Category — Steamboat Springs
Video Of the Week - The Biggest Underserved Markets
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I love Tom Peters! Here’s a 4 minute video about 2 markets he claims are underserved - women & old people
Check it out:
(Click here if you can’t see the video)
If you like the video, here’s a few books I’d recommend by Tom:
Re-imagine!
February 8, 2008 No Comments
Opportunity
I meet with & talk to brokers just about all day and I see tremendous opportunity for a few brokers. A few brokers who commit to radically changing their game because they realize that
A. They’re not in the Real Estate business.
B. The market/their clients have more choice than ever before.
They realize that old methods like copying & pasting (listing descriptions, email newsletters, newspaper ads, “market reports,” etc.) simply add to the noise and provide no real value.
They realize the game is not changing - it has already changed.
Not in the Real Estate Business
Every once in a blue moon I meet with a broker who realizes they’re not in Real Estate. They understand they are in the “value creation” business. They understand that the once exclusive MLS is no longer exclusive and is as commonplace as a light bulb. Hire you because you have “access” to the MLS? So what? So does everyone else with sites like Iggyshouse.com.
The value of exclusivity is gone.
They understand that they must create value for the buyer, the seller and the market. That’s all they have. They have to create a perceived value that’s higher than their commission. That’s it.
A few brokers realize that having a “great personality” is not enough. They’re going beyond what anyone else is doing and creating real value. Improved communications, new marketing techniques, establishing relationships in other markets, blogging…
Why? Because they realize that all other brokers are their competition. And they want an edge thru creating value. I just had coffee with a broker who has suspended all print advertising. All of it. Every penny of marketing will be spent online and on technology. This broker even turned down a listing because the client insisted that Homes & Land be used. She realizes the value of a magazine like H&L is gone. As she put it “It’s a crowded commodity marketplace whose value doesn’t justify the price.” Guess what, the client called back a week later with a signed listing agreement. Risky? Maybe. But I never saw anyone make it big without taking a risk and I happen to agree with her.
Your Clients & Prospects Have More Choice Than Ever Before
Online all “real estate” is neutral. There’s no location advantage. It’s just as easy for me to browse to your site as it is to your competition’s. And if your competition has a better story, an offering that’s aligned with our worldview and can demonstrate how they’ll solve our problems more effectively than you, they win & you loose. And even worse than loosing, you are invisible. We don’t even know that you exist. That’s what happens in a world of infinite choice. 1 in 22 people in Steamboat Springs are Brokers - that’s infinite. With an infinite choice why pick anything but the best? Why pick anything other than that which aligns with my worldview?
Those blue moon meetings are what motivate me. Far too often I have the opposite type of meeting. Stale, complacent, bored, lost brokers who are looking for a quick cheap fix. That’s a good thing for those who recognize the noise and complacency and choose a different path. To those I say get busy.
February 8, 2008 No Comments
Video of the Week - Getting Things Done
Ok it’s the second half of January - how are all the New Year’s resolutions coming along?
If your desk still looks the same, your inbox is still full and your still trying to get it together here is a lifesaver. This guy changed my life a few years ago and his GTD (Getting Things Done) system is sweeping across the globe. This is a fantastic overview video featuring David Allen himself (the creator of GTD) giving a talk at Google.
The video is 45 minutes. If you’ve got a ton on your plate and really want to move the ball forward this year this approach will certainly help.
(Can’t see the video? Click here)
The one aspect I really like about GTD is you can implement most of the system immediately and receive immediate benefit.
For more info check out these GTD resources:
Buy the Getting Things Done
January 18, 2008 No Comments
Steamboat Domain Names
A quick review of the current Homes & Land reveals the following URLs that contain the word “Steamboat”
buysteamboatsprings.com
steamboatvillagebrokers.com
steamboatproperties.com
steamboatlistings.com
buyeragentsteamboat.com
stanforssteamboat.com
sharonsteamboat.com
howesenplacesteamboat.com
remax-steamboat-co.com
steamboatdream.com
steamboatsprings4sale.com
buysteamboat.com
steamboatagents.com
steamboat-realestate.com
onesteamboatplace.com
steamboatrealestate.com
forsalesteamboat.com
steamboat4sale.com
steamboatmountainproperties.com
steamboatestates.com
prudentialsteamboatrealty.com
olympiansteamboat.com
alpinemountainranch.com
What gets me about these domain names is that none of them are memorable, interesting or unique. The biggest offenders are
steamboatsprings4sale.com
steamboat4sale.com
steamboat-realestate.com
steamboatrealestate.com
Utterly confusing. Domain names are essentially free and yet these Steamboat Springs brokers are content to stick with confusingly similar domains.
Since a primary function of a broker is marketing, the domain name of choice not only reflects on that brokers marketing and understanding of internet marketing but also can impact the response rates to their magazine ads.
Stinky Water
“stinkywater.com” is one of my favorite domain names for a Steamboat Springs business but it’s for sale for $800. If I had a true need for it I’d buy it in a heartbeat. It speaks to an aspect we all know and love about Steamboat Springs and it’s memorable. A week from now you’ll remember stinkywater.com but you’ll be hard pressed to truly remember any of the names above in any meaningful context. Yes stinkywater.com is odd & “out there” but that’s precisely what’s needed in a very, very crowded market.
Here’s a few tools to help find a unique domain name:
www.nameboy.com This service will search for available domain names based on your keyword input.
www.dnscoop.com Fun site that tells you how much your domain name is worth as well as other stats.
www.snapnames.com If you subscribe to the snapnames newsletter, you can see which interesting domains are about to be sold for not much money. No guarantees as to how effective this service is, but it’s a neat way to think about what to build next.
January 18, 2008 No Comments
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