career developement

Just a reminder. I’m doing a blogging seminar for The Ibis Group this morning. You’re invited to join our free phone seminar at 9:30 AM Pacific.

To listen, dial 218-486-1400. Enter passcode 33819 #

Here’s an outline with some links.

• Blogs are websites built on simple, web based publishing software that allows just about anyone the power to publish content onto the Internet.
• Because blogs are timely and growing, search engines tend to place higher value on them.
• Blogs are easy on the wallet, but hard on the calendar.
• Blog for a month, then tell the world about it.
• The best place to start a blog is WordPress.com

• Use Blogging to advertise your status as an authority.
• Blogs allow you to prove your authority instead of simply promising it.
• Use your blog as a dynamic FAQ
• Writing about mortgages forces you to learn more about them.
• See Dan Green, Mike Mueller, and Robert Ashby. Also see Mariana Wagner.
  

• Use blogs to grow your sphere of influence.
• Build a blog that helps local realty agents and other professionals market themselves.
• Feature them.
• Invite them to contribute.

• Seek out realty agents that are involved in social media
• Comment on their blogs. Add to the conversation.
• Mention them on your blog.
• Establish a FaceBook account. Get LinkedIn. Join Twitter.
• See my profiles for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Connect with me to see my connections.
• With Facebook & Twitter, turn “Mr. Salesman” off, and turn your inner “14 year old” on.
• Join Active Rain. Involve yourself in local and national groups.
• Bloggers who make it one year are very likely to make it two. This is a long term commitment.
• Come to REBlogWorld to learn more!

My main focus in participating in social networks is to meet real estate agents. Do you want to meet real estate agents? I sure hope so. In my opinion, real estate referrals are the single most lucrative way to originate business.

Today, I’m participating in a live round table discussion on social networking with Dustin Luther of 4Realz.net. Check out his website for more details.

… I’d be headed to WealthCamp.

WHEW!! We just got back in town yesterday from the TAMBE event. I apologize for being unavailable for several days, but we were asked to speak at the Houston Mortgage Brokers event, and preparation time was in short supply. However, I’m happy to report that the workshop was a great success (We’ll post some of the video we managed to capture soon), and we had a wonderful time meeting the other speakers and exhibitors.

We decided to present the FSBO Lead Portal program. Jorge Sauri from Sikku and Mortgage Dashboard shared booth space with us as we covered the span of 3 regular booths! (Yep, we were definately space hogs!)

Here’s a quick photo journey of the event:

As much as I hate being in pictures, I couldn’t say no to the Mortgage Press “photo person” running around snapping pics for the magazine. Unfortunately, this gave my significant other ideas and she demanded that if I posed for someone else, I better pose for her too… Darn…

Next to the large display, we managed a smaller booth that allowed visitors to schedule live demonstrations of the FSBO Lead Portal. This photo was taken at 9:30 pm, not during the event, so pay no attention to that suspicious looking empty glass on the table…  

 Notice the $19.99 Burlington Coat Factory special… Yep! The airline managed to loose our luggage! So with less than half a day to prepare, print, and setup our booth, we were forced to drive around Houston looking for clothing shops. After 1 + hours of receiving bad directions and making U-Turns, we managed to spot a Burlington Coat Factory and snatch a quick shirt. Gotta love airlines!

 On another note, those little green squares you see on the table are small bags of shredded U.S. money. The U.S. Treasury sells shredded money by the pound! We managed to get our hands on 500 “sacks of cash” and gave them away to our visitors.

 Staff from Sikku and Mortgage Dashboard. Very entertaining, and shared some great recipes with the “camera bandit.”

 Here’s Christy modelling the lobby of the hotel. Why did I include this picture? Because, just 1 week earlier, me and this wonderful lady were engaged! That’s right. Christy was a real help managing the paperwork and getting things done on time, and she still managed to find time in front of the camera! 

 I find this plate downright scary. I promised to sample some sea-food after the presentation, and soon regretted it! I find it difficult to eat something if I cannot tell if it originated here on earth, or was harvested from deep space. Soooo…. I quickly backed out and soon found myself enjoying a large pile of udon noodles, chicken, and shrimp…  Ok, some I lack a sense of adventure when it comes to food… What can I say?

After 3 gruelling days of prepartion, 1 presentation and 1 networking party later, we found ourselves home again.  It seems a certain furball was pouting that she wasn’t taken along for the trip!

There you have it! A quick photo journey of the TAMBE event. (From my perspective) We managed to capture the first 1/4 of the presentation on video, and as soon as we get it cleaned up a bit, we’ll post it as well. Oh yes! The promotion we offered was fantastic! To those of you who signed up, and visited us at our booth, I look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Thanks to all of you who helped make this event happen!

Chad Weber - www.fsboleadportal.com