When the going gets tough… the tough go for a joyride.
So I’m not much of a “rah rah” motivator, but I felt compelled to write this this evening. My fiancee Amanda and I went to see “Marley and Me” this evening in homage to the dog that we lost last year, Belmont.
The movie was great, (didn’t quite compare to the book), and got into the pure, true love that only a dog can bring into someone’s life. A number of years ago someone sent me a link to the story below and it rang true to me then and rings louder even now in the business world and what we will be facing in the years to come.
The years to come in Real Estate will not be easy, will not always be fun, and sometimes… will be heart wrenching for us and our clients. When these elements come to our lives, it’s easy to get derailed and come down hard on ourselves. So remember these simple words as rules to live by and i believe it will help us all get through this difficult time.
Everything I Need to Know
I Learned From My Dog
Author Unknown.
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When it’s in your interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
Take naps and stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout … run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
~ Matt Dollinger
Why the idea of 2.0 might have a long way to go.
So, I was a really good son (thus far) on my Christmas vacation to Bayfield, WI to visit my folks. Aside from the fact that I drove 8.5 hours, and left my beautiful fiancee and one of the dogs at home, (Bode, the other came with me and ate fries in the car), I came under the knowledge that when I arrived here, I would be in charge of helping my Mom setup her new Gateway Laptop. And if helping a 60+ year old woman with limited tech skills is your idea of a vacation, well, then you might just be a better man than I.
It’s not really the setup point that stressed me out, it was more the idea of sitting down and going over all of the programs, (Mozilla not IE), new sites available, (Facebook)? What the hell?), and the general ideas of sharing and convergence.
To those of us that have made our job, livelihood or passion around this modern day technology, most of this is pretty basic. We look to Mashable or other sites to see how they have improved upon it or what the latest “plugin” is to take us to the next level. But… what about the other 90% of the world? What about the 40+ consumer that doesn’t get it or doesn’t think that social media is anything more than a way for high school kids to bitch about their teachers and share pictures?
This weekend, when showing this information to my Mom and Dad, I realized a couple of things:
1. It isn’t that they don’t WANT to learn about this information. It’s more that they have probably tried to grasp something altogether new or foreign in the past, and don’t realize that today’s systems are setup for learning with ease.
2. There is an ingrained FEAR learning something altogether new. They have learned and changed throughout their lives and now, many of them, would like to simply enjoy or exist in the world that they have created.
3. Many are UNSURE of what this type of technology can do for them. When explained that they can catch up with old friends, see grandkids, and share pictures with people that haven’t seen in years… and do so a) easily and b) on THEIR schedule… they are extremely interested.
4. They have to UNDERSTAND the idea of Web 2.0 and embrace it. When showing my Mom YouTube and searching for Watercolor Painting, she was amazed to see that there were hundreds of tutorial videos for free from teachers across the world.
I wrote a post long ago entitled, “When does the map of Web 2.0 become Clouded?” where I talked about the fact that with all of the advancements that we are creating. The overall question becomes, “In doing so are we simply further distancing ourselves from our clients?” This is an incredibly glaring question that I think we all need to ask ourselves and one that has a very clear and simple answer.
Instead of simply innovating, we need to explain and educate our clients on how to use this technology and how it will in turn, benefit them.
By doing so, we will not only be closing the gap between the “get its” and the “don’t get its”, but also develop and innovate with the end user in mind. This is true collaboration and something that many industries fail to do, spending millions of dollars in research and very little in client testing.
So take a minute. Call some people that might not be “up to speed” on some of the latest technology out there. Share with them the hows and why’s to use it, and focus on the end benefits for them. And while you’re at it, look up my Dad (Rex Dollinger – Bayfield, WI) on Facebook and ask him to be your friend… he’s new on there.
~ Matt Dollinger
Happy Holidays from Matt and The You Factor
Wishing all of you the Happiest of Holidays this season and positive thoughts for an outstanding 2009!
~ Matt Dollinger and Family
Tired of Christmas Music? - Try a Rockabilly Christmas!
So if you spent any time in the shops this year doing your thing for Holiday cheer, you can relate to me on this post. There’s only so much “Rum Pa Pa Pum” that I can actually digest.
I think it was the day after Thanksgiving when the music started pumping into our office and I have been plugged into my iPod ever since. Every once in a while you’ll get something interesting like Frank Sinatra doing a rendition of an old Holiday fav., but man… There’s only SO MUCH Manheim Steamroller I can actually digest and not get sick! (Also, MS is the #1 selling holiday band of all time! ~ good Holiday Trivia)
Even the Super Holiday spectacular albums with the likes of Smashing Pumpkins, etc. get tiresome, so I went searching for an alternate musical choice for our Holiday parties and dinners this year. Lo and behold, in a manger on the North side of Chicago I was blessed with Christmas cheer by attending a Reverend Horton Heat show at the Metro, and my list to Santa was answered in Spades.
If you’ve never heard the Reverend before, think Brian Setzer on speed mixed with a drunken Southern minister. I think it’s actually impossible to not start bobbing and weaving with the music and stand up bass. Rockabilly, as defined by Wikipedia is:
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.
The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock (from rock ‘n’ roll) and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style’s development. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing,boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues
What’s even better, is that the Rev. has actually released a Christmas (or Holiday if you’re being PC)
entitled “We Three Kings”. This killer album includes such classics as Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is coming to Town, and my favorite… Santa bring my Baby Back. Take a listen to a preview of these tunes at Amazon Here and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
This is such a great break from all of the Pottery Barn collaboration albums and really is something that you can have fun with while celebrating. So check it out, throw it on, and get ready for the way that Christmas Music should make you feel.
- Matt Dollinger
Real Estate 2.0 - The Migration to Real Estate Advisor
Recently, even before the changes in the market, I began talking about what we can simply refer to as “Real Estate 2.0”. This “Migration to Real Estate Advisor” has been fostered by some wonderfully generous leaders of our industry including Marc Davison of 1000 Watt Consulting (www.1000wattconsulting.com ), NikNik and Reggie of My Tech Opinion (www.mytechopinion.com), and others. These innovators of the industry have graciously shared their insight, research and expertise to aid me in our journey.
First let’s start with some definitions:
A real estate broker is a term which describes a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy. (Wikipedia.org)
A professional advisor is an individual or firm that advises clients on investment matters on a professional basis. (Dictionary.com)
Therefore:
A real estate advisor: not only serves to (emotionally and rationally) represent a buyer or seller during the real estate transaction, but also serves to advise on current market conditions, future real estate investments throughout the clients’ life-cycle, as well look out for their the well-being of their investment.
Technology, market data, and industry knowledge are necessities to achieve this next-level of client service we should strive to provide. Empathy, patience, and education are the founding principals on which we have delivered and will continue to build. This complete “Advisor” is not only what the client deserves, but what they need in this time of turbulent markets. This also could potentially serve as our Killer Differentiator that will serve to be your brand, your marketing plan 2.0, and your defining moment.
And so, I welcome you to this group and will leave you with one last definition, and one last request:
Definition:
Collaboration: is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals.
Request:
I would like this group to serve as a collaborative effort for our industry and all of those that work within it. Use it as a sounding board, use it as a brainstorming group, use it to advance your business. Speak. Listen. Ask. Answer. Be Heard. Share. Invite others that you feel can advance this effort to join and do the same. This is a time of defining moments, and as we have seen in our recent election, Change can happen if you want it to.
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or thoughts that you might have to make this effort a success, and I look forward to our collaborative success. Please join our group on Facebook Real Estate 2.0 - The Migration to Trusted Advisor if you feel this is the type of agent you aspire to be.
Matt Dollinger
www.TheYouFactor.com
Google Street View to Include BFE by the Year 2011 - says The Onion
According to the really really smart people in charge of Google Maps (including Google Street View) they are in the works of covering every nook and cranny of the world by 2011. (Just kidding)
However, they have done a great job of increasing their overall view of the United States and the world by increasing their coverage map:
This is what their coverage looked like before and after the update:
Thanks to the guys over at www.GeekEstate.com (one of my all-time favorite Nerd Herd sites - see CHUCK) for keeping me posted as to their expansion. With international sites available now as well, this tool keeps getting cooler and cooler.
Don’t know about Google Street View? Check out an earlier post that I did here entitled Go Go Google Street View, or simply head over to Google Maps, put in a location and click on Street View.
- Dollinger
Turn Your Gmail Account into a Text Messaging Machine
Big shout out to Joel Burslem from FOREM for sending out a Tweet the other day discussing Google Labs’ new process for sending text messages from your Gmail account. The full “How To” can be found on the Google Labs Official Gmail Blog here , but it’s easy enough. I even put together a quick video (sorry I’m writing this at the hospital so no sound!) that should guide you through the process.
P.S. Joel’s always throwing out great knowledge (and interesting tidbits of information as well) so you might want to follow him on Twitter if you “get Twitter”. You can also find me there by checking out my Twitter Page here.
- Dollinger
How to Develop an Obama-like Marketing Plan for Your Business
We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don’t want to work hard to accomplish these things. Everyone should try to realize their full potential. - Barack Obama
If you are like me (and even if you aren’t) you probably watched the election this year with Awe. It seemed that even when the going got tough and the mud-slinging got rampant, our now President-Elect Barack Obama kept his cool and ran one of the most innovative and effective campaigns EVER. Even taking out the “Presidential” element of this campaign, Mr. Obama ran one of the most awesomely instrumented marketing, informational, and electrifying “companies” out there. And I, for one, think that he has single-handedly changed the political world forever.
Recently, there have been hundreds of posts regarding his comprehensive campaign and what we in the business community should learn about it. Alison Rogers who writes the column “Diary of a Real Estate Rookie” at Inman recently wrote an entry entitled “A Presidential Marketing Lesson” and breaks the bullet points of his campain into 5 easily digestible areas of focus.
1. Define your brand.
2. Give people a place to find you.
3. Have a weird name.
4. Offer, if it’s possible, premiums.
5. Put the calls to action in your drip marketing.
And where I agree with Alison on these points I think that it goes even further than this. There are many paralells that we as business folks should identify with (in additon to those above) and adopt immediately. Some of those that stand out to me are as follows:
- Be Human - The guy was likeable. He could talk to a celebrity and then turn around and talk to a UAW worker in Detroit… and he did so by being authentic. (For more on this check out the book Authenticity - What Consumers Really Want by Pine, Gilmore and Joseph)
- Put your Value Proposition where everyone can see it. On his website there was an ISSUES tab that outlined his views, stances, and what he wanted to do about it. QUESTION: Do your clients see your value proposition and what you stand for on your website or in your branded items?
- Don’t sugar coat shit. I don’t know another way to say it, (sorry if I offended anyone), but it’s true. Obama ran this entire campain on change and hope… but in his acceptance speech, Mr. Obama set the record straight by stating, “The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.” Read the full transcript here
- Use all the tools. SMS, Email, Viral Video, blogs, podcasts, oh my! Obama used all of them to get his message of Change out to the public. But… many of us aren’t incredibly savvy to this technology? Hire someone. Take a class. Try something out. Experiment. I will say this and mean it… you cannot compete in today’s marketplace without using all the tools at your disposal.
- Stick to your message and brand. Throughout everything, Obama stuck to one point and continued to leverage it throughout the campaign. CHANGE and HOPE. These were not necessarily tangable elements, but allowed him to capitalize on the desire for a better America.
And lastly, excite your audience by believing in what you preach. Read, listen, or watch any of his speeches throughout the campaign and see how, even calmly, he is passionate about everything he speaks on. Where President “Elect” Obama may have changed the rules of presidential campaigns forever, by taking some points from him and his “You Factor” I think we can all turn our respectful business worlds on their ear.
- Dollinger
Away For Important Matters
I will be away from blogging for the next months as I devote my free time to supporting my candidate for the 2008 Presidential Election. Please do your part for your country and regardless of your political affiliation, register to vote for this upcoming election.
Matt Dollinger
TheYouFactor.com
Altos Research - All the Stats You Need Delivered to You
So I’ve already said that I’m a numbers junkie. Stats, trends and all of those numbers that horrify some people make me giddy with excitement. A number of months ago we at @properties released our 2007 Market Report based on micro-neighborhood findings here in the Chicago area. I talked extensively about our findings and what it takes to make a GREAT market report in a post I wrote here at TheYouFactor.com as well as in a post called A Great Market Report for the Institute of Luxury Home Marketing.
But… maybe you don’t have a killer IT department or the time to create one of these reports on your own. In that case I would definitely take a look at Altos Research and the many products that they have available.
What Altos Research has to offer:
Killer In - Depth Market Reports
Up to date, local, and accurate, these reports consist of everything you, or your clients could want or need including:
- Current Prices of homes on the market
- Trends in Pricing
- Active and Sold Inventory
- Value Metrics
There’s even a lead gathering program that allows users to your website or blog to register and receive the reports delivered to their email account on a weekly basis
Click the example on the left to see an example of this report.
Active Charts for Your Website or Blog
- Want to watch the Days on Market for high-end homes in Dallas?
Want to compare demand trends for San Francisco vs San Diego?
Want to compare two counties in California?
These Interactive charts don’t need updating and supply the most current, up to date statistics on the market. (Click the Chart to see all of the options)
AltosCharts Mobile
You can access your AltosCharts from any web enabled mobile phone. Just open the link on your phone’s browser to view real-time market conditions anywhere!
Sign up your clients and have the weekly reports delivered directly to their phone.
Click Here to Try it out Yourself.
This is just the basics of what Altos Research has to offer. Check out their site, sign up to see what the reports look like in your areas, and find out what the guys at Altos can help bring to your real estate marketing plan. They have also released a number of new features at RE Connect this weekend so try it out before your competition get their hands on it!
Matt Dollinger
@properties
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