Are you an engaging leader or is control more your style? While a strong leader uses both styles, the engagement approach normally generates the best results.

When it comes to leadership styles, the Control Model is the most common. The Control Model places the focus on the leader’s needs as opposed to focusing on participant needs.

The challenge with the control model is that it mirrors the traditional classroom lecture situation. Adults, and especially Gen Y’s, dislike lectures where they they’re expected to listen and defer to an expert’s superior wisdom. The shift from control to engagement is important because it lays the foundation for creating trust.

To illustrate this point, imagine that you are leading a meeting where you must announce a fee or dues increase. You know that there will be serious resistance.  What would you do to best handle the situation?

The person who uses the control model will take the position: “Just live with it. It’s raise the fees or close the doors.” This often creates resentment because most people want to have a say in this type of decision, even if they can’t change the decision.

In contrast, the engagement model allows the leader to surface concerns and alternative solutions.

“We had to make a difficult decision between making major cuts in our services or raising our fees by 10 percent. We are going with the ten percent fee increase. What are some ways that we could trim expenses or increase revenues so that we can avoid future fee increases?”

When participants engage in the process, they own it. Best of all, this approach may surface new ways to improve your organization’s effectiveness while reducing costs as well.

Need more tips on how to lead effective meetings? Visit www.LeadGreatMeetings.com for more ideas on how to improve your leadership skills.

One of the most highly effective and convincing uses of video in real estate can be found in client testimonials. They can be invaluable, influencing prospective clients to pick up the phone or write. Done wrong however, they can not only fail to deliver their intended objective, but in fact harm your image and business over the long term.

Banking on extensive experience in advertising, including the management of a major true testimonial campaign for a multinational brand, here are some dos and don’ts for video testimonials.

• ALWAYS feature real clients. The credibility this lends cannot be stressed enough.
• Ensure viewers understand that the testimonial is of a real client. A full screen caption ahead of the actual testimonial, or a small caption that appears during the recording should do it. Some clients may not wish to use their name on the video, so their initials as well as their city and state would do.
• Shoot the video where your client can be naturally happy about the subject being discussed. Their satisfaction would project in their voice and attitude. Inside or just outside the home you helped them buy are good options. A nice backyard with the client’s kids happily playing, or with a spouse smiling at their side are genuine and convincing. If all options are on the table, pick the one with the least noise interference potential (cars, sirens,  air conditioner, yelling).
• Prepare and use questions during your interview with the client that naturally lead them to discuss specific benefits you would like to promote. For example, “tell me how important negotiating the deal on your terms was to you, and how you feel your agent was able to assist you in that area.”
• Keep the testimonials short. 10 to 15 second bites are effective and not boring. Your viewers do not want a dissertation about you but, rather, they want to garner a sense of confidence in you before they make their decision on which Realtor® to choose.
• Film the footage at a slight angle so the subject is facing you and not looking directly at the camera. A tripod would make this task fairly straightforward. When editing or selecting the clips that will be used online, under no circumstance should you use material where the client flips between you and the camera lens.
• Mix into your final edit some close up shots on the subject’s face, to create an instant connection with your viewers. Add slightly wider shots to bring life to the video and incorporate some of the background such as a part of the home or kids playing on a swing or enjoying a board or video game. The camera’s focus should however remain on your subject at all times.
• Lighting and overall quality are key. If you are not confident with your own videography skills,  invest in someone who does. Film school students may be a great resource and may do your projects for you for free, to build their portfolios.
• Do not use ANY footage that sounds like a sales pitch. Viewers connect with real people sharing their true feelings, and are repelled by sales spiels. Tell your subjects to be themselves and when necessary, ask if you could re-take a scene. A camera play back on location is a good way to decide if a retake of a scene is in order.
• Audio is just as important as video resolution. Use a good quality microphone and test it beforehand.
• Capture important sentences and use them in other online and offline marketing materials such as listing presentations, ads and flyers or postcards.
• Prepare and get a release form signed by your client, allowing you to use the footage and content in your marketing, royalty free.

Written By:

Roger Noujeim
Director, Point2 Communications

‘What is a good domain name?’

For anyone who is just starting, or may be looking to add another domain name to their repertoire, here are some things to keep in mind when deciding on a domain for your Point2 web site:

• Keep it short: You want your domain name to be easy to remember. Many domain registrars will allow you to purchase a domain that is upwards of 60 characters long, but that doesn’t mean bigger is better. (e.g. Smithsellsthebesthomesindenver.com)

• Avoid Acronyms: A common misconception is if the domain name is very short it will be easy to remember, but that is not always the case. You don’t want to use an acronym that is hard to remember, even if it makes for a short domain name. (e.g. rmsres.com)

• Keep Spelling in Mind: If you have an overly difficult or commonly misspelled name you may want to avoid using it in your domain name. (e.g. lisetrofimenkoff.com) It is also important to note that domain names can not be refunded or exchanged under any circumstances – once you purchase it, it’s yours! Be sure to triple-check the spelling before you hit the Purchase button.

• Make it Relevant: It can be useful for Search Engine Optimization to use a domain name that has keywords (e.g. Smithrealestate.com, denverhomes.com) this also helps people remember the domain name, as it is what the website is about.

• Avoid Trademarked Names: Make sure you are not using a Trademark in the domain name. (e.g. REALTOR®)

And lastly, don’t forget to market it! Once you have your domain name chosen and it’s working with your web site make sure to add it to your business cards and email signatures. Make your domain name synonymous with your name, even if they happen to be the same.

Jessica Kettner
Customer Care Representative

One of the many features that make Smart phones indispensable is their ability to check your email wherever you are. We know it is important to be able to check your leads and respond to them as quickly as possible. As a member of the Customer Care team, I speak with many real estate professionals on a daily basis hear firsthand the importance of accessing emails right from your phone. Being able to respond to someone quickly is a surefire to make a great impression.

Setting your Smart phone up to receive your emails can be tricky. Ensure that you aren’t missing anything important by checking with your email provider to obtain the correct settings. If your email is hosted by Point2 you can give our awesome Customer Care Team a call and we can walk you through setting up your email on your phone. 1-866-977-1777.

Jessica Kettner
Customer Care Representative

In the grand scheme of real estate marketing, there are some things that you can skimp on to save money.  Learn organic Search Engine Optimization tactics rather than using an expensive SEO specialist; use email blasts to save on stamp and printing costs spent on Just Listed postcards.  There are some services, however, that are non-negotiable, and your website’s IDX Home Search is one of them.

Lucky for all of you Point2′ers – Point2 now has their own IDX solution, powered by WolfNet, and it is a must have.

You may say to yourself, well, I can just link to one of these real estate portals that allow visitors to search homes for sale, maybe you’ve even figured out how to embed the real estate portal’s widget on your own site.  All of this for free, right?  Wrong … You get what you pay for.

Two Reasons Why You Should Not Use A Free Home Search on Your Website:

• They are riddled with ads.  Most from real estate related vendors or even other real estate agents.  Obviously you don’t want your website visitors to see other agent’s information, but even the vendors are bad.  You don’t want to promote someone you don’t personally know and can vouch for.  You don’t want their ad on your website, and most importantly, you don’t want to expose your buyer to them.
• Once your buyer does search for listings that fit their criteria, with each click on any particular listing, they are brought to a page with the typical listing details, as well as the listing agent’s contact information and even links to “make an appointment” which is a great lead capture – but the lead doesn’t go to you!

Two Reasons Why You Really Do Need A Reputable IDX Service on Your Website:

• The biggest difference between using IDX versus the various free listing searches offered by the big guys (and you know who we’re talking about) is that if you subscribe to an IDX service, you will be allowed to brand the listing search results with your contact information.  These searches become an instant lead capture system for you – sending all of the leads directly to you, making you the new buyer’s agent (hopefully).
• With most IDX services and Point2 IDX from WolfNet in particular, you are able to set up custom “quick” searches.  For example, if you specialize in Condos in Chicago, you could customize as many condo searches as you please.  So, you could have Gold Coast Condos, Wrigleyville Condos, etc.  You could essentially have each borough or area of your city/town with a quick search.  Not only does this help the site visitor, this will give you amazing search engine optimization due to the keywords.  We do not recommend using graphic buttons for these searches as you want the text for the search engines (or you could do both, text and graphic buttons).

Yes, this service is a monthly investment, but it is a wise one.  Looking at the bigger picture, it may, in fact, save you money vs. the free search on your website that is costing you leads.

With every lead that comes to your site that searches your free search on your site, only to find another agent’s contact information, or another agent’s advertisement, you are losing thousands upon thousands of dollars.

If you want to be a valuable resource for your community, offer them a website that gives them what they are looking for.  In exchange for your information, they may just reward you with their contact information, and eventually, their closing.

Have your Real Estate Virtual Assistant set up your customized Point2 IDX searches today.

Information regarding Point2 IDX can be found here.  You may also call Point2 directly at 1-888-277-9779.

Thanks for reading!

The RealSupport Team – Your Partner in Real Estate Marketing and Support

The team at RealSupport, Inc. is one of Point2 Agent’s featured Real Estate Virtual Assistant Alliance Program Members.  Their posts offer expertise in real estate marketing, technology, and more.  RealSupport’s office and team of 9 full-time and 4 part-time staff members is located near Chicago, IL.  Their successful team works virtually for many top real estate agents and brokers nationwide.  Pioneers in the Real Estate Virtual Assistant industry, RealSupport offers listing marketing, branding, website and logo design, lead generation, social networking, technical support, transaction management, blogging, copywriting, and much more.  Just ask!  Visit them online at RealSupportInc.com.

Have you ever been interviewed by the press, then read the article and wonder how the writer got the message they wrote about instead of the message you were intending to convey?

If you haven’t, take my word for it (someone who has been interviewed by the press multiple hundreds of times over the years), this sort of thing is not an infrequent occurrence.  An interview can sometimes last 30 to 45 minutes, and what might appear in the article are a few quotes from you and the assumptions and summation by the author of the article. So, the quotes are part of a larger conversation, a larger context, and quotes out of context can be misinterpreted, and sometimes worse, misleading. I am always reminded of the words of Jesse Jackson in this case…”Text without context is pretext.”

Many of you in Canada may have read the article about listing syndication in The Globe And Mail on May 19. The author and I had a very nice conversation of about 30 minutes in duration, and from that, I am quoted twice in the article.

The writer stated:

Only a small amount of search traffic ends up at the industry’s official portal, he says, and everyone else ends up on sites such as Craigslist or Kajiji [sic]. By pushing one feed to every site that wants to advertise listings, Web traffic is ultimately heading back toward the real estate agents.

Not exactly. What I said was that the industry was fractured and according to HitWise .com, the US real estate industry portal, REALTOR.com, as dominant as it is, receives only 6% to 7% of the total real estate website traffic. I surmised that even in Canada, people look for real estate on sites other than REALTOR.ca, which it turns out, according to Hitwise, to garner about 30% of the real estate website traffic. Where does the other 70% go? Wouldn’t you want your listings displayed on those sites as well? I have been a broker for over 30 years and my answer would be “absolutely”. If you feel differently, don’t syndicate your listings. You have that choice. I think not doing so is shortsighted. That’s just my opinion of course.

I went on to say that because of the convenience of the Internet, people often look at real estate, whether they are in the market or not. Searching for real estate on the web has become a recreational sport, lots of people do so and I would want my listing to draw as much attention to my name (my brand), as possible, whether the viewer is in the market today or not. The secret to success in marketing is repetition. A listing is a marketing asset and the value brokers and agents receive for their work on a listing can and should go beyond just the commission earned.

The writer then quotes me as saying:

“We think it’s about getting the information out there to as many places as possible and letting people find it,” Mr. Klein said.

I did say that and I believe it. There is a buyer for everything somewhere in the world; you just have to reach them. If you have not read The Long Tail by Chris Andersen, I highly recommend it.

The writer then said:

Competitors such as Point2 are emboldened by organized real estate’s battle with the federal Competition Commissioner, who is taking CREA to a tribunal because it believes the association prevents new companies from setting up alternate services.

An unfortunate choice of words. Point2 in fact, believes in the benefits of organized real estate and MLSs and has partnered with over 100 Associations and MLSs in North America to bring them and their members this service. We are partners, not competitors. As I mentioned, I am a broker. I was president of one of the largest REALTOR® Associations in California, I was a member of the California Association of REALTORS Board of Directors for 20 years and I wrote extensively on the antitrust case in the US a few years back, defending the industry and our brokers and agents.

Based on things I have read and discussed lately on the Competition Bureau agenda, I believe that the government is out of touch with reality. An MLS is a B2B network, not a consumer network. Consumers have lots of other ways, besides talking to a realtor, to find available property for sale. The alternate services issue is always confusing to me when stated by the government. The government sets up license law to ensure that consumers are protected, to ensure that the relationship between broker and principal is a fiduciary relationship…and then the government attempts to remove the obligations of a broker who enters a listing into a B2B network to act as a fiduciary…this to me is a contradiction, all in the name of “new businesses and new competition.”

The writer then states:

…Mr. Klein said the debate stirred by the case has made it easier to expand his business and sign up new partners for his service.

I do believe that syndication takes some of the wind out of the government’s sails. The best example that brokers do not “hoard” the data is the fact that they themselves place listing information in many places to be found by consumers. Syndication thwarts the “hoarding” argument. Yes, I said that for some of those who fear the actions of the government over listing data, syndication can be seen as a defense and so the conversation to convince someone that syndication of listings is in the best interest of their business and their customers.

I am then quoted:

“MLS is still going to be important because it provides governance and policing and that’s what makes its information valuable,” Mr. Klein said. “We just think realtors should give people more access to data – we know that distribution is more important than any one single website when people are looking for real estate.”

I believe MLS is very important. I also believe that MLS must use the strength it has today to position itself in the future. For more on my thoughts about the future of MLS, go to: http://MLSofTheFuture.com

Watch a video of Saul Klein and local Saskatoon real estate broker Norm Fisher discuss issues facing the Canadian real estate industry.  The Globe And Mail article is addressed.