Conferences Should be about Education, not Profit

I have no conclusion

I just thought it would be interesting to start the conversation and hear from each of you SM devotees (oh, how social media of me!).

They didn’t call your baby ugly

This was sparked by an excellent post by Ines.  There were several fantastic responses, and some interesting reactions where folks seemed put off that someone dared to call BS on SM activities and predicting it will die out as a fad.  To the point of questioning the intelligence of the person with the opinion. 

I recall another post questioning broad stroke advice on SM that got some interesting feedback.  But, opinions are like noses.  Everyone’s got one. 

I’m not saying I agree with the author of the article Ines sited.  In fact, I think it’s reckless for anyone to make broad sweeping absolute statements, particularly with no data.  Again, opinions and noses. 

One hypothesis

Do SM devotees feel almost part of a cult?  Not a cult as in “The Hale-Bopp comet is coming, grab your Nikes, put your money in your pocket, eat the pudding and wash it down with vodka” type of cult.

Instead the sort of cult that is purposefully and specifically built by brands, such as Apple or Harley Davidson (I wrote a post about it here) – that makes people believe they are part of a small tribe with a unique common dominator the masses just don’t possess.  AKA – the “cool kids club”.

For now, I’m neutral.  Since there does not yet exist any absolute hard data that proves to me that it’s a highly impactful tool for agents.  Before you kill the messenger with that statement, continue reading.

What I mean is hardcore analytics.  Not “I got three listings from FaceBook in the last six weeks”.  While that’s certainly a measurable output, it doesn’t take all necessary contributing factors into account when measuring success to an agent.

For example, per Heather Rankin’s comment in Ines’ post, it sounds like she’s got a corner on her local market (yay, Heather) so the density of population and agent SM users could be a factor and measure.

Having said that, nor is there any data to the contrary – that it’s ineffective, or less effective than other measures.  So, I’m neutral. 

A second hypothesis

 Read the rest of this post here

Who’s your guru? Paying unqualified “experts”?

Guess what??  I’m getting a nose job!

I’ve been following this plastic surgeon on Twitter and as a fan on Facebook for about a year now.  He really seems to know his stuff!  He has a huge following and his before & after pictures are amazing!  While I don’t know anything about his education, licensing or experience in cosmetic surgery, I have really come to trust him because of our interactions.

Idiot!

Is that what you’d want to scream?  Of course it is.  Surgery is serious business.  Since you can be permanently disfigured or even lose your life, it’s wise to check out with whom you’re doing game-changing business, right?

Your Business is Serious Business, Too.

Are you taking/paying for what is essentially marketing advice from social media experts that have zero background in Marketing or Communications?  Not so much  “how to set up accounts”.  I’m talking about actions that support your business strategy and objectives.  If so, IMHO you’re making a big mistake.  Huge.

Yes, it’s Marketing.

                                                                                                                             Finish reading here …

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Narcissism, Bubbles and Echo Chambers – Oh My …

(Disclaimer:  This post is a few random thoughts I’ve had lately.  There’s no real conclusion, though I wouldn’t call it a rant, either.  At any rate, I’m interested in your thoughts.)

It’s natural to look for a common denominator when “friending” folks.  Be it real estate, sports, politics, marketing or any other interest or passion.  When we do that, are we falling to a narcissistic trap?

The *ME* in Social Media

I love the channels and opportunities social media have created for self-expression and voyeurism.  It’s fun to take a peek into other’s lives.  And, it’s interesting to watch the emergence of “Internet Stars”.  But, are they/we taking our own PR too seriously?  Are egos inflating to a degree where it’s just plain icky?

It’s All About Me

Speaking of Social Media Narcissists …   They participate heavily in conversations, but if you really follow the stream they chatter mostly about themselves.  And, they have created huge followings without meaningful contributions.  (But to be fair, *meaningful* is subjective.)

Their blogs and tweets are almost exclusively about themselves, their thoughts, their pictures.  But, I think many of us could be categorized that way.  How would you define a Social Media Narcissist??

Same Bubble, Only Larger

If we continue interaction only with like-thinkers, will that enclose us in a bubble?  And could that cause a false reality?

Read the rest here ….

OMG! WTH do all these FLA’s (4 letter acronyms) MEAN?

HAMP, HARP, TARP, TAMP, H4H …. If you think they all seem to do the same thing, you’re not too far off.  Here’s a little decoding: 

The Bush Housing Plan:

H4H = Hope for Homeowners – unveiled by Bush Administration in July 2008, ends September 30, 2011.   The program – is available only to owner occupants and offers 30-year fixed rate mortgages –  refinances mortgages for borrowers who are having difficulty making their payments, but can afford a new loan insured by HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

The Obama Housing Plan

HASP = The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan (aka MHAP - the Making Home Affordable Plan) is the government’s solution to stabilize the housing markets.  The Obama housing plan is supported by the following programs:

HARP = Home Affordable Refinance Program
Low-cost refinancing to qualifying homeowners.  Makes it possible to refinance even if the equity in their property has fallen below “conforming loan” standards 

HAMP = Home Affordable Modification Plan  
Calls for the government to invest $75 billion to provide incentives to mortgage lenders and qualifying homeowners to modify the terms of their loans through term-interest rate reduction (lower interest payments on their mortgages and longer periods of repayment) or principal reductions:

FHA-HAMP – Home Affordable Modification Plan  
As of August 15, homeowners who have Federal Housing Authority (FHA) insured loans are able to take advantage of the HAMP and modify their loans if they are 1 or more months late/delinquent in their payments.   Home Equity

Loan Modification
Second Lien program that provides incentives for servicers to modify or extinguish second liens once a first mortgage has been modified(It’s estimated ~ 50% of homeowners eligible for the housing plan’s mortgage modification program have seconds). 

TARP = Troubled Asset Relief Program
A US Government program to purchase assets and equity from financial institutions to strengthen the financial sector.  It is the largest component of the government’s measures in 2008 to address the subprime mortgage crisis.

Hope Now – is an alliance between counselors, mortgage companies, investors, and other mortgage market participants formed to maximize outreach efforts to homeowners in distress to help them stay in their homes and create a unified, coordinated plan to reach and help as many homeowners as possible.

5 Clients to Dump Now (and how to do it)

Without clients, our respective businesses simply wouldn’t exist.  However, the relationship with some clients can be so bad, you are much better off parting ways.

When one crosses the line, should you try to salvage the relationship, or do you deliver a satisfying Trump-like “You’re Fired!”?  

If only it were that easy.  Burning bridges isn’t wise. 

Here’s my list of Top 5 must dump clients, and how to do it. 

1. The Cheapskate: Have you noticed that the client who pays the least expects the most?  If they nickel and dime you right out of the gate – run, do not walk.  This client will change scope, change their mind, and change strategies to the point where your average hourly rate pales to that of a baby sitter.

How to break up: Easy: Raise your rates.  He doesn’t value your work, and sees you as a drag to the bottom line.  You can’t win.

Read the rest of this post here

7 Pet Peeves: Email Auto Replies

It’s typically the little things that greatly impress or completely annoy.  Here’s a few of my pet peeves around auto replies – tell me yours in the reactions. 

p.s. The first one is what started this post. 

Referring to yourself in the third person

The email comes from you … why does it say “Mary Smith is out of the office until Sep 15.  She will reply upon her return”.   Was it set up by her admin, is she royalty … or do the voices in Mary’s head tell her to refer to herself in the third person?  That’s more of a personal pet peeve, but I think it sets a pretentious tone.

Turn it off when you return

Add a note to your calendar if it helps you to remember, but turn it off the day you state you will be back.  There’s nothing worse than getting an email on September 10 stating “I will be out of the office returning August 5”.  August 5 … 2010?

Send one auto reply per sender

Don’t change the setting that ensures each person emailing during your absence receives only one auto reply.  Unless everyone you deal with is obtuse, one auto reply is sufficient.  And, don’t set it up so every person CC’d or BCC’d get’s an auto reply.  It’s very annoying trying to determine why you just received an auto reply to someone you have not emailed!

Read the other 3 here …

Huh? Audio Branding?

Audio Branding, aka a Sound Logo, is a sound branding tool that you can incorporate into your web site or blog and used as the acoustic equivalent of a logo.  Think: Intel, NBC, T-Mobile or THX.  Typically a short distinctive melody or sounds, these sounds are typically used at the beginning or end of ads. 

Sneaky, in a good way

Sound is a powerful learning center in our brain.  Ever notice how the music in a scene of a movie leads you to feel something bad/good/funny, etc. is about to happen?  Our brain hears a sound then anticipates the ending.  Therefore, as a part of your brand toolkit, sound can help shape a potential client’s perception of you and potentially help you connect with them on a deeper level.  Plus, it works in a sneaky way your ads and blog posts can’t – people don’t need to pay attention to notice it.

You may already be doing it

Have you downloaded a customized ringtone to your phone?  It says something about you.  Admit it …  do you wonder what’s really behind the curtain when a relatively conservative person has their ring tone set to “I’m bringing sexy back”.  Better yet, have you assigned a “special” ring tone for someone – loved one, or an ex?  Did you choose that partially based on your opinion of them?

(Quick Check:  If you were at an attorney or CPA’s office for your first consultation, and their phone rang with 3OH!3’s “Don’t Trust Me” or Katy Perry’s “Waking up in Vegas” could it set the wrong tone?  If you need to explain your ring tone to potential clients, you may want to change it.  Just a thought. )

continue reading here ….

Best Motivational Vid – Evuh!!

Heard at Inman

I attended a number of sessions at Inman last week, and one titled Agent 2.0 stood out as offering some interesting ideas for agents to manage their day-to-day business.

Agent 2.0 was a panel discussion moderated by Wendy Forsythe with Eric Stegemann, Strategic Development, Tribus Real Estate,  Amanda McMillan, Real Estate Consultant, Prudential Preferred Properties  and Ian Watt, Luxury Condo Realtor, Ian Watt personal Real Estate Corporation as the panelists.  (Big shout out to Wendy Forsythe VP Broker Services & Product Development, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, who was a fantastic moderator.  She kept the conversation on track, and asked relevant, interesting questions.)

Stay out of the weeds

Intentional or not, that struck me as the overarching theme of the session.  Rather than solely focusing on 2.0 tools and explaining how to use them, they spoke of leveraging said tools to maximize business and “1.0” activities with clients – i.e. face time.   

Realtor and Manager and Marketer … oh my

An agent’s role these days consists of these distinct silos, with a plethora of activities falling beneath each.  Here are a few sound bites from Ian, Eric and Amanda on managing the deluge.

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