The TruliaPro Blog has highlighted four tech trends from the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show that real estate professionals will love.

Our favorite? The Wi-Fi-enabled cameras/camcorders from Kodak and Sony. The new Kodak Easy Share M750 will be available in April, and allows you to send photos and videos instantly to your computer, blog/Facebook or e-mail. The Sony Bloggie Live, a high-def pocket camcorder, has built-in Wi-Fi capability and is available now.

To read the entire post and learn about on-the-go charging, thin ultrabooks and smartphones, as well as more versatile gadgets, click to “4 Tech Trends to Watch in 2012.”

As real estate brokerages look to cut costs, the promises of technology are finally beginning to make a real difference. We’ve heard for years about the death of the “bricks-and-mortar” real estate office, where all home-selling would be virtual. (Inman News’ Real Estate Connect conference in New York City featured a session on “Operating a Virtual Office.”)

The reality has been somewhat different. Yes, agents work out of their homes as they have for years – and they often meet clients at Starbucks rather than in a brokerage conference room. However, offices are still being built and leased – even if top producers may not get as much square footage as in the past.

But with cloud-based applications, other technology tools, and some ideas you’ve never thought of, brokers and their agents are finding new ways to cut costs both large and small. Here are eight tips:

      Remote desktop applications
Most of us have a PC or laptop at home. But you have to be mobile when you’re meeting buyers and sellers. YourOfficeAnywhere.com taps the power of cloud computing to solve your information and communication needs wherever you are. It is a comprehensive technology solution for meetings, scheduling, data storage and more, all in one central and mobile location, says the article, “4 tech solutions to help your business realize its New Year’s resolutions.” Your entire workspace can be pulled up from any digital device with a simple online login – and there’s nothing to download.

      Task management
The same article also suggests a look at Wunderlist, which can be created directly from your e-mail inbox and used on any computer or mobile device. It has an “elegant simplicity” that simplifies your scheduling and organizes your life.

About.com’s real estate technology tip #3 touts another solution, RememberTheMilk.com, for task management. It’s a free service that ties into Gmail as well as Google Calendar and sends alarms via text or e-mail for task deadlines.

      Dump the landline at the office
Most 20-somethings wouldn’t take a home landline as a gift. So consider VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) as an online phone service instead of an office landline. Get the scoop on benefits and drawbacks in “Cheaper Phone Calls for Small Business,” another About.com article. Vonage, AT&T and other companies provide VoIP solutions.

      Go paperless
Maybe buying more filing cabinets isn’t the solution. Maybe a scanner and hard-drive storage is. Filing all important paperwork on your computer makes it easier to find – and saves money and trees versus printing. At the same time, it’s crucial to back up online via a service such as Mozy or Carbonite to ensure your data’s safety.

      Bookkeeping in the cloud
A free online service, Xpenser, does simple accounting for your real estate business. Writer James Kimmons loves what the service does to keep track of commission income, real estate fees and dues, education expenses, office expenses, marketing and mileage.

      Voice-to-text conversion via phone
Ever called your assistant to write down something important? Or had to pull off the road to compose an e-mail? There are several voice-to-text services available for iPhone (Dragon Dictation), BlackBerry® (Dragon for E-Mail), Android (FlexT9) and other AT&T mobile phones (AT&T Voicemail to Text).

      Alternative business location
If your brokerage office can’t go totally virtual, then explore an alternative place or mode of business. Ditch the walls and even the cubes for counters where agents can set up a laptop for a quick check-in.

Consider looking for a non-traditional office location such as an old gas station, vacant retail space or an old house (zoned appropriately of course). This strategy might be very cost-effective in markets where there are numerous commercial vacancies.

Or follow the lead of Austin brokerage, the GoodLife Team, which located in East Austin (Google Street View). An Inman Innovator Award winner, broker Krisstina Wise planted her office far away from the high-end West Austin market – and helped boost the east-of-I35-market for young Austin buyers who are comfortable with being “urban pioneers.”

      Buy used/refurbished furniture and equipment
If you’re not a high-end broker with a fat wallet, you might consider going with used furniture for your office. This About.com article also notes eBay can be a source for furniture – but use caution. We would add that Craigslist is a resource to consider, but be careful with it as well.

“Video as a form of content for your social media and content-marketing efforts has reached must-have status,” said B2Bbloggers.com editor-in-chief Jeremy Victor in a recent article.

Victor was analyzing a SmartBrief on Social Media question about businesses incorporating video elements in their social media. He noted the Pew Research Center found 71 percent of online Americans use video-sharing sites such as a YouTube and Vimeo, up from 66 percent a year earlier.

He also noted 75 percent of busy executives watch work-related videos at least weekly.

      But nobody will watch it … it’s expensive to produce

In a post about the top 5 video-marketing myths, Brick Marketing says creating and posting videos provides your business with more opportunities to target specific keywords – improving search engine optimization (SEO).

But thinking no one will watch your video or that it has to be up to Hollywood standards are myths that need to be busted. “A marketing video needs to be professional looking, have proper sound and image quality, and provide value,” said Brick Marketing, noting there are numerous free or inexpensive editing programs available that can get the job done.

One brokerage using videos effectively to get its marketing points across is The GoodLife Team in Austin, Texas. The 2010 Inman Innovator award winner, the team’s approach can be exemplified by its Dec. 10 blogpost, “What I Hear About Downpayments While at the Grocery Store Is Just Plain Wrong!”

The article rebuts the consumer idea that homebuyers now need a 20 percent downpayment to get into a house. Following on that juicy headline and a hard-hitting story about buying a home with as little as 3 percent down, The Goodlife Team also includes a 2-minute video about its buyer stimulus program. Nothing fancy – just two guys talking in the brokerage’s office, with a simple music background and a clean opening and closing graphic.

An earlier Pond Report article gave examples of Houlihan Lawrence and Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty, two New York brokerages who use videos for community profiles and testimonials, respectively.

      How to get started in video

So how do you get started? One resource is the article, “The B2B Marketers Guide To A Brilliant Video Strategy.” Now get out there and shoot a video!

The Corcoran Group, a high-end real estate brokerage headquartered in New York City, recently won Inman News’ 2011 Innovator Award for the Most Innovative Real Estate Social Service.

What was innovative? Matthew Shadbolt, Corcoran’s director of interactive product and marketing, used Foursquare to place 2,000+ insider comments (“tips”) about New York restaurants and attractions for users all across the city.

So why would a luxury real estate firm do that? Shadbolt says it’s all part of the firm’s philosophy that what a client looks for in a property is more than just what’s inside. It’s “going beyond the four walls.”

Shadbolt says it’s a way for Corcoran’s agents to translate what’s inside their heads about the city’s neighborhoods to a social tool that surprises a potential client – likening it to having a concierge service. Shadbolt explains how the firm uses Foursquare in this entertaining four-minute video.

      Using social media to make search results stronger

Over the short run, one might not see a connection between a Foursquare tip on the Shake Shack and selling luxury real estate. But for food-obsessed, time-crunched New York City residents, finding the best and fastest deals on great cuisine is a daily task.

And when you see those Foursquare comments showing on page #1 of Google search results, you can see the long-term effects of this social media strategy – to make Corcoran’s search results stronger.

Because you see, there is no MLS in New York City. When buyers want to look at apartments or other homes, they usually start on the New York Times Website to begin their search – ending up on a brokerage Website soon thereafter.

“We’ve never had the assumption we’re going to sell property or generate leads inside of social media [Facebook, Twitter],” says Shadbolt in a video interview at the January Real Estate Connect (at 7:30 mark).

(The interview was made about an hour before Shadbolt’s presentation about trends in social innovation. Ignore the few comments in Dutch at the beginning and view an excellent 18-minute interview of an industry visionary.)

“Where social media becomes important is what happens inside of search results … Trulia, Zillow, New York Times,” says Shadbolt. “As people experience our social media presence across seven or eight different platforms, we have fun with them, and we help them, and we share insights and information over a long period of time.”

The company credits the innovative social approach to direct, positive results across search engines in those listing syndication portals. “This strategy ultimately drives more people to use Corcoran’s products online,” says Shadbolt.

So how can YOUR company or YOUR team use social media to amp-up your marketing profile?

Roger Staubach was not just a Heisman Trophy winner and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After 11 years with the Dallas Cowboys, Staubach entered the commercial real estate industry, forming The Staubach Co. Over the years, he grew the company to 1,600 employees serving more than 3,000 clients from 70 North American offices.

In July 2008, The Staubach Co. merged with fellow powerhouse Jones Lang LaSalle, where he currently serves as executive chairman of Jones Land LaSalle Americas.

As a legend both on the football field and in commercial real estate, Staubach is in demand as a speaker, and will headline the May 2-4 REAL Trends Gathering of Eagles. This prestigious annual event, to be held at the Dallas Four Seasons Hotel, is for senior managers of top real estate firms, REALTOR® associations, national franchises, relocation firms and referral networks.

Details will follow soon! For more information, contact dstufft@realtrends.com

Beverly Shanahan is an agent with an incredible lineup of online tools: Website, blog, Facebook, Breaking News Network site and the Housing Trends eNewsletter. Learn how those tools work for her success and how she uses image to set her apart.

Read Shanahan’s Rainmaker Interview.

REALTOR® University’s School of Professional Development and Continuing Education brings five of the top minds in real estate education for its Webinar Summit on January 31.

The Webinar features Stacey Harmon, Bill Lublin, Kim Wood, Todd Carpenter and Amy Chorew.

During this powerful summit, you will learn the most effective systems and strategies used to sharpen your Facebook marketing strategy, as well as how to become the online expert and trusted advisor in your sphere of influence.

You also will discover the power of Google+, how to build a powerful referral network, and how to leverage the power of social media to generate online business.

The complete package for all five sessions is only $19.95! Click to register today for the Jan 31 Webinar Summit and use the coupon code “RUWSF12” to save $5.

      Top 10 apps of 2011
Technology expert Kim Komando did a year-end roundup of the 10 best smartphone and tablet applications. And it’s really MORE than 10, since she has listed the 20 best iPad apps, 10 Verizon iPhone apps, apps for traffic navigation, apps to slash your cellphone bill and more. P.S. There are more “Top 10” list links on the bottom of the page!

      Best iPad apps for your presentation
Nick Morgan from Forbes loves the iPad for presenting because it’s light, fast, easy to use and relatively crash-free. So what’s working for him right now: Keynote, Print Central, Office HD, Noteshelf, Promptster Pro and more. Click for his full list of best iPad presentation apps.

      Capital gains and your home sale
Would you be surprised to know just how many people STILL think they have to buy “up” on every house to get a tax break? The law changed in May 1997, but real estate professionals still have to explain about the current per-sale exclusion rules. Click for an excellent article from Bankrate.com about capital gains from home sales.

      Housing inventory way down at year’s end
According to the Wall Street Journal, fewer homes were listed for sale at the end of 2011 than in any of the previous four years. Get the scoop on the *hopefully* good news: “Housing Inventory Ends Year Down 22%.”

      Feeling burned out? There’s help
I’ve seen it and it ain’t pretty. Agent burnout. Someone who’s a great agent and top producer, but who hasn’t taken care of herself. There’s a way out for your co-worker or yourself: click to “6 Secrets to Overcoming Burnout.”

      Learn from TV’s use of Twitter
The TV experience is becoming more social as viewers tweet and respond to talk shows, news and reality TV from their sofa. Twitter is part of the changing landscape of communication and marketing – transforming commerce, mobilizing political movements and spreading news in real time, says Jeff Bullas in “4 Ways Twitter is Socializing TV.”

      World’s smallest frog discovered in New Guinea
A team of U.S. researchers has found a ¼-inch frog that may be the world’s tiniest vertebrate, says the BBC.

Another social media tool, Pinterest, is hitting the news, and this one is beginning to be carefully used by brands.

Pinterest is an online bulletin- or pin-board where you post or “pin” and share pictures of things you like (Mashable’s guide to Pinterest). It’s perfect for fashion, food and cute pets – as well as home décor. Most of its users are female (70 percent) and most are under 45 years of age.

What makes Pinterest “social” is that you follow others who have similar interests to yours, such as: architecture, wedding & events, kids, food & drink, hair & beauty, and gardening.

For real estate? The article, “7 Creative Ways Your Brand Can Use Pinterest,” suggests an agent could create a “board” of a property listing with photos of the property and surrounding areas. Then you can add photos of possible improvements that could be made to the home by either the seller or the buyer.

“By creating a board of all these items a viewer can quickly and easily see just how amazing the house is (or can be),” said the Search Engine Watch article.

Check out the 49 Pinterest boards created by Better Homes and Gardens. Scroll down to “Welcome Home” (or click here), and get ideas for your own Pinterest pinup!

      Get retweets of your content: 11 tips
The HubSpot Blog is an amazing resource! In the article, Get others to retweet your Twitter posts, HubSpot gives 11 tips that guarantee your tweets will be retweeted across the social media universe. Learn how to promote your blogposts and more.

      Remember “all I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten?”
Play by the rules – use your indoor voice – be kind to others. Childhood rules can help you succeed today! Click for 5 social media rules you learned in kindergarten.

      Keep your Facebook page from being hacked
Here are some REAL ways to keep your Facebook account from falling into the wrong hands. Be smart (actually, tip #6) and use these specific tips to make your FB page as secure as it can be.

      Forming a book club is like strategizing social media
The four activities you must do to organize a book club are the same you must do in the social sphere. In other words, businesses must have a firm grasp of what their audience wants to get out of following them in social channels. Read this intriguing HubSpot blogpost for the details.

      Keep your FB business-page “likes” happy
It’s great to get another “like” on your Facebook business page. But your readers will “unlike” you FAST if you do one or more of these four common things. Click to “Bad for Business: 4 Poor Facebook Habits.”

      Getting your page content in the FB News Feed
Facebook has changed its algorithms and that’s been tough news for many Facebook Business Page administrators. (Have you noticed content has disappeared from many of the pages you “like”?) Click for 6 great tips for creating News Feed-worthy content.

      Social media beyond Facebook and Twitter
If you’ve thought you can’t generate a sale or lead from social media because you sell a product (homes) with a high relative cost and long selling timeline, think again. A recent article on using social media for complex B2B sales has some excellent ideas real estate professionals could use.

More than 7,800 people have read this article. Why? Because it has the potential not just to enhance your organizational habits … it has the potential to enhance your business success as well as your stress level.

So click to “Ten Steps to Organize Your Office” by our friend Sue Pistone and start making 2012 a better year!

by Dianna Booher

In our presentation skills workshops, a frequent question our consultants receive is this: “When is it okay to use humor in a business or technical presentation?” Answer: Almost always.

The follow-up question: “How do you define humor? And where do you position the humor so that it works best?”

Humor, whether in a presentation or a conversation, doesn’t necessarily mean a joke or one-liner. In fact, jokes rarely work. 

If you’ve already heard them, assume that others have as well. Having a sense of humor simply means the ability to see life in a light-hearted way. Those who see everything as a matter of life-and-death wear a permanent frown and make those around them ill at ease.

Personal anecdotes, humorous quotations, witty comments overheard on the street, a cartoon quip, a visual, a prop, a facial expression or gesture added at the appropriate moment –these are the humorous touches that work best after you’ve established rapport with your colleagues.

Your willingness and ability to “lighten up” can be invaluable in positioning yourself as a confident person, comfortable in unscripted situations. 

You have permission to reprint this marketing tip in your publications. Please include the following Resource Box:

©2012, Dianna Booher. All rights reserved. FrogPond offers you FREE 1 Minute Housing Market Report. Agents Sign Up HERE for your personalized e-Newsletter.

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.com today.

Travel writer Bruce Schoenfeld figured he could make some money on his Italian honeymoon by writing about some of the restaurants he and his new bride planned to visit. Luckily, he decided the idea was “pathetic.”

But when busy real estate professionals finally take some time off to be with their families, they often spend way too much time checking e-mail or handling deals on the phone.

Schoenfeld lists three rules he follows to fit work into a family vacation:

• Full disclosure
• More fun means you’re missed less
• Give family a vested interest

He also lists three great locations to successfully combine family and function … but you’ll have to read the Entrepreneur story, “When to Mix Work and Play,” for that!

by Marsha Egan

Hey – don’t just read these, rate them 0-5 on how well you follow them, 0 being stinky, and 5 being fabulous.

• Be concise. ‘Nuff said.
• Get to the point. Place your main point, request, or question in the very first sentence of your message.
• Spell check. Proofread. Make sense.
• Use proper layout.
• Use a readable font in a size that is easy to see.
• Avoid stationery that takes a large amount of megabytes
• Use the person’s name, either in the greeting, or in the body of the message.
• Keep language gender neutral.
• Avoid text lingo (oops, I mean language.)
• Use only abbreviations that are well known.
• Avoid emoticons and smiley faces.
• Avoid long sentences.
• Use active vs. passive voice.
• Answer all questions, and anticipate future questions.
• Include the important points of the message thread.
• Clean up forwarded e-mails. Either delete unnecessary verbiage or highlight the important points.
• Use detailed subject lines to help your recipient quickly understand the focus of your message.
• For very short messages, use the subject line as the message, ending in EOM (End Of Message) to let them know not to open the message.
• Avoid writing in ALL CAPS. It is viewed as “shouting.”
• Use the high priority option only when it is truly high priority.
• Use the words “URGENT” and “IMPORTANT” sparingly, and only when it is true.
• Use ‘Reply all’ only when every person in the distribution really needs to receive the message.
• Avoid sending e-mail messages when you are emotional. Regardless of how you try to mask it, people will “feel it.”
• Never forward messages that are off color, offensive, racist, or obscene.
• Don’t forward chain e-mails, or e-mails threatening you if you “don’t forward in 24 hours.”
• Copy ONLY the persons who really need to receive the e-mail.
• Avoid using e-mail to provide “constructive criticism.” It is never taken positively. Those conversations should be done in person.
• Avoid using BCC to rat out your co-workers. It turns YOU into the rat.
• Avoid using e-mail to “discuss” issues among several people – the threads become diffused, and the content is difficult to follow. Call a meeting instead.
• Avoid sending urgent e-mails. If you need a response in under 3 hours, visit or call.

Copyright, Marsha D. Egan, CPCU, PCC, CEO of The Egan Group, Inc., http://inboxdetox.com  Marsha is a certified executive coach and professional speaker, specializing in leadership development and workplace productivity. You can reach her at marsha@marshaegan.com

Keep track of passwords: KeePass and RoboForm

A big thanks to Amy Chorew for telling us about these online tools to remember and organize all our passwords!

KeePass is a free, open-source password manager that helps you manage your passwords securely. RoboForm has several price points, with a license for all your computers and multiple devices that’s only $9.95 for the first year. You may also download a free trial.

      Misplaced your cellphone? WheresMyCellphone.com

Don’t ever again go crazy trying to find your cellphone! Instead, enter your cellphone number on this handy Website and listen for the ring. It’s free and it’s invaluable!

      Home & garden reviews: ConsumerSearch.com

January is the best month to buy items such as appliances and bedding, but this Website is a wonderful resource for you and your buyers and sellers – all year long! It contains home and garden product guides for items such as grills, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, circular saws and more.

(Flickr photo by wwwworks)

by David Greenberg

As I sat in the audience at a conference recently, at least a dozen times I heard the same complaints whispered repeatedly: “I can’t see the speaker,” “I can’t see the slides,” “I can’t hear her,” “I’m freezing!” After working hard preparing and practicing your presentation, don’t leave your speaking environment to chance. Here are a few tips to help you plan:

      Tip #1: Learn from the theater

Use two side aisles rather than a center aisle, and angle the side sections toward the stage (“Chevron” style). Angled rows allow participants to see more easily as well as see others in their own row. It increases comfort, networking, laughter and learning. Straight rows bleed energy from a group.

      Tip #2: Request a Stage or Riser

If there are more than approximately 50 people in the audience, people in the back rows may have trouble seeing you. When they can’t easily see you, they will stop paying attention. You can request a riser – a raised platform on which to stand. The extra foot or two of elevation makes a huge difference. Make sure the riser is wide enough for you to move around comfortably.

      Tip #3: Force people to sit near the front

Bring a roll of masking tape or some rope to block off the last rows of chairs and force people to sit toward the front. A scattered audience brings scattered results! If anyone asks why the seats are blocked, tell them they are reserved for the wedding party – they’ll smile and move forward.

      Tip #4 - Eliminate the “moat effect”

Just because someone decided to set the first row of tables or chairs 15 feet from the stage doesn’t mean they actually had a good reason for doing so. It certainly wasn’t done to help you connect with your audience. Request that the first row of seats be set close to the stage (about 5-7 feet away) so you can connect better with listeners.

      Tip #5 - Get people to move forward

Asking people to move forward once they are seated is less likely to yield results than asking them for a kidney. The secret to getting those front rows filled at this point is to first say, “Would everyone please pick up all your things and stand.” Once everyone is standing, add, “Would everyone now move two rows forward.”

This works because you’ve overcome the bigger challenge of getting comfortably seated people to stand up and the entire audience is involved.

      Tip #6: Arrive at least one hour early and check the “SALT”:

S = Seating arrangement (See suggestions above)
A = Audio-visual equipment (Do you know how to operate everything? Does it work? Did you do a sound check? Do you have a backup plan just in case?)
L = Lighting (Where are the switches? Can lights be dimmed? Do some light bulbs need to be unscrewed? Try different settings)
T = Temperature (Where is the thermostat? Can you adjust it or is it locked? Who do you call if it gets too hot or cold?)

Reprinted with permission from David Greenberg’s Simply Speaking, Inc. 1-888-773-2512 or 404-518-7777. http://www.davidgreenberg.com  Contact: david@davidgreenberg.com
© David Greenberg’s Simply Speaking, Inc.®

You have permission to reprint this marketing tip in your publications. Please include the following Resource Box:

©2012, FrogPond. All rights reserved. FrogPond offers you FREE 1 Minute Housing Market Report. Agents Sign Up HERE for your personalized e-Newsletter.

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.com today.

Hugs, The Frog

Susie Hale, President
Frog Pond
FrogPond Publisher
800.704.FROG (3764)
susie@frogpond.com

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