Now that spring has finally arrived it’s time to de-clutter and get organized. The summer months are just around the corner and we all know how fast they blow by simply because it’s typically the time of year many of us enjoy the most. You don’t want to spend your time sifting through piles of junk on a sweltering hot sunny day when you could be wading in the pool with a cool pint of refreshment.

Time is of the essence if you want to make the most of the warmer weather. I have a principal rule I follow when it comes to thinning out the closet. If I haven’t worn it in the past year I try and find it a new home. I admit I can be somewhat of a pack rat, but fears of becoming a hoarder and infinite threats from my “Better Half” have forced me to depart with stuff I would’ve hung onto for decades. And, let’s face it, once you make the commitment to get rid of it you never give it a second thought anyway.

The 80’s & 90’s were great decades, but do I really want to go grunge again, unless, of course, fashion really is cyclical. Mind you, I don’t really want to be single again – especially at my age – and the kids wouldn’t be seen in public with me, so grunge is probably not a great idea.

De-cluttering other parts of the house can be equally as painful, especially when it comes to “Man’s Domain”: the garage. I mean, who knows when you might need that piece of twine or a few hundred odd sized nuts and bolts? I’m telling you, there have been times that I’ve tossed something I thought I would never use again, only to need it for a small handyman’s job around the house a week later.

Spring cleaning is a very stressful time of year for me, but in the end it always feels great to get rid of the stuff taking up precious space, and I’m all but guaranteed I won’t be single for at least another year when it’s time to do it all over again. Now to find my flippers and jump in the pool. . .oh wait, I threw them out!

If you want to de-clutter your real estate business, try using an all-in-one web solution like RealtySites PLUS™. Our members have access to an assortment of tools to help keep them organized and effortlessly on top of their game.

Whether it’s online document storage, communicating automatically with your prospects and clients, or keeping track of your stats, RealtySites PLUS™ will keep you organized and clutter-free.

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

Did you know…The word exercise derives from a Latin root meaning “to maintain, to keep, to ward off”?

And, did you know the term “to exercise” means to practice, put into action, train, perform, use, improve?

Biologically, it was part of survival, in the form of hunting and gathering or raising livestock and growing food. Historically, it was built into daily life, as regular hours of physical work or soldiering. What is now considered a form of exercise – walking – was originally a form of transportation.

Scientists in the UK believe they have found a chemical in the body that may explain why people feel better after doing exercise. The chemical phenylethylamine is thought to help regulate peoples’ moods, and they’ve found the chemical is not as abundant in depressed people as in happy people.
Researchers have found that, after exercise, the levels of the chemical in the body rise by around 77%. It’s thought there are other factors involved as well,  but STILL! (Source: news.bbc.co.uk)

I know you know exercise is a natural part of life, although these days we have to consciously include it in our daily routine. Recently, I have come to realize that physical activity doesn’t have to be hard. I always felt that you had to be a fanatic
and therefore I could never really maintain any fitness program. I always fell off the wagon because I couldn’t keep up with it, or I got sick of the sport/routine, or I just wanted to visit someone, or hang out with my daughter. We have a lot of responsibilities and obligations in a day, and sometimes all I want to do is chill.  But you know what? Anything is better than nothing – even just 30 minutes a day can help improve your health and generate feelings of well-being.

Fitting 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine is easy, especially if you break it into 10-minute increments. Try dancing for 10 minutes, taking the stairs wherever you are, parking your car further away (even easier now with the nice weather), or even a 10-minute stretching break at work. I bet you can find some simple exercises on the internet to do at your desk. I used to use an exercise ball as a chair when I worked from home – it forces you to sit up straight, if nothing else!

Exercise does more for you than just help you lose weight or build muscle. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins – chemicals that can help a person feel more peaceful and happy. It builds positive self-esteem, improves your confidence/mood, and gives you a more positive outlook on life.

I know that when I even do a little bit each day it makes me feel good, and helps me reduce stress. I also found out that regular exercise (even just a little!!!) can relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, actually INCREASES energy, improves posture and balance (back to the exercise ball), improves circulation, strengthens your immune system, helps with heartburn and constipation, improves your love life, and helps prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, osteoporosis and cancer.

PLUS, regular physical activity reduces the risk of premature death from heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer, reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure, lowers total blood cholesterol and triglycerides and increases high density lipoproteins (HDL or the “good” cholesterol). And of course, it strengthens your heart, and gives you stronger muscles and bones.

Exercising is like a lot of things – it takes discipline to stick with it, but as you can see, it’s pretty easy to increase your activity level without doing a whole lot. It’s just as easy to improve your online marketing and web presence. In just a few minutes a day, whether it’s using social media, writing a blog post, or simply working on your website, you can greatly improve your search rankings and generate more leads.

Like Nike says: “JUST DO IT!”

Carolyn Bickerton, Account Manager

I may be working in the high-tech software world, but, like many of our clients, I’m not the sharpest tech knife in the drawer. In my professional life, technology has always played a major role, but thankfully I’ve been able to work with people much more talented than myself to make the magic happen.

I have to admit, I’ve not always been quick to adapt. My family and friends still tease me occasionally of the fact that when bank cards became the norm (many years ago now), I still stood in line at the bank because I liked dealing with an actual person rather than a machine.  The truth is, technology has made our lives easier, but it’s also taken the personal touch out of daily transactions with our customers and clients.

Call me a little old-fashioned, but what I enjoy the most about my job is the fact that I can build relationships and actually get to know a little bit about our clients. I think this is so crucial to business because if we know our clients personally we can better tailor our products to suit their needs.

These days, when you call a company – especially a software company – you’ll be hard pressed to actually speak to someone in person without having to jump through various automated-attendant hoops that are both frustrating and time-consuming. That’s why I’m so proud of the relationships we’ve built with our clients, and the customer service we provide. An actual person answers our phone (usually me), and as a result I get to know our clients just a little better.

RealtySites PLUS™ has improved immensely because of the dialogue we have with our amazing customers. Technology is only as good as the people that develop it, but if there’s a disconnect with the people you’re serving, it becomes obsolete in a hurry.

As our company continues to grow and improve I know we’ll continue to offer the best of both worlds: amazing technology and good, old-fashioned personal service.

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

A few different blog posts I’ve read recently point to the same problem: way too much online information. With search engines and people gobbling up free stuff like e-books, webinars, tipsheets, special reports, and other forms of e-info out there, it seems that we’re facing a crisis of information overload.

By now, we know that content satisfies search engine appetites and helps drive SER’s, and we’ve all hopped on the bandwagon. I find myself agreeing with the bloggers saying that the content bandwagon’s beginning to look more and more like one of those clown cars at the circus. Everyone’s got content to read, download, print, or view on-demand – the internet’s bursting at the seams with information.

If you’d rather stick pins in your eyes than watch yet another webinar or have bamboo shoots shoved under your fingernails before downloading and half-reading another e-book, maybe the problem isn’t really too much information, but rather too much of the WRONG information.

I get several emails every day urging me to sign up for webinar after webinar on seemingly every e-marketing tool and technique going. The reality is that there’s only so much time in the day, and I’ve probably actually attended only 2 out of the 20+ webinars I’ve signed up for in the last few months. Chances are good that I’ve missed a few usable morsels of information. For the most part, though, the unfortunate reality is: probably not. Most of the tips and tactics shared by these companies are things I’ve already learned on my own or picked up through research and reading, and practice in my own businesses.

So how do we, as busy professionals, separate the good stuff from the crap? What ‘free’ information warrants an investment of our time to read, view or engage in, and what doesn’t? Ultimately, it’s up to us and our experience level or interest with the subject matter. For example, I likely won’t attend a webinar on successful email campaigns, given my past experience and expertise on the subject, unless it appears that the session will impart something new. On the flipside, I read a lot of blogs and other information on social media and emerging practices because that’s one of my specialties.

However, if a software company that I just created an account with were encouraging me to participate in a webinar that would provide tips for using their software and improving my results with great insider tips and information, chances are I’d invest the time, whether live or on-demand.

There’s a lot of free information floating around in cyber space these days – it’s up to you to figure out what’s going to be worth your time. Even if you learn just one new thing, I’d say that’s time well spent.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

In my last blog post I spoke about going on vacation with my family and the importance of nurturing relationships and creating memories. We have been home for a week now, and I’ve had time to reflect on some of the lasting impressions that were made on this trip.

One that comes to mind is when one of the kids dragged me off of my lounge chair and insisted that I help her make a sand castle. Considering that we lacked any sort of proper digging tools other than a plastic spoon, we decided it would be better to make an object out of the sand, and agreed on an alligator. Once the preliminary outline was etched into the sand, I began the task of carving out the outline of our soon-to-become masterpiece.

As I was digging my hands into the well-packed, dampened sand, I couldn’t help compare what I was doing on a sunny beach in Punta Cana to my work. It seems almost impossible to do something well, especially if you don’t have the proper tools.

Not to disappoint, I persevered with the same tenacity our team of professionals do at RealtySites PLUS™. I used that plastic spoon to carve out the intricate details to our giant sand sculpture and my bare hands to do the grunt work of digging and piling what seemed to be endless amounts of dampened sand. In the end, it occurred to me that I had the right tools after all.

At first glance a plastic spoon seems like the unlikely tool to create a great sand sculpture, but it worked. The same can be said of REALTORS®’ marketing strategies: a website doesn’t seem to be the first choice for many REALTORS®, because billboards and print ads seem flashier, and as a result many would think a more effective marketing tool. We know from recent statistics that the best way for REALTORS® to market themselves is with a strong internet presence and lead-generating website.

Just like the spoon I used to build a great sand sculpture, you can carve out more business than you ever thought possible with the right website and online tools to captivate consumers and cultivate leads (which of course result in closing more sales).

All it takes is a little time and effort, and before long you will amazed by what you’ve accomplished, just as I was with what I created using one little plastic spoon on the beaches of Punta Cana!

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

Note: This post was also published on www.lisamayhuby.com

As more and more businesses gravitate to the high reach-low investment medium of social media, I find there are far too many jumping in with both feet that really don’t have any business even dabbling their toes in it.

MLMers, real estate agents posting “another hot listing” or endless Facebook fan pages of nothing but listings, get-rich-quick gurus, and newbies that expect instant results after 2 Tweets about how great their product or service is: none of these have any place in social networking, and all will have a negative experience using it.

You want a good – no, great – experience? As in, a ‘pretty-darn-good-results-for-not-a-whole-lotta-time-invested’ type experience? Follow these tips:

1. Stop whatever social media stuff it is you’re doing RIGHT NOW. Just stop everything. Halt. Arrêt. Now, think of what you want to get out of your efforts. Better yet, write it down. The list should be point-form, one goal per line, a singular idea. If you’ve got the word “and” in one of the goals, that’s two ideas. Separate them. Next, review your list and remove the unicorns and rainbows. That includes any idea that makes you gaze wistfully into the distance, like the ‘generate X leads’ goals, ‘get X followers’, connections goals, and so on. Hopefully what you’re left with is real, measurable, and attainable.
2. Social networking is about just that – networking. And it works great when it complements your other marketing efforts. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until people finally get it: social media is a tool. A tactic. Something you use in conjunction with something else. Your teeth are tools with which you chew food and begin the digestive process. Social media is the tool with which you share bite-sized bits of information to help begin the lead generation process.
3. Stop being part of the “hey, look at me!” crowd, mindlessly echoing others’ thoughts and ideas to try and position yourself as an ‘expert’, and really engage with people. Stand out. Be selective with whom you engage. Don’t choose only the people that might be able to promote whatever it is you’re selling. Go on, be different from the millions of online minions fighting for attention.
4. Be consistent with your engagement. Whether it’s once a day or once a week, be consistent and reliable.
5. Evolve. Figure out how to move social media to the next level. As Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media says, “We have to grow up because not only does the same old crap not work anymore, but now it (and you) is just annoying.” (Incidentally, it’s just a coincidence that my post has 5 tips and hers has 5 tips. Really. Besides, they’re different tips.)

I always advise clients that you’ll discover what works best for you, and that’s absolutely true if you put some thought and planning behind it. Social media doesn’t and probably never will work for everyone in every business. If you’ve taken the plunge and are trying to use it for your business, help make it a more enjoyable (and hopefully profitable) experience for everyone.

It’s your web, keep it beautiful.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

I can’t believe it’s already Mid February. The Olympic Games are in full swing and I’m counting down the days to my much-needed family vacation. That’s right, I’m taking the whole family – and the kids are more excited than Christmas morning!  I must be crazy because a vacation with kids is far from relaxing, but it is great bonding time, and I’m all about building relationships through good times and having those memories to reflect upon.

Speaking of reflection, I was back in Ottawa (the Canadian capital) last week for business. Terry LeClair, our CEO, had a speaking engagement on internet strategies and web technology, and the following day we were involved with a tradeshow for Royal LePage. It turned out to be a productive four days, and even though travel can be exhausting at times, I absolutely love my job, so it hardly felt like work.

Rob & Sebastian at Royal LePage Ottawa Tradeshow, Feb 2010

The best part of my job is when I’m able to solve a problem for a potential client; for me it’s about more than selling a great product, it’s about building relationships – much the same as with my family. Many Realtors nowadays are struggling with their web strategy, and most progressive-thinking agents recognize that they need a dynamic website to captivate the online consumer, but that’s where it ends.

If you’ve ever been in the market for a home and found yourself meandering through some Realtors’ static business-card-style website, you’ll appreciate how frustrating the experience can be. If this is a point of frustration for the online consumer, it’s a serious concern for the Realtor who’s hoping to captivate an audience with a sub-par website. When I demonstrate the power of RealtySites PLUS™ in captivating the consumer, communicating with clients and cultivating new leads, I get a sense of satisfaction that makes my job an absolute pleasure.

As I prepare to embark on what probably won’t be a very relaxing vacation, I’m looking forward to spending time with my family, but will be happy to get back to work because of the relationships I have there as well.

See y’all in a couple of weeks!

Rob

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

On his blog, WebInkNow, David Meerman Scott wrote about the U.S. Department of Defense’s social media strategy, engaging in heavy-duty SM activities, from blogging and Facebook, to videos and photo sharing. Essentially, the DoD’s putting a human face on the military.

Numerous methods are being implemented in a multi-channel effort, each with their own focus on the different areas of the military. From The Pentagon Channel’s website, Facebook and Twitter streams, the U.S. Army’s ArmyLive blog and You Tube channel, to the U.S. Air Force’s “Counter-Blog” strategy.

What can you take away from the U.S. military’s strategy for developing a simple social media campaign for your business, and become a “social media rockstar” in your own right? Take a look:

This just gives you an idea of the potential. As you can see, it’s pretty simple, and you can tailor your strategy to fit your life, making it as complex as you like. Start small to get your feet wet, and work from there.

The main thing is that you open yourself to new ways of communicating with clients and colleagues, for both outgoing and incoming messages, and use these tools to your advantage.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

Something for nothing is a term we’re all familiar with, and most of us realize that you really can’t get something for nothing. However you can get something of value for almost nothing.

Let me be more specific with my analogy of the term: you own and operate a vehicle. You expect that, for a certain amount of dollars each month, you can have your vehicle of choice. This comes with a hefty price tag, often in the form of monthly payments of several hundred dollars, plus the cost of insurance, gas and maintenance. In the case of realtors – who absolutely need a vehicle to conduct their business – it’s considered part of the cost of doing business. Not exactly something for nothing.

By comparison, today’s Real Estate professional is well aware that close to 90% of their clientele is beginning and ending their search for a home on the internet. They’re looking at Realtors’ websites and other online resources. So why is it that many Agents have such a hard time accepting and adapting to internet technology? Shouldn’t a decent website be considered the cost of doing business as well?

We already know that it’s crucial to have a website because that’s where your buyers and sellers are going to find you. More importantly, you want to create a positive experience for your online consumer in order to create a “sticky” environment that will captivate them and keep them returning to your site so you can incubate them and convert them into clients. Why is it that agents recognize how significant a website is to their business, just as a car is, yet they aren’t willing to spend the dollars required to have a product that conveys a positive image while at the same time providing a great online experience to the consumer?

Most products out there are available for a low monthly fee, and in the case of RealtySites PLUS™, you get a ‘million-dollar product’ that costs less than $50 per month. Compare that to my car scenario which costs several hundred dollars per month to own or lease: which do you think is a better value?

A car is essential for your lifestyle; I present the argument that a website is just as essential for your real estate business in order to create an enticing online experience for consumers and to generate leads.

When you look at a website with the tools and features to captivate your consumer like RealtySites PLUS™, remember that you’re behind the wheel of a Maserati – for the price of a Honda Civic.

You can have a beater car, but when you’ve got the best at a low cost, which would you rather drive?

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

By now most everyone is aware of Twitter (unless you’re my parents), but you may not know or understand how it works, and just how powerful it can be.

For those of you that have been living a somewhat sheltered life (or with my parents), Twitter is a micro-blogging social networking site. Each post is limited to 140 characters, hence the ‘micro-blogging’ label. At first glance, for most of you Twitter probably seems like so much pointless, mindless drivel, spewing out what people ate for lunch, what their dog ate for lunch, or that their car broke down. And, if you follow people that write about such mindless crap, then yes, it’s completely pointless.

A word of caution (and I’ve said this before, often): don’t underestimate the power of Twitter. It’s real-time, high-speed information sharing like we’ve never seen before. Take the plight of US Airways Flight 1549 that crashed on the Hudson River – news of the crash broke on Twitter before any of the major networks had even heard about it.

What you get out of Twitter has everything to do with who you follow and what you share. Who you follow brings you the news and information you find useful and valuable. What you share gives others, your followers, information they find useful and valuable, and will hopefully want to re-share (ie. retweet) with their followers.

Businesses of all types have grasped Twitter as another marketing channel, promoting free and paid content, sales messages, surveys, promotions, and support updates. One industry that seems to be divided about Twitter is real estate – some use it to their great advantage, while others struggle to comprehend it and the purpose behind it.

The reality is, there’s nothing to figure out – it’s not rocket science, and it’s certainly not hard to understand. It’s simply an ongoing stream of information and randomness. The tough part about Twitter isn’t understanding it, it’s controlling and managing the streams so that what comes into your consciousness is relevant to you.

Some great tools for managing Twitter are Twitter Lists (accessed through Twitter and a number of external apps), HootSuite (my personal fave), ping.fm and TweetDeck. There are a ton of others out there, it’s simply a matter of trying them out and finding one that works best for you.

Incorporating Twitter in your real estate business is more than just Tweeting out links to new listings, virtual tours and open houses. You’ve heard, “Build it, and they will come”. Have something useful to share, and they’ll read it.

Twitter – and other social networking sites – are simply another way for you to communicate with others, and them with you. You wouldn’t call a prospect and tell them you just ate a grilled cheese with pickles; they’d probably think you were nuts and never have anything more to do with you. So please don’t be compelled to share that same sort of thing over other communication channels. Blog posts, the latest industry stats, market trends and changes, proposed construction, and so on – that’s something useful that people will want to read and share.

Keep the grilled cheese and pickles to yourself.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing