PLATINUM RE GROUP

Data Base Considerations…

2011-04-29T19:04:00.001-04:00

Normally, a REALTOR® has a core group of customers that are most likely to provide referrals. They also have another group in their data base of customers that are possibly willing to refer business. Let’s call this group “almost core.”

A serious effort to cultivate those relationships with meaningful information and help in many ways will keep the REALTOR® “top of mind.”

If the REALTOR® can increase the amount of referrals from the core group and cultivate the relationship with the second group, moving them into the core group more business will come from referrals, and the return on marketing expenses will prove to be more effective than marketing to the masses.

How do you know who are core and who are almost core?

I contend the more you know about your customers the more likely you will be able to cultivate the relationship.

Examples of knowledge items that might help your relationships:

Know how many children are in the family and when they might be graduating from high school, or when one is getting married.

Know where your customer works and relay information about their employer when important things happen.

If a customer becomes unemployed, contact them and get their resume. Maybe you can network for them. At least you can offer to network for employment.

Be sure you have a way to track activities of your data base. If you do not have a system for that, many systems are available. Know who is opening your emails, who is reading any newsletters etc. Also, ask your customers what kind of information would be helpful to them that is not real estate related.

Often realtors focus their investments on quick payback periods, saving money and striving to drive short term sales. In the long term customer loyalty efforts are slighted, causing diminished returns in the future. There is a science to understanding client loyalty, to recognizing the value of loyal clients, plus creating and maintaining loyal clients.

Arnie Goldberg arnie@a-gmarketing.com

How The Search For Your Home Unfolds...

2011-02-15T13:02:00.002-05:00

How The Search For Your Home Unfolds...

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

by Tom Cain and Company

Find a REALTOR you can trust!

The First Step...Now that you have chosen a specialized buyers representative who you can trust, you have accomplished the first step in the home-buying process. We will make sure that ll of your needs are met and will be representing you through the entire process of buying your new home.

Getting Pre-Approved

An important Step...We feel an important aspect when starting the process of buying a home is to meet with a lender and get a pre-approval. You buyer representative can put you in contact with a lender, if you desire, who can give you information about your approval and also explain some of the financing options available to you.

Consulting Session

Important Information...Your buyer representative will meet you one on one to discuss the features you desire ina home as well as to pin-point the area you wish to live in.

The Search Begins

The Next Step...Once you've established the type of home you're searching for, it's time to start looking. Your buyer representative is available, by appointment, to help you find your Dream Home!

Your Offer

Be careful--This Is A Big Step...When you find your dream home, you should present a competitive offer immediately. your buyer representative has extensive experience in contract negotiations; he or she will ensure that you get the home you want for a fair price--a transaction in your best interest.

The Accepted Offer

We're Starting to Jog Now...When the seller accepts your offer, you will have what we call a pending offer. You want to make sure that every detail is handled accurately and immediately. We will ensure that your home closes properly and on time.

Inspections

You're on the "Home" Stretch!...Final details are handled and inspections are performed to ensure that the property is "perfect" for you. Contract details are further negotiated and and we head to closing!

Signing the Loan Documents

Finalizing the Lender's Commitment...Be prepared to bring your cashier's check, insurance binder and driver's license to the closing. The next steps you take will be into your new home!

Now The Home Is Yours!

You Are Finally Home...After the deed is recorded and a possession date is decided upon, you're free to pick up the keys and move into your new home!

Your Dream Home...BOUGHT!

What Has Happened To The REALTOR® In The Past Few Years?

2011-02-04T12:40:00.004-05:00

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE REALTOR® IN THE PAST FEW YEARS?

HISTORY (Major changes only a few years ago)

· The business phone line at home became more and more important

· Fax machines at home became a necessity to save time and speed up communications regarding offers, counter offers and acceptances, plus all the issues with inspections etc.

· The cellular phone became a necessity even with the cost of airtime

· A PDA became very desirable, then a necessity

· The real estate office became less important but most realtors maintained a desk there also

· Fax machines at the office were used daily

· A home computer became valuable

· Realtors used office computers extensively also

· Notebook computers, although expensive, began to be used

· High-speed Internet began to replace dial up connections

· Email began to become a desirable way to communicate (driven by the consumer)

· Voice mail was an integral part of the realtor’s communication (voice mail on cell phone, office voice mail and even home voice mail)

· Long distance calling from cell phones, home phones and office phones still had 10 cent per minute rates

· Approximately 20% of the realtors had their own personal website

· Realtors still depended upon the MLS monthly books (and screamed about having to go to the computer with modems to get into internet MLS data)

· Realtors spent many hours designing and strategizing their print media ads

· Taking pictures of homes and waiting for the developed pictures

· The advent of the government getting more involved in your daily activities

o Property taxes

o Radon

o Lead Paint

o Mold

o Disclosures

o Inspections

o Appraisals

And all this was not too many years ago…. Now comes……

THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS (Moving at incredible speeds)

· The business phone has diminished by some realtors to almost nil…

· Fax machines are basically obsolete

· The cell phone has eliminated the need for any other phones and has become a lot more than a cell phone (many realtors have done away with their home phones)

· The PDA has been combined into the cell phone

· In fact a Blackberry or an iPhone or similar phones are now a necessity

o These devices are now a phone

o Email

o Internet

o PDA

o Digital camera

o And more

· The notebook computer is a necessity

· Dial up.. what is that?

· Voice mail is less important everyday

· EMAIL has become a secondary communication tool

· Long distance calling is no longer a concern because the cost is so minimal

· Personal websites are now 70% or higher versus the 20% only a few years ago

· MLS information is accessible only via the internet and accessible to consumers too via all types of vehicles

WHAT CAUSED ALL THIS RAPID CHANGE?

Lower cost and better technology?

YES and NO

THE CONSUMER HAD AS MUCH TO DO WITH IT AS THE TECHNOLOGY

· Consumers are more intelligent

· Consumers are always in a hurry

· Consumers have more information available than ever before

· Consumers think they are smarter than you

· Consumers want your undivided attention

· Consumers want to communicate instantaneously

· Consumers trust their friend’s advice as much as they trust yours

HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH THE CHANGE?

· BETTER PLANNING AND UTILIZING THE TECHNOLOGIES

· SOCIAL MEDIA

WHAT IS YOUR TIME WORTH?

Annual Per Hour Per Minute In a year

1 hour per day

is worth


$ 20,000.00	$ 10.25	$ 0.17	$ 2,500.00
$ 30,000.00	$ 15.37	$ 0.27	$ 3,750.00
$ 40,000.00	$ 20.49	$ 0.34	$ 5,000.00
$ 50,000.00	$ 25.61	$ 0.43	$ 6,250.00
$ 75,000.00	$ 38.42	$ 0.64	$ 9,375.00
$ 100,000.00	$ 51.23	$ 0.85	$ 12,500.00
$ 150,000.00	$ 76.84	$ 1.29	$ 18,750.00
$ 200,000.00	$102.45	$ 1.70	$ 25,000.00

Based upon 244 eight-hour working days per year

For additional information regarding Arnie and his work ...

www.mktgusa.com

arnie@a-gmarketing.com

REALTORS® are certainly businesses!

2011-02-04T11:55:00.005-05:00

Arnie-ism number 1

“If 70% of all real estate business comes from referrals, do you have a referral plan in place?
Whether it is our program (HomeLifePerks) or another one you search out, with today’s market conditions, if you have no set plan for referrals (which of course come from customer relationships) your data base will begin to diminish.
We are seeing long-term REALTORS® who were successful without much effort in nurturing customer relationships, actually leaving the business. Why? Because in a shrinking market those REALTORS® that are growing their businesses are taking the business away from other REALTORS® and from their data base of customers.

There are probably REALTORS® in your office that are doing better this year than last year, that have ignored the doomsayers and have plans in place to create more referral business. Not only are they doing well now, but when the markets begin to stabilize and grow again, they will become MEGA REALTORS® --

We see the industry changing drastically with the boom that will come in time. The REALTORS® that are survivors in the business will be fewer in numbers, and they will have become experts in marketing, data base cultivation, and a reliable source (go-to-person) by their clients for a multitude of lifestyle considerations.

Arnie-ism number 2

“You cannot change anything from your history, in fact you cannot even change something that happened ten minutes ago, so why worry about it.” Thus, we are going to forget about any negativity from the past. We are going to create an emphasis on today and tomorrow with an open-minded approach to doing something different. If you are not willing to be open-minded to change, then close this book now and do not waste your time.

There often is a major attitude in the real estate industry that reflects, “We have always done it that way and it worked.” In today’s economic times, and growth of digital marketing, those not willing or capable of change will lose market share.

In this book we are going to “tell it like it is” regarding many business practices and many REALTOR® attitudes.

Arnie-ism number 3

REALTORS® are individual business owners. A REALTOR® must realize that fact and understand it fully. In too many cases the REALTOR® forgets this fact.

As a business owner, a REALTOR® must realize they need knowledge about all facets of a business. A few are listed below:
Finance
Cash Flow
Administration

And the most important one of all,
Marketing I REPEAT — Marketing!

Do you know of any successful businesses today that are not great marketers?

The above is taken from my latest eBook for REALTORS®... to order click the link www.mktgusa.com and click on Store

Arnie-ism #1 - for REALTORS®

2010-10-29T07:36:00.003-04:00

If 70% of all real estate business comes from referrals, do you have a referral plan in place?
Even the successful REALTOR® may not know exactly how they get referrals from their data base list, they just happen. Imagine how many referrals one might get if they actually had a plan in place.
With today's market conditions, if you have no set plan for referrals (which of course come from customer relationships) your data base will begin to diminish.
I am seeing long-term REALTORS® who were successful without nurturing customer relationships actually leaving the business. Why? Because in a shrinking market those REALTORS® that are growing their business are taking the business away from other REALTORS® and from their data base of customers.
There are probably REALTORS® in your office that are doing better this year than last year, that have ignored the doomsayers and have plans in place to create more referral business. Not only are they doing well now, but when the markets begin to stabalize and grow again, they will become MEGA REALTORS®.
I see the industry changing drastically with the boom that will come in time. The REALTORS® that are survivors in the business will be fewer in numbers, and they will have become experts in marketing, data base cultivation, and a reliable source (go-to-person) by their clients for a multitude of lifestyle considerations.

This post is a quote from my latest eBOOK "Hints for Becoming a MEGA REALTOR®"
It can be found at www.mktgusa.com in the book store.
Arnie
arnie@mktgusa.com or arnie@a-gmarketing.com Cell (317) 489-5337

The Debate About Shadow Inventory Continues

2010-04-03T13:27:00.001-04:00

The Debate About Shadow Inventory Continues

April 2, 2010 Betty Jung

So where are all the listings of houses in foreclosure a.k.a. shadow inventory?

There’s been a lot of debate throughout last year and into 2010 about whether or not there even is shadow inventory, and whether or not it will be coming on the market. Some say if banks were to put that inventory on the market, those properties would only continue to drive prices down, thereby decreasing the bottom line of the banks.

I read this account just the other day as to what shadow inventory actually is or is being defined as:

Definition 1 – Foreclosed but not listed. Some analysts say the “shadow inventory”are the homes which the bank has foreclosed on but not sold. These are homes that are not on the market but owned by the bank (REOs not listed on the market).

Definition 2 – Homes in the foreclosure process as well as delinquent mortgages where foreclosure proceedings are imminent.

Definition 3 – All homes delinquent, short sales not on the market, REOs not on the market, and anything in the foreclosure process.

Definition 4 – All of the above plus modified loans (as they have a large percentage of failing anyway, pay option-arms about to be reset, and lots sitting idle with builders in trouble.

The Wall Street Journal says no one has found a way to track precisely how many of those properties are owned by banks. Yet, HousingPredictor.com says there are still 6 million properties considered part of the “shadow inventory. They also report that in the last three years, over 7 million properties have already been seized by banks in foreclosure. Experts say it will take another 5 years for all the excess shadow inventory, when it hits the market, to be absorbed.

The bottom line is no one really knows what the numbers are or when/if they will come on the market for sale.

Information courtesy of Betty Jung ... http://bettyjung.wordpress.com/

Customer Retention... Referrals

2010-03-30T04:09:00.002-04:00

Roy Chitwood in his article, Key to Retaining Customers, states, “The key to retaining your customers in actuality is not very complicated. In fact, it can be quite simple:
Customers come to you when they have problems and needs. To both serve them well and keep them coming back, you have to provide better solutions than do your competitors.”

One executive describes customer loyalty; he says, “Correctly mining your customer database will create a means to acquire new clients over time. A system to creatively mine your customer database, providing “Treats” along the way is a sure way of creating and maintaining a successful business.”

Loyalty marketing is the management process of identifying “best customers” and utilizing customer data and insight to create, retain and grow profitable relationships.

Best customers are those who are the most commercially valuable – they bring the most profit.

Also important are those whose characteristics suggest that they have the potential to become categorized as best customers.

Keeping a client year after year is attaining customer loyalty that involves fitting together several pieces of the relationship puzzle.
There is a science to understanding client loyalty, to recognizing the value of loyal clients, plus creating and maintaining loyal clients. We will cover the basics of client loyalty and teach you ways to create more loyal clients than ever before in your business. I have found to create a successful customer loyalty strategy and action plan, one must first understand the numerous factors that determine the level of loyalty by customers.
First we will define Customer Loyalty and begin on a trip regarding the growth of Customer Loyalty. The purpose of the information is to review the make-up and use of Customer Loyalty.

Arnie Goldberg, quotes from book "Give Your Dog A Treat" www.giveyourdogatreat.com

Four Rules of Business Expansion

2010-03-30T03:42:00.001-04:00

Four Rules of Business Expansion
Published on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 7:48 AM Last Update: 2 week(s) ago by Dirk Zeller
Category: All Articles » Business Management

Rule #1 – Protect what you have currently

The easiest and fastest way to growth in your business is to protect what you currently have.

The National Association of Realtors® has done many studies over the years about our clients and the satisfaction and retention levels of both Buyers and Sellers. The numbers are really quite shocking. In a survey conducted over a series of years, 69% of people were satisfied with their Agent’s service. When they checked back with this test group, they found out that only 24% of the people who conducted another real estate transaction did so with their previous Agent. We only produced a 69% average of satisfied clients, which is about a C- grade. We then only got 24% of the total to even do business with us again – another 45-percentage point drop. Those numbers are really terrible.

What that says boldly to one is that we don’t protect what we currently have very well; that too many of us are sending out trash and trinkets in hopes of those leading to referrals and long-term relationships with our past clients and sphere. It is obviously not working!

Rule #2 – Improve your market penetration with your target market or the people you already work with.

Once we protect them, we need to expand our reach in our target market.
You also can convince your clients to invest in real estate; to do more deals with the people you currently do business with by getting their friends and relatives to work with you. Ramping up your referrals is a Rule #2 activity.

Rule #3 – Expanding horizontally in your core business area.

For the majority, your core business area is residential real estate. Whatever you generate 80% of your commission dollars from is your core business.

When you expand horizontally, you open up another section of your business or a new lead source but still remain in residential real estate. You could begin to work builders; market to condos, multiplexes, investment property, FSBOs, or expireds; or establish a new farm area.

Rule #4 – Change and create vertical expansion.

To expand vertically would be to move to a similar, complimentary business that is structured like the real estate business or has ties to the real estate business. This rule allows you to take what you learned in real estate or use the contacts you have in real estate and build an additional business and revenue stream.

The most common occurrence for Agents in this area is to open a real estate brokerage office and recruit Agents to work for them. You could also create a mortgage company, title company, escrow company, branch off into land development, building homes, or investment real estate. I have even heard of Agents becoming or forming a business partnership with a property and casualty insurance provider.

If you have data based well and communicated with your past clients and sphere frequently you certainly have the option of servicing them with other financial needs, as well.

Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters.

So Many Behind In Mortgages ..

2010-03-30T03:36:00.000-04:00

In response to the overwhelming amount of requests for marketing and collateral materials for our clients for short sales and foreclosure properties I began to a little deep digging into what is clearly one of the fastest growing segments and designation in the real estate industry of all times.

What did I learn? Most surprisingly, that the current national average statistic is that one in seven homeowners are not currently paying their mortgage. One in seven! What wasn’t surprising to me after more than twenty years in this business is the how so many talented real estate professionals are rising up with a passion to help protect and serve these distressed property owners with a unparalleled compassion.

To learn more about why so many agents are stepping up and stepping into this often challenging, but from what I’ve learned, altogether rewarding niche market, I tapped Alex Charfen, CEO of CDPE, or the Certified Distressed Property Expert program, a designation that has grown to 15,000 agents in just 23 months. I also enlisted the insight of Stacy Spickes of ShortSalesSolutions.biz, an industry expert who, along with her husband Michael, produce training programs across the nation. Look for their new Lifetime Television Series, piloting soon called Solutions for Homeowners Facing Foreclosure.

It was interesting to note that both Alex and Stacy share similar stories. Both fell into the business of short sales with spouses by their sides, as a need to better care for customers who were in need and a way to meet the demands and challenges of a declining market. Alex and his wife introduced CDPE less than two years ago and are currently seeing the demand grow weekly for additional training, tools and practical advice for agents eager to acquire the skills they need to work in this niche.

Stacy and her husband come from the Austin area which, of course, saw the technology boom – and later bust, and grew their training program from that experience of being in the trenches trying to help facilitate options for so many of their clients that found themselves upside down on their mortgages. I asked them both a series of questions to see if I could get some common perspectives to share with agents interested in jumping into this complicated market segment. Here is an excerpt of our conversations:

Question: Why do you believe that mastering the right training and tools are so critical when working with distressed homeowners in today’s market?

Alex Charfen: What we’ve found was that there were a lot of real estate agents out there working without a net or without prior training and skills. What they have to come to realize is that we’re no longer just talking about helping people buy and sell property; we’re dealing with their financial future of these consumers. Agents have to understand that the rules keep changing, and that there are right and wrong ways to help. Even the most well-intentioned agent, if they’re not properly trained can give the wrong message or advice to a consumer and cause long-term financial hurt.

I just read that Bank of America alone is taking 100,000 phone calls a day from homeowners in distress. That tells us that the bandwidth is just too constrained for these lenders to push all the paperwork through. That’s why agents have to really be on their game, and know how to put together the right packages for the right lenders to increase the success rate, not only for themselves, but certainly for that homeowner.

I’ll give you some stats from a survey we did of 9,000 of our CDPE experts. We tracked the time it took to process a short sale before training at 54 days, and after 27 days. That’s a 50% reduction in time it takes to get a short sale approved – and it’s all because you know the language necessary to get it through the lender. It’s no magic bullet – but understanding the process, what the lender is looking for and the language that needs to be spoken.

Stacy Spickes: First of all, these are very specialized transactions. In fact, what we found nationwide when we started developing our training was that the closing ratio for short sales was averaging less than 20%. That’s where you were hearing, and still hear, those horror stories of people still sitting on short sales for 15-18 months. The agents that go through our training program average an 89-91% closing ratio.

Now, we always say there’s nothing magic about it, but what closes that gap and makes that possible is that we know the kind of information a REALTOR needs to know to get the deal closed. I mean there are a lot of agents out there taking these listings and just don’t know what they don’t know. Their hearts are in the right place – they want to help – but unfortunately a lot of people are finding themselves in foreclosure at the hands of a REALTOR who just didn’t know what they didn’t know.

In our programs, we focus on the practical nuts and bolts substantive information agents must have to get the transaction closed and help save that homeowner from foreclosure. Components such as “Short Sale Math,” which is where we show them how to calculate exactly what the lenders have to net on each short sale so they know ahead of time and don’t submit packages that contribute to an already log-jammed system. It’s also important to make sure they itemized checklists so they don’t submit incomplete packages that are certain to sit in limbo indefinitely.

Question: How are your students finding their short sale prospects or better yet, how are these distressed consumers finding them in time?

Alex Charfen: One in seven homeowners are currently not making their mortgage payments, so there are plenty of them out there, it’s a matter of spreading the word and letting people know that there is help. More often than not, consumers don’t even realize that there are very real options available to them, and the fear and anxiety of the situation take over.

Many of our students use direct mail, which has been very effective, and advertising in both newspaper and the community newsletters that you see. Our best advice to agents is to tell them that they absolutely must engage with the people they know. We tell them to talk to their sphere. Let them know that you can help with distressed properties. Plus when you start with your sphere, there is already a built-in trust factor, and that’s critical when you’re talking about people in this situation. Postcards, calls, ads, homeowner seminars are all effective ways of communicating. Even if that person isn’t in trouble, chances are, they know someone who is and it’s a great comfort to know that someone has the ability to help.

When you understand that 70% of the people who lose their home to foreclosure are never listed with an agent you realize that there are just a lot of people who need a lot of answers and not getting them.

Stacy Spickes: Well, in so many regions where of the country you’ll find 50% of the listings are short sales just because they were the hardest hit markets. In other areas, we’re finding new agents are spinning some of their marketing such as utilizing direct mail postcards and choosing neighborhoods that have a higher turnover than normal.

Agent-to-agent referrals are big as well which certainly wasn’t the case three or four years ago, so it’s a reflection of the industry really coming together, which is great to see. It’s a realization by agents ill equipped to deal with the ramifications of giving the wrong advice now aligning themselves with other agents with those who can better handle them and serve the consumer. Two years ago we’d see agents with zero experience trying to put these together with sometimes devastating results for the seller. Now, in the last 18 months we are really seeing agents rise to the occasion and create a powerful referral network.

It’s really not hard to find them, what’s really important is to help them find you so that you can be the advocate they need.

Question: What’s your best advice for agents considering becoming a short sale specialist or Certified Distressed Property Expert?

Alex Charfen: My advice is that you must. When you look at what’s going on in this country, more and more homeowners are not making it and this is an industry trend that is not going to go away. Our courses provide the extensive, hands-on training you need to best service the homeowner and ensure a win-win for everyone involved.

Stacy Spickes: I think 2010 will see a significant emergence of agents who will have to choose this field to survive. Those agents who used to believe this will go away will no longer be able support that belief. I believe that of the now less than 1.4 million REALTORS out there, I would be very surprised if we didn’t see at least 5-10% choose this niche and those that will make it, will do so because they got the training and tools they need to do the best possible job for their customers.

Many thanks to both Alex and Stacy for their insight, ideas and expertise! If you want to learn more about how to become an expert in this growing field and how you can help those one in seven homeowners who need you, I invite you to visit their websites today at www.CDPE.com and www.ShortSaleSolutions.biz. Alex can be reached at 800-482-0335 and Stacy at 888-699-9222.

Published on Monday, January 4, 2010, 7:13 AM Last Update: 2 month(s) ago by Julie Escobar
Category: All Articles » REO's and Foreclosures

Thanks to Brandon Brittingham .. Short Sales Info

2010-03-30T03:30:00.000-04:00

In a lot of short sales there can be a “taxable gain” on the sale. That’s right your client lost money, and owes the IRS money, it goes on their tax return as income!. I didn’t make that rule that is just how it is. Even in some rare special cases, there can be tax liability on a principal residence. In almost every situation there is a taxable gain on secondary, investment properties. In secondary, primary, and investment homes, there are also cases where there is no liability that is why this is such an important step. You cannot do any short without this, as this factor could prevent the short sale from even taking place. As agents it is not our job to interpret tax code or law, but not disclosing to the client, or giving them the advice to see an qualified professional could make you lose your license.
2. Tax law when it comes to short sales can be very complicated. As a real estate agent we cannot give any type of tax advice and there are a lot of short sales that you will run into that the seller may have IRS tax liability. How can you represent them without knowing the ramifications? Guess what if? If they have a tax liability and you did not give them the advice to go see a qualified accountant, the liability can fall on you. Don’t think so? I was just called in on a short sale case as a short sale expert where the seller sold his house, got a $50,000 taxable gain on his income and because the real estate agent did not disclose that he could possibly have a gain or to refer him to a accountant, he lost his license and got sued in the process. If the clients do have tax ramifications, how can they make the right decision without knowing where they will end up?
3. A CPA can also look at the client’s full financial picture, and if the client has other assets, the CPA can guide the client on protecting the asset. In cases where the clients may have liability, the CPA can determine if the client is insolvent or not, which could make them eligible for no liability. Believe me the IRS’s definition of insolvent is extremely complicated, and not something you want to try and attempt to figure out, leave it to a professional in that field. This can seriously help you down the line in the short sale process, as you will have a picture painted to help the client get what is need for their best interest.
4. IRS tax law changes on a frequent basis and as real estate agents we are not supposed to interpret tax law or try to interpret it for our clients. By doing this you can open yourself up to a serious amount of liability down the road. It is a CPA’s job to be versed on all the tax codes and law. A lot of you may not know this, but there are a few very complex scenarios that can occur with a short sale and tax liability. Even though with my short sale experience I am aware of these scenarios I do not try to give advice to clients, I send them to the CPA for the advice.

These are absolute imperative steps before you go into the short sale process. Skipping these can leave you open to serious liability or even land you in court or lose your license.
Published on Monday, March 8, 2010, 12:54 PM Last Update: 18 hour(s) ago by Brandon Brittingham

HOW MANY ARE IN THE MARKET TO BUY A HOME?

2010-03-22T08:54:00.006-04:00

Have you ever been in a group of people and asked... "How many of you are in the market to purchase or sell a home, or know someone who is in the market?"

Have you ever been in a group of people and asked... "How many of you are in the market to purchase or sell a home, or know someone who is in the market?"

What was the response? I can imagine most of the time the there are blank stares and very little positive response. In a group of ten or fifteen people I would think the percentages of finding someone interested in moving is nil.

There are true loyalty marketing systems with the new technology that can build your referral business to a point that you will never have to ask the above question ever again.

Why not ask this, “How many have family and friends that could use a system of purchase discounts and offers that can save them money and it is free access?”

Loyalty marketing is used by high powered corporations to grow their business. The airlines like American Airlines years ago started an air miles for free flights program, Target created discount programs for existing customers, Amazon added free shipping all as loyalty marketing programs for existing customers. Huge amounts of capital have been re-directed from advertising programs aimed at the whole public to create new customers, to programs directed to existing customers to create advocates and word of mouth growth.

REALTORS® have a challenge to create these type of word of mouth advocates because the nature of the industry of few transactions with seven to ten years between purchases. REALTORS® also have a challenge because they do not have large capital dollars to create loyalty marketing programs.
Outsourced programs are available to help create loyal customers that grow your referral business. These programs are available at low cost, yet provide substantial savings for customers and prospects in their everyday lives.

www.loyaltybuilder.com
Arnie Goldberg
agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com
317-489-5337

HOME STAGING

2010-03-03T07:50:00.003-05:00

WHAT IS HOME STAGING?

Charlene Storozuk – Owner of Dezigner Digz™

Home staging, also known as real estate staging, is the art of transforming a home into a sought-after property that will stand out amongst the competing comparable listings in that area. In a lot of cases, this does not have to come at great expense to the homeowner. Many times a professional home stager can bring about a dramatic makeover with minimal cash layout which in turn, results in the homeowner realizing a higher net profit.

Home staging is much more than just cleaning and de-cluttering. It involves being able to distinguish the positives and negatives in a home and knowing what to do to accentuate those positives. Keep in mind though, that a reputable home stager will never try to disguise flaws in a home. That is unethical.
Can I stage my own home?
A professional home stager will be able to look at your home in an unbiased manner and see things that are in need of change that you, the homeowner, may not notice. It is difficult for a homeowner to be impartial as they are invested in the property.
Is home staging expensive?
There is a misconception among some people that home staging is expensive. This could not be farther from the truth. Sometimes the most dramatic differences to a room are achieved by simply re-arranging the furniture and changing the paint colour. A professional home stager is able to see the potential in your home and will achieve its best look, while at the same time, doing so for the least amount of money to you. After all, the less spent on home staging (when done correctly), the more money in your pocket.

I thought this was a good informational piece on Home Staging.

Arnie
agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com

WHY LOYALTY MARKETING?

2010-03-01T06:58:00.003-05:00

Why loyalty marketing? Because the overwhelming majority of real estate transactions come from referrals, you need a marketing strategy that not only retains existing clients, but gets them to recommend you to others more often.

Loyalty marketing is a process that identifies best customers by retaining and growing profitable relationships. Your most profitable customers not only transact with you, but also refer new business opportunities to you.

Most successful companies that deal with consumers have robust and capital intensive loyalty marketing programs -- because THEY WORK!

American Airlines years ago offered a loyalty rewards program and other airlines followed them. Credit card companies came with rewards programs. In recent years Target decided to take a major share of their advertising budget and give it back to their existing customers. They determined it was more effective and less costly to do loyalty marketing to existing customers than try to convert the whole buying public.

Rewards Programs and many loyalty activities are transactional based -- "purchase this" and "get this" -- these are reactive

Loyalty Marketing is relationship focused and pro-active rather than re-active

Let's use as an example a REALTOR® with a data base of 250 and they actually know 50 people well. The question becomes, how many of even the 50 are willing to talk about the REALTOR®? Those are the ones you need to engage and cultivate relationships with, and need to move others of the 200 into those that will "carry your banner."

You need a loyalty marketing solution that identifies those customers and cultivates your relationship with them.

Arnie Goldberg, VP Loyalty Builder, LLC agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com

Actions For Improving Credit

2010-02-12T20:16:00.003-05:00

RISMEDIA, December 7, 2009—Christine Van Tuyl and Margaret La Grange, team with Prudential California Realty in Coronado, have compiled their latest list,

Top Tips to Improve your Credit

1. Review your current credit report for accuracy. Everyone is entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Get a copy of your credit report and look at it for accuracy. First, make sure that the information in your file is about you and only you, not someone who has a similar name or a similar Social Security number. It is very common for your credit reports to have mistakes or incorrect information. At a minimum, make sure that the information you are being evaluated on is current and correct.

2. Repair credit report mistakes. If you find something on your credit report that is incorrect or missing, you should dispute the mistake by contacting the credit bureaus directly. All credit bureaus have their dispute procedures on their website. They are also required by law to investigate any disputed items and these investigations will usually be done within 30 days of your request.

3. Pay your bills on time. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Payment history accounts for roughly 35% of your credit score. Paying bills on time is the most important thing to do. If you’re struggling to catch up, contact your creditors to work out a payment schedule.

4. Increase the length of your credit history. This accounts for about 15% of your score. Don’t cancel your old card or get a lot of new ones in a short time span because this can hurt your score.

5. Keep credit card balances low. It’s a good idea to keep the balances below 25% of your available credit. Even if you pay off your credit cards every month, a high average balance will impact your score. This accounts for about 30% of your credit score.

6. Keep new credit requests to a minimum. This accounts for 10% of your score. Every time a lender runs your credit, an inquiry is recorded. If you are trying to get a loan, don’t apply for new credit cards first.

7. Be aware that paying off a collection account will not remove it from your credit report. It will stay on your report for seven years.

8. Pay off debt rather than moving it around. The most effective way to improve your credit score in this area is by paying down your revolving credit. In fact, owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your score.

9. Beware credit-repair scams. By all means, don’t pay someone to wipe away the negative items in your file. If they don’t follow through, the damaging items will reappear in two or three months.

Please keep in mind that Christine Van Tuyl and Margaret La Grange are real estate agents, not mortgage lenders. For more information on how your credit score will impact your loan and interest rate, please contact your mortgage lender.

Thanks to Christine Van Tuyl and Margaret La Grange

Arnie Goldberg agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com 317-569-0422

Your Business Approach To Social Media

2010-01-22T11:04:00.003-05:00

Americans tripled the amount of time they spent on social networking sites in 2009 and these sites now account for 17% of all time spent on the Internet (from a survey)

There are more than 350,000,000 Facebook users, half of whom log in at least once per day. The average user spends 55 minutes per day on Facebook.2

The average household income of LinkedIn users is $107,278

According to the 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the Internet is the leading source of information used in a home search (87%) while traditional avenues, like newspapers and home magazines, are used less than half of the time. With the Internet being used by the vast majority of buyers, it is critical that realtors are online and engaging with potential customers on a regular basis.

Which Social Media Is Right For You and Your Business
* Research them, including local platforms like one called Smaller Indiana
* Develop a Plan … just like any other Marketing or Customer Loyalty Plan
* Social Media is not the answer to all of your business, but can be a huge enhancement
* Think Value… how can you value your audience, and include posts that others might like… in other words, think of your audience, not necessarily what you want or like

Step One – The Profile
* People are interested in more than name and business, thus you should include the most professional and personal oriented information
* Build a complete professional resume on LinkedIn … include references and a history of your career paths, with lots of rich content that could be of interest

* Include places worked, and education, memberships, special hobbies and/or pastimes

* Include any areas of particular expertise

Your Audience
* Insert posts and information others would be interested in

* Vary your posts to create interest

* Post articles that might be helpful to others regarding health, finance, government,
sports, children, schools, neighborhoods, etc.

* Maybe even post a comical youtube item on your facebook page

* Try to stay neutral regarding politics or gear your political ideas to only people with the same right or left tendencies

* Remember not to offend anyone out there, it could multiply itself to others

* Be Polite .. Cordiality is a winner … say Thanks often

* Send individual posts when appropriate

Learn From Others
* Visit other’s pages and posts, profiles etc
* Gain from their successes
* Why re-invent the wheel? But always give credit when using someone else’s information

* If everything is about you, people will see right through it…

Selling on Social Media
* Remember social media is for creating contacts and building relationships, not for selling
* Never directly try to sell anything – you will turn people off and once you lose them, they rarely come back

* Remember you do not like to be solicited so why treat others that way
* No one purchases or deals with another person unless they trust that person or company

* Social media can and does create trust if used correctly
* Realtors should rarely post listings or properties for sale only on the listing type sights or in special close-nit groups you might establish that would be interested in listings

Share Valuable or Fun Information
* Comical items or quotes (clean ones only) can be a nice change of pace

* News articles or quotes from news articles can be valuable to readers

* Possibly a short video of interest on different subjects might be enjoyed by viewers

* Local news and/or television shows of interest are helpful

* National news subjects are always of interest

* Disaster relief and other emotional items can be of interest of course

* Highlight local or national businesses and maybe include good experiences with customer service

Include In Your Plan
* I normally visit other profiles and other people’s pages a couple times a week

* Remember life in general thus being active in social media is a learning process and you can learn from others out there in social media

Consistency
* Social media, if you want it be a successful business tool, must be viewed and acted upon in a very consistent manner.

* Here today and gone tomorrow does not work

* If you ask a question, respond to replies

* If you are going to use social media everyday that is fine, or three times a week that is also fine. But whatever time you devote, be consistent and show an interest in others

Arnie Goldberg VP Loyalty Builder, LLC agoldberg@loyaltbuilder.com

Indoor Air Quality Concerns?

2010-01-16T10:31:00.001-05:00

By Angela Epps

Air purifiers can help.
They reduce air-born bacteria from mold, fungi and household chemicals found in many cleaners used in day-to-day house cleaning. These pollutants in your home’s air can aggravate asthma, allergies, and sinus problems, especially if your household has children or seniors. The EPA (Environmental Protection Association) estimates that the air inside your home can be up to ten times more polluted than the air outside the house. Along with reducing air-born bacteria, many air purifiers remove irritants such as pet dander, pollen, smoke, and dust (less house cleaning!) from your home’s air and make the air smell cleaner by noticeably reducing odors. Which air purifier is right for you?
When considering using an air purifier in your home, make sure that you check the purifier’s CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate). The CADR is not tested by the company manufacturing the air purifier but by an independent laboratory based on three different particles. Smoke, pollen and dust are released into a room and the ratings are based on how long the air purifier takes to clean the surrounding air. Basically, the larger the room in your home, the higher the CADR rating has to be for it to clean the air in the whole space and for you to receive the health benefits of using it.

Air purifiers don’t help with everything.
It is important to know that most air purifiers, unless you buy an expensive industrial one, do not remove gases such as carbon monoxide or radon from your home’s air. Your house should have separate devices that test for these health risks.

Selling Your Home

2010-01-16T10:18:00.001-05:00

By Sally Aquire

Setting the right price is crucial when selling your home. If you overestimate the value of your house, you risk alienating potential buyers who will not be able to afford to buy it. On the other hand, pricing your house at far less than it is worth can leave potential buyers wondering whether it has hidden problems. Having your house professionally valued can help you to set a fair price, but what happens if this price is not fetching any buyers? At this point, homeowners often toy with the idea of lowering their asking price to clinch a sale. However, some homeowners would be better off waiting for the difficult market to ride itself out, especially if the house in question is desirable in terms of size, location and amenities.

Selling Seasons
The selling season in which you first put your house up for sale can have an impact on how long it takes to sell. The housing market typically starts to warm up during the winter months and reaches a first 'peak' from April through to June. After the summer passes, the selling season tends to slow down again until a second 'peak' begins from September to Thanksgiving. Between Thanksgiving and New Year, the housing market slows down again.
Listing your house during one of the 'peak' selling seasons is a good way to ensure that it will receive as much interest as possible from potential buyers.

Standing Your Ground
In a difficult market, houses can take up to a year to sell as the number of sellers is greater than the number of potential buyers. In this situation, it is often unrealistic to expect a quick sale, so try not to panic if your house does not sell quickly after first going on the market. If your house is in a location 'hot spot' or is particularly desirable, it makes little sense to lower your price, as this type of house is likely to attract plenty of interest from potential buyers unless it is grossly overpriced.

Cutting Your Losses
If your house has been on the market for a year or more without a sale, it is probably time to lower the price. As some time has passed since it was put on the market, you may need to take a significant hit on the asking price to interest potential buyers. This is obviously not ideal, but it may be the only way to clinch a sale if you have been unable to secure a sale at the current asking price.

Many buyers look upon price reductions as an indication that you have admitted defeat on the previous asking price, and will often come in with an offer that is below the new asking price. In this situation, you need to decide whether you can afford to accept the reduced offer or whether you are prepared to wait for a different offer. The latter can be a risky gamble as a higher offer will not necessarily be forthcoming, especially in a difficult market.

GREATEST BUSINESS RISK TODAY - LOSS OF EXISTING CUSTOMERS

2010-01-08T14:43:00.003-05:00

We are finding the greatest risk in today’s business is the loss of existing customers. And we all have known the best opportunity for growing sales is through your existing customers... would you agree?

You must know who are your core customers and find out which satisfied customers can become loyal customers. There is a big difference between satisfied and loyal.

Nothing beats meeting a loyal customer for breakfast, lunch or a cup of coffee. Second is picking up the phone and talking for a few minutes with your grade A customers. Third and just as important is a consistent way to create value added benefits and consulting services for customers to differentiate you from those trying to erode your customer base.

But first you must know your customers well enough to know which are "core loyal customers" and which could be "cultivated" to become core loyal customers. How do you accomplish that? "DEEPER" KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS BEYOND THE "OUTER SHELL"

Your customers do not always want to hear about real estate! In fact most of the time you they do not have any interest in real estate. You must trigger their work-life interests, home-life interests and lifestyle interests.

There are companies that offer services and or programs to help you accomplish just that. Seek them out and find companies that specialize in customer relationships.

Arnie Goldberg .. Loyalty Builder, LLC ... agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com

Loyal Customers - How Many Do You Have?

2010-01-02T15:18:00.001-05:00

We are finding the greatest risk in today’s business is the loss of existing customers. And we all have known the best opportunity for growing sales is through your existing customers
The key is to discern who are your core customers and find out which satisfied customers can become loyal customers. There is a big difference between satisfied and loyal.
• Nothing beats meeting a loyal customer for breakfast, lunch or a cup of coffee.
• Second is picking up the phone and talking for a few minutes with your top flight customers.
• Third and just as important is a consistent way to create value added benefits and consulting services for customers to differentiate you from those trying to erode your customer base.
It is not enough to be good in today’s business climate. You need to be creative and a true consultant for your customers both new and existing. Everyone is shopping every purchase with more and more scrutiny.
You must become a resource for not just real estate but for life in general. Helping a customer replace a washer and dryer, helping them with green initiatives, or even giving a customer a business lead can help you differentiate yourself from the daily tumult.
Follow through is critical. So you must engage, act and consistently communicate in helpful ways.

Arnie Goldberg, Co-Founder VP, Loyalty Builder, LLC
Loyalty Builder is a relationship management and marketing firm that I believe is dramatically different from the standard industry focused firm. We are driven to generate relationships to grow your real estate business.

TEAMWORK LEADS TO GOOD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

2010-01-01T10:12:00.002-05:00

I believe one step owners and managers can take to help their agents is to bring three top notch (world class) mortgage brokers into their office (one at a time) for a very detailed interview.

Let's face it, closings depend upon teamwork between an agent and a mortgage person.. Why not be proactive to find the very best mortgage people in your area to work with your agents... Let them compete for the business, but also create some loyalty with them. Often they have different specialties that are critical in getting deals to the closing table.

Good teamwork is not just closing the deal, but making sure the experience is topnotch and it takes coordinated effort to accomplish that. Good communication amongst the team and the client is crucial. Remember the attitude has to be "what is best for the client."

Arnie Goldberg, VP Loyalty Builder, LLC agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com

Janet Guilbault Article - OPPORTUNITY 2010

2010-01-01T09:51:00.002-05:00

This is the best description of business employee attitude I have seen. Of course this is not all companies, like USAA, and Nordstrom where customer service is world class.

Quoted by Janet Guilbault:
In the so called "new economy" of 2009, business strategy revolved around this miserable mindset:

1. Let's fire everyone we can, cut the pay of those left (they're lucky to have a job, after all), then try to operate normally with one third of the staff.
2. Let customers figure it out. Send them to our website.
3. Let customers wait on hold forever or go straight to voice mail jail.
4. Let customers wait in line.
5. Let customers stand at the front desk and ring a bell if they expect service. We fired our receptionist months ago.
6. Heaven forbid we should pay anybody to talk to anybody! If they need support they can e-mail us.
7. Why should we be friendly or nice? We're in a recession after all.
8. Let's make our product worse to save money. Half the size, half the warranty, half the quality. No one will notice. If they do it will be too late.
9. Let's cut our hours, close locations, and turn down the heat.
10. If we absolutely need to hire someone, let's hire a part time employee, pay no health insurance, no benefits, and give them no training
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YOU CAN BUILD AND ATTRACT MORE BUSINESS BY THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS

Again quoted by Janet Guilbault

Simply make these resolutions:

1. I will grant customers the ability to talk to ME (not to my voicemail and not to my e-mail)
2. I will call them before they call me.
3. I will have live, face to face meetings with my customers whenever I can (what a concept!)
4. I will remember that a crabby customer needs my sympathy more than anything else.
5. I will go out of my way to show I genuinely care by asking directly what the customer wants and needs.
6. More than anything, I will cause my customers to believe they matter, and they are important.
7. I will never allow my customers to know I am feeling crabby, overworked, or underpaid.
8. I would rather have fewer customers that are lavished with attention than many customers who get no service, or poor service.
9. In a world where service is getting worse, mine will get better.
10. I will know my stuff.

TRULY UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER

2009-12-24T10:04:00.001-05:00

UNDERSTANDING what your customer expects from you as a service provider has become multi-faceted. It's not just enough to know the demographic profile of your customer. Providing good customer service and giving your customers what they expect means understanding every aspect of their lifestyle, especially when marketing to different age consumers. It will become more and more important to know what kind of music they listen to, and where they purchase clothing and auxiliary items, business software and various lifestyle factors. Additional information needed will be sports followed, children and what their children like to do, and so many more.
It is becoming more important to align yourself with third party companies that can help you gather and analyze this critical information regarding your customers in their work life, home life and lifestyle. Social media has become a useful tool also in discovering more information about customers and even providing ways to keep existing customers as loyal repeat customers.

Arnie Goldberg agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com 317-489-5337

LEADERSHIP - FIVE GUIDELINES

2009-12-14T10:03:00.001-05:00

Leadership is not just your actions, but must include the ability to encourage and inspire others
Leadership is about trust, which is the glue that cements the followers and moves the organization forward
Leadership helps bring out the best in others including the sharing of the best within each other
Leadership is a process of teamwork, focus, commitment and execution
Leadership includes two-way communication and emphasis on solutions not complaints

The Future of Bricks & Mortar for Brokers

2009-12-14T09:43:00.001-05:00

Agents over the past few years have moved into home offices. Today's technology provides all an agent needs to work from a home office. Is this the model of the future?

Many agents have seen reduced production. Why?
Not enough discipline - easily distracted
Lack of motivation
No consistency

A dynamic office atmosphere keeps agents working their deals, and getting more closings

Have you noticed top producers continue to operate out of an office... because they are more productive...

This is not to say home offices are not valuable and convenient... and to many they help save drive time and help many be more productive

For many, they can get lots of productivity at early and late hours also

So what do you think the future of bricks and mortar will be? Will a real estate office only need conference rooms and a bull pen?

HOW DO YOU STACK UP IN CREATING LOYAL CUSTOMERS?

2009-12-07T11:22:00.003-05:00

Too many realtors take their existing customers for granted. Think of the automobile industry that did the very same thing. They were so bold at one time they said, “Americans will not buy Japanese automobiles.” Another example of the “fickleness” of customers is the remote control. Did you know that 72% of all households have a remote control and they zap the remote control every four minutes, and men zap much more. Thus, companies trying to create customer loyalty with television ads, and are having greater difficulty reaching the consumer. It is critical for realtors to concentrate on what is New. What I mean by that is what is old is not of much concern anymore to the public. We walk up to someone and say, “What is new?” Thus, the successful realtor has new information, new trends, new newsworthy information, new-new-new stuff for their customers. The old boring newsletters, and refrigerator magnets are not new. What is new is a valuable coupon at Macy’s or Nordstrom, for the women, or three golf balls for the man. What is new is a $10 coupon for the whole family at a restaurant. What is new is sending a copy of a current newspaper article that is timely and of keen interest to your customers. Building loyalty is an ongoing process that involves creativity and much thought, but also requires up-to-date data base information, because clients change over time. Growth with more children, maturity, career changes, and neighborhood changes around them, cause customers to have different attitudes and different viewpoints. Great realtors put systems in place to help them keep up with those changes to be more relevant in their customer’s lives. Loyal customers lead to greater profits. Written by Arnie Goldberg, VP Business Development Loyalty Builder, LLC --- Faculty University of Phoenix, Faculty Oakland City University, Faculty Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.....Author of a new Customer Loyalty book “Give Your Dog A Treat” www.giveyourdogatreat.com - agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com

The guardian at the gateway to your mind

2009-12-02T05:46:00.002-05:00

Posting from Lew Smallwood's blog:
There is a guardian standing guard at the gateway to your mind? It’s called your reticular activating system or RAS, which is the scientific term for a network of nerve pathways situated at the base of your brain that connects the spinal cord, cerebellum, and cerebrum, and acts as a filter for all the sensory input your brain draws from your external world. Reticular, from the Latin word for ‘little net’ simply means a netlike structure. Everything you see, hear, touch, taste, or smell passes through this fine network, which then relays the signal to the appropriate part of your brain for processing.
You can think of this system as something like Google. When you type a word or search string into Google, it scours the internet for everything it can find that relates to that specific phrase, retrieves it and presents it to you, and it does this in a matter of seconds. Your reticular formation does much the same thing but does its work in thousandths of a second.
The inherent danger for us whenever a failure or disappointment occurs in life is that we can identify with it too closely, and therefore mistake the failure for ourselves. That can lead to adopting a mindset of ‘I failed therefore I am a failure’ and that dominant thought attracts further failure images and messages.
It is better to forget the failure and focus on future success. That mindset will attract positive images and messages. Never label lack of success as failure, simply learn from it and be grateful for the lesson the set back provides, and keep you RAS set for success.
Just change what you think about, change your dominant thoughts. Because in life you eventually attract what you think about most of the time.

GREATEST RISK TODAY - LOSS OF EXISTING CUSTOMERS

2009-11-27T07:51:00.002-05:00

We are finding the greatest risk in today’s business is the loss of existing customers. And we all have known the best opportunity for growing sales is through your existing customers... would you agree?

You must know who are your core customers and find out which satisfied customers can become loyal customers. There is a big difference between satisfied and loyal.

Nothing beats meeting a loyal customer for breakfast, lunch or a cup of coffee. Second is picking up the phone and talking for a few minutes with your grade A customers. Third and just as important is a consistent way to create value added benefits and consulting services for customers to differentiate you from those trying to erode your customer base.

But first you must know your customers well enough to know which are "core loyal customers" and which could be "cultivated" to become core loyal customers. How do you accomplish that? "DEEPER" KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS BEYOND THE "OUTER SHELL"

Your customers do not always want to hear about real estate! In fact most of the time you they do not have any interest in real estate. You must trigger their work-life interests, home-life interests and lifestyle interests.

There are companies that offer services and or programs to help you accomplish just that. Seek them out and find companies that specialize in customer relationships.

Arnie Goldberg, co-founder and Vice President with Loyalty Builder,LLC. Arnie says, "Loyalty Builder is a relationship management and marketing firm that I believe is dramatically different from the standard industry focused firm. We are driven to generate relationships to grow your real estate business."

REALTOR CUSTOMER BASE MARKETING

2009-11-26T05:52:00.001-05:00

Realtor Customer Base Marketing
Important information
A National Association of Realtors Technology Survey in 2007 found that REFERRALS, REPEAT BUSINESS and INTERNET were the main sources of leads.
And I have found in realtor surveys that the majority of realtors are still spending more of their marketing budget on soliciting new clients than on their customer base. Why?
The traditional brokerage office is still hiring as many agents as possible, hoping for as many sales as possible, and using old techniques like open houses, floor duty, and email. I include email because email is now a marketing tool that is loosing it’s value.
New technology and a new approach
The advent of the social media boom, the massive availability of information on the Internet, the younger generation of multi-tasking and fast paced living have dictated a major shift in the way realtors approach their business.
The information below reviews the need to consider a shift from traditional marketing budgets to a new approach. The low cost of advertising and publicity and information gathering allows realtors to allocate more to customer base marketing than prospect marketing.

Marketing Costs Per Closing
Assumptions:
• The realtor tracks their commissions (If they don’t I bet the IRS does)
• The realtor tracks marketing costs
• The realtor tracks revenue from repeat and referral business closings (Although many do not, we suggest they begin immediately as it takes more and more knowledge of their business to survive and/or grow today’s climate.)
Realtor tracked - customer value
• Original commission earned on purchase of a home $ 3,200
• Referral to a neighbor for a listing which sold $ 3,800
• Listing customer’s home/repurchase of a new home $ 8,200
• Referral to a home builder (2 sales in 2 years) $ 5,500
• Listing of older parents moving to assisted living $ 3,100
• Introduction to HR person where customer works
(value undetermined as of yet)
Total $ 23,800

Economics

Closings per year (assuming) 30
Commissions $90,000
Total Marketing Costs $6,000
% of Referrals 70% or $63,000
Marketing cost on Customer Base 30% = $ 1800.00 (typical)
Marketing on Prospecting 70% $ 4,200.00

Marketing Costs New Prospect Closings $4,200.00 or $466.66 per closing
Marketing Costs Referral or Repeat Business Closings $1,800.00 or $85.72 per closing

Re-alignment of marketing dollars

If your referral and repeat business is 70% of your income, why spend only 30% of your total marketing investment on your customer base.
We strongly suggest you reverse the marketing investment and allocate 70% of total budget dollars toward your customer base.

Customer Service Retention Trends in Social Media

2009-11-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Customer Service Retention Trends in Social Media

By Arnie Goldberg

Faculty, John Sperling School of Business, University of Phoenix Website Article

Keeping a client year after year requires attaining customer loyalty which involves fitting together several pieces of a relationship puzzle. There is a science to understanding client loyalty. This includes recognizing the value of loyal clients, and creating and maintaining those loyal clients.

Research surveys have held the position that customers who were satisfied were more likely to remain loyal to a company (Klein & Einstein, 2003). When organizations delivered a customer experience that met their needs, customers returned to that organization more frequently than to its competition. However, current thought reveals only the top echelon of satisfied customers remained loyal to an organization.

I have found while teaching a course on customer retention, the best starting point is to have the students answer a few questions. This process helps a person realize the many factors that affect customer loyalty, and how these factors play on purchase decisions in his or her life. The survey thought process also shows how we are all different and have different motivations, which is important in developing customer loyalty strategies and programs.

Introducing Social Media

Today, there is a swing back to gaining knowledge of the customer and his or her behavior patterns as a key element in designing loyalty marketing plans and strategies. With the viral expansion of social media, and the younger consumer demographic’s use of social media as a daily communication tool, this phenomenon becomes an opportunity for businesses to maintain contact and provide current information to existing customers.

Traditional means of advertising and flows of providing information to existing customers are losing their effectiveness. Advertisers are not seeing positive results from newspapers and print media and have reduced expenditures in those media outlets. Social media provides free platforms and the advent of “permission-based” communication, with a huge word-of-mouth, viral scope.

People are now in a hurry—not only the younger generation but their parents too. The fastest growing segment of social media platforms is said to be those from ages 40 to 55 (Corbett, 2009). They read news on the Internet in brief “tidbits” of information, and they are multi-tasking with several software applications open at the same time. Often they are switching in the middle of a news article when a message arrives and often they never return to the article.

While surveying several social media users, I found they build trust within their social media friends and rely heavily on these friends for purchasing information and company reputation. Positive flows of purchase satisfaction can provide a major component of customer loyalty programs by company marketing departments.

Three Factors that Influence Customer Loyalty

Customer satisfaction–involves prior expectations of quality and customer service, and the comparison of those expectations to actual performance received.
Perceived alternatives–have to do with the difficulty and/or the cost of moving to a new vendor or service provider.
Business relationship–relates to how strong the business relationship is perceived.

Trends in the growth of social media are providing platforms to aid in all three of these customer loyalty influences. Businesses must begin and continue to use this important avenue of communication to increase customer service retention.

References

Corbett, P. 2009. 2009 Facebook Demographics and Stistics Report. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from Istrategylabs.com

Klein, M. & Einstein, R., 2003. The Myth of Customer Satisfaction. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from Strategy + Business; Booz & Company.

Ideas Essential For Future Offerings

2009-10-10T18:18:00.000-04:00

If you do not predict the future, your sales and your whole business in today’s fast paced business atmosphere can decrease in a hurry.

Today, a young person with an idea, can start a business for very little money, create a credible website, position the business idea correctly on the internet, get traction on Google and other search engines and the result could be:

Your sales all of sudden belong to that young person operating out of his home office!

Constant “research and development” becomes a necessary part of any business planning.

Any website must always be a work in progress

New ideas and new concepts have to be considered

Prime Example: Social Media as a Business Tool, as a Marketing Tool

Arnie Goldberg, VP Business Development, Loyalty Builder, LLC. agoldberg@loyaltybuilder.com

PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE

2009-09-24T05:18:00.000-04:00

People must feel comfortable to purchase anything. And the key word is "CREDIBILITY." There are three types of credibility:

1. YOU

(believe it or not first impressions count) How are you dressed, do you wreak with confidence so it is evident, do you smile

2. Your Company

(always have two or three statements that just roll off your tongue) Example-"The real estate industry has changed so much since our company was established in 1992" or "My staff is dedicated to servicing clients before the sale, during the sale, and after the sale."

3. Your Product or Service

My goal is to create not just clients, but life long friends, and referrals account for a major part of my success

More Biz in a Tough Market: The One Question More Realtors Need to Ask

by Brian Hilliard (direct quotes from Brian)

"Of all the people you've talked to this week, how many have you made feel like they should give you their business? In other words, a lot of times we can be so busy talking about what we've done, and are going to do for people, that we lose track of first creating an environment where this prospect (or Referral Partner) actually wants to work with us, or pass referrals in our direction. And when you think about it, that makes sense."

"There are plenty of choices out there for people looking to buy a home. And if we accept the fact that you're not the only Agent this person is talking to, then getting her to feel like she wants to work with you is absolutely crucial to closing the sale.

I'm talking about things like:

* Does she feel comfortable with your expertise in the area?

* Is she confident that you'll do what you said you do?

* Does she feel "listened to", even though she might be asking "stupid" questions?

* How confident is she that you'll take care of her even after the sale?

All of this comes together to create a general "feel," or "vibe" someone has about working with you. And the more positive you can make that initial feeling, the more likely you are to close the deal.

So what can you do to generate the right "feel"? Well, you'll first want to make sure that you always "Do What You Said You Would Do." That means sending out an email, returning phone calls in a timely fashion and showing up to meetings on time. A lot of times we can be so busy doing so many other things, that some of the "little stuff" can fall through the cracks."

Business Sitting At Your Doorstep

2009-09-17T06:17:00.000-04:00

It is time to remind everyone once again.... When was the last time you picked up a phone and called your top five clients? your top ten clients? ... More business is sitting at your doorstep through your existing clients than spending lots of time and funds to find new clients.

I like the following from Betty Kincaid's Blog:

The recession has set the housecats free. It’s time to let your dormant instincts kick in. Like the alley cat, it’s time to work to fill your belly – in your case, by ensuring a steady stream of clients.

Where do you get those customers?

Order them by phone.

Call everyone you’ve done business with in the last 5 years to update their contact information, ask for the order & find out how you can help them succeed in 2009.

Start right now. Contact everyone in your database within 6 weeks. As you make the calls, the energy in your office will rise. The phone will begin to ring and orders will start to flow. You’re going to get busy, but don’t stop making your calls. Once you get to the end, start again.

Improving Your Quality of Life

2009-09-16T11:29:00.000-04:00

Often one of the reasons people don't take the time to improve their quality of life, is that they think things will somehow just get better. They live their life in hope that their job or business will somehow improve. They hope that some lucky combination of circumstances will come about and as a result, they will finally be recognised and rewarded. Unfortunately this isn't how life works. How life works is; for things to get better, we must first get better. For things to improve, we must first improve. If we want to become more successful and happier in life, we must adopt a more effective approach.

The starting point of all change is in the mind, or more precisely, in how we think! Am I saying all we must do is improve the quality of our thoughts and we will improve the quality of our life? Yes! In fact, everything pivots around this fundamental truth. Success comes from results. Results come from actions. Actions come from thoughts. So, when we think more effectively, we take better actions, and produce better results. As you are the one who is responsible for your thoughts, you must decide how successful your life will be. It is always your responsibility, because only you have control of your mind.

Beliefs are magical things, they are at first thoughts and yet they are more than thoughts. Our beliefs comprise; how we come to know and understand things, give meaning to things, and create energy, emotions, and actions. Meaning doesn't exist out there in the world. Meaning exists only within the mind as we connect and link ideas with experiences. At birth, we have no beliefs. They develop as our perceptions, understandings and learning's grow and become a form of focused awareness. Beliefs develop over time from our experiences. We construct them via the ideas, thoughts, feelings, and meanings that we develop about various concepts. Beliefs are very powerful, helping us to have a sense of certainty and direction in an unpredictable world.

So if we wish to get better we must start by developing better beliefs. And you can chose to change any one you want to by first identifying a limiting belief, and then creating a new counter-belief that better supports you. Then become willing to let go of the old belief, and adopt the new. Simply accept any resistance, and then repeat the process until you can state the new belief congruently. Manifesting your dreams and desires into reality does not depend on your education, your ethnicity, your cultural heritage, or your current environment. It is solely the result of how you think and what you believe. One of the most important beliefs we can adopt is that in order to succeed and be happy we should be constantly improving the quality of our lives, by constantly growing and expanding our thinking.

Lew Smallwood

Julie Escobar - Her Experience Provides Benefits

2009-09-15T09:25:00.000-04:00

Julie Escobar is Director of Corporate and Convention Marketing for ProspectsPLUS! Julie has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the real estate industry. In her current position, she provides fresh ideas, products and tools for the training team and valued clients of Bradenton, FL-based ProspectsPLUS!

Get more of her tips, tools and strategies each month in the free Master Marketing Newsletter^TM from Prospects PLUS! Visit www.ProspectsPlus.com, call Julie at 1.800.287.5710, or e-mail her at julie.escobar@prospectsplus.com

http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20090910_backschool.htm

Build Buyer Interest, Generate Leads With Videos on YouTube

2009-09-15T09:18:00.000-04:00

by Paul Montelongo

Social media marketing has become, quite frankly, an essential way to do business and one of the premier sites the home building industry should use is YouTube.

We in the industry work with prospective buyers who are savvier than ever — due in large part to the information they glean from the Internet.

However, no matter how savvy the buyer, they still seek the most fundamental of all sales concepts — they want to trust the salesperson and company they are working with. After they have gathered all their information, they want to be validated. They want to work with real people with real insights.

This is where a vehicle like YouTube can be your most influential tool.

Videos bridge static information and the visual. They give your prospective buyers a view into your product and your personality. In addition, they function as a lead generator as well as a lead qualifier.

YouTube Is Simple to Use

With YouTube, you can shoot a short video and upload it to the site within minutes. YouTube then provides you a link that you can copy and paste into an e-mail to your prospects, or post on your Web site, blog or other social sites you may have, such as Facebook or Twitter.

All you need is a video camera and an idea.

YouTube technology is easy to use. But in case you’re a technophobe, don’t worry. Someone in your office, or just about any high school student, will be able to upload a video for you.

What you will probably find more challenging will be creating and developing the ideas for videos that will distinguish you and elevate you above your competition.

The following are a few tips on what to do when making your video — and what to avoid doing.

Video Do’s

Brevity Is King. Make your point and show your product quickly.
Authenticity Rules. Be personable. Smile and remember to be friendly. Think trust and remember, you are showcasing how easy it is for people to get along with you in a sales environment.
Frequency. Post videos and update your footage regularly.
Be Original and Spontaneous. Carry your video camera with you at all times and be ready to record anything that is remotely interesting or informative in your line of work.
Brief Customer Testimonials Are Very Powerful. Anyone can write a testimonial, but with a video testimonial, the viewer can look into the eyes of your customers and gauge their sincerity.
Archive Them in One Location. Create your own YouTube TV station. It’s free, simple, quick to do and can be customized with your corporate colors and logo.

What to Avoid

Bad Lighting, Bad Sound, Too Much Background Noise. You don’t need to be Steven Spielberg to produce a decent video, but use some common sense when it comes to the quality of your videos.
Disrespecting the Copyright Laws. If you wish to use music, photos, literature and other videos, conduct a brief Google search to see if you are infringing on any intellectual territories. There are plenty of royalty-free pictures and music available for your videos.
Distasteful, Off-Color, Unruly, Offensive or Objectionable Material. Can you be edgy and interesting? Absolutely. How is objectionable defined?
Not Integrating Your YouTube Videos With All of Your Other Internet Marketing Strategies. YouTube videos should be a component of a well-thought out marketing plan. In the housing industry videos should be a component of your overall marketing landscape.
Copycat, Copycat. It’s okay to take an idea and expand it to make it your own. Be as original as you possibly can and avoid copying the video ideas of a competitor or colleague.
No Contact Information. Every video you produce and post should include your contact information. A simple e-mail or Web site address is sufficient. As with other marketing, your goal is to have prospective customers contact you for more information. Help them out.
Not Combing Your Hair. Think about the impression you wish to make and dress accordingly. If you want to project a highly professional image, wear business clothes and film the video in your office with you behind a big walnut desk. Or, because you’re selling a lakefront community, casual attire is more appropriate as you film your video on an outside patio overlooking the lake (possibly with a mojito cocktail on the table).
Keeping Your Videos a Secret. If you are going to make an effort to shoot video footage, by all means let the world know it’s out there.

There are other video storage sites available, such as Viddler.com and Flickr.com, that you can use as well. Each has its own special features, but YouTube is by far the most widely used and is universally recognized.

Keep in mind that, as with most other forms of marketing, video marketing is a work-in-progress. The more you work with it, the more it will work for you.

Paul Montelongo, CSP, CGR, is a nationally recognized speaker, author, syndicated columnist, entrepreneurial consultant and an international authority on sales motivation. He works with businesses and organizations around the country to build team responsibility and personal morale. Visitwww.youtube.com/plmontelongo for video evidence and his blog at www.paulmontelongo.com/housingblog for social media marketing proof.

The Enemies of Learning and Change

2009-09-09T06:11:00.000-04:00

A young man approached Socrates the great philosopher and sage and pleaded that he accept him as a student. Socrates responded by asking the young man to walk with him along the bank of a river and then beckoned him to enter the water with him. Suddenly Socrates grasped the young man and forced his head under water. He struggled frantically to free himself but Socrates held him tightly and kept him submerged. Finally, the young man became exhausted so Socrates released him and then asked: When you thought you were drowning what one thing did you want most of all? Still gasping he exclaimed: I wanted air! Socrates smiled and said: When you want knowledge as much as you wanted air, then you will get it!

The lesson for us is that to learn and change we must be committed. How we approach learning inevitably shapes what we understand to be possible in dealing with the difficulties that confront us in life. Being a committed learner is central to developing what the Dalai Lama calls a flexible or pliant mode of thinking. How each of us operates as a learner inevitably shapes what we see to be possible when dealing with difficulties that may confront us.

One way to discern how we approach learning is to consider any unintentional blockages we may have. These enemies of learning often occur as our silent statements and judgements. They may include an inability to acknowledge our ignorance or admit that someone else may know. Or we may be unwilling to allow others the permission, or authority to teach us. Sometimes it is self-doubt about our ability to learn and change, or perhaps being trapped in a mood of anxiety, or of resignation, or of resentment. Knowing and acknowledging our enemies of learning is the first step in moving beyond them.

Another key step is to identify and develop our allies of learning. These include humility, which enables us to acknowledge our ignorance and to grant ourselves permission to learn from another. Courage, so we allow ourselves to be open to new, and sometimes difficult areas of learning or to different methods of learning. Also, developing a constructive frame of mind along with a way of being that incorporates curiosity, wonder, humour, lightness and playfulness. These attributes and a determination to persist with learning will serve us well.

Throughout time people have always had to adapt to changing circumstances. However, what we are faced with currently is not just change, but change at warp speed. We are now living with change that is unprecedented in both speed and frequency. If change is about learning, then faster and more frequent change is going to require faster and more frequent learning. If this is the case, then the question is: How? We may be able to learn new skills and strategies, but how long before these become obsolete and then what do we do?

It is imperative to move to another level of learning, deep or experiential learning, or what Peter Senge calls, second order learning. Why is it that we often find ourselves stuck when dealing with difficult circumstances and issues we can’t resolve? Why do the same issues continue to limit our effectiveness in our professional and personal lives? Typically, we might respond by saying: Because we don’t know how to deal with them. In other words we have not been successful in changing our behaviour so that we can get more satisfactory outcomes. Engaging in critical thinking and reflecting on why it is so will cause us to deepen our learning. I invite you to explore and identify any enemies and allies of learning you may have.

Examine your thinking and identify three enemies of learning that are evident and that you wish to release. Ask yourself: do I confuse knowing with having an opinion? Do I confuse knowing with thinking I’m right? Do I regard knowing as having information?

Then identify three allies of learning that you wish to reinforce and that will significantly impact your ability to learn and succeed in life. Ask yourself: Is my way of being such that I am open to learning? How can I be more open to learn from other people and events? Finally ask every day; what else is possible?

as posted by Lew Smallwood on his blog today...

DEFINITION - CUSTOMER LOYALTY

2009-08-15T07:49:00.000-04:00

Loyalty Marketing is the management process of identifying "best customers" and utilizing customer data and insight to create, retain and grow profitable relationships. Best customers are those who are the most commercially valuable - they bring the most profit. Also important are those whose characteristics suggetst that they have the potential to become categorized as best customers.

The REASONS CUSTOMERS LEAVE

67% Little or no customer contact

15% Service disssatisfaction

9% Competition

4% Move or Die

The U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs says that for every consumer who complains, there are 26 more that remain silent...

Ninety-one per cent of unhappy customers will never purchase again

Wronged customers will normally tell 8 to 10 people, and now so many more with the internet

Customer Retention - Customer Loyalty

2009-08-15T07:48:00.001-04:00

All REALTORS strive to find new ways for keeping their customers, and developing clients to the point where they are loyal. Satisfied customers are often not really loyal customers. Loyal customers are repeat customers and/or provide referral business. "Correctly mining your customer database, providing meaningful and value added "Treats" along the way is a sure way of creating and maintaining a successful business"

When asked, REALTORS often relate they spend 70% of their markting budgets on finding new customers and 30% on their existing customers. Yet, the successful realtors also say they get 70% or more of their business from existing customers. I contend that targeted marketing to your existing customers (in the form of consistent touches of added value) leads to creating new prospects through your existing customers. Following up on those leads over time will produce new customers with a much greater return on your marketing budget and efforts.

In What Shape Is Your Customer Data Base

2009-07-26T11:47:00.000-04:00

Without accurate and current data, you might as well not have a data base!

What is your system for collecting data and how accurate is it?
Knowledge is King and in many cases customer retention is a direct correlation between the accuracy and timeliness of your data!
Do you have a system of communication with your existing customers?
If not you better create one in-house or go outside to contract with someone who does have tools to stay in contact with customers.

CRYSTAL BALL – NO! PREDICT THE FUTURE – NO!

2009-07-26T11:38:00.000-04:00

If you do not predict the future, your sales and your whole business in today’s fast paced business atmosphere can decrease in a hurry.

Your sales all of sudden belong to that young person operating out of his home office!

Constant “research and development” becomes a necessary part of any business planning. Any website must always be a work in progress. New ideas and new concepts have to be considered.

Technology–Information Technology–People Skills

2009-06-18T16:59:00.000-04:00

ARTICLE WRITTEN IN 2003

Recently in an article called “The Technology of Personal Service,” Stephen Baird started with the following statement. “The impact of technology on the practice of real estate brokerage is undeniable, and it is changing our business in profound ways.” He added, “what we as real estate professionals need to understand is that our business is not about information, but rather about service.” “Today, effective use of available technology can certainly get the consumer quite literally to the door, but it still takes human interaction to get them across the threshold and into the home.”

Often times the buyer shows up really well informed from the Internet, with a few choices to see, after researching the neighborhood, the schools etc. The Internet was your personal assistant. Now the real test becomes your people skills, and treatment of your new prospect.

For years real estate agents have attempted to communicate with clients and potential clients in a timely manner. That is why most had several phone numbers on their business cards, and carried all types of “accessories" to be found, such as, cellular phones and various types of pagers. However, most forgot one primary thing. One of the most critical problems the public has had with REALTORSâ is finding them, actually connecting with them on the first call, and feeling they are accessible. REALTORSâ realize the importance of being accessible, and have in the past listed numerous phone numbers on their cards, because they do want to be found. The challenge for clients and potential clients has been the frustration of calling one number after another and leaving messages, not really knowing which number to call first. In fact, industry statistics found that it took at least three attempts before finding a REALTORâ. This was born out many times when the REALTORâ would find the same message on voice mail at the office, voice mail at the end of their cellular phone, and sometimes the same message on their home voice mail. Today they get the same message on email and various voice mails.

That is why most REALTORSâ have used several phone numbers on their business cards, and carried all types of “accessories" to be found, such as, cellular phones and various types of pagers. However, most forgot one primary thing. The public gets frustrated making several calls to find the REALTORâ.

New technology has helped the information and education side of the business. Now there is new technology to provide REALTORSâ a solution to the availability problem for callers. ONE NUMBER “follow me” service is now provided on a low-cost basis and is a great solution to the communication problem. The combining of voice mail, fax documents and email with Unified Communications, and the “follow me” service enables REALTORSâ to publish one number on their business card, which is a “virtual office.” “Follow me” service with one number can find you simultaneously at your cellular phone and your home office, and you can prioritize your calls to take control of your communications. This enables you to take the important calls and send others to voice mail for later follow up. REALTORSâ can now avoid missing or playing telephone tag with the important or critical callers. In fact, they are able to take more than one call at a time by putting the first caller on hold, after hearing who is on the line for the second call.

The Internet and information age has arrived, and now the communication side of the business has the technology to enhance your people skills.

Technology-Communications from article written by: Arnie Goldberg 2003

Latest Trends in the Real Estate Industry 2001

2009-06-18T16:48:00.000-04:00

ARTICLE I WROTE IN 2001

More and more broker/owners are considering the huge costs of “bricks and mortar.” Providing office space, desks, phone systems, and phone lines for agents who average only 9 hours per week in their office is a major expense. Broker/owners are looking for alternatives. Most successful agents have home offices with all the needed capabilities and access via computer to the multiple listing service and to the world. Pressures continue to reduce commissions, which are squeezing the revenue side of the business, and one way to offset this squeeze is to reduce operation costs.

With the incredible speed of technology changes, increased dependence upon data sources both to the consumer and real estate agents, and more consumers gathering data before contacting the agent, a new threat has arrived in the industry.

Agents are now experiencing the challenge of bringing the personal touch back to the fore. One of the most critical problems the public has had with agents is finding them – actually connecting with them on the first call and feeling they are accessible. Agents realize the importance of being accessible and have, in the past, listed numerous phone numbers on their cards because they want to be found. The challenge for clients and potential clients has been the frustration of calling one number after another and leaving messages, not really knowing which number to call first. In fact, industry statistics found that it took at least three attempts before finding an agent. This was borne out many times when the agent would find the same message on voice mail at the office, voice mail on their cellular phone, and even on their home business line voicemail. Today they get the same message on email and various voice mails.

Several real estate offices are now turning to new communication technologies which create an efficient way for agents to prioritize their calls and take only the important calls, without being interrupted with calls that can be handled at more convenient times. Callers benefit from the service also. For example, combining the new One Number technology with “follow-me” capabilities, allows clients and potential clients to call only one number. From the agent’s side, he or she can connect with callers when they choose, no matter where they are, or send the caller to voice mail or transfer a caller to an assistant or another telephone. To assist the agent in making the right choice on how to handle a call, the agent hears the caller’s name announced before connecting the call. Additionally, the One Number technology combines live connected calls, voice mail messages, fax documents and email in one convenient email account. The agent can then access voice mail messages, fax documents and email at convenient times.

This combining of communications also gives agents the ability to save all communications with a client or potential client (email, fax documents, and voice mail messages) to a disk and place it in the customer file. Broker/owners and managers are excited about this, because it is very helpful should there be any liabilities in future legal situations.

The cost of a One Number-type virtual office repays itself in increased efficiency, time savings, and the ability to connect live with those callers important to your business. It also overcomes the frustrations callers face when looking up and dialing several phone numbers to attempt locating the agent.

The use of One Number “follow-me” services reduces the need for expensive telephone equipment additions, and extends the life of existing telephone equipment in offices.

Latest Trends in the Real Estate Industry from article written by: Arnie Goldberg

Quantity versus Quality

2009-06-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

How many times have you been told “it’s a numbers game,” and we then strive to touch as many people as we possible with our message. These “numbers” can be people we know within our sphere of influence or complete strangers, as we strive for “volume” databases.

Is that all bad? Not really depending upon the cost and time spent developing that “volume” database. Let’s face it, leads often flow from that huge database and some even get converted into revenue and profits.

But there is a difference between your message reaching thousands and creating true relationships. How many sales a year do you need to survive, to reach a realistic profit goal, and/or to reach a spectacular revenue/profit goal? If you need 15 sales for survival, or fifty sales for your spectacular goal, in either case you really only need a few handfuls of clients.

Besides the mega database, I suggest you concentrate on building two new relationships a week and within a year you have 100 solid relationships plus the people they know with whom they network. Now we have to determine the keys to developing those two relationships per week.

A local networking organization that is very successful, touts that you have lunch with two people every week in an attempt to get to know them better, beyond the external “hi, how are you doing.” Learning about their business life, their family life, likes and dislikes, hobbies help establish a true relationship. The most important fact I suggest you learn is what makes a good customer for them, therefore what is a good lead for their business. Nothing begins to better create a business relationship than providing a couple good leads for them. The sincere attitude of helping them create business is like gold in today’s fast-paced non-caring business world.

Another way to create a solid business relationship is to provide experiences that have created successful results for business people you know. This becomes "helpful hints" for business people and is well appreciated.

Arnie Goldberg

Latest Book

http://giveyourdogatreat.webs.com/

ag@loyaltybuilder.com

BUILDING A TEAM

2009-06-10T07:29:00.000-04:00

What is the key to building a successful team?

ATTRACT... look for people that have experience and capabilities different than you

EXPANSION... find people that challenge your thinking, that a willing to provide their opinion

STRATEGIC...team members do not have to be employees, they can be strategic alliances with outsiders

ALLOW TIMETABLE... building a team may take some time to develop and create a comfortable atmosphere

PARTICIPATION... teamwork is key to the operation of a group and open communication must be encouraged... all participants will be more productive if they feel a part of the team

SUPPORT... building mutual trust will be the result of giving your team members all the support they need

LEADERSHIP... leading a small team is no different than leading a huge corporation... vision and good communication are the two key traits of a successful leader

Remember the key is to recruit, develop and gain from other's experience, insight and strengths.

Arnie Goldberg EVP Loyalty Builder LLC ag@loyaltybuilder.com (317)569-0422

More Loyalty Tips

2009-06-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

It has been stated , most companies designate up to 70% of their marketing budgets for acquiring new customers. The other 30% is targeted to their existing customer base. I contend the targeted marketing to your customer base leads to creating new prospects through the existing customers. Targeting those leads over time will produce new customers with a much greater return on marketing. Let's face it, marketing executives must always consider return on marketing expenses, just as all executives must be concerned with the bottom line and the return on investment.

Successful individual professionals strive to build a client base, maintain that client base and work towards repeat purchases and referrals. Without Customer Loyalty the client base will gradually be depleted.

Customer retention is considered by both scholars and practitioners to be one of the critical success factors for businesses with its implications for cost savings and profitability . Many have stated the cost of acquiring new customers is five to seven times that of retaining existing ones.

My latest book on Customer Loyalty called: "Give Your Dog A Treat" http://giveyourdogatreat.webs.com/

How Your Digital Footprint Benefits the Consumer

2009-06-03T09:54:00.000-04:00

What is social media?

Many view Social Media as adults playing around like teenagers on MySpace etc.

Many want to be more private and afraid or unwilling to be so public

Many will not ever use a credit card online

Yet Social Media is taking over as an incredible source to build business relationships, build trust and build new business

Social Media is actually a platform (free platform) to create a digital footprint to provide information, and specifically for realtors create relationships with other realtors around the country

Different Social Media platforms are more comfortable to some than others; therefore you need at least a presence on each of the major platforms

Creating yourself digitally

Profile set ups

Facebook
LinkedIN
Facebook Group Page
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter
Plaxo
Website
Blog
YouTube Profile
Local Social Media (example: Smaller Indiana)
RSS Feed
Ping.Fm and Friend Feed Setup
iPhone and/or Blackberry

Are you using the right tools?

Over 200,000,000 Facebook users

Facebook is great for creating relationships

People only purchase from people they trust

LinkedIn is primarily a Social Media resume for building credibility

Twitter is a fast way to “spider” out to thousands of prospects

Plaxo also creates a credibility platform and some relationship building

Websites and Blogs are landing pages with information

iPhone’s and Blackberry’s provide instantaneous communication devices

Ping.Fm and Friendship Feed are ways to help control your digital footprint and lessen your time factor

Social media and customer loyalty

There is a difference between a satisfied customer and a loyal customer

A loyal customer fosters repeat business, referrals and provides you with additional profits

The day of the “refrigerator magnet” is done

Nothing replaces the one on one personal touch

Social media provides the new technology for continual personal touches

Do we advocate discarding your traditional methods of contact? NO

The added value of Social Media (at no charge to you) is a sound business practice

Arnie Goldberg

EVP Sales, LoyaltyBuilder LLC

ag@loyaltybuilder.com

Cell phone (317) 489-5337

Book Site: http://giveyourdogatreat.webs.com/

Customer Service Retention Strategies

2009-06-03T09:29:00.000-04:00

Customer Service Retention Strategies

Successful professionals strive to build a client base, maintain that client base and work towards repeat purchases and referrals. Without Customer Loyalty the client base will gradually be depleted.

Customer retention is considered by both scholars and practitioners to be one of the critical success factors for businesses with its implications for cost savings and profitability. Many have stated the cost of acquiring new customers is five to seven times that of retaining existing ones.

There is a science to understanding client loyalty, to recognizing the value of loyal clients, plus creating and maintaining loyal clients.

Keeping a client year after year is attaining customer loyalty that involves fitting together several pieces of the relationship puzzle. One click of the mouse and a few keyboard strokes and your satisfied customer possibly just left to a competitor.

ESTABLISH REINFORCEMENT OF FAVORABLE EXPERIENCES

You need to consider all of the purchase emotions to help create an atmosphere that carries favorable experiences forward into the future. Then the individual professional establishes activities that reinforce those favorable emotional experiences.

Knowledge is critical in both finding and keeping customers. The more you know regarding purchasing habits and motivations, the greater chance at success. Diversity is a major consideration in today’s business climate. The reaction of your customer to emotions plays a huge roll in future activities to reinforce the emotional profile of your client. Many times the emotional profile of your customer is more important than the business profile, as to knowing what motivates your customer now and in the future.

Arnie Goldberg

ag@loyaltybuilder.com

http://giveyourdogatreat.webs.com/

facebook: http://profile.to/arniegoldberg

Customer Service Retention Trends in Social Media

2009-06-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

Research in the mid-to-late 1990’s held the position that customers who were satisfied were more likely to remain loyal to a company. When organizations delivered a customer experience that met their needs, they returned to that organization more frequently than competition. Current thought reveals only the top echelon of satisfied customers remained loyal to an organization.

I have found while teaching a course on customer retention, the best starting point is to have the students answer a few questions. This process helps a person realize the many factors that affect customer loyalty, and how these factors play upon purchase decisions in their own lives. The survey thought process also shows how we are all different and have different motivations, which is important in developing customer loyalty strategies and programs.

Today there is a swing back to gaining knowledge of the customer and their behavior patterns, as a key element in designing loyalty marketing plans and strategies. With the virile expansion of Social Media, and the younger adults use of Social Media as a daily communication tool, this phenomenon becomes an opportunity for businesses to maintain contact and provide current information to existing customers .

Traditional means of advertising and flows of continuing information to existing customers are losing their effectiveness. Advertisers are not seeing positive results from newspapers and print media and have reduced expenditures in those media. Social Media provides free platforms and the advent of “permission based” communication, with a huge word-of-mouth virile scope.

People are now in a hurry, not only the younger generation, but the fastest growing segment of social media platforms is said to be those from ages 40 to 55. They read news from the internet in brief “tidbits” of information, and they are multi-tasking with several software applications open at the same time on their computers. Often they are switching in the middle of a news article when a message arrives and often never return to the article.

Three Factors that Influence Customer Loyalty

1. Customer satisfaction has to do with prior expectations of quality and customer service then comparing those expectations to actual performance received.

2. Perceived alternatives has to do with the difficulty and/or the cost of moving to a new vendor or service provider.

3. Business relationship deals with how strong the business relationship is perceived

Trends in the growth in Social Media are providing platforms to aid in all three of these customer loyalty influences. Businesses must begin and continue to use the important avenue of communication.

Arnie Goldberg ag@loyaltybuilder.com latest book "Give Your Dog A Treat" ... strategies on building more loyal customers /generating more referrals www.giveyourdogatreat.com

Why Be Concerned About Customer Loyalty?

2009-05-31T12:59:00.000-04:00

Customer retention is considered by both scholars and practitioners to be one of the critical success factors for businesses with its implications for cost savings and profitability (Doyle, 2003). The cost of acquiring new customers is five to seven times that of retaining existing ones.

Three factors that influence customer loyalty are:

· Number one is customer satisfaction dealing with prior expectations of quality and comparing the actual performance received. In fact the number one cause of losing the loyalty of a customer is the difference between a customer’s expectations and the actual experience of a contact or transaction activity.

· A second influence is the perceived alternatives and the cost or difficulty in changing to another provider or vendor.

· The third and strongest factor that influences true customer loyalty is how strong the business relationship is perceived. This strength of business relationship is made up of level of satisfaction with the previous experience, the perception of quality and the customer commitment to the relationship.

Arnie Goldberg, Vice President, Loyalty Builder, LLC. ag@loyaltybuilder.com

STAYING ON TRACK FROM A SALES PERSPECTIVE

2009-05-29T09:39:00.000-04:00

I attended a three day seminar called the Achiever's Circle hosted and facilitated by Mark LeBlanc former President of the National Speakers Association. I am going to relay a brief item that has been extremely helpful for me in my daily activities as presented by Mark.

He calls the item HVA's (HIGH VALUE ACTIVITIES)

Each evening you NEED to write down three items (HVA's) that you want to accomplish the next day...not four or five but three. In the morning ask yourself what are the three HVA's I want to accomplish today! At the end of the day ask yourself and actually write down next to each of the three items YES or NO... not a partial but a YES or NO as to whether you completed those items.

Never "carry forward" any of the three items (HVA's) to the next day. Always start with three fresh HVA's for the next day. You may carry forward unfinished activities for the next day but they are not included in your new set of HVA's. Thus you do not dwell on the items you did not complete.

Writing down the YES or NO helps keep yourself accountable. The idea of only writing down three high value activities (HVA's) each day makes them attainable and does not present you with insurmountable goals in any given day. We all know we have four and five and even ten important items to accomplish in any given day, but the consistency of three becomes a very productive procedure.

Thanks to Mark for this very wise practice and I am sure you will be grateful to him after you exercise this practice for six months. You will be amazed how many long term goals you will reach by religiously using HVA's.

Arnie Goldberg

ag@loyaltybuilder.com

(317) 569-0422

www.giveyourdogatreat.com

http://profile.to/arniegoldberg

Stay In Your Customer’s Lives – “Being Nosey”

2009-05-12T11:35:00.000-04:00

There is a strategy that many successful realtors use, that other realtors ignore or consider too much work. That is the strategy of staying active in the lives of their existing customers.
I call this strategy, “Being Nosey”….
Be sure to establish a group of trusted service providers for homeowners, with the emphasis on “trusted.”
Deck builders, Chimney sweeps, Electricians, Plumbers, Painters, Landscapers, Window Companies, Remodelers, and more…
Become the one-stop resource for your customers whenever they need help with their home.
Be pro-active and mail your customers a list to keep by their phone, but with only one phone number… YOURS….
One realtor client of mine had a call because their garage door opener quit working… she referred the garage door company, but in the conversation found out the neighbor was thinking of moving. The result was a new listing.
Another realtor client discovered a lot owned by a client’s cousin was going up for sale. She discovered this when her client called for a suggestion regarding a dependable painter.
Written by Arnie Goldberg, VP Marketing 3DM Corporation, Faculty University of Phoenix, Faculty Oakland City University, Faculty Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.....Author of a new Customer Loyalty book “Give Your Dog A Treat” www.giveyourdogatreat.com - arnie@3dmco.com

Where Does Profitablility Come From?

2009-05-12T11:33:00.000-04:00

Profitability

Comes from:

↓

Customer Loyalty

Comes from:

↓

Customer Satisfaction

Comes from:

↓

Quality Customer Service

SUCCESS IN ALL PHASES OF BUSINESS DEPENDS UPON CUSTOMER LOYALTY!

PROFITABILITY

Increased profitability of course comes from referrals and added business from your loyal customers.

CUSTOMER LOYALTY

Customers normally evolve to Loyal Customers from multiple communications. Keep in mind, the more ways a client hears from you, and the more added-value you bring to the table, the more likely they will remember you at the correct time. All customers are interested in value propositions. A single strategy is normally not enough to develop loyal customers, thus you want to develop systems that create a path to increased levels of loyalty.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Customer satisfaction naturally evolves over a serious of actions and interactions with your client and others who affect your client’s transaction. Customer satisfaction is not enough. One click of the mouse, or one phone call, and your satisfied customer just defected to a competitor. Focus on continually providing value to your customers is one key to building and retaining loyal customers.

A real estate example: Your customer will have many more interactions after the sale with home service providers and various vendors providing products and/or services to homeowners. If you are serious about retaining customers for future referrals, these interactions are also going to matter, well beyond the closing. You can stay involved with those interactions and they should be handled with the same conscientious attention as sales calls. In essence this attention is nothing more than “sales calls” for repeat business.

QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer service is your personal approach to how you interact with your clients. Know what clients want and deliver it in a timely manner. No one can do customer service for you… it is up to you.

HOW DO YOU STACK UP IN CREATING LOYAL CUSTOMERS?

2009-05-12T11:32:00.001-04:00

Too many realtors take their existing customers for granted. Think of the automobile industry that did the very same thing. They were so bold at one time they said, “Americans will not buy Japanese automobiles.” Another example of the “fickleness” of customers is the remote control. Did you know that 72% of all households have a remote control and they zap the remote control every four minutes, and men zap much more. Thus, companies trying to create customer loyalty with television ads, and are having greater difficulty reaching the consumer.
It is critical for realtors to concentrate on what is New. What I mean by that is what is old is not of much concern anymore to the public. We walk up to someone and say, “What is new?” Thus, the successful realtor has new information, new trends, new newsworthy information, new-new-new stuff for their customers. The old boring newsletters, and refrigerator magnets are not new.
What is new is a valuable coupon at Macy’s or Nordstrom, for the women, or three golf balls for the man. What is new is a $10 coupon for the whole family at a restaurant. What is new is sending a copy of a current newspaper article that is timely and of keen interest to your customers.
Building loyalty is an ongoing process that involves creativity and much thought, but also requires up-to-date data base information, because clients change over time. Growth with more children, maturity, career changes, and neighborhood changes around them, cause customers to have different attitudes and different viewpoints. Great realtors put systems in place to help them keep up with those changes to be more relevant in their customer’s lives.
Loyal customers lead to greater profits.

The Difference Between Products and Services—Customer Decisions

2009-05-12T11:31:00.001-04:00

Products have a tangible image that is easily visualized. Buyers or prospects have a different attitude about products as a result. They attach in their minds consistency to a product and the company offering the product. Services however, have the challenge of people perceiving a much more inconsistent viewpoint which causes hesitancy and even skepticism.
Realtors and others that provide services must perform at a different level than is expected. The days of 110% are over, because that is expected. The new goal must be 125% which can lead to being really great. Consumers today ask family, or business acquaintances, and now even more so Social Media friends questions regarding purchase decisions. Social media friends build trust and their comments become very trusted information as to cars to purchase, or even neighborhoods in which to live. Social media has also broadened this information base to the whole country instead of the local contacts only.
Both in establishing trust for a purchase or in building customer loyalty after the purchase, expectations must be exceeded. In order to exceed expectations, the realtor or vendor must understand the complexities of the customer’s motivation and actual emotional makeup regarding decisions. The real work of the successful realtor or business person is not done once the initial transaction is completed.
Top-notch, quality, service professionals have CUSTOMER LOYALTY STRATEGIES in place. In many cases, it is best for small businesses, realtors, mortgage brokers and insurance agents should seek third party companies to help them with these Customer Loyalty Strategies to keep the cost down and have access to Big Business Tools for Small Businesses.

Customer Service Retention Trends in Social Media

2009-05-12T11:30:00.001-04:00

Keeping a client year after year is attaining customer loyalty that involves fitting together several pieces of the relationship puzzle. There is a science to understanding client loyalty, to recognizing the value of loyal clients, plus creating and maintaining loyal clients.

Research in the mid-to-late 1990’s held the position that customers who were satisfied were more likely to remain loyal to a company. When organizations delivered a customer experience that met their needs, they returned to that organization more frequently than competition. Current thought reveals only the top echelon of satisfied customers remained loyal to an organization.

I have found while teaching a course on customer retention, the best starting point is to have the students answer a few questions. This process helps a person realize the many factors that affect customer loyalty, and how these factors play upon purchase decisions in their own lives. The survey thought process also shows how we are all different and have different motivations, which is important in developing customer loyalty strategies and programs.

Today there is a swing back to gaining knowledge of the customer and their behavior patterns, as a key element in designing loyalty marketing plans and strategies. With the virile expansion of Social Media, and the younger adults use of Social Media as a daily communication tool, this phenomenon becomes an opportunity for businesses to maintain contact and provide current information to existing customers .
Traditional means of advertising and flows of continuing information to existing customers are losing their effectiveness. Advertisers are not seeing positive results from newspapers and print media and have reduced expenditures in those media. Social Media provides free platforms and the advent of “permission based” communication, with a huge word-of-mouth virile scope.

People are now in a hurry, not only the younger generation, but the fastest growing segment of social media platforms is said to be those from ages 40 to 55. They read news from the internet in brief “tidbits” of information, and they are multi-tasking with several software applications open at the same time on their computers. Often they are switching in the middle of a news article when a message arrives and often never return to the article.

While surveying several social media users, I found they build trust within their social media friends and rely heavily on these friends for purchasing information and company reputation. Positive flows of purchase satisfaction can provide a major component of customer loyalty programs by company marketing departments.

Three Factors that Influence Customer Loyalty

1. Customer satisfaction has to do with prior expectations of quality and customer service then comparing those expectations to actual performance received.
2. Perceived alternatives has to do with the difficulty and/or the cost of moving to a new vendor or service provider.
3. Business relationship deals with how strong the business relationship is perceived

Trends in the growth in Social Media are providing platforms to aid in all three of these customer loyalty influences. Businesses must begin and continue to use the important avenue of communication.

Definition of Loyalty Marketing

2009-04-02T18:18:00.000-04:00

The reasons customers leave:
No or little customer contact 67%
Product or service dissatisfaction 15%
Competition 9%
Move or die 4%
The U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs says that for every consumer who complains, there are 26 more that remain silent...
Ninety-one per cent of unhappy customers will never purchase again
Wronged customers will normally tell 8 to 10 people, and now much more with the internet.

Loyalty marketing is the management process of identifying"best customers" and utilizing customer data and insight to create, retain and grow profitable relationships. Best customers are those who are the most commercially valuable - they bring the most profit. Also important are those whose characteristics suggest that they have the potential to become categorized as best customers.

I would appreciate feedback regarding loyalty programs that have worked for your company.
Thanks

Exposure - Loyalty Building - Keys to Success

2009-04-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

The key to self-marketing is EXPOSURE, and let's face it, realtors are a business within a business and certainly are self owned. Today that exposure means being a local celebrity (a well know person and face) plus social networking exposure for relocation leads, contacts and information.

The idea is to STAND OUT and sometimes that is for expertise in types of homes or specific desired properties (examples: condominiums or first time buyers). A slogan is helpful and it must be concise and to the point so it attracts attention and is memorable. Your image must have the perception that you are very successful. Quality brochures give the perception of success and are important, versus printing out fliers on your own printer.

Remember that marketing efforts take time to produce results. Consistent and timely marketing needs to be an ongoing process. Repetition is a key to success and persistence does produce results.

Customer - Loyalty

2009-04-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

All REALTORS strive to find ways for keeping their customers, and developing clients to the point where they are loyal. Satisfied customers are often not really loyal customers. Loyal customers are repeat customers and/or provide referral business. "Correctly mining your customer database will create a means to acquire new clients over time. A system to creatively mine your customer database, providing meaningful and value added "Treats" along the way is a sure way of creating and maintaining a successful business."

When asked, REALTORS often relate they spend 70% of their marketing budgets on finding new customers and 30% on their existing customers. Yet, the successful REALTORS also say they get 70% or 80% or even 90% of their business from existing customers. I contend that targeted marketing to your existing customers leads to creating new prospects through your existing customers. Following up on those leads over time will produce new customers with a much greater return on your marketing budget and efforts.

PLATINUM RE GROUP

Data Base Considerations…

How The Search For Your Home Unfolds...

How The Search For Your Home Unfolds...

What Has Happened To The REALTOR® In The Past Few Years?

REALTORS® are certainly businesses!

Arnie-ism #1 - for REALTORS®

The Debate About Shadow Inventory Continues

Customer Retention... Referrals

Four Rules of Business Expansion

So Many Behind In Mortgages ..

Thanks to Brandon Brittingham .. Short Sales Info

HOW MANY ARE IN THE MARKET TO BUY A HOME?

HOME STAGING

WHY LOYALTY MARKETING?

Actions For Improving Credit

Your Business Approach To Social Media

Indoor Air Quality Concerns?

Selling Your Home

GREATEST BUSINESS RISK TODAY - LOSS OF EXISTING CUSTOMERS

Loyal Customers - How Many Do You Have?

TEAMWORK LEADS TO GOOD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

Janet Guilbault Article - OPPORTUNITY 2010

TRULY UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER

LEADERSHIP - FIVE GUIDELINES

The Future of Bricks & Mortar for Brokers

HOW DO YOU STACK UP IN CREATING LOYAL CUSTOMERS?

The guardian at the gateway to your mind

GREATEST RISK TODAY - LOSS OF EXISTING CUSTOMERS

REALTOR CUSTOMER BASE MARKETING

Customer Service Retention Trends in Social Media

Customer Service Retention Trends in Social Media

By Arnie Goldberg Faculty, John Sperling School of Business, University of Phoenix Website Article

Introducing Social Media

Three Factors that Influence Customer Loyalty

Ideas Essential For Future Offerings

PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE

Business Sitting At Your Doorstep

It is time to remind everyone once again.... When was the last time you picked up a phone and called your top five clients? your top ten clients? ... More business is sitting at your doorstep through your existing clients than spending lots of time and funds to find new clients.

Improving Your Quality of Life

Julie Escobar - Her Experience Provides Benefits

Build Buyer Interest, Generate Leads With Videos on YouTube

The Enemies of Learning and Change

DEFINITION - CUSTOMER LOYALTY

Customer Retention - Customer Loyalty

In What Shape Is Your Customer Data Base

CRYSTAL BALL – NO! PREDICT THE FUTURE – NO!

Technology–Information Technology–People Skills

Latest Trends in the Real Estate Industry 2001

Quantity versus Quality

BUILDING A TEAM

More Loyalty Tips

How Your Digital Footprint Benefits the Consumer

Customer Service Retention Strategies

Customer Service Retention Trends in Social Media

Why Be Concerned About Customer Loyalty?

STAYING ON TRACK FROM A SALES PERSPECTIVE

Stay In Your Customer’s Lives – “Being Nosey”

Where Does Profitablility Come From?

HOW DO YOU STACK UP IN CREATING LOYAL CUSTOMERS?

The Difference Between Products and Services—Customer Decisions

Customer Service Retention Trends in Social Media

Definition of Loyalty Marketing

Exposure - Loyalty Building - Keys to Success

Customer - Loyalty

By Arnie Goldberg

Faculty, John Sperling School of Business, University of Phoenix Website Article