The good and bad of Facebook
I’m been reading about Facebook recently and thought I would share some of what I discovered. There’s good news and there’s bad news. (Isn’t there always?) The bad news is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get attention. Even if you are building up lots of “likes” of your page, there’s no guarantee that people…
Squirrelize yourself
Fall is arriving in these parts. The leaves are turning. And the squirrels are busy storing nuts for winter. (One cheeky critter has turned a rock outside my house into its own personal kitchen, leaving a messy pile of shells. Who is going to clean that up, eh?) The whole nut gathering thing isn’t a…
Leader or sweep?
I volunteered at our local hiking festival this past weekend. I was the “sweep” on three hikes – that’s the guy at the back who makes sure that no one is eaten by a bear. It’s better to be the leader, of course. People follow the leader. The leader has authority. The leader takes people…
You deserve to be heard
Sometimes people are too timid to market. They are afraid that people don’t want to hear from them. … that they will be seen as too pushy. But here’s the thing. You are good at what you do. You help people. You make their lives better. You have real expertise. Here’s a funny thing: many…
How much are they really worth?
Your math teacher was right (unfortunately). Numbers are important. That’s especially true with business. I was talking yesterday with one of our clients. We were discussing the cost of leads and the return on investment he gets on those leads. Those are important numbers to know if you are going to run your business like…
The price of last resort
When customers have no other information available, they buy on price. After all, when everything seems the same, it make sense to go for the cheapest and the nearest. Why would you pay anything more? Why would you accept your rate of commission? And yet… …. So many agents fail to sell their value. They…
The never-ending battle for loyalty
I was emailing with one of our current clients the other day. She has been with us for almost four years and is very happy. Her assistant sends out her print format newsletter for her every month. It’s helped her keep and win more clients. But… …there are still some that get away. So she…
Turtles, a beaver – and showing up
I was chatting with a guy yesterday who spent 60 hours this spring watching for turtles. There he was by the side of the road, counting them. It was all part of a program to stop these ancient creatures getting squashed by cars. It’s a big problem if you’re a turtle, and they’re dying out.…
The unfortunate salad bag incident
I bought a bag of salad leaves at the farmers market the other day. Organic. Grown Locally. Expensive. …And then I left them in the office for a couple of days. Organic. Grown locally. Brown liquid. What a waste! Here’s my quick point. Your prospects and clients are like salad leaves. Ignore them and they…
Magic and reality
I was reading a fascinating article by a broker on Inman News yesterday. Basically, she said that real estate agents keep believing in magic. Such as… Lead sources that will solve all their problems. New technologies that will make closing clients super-easy. How posting a listing to Instagram is the answer to your marketing problems.…
Make it taste good
Sometimes – no, quite often – there’s someone at my local grocery store offering a taste of something. I’ve always thought that’s a risky strategy – unless your product is excellent. Otherwise it’s one taste and… never again! On the other hand – if the product is truly good, then maybe you win a customer…
Ikea can’t be all wrong?
Ikea, I think you’ll agree, is a successful company. I don’t know many people who haven’t wrestled with an Allen key sometime over the past couple of years. And guess what? Ikea still prints and mails its catalog. All 300-odd pages of it. Now – isn’t printing a massive book like this expensive? Yes, of…
Department store or boutique?
This is the time of year when kids are doing to college…or they are thinking about where they’re going next year. I read something interesting about this yesterday. Thought I’d share – because there’s lesson in it. Here’s what I read: While the big, famous schools are always popular, not everyone gets into them. But…
Why are those dragonflies stuck together?
Why are those dragonflies stuck together, uncle Simon? That was the innocent question from my five-year-old nephew the other week. Look at that loon! That was my reply. Because distraction works. After all, there are some questions you simply don’t want to answer. Way above my pay grade. Mom and Dad’s job. Here’s the thing,…
It might be old, but it’s not dead
Whenever I hear someone say “everyone does everything online these days” or “I am only sending email newsletters from now on” my heart sinks a little. Not because I’m some kind of Luddite – my entire business is built online and email marketing is very successful for me. But… It’s short-sighted to say that “everything”…
How newsletters relieve “inbox stress”
My inbox is getting out of control. You know what it’s like – there are emails in there that you know you must handle… but you don’t have time (or a system) to handle them. Every time you see those same emails, it’s like another itch in your head. Gotta get that one done! And…