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From Honolulu, I'm Carl Weisbrod and this is the Realtor's
Edition of the WDS E-Zine #34.
To eliminate a bunch of name-changing hassles I'll continue to use the forRealtors tag for this e-zine..., but I'm going to put more stress on website building. I'll explain the connection in the Rant & Rave section below. If you want to take a look at my podcast programs, go here www.wdslibrary.com and clicking the Podcast Index box. sections ~ ~ ~ TOPICS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I. Rantings & Ravings (editorial) II. Let's talk about Website Promotion. III. AskCarl's FAQs & Two-Valued Tricks IV. Rasputin's Zap Chamber (hypnotism) V. Health in a Handbasket VI. Jokes 'n FunStuff {:^D VII. eBooks Section VIII. Bureaucratic Bamboozling IX. Rip-off of the Week X. The WDS Bedtime Story (an allegory) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I. Rantings & Ravings (r) I should be flogged for this, but the last time I published an issue of this e-zine was Volume 4, No.33 way back in August 2004. The volumes go by year, so this will be Volume 6. I grew up in a family in which my dad was a Realtor. So even without first-hand experience, I feel akin to the profession. When I reached the point I was able to do websites for others, I felt Realtors would have the greatest benefit. The problem in Hawaii...we had an infestation of smooth-talking out-of-town rascals talking Realtors into expensive website program with all possible bells & whistles. Here's a compilation story of something that happened to a few brokers. Go to this weblog (find the June 8th post) and click the Horror Stories link: www.askcarl.net/BlogWebsite You can imagine, after the word spread around town, website became a four-letter word. Most Realtors have websites now, but they are usually the template variety... pretty but either get one fast look or satisfy the customer to the point of never contacting the salesperson. Many Realtors saw the website as kind of a hi-tech brochure... and above all, they wanted one that had more razzle-dazzle than the the website of a competitor. That's called the Vanity Website. These websites are expensive and (beyond the owner's ego) are useless. Sometimes, Realtors wanted to be able to put a website online and forget it. That's the Automated Website. Also a waste of time. I suggest the Interactive Website in which each salesperson will have access to their personal website or webpage at a moment's notice. This can be done to support each client or potential client. Typically, clients will give a website a few seconds of attention unless there is something there for them personally--the term used for this is website stickiness. Another mistake is to build a website with too much information. Too-much will work against the process. What does a client need the salesman for if everything is available on-line? In this case, clients will be making crucial decisions without input from the salesperson. If you want to read previous issues of this e-zine, here's the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ForRealtors To listen to podcasts about websites, here's the links to do that: http://www.askcarl.net/BlogWebsite.html http://www.wdslibrary.com/PodcastIndex.html ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ II. Let's talk about Website Promotion (r) The key to website promotion is how well it will engages websurfers. If you want to use the website to pull in clients, that's a larger issue and and much more difficult. Your competition is in the tens-of-millions. The method that reigns supreme remains word-of-mouth. Beyond that, there are some new approaches including RSS Feeds and the Technorate key-word search. You will find both displayed on the HTML version of this e-zine. Before you initiate RSS and Technorate links, you will need at least one weblog site and (I'd suggest) an active podcasting program. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ III. AskCarl's FAQs & Two-Valued Tricks (r) Question: Hey, Carl! What's wrong dividing ideas into two equal parts? Can you explain that to me? B.W. Boston AskCarl: Sure BW, I can explain, but I'd rather you read my eBook (it's free) Obnoxious Two-Value Tricks. In brief, the cerebral cortex processes information in groups of threes. There is the right-brain process, the left-brain process and comparison of both for a shad-of-gray choice to make the three. There are a huge number of examples of this triad system. For example music is written in threes, most religions are structured in threes, even salesman close easier if they offer a client three choices rather than two. Two choices tend to lock you into an intellectual corner, and can even cause low-level anxiety because of the rigidity of the position. More than three choices, on the other hand, can cause confusion. ~ ~ ~ IIIa. Two-Value Tricks (r) Many radio talk show hosts, particular of the political variety, will force a debating focus into a two-value system. If you understand and are skilled using the two value system, you can control and "win" every debate, even if you are dead wrong in your position. Here's a short list of the two-value techniques used by politicians, talk-show guys, and lawyers: - The Red Herring - Stopped Beating Your Wife? - The Straw Man - Disagree With A = Agree With B ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Continued on top right column >click< |
Continued from lower-left column IV. Rasputin's Zap Chamber (hypnotism) (r) For this section, I'm going to refer you to a weblog that has a bunch of podcasts directly related to hypnotism: http://www.askcarl.net/BlogHypnotism.html ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ V. Health in a Handbasket (r) On the health issue. It's the same old story... repeated, discounted, and repeated again, sometimes with a different spin. So much of it is wrapped up in diet, and since we eat usually several times a day, and in a way that's intermingled with culture, family and social aspects, it carries a huge emotion charge. Exercise too, carries a charge. The problem with exercise, when we are badly out of shape, exercise is painful. So it may be easier to discount the value or rationalize not exercising than it is to work through the pain. We are motivated by pleasure-seeking pain-avoidance, and getting healthy is often (in the early stages) not pleasurable but is painful. Then there's the profit motive. The food industry is huge, and the greatest profit is from the foods that are the least healthy, for example the so-called fast-foods. So, therein lies your challenge. If you want to delve into this topic in more detail, these podcasts will offer a good start -- and are mildly pleasurable while not at all painful. :) http://www.askcarl.net/BlogWeightControl.html ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ VI.
Jokes 'n FunStuff {:^D
(r)
Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children, and now die, I think the Republicans have done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives. From The Portland Oregonian ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ VII. eBooks for Realtors (r) Gee, I've been so busy recording podcasts, I haven't read a book in ages. Of course, I have a bunch of eBooks... some are free. The last glue & paper books I've read are Podcasting by Todd Chochrane; Podcasting For Dummies by Morris and Terra; and Tricks of the Podcasting Masters by Walch and Lafferty. Not much variety, I realize, but with the powerful promotional potential of podcasting, one of these books might be a good choice. They're all available at Amazon.com. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ VIII. Bureaucratic Bamboozling (r) This is a repeat from WDS E-Zine, Volume 9, #105, July 2006. We live in a world with huge problems that are crying out for solutions. We have some serious environmental problems, there are cultural problems, we're in a war of questionable value...but in any case, a war we could in fact be losing. We have health problems, corporate corruption problems... the list goes on and on. The genius that created the United States was a result of brilliant men who drafted the US Constitution in 1787. Without this Constitution, the US would have likely become a number of squabbling countries rather than one great nation. Unfortunately as in all things bureaucratic, time has eroded--not the concept itself--but the implementation of the concept. Now, congressmen (most are men) compose a group of self-serving, power-hungry guys that fall into the realm of an Old-Boy Network. You wouldn't want most of these guys managing a family hot-dog stand. They're corrupt (many of them) and their primary goal is to be re-elected. To them to be an elected member of either house is the best job in the world. As good as it is, few with real problem-solving skills would want the job. I try to tune-out the congressional battles for such waste-of-time crap as flag-burning and same-sex marriage. These guys even admit the motivation for such silly bills is political...while ignoring real problems in which significant loss-of-life has been (or will be) the end result. This system is too entrenched to change...as the older Old-Boys die off, a new group (whose brains have been liquefied by the system) move up within the power structure--and thus becomes self-sustaining. My advice is focus on yourself and those you care about. I suggest you stay as isolated from all bureaucratic systems as you can.--don't fight the system, just avoid them. Then pay particular attention to the internet. It's a place where individual abilities and innovation reign supreme. The internet is certainly very rough around the edges, full of rip-offs and debauchery, but it appears to be self-policing and (for now) remains relatively free of bureaucratic meddling. We can't let the politicians get a foot-in-the-door to the internet through legislation...any legislation. If they do get some stuff passed, which could happen, it would probably be analogous of the dog that chased cars until one day he caught one. Nevertheless, this is my warning: Never support any bill, federal or state, that has anything to do with the internet, no matter how warm & fuzzy it may appear on the surface. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ IX. Rip-off of the Week (r) Happily, I have no rip-offs to report. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X. The WDS Bedtime Story
- An
Allegory (r)
I'll save this until the next issue.
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~ ~ ~ ~ The End ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Carl Weisbrod ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ If you would like to subscribe to all six e-zines, here's the XML link to do that:
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