Mitch 's Blog

Internet Marketing, Social Media, Lead Capture, Lead Conversion and so on.  We keep hearing every day that these are the tools of the future.  Do you get calls almost every day from someone telling you they are the next best thing to generate sales?  You simply pay them money and the sales roll in.  I get over 5 calls a week from someone trying to sell me something about how I'm missing the boat on the Internet.  Obviously they didn't do their homework as we are doing great with our Internet program and generated 329 sales in 2010 through the Internet with 14 Agents.

So why aren't you getting more sales from the Internet?  It's obvious to everyone that the future of our world, not just Real Estate, is the Internet.  Well I have to tell you, it's not in the future, it's the now.  If you aren't generating business from the Internet, you are missing the boat. Over the past few years I have been traveling around the country teaching Realtors and Brokers how we are able to year in and year out generate consistent sales.  It's not rocket science, but my guess is you are not doing as well as you would like and these are a few of the reasons why:

Systems - Most of the Agents and Brokers I teach through The Real Estate Success Network are missing the most important aspect of Lead Conversion.  They don't have any systems.  I don't care what type of business you run, you need to have solid duplicatable systems in place to succeed to the top level.  Systems are not hard to follow but you have to be persistent as it takes a few months to really get the ball rolling.  Just follow steps 1-5 and the sales will happen! 

Patience - Internet Leads take time to buy. In my experience, leads take over 6 months (actual number in 2010 was 233 days) to buy a home.  Most Realtors don't have the patience to wait 6 months.  They tell the customer, "call me when you are ready".  That may have worked in the days before the Internet, but these days you are leaving a lot on the table.

Phone Call Follow up - I have heard so many different experts on lead conversion saying things that just don't make sense.  For instance, a few of the products out there are trying to tell you that you shouldn't and don't have to make calls to your leads.  In fact you shouldn't even ask for their phone number.  I got an email from a guy using one of these systems and he got a good lead in the first month.  This was one lead that said they were interested in buying a home for $1.8 million.  He has no phone number and no way to create loyalty.  Yes, you don't have to call your leads and you will get sales.  Of course you will!  The question is though, how many sales are you leaving on the table?  

Let's look at a scenario.  You get a lead who is buying a home in a year.  You call him or her once (if you call at all).  You tell the person that you will gladly send them updates and for them to call you when they find something interesting.  You are always there to help.  So after this great call you never call these people again. These people are still going to go on more websites and register on many of them.  Now we are 11 months into the 12 month buying process of this buyer and they register on another site.  The Realtor calls.  The Realtor (sometimes) asks if they are working with a Realtor.  The lead/customer says "I've been getting listings from some guy (or girl) but I'm not working with them.  The other Realtor says "Great, when would you like to go and look at properties".  You just lost a customer for life!

So how is your Internet program going?  If you are not where you want to be, then it's time to make some changes.  You all know someone who is selling a lot of homes on the Internet.  It takes great systems, lots of patience and great follow up skills.  The better you follow up, the more homes you sell.  It's that simple! If you have questions about how you can increase your Internet program, please feel free to contact me.  I'm always glad to help!

Wow!  Is it really true?  Where did all those years go by?  Just yesterday I had hair down to my butt and weighed a whopping 120 pounds.  I've been reflecting a lot the past couple of weeks.  On Jan. 9th I'll turn 50.  I know it's not a big deal to most, but to me it's a realization of mortality as well as time to decide how to spend the next years of my life moving forward.  Most of my family members never made it out of their 50's.  I'm not so much concerned about that, but it's definitely a thought in the back of my head.  

I really figured I would be retired by now.  I figured I would be spending my life working on a couple of foundations that I have started or wanted to start.  I came close to retiring in 2000 but my luck has never been that easy.  Two months before cashing out on a mountain of money, the Internet bubble burst and I went from rich to poor in a matter of a couple of weeks.  It was crazy!  Fast forward to 2005, the market is going great, I open my brokerage, and wham, the housing bubble burst.  Talk about great timing!  It's been like that several times in my life.  But....

One would think losing everything twice, going from rich to poor in two weeks, and having a couple neck surgeries and two strokes a few years ago would dampen ones spirit.  It doesn't.  Even though I have had so many negative things happen in my life, I wake up each day knowing that there is something more waiting for me either on this earth or after life on this earth.  I've been so blessed to have lived the life I have lived.  I may not have totally succeeded in my goals or my dreams, but I always did things on my terms.  I have worked for myself since I was 19 (I did have a job through college while building my business and taking 5 courses) and I have made millions of dollars and unfortunately lost just a little more.  But, even when I have failed, I have won.  Nobody has ever told me what to do or how to do it.  Nobody has had the power over me to change my life.  Yes, I have been effected a couple of times because of the economy in 1990, 2000 and 2006 to currently, but it's still on my terms. 

So why am I sharing this with you?  I have talked to so many Agents this year from all around the country who have inquired about The Real Estate Success Network and how it can help their business. Some of these Agents have just a couple months of capital left and yet they still want to improve their business, they want to win the battle!  I am inspired whenever I talk to these Agents, they have not quit like so many have the past few years, they are driven to succeed even in their financial final hours.  Their passion for this business is awesome.  

I have owned 18 companies throughout my life (currently 4) and can tell you that it's so easy to quit.  It's so easy to give up on your dream of being a successful Real Estate Agent.  It's not easy to succeed in this business, but it's not hard either.  It's all about having a plan, executing that plan and sticking to the plan with little tweaks here and there to keep on track.  Turning 50 in a week and a half and knowing my time on this earth may be limited, gives me a new perspective on quitting.  Just as in business, I won't quit in life.  I have goals and dreams that I plan on obtaining or at least giving them my best shot.  Some of them may be difficult, but all of them are doable.  I have been working on my 2011 business plan for each business and then I will do my personal business plan.  Everything has a plan! 

So as we go into 2011, look at the positives in your life.  Look at your children, your wife or husband, and your grandkids if you are lucky enough to have some of them yet (they are awesome!).  Look at what you have gained in your life even if you are struggling financially right now.  I'm sure you have gained way more than you have lost.  Have a plan.  Execute your plan. Don't quit!  

Yes, turning 50 has had me re-evaluate my life and my priorities.  It's made me take a look around at my friends and family and helped me to realize that no matter what happens to this real estate market, I am a blessed man. I think my 50's might just be the best years of my life!  Good luck in 2011 and remember to keep on smiling!

Lately I've been travling a lot.  It's a lot tougher than it was 15 years ago when I traveled almost every day of the month.  I guess it's age.  My schedule the past few weeks has been crazy.  Three weeks ago I spoke at the Inman's Agent Reboot in Fort Lauderdale, the day before I was at a Fannie Mae Broker seminar also in For Lauderdale.  The following week I was in D.C. speaking at another Inman Agent Reboot there.  The week after I was in Orlando doing a seminar called Internet Marketing and Lead Conversion - The Truth.  Finally, this past weekend, I spent three days in New Orleans at NAR and had a blast!

Why am I telling you all this?  Because I am free.  I am an American.  I'm proud to be an American, but more importantly, I'm so proud of the men and women who currently and in the past have given their time and often their lives so I can live the American Dream.  I travel freely around this country because of these men and women.  I run my companies and will succeed or fail, but either way because I have the freedom to succeed and fail.  Only because of these brave men and women I have had all the opportunities I have had the past almost 50 years of my life.  

Have you ever thought what it would have been like if you were born in a different country?  Can you imagine what our lives would be like if we weren't blessed to live in the United States?  I think about it often,  how lucky we are and have been for so many years.  Without our soldiers, our warriors, none of this is possible.

Make sure you always thank a soldier and their family's.  Every time you do it puts a smile on their face. 

To all the current and past men and women who serve our country, Thank You!  and God Bless America!

I wasn't really sure where to write this but I had to get this off my chest.  Before I start, I will say up front I am a fiscal conservative and moderate on social programs...although these days I'm moving toward being more conservative on social programs too.

Today I read an article that the federal government has pulled two conventions out of Arizona over the immigration law.  I guess it was the final straw for me and what is going on in our country.  Yesterday I had read another article in which the government has now blocked the construction of the berms over the judge who has put a stop to Obama's moratorium in the gulf.  What we are dealing with is a government that has totally over stepped their legal responsibilities and are willing to destroy our country to prove a point that they are all powerful.  Enough is enough.  I don't care if you are conservative or liberal.  I don't care if you voted for Obama or not.  At some point, even though I know its hard for people to admit we made a mistake, we need to figure out how to take our country back.  It's being stolen right before our eyes.  

The other day I was asking a friend of mine who is a huge Obama supporter what he felt that Obama's administration has done to help our country.  Of course he pulled out all the talking points such as the stimulus (how is that working for you) and the health care reform (70% of the country was against it).  You see to me, we have a government that is about their power and nothing else.  There are very few Republicans and less Democrats that actually care about our country as much as they care about re-elected.  It's time to make a change for sure, we need to impeach all the politicians and start over with the constitution.  The same constitution that has been shunned by our current administration.  The same constitution that is so beautifully written that I get a lump in my throat every time I read it, and I read it often.  So why does my friend still support Obama?  I'm really not sure.  I think he just doesn't want to admit he made a mistake....human nature. 

So what do we do to solve these problems.  And yes, there are a ton of problems.  I'll try to touch on a couple of them.

1.  Immigration - This is a no brainer to me.  The first thing we need to do is secure our borders.  Since the southern part of our country is under attack by illegal immigrants, we need to start there and then work on our norther border.  When I say secure, I mean secure.  Finish building the fence.  Bring in 10 thousand or 20 thousand national guard to help the border patrol.  We need to stop the flow before we can fix the problem.  

Once we secure the border, we need to start dealing with the illegal immigrants that are here.  I think the fact that they actually protest our government and our citizens is unbelievable.  They need to come here, like my grandparents and I'm sure your grandparents, legally.  We could solve half our social problems by sending home the people who have come here illegally.  To me, they have broken the law.  You are always welcome in our country, but come here legally.  

This of course is no easy task.  I believe the AZ law hits on the way to do this, but we have millions of others who are here past their visas that need to go to.  This has nothing to do with whether you are Mexican or Canadian.  It doesn't matter to me...illegal is illegal.  At least the illegals who once had visas can be found.  We know their names.  They need to go.  Our country has been built on immigration, but legal immigration.  My fear is if the federal government doesn't start enforcing our laws soon, the American people will.  My guess is that won't be as pretty as if the government does it. 

2.  The Oil Spill - My heart goes out to all of those in the gulf.  I get tears in my eyes when I see what is going on and how long it has been going on.  Why did the Obama administration turn down help from the countries that offered to help us who understand how to do what we don't?  Why did it take months to allow the berms to be built to protect our shorelines?  The first thing that should have been done is to bring the smartest minds in the world together to figure out a solution. BP is not equipped to handle this oil spill and obviously neither is our government.  Hundreds of people have come forth with ideas on how to stop the flow of oil yet I hear nothing.  I have heard that most of these people, including a family member, has not heard anything from the federal government with what he submitted 45 days ago.  Personally, and I don't want to sound like the conspiracy theory guy, I believe this was sabotage.  The timing in relation to Obama allowing more drilling to when this happened is to coincidental to me.  The announcement comes and then two weeks later the biggest oil spill in our country's history.  Think about it.  Let's get as much help out there and save our shore line. 

3.  Health Care - First we need to repeal what 70% of our citizens already determined is the wrong bill.  This monster of a bill is just going to be a huge mess and expense without solving any problems.  No where in the bill is tort reform which is one of the biggest culprits of health care.  It's time to make these lawyers responsible for their frivolous law suits. The answer is very simple.  If a lawyer wants to sue, they need to be personally held responsible if the suit is thrown out of court.  They need to pay for the legal and emotional costs of the doctors.  That would put a quick end to most of these suits.  

Health care needs to be reformed in steps.  We don't change 16% of our economy in one move.  When I make changes in my company, I never change everything without testing and seeing what will work best before implementing the new program.  The next step is to allow health insurers to go across state lines.  There needs to be more competition as that is what has always driven prices down.  Look at computers and cell phones.  Look at flat screen tv's.  It's the way our country works and has worked great until the politicians have gotten in the way...again.  

By implementing tort reform, the ability to sell insurance across state lines and fixing our illegal immigration problem, we will be on our way to helping more Americans get health insurance.  

4. The wars - This is something that has been bothering for quite some time.  Every time I hear of another young man or woman getting killed it takes a piece of me with them.  I supported the Iraq war and I supported going into Afghanistan.  What I don't support is not having a mission.  I listened to a colonel the other day on the radio and had a great point.  In Afghanistan, the people there don't look at a national pride like we do.  They don't look beyond their villages and their families.  There will never be a democratic Afghanistan.  It's much different than how we handled Iraq.  I believe we need to pull our troops out of Afghanistan. We need to use special forces and drones to find and destroy the people that want to hurt us.  Killing the Taliban is not going to solve our problems there.  As soon as we leave, they will be back in power.  Our goal should be to exterminate the people that want to exterminate us.  We don't need hundreds of thousands of troops in harms way to accomplish this.  We need a strategy that uses the great technology we have to seek and destroy our enemy. 

In Closing

I could go on and on here.  I really just needed a place to vent and put down my thoughts.  It takes more than a paragraph to really write down the solutions to our current problems.  However, it all has to start somewhere.  I believe that place is replacing all our current politicians.  I believe we need term limits since we have proven over the years we are creatures of comfort and will keep the same people in office because it's safer and easier.  In the end, it has become more dangerous and difficult.  Once we replace everyone we need to get back to the value system our country was built on.  The free market system is amazing and has given us all that we have today.  Sure we have issues, they are being prolonged by our governments belief they need to stick their face into everything.  Look at history and the great depression...this is a replay by our government.  The statement of "don't let a good crisis go to waste" will forever stick in my brain as the real though process behind our politicians.  

Thank you for allowing me to vent.  I know there are many of you out there who feel the same way. I want my country back.  I want to be able to be proud of our leadership.  I want to be free to do what I want, when I want, without the government being involved in my life.  Let's make our politicians accountable for doing what they were elected to do, uphold our constitution.  Thank you and God Bless America!

It's the beginning of one of my favorite holiday weekends. While most of the country thinks of this day as a chance to party and enjoy an extra day off on Monday, I'll think of how lucky I am to live in a country where I can do what I want, think what I want and say what I want. Why do we have this freedom? It's because of the great men and women who over the past 200+ years gave their lives so I can have this freedom. While you are out this weekend having a great time, please take a moment just to remember that hundreds of thousands of people just like you and I believed so much in our country, that they were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Remember the kids that are oversees putting their lives on the line to hopefully keep the evil from coming to our shores. They are the true heros of this generation and my heart and prayers are with them. Have a great weekend and God Bless America!

Have you ever wondered why some people on here are very successful with Internet leads and others seem to have no idea what to do?  Capturing leads, even though not done very well by most, is extremely easy.  You can do pay per click marketing and by tomorrow have a good amount of leads...if you have the right capture tools of course.  However, it really doesn't matter how many leads you receive, it's how many buy or sell a home from you.  I like to call it "creating a customer for life".  

So why is it that someone like our office can close 311 online transactions last year and other companies close 3?  Could it be because we generate 10,000 leads or so each year?  Possibly.  Could it be because we have a solid follow up system utilizing both email and phone calls? Most Definintely! 

The reason most Agents and Brokers fail in the Internet space is lack of a system to both follow up and maintain leads.  This past year 20 of our sales came from leads that were 4 years old.  How many Agents would spend 4 years actually following up with a customer?  Not many. I think a lot of it comes down to attitude. Our Agents have the attitude that we have 4-6 months to create a great relationship where as most Agents will look at a person not buying for 6 months and say, give me a call when you are ready.  Are you one of those Agents?  If so, we need to give you an attitude adjustment asap!  

The question is, how do you learn something that most people don't understand and very few people have mastered.  Of course you could always join The eHomes Realty Network which teaches a step by step approach of our 100MPH Marketing System.  This is our lead conversion system my Brokerage, Tropical Realty of Suntree, has used to grow 20% each year even in this market.  Or, you can read a ton of blog posts and try to figure out who is the most successful with lead conversion and model your business after their business.  The problem of course is to be sure you are learning from the right person.  When I get a call from a company trying to sell me anything with regard to online programs, I always ask them if they have any real estate experience and if they do, I ask them why they are selling the product instead of using the product if it is that good.  I haven't received to many answers when I ask!  Always ask vendors how they know that their program is successful.  For instance, I know my system works because I use it every day.  I have numbers and stats to back up my claims.  Most of the vendors that call me can't really prove their claims.  

Ok, what is the most important aspect of lead conversion?  It's simple!  Give the customer what they want.  Consumers come to your website for one thing and one thing only.  To look at listings.  If you don't have an IDX solution on your site, you are missing the boat.  If you have an IDX solution and and don't require people to register you are missing the other boat.  If you are not following up leads you receive, both with or without phone numbers, you missed all the boats and you are just treading watter.  

Just one more quick note.  I can't believe how many people I talk to that do not work leads that have no phone numbers.  25% (about 75 last year) of our sales come from leads with no phone numbers each year.  The number has been consistant each year.  Be sure to work each lead as they are going to buy.  The reality is, even if you are great at least convesion, you will most likely only sell 2-3% of your leads a home.  Of course this number is based on raw leads, not people we have built a relationship with already or that we have talked to.  You must keep your eye on the ball and you must treat all leads equally at first.  Create a system that will include both email drip campaigns and phone call follow up.  Give the customer what they want and need.  Do not give them fluff as that's a sure fire way to lose a customer.  

If you need help, don't hesitate to ask.  There is no reason to go another year without using the Interent to generate sales.  As an individual Agent you should be setting a goal of 24-36 sales each year from the Internet.  A good system will easily prodcue these results.  Good luck!

Well it's been an interesting few years to say the least.  We have been extremely busy at Tropical Realty in Brevard County Florida.  Over the past few months our sales have doubled and it's very obvious to us that we finally have hit bottom.  Most people don't realize that we actually started our decline about 6 months ahead of most of the country.  With that said, it makes sense that we would hit bottom first.

So how do I know we are at the bottom?  It's pretty easy to see.  Our inventory is down from 8,000 at the peak to 4900 right now...almost half.  On top of that, just about every home that is priced correctly is selling within 30-60 days and the best properties have multiple offers on them. 

It's pretty funny actually what happens.  We work hard to educate our buyer by supplying them with stats.  For instance, homes right now are selling at 91.8% on the list price on average with the lower homes selling at over 95% of the list price.  Of course our customers don't believe us.  I can understand that with all the national media saying that Florida is in so much trouble.  However, once they lose a house or two to other buyers they start paying attention.  An Agent of mine said it well. She said that everyone is paying attention to the national media, but Real Estate is a local commodity.  She is so right. 

If you are seriously thinking about buying that retirement home or vacation home or even your first home so you can take advantage of the $8,000 credit currently available, then this is probably the time to get your best deal.  Actually it was two months ago, but right now our prices are stable and with interest rates at or around 5%, I can't think of a better time. 

And if you are looking for condos, there are some great deals.  A few years ago you couldn't touch an Oceanfront condo for under $500k.  Now we have some that are at $300k and some less.  There was a one bedroom one bath last week, on the Ocean, for $89k.  As you can guess, this was gone within a day or so....it's also not the norm!

At Tropical Realty, most of our customers come from out of state.  Last year we were the number 1 Brokerage in Buyer Transactions than any other office in the county (out of 500 offices).  We are very proud of this as it shows that hundreds of customers have put their trust in us to help with their relocation to Brevard County.  If you would like to look at homes, you can click here to start. 

We are always here to help.  If you would like to talk to an Agent, call 321-259-9115.  Our phones are answered by real people every day, 7 days a week. 

It's Friday, the beginning of a long weekend of sun (maybe not for us in Brevard County Florida this weekend) and time to get together with our friends and families to eat hamburgers (or veggie burgers) and hot dogs.  This is probably my most favorite holiday of the year.  It's certainly the most emotional holiday for me. 

While we are here enjoying our families, the smell of hot coals and the beauty of a late spring day in America, we have thousands of our children fighting our battles oversees.  I think that it's so important on this weekend to recognize these kids and what they have done for all of us throughout the generations.  Every day these sons, daughters, fathers and mothers put their lives on the line to ensure that we maintain our lifestyle and freedoms that we sometimes take for granted. 

Since the beginning of this great country, we have had soldiers spilling their blood so we can enjoy the moments in our lives.  Sometimes we do take our freedom for granted.  We shouldn't.  Especially in todays climate where every day someone wants to take away another piece of our freedom.  I for one will never take this freedom for granted.  I wake up each day and drive to work to have fun selling real estate, meeting new people, training my Agents and training my members of The eHomes Realty Network.  I love what I do and I love that I am free to do it. 

Today, like every Friday since we went to Iraq, I am wearing my red shirt and my American flag on my collar.  I had heard somewhere back in 2003 that this is what we should do to show support for our troops.  So, every Friday I wear my red.  In fact, today, I actually was half way to work when I realized it was Friday and I didn't have my red shirt on.  I turned around and drove back home to put my shirt on.  I feel better now!  I figure if those kids can risk their lives every day, then I can show my support on Fridays by wearing my red shirt!

After I changed and was back on my half hour ride to the office I heard a beautiful rendition of God Bless America.  I know this might sound wimpy, but it caused tears to roll down my cheek.  In fact, as I'm writing this I'm getting misty.  I have been thinking lately of all that has and is going wrong in our country.  I usually don't let negativity get into my life, I'm much stronger than that.  But lately it's been hard to watch our politicians ruin our country.  It amazes me every day when I hear the garbage that comes out of the Washington Elites mouths.  So this morning, when I heard this song, it really hit home.  I love our country and everything that we stand for.  I love that fact that when any country in the world is in trouble we do our best to help.  I love when there is a natural disaster we are the first ones to offer aid and money to those affected areas.  I love that when I walk down the street I don't have to look over my shoulder and wonder who is spying or following me.  I love that I am free to teach my kids to be free and to go after their goals and dreams.  I love that they can still do that. 

So as I said prior, please thank a soldier or a veteran for their service.  Thank them for doing their part in keeping American safe and free.  Thank then for doing the dirty work of fighting our wars so most Americans don't have to fight.  Be sure my heart and mind will be on all our kids oversees fighting right now.  Please join me in saying a prayer and well wishes to all our service men and women.

Have a great free weekend and God Bless America