Why Peripheral Not Tunnel Vision is Your Key To Success

July 15, 2011 By 1 Comment

Why Peripheral Not Tunnel Vision is Your Key To Success

I just finished reading a great post by my friend, Jimmy Mackin with The MLS App.  He truly hit the nail on the head so well that I just had to put the fingers to the keys and write my own take on it.

Peripherl Vision - Your Key to Success

Image Courtesy of deanspic on Flikr.com

In his blog post, Mackin describes how the new Google + is another “shiny object” placed in clear view of business owners, such as Realtors®, that distract and divert their attention from what we know works and will continue to work if we keep working it.

Now, what I am NOT saying is that Google + doesn’t have the POTENTIAL to be another great source of lead generation and income – what I (and Mackin) are saying is it’s NOT YET.  That’s where the peripheral vision philosophy comes into play.

By keeping your eyes open to the things happening around you, you can stay informed and allow things to evolve (or not evolve) while still keeping on the track of success you’ve been on (before Google +  came into your line of vision).

What you don’t want to do (but I see happening every day) is to have tunnel vision;  by taking your eyes (and more importantly, efforts) off of what you have been working diligently on (for however long) and changing gears to a new “shiny object”, your road to success has now taken a detour and you may not make your way back.  In fact, you may go completely off course and wonder in 6 months why your business has come to a screeching halt!

This isn't a pyramid scheme - this is social networkingA severe scenario?  NO.  Not at all.  It’s actually reality for many business owners who do not have a definitive plan.

You may say, “But, don’t I want to jump on the bandwagon while the iron is hot?”  ”Get in during the initial phase?”  No, this isn’t a pyramid scheme – this is social networking!

The moral of the story is, stick to what works, but keep your eyes open to new opportunities that are bound to arise.  Jumping ship is not your key to success; Stay onboard with your goals and they WILL be met!

Filed Under: Coaching Tips, Social Networking Tagged With: , ,

Is your name working for you in your real estate blog?

June 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Is your name working for you in your real estate blog?

You’ve finally decided to embark on the awesome adventure of starting a brand new real estate blog.  Congratulations!

But wait.  Stop right there.  You’re now thinking of what you should use for your domain name, right?  I’m here to tell, and in the video below explain, why your own name shouldn’t be used within your blogsite domain name.  Ok, if you’re a superstar, like Madonna, then be my guest, but otherwise, skip the name and dig a little deeper into the much more rational and SEO friendly domain name selection.

Here’s why your name should be omitted from your real estate blog domain and what you should use instead:

Takeaways from this video include:

  1. Don’t use your name in your url!
  2. I repeat, don’t use your name (or your nickname) in your url!
  3. Use Google Adwords Keyword Tool for research purposes
  4. Think outside the box

Need some help with direction when it comes to the name of your real estate blog? Let’s brainstorm!

  1. (required)
  2. (valid email required)
 

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Filed Under: Coaching Tips, Education, Wordpress Intro Tutorials Tagged With: , , ,

How to drive traffic and gain more solid leads

May 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Yesterday I asked a question on our Tech Savvy Agent Facebook Page, about how you are using Facebook’s ad space to maximize your online business lead generation. Some of you responded by saying that it was working for you really well, and some asked how to do it. The response, as in many things, was pretty diverse.

When it comes to advertising online, one thing remains the same: How you use your words. Now, I’m not referring to how your mother brought you up to use your manners. On the contrary. What I am referring to is the choice of words which you use to get the attention you are seeking, and moreover, the results you are desiring.

This is not just about Facebook Ads, of course. This is about all your communications – whether it is in your marketing materials online or offline, you will either make it or break it. Your choice in the words you use to advertise you, your services, or your properties is really important and should be given more than just a fleeting thought.

Here’s a breakdown of how to correctly drive traffic and gain more solid leads through your online marketing by using your words:

1. Who is your customer? Determining what traffic you want to attract is the first step to success.

2. What is the purpose of your marketing? Do you have a solid call to action – are you giving them something they really WANT?

3. Determine the main idea of your marketing and shorten it to be your title too (see the title of this blog?)

4. Think before you write. Kinda like the saying “think before you speak”, this is just as true within your online marketing endeavors too!

This post was inspired by the short video below which I saw earlier this week. I hope it inspires you to choose your words carefully too.


Filed Under: Coaching Tips Tagged With: , , , , ,

Investment – It’s not just about the money

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Investment – It’s not just about the money

Have you ever noticed how you put a lot of effort, or at least what you think is a lot of effort, into something and the results don’t come quick enough?

Does this question resonate with you?

This is what I hear time and time again from agents – they expect instant gratification from their online marketing (or anything for that matter within their life or business) and when it doesn’t happen, they get extremely frustrated and give up and move on to another attempt of instant gratification. And so the insanity cycle begins.

Investment - Its more than moneyLet’s be realistic here. What you put in, you’ll get out. If you are putting little to no effort into something, then you’ll likely get little to no return from it. Think about it: ROI means Return On Investment. This isn’t just monetarily speaking! To invest in something is (per Dictionary.com) to use, give, or devote (time, talent, etc.), as for a purpose or to achieve something. So, really, be truthful, how much investment have YOU put into your latest attempt at online marketing?

People hire other people to do their work – hence, why I am, and have been, in business for almost 10 years. But at some point there has to be some personal responsibility for your own business’ success (or failure), wouldn’t you agree? Hiring others to help you with your business is a given – I mean there’s a reason why there is such a thing as a “TEAM“. Zuckerberg didn’t create Facebook single-handedly and Gates didn’t create Microsoft solo either. But they certainly did have their hand in the work, right?

One of the recurring questions I am asked from my clients is “What works“?  Or they simply will say, “Tell me what I need to do to make money from my online business (quickly!)“. The truth is, what you put in, is what you will get out. As with anything in life, if you truly put your heart and soul into something, rarely will it fail. If you try something for a few weeks, or months, and feel that it simply isn’t working, you stop. Well, what’s the chances that it will work better when you stop!? I would have to say… ZERO PERCENT!

Insanity - doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different resultSo, when we put this heart and soul mentality into practice within our online marketing, WE must TRULY do that and give it our all. I would urge everyone, whether you are a client or not, that when you are contemplating to stop trying something after a short period of time, DON’T! Do the opposite – put MORE effort into it! Think, ‘what can I do better? What can I do differently? How much INVESTMENT have I truly put into this up until now?’ Chances are, not as much as you need to.

The word “insanity” is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Don’t be insane! Stay consistent, stay on course, stay focused, and keep your goals in the forefront of your mind. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Filed Under: Coaching Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

Talk WITH Not AT Your Audience!

February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

talk with not at your audienceHere’s a quick tip:

We, at V.A. Work, don’t always talk about real estate and nor should you!   Imagine you are at a party and you walk up to someone and start a conversation by saying…

“21 homes sold in Baltimore last week and the percentage of those that sold under market value was 73%”

Do you think that you would get a warm response or a confused look?  I would say the latter of the two.  Would you start a conversation like this in real life?  Then why would you do it on the Internet?

Instead, I would bet that a more normal way to start a conversation would be…

“Did you hear about the Home and Garden Show they are having in Baltimore next weekend?   Last year’s was great!  Have you ever been?”

Now, the response that you would get to this conversation starter would more likely have a positive response, right?

The same can be said for your online social networking.    Don’t talk AT people, talk WITH people!

Go give it a try and see what kind of responses you get and let me know how it goes!

Filed Under: Coaching Tips, Savvy Agents, Social Networking Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts