Bob Corcoran

"Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration." Thomas Edison

You remember the old saying about the balance of perspiration vs. inspiration in most endeavors of life. That 99:1 ratio reminds us that after the light bulb has come on, the implementation and the follow through are what matters.

In real estate, blogging and social networking are two of the biggest light bulbs illuminating the field. Both give potential clients an insight into who we are. Blogging, the more time consuming effort, requires more time to prepare, but offers more space to state the case that we are experts in the field and in our local communities. A recent article in Inman's made the point that a blog lasts forever in cyberspace - until we take it out of circulation. Though we may count our "clicks" in the days after our blogs appear, people can read and be influenced by them two years later. An update to our Facebook status or a tweet, has a lifecycle of 30 minutes or less.

In both cases, frequency and consistency are what counts. Neither your blogs nor your tweets have to be brilliant. What's important is that you do them. Since blogs outlive tweets, etc., you need to make more contributions more often in that media to make an impact.

Even Thomas Edison would be surprised at what light bulbs look like these days now that energy-efficient corkscrew bulbs (CFLs) dominate the field, but they give off as much light at lower cost for a longer time. Adding the little rituals of blogging and social networking to your schedule may be tough time-wise, but how we reach people in real estate these days has changed. Print ads, calls, and signs won't do it all anymore.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may think that the worst of the economic crisis is probably behind us, but anyone out in trenches knows we have a way to. Anythign that helps, including the $8,000 first time homeowners tax credit needs to be extended , not ended.

This is why the recent Call to Action by the National Association of Realtor is right on time.

Subject: Call for Action - Extend and Expand the Homebuyer Tax Credit

Earlier today, the National Association of Realtors issued a Call for Action to its 1.2 million members in support of this same objective. We urge you to go online to NAR's Realtor Action Center* and use their turnkey communications tool in order to contact each of your elected officials in Washington, D.C. We must impress upon Congress the importance of extending and expanding the homebuyer tax credit legislation in order to accelerate a broader economic recovery.

Personally, I like to talk on my cell phone in the car when I am not in a busy area. However, some cities and states have recently banned texting while driving and even using you cell phone while driving. We've all seen examples of where people cut it too close or made a risky turn with their phone in one hand. Yet most of us are double-minded when it comes to banning such distractions. We say, many drivers can't handle it - I can. Or, I need these wasted moments on the road to conduct my business...

Cell phones enable high speed multitasking that can be dangerous if you‘re not careful. Aside from the potential road hazard issue, like all multi-tasking, it can you take attention off the customer. You may not hear what the customer has to say very clearly, or you may have to make a turn or avert a squirrel in the road.

When you think about multi-tasking on the road, it is easy to see potential dangers to customers that you overlook when you are sitting in office talking on phone, drinking coffee, surfing the net, scanning a report, and speaking to someone else in the office. This also has its risks.

In our times of automated phone systems, voice mail, and call center service, customers are given poor service many places they call. They almost expect it, but they hate it. They are pleased when it is good. They often can tell if your response is half hearted or you are unfocused.

Maybe you think you are so talented you can do 10 things at once without missing a beat. You probably can't. Respect your customer and pay attention when you are talking to him.

We all know that some clients have no idea what they want. Many do, but they are just not showing their hand. So, when some people say they are just looking, they may be:

Actually looking with plans to buy. Some concrete information and little a nudge might get them going. The $8,000 credit might do it. Talking through their situation might do it. Finding them a more affordable home (or one with special features the want) might do it.

Looking for the future to get a better idea of what's out there. They may know that their credit is whacked, that they don't have a job at the moment, or that they aren't ready to be homeowners. In the long run, they might turn out to be good prospects, but today they are "window shopping."

Comparison shopping. They may already have a deal in progress, but want to make sure that they have not missed the perfect home or be able to get a better deal. They may even run home to inform their agent if they see something they like. They may not always disclose their agenda.

Curious. They may not be in the market for a million dollar house but want to see what one looks like. Maybe it's the neighbor's house they never saw the inside of. Maybe they passed the house and were just - CURIOUS!

Good agents probe to determine what lookers might be buyers. So as not to turn off a potential future buyer they misread, they do it politely.

Recently, we were helping a consulting client find a website package that would help them promote a particular segment of their business. We researched several sites on line and made a couple calls so we could give the client a brief overview of what was available in certain price ranges.

We were, literally, just looking - window shopping, so to speak -for the client to help him narrow down what he needs. One company gave no information about the pricing on line, so we filled out a form. A few days later, we got a call from this vendor.

"What's the ballpark price of your sites," we asked.

"Let me show you to a few sites and we can zero in on that," he said.

We replied, "We already saw some nice packages on your site. At this point, we are doing a brief survey of what's out there. We just want some ballpark pricing."

"Well," he said reluctantly, "some people spend $500 to set up, others spend thousands. I really want to show you some sites."

"Thank you, but at this point, we have what we need," we said, in a effort to wrap up the conversation. "I will be back in touch with you if we want to pursue this more in depth after the client has defined what he wants."

"I really want to show you some sites, but I will be back in touch in two weeks," he said persistently.

"Thanks," we said," but there is no need. We will be in touch when the client is ready to proceed."

Fast forward, two weeks. Ring, ring...

"I'm from the website company. I was calling back to see if you are ready to go with one of our sites," the familiar-sounding caller said.

"No, sir, as we told you, we were just getting a general idea of pricing. Our client is not ready to do anything. We will call you when he is, as we liked your site," we replied.

Him: "How about if I call you back in two weeks."

Us: "That is not necessary."

Him: "Well, are you interested or not? I don't want to waste my time. I will just close out the contact if you are not going to buy."

Us: "Sir, I told you we were just looking right now. When we get ready to go deeper, we will be in touch. Your sites are nice."

Him: "I don't want to waste my time; I will close out the contact."

Us, thinking "Is this guy guilt-tripping us?": "You can close out the contact. We will call if interested. As for who is wasting whose time..."

Him: "I do not want to waste my time. I am closing out the contact. Good bye."

At last he hung up! When the client gets ready to move, how likely is it that we would seriously look at this company? Or want to work with this representative? A follow up call would have been fine - that's what we salespeople do, after all - but a call trying to bully us into making a premature decision went over the line.

Had this guy made any attempt to listen to what we were saying, he would have taken a different approach. He not only didn't listen, but he took the obnoxious jerk route and lost two potential sources of business - our client and the others we might recommend these sites to.

Sometimes the customer is just looking...