M. Nack’s Blog

Have you noticed? There is a huge buzz around social media these days. At a time when most REALTORS are struggling, social media is your fastest way to find a ready, willing and able customer - for FREE! Social media has “grown up” to become a very serious marketing tool for business.

However, there is a little known secret that you MUST know if you want to use social media most effectively - and it has absolutely nothing to do with technology! The secret? A compelling Unique Selling Proposition [USP]. So, before you get all “teched up” on Facebook, Twitter, My Space, etc., take a few moments and apply the very first fundamental to attracting clients to you - a great USP.

1) A Great USP Attracts Your Ideal Prospect To You:

In these tough economic times, prospects are few and far between. Provide them with the magic elixir they are looking for and they will be drawn to you like bees to honey. How? By speaking to them in their language - talking to them about what THEY want - and then linking that to your product or service.

2) A Great USP Talks Directly To Your Ideal Prospect About THEM:

It’s an old cliché: the only radio station a prospect listens to is WIIFM - “What’s In It For Me”.  A great USP talks to the prospect in THEIR language about THEIR concerns. This lets the prospect know that you “get” them; that you “speak their language” and that they can trust you.

3) A Great USP Solves A Problem They May Not Even Know They Have:

Many times, when a new technology or cutting edge product or service is introduced to the marketplace, it solves a problem the client didn’t even know they had! Just imagine when the telephone was introduced. Be innovative and solve a problem. And then give an ironclad guarantee letting them know you are willing to accept the risk. This builds trust while providing certainty.

“When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be There Overnight” is FedEx’s business winning USP. It allowed them to dominate their market even though they charged way more than their main competitor - The United States Postal Service.

“WIIFM”

How does FedEx enter the conversation that the prospect is already having? The customer asks, “How do I get this package where I need it to be tomorrow?” FedEx replies: “When it…has to be there overnight.”

Draw Clients To You By Offering A Guarantee:

FedEx’s USP contains a powerful guarantee within it. Their service is over-night delivery. They hammer home their guarantee with “absolutely positively has to be there”.  By delivering on their guarantee, FedEx has built a strong reputation and an ever-expanding client list.

When it comes to overnight delivery, FedEx is hardly the only service provider, but they most certainly dominate that position in the prospect’s mind. They have so successfully linked their service solution to their company name that “FedEx” equals overnight delivery. When you use an overnight service, you “FedEx” it - even if you use a different service provider! FedEx has successfully become a verb.

Create a compelling USP that talks directly to your ideal prospect and, like FedEx, you will find clients drawn to you like magic!

To craft the perfect USP for your business and put other social media strategies to work for you, download a *FREE* teleseminar now at  http://NewMarketLeaders.com.

Are your current marketing strategies not producing enough leads? Has income been sliding? Overhead exceeding income? Struggling just to make ends meet?

No one adopts new strategies if the old ones are working. A quote from Abe Lincoln seems particularly pertinent to our current environment:

   ”The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”

What a great nickname: “Honest Abe” - especially coming from Illinois - home of impeached governors. Honest Abe, of course, was talking about the Civil War and preserving the Union. Thank goodness he realized he had to use new strategies - or we might be 2 separate countries right now instead of one United States!  

This is what I’ve discovered: the lead generating strategies of the real estate boom are inadequate to the stormy present. I have been working REALLY hard for 2 years to generate the income I need to sustain myself. I’ve never been a stranger to hard work. But I having been working harder than ever and STILL not generating adequate results. I finally realized that I had hit a brick wall.

Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. If you’re in a hole, digging harder and faster will only get you in deeper.

Delving into social media strategies, I am beginning to realize that THIS is how people want to be communicated with these days!! They don’t WANT you “knocking on their door” (I did plenty of that in my youth!) or calling them on the phone. They want to go to the internet, (i.e. “FaceBook”, “My Space”, “Twitter”, etc…) get the information they want and THEN contact you if they feel like you’ve got what they’re looking for. If they CAN do it by themselves, they will. But most often that just isn’t practical. So, they do the next best thing: they talk to the person they think is the most likely to help them.

The way we did business in the “roaring 90’s” is inadequate for the stormy present. Just as “cold calling” was an awesome strategy for the 50’s and 60’s, relational strategies was amazing for the 90’s. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. Today, the way we market ourselves is using Social Media.

If you find that the old “tried and true” systems just aren’t working for you as well, find out what we’re doing on www.NewMarketLeaders.com. We’ll help you put the all the social media puzzle pieces together.

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!

I had a conversation with my new teleseminar partners last night. We have been working really hard on a series of trainings on internet marketing and we’re really excited by the positive feedback we’re receiving. For an aging boomer such as myself to learn internet marketing strateiges - well, if I can do it…

Here’s the thing: no one adopts new strategies if the old ones are working. A quote from Abe Lincoln seems particularly pertinent to our current environment. (What a great nickname: “Honest Abe” - especially coming from Illinois - home of impeached governors.) He, of course, was talking about the Civil War and preserving the Union. Thank goodness Honest Abe realized he had to use a new strategy! 

    ”The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”

That’s the position I find myself in: the lead generating strategies of the real estate boom are inadequate to the stormy present. I have been working REALLY hard for 2 years to generate the income I need to sustain myself. I’ve never been a stranger to hard work. But I would work and work and work and not generate adequate results. I finally came to the realization that I had hit a brick wall. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. If you’re in a hole, digging harder and faster will only get you in deeper.

Yes: doing calls, notes, pop-bys is a terrific way to connect with past clients. And it’s a spectacular way to incubate a lead (seems we get them 12-24 months out these days). And it’s not that our past clients don’t want to help. It’s just that they aren’t talking to anyone who is in a position to make a real estate decision. It was easy getting referrals when EVERYONE wanted to buy real estate - and as a consequence everyone wanted to sell. But the story is quite different these days.

Delving into these internet marketing strategies, I am beginning to realize that there IS an easier way!! It doesn’t have to be SO hard!! The way we did business in the “roaring 90’s” is inadequate for the stormy present. Just as “cold calling” was an awesome strategy for the 50’s and 60’s, “call, notes and pop-bys” was an amazing strategy for the 90’s. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, find out what we’re doing on www.NewMarketLeaders.com. Come on in, the water is just fine!

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!

On the eve of this historic inaugaration, on this Martin Luther King Day, it is impossible not to get caught up in contemplating the overwhelming odds we have overcome to get to where we are.

Consider what Obama and his campaign have done - something I haven’t witnessed since JFK came to office in 1961 - nearly 50 years ago! I was but a child - not old enough to comprehend the excitement of that inaugaration. I only reflected what my elders radiated. What Obama has done is rekindle a feeling that died on November 22, 1963. He has re-engaged the American people - the average man on the street - the ”Joe the Plumber” and the Mike the Machinist” - in their government. 

This disengagement of the American people began with that murder of  ”Camelot”. Then it was Vietnam, The Civil Rights Movement, The Democratic National Convention of 1968 in Chicago, LBJ not seeking re-election, pulling out of Vietnam like a whimpering dog and the tide of despair that Nixon rode in on. Whatever hopes we ”little people” may have had were dashed in those excrutiating Watergate hearings. Bill Clinton teased as the next JFK - but it all deteriorated into “policy wonks”, and, finally, Monica Lewinski - the bilous by-product of  The Great War - not WWI, but The War of Partisan Politics.

I take great exception to something Tom Brokaw said on “Meet The Press” yesterday - that the Boomers had their chance to shape history during the administrations of Clinton and George W. That for all our storm and thunder, what have we accomplished? And now the torch is passed to the next generation. But wait one minute, Tom! Even though Barack looks a boyish 37,  he is actually 47. He was born in 1961 - which makes him a Boomer! Granted, it’s the tail end of the Boomers - but our 3rd and last hurrah.

And anyway, who ever really thought of George W. as a Boomer? He always seemed like a throw-back. Which is exactly why the Conservative Right love him.

The “We Are One” concert that kicked off the Inaugural festivities yesterday was terrific. Generational disputes notwithstanding, it was delightful to have Pete Seeger - nearly 90 years young - lead us in the classic “This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land” written by a fellow that Pete actually shook hands with - Woody Guthrie. What a fantastic way to bring home the point: “E Pluribus Unum” - from many, one!

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

On our teleseminar call last week, I shared a couple of paragraphs from an article by Peter Wallsten of The Washington Bureau that appeared in The Chicago Tribune on Weds, Jan 14, 2009. The article said:

    ”The organization, known internally as ‘Barack Obama 2.0′ is being designed to sustain a grass-roots network of millions that was mobilized last year to elect Obama and is now widely considered the country’s most potent political machine.

    ”Strategists for both parties say the scope of this permanent campaign structure is unprecedented for a sitting president. People familiar with the plan say Obama’s team would use the network in part to pressure lawmakers - particularly wavering members of the new president’s own party - to help him pass legislation on the economy, health care and energy.

    ”The plan could cause tensions with members of Congress, who are unlikely to welcome the idea of Obama’s political network targeting them from within their own districts…

    ”Strategists in both parties said the ideas being discussed would create a weapon for policy battles far more powerful than the speeches, news conferences and donor-targeted techniques used by past presidents.

    ”No one’s ever had these kind of resources,’ said political strategist Ed Rollins, who led political operations under President Ronald Reagan. ‘This would be the greatest political organization ever put together.’…”

I share this article with you because it demonstrates the incredible effectiveness of what the Obama campaign has done using very accessible AND AFFORDABLE Internet marketing strategies!

And what we’re teaching you are the very systems that the Obama campaign used so that you can win your election with YOUR database - “Marketing 2.0″

To hear a *FREE* recording of the call -or to register for our NEXT *FREE* call - where we will cover “Must Have Social Media Tools” - on Jan 22nd, go to: www.NewMarketLeaders.com

“All Things With Exuberance!
mary!

Whether or not you are an Obama supporter, his campaign proved one thing - his campaign’s marketing strategies worked like magic!

Obama literally came from “nowhere” to become Leader of the Free World.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been working really hard the past 12-18 months - and making less. I’m all about using whatever will work. Aren’t you?

Einstein said, ”The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

In these challenging times, “business as usual” just doesn’t cut it.  It’s going to take a different way - a NEW way - of thinking about things. Obama’s campaign has shown us a different way - clearly a way that works!

Obama had to tackle 2 major issues: 
    1) He was a relative newcomer to the political scene without a large support base to draw upon. 
    2) With limited financial resources, he needed to overcome the the Clinton “money machine”.

“Business As Usual” wasn’t going to cut it for the Obama campaign. He was forced to devise a NEW strategy to win his election. He followed 4 steps:

I. He Created A “Bottom’s Up” Unique Selling Proposition [USP] - “Change We Can Believe In”
Most candidates (and business people and sales people), sit in a room “thinking up stuff” that they think might appeal to the public. One good friend who is also a REALTOR used a tag line on all of her marketing, “We Do Our Home Work.” Catchy. Clever. But how effective is it in getting me to choose her as my REALTOR?

What Obama did was a classic marketing strategy: he held “focus groups” in the form of “town meetings”. He ASKED people what they wanted in a candidate. He listened first and THEN came up with a USP based on what he was told. People wanted change. Ergo the USP “Change We Can Believe In”.

II. He Built An On-Line Community  
Now the campaign has its USP, it was time to take it to the “market”. What was so unique about what the Obama campaign did was to make extensive use of internet social media strategies - FaceBook, a blog, a website, YouTube videos. It probably started out due to lack of funding. However, the campaign utilized these tools so brilliantly that they ended up literally circumventing traditional media (newspapers, TV) to talk directly to their public. When a negative story would break on the news, the on-line community not only knew about it but had already heard Obama’s side of the story!

III. He Lowered The Barrier to “Buy In”
Instead of looking for huge donors to fund the campaign, the campaign asked for $5 donations! $5!! It was a complete game-changer. I remember thinking, “Heck, I don’t know if I want to vote for the guy - but I’ll give him $5 to give him a chance at being on the ballot.” But once I made the $5 ”commitment” - now I’m no longer standing on the outside looking in. Now I’m engaged! Now I’m watching the campaign with interest! And once I’m on the “inside” - they not only asked for my vote, they asked me to help get the vote out!

IV. Post Election Follow-Up
Even though the election is past, I am still being solicited for input. Obama is brilliantly allowing the community to shape policy. He’s converting ”Insiders” into Advocates! There was just an article in the Chicago Tribune on Weds, Jan 14th about “the country’s most potent politcial machine” and how Obama is using it to force his agenda on Congress. Do you let your advocates inform YOUR agenda?

During the Great Depression, huge fortunes were made by many. The Kennedy, Rothschild and Rockefeller families all dramatically increased their fortunes throughout the Depression. But it wasn’t just the rich who got richer - many ordinary citizens found a way to not only survive but thrive during a poor economy.

To learn more about the marketing genius of the Obama campaign and how to apply it to your business, go here: www.NewMarketLeaders.com

“All Things With Exuberance!
mary!

There is no question about it. We are a country in trouble. I don’t like giving Sarah Palin credit for much of anything - but her infamous interview with Katie Couric was right on point about one thing: it is all about job creation. Is Obama the new FDR? Is he going to put everyone back to work on WPA projects? Will Congress allow him to put us further into debt (or print more money) to make that bold move? Will we as a nation give them the authority to do so?

I was out showing property today. Every single property we looked at was in foreclosure - which has to do with the price point we were looking at. The final home we saw, the seller was still living there with his family. He pointed out the mold growing in his closets due to the need for a new roof, which he can’t afford. And why is this family in trouble? He lost his job and can’t find work. He had worked as a chef. He went from making $80,000/year to nada. No need to tell you about the restaurant industry and how it’s hurting.
  
And why were we looking at foreclosures? Because my buyer is afraid to over-spend. She lost $50,000 in the stock market before cashing in her mutual funds for T-Bills. Instead of $180,000, she now has $130,000. And she is afraid of losing her job at an architectural firm. No need to tell you about the real estate industry and all the affiliated industries that are tied to it.

Now take these stories and multiply them over and over and over and you have to know: it’s all about jobs.

For the majority of Americans.

But there is a bold reality that belongs to the elite few that dare. Gen X and Gen Y have already pointed the way. Dependence on Big Brother for job security is a notion that has been bankrupt for quite some time. And when you take an aging Baby Boomer like me, trying to find a job in these market conditions is not even an option. (I had a conversation with a head hunter about a month ago who informed me of that reality. There is such a thing as “too much experience”. Some political circles would call it “agism”.)

Necessity is the mother of invention. These are the times that demand we become creative, take responsibility for our own destinies, craft a bold new approach. The old strategies that worked 5-10 years ago are no longer effective. When the old strategies no longer work, we must look for new ones. I believe it was Einstein who said that insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results.

For me, this means exploring different options. Check out what I’m doing at: www.NewMarketLeaders.com

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary! 

The speaker at a conference I was at recently said that “massaging” your spine with one of those “massage” shower heads will stimulate your creativity. This same speaker gave us the assignment to spend at least 15 minutes A WEEK thinking. I thought he mispoke and meant 15 minutes a DAY - but he reiterated it several times: 15 minutes A WEEK! He suggested that the reason one has such great ideas in the shower is because of the massaging of the spine by the water. I don’t suppose the fact that you actually THINK has anything to do with it.

What I like to do is “massage” my scalp. I have heard that you have all sorts of nerve endings in your scalp and that scalp massages are very beneficial and relaxing for that reason. For sure, you have lots of blood vessels running to your scalp - which is why head wounds bleed so much. I think it has something to do with cooling the brain - but I could be wrong there. I’ve heard the same thing about feet and reflexology points - every major organ of the body is represented on the soles of your feet - and in the palms of your hands too!

This thing about massaging your spine reminded me that, I used to suffer these chronic kinks in my neck. A friend recommended a chiropractor. He was the old fashioned kind that really beats you up. It turns out it was just tension brought on by stress and tension (surprise!). But to make sure it wasn’t anything else, he x-rayed my neck. When he put it up on the light. I was stunned at the absolutely beautiful symmetry of the vertebrae. I vividly remember thinking, “Wow! That’s MY neck!?”

Underneath most things is a structure and an order that we may not even know exists. As with the scalp and soles of our feet, the macro is mirrored in the micro. As in the “science” of palm reading, people have their palms read to “learn about” themselves. Which is possible (if you believe in such things) because the palm is a reflection of the whole.

In deference to Deepak Chopra, who reminds us that we are Human BEINGS, not Human DOINGS, at the end of the day, the only true way to know about yourself is to just do. For it is in the DOING that you discover you who you are - what you enjoy , what you don’t. That is, as long as you take time out to think 15 minutes every week.

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

I was listening to a teleseminar last night on REO’s (bank owned real estate). The speaker, (who is an REO specialist and has been doing REO’s since 2000) cited a study done by Credit Suisse 1st quarter 2008 on foreclosure trends. In this study, they predict that 1 out of every 8 homes will end up in foreclosure in the next 5 years!

He went on to cite a pool of loans made by Washington Mutual made in July ‘07. Out of nearly 1800 loans, by Feb ‘08 - 7 months later - over 6% were 30 days delinquent, 4% were 60 days delinquent, 3-1/2% were 90 days delinquent, 12% were in foreclosure proceedings and 3-1/2% were already REO - meaning that the homeonwer never made a single payment on the loan! Nearly 30% of those loans are in trouble!

And are these “deadbeats”? The average credit score of these borrowers is 704. The average loan amount is $519,000. And are these 110% loans? NO!! The average loan to value on these loans is 77%!  The media’s perception that only inner-city, financially illiterate poor people are in trouble is a myth.

So what’s going on here? Because values have depreciated, the homeowner is unable to sell if they need to move (job transfer, divorce, death, marriage - you know, the things that people do in the process of living their lives.) They can’t refinance because they’re upside down - the loans they already have are more than the home is worth. In fact, the only thing they CAN do is walk away!

The speaker’s premise is that there IS a real estate boom - only it’s in REO’s!
 
So what are the implications for the average consumer? Well - as home sales go down, rentals go up. People need to live SOMEWHERE. For those that have cash to invest, now is the best time that I’ve seen in over 20 years to jump into the real estate investment game.

I’m sure that reading this, you are saying that prices MUST continue to drop. However, from my perspective - from being out pounding the pavement and kicking the bricks - it feels like we are already hovering very near the bottom. At least in the Chicago market. And this is all I do everyday:  eat, drink, breathe and sleep what’s going on in the industry. 

What I’m seeing is that - even in this market - when a property’s price hits ”the sweet spot” it is being sold in a matter of days. Why is that? How is that possible? Well, rents are rising - and in some areas they are rising dramatically! (A major shift from 3 years ago when landlords were desperate for renters.) If an investor is able to extract enough rent to cover expenses of ownership and realize a satisfactory ROI, then he’d be crazy NOT to buy.

This is not a market to do “flips” - or, as they say in the stock market, for the “momentum” investor. You must be prepared for a long term “buy and hold” position. Contact me if you want to look at some good candidates.

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!

Well, there isn’t a soul that I’ve spoken to that isn’t scared to death of what’s going on in the financial markets - as well they should be!!

For those who don’t panic and are prepared, there has never been a better time to fortify your financial fortress. Do you actually think for one minute that Barclays isn’t utterly ecstatic about the deal they made on purchasing Lehman Bros! This is the kind of market where fortunes are made or lost. It’s no time to run and hide. If you can keep your head about you while others all around you are losing theirs, you can truly lock in your future!

For sure, “cash is king” - and if you have access to cash, it’s how you are going to negotiate your best deals. If you can GET a mortgage, interest rates are at historic lows - 5-7/8% for 30 year fixed! For those for whom it is appropriate, now is the time to get rid of those adjustable and ”interest only” loans and lock in a fixed rate. It seems certain that interest rates aare going to climb. I’m guessing the window of opportunity on low interest rates closes Nov 4 - although with this week’s news, it may last a little longer.

It’s uncertain whether or not housing prices have yet hit bottom, but it seems fairly certain that we’re hovering there. The only way to know when the bottom is the bottom, of course, is when it no longer is. The only way to actually hit bottom is by just falling into it out of sheer luck. And, unlike stocks, real estate has real, inherent value. You can’t eat your stock certificate, but people will always need a place to live.

The past few months, I’ve been promoting a particularly unique investment opportunity to my clientele. The initial reaction has been “it seems too good to be true” and they back off from jumping onto it. But I have done my research and, like the Barclays purchase of Lehman Bros, this could be an opportunity to lock in your future wealth. Check it out at www.BuyersEquityFund.com and email my friend Marc@BuyersEquityFund.com to get all the info on it.

For those who own their home and want to pay off their mortgage in 1/2 the time, I have been promoting a very conservative mortgage acceleration program (No - this is NOT another MLM scheme) that my friend Neil@EquityExcel.com has available. You can check out the details on THAT program at http://mnack.eqxl101.hop.clickbank.net.

One of my mantras has always been, if you’re not “running with the herd”  - if you’re doing the opposite of what everyone else is, you’re probably not too far off the mark.

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!