each day using the mayor campaign?! You've got to be kidding.

But then again...what AM I spending my time doing?

So I introduce my business partner to the Buffini way. He has been a real estate agent for over 15 years - never heard much about Buffini & has primarily worked transactionally - not by referral. His Broker gave him 100 Days to Greatness DVDs. He watched Days 1 and 2. He ran out to the mall and handed out 5 business cards using the mayor campaign, added several people to his database and wrote notes. Awesome result. Um. That was easy. But it actually made me mad. It made me realize that I was missing out and just not working smart. And the thing is, I KNOW BETTER!

So what's my problem? It's between the ears!!! Stinkin' thinkin' (as both Zig Zigler and my Dad were so fond of saying) has a tremendous power over our ability to succeed. Success requires ACTION.

But the days seem to slip through my fingers....

My Broker called me in to his office on Friday and we had a heart-to-heart. He asked me the question, "Amy, what have you been doing with your time since you arrived that will bring new business?" Oh boy. He put me on the spot. This was weird. I used to be the one behind the desk asking such questions. (By the way, if you were ever on the other side of that from me, I have a whole new appreciation for how you felt!) So I rattled off a few things and realized how lame it sounded.

However, if I had been truly using the Buffini systems and able to tell my Broker that I went out and met 5 people everyday and handed out my business card, added people to my database, followed up with a note and call, I would have felt much better about the whole thing. I would have had a database and maybe even some business!

So I have been thinking about that conversation and why I haven't been doing those things very well. I see three main themes: fear of social humiliation, lack of systems, lack of motivation.

On point number one - fear of social humiliation - I don't really know anyone anyway. What do I have to lose?

Number two - lack of systems. I have been working on that. I am organizing my weekly schedule on Sunday evening. I will proactively PLAN to meet people and put it in the schedule.

Number three - lack of motivation. A regular assessment of my bank account during the Sunday planning session should do the trick!

What are my alternatives? Door knocking, cold calling, or getting a "real" job. I looked at the job ads a few times. No thanks. Door knocking & cold calling...not happening.

So I need to practice what I was preaching. Get motivated NOW - not after the resources wear out. Get organized - create simple systems and USE them. Get a GRIP. No one will bite.

I must plug Buffini & Company here though. Having a coach that has followed me through from my decision-making process in Seattle to landing here in Maryland has been a great help. Having a system already in place with the "Buffini in the box" items of value every month is awesome - no need to re-invent the wheel. Having the small group experience here in Maryland has reminded me that everyone is facing the same challenges and through the Buffini network we are here to lend support and cheer each other on.

Tomorrow, I am putting 5 cards in my pocket and striking out. I'll report my numbers if YOU report yours!

The Home Field Advantage

OK. So the truth is that moving across the country and diving into a new real estate market (while very interesting and exciting) has been a huge blow to my confidence. I recently labeled myself "The Village Idiot." Nothing is familiar. I actually got lost one night coming home from the grocery store which is by the way less than a mile away. The homes are all so different - strange styles that aren't clear to me. For example, what is the difference between a dutch colonial and a colonial home [pictured above]? I think I know - but even now, I am not certain. Just found out today what a cape cod really is. I have been so off my game here that I literally have had trouble discerning which direction I am heading on most roads - N, S, E or W? They all twist and turn and go over hill and dale!

[DUTCH Colonial below]

AND REAL ESTATE...oh my God. Everything seems different. I just found out today that seller's do not pay for title insurance at all! The buyer pays for both policies. The disclosures are weird. There are two types of contracts - a jurisdictional contract and MRIS (same as MLS) contract. I'm still not sure when you use one or the other or both. All escrows are run through attorneys and no one calls it "closing" but rather "settlement." Buyers and sellers BOTH attend "settlement" which is an actual meeting in the escrow office wherein both parties sign their documents at the same time, argue out any last issues and agents attend and are provided their commission checks on the spot as sellers also receive their net distributions then too. These differences are just the TIP of the iceberg.

So I charged off to Maryland from Seattle ready to jump in with both feet and kick butt and take names. Instead I got lost, tripped and fell on my face and may have chipped my confidence tooth permanently in the process!

So I have been beating myself up a bit with being down, frustrated and wondering why I can't seem to compete. EVERYONE ELSE has the HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE - even the newest agent! Then while unpacking one last box today I came across a book, "Smart Talk" by Lou Tice. By some strange chance I flip through the pages quickly and notice one word - homesick. It struck a chord. I returned to the page and began reading (for those who have the book the passage begins on page 218). It was an awakening. What I am experiencing is normal! Imagine that! He states that certain signals tell you when you are out of your comfort zone. Your memory gets blocked. (TRUE! How the hell do I get home from the grocery store?!) You suddenly become awkward, clumsy, accident-prone...(TRUE AGAIN and embarrassing I might add!). You feel tense...your blood pressure rises, your vocal chords tighten and make your voice sound funny (May explain my first client interview...UGH!).

We are wired to stay with the familiar in life - to remain comfortable. But it is only through change and expanding our minds that we can truly grow. Sometimes however that process can be uncomfortable and downright painful. Lou says that your subconscious says, "Don't go and [make a fool of yourself in an uncomfortable environment]. You'll blow it! Stay with the familiar. Stay where you belong. Stay with who you know. Don't try to expand."

So how do I make this unfamiliar, uncomfortable environment my new normal and even better - GROW in a positive way from this experience? Here's what Lou suggests:

1. Visualize and imprint the new situation in your mind as the way things are supposed to be. You create a venturesome spirit and take yourself safely to the next situation or level.

2. Challenge what you know as the way things are supposed to be. (Great example on page 225.) When you change the way you think, you change your life.

3. When you screw up, laugh about it and move on. You build resiliency and keep your ideas burning inside.

The reason I share all of this is that we are ALL EXPERIENCING a new environment as real estate professionals with bailouts and credit crunches, etc. Even seasoned veterans are seeing changes that are unprecedented. They have a better advantage having had to adjust to changes in the past but not everyone is able to work through these market changes & keep a positive outlook. But if we visualize our success, challenge our old way of thinking about how things are "supposed to be" and don't beat ourselves up when we have difficulties, we can exponentially grow through the process and emerge stronger, better and more resilient.

OK. So I have decided that today I am giving myself the home field advantage. This IS my new normal and I can see myself succeeding and producing, etc., etc., etc. How about you?