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Every January, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc produces a two day convention called Kick Start. Thousands of RE/MAX Realtors converge on Toronto's Convention Centre and take courses, exchange ideas, network with other Realtors and service providers and so on. It's a glamorous and energetic event.
This year, Karen and I hosted our own booth where we presented our wares to other Realtors. It's a fun way to meet and greet other agents from across the country.
An important part of our business plan is to seek out good Realtors across the country and around the world, wherever there is a RE/MAX franchise. We encourage our friends who live elsewhere to let us help them find a good Realtor when they're beginning to think about buying or selling. We know what makes a good Realtor so it helps if we have a relationship with them and can speak to them on a more personal level.
We thought it would be fun to use our time there to raise a few bucks for one of the the RE/MAX charities, the SickKids Foundation. So, I brought my banjo, solicited the help of my pal John Zimnoch (who is always a great sport to do anything and everything) and we busked during the lunch hour on the convention floor. We raised $397.00.
One of the passers by was a young downtown lawyer, Shadi Nasseri who was there as a visitor. I was trying to find someone to challenge me to a duel with me playing one part on the banjo and them playing the other part whilst gargling. We call it Drooling Banjos.
Shadi didn't know exactly what I was talking about but she was a good sport and took me on. Here's the duel and obviously, she won hands down.
An important part of my sales presentations relate to the success my company enjoys city wide. The fact is, we sell most of the properties in the GTA. The evidence was just released moments ago.
This is important to the consumer because it means we have MORE For Sale Signs, MORE Open Houses and MORE Advertising which drives the buyers to our phone lines and internet sites. A large Market Share, particularly one this large, results in more exposure for our clients and therefore quicker sales and for more money!
I've been seeing the market share numbers since 1987 and there has never been a dominant force like this ever before.
Ricky Scaggs has the best band and plays the best music because he hires the best musicians. RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. sells the most houses because they hire the best agents.
Inman News is perhaps the most influential industry on-line organization in the world. As they say on their web site, they are "the leading source of independent real estate news, information, advice, research, opinion and commentary for industry professionals and consumers alike."
I've attended their conferences and they offer the most up-to-date information of any other. They took a poll recently to learn who everyone considers to be the most influential real estate leader last year. I just received this press release, as though there was any doubt.
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Inman News Announces the People's Choice Most Influential The readers of Inman News™, the leader in real estate and technology news, have selected RE/MAX founder Dave Liniger as the People's Choice Most Influential Real Estate Leader in 2011. Liniger's selection, based on a popular vote by readers, was announced today during the Inman News Real Estate Connect® conference in New York City, which runs through Jan. 13 at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square. Liniger, 66, who co-founded RE/MAX with wife Gail in 1973, serves as chairman of the board for the global franchisor. Liniger oversaw the expansion of RE/MAX global franchise operations to eight additional countries in 2011 – there is now a brand presence in nearly every country in Central America and South America, and the franchisor has almost 90,000 affiliated real estate sales professionals in more than 80 countries. "Our knowledgeable Inman News readers cast their votes for a true visionary of our industry," says Tim G. Smith, CEO of Inman News. "We are honored to include Dave Liniger among our list of influential past winners." Liniger was also selected to the annual Inman 100 list of Most Influential Real Estate Leaders for 2011 — that list is separate and distinct from the individual People’s Choice recognition, and is based on a reader nomination process and an in-house review and selection process by Inman News. |
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I meet once each week at 7:00 am with my Business Networking International group. Mine is the Cabbagetown Chapter but there are chapters all over the city and the world. Our mandate is to promote the businesses in our chapter. We're each other's fan club. The meeting is quite structured, therefore, it's quite a committment, and it's not for everyone. Many interested business professionals who consider joining don't want to get up that early every Wednesday morning. They don't want to actively learn how to refer or receive referrals. They don't want to be accountable. Simply put, they don't want the business.
Whatever their reasons, those who don't want the business enough to do all of the above are business professionals I don't want to refer business to. If they're not committed enough to their own business, I question how committed they'll be to the clients I send them.
I just received the following message from BNI head office. I like it's tone. These rules apply to all aspects of business, regardless of what we're selling.
1) Consider BNI's principle of VCP (Visibility + Credibility = Profitability). Attendance is a crucial part of the Visibility component of VCP: if you're not at the meeting, you're not visible. If you are not visible, you are not reminding your chapter that you are available.
2) Which brings us to the next component of VCP, Credibility. How can you build credibility within your chapter if you're not around on a regular basis? Your chapter needs to meet with you every week so that they can get to know you and your business. You need to build trust with your fellow chapter members if you want them to refer you. Building trust is a gradual process; you are not going to achieve it by attending meetings every so often. You need to be a faithful regular.
3) If you want your sales team to be there for you when you need them, you need to be there for them. Attending meetings on a regular basis, helping out with running the meetings, making a serious effort to get to know your co-members and getting them referrals will raise your profile and make the other members want to reciprocate. What goes around comes around.
4) Giving a 10-minute presentation or an infomercial to a half-empty room is NOT fun. In fact, it might even feel pointless. Low attendance destroys morale. High attendance will boost your meeting's energy levels and give the meeting a strong positive vibe. It will make the meeting enjoyable and worthwhile for all the members.
5) Similarly, trying to convince guests that they should join when existing members don't care to attend is very difficult. If the meeting is full of dedicated, motivated people, guests will want to join and chapter membership will grow.
6) Consistent, high attendance means more networking and building of relationships, which results in more referrals being passed.
7) If you show up for every meeting, on time, bright-eyed and positive, there is reason to believe you will be the same way with your clients. When your co-members see your professionalism at meetings, they will have confidence when they refer you because they know you will treat their referrals with respect and make them look good for referring you.
This BNI Did You Know brought to you by ...... Member of BNI High Park and Ambassador, Nishi Dias, NIGHT DAY PRODUCTIONS, Videography & Photography, Nishi@NightDay.ca , 416.821.8669, Corporate site www.NightDay.ca, Weddings www.NightDayWeddings.com
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