Tag Archives: networking

More Networking 101–Become the “Catalyst” who puts people, and deals, together

Marketing / Communication, ,

Like most of you, I have a relatively small group of real “friends”. Because I am a Massachusetts title attorney trying to grow my practice at every opportunity, I have developed a rather large network of contacts and acquaintances. We all know the risks involved in representing, and working with, true friends. Our objectivity is often skewed, and we make decisions for them which are not always logical or positive. That doesn’t mean we cannot work with friends. It just means we need to establish a more disciplined set of rules when friends are involved.

This post is designed to comment about the real potential we possess in our sphere of contacts and acquaintances. it is meant to encourage each of you to utilize these sources to build your business, and reputations.  By becoming the catalyst for contacts to broaden their own spheres, you can very often improve other people’s business or, even personal, relationships.

What I am driving at is that every one of our contacts or acquaintanenaces would probably be happy to meet someone, or come into contact with someone, who can advance their situation. We, as real estate professionals, are in contact with people from all walks of life each and every day. We not only deal with Buyers and Sellers. We deal with appraisers, contractors and home inspectors as part of what we do. Our goal, with any connection like this, is to help people come into contact with others whose skills or connections may benefit them.

I try to do this work as a catalyst as seamlessly as possible. I probe, connect and then step out of the picture. It is enough for me to be part of the process. I feel no need to be the “star”; I am just helping out. My thinking is that if I “help out” enough, someone, somewhere will start to view me as a positive and want to be involved with me professionally. This has not happened overnight, and, in fact, it never happens in some instances. But to be perfectly honest, I feel good about putting two people I like and respect together. It has been enough for me to do this even though real financial benefit may NEVER come from it.

There is one constant in our profession. Our reputation is all we really have to sell. You can enhance yours by working as a catalyst for the benefit of others. That is one thing I am sure of.

If Your Posts are not “Singing in the ActiveRain”, there is Only One Solution–Write Some more Posts

Marketing / Communication, ,

I have been writing posts for ActiveRain since February, 2009. I have had a few featured posts; I have had many more which did not evoke any reader interest. ironically, the posts I wrote which became “featured” were not what I considered my best, or even most original. Others, which I absolutely thought would get people making comments,proved to be duds. My observations on this phenomena, and on my involvement with ActiveRain in general,  are as follows:

     1. ActiveRain Nation is one diverse group of people. A lot of you practice real estate in states where attorneys are not very much involved. Accordingly, some of my comments about situations I have experienced are not of much interest to you.

     2. The posts which you have responded to most actively involve situations where strategy is involved. Strategy and planning are two aspects of our profession which people relate to. So if I discuss some of the marketing initiatives our firm has instituted, or the virtues of “walking away” from transactions, you responded actively and with many interesting comments.

     3. There are a lot of smart and motivated people logging in to ActiveRain every day. I enjoy other people’s posts, and I believe been able to learn a lot from them.  In terms of the posts which I have written, some of your comments have been somewhat “anti-attorney”. Most, however, have been helpful and constructive.

Bottom line to all of you, I intend to keep sending in posts and trying to keep them lively and on point.I do not have the luxury of having something tangible to sell, like a piece of real estate whch I have listed. I just need to come up with ideas that are new and appeal to you. i welcome the challenge, and thank those many of you who have been responding to my better efforts.

Golf as Life–Things 18 holes in the sunshine can tell you about yourself and those you play with

Marketing / Communication, ,

I am an avid golfer, and I have been so since the age of six years. My fondest memories of my youth are the late afternoons and early evenings I spent walking around the golf course with my dad, who taught me how to play, and how to behave on a golf course. As I developed a career as an attorney specializing in real estate law in Massachusetts, I have continued playing golf and using golf as an opportunity to network with current, and hopefully future, clients. These are some of my observations about golf as a marketing tool which I want to share with you:

     1. I never, ever talk real business matters on a golf course. If I am playing with you, I have committed to giving you a rest from the hectic business life you lead. I may speak about your family, or your job, but I do not discuss mortgage, or purchase and sale agreements, or anything that can be viewed as self promotion.

     2. Four hours on a golf course with a group of people you do not know well can tell you a lot of things about these people. Do they count all their strokes? What kind of losers are they? Can they make a bad shot and put it aside? Do they realize that other people are on the course to have fun, too, and not just themselves? I also find out what kind of winners they are. Do they gloat? Do they try to teach others when they really are not equipped to do so? I can learn a lot about them, and they won’t really know why I have chosen to pursue them as clients or associates after the round.

     3. Most important of all, I have found out a lot about myself on the golf course. My golf game, when I was a six handicap, used to be all about me. Now, especially, as my skills have diminished, my golf game is about the others in my group enjoing themselves and enjoying my company. This has been a profound lesson, and has helped to shape me as a person.

I am sure many of you have differing golf experiences,  which i would be interested in hearing about. Suffice it to say, I have been able to use my love of golf as a way to advance my life goals, and that is a bonus that I never anticipated.

Virtual Homes—Take a look at the future world of Buyer transactions

Marketing / Communication, ,

I need to start this post by saying that I do a lot of legal work for the realtors at Virtual Homes, and I am extremely friendly with some of the principals of the Company. One principal, Lynda Longmire, and I have been friends and business colleagues for more than thirty years. All of that being said, I am literally knocked off my feet by the website, www.virtualhomes.com. It is my belief that the approach developed in this website is a template for virtually all Buyer transactions in the future.

The Virtual Homes website is powerful because it furnishes would-be Buyers with a plethora of information about a community in which they might have interest. This not only includes statistics about the town in question, but also recent newspaper articles concerning real estate. The maps of current listings really give a potential Buyer a great sense of what is available and where.

The reason this website works is that it uses the age old networking concept that “givers gain”. Virtual Homes provides so much information, assists so much in the pre-selection process that a person who uses the site is more than willing to work with Virtual Homes agents to finish the transaction. The “trust” which we are all seeking in our professional endeavors is established early in the game.

I urge all of my Active Rainmakers to look at this site and tell me you have seen a better initial presentation of real estate anywhere in the United States. I certainly have not!!!!

Elliott Topkins

www.topkinsandbevans.com