Gene Manners reacts to the new Help-U-Sell broker websites at the Las Vegas Tech Summit, March 4, 2010:
Tag: Tech Summit
Las Vegas Tech Summit Photos
Just a few. More on 
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Now it can be told: the Truth about the new Help-U-Sell office websites
Tech Summit 2010 is history. Well, the event is history; the process of ushering in the new Help-U-Sell office websites and tweaking them to produce maximum results will be ongoing.
By all reviews, it was a smashing success. Brokers are amazed at what we’ve accomplished in such a short time, fascinated by the care and planning that went into these new websites, and excited to discover that they can actually do much of what it will take to make their new websites attractive to search engines (and therefore, consumers).
It is no longer acceptable to contract with a website vendor, write them a check every month, then sit back and wonder why the leads aren’t flooding in. Now we understand. If our websites are going to produce results, WE are going to have to be continually involved in their customization, localization and optimization. The good news is that Robert Stevens and his crack team of developers have made it easy for Help-U-Sell brokers to do just that. This is so significant.
We are coming out of the toughest real estate market in history. There’s a lot of pain and suffering in the street, but things are starting to move. It’s at times like this that consumers re-evaluate our industry. Almost subconsciously they look around and identify the rising stars, the next big thing in real estate. The new Help-U-Sell web presence speaks volumes to these hyper-critical consumers.
My favorite moment at the Vegas Summit came when Gene Manners came up and said, ‘You’ve invested time, money and effort to create this wonderful platform . . . and it’s all built on your confidence that we can make it work . . . and you know what? I believe we can!’
So, Help-U-Sell brokers: you left the meeting with a binder. In it is a document entitled ’11 Days to a Great Website.’ Each day has an activity that you can accomplish in 30 minutes to an hour. If you work through all 11 days in order, you will have done the lion’s share of the work you need to do to make your new website Hummmmm. Make the completion of the 11 day assignment your top priority for the next couple of weeks. Your ever-expanding client base will thank you for it!
Oh . . . the truth about the new Help-U-Sell office websites? They rock!
The Willing Suspension of Disbelief
It’s what makes movies and plays work. It’s what enables us to follow charismatic leaders. It’s what keeps Christmas morning fresh and new every year. Sometimes, when hope collides with faith, we allow ourselves to believe. It’s quite a leap across a chasm of doubt, a risky act of defiance against the power of cynicism. And sometimes it happens in business.
Tech Summits in Sarasota and Las Vegas have been a gas. Dozens of Help-U-Sell brokers have come into the room ready to have their worst suspicions confirmed, but hoping for confirmation that the hope and faith they’ve invested in this company over the past year have not been without merit. Usually, about 20 minutes in, there is an almost audible sigh of relief: what has been promised is delivered . . . and more.
Whether on the harbor cruise or at the B of A reception, the first day ends with the dreamy smiles of a united team, excited and ready to take the new tools to market and upset the competition. Then it’s on to day two: hands on with Robbie and the guys from South Africa as we learn how easy it is to take this new monster of a tool by the horns and make it work for us. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Thank goodness for faith, hope and Help-U-Sell, for people driven as much by the mission as they are by the money.
News from the Tech Summit
Day one of the Sarasota Summit is history and Day 2 has just begun. I’m breathing a sigh of relief because our attendees seem to be just as fascinated by what’s being presented as I am. They were just as into the material yesterday afternoon at 4 as they were at noon and this morning they are so focused it’s been hard to get them to take a break.
Yesterday, Robbie gave them a broadbrush overview of the power and features of the new Help-U-Sell broker websites. Ooos and Ahhhs were common, particularly when mapping and editorial control features were presented. I continue to be amazed at Robbie’s ability to communicate the technology in ways that real estate brokers understand. It’s a rare talent and has meant so much to us as we take this giant leap forward in our Internet presence.
Today is the hands on day and we have 15 users tapped into the Internet, learning about Google Insights, customization, synching profiles and all of the other things that will make their new Help-U-Sell websites draw. One of the things I am most excited about is a section in the manual that Tami Patzer created, called ’11 Days to a Productive Website.’ Shes taken the key tasks from this meeting’s content and broken them down into simple steps that can be accomplished in an hour a less over a two week period. The idea is: now that you’ve seen and heard what to do to make your website KICK, here is your roadmap to use back in the office to make sure you get it done.
John and I head to Las Vegas this evening and the tech team follows early tomorrow. We have a much larger group scheduled for the Palace Station meeting — currently 50 and counting — and I anticipate just as much excitement and positive energy there as here.
I’ve been thinking about the significance of what we’re doing this week and I’m very clear that this is all about being in the real estate business. Our new web capabilities are focused on finding more buyers and sellers, listing and selling more real estate. That’s not just our brokers’ goal, it’s OUR goal here at corporate as well. We share the same objective, the same target customer; and the new websites will help us reach more and more of them.
I posted photos from the Summit at Photobucket and you can view them HERE.