Catch the Zebra on Real Estate Radio USA Tomorrow at 4:30 EST
April 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tomorrow is May Day. I don’t think I’ve actually celebrated May Day since the 5th grade. Tomorrow, however I’ll be bringing in the month of May with the Barry’s over on Real Estate Radio USA.
I’ll be on at 4:00 EST, but the show gets rolling at 4:00pm. You can listen in, or if you miss it, there will be an archive version as well.
Oh, and if you were wondering where they got that great bio for me, it is part of the Zebra Manifesto. 
Finally, Someone Making Heads or Tails of the Long Tail
April 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Gahlord Dewald over at Union Street Media is one smart dude. I got the chance to meet him at Inman Connect NYC. Since then, I have been reading his blog.
I would try to explain it to you, but Gahlord does a much better job that I ever could, so go read the post.
25 Minutes of Comic Relief for Real Estate Professionals
April 30, 2008 | 3 Comments
If you are in the Real Estate Profession, or know someone who is. . .
just take 25 minutes to watch this episode of King of the Hill. You won’t regret it, I PROMISE!
King of the Hill cracks me up.
Want to Know What Someone Means? Ask!
April 30, 2008 | 11 Comments
You may remember when I introduced the concept of the Listing Conversation, as opposed to the traditional Listing Presentation. I hope that you have been conscientious about trying to engage your potential clients more, and not just talking at them.
You may be wondering, “Well, I want to have more conversation with my clients, but they just won’t talk to me. They won’t tell me what they really mean. If I could only get them to tell me what they really mean, then both our lives would be much better. How do I get them to tell me what they really mean?
I’m glad you asked. . .
Referees are Trained to Be Brief and Meaningful
As a basketball referee, interactions with coaches are entirely unavoidable. I know that, at some point during a game, I am going to have at least one interaction with each coach. Sometimes, these interactions are emotional (go figure).
When it comes to interaction with coaches, referees are trained to always keep two things in mind– Don’t initiate an exchange, and be brief when you do have to have one. As a basketball referee, the LAST thing I want to do is get into some sort of protracted conversation with a coach. The reasons for this are many, but most of them have to do with my own self-preservation.
I can almost hear you thinking, “So if referees are trained not to have conversations, how are you supposed to help me have more conversations with my clients?”
Glad you asked. While, on the one hand, referees are trained to be brief, they are also trained to be very meaningful. When you are forced to be brief, you don’t have time to waste trying to figure things out. You need to know what the coach means so that you can properly address it.
The Question is the Best Weapon in a Conversation
One the most valuable lessons I have ever learned in officiating is to use the question to my advantage. Here’s a very common example that has saved my butt on more than one occasion:
COACH: C’mon ref, the foul count is 6-1 against us. What’s going on?
(This is a very common exchange between referees and coaches. Coaches always notice the foul count when it is not in their favor, especially when the spread is 3 or more fouls. NO ANSWER IN THE WORLD is going to satisfy the coach. In fact, the coach usually doesn’t want a response to this question, he is really just trying to vent frustration. Here is where the question is powerful. . .)
REF: What do you mean, coach?
(The response to THIS question determines how I would handle the situation. Without the answer to this question, I have no idea what the coach is after, so I have no idea how to appropriately respond. The coach might say this:)
COACH: They are killing us on that end, and we aren’t getting any calls.
(Such a response is common, and it is merely a show of frustration at a perceived lack of officiating consistency. No problem, I can just say. . .)
REF: I hear you coach, we’ll make sure we watch that action.
(Short, sweet, and everyone goes on their merry way. He has vented, and I have acknowledged it. End of story. A different answer from the coach would require a different response on my behalf. . .)
COACH: You guys have been missing calls all night! You’re terrible!
(The response to this one is easy. . .)
REF: TWEEEEET! Technical foul.
Without asking the coach for that initial explanation, there is no way to know what his true motives are, so you run the risk of acting inappropriately to the situation. Acting inappropriately can cause a lot of problems that are completely unavoidable. Had I reacted with an immediate technical foul, the coach would have every right to be upset, and so would my supervisor.
The simple act of asking another question can make a world of difference.
Applying the Lessons from Roundball to Real Estate
So now you know how referees use one simple question to get meaning out of their interactions with coaches. Obviously, this same technique can be applied to your interactions with potential clients, buyers or sellers.
I’m going to share with you how I think this technique can be used in another post on Friday. I would like to be able to use your input and suggestions in that post; it would be more beneficial if we could all learn from the experiences of each other.
So let’s all help each other out. Leave a comment on this post on how you might use a question to find out how to better meet the needs of your potential clients. Better yet, if you have a story you can share as to how you have approached these situations, let us know! If you don’t want to leave a comment, you can even email your suggestions or stories to me at Daniel [at] StrongTeamRealtors.com. I would love to be able to share YOUR input and insight.
So. . .what would YOU do? What questions would YOU ask, and WHY?
Updgrade Complete, Let me Know If you See Anything Funny
April 28, 2008 | 2 Comments
I just upgraded to WordPress Version 2.5.1 take it for a spin and let me know if you see anything that appears to be working incorrectly. It all looked pretty good to me.
Interact With the Zebra Through Video Comments!
April 27, 2008 | 5 Comments
UPDATE– There seem to be some technical problems. Comments are being recorded, but not posted. I’ll let everyone know when things are working correctly.
I’ve had a Seesmic account for something like 6 months now. I really haven’t found it all that useful, until now.
Seesmic created a Wordpress plug-in that enables video comments on blog posts. SWEET!
This means that anyone with a webcam can now leave a video comment to any post. You don’t even need a Seesmic account, just a webcam. All you have to do is click on “leave a video comment” under the text comment box. Make sure that you still fill out all of the comment information. When the video window comes up, make sure you check “allow” so that you can record your video. You can even leave text AND video in the same comment.
So, if you have a webcam, and you feel so inclined, leave me a video comment. I love to interact with Zebra readers, and this is just one more way to make that happen.
(if you want to see the plug-in in action, check out the Trulia Blog)
BTW– I also added a comment threading plug-in that will allow you to reply to a specific comment. That will help on posts with multiple people commenting. Try it out!
If You Think Twitter is a Stupid Waste of Time. . .
April 24, 2008 | 4 Comments
. . .read this.
Not on Twitter yet? What are you waiting for?
On Twitter already? Are you following me?
Jeremy shared his Twitter story. How has Twitter helped you?
Wanna Know How You Can do Irrevocable Damage to Your Brand and Your Reputation?
April 22, 2008 | 10 Comments
Read this post by The Phoenix Real Estate Guy addressing a recent Redfin blog post.
Pay very close attention to the comments on the Redfin blog post. Not because of what the other real estate professionals had to say, but because of what “Jon” a real estate consumer had to say:
I am not a real estate agent, as most commenters here appear to be. I’m just a soon to be homeowner interested in real estate in San Diego.
But I do find this post not only childish, but insulting.
“Everyone ends up with a bad taste, longing for a barf bag and mouthwash.”
You’re right. That describes me to a T after reading this drivel.I am considering using Redfin as my agency, but I wouldn’t ever consider using Ms. Hian as my agent.
“Biting back” at Ms. Berg is one thing, but you bit back at everyone that contributed to that food drive. How is that appropriate?
This is just one comment from a consumer who happened to leave a comment. How many more consumers read this post and didn’t leave one? My guess is that it is more than one. Now, how many more will read Jay Thompson’s post? How many more might read this post?
Are you beginning to get the picture?
So for you, dear reader, be reminded that the internet NEVER forgets, and the rate at which information travels is swift, and the depths to which it reaches are almost infinite. Perhaps Carol Hian should have considered that before she sat down at her keyboard. I can only hope that what I hope are the good folks at Redfin will give her a gentle reminder.
UPDATE: Glenn Kelman, President and CEO of Redfin, apologized for the post in the comments section. I would imagine something even more significant might be coming. Now THAT’S reputation management. We await the apology of Ms. Hian. . .
You Can Also Catch The Zebra on the REALTOR Magazine Blog
April 17, 2008 | 3 Comments
Just this week, I started a series of posts over on VARBuzz that will focus on the history of the National Association of REALTORS. Specifically, I’ll be writing posts as I make my way through the new Centennial book that was published by NAR.
When I first pitched this idea to the good folks at VARBuzz, they were very receptive. Around that same time, I attended the VAR BloggerCon 2.0, where I happened to meet Pamela Geurds Kabati, the Editorial Director of REALTOR Magazine, and NAR Vice President. We had a very good discussion about the magazine as a result of what I had written over on AgentGenius. One of the things I said at the BloggerCon was that I really want to like REALTOR Magazine, but I just don’t. Pamela asked me for some feedback, and we had a very good conversation.
During that conversation, I mentioned to her my idea of writing posts about the book for VARBuzz. She thought that was a great idea, and wondered if I would mind posting them on the REALTOR Magazine Blog. First of all, I was surprised to find REALTOR Magazine had a blog (I had no idea); second of all, I was honored.
Later the next week, I received a call from Stacey Moncrieff, the Editor-in-Chief of REALTOR Magazine. She also asked me for some feedback about the book and the magazine, and we worked out some logistics of getting my posts on the blog.
So, today was the first appearance of the Zebra on the REALTOR Magazine “Speaking of Real Estate” blog. So if you are not a Virginian, or you don’t happen to check VARBuzz very often (why not?), or you know others who might like to read the posts at REALTOR Magazine instead, there you go.
There are some little formatting issues that we will have to work out to get the posts in both places exactly right, and I think the good folks at REALTOR Mag are going to look into setting up a separate category to archive the posts. That would be cool.
Oh, the comments on the posts are OPEN in both places, so if you see something interesting, or want to make your voice heard– do it! The REALTOR Magazine blogs are pretty cool, but they are definitely lacking in the conversation department.
While I’ve got your attention, what questions do YOU have about REALTOR history? I would love to be able to answer them with future posts in the series. . .
If the Future of REALTOR Instruction Were in the Hands Of Tina Daniel and Dale Carlton, the Profession Would be a Better Place
April 14, 2008 | 3 Comments
Last week, I spent 3 days at the Virginia Association of REALTORS participating in the REALTOR Instructor Training Institute. The last post I wrote was actually written moments before the first day of class began. As I said in that post, I wasn’t exactly sure why I was there. In fact, I probably would not have signed up for the class had I not seen Danilo, Candy, and Sarah talking about it on Twitter. I figured, hey, if these good folks are gonna be there, at least I’ll be in good company. Matt gave it a stellar recommendation (which means a lot coming from an actual REALTOR instructor), and much to my pleasant surprise, Ben and Tony were in the class, too.
The class instructors were Tina Daniel and Dale Carlton. Going into the class, I had no clue who either of them were. That being the case, the first thing I did was google them. I found the Arkansas Institute of Real Estate, and Carlton Seminars. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover Dale on LinkedIn. After connecting with him on LinkedIn, Dale sent me an email and alerted me to his Facebook profile as well– sweet. It was beginning to look like these would be two of the most interesting instructors I have ever had.
A Whirlwind of Learning and Instruction
This class was unlike any other REALTOR education class I had ever taken before. It was different because they class was not only about learning, but also about teaching. While all of us were in the class to learn something, we were made very aware that by the end of the 3rd day, we would all have practice teaching something as well– more on that a bit later.
The level of experience of the members of the class varied greatly, both in real estate experience and teaching experience. The class was made up of everyone from novice to veteran. All age groups were represented, and even different cultural backgrounds. It made for very diverse opinions and discussions. What also became clear, however, was that in many ways, none of that stuff really mattered. In the end, we were all there to learn, and to teach.
In doing an exercise about learning styles, everyone gained some insight into the way in which they learn things individually. I won’t go into detail about it, but it suffices to say that everyone has their own learning style (there are 4 categories), and addressing each of those learning styles is critical for an instructor.
After learning about our learning style and everyone else’s, we were given a strategy and a technique that instructors employ in order to make sure that all of the learning styles are addressed for any given subject. This is knowledge that is beneficial even outside of a class room. Teaching is something that every REALTOR has to do, whether it is inside a formal classroom setting, or writing a contract for a client. Knowing how to help people learn is a valuable skill, indeed.
Tina and Dale Were Awesome
I’ll admit it, I can have a pretty snarky attitude about REALTOR education. Many of the classes I have taken have been outright boring, and many of the instructors have been forgettable. It was evident right from the beginning of the class that this would not be the case with Tina Daniel and Dale Carlton. Their passion for the material and their dedication to the craft of teaching came through in everything that they did. Not only did they do a great job instructing us, but they also did a wonderful job explaining to us the process behind the instruction.
Giving information to a room full of people is pretty easy, when you think about it. All one would have to do is stand up in front of the group and read from a text book or some other such source (I’ve been in those classes, too). Teaching the information so that people not only hear it, but understand and are able to apply it, is truly a skill. It is a skill that Tina and Dale have in spades.
It has been a long time since I was in a class room of any kind where the instructors not only taught the information, but did in such a way that it was easy to understand and apply later. That is exactly what happened with this class. After just 1 1/2 days of instruction, every student had a chance to show what he or she had learned.
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It. . .
Each student in the class was required to give a 7-minute presentation on a subject of their choice in front of the entire class. The only stipulation was that the topic could not be one that you had ever taught before. The presentation was videotaped and critiqued by everyone in the class.
First of all, 7 minutes isn’t a long time to teach anything. I’ve given presentations before, but none of them were ever this structured, or this short. It was tough.
Secondly, it was very interesting to see so many very bright, intelligent, confident people get so nervous. I was firmly among them. I have given presentations in front of hundreds of people multiple times before. I have stood in gyms where thousands of people were raining down boos, hisses and worse upon me. I cannot remember a time where I was as nervous as I was standing in front of those 25 other people in the room. We all know about peer pressure, but how many of us know about the pressure of being in front of our peers?
My Presentation
The topic that I chose for my 7-minute presentation was Power Point. Specifically, it was about how to design better Power Point presentations. I used as my inspiration Garr Reynolds and his book, “Presentation Zen.” You can check out the first 5 or so minutes of the presentation below (I lost the last 2 minutes because the batteries in my Flip died, oops):
What I Learned
I firmly believe that while I learned quite a bit during the actual three day period that I was in the classroom, the learning will not stop there. The material covered in this class will serve me well in all kinds of situations, and I can’t wait to discover uses for everything.
One thing that I definitely learned is that there are a lot of very dedicated REALTOR instructors out there, and about 2 dozen more that are going to come out of this class. I have often maligned the state of REALTOR education. I now know that as long as there are people like Tina and Dale to train new instructors and teach REALTORS, those that they teach will most assuredly be equipped with the tools and skills necessary to improve our profession.
-
Connect With Me
Proud Sponsor of RE Barcamp '08
Listen to ZebraTalk
Read the Zebra on AgentGenius
Disclaimer
My name is Daniel Rothamel. I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of the National Association of REALTORS. As such, I adhere to a strict code of ethics and all laws with regard to equal housing, which is reflected in the content of this blog. My broker is Strong Team REALTORS, 86 Joshua Lane, Palmyra, VA 22963; (434) 589-5800. My VA Real Estate License number is 0225 077325. All of the opinions in this blog are mine, unless otherwise noted.
