Stop It Real Estate Agents! – Scott Stratten
Back on October 15th, 2009 I wrote a bitty called, ” Are Real Estate Agents Obsolete?“. I have taken a lot of heat for it, but those who attacked couldn’t see past the anger. My point was simple, change or be ignored, the role is changing, but many have chosen to continue as they always have, That’s OK.
Another challenge, is getting Agents to learn a better way to use Social Media Networks to, well….do business better. You will find I’m not alone on this, some agents are actually doing a good job, but most I’m sorry to report, are thinking old school. I could go on and on about this, but there’s no need, I will however let marketing man share with you, his name is Scott Stratten. Please take this as an opportunity to make some subtle changes in how you the Real Estate Agent uses Social Media & QR Codes.
Here’s Scott:
What do you think? has Scott nailed you, or better yet, did he give you some good ideas? Is he right, is wrong, or are we barking up the wrong tree? Be honest with yourself if you are in Real Estate, look in the mirror, are you that agent, or are you different?
The Future Of Business – Don’t Get Left Behind!
Have you noticed traffic to your Blog has dropped off a little, maybe alot. Have you noticed that comments don’t come as frequently as they used to. You may be wondering what’s wrong, is it you, is it your content, or is it….(insert what you think it is here). Are you feeling like you are being left behind, maybe not even noticed.
It may not be any of the above, it may be, that you are being left behind for reasons out of your control. If it is something you can control, then get on it, fix it as quickly as possible, but what if it isn’t. What if it’s sheer numbers. What if you can’t be found or heard because of one thing.
There is a saying out here on the Internet, one that matters today and in the future, if you want to generate revenue or be top of mind. You have to “Create More Content Than You Consume”. There is much to unpack in that statement, way too long for a Blog post, you may find it in an ebook soon.
But being left behind is something much simpler than what to do or how to do it. The truth is, you can’t control what’s happening, because it’s like a tidal wave, you can’t stop it. Here is the problem. There are 2.1 Billion (rounded up) people on the NET as of March 31st, 2011:
As you can see, Asia & Europe lead the way. The problem doesn’t reveal itself in this graphic, it’s the other 3 Billion coming, over 5 billion people will be online. They will be coming via the O3BNetworks project. And you can’t figure out why it’s getting harder to be found, harder to be heard, and maybe, harder to keep sales up.
Is it possible, that creating more content than you consume will be enough, probably not. You will need a great many things going on to be where you want to be when it comes to business online. You will want a large following, a community that cares about your product and or service, and a thing called Klout will become a factor once that mature’s. This combination will go a long way in making sure you are not left behind.
Today is the day, don’t wait, don’t sit and have meeting after meeting to discuss what went wrong, and worse yet, do nothing! Understanding the Future Of Business takes hard work, and figuring out how to adopt all that is changing requires you and your business to make a paradigm shift.
SHAMELESS PLUG
If you want some insight on what to do, and you live in my area, attend my Future Of Business Workshop, a great place to start. You will be glad you did, you’ll learn how to prevent being left behind. In the end, you will learn that Mindset Trumps Skillset Evertime. Come learn about the Future Of Business and Don’t Get Left Behind!
Remembering Trey Pennington – A Kimberly Kelly Tribute
“There are three basic human needs we ALL have…
Everyone wants to be heard
Everyone wants to be understood
Everyone wants to know his or her life matters.”
-Trey Pennington
The Future Of Business – Are You Taking Or Giving?
I was sitting on my deck yesterday, thinking about my Blog and what I write about. Does it really matter? I ask myself that regularly, why? My wife & I have been dealing with death a lot lately, not ours that’s obvious, but people around us. And I just learned of a friend who committed suicide (Trey Pennington), probably because he couldn’t see any other way to ease his pain. How did we miss this, there are so many questions.
We hang out here online with all these how to books, videos and webinars, but we don’t have answers to depression and other mental illnesses. We fancy ourselves as thought-leaders on so many topics, and think we are so powerful because we think we know something and have to share it. Now I’m not saying that it’s not valuable, but is truly important.
I have another friend who goes to bed every night with only a 20% chance he’ll wakeup in the morning, can you imagine that, how would you sleep? I find it interesting how we never combine death and what we share online, it’s too negative isn’t it, and it wouldn’t sell. Or would it?
I can’t remember a time when I have been so heartbroken, not even the death of my Father and soon my Father-In-Law (less than 8 months to live), have I felt such a loss for words. You may have noticed I haven’t written in a while (August 24th). With all that is good in my world, there is much pain, some days are heavy lifting, and others are light. What’s interesting about this, no one seems to notice we are going through difficult times. Aren’t we supposed to be watching out for each other, be our brother’s keeper so to speak? Oh wait, that’s a Biblical thing…people don’t believe that do they. You should, there is value in living according to the 10 Commandments, what’s the worst thing that could happen to you if you did? You would be a loving, caring person, you would treat your family and friends with respect, and you would help your neighbour without looking for some return on your investment from them.
I talk about the Future of Business here like there is a future, what if I die before I get to reach all my goals, what if I don’t reach every business owner in the world with my message. Does it matter, and why should you pay attention to me if it doesn’t?
Yes I’m way off topic today, but life is pretty real in our house these days, and I tend to value people over business and tasks. That’s what I love of about Chris Brogan, he makes business and life very human, very much real. Most of us go about our business working our to-do lists without give a thought about how someone is feeling or how they are doing. So why are we here, what’s our purpose, it’s simple really. Live a purpose driven life, one that loves people and trusts God, look out for each other, and more importantly, encourage and lift up those around you. Imagine what the Future of your Business would be like, imagine the quality of your relationships, and the richness your life would bring to others. It’s not all about you, it’s about a higher calling, something much, much bigger than yourself.
90/10 Rule
I have said it before, and I’m saying it again, use the 90/10 rule, give away 90% and ask to be paid on 10%. Give yourself away more than you don’t, you will change the world, and you will have an amazing life, a life of service and great reward.
I don’t mean to preach but, I believe you are valuable, you matter, and we all have something to offer, no matter what abilities we may have. Live your life this way: How Many People Are Better Off Because You Lived.
The Future Of Business – Everyone Will Be An Affiliate Of Something
I was having this conversation and the topic became very clear, one revenue stream will not be enough in the future to make a living. Everyone will become an affiliate of something. I found this to be true here on owengreaves.com, I do workshops, public speaking and I have links to affiliate products and services. I also own a webhosting company called Billyhost.com, as you can see I don’t rely on just one for cashflow or a primary source of income.
The younger generations get this, they have multiple passions and want to experience them all. They do something different for each one to pay for those said passions. They find a product or service that is in-line with that niche or passion idea. We all must adopt this theology if we are going to insist on doing business on the Internet. Yes there will be a few exceptions but for the most part, most of us will need to leverage multiple revenue streams to be able to do the things we dream about. But survival will require us to think outside the box and align our passions with those niches that will help us make the most money.
In my workshops I help you find those alignments, show you examples of those who have gone before you. I’m trying to plug the workshop, I’m sharing that there many of us out here that are doing it, and doing it well. We want you to learn and grow, that’s why we share here on the Internet.
If you have read many of my blog posts, you will have found an affiliate link or two along the way. You will also notice that I have a page for Headway Themes, I am an affiliate of that product, it’s the best WordPress Theme on the market in my opinion, and based on the sales, many seem to agree. I sell Headway because I run a WordPress Blog, and I run a Webhosting Business, which means I build a site or two. It’s in-line with my interests and it helps me make money.
Simple right? Not really, but you get the idea. So if you were going to align yourself with an affiliate product, what might that be, how does it relate to the passion you are wanting to experience, how will it make you money to experience it?
When the other 3 Billion People get online, you will have a whole new market to leverage, and with 5.1 Billion here on the Internet, everyone will need to be an affiliate of something. What do you think?