I may be a little late with earth day celebration, but I heard somewhere that “everyday is earth day!” In observance I figured I’d share some stats on how the wealthy are doing their part in saving the earth.

According to the American Affluence Research Center, this is how the most affluent 10% of households in the country contribute to saving the earth.

• 90% recycle regularly
• 56% believe they are doing their part to help the environment
• About 3 in 10 feel they should be doing more to help the environment
• 70% report using energy efficient light bulbs and/or other products to reduce energy consumption
• 30% purchase organic foods whenever they are an option.
• Only 6% buy fashions that use organic materials
• A third of the respondents currently own none of the 7 eco-friendly products listed
• Most commonly owned “green” items are compact fluorescent light bulbs (45%), low flow toilets or faucets (44%), and EnergyStar appliances (40%). Green cleaning products (27%) was the only other item owned by more than 10% of the respondents
• Half of the respondents do not expect to buy any of the 7 listed “green” products during the next five years. The most frequently anticipated purchases are a hybrid automobile (24%) and EnergyStar appliances (22%)
• Two-thirds have done none of the 3 listed eco-friendly activities during the past 5 years. The most frequently mentioned (31%) activity was the purchase of hormone-free meat, dairy, or produce.
• Almost 8 of 10 respondents do not anticipate doing any of the 3 listed activities during the next 5 years. The most frequently anticipated activity (15%) is an eco-friendly vacation or resort.

According to Forbes, the real estate industry is also doing their part to reduce our carbon footprint. From geothermal cooling, to LED technology, recycled rainwater and even solar panels we are making great strides in changing the way we live. The best part about it is that in many cases we no longer need to sacrifice luxury and comfort to save the earth. Now that is what I call progress. What kind of green initiatives are going on in your area?

Via:  Luxury Insights and Forbes

We get into the real estate business with little business training. All businesses must have goals and a plan delineating how they will achieve their goals. In other words, you must know the steps to take to achieve the goal.

To achieve the income you desire you need to know:

• How many leads you need to generate
• How much money you need to generate those leads
• How much support staff you will need to service your business
• How many contacts it takes to get an appointment
• Your average sales price / commission earned

You must have appointments with buyers & sellers and you must convert these appointments to listings and then to sales. There are a set of skills you must master to be successful in real estate; the skills to convert leads to appointments & appointments to listings.

 Lead Generation is Key

Here are some ways to begin lead generation:

• Call your sphere of influence
• Call expired listings in your farm area
• Contact past clients
• Meet with banks
• Develop relationships with allied businesses
• Walk neighborhoods
• Attend community & social events
• Hold seminars

Most importantly talk about your business. Listen to the people you are talking with and ask for the business. So many times we do everything right but then never ask for the business!

Ok, you’re going to tell me you are in the real estate business. And I am going to ask you what makes you different then the real estate agent at the office next door? Anyone can open a door and show a house… what makes you different? And what is your customer’s experience of you?

In the book, Peak, by Chip Conley, he talks about experiential happiness, suggesting that once the customer’s base needs have been satisfied (they have seen the house ), they look for more  intangible benefits of working with you. Can you deliver on those higher needs? If you can you very well may create a customer “evangelist” for life!

Look around at the top agents in your office

• What is different about what they do?
• What type of customer experience are they creating ?
• How do they present the information ?

Customers are loyal to people they feel offer them something more…

• Do you help customers reach higher goals?
• Do you allow customers to express themselves more fully through using your service?
• Do you connect the customer with a larger cause?
• Do you offer something completely different than the customer ever thought was available?

One agent in the Miami area comes to mind Todd Nordstrom of the Nordstrom Network , Keller Williams, is a prime example of this, he holds events for his customers that many times benefit charities.

I am sure there are many more that go above and beyond and create great experiences for their customers. This is what it is all about. Creating “Raving Fans” that spread the word about you!

So what business are you in ? Please let me  know …

It’s a great way to share properties across the Web.

Please take the survey below

Here is a video on how to use Postlets

Postlets are a great way to get your property noticed. Where other Agents may post their property listings on Craigslist and other sites, a property listing done on Postlets outshines them all.

You can also post the same flyer on various sites like: Craigslist ,Facebook,FrontDoor, GoogleBase,  HotPads  
MySpace ,Oodle ,Trulia , Twitter,  Zillow 
This is a major time saver. Vflyer is another program that is also very good. 

Please participate in the survey below

You may now have the time to take a look at your real estate business.  Are you using your time wisely? Are you tracking your business? Are you aware of the sources of your business? What’s working and what’s not?

 Some things to look into:

Time management: Identify your priorities. What days will you work? You must have time off for family, friends & yourself if not burnout will ensue and you will begin to hate what you do.

Are you spending your time on income producing activities, generating leads & developing new business? Are you prospecting… the “new” prospecting on Facebook & Linkedin can be alot of fun! Forget the Do Not Call List and contacting strangers! Become online friends and the world will open up to you!

Marketing: Are you tracking your advertising? You need to know that the dollars you allocate to advertising are producing for you. Oftentimes we find ourselves advertising in the same magazines  because “we have always done it” and if not some other agent will get our space and our leads. Are there really any leads? You won’t know unless you source your business.

The most important thing about marketing is measuring your results. Marketing without measuring results is wasted money. Ask your customers how they found out about you or your property. What made them come to your open house … the directional signs, postcards ? When you get a buyer lead, what website did they find your property on?

 ASK QUESTIONS!  This equates to doing your research so you know what produces the results for you.

Without knowing where your business is coming from you are probably wasting money. Part of  a good marketing plan is constantly reviewing the sources of your leads and comparing return on investment.

Marketing Partners: Look around in your community. Are there any other businesses that you could partner with to do marketing? Consider the related service providers that you use. Lawyers, title companies, inspectors, lenders are all looking for the same customer – the homebuyer!

Using Technology to Increase Your Business : Your customers  expect you to be tech savvy. You must have a smartphone and be responsive to your prospects requests. If you do not respond within 30 minutes your prospect is likely to be contacting other agents. The first one to call and/or email back is likely to become his agent.

Todays challenging environment requires that we all roll up our sleeves and take this time to tackle the areas where we can improve our businesses, our lives and our communities.

The negotiation begins as soon as one side attempts to influence the other, which is usually way before a contract is written.

Think about your first encounters with  your customers &  the agent on the other side. Your rapport with both of these individuals will have an effect on the negotiation of the contract on a specific property.

 I have seen many times where the agents do not get along because of some miscommunication and they just become difficult to deal with. Obviously this should not affect the sale but in actuality it does. Not fair to the customer on either side. One needs to begin with the end in mind!

Data from the NAR 2008 Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers names the skills most coveted by buyers & sellers from their real estate agents, 98% believe that negotiation skills are “very important”but only 43% of all buyers felt that their agents negotiated better terms on their sales contracts and 37% felt that their agents negotiated a better price.

Buyers assigned negotiation skills the lowest satisfaction rating of all agent skills and qualities.

So if one wants to be  successful in this business honing your negotiation skills is a good idea! Plus it is useful in every aspect of your life.

Some important things to do

• Present the offer yourself directly to the decision maker (You can do this with the other agent present)
• If you cannot get face to face with the decision-maker send a cover letter with your offer stating your case.
• Develop a good working realtionship with the agent on the other side.

What’s in it for Everyone?

The negotiation process is quicker & less problematic. When an offer presentation is used the entire negotiation can be wrapped up in a day as compared to a week or more.

Some resources :

Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher & Willian Ury