Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA

My answer is no, sorta. I think children have some amazing traits and "positive selling skills" that we can all use when it comes to marketing and selling to our clients, but it's how we use them that will make us successful.

Lets take a moment and think about a Child and how they approach life...

C ome at you with lots and lots of questions - remember the terrible two's?

H ave FUN in all they do

I nquisitive and Imaginative (not restricted by others)

L ove to learn

D o not accept no as an answer (persistent)

Have you ever gone to the store with a child? If you have you'll know what I'm talking about when I say they are "masters" in getting what they want, when they want it and not taking "no" for an answer. They are relentless, persistent and will use all their charm to convince you to buy them what they want. They are natural born sellers.

I think we can learn a lot (what to do and not do) from these traits when it comes to our marketing efforts. Some of the key traits they possess are that they are:

Persistent

Enthusiastic

Focused

Certainly you will want to be persistent with your followup and marketing efforts - have a plan, call when you say you will, commit to doing your marketing activities every day - but you also want to be sure you're not seen by your prospects and clients as that pushy salesperson who keeps calling them and not taking "no" for an answer (they are simply not interested.) We all know how much we don't like being on the other end of that scenario. Being persistent in some cases does not = sales. If however, the person has shown some interest in your services or products, by all means be persistent, enthusiastic and focused on providing them what they need.

When kids are told "no" what happens? They cry, whine and throw a fit. This will not work well in business. More often than not, we will hear "no" more then we want or hoped for, but we must remember - we are building relationships. It will take time, effort and many interactions with a person before a relationship is built. It's in our best interest to develop these relationships slowly, show our value and perhaps, we won't end up working with this particular client but they could be a great source of referrals.

Having been in sales, I know sales people love to talk. It's a part of our makeup and we often love to be the one to talk about something first. This is great if our prospects and clients are open to hearing about what we are talking about. While it's great to share how you will work with and for this prospect (followup, marketing efforts, etc.) make sure you make enough time to actually listen to your prospect and clients. Listening is an essential part of this process to ensure everyone is on the same page and you're able to meet your clients needs and expectations.

Children will often talk and talk until they feel the other person understands them. This is where listening, on your part, is so important. Often we will learn so much if we are focused on listening to what our prospects are saying and not saying to uncover issues and to ensure that everyone understands and is understood. Be curious and inquisitive. Have questions for your clients but don't go at them like you're a toddler in their terrible two's stage.

So go ahead and be a CHILD when it comes to your selling and marketing efforts with these things in mind:

C ome to your prospects and clients with questions, but also come with open ears.

H ave FUN in your role and show that "fun" side of you to your prospects and clients

I nquisitive to your client's needs and Imaginative with your marketing efforts

L ove to learn and love to share your knowledge with your prospects and clients - show them you're an expert.

D o not alienate your prospects and clients by being so persistent you turn them off

Do you have any other "child-like traits" you feel would be important as a real estate professional to possess to be successful?

******************************************************************************************

Ready to take your Marketing to new levels? Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions.com ~ Copyright 2009

I've read a few blogs this week in which people have expressed they were leaving real estate or their business many due to the tough economic times. Sadly, their need to leave and move onto something else had nothing to do with not having a true passion for their business, which is why I'm sure it was a difficult decision to come to.

I think back when my parents (and their age group) were just starting their careers, they found themselves not necessarily doing something they loved but doing a job out of necessity to provide for their families. I think, that back then, they often thought that's what they had to do - it was their only option. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think many people are working in a job or career these days that they don't like. If they are - well I'm quite surprised to say the least. How can you be productive and how can you dedicate yourself to something you don't truly love and enjoy?

So many of us have unique talents, gifts, interests and experiences to share. This got me thinking about 3 entrepreneurs that I know. They have found something they truly love and have dedicated themselves with true passion that drives all of their dreams to be a success. I have spent time watching them dedicate their energy and time to learning new things, being a part of a group, listening, performing, all of this despite the long hours and the mental and physical stamina required of them to get the results they desired and that is required of them.

These entrepreneurs also happen to be my daughters (Sarah 11, Maria 12, & Megan 16.) They have found something they love to do~ performing (singing, dancing and acting) in a theatre group that requires these apprentices to work hard, work long hours and exceed the director's expectations with each and every rehearsal and performance. Believe me when I tell you, these rehearsals are like a job - they are required to follow a contract, be there every day, perform at high levels (doesn't matter if they're tired) and simply give it everything they've got and more - every day.

There's nothing quite like watching your children be so dedicated to something that they love with all their heart and soul. This program and the desire to be in the theatre has become a part of them. Always looking to improve their skills and abilities - whether memorizing lines, studying up on the background of a theatre production, learning new and difficult dance moves - it simply doesn't matter how tired they are, what they have going on that day or the next - they give it their ALL because they love it! This post is not to boast about my children - they know what I think about what they do. It is however, to get us all thinking about how we approach our "work."

Can we say that we do the same? Do we get out of bed and look forward to what we're going to do that day? Do we approach our "work" ~ what we do for a living, (especially if we love what we do) with this same sort of passion?

I recently starting working with a real estate team from ActiveRain and my local community and what I discovered about them is that they have this similar passion. Their approach is this - no matter where their listing property is located, no matter what the price - they treat each and every client and property as if they were worth a million dollars. Now how awesome and refreshing is that? I think this is a great philosophy and approach to have and I know I for one would love to work with an agent or team that had that mindset and passion for representing me. Don't you think that many of your clients and prospects feel that same way?

For me, I am doing what I love. I look forward to waking up every day - fulfilling my many roles of being a mom, wife, daughter and sister and marketing assistant. I truly love assisting my clients with their marketing efforts and helping make an impact on their business. This passion for helping them reach their goals and meet with success is what fuels me every day. Funny isn't it that they call doing what you love to do "work" - just doesn't seem like the right word to describe it - for me - it's not work at all - it's passion.

So tell me what fuels your passion?

What is it that you love about what you do for "work?"

Before my blog post starts I want to apologize - I pride myself on posting blogs that are visually appealing and help the story but for some reason I'm having lots of issues with uploading photos into AR.  Despite that I wanted to post this blog because it's been a crazy day and it seemed like such a waste for it so simply sit in draft mode - I hope you enjoy learning a little bit more about me and my childhood memories - I'm sure many of you will be able to relate. 

I was so fortunate to grow up where I did and when I did. I grew up in Dorchester, MA and my childhood home was 48 Hillsdale Street - I even remember my phone number 617-298-4884 - it was located on the wall just inside the dining room off the kitchen and it was yellow. Above is a fairly recent picture link of my childhood home (little blue one to the right) - looks a whole lot different - smaller - than I remember but it was/is perfect to me - it's where some wonderful memories were born.

I loved how simple and pure my childhood was. My parents moved into this home when I was just 2 years old and I lived there until I graduated from High School and went off to college. I grew up the oldest of 4 kids (2 brothers and a sister) and we were considered to be one of the smallest families in the neighborhood with one family having 13 kids and another having 11. Suffice to say, there was always activity (kickball, waffle ball, red rover, kick the can games being played) on our little dead end street - tons of kids to play with and families that loved gathering outside on warm summer nights or out shoveling each other out from some of those terrible Boston Snow storms - in particular The Blizzard of 1978.

My parents were both proud of their home (3 bedrooms and 1 ½ baths) that while now seems extremely small for the six of us, was perfect for us then. My father in particular took great pride in his home by tending to his landscaping - out every weekend planting, cutting the grass, and trimming the bushes. My mom was a stay at home mom until I was in high school and it was always great coming home to have her greet us as we ran in the door from school only to change out of our school uniforms into our "play" clothes to run right back out the door. She never got a chance to ask us about our day - but there would be time later as we always sat down as a family for dinner (the golden rule was "come home when the street lights come on."

Some of the things I remember about my neighborhood:

• Annual neighborhood cookouts at the local park in which all families made food and we had tons of games (3 legged races and balloon tosses) as well as a softball tournament.
• We (all the kids from the neighborhood) walked to and from school together (about 1 ½ miles) - had to be there 8am. One of our neighbors had a German Sheppard named "Rex" and without fail every day he would walk with us to school and when we came out of school - there he was.
• Our one neighbor, who didn't have any children of their own, always found a way to entertain us kids. Mr. Naus was a teacher at the Berkeley School of Music and played trumpet with Gladys Knight and the Pips and was always playing music for us in his garage and encouraging us to play music and we even put on some talent shows. They also held the annual Halloween Haunted House and let me tell you - they scared every single one of us and every year topped the year before with creepy and scary scenes and music.

You know what else I remember?

Having a black and white TV with the ears and having to stand there and change the channels for my dad.

Seeing my mom hang clothes out on the clothing line and remembering that smell of sheets that were dried outside.

Never thinking we didn't have enough room in our house because we all wanted to be with one another.

My bright, and when I say bright I mean bright neon pink walls in my bedroom.

Knocking on the bathroom door or standing in line waiting for my turn for what seemed like hours.

Home cooked meals (only 2 options - take it or leave it.)

The smell of my dad as he came downstairs all dressed up in his suit (meant he was either going to a wedding or a funeral) with the smell of Old Spice - I still love that smell and always think of those exact moments whenever I get a whiff of that cologne.

The hot summer nights and hoping that the air conditioner located in the hallway would eventually blow enough air down towards my bedroom to cool us off.

I could go on and on but instead I will say this - my parents provided me (and my siblings) with such an amazing childhood - in a great neighborhood and most importantly in a great home filled with love, encouragement, and security. I think back to the time when I was growing up and I often wonder will my daughter have similar great memories of her childhood. Perhaps some - I don't think it could possibly be the same - the time was different. Kids now have cell phones, you have to schedule play dates and when you do they don't even go outside to play??? She will however have some things that are the same: family dinners every night, open conversations, encouragement, love, and security.

Thank you mom and dad and thank you 48 Hillsdale for providing me with lasting memories and creating traditions for me to carry on.

When it comes to Social Media you have your Followers (Twitter), your Fans or Friends (Facebook), your Connections (LinkedIn) or your Subscribers (Activerain or other blogging network.) With all the many ways we have available to interact with people, I started thinking about

what are my goals when it comes to social media networking?

In the last week or so I've read many posts about either why someone has made the decision to not use other forms of social media networking or has fully embraced this medium with great results.

I believe it comes down to a personal choice for each of us.

While Twitter may feel comfortable and really work for one of us, Facebook may be a better choice for another and then again we may only want to use blogging as our method of engaging with consumers and the general public.

This post is not to address which social media networking tool you use or why you should use any particular tool but it is meant to open a discussion, or at least get you thinking about WHY you are in fact setting up accounts, profiles, fan pages, etc. - is it simply because everyone else is - because we were told it will help our business, because we want to have the most followers/subscribers, etc. or because we truly want to engage with people beyond our local communities?

Whenever I visit Twitter I see these two messages:

I found (insert url tool) to gain 400 followers and you can too

Or

People you should be following: @ammalfi, etc, etc.

I'm not disputing that these messages will help you gain new followers but I am wondering why someone would be interested in simply adding new followers just for the sake of saying I now have 10,000 followers. I do get it - you simply can't interact with everyone you are following or that is following you, but do you find that people are following you and not interacting with you?

What do these numbers really mean?

I recently looked at my list of followers and asked myself - why are they following me? Do they like the posts I put on Activerain? Am I providing them with some sort of value or did they simply follow me because they saw me come up on a list of good people to follow and I would simply just increase their number of followers?

In my opinion, there is very little value in having tons of followers who simply follow you but don't engage with you. For those of you who have not engaged with social media - I will also say that you don't need to be super popular to make social media work for you.

The fact is - I don't have millions of followers, but what I do have is:

• people (both colleagues and consumers) visiting and interacting with me on my posts.
• I have picked up new readers and it's helped me engage with people I might not have otherwise met.
• Received an email from someone who discovered one of my blog posts by seeing it appear on Twitter and telling me how much they enjoyed my post and that they are a new subscriber.

This by far, means more to me than simply having someone follow me that I will only see appear in my followers list and that I will never have an online communication with.

For me at least, social media is not a numbers game or a marathon race...

It's not about how many followers, friends, or subscribers I have - it's about the connection I make - the value I contribute.

It's about conversations, learning, connecting, sharing with people - not numbers.

If you feel you have this similar goal, I invite you to "connect" and "interact" with me on any of the social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and My Blog) and know I look forward to our interactions.

How about you? What are your goals when it comes to social media? or What are you getting from being involved?

(It's ok if yours are different - all are free to comment whether you feel the same or not)

From the time we were young we were often taught and developed an innate sense of wanting to help others. Maybe we helped a friend who fell down on the playground by offering them a hand and as we got older we found ourselves doing good deeds for people we didn't even know but obviously needed our help whether through volunteering, mentoring or just offering them some helpful advice.

In this day and age, when the typical message is "Look out for number one" I believe that most people that I have encountered here on ActiveRain have a different mantra that can best be described as
"I've walked in your shoes" "I know your pain" and "I want to share and help."

Have you ever noticed that by putting yourself in someone else's shoes that you often feel inclined to offer them your understanding, support, encouragement and advice because you can relate to what they're feeling and going through. Isn't that what we all do here and what being part of a network and social media is all about? Caring about others is simple human nature and allowing that connection to exist can be quite rewarding and can contribute great things to you personally and professionally.

Psychologists have long studied the effects of people helping others, stating those that helped others released endorphins when they gave and ultimately lived longer and healthier lives. This is known as the "Helpers High."

Whatever your role, I believe participating on a network such as ActiveRain, we all have the ability to possess the "Helper's High". Our careers in real estate in which we offer help to consumers and colleagues via our online interactions, we are focused on building trust, meeting our client's needs, educating, sharing and developing that human connection. It's all about freely giving without any guarantee that we'll get anything back.

Since joining this network last August and having the opportunity to interact with so many of you via our blogs/comments and even work with many of you as my client it has convinced me that "giving" is receiving. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the times I have had someone share a piece of knowledge, advice or just a simple word of support, encouragement and thanks. These simple acts of kindness are what encourages me every day to do my very best, to give of myself and my knowledge via my blog with the hopes of interacting and engaging with so many talented people that so easily share themselves and their knowledge with me and everyone on this network. My giving = receiving on so many levels. How about you - have you experienced the same?

If you are new to this network or new to blogging, I encourage you, no wait, I implore you to get involved - share your comments, thoughts, and ideas and you too will feel the effects of the "Helper's High" along with connecting with some amazing people - potential clients and colleagues - that will surely take your business and your interactions to new levels and certainly contribute to a happier and healthier you.

What is it about this network or your role in real estate that provides you with that "Helper's High"?