I have spent the last couple of days making some changes to the book, updating some info and now I believe that it is all complete. If you would like a copy of the book all you need to do is visit the Realtor Marketing book website at www.realtormarketingbook.com.

Have you forgotten what was in the book? I was reminded as well and now that I have looked more closely I realize that I should have probably broken it up in more pieces at the outset, Here are the Realtor Marketing Book chapters

Finding your target market online – You need to focus even more online to find your market then you do offline

Search engine Optimization – Get more people to your site by making sure that the search engines, including Google, know what you page is about

Blogs – Blogs, if done right, are a great way to get people to know your and get more visitors

Websites – It is time to get your website to work for you instead of just look good.

Social Networking – Social Networking is a new and exciting way of getting the word out about your site.

Autoresponders – If someone is interested in buying or selling, then you want to build the know, like, and trust that will keep them with you. That is what an autoresponder can do for you.

Promotion – There are some great ways to promote your internet presence. Lots of people want you to spend lots of money but there are many inexpensive or even FREE ways to promote yourself online.

Newsletters – Do you have a newsletter? Do you wonder why you would need an online newsletter.

Everything that I wrote I wrote from the angle of an internet marketer instead of just from my Realtor background so although you will recognize some of the terminology a lot of it may be a a bit foreign to you…this is of course fine.

Go to the Realtor Internet Marketing Book website and get the book now.

If we look back to 1997 and pretty well the early days of the internet, there were a lot of ways that buyers would look for info including 2% looking online. The number for the internet is not 37% and the newspaper share is now down 75% to only 2%.

Looking at these numbers shows us how incredibly important the internet is for Realtors but when we look at the failures almost every week at newspapers than these numbers are really a microcosm of what is going on with all marketing that happens on newspapers.

I know that many Realtors are willing to put a bit of money into marketing on the internet only willing to throw a bit of money into internet marketing while still spending lots of money on classified ads in local newspapers.

But those Realtors that are really serious about the internet are cleaning up while the rest of Realtors are looking for the cheap way online.

In this crazy market, it’s even more important to make sure you’re working with clients who are serious about buying or selling.  The time required to close a deal is extended in the market today, so you need to make sure every hour you spend is taking you closer to a commission.

Ask the Right Questions to Pre-Qualification

The first way to pre-qualify a prospect is to ask the right questions and to listen carefully to identify any inconsistencies or hesitation in the answers you receive.  Here are the type of questions that can help pre-qualify a buyer or seller:

• Why are you planning to buy/sell?
• What is your timeframe for making this move?
• What will happen if you don’t meet your timeframe?
• What have you done to prepare yourself for making this decision?
• What could cause you to change your mind about making this move?
• If we found a home you loved, what would have to be in place before you would make an offer?
• Have you been pre-approved for a mortgage?  Would you get pre-approved?

Naturally, these types of questions can’t be asked all at once, and need to be woven into a discussion, not an interrogation.  But, if you listen carefully and gently probe into any hesitation or inconsistency, you’ll be a lot farther ahead in making sure that your new client is actually going to close a deal.

New Technology for Pre-Qualifying

There’s a service that you can evaluate to assist you in pre-qualifying prospects.  Learn more about it at www.RealTAG.com.  Using RealTAG, you can enter a prospects name and address and receive information such as estimated income, estimated property value of their existing home, and other information that will contribute to qualifying the prospect.

Using technology effectively is a low cost, high impact way to control and increase your business. This past summer I had a unique opportunity to review my business and in particular my use of technology. I left the company I had been with since 1997 and dissolved a 7+ year business partnership. In making these two major changes, I took a couple of months off from real estate sales. Taking this time off was a unique opportunity for me to review my business. In my evaluation, I discovered that most of the technology products and services I bought or signed up for were great but I was not fully utilizing most of them. This was a waste of time and money, in this market none of us can afford to waste either.

There are many technology products available, the amount and type of technology you decide to use will vary depending on your comfort level, your experience and your target marker or client base. In my case, a significant amount of business comes to me from repeat and referred clients, so I choose technology tools that help me to stay in touch with past clients. For your business, you must choose the most appropriate methods to contact your desired market.

Almost everyone I meet with to discuss buying or selling will have done some online research before we get together, even my past clients. According to NAR’s 2007 Realtor Technology Survey, 84% of homebuyers use the internet before they contact a real estate agent. This is up from 80% in 2006 and it is expected to continue to increase. This means you need an online presence not only for new potential clients but also for your current clients. A well done website is great resource for both new and existing clients.

Today’s consumer is also looking for information fast so I recommend using tools to reach your clients quickly, such as accessing your email via your cell phone or texting/instant messaging. In addition, it is in your benefit to be aware of all the real estate information available online. In the past clients came to us for information, today they already have it, or think they do. A great deal of what consumers see online may or may not be relevant to their specific needs so another part of our job is to translate the vast quantities of information that is out there.

Today we need more knowledge and more tools to be successful in this business. Do you even know any business professional not using a computer or cell phone today? Consider the power of your mobile phone. As agents, this is the single most powerful technology tool we have. Cell phones are not just for making phone calls. For example, if you use a smart phone it’s so much more…it’s a camera, you can access your email, it keeps your client database, your calendar and in many areas, your phone can even be used as your electronic lockbox key.

The amount of knowledge we need to be successful is no longer limited to which are has the best schools and the best priced homes. Today we need to be experts in technology and we need to maintain that knowledge as it changes quickly if we want to provide the best service to our clients.

As a realtor, there are many things you can do to have a positive impact on your community. You can participate in organized events such as charity golf tournaments, marathons, or fundraiser dinners. You can even start your own event like Linda Covino did in Medford, Massachusetts. She started an annual Dancing with the Realtors competition, based on the popular TV show, “Dancing with the Stars.” Dancing with the Realtors has turned out to be an entertaining and successful event that in 2007, raised over $20,000 for Habitat for Humanity.

Other charitable programs include “Bowl for Kids Sake,” which is a national fundraiser that has supported Big Brothers Big Sisters for over 40 years. There’s also Habitat for Humanity, which is always looking for volunteers to help build affordable housing. Rally your co-workers and volunteer a few hours each month to help build homes for those less fortunate than you.

One philanthropic real estate agent named Gerald Leonard has decided to donate approximately 50% of all his commissions to charity, while passing on the tax breaks to his clients. You can follow Leonard’s lead by donating a certain percentage of your commissions to local or international charities of your choice.

If you’re not ready to hand over half your commission just yet, and don’t have time to start your own nonprofit organization, there are acts of kindness that are smaller in scale, but still valuable in their own right. For example, consider placing a bin in the office to collect nonperishable food items to donate to the local food bank, or collect toys, spare blankets, and outerwear for emergency shelters.

Other ideas include participating in a walkathon to raise money for cancer research, donating blood on your way home for work, and registering to become an organ donor. If you’d like to be part of the planning committee, become a board member for an organization whose cause you’re really passionate about. Another idea is to visit places like retirement homes or hospitals to provide companionship to those that feel alone.

By volunteering your time and money to help those in need, you’re doing your community a favor, and enriching your own life. If you believe in karma, you’ll definitely improve yours by acting selflessly, and you’ll also find the experience to be invaluable in terms of personal satisfaction. Volunteering also gives you the opportunity to learn new skills in a supportive environment, as well as the chance to network with like-minded people. You’ll be expanding your circle of influence, which could lead to new clients down the road.

As a real estate agent, you’re in an excellent position to get out there and make a difference. Even if you haven’t had the best year, you can still give someone a hand that really needs it, and improve the lives of both of you in the process.

About the Author
For info about Minnesota lofts and condos, go to MinnesotaLoftsAndCondos.com. There you’ll find listings for properties in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and surrounding areas.

The article describes 10 tools, including Zillow of course, that help people get through the buying and selling of reale estate.

So what kinds of changes would be ground breaking to you? Here in Canada the MLS is now mapped with Microsoft Virtual Earth and you can now very quickly see listings on a map with a pop up pic with basic info on the property. For those that just want to see a list of properties available on the map will see a sidebar on the right with all of the listing in the window.

I am sure that we will see changes soon at the realtor.com site but at this point the Canada site is so much better than anything else that I have seen that it is hard to compare.

What do you guys think? Have you checked out the Canadian MLS site? How do you like it?

The Real Estate and Mortgage Conference at Blog World and New Media Expo

They really need to get a better name. Anyway this trade show There will be a seminar, booths and training, here is what they say

A full day of seminars, panels & workshops focused on the nuts & bolts of leveraging social media tools like blogs to enhance the marketing efforts of real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and anyone working within the field of real estate.

This event is taking place in Las Vegas on September 19 with the rest of the Blog World Expo taking place on September 20th and 21.

Here is a page that will tell you the top 5 reasons to go to the Realtor Blog World Expo as well as more info about it

But that does not really mean you should hop on the bike to do showings…just be aware.

With gas prices high, bicycles flying out of stores and a buyers’ market for houses, a handful of real estate agents around the country are touting the two-wheeled appeal of their listings.

Some even show houses exclusively by bike, wheeling through the neighborhood with potential buyers to show off bike lanes and bike-focused businesses and repair shops.

Clad in a purple helmet with plastic flowers dangling from her handlebars, Portland’s Kirsten Kaufman is part of a new generation of agents eager to replace the stereotypes of hauling clients around in fancy sedans or SUVs.

The mother of three starting hosting bike tours earlier this summer, doling out energy bars and apricots to a growing tail of clients whose passion for pedaling weighs heavily in their choice of homes. Some are hard-core cyclists. Others are moving into the city to avoid increasingly expensive and onerous commutes.

“It’s becoming more common to see families committing to driving less,” said Kaufman. “I think it’s a part of the market that will continue to grow as gas gets more expensive.”

Over the summer, sales of homes dipped by more than 15 percent from last year, according to the National Association of Realtors, leaving Kaufman and other agents looking for ways to spark business.

Bike agents say pedaling with clients is providing that boost. Behind a niche market that repsents only a sliver of natinal sales is a bigger trend – a fundamental shift in the way people think about buying homes.

Real estate agents and industry surveys indicate that home buyers are placing more importance on cutting their gas bills and commute times and that homes near urban centers, and subway, train and bus stops are selling faster than those in the distant suburbs.