Mike Lyon - Internet Marketing for Home Builders and Real Estate

(video) Epcon Communites Goes Tech at National Sales Conference

Mike Lyon — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:49:05 +0000

I’ve recently discovered, after presenting at Epcon Communities’ national sales summit, that Epcon agents are people who take action!

During the summit, I had the pleasure of sharing concepts with their sales team and builder partners on how to create digital communities. We talked about integrating new technology into the sales process.

After my discussion on incorporating video into the sales presentation about 12 sales executives didn’t just take notes, they took action. They went to Target and bought Flip Mino cameras (rumor has it security almost kicked them out for trying to negotiate a group discount)

You know me, I never go anywhere without my own Flip. While I was there I shot a few clips myself with some amazing individuals!

In the first interview, I talk with Phil Fankhauser the CEO of Epcon and the best-dressed man in the industry. He shared some great concepts the night before. Here is my favorite quote, “If the market is 17% off, doesn’t that mean we are 83% on?”

Next up is Nanette Overly, the VP of Sales and a dynamic individual discussing action steps for 2010.

And finally, Ed Barber, Sales Executive of the year for Epcon talks about how he is going to use video email to blow up his business in 2010. (plus he talks about his dog, Teddy Bear)

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Win Seth Godin’s New Book – Linchpin

Mike Lyon — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:30:09 +0000

UPDATE: Most of this conversation is happening on Facebook – check it out here and join the conversation

Are you indispensable? Tell me why and you can win a copy of Seth Godin’s new book Linchpin. Watch the video for details and leave a comment, send a tweet, post on Facebook. Bonus points if you leave a video comment.

See Seth Godin talk about his book here:

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Is Social Networking a Waste of My Time?

Mike Lyon — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:29:12 +0000

“How in the world am I supposed to keep up with all of the Social Media stuff, I don’t have enough time as it is?” I hear this question just about every time I present on the subject.

I just finished a great webinar with sales agents about social networking and building communities while building a powerful personal brand. Sure enough, during the Q.A. portion, someone asked it again.

I think it is an extremely valid question. The last thing you would want social networking to be is a time sucker, especially if it replaces critical business development opportunities. My standard answer is don’t spend more than 45 minutes a day of your “business” time.

Let’s face it, I have yet to see someone be 100% efficient from 8-5 every single day. So take some of that spare time and engage in your digital network. On that same note, don’t get caught in what we call “digital quicksand” where you emerge hours later and realize you have been doing nothing but playing Mafia Wars.

It may look like I spend more time on these sources than others, but I follow my own advice. I have a few tools that allow me to be efficient. (tweetdeck, hootsuite etc) but my swiss army knife is my iPhone loaded with all of my social networking apps. Because I am connected, I can use my “down time” for connecting with others. Yes, you will have to trade in your “dumb” phone for a “smart” phone – I talked about that in a recent post.

Think of all those times you are waiting around. Maybe you are getting your oil changed, stuck in traffic, waiting for the dentist, sitting at the mall waiting for your wife to finish shopping at the Gap – you name it. This is a great time to pop on Facebook and talk to a few folks, send a retweet or comment on a LinkedIn discussion.

If you are committed to using social networking to build your business, this is how you can do it without wasting time. Or you can just stop watching American Idol and use that time to build your brand – just a thought. Some call that being a workaholic; I just call it smart business.

I shot this video on my iPhone waiting for my oil to get changed. (I was a bit under the weather, sorry for looking so rough)

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7 Phrases for Setting Appointments

Mike Lyon — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:00:42 +0000

Leads are great, but what value do they have unless you can convert the prospect into an appointment. Too often, a sales executive will assume that they are the only game in town. They say to themselves, "Hey, I have this great prospect talking to me via email or the phone, they are so close – this deal is in the bag." With this mindset – they give great information (sometimes too much) and have the attitude that when they are ready they will call back or email to set that appointment. Thinking to themselves, “Where else are they going to go? I am the only one working on this listing/community/home.”

Remember, speed wins and in many cases you not only need to be fast with your responses but also fast to get them to meet in person.

I believe every interaction with a lead, either on the phone or by email, should have the end goal in mind of setting an appointment.

To do this you need to be armed with some great "closing" scripts. In the lead management process your first opportunity to "close" is by setting the appointment. Here are 7 phrases I have tested that work extremely well.

The Assumptive Close: "It seems like you are interested in this home. The next step would be to meet in person. What time would work for you?"
The Soft Close: "Thank you so much for taking the time to talk. What do you think about meeting in person for a VIP tour?"
The Trial Close: "Do you feel like you have enough information to take the next step and meet in person?"
The Hard Close: "What are we waiting for, let’s get together today!"
The "No means yes" Close: “You wouldn’t mind if I asked you to set a time to meet in person, would you?"
The Tie Down Close: "I think an in person meeting makes perfect sense, don’t you?"
The Alternative Close: "I would love to set a time for a VIP showing. We have time during the week or on the weekend, which works best for you?"

In most conversations your prospect will give you all the chances you need to ask for the appointment. Remember, the appointment is merely the natural end to a great interaction. What is the worst they are going to say? No… Go for the no every time. But don’t give up. If they don’t set the appointment right away be sure to have another reason to follow up with them and keep the conversation going.

So what is your most effective way to set an appointment?

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Video Interviews from the International Builders’ Show – Round 3

Mike Lyon — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:22:54 +0000

Last but certainly not least, here is the final round of videos from the International Builders’ Show. If you want to check out all the interviews from IBS, they are here on YouTube.

One of the highlights of the show for me was meeting John Fanning, the Co-Founder of Napster. (if you aren’t familiar with Napster, it is the service that basically turned the entire music industry upside down) He attended the Extreme E-Marketing presentation on Thursday and we spent a few minutes throwing around some video communication ideas.

Want some great marketing ideas from the best in Australia? Darren Mehl is the marketing manager for Metricon, Australia’s largest homebuilder. I spent half of my final day hanging out with him and the executive team soaking up as much as I could. Darren is extremely sharp and an all-in-all cool guy (its not just the accent).

Good thing I had my iPhone ready when I bumped into Extreme Makeover Home Edition, in the cab line. He shared some great stuff plus said some nice words about Simmons Homes. As I write this, I am working with Simmons on their third Extreme Makeover. (watch out, volume is high on this one)

I caught Jason Forrest from Shore Forrest in the hall after an event. I wanted him to talk about his new book, the 40 Day Sales Dare. I love the concept plus the interactive blogging from those who are on the dare.

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Video Interviews from the International Builders’ Show

Mike Lyon — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:38:02 +0000

One of the best things about the International Builders’ Show is the opportunity to meet and learn from the best in the country. Below are a few videos from day 2 of the show.

I can’t say enough about Myers Barnes. He has inspired me on so many levels and is a force to be reckoned with in the homebuilding industry. He is one of the best New Home Sales Trainers in the country.

Myers talks about the current state of the market and what can be done from here to move in the right direction. If you watch only one interview, watch this one.

I had the chance to hang out with the group from LGI Homes based out of Texas. LGI Homes has been recognized as one of the top 200 builders in the United States and the only builder to increase closings and revenue over the last 3 years. Eric Lipar is the CEO and shares some successes from last year and aggressive (but from everything I have seen – attainable) goals for the future.

I grabbed Tom Nelson after his presentation with Myers Barnes. Tom is the founder of NDG Communications and had some powerful points for creating focused content for your marketing programs and how to make it work. (As a bonus, he tells you how to get your whole vacation to Vegas paid for)

Are you looking for a great system to mange your internet leads and prospects? You need to take a look at Lasso Data Systems. I was able to catch the CEO, Dave Clements, and ask him about the new QuickStart product starting at $39 per month and the great features of this system.

What are some takeaways from the show? Don’t be shy, chime in and leave a comment below. Similar Posts:

Video Wrap Up from the International Builders’ Show

Mike Lyon — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:37:58 +0000

What a tremendous time in Vegas. The International Builders’ Show was a huge success with a new and refreshing energy in the air. I wanted to post a quick video with a few takeaways from the show.

Stay tuned over the next week as I upload a lot of great video interviews shot with some really cool people you should get to know. I tried posting from the show but 3G wireless just couldn’t keep up with the Flip HD. (here are some from the first day)

If you were there, please be sure to leave your comments below, maybe something you are going to implement that you learned from the show.

Off to Orlando next year (we will miss you Vegas!)

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Video from the International Builders’ Show – Day 1

Mike Lyon — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:31:48 +0000

Great day at the International Builders’ Show. There is a lot of positive energy in the halls. I was able to ambush a few great folks on the first day.

Tim Costello, CEO of BHI (newhomesource.com and the newly formed Builders Digital Experience) who shared some great new tools available for builders (plus his story about driving Betty)

Jeff Shore talking about opportunities for builders to rethink their strategies for 2010 and overcoming addictions to “b-backs”

Finally, the good people at Graphic Language have a new “revolutionary marketing tool for homebuilders, real estate folks, and their agencies to broadcast, propagate, manage, and track new home listings online” that they are launching at the show – newhomefeed.com (Robert O’ Shaughnessy can explain)

Stay tuned for more videos coming as fast as I can upload over 3G…Similar Posts:

Realtor.com Launches Real Estate Search iPhone App

Mike Lyon — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:10:46 +0000

Realtor.com has hit a home run! A little late to the game but they finally released their iPhone app – and survey say… it’s actually good!

Until now, I had been using Zillow’s app as my location based search tool. Drive by a house, pop it up and see what the home was listed for. Problem was, not every home was on Zillow. (Of course, the opposite could be true about FSBO on Zillow and not Realtor.com…) At least I could get data without calling.

Now, Realtor.com released a slick app that works great. Check out the video below and the quick hits from their site. Download it and play around. Good stuff.

As Joel points out on his post, now is more important than ever to make sure your sites are optimized for mobile. I couldn’t agree more.

Here are some of the specs from the Realtor.com website (I have added my thoughts in parenthesis) :

Not only can you instantly access over 4 million homes for sale with the touch of a button (that’s huge), whether you are driving or walking through a neighborhood, you can also see:

Homes for sale nearby your current location with your GPS enabled iPhone (bam! huge…finally…)

Open house times, dates and locations (they still do open houses?)

Homes for sale on a map, even the neighborhood you’re standing in, instantly (yeah buddy!)

Multiple photos, property details and pricing on nearly any home for sale (Realtors you better add more photos, please for the love…)

More homes for sale than any other real estate site in America (true, for now at least)

Information you can trust – because it’s the official listing site of the National Association of REALTORS® (Well, if you say it’s official. really…I trust everything that’s on the interwebs)

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Lose the “Dumb” Phone

Mike Lyon — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:13:47 +0000

Are you looking like Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell. Time to lose the “dumb” phone and upgrade your primary communication tool.

I even wrote this whole post using the Wordpress app on my iPhone. Grabed a screenshot of the Zack pic, tweeted out the link, sent to facebook and posted on linkedin. A true miracle of modern technology.

Leave your comments below. What do you love most about your smartphone?

(on a side note, I use my iPhone so much my wife has threatened to flush it down the toilet multiple times. Guess that is the side effect of a connected world. Does anyone else experience this?)Similar Posts: