Salem, OR

Earlier this year I had the idea to get rid of the old honda and get a newer car. I looked at a lot of different vehicles. I found one that I never saw myself in. A Scion Xb. Yes the boxy one. Yes the hipster cool retro throwback to those taxi cabs that zoom around London streets.

I figured what better car than a Taxi for real estate. Besides lots of leg and head room the gas mileage is great. Also it is a clean and open canvas for obnoxious and shameless self promotion. So now that it is done I am hoping to raise others awarness of the RE/MAX brand but also my webstie.

I think the best thing about this vehicle is that is proclaim Trevor is not a "secret agent" and I want my clients to know that I am commited to them and there well being.

Learn About Your Prospect Before the Appointment! Do you know enough about your prospects and potential strategic partners when you meet for that first appointment? The Internet can tremendously aid your business in many different ways. One of the great benefits is Google, the world's leading search engine, aptly located at http://www.google.com. This search engine allows you to access a wealth of information about people—possibly those with whom you seek to form a relationship. Use this utility to research backgrounds on individuals prior to meeting with them. As sales people, we've been told, "Use your mouth less and your ears more," especially on the first few appointments. That gives us a clearer view of our prospective clients' and referral partners' hot buttons. Often, because of our insecurity as sales people, we present our sales pitch too aggressively. We essentially toss darts at a dartboard and hope to come close to hitting the bull's eye. That's where Google comes in handy. Consider the value of walking into an appointment, armed with the knowledge of a prospective client's goals and interests. Many people have Web pages loaded with personal information about their family, their hobbies and their successes. The more data you gather about your contacts, the better you can tailor your presentations to suit their needs and desires. By doing a little preliminary research, your interactions will dramatically improve. This will lead to an increased conversion ratio from prospect to client. Here's another hot tip! Would you like a quick listing of all the professionals in a certain field in your area? Try http://local.google.com, and put in the name of the profession (for example, "CPA"), along with your zip code. Google combines search data with Yellow Pages references to compile an amazing list of professionals, including business phone numbers, addresses, as well as links to their websites. You can use this information to develop strategic partnerships in a variety of fields.

Did you know the word blog was recently the most looked-up word in Merriam Webster's online dictionary? Clearly, people are interested in blogs – but why?

The word blog is short for Weblog, and refers to a website that contains an online journal with views, reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. A blogger is the one doing the writing, and blogging is the act of writing itself. Blogs are utilized for anything and everything: breaking news and commentary, business, personal journaling, educational resources, and political observations.

Quickly becoming a mainstream method of communicating, blogging is a dynamic, flexible tool that requires minimal technology know-how and little-to-no cost to maintain. In fact, many in the business world are now using blogs as an essential part of growing their network. Where a website is fairly fixed and can become somewhat boring, a blog allows you to become personal with those you want to do business with. In this way, bloggers are more visible and can gain credibility as experts in their field. Blogging is a way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

According to Michael Sippey, General Manager of TypePad, people read blogs to find out the point of view and connect with the writer. This is key to those in relationship businesses, as a blog can take an informal tone yet still pass along valuable information to the reader. Your passion and knowledge will translate into loyalty from those who read your blog. This, along with your passion, is what will sell your services. And as blogs are becoming more common in the business world, more customers are using them as a shopping tool. They want to feel connected to the professionals that will help them with real estate, financial, and legal needs.

So you want to build your business by blogging? It's easy and effective – here's how it's done.

There are two main components of a successful blog: interesting content and getting the right people to look at it. Most people in sales are good at talking. That's why they are good at sales. Don't get hung up about the writing being "perfect." Use your own voice in your blog, describe your specialty, products and services and how you can benefit your customers. Post tips that are valuable to those you are trying to attract to your blog. You can include success stories and testimonials from clients. Post links to articles you liked (or didn't like) with a few comments. Your blog can also contain pictures, audio, PowerPoint and Excel files, video, and links anywhere on the web you want people to go.

To get your blog read, invite everyone you speak with to visit and comment. Make sure every marketing piece you send out has at least one line inviting them to visit your blog. Add the blog web address to your business card, and to your e-mail signature. Put a link on your web-site. To help increase return traffic, readers can even subscribe, and then be notified when you have a new post.

Search engines like blogs, and you will notice your rankings improve as you increase traffic to your blog. You can also register your blog for free with many blog-specific search engines. Post comments on other blogs related to your field and your comment will link back to your site. The more you can utilize this cost-effective tool, the quicker you will see an increase in clients and sales.

www.WordPress.com and www.TypePad.com are two well-established blogging services that can quickly and easily walk you through the process of setting up your own blog, and both offer many tools to make your blog successful.

Habitat For Humanity - Hope Builder Breakfast

I had the opportunity last week to attend the Hope Builder Breakfast sponsored by The Mid Willamette Valley Habitat for Humanity. I was invited by fellow broker, Michelle Hendricks whom graciously offered to fill a table for ten. Our office decided to attend as part of our regular office meeting.

According to the written information on our table:

• full time employment at Oregon's minimum wage translates to $318.00 per week before taxes
• In Oregon, the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $682.00 per month. In order to afford this, a minimum wage earner would have to work 74 hours week, 52 weeks per year.

Held at the Salem Conference Center, the room was filled to near capacity. This event was very well organized with volunteers outside the room to assist patrons to their prospective tables.

The program consisted of the Welcome Address by Jeroen Swanborn, a message "Much to Celebrate, More to Accomplish" by Rick Gaupo, "Let's Build It" DVD Presentation, testimonials by current and future homeowners; Jim Griffin and Tammy Thomas and the "Appeal for Assistance" by Marybeth Beall.

The Mid Willamette Valley Habitat for Humanity has a goal of building 100 homes; with 35 homes in the next 4 years. In order to accomplish this goal, Habitat is asking for monetary donations as well as materials and the most precious donation of all, your time.

Habitat's next fund raiser will be the "Hearts and Hammers" Dinner and Auction, February 12, 2009. Tickets are $25.00

If you would like to volunteer or donate or if you need more information
please call 503-364-6642 or www.salemhabitat.org

This editorial was in the Stateman Journal on Sunday and I felt it filled with so many wonderful economic aspects about Salem, that I wanted to share it. It seems that negative and sensational news is what we remember, while there are so many positive aspects of our local economy we can focus upon!

The future does hold promise for Salem!

Economic news is not all bad in Salem - Bill Church - November 9, 2008

Eons from now, when media archeologists pick through the rubble of 2008, they'll find remains that will make them pause.

There, on the front pages of the Statesman Journal, they'll discover headlines that 2008 wasn't a complete economic wasteland.

Amid the scorched landscape of plundered pensions, job losses, slumping sales and credit-default swaps were signs of new life - at least in Salem, Ore.

It didn't take much digging to spot these significant finds in recent front pages of the Statesman Journal:

"Boise site redevelopment details emerge" - The Sept. 12 story offered the first drawings of plans to turn the 11-acre Boise Cascade property into offices, retail spaces, parking and living spaces.

"Grant bolsters Kroc Center effort by $500,000" - The Sept. 17 story chronicled M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust's half-million-dollar grant to the Mid-Valley's Kroc Community Center in Salem.

"Solar-cell factory to bring 200 jobs" - The top story on Sept. 26 revealed that Sanyo Solar of Oregon plans to build an $80 million manufacturing plant and employ 200 workers in Salem. (Two other stories about Sanyo have since appeared on the front page.)

"Salem rolls out the tech carpet" - On Oct. 15, readers learned that Salem Convention & Visitors Association plans to change its name to Travel Salem and open an interactive center in downtown Salem. The move is expected to boost the Mid-Valley's growing tourism economy.

"Demolition preparation begins" - The Oct. 24 story offered details on the next steps for renovating and rebuilding the Oregon State Hospital. The $279 million project will add jobs in Salem.

"Salem inaugurates development site with FedEx center" - On a turbulent day for economic news, the Oct. 29 front page reflected FedEx Ground's first-tenant status at Mill Creek Corporate Center. FedEx Ground plans to employ 90 people at its new 50,000-square-foot warehouse.

Perhaps the most significant news for Salem was a small headline - "S-K voters support schools bond" - that appeared on the historic Nov. 5 front page. Our best-selling newspaper this year was dominated by the top story of 2008 - the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States - but recognized (on a busy Election Day) the passage of a $242.2 million bond issue for Salem-Keizer schools.

No one doubts that these are trying economic times. Yet a majority of voters in the Salem-Keizer School District delivered an affirming message that we believe in education and our community's future.

Richard Florida's fascinating new book, "Who's Your City," examines five major categories that affect our happiness with where we live. He identified security (physical and economic), basic services (schools, roads, health care), leadership (elected and civic), openness (tolerance for others) and aesthetics (amenities and cultural offerings) as qualitative factors in where people choose to live.

Take a look around and you'll find our community has been working to address those qualitative factors.

New, high-tech jobs are coming here. Salem Hospital is expanding. Bonds will improve schools, roads and our community college. Community leaders and elected officials seem to be on the same page. The economy hasn't deterred optimism for our work force, love of arts and pride in being Oregonians.

The future holds promise. Even in these trying times.

Bill Church is executive editor of the Statesman Journal. His column appears on Sundays. Contact him at bchurch@StatesmanJournal.com; P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309; or (503) 399-6712. Read his blog at www.StatesmanJournal.com/billchurch.