Published
Monthly by Joeann Fossland, GRI, LTG
Coaching
Mastermind Groups and Individuals For Sales Success
(520)744-8731 email:
Joeann@joeann.com (800)597-4196 fax
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Published monthly & Copyright 1998 by ADvantage Solutions Group. Copy & pass along
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ADvantage Thinking
Advantage Solutions Newsletter
November/December
1998
Plan for 1999! Order your Awesome Year Workbook
ADvantage Thinking: Leverage Your Marketing for 1999
Power Tools: The Cyberspace Society
Resources for the ADvantage and Shameless Plugs
Trend Watch: Positioning Yourself for Diversity
AWESOME YEAR 1999 WORKBOOK
Now available to help with your planning for an Awesome 1999!
You will receive a 20+ page workbook to help you complete
1998 and
plan for a great 1999.Your investment of $10 includes shipping
To order, send check for $10 and mailing information to:
ADvantage Solutions Group, PO Box 133, Cortaro, AZ 85652
or email credit card information (Account # and Exp. Date)
ADvantage Thinking: Leverage Your Marketing for 1999
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"Where your friends are, there your
riches are." Plautus
Don’t you love the new idea, the untried, the hottest new
gadget or gimmick? How often have you committed to trying something to market your
business and after a short period of less than expected results, you’ve forsaken that
for the next great idea? As entrpreneurs the new is more stimulating and exciting to us
than a consistent, repetitive, tried and true path. However, Aesop’s fable of The
Hare and The Tortoise reminds us that a slow, steady focus will outperform a frenetic,
unfocused effort. Planning and committing to a consistent, repetitive course produces more
bottom-line results. This coupled with a well-designed use of the new will give you a
strategy for success in 1999.
Have a plan - In the words of that great business planner Al Capone, "In
order to succeed in life you need three things: a smile, a gun, a plan. If you must give
up one, give up the smile. If you have to give up two, give up the smile and the gun; but
NEVER, NEVER give up the plan!". Thanks, Al, good advice!
Coaches Tip> Time
spent working ON your business is a high priority and will pay for itself exponentially.
Carefully craft your marketing plan for the whole year.
First, analyze your 1998 business numbers: How many
transactions did you do? What was your listing/buyer sale ratio? Where was the business
generated from? What was the return on each promotional investment? Knowing these numbers
will inform you where you are most effective. Next, what are you committed to producing
this year?. A budget of 10-20% of your gross is average and you should leave some
discretionary funds for flexibility. Make your allocations with an eye toward deep,
consistent penetration to your niches and spheres of influence, expanding what worked
last year. Increase what is delivering the best results, decrease where you are not making
an impact.
Connect with Passion. You become irresistibly attractive in business when you are
excited, enthused and using your strengths wisely. Doing business with those who know and
love you is much more fun that dealing with strangers. Doing what you do best is always
the highest and best use of your time. You’ll attract business to you by being
yourself and loving what you are doing! Or, as my friend, Coach Marcia Reynolds says,
"Be Obvious"!
Coaches Tip> Focus
on building more referrals from those who know and love you. Delete the jerks from your
database (they will only refer MORE difficult people!). Focus on your raving fans by
delivering consistent, caring, top of the mind reminders of your service and value.
Trainer, Brian Bufini recommends giving something of personal or business value EVERY
single month to build loyalty and referrals. Reallocate your marketing budget this year to
expand your reach to these loyal clients. If they each only know 100 other people, think
of the reach you have when you train them to refer to you! Do you have an after-sale
client program? Do you follow up with warm phone calls regularly? Do you have a referral
reward program? Double your efforts in this area this year and you will see business soar!
Technology Paralysis? Are you sometimes overwhelmed by the choices and so choose to do
nothing? The rapidity with which we are bombarded with new information, ideas and gadgets
is a fact of life and is only going to increase. The successful agent is staying aware and
trying new ways of doing things strategically. Some work. Some don’t. The risk-takers
are finding ways to capture new niches and are powerfully establishing themselves. The
Internet has leveled the playing field so that a one agent company has as much chance of
establishing a web presence that will be hugely successful as a large company does.
Coaches Tip>Increasing
the budget for the Internet is a priority for positioning yourself. Establish your 1999
goals and a budget inside your marketing budget, specifically to increase your reach and
effectiveness. Begin with establishing your own domain name and creating a basic site.
Then add and upgrade regularly. To increase the interactivity add mortgage calculators,
free reports, or free goodies (free greeting cards or I have a free screensaver that can
be downloaded from my page). Register on databases that come up high on the search engines
where you can have the exclusivity for your area. If you do not have a database of email
addresses for your clients, now is the time to build it. Use e-mail to be in touch. E-mail
newsletters are extremely effective (and cost little). Every month, take one more step to
upgrade your site. Establish your plan for the next 12 months now!
Your bottom line is what you get to keep! What you
get to have a life with! What I want for you in 1999 is the best year ever, where you
produce a return on your marketing that creates awesome results! Now is the time to work
on your business! Have a plan, focus on working with wonderful people and take yourself to
the next technological level!
"Once you make a decision, the universe
conspires to make it happen."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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ADvantage TOOL OF THE MONTH:
The Cyberspace Society www.recyber.com
The Real Estate CyberSpace Society provides lots of valuable
strategies, tools and member networking opportunities for Local, National and
International Real Estate Marketing in CyberSpace. If you have not visited this site, it
is a must! There is a wealth of information as a non-member, but when you see it, I know
you will want to join. The Society is pleased to have new members join and become part of
their exciting Real Estate Cyber Community.
For Society membership, including the 14 member tools and
services ( all included at no additional cost) such as the Real Estate BlackBook
CyberDisk, the Real Estate Web Navigator, the Real Estate How to Wizard, the audio/print
"Real Estate CyberSpace Alert" briefings, the Society's 24 hour Cyber Help Line,
full access to the entire member Listserver, and the E-Pro bulk Newsletter Service, go to
<http//www.recyber.com/invitation.html> or call Ashley at 888-344-0027.
Ashley can set you up in a minute.
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Real Estate Trend Watch- Positioning Yourself for Diversity
**********************************
Have you noticed the trend towards increased Hispanic , Asian
and other International influxes in your marketplace? We have always been a nationof
immigrants, primarily of European descent. The new America of the 21st Century
will increasingly have a Hispanic influence. This, coupled with lightening fast world
communications, due to the internet, will require successful real estate practitioners to
increase their awareness of the customs, expectations and needs of other cultures.
Are you prepared to offer services,
such as contracts that are in Spanish, multilingual receptionists, or feng shui
consulting? Position your company and services now to fit these needs and you will give
yourself the edge. The CIPS designation is not an easy one to obtain, but is gives agents
the understanding they need to be successful in this niche.
As you plan 1999, create a strategy for how this will fit for
your circumstances. Stay ahead of the rest!
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