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Juneau, Alaska

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Real Estate, financial education and much more.

July 2008

Cool Tip of the Day

Jul. 25, 2008
Categorized in: Technology

All right, many of my friends in real estate throughout the country are using it, but I just didn't see the need. Why would anyone leave voice messages on their cell phone that are turned into text e-mail messages? After all I can take the time to put reminders into my Smartphone or heaven forbid write them down the old fashioned way. I don't need another e-mail message to check...and then the day came when I was goaded into trying it. OK. So I was wrong; dead wrong.

www.Jott.com is one of the more useful services for agents on the go. And it is free - that is the best part. It takes you about 2 minutes to set it up, then you verify your phone then you are off and running in all of about 10 minutes. Easy peasy. (I can deal with an extra ad or two to use this service.)
So next time I am running around and need to "jot down" a note, I'll just use my cell phone and have Jott turn my voice message into a text e-mail message ta da! Keeping organized, keeping sane. :-) Cool. Try it for yourself.
And if you have an iPhone like me they have a special app for you that is way cool too!

Book Review Day!

Jul. 21, 2008
Tagged with: book review, good to great

Book Review Day!

I don't read many "business books" that are filled with beautiful sayings and tightly turned phrases that make you say ahhhhh. (I'll reread any Nathanial Hawthorn book again for that.) I don't want to waste my precious reading time. I want a book that is going to tell me straight out the information I need to improve myself and my business. Good to Great by Jim Collins is one of the latter. He gives you well researched, real world examples that you can apply to your business to improve your competency. His subtitle "why some companies make the leap and other don't" tells you what the book is going to be about. Plus at the end of each chapter he has a chapter summary if you are really pressed for time (or for you reread when you want to remember the point of that chapter).
A fantastic book and one you'll pull great ideas from that you can apply to your business today and tomorrow.
Enjoy!

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Companies-Leap-Others/dp/0066620996/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216673458&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Good-to-Great/Jim-Collins/e/9780066620992/?itm=1

Cool Tip of the Day!

Jul. 18, 2008
Categorized in: Technology
Tagged with: energy efficiency

Cool Tip of the Day!

With everyone looking for solutions to reduce their energy costs, check out this website site: www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home. It is a great site for your clients and for you. It gives your clients useful information on how to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. It helps to educate us with information on topics such as new building techniques to reduce energy costs as well as information on saving money with energy efficient appliances. Cool!

Start Texting!

Jul. 13, 2008

OK. Not all of our clients will search for a home on the internet. Not all of our clients will even visit our great websites. And unfortunately not all of our clients have a cell phone.

Did you know that according to a recent Neilson Marketing Association survey almost 20% of the respondents said they would purchase goods or services via texting!
So do your clients text? Can and do you text?
Here are a couple great links to get you started so you can add texting to your list of abilities:
· http://www.realtor.org/library_secured/web_intelligence/85 (Texting is half way down the page)
· http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm (List of text shorthand! Very handy!)
· http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234282,00.html (Parents are using it to keep track of their children!)
Now make sure that you are signed up for text messaging (SMS) on your cell phone and text me!

To do's for each day!

Jul. 7, 2008

 Here is a quick way to improve your weekly organization.

·         Sunday: take an hour today to plan your upcoming week; first acknowledge what you accomplished the week before, see what you still need to do, then put together your plan. Prioritize your items or projects into three categories: 1) current client needs and activities; 2) midterm client needs and activities; and 3) enhancing business activities / business development.  Then add these activities to your calendar. For some if you are worried about the day getting away from you, add your “must dos”  as appointments and stick to them.  Note all your appointments both for business and personal, list your items to do on the appropriate day. I always set aside a lunch appointment with my husband once a week. :-)
·         Monday: Spend your first hour on the computer checking and returning e-mails, and phone calls. Set aside 1 hour today and call 5 people ask them how they are doing, let them know one new fact about the local real estate market that they may not know, and then close by reminding them if they know anyone looking for a REALTOR® to please pass your contact information along, or to give you their contact information. As you are going through your calls write a quick handwritten thank you note to each person – whether you were able to contact them or not – as appropriate. At the end of the day, note what you accomplished and what you still have to do.  Add those items into the remainder of your week.
·         Tuesday: Spend your first hour on the computer checking and returning e-mails, and phone calls. 5 calls and 5 thank you notes. At the end of the day, note what you accomplished and what you still have to do.  Add those items into the remainder of your week.
·         Wednesday:  Spend your first hour on the computer checking and returning e-mails, and phone calls. 5 calls and 5 thank you notes. At the end of the day, note what you accomplished and what you still have to do.  Add those items into the remainder of your week.
·         Thursday: Spend your first hour on the computer checking and returning e-mails, and phone calls.  5 calls and 5 thank you notes. At the end of the day, note what you accomplished and what you still have to do.  Add those items into the remainder of your week.
·         Friday: Spend your first hour on the computer checking and returning e-mails, and phone calls.  5 calls and 5 thank you notes. At the end of the day, note what you accomplished and what you still have to do.  Add those items to Saturday or the following week.
·         Saturday: Spend your first hour on the computer checking and returning e-mails, and phone calls. Prepare for appointments.
·         Sunday: Repeat last Sunday’s activities.
I hope that if you try this for one week you will find that you will have a better handle on your weekly schedule and your life.

Another cool tool of the day!

Jul. 2, 2008
Categorized in: Technology

Cool tool for the day!

For REALTORS® Add great banners to your e-mails or newsletters or websites! Get them free on www.realtor.org and search for "free e-mail banners" or use this direct link: http://rodomino.realtor.org/pac.nsf/pages/E-mailBanners

Skype Me!

Jul. 1, 2008
Categorized in: Welcome to my Blog!
Tagged with: google talk, skype, technology