Lynchburg Campbell County Bedford County Nannette Saunders ASSOCIATE BROKER

Today I went to a BNI meeting in Roanoke Virginia and the speaker was Dr. Ivan Misner. For those of you who don't know Dr. Misner is the founder of BNI. It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet him. It was well worth the trip.

It has been said and most of us believe that we all only really six degrees separated. We are all connected one way or another, just six degrees away. Dr. Misner's book The 29% says that Six degrees Separation creates an Achilles heel. He says only 29% of the people ( 1 out of 3) is really six degrees separated because in order to be connected you have to actively be doing something to connect. It is not likely that someone new is going to walk up to you out of the blue and want to net work and build a relationship with you.

One of the reasons this does not happen is because most folks don't know how to network. Majority of people have no idea how to attract people to them. Over 87% of college students have never had a class that even had a discussion about networking. Yet 75% of business owners said referral marketing is important in building their business.

Why is this? Why aren't colleges teaching young professionals how to network? I don't have a popular answer. But I think most professors have never been business owners. Those older tenured professors are the ones that determine the curriculum. The younger professors who may know more about networking don't have any control over the curriculum. The younger Gen Y and Gen X know much more about connecting. They are doing so via many medias and venues.

So what does networking entail? Friends, networking takes time. In order to be successful you have to make a commitment. Studies show successful business owners spend at least eight hours a week networking. Now I imagine many of you are saying eight hours, that is a lot of time! "I don't have time for all that!" Well, this may be true and my question to you is How is that working for you? If you are not getting all the referrals you want than I would suggest you block out some time to network.

Diversifying your contact list could actually double your referrals. All networks are overlapping. This is good but the more variety of people you have in your referral sources the more referrals you will get. You may think that the Mary Kay consultant could not possibly give you a million dollar referral but you just never know who they may know. Diversity could be very profitable.

I am inclined to be a cave dweller left to my own devices. I have to make a conscience effort to get out and meet people. I love people but I would not consider myself an extrovert. I am more of an introvert. But being an introvert has its advantages when it comes to networking. As an introvert I am more likely to do more listening than talking whereas an extrovert needs to learn to do less talking.

Being a cave dweller is kinda like getting a hair cut over the phone. Networking is a contact sport. You have to show up.

Have you ever heard of the 3 foot rule? If you get within 3 foot of someone it is likely that you will start up a conversation. Some folks have a 5 foot rule and some have a 20 foot rule. If the room is 50 foot long I know folks that will start a conversation with folks clear across the room! My point is that you can't do that sitting in your cave.

Having an accountability partner has been good for me. I regularly meet with my accountability partner and we talk about networking and what we have been doing to meet with people. We help each other focus on goals. Within your network it is likely that you are creating relationships and many of them are friends. It is good and bad to be friends. Friends don't like to hold friends accountable. Although I consider my accountability partner a friend we meet with purpose. As a result it is very helpful.

These are some simple ideas but not easy to implement. You have to change the way you think about your business. Working by referral means becoming visual instead of invisible. It means becoming knowledgeable to gain creditability and profits. It means being able to have more control over your business plan instead of allowing the economy to determine how you will run your business. I believe it is referral business that will allow you and I to survive the economy and credit crunch we are experiencing.

Mr and Mrs. Seller get a call from their real estate agent that another agent has a buyer to look at their property which has been on the market for over 100 days.

Mrs. Seller is tired of showing the house. Every time they have to go through the house and pick it up, shut the lids of all the toilets seats, turn all the lights on, take out the trash etc... So recently she has gotten Lacksy Daisy about it. She decides that doing these things has not worked and now convinced that the real estate agent doesn't know what she is talking about.

This time she decides that she is not going to go through all the trouble. She figures after all the REALTOR should be doing the work with the marketing and that should be enough.

Leaving the house in a hurry she leaves the dishes in the sink and beds unmade.

My response to this is yes you are right that the REALTOR should be doing the marketing but I want to scream from the top of my lungs to Mrs. Seller THIS IS NOT JUST A SHOWING THESE ARE HOME BUYERS !

I know it gets frustrating after being on the market a long time and the news of the past few weeks does not look like the current housing market will ever return to the point you can feel comfortable. But homes are selling out here. Buyers are able to get financed.

If your Realtor were to stop marketing your home because she just got sick of people showing up or calling and not making an offer than you would be upset right? Selling your home is a partnership and all parties have to do their part and work together to reach a common goal.

There is no easy way, selling a house is tough. Unfortunately there is no magic wand. But you can't give up and allow the frustration to get to you. Look at each showing as another opportunity for a buyer to see your house. Take a little extra effort and make it easier for them to choose your house instead of the next one.

My name is Rosie and I am a Lab and Golden Retriever mix. I have been adopted by Nannette Saunders. Of course, now I am in the process of training her, so things can be done my way. I am 11 years old and I was born in a nice home in Lynchburg Virginia. My mom was a beautiful Golden Retriever and dad was the black Lab down the street. I have several brothers and sisters. One day Nannette came to visit - I played it real cool (didn't want her to think I just had to go with her) and next thing I knew she came to pick me up.

I love riding in the car and sitting with her in the living room and really enjoy going for a walk together. I have three boys to play with as well. I really love they way they talk to me when they stoke me on my stomach - Nannette's husband Mike is pretty impressed with me as well. I also like to be hugged and hug back. When Mike is around I can usually get anything I want from him (he is a mush). Nannette is a little tougher, but I know she loves me and will eventually give in - which she does.

Nannette is an Assocatate Broker. I think that is pretty neat. I keep trying to tell her to take me with her when she meets her clients and customers, but so far no luck (I'll keep trying though). I mean, when you think about it, who can reisist my fae and I am so good. The other thing is that i am a true Virginian - I was born here and that has to count for something.

Nannette has this neat office in the house with a bed for me, which I just love to sit on - I just fit. This way if she needs my help I am right here.

I am going to tell my friends to tell their families that if they are looking to buy or sell real estate in the Central Virginia, Roanoke - New River Valley or Danville area they should call Nannette - after all I do have to eat!

A lot of folks think that Realtors work for free and they take tons of money to promote a property. (How those two things could possibly be true at the same time is a mystery.) But if it were true, that Realtors work for free, that would be a great deal for the homeowner. If it were true that selling a house was easy, more folks would be doing it.

Selling your home without a Realtor could actually cost you money. Why is that? Because the buyers searching out For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) are looking for a bargain. They don't just want to save money on commissions but they want a bargain too.

So if you have a home that should be listed for $200,000 and a Realtor charges $X the seller thinks, I can sell this on my own and save $X. So comes along the buyer, who takes the price the seller has determined, and takes $X more off, which is what they determine the seller would pay if it was listed, and make an offer. In the buyers mind the seller is netting what they could have gotten if they were using a Realtor.

You have probably heard the phrase, "An attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client." The reason this is because usually if someone is personally involved they usually makes mistakes.

If the negotiations turn into a ratified agreement the seller has to do all the work in ordering the inspections, drafting the property documents etc...

The Realtor brings to the table a sense of objectivity. If a seller uses a Realtor the Realtor does all the negotiations for you. Realtors have been trained to negotiate. Most folks sell less then ten homes in their lifetime. Successful Realtors sell hundreds and thousands. Doesn't it make sense to rely on an expert?

If that is not a good enough reason, here is another one: Realtors have more available resources. Selling homes is a numbers game. The more buyers you can get through the door the more likely you are going to sell your home for the most money, with the least amount of inconvenience to you. Realtors get the most exposure on the homes we list. Homeowners do not have the marketing tools that a professional has.

I personally market all over the internet. My market is global. I have a database that grows in the hundreds every month. I talk to several people all over the country every day who want to buy or sell and are considering relocating to this area.

So in other words the seller who is selling their home FSBO is missing out on the best, cream of the crop buyers. This is a perfect example of how professional marketing tools can get more exposure for a house and therefore a higher price.

If you or anyone you know is interested in buying or selling real estate or relocating to the Central Virginia area, give me a call, text me or email me. I would be happy to show them how I can expose their property to the best buyers and show buyers the best homes in the area.

I am getting in the twitter mode. Finding a little time to play at it and learning the business promotion possibilites. At first I just didn't get it. I still don't undertand why folks follow me without any clothes on. But, I've learned how to block them!

The Second Central Virginia tweetup is scheduled for Thursday August 28 at 5:45 p.m. at Hilton Garden Inn, Wards Road, Lynchburg. RSVP by Tuesday August 26th via Twitter to Cheryl Smith or Lee Graham. Call or text 434-258-2449. I hope to see ya'll there!