As you know, sometimes I like to just share dumb stories from my day that relate to our work in real estate. Today I realized (or remembered as the case may be) that I am a slave to the brand name.
Of course this is not a new affliction. I remember begging my mother for the Nike shoes when the KMart ones would have worked just as well (at 8 I wasn't any more of a world-class athlete than I am now) and throughout high school I was known with the guy who had to have an alligator or a polo player on his shirt. Brand has never been too far from center on my radar screen.
But today trumped those. I finished a lunch appointment and had a few hours left over before I had to be somewhere else. I decided, as many mobile professionals do, that today I would spend the time in the coffee shop sucking up wireless while I sucked down $4 latte.
My bet is that by now you have figured out what brand I was seeking - Starbucks. Armed with my phone/GPS/lifesaving device I found the nearest one and made my way there. Looking at the map it didn't seem that far...but then I remembered that the map is about 1/1000 scale.
So I drove...and drove...and drove. I am certain I passed 50 other places where I could have easily stopped to do my work. Chances are good I gave back 20 minutes to travel from point A to B. Why? Because I was convinced the only place I would have the "right experience" was at a Starbucks. That's the power of a brand name.
Brand matters. Our brand matters. When 99% of people can recognize Coldwell Banker in a blind survey, it matters. When people see blue when you say it, brand matters. When you go on a presentation and they already know you are going to talk about technology because of brand....it matters.
Will they drive 20 extra minutes for it? That is the $64,000 question. Keep going out there and asking it, and we'll keep working to make sure the answer is yes. Given the amount of caffeine I ingested today - I may have it all figured out by morning.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Two fascinating social media stories from last week
So now that my job as the marketing guy here has almost completely shifted from being a print-based job to being an internet one I spend far more time than I used to studying trends, emerging concepts and plain old "cool stuff" that happens online. With that in mind, I want to share two stories with you from my world that hopefully will help you think about how you do your business in the future.
1) The Facebook "Color Mystery"
If you are on facebook and remembered to check in last week, chances are good you saw several of your female acquaintances creating status updates that were simply a color, or a color with a pattern. I know I did, and like most everyone else caught outside of the inside joke had no idea what I was seeing.
Thankfully I didn't just blindly jump in and post a color, because it turned out it was a campaign started to raise breast cancer awareness by asking women to post the color of their bra online. [Editor's note, if you're just finding out about this now, don't go do it...you'll look really silly coming this late to the party].
So millions upon millions of women, ranging from teenagers to 70 year olds, were posting colors and patterns online. But what made this campaign successful? First, it was totally free. Someone started the plan (probably not even the cancer societies) and it spread "virally" until everyone not only was doing it, but everyone who saw it learned what it meant.
Here is a quick video from ABC News that shows just how large this online phenomenon grew in a matter of days.
So what does this mean to you? First of all, don't take facebook lightly. I think that point has been hammered home pretty well at CBH already. If you can start something, even among your small network of friends, it can pay huge dividends down the road. Second, look for opportunities. It just so happens one of my friends owns a lingerie shop in Lahaska. I used this whole "color madness" as an opportunity to promote people to fan her page - just in case they were thinking their post of "white" or "tan" said something about their personality they didn't necessarily want it to say.
2) The Real Estate Zebra has a baby
This one has a bit of a different twist. I have been on twitter (@chrisbeadling) for some time now and over that time have developed relationships with people in the real estate profession that to this date have never met in the real world. That is one of the great things about social networking - it allows you to expand your list of friends, influencers, resources, etc.
Nevertheless, one of the people I follow on twitter is Daniel Rothamel - also known as "The Real Estate Zebra" because of his penchant for refereeing basketball games. Over the last nine months or so his twitter network has followed the stories as his wife (also on twitter and also an active user) carried their first child. Any of us who have been through that process know that it can be fun, can be frustrating, can be boring - but the Zebra did a good job keeping it lighthearted and fun through hundreds of posts, pics and quips.
The "big day" came Saturday just after a win by Zebra's beloved Jets. He kept us all in the loop minute by minute (even admitted when he passed out watching the epidural needle) until he was able to announce the birth. Trust me when I tell you, there were thousands of us checking our phones constantly waiting for the "magic moment" to arrive.
Again, this is a man I have never met. I have had online conversations with both he and his wife and I think they are fun people - at least in 140 characters. So why was I so fascinated by this whole thing? Heck, my cousin had twins two weeks before and I didn't know a thing until after someone had counted twenty fingers and twenty toes. It was because social networks are by their nature social...and we thrive on the interaction we have with other people.
So what in the world does this mean for all of you? No, I am not advocating you go get pregnant (or get someone else that way) just so you can share in the twitter love. I am advocating that you build your networks, on whatever platform you feel most comfortable, and get them to the point where they want to know everything that is happening at the biggest moments of your life. Those are the people who will want to share with you in their biggest moments...which we all know is when real estate happens.
1) The Facebook "Color Mystery"
If you are on facebook and remembered to check in last week, chances are good you saw several of your female acquaintances creating status updates that were simply a color, or a color with a pattern. I know I did, and like most everyone else caught outside of the inside joke had no idea what I was seeing.
Thankfully I didn't just blindly jump in and post a color, because it turned out it was a campaign started to raise breast cancer awareness by asking women to post the color of their bra online. [Editor's note, if you're just finding out about this now, don't go do it...you'll look really silly coming this late to the party].
So millions upon millions of women, ranging from teenagers to 70 year olds, were posting colors and patterns online. But what made this campaign successful? First, it was totally free. Someone started the plan (probably not even the cancer societies) and it spread "virally" until everyone not only was doing it, but everyone who saw it learned what it meant.
Here is a quick video from ABC News that shows just how large this online phenomenon grew in a matter of days.
So what does this mean to you? First of all, don't take facebook lightly. I think that point has been hammered home pretty well at CBH already. If you can start something, even among your small network of friends, it can pay huge dividends down the road. Second, look for opportunities. It just so happens one of my friends owns a lingerie shop in Lahaska. I used this whole "color madness" as an opportunity to promote people to fan her page - just in case they were thinking their post of "white" or "tan" said something about their personality they didn't necessarily want it to say.
2) The Real Estate Zebra has a baby
This one has a bit of a different twist. I have been on twitter (@chrisbeadling) for some time now and over that time have developed relationships with people in the real estate profession that to this date have never met in the real world. That is one of the great things about social networking - it allows you to expand your list of friends, influencers, resources, etc.
Nevertheless, one of the people I follow on twitter is Daniel Rothamel - also known as "The Real Estate Zebra" because of his penchant for refereeing basketball games. Over the last nine months or so his twitter network has followed the stories as his wife (also on twitter and also an active user) carried their first child. Any of us who have been through that process know that it can be fun, can be frustrating, can be boring - but the Zebra did a good job keeping it lighthearted and fun through hundreds of posts, pics and quips.
The "big day" came Saturday just after a win by Zebra's beloved Jets. He kept us all in the loop minute by minute (even admitted when he passed out watching the epidural needle) until he was able to announce the birth. Trust me when I tell you, there were thousands of us checking our phones constantly waiting for the "magic moment" to arrive.
Again, this is a man I have never met. I have had online conversations with both he and his wife and I think they are fun people - at least in 140 characters. So why was I so fascinated by this whole thing? Heck, my cousin had twins two weeks before and I didn't know a thing until after someone had counted twenty fingers and twenty toes. It was because social networks are by their nature social...and we thrive on the interaction we have with other people.
So what in the world does this mean for all of you? No, I am not advocating you go get pregnant (or get someone else that way) just so you can share in the twitter love. I am advocating that you build your networks, on whatever platform you feel most comfortable, and get them to the point where they want to know everything that is happening at the biggest moments of your life. Those are the people who will want to share with you in their biggest moments...which we all know is when real estate happens.
Monday, January 4, 2010
The 2009 NAR Surveys are out!
If you took part in my marketing presentations during the early part of 2009 you know I often cited the statistics presented in the 2008 "NAR Profile of Buyers & Sellers" and the "NAR Member Profile". These are two pretty interesting directories that give us a great look into the buying habits of our clients, and the changing habits of our colleagues.
Well the 2009 version of these two surveys has been released. For the first time ever, NAR offers them free to all of us as a PDF file. I have downloaded them from Realtor.org, and they are available on our Intranet site for you to review. Simply go to the Education section, then Stefanie Hahn's Library, then the Interesting Documents.
Needless to say the data in them reinforces what I have been saying all year. The percentage of consumers using the internet to search is now up to 90%, and the percentage of them going to the internet first is 49%. Those are big numbers that just can't be ignored.
84% of them said they want photos more than anything else on a site (sound familiar?) and that superfluous info is no longer of any use.
On the member profile side, no surprise that agents are getting the hang of technology more and that smartphone use is growing rapidly. Interestingly enough, the median age of the profession also went up - showing that it is not just "young kids" who are catching on with technology.
Take some time to read these surveys - and see just where you and your client base fit in. Are you keeping up with your competition, or falling behind? Are you providing what the consumer wants, or sticking with old ideas? Most importantly, are you ready for what the 2010 survey will highlight as the big moves in the industry?
Happy Reading!
Well the 2009 version of these two surveys has been released. For the first time ever, NAR offers them free to all of us as a PDF file. I have downloaded them from Realtor.org, and they are available on our Intranet site for you to review. Simply go to the Education section, then Stefanie Hahn's Library, then the Interesting Documents.
Needless to say the data in them reinforces what I have been saying all year. The percentage of consumers using the internet to search is now up to 90%, and the percentage of them going to the internet first is 49%. Those are big numbers that just can't be ignored.
84% of them said they want photos more than anything else on a site (sound familiar?) and that superfluous info is no longer of any use.
On the member profile side, no surprise that agents are getting the hang of technology more and that smartphone use is growing rapidly. Interestingly enough, the median age of the profession also went up - showing that it is not just "young kids" who are catching on with technology.
Take some time to read these surveys - and see just where you and your client base fit in. Are you keeping up with your competition, or falling behind? Are you providing what the consumer wants, or sticking with old ideas? Most importantly, are you ready for what the 2010 survey will highlight as the big moves in the industry?
Happy Reading!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
So you got it...now use it!
I know I saw many of you at parties over the last few weeks, but if I didn't please allow me this opportunity to wish you a belated Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah. I hope your holiday was great and that you received some great gifts from those around you.
From a selfish perspective, I hope you received something "techy" from your loved ones this holiday. Perhaps a new flip cam for taking video; a smartphone for grabbing your email; or (if you were at the top of the nice list) a new laptop computer for managing your business.
Every year I hear of these great new "gets" from agents...but then two weeks later I often hear about people who have given up on these new "toys" because they didn't know how they worked, didn't take the time to learn, or didn't have the resources available at home to teach them how the new device should work. Please, please, please don't let this happen.
First things first...play! You can not possibly break the thing you received (unless you throw it against the wall which is never advised). Try to set up the account, take some sample videos, create something totally random (like a twitter account) and use it from your phone!
Stefanie and I are always available to help you learn your new devices. If you found it in your stocking this year chances are good either she or I already know about it, have tried it, maybe even own it. We want you to be successful - which is why we are extra vigilant this time of the year about making sure we help.
Check with your administrator to see when Stefanie will be in your office (her 2010 schedule is already in place) or email either of us.
Happy playing!
From a selfish perspective, I hope you received something "techy" from your loved ones this holiday. Perhaps a new flip cam for taking video; a smartphone for grabbing your email; or (if you were at the top of the nice list) a new laptop computer for managing your business.
Every year I hear of these great new "gets" from agents...but then two weeks later I often hear about people who have given up on these new "toys" because they didn't know how they worked, didn't take the time to learn, or didn't have the resources available at home to teach them how the new device should work. Please, please, please don't let this happen.
First things first...play! You can not possibly break the thing you received (unless you throw it against the wall which is never advised). Try to set up the account, take some sample videos, create something totally random (like a twitter account) and use it from your phone!
Stefanie and I are always available to help you learn your new devices. If you found it in your stocking this year chances are good either she or I already know about it, have tried it, maybe even own it. We want you to be successful - which is why we are extra vigilant this time of the year about making sure we help.
Check with your administrator to see when Stefanie will be in your office (her 2010 schedule is already in place) or email either of us.
Happy playing!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Snake Oil for Sale....
I freely admit that I know nothing about my car's engine. I probably should have paid attention in that Driver Ed class when they were showing us the parts of the engine, but chances are good the high school girl I was crushing on that week was paying me a modicum of attention and I shifted my focus. In hindsight I wish I had looked at the engine.
Now I find myself in the position that every time the mechanic tells me it is a blown this or a muffled that I just nod, stammer, and write the check to make it go away. I know my car is important - I know I pay good money for it every month - and as such I am willing to take the advice of someone else on how to make it work better.
The same holds true when it comes to internet marketing, and I saw it today. I met with a builder friend of our firm; he asked me if I would come to his place and let his "team" pick my brain. Wow, not sure which one of us came away more amazed.
They were amazed because I told them words they had never heard before: analytics, pay-per-click, twitter, etc. In fairness they had actually heard them before, but much as I hear about my exhaust manifold and my oil pump they really had little idea what they were. All they knew is that they had some marketing dollars to spend in 2010 and they didn't think that glossy magazine was going to cut it anymore. I was there to (in an hour or less) open up the world of the internet to them.
But what may have been more shocking is what they told me they had coming next. They were about to meet with some "internet expert" who was going to sell them a "search engine business maximizer" with "proprietary technology" that would get their name to the top of the Google results. Paid results, mind you...the ones any of us can get to the top of with the right amount of coin.
Yes, they were going to charge them a premium so that they could log into Google AdWords on their behalf and set up the account. The builder would chose the phrases (so much for value creation, eh) and this "expert" would set them up. To top it off, the proposal included "state of the art call monitoring" by which any calls that came to them would be [insert shock and awe here] tracked [exhale] because they would have a separate number assigned to each ad.
Hopefully as I type this they are telling this vendor they need more time to consider. They need another opinion; they need to find their mechanic friend who can tell them they that don't need those new tires just yet. Chances are good, however, they will end up just nodding, stammering, and writing the check.
Let's hope that doesn't happen...for their sake.
Now I find myself in the position that every time the mechanic tells me it is a blown this or a muffled that I just nod, stammer, and write the check to make it go away. I know my car is important - I know I pay good money for it every month - and as such I am willing to take the advice of someone else on how to make it work better.
The same holds true when it comes to internet marketing, and I saw it today. I met with a builder friend of our firm; he asked me if I would come to his place and let his "team" pick my brain. Wow, not sure which one of us came away more amazed.
They were amazed because I told them words they had never heard before: analytics, pay-per-click, twitter, etc. In fairness they had actually heard them before, but much as I hear about my exhaust manifold and my oil pump they really had little idea what they were. All they knew is that they had some marketing dollars to spend in 2010 and they didn't think that glossy magazine was going to cut it anymore. I was there to (in an hour or less) open up the world of the internet to them.
But what may have been more shocking is what they told me they had coming next. They were about to meet with some "internet expert" who was going to sell them a "search engine business maximizer" with "proprietary technology" that would get their name to the top of the Google results. Paid results, mind you...the ones any of us can get to the top of with the right amount of coin.
Yes, they were going to charge them a premium so that they could log into Google AdWords on their behalf and set up the account. The builder would chose the phrases (so much for value creation, eh) and this "expert" would set them up. To top it off, the proposal included "state of the art call monitoring" by which any calls that came to them would be [insert shock and awe here] tracked [exhale] because they would have a separate number assigned to each ad.
Hopefully as I type this they are telling this vendor they need more time to consider. They need another opinion; they need to find their mechanic friend who can tell them they that don't need those new tires just yet. Chances are good, however, they will end up just nodding, stammering, and writing the check.
Let's hope that doesn't happen...for their sake.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
So I finally went to Triple Play...
I have been in the real estate business for a decade now and I have never participated in the state conference sponsored by our Realtor association. For some reason, few people around me really cared about it - and so there was no interest or pressure to go (sometimes I didn't even know when it was scheduled).
The almost 180-degree opposite is Stefanie Hahn, Maggie Pollich and others who I have met since we enlarged our firm last June. They are association "joiners" and the conference is one of their favorite events of the year (In this post, Stefanie called it her "happy place").
So I decided to go. Bought a ticket, a hotel reservation, the whole thing. Total financial investment was $110. I even volunteered to be a session moderator for one of the education sessions. Let me tell you that I wasn't disappointed. The education there is amazing; whether you are looking to sharpen your technology skills, become a better salesperson or bone up on the latest legal issues this conference had it all. I have already thanked Stef privately for pushing me; but here is my public admission that Triple Play is for real.
Next year I am going to push harder to see our agents there. I know there is a "we don't do that kind of stuff" in some of our offices (yes, Bucks County that means you) but as JFK reminds us "it's time for a new generation of leadership; for there is a new world to be won". Let us be the leaders, break out of the mold and take full advantage of what is available.
Oh and to our NJ folks - you're not off the hook either. The NJAR is a key participant in this conference too and some of the best agents I met this week make their home in the Garden State.
Be on the lookout for 2010 info - AND GO!
The almost 180-degree opposite is Stefanie Hahn, Maggie Pollich and others who I have met since we enlarged our firm last June. They are association "joiners" and the conference is one of their favorite events of the year (In this post, Stefanie called it her "happy place").
So I decided to go. Bought a ticket, a hotel reservation, the whole thing. Total financial investment was $110. I even volunteered to be a session moderator for one of the education sessions. Let me tell you that I wasn't disappointed. The education there is amazing; whether you are looking to sharpen your technology skills, become a better salesperson or bone up on the latest legal issues this conference had it all. I have already thanked Stef privately for pushing me; but here is my public admission that Triple Play is for real.
Next year I am going to push harder to see our agents there. I know there is a "we don't do that kind of stuff" in some of our offices (yes, Bucks County that means you) but as JFK reminds us "it's time for a new generation of leadership; for there is a new world to be won". Let us be the leaders, break out of the mold and take full advantage of what is available.
Oh and to our NJ folks - you're not off the hook either. The NJAR is a key participant in this conference too and some of the best agents I met this week make their home in the Garden State.
Be on the lookout for 2010 info - AND GO!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
My interesting customer service situation
I can't believe I am posting two days in a row - that means I end up wasting the one New Year's resolution I could put before getting thin, darn. After my visit to the bank, however, I felt compelled to jot a few lines to share the experience.
I am not going to tell you where I bank...don't think the brand name is important. Just like our company, however, the brand is large enough to be recognized pretty quickly by a majority of folks. I rarely go into the bank and even less frequently go to the customer service folks who help you with your problems. But they were the ones who had the local knowledge (sound familiar) so away I went.
I always equate stopping at a bank CSR to real estate floor time. You walk in to the bank, and whichever person happens to be "up" handles your issue - even if that person has never dealt with a similar issue before and his/her deskmate is the company expert. This time around, I got the nice young guy with the pleasant demeanor who was very well spoken and well dressed, but apparently had never seen my issue before. Nor many other issues. Needless to say he worked hard at faking it (sound familiar) and even had me convinced when I left that he was going to call me later that day with a resolution. No such luck.
So five days later, with no resolution and no phone call, I had to walk back into the branch. This time I am met by a more effervescent woman with slightly less fashion sense than her predecessor. Not being judgmental, but FYI...when your top has suddenly grown that tight it is noticeable. So she listens to my plea and thankfully has the answer right away. Hooray. The only problem is that the bank's higher-ups require a special code to make this special solution work.
Now the phone calls begin. First is to a friend at another branch. While waiting for an answer to the problem, the chit-chat begins about how this branch is losing staff and "how can we work like this" and segues into the reason for needing this code in the first place ("at xx we used to just be able to xx").
I have no problem with chit-chat; surprisingly I am pretty good at it when I want to be. My challenge (and the whole reason for this post) is to let you know how I felt about it and to remind you how making chit-chat about the brand (or the industry, or your colleagues) while your unsuspecting customer is sitting in front of you is not only good for the strength of the brand, but also leaves folks with a bad impression of you as a professional. Even though this girl is going to solve my problem (which is supposedly how we measure the effectiveness of a professional and the likelihood of re-use) I have more affinity to the guy who never called me back...at least I can chalk that up to a possible oversight.
Whether it is floor time, at the grocery store, or in your email communications remember that how you act is often more important than the knowledge that you bring.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am not going to tell you where I bank...don't think the brand name is important. Just like our company, however, the brand is large enough to be recognized pretty quickly by a majority of folks. I rarely go into the bank and even less frequently go to the customer service folks who help you with your problems. But they were the ones who had the local knowledge (sound familiar) so away I went.
I always equate stopping at a bank CSR to real estate floor time. You walk in to the bank, and whichever person happens to be "up" handles your issue - even if that person has never dealt with a similar issue before and his/her deskmate is the company expert. This time around, I got the nice young guy with the pleasant demeanor who was very well spoken and well dressed, but apparently had never seen my issue before. Nor many other issues. Needless to say he worked hard at faking it (sound familiar) and even had me convinced when I left that he was going to call me later that day with a resolution. No such luck.
So five days later, with no resolution and no phone call, I had to walk back into the branch. This time I am met by a more effervescent woman with slightly less fashion sense than her predecessor. Not being judgmental, but FYI...when your top has suddenly grown that tight it is noticeable. So she listens to my plea and thankfully has the answer right away. Hooray. The only problem is that the bank's higher-ups require a special code to make this special solution work.
Now the phone calls begin. First is to a friend at another branch. While waiting for an answer to the problem, the chit-chat begins about how this branch is losing staff and "how can we work like this" and segues into the reason for needing this code in the first place ("at xx we used to just be able to xx").
I have no problem with chit-chat; surprisingly I am pretty good at it when I want to be. My challenge (and the whole reason for this post) is to let you know how I felt about it and to remind you how making chit-chat about the brand (or the industry, or your colleagues) while your unsuspecting customer is sitting in front of you is not only good for the strength of the brand, but also leaves folks with a bad impression of you as a professional. Even though this girl is going to solve my problem (which is supposedly how we measure the effectiveness of a professional and the likelihood of re-use) I have more affinity to the guy who never called me back...at least I can chalk that up to a possible oversight.
Whether it is floor time, at the grocery store, or in your email communications remember that how you act is often more important than the knowledge that you bring.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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