It's holiday season and that means parties, presents ... and scams? Look for our tips on how to make the best of even a downsized party and how not to become a victim of phishing (which has nothing to do with smoked salmon).
On the business side, smarties are in the middle of year-end planning. We provide great info on generating new revenue in the New Year, as well as a video by esteemed trainer David Knox on using the extended and improved Homebuyer Tax Credit.
Keep your computer (and you) happy and functional with organization tools from Maria Gracia, and check out experts Gahlord Dewald and Josh Sharfman for cool tools!
Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or the Winter Solstice, just remember, it's not just about the consumer spending indicators. It's about spending time with family and counting your blessings. Happy Holidays from The Frog! Susie Hale President, FrogPond
It’s as easy as A-B-C. Prepare your home for the holidays with these easy tips:
A is for Ambiance.
Set a festive mood with sounds of holiday music, smells of good food, colors of Christmas and warmth of a fire. Gather your Christmas CDs today and place them by your boom box. Place some cinnamon on the stove and potpourri around the house. You can buy fireplace DVDs to enjoy a fire on your TV. Decorate your home inexpensively with silver and gold ribbons and wrapping paper.
B is for B.S.
Don’t give into it! Focus on what’s important during the holiday season instead of all the commercialism. You’ll have a much happier home for the holidays. If you feel like you have to attend a certain function but don’t want to, ask yourself if it will matter in ten years.
C is for Caring.
Show you care about guests. Make them feel welcome. Accommodate their needs. Do special things for household members as well. Most importantly, give, give, give to those who are less fortunate.
Don’t worry about whether your home is perfectly clean and organized. Invite others to celebrate the season with you.
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Generate Leads with the Extended Homebuyer Tax Credit
Sales trainer extraordinaireDavid Knox presents his December video on the Extended Homebuyer Tax Credit. Beyond just helping your buyers buy, the credit is a great lead generating opportunity.
Offered to non-subscribers of Knox First Tuesday, this abbreviated video shows the rules of the new law. In addition, it shows how you can develop a marketing campaign to create sales and listings from it!
View the video below. Click here to sign up for the free Knox First Tuesday monthly video program.
Common-Sense Holiday Tips for the Shy and Not-So-Shy
DO ...
Organize a potluck party for your team or division if the company has cancelled theirs.
Focus your conversation on the event: The season is the reason.So bring your O.A.R. and start with small talk and the items you have in common. O.A.R. means to: Observe – The venue, food or entertainment: “What fun decorations! And the food is fabulous.” Ask – The host or a guest: “Have any special plans for this holiday”? OR “Who do you think made this delicious crab dip?” Reveal – Your ideas, thoughts, plans; “My plans to be on the slopes for the holidays didn’t pan out.” OR “For the obvious reasons we decided to stick closer to home for a more low-key family holiday.” Add humor. “We’re calling it a “holiday-cation”.
Act like a host: Be interested; pay attention; listen and introduce people to each other.
Treat spouses/guests (yours and theirs) with respect: Introduce them with enthusiasm and include them with eye contact, comments and questions.
Remember: the Holiday/Christmas party is still business.
DON’T ...
Don’t drink excessively. Enough said. There is no such thing as “free drinks.” If one overindulges, there’s a price to pay.
Don’t assume everyone celebrates Christmas. (And if you don’t, be gracious about the error.)
Don’t do anything that you wouldn’t want to see uploaded on YouTube or posted on the Internet.
Don’t forget to detach from the techie toys (cell phones, PDAs, Bluetooths and iPods) and refrain from text messaging, e-mailing or instant messaging when talking to people.
Don’t kvetch, ridicule, interrupt, compete, correct, interrogate or brag.
BONUS tip for the downsized gathering:Bring your favorite and best dish, your goodwill and your sense of humor.
Based on Susan RoAne's Face To Face: How to Reclaim the Personal Touch in a Digital World and How to Work a Room®.
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To request information about 1 Minute Housing Market Report, royalty-free articles and/or publishing software, call 800-704-FROG (3784) or e-mail Susie@frogpond.comtoday.
5 Tactics Sure to Generate New Business in Tough Times
by David Goldsmith
Today’s business climate has forced many real estate agents and brokers to reassess the approach they use to develop business and maintain an edge over competitors.
However, if monetary or time constraints deter you from making changes, don’t lose hope. Change doesn’t have to be expensive or on a grand scale to have a large impact. Here are five simple tactics to consider:
Get out of the office
Remember when you first started your career? Most likely sales didn’t just float onto your lap; you had to get out in the field, hand out business cards, participate in conferences, work on committees, and get your name “out there.” Circumstances should be no different now.
Focus more time on growth-related activities
Look at your desk and daily to-do list. How much of your time is spent on revenue generation versus on operations or busy work? Recently, when I asked someone this question, she discovered that her sales were stagnating because she was spending only 3 percent of her time on revenue generation. You might feel you’re busy all the time and Tweeting regularly. Don’t confuse activity with progress.
Step up operations
Often deals are won and lost by some small detail either being done better or worse than a competitor. Details – consistent marketing efforts, on-time contract submissions, knowledge of newly available properties – always matter.
In August 2009, almost a third of all U.S. housing sales were distress sales. As these properties continue to flood the market, new details – liens, back taxes, overdue water bills, second mortgages – threaten to derail sales. Step up operations so you are addressing the details. Don’t let the simplicity fool you, or you could end up like the agent who lost a multimillion dollar sale because delivering calendars seemed more pressing to him than returning a prospective buyer’s phone call.
Create “expert status”
Yes, you sell properties, but you also sell your expertise. Expert status comes from others perceiving your offerings as top in your industry.
While you understand the series of letters that come after your name on your business card, NAR, ABR, CCIM, and CIPS aren’t always discernable accolades to buyers.
Design your business card with professional sports cards in mind. The front of the card has the photo, but what really matters to sports enthusiasts are the stats on the back. Do the stats on your business card separate you from competitors in the eyes of buyers, not just industry experts? Also develop expert status through publishing articles, chairing major organizations, speaking at conventions, teaching seminars, etc.
Be a storyteller
Years ago, the art of storytelling was a common form of entertainment. Storytellers perfected their stories, making sure to deliver them in ways that would engage their listeners. Today, we still love a great story, whether it teaches a lesson or tugs at our emotions. Your sales-related experiences are starting points for inspirational stories, but are you crafting your stories to be as engaging as possible? You may already tell stories about coming through for a seller or getting a loan for a buyer, but do the stories have the impact you want? Select five true stories that you can tell to others, practice and perfect them so that they become selling tools for you.
Since markets continually evolve, your approach to business development needs to evolve as well. As you can see, simple adjustments can positively impact your bottom line. With a little effort and a willingness to try something new, you can adapt and grow in any market.
Leadership and management expert, David Goldsmith, is an award-winning professor at New York University and the President of MetaMatrix Consulting Group. His book, Paid to Think, will be available in bookstores in May 2010. To learn more, visit www.davidgoldsmith.com or call (315) 682-3157.
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The Internet has never been more dangerous! So says APWG, the Anti-Phishing Working Group, the global pan-industrial and law enforcement association focused on eliminating fraud and identity theft resulting from phishing, pharming and e-mail spoofing of all types.
The busy holiday season is an especially dangerous time of the year. Criminals commit fraud by sending unsolicited requests for personal information. Don’t get hooked! Here’s how they work:
Phishing or smishing
Thisrefers to the use of e-mail and/or text messages in an attempt to obtainpersonal, confidential information, such as online banking usernames, passwords, account information, credit card numbers or check/debit card numbers and PINs.
These fraudulent e-mails and cell phone text messages may look as if they came from your real bank. Some of these e-mails contain links to fake Web sites that mimic real bank Web sites.
Other e-mails provide a phone number to a person who asks for this same personal information. This type of fraud scam is commonly referred to as "phishing" – or “smishing” if it involves cell-phone text messages.
Vishing
This refers to the use of voicemail messages to fraudulently obtain personal and financial information. In these messages, recipients are told that their account at a particular bank has been deactivated and are asked to call a specific telephone number, where a recorded message gives instructions to leave your name and credit card number.
Do not call or leave a message!
What if you get such a request? Your bank will never ask for such information in an unsolicited e-mail request, phone call or by mail.
NEVER provide personal information, including bank account number, online banking password, Social Security number, check/debit card or credit card number in response to an unsolicited request!
How to recognize a scam
The following are some suggestions to help you recognize various scams:
Be suspicious of any urgent requests for personal information for a security audit or survey or which contains threats to close your account.
Be suspicious of unsolicited requests for online banking username(s), password(s), account information, credit card number (s) or check/debit card numbers and PINs.
Be suspicious of requests to share personal and financial information.
Never use links in an unsolicited e-mail to access a Web page.
Do not fill out forms in e-mail messages asking for personal financial information.
Regularly check your online account and your bank, credit and debit card statements to make sure all transactions are legitimate.
Be safe this holiday season! Don’t get hooked in a scam.
Boring signs and banners often get boring results. Spice up your sign for better results.
Get a sign that lets you put a changing message on it. We often see church signs with a daily inspirational message. Why not have a changing message of your own? Put up a sale, tell a joke, or make a comment. People who pass it each day will start to notice.
Go one step further and get an electric sign. Prices are coming down while sign technology is getting more impressive. Simple scrolling messages work well, but some allow for animated graphics.
Use the same drawing or graphic on your sign, on your building, on your business cards, and in all your ads. A consistent graphic helps people identify you. It’s probably the oldest trick in marketing dating back to ancient times when most people couldn’t read your name, but could identify your graphic.
Use magnetic signs and bumper stickers on your business vehicles.
You may be surprised how many people you reach in a single commute. One donut chain always has their vintage van on the road. The unusual-looking vehicle gets attention and draws eyes to its logo painted on the side.
Kevin Nunley has been a top writer of sales letters, Web site copy, press releases and ads since 1996. His talent and experience get results! Order his affordable writing and promotion deals at http://DrNunley.com
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Thoughtfaucet President Gahlord Dewald writes a column for Inman News appearing every Tuesday morning, talking about either Web marketing or technology – either with a heavy dose of Web analytics. (He’s one of the best reasons to subscribe to Inman – editor.)
In a recent Inman column, Dewald recommends Lijit. He says Lijit is an index tool providing your audience a way to search through your content that is distributed around the Web in blogs, Twitter posts, content on networks such as Flickr, guest posts and comments everywhere.
“For those engaged in an active ‘spoke-and-hub’ social media strategy, where your primary business site is the hub and you maintain embassies or outposts on other sites (such as Twitter, LinkedIn, other blogs, YouTube, etc.), the Lijit widget provides you with a centralized method to search both your primary site and all of your outposts and embassies,” said Dewald.
“Using this tool [the Lijit widget] you make a customized Lijit search index containing the content you disperse through the Web via comments, blogs, social networks and content sites,” he said. “This can be a powerful way to provide site visitors with access to your increasing streams of communication on various Web sites.”
Dewald says Lijit can detect if a new visitor to your site came from a search engine and also provides search analytics. He says one potential drawback to the service is that the search-results page generated by the widget includes advertising.
Inman News members can read Dewald’s tech review here.
Sharfman boosts money-saving Web sites
California Association of REALTORS® Chief Technology Officer Josh Sharfman has offered 25 Web sites and services offering value to real estate professionals.
For the audio version of his presentation at the recent California REALTOR® Expo, click here.
Among a number of services, Sharfman recommended several for online backup and file synchronization to avoid losing important information because of a hard-disk failure or other tech issue. These companies offer various levels of free and subscription-based services:
In addition, he recommends MobileMe by Apple, a service that pushes e-mail, contacts and calendar events over all your devices – iPhone, Mac and PC – so they stay in perfect sync.
We will cover other Sharfman-recommended Web sites in future Pond Reports.
The Internet is rapidly becoming physicians’ primary professional resource.
Some 81 percent of U.S. physicians are expected to own smart phones by 2012, up from 64 percent today, according to Manhattan Research.
In a few years, virtually every physician will walk around with a stethoscope and a smart mobile device, and there will be very few professional activities that physicians won’t be doing on their handhelds, the health care research firm says.
Harvey Mackay, the author of Swim with the Sharks, directs our attention to wisdom from Elbert Hubbard.
A writer, Hubbard said some 100 years ago, “The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone who is doing it.”
The Wright brothers were among many who were experimenting with airplanes. They were all using the same principles of flight, but the Wrights added something: movable flaps, the forerunner of the modern aileron. Maybe that’s what your idea needs: movable flaps to help you soar over your competition.
Michael Dell, founder and CEO of the computer giant that bears his name, started outsmarting the competition as a teenager. As a newspaper salesman for the Houston Post, he figured out a way to sell thousands of new subscriptions.
“There were two kinds of people who almost always bought subscriptions to the Post: people who had just married and people who had just moved into new houses or apartments,” he said. He figured out how to find those people.
He learned that people who wanted to get married had to get a license – a public record – at the county courthouse, and that certain companies compiled lists of people who had applied for mortgages. He started his cold-calling to those with the highest mortgages, his first experience with what he would later call “segmenting the market.”
Coincidentally, that strategy contributed mightily to Dell’s later success. (Too bad Dell couldn’t save the venerable newspaper where he had worked.)
As humorist Will Rogers was fond of saying, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” That’s when the competition is outsmarting you.
Mackay’s Moral: If you want to outsmart the competition, you have to out-think the competition.
Coldwell Banker Real Estate Debuts Beta Search Site
Coldwell Banker Real Estate has launched a beta test site with some interesting bells and whistles designed to assist consumers with their online home search.
According to an Inman News report, the new site can identify a user’s location as soon as he or she logs on. It can then serve up properties in that area and construct a profile to suggest homes of interest, using predictive search techniques like those on Amazon.com
The new site can even attempt to “divine” the user’s ideal property by showing a series of images to be given a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Inman says the image-based “BlueScape Search” may be the most radical feature of the brokerage’s new site.
“… the site's main search page, which employs a more traditional query box and results pages, also includes some new tricks that Coldwell Banker says add to its versatility. While users can fill out all the usual inputs – location, price range, number of bedrooms and bathrooms – there’s also a keyword search box that facilitates ‘long tail’ searches for special property characteristics like a three-car garage, terrace or heated pool,” said the report.
The site also integrates video and social networking, providing access to videos on the franchise company’s YouTube channel, Coldwell Banker On Location.
The beta site will operate in parallel with Coldwell Banker’s existing site and will include additional features by this spring.
Few managers give enough praise, possibly because they’re not sure how. Here are three tips for giving praise that reinforces the right behaviors and motivates people to keep succeeding:
Be specific. When giving praise, a simple “thank you” is not nearly enough. Identify the specific accomplishment you are praising and describe the impact it had on you. Try: “Thank you for staying late and making sure the presentation was error-free; it really made the difference in winning that client.”
Praise with action, not just words. After you’ve praised someone specifically, follow up with an important gesture of confidence. Let him lead the next presentation, send an e-mail to the company acknowledging his hard work, or ask him to train others in what he did so well.
Don't praise as a preface to critique. Token praise uttered before criticism sounds empty. It will only undermine the value of the praise you give in other settings.
Source: Harvard Publishing. (Adapted from “The Art of Giving Praise” by Steven DeMaio.
You can be undecided about donuts, a Saturday night date, or client data. But verbs after indefinite pronouns call for a decision.
Indefinite pronouns are those such as none, most, all, one, some, more, or any. Verbs after these pronouns can be singular or plural, depending on what noun or pronoun they replace or refer to in context.
Most of my equipment is under warranty.
Most of my computers are under warranty.
Some of the bombs have been set to detonate at noon.
Some of the paint has been leaking.
All of the paperwork is complete.
All of the contracts are complete.
None of the building has been damaged.
None of the employees have been complaining.
If you’re going to get any grief about this, somebody somewhere will probably want to lecture you about none, insisting that none means “not one.” Mrs. McCullough, seventh-grade English, bless her heart, pursed her lips and insisted on that until the day she died – or at least until I graduated.
But none can mean “not one” or “not any.” More frequently than not, people use it to mean “not any.”
None of the cars are damaged. (not any)
None of the cars is damaged. (not even one – how remarkable)
None of the coins are missing. (not any)
None of the coins is missing. (not even one – amazing)
With indefinite pronouns, be definite. Consider the context to determine the meaning, and then make the verb choice either singular or plural.
To request information about 1 Minute Housing Market Report, royalty-free articles and/or publishing software, call 800-704-FROG (3784) or e-mail Susie@frogpond.comtoday.
by Maria Gracia How does your computer look? Can you find documents and e-mail easily? Or do you have so many documents and e-mail you don’t know where to start?
Organizing your computer is an important part of making your life easier and more efficient. Here are some ideas to get your computer organized and keep it that way.
1. The best thing about filing documents on your computer may also be the biggest challenge. Set up broad-category folders within My Documents (in Windows®) or on your hard drive (in a Mac). You can also set up subfolders within each category. Use the computer’s sorting function. An easy way to organize is by file types. Put ‘AAA’ (or a space) in front of the names of the most-used folders and ‘ZZZ’ (or a bullet) in front of the least-used ones.
2. Name your files and folders with meaningful and recognizable names. Be specific and include dates if possible. The goal when naming files is to be able to tell what the file is about without having to open it and look.
3. Reserve your desktop for items that need immediate attention. When you are done with them, file them in the proper folder. Try not to store documents long-term on your desktop. You can also use the Desktop Cleanup Wizard. In the Windows program, you can use this automatic desktop cleanup tool. Go to ‘Start,’ ‘Control Panel.’ In the ‘Desktop’ tab, click ‘Customize Desktop.’ Then choose ‘Clean Desktop Now.’ You can also choose to run this tool periodically. The wizard moves unused items from the desktop to an archive folder.
4. Back up your files often so they can be cleared from your computer. There are a number of affordable back-up options that will keep all your important files, media and photos saved if anything should happen to your computer. This is very important. It is better to be safe than sorry.
5. The most common type of computer files that creates clutter are music files. Music files have shrunk in size over the years. However, they add up fast and you can lose track of how many you have stored on your computer. You should regularly remove excess MP3s onto discs, flash drives or backup drives to keep your computer clear of clutter.
6. People send you pictures in e-mail, you get them off your camera, and you get them off the Internet. They can come from anywhere and they add up quickly. Store pictures in the same place, renaming them so you can recognize them later. There are numerous options to store your photos, whether you utilize a program that is already installed on your computer or the program that came with your digital camera. There are also downloadable options available online, or online storage. (Editor – Picasa is wonderful, free, downloadable software from Google™.)
7. An effective e-mail system is easy to establish and maintain. Reserve your Inbox for action items. Set up e-mail file folders. Set up individual folders for people with whom you communicate often. Create additional folders related to specific projects, events and companies, and a holding file for pending e-mail that you plan to keep for a very brief time. Last but not least, create a folder name ‘Important’ for high-priority items.
8. Put complete information into the subject line of e-mail so they will be easier to find later. You should also allot an amount of time each day to review and file e-mail. Try to download and respond to e-mail no more than twice a day. An important tool to use in Outlook is the Message Rules tool. You can set up your rules for the system to do certain things with different e-mail messages automatically.
9. Other ways to tackle your e-mail include avoiding subscriptions to online newsletters that don’t contain helpful information. Limit your receipt of jokes and chain letter type e-mail. Not only are they time consuming, they can also contain computer-threatening viruses.
10. Is your Internet Explorer Favorites folder busting at the seams? It needs weeding out and organizing from time to time. To organize your Favorites in Internet Explorer: on the Favorites menu, click Organize Favorites. There is additional clean up that is easy to do. Start Internet Explorer and on the Tools menu click Internet Options. In the General tab of the Internet Options dialog box, you have two choices: (1) In the Temporary Internet files section, click Delete Files to remove all temporary files, and (2) In the History section, click Clear History to remove the list of sites you’ve previously viewed.
11. To keep your computer organized, remember to periodically review, purge and refine.
12. When you are done using your computer for the day, put everything back in its place. Put papers in their proper files, put pens and pencils in their container and put files away that you are no longer using. If you need to have certain files and paperwork easily accessible throughout the day, find an organization solution that compliments your work area.
13. Last, but not least, regularly clean your keyboard, monitor and peripherals. Use lint-free cleaning cloths and a cleaner for electronics. Compressed air is also helpful for cleaning dirt and dust out of crevices and between keys.
Maria Gracia is a nationally recognized author, speaker, consultant and professional organizer. She is founder of Get Organized Now!, where you can get a FREE Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life.
You have permission to reprint this marketing tip in your publications. Please include the following Resource Box:
To request information about 1 Minute Housing Market Report, royalty-free articles and/or publishing software, call 800-704-FROG (3784) or e-mail Susie@frogpond.comtoday.
Viewers have substantially increased the time they spend watching online videos, according to Nielsen, with YouTube being by far the single-largest provider of streaming video.
Nielsen’s time-per-viewer metric rose to 195.2 minutes per month in September, a 25 percent year-over-year increase.
An astonishing 91 percent of U.S. firms used at least one social media tool in 2009. Click here to read the full findings of an updated social-media usage study.
10 worst holiday gifts
Oh, my. A bizjournals™survey lists the 10 most-awful business gifts. You’ve been warned!
Forbes lists America’s fastest-recovering cities
Warren Buffet may be on to something! Omaha, Neb., is one U.S. city where diversified industry and relatively stable housing give residents a measure of economic security. Click here for the full story.
Can your computer be hijacked?
A dangerous Trojan, Bredolab, has been infecting computers nationwide. Only if you know what a malware attack looks like can you protect yourself. Click here for a BizReport warning.
Commercial real estate may have bottomed
A Green Street Advisors research director is being contrarian, reporting that an expected drop in commercial real estate values may not occur. Click here for the Oct. 2 report.
The greatest tool ever for real estate professionals
Implementation and follow-through is the key for making Facebook the greatest tool ever for “Realtors,” says a Web Real Estate Tools blog post. Good stuff!
6 tips to find $1,000 in two months
It’s a little late to save for the holidays but never too late to save! (Maybe you can use the money to pay your holiday bills.) Click here for a Kiplinger article with some great tips.
Kitchen makeover ideas
Now is the time to make those kitchen updates so your home – or your listing – can sell in the spring. Click here for the HGTV FrontDoor® videos and slideshows for makeover ideas.
Call for Entries: Real Estate Book & Journalism Contest
The National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) has issued a Call for Entries for its two prestigious writing competitions: the 3rd Annual Bruss Real Estate Book Awards and the 60th Annual Journalism competition. Authors of real estate books are encouraged to enter NAREE’s Bruss Books Awards competition. Entry deadline is Feb. 1. Real estate books released for sale in 2009 are eligible. Books covering investments, architecture, home buying, mortgages and other topics are eligible. Winning authors will be announced at NAREE’s Austin conference.
The Book Awards program honors Bob Bruss, a prolific and beloved real estate columnist, author, and long-standing NAREE member.
Journalism Competition
NAREE’s 60th Annual Journalism Competition is aimed at staff writers, columnists, editors and freelancers covering mortgage finance, commercial and residential real estate, green building, home design and other real estate topics. NAREE has earmarked $8,000 in award money to be given for a total of 50 first- and-second place awards. The Presidents Award of $1,000 will go to the best-overall individual entry. Entry deadline is March 1, 2010, for work published or aired in 2009.
Winners will be invited to the elegant awards ceremony at NAREE’s Annual Journalism Conference in Austin from June 2-5, 2010. The conference offers professional development sessions and press briefings with cutting-edge real estate trends.
Founded in 1929, NAREE is a nonprofit professional association of writers, columnists, editors and authors covering residential, commercial and financial real estate and design.
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by Barbara Myers
by Kevin Nunley
The new site can even attempt to “divine” the user’s ideal property by showing a series of images to be given a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Inman says the image-based “BlueScape Search” may be the most radical feature of the brokerage’s new site. 
by Maria Gracia
How about neither? Just avoid the question! Bring your own bag to the grocery store. 
The National Association of Real Estate Editors
