Waiting at airport to go to NAR conference. I'll let you all know what I find.

Good morning, Evergreen Marketing Group. Have agreat day. Go close some deals!

A little facebook etiquette

Since the unspoken rules of many social-networking sites evolve daily, it’s all too easy to commit online gaffes and sabotage your goals - whatever they may be.

Check out this video from the Today Show...



Here are six common online missteps to avoid.

1. Don’t be boorish
Few people would walk into a professional meeting and immediately "ask for the order", but many seasoned professionals commit the online version of this faux pas regularly. No matter how well you know contacts, offer some praise or acknowledgment or, even better, some well-thought-out help or advice with no strings attached. Then, and only then, should you ask for whatever it is you'd like.

2. Don’t be too stiff
While you don’t want to share too much, leaving all personal information out of your profiles to protect your privacy can put you in the same league as colleagues who show up for casual Friday in a business suit. A few well-chosen items about your interests or charitable activities can make it easier for other like-minded folks on a site to strike up a conversation.

Here's an an example of how that hiring companies may use social media. MediaG in Troy, Mich., routinely researches potential hires on social-networking sites to figure out what type of projects would be a good fit for them. If he found from a person’s Facebook page that a candidate was really interested in music, for example, he might try to see if he could have them work with music-industry clients. The bottom line is that hiring companies want to get to know candidates before they make hiring decisions: “What are the things that get them really excited? When we can dovetail, that makes them much happier.”

3. Don’t remain invisible
Put up a photo, even if you don't feel you look that great. (And I certainly don't feel I'm that photogenic.) It makes the process a little more human and warm. And if someone is going to discriminate against you because of how you look, you probably don’t want to work with them anyway.

4. Don’t market yourself on somebody else's Facebook page
“Some people really cross the line,” says Matthew Fraser, a senior research fellow at INSEAD and co-author of Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom: How Online Social Networking Will Transform Your Life, Work, and World. “As soon as you accept an offer to be their friend, they’ll write a note on your wall: ‘I’m Bill Jones. I’m a life coach. I help people solve their problems.’ You realize someone is using your personal space as a billboard for their business, and it’s irritating.”

5. Understand who you are "friending"
I get a lot of people poking me on Facebook and sending me goofy stuff. But if I’m working on building a business relationship with them, I’m sometimes uncomfortable with what they're sending. I'll most likely ignore the request and hope that doesn't interfere with the relationship I hope to build. Privately, depending on what's being sent to me, I may change my perception of that "friend". I think it’s better to just stick to direct messages on Facebook with your professional contacts.

6. Don’t let your networking end online
Many people rack up new connections on sites like LinkedIn without ever solidifying the relationships they’ve started there. Try to set up an in-person meeting when you can, or perhaps even arrange a “virtual coffee,” where you both chat by phone over a cup of coffee at your desks. Once you’re in a real relationship with someone, you find out who they are and how they’re doing. And when you help them, they’ll try to help you back.

Hope this helps. What do you think?

Best to you,

Jim Herrera

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perceptiveinsights.com

Rolling Out a New Brand

Hi there,

It's been too long since I've taken the opportunity to sit and blog. So much has happened in the last 3 weeks. For these last weeks, we've been building the marketing strategy, communications, collateral, messaging for relaunching MLSListings.



I have worked with several top notch teams but I feel very fortunate to work with the MLSListings team. It has set the bar very high for intensity, patience, proactivity, attention to detail, vision and action. This group of dedicated people has been able to accomplish about 2 years of marketing activity into about 3 months!



And the results have been outstanding: completely new marketing story, market segmentations (never before done at this MLS), design and development of collateral materials, a completely redesigned public facing MLS website, a powerful presence at the CMLS (Council of Multiple Listing Services) conference, a resoundingly successful presence at the CAR (California Association of Realtors) trade show.

The following people deserve tons of credit and applause for these activities.

• Deb McManus - Director of Marketing Commuications
• Aimee Davis - Marketing Communications Specialist
• Mark Messimer - Manager of Outreach Services
• Alonzo Jennings - Senior Trainer
• Eric Sneed - Outreach Representative
• Geoffrey Lambrechts - Outreach Representative
  
• Nick Lomoro - Senior Account Representative
• Gib Souza - Director of Industry Relations
  

And, of course, to Jim Harrison who gave us the space to run.

To these folks, and the rest of the MLSListings team, I say thanks and congratulations on a job well done!

(And we've just begun... :D )

Best to you,

Jim Herrera

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Your business slogan is worthless ...

unless your business has a valid value proposition!

When asked what they do for a living, most people state their job title: “I’m the president of a bank.” “I’m a consultant.” “I’m a professional speaker.” So what? The same can be said for most “elevator speeches” at networking events — they’re worthless.

In these competitive times, when building brand awareness is critical, what is needed is a concise statement that can be repeated by you, your employees, and your customers that conveys the value of your offerings: a value proposition.

So, what is a value proposition? Well, Drew Stevens of Drew Stevens Consulting, says that a value proposition is a statement that promotes the benefits your business offers to customers. It focuses on the customer, not you or your processes. Simply put, it’s a succinct sentence that can be heard, repeated, and appreciated in a world cluttered with commercial messages.

A value proposition should contain no more than 10 to 15 words and should feature as many colorful adjectives as possible. It should be outcome based (i.e., what the buyer gets), results focused, and appeal to most any industry. Consider:

• A poor value proposition: We help create a fit individual.
• A good value proposition: We have a 7-step program for better abdominals.
• A great value proposition: We dramatically accelerate results that match your individual fitness desires.

Why should you develop a value proposition? There are four main reasons to write a value proposition as part of a brand-building strategy:

1. It separates you from the competition.
2. It distinguishes you and the organization in niche markets.
3. It spurs lead generation efforts.
4. It enables sales professionals to expediently get in front of decision makers.

Developing a value proposition is not difficult, but it takes patience. It’s vital to look at the organization from a customer or competitor’s view. Here are four questions to answer:

1. What does your business do from a benefits or results perspective that distances it from the competition?
2. What results do customers achieve with you?
3. What is the organization extremely passionate about when it comes to meeting customers’ needs?
4. What are your core values that provide results to customers?

If you can’t gain answers from these questions, the next best source is your customer base. Testimonials and case studies are great examples of value. Take customers’ statements and simply develop them into benefit-based sentences for building the brand.

“What gets repeated, gets rewarded,” the old cliché states. That’s especially true for a well-thought-out value proposition. Memory recall is faster and easier. Your employees and customers will repeat it. And, most importantly, it will drive phone calls, emails, and sales leads.

Special thanks to Drew Stevens, President of Drew Stevens Consulting.

Best to you,

Jim Herrera


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CAR Mortgage Protection Program

For those of you who may be looking for a new home or for those agents who have clients looking for a new home the California Asociation of Realtors has deployed a Mortgage Protection Plan.

Through the Housing Affordability Fund Mortgage Protection Program, first-time home buyers who lose their jobs due to layoffs may be eligible to receive up to $1,500 per month, for six months, to help make their mortgage payments. A qualified co-buyer also can participate in the program, and receive a monthly benefit of $750 per month for up to six months. Program benefits also include coverage for accidental disability and a $10,000 death benefit.

C.A.R.’s Housing Affordability Fund is dedicating $1 million toward its Mortgage Protection Program, and estimates that as many as 3,000 families will benefit from the program this year.

“The Mortgage Protection Program was developed to help ease the anxiety of consumers who are concerned about potential job loss and its impact on their ability to pay their mortgage should they purchase a home,” said C.A.R. President James Liptak. “It also provides peace of mind to those buyers who are actively searching for a home.”

To qualify for the Mortgage Protection Program, applicants must:

. Be a first-time home buyer – someone who has not owned a home in three or more years
. Open escrow April 2, 2009, or later, and close on or before Dec. 31, 2009
. Use a California REALTOR® in the transaction
. Purchase the property in California
. Be a W-2 employee (cannot be self-employed)

I hope this helps.

Best to you,

Jim Herrera

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