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RISMedia, June 4, 2011—Successful salespeople understand that making the sale has much more to do with developing trust and rapport than it does with issues of lowest price, highest quality or the largest company. Unfortunately, far too many salespeople unintentionally sabotage their chances of making a sale by skipping the "small talk" and getting right down to business. On the surface, this approach might appear to be an effective use of time, but it's a huge mistake that will cost tons of money over the long haul! Any architect will be quick to tell you that a strong foundation must be laid first before you can build the walls. Likewise, before you can expect your prospect to buy your products or services, he or she must first like and trust you as a person.

RISMedia, June 3, 2011—When it comes to private mortgage insurance (MI), there are several myths that exist that make buyers reluctant to consider a conventional loan with MI as an option when purchasing a home. One of the more common misconceptions is that cancelling MI is a difficult—not to mention time-consuming—process. The irony is that the majority of buyers don’t harbor those same beliefs or reservations about an FHA insured loan when, in reality, FHA coverage may be less easily cancelled, or take longer to cancel, than MI.

RISMEDIA, June 2, 2011—One of the most common topics I am asked to speak on is the team structure vs. individual agent vs. models of the future. Although I feel that a team structure is not the only way to go, I am partial to it and most certainly feel it will dominate our industry in the future. There is a plethora of different approaches one can take to reach success, but I don’t think I will receive any argument from REALTORS® that our job is only getting more demanding and consumers are becoming more educated with more tools at their disposal.

RISMedia, June 1 2011—The word "auction" is derived from the Latin augeo which means "I increase" or "I augment." Auctions have a long history, having been recorded as early as 500 B.C. There were many types of auctions held during the Roman Empire. One of the most significant historical auctions occurred in the year 193 A.D. when the entire Roman Empire was put on the auction block by the Praetorian Guard who offered the empire to the highest bidder. In some parts of England during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries auction by candle was used for the sale of goods and leaseholds. This auction began by lighting a candle after which bids were offered in ascending order until the candle spluttered out. The high bid at the time the candle extinguished itself won the auction. The oldest auction house in the world is Stockholm Auction House, established in Sweden in 1674.

RISMedia, May 31 2011—Much has been written about how to recruit agents to join your company. But to attract and retain these candidates, you need to prepare your environment. Here are some important things to do before you recruit. 1. Decruit Before you can accept new agents into your office, you must eliminate those who no longer produce or contribute. Think right now of someone whom you hope will leave your office by the time you finish reading this article. Now answer these two questions: Why do you want them to leave? Why do you keep them?

RISMedia, May 28 2011—Do you find yourself avoiding certain types of clients? Do you find yourself unable to speak the truth to sellers when their properties are overpriced? If you’re like most real estate professionals, your “people pleaser” pattern often gets in the way of telling the truth. When you’re not able to tell the truth to your sellers, they lose respect for you, and you end up losing the transaction. This is similar to a client of mine, named Pauline, who was unable to reach her financial goals because she only wanted to work with buyers. When I probed into what was blocking her, she said that she really didn’t like the idea of working with sellers. In fact, her dislike was so great that she actually avoided speaking with sellers.

RISMedia, May 27 2011—International buyers are driven to own property for investment purposes, or as a temporary residence while visiting the U.S. for business or pleasure. For the former example, think a European business executive with a co-op in Manhattan, for the latter, a Canadian snowbird seeking Florida weather in winter. You’ll find these smart, savvy, computer-literate clients hail from Europe (30.8 percent), North America (27.5 percent) and Asia (25.2 percent), with the remainder being from Latin America, Africa and Oceania. They speak their native language. They embody their culture and follow their customs.

RISMedia, May 26, 2011—This business is about connections and relationships. Before you can ratify a contract and go to closing, you have to connect. You have to engage. You have to collaborate. You have to deliver an experience, not just a transaction. Finding the right technology to help you accomplish this objective is critical. For the better part of a decade, technological advances allowed consumers and REALTORS® to increase efficiencies, but did very little to enhance an experience. People did pretty much the same things, only faster.

RISMEDIA, May 25, 2011—By mid-May, the spring home-selling season is usually in full swing. Homes look their best, and buyers rush to lock in deals so they can relocate in the summer. But this year, things are not so good. Despite low home prices, sales are sluggish as the market struggles to recover from the burst bubble of the past decade. Many potential buyers are scared off by worries that a home bought this spring could be worth less a few months later, given that prices have fallen by more than 8 percent over the past 12 months, according to Zillow.com. Others are eager to buy at today's low prices, but cannot get a mortgage because lenders have tightened standards to avoid a repeat of the default and foreclosure crisis.

RISMEDIA, May 24, 2011—Knowing where to meet potential buyers and sellers online is only half the battle. Once you’ve identified the social networks that fit your global objectives, the next challenge is tapping into the business-building potential of these networks with effective communications. Social networking can be an excellent tool for meeting new people and creating new opportunities far from your local market. That said, cross-cultural blunders are easy enough to commit in face-to-face settings. Shift those conversations to a social network—where proper online etiquette poses new challenges and you cannot read non-verbal communications—and it is even easier to run into trouble.

RISMedia, May 23 2011—RISMedia’s Achieve! – Real Estate’s Marketing & Opportunity Conference—will provide the most innovative educational programs and networking opportunities for brokers and agents. Industry experts Joe Clement, Todd Hetherington and Ed Krafchow are among the leading broker panelists who will offer an in-depth look at where the industry is today and where it’s headed in the future during the Opening Session titled: “The State of the Real Estate Industry – Expanding Your Marketshare and Profitability in 2011” at this year’s Achieve! Conference. The session will take place on Tuesday, May 24 from 1:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County, New York.

RISMedia, May 21, 2011—OK, so you’re standing in line in the supermarket, or in an elevator, at a party, or in a networking group. Sooner or later, someone is going to say to you, “So what do you do?” This is what you want, free publicity, so to speak. However, how you handle this question could determine whether this person becomes a prospective client, a prospective referral source or just walks away.

RISMEDIA, May 20, 2011—RISMedia’s Achieve! – Real Estate’s Marketing & Opportunity Conference—will provide the most innovative educational programs and networking opportunities for brokers and agents. Industry experts Joe Clement, Todd Hetherington and Ed Krafchow are among the leading broker panelists who will offer an in-depth look at where the industry is today and where it’s headed in the future during the Opening Session titled: “The State of the Real Estate Industry – Expanding Your Marketshare and Profitability in 2011” at this year’s Achieve! Conference. The session will take place on Tuesday, May 24, from 1:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County, New York.

RISMedia, May 19, 2011—If your goal is to generate leads and referrals from international home buyers or sellers, it’s a sound strategy to stand out from the crowd. To reach that goal, jump-start your marketing initiatives with no-cost, low-cost and highly cost-effective tactics that can contribute to building awareness on the global market. Here are eight tactics to consider. Most employ social media and other online or digital resources, while others should provide fresh perspectives on how to maximize proven marketing resources.

RISMedia’s Achieve! – Real Estate’s Marketing & Opportunity Conference—will provide the most innovative educational programs and networking opportunities for brokers and agents. Industry experts Joe Clement, Todd Hetherington and Ed Krafchow are among the leading broker panelists who will offer an in-depth look at where the industry is today and where it’s headed in the future during the Opening Session titled: “The State of the Real Estate Industry – Expanding Your Marketshare and Profitability in 2011” at this year’s Achieve! Conference. The session will take place on Tuesday, May 24 from 1:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County, New York.