Connie Goodrich, CRS (McKinney Realtor) Texas

A first for me, I lost one of my subscribers over the weekend. This made me contemplate the process of why one subscribes to a blog and what may cause one to unsubscribe.

Subscribers to blogs are generally attracted by posts from our ActiveRain members that:

• Strike an interest in topic matters
• Well written
• Educational (how to messages, technology, building the business, etc)
• Has common interests
• Attributes that others admire such as photography
• Motivates, inspires, makes you laugh

Other features that draws attention:

• Short, concise, not too long
• Visual - presents itself with visuals, ease of reading, laid out reader friendly

How to draw subscribers to your blog:

• Be courteous, be known to respond back to those who leave comments on the post
• Send a personal email when the occasion warrants to a particular comment or general check in to a subscriber
• If a subscriber is consistent and is a frequent visitor to your blog, be sure to add him/her to you subscriber list and become a reader of their posts.
• Notice a new visitor with a great comment. Go to their blog and read a few of their posts and leave comments.

Your subscription list:

• Be loyal to your list, follow the posts and leave comments on as many if not all as you can.
• Become acquainted with the member, know about what they share regarding values, family, hobbies, passions. Remember that and when you leave comments be sure to incorporate what you know to add more of a link that you care, understand and have become like family, friend through their writings.
• Be sincere, interject your true responses.
• Be gracious, when a member goes out of their way to send an email, respond. After all we are family in AR and support one another, celebrate with one another and give advice, receive advice.

So this comes down to the question of why did I lose a subscriber? Not sure and shame on me, I don't know who it was which in itself gave pause for me to reflect. I do recommend that a periodic overview of whom you subscribe to be made.

• Keep your list fairly lean and at a manageable level so you can be a frequent reader and comment giver and stay more connected.
• Removed blogs from your list after a long period of time that no news posts were made.
• If the content of some just did not have the initial attraction that you had once sought then when you lose interest unsubscribe.
• If a blog just seems to turn more towards just listings on their inventory or a commercial of their services and no content of substance, if this is not what you seek in your subscriber relationship, unsubscribe.
• If the posts bring you down and are negative on a continued bases, unsubscribe, you can get that from page one of a newspaper.

Like seeds in a garden, your subscribers should increase as your presence on Active Rain grows. It requires nurturing, continued care, some rain from our members and it will bloom and give so much more back to you! Weed your garden and plant the positives of sunshine.

You have dreams, goals and know you are ready to make a positive move. Need to take that next step and move up a level in your business as you feel stagnate, stuck, even bored? Imagination and reality can indeed compliment each other in our business. First you need to form your vision and then turn that picture to real results.

Action Steps to Your Next Level

• If you do not know where you are in your business in regards to production, run the numbers for last year and first quarter 2009.

• Run your financials for 2008 and also year to date for 2009. If you do not have an ability to do this in a few key strokes you need to seriously consider Quicken or Quick Books. You cannot be successful unless you know where your expenses are being allocated.

• Review your production and expenses. Ask yourself ... where I want to be and need to be. Are my expenses in line and is smart use of funds?

• Review your first quarter of 2008 to first quarter 2009 ... is it improved, in line, below the mark?

• Where is your business coming from? Referrals, mailouts, open houses, etc.? If you do not know this stat then commit to tracking from this point forward. This one stat can be instrumental to wise spending of effort and funds. You absolutely need to know this part of your business!

• Where do you want to be in the business ... your next level? Write it down. Write it visible so you will see at a glance in your office. Write on top of your action plan, your calendar on a day for each week. Write it in your mind.

• Research who, in the business, is at the level now that you want to go to. Contact them for a time to visit. Find out what it is that they are doing in the business that is successful. Be sure to ask them what works for them and what did not. Incorporate the good points in your business.

• Design a plan from this point forward of how to get to your new level and how to achieve it.

• Attend classes or read posts, articles in professional publications to gain additional ideas.

• Accountability - make sure you are following your plan. Be sure to check your results on a weekly base so you don't drift off target and can correct.

• If you truly want to move to the next level .. teach a class. To move to excellence you need to master what you do. By teaching, you become the master of the material.

The final and most important step ... believe in your dream, work hard for your vision, and take the steps to make it come true!

FLEXIBILITY... in our business this is an absolute. The ability to adapt, re-arrange our schedule, to keep on moving after interruptions, disappointments. Momentum, what drives our success, gives us energy to succeed, gives us market presence, elevates us to reach our goals.

INTERRUPTIONS ... distractions from our business. Those events that are unavoidable and need our attention. Self imposed interruptions .. those items we do have control over but fail to screen. Being a slave to our email, cell phone and feeling the need to be a 24/7 agent, being reactive instead of proactive.

SUCCESS ... reaching our goals, sense of accomplishment. Learning to balance your business to go in the right direction. To roll with the distractions and pull yourself back on task. To be the very best in what you set out to achieve.

Learn to roll with the business in the positive direction through flexibility, limiting interruptions and always working towards your highest success.

We all have a choice of how our day will take form. At times we do not have control on some unpleasant events that takes place or news we receive. We do have control on how we react and interact with others. How you emotionally take control is a true statement to your character. Sunshine spreads, it uplifts, gives purpose and makes you not only a great family member, friend, but professional. Would you rather be in the presence of beautiful positive people or lifeless, stale, and flat out negative ones? Next time you have a choice, think before reacting. Tone it down, be pleasant and deal with the situation in a positive manner in the moment of blow up. Just remember you will move past the moment and how you deal with your disappointment, anger will be noticed by all. Would you rather be remembered for being a positive force or one others will avoid? You have a choice, make it a good one.

Realtors interface in the real estate business on a daily bases. The process of selling a home, contracts, mortgage responsibilities, etc. should be second nature to us. Like the horse out for a ride and as you get close to the stable it kicks into automatic and heads home.

An agent in my office called asking if I knew of a survey company she could contact. She was concerned that her clients may have to pay for a new survey as their existing one did not have the pool reflected. She went on to explain that her clients just had not read the contract well regarding the survey options and what the buyer indicated was the seller's responsibility to provide a new survey should the existing one not be acceptable. I told her to put all that aside and lets take one big step backwards and look at this picture she painted. "Her clients had not read the contract well ..." so I asked who is representing her clients? Well I am. Enough said ... I launched into a 101 on representation and responsibility and points to better assist her clients in the future.

Do we take for granted that our clients understand the contracts, the process? Should we just adopt the attitude that our clients can read and therefore they understand? It is up to us, their representative, to educate and guide our clients with clear unquestioned understanding what they are signing and how this will impact them.

After I finished my conversation with the office associate I walked out of my home to see this hot air balloon drifting across the sky. Perfect ... just brought a visual to sum up my whole point. We need to make sure our clients fully understand what is taking place and not let the process of selling go right over their heads.