Countdown to the RMLS Trade Fair!
02/29/2012 10:58am
There's less than 24 hours until the start of the RMLS Trade Fair! If you are in the Portland area you should swing by the convention center tomorrow to see the latest and greatest technologies and services available in the real estate industry!
This year's trade fair is going to be a great opportunity to network with local real estate professionals, meet new and valuable acquaintances, and learn about all the newest real estate technology and products. There will be classes from local REALTOR® associations and an expansive exhibition hall with all the new industry products.
Swing by the Qucksilver Real Estate Solutions booth to get our best promotion of the year! All RMLS attendees who sign up for Quicksilver will receive:
- 100% off the Quicksilver set up fee
- A free Facebook page, fully integrated with your Quicksilver website
- which is over $500 in savings!
We will be giving demos and tours, answering questions, giving out free pens and candy, and having a lot of fun!! For more information, visit the RMLS Trade Fair page. We hope to see you there!
Torgie Madison, Quicksilver Real Estate Solutions
Contact Manager • Internet Marketing • Transaction Management • Lead-Generating Website
877-866-7117 • info@qsleads.com
Twitter • 
Facebook • 
Youtube • 
GoToWebinar
Avoiding The Social Media Traps
02/24/2012 10:14am
This article is a great reminder that social media is a tool and should be treated as such! Make sure social media is working for you and not the other way around. Here are some tips on how to find the balance.
I like writing about Social Media from time to time as this relative new phenomenon fascinates me as an observer. I am old school and like to write handwritten letters, play musical instruments, have one on one meetings with people or at least get them on the phone and like email with photos or video attachments over text and Social Media. But some thoughts on
Avoiding The Social Media Traps
All these newfound ideas, Facebook, blogging, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube can have you falling into traps:
- Time Trap - you just spend too much time there when you could be doing something else. Don't get so sucked in, addicted, that you can't get out!!
- Friend/Follower/Commenter/Relationship Trap - you sense that MANY of these people you are linked to are REAL friends or followers or REAL relationships. Nothing could be further from the truth with the vast majority of them, many who you are clueless who they are to begin with. Not all mind you, but subconsciously you are getting praise from someone who you will probably never really know. Don't neglect the REAL REAL people in your life because of social media
- Meaningfulness/Significance/Importance Trap - just because something is easy to access and reply to doesn't mean it means ANYTHING of real value in your life, like talking about your pets, current events, your daily activities, the weather, your aches and pains, etc. Step back and assess WHAT it is others are sharing with you, what you are sharing with them, that water cooler talk, and think how far you are willing to delve in the world of trivia and drivel. Do not be attention seeking for the sake of attention. That has to be a disorder of some kind, I am sure of it. Also number of points, number of friends, followers, or commenters DOES NOT make you better than someone with lower numbers. There is no real status going on here, even if first impressions make you think that.
WITH BALANCE, with time, relationship, and importance, social media can be informative and entertaining. But do remember there is more, MUCH MORE in life than the use of these tools !!!
Torgie Madison, Quicksilver Real Estate Solutions
Contact Manager • Internet Marketing • Transaction Management • Lead-Generating Website
877-866-7117 • info@qsleads.com
Twitter • Facebook • Youtube • GoToWebinar
Real Estate Contact Manager vs. Customer Relationship Manager, what’s the difference?
02/20/2012 1:56pm
Realtors have become very familiar with contact managers to organize their leads, clients, vendors, etc. Everyone has some way of organizing this information even if it is as simple as using Outlook or Gmail. We all keep a digital address book with everyones information to make it easier to access and use. And while most Realtors have heard of the term customer relationship manager or CRM, many don’t understand the difference between what a CRM will do for you verses a simple contact manager. For anyone who doesn’t know, here is the scoop!
A customer relationship manager does so much more than manage your contacts phone numbers and emails. It is a strategy for managing not just information but your interactions with your contacts. According to Wikipedia, a customer relationship manager:
“involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes... The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service.”
With this in mind, a Real Estate specific CRM should do a number of things to save you time and make your business more automated and efficient. Here are some examples of what a CRM should include:
- Lead generating tools to bring in more clients. This can include everything from social media tools to PPC management and other types of online marketing.
- Lead monitoring tools so that you know exactly what your leads have been looking for and what they need. This way you can respond more effectively to each person. You also should be able to keep notes of all interactions that don’t necessarily occur online (such as phone calls, showings, etc.) so that all the information on your interactions is in the same place.
- Automated follow up such as drip campaigns. Having scheduled emails that automatically get sent to your contacts is a great way to take the pressure off of you while continuing to nurture your relationship with prospects.
- File storage and organization. Keeping your files online and connected to the contact they are associated with is a huge time saver.
- An integrated calendar will store all your appointments and events while keeping you as well as any other participants in the loop.
- Transaction management. Once an lead has turned into a sale you shouldn’t have to move their information out of one system and into another. Having a CRM with a transaction manager keeps all their information, including the end of the sales process, in one place.
- And of course, every CRM should have everything a good contact manager has such as a great email client and contact information management.
If you are ready to switch from a contact manager to a CRM and start implementing this strategy for your business, give us a call at Quicksilver Real Estate Solutions to find out how we can help!
Torgie Madison, Quicksilver Real Estate Solutions
Contact Manager • Internet Marketing • Transaction Management • Lead-Generating Website
877-866-7117 • info@qsleads.com
Twitter • Facebook • Youtube • GoToWebinar
Spend less time on Social Media Marketing & Still Get Great Results!!
02/09/2012 3:59pm
You don't need to spend all day on Facebook to get results out of your social media marketing! Here is a great guide on how to spend well under an hour each day and still grow your network.
Many people get overwhelmed by spending so much time on social media that it takes away from other important tasks each day. Here I share some of my tips on how to spend less than an hour a day on social media. The key is to focus on the most important aspects of social media: Observe. Participate. Grow.
First, spend 15 minutes a day observing your network. See what others in your professional network are saying. You will often find useful information just by looking at updates within your network. Plus this will give you some opportunities to engage communication with those in your current network.
Next, spend 15-20 minutes participating in your social media network by updating your status or adding information to your network. Impossible you say-not if you know how to take shortcuts! If you haven't yet check out Ping.fm. This is a wonderful application that will automatically post your updates to all of your social network sites at once-yes all at once. Meaning you type it once and it sends out your update to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Here are some other things to keep in mind when you consider what you are going to post. It is never a good idea to send out meaningless posts or pointless messages-this may make people skip your meaningful posts later. Always try to post substantial information on your network that will actually be worth reading. It is also a good idea to separate your professional and personal contacts on your networks-that way you segment the information appropriately to each group.
Finally, spend 15 minutes a day developing new relationships. This will help you to continue growing your network each day. This can be accomplished through participation on social networks, through reading new blogs and commenting, or participating in group discussions, etc.
P.S. Don't forget it is okay to say NO to requests for access through your networks-you don't have to accept every application request people send you-especially when you use your social media network professionally-this can end up being a real drain on your time if you let it.
For more tips on social media marketing check out this article Starting a Social Media Marketing Campaign.
Digital Marketing Consultant, LocalEdge
A division of Hearst MediaInternet Marketing Designed for Results
Phone: 1-251-216-4080
Fax: 1-888-222-7962
Email: mfaust@localedge.com
Skype: megan-faustFollow Me >>> Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
Visit My Website : : LocalEdge Website
Torgie Madison, Quicksilver Real Estate Solutions
Contact Manager • Internet Marketing • Transaction Management • Lead-Generating Website
877-866-7117 • info@qsleads.com
Twitter • Facebook • Youtube • GoToWebinar
Spend less time on Social Media Marketing and Still Get Great Results!!
02/09/2012 12:59pm
You don't need to spend all day on Facebook to get results out of your social media marketing! Here is a great guide on how to spend well under an hour each day and still grow your network.
Many people get overwhelmed by spending so much time on social media that it takes away from other important tasks each day. Here I share some of my tips on how to spend less than an hour a day on social media. The key is to focus on the most important aspects of social media: Observe. Participate. Grow.
First, spend 15 minutes a day observing your network. See what others in your professional network are saying. You will often find useful information just by looking at updates within your network. Plus this will give you some opportunities to engage communication with those in your current network.
Next, spend 15-20 minutes participating in your social media network by updating your status or adding information to your network. Impossible you say-not if you know how to take shortcuts! If you haven't yet check out Ping.fm. This is a wonderful application that will automatically post your updates to all of your social network sites at once-yes all at once. Meaning you type it once and it sends out your update to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Here are some other things to keep in mind when you consider what you are going to post. It is never a good idea to send out meaningless posts or pointless messages-this may make people skip your meaningful posts later. Always try to post substantial information on your network that will actually be worth reading. It is also a good idea to separate your professional and personal contacts on your networks-that way you segment the information appropriately to each group.
Finally, spend 15 minutes a day developing new relationships. This will help you to continue growing your network each day. This can be accomplished through participation on social networks, through reading new blogs and commenting, or participating in group discussions, etc.
P.S. Don't forget it is okay to say NO to requests for access through your networks-you don't have to accept every application request people send you-especially when you use your social media network professionally-this can end up being a real drain on your time if you let it.
For more tips on social media marketing check out this article Starting a Social Media Marketing Campaign.
Digital Marketing Consultant, LocalEdge
A division of Hearst MediaInternet Marketing Designed for Results
Phone: 1-251-216-4080
Fax: 1-888-222-7962
Email: mfaust@localedge.com
Skype: megan-faustFollow Me >>> Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
Visit My Website : : LocalEdge Website
Torgie Madison, Quicksilver Real Estate Solutions
Contact Manager • Internet Marketing • Transaction Management • Lead-Generating Website
877-866-7117 • info@qsleads.com
Twitter • Facebook • Youtube • GoToWebinar
