Master This.

I have three professional goals for 2006. With everyone I touch this year, my goal is to hammer home at least one of these three principles:

1) The three most important words in marketing strategy are execution, execution, and execution. If a marketing ideas is important, then every single detail in the execution of that idea is important. Align yourself with execution specialists.

2) Automation, personalization, consistency and timing are the four keys to <> real estate marketing communication. The vehicle is more important than the message.

3) Customers (people) buy to feel good, or to solve a problem. People don't buy saws, they buy cuts. In most cases, they're not buying a house; they're buying a lifestyle. Know what you're selling.

-Jeff

Vendor Update.

If you are a current Imprev user, they just released v3.0 of their product. You'll notice a major interface change as well as some new features when you login. If you've been toying with the ideas of subscribing to Imprev, you might want to do it soon...I hear rumors that they're jacking the price up to $299 the first part of November.

I'm currently developing a seminar on agent branding. I will be talking about the importance of establishing your own 'brain space' with your clients, and hope to have a ton of solutions that can help you 'get it done'. Special thanks to thebrickhouse.com for designing my new custom logo.


If you want to hook up your own logo, contact Wes.

Gizmo Alert.

Did you know that the average company employee spends approximately 5.9 hours per week surfing the Internet for non-work-related purposes? Kind of makes you glad you're self employed huh?

Well, when I'm at work andI run across a cool product, service or gizmo on the web, I usually bookmark it for future consumption. Today, I share my favorites with you...

In no particular order:

Google Earth: The most amazing aerial photo, mapping, interactive globe software on the planet. Free download.

VajaCases: Custom built in South America, Vaja sells leather cases for your PDA, Treo, Notebook, Sony PSP. This gear is pimp, but be ready to drop some serious jack. I have one for my Treo 650...As good as it gets.

Home Movie Depot: These guys recently took 37 of my circa 1974 8mm film reels and transferred them to 2 DVD's. I was able to edit and drop in sound tracks (mostly because having no audio is a drag). Total cost: Around 3 Hundy.

iTunes 4.9: Apples digital music establishment just jacked up the stakes by adding podcast downloading to it's iTunes software package. If you've never heard of the word Podcast, check out their site.

Real Estate Cartoon: These guys will draw these hilarious caricature's of you in various real estate situations. Something a little different for your marketing dollar.

-Jeff

Help Them Off The Fence.

I know I don't need to tell you that it's a great time to be listing homes. Now, there are a million people with a million explanations as to why we're currently experiencing California-esque conditions. Bottom Line: It's harder to find listings and more competitive for your buyers. As I consult agents about this very topic, a couple of questions usually arise:

(1) What are you doing to create listing opportunities?
(2) What systems do you have in place to insulate your business from supply & demand shifts?

Creating listing opportunities simply comes down to communication. Letting prospects (homeowners & sphere) know that now is a GREAT time to sell their home. I've got this great little postcard template that says something along the lines of "Thinking of Selling, I have a Buyer". Or how about developing a piece that asks your clients "You've got equity, consider putting it into investment properties". Be thinking about ways that you can use the market conditions to stimulate action, or in other words, help them off the fence. Email me if you'd like to discuss ideas or would like a copy of my template.

If you feel like your business systems are not fully weatherproof yet, check out this article or pick up a copy of Gary Keller's "Millionaire Real Estate Agent" for ideas. As always, if you need some Marketing Love™, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

-Jeff

Are they important to you?

As many of you know, I've been doing this Marketing Strategies seminar for the past several months, and its been a great opportunity for me to share some new ideas and, hopefully, inspire the agents who attend to recommit to the idea of an ongoing marketing strategy.

I ran into an interesting statistic lately from NAR (that I have since incorporated into my seminar), that really hammered home to me the importance of staying in touch.

"Only 11% of buyers and sellers use the same agent on their next transaction". Now I don't know if that's surprising to any of you, but it blew me away. There are real estate speakers that go all over the country talking about the importance of 'generating referrals' and 'adding value'. Why then, are we leaving so much money on the table?

I think the answer is complex, but it probably has something to do with the way in which we view our business. It's easy to get so caught up with the everyday, that we lose sight of our 'system'. The machine that ensures long-term success. The message that says to our clients, "your transaction was important to me, and I want to work with you again".

Surprisingly, 89% of your past clients won't work with you again, not because you did a poor job on their transaction, but because you failed to remind them (over time) how important they are to you.

The answer to this is simple. Always put the relationship before the deal, and take every opportunity to let them know that they are important to you. Email me if you need an idea or two.

-Jeff

What's New 'Round Here

In my feeble attempt to keep this site updated, I thought I'd spit
out a couple of new ideas here.

2005 Trend: No Touch Marketing. You heard it here
first.

Imagine this scenario: (1) Send a quick email. (2) A value-added
marketing piece goes out to your pre-defined farm list or sphere.

That's it.

Yes, it's legal, and no, we don't pay for your marketing piece. But we
do have a system that will make your marketing strategy 'auto-pilot'.
And if you've heard me preach about marketing lately, you how important
an automated marketing strategy is.

If you want to hear more about this program, drop me an email. I'll send
you to a website to take a look at.

And...Have you checked out Fidelity RealQuest? You can check out a
really boring login screen at fidelityclient.com, or...if you want a password,
email me. This is our new, improved, and utterly state-of-the-art online property information database. As always, this service is free to Fidelity business partners.

Oh yeah, and I ran across this cool site the other day. It's called Obeo. It's like a Barry Bonds Jose Canseco Virtual Tour on steroids...you can even do these digital floor plan tours...check
it out.

-Jeff

THE Gadget for 2005

Finally, my wish has come true! For the past couple years, I have been in search of a certain kind of audio solution for my home. Being a gadget junkie and an audiophile, I always thought it would be cool to control the music throughout my house from my computer. I have thousands of songs downloaded, I mean copied from the CD's I purchased, but the only way I can really enjoy them is by playing them on my computer or ipod.

In January, a company called SONOS is releasing a product that allows you to play your digital music all over the house, controlled from a full color hand-held remote control. It works like this: You buy the SONOS Zone Player units (one for in each room you want music). Plug in ordinary bookshelf speakers to the Zone Player and control what music plays using the remote control. So, basically, you can put your entire CD collection onto your computer, and play that music anywhere in your house at any time. AND IT'S WIRELESS. If you have multiple Zone Players, you can play different songs or playlists in different areas of the house. You could even buy one for the back yard and buy those 'speaker rock' things...you know, half speaker, half boulder.

Anyway, this system costs a small fortune (about $1200 for 2 Zone Players and the Remote), but if you've ever wanted to transmit your music throughout the house, without having to run a bunch of cable or wire, this is THE gadget for 2005. Check out their site at www.sonos.com.

Oh, and they make great gifts too :)

-Jeff

Making It Count

If you've ever know an Italian family, you know that many of the stereotypes are true about them. They are passionate about family, food and holidays. In my family, Christmas is not a day, it's a month. Now you might think that's strange, but I've always liked getting in the spirit early. To this day, we still maintain our family Christmas Light Ritual. We dress up my folk's house in Griswold-like fashion and have our 'lighting ceremony' on Thanksgiving. We get our tree the next weekend and we're usually all set by December 1. Throughout my adult life I have been haunted, however, with one affliction: Shop-At-The-Last-Minute syndrome. But...

NOT THIS YEAR BABY!

Here we are...November 4th and I have almost half of my shopping done. This year I am finally going to be The Guy Who Gets His Shopping Done Early™. Why the sudden change? Well, this year I figured something out about myself. I've finally learned that I always had the vision, but never the plan. It wasn't until I wrote down my plan step-by-step that it finally became my reality.

I didn't intend for this to be a cheezy segue, but I've put together a new seminar. It's entitled Marketing Strategy 2005. What's different about my seminar is that I not only talk about how to create your strategy for 2005, but I give you the tools to actually make it your reality. It's a discussion that joins business strategy with technology. If you'd like to see this 1 hour presentation, you can sign up for it at http://www.fidelitytraining.com/ or email me and I can arrange to do the class for your office.

Now go get your shopping done.

Ciao.
Jeff

Get out there and vote ya'll.

Just A Quick Update

Houston, we have a buyer. I won't subject you to photo's of my ex-house any longer. Thanks to all of you who passed the word along.

Two weeks ago, we took my brother to Las Vegas for his 30th birthday. Now, we're not big gamblers...in fact, when we go to Vegas we'll drop maybe a hundy or two in the slot machines or on a table, but the majority of our time is exploring the hotels or the local sights. This time, we rented a car and actually got to see some of the things off the strip. Hoover Dam, Red Rocks, and Claim Jumper Restaurant were all stops during our day. The reason I bring this up is that you need to check out my brother's website. He's an amateur photographer and he took some amazing shots of Vegas (and other places). Visit his site HERE.

On the tech side, if you haven't had a chance to check out the new version of PLAXO, you should. Version 2.0 allows you to upload your contacts, calendar, notes and task to your own webspace. This allows you to have access to all of your Outlook info online, through Plaxo's website. Not only can you view your valuable information, but you can update it as well. This is a GREAT solution for those of us working from more than one location. The program is free, check it out.

Two new employee updates. We hired a new sales representative for our Lake Oswego office. Her name is Elizabeth Jansen. If you're out in L.O., make sure you meet up with her...she's fantastic. And many of you in Gresham already know that Alex Nelson (formerly of the customer service dept) is the new representative out there. He was born & raised in Gresham and will be a great addition to the team out there.

Have a great October!

Jeff

The Digital Life  

A couple new things here at Fidelity worth mentioning:  

1. Fidelity's Digital Marketing Warehouse:  This CD is loaded with tons of Publisher templates, already designed [by yours truly] and ready to go.  You simple drop your logo and photo in and edit the text.  I've got tons of templates; brochures, flyers, postcards, marketing cards, market update, themed cards, homebook templates...and on and on.  If you want to get a copy of this CD, email me and I'll set up a time to demo it for you.  

2. Data Exchange:  This one is big HUGE.  In one sentence:  This program allows you to digitally streamline many of the tasks you already do when you take a listing.  Order a sign...done.  Just listed/sold...done.  3rd party letter from Fidelity sent to your client endorsing YOUR services...done.  Hear me now: A.U.T.O.M.A.T.I.C.A.L.L.Y.  Please take a look at this one...you won't be sorry.  Email Me for a demo.  

I've got more stuff to talk about in my e-newsletter.  I'll be emailing that thing out this week I think.  

Side note:  I don't know if you read that RMLS Market Action report thing, but this month, it mentioned that there is currently only 2.4 months of inventory left.  By my calculations, at the current rate, we should be completely out of inventory by December of this year...Merry Christmas everybody!  You'll be happy to know that I've talked to several people in our California operations [they had a similar inventory 'issue' already] who have assured me that they're already rebounding down there.  :)  

"Drive thy business or it will drive thee" -Benjamin Franklin.  

-Jeff

Yeah, Yeah...I'm Getting To It!

When I started this website about 4 years ago, I vowed never to be That Guy Who Doesn't Update His Site. 2 Months since my last post...nice work Jeff.

Fidelity has kept me very busy over the past few months...so much so, I'm having to restructure my job a little. No, not "restructure" in the corporate sense, but rather reorganizing my time and resources so that I can reach more people in a timely manner. The coolest thing about working for this company is that I have the ability to create and innovate. I have responsibilities, but don't follow a job description. That said, I am responsible for delivering 'the goods'...and lately I haven't been doing that.

If you're one of the 4 or 5 dozen people who have waited 2 days+ to get a call back from me...thanks! As I reorganize my business this month, you should see my response time quicken and my appointment availability open up. The best way to communicate with me, still, is via email.

Hey, the coolest news this month is that our Pearl branch is finally set to open...I believe the grand opening is July 6th or 7th. The address is 430 NW 10th Avenue #150. Check out the new space!

Check out the HumanClock.

Delivering The Goods

In my short business career I've learned one thing: for every problem, there's an opportunity to shine.

Over the past 3 months, I've had intermittent problems with my Comcast Internet. My modem resets randomly, then I can't get on for a couple of days, then I can, then I can't. I called tech support and the guy said nothing was wrong, the "system must be busy". On Friday, I had had enough. I called 1-888-COMCAST & asked for a technician this time. They told me he'd be out at my house on Saturday, between 8 and 10 AM.

At 8:05 AM, I got a call from Robert, our Comcast technician, to verify our appointment for that morning. He arrived shortly thereafter and greeted us warmly. He said "hi" to my kids first, who were bouncing on the couch. As I was getting ready to show him to the home office he said, "well, actually, I think I've already found your problem. On his way in, he glanced up and saw that our overhead cable line (yes, I live in Portland. We have overhead utilities) was partially broken, probably by a squirrel or the ice in January.

To make a long story short, Robert, in his 3 1/2 hour visit, replaced the overhead line, and also felt the need to replace my digital cable line as well as all of the coaxial cable leading to our computer. He also installed a signal booster for the upstairs bedrooms. On his way out, he thanked ME.

Total Charge: $0. ($40 for his cost on the booster)

Comcast shined today.

With all of the technology in the world, it still clear that it's the tiny human touches that make a difference.

Add something human to your business...people will notice.

Yack, Yack, Yack

3 words...This Weather Rocks! This post will contain some miscellaneous stuff I've been thinking about.

1) The RMLS Technology Show is coming up on April 22nd at the Convention Center. We have a killer location this year...when you walk in the doors look straight and to the left and you'll run right into our booth. We've got a bunch of cool stuff on tap for this years show. We'll be demo-ing Tookie Tracks, the Real Estate add-in for Microsoft Outlook. and showcasing Imprev, the Online Design Center for Real Estate. Stop by our booth and pick up our Multimedia Brochure outlining all of Fidelity's new technology & marketing products. I think our theme this year will be "tons-o-stuff".

2) We posted some new classes at www.fidelitytraining.com. At the site, you'll find our usual fare, plus NEW classes on Computer Security, Microsoft Excel & Palm Pilots. Stop by and sign up for a class or two.

3) We have this little sports pub in my neighborhood called "The Skybox". On their little reader board last week was the following message: "Martha Stewart Special: Garlic Bread And Water". I thought it was worth mentioning.

4) The Meucci Theorem of Gadgetosis: Equilibrium=iPod + iTunes (or E=i+i, algebraically expressed). Get one.

Seacrest...Out!

Well, the calendar has control of me again. If you're one of the 243 people who have left me a voicemail or email last week, I promise to try to get back to you this weekend. In the absence of a free minute, and a momentary lack of personal creativity, I give you this:

"I was recently at the bank with a client, an attorney named George, when one of his clients came in. George's client raved, and I mean raved, about George's performance. The client liked both George's service and George's personality, and told him what a pleasure it was to do business with him. George just blushed and thanked him.

After his client left, I suggested to George that the next time he should thank the client for his kind words, and then do two other things. First, he should ask his client to put his compliments in writing, so George can include the letter in all future proposals. Second, right after the client gushed about his service, George should have asked the magical question: 'That is nice of you to say. Who else may I serve?' Even if your client doesn't have anyone immediately in mind, at least you plant the seed for future referrals.

Most businesspeople, if they ask for referrals at all, ask at the wrong time, either too soon in the relationship or too late, when it's awkward. The best time to ask for a referral is immediately after a client has praised your service."

(An excerpt from Richard Buckingham's book Customer Once, Client Forever).

New Years Resolutions?

If increasing your knowledge was on your list of 2004 resolutions, read on...

One of the things I love about my job is that fact that I get to go out and teach. I've taught a variety of classes to real estate agents ranging from Microsoft Outlook, to Publisher to E-Marketing Strategies. I usually get great feedback from the seminars, however one of the negative recurring comments I get goes something like:

"Jeff, the seminar was great, but even with the handouts, I won't remember half of what you showed us".

Well, in case you missed it...we've taken a step in the right direction. Fidelity has invested in a training room at our new administration/title plant location downtown. The training room is equipped with 10 Dell Laptops, drop down screen, projector, nice leather chairs, coffee etc. What does that mean to you?

HANDS ON TRAINING BABY!

Check out www.fidelitytraining.com to sign up for a class. Check back often, because we have plans to add a bunch more!

FAQ:
1. Q: Do I get credit hours? A: Yes
2. Q: Do you validate parking? A: Yes, check website
3. Q: Is there a fee? A: Classes are free to Agents

This is one resolution you CAN accomplish! Check it out.

Giving Thanks...

As we close out 2003, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have helped support jeffmeucci.com with your feedback and comments. And most of all, thank you for not telling me this site sucks...even if you are thinking it. It really helps my self esteem.

3 Things To Look Forward To In 2004:

1) Fidelity's Training Room
2) Staying In Touch...Automatically
3) Low-Carb French Fries? Please God!

I always strive to provide a fun and informative place to visit and this couldn't happen without you...OK, maybe it could...but I appreciate you stopping by anyway. I hope 2004 is the best for you.

Random Holiday Chatter

"Some businessmen are saying this could be the greatest Christmas
ever.  I always thought that the first one was."

--Art Fettig

5...4...3...2...1...Ignition...

Well, well...the Christmas season is upon us.  Every year I have this goal in the back of my mind that I will get all of my shopping done in October, so that I can truly enjoy the holidays. 

The type of enjoyment that doesn't include:

1) Sitting in a traffic jam on 82nd Avenue.

2) Waiting in long lines at the local book store to buy stocking
stuffers (rhymes with Farnes & Moble).

3) Stressing about picking the right "gift-for-that-person-at-the-office-that-may-surprise-you-with-a-gift-and-you-want-to-be-prepared-just-in-case".

And an ironic twist: I spent the majority of my last evening driving
around shopping for gifts, wondering why all these people wait until the
last minute to do their Christmas shopping.  Couldn't figure it
out...

On a side note, I was at the local grocery store and my provisions were
packed in a paper bag with a plastic bag on the outside...I think it's
called paper-in-plastic...in case you're keeping score.  Merry
Christmas Jeff.

Hope your holiday season is the best!

Reeeeeach Out, Reach Out And Touch Someone.

Sing along everybody...OK, please don't.

Only 90 days until 2004. Ouch. "This year I will stay in touch with my past clients"  Does that voice sound familiar? Most agents I meet with go into each year with great intentions to stay in better contact with their client base, but for whatever reason (usually lack of time) can't seem to get it done.

Imagine the following scenario:

December 26th, 2003:  Get on your computer for about an hour.

December 26th, 2004:  You have successfully contacted your client base 12 times this year.

Sound impossible? We have a program that can help you accomplish this lofty goal. We call it "Farming Made Easy". Let me break it down for you:

1. We have 12 months of Publisher Postcard templates with value added information for homeowners. Customize the backs with your contact information.

2. Expresscopy.com has a new service: Send over your 12 months of postcard files via email. Send the address data for your client base. Pre-schedule print dates for all of your postcards. Boom, your done. Only took an hour.

3. Your postcards are printed, addressed, gloss coated and delivered automatically. Your credit card is charged each time a mailing goes out. Cost: $40 per 100.

4. No brainer folks. Email me for the templates and a consultation if you like.

Paper or Plastic?

I was at Fred Meyer today, doing the monthly provision re-stock and had a revelation at the checkout...I hate plastic bags. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for the recycleability and the conservation aspects of the bags, in fact, plastic bags are a good thing. There are several downsides, however, about the plastic bag phenomenon.

First of all, half of my groceries don't even qualify for bag status anymore...Milk, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, soda pop. They just get put back in the basket all alone. I mean, if I didn't want my groceries packaged, I'd go to Costco. The other thing...Instead of putting my groceries into 3 or 4 nicely organized paper bags, I now get to bring home 18 bags with about 3 or 4 items in each bag. Fun. And what do you do with all of these bags? Recycle them? I try to reuse as many as possible, but there's only so much dog poo that I can pick up. At least the paper bags seemed valuable. Growing up, we always had a cabinet reserved, just for nicely folded paper grocery bags. Plastic bags don't fold right, you can't organize them.

The side problem with plastic bags is that the checkers never learn proper bagging technique anymore. They can just throw random stuff together, and never understanding the science behind bagging...Boxes and hard stuff on the bottom, eggs and chips on top.

And finally, have you noticed that they don't even ask if you want paper anymore? It's a "special request". I long for a world where paper bags are the default storage medium for groceries again. But I am just one man.
 posted by Jeff @ 10:06 PM