Sunny Hilton Head, South Carolina

I think much-too-much is made about the importance of business card design. Most real estate business cards look the same. There's head shot, a huge logo or team name and maybe something on the back of the card like "I appreciate referrals."

My current card has no photo. Just want to do the opposite of everyone else. My name-- which is kind of memorable-- (John March)is prominent and in an unusual font...could be a very good brand in and of itself. Since I switched brokers, I didn't spend a whole bunch of time with design and just selected the template and mashed the order button--yes, the back of my current card does say: "I appreciate referrals."

Enough about my crumby card.

I am not saying that Business Cards should be  overlooked as a marketing weapon--and it would be better to have some kind of "FREE OFFER" on the back side of a card with a web site address, for example--rather than the obvious reminder to give me something I covet (referrals)--which are on the backs of millions of cards handed out by other realtors.

Truth is, no one cares as much about our business card is we do!  More thought might be put into HOW we can generate leads with this simple device rather than glitzy graphics.

We might spend much more time thinking about HOW we're going to get other peoples business cards. And not be so concerned about handing ours out--they usually get pitched anyway.

We could do some "walk-around marketing.." meet the doctor, lawyer, store owner, dentist, small service business owners--

BUT WE DON'T HAND THEM OUR CARD!!

"Gosh, I don't have my cards with me, I'll send it to you, may I have yours...

--Get THEIR cards--most of these folks have real estate that they own--they may want to sell or that may want to own more of it.

Now, we have an excuse to SEND our card to the new contacts with a "thank you, nice meeting you, let's get together for coffee sometime." This initiates the new relationship."

That card has all kinds of info on it--like an email address--which you can use later on--after you've started to build a relationship--

--If their is an email address, I would not begin to immediately drip emails. Rather, this would be followed up with snail mail. Why? Let new found suspects get to know, like and trust you. Let them give you permission to email information and offers to them-it's the long way around, but once they're on your email list, they're more likely to stay, if you're providing information of value.

And it all starts not with forgetting your business card (literally--leave them home) and getting suspects business cards.

P.S. I do have a suggestion about design and graphics: We should make contact information easy to find and SEE. (I hate it when I can't read the telephone numbers or have to hunt for a fax number, as I am trying to type the info into my database.)

 THE DARKNESS

Headlines today from CNN.com

September 25 2007: 6:34 AM EDT

Lennar loss bigger than expected

No. 1 home builder in terms of revenue sees sharp drop in new orders, deliveries, as it cuts staff and plans more layoffs.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- In a further sign of trouble for the battered housingand home building markets, Lennar posted a much bigger-than-expected loss Tuesday for its fiscal third quarter, saying it has already slashed staff and plans further cuts.

(I just love the choice of negative words...)

The nation's No. 1 builder in terms of revenue, Lennar posted a net loss of $513.9 million, or $3.25 per diluted share, down from the net earnings of $206.7 million, or $1.30 per diluted share, in the year-earlier period. Analysts surveyed by earnings tracker First Call had forecast a loss of 55 cents in the period.

We become what we think about most. Fact is, people are selling homes and they are buying homes. I have come to the point where I will just shut my ears to anyone who wants to spout negative stuff.

We live in the greatest country in the world. We have a great and strong economy. There is a cycle for everything. Yes, facts are important--but, I am talking about believing in what I just wrote; believing in yourself and, in "difficult" or problematic circumstances getting creative--even when we get "shelled" with bad news, day after day. This is opportunity. We can be a problem-solvers. Solution providers.

What the media does is create fear. Yes, bad stuff does happen. Yes, people lose jobs. There is some pain. No one likes pain. This is the stuff of life. This too shall pass.

And, then the sun shines.

Marketing Succeeds when:

1. You have a plan
2. Your marketing has a purpose
3. Your marketing message is consistent
4. Your marketing is contiunous
5. Your marketing is measured
6. Your marketing is an investment
7. Your marketing yeilds an acceptable return on investment
8. Your marketing asks for a response
9. Your marketing is directed at solving client problems
10. Your marketing is not all about you

to your marketing success now... John March

www.marketingsuccessnow.com

Where Does The Money GO?

 Morning Muse:

Some of us spend lots of money on magazine and newspaper advertising. The truth is, it's not the listing we want to promote, but ourselves...am I wrong?

Most of the Ads are "beauty contests"--Glamour shots-- and "I am the greatest headlines" --Stuff that consumers don't really care about.

In my town we have sort of a contest--to see which agent can get the biggest photo of herself into the Ad, still have a photo of the home and then jam  will all of the features--2 bed, 2 bath, blah, blah, blah.

The response most of us here get from our local paper has been abysmal. It's a waste of money. BUT--it gives clients a "good feeling"  that their house is being promoted. What are we doing?

We are teaching our clients that this is the best way to find buyers. So, they want more and more of it.

A broker friend shook a commission statement for the year in front of my face telling me that (last year) he made $300,000 in GCI. My question to him was "How much of that did you get to keep?"

He's in all the magazines and he'll buy all the gimmicks in the world to get more listings--so he can spend more money on all those magazines--so He can get more listings...

If you haven't figured it out yet--you and I are in the WRONG business. We should be selling Advertising. We'd gross more.

Can we laugh at ourselves and not cry too hard

to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son. ^{" Ephesians 1:6 (NET Bible)}

This is not a repeat post but rather a change in emphasis. The focus is on what God has given to the world--and to believers. http://www.championsinchirst.net/

What it brings to mind is how gracious and kind Our God is to us. While we were still sinners he sent his only son to die for us, to redeem us from our sin and ourselves. I can only think how I have taken this and cheapened it with my own sin, treading on the very blood that saved me.

I believe there is a call for Christians to dig deeper, to grow more and more in Christ, to be truly committed to Jesus and the cause of the Gospel. We see pictures of Christ on the cross--They have been cleaned up to be more fitting decoration for our churches and our homes.

God sent His son to die a very bloody and painful death. He called Jesus to suffer beyond what we can imagine; suffering we don't want to think about; suffering we forget in the midst of our sin.

Some (preachers) may say, you need to remember God's kindness more than God's suffering and our sin. I cannot. What is true today must be addressed. We have in the body of Christ, easy "believism" Discussion of sin is taboo and yet, by our lives, we either mock what God has done or we are truly His ambassadors.

This week a pastor friend revealed to me the betrayal of a elder in his church. How painful it was and how unchristian and unbiblical his actions were. The seeking of power--the seeking of success, money and pleasing of ourselves before God and others is a fact of life in us an our churches.

I preach this to myself, more than anyone else--if the apostle Paul called himself chief of sinners, I must call myself a General.

Yes, God is kind. We must be grateful for his grace. Our repentance must be final. Our resolve must be firm. Our job is to draw others to Christ--and we do so with not so many words, but rather the gospel we LIFE out in Christ--being committed to Him, being students of His, following His example and doing what He would do at every turn.

In God's kindness, He has given us the GRACE to do that--all we need to do is apprehend it.

This is my prayer for me and for you my brothers and sisters in Christ.

A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.

A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about their problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it.

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument.
A real friend knows that it's not a friendship until after you've had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

Author Unknown

I feel like I am among a lot of REAL friends.

Last night I had a friend call. He was in despair and sounded very bad.  I hadn't heard from him in awhile. so I was surprised by the call. He just wanted to talk. I cannot reveal the entire issue. It seems he was betrayed by those very close to him and he was, to put it bluntly--devastated.

For me, it's hard to listen without wanting to help someone FIX their situation. As a former counselor, I learned that one of the major strategies for healing is just to let people "talk it out" without any conditions attached, and without giving instant advice. I could really kick myself, sometimes because sometimes I am too slow to hear and too fast to talk.

Listening is not just sitting like a lump on a log and absorbing the sound of the other's voice. It is a dialogue--but the listener should only ask questions that allow the other person to speak more and dig deeper into his issue.  We really have to LISTEN. Not be distracted by anything else, our problems or thinking about what's for dinner.

What does this have to do with real estate. Let me share a couple of examples:

 A Realtor gives her presentation and the prospective client is resistant to the PRICE range she's given with supporting evidence. They don't want to "give their home away."

But, is that always the real issue? Often, we don't ask more questions, Instead, we show them a "timing chart" that is suppose to convince them that if the price is right, their home will sell faster.

Could there be other reasons for their resistance?  Maybe there's a strong emotional attachment. They just can't let the home go. They may have lived in it for 20 years with a spouse. The spouse died. They know they must sell, but they just can't let go. Why? Because they are finally faced with cutting lose all the memories.

Or, how about walking in and telling them--you need to stage your home. You need to throw this out. You need to do this or that--(like the two realtors on HGTV--just look at the expressions on some of their clients' faces--these two are grating) They need Socrates.

Socrates was a wise man. He asked questions. Socratic questioning opens the mind. Here's a very rough Staging dialogues--(1) "Can I ask you, would it offend you if I made some suggestions that could make this room look bigger?  or (2) "Would there be any reason we couldn't move the couch out of the room  (with all cigarette burns and rips and tears which you don't say) or is their some strong reason that would prevent us from doing that?"

The clients says: " YES, the couch is covering a very worn area of carpeting--we moved it there last month--and we don't have the money to replace carpeting--"  You say: "Well. would you consider letting me show you a way we could resolve that situation without it costing you very much money?

Perhaps these aren't the best examples, but my point is--and I am reminding myself more than anyone reading this--to Ask Questions. Listen. And not be so fast to talk or offer advice without knowing as much as you can know.

Clients are smart. They already know a lot of the answers--they have to come to their own conclusions.The best thing is to gain the cooperation of others, in your effort to serve them; that is, they come to good solutions willingly--not resisting, not kicking and screaming.

There is always the danger for us to pontificate and be the expert, savior and deliverer. Let's not forget--that for most of us-- change is not always welcomed. Change in circumstances, health, wealth, habits, personal relationships and our own personal development can be uncomfortable and even painful.

Sometimes, we need to be allowed to "grieve the loss" of the things that have become a part of us.

The one thing I love about cognitive-behavioral therapy is it's elegance and simplicity: Ask the questions. Allow the other person to reflect and answer fully. Listen without judgment. Ask more questions. Listen more. THEIR solutions and conclusions surface. They own them. You just facilitate--Ask, Listen.

The older I get, the less I seem to know.

BeBlessed today.

On September 11, 2001

The devastating terrorist attacks of 9/11 were responsible for 2,973 confirmed casualties and an unknown number of injuries

19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger airplanes. They crashed two of the planes into the Twin Towers in NYC, and flew a third into the Pentagon building in Virginia.

Passengers on the fourth flight attempted to retake control of the aircraft, but it crashed in a Pennsylvania field.