All the news is talking about the economic recovery. What that means for you is…..WATCH THE VIDEO

Leave your comments below.

Until our paths cross again,

Paul

Here’s a recent interview with one of my Elite Coaching Students.  Listen for her insights about sales, connecting with customers and the changes in the housing industry.  Also, leave your comments below.

If you wish to interview for my Elite Coaching Program, send an email to paul@paulmontelongo.com and put in the subject line, “Coach Me, Coach Me Paul”.

Until our paths cross again, take great care.

Paul Montelongo

Hello,

With 23 years as a new home sales counselor, Patrick Lawlor of Highland Homes in San Antonio has seen it all. Check out this two-part interview with Patrick and hear his insights on how to sell business in today’s economy.

Interview Part I (5:38)

Interview Part II (6:00)

Please leave your comments in the box below..

Until our paths cross again, take great care.

Paul

Recently, I interviewed a “real-world” sales counselor from Ottawa, Canada.  Valerie has been selling new homes for ten years and her insights into the business are right on point.  Listen to what she has to say.

If you want to be interviewed, drop me an email to paul@paulmontelongo.com with the subject line, “pick me, pick me”.

Until our paths cross again,

Paul

If you have not implemented video messages in your marketing, you are missing out.  Builders, Remodelers, Real Estate Agents, Contractors, and Vendors have products that need to be showcased…and video is the most effective means of demonstrating your product.

All you need is a video camera and an idea.  The video camera can be as simple as the video feature on your cell phone or hand held Flip Cam which retails for less than $250.

The technology is the easy part.  Just about any high school student can upload a video to www.YouTube.com for you in case you are a technophobe.  The more challenging part is for you to come up with the ideas for videos that will distinguish you and elevate you above your competition.

So what constitutes a good video, a useful video that attracts customers?  Consider these elements when using video on YouTube to promote your products and yourself.

1. This is not your parent’s vacation footage. Brevity is king.  You are in a short attention span society.  Think of your videos as fast food for customers.   Make your point.  Show your product quickly.
2. Authenticity rules. Be yourself.  Be personable.  You don’t have to take professional acting classes.  You just need to be yourself.  Be witty.  Smile.  Be friendly.  Remember, you are showcasing how easy it is to get along with you in a sales environment.
3. Frequency. Regularly post videos and update your footage.  There is virtually no hard cost associated with uploading videos, so there is no excuse for outdated information.
   
4. Be original. Be spontaneous.  Carry your Flip Cam with you at all times and be ready to record anything that is remotely interesting or informative in your line of work.
5. Brief customer testimonials are very powerful.  Anyone can have their uncle produce a written testimonial, but with a video testimonial the viewer can look into the eyes of your customer to gauge their sincerity.
6. Archive them in one place.  Set up you own YouTube TV station.  It’s free, simple, fast and can be customized with your corporate colors and logo.

Unless you want to make a travesty out of your video avoid these mistakes.

1. Bad lighting, bad sound, too much background noise.  You don’t need to be Steven Spielberg to produce a decent video, but use some common sense when it comes to the quality of your videos.
2. Disrespecting the copyright laws.  Music, photos, literature, and other videos have copyright laws which affect their use.  If you wish to use these, conduct a brief Google search to see if you are infringing on any intellectual territories.  There are multitudes of royalty free pictures and music.
3. Distasteful, off color, unruly, offensive or objectionable material.  Can you be edgy and interesting?  Absolutely. How is objectionable defined?  I don’t know, but I know when I see it.  So will you.
4. Not integrating your YouTube videos with all of your other Internet marketing strategies.  YouTube videos should be a component of a well thought out marketing plan.  In the housing industry, videos are not a business plan in themselves.  They should only be a piece of your overall marketing landscape.
5. Copycat, copycat. It’s okay to take an idea and expand it to make it your own.  Be as original as you possibly can.  Avoid copying the video ideas of a competitor or colleague.  Get your own ideas.
   
6. No contact information. Contained in every video should be your contact information.  A simple email or website address is sufficient.  As with other means of marketing, your end goal is to have prospective customers contact you for more information.  Help them out.
7. Not combing your hair. Well, maybe you look better with the frazzled look.  The point is that your videos will portray your personality.  Think about the impression you wish to make.  If you wish to portray a highly professional image, don a suit and tie while shooting video in your office at your big walnut desk.  Do you wish to be a bit more casual because you are selling a community on a lake front?  Dress comfortably casual while your video is filmed on an outside patio overlooking the lake (with a Mojito cocktail on the table).
8. Keeping your videos a secret. If you are going to make the effort to shoot video footage and actually upload it to a video storage site, by all means let the world know.

There are other video storage sites like Viddler.com and Flickr.com.  Each has their own special features.  YouTube is by far the most widely used and is universally recognized.

Videos give your prospective buyers a view into your product and your personality.  Video can act as a lead generator as well as a lead qualifier.

As with most other forms of marketing, video marketing is a work-in-progress.  The more you work with it, the more it will work for you.  Go forth and video your message.

Check out my YouTube TV station here:   http://www.youtube.com/plmontelongo

Paul

Ps.  Share your story with readers of this blog. Check out the tab above called “Got a Story”.

Hi,

Your prospect is analyzing your product to see if it meets their definition of value.  There are two very specific ways to define the value of a product you are selling.  Take a look at this video for the definition of value and what you can do to be in line with your prospective customer to influence them to see the value of your product.

Leave your comments below…and enjoy my short tribute to Tom Watson.

Take great care,

Paul

Hey,

My email revelation that I have heart trouble shocked hundreds of you…But for the ones who read the entire email, you learned I don’t have any heart trouble whatsoever.  I used this as an analogy to illustrate how you must set yourself up with expert status to weed out of competitive bidding wars.   Check out this video for a full explanation…

Leave your comments below and tell me how you have established expert status.

Healthy as a Kentucky Derby Race Horse,

Paul

Hey,

As a Builder, Remodelor, Realtor or housing industry professional, can you use blogging to promote your business and make more sales? Take a look at this video as well as the list below…

Top ten reasons a housing industry professional should blog…

1. To express your thoughts or opinions…about your market, your niche, your customers and who should take advantage of your services.

2. To market or promote your business…blogging allows you to overtly promote your company. It also allows you to build value by offering credible information for your customers.

3. To establish yourself as an expert…the more you write about your industry, the more you can be perceived as an expert…people prefer to do business with experts.

4. To help people…the more people that are exposed to your helpful information, the more credibility you build. If you want to be helped, help others.

5. To make money…you can sell your services and products online on your blog. You can offer discounts to readers, referral fees, and incentives to gather leads.

6. To distinguish your company or yourself as unique among your competitors. The features of your blog and the way you present it to the public can make you stand out above the competition.

7. To stay connected to customers, prospects, vendors and your professional network…Blogging allows you to maintain an ongoing personal appearance with regular product updates.

8. To poll your customers…with features like comments and rss feeds, you can get a beat on what your readers are interested in, what they want more of and less of.

9. To stay abreast of the latest trends, technologies and news in your industry...regular blogging calls up on you to do research in your industry. You will also receive suggestions and information from your readers that keeps you up with the industry.

10.To attract a more savvy, influential customer base…it’s true that the internet provides a source of information for savvy buyers.  The more savvy the buyer, the more research they do.  When you position yourself on the Internet with your highly informative blog, you will have a greater chance to attract a more discriminating, affluent buyer.

There are plenty of other reasons to blog.  It can be fun and an outlet for you to be creative and express yourself.  You learn along the way and you open yourself up to a whole new world of information and technology.

Let me know your thoughts below about blogging.

Until our paths cross again,

Paul

Hello,

The big question is…Are Social sites useful business tools or are they just a massive waste of time?  Here are three quickie strategies to get your ramped up and running for your social media marketing plan.

Happy 4th of July.

Paul Montelongo

Hello,

If you want to positively impact the perception of your customer, get your sites clean and safe.  I walk this site and point out what is unclean, unsafe and unsightly for a customer.  Take a look and leave your comments below.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook for regular housing industry updates to help you make more sales and make more dinero.

Take great care,

Paul