Real Clues

[RealClues] #260: Trends (part 3)

Copyright (c) 1996-2007 www.RealEstateCoach.com and
Teleclass4U.com, LLC. All rights in all media reserved.
We have a no SPAM policy. If you received this newsletter and did
not subscribe to it, visit www.RealEstateCoach.com to unsubscribe.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Don't miss our amazing line-up speakers at are upcoming Really Awesome Women in Real Estate Conference. We have an amazing line-up of speakers, including Leslie Appleton Young, the chief economist of CAR and marketing guru Jennifer Cummings who was a multi-millionaire by age 32 and now helps the best and the brightest in our industry build their wealth. This conference is for women who are executives in the real estate industry, broker/owners, managers, or association executives. As one of our valued readers, you are cordially invited to attend. our upcoming conference for women in leadership. To learn more about this awesome event, visit http://www.ReallyAwesomeWomen.com. Don't wait-we only have 50 sleeping rooms at the resort and space is going fast.

This week at LuxuryClues: Lessons from Richistan, hot strategies from the Billion Dollar Agent (new book), plus a wealth of tips from the Luxury Conclave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Table of Contents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. CoachingClues: Twenty-One Trends that Will Influence Your Business in 2007 (Part 3 of 5)
2. Welcome Notes: Hot Off the Press: "Billion Dollar Agent - Lessons Learned"
3. Reprise: Stop Hemorrhaging from Commissionectomies: Creating a Winning Value Proposition (Part 2 of 5)
4. Create a Better Life: Dirty Little Secrets of Business Planning (Part 1 of 2)
5. Featured Products: What's the Number One Secret of Billion Dollar Agents?
6. Increase Your Production with Personal Coaching
7. Give Us Your Feedback on this Newsletter
8. How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. CoachingClues: Twenty-One Trends that Will Influence
Your Business in 2007 (part 3 of 5)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What are the digital trends that will influence your business in 2007? If you want to dominate the competition, these are the trends to watch.

Last week's article looked at three key demographic trends that will influence your business in 2007. Today's article looks at the general digital trends that will influence how you do business in 2007. (Next week's article will look at the digital trends specific to marketing on the web.)

The Digital Lifestyle
#7: Computers replace television in the bedroom
According to Michael Tchong of Ubertrends, the average U.S. household now possesses some 26 consumer electronics devices, including computers, DVD players, flat-panel HDTVs, iPods, mobile phones and TiVos. Surrounded by technology, consumers are adopting a Digital Lifestyle where the computer is becoming the central entertainment appliance. For example, Nike now manufactures tennis shoes that wirelessly transmit running data to your iPod and then shares that data via your headset. Furthermore, we are taking our laptops and PDAs everywhere, including the bedroom. Instead of reading or watching television together in bed, many couples now log on to their blogs, entertainment websites such as Utube.com, or to social networking websites such as MySpace.com or Eons.com (the MySpace.com for Baby Boomers). Clearly, people are hungry for connection, but they also crave the anonymity on the web. For example, at SecondLife.com, you can take on an entirely new identity, become a land developer, open a web store, conduct a web design business, or even trade real dollars for SecondLife.com's currency, the Linden. This site provides both connection and anonymity, because you can assume any identity you want. Second, "user generated content" is an important aspect of this trend. Wherever there is a digital camera or a cell phone with a camera feature, "Big Brother" is watching. We enjoy being "voyeurs" with "secret identities," catching other people's mistakes and sharing it on the web. The web allows you to have a "second life" the way you want it, when you want it, and where you want it.

Opportunity: Pod-casting is one of the hottest opportunities emerging from the Digital lifestyle trend. Having a virtual tour is no longer enough. Today's consumers love video and they want to receive those videos on their mobile devices. Companies capitalizing on this trend include House4Cell.com that integrates call capture with text messaging and property pictures. HomeZoneMedia.com provides narrated virtual walk-throughs integrated with email, IDX, flyer data, plus CD ROM formats. An increasing number of luxury clients expect a high quality video or movie such as those provided by TurnHere.com. The goal is to provide this information how and when consumers want it.

Another great opportunity is to carve out a niche working with entrepreneurs who work from home. Put together a list of contractors and other construction professionals who can help buyers convert their extra bedroom or unused traditional living room space into a state-of-the-art office. Also, an increasing number of couples want separate offices in their home. This means a couple may purchase a three bedroom house and use two of the bedrooms as offices. Since most people do not want to have business meetings at their home, expect more "officetels" where business people can rent conference rooms rather than going to the local coffee shop.

#8: Time compression
The Digital Lifestyle has made us more available as well as creating the expectation that "I can have what I want and I want it now!" The prime hours for web activity are from 7:00 P.M. to 2:00 A.M. in the morning. Furthermore, web users will continue to surf the web until they find someone who is responsive to their needs. Thus, a substantial part of our lead conversion opportunity may occur when our offices are closed. Consequently, broker-owners may have to staff their offices 12 to 16 hours per day. To have any semblance of down-time, agents will have to address how they will cope with consumers who want instantaneous response to their inquiries.

Time compression also means additional stress. Builders are responding to this trend by creating "owners' retreats," lavish home theaters, separate exercise rooms, and "meditation gardens." The more connected and the busier we are, the greater the need is to disconnect from the stress when we go home.

Opportunity: Convert on-line, off-hours leads by employing a virtual assistant. REVANetwork.com, IVAA.org, and newcomer, www.bestagentbusiness.com/2.html are all great resources to find someone who can handle your leads when you're not available. A second opportunity is to create a niche in converting ordinary homes into the quiet, restful retreat where your clients can escape from the hustle and bustle of the day. Make an ordinary shower luxurious with one of the new waterfall showerheads. A curved shower rod creates a sense of spaciousness. Rocks, some beautiful flowering plants, and a fountain, can turn an ordinary backyard into a soothing sanctuary.

Want to know more about how to capitalize on the trends for 2007? If so, see next week's article, "A Glimpse of Web 3.0"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Welcome Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to our new subscribers this week. Each week RealClues provides you with great strategies to improve both your business and your life. If you find this issue of RealClues helpful, take a moment to hit the "forward" button and send it to another friend in the business.

When I attended the Inman Conference at the Marriott Marquis in NYC, I had a chance to meet Steve Kantor who is the author of the new book, "Billion Dollar Agent - Lessons Learned." I have read about 75 percent of the book and am really excited about the wealth of information it contains. Steve is relatively new to the real estate industry but has become an expert on those agents who have sold (or are en route) to selling a billion dollars worth of real estate. I don't often recommend other people's books, but this one is a must-read. The format is simple: Steve interviewed 70 mega-producers about how they began their business, how their teams are structured, what they do for lead generation, their strategies for lead conversion, as well as their perspective on what holds most agents back. To order your copy today, click here:

http://www.profcs.com/app/netcart.asp?MerchantID=35347&ProductID=3385351
Note: our first shipment of books will be arriving within 10-14 days, we will ship your copy the same day we receive the shipment.

More good news! The market appears to be improving. The January sales data seems to suggest that many areas are making a comeback. Things won't be as good as stellar year 2005, but they may be as good as 2004 and that year was terrific. Although the number of transactions is down, prices are holding. This is good news for our clients who could be faced with short sales and/or foreclosure if their equity diminished in a downturn. Interest rates are holding steady and buyers are venturing back into the market. Let's hope the trend continues.

Have a great week!

Warmly, Bernice Ross, MCC, and Byron Van Arsdale, MCC
www.RealEstateCoach.com, www.LuxuryClues.com, www.RossdalePress.com, www.ConferenceCallTraining.com, and www.TeleconferenceLine.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Reprise: Stop Hemorrhaging from Commissionectomies:
Creating a Winning Value Proposition
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second part of this five article series updates many of the ideas in Waging War on Real Estate's Discounters. With the market improving in many places, we still need to be vigilant when it comes to protecting our commissions. To learn more about what you can do to keep your commissions high, click on the link below:

http://www.realestatecoach.com/articles_archive/art20050718.html

If you missed part 1, you can read it at:

http://www.realestatecoach.com/articles_archive/art20050711.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Create a Better Life: Dirty Little Secrets of Business
Planning (Part 1 of 2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Experts agree that agents need a plan to run a successful business. Speakers and writers hound us about setting goals, meeting production quotas, and how important it is to "do the numbers." While there are hundreds of formats for a great business plan, no one really addresses what stops agents from creating a plan in the first place. To learn the most important secret about business planning, click on the link below.

http://www.realestatecoach.com/articles_archive/art20040329.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Featured Products: What is the Number One
Secret from Billion Dollar Agents?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's the one idea that you choose to implement that improves YOUR business. Billion Dollar Agent - Lessons Learned is packed with great ideas to build your business. The one recurrent theme that virtually every billion dollar agent said, however, is "I wished I had hired my first assistant sooner." Watch for upcoming issues of RealClues for a more in-depth discussion. To order, click on the link below:

http://www.profcs.com/app/netcart.asp?MerchantID=35347&ProductID=3385351

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Increase Your Production with Personal Coaching
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking for a well-trained coach who knows the real estate business? Our coaching team can help you increase your production and make your dreams come true! Send an e-mail to Shane@RealEstateCoach.com and we'll help find the right coach for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Give Us Your Feedback On This Newsletter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We want your feedback-to share your thoughts and suggestions, please e-mail us at Shane@RealEstateCoach.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8. How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit our Web site, http://www.RealEstateCoach.com to subscribe/unsubscribe to RealClues.

Copyright (c) 1996-2007, RealEstateCoach.com and Teleclass4U.com, LLC. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute RealClues as long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the contributors to this newsletter is attached.

Contributors to this newsletter:
Bernice Ross, MCC, and Byron Van Arsdale, MCC, Owners, www.RealEstateCoach.com, www.LuxuryClues.com, www.ConferenceCallTraining.com; www.RossdalePress.com; and www.TeleconferenceLine.com
Shane Bowlin, REC General Manager

GIVE A GIFT TO A FRIEND!

Please forward RealClues to your friends and colleagues, since your recommendation is how we grow. Anyone can subscribe to RealClues by visiting http://www.RealEstateCoach.com and signing up! To cancel, visit the Web site and simply cancel your subscription.