In your hands you hold the seeds of failure or the potential for greatness. Your hands are capable, but they must be used and for the right things to reap the rewards you are capable of attaining. The choice is yours.
— Zig Ziglar
Category: Attitude
It’s Rally Time!
Help-U-Sell rallies kick off this week in Phoenix, with Southern California, Northern California and Baltimore to follow. The agenda is packed this time.
- We’ll be looking at five key elements that make Help-U-Sell work. If any of the five are missing or implemented improperly, the system fails. It should be an eye-opener.
- As promised, we’ll be working through the Help-U-Sell Blueprint for office growth. If you are at 50 transactions, how do you get to 100? If you’re at 100, how to you get to 150? And so on. It’s a very logical progression of decisions.
- We’ll get an update on our Internet presence, with real examples of brokers who have taken their websites to the next level with customization and optimization. We’ll also talk a bit about using Facebook and social media to build your client base.
- We’ll be introducing the Help-U-Sell $8,000 Homebuyer Credit Extension, a program designed to boost buyer interest in Help-U-Sell listings.
- And we’ll be showcasing the redesign of Help-U-Sell core marketing materials which will be available through our approved vendors shortly.
You really don’t want to miss this! Here’s the schedule:
Phoenix Area
Friday, June 4
Bank of America Home Loans Chandler Branch
3100 W. Ray Road, Suite 100
Chandler, AZ 85226
Southern California
Monday June 7
Courtyard by Marriott at John Wayne Airport
2701 Main Street
Irvine, CA 92614
Northern California
Wednesday June 9
Bank of America Home Loans
180 Grand Ave. Suite 1000
Oakland, CA 94612
Baltimore
Tuesday June 15
Bank of America Home Loans
10320 Little Patuxent Pkwy. Suite 701
Columbia, MD 21044
The rallies start at 9am and continue until 3pm. Lunch will be provided and there is no charge to attend. Brokers, assistants, and salespeople are all welcome to attend. Please make your reservation via the link that will arrive in your email or by calling Lori Warnelo at (941) 951-7707 ext. 3002 (it’s very important we get an accurate count so that we have enough food!).
Keith Haring and Help-U-Sell
Bear with me; it’s not that far-out a combination!
I have great appreciation for the artist, Keith Haring. First off, I like his art, the energy and simplicity of it. Like the cave paintings of our ancestors, it is so iconic that it’s hard to forget. For years I toyed with buying a real Haring and finally, in 2001, I did. It’s from a four part series called ‘Fertility’ and I have number 66 of 100. It measures about 4 feet, square.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.
Later I picked u p a signed poster for the first showing of his huge metal sculptures in New York. Just today, a friend, trying to make a little wall space, gave me a smaller print. I also have lots of Haring nicky nackies: buttons, cups, tee shirts and so on.
The art is great, but there’s another reason I like Haring so much, and it’s his uncanny ability to market himself and his work. The art world is pretty stuffy and rigid. We have the image of the starving artist slaving away in a garret somewhere for a reason: it’s very hard for a young person to be recognized, promoted and accepted into the establishment. Most work a lifetime and die before anyone pays them any serious attention at all. Haring hit New York in the 80s with a unique vision and an impatience that made waiting to be discovered impossible. He started noticing the blank inserts that were put up over old advertisements in subway stations.These black velum-like paper coverings occupied the ad frames between messages. He started riding the subway with a bag of chalk, and when he saw one of the black blanks, he’d hop off and, in ten minutes or so, craft one of his icons: radiant baby, dancing dog, UFO and Pyramid. It didn’t take long before millions of New Yorkers had seen his work and because it was iconic and memorable, they looked for more. Within a year he was being shown in galleries in the city and soon around the world.
Do you see what he did? Faced with a fossilized status quo with lots of rules and indignation over anything new and different, he simply leap-frogged over them, went straight to the consumer — who he defined not as an intellectual snob, but as the man in the street — used guerrilla marketing techniques to build top of mind awareness and never looked back. The Status Quo was forced to reckon with him and they quickly opened up to him. He’s now in major museums throughout the world. I saw a huge retrospective at the Whitney in New York a few years ago that was stunning.
One more Haring thing before I try to tie in Help-U-Sell. After breaking through, Keith once again earned the raised eyebrow of the art establishment when he started mass producing his work on tee shirts and skateboards and backpacks and marketing them in his Pop Shop in New York and Tokyo. The prices were affordable and suddenly common everyday people could own a little of his work. Again: he took a risk to make his high quality product affordable for the average person.
Help-U-Sell operates in a similar environment. We are faced with a rigid status quo — the real estate industry — that has lots of unspoken, and sometimes spoken, rules designed to preserve things just as they are. It’s very hard to innovate or take a different path without incurring the hostility of this huge entity. With a unique vision, Help-U-Sell goes into the marketplace using guerrilla marketing techniques to establish top of mind awareness. We go directly to the consumer and obsess on how we can provide high quality real estate services that are affordable for the average person. Sound Familiar? It’s the same story. We even have our own icon, the Help-U-Sell logo, brilliantly crafted and carefully designed to be memorable and recognizable from blocks away.
As for leap-frogging over the industry? Every poll, every survey I’ve seen solidly states that the consumer wants exactly what we have. All we have to do is let enough of them know that we have it. Keith Haring used blank subway advertisement placards. I’m not sure what our equivalent is, but I’m leaning toward Facebook. If that statement baffles you, tune in next Tuesday to Tech Time (11 am Pacific, 2 pm Eastern) for the second of Tami Patzers 4 part series on building your client base using Facebook. Then tell me if you think we’ve found our medium.
Just Silly Stuff
The Alaotra Grebe, a small diving bird native to Madagascar has been officially classified extinct. I think the 6% real estate commission may be next.
I heard the funniest thing in my yoga class this morning. It’s not a ‘seniors’ class on purpose, but most of us are 50+. We’re all working hard to stay limber and not fossilize. Today, my matt was between Dick’s (he’s 77) and Joe’s (he’s 63) .
Our instructor, Robert, was demo-ing an arm stretch that involved reaching over the shoulder with one arm and up the back with the other.
‘It took me 15 years to get to the point where I could get my hands to touch,’ he said.
Dick, looked up and said, ‘I haven’t got that much time!’
And, Oh by the way: yesterday’s Tech Tuesday was excellent. Tami Patzer took us through the first of four sessions on how to use Facebook to build your client base. It’s not at all what you might think. There are lots of little tips and tricks that make it work. If you missed the live session, the recording is in the Download Library under Technology Training/Facebook + Social Networking. The series continues next Tuesday, so put it in your calendar. It’s not to be missed.
The Joy of John (and Maria)
I am in Tucson working with John Powell on a revision of the Help-U-Sell Operations Manual. While it’s not particularly out-of-date at its core, there have been many changes in the industry since the last rewrite. The down market has fostered innovation and brought a slew of new strategies to the model, and the explosion of Internet marketing has spawned new wrinkles that need to be explored. So, we are updating.
The project has given me an opportunity to spend time in John and Maria’s office and it’s been such an eye opener. You will recall that the Powells opened this office in mid-2008, in the worst real estate market in history, in one of the hardest hit areas in the country. From a dead start they turned the corner and were in the black in five months. Now, a little more than a year later, they just put their 18th sale for the month on the board. They have two support staff and four agents. I was blown away by the level of activity I saw. Everybody was busy all day long.
I tried to get a handle on why this office was humming along so well when so many others are struggling and I think I gained a little insight. First, there is acknowledgment and complete acceptance of reality. There is no whining about how bad the market is or how tough short sales are or how difficult lenders have become. That’s just reality. It’s the ballpark where we play, and it’s beyond our control. Now, therefore, what are we going to do to make our business work here?
There’s a crystal clear focus on what we’re doing. Short Sales and REOs are a large part of the market, so guess what? . . . we go after short sales and REOs. We study, study, study the short sale process, we take classes, we get certified as short sale experts and then we deliver. We have a much higher success rate with Short Sales than our competitors and word spreads. We go after REOs the only way we can: we do BPO after BPO and register, register, register on all of those websites. But then we do something our competitors don’t do: we call the asset manager a day or two after we submit the BPO and ask, ‘How was our BPO? Did it meet your needs? What can we do better?’ Over time, this additional conversation becomes a relationship and THAT’S where that first REO listing comes from.
I can see, for John and Maria, the business is simple. There’s not a lot of confusion, clutter and doubt about what they’re doing. They generate leads, develop business, work it well and ask for more. This contrasts with so many offices I see where the business is hugely complicated, where confusion and doubt play a key role. There’s none of that here.