I just another article published with Principal Broker Online, here it is...

Advertise Your Buyers
      by Kelle Sparta

You Don’t Have To List to Last
It's long been said in our industry that "you have to list to last". And in the days of sub agency, where the only side of the deal that was guaranteed was the listing side, this was true. But today, with the advent of buyer agency, there is more to real estate than listings. 

Which Brain Are You Thinking With?
One of the challenges our industry faces is that, even in the markets where buyer agency is established, we're still thinking with listing agents' brains. We want listings because they give us something to advertise to bring in the buyers and more listings. But here's a new thought....

To read the rest of the article, click here...

http://www.principalbrokeronline.com/articles_new.asp?art_id=262&section_id=9

This week, we've got a special treat for you!  I spoke with Chellie Campbell and she gave me permission to record all of the affirmations from The Wealthy Spirit!  I have done just that and this podcast is that recording.  It's much longer than usual, but it's full of great affirmations!

For more information about Chellie's book The Wealthy Spirit:  Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction, visit her website at www.chellie.com.

NOTE! 
This file is 45 minutes long and thus will take some time to listen to if you are clicking on the link.  Be patient.  If patience is not your strong suit, then right click on the file name below and click "Save Target As" and then save the file to your hard drive.  Then, when you double click on the file, it will play in whatever media player you have as your default for your system (usually Windows Media Player if you haven't set another one). 

I just found out that Realtor Magazine will be doing a review on my book The Consultative Real Estate Agent in June (they liked it!).  So keep your eyes peeled!

Use this 30-second promo to tell people on your website about our podcast.  Post the link to our podcast under it.  Here's the link:  http://spartasuccess.libsyn.com

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This week, we interview Megan and Brian who recently completed a $100,000 home remodel.  In this episode, they talk about the ups and downs of home renovations and what they learned along the way.

 

 

On May 1st, we're bringing out a new product on the market.  It's called Negotiate Like the Pros and it's a 2 CD series with detailed tips, tools and techniques for negotiating effectively in the real estate marketplace.  Using real-life scenarios, you learn how to make the best of a bad situation and how to make a good one even better!  Always with an eye to the win-win scenario, this program gets you on track to getting better deals for your clients!

Plus, as a bonus, we're having a pre-release sale.  Order by April 30th and save 20%!

Click Here for More Details!

Check out this article I published with RISMedia.

http://www.rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/14129/1/1/

I have recently discovered an online resource that you should take a look at.  It's a podcast on mortgage and financing issues.  It's free from www.beyondtherate.com.  It's a great resource for agents to learn from.  (You can never be too knowledgeable about financing.)  It's also a great tool for you to list on your website for your buyers and sellers to link to.  Check it out!

This week we talk with Greg Demetrick.  I sold Greg his condo two years ago and it was one of those nightmare transactions.  Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.  In this episode we talk about the deal from both the agent's side and the buyer's side.  Learn how we managed to still get good things done in the midst of the chaos.

Greg also hosts his own podcast (he's the one who got me involved in it).  So check it out at www.5questions.net.

One of the hardest things to do in business is to create a relationship with someone whom you've only met via the web.  This is especially true when people have never actually interacted with you and have only read your website.

You really need to put content on your website that gives the reader a sense of your personality.  I am in the process of doing that myself.  Many of you will have found the little surprise that happens when you  mouse over my picture on the website (if not, then go to the site and do it - I don't want to ruin the fun).  Today I added an introduction recorded in my own voice.  I've also been careful to word my site in such a way that it is appealing.  And the blog and podcast are another way I can connect with you, my target market.  All of these are ways in which I can let you know who I am, what I do, why you should care, and what I'd like you to do about it. 

Does your website accomplish those goals?  If not, think about ways in which you can more effectively convey your personality, your message, and your call to action. 

Do you have an idea that's been effective at creating a realtionship on the web?  We'd love to hear about it!

Tomorrow, a friend of mine and I are having our second gratitude day.  A gratitude day is a day when you give thanks for all that you have; and you share that thanks out into the world in some tangible way.  The purpose of this is to engage the positive energy in the world rather than the negative.  What we focus on is what we create.  I don't know about you, but I want to create things that I will be grateful for - so I practice gratitude every day.

Last time, we made art to put up in our home to remind us to be grateful.  Now, every day as I walk out my bedroom door in the morning, I see the artwork I placed there and I take a moment to ennumerate the things for which I am grateful.

This time, I'm going to suggest a slightly different take.  I want to write letters of gratitude to our parents, friends, or anyone who has influenced us in a positive fashion.  This way, rather than keeping the gratitude, we can share it with our loved ones.

Take a moment to think about what you are grateful for.  Perhaps you could start a gratitude journal.  There will be some days in your life when you are mired in negativity and a gratitude journal would be useful at those times.  When you can't focus on what you are grateful for in the moment, you can read your journal to see all the wonderful gifts you have received up until then.  This can shift your attitude enough to allow you to open up to receive whatever may be coming your way.

In this vein, I have spent that last couple of days recording all of the affirmations out of The Wealthy Spirit - Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction, by Chellie Campbell.  I have to tell you, that I've been wrestling with a little negativity myself for the last couple of weeks.  Not sure what prompted it, but it was stubborn - no matter what I tried, I couldn't pull myself out of it.  In recording these affirmations, I broke the cycle of that negativity and I have a whole new outlook on life again. I've never been a big fan of affirmations before - positive visualization, yes, but not affirmations - but I'm a believer now. 

With Chellie's permission (Thank You, Chellie!), I am putting these recordings onto my podcast so that you can all share them.  I should have them edited in time for either next week or the week after so keep an eye out because they will be a bonus podcast.  If you haven't already read Chellie's book, I recommend you pick it up today.  It does wonders for a positive mindset around money. 

Christine Day is a tenant in a property that has been on the market for over a year.  In today's podcast, she explains what the experience of living through that year has been like for her.

So I was lurking on a few other blog sites today - seeing what was out  there in the world.  I came across a reference to this blog article that tells about the 8 Biggest Blogging Mistakes made by real estate bloggers everywhere.  (Make sure you read the comments - there are more mistakes there too.)

Seems I'm guilty of at least one of these.  Gulp.  Ah well.  Live and learn.  I'll be shaping up and flying right soon.  It's all a learning curve and my mistakes are your chance to learn (and hopefully point and laugh - we all need a good laugh every now and again).

Now off with you!  Go check out that article!

No - don't worry - I'm not advocating hunting the animals.  I'm talking about looking for big business opportunities - whale-sized deals.  Clients who can bring you not just one, but many transactions.

Each month as you go through your schedule, you should set aside a little time to pitch the big clients on the big deals.  It doesn't hurt - all they can do is say "no".  And who knows - one day they might say "yes".

For instance, I recently discovered that a friend of mine is the videographer of choice for HGTV on the east coast.  He's got connections with one of the top producers for that station.  So I'm sending him a pitch to put me in a show either as a guest or to have my own series talking about the stages of life that buyers and sellers are usually dealing with in the real estate process.  It's a monster of a whale.  Do I expect it to come in?  Honestly?  Yeah, I do.  I understand the power of intention.  I know that it may not happen, but I also know that it could.  Why not try?  It will certainly never happen if I don't put it out there. 

Who is your whale this month?  It can be the same person month to month if you want.  Perhaps a builder that you want to get listed.  Maybe a big investor.  Or a relocation director.  Think big.  And then don't be afraid to ask for the business - again and again - until you get it or they tell you to drop dead. 

I recently spoke to an agent who told me that she got a million-dollar deal because she was dropping off a contract for one of the last units in a building and she asked the owners what project they were doing next.  When they didn't have an answer, she suggested a building she knew about that wasn't on the market yet.  The deal is in escrow now.  She got both sides of it.  Is anyone else doing the math on this?  Wow!  That's a lot of cash for just asking a question.

So pick your whale and pursue them.  It's 15-30 minutes a month towards a big dream.  Even if that particular dream doesn't happen, it will program your subconscious mind that you are operating on this high of a level. When we program our subconscious minds, we create our reality since it's our subconscious that picks up on the information floating around in the world.

Dream big - think big - act on your dreams and expect the world to fall in line.  Let's see how many whales we can rope in this month!

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BTW - I'd like to thank Chellie Campbell for the terminology here.  I pulled it out of her book, The Wealthy Spirit.  For those of you who don't know, she's got a new book out called From Zero to Zillionaire.  I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but if it's anything like The Wealthy Spirit, it will be amazing.

Just thought I'd let you all know that I'm going to be doing a few speaking tours in the coming months.  I'll be heading down the east coast a couple of times in April and May and then going through Pennsylvania and into Ohio in June. 

If you would like to opportunity to book me into an event during these times, give me a call at 888-639-2468.

For more information on the programs that I offer, visit my speaker's pages.

Yep, I'm back already.  It occurred to me that if I wanted you guys to post comments, I should probably give you something to comment on.  So here's the deal.  I'm going to post a question every so often for you to answer.  Your answers will let you share your ideas with me and each other.  So here's the first question...

What is the most effective cheap marketing activity that you've ever done?

If you notice at the bottom of each post, there is a section for comments.  These comments are the way in which you and I can interact.  So, if you have any thoughts about a particular post or podcast, leave a comment.  I'd love to hear back from you!

For those of you who have TiVo, you should know that they have recently updated your service so that now you can get podcasts through your TiVo service.  It's under the Music and More section of your menu screen.  You can type in the address of The Real Estate Story of the Week podcast (http://spartasuccess.libsyn.com/rss) and then add it to your favorites.  Then every time you go into the podcast section, the latest edition of the podcast will be waiting for you! 

Note:  The only downside to listening to your podcast in this way is that there is currently no way to pause the playback.  If you stop it, it starts over again from the beginning.  But since our podcasts are generally only about 5 minutes long, you should be fine.

One more easy way for you to get your Story of the Week fix!

Melody Bohl is the broker/owner of Carpe Diem Realty in Newton, MA.  Carpe Diem Realty is a full service residential real estate agency specializing in assisting residential homebuyers & sellers in the Greater Boston area. They understand that the process of buying & selling real estate is a stressful one. Their goal is to make the clients' transaction as stress-free as possible by having experienced agents who are master problem solvers and who truly treasure their clients. 

Melody is currently recruiting agents to her company.  If you are interested in working for someone who cares as much about her agents as she does about her clients, give her a call at 617-548-2645 or email her at melody@carpediemrealty.com.