Make Their Day

Video Link

This past week I had a thirty minute face-to-face conversation with a vendor who was working to earn the business of our firm.  He made eye contact, asked great questions, and made a very strong impact.  The crazy thing was that we were twelve miles apart the entire time.  Through video conferencing we were able to speak face-to-face with our smart phones.  I really felt like we had been together for an effective meeting.

Video is a powerful tool for improving our communications.  Consider putting it to work for you this week.  What if you were to take the simple step of posting a video message to one or two key prospects this week? Imagine how they would feel about your effort.  Here's how you can do it using Facebook.

Start by finding a status update for one of your key contacts on Facebook.   Second, record a video message using your smart phone.

The third step is to upload the video onto the other person's Facebook page.  You can do this by navigating to their page, choosing "Share photo", and then selecting the footage you just recorded on your phone. Select the video file just like you would a photo; it will upload just the same.  You probably want to keep your video under 60 seconds in length.

Run a few different approaches and see what kind of response you get.  You'll have people talking and hopefully sharing the file across their network.

Here are a few other ways to impact your network with short videos on Facebook:

• Send a birthday greeting - make someone's day by singing them the traditional or telling them what you appreciate about them.
• Take quick footage of an important event. Combine it with a few notes on what happened.
• Attending the big game?  Get a quick clip with you in it to share the experience.
• Previewing homes: find the perfect match for your buyer and send a video preview with your narration while still on location. 
• Open House: record your invitation, share a feature, and upload your message just before the event begins. 

Creativity is important.  Think video and you will start discovering ideas all over town.  I look forward to watching your next production.

Try Something New

Getting a little bored with the routine of your business?  One way to gather new energy is to bring in a new practice.  Our first responses to a new tool, technique, or technology usually centers on limited time or fear of failure.   Step one: block two hours as an appointment, early in the day makes it even better.   Step two: give yourself permission to fail.  In fact, make it a results- free effort.  

Immersion is one of the best ways to learn a new practice.  Rather than just squeezing it in from time to time, carve out large chunks of time to work on your new practice.  Be creative, look for the expected applications, and create new ways to apply the new skill.  Here are a few tech tools you may want to try on: 

• Top Producer CRM : application tool for managing contacts and setting up routine communications. 
• Yelp: social networking tool to engage with local businesses and promote your own services. 
• Blog: let the world know what you think in writing, images, or video.  Try Blogger to get started with a simple tool.  
• Trulia: post your listing, check in properties, pull showing stats. 
• Postlets: market your properties across the Internet.  
• YouTube: start your own channel and build an audience. 
• Twitter: it's a crazy world in there, but the possibilities are endless.  Consider writing to a specific community and build your contacts there. 

Out of the Box

New technology - phone, tablet, computer.  They just keep releasing in unrelenting waves.  Droid phones seem to have a new model every month; we wait holding our breath for live tweets from the latest Apple summit, and now Sprint has the iPhone.  How to keep up?  More importantly, how to make it all productive?


New technology can sit in the box or you can engage it to grow your business. Here are four key affirmations for making new equipment work for you:


Be Curious:  I am truly amazed when I hear someone say, "I haven't even take it out of the box yet."  Is there something in there that is going to bite, explode or contaminate you?  Dive in.  Be a child.  Go wild and maybe even skip the manual.  My friend JG just laughs about reference materials.  He'll say, "It's an Apple.  Just turn it on!"  One key quality to leveraging technology is curiosity.  The tools are made for you;  good products wont' break from you pushing buttons, apps, or icons just to see what happens.  Explore.


Be Steady:  like most new toys, the interest in technology can fade. Instead of getting bored with it, consider making a commitment to it.  Continual learning in manageable doses is what helps an agent become more productive.  Staying up all night with your new iPad will just make your eyes burn the next day.  Be steady and set out a course of learning that is sustainable.  A little bit in small doses will have you on the expert platform in a few months.


Be Talking:  there's a lot to learn from other people, especially the ones who are using the same iPad, Droid, or App as you.  Ask and post questions.  Share your own insights.  There is always someone ahead of you and also someone behind you in the learning curve. Be generous.  The community can help you progress and process much faster.


Be Outside:  it is easy to get a narrow focus.  Yes, other real estate agents with a tech focus can teach you a lot about your new device.  But look outside your industry to discover something no one else inside your industry is yet doing.  Ask a home builder, a designer, or a medical sales rep how she uses her iPad. You'll learn something helpful while expanding your network.


So go ahead, crack the cellophane and get busy making that technology work for you.