RECR's Blog

10 Potential Potholes on the Foreclosure Buying Road

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:08:40 -0600

Let's face facts...buying a foreclosure isnt exactly a simply process. In fact, some would say the entire process sucks.

But, it can actually be even worse than you thought originally for your client without recognizing these 10 simple red flags. Knowing what to look for can save your clients thousands of dollars in the long run...

1. Air Quality: The air quality inside will tell you a lot about the over-all condition of the home. Musty or dirty smells can mean mold and mildew has developed. Perhaps a water leak...perhaps a leaky roof. Make sure you include air and surface testing in your home inspection. Yes, it costs money. But, that is a few hundred dollars well spent.

2. Peeling, bubbling or discolored paint: 9 times out of 10 this is caused by moisture...moisture that can cause mold. Swelling in walls or ceilings or a musty odor immediately point to water damage. Make sure you check the major surfaces in all areas around the kitchen and bathroom and UNDER these same rooms as well.

3. Missing sinks or other fixtures: We have all seen the news stories of disgruntled home owners that have been foreclosed on tearing out kitchen cabinets, toilets, sinks, etc. Make sure that, if the home you are looking to buy is missing these things, that they were removed properly and not simply torn from the wall or floor. That is the difference between replacing a toilet and replacing a wall, a floor, some plumbing, and a toilet.

4. Unheated during the winter: If the home was winterized properly, you have nothing to worry about. But, if not...there is plenty to worry about. Without it, water in pipes can freeze cracking seals, cracking pipes (both inbound and outbound) and potentially causing major water damage. Check all water lines leading to and from water heaters and all fixtures and the drain lines leading to the main sewer line until it leaves the structure.

5. Fungus growth: Fungus requires water to grow. If you find mold, there was or is water there. However, water flows downhill. So, look for the source of the water above where you find the mold.

6. Blocked drains: Blocked pipes will cause any number of potential issues including a sewage backup. Make sure all of your drains work properly and toilets flush with no issues.

7. Older homes with lots of renovations: Check with the city. Hopefully, these major renovations are tracible by being able to pull permits for the work that was done. Many older homes had asbestos (either in the insulation or in the tiles used). Make sure that any disturbance to this type of material was handled by trained professionals and that they potential risk is eliminated.

8. Excessive painting: Any "fresh" paint is subject to inspection. Especially if they felt the need to paint the molding, doors, even the wood floors. This is one of the main ways that people try to cover up the existence of mold. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

9. Discolored subflooring: When you are inspecting the basement, make sure you look up. Check out the subfloor above your head. Make sure you look for any evidence of discoloration or darkening stain residue. Also, look for holes in the subflooring that moisture could gather and create potential hazards later. Inspect those well to ensure they are dry and dont contain mold already.

10. Dingy walls or black cobwebs: If the walls have a dingy grey film on them or the light fixtures have a thin black cobweb-type appearance, you may be dealing with soot damage. Soot damage would be from several potential sources: a previous fire; a plugged chimeny associated with a wood stove; maybe even a malfunctioning furnace. Have your chimneys professionally cleaned and make sure that the furnace is tested by people that know what they are doing.

Yeah, you can get a great deal on a foreclosed home. But, knowing what to look for when in the buying process is the difference between getting a great deal...and buying a money pit.

If you would like information about Real Estate Client Referrals, please contact Clint at 800-977-7058. Also, become a fan of RECR on Facebook. And, if you are on Twitter, follow Clint!

Speeding Through the Real Estate Drive-Thru

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:22:25 -0600

So, there I am...sitting in the drive-thru at McDonalds. (Not that important really...everyone reading this has been there more than once, I'm sure. So, you know what I'm talking about.)

I pull up to the little speaker and bark out my order from memory (probably a bad sign considering...) and wait for the voice of approval to squawk back at me with my total amount owed and telling me to pull forward to the first window...which I do willingly and with much anticipation (OK, so I might be over-exaggerating that 'anicipation' part. I mean...this is McDonalds...).

I sit in my Sport Family Truckster (that's what I call my Dodge Caravan Sport...its better than saying I drive a mini-van, isn't it??) and politely hand the dude on the other side of the sliding glass window my debit card. Swiped and freshly charged $4.35, he hands it back to me...and without a word, shuts the window.

Puzzled...I sit there.

And....I sit there.....

And..........I sit there.........

And..................I sit there....................contemplating why I didnt just go to Burger King....I mean, its been a long time since I have been there. It's just right up the street. And, the service there is always faster anyway. Dang it. Should have gone to Burger King...I could just drive away right now...After all, it's only $4.35...Not much of a loss...Yeah, that's what I will do...I will just drive away...OK, one more minute...

And...................I..........sit..............there...........waiting..........for what must have been a good three, maybe even four minutes!!!

I KNOW!!

The horror!!

The drama!!

The unmitigated gall!!

Making me wait that long...what were they thinking??? Don't they know that I want what I want and I want it right now??? Isn't that the entire point of using a service like this???

Suddenly, the window flies open and Silent Bob hands me my food and WHAM! door is closed again and I drive off feeling like I just wasted 4 minutes of my life. (This had better be the best breakfast burrito I have ever eaten, damn it...)

Now, correct me if I'm wrong...(and I'm willing to bet dollars against donuts that I'm right)...but, there are WAY more real estate agents in your town than restaurants. Knowing this, and knowing that all of you have said "yes" to those last two questions I asked about wanting what I want and that being the entire point of using their services...Why on Earth would you wait to follow up on a client??

By hitting your website and requesting information...aren't they sitting on the other side of that sliding glass window in your drive-thru lane just waiting for you to hand them the bag full of goodies they requested??

Let's examine a couple things to prove my point...

Did you know that the average real estate agent waits 54 hours to follow up on an internet inquiry?? 54 hours!! In case you aren't that quick at math, that is over 2 days!! (If you remember from the example above, I was ready to leave after 4 minutes...)

According to a recent study done by Kellog and MIT, you are 21 TIMES more likely to turn an internet inquiry into a client if you contact them the first time within the first 5 minutes of them being on your website versus waiting only 30 minutes.

And, that percentage chance drops to single digits if you wait longer than 90 minutes.

Let me give you a quick example of what that difference is...(There is some physical involvement here. Trust me, this little exercise will drive my point home nicely...)

Find a box of paperclips.

Once you have done that...take out one paperclip and lay it down on your desk. Now, take out 21 paperclips and lay them out end to end across your desk in front of you.

See the difference??

21 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO GET A CLIENT by calling them back in 5 minutes versus 30!!

So, why would you wait over 2 days?? Or, 90 minutes?? Or even 10 minutes?? In the internet world, 90 minutes is an entire ice age!! What do you think making them wait for over 2 days seems like?? Yeah...in the internet world, that's an eternity!!

Bottom line -- If you do not have systems in place to allow you to respond to an internet inquiry within the first 5 minutes of having it, you are losing clients. They are leaving your site and heading to another site that will give them what they want with the response times they require. Your clients want the same thing you do while you sit in the drive-thru. They want what they want and they want it right now. And, if they cant get it from you, they are going to find somewhere else to get it.

* For the record, The chart I used above is from the Kellogg Lead Response Management Study.

** Also, for the record, the McDonalds and Burger King logos were posted on other blogs that I read and were posted with permission from those other bloggers.

*** Oh yeah...In the interest of full disclosure and a generous dose of CYA... All opinions with regards to either restaurant's quality, speed, location, value, taste, convenience, or any other noun you can insert here are STRICTLY MY OPINIONS. They are not fact. And, should not be taken as such.

If you would like more information about Real Estate Client Referrals and how we can help you make more money, please contact Clint at 800-977-7058. If you would rather stalk us voyeuristicly, you can fan us on Facebook or follow Clint on Twitter.

Facebook FanPage Fanfare -- My first video post

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:27:51 -0600

If you have ever read any of my blog posts in the past, you know that RECR has a fanpage set up on Facebook.

Many of you also know that I am the administrator for that fanpage.

For those of you that dont know either of these things, click here and join!

Yesterday, I decided I would take 60 seconds and create a video to post up on the fan page. After messing with my computer for nearly an hour and realizing that my microphone wasnt going to work regardless of how many times I unplugged the mic and plugged it back in, I decided to take a page ouf of @realestatezebra's book and record the video anyway without sound.

So, I printed out what I wanted to say in huge block letters and simply held up pages of paper to the camera. Here is what ensued...

There will be plenty more of these in the future!! Make sure you dont miss out and join the RECR fanpage.

Social Media in Plain English

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:52:23 -0600

Social Media in Plain English

Now that I am working closely with several people in my local area in teaching businesses the power of social media, I am constantly on the hunt for new, innovative ways to explain why they should be involved in networks like Twitter and Facebook, etc...

This is one of the best examples I have ever found as to why social media exists, why it works, and why so many are turning towards it to help build their businesses!!

A (Tongue-In-Cheek) Common Man's Dictionary to Real Estate Advertising

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:55:33 -0600

Let me start of by saying that this is satire. And this should be read with that idea in mind. It is intended to be humorous. Nothing more. Ok?

As long as we understand one another, you can keep reading...

If not, please push ALT + F4 now. :-)

Common Man's Dictionary to Real Estate Advertising

1 car garage: Sure, you can drive your Ford Escort into the garage but there is no room to open the door.

Advertisement: A tool used by business to get money out of people that don't have it for something that they don't really need.

And much, much more: Truthfully, nothing else comes to mind. But, we can't tell you that.

Auditor: Person that arrives after battle to finish off the wounded.

Bank: Loan shark.

Beachfront property: No hurricane insurance available at any price.

Bedroom in basement: The basement has a 1' by 2' window you might be able to squeeze yourself through as an alternative to burning to death in a structure fire.

Bright and sunny: No window treatments or venetian blinds are included because previous owners simply nailed Pikachu blankets to the window frames.

BRILLIANT CONCEPT: Do you really need a two-story live oak tree in your 30-foot stained-glass sky dome?

Broker: What buying a house is going to make you.

Budget: Written proof that you can't afford the things you want.

Build sweat equity: The house is not habitable currently and unless you plan on working your hind end off to make it livable, it would be easier to bulldoze this place and live in a tent.

Cape Cod: Stylized after a 74 yr old lobster fisherman's garage.

Cash Flow: The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.

Cathedral Ceiling: You will go broke trying to heat this place. It would be easier to set fire to the couch.

Charming: Small. See also, "Tiny". Snow White might fit, but five of the dwarfs would have to find their own place. See also "Cute," "Enchanting," and "Good Starter Home."

Close to all amenities: The backyard is a shopping mall parking lot.

Close to Schools: You will spend a generous portion of your morning and evening commute stuck behind buses in just about every street you attempt to take to avoid them.

Comfortable: One coat closet larger than the "Charming" home.

Commuter's Dream: Located at the bottom of an off-ramp right beside a truck stop.

Completely Remodeled: Not only does this statement give the company attorney a stroke, it also usually means new kitchen counter tops and a vanity sink in the bathroom.

Complete remodeling in 1992: Hurricane Andrew...'nuff said.

COMPLETELY UPDATED: At the advise of the listing agent, the seller has decided to remove the metallic gold shag carpeting from the living room and replaced the avocado colored stove.

Contemporary: The house is at least 15 years old.

Country living: Too far from anywhere to drive to work...or to shop...or get to an emergency room in time to prevent bleeding out from a paper cut.

Country in the city: A grotesquely overpriced large lot with a 2 bedroom house built before World War I that used to be on 100 acres that have been split off and sold to a Home Depot and a car dealership. Yes, there is a Starbucks in the parking lot.

Cozy: Not a single room could fit a full sized bed. And, the toilet doubles as a kitchen counter when you close the lid.

DARING DESIGN: It's a warehouse.

Desirable neighborhood: This "charming" house is extravagantly overpriced thanks to being located next to a neighborhood where the snobs live.

Doll-house: Tiny place filled with ugly knick-knacks.

Easy Care Yard: Acres of Red or White rock used to systematically cover actual useful space.

Easy freeway access: Located right on the noisiest arterial street closest to the freeway.

Easy to heat: See “cozy”.

Efficiently designed kitchen: The kitchen is too small to fit two people at the same time and everything you need to reach is simply done so by turning around. The down side is that in order to open the stove, you have to step into the living room.

Everything's Been Updated: Sure, they updated all the things inside the house...but the house itself has been condemned.

Executive neighborhood: Everyone's last name in this area is Jones. And yes...you are required to keep up with them.

Extra Storage: Four coat hooks nailed on the back of the front door.

Gated Community: There is a reason it is gated...Every seen 'District 9'???

Great Starter Home: House has 4 rooms. Two of which are additions.

Handyman Special: Forget It! You don't have the skill required to make this home livable.

HI-TECH/CONTEMPORARY: Lots of steel shelving with little holes. You know...the kind your dad used to store tools on in the basement. There is also a lot of glass in places most people wouldn't put it.

Wont last long!: This home hasnt sold in 374 days after two price reductions and the sellers have finally given up hope on making any money on this sale so they dropped the price another $20K.

Immaculate: Remove your shoes. Chances are the carpet is white along with the walls, furniture, cabinets, appliances, and the family pet.

In-city living: The house comes with a deadbolt lock on all windows, a bar across the door capable of stopping a battering ram...and a moat. Being outside in this neighborhood after dark will probably require an armed escort.

Institutional Investor: A active housing investor from 2006 who is now locked up in a mental institute.

Just available: The previous owner just died on the premises. That is the only way anyone would want to sell a home in this market unless they are trying to save a foreclosure. Hope you don’t believe in ghosts.

Large family room: The basement can hold a couch and a chair...which is more than can be said for the living room. Just try to keep the kids from eating the exposed insulation.

Lots of storage space: The basement is too small to be called a family room.

Low maintenance lot: No yard. The kids will have to play in the street. Or, maybe in the shopping mall parking lot.

Luxury Living: It has a Jacuzzi tub. It's leaning against the wall of the garage. But, at least it has one.

Market Correction: The day after you buy a house.

MUCH POTENTIAL: Steer clear unless you have a lot of money and actually believe your blind dates really did have nice personalities. See "Ready to Rehab," and "Fixer Upper."

Must see inside: Yeah...that's cause the outside is ugly.

MUST SEE TO BELIEVE: An absolutely accurate statement. It is hard to drive that kind of pain home through the eye without actually using a sharp instrument and a forceful thrust.

Market Correction: The term your broker/agent uses for a market crash while telling you that your house is worth 37% of what you paid for it.

Meticulously maintained in the original condition: The avocado-colored appliances are 50 years old. Minimum.

Modern: It doesn't have a dirt floor and it is insulated with something other than beaver pelts and flour sacks.

Motivated sellers: Subtract 15% from the asking price and see if they counter.

Natural setting: Forget about planting anything because the deer will eat everything in your yard but the sagebrush and knapweed.

Near transportation: an Amtrak train goes through the backyard roughly every 15 minutes, day and night.

Neighborhood Watch: Your next door neighbor has binoculars trained on your house. Your movements are tracked and reported to the police any time you have company.

Newly remodeled kitchen: The 50-year old cabinetry and faucets have been replaced with cheap modern equivalents.

Nice Condition: Apparently "nice" means different things to different people. See also: "Lipstick on a pig".

Nighttime Security: The street lights located on all corners of the home completely eliminate darkness 24 hours a day. Sleep is impossible.

No need to preview: Yeah, because if you did, you wouldn't show it!

Old charmer: Herbert from Family Guy lives next door.

ONE-OF-A-KIND: Ugly as sin. The neighbors hope the place burns down so their property value goes up.

Park-like setting: There is a tree located somewhere on this block.

Partial mountain view: You can see the tip of (insert name of local mountain) if you climb the roof and stand on a chair.

Pet friendly neighborhood: Various forms of organic matter are constantly deposited in your front lawn despite the fact that you don't own any pets.

Plenty of Parking: The stadium across the street has ACRES of parking spaces available.

Practicing Water Conservation: Yeah, the lawn is died. No one watered it. Ever. (Thank you Steve and Heather Ostrom!)

Prestigious: Expensive. Probably not worth it, either.

Prime Location: We have already had better offers from more qualified people than you...don't ask.

Quaint: Buy a wall paper steamer so you can get that crap off the wall without having to gut the entire place.

Ready to move in: The interior has been painted with one coat of cheap paint and the shag carpeting has been raked and shampooed.

Ready to remodel: This place is about to collapse; you will have to invest twice the asking price in remodel before you can move in. Seen the movie "The Money Pit"??

Recreation room with wet bar: Basement has been sheet-rocked, painted and has a faucet.

Reduced To Move: See also: "Walmart Rollback"

Rent With Option to Buy: We know you wont be able to qualify for crap...But, if you can make steady payments, it works for us.

Safe Neighborhood: Regardless of your attempts at privacy, your neighbors will continue to attempt to peer through the slits in your Venetian blinds. See also: "Neighborhood Watch"

Seasonal creek: There is a 4 foot wide, 6 inch deep muddy ditch that runs across the property...And it only fills up after a good rain or during spring thaw.

Secluded setting: The only thing further away from civilization is a polar ice cap. Grizzly Adams once lived here.

Show and Sell: In other words, the listing agent will be doing no marketing and the stubborn seller doesn't want it staged.

Shows Well: The seller actually cleans the place up before you bring your buyers over.

Sophisticated: Plain. White walls with zebra print rug and furnishings. A large piece of abstract art is in the dining room and a canvas the size of a Chevy hangs on the wall covered in what appears to be pantyhose, tin foil, and computer diskettes.

Spacious: We knocked out a wall and expanded the living room into the garage.

Sprawling ranch: Inefficient floor plan that appears to have been designed by a drunk monkey.

Storybook: This house is old and the roof is not flat. See also: "Little House On The Prairie"

Stunning house: The house is not ugly...the interior, on the other hand...

Sunny corner lot: There are no trees anywhere near this property located on the corner of the two busiest streets in town.

Sunken Tub: The tub isn't sunken...it fell through the floor. The remaining structure is only capable of holding water or a body. Not both.

Territorial view: Great view of your neighbor’s bedroom window and "private" hot tub with the glass roof. If you lean hard against the glass and look hard to the left, you can see a broken down Pontiac in the alley.

Three season sun room: Putting screen up around your front porch does not make it a "sun room".

TLC: Tear down, Level and Condemn!! (This after a Realtor told me her country property needed just a little TLC...Upon visiting, I promptly fell through the front porch up to my knees!)

Townhouse: A 3 story walk-up on the north side that is sandwiched between two others that look exactly the same. Not only can you hear your neighbors fight, but you hear when they play music, watch TV, use the bathroom, or blink.

Tudor: A quaint two bedroom where both bedrooms are now in the attic which is not insulated.

UNIQUE CITY HOME: Used to be a warehouse.

UPPER BRACKET: No, this doesn't include you. See also: "Executive Neighborhood" and "Prestigious"

Usable land: Vacant lot. Probably filled with broken glass, nails, large rocks, bicycle parts, and Jimmy Hoffa.

Victorian Sweetheart: Once you steam off the wallpaper, you will need to strip off 14 layers of lead-based paint.

Walking distance to (insert noun here): There is nowhere to park your car within 20 minutes of this house.

Well Below Market: We keep having to reduce the price on this shanty because nobody wants it.

Will Help Finance: Soooo....the owners know they're asking too much. And, taking that into consideration, they are more than willing to "help" you get into this house that you can not qualify on your own.

YOU'LL LOVE IT: No. No, you wont.

Feel free to add your own in the comments!!! Id love to see them!!

Follow Clint on Twitter and make sure you go to the RECR fanpage and become a fan!! If you have any questions about RECR, please call Clint at 800-977-7058.

5 Ways To Kill Your Career In 2010

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:39:41 -0600

It's a new year!

Well, its almost a new year...New business plans in the works...new budgets being considered (shoestring, though they may be...). New attitude attributed to a new year.

All good things....

But, none of that will mean diddly if you continue down the same destructive path that a good portion of agents find themselves on currently.

It amazes me on a daily basis how many agents that I deal with actually set themselves up for failure by making simple, yet deadly, mistakes in their business. Some of these mistakes seem to be so simple to overcome. Yet, time and time again, they repeat the same thing expecting a different result. That is the definition of insanity.

So, in the hopes that I can in some small way help YOU avoid making these mistakes, I wanted to summarize an article I found in BrokerAgentPro that lists 5 of the things agents do that hinder their own efforts...and ways to avoid getting caught in these commission killing traps.

Getting ‘Busy Work' confused with actual ‘Work' - Many agents across the country suffer from not having a consistent game plan for their daily activities. There are several things that you should do daily. These include: Lead generation; Contacting prospects that are potential clients; Work and sort out the motivations of existing clients; Negotiate contracts on pending deals; Present findings to your clients. All 5 of those things MUST be done on a daily basis to maintain a consistent level of effort on all aspects of your business. If you are not getting any one of these done, you are attempting to build a business on a weak foundation and you will fail.

Not working a set schedule - Lack of motivation is the biggest cause of not working a set schedule. "I don't feel like it today." Guess what...no one *feels* like it. But, they do it. Successful agents work a set schedule every day whether they ‘feel like it' or not. That set schedule might be any time between 8am and 9pm, but its a schedule none the less. What do you do on days you don't feel like working? See #1 above.

"It's a numbers game" - Well, sort of. But, no, not really. Yes, you need to track your numbers. Yes, those numbers are important. But, in no way will those numbers lead you to making any money! This is a PEOPLE game! If you are not out helping people with or talking to people about real estate, you are doomed to fail. Focus on what you have to offer - your talents and abilities to assist people in buying or selling a house.

Lacking multiple lead streams - That's right. If you do not have multiple streams of leads, you will fail. If your only source of leads is making cold calls, asking for referrals from clients, calling expired listings, etc...You are limiting your ability to get new clients. If you take a day off, you don't make ANY progress. None. What if you lose your phone for a day? What if you lose your voice for a day? No progress. So, having several good lead generation sources is a must in order to keep bringing in new potential clients. Just remember, not every lead will close. But, every lead needs worked. That's what you do!

"Its all about the Benjamins, baby!" - This philosophy will ultimately be your demise in real estate. You should never put earning a commission above your ability to be of service to your client. If you are not out there to help your clients, you will fail. If you don't know how to help your clients, LEARN! The ‘rules' have changed. Make an effort to adapt to those changes and *help* your clients. The money will follow.

Looking to add to your client base? Contact Clint at 800-977-7058 and ask about how he can help you. Or, follow him on Twitter. Dont forget to fan us on Facebook!

I Don't Care if You're Fighting With Your Wife or Real Estate Agents

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:08:02 -0600

I follow a LOT of things on Twitter...and a lot of people.

One of them is Toby Boyce. And, here is why...

Via Toby Boyce, MBA, Delaware Ohio (Keller Williams Consultants Realty):

Okay, I've had enough.

Are real estate agents adults or just children? Or maybe they've become ruthless creatures that are forced to have their ego stroked at every turn?

2010 is off to a rousing start on the "snarky" factor and may very well unseat 2007.

I've been (relatively) quietly watching the events unfold the past week and it is time for me to put on my "big-boy pants" and say "enough is enough."

I'm not going to call out any of the "offenders" our or even give them the honor of being listed here. Who is doing it today (or last week) isn't the point. The point is to reflect upon the mistakes that have been made and use them to improve the future. In the words of every history teacher I've ever had, "if we don't learn history, we are doomed to repeat it."

I know I'm not the only one that is getting tired of watching people give our industry - and themselves - a bad name with this childish behavior. So I'm going to give you a few tips, which most of you have learned a long-long time ago. But it seems we need a little reminder.

The Miranda Rights. Everything you say can and will be used against you in the future. Used to be only used when you were arrested (not that I'd personally know this ... but I've heard) but now with the almighty power of Google everything is open for discussion. Deleting a comment, post, or twit doesn't make it go away. It simply makes you look like your trying to cover something up when you get busted.

One Thing Travels Faster Than Speed of Light: Scandalous News. It is the only thing proven to travel faster than the speed of light. Okay, so I made that up. But how long did it take for the world of Twitter to grab onto a recent Agent Genius video? It exploded throughout the "world". How many agents in the agent's competitive market were retweeting this video? How many agents that are competing with "x" will send that to the potential customer with the heading "do you want him to do this to you if things don't go his way?" Is it dirty on the agent's part? Maybe, but in the new world of the Web it is all about controlling your reputation. Didn't we learn anything from basketball coaches having pictures posted of them drinking with students?

Pick Up the Damn Phone. I love the Web and am a techie. But the most powerful invention of the past 200 years is simply the telephone. It is the best way to resolve all these issues. I remember when I was a sports information director, a men's basketball coach sent me an e-mail about how horrible job I did on getting information out to the paper and lots of other unrepeatable words. My initial response was to hit "reply" and simply type "if your team could win a game it would be a little easier (they were 3-10 at this point)." I stopped. Left it in my draft box and went for a walk. Calmed down and went into the coach's office and asked where that e-mail came from. We resolved it in 20 minutes, no hard feelings. However, had I sent that e-mail we both end up sitting in front of the president with our vice presidents involved and I probably end up losing my job - he'd been there 30 years, I'd been there three. While I was about 100-yards from the coach's office and could just walk over, most of the time we aren't that lucky. Take a moment and pick up the phone and talk to them. You'll work out these "issues" and not be stuck making an apology online.

Respect Each Other. This seems so easy. I grew up in a quiet rural town where a lot of people didn't have much money. We were fortunate, but maybe that experience gave me a different view. I don't care how "successful" you are I simply want to know how good a person you are. How you respond to adversity will define that. Remember that, your clients will.

Basically, all I want you to do is to remember that everything you say on the ‘Net can and will be shared with others. The RE.net is a huge sandbox and there is plenty of room in it for everyone. So just relax and have a good time - and if you have issue with someone handle it in private.

I don't want to know when you are fighting with your wife, what makes you think I want to know when you are fighting with other RE.net folks?

First Line of Defense -- HELD HARMLESS!! (Guest post)

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:23:15 -0600

Realtors & Homeowners – Get a First Line of Defense with a Held Harmless Membership Shield

by golisting

February 2, 2010

A Held Harmless Membership Shield is a product that everyone needs to sit up and take notice of and it’s probably the best $50 (Individuals) or $100 (Businesses) that you will spend this year. We bought shields for ourselves and our businesses for 2010 and have gained peace of mind as a result.

So what does Held Harmless do? As their website says, “HELD HARMLESS lawfully shields you, your family and your business from insurance claims, lawsuits or other similar actions and prevents you from having to file them, face them or financially defend them”.

Now that is a great idea! …especially with the escalating cost of insurance rates continually increasing year after year, along with the dreaded fear of getting sued or perhaps having an insurance claim filed, so leave it to someone to come up with a clever, compelling product, and a cost effective solution that everyone should consider buying, especially us Real Estate Agents, Home Owners and clients, either looking to buy Real Estate or list their homes for sale.

Consider for a moment the impact that this product can have when you think of the thousands of dollars we all spend on insurance policies, claims, having to pay insurance deductibles or perhaps having to retain an Attorney to defend us individually or our business from a lawsuit, and our assets still aren’t protected.

So what problem is Held Harmless specifically solving?

A Held Harmless membership & shield prevents and protects us, as individuals as well as our businesses, from insurance claims and lawsuits before they happen, not afterwards. We can shield our homes, family, business and assets from legal or financial disaster, as well as from frivolous lawsuits and for a lot cheaper than a typical insurance policy quote.

So how does Held Harmless do it?

“HELD HARMLESS’ strength comes from the ability to “prevent and shield” by publishing a national “legal warning” and “caution” known as National Legal Public Notice. This lawful practice of putting someone on notice by publication is legally known as “constructive notice”.

As their website states: “State and federal laws require you to clearly post, display, publish or disseminate your constructive notices to be considered “held harmless” from legal claims. These notices must (by law) be physically served, clearly visible, or properly published to be enforceable in a court of law.

It is for these reasons that HELD HARMLESS combines our product into a “membership” format. “Legal Notice by Publication” (constructive notice) requires that the general public has free access and abundant knowledge of a legal notice to be binding and acceptable as a lawful defense.

As a result, each and every Individual or Business Membership to HELD HARMLESS represents the lawful dissemination, publication, broadcast, distribution and delivery of your legal notices to the National General Public (each and every person – 24 hours a day and 7 days a week) which keeps you or your business “held harmless” from losses, injuries or damages sustained by others.

So how do you get a Held Harmless Membership and Shield as a First Line of Defense?

That’s exactly what we said ourselves when we first heard about their product!

Just visit www.HeldHarmless.com to learn more. It’s that easy.

Tell them Gia & Grant sent you

Proud members of HeldHarmless.com, Real Estate Brokers with GoListing.com, Inc, and founder of www.RealSeekr.com

GoListing.com, Inc is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage serving Real Estate Buyers & Sellers in Boca Raton, Highland Beach, Delray Beach, Hillsboro Mile, Boynton Beach and more.

Disclaimer: For legal advice pertaining to any specific legal matter of any kind, please consult an attorney

FRIDAY FUNNIES --- Property Attorney VS. FHA

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:57:07 -0600

I dont care who you are....this is funny!

A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client.

He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the Lawyer three months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply:

"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."

Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:

"Your letter regarding title in Case No. 189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 194 years covered by the present application. I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased, by the U.S., from France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our application. For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France, which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain. The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Isabella. The good queen, Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus' expedition. Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God,it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana.

God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date back, to before the beginning of time, the world as we know it AND the FHA. I hope you find God's original claim to be satisfactory. Now, may we have our loan?"

The loan was approved.

5 Ways to Make Your 2010 Better!!

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:18:06 -0600

With so many people doing their best to set themselves up for a better year in 2010, I thought I would share a post I wrote a while back that seems to be more pertinent now...

I recently read an article that really sparked my interest. The article was simply a basic list of the ways that someone could re-invent themselves by investing time and effort into the one asset that all agents have - Themselves.

The key principle to this article was the fact that, despite this uncertain market, there are people that appear to be striving to make their own abilities better and five ways to do so. Below is the list that was in the article...and a good healthy dose of my own explanations as to why this is so important in this uncertain market.

IMAGE: You chose a career in real estate to be an independent business person. So, do you carry yourself in a professional manner? Do you "look the part"? Do you have your business cards on you? Are you showing that you are proud of whom you work for or what you do? Whether you want to believe it or not, your image IS your first impression. Make sure that the impression you are making is the on that you actually want to make. There are some places where you can get away with blue jeans and a nice shirt. There are other places where a suit is more appropriate. Dress the part! Maintain your personal image. Get your hair cut or styled. Ladies...get your nails done. Guys...shave every day. (Believe me, I realize that sucks ...I'm a guy...I understand. But, its 2 or 3 minutes...and it makes a ton of difference to those around you.) I actually know of one agent that wears a tuxedo to all of his closings. That is part of his image. It is what sets him apart from the rest. (His name is Todd Waller out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and he works for RealEstateOne. But, you can get more info on him and his Team366 at www.blog.team366.net.)

TRAINING: Aside from the mandatory requirements involved, you should try to find as many different options to better your ability as you can. Take the time to sit down with your broker to discuss some in-house training options. If you know of any free options for training, jump on it. Any training you involve yourself in will only re-emphasize the skill set you already have developed. So, it will not be wasted time or effort. You never know, you may learn something. (Also, anything that you can learn about social networking...that is a must! Trust me on this...this is a skill that does require some time to master, but you will not regret it!)

NETWORKING: Making yourself known in the community by getting involved with community events is a great way of networking with some of the more influential people in your market. Get involved with the community. Start working with the Chamber of Commerce. Go to PTA meetings. Join Toastmasters. Get involved in your local neighborhood activities. Surrounding yourself with such innovative, like-minded people will help you with both your image and your over-all success. Most people do business with people that they know on a social level. So, networking like this is a key to success in a troubled market.

MENTORING: They say that the teacher will always learn something from the student. Become a mentor for younger agents. Help them be successful. This will cause you to make sure that what you are doing is what you SHOULD be doing. It will help you cross your ‘T's and dot your ‘I's, as it were. Besides...there are times when you can actually team up and work together for the success of each.

YOU: Seems weird that I have to add this since this entire post is about you. But, if you are not taking good care of yourself, you will not have the energy or the will to commit to the rest of this list. Take care of your own body and mind. Get sleep. It is probably more important than anything else you can do for yourself. Make sure you get some exercise. (In this industry with showing property and running from one location to another, that usually isn't hard...but you should do 30 minutes of cardio every day.) Eat right. (Did you know that eating an apple will actually wake you up better than a cup of coffee??) Bring fresh fruits with you on your appointments and eat them when you can. Avoid the drive-thrus. If you don't know where else to start in your investments in you...look in the mirror and start there.

If you would like information on how to get more clients, please contact Clint at 800-977-7058. Or, visit www.recr.com. Or, follow Clint on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheRealClint.

RE/MAX Opening Offices In Grocery Stores???

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:50:55 -0600

My good friend Tom Royce (@TomRoyce on Twitter) writes a real estate blog and has some really good articles on there. The one he posted today on www.therealestatebloggers.com was just too good not to ask for permission to post on here. Thankfully, Tom agreed. (Its a good thing he did too. Im bigger than he is...LOL)

I'll Take Some Eggs, A Gallon of Milk, and a 3-Bedroom Ranch??

Just because you can do something does not mean you should do it.

Someone please explain that to the braintrust of Re/Max of New England.

Seriously.

They are planning on opening up 17 offices in Stop & Shop grocery stores. Again, my reaction is "Seriously??"

The idea of going to a grocery store to buy a house just degrades the brand. There is no alignment there. Eggs, milk, and Re/Max just does not do the brand justice.

If I was a Re/Max agent in New England I would be screaming at management. Imagine having to do desk duty next to the register? And if they do not listen, time to get new Keller Williams business cards...

Would you like Paper or Plastic?

Jay Hummer, executive vice president at Re/Max of New England, said the Natick company signed an agreement with Quincy-based Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. late last year to open as many as 17 real estate offices in Stop & Shop supermarkets within the next year. Most of the potential locations are in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Hummer said Re/Max franchisees were told about the opportunity to open offices in the stores last week.

“It’s something we’ve been working on for a year now,” Hummer said. “It’s a great way for our broker-owners and agents to be able to connect with the consumer … in a very convenient location.” via Enterprise News

I would LOVE to hear comments from people with regards to this post!! Please, share your opinion!!

If you would like information about RECR and how we can get you more clients, please contact Clint at 800-977-7058. Or, follow him on twitter. Or, fan us on Facebook!

6 Ways To Not Suck

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:20:27 -0600

Because everyone needs to be reminded how not to suck....

I decided I needed to get a new pair of shoes. The ones that I have are a couple years old and, quite frankly, a bit worn out. So, I decided to head to the local ShoeEmporiumMart and get myself some shoes. I knew exactly what I wanted...and in what section of the store to find it. As I entered the store, I saw a couple customers browsing and 3 sales attendants by the cash register.

As I stroll past them, one of them says, "Hi. I will be right with you." Assuming she was discussing something important and required time to finish her discussion, I went on my own.

Fine with me...I know what I want anyway. I head over to the shoes I want and the specific shoe I am after is not on the shelf. So, I hunt around for a couple minutes only to figure out that there is absolutely no rhyme or reason as to how these shoes are shelved...and decide I would "hunt down" that kind lady that said she would help me.

After a minute or two of looking, I find her at the counter again chatting with the other two sales reps about her obviously too intense weekend of drunken debauchery. I ask her if she knew where I could find my New Balance 820s in a 4E...and without even skipping a beat, she says to me and I quote...."I said I would be with you in a minute".

I don't think I have to tell you what happened next.....

Suffice it to say that I got my shoes from FootLocker instead.

You see...like this example, some aspects of your sales ability are painfully obvious to your customers. But, some of them are much more subtle than this example...Subtle enough that you probably don't even know that you are doing them. But, your clients know. Believe me!

So, here are some ‘subtle' and some not-so-subtle ways that you suck literally destroy your relationship (and your reputation) with your clients.

Be inaccessible. One the primary complaints I receive from the clients I refer to agents is that the agent is hard to reach. Heck, one of the major complaints I hear from other agents is that some agents are hard to reach. Don't answer your phone. And, when someone takes the time to leave a message, don't worry about calling back. After all, if they want to reach you so bad, they will just call back, right?

Talk more/listen less. Youre the important one here. Youre the expert. What they have to say is not important at all because you have all the answers.

Be dishonest. Nothing will turn off a client more than being dishonest. The phrase ‘a web of lies' implies that it takes a lie to cover up a lie. And another one to cover up that one and so on.

Ignore simple manners. Whether you like it or not, your manners matter to your clients. Go ahead...keep your clients on hold. Talk on your cell phone about nothing that relates to your clients that are standing right in front of you. Use profanity and disrespectful language around your clients. Say something negative about another client in the presence of one of your clients. Go ahead...it's the truth, right?

Take "No" for an answer. That's right...just give up. Automatically assume that the client will never work out because you heard the word ‘No' the first time you contacted them. After all, only the "serious" customers that are ready to go right now are worth your time.

Don't get to know your customers. Ignore the important things in their lives. Don't worry about birthdays or anniversaries. Forget that they have 4 dogs they treat like children. Ignore the fact that the ugly vase on the mantle is actually Great Grandpa George. Don't get to know them on a personal level...its not required anyway. After all, they are just walking dollar signs, right?

I would bet that 98% of the people that read this will already know why you shouldn't do these things and completely deny that they suck do any of them.

So, the next logical step in this conversation: Well, what should I do instead?

Simple. Dont suck.

BE ACCESSABLE! Answer your phone whenever possible. Reply to all messages and email within a maximum of 6 hours. Make sure that your clients understand that you are there for them and that you appreciate the fact that they trusted you enough to want to contact you.

LISTEN! You were given two ears and only one mouth. That means you should listen twice as much as you talk. Take the time to listen to your clients. What they have to say is important to them. Therefore, it MUST be important to you. Ignore your rehearsed responses to standard objections and tailor them to fit the specific needs of your client's concerns. Make them feel important...because they are!

BE HONEST! Be honest to a fault, if need be. In this market, clients need an advocate that is out for THEM not THEMSELVES. Say what you mean. Don't beat around the bush about facts that need to be said. Even if what is needed is a smackdown...it would be better for you to do it and be honest about it than to be deceitful and then get caught in the lie later on. You have one shot to build trust...don't blow it.

USE YOUR MANNERS! For sales people that want to reach the top rung of the ladder, there is no substitute for patience, civility, and good old fashioned manners. Say ‘please'. Say ‘thank you'. Make eye contact with people when they are speaking to you. Open doors for people. It sounds silly, but these things are not just marketing gimmicks designed to make a client happy. They are the tried and true marks of good character.

FOLLOW UP! Whether you want to believe it or not, sometimes "no" means "not right now". I see this every day with my company. Agents simply give up after the initial contact with a potential customer because they were told "no". It has been proven time and again that it takes seven points of contact for a consumer to remember who you are and why you are trying to contact them. So, it is up to you to ensure that happens. Call your prospects. Email your prospects. Work your leads. Don't just give up initially because you didn't get the answer you wanted on the initial request. Sales isn't a McDonald's drive-thru. You might have to ask more than once...or twice...or eight times. I work with an agent currently that just landed an exclusive agency agreement on 35 properties because she followed up on a referral from my company that screamed at her on her initial phone call. (If you want to hear the whole story, contact me...be happy to share.)

KNOW YOUR PEOPLE! Notice I didn't use the word ‘client'. I have said time and time again that this is a people business. You deal with people. And, they should be treated as such. Get to know them on a personal level. Use that to your advantage. Remember their kids' names; their dog's name. Ask about the things in their life that are important to them and make them important to you as well. By the same token, allow them to get to know you. Developing a rapport and trust is mutual. It has always been true, you must be able to give before you are proven worthy to receive. That rule holds true here also.

It is a hard and fast rule of business that it costs six times more money or time to cultivate a new client as it does to retain a current one. And, in this market, I would bet it costs even more. Extraordinary customer service skills will only lead to successful retention of your clientele. And that will ensure that you dont suck.

If you would like more information on Real Estate Client Referrals www.recr.com, please contact Clint at 800-977-7058 or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheRealClint

Coke's Happiness Machine -- Guerrilla Marketing at it's FINEST!

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:02:17 -0600

I have written posts in the past about guerrilla marketing....

For those of you that want the whole story here...

This is a viral video started by placing a random Coke machine on a random college campus and filming the results as part of a global marketing campain launch.

If you ask me...what resulted was --- AWESOME!

This is one of the greatest things I have ever seen!!

Internet Lead Conversion: It's Probably Not The Leads, It's Probably You (Bonus Points Inside)

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:03:56 -0600

A-FREAKING-MEN!!! I dont have much interest in the contest, Bob....but the info prior to that is MONSTEROUS!! :-)

Via Bob Stewart - ActiveRain (ActiveRain):

(Bear with me, this post is a little long, but I'm going to bribe you offer you the chance for a reward at the end)

The debate over buying leads from lead generation companies is one of the more prevelant topics on our site. There are very few people that don't have an opinion. You either believe it's a good idea (most likely because it has worked for you in the past, or maybe you know someone it has worked for) or you hate the idea (most likely because you bought them and it didn't work for you or you know someone for which this was the case).

I'm here to tell you, most of you will fail with leads you purchase from a lead generator and even with leads you generate on your own site.
(I'll give a pass to leads you get from your blog, I believe these are some of the best leads out there, short of a referral)

But it's not because the leads were bad, it's because you were not good at working them.

I get so sick of hearing people say that 'the leads sucked'. They didn't suck, you sucked. I know it's harsh, but it's the truth. How do I know this? I've seen hundreds of agents work the exact same leads with huge variations in success. The leads were always a constant, the only variable was the person working the leads.

We used to run a real estate company prior to launching ActiveRain. We generated (in our prime) a couple hundred leads a day in the state of Washington. We had 100 agents in our company working the leads and about 75 referral agents outside our company working our leads (this was just in WA, we had the same set up in CA, MD and VA). We had brand new agents that stuck to the plan we outlined for them who consistently closed 3-4 deals a month with our leads. We had other agents, with much more experience, working the exact same number of leads who never closed anything from the leads. Working internet leads is not for everyone. It takes hard work, dedication, the ability to take rejection, ingenuity, and a system.

Most agents fail because they don't have a good system.

By system, I mean two things. A good CRM tool to manage the leads, and a good process for working the leads. Good CRM's are all over the place. We have quite a few that advertise here on ActiveRain. Ask anyone who has had success with leads and I guarantee they can recommend a good CRM, that's the easy part. The hard part is having a process that you follow with EVERY lead. This is where most agents break down.

The 2008 (haven't had a chance to review the 2009) NAR profile of home buyers and sellers says that most consumers make a decision of which agent they will work with within 2 weeks of starting their search online, but they don't actually buy something for 8 months from when they start searching. So, you have to be able to capture their attention in the first two weeks......and HOLD their attention for up to 8 months (sometimes longer). If you are really good on the front end, there's still a good chance you will lose them on the follow up. Or, if you're really good at follow up, you may not even get the chance because you never put in the time to convince them to work with you from the outset.

Let's not bog down in what makes a good lead. That is open for it's own discussion. Let's say at the minimum, it's an email. At it's best, a lead has a name, email and phone number (huge bonus if you get an existing address).

What do you do with a lead the first day you get it? The second day? The tenth day? A lot of agents working internet leads (based on the 175 agents I had the pleasure of working with in WA) are completely unable to do anything outside of the first day they receive a lead. If they do do something in the subsequent days leading up to the two weeks during which a consumer will select an agent, it's probably because their CRM allows them to send automatic home searches or form emails. But their ingenuity and their phone calls cease! The first two weeks are CRUCIAL and most agents give up after the first day. Heck, some people don't even call the first day.......they just send an email (Nothing floored me more or got my blood pressure higher than seeing leads where an agent was too lazy to call and all they did was send a form letter).

Ben Kinney, our headline speaker at RainCamp has a large team of Keller Williams agents here in Washington. His team uses a formalized process for following up with leads called 'The Ten Days of Pain'. He calls it that because it's as painful for the consumer to be on the receiving end as it is for the agent to actually follow through with completing it. Ben's way of doing things isn't the only way to do it, but it's highly effective for his team. Gary Keller has a chapter in his SHIFT book called 'Internet Lead Conversion'. As Elizabeth Bolton wrote in her recent review of SHIFT, "We're all spending a lot of time producing online content - generating online leads and converting those leads to closed sales is critical so this chapter was one of my favorites."

I don't think anyone reading this will disagree with the fact that learning how to convert online leads into sales is a HUGE deal if you are either buying leads, or generating your own.

So let's all put our heads together and share our tried and true 'processes' for converting internet leads.

The Bribe Reward: 1200 points

Write a post discussing your process for converting internet leads. In your post, include ANY and ALL relevant facts that someone would need in order to utilize your method. Do you use a CRM? Tell us which one. Does it have cool features? Share them with us. Do you get all Sherlock Holmes and attempt to learn every fact about the person from their email address? (you outlook users need to check out Xobni.com) Do you search for them on Facebook using their email address and attempt to 'friend' them? What kind of information do you attempt to provide them in order to convince them you are THE expert in your market and better than the other 5 agents they have come across? Do you have certain things you do at certain intervals during the process? Do you use video emails in order to let them know you are a real person?

I want the details! And most important, I'm looking for some really cool outside the box ideas of how to get people to respond. Are you doing something that is really working effectively? Share it with us......pretty please!

What if you don't have a process can you still participate? You sure can. Get creative and manufacture a process.

The Rules:

Posts must be written after this post and prior to January 15th, 2010 at Midnight Central Time

Include this paragraph at the end of your post: "For other methods of converting internet leads, be sure to check out giftofshift.com/activerain where you can purchase a limited edition hardcover of Gary Keller's book SHIFT, which comes with a free version of the eBook Soci@l: Attract Friends, Followers and Connections to Your Business, written by Ben Kinney and Jay Papasan (in which Ben shares his 'ten days of pain' lead conversion method) as well as free audio versions of Millionaire Real Estate Agent and Millionaire Real Estate Investor all for $19.99."

Create a link out of 'giftofshift.com/activerain' in the paragraph above so it links to http://giftofshift.com/activerain

Don't HALF-ASS your post please. Create something that adds value to the network, not just a post to swoop up 1000 points.

Leave a link in the comment section of this post that links to your post

Posts that are selected as featured posts (or run in the newsletter) will be given an additional 1200 point bonus

Use: 'Internet Lead Conversion' in the title of your post somewhere

Put your post in the Online Marketing Channel with the topic 'Internet Lead Conversion'

(DISCLOSURE: I don't want the FTC levying any ridiculous fines on me so this is where I am required to tell you that I have received consideration for doing this. It wasn't an envelope full of $20's like I was hoping for, but there was some consideration given for writing this post......closer to the 'player to be named later' that you see in a baseball trade)

If you would like to know what I'm up to, follow me. But don't be offended if I say something colorful. I'm human!

Friends, followers, and connections are the way of the future.

Make sure you check out some of our Facebook Fan Pages Too!

How To Sell A Paper Clip

Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC (RECR)) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:29:37 -0600

If I were to hand you a paper clip and were to ask you to sell it to me, could you? How would you go about it? What features would you mention? What uses would you bring up? What "special" thing about this paper clip would be the key item in your head that would click in your mind as being "the hook" in your sales pitch?

Interesting questions, right??

Honestly, I've sold paper clips before. Well, office supplies in general. And, when I was hired as a sales rep for the company, I was handed a paper clip and asked to do this very thing. More on that in a minute...

First, let's take a look at how the majority of sales people would handle this issue...

Better than 80% of sales people start the exact same way -- they pitch!

Immediately, you are flooded with every possible fact and figure about the paper clip from its length to the type of wire it is made from and how it is bent into its convenient shape to the color to the protective plastic coating they overlay on top of the implant grade surgical steel wire to avoid accidental nicks to the skin, clothing, or worse -- damage to the documents you are securing....blah, blah, blah.

Some sales people can (and do!) talk about a paper clip for the better part of 6 or 7 minutes. As the diatribe continues, you could literally see the attention span of my sales manager waving goodbye and flying right out the window on melancholy wings.....which would cause them to talk even longer and with more animation and conviction. And all of this without ever asking for an order or even asking one simple question!

So, there I am, hoping with every fiber of my being that I get this job and some schmuck hands me a paperclip and tells me to sell him???

I paused for a minute closely examining the paperclip, then I started my pitch by asking several questions.

"How often do you use paperclips during your daily operations?"
"What other locations within your company are these paper clips used frequently?"
"How often do you order new paper clips?"
"When you do order, how many do you usually buy at one time?"
"Besides yourself, who else is involved in buying paper clips?"

Quite the difference in approach, isnt it.

Quite frankly, anyone can look at a paper clip and see what it is and what it is made of and how it works. And, quite frankly, no one cares. What is important, however, is HOW they are used, how OFTEN they are used, WHERE they are used, and how MANY are used. That information is important to both of us because it determines need and gives me information I require to propose a solution to my client's problem. When you start asking questions about WHY this paper clip is so important to the buyer, things change dramatically.

Take a close look at your "pitch". Do you focus on all of the things that you do? Is your elevator speech filled with all of the facts and figures of your previous sales experience and how you are the #2 blogger on ActiveRain in the county and "you've done this"'s and "you do that"'s? Are you merely brow-beating your potential clients into a mind-numbing submission with impressive facts and figures that do nothing but attempt to make you better than everyone else?

Or, is your focus more on questioning your potential clients and finding out what it is they need and then trying to find a solution that best fits their needs? Do you make a point in finding out what specifially your client wants of you and then explain how your experience can solve that problem for them?

See, once you do this, you have actively involved the prospective client in the pitch of your product and have related it to them by referencing their specific needs. Also, it shows that you really care about what the prospect wants and that you have the ability, knowledge, and want to make that problem go away for them and are willing to help achieve that goal WITH them.

If you would like more information on RECR and how we can help you get more clients to work with, please contact Clint directly at 800-977-7058. Or, fan us on Facebook! Or, follow Clint on Twitter!