Jan
23
Listen: Networking is less about meeting new people than it is about getting them to remember you after the fact.
That means, asking the right questions is an essential step in standing above the crowd. Getting noticed. Having people remember you a week from now.
It’s not how many people you met. It’s how many people you impressed.
If that’s the case, then how do you get someone to remember you from the other dozen people he met that very same night?
Good question. Let me explain.
One Easy Way to Provide Value
First, make an instant connection with that person. Just after you’ve introduced yourself, say…
“So where else do you normally network?”
After she answers, offer the names of a couple of networking groups or events and promise to email her if you think of some more. By providing valuable information she might not have had before, you’ve made a deep connection with this person she isn’t likely to forget.
Get Them Talking about Themselves
Second, in early in the conversation, ask…
“What do you like best about what you do?”
People enjoy talking about themselves and a question that shows true interest in their careers will anchor your name deep in their minds.
It helps to determine early what you have in common with people at the event.
Keep Them Talking about Themselves
Third, during the latter stages of the conversation, ask…
“Oh, I see. What got you started in that direction?”
This will probably generate the longest response. But that’s okay, because it will be a meaningful way to wind down the conversation. And once again, by showing a true interest in her career, you’ll make your name easy for her to remember next time she comes across you business card.
Bottom line, be yourself.
Your Turn
What are your networking secrets? How do you stand out in an over-crowded networking event? Share your thoughts.
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Jan
15
One of the Oldest Web Writing Guidelines
Filed Under SEO, Uncategorized, blogs | 1 Comment
The inverted pyramid. An age-old journalistic trick. And the blogger’s best friend.
Some think it’s worthless. Others alter it. Yet, anyone who writes online–including you–will find it’s the most effective formula in your arsenal.
In fact, it’s critical in any search engine optimization strategy you have.
What Is the Inverted Pyramid?
Essentially, the inverted pyramid style means that you give the most important or interesting details first, and then continue to dribble less important information throughout the body of the content.
Ideally, you’ll want to give the most important content in the first paragraph, and save the least important content for last.
The first sentence should answer the two most important questions about the subject of your content: Who and What.
The Who is who your page is about–be it a person, a resource or a place—and the What is what happened to that person, business or place.
The inverted pyramid can help your SEO copywriting endeavor in two ways:
1. The most important information is mentioned at the very start, thereby helping the readers understand the summary of our webpage.
2. Your most important keywords (which will necessarily correlate with the most important information) get displayed at the top. Thereby increasing the chances that the search engines take notice of our web page.
Why Is SEO Important?
This may seem like a strange characteristic of a real estate website, but it’s actually crucial: Search engines, in addition to page content, look at the number of links pointing into Web pages.
Often, the more inbound links a Website has, all other things being equal, the higher in the search rankings it will appear.
By providing creative, unique and regularly updated content on your website or blog, other people will want to link to your site.
But optimizing your website for both search engines and people needn’t be a trade-off.
Where’s the Balance Between SEO and People?
There’s significant overlap between the tasks required to reach these two objectives, and this overlap can be used to our advantage.
It shouldn’t be too challenging to create a Website that users can find easily via the search engines, and use once they reach it.
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Jan
9
What do you do if you need to sell 1.5 million homes before they foreclose?
Well, if you’re a real estate agent who’s got a bead on homes about to foreclose…you short sell.
Short selling is nothing new. Especially with the collasping home market, and all. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to gather all the best ideas on short selling I can find.
Think of this as the unofficial guide to short selling. Enjoy–if that’s possible. And have a great Friday.
8 Irresistable Reasons Why Pre-Foreclosures Can’t Live Without You. Use these ideas to prove to sellers that you are truly there to help save their home.
Did you know there were 4 good reasons to work foreclosures? Discover ‘em: Quick and Dirty Guide to Foreclosures.
Short Sell Your Home–7 Steps That Helped Avoid Foreclosure. DebtKid shares his personal story on how he avoided foreclosure.
Businessweek proclaimes short sales “The new exit strategy.” A short sale tale.
Group moves homeless people into foreclosed homes. Won’t teach you anything about short selling. But a great idea to solve one problem with another.
Ever gone after a pre-foreclosure and had it fall flat on your face? Maybe you broke this pre-foreclosure maxim.
A beautiful alternative to foreclosure: strategies for short sales. Question and answer article that will cover most of your concerns.
Another worthless article not about short selling that I thought I’d share nonetheless. House prices plummet in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland. And when I say plummet, I mean homes for sale under $3,000. $1,000. Even $500.
How foreclosures changed the election. Intriguing turn-around.
Getting naked in short selling. The skinny on the stock side of short selling by Marketplace Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch. Useful? No. Fun? Yes.
Got any great links on foreclosures, short selling or pre-foreclosures you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Jan
6
Cheat Sheet on How to Make Your Ideas Stick in People’s Mind
Filed Under Real Estate Marketing | Leave a Comment
“Don’t panic, but one of your kidneys has been harvested.”
That’s the punch line for one of the most successful urban legends in the last fifteen years. What makes it so successful? It’s sticky: understandable, memorable and effective in changing thought and behavior.
How do you create ideas that are sticky? You use these six principles found in the book Made to Stick:
Simple: Think staggeringly simple.
Find the core of your idea. Like a proverb. Hollywood script writers create the high concept pitch. Journalists ask, “What’s the lead?”
Unexpected: Attract attention.
Surprise your readers. Create mystery and intrigue in your opening lines. Ask provocative questions.
Concrete: Help people understand and remember.
Make abstractions concrete. Insert hooks—images and experiences—into your idea. Put people into the story. Talk about people and not statistics.
Credible: Help people believe.
Use authority and testimonies. Use convincing details. Make statistics come alive.
Emotional: Make people care.
People donate more to one little girl than to a huge swath of Africa. Appeal to self-interest—and not just base self interest. Why does it matter to them? Appeal to identity: Texans don’t litter and Americans fight evil.
Stories: Get people to act.
Use stories to show people how to act. And use stories for inspiration. Look for three key plots: Challenge, Connection and Creativity.
Believe it or not, the acronym for these six principles is SUCCES.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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