Cadillac, MI

I thought you should think this over if you are a broker and recruiting agents.

I have decided not to hire agents but select them! This may sound like a non-issue but just like any other profession we have good and bad agents...we have good and bad brokers too!

As a broker our business is only as good as our agents and the representation methods they use. This past week I was interviewing an agent. The nice part he was a referral from a broker leaving the business that I had know for some 10 years.

The broker gave me a great recommendation and the agent seemed to have a clear background history. I did my normal checks. I called the local MLS broad to see how long he has been a member. I found he has been in good standing for over five years and no problems. I did my other checks with the state to check the felony registry and licensing division and nothing. I called a couple of other of my agents to see if they new him...nothing.

So to me he had been clean and doing what he should have been doing selling property without issue.

I did my normal presentation on the company and then I moved into the legal area of representation and what I expect. How to contact me when and if an issue comes up. What to do and how to respond when a question comes up that he cannot answer. All the standard stuff.

I summarize by saying I don't want anyone to walk on the grey line of the law...and if you cross to the dark side...you will be dismissed...without question and immediately. So if you have a question if it is legal or even in the grey area, best not to do it...or call before taking any action.

He starts laughing....I have no clue what was funny...I just told him I would fire his butt if he didn't do things by the book and he is laughing? Then he says...This is exactly the kind of brokerage I want to work for IF I quit my day job!

Of course that make me ask "What do you do for your day job?".....do you know what is coming? I didn't....he says, "I am the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney!" You could have blown me over with a feather...I had no idea who he was...and it never came up in my background checks on him either.

Then I said to him.....WHY did you let me go through all this stuff and the legal presentation. He laughs and says, hey I put people in jail I am a criminal lawyer....I sell investment real estate and don't know all the legal ins and outs of real estate...you do...will you hire me?

Yup, you're hired! That is one agent I am glad is on my side! Not every broker can say they have the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney as an agent. Some may not want him that close to their operation either!

If you are a licensed agent in Michigan and wondering what to do...I can show you how to thrive not just survive! It is only a conversation but it could change your career. Drop me an email to set up an appointment for a personal and confidential interview. garywhite@FlexitRealty.com

Healthier New Year--Alright, I've been saying the same thing every year at this time.

I'm going to lose the 20 pounds that have crept up on me, (the past 10 years!) It's my lie I am going to stick too it! I'm going to spend the extra time each day and exercise, I'm going to spend more time with my wife and family.

Now is the time and this is the year that I'm actually going to do it!

We can do everything for our clients, we can be the best agent and if you are gone tomorrow...will your family say....he was a "Good Agent" or a "Great Dad, Spouse and Friend?"

That kind of put things in perspective for me. I just had a friend...not all that close but known her for 20+ years...better than a hi-bye friend. She was driving and had a stroke. No warning...no clues...no exercise or diet either restrictions either. The police pulled her over thinking she was drunk. She was trying to make it home!

They rushed her to the hospital and she will make nearly a full recovery according to the doctors. Lucky...blessed is my word for it.

She told me...if she would have known she would have done a few things differently.

I think I heard my wake-up call!

What about you?

If you are a licensed Michigan Realtor or Broker and want to know how you can not only survive but thrive in this market, give me a call. Your call is always confidential, it is only talk but could be the best career move you ever made!

"Help is only a Call or Click away!"©2006-2009

Call Toll Free: 877-667-4699
Local: 616-784-2360
Email: garywhite@FlexItRealty.com

Well the talk is the economy and rightfully so.

The other issue is, when is the bailout going to start working? The American tax payer is on the hook for what used to be our National debt now it is our International Debt!

Did you know which banks and lending institutions received your bailout money? Did you know who was given what amount?

We also know General Motors and Chrysler received bailout money not on the list but you may be surprised with one entry that hasn't received much press time.

Here is the bailout numbers according to the US Department of Treasury.

Citigroup.......................$25 Billion
JP Morgan.....................$25 Billion
Well Fargo....................$25 Billion
Bank of America............$15 Billion
Goldman Sacks..............$10 Billion
Morgan Stanley.............$10 Billion
Merrill Lynch.................$10 Billion
U. S. Bancorp................$6.6 Billion
GMAC...........................$5 Billion
Capital One...................$3.6 Billion

Did you notice that we bailed out Generous Motors and their lending arm GMAC is there for another 5 billion....makes you wonder about all these "Special Discount" new car loans doesn't it!

Only time will tell if this was the right thing to do....but it could have an impact on generations to come if it was wrongly handled!

Effective advertising is always a challenge unless you know where and how to generate buyer leads. I see many agents using newspapers with small one line recurring ads. This may help the agent generate a specific type of prospect but it may not help his overall business as effectively as other sources of media.

Sellers love to see their home in print. Is print media the right place. This depends on your market area. Many areas do not have a "Real Estate" channel dedicated to residential homes. So print may be the only choice but the type of print media may be a wide open choice. Direct mail inserts is an option to display space advertising. More costly but more effective. You certainly can hand over some big dollars if you make the wrong choices or use a status quo approach.

If you like the local newspaper or a dedicated regional paper that is one choice, again you can also look at the regional real estate magazines. This may be an option or both. We hear so much about the Internet and the percentages..."Over 80% start looking on the Internet" that is true...but only 60% of American household have the Internet so what happens to the other 40% They don't buy because they don't have the Internet? Sounds ridiculous when you put it that way but that is what some media experts would like you to think.

The answer is a blended marketing approach. You can certainly weight your spending based on results. So if you generate more from your local newspaper keep that and add the magazine. Use different phone numbers and email addresses to track your results. If you do not where your leads are coming from you cannot Change your marketing efforts to maximize results for spending.

Sellers want results...they want their property sold! Can you blame them? Part of giving the results expected by clients is knowing when and what is effective. Don't be pressured into spending money on advertising that you know won't work. All you have done is spent money that could have been used for effective advertising and helped convince your sell that your marketing doesn't work.

I use a multi-media advertising marketing program weighted based on where the buyers are being generated. I don't put all my advertising dollars in one spot and I use actual results to show my sellers why I use what I use. When they say a company uses big newspaper ads on the front page of the Real Estate section, I explain that the results for my company and agents show it is a good marketing program for the company but is not very effective for the seller.

Advertising is very expensive and if you spend your dollars in the wrong media areas all you will end up with is smaller budget to spend in the effective areas. Knowing your market and media is the key to seller, agent and company success. That's my feelings based on tracking results for years.

One other issue is consistency. It takes time to be recognized but once consumers find you and they constantly find you they expect to see you where they have found you in the past. I tested this as well. I also use a give-away in my advertising...it can be a free report or guide. This also creates activity which can turn into buyer and seller leads.

How do you view your advertising model?