Five Star Customer Experience

I love the simplicity of this short clip on the ‘New Consumer.’  Here’s to you delivering a FIVE STAR customer experience!!!

Our Connected World is About to Get More Intertwined

I came across this short video that made me think about how we are going to conduct business with our customers in the not to distant future.  In just a few short years we have evolved into a society that has embraced mobile connectivity.  And guess what?  It’s about to get a whole lot more mobile.


Links of interest:
- How mobile devices are changing community information environments (Pew Research Center)
- Apple vs. Google (Bloomberg Business Week)
- Tablets – The Future of Mobile Computing? (WATBlog.com)

Spring Advertising Campaign Set to Kick-Off

Real people with a real message!  That’s the theme of these three television commercials that are starting to run on WGAL, Fox 43, WHP 21, Comcast and Viamedia.  They will run through the Spring buying season and end during the latter part of May.

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The Difference Between Short Sales, Foreclosures and REO’s

  
Practitioners in the real estate industry sometimes throw around acronyms and terminology that we understand, but in many cases our clients do not.

Here is a prime example: short sales, foreclosures and REO’s (Real Estate Owned).  I found this short video clip that does a great job in explaining the differences.  The guy in the video is Spencer Rascoff, the COO of Zillow.

The Incredible Shrinking House

The average sized home in America is starting to shrink.  No longer are homeowners demanding square footage and soaring open vaults in their living spaces.  McMansions are OUT – - – efficiency and versatility are IN.  MarketWatch’s Amy Hoak recently reported on this fast-evolving building trend.

The Keys to Success

Every once in awhile I see, hear or read something from outside of the real estate industry that just strikes a chord with me.  This video was one of them.  Here’s a guy who took a product as simple as soda and turned it into a success for himself.  The twelve minutes that you spend watching this will be worth it’s weight in gold down the line.  Enjoy!

  So what are the lessons to be learned here.  If you want to be a Success, follow these rules:

  1. Be passionate about your job or chosen field of endeavor.  Whether you’re negotiating for your client, chopping wood or parenting, do it with vim and vigor.
  2. Become educated about your product or service.  You should be a sponge that sucks up knowledge so that you become known as the “go to” guy or gal in your field.
  3. Be honest in everything you do.  Continually ask yourself the question when faced with tough decisions, “What’s the right thing to do?”
  4. Provide exceptional customer service.  Anyone can sell you a widget.  But not everyone sells you the widget, delivers it to your home, shows you how it works and follows up to make sure that you’re happy.  Go the extra mile.  It pays off.
  5. Find your niche.  Stop trying to be the best at everything.  In the end, you’ll be good at nothing.

Now that you’ve read this post, go have a cold, banana nut soda.  You deserve it!

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Home Prices Continue to Strengthen Nationwide

 

Another month – another positive sign!  The Standard & Poor‘s/Case-Shiller home price index rose 1.2 percent from June to August which reflects a positive trend for the third month in a row.

Before we all go off the deep end and declare “happy days are here again”, we should probably temper our enthusiasm just a bit.  David M. Blitzer, the committee chairman for the Case-Shiller index said, “We do need to be cautious in coming months to assess whether the housing market will weather the expiration of the federal first-time buyer’s tax credit in November, anticipated higher unemployment rates and a possible increase in foreclosures.”

Stay tuned – - -

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The Consumer is Talking; Who’s Listening?

When was the last time you sat down with a customer or client and really listened to them?  No – I mean really listened?  Did you interact with them and delve deep into their inner thoughts and feelings or was it superficial?  Worse yet, was it all ‘talk’ and no ‘listen’?  Take a second and watch this video.  Remind you of anyone?

A recent study conducted by Michigan State University researchers has identified what the sophisticated consumer is looking for in today’s competitive, challenging global economy.  Essentially, they are looking for a “total experience.”  Whether they are thinking about listing their property, talking with a financial consultant, shopping for a new dress or buying a cup of coffee, all consumers are looking for four major factors.  They are, in order of importance:

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