Happy New Year
January 2, 2012 Leave a comment
Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year!
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Real Estate Agents
December 31, 2011 Leave a comment
In 1989, Stephen Covey wrote a book that has since sold over 15 million copies worldwide called Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. The book should be required reading for anyone thinking about getting into business for themselves.
Jay Thompson, a respected real estate broker and blogger in Arizona, recently wrote a post entitled ‘Seven Habits of Highly Successful Real Estate Agents.’ Good stuff – - – here are his seven habits with my accompanying comments:
Habit #1 – Understand the Real Estate Contract and Supporting Documents. Real estate agents in our state can use standard contracts supplied by the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® that have been written and reviewed by the legal profession. In other words, the verbiage is used over and over again in virtually all transactions. There is no excuse for not knowing what is contained within these documents. Read them.
Habit #2 – Patience. Our business is becoming more and more complex by the minute. We deal with other agents, title companies, mortgage reps, appraisers, inspectors and our clients for sometimes months in the same transaction. The valuable real estate agent knows how to navigate the choppy waters to get the transaction to the settlement table.
‘Tis the Season to Add to Your Database
December 18, 2011 Leave a comment
The holidays are upon us, and chances are you will be attending a number of holiday-related business or social events. From your spouse’s office party to a Super Bowl extravaganza, maintaining a balance between having fun and seizing a networking opportunity as a real estate agent is critical.
How you approach these gatherings may mean the difference between making a lasting and positive first impression that could drive new buyers and sellers in your direction, or turning off future, present or past clients.
Here are some simple ways in which you can convey a friendly, polite professionalism while you’re networking during holiday events:
Dress the Part. This may sound trite, but people will judge you by your appearance. Let your personality and what you say at these events be the things that people remember; not your inappropriate attire. If you’re going to err, make sure you do it on the side of overdressing.
Be Punctual. I know many people make it a habit of showing up “fashionably late” at these get-togethers; however, showing up on time to events demonstrates that you are responsible and reliable. Moreover, it communicates that you respect the person who is hosting the event and the people attending it enough to make it a priority. Read more of this post
Instill Some Zappos in Your Business
October 23, 2011 Leave a comment
Zappos: Delivering "Wow!"
Want to invigorate (or reinvigorate) your business? Why not take a cue from Zappos.com who sells over $1 Billion worth of merchandise every year. They are known as a company that gives great customer service that just happens to sell shoes.
Here’s a list of Zappos’ top 10 ways to instill superior customer service from the book Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh. (NOTE: my comments are in BLUE)
1. Make customer service a priority for the whole company. Every program and service offered should revolve around the customer – not you.
2. Make “wow” a verb that is part of your company’s everyday vocabulary. Strive to hear your clients say “Wow!”
3. Empower and trust your customer service reps. The more you empower others, the more time you will have to deliver.
4. Realize that it’s okay to fire customers who are insatiable or abuse your employees. Stop trying to work with anyone who sucks the life out of your enthusiasm.
5. Don’t measure call times, don’t force employees to upsell and don’t use scripts. If you help clients to attain their goals – meeting your goals will follow naturally.
6. Don’t hide your 1-800 number. How easy are you to find?
7. View each call as an investment in building a customer service brand. Practice SMILING when you pick up the phone.
8. Have the entire company celebrate great service. Collect client references and share them with others (HINT: you’ll need to ask for them).
9. Find and hire people who are already passionate about customer service. Only work with vendors who share your passion for service – they are a reflection of you.
10. Give great service to everyone: customers, employees and vendors. You never know who might be looking for a home in the future.
Related articles
- Zappos CEO: Company culture is higher priority than customer service (zdnet.com)
- Zappos is delivering happiness through time travel experiments (daveibsen.typepad.com)
- Four Lessons on Culture and Customer Service from Zappos Founder, Tony Hsieh (blogs.hbr.org)
- Who Zappos is hiring (money.cnn.com)
The Rise of Mobile Websites
October 8, 2011 1 Comment
How do you access the internet?
Real estate advertising on the web is changing – Again!
According to an eMarketer forecast, by 2014 an estimated 53.9 percent of mobile phone users in the United States will access the Internet through a mobile browser or application. This translates to about 44 percent of the total U.S. population.
On average, people check their phones 150 times per day. That is one glance every six and a half minutes. This is bordering on an addiction.
In the next three to four years mobile Internet traffic will surpass desktop Internet traffic, driven by mobile Internet/data enabled devices. If real estate companies and agents don’t embrace this technology, they’ll be left in the dust when it’s time to hand out medals for those who are thriving in the new world of real estate.
Related articles
- The Promotional Potential of QR Codes (stayonsearch.com)
- Stop Thinking Like a Web Surfer and More Like a Mobile Phone Addict (jasonbartholme.com)
- 50% Of Web Designers Fail To Acknowledge Mobile Platforms (seopositive.co.uk)
- Mobile is Here. Your Site is NOT. (marketingtechblog.com)
The Dawn of the New Normal
October 7, 2011 1 Comment
A brave new world is dawning
We’ve all heard the old adage, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Well in real estate sales, you can take this cute little saying and bury it under a pile of dirt and lay an R.I.P placard on top of it. Staying the same in this business is wishful thinking.
Consider the following five trends that are staring the average REALTOR® squarely in the face as we approach the end of 2011:
1. Transaction Management – Never in the history of selling real estate has it become more important for the REALTOR® to stay closely involved in the transaction. The days of writing the agreement and showing up at the settlement table to collect the commission are dead. Between stringent inspections, mortgage approvals, title issues, appraisal valuations, complex documentation standards and increased buyer/seller expectations, agents need to hone their problem solving skills. The most valuable sales professionals will be those that can manage this chaos.
Read more of this post
Dying on the Vine
October 6, 2011 2 Comments
It is more important than ever to select a real estate agent that not only knows what they’re doing, but also can guide a buyer and seller through the complexities of a real estate transaction.
A recent study by the National Association of REALTORS® hits home on this point. In August of 2010, 9% of all purchase agreements for real estate never made it to the settlement table. Now – fast forward one year – the percentage of contracts canceled has doubled! That’s right; we now sit at 18%. Not a pretty figure.
There are many reasons for the explosion of unfulfilled contracts: appraisal issues, increased scrutiny of borrowers by mortgage lenders, home inspection problems, complex contractual documentation and unrealistic expectations of both the buyer and the seller.
So if you are about to get involved with a real estate purchase or sale, do yourself a favor and secure the services of a competent, reliable real estate agent. After all, you want to be one of the 82% that successfully ends up sitting at the settlement table.
Related articles
- 12 Reasons to use a Realtor. (loganrhamy.wordpress.com)
- How To Choose the Perfect Real Estate Agent (hofmanonhomes.com)
- Insider Advice: 5 Tips for Choosing a Real Estate Agent (apartmenttherapy.com)
- Full Service Real Estate Agent vs. Limited Service, What’s The Difference? (goldenanswerman.wordpress.com)
Prudential HomeSale Hits WGAL TV 8
October 5, 2011 Leave a comment
Prudential HomeSale’s television advertising campaign hits WGAL TV 8 this morning. Many thanks to Laurie Czaplinski and her Agent Services department for spearheading this effort. Just One More Reason . . .
My Social Media Sites
