Text or Call - Let the Consumer Choose

Well, here we go again. At Coldwell Banker Select, we like to think of ourselves as "Technologically Advanced". Fancy term for simply providing the latest tools to our agents to help them grow their business. The latest development to our HomeFacts system does just that.

You can now TEXT the property code to (918) 990-0660 on your phone and receive a text message back with the basic information on the property, the listing agents name and contact info, and a link to the property listing on the agent's mobile website. The agent will be notified with the consumers phone number, the address of the property, and whether it was a text from the yard sign, Select Living, or whatever the source. Pretty slick. Even if you call the number, it will let you put in the code, just like the normal HomeFacts number.

The nice thing is when the consumer clicks on the mobile site link, they get to see all of the photos of the property. It's a great way to drive someone to the agent's mobile site, without having to do a lot of advertising.

Maybe, they'll even come up with something that will ask the consumer if they want a text with the property information, even if they call. (hint, hint, wink, wink!)

Engaging on Facebook

I've had a number of questions lately about Facebook and how would I recommend an agent "Engage" people on the site. Well, the short answer is "It Depends!" What do you want to accomplish? If you want to post your listings to other agents, then you need to have as many other real estate agents as your friends as you can. If you want to engage your LOR (List of Relationships), where most of your referrals are going to come from, then you need to have them as your friends.

Try this . . . create an A+, A, B and C list in Facebook and categorize your Friends, just like you do in your database. Then, every week, go into the A+ and A Group and look at each of their posts to see if there is anything that you can "comment" on or engage them with. Look for signs like, "My mother is moving to Seattle" - BAM - Engage and get the referral. or signs like, "We're having a baby" - BAM - larger home needer - Engage and work on the business. Remember that these are your A+ and A groups so they will more than likely refer to you anyway, as long as you care and pay attention to them.

You might also share your new listings with this group and ask if they know of anyone that would be insterested in the listing. Keep it personal and not too generic like most of the direct posts from MLS.

The other thing that I would do is post "something of value" at least every 2 weeks. Maybe a link to an article you've read about homeownership, low rates, etc... Or something that is going on in the community that you are involved with to show that you are "giving back".

Spend the time, but not tooooooooooooooooo much time. It's easy to get lost in it and then your day is shot.

LOR - A Change Taking Place

In the past we have put a lot of stock in what is termed the "Center of Influence". Some people use circle or sphere of influence. Well, I've been reading the Work by Referral book by Buffini and I've decided to change my vocabulary, or atleast the acronym, to LOR (List of Relationships). I think it better describes what we need to continuously do with those who are on our list - Build Relationship.

If you don't have one, start from scratch. You can use the following to help you develop that list:

• Friends and Family - These are people who are on your Christmas Card list.
• Current Clients - This group is often overlooked as a referral source.
• Past Clients - An easy one, but remember, 82% of people who sold a home said they would work with thier agent again. Let's not give them a chance to forget us.
• Groups and Associations - These are you church groups, PTA's, Hobby groups, teams, etc...
• Business Associates and Networks - Local Chambers, Contractors, Inspectors, Lenders, etc...

For those who already have a COI, the first step to converting it to an LOR is to evaluate the people that are on it.

Organize your list and group the relationships into 5 categories (A+, A, B, C, D)

• A+ - These are the people that send you multiple referrals a year.
• A - People most likely to refer you.
• B - People who would refer you if they were asked and shown how.
• C - People who MAY refer to you in the future.
• D - Difficult and Demanding people. I call this the "Ritual Removal Group"

All of the people in your LOR should fall into one of the above categories. Once you have them all categorized, it is imperative that you verify their information is correct (Address, Phone and Email).

There will be more to the story after Labor Day, so remember to take some time off, but also use your time wisely. It shouldn't take you more than an hour to come up with you names and categorize them. Then starting Tuesday, start verifying the info.

The Annonymous Client

Have you ever wondered why so many people (into the 90 percentile) who are looking for homes, use the internet? Especially when they can utilize a Realtor and have us do most of the work for them? Crazy isn't it. Well, we're salespeople, and one of the stereotypes of a "salesperson" is high pressure sales. Most of us have experieinced it. Some of us like being in that environment, we know how to handle it and navigate our way through it, but most people don't like it at all. They would rather have the "I'm just looking" approach and then if they have any question, they contact you. Which brings me to... (Dum Dum Duummmmmmmm) - The Internet Lead.

When someone's looking for homes on the internet, which almost everyone is, they remain anonymous, until they need a question answered. Once they ask a question, we have an opportunity to shine to that potential client. We may not know their financial situation, their motivation for buying, how long they've been in the market, or when or if they actually plan on buying, but as professionals, part of our job is to provide information to every possible buyer in the market for our listings. The question is this, if you were in a store "just looking" and had a question about a product that you were thinking of buying and yelled "Can somebody help me? I've got a question." and no one responded, would you move on to the next store where they possibly have a similar product? Would you be frustrated? What if someone heard you and said, "I can help, but I'll get to you in an hour." How would you feel then?

What if someone came right up and said, "I can help you with that, answer any questions you may have, AND if you're interested in anything else in this store or any other, I know all about that as well." Now how would that make you feel? Would you be more willing to work with that person? I know I would. If that's how we feel over an item that's $20 - $100 dollars, then how much more would we have those feelings with a $150,000 purchase.

So, I know Internet leads are tough, they come in at wierd times, and sometimes we don't know what to say, so we just don't do anything with them at all. PLEASE, Don't do that. In a market that is slower than we are used to, it is imperative that we handle these leads different than we have in the past.

I would argue, JUST RESPOND. Answer their questions and follow it up with a question of your own, like "Did you know I can answer any question you may have on any home on the market?" If they like you, you're in.

Just my thoughts. Please comment on this if you think I'm off base, or right on the money, or if you want some further help with what you might say to an Internet lead.

Incredible Potential - the iPad

OK, I finally was given the opportunity to get my hands on one of the new Apple iPad's. All I can say is "WOW"! This thing is the real deal. It doesn't take long before you are tapping, typing, drawing, surfing, reading, watching, etc... like a pro. Alot of people say, "well all it is is an iTouch, only bigger". That maybe true to some degree, but where the iTouch, and even the iPhone are lacking is the screen size.

I'm so excited about the opportunitites that this tool has for our industry, I am already thinking a million miles an hour.

So here's what I want you to do... sit back, close your eyes (after you've read this), and imagine with me. Imagine a world where all you need to do your real estate is your iPad. Imagine your calendar reminding you that you have a listing presentation. Imagine walking into the sellers house and being able to "hand-write" your notes about the property on your iPad. Imagine quickly opening your listing presentation on your iPad and "flipping" through all that you and Coldwell Banker Select have to offer. Imagine being able to present the listing documents that you can fill-in right on iPad. Imagine closing the deal and having your seller's sign the documents on your iPad and you emailing them a copy of it right then and there. Imagine those documents being copied to your office admin for processing. Imagine the full-color photos of the properties that you can show your buyers at the tips of your fingers.

Imagine, just imagine the potential.

Is all of that possible right now, NO, but will it be in the future...You Bet.

So, as I try to get this thing figured out, stay tuned.

Do you need some Margin?

In all aspects of our life, we need to have "Margin". Margin looks and feels different for every person, but it is needed. Margin is what keeps us from having the engines burn out, the plane dive and start into a flat spin that we can't pull out of. What does margin look like?

In your real estate life, margin may be the time you set aside to learn something you don't know how to do to make you better. It may be going to a conference and be motivated or inspired. It may simply be having coffee with a past client.

In your personal life, margin may be the time you spend at the lake just "chillin". It may taking a walk with you son or daughter, playing with your grand kids, taking a long-needed trip, or simply dressing up and going on a date with your spouse.

There are lots of other areas of our lives that we need margin. It is critical.

So for Memorial, take some time to have some Margin in every aspect of your life. Rejuvinate, get inspired, spend time with those you love, and come back ready to take on the world.

Buyer Bonus Event - Are You Ready????

Most of you already know that the Tax Credit to buyers is expiring at midnight this Friday, April 30th. It's been a nice run and we thank the government for do what they could, although we would have liked it to be more. Anyways, Coldwell Banker National and Coldwell Banker Select, locally, are launching the Buyer Bonus Event that will run for 90 starting May 1. I am pumped about this program because it does a number of things.

1. All buyers can take advantage of this program, it has no income cap or qualifications needed.


2. Sellers can take advantage of the huge advertising push from CB National (TV Commercials, internet advertising, website, etc...) and the local advertising by CB Select (Select Living, Newspaper, Internet, Yard Signage, etc...)


3. According to a Tulsa closing company, 70%+ of closings on resale homes have the seller paying for closing costs and almost 100% of new construction have the same. Sellers can take advantage of what they are more than likely going to see on an offer anyways.


4. Coldwell Banker is the only company Nationally and Locally that is doing anything to continue to spur the market for buyers and sellers.

Now is the time to act. Inform your sellers about the program. We are recommending that they offer 3%, up to $8,000, towards a buyers closing costs, prepaids, etc... It's really that simple. It does have to be written in the contract, however, so make sure that anyone who brings an offer is aware of it. There is a listing addendum that you office has that can be used. It's a one-pager (we all like that). Just go over it with your seller, have them sign the addendum and turn it in. You can fax it to me if you want at (918) 392-3742 and I will take care of it.

Shoot, if you have any questions, just shoot me an email at bryan@cbtulsa.com. This is too important of a program and too important of a time not to have your sellers take advantage of it.

I heard a saying once from a wise (code for old) real estate guru that has resonated with me still today. It goes like this:

"If you REALLY believe that your action today will create a positive impact on your business tomorrow, then what are you waiting for?"

Go Get 'Em

New EPA Lead-Based Paint Rule

Here are a series of videos regarding the new rule that the EPA has put out concerning renovations on homes that were constructed prior to 1978.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEOS

It is interesting and may effect your sellers.

Buyers and Seller - Do You Know Them?

As it normally happens, I was searching for some data on the web regarding real estate companies and I came across a very interested "QUIZ" about whether I knew the current buyers and/or sellers in the market place. Thinking to myself...."Of course I do. I'll ace this one." I decided to give it a try.

Here is the link to the quiz: Realtor.org Quiz

My results were - how do I say this nicely without insulting myself - quite interesting.

I recommend you take the quiz, take a look at your answers and then ask yourself the following questions:

• What do the results tell me about how I listen to my clients?
• Am I "in touch" with what's going on in the market place?
• If you didn't score well, What will you do in the future to better understand the needs of your clients?

Going into the quiz, I thought I knew ALL of the answers. If you share your results with me, then I'll share mine with you. Good Luck. It is an eye-opener.

Time Off???

This last weekend was one that I want to quickly forget. The weather was, well typically Oklahoman - SNOW, my wife was at a retreat with her 2 best friends so I had the 4 kids, AND I was so sick with allergies that it developed into Strep throat. As my throat was screaming and my head pounding, the kids were runing through the house, and my wife was relaxing, I was dragging myself through the sloppy mud, sleet pelting me in the face, just to give the animals thier daily ration of sweet feed and hay. At that moment I had a "Revelation"!!!!

Farmers and Ranchers (even small time wanna-bee's like me) don't get a day off! If the weather's bad, you aren't feeling well, or the rest of life happens, you still have to do what you have to do to keep crops and animals alive, so you can live. Then I realized, Real Estate Agents don't get a day off either. YOU still have to take listings, meet people, make appointments, show buyers, prospect, follow-up on leads, run ads, send mailings, etc... even if you're sick, the weathers bad, or life just happens.

However, unlike a lot of farmers and ranchers, we have technology to helps us with that. Technology will never replace the one-on-one interaction that you must have with clients to become and remain successful in this industry, but it can really help, especially when life happens. As many of you know, I'm a big fan of automation. If I can find a way to "set it and forget it", then I will.

There are a number of things that Coldwell Banker Select makes available to you that truly are "set it and forget it".

1. InTouch Mailing Program - sign up for the automatic InTouch and you never have to place another order again. We take care of it for you. All you have to do is keep those contacts current.


2. HomeFacts - Leads come directly to you from your Yard Sign Calls, Select Living, Newspaper, etc...


3. Photographs and Virtual Tours - are automatically created on your listings for you. You don't have to do it, or even think about it. Man I love that.


4. Website Syndication - Your listings are automatically posted to the top real estate websites (CBTulsa.com, CBOKC.com, ColdwellBanker.com, Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com, AOL Real Estate, Yahoo Real Estate, GoogleBase, etc...) AUTOMATICALLY.


5. Select Living Magazine - Your ads for the Select Living magazine are automatically created in IQOffice for you and submitted for publication. You can change them, but you don't have to.

So those are just some of the ways that Coldwell Banker Select tries to help you on those days, when.....it's cold, your throat is killing you, your spouse is out of town, the kids are running amuck, and you have to wade through the mud to take care of the things that must be taken care of. Don't dispair! Remember, you're in Oklahoma, it's going to be 73 degrees tomorrow. ;)

Who's looking for you?

Everyday I get phone calls from agents that ask a wide range of questions. Some of them are easy for me to answer, some I have to do some research, and others I have to refer to someone who knows more than me about the subject. Well today I get to ask a couple of questions to you....

(1) Have you ever wondered who is viewing your profile pages? (2) Ever wonder how many people really want to know more about you and your ability to sell real estate? (3) Are you doing anything to set yourself apart from other agents?

Here are the answers that you might have thought in your mind (Not really, Nope, What are you talking about), respectively of course. The answers that you should be thinking are: (1) Heck yeah, but how do I get that info, (2) Yes, but how, and (3) I sure want to.

Perfect, now I can work with that. So here are the numbers...Last month on CBTulsa.com over 48,800 profile pages were looked at, so far this month the number is over 42,000 and we still have 2 weeks to go. Year-to-date there have been over 130,000 profile pages viewed on CBTulsa.com. Those are real numbers and they are really big.

My recommendation is to go to CBTulsa.com and go to your profile page. Do you like it? Does it tell the world what you want them to know about you and your real estate expertise? Now, go look at some other profile pages. I know, I know, but humor me, it really only takes a few minutes. Notice any differences, any SIMILARITIES to yours? The good news is you can change what you see, if you want through IQOffice. Simply login and go to "User Management", then "My Profile" on the bottom of the left menu. There will be a box that you can type in and change what you want it to say to show on your profile page. You can modify the color, size, and layout with the tools provided.

Take the positives from the profile pages you've seen and incorporate them into yours. Tell Your Story. Impress me by sending me an email with the link to it for feedback.

Good Luck and Go Get 'em!

Open Houses - It's Springtime!

Oooooooooo K L A H O M A where the rain comes at any given time. Where the clouds roll in... and keeps the sun from shinin... and the buyers stay warm cuz their inside.

Not bad if you know the tune, but now it's SPRINGTIME in Oklahoma. With Spring means OPEN HOUSES and we try to do a bang up job at Coldwell Banker Select. It is important to make sure that you enter in your Open Houses into IQOffice. You may be wondering why....well, here's why:

1. Your open houses will show up on CBTulsa.com and CBOKC.com.


2. We use this information for our Open House ads in the newspaper.


3. The open house information will be sent to ColdwellBanker.com and OpenHouse.com


4. Your open house can be searched and mapped on the mobile website.


5. The HomeFacts message will announce when the open house will be.

And... it happens automatically as long as you enter the information into IQOffice. Even if you miss the newspaper deadline, all the other things happen. Now that's efficient. So, the weather outside is nicer, warmer and maybe a little more predictable (OK, maybe not). The buyers are definitely out and more active. So it's time to start holding homes open to get more contracts. Remember, the things that you do today to generate activity will lead to closings in the future. If you do nothing today then..... well, we won't let that happen.

Mapping Your Property on CB Select Websites

Have you ever been camping and gone on a hike only to realize that 30 minutes along your trek, you don't have a clue where you are? Boy can that be unnerving. Thank goodness for the trusty Boy Scout compass, or better yet, one of those cool GPS units with the color topography maps and satellite tracking. Oh Yeah!

When it comes to mapping your properties on real estate websites, sometimes you get the feeling of being lost, and so does the public. Not anymore on CBTulsa.com or CBOKC.com As the listing agent, you can access the map loaction of your listing, through IQOffice, and set the actual location of your listing on the map so that it shows on CBTulsa.com and CBOKC.com correctly. Gotta love technology.

Here's what you do.

1. Login to IQOffice
2. Go to "Listings Management", "For Sale", then "Residential".
3. Click on the listing you want to change the map location of.
4. Click on the "Map" tab across the top.
5. Use the map to zoom in/out to find the correct location.
6. "Right Click" on the map where you want the new location to be. When you do this, the push pin will show up in the new location.
7. Click Save at the bottom of the screen.
8. Go have lunch, you've worked hard for the day.

Hope this helps. Remember, most of the time, the location will be correct. It really only comes into play if it is a new subdivision, vacant land, or a rural property.

Coldwell Banker Business Advantage Program

Did you know that I can save you 17% on your AT&T wireless bill? How about 20% off of Sprint or 16% from Verizon? Well, it's not really me....

Coldwell Banker has a "Business Advantage Program" that allows agents to save money with certain service providers. I've had a number of questions lately about how to sign up for these savings, soooooo...

Here is the info you need.

AT&T Wireless - 17% off on wireless rate plans, including the iPhone, and upto 45% off on voice/data equipment. Foundation account number is 75862 (this is the number you need to give the AT&T guy.

SPRINT - Besides Sprint's 20% off and Nextel's 15% off your monthly rate plan - recieve flat rate pricing off eligible devices like the TREO 755P or BlackBerry 8703e.

Nextel Corp ID: NREAL_CWB_ZZZ

SPRINT Root ID: 0618844865

Verizon - 16% off monthly voice access plans and 25% off eligible accessories. Click Here to sign up for the discounts.

Just trying to help out in being smarter with how we do business.

Profile Page on ColdwellBanker.com

Did you know that you can have a profile page on ColdwellBanker.com? Yep, that's right. For right now, Coldwell Banker has opened up their profile pages through CBWorks so our agents can create profile pages. Pretty nice of them, I'd say.


Here's what you do. Go to http://cbworks.coldwellbanker.com/ and login. If you don't know what your login is, then you follow these steps. On the CBWorks login page, it will say "First Time Users, Click here for Access". CLICK THERE. It will ask you for your email address. This will be your company email address. The CBWorks system will then email you your password for the system. Follow the steps in the email to get logged in to the system.


Once you get logged into CBWorks, you will see your name on the left. Click on your name, this will take you to the ColdwellBanker.com/secure site where you enter your profile information. On the left hand side, click on "Profile" and then on "Edit Profile".


There are some requirements that you have to have in your profile in order for it to show up. (1) You must click on "Media" and upload your photo. (2) You must have 4 bullet points combined about you in "General", "Credentials", or "Qualifications" area. The rest you can put in what you want. If there is any information that is wrong that you can't change, send Linda Morrison an email at lmorrison@cbtulsa.com (She's going to love me for that one).

Once your profile is setup, it takes about 24hours to be active on the site. Check back the next day and let me know if you have any issues.

HomeFacts Messages

When I think about the things that I am REALLY good at, a few things come to mind. Of course, I am the only one that thinks I am really good at some of those things (well maybe I have my wife convinced on a few of them). For example, I used to be a snow ski racer in middle school and high school. When I talk to someone about skiing and they interkect their opinion, I listen intently to see if what they say makes sense. I also try to get some sort of "qualifier" from them about their level of experience. You see, I still learn a lot about skiing from people who are REALLY good at it, but no so much from those that aren't. Pretty simple concept huh?

So, who knows more about selling your listings? The Seller? Their Friends and/or Family? OR YOU, their Professional REALTOR? That's right, it's YOU! You know what is going on in the market (we help with that one), what tools are available and that work, who and where to market properties and what to say and do to properly market a property. Coldwell Banker Select helps with a lot of this with the best tools and marketing in the business, but it is still up to YOU to absorb the information about the market that we share, learn something everyday about how to better yourself and skills, implement the tools that are available to you, and execute your plan for marketing your listings.

One of the cool things you can do is record your own message on our HomeFacts system for each of your properties. This is not only a place to give out some basic information about your listing, but have you thought about promoting yourself, your website (possibly your Mobile site - see previous post), your other listings that may be similar, etc... Get creative with it. When someone calls, you have a "Captured" audience (literally). Get your message across and give them some sort of action item.

If you come up with a great message, send me an email at bsheppard@cbtulsa.com with the HomeFacts number so I can check it out. Who knows, I may even go to your website, if you promote it.

Mobile Websites just for YOU!

Did you know that when you subscribe to HomeFacts you get a personalized website that has a full MLS search? Did you know that every listing that is pulled up on your website shows YOU as the contact agent? That's right, it looks like you have 6,659 listings that are ALL YOURS!

Even cooler than that is the Mobile website that you get. It's the same website address, for me it's http://bsheppard.cbtulsa.com/. Yours will be different, but if you type this in the address bar of your computer, it will pull up your personalized website. If you type this in the address bar of your smartphone, it will automatically pull up your Mobile website. Try it, it's pretty cool.

Your Mobile site allows you or anyone to pull up a property by entering in the MLS#, HomeFacts #, or even the street address and it will pull up that property. This works great if you are out showing properties and drive by a home for sale that wasn't on your list. You can pull it up by typing in the property address and look and all the information and photos. If you really want to maximize your Mobile site, then give the site address to your buyers and they can drive around and look up homes they like by the address and get all the information, even photos, without calling another company's listing agent. Now that's REALLY cool.

If you don't subscribe to HomeFacts and want to be able to use a Mobile site, go to http://www.cbtulsa.com/ on your phone and give that a whirl. Once you're hooked, it's addictive.

Side Note: I use the http://www.cbtulsa.com/ mobile site to look up the contact information for another agent in our company. My iPhone allows me to pull up the person quickly, tap on their phone number and PRESTO, I get to talk to them.

The Right Tool at the Right Time

In November of 2009 my wife and I went on a trip to Africa to work at on orphanage. One of the things we did was build them some heavy-duty playground equipment. I brought all of the screws, nails, brackets, bolts, etc... you name it from the US over there. When we go there, I realized that they had tools, but everything were hand tools (screwdrivers, hand saws, etc...) NO POWER TOOLS. OK, I thought, at least I brought a hand drill that belonged to my grandpa, so it can't be that bad. Try using a flimsy African hand saw to cut through a 6"x4" treated wood post. It takes awhile.

Having the right tool makes life easy, when you know when and how to use it. More important than using the right tool at the right time is NOT using the wrong tool. It will simply lead you down a path of frustration to the point that you discredit the tool, even though it wasn't being used what it was meant for.


So, how does this effect you? One of the things I want to do is to make sure that you not only know the tools that Coldwell Banker Select offers, but also to show you when and how to use them. Each agent may use our tools a little different, but there are common instances as to when the tool is used and how it is used.

Interesting Fact: Did you know that there are agents in our company where 50% of their buyer side transactions come from HomeFacts leads? I looked at one and it wasn't that they said anything special or did something out of the ordinary, it was simply that they followed up on every lead they got. Pretty interesting huh?

Your Toolbox

Living on 13 acres affords me the opportunity to do lots of projects. In fact, I have my list of projects and my wife has hers (for me). Guess which one's get done first?

The basic steps I take before I start a project are to (1) Develop a plan, (2) Make sure I have the right tools, (3) Get my materials, (4) Lay it all out, and (5) Swing away. Now there are varying degrees of these steps depending on the project, but one of the things I ALWAYS know is the tools that I have in my toolbox.

In the real estate world, there are more tools available to you than you can shake a stick at. One of the things Coldwell Banker Select does is cut through all the "mess" of offers out there and provide the tools that either (1) make your life easier, (2) save you time and money, or (3) help you to grow your business. It's really that simple. There are a lot of tools that do not.

I've heard from many of you over the years about how our Select Living magazine, HomeFacts, CBTulsa, InTouch, HomeStaging, Internet Strategy, etc.... have helped make your life easier and helped you to make more money. Some of you aren't quite sure what all the tools we have are or if you know what they are, how they work. That's where I come in.

You will receive a weekly message from me with a Tool Time Tip of the Week. These messages will not only highlight a tool that we offer at Coldwell Banker Select, but also how to use that tool to help in your business. I hope these messages will educate and inspire you to be your best.

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.