Author: Jeff Brown (page 3 of 15)

Real Estate Investments Broker

October 10, 2010

Talent and Hard Work — Overrated? Do Results Factor In?

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Most marketing and branding efforts fail miserably. We all know a ton of so-called talented folks who’ve failed — and they worked their asses off. How’s that possible? I used to ask myself that question all the time. Then one day Dad pointed out a guy in the office who looked completely average. One might even say he blended into his surroundings. He made beige exciting.

He’d been a teacher for 20+ years, was in his 40’s, and had been licensed about three years. He was the fourth highest producer in terms of commission dollars in the highest volume real estate brokerage in San Diego. I was 16 at the time. Dad said to watch him and learn whenever I was cleaning the office. (I was company janitor.)

Watchin’ this guy was beyond boring. All he did was make practice calls to FSBOs. Then he practiced cold calling. Then he practiced listing presentations. Then he practiced showing property — all in the office. It was irritating. His name was Bob, and since I was still in school at the time, I could only imagine how terminally bored his students must’ve been.

In his third year, 1967, he made over $35,000. To put that in perspective, the median income for the nation then was about $7,500 or so. In today’s figures, and adjusting for currently available splits, his earnings would be roughly $700,000. More about Bob later.

Many times after monthly TechTard meetings adjourn, I walk across the hall to attend similar get-togethers with those equally handicapped in the disciplines of marketing and branding. No real point here, except to establish street cred when it comes to my lack of expertise when it comes to these subjects.

For the purpose of this post we’ll leave out selling, which is a stand-alone skill, generally not reliant on marketing or branding. Yeah, I realize bad marketing or branding can significantly hinder selling.

I hereby publicly plead guilty to multiple counts of Marketing By the Seat of My Pants, and Branding By Default.

If you know how to sell, great. If you suspect you could improve, do so. Read more

October 2, 2010

Giving a .150 Hitter More At-Bats Only Leads To More Runners Left On Base

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

The title is an analogy — for the .150 hitter, substitute a real estate agent who couldn’t sell a house for a nickel to a homeless person — and for ‘runners left on base’ a sales board filled with prospects but no sales. Though unmentioned, it’s the manager penciling the .150 hitter into the lineup on a daily basis, who gives him 4-5 at-bats game after game. Continuing the analogy, the ‘manager’ in real estate in this case is technology, which often gives .150 hitters far more opportunities to strike out with the bases loaded.

What managers learn early on, that is if they wish to remain managers, is that continually sending .150 hitters up to the plate with runners in scoring position leads to losin’ a bunch more than winnin’ — the last loss being their job.

Just as .150 hitters often think more at-bats will improve their average, real estate agents often believe that if they only had the technology to give them more at-bats, they’d be drivin’ a Ferrari in no time.

This is what passes for wisdom in the world of real estate brokerage.

The reality is that the lousy hitter needs to learn how to hit, and the starving real estate agent needs to learn how to sell. Why is that concept so elusive?

BawldGuy Axiom: The next time you master a skill by continually doing it wrong, but more often, will be the first. Duh

A Simple Example

As a hitting coach in youth baseball for several years, I learned to spot the flaws in hitters’ swings. We had a strong kid join our team in the middle of the season once, who wanted with all his heart to be a great hitter, but had never been taught. He struck out over half the time, and weakly popped up or grounded out otherwise. His mom told me he’d never been actually coached, one on one. After practice that day, Mom looking on, I had a couple of our pitchers throw him fast balls right down Main St. After about 20 swings, he was frustrated. Turns out more Read more

September 25, 2010

BarCamps — Trust Us — It’ll Be Worth Trashin’ Your Day?

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

First of all, I generally like and support the concept of RE BarCamps. I attended the first one, held in San Francisco a few years ago. Before making plans to attend, I knew about who would teach what, in loose terms. If memory serves, Brad Coy and Andy Kaufman set up and hosted that first BarCamp.

When the NAR national convention was here in San Diego last year, I went to that one, more to see folks from around the country than anything else. Recently, I attended one in Orange County. There were a lotta ‘names’ there, some who taught classes, some just attending like me.

The concept from where I stand is taken directly from where Dad was educated his first several grades in school — the one room schoolhouse. (And yes, he said it was red. 🙂 ) What sets BarCamp apart from the ‘one room’ concept is that there’s no one teacher in charge, with full authority to control what goes on. What makes it much like the OldSchool approach is the dynamic of students teaching students. In this case, real estate agents teaching their peers.

A Minor Criticism

C.A.R. Expo is in Orange County the week of October 4th, just a 90 minute jaunt up I-5 from me. The day before it begins in earnest, there’s a BarCamp. I have no idea whatsoever who’s gonna be teaching, or, no kiddin’, even what’s gonna be taught.

Not makin’ that up. I’ve always known at least the roughed out list of topics to be taught, and who was gonna be leading those time blocks.

I’m willin’ to be part of the OldFart Brigade, as at 59 I’m certain to be hugely above the median age of attendees. But seriously, this ain’t my first rodeo — and I’m not some dinosaur who’s refused to adapt to the online world. It’s not as if Tony Gwynn was puttin’ on a baseball BarCamp without any details.

If I was a major leaguer and Tony was hosting/teaching at a baseball BarCamp, what the hell else would I need to know in order to attend? Read more

September 18, 2010

Find Your Passion? Make Money From It? Gimme A Break

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Every time I hear or read someone espousing the ‘find your passion’ mantra (Or should I say script?), my knee jerk reaction is to roll my eyes, sigh melodramatically, and wonder what percentage of these people are chanting that catchphrase to convince themselves and not you and me. Try this — being brutally honest, count how many people you know, first hand, who are literally passionate about what they do for a living.

I can name one — Grandpa. He’s long gone, but his two careers were marked by his love and passion for both. I maintain his case is anomalous. In my life I’ve had a passion for an avocation, baseball — specifically umpiring. I couldn’t believe they paid me for doing it. Whether I was on some forlorn diamond at the God forsaken hour of 9 AM on a Sunday morning for a bunch of 20-somethings with six fans in attendance, or a post season college game with a few thousand partisans watchin’, I loved it. It mattered not to me if it was a Little League game or a Pac 10 contest, the thrill was always there.

Still, it’s been my personal experience and first hand observation that easily over 95% of us aren’t that kind of passionate about what we do.

Yet I maintain, speaking only for myself, that I have a work related passion that keeps me goin’ beyond any desire to generate income. Furthermore, I think I may be in a large minority, if not the majority.

The passion I enjoy for my work has little to do with the work itself — though I’ll admit there are parts of it I thoroughly enjoy and even gleefully anticipate. But for the most part? I don’t love my work. And I’m betting you don’t either. We don’t hate it, at least most of it, but we don’t wake up in the morning excited that the Lord gave us another day to mess with those folks attached to our business who seemingly exist only to make our lives miserable. And no, I’m not talkin’ about our clients Read more

September 7, 2010

The Goal of Achieving…Goals

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

“But a deed cannot be both wise and unintended.” Greg Swann

Substitute goal for deed, and it’s still a profoundly affecting thought. In the context of Greg’s post, one could reasonably assume deed could be construed as goal.

The thrust of the post talks about the tactic of exposing your goals to the ‘public’, or at least a person(s) you know. The thinking is that you will tend to be more motivated by the fear of others knowing you not only failed, but failed by lack of commitment or best effort.

Clearly their are two schools of thought on this.

One is the unstated but obvious conclusion that using fear in a positive manner, as a motivator, will keep some folks on track to achieve the announced goal. Others go farther than a mere announcement — they set up fiercely painful penalties for failure. One such case was the woman who’d failed spectacularly time after time to lose weight which was life threatening.

Apparently she gathered her closest friends together to tell them the penalty for failure — running naked down the street in front of her neighbors. In other words, she established a penalty so severe, that would cause so much pain, her motivation to avoid the pain superseded her motivation to extend her life by losin’ the damn weight.

Though not my approach, whatever works, right?

As I commented in Greg’s post, I am in some ways, almost, but not quite against my will, my father’s son. I’m a pretty private guy, but he was extremely so. When he set goals his wife was fortunate to be in the know. Not kidding.

It was his preference, and now mine too, that if one doesn’t have a strong enough desire to bring about what the achievement of any particular goal brings, they shouldn’t set the goal in the first place. It’s not a value judgment on others. It’s like losing weight, gettin’ in shape, and eating a healthy, well rounded diet. There’s no one correct way.

I believe in keepin’ my personal and business goals to myself because I don’t set goals Read more

September 5, 2010

“Hi, My Name Is Jeff, and I’m a TechTard” – “Hi Jeff!”

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Back in the day I was in a perpetual state of frustration when it came to pretty much anything hi-tech. Not only because I couldn’t use it, or that it almost always failed to deliver anything close to the multiple miracles promised, but because I simply couldn’t understand — at almost any level. Outside of the computer in general, obviously the all-time best hi-tech tool for real estate agents, most of the so-called technological breakthroughs have been anything but.

I first used a computer effectively on the job back in 1987 or so. Leased an IBM 286 with a proprietary program installed. It allowed me to download property files via DataQuik using a phone connection. The only other task for which it had any value whatsoever was writing, and printing for mass direct mailings. The printer was a tractor feed. More fun than a hayride. 🙂

Lookin’ back, that piece a crap ‘puter was the best bang for the buck with which technology ever blessed me ’till about a decade later. You know the chronology after that.

What’s really happened though in the last 15 years or so? Sure, a buncha software has made our jobs incrementally easier. Don’t mistake that last sentence to mean I’m downplaying the value of a lotta those ‘incremental’ timesavers — I’m not. But real bona fide breakthroughs? Show me.

Agreed, getting leads online at the astounding rate some do, is indeed magnificent.

I guess what I’m tryin’ to say, and poorly at that, is if we look back at technology’s so-called breakthroughs, they pretty much, with the obviously rare exceptions, mimic the invention of the backhoe. Shovels could be engineered to the nth degree. Digging techniques could be honed to efficient perfection. Backhoes did the work of many men, more quickly, and uniformly. Though the backhoe isn’t nearly as versatile as the computer, you get the idea.

Here’s a technological game changer for me. My first set of hearing aids, bought five or six years ago, were digital, and pretty much state of the art back then. They reopened a world I’d almost forgotten. It was Read more

September 3, 2010

Update – Adapting To a New Reality – Some Results

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

To some in real estate brokerage, hearing the ‘R’ word — that would be results, causes them the same stress as my son’s mom felt the first time she read his lips on the mound, and didn’t like it one little bit. She didn’t buy my explanation that he was talkin’ about the umpire’s new truck. Go figure.

When agents are talkin’ about what they’re doin’ to generate business, helpin’ more clients to achieve their goals, things get quiet when some jackass wants to know how it’s workin’ out for them. In other words, has any of their prospecting or marketing, you know, produced empirical results? Are they helping more people?

I’ve been writin’ a lot lately on the changes in marketing, and strategy I’ve been implementing this year. It generally breaks down into two broad brush categories — my local market — the rest of the country.

I’ve now been back in my local market for three weeks. Cat skins are now adorning my special wall. It’s a new wall, specifically set aside exclusively for local cats. In the few weeks in which talkin’ has turned into walkin’, my firm has put $500K into escrow. Considering I’m not even outa second gear yet, $15,000 ain’t bad for the first month.

I’ve had to adapt to what I’ve described as the new normal, (don’t like sayin’ paradigm shift) in the real estate investment world. It’s gained traction big time with thinking investors who realize, in fact, we’re not in Kansas any more, and unlike Dorothy, it’s pretty unlikely we’ll return any time soon. Some of what I’ve been sayin’ the last year or so about the general real estate investment arena might be considered tough love. Still, the folks with whom I love doing business, believe what I’ve been saying is universally true.

The takeaway here is that I’ve had to adapt — many times, on many fronts in the last seven years. Not all of my changes have been successful, but the ones that failed pretty much showed me where the right path was.

I’m already thinkin’ my new office is too Read more

August 28, 2010

“The Next Time You Actually Work 40 Hours In a Week Will Be the First”

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Note: This post isn’t aimed at the (IMHO) 10-20% of the real estate agent population who, day in and day out, work hard, effectively, and with massive purpose.

Dad, ‘FDB’ to some of his friends and family, said those exact words to me a few months after I’d gone from part time agent/student, to real estate full time. He wasn’t one to sugarcoat his words. Silly me, I not only protested like a stuck pig, I gave examples of how hard I’d been workin’.

22 year olds can be exceptionally clueless at times. 🙂

Mind you, in 90 days of hard 40 hour weeks I’d produced exactly one damning goose egg on the listing/sales board. I now know what Dad was talkin’ about, cuz a 14 year old C- student could put something on the listing/sales board after 12 hard working 40 hour weeks. It’s seriously not possible to get shut out workin’ that many rigorous hours week in and week out for a full quarter.

The trick is to be honest about how you’re defining hard, effective, work.

It’s not what you tell everyone else either. Imagine your husband/wife is in the room with you. Now how hard are ya workin’?

I’ve never understood this, even though I was guilty of it myself. Dad busted me for constantly gettin’ ready to get ready, to do something really lame, that wouldn’t produce squat anyway. Why do people get licensed only to pretend to work, then complain about how bad the market is, or the rest of the litany we’ve all heard — or uttered ourselves.

Lord knows I’ve put in my share of overtime over the years. But I’m hear to tell ya, with rare exception, those who work at doing what gets them in front of serious buyers/sellers and/or doing what gets those buyers/sellers where they wanna go, don’t hafta work wicked long hours to make an exceptionally good living. If you like working longer hours for whatever reason, good for you — and your bank account. But you can earn six figures workin’ 40 hours.

It’s like diggin’ 4′ X 6′ Read more

August 17, 2010

Nobody Cares About Your M.O. ‘Till They See It’s Skinnin’ Cats Big Time

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

In almost every baseball game you’ll ever see, there comes a point when the starting pitchers run into a situation on which the game’s outcome will likely pivot. Take last night for instance — the Padres/Cubs game in Chicago. Padre’s starting pitcher Keven Correia had a rocky first inning. The first two batters hit safely, resulting in men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, and the heart of the order now due up.

Nobody scored.

Kevin went on to pitch shutout ball ’till lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. That first inning could’ve gone either way. But he skinned that cat in short order. He’s not Bob Gibson, in that he can’t overpower hitters. He gets batters out the old fashioned way — by pitching, not throwing. When the season’s over, Kevin will have won 13-15 games, a total which is distinctly in the upper echelon of major league results.

HIs fastball can be hit by high school players if not located well. His curveball reminds nobody of Sandy Koufax. Yet he keeps skinnin’ more of his share of cats. Why? Cuz even though his ‘stuff’ ain’t hall of fame caliber, he knows how to make the best of what he has, and consistently does what all winning pitchers do, regardless of what they’re throwing. He disrupts batters’ timing. I know this first hand, as I had the pleasure of havin’ the dish once when he was a junior college pitcher in San Diego.

It ain’t rocket science– but a helluva lot easier said than done. It’s analogous to success in real estate brokerage. Those who do what produces consistent results — skin the most cats — win. And to quote all of our grandpas, ‘there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

Last Thursday I wrote a post about a guy on the east coast who’s been skinnin’ cats at a pretty impressive clip, almost all on the buyer side. (He’ll close 70 sides this year.) Exclusive of any referrals, 100% of his business comes directly from his online efforts, which generate about 7-8,000 leads Read more

August 12, 2010

If You Were This Guy, What Would You Do?

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Had a nice conversation with an agent on the east coast recently who’s a world class buyer’s agent. He has his own site that sending roughly 7-8,000 leads his way each year. From those he picks the cherriest of the cherry, giving the rest to his assistant. He sells anything from a $100k place to cool houses whose price tags require a couple commas. I got the impression most of his stuff is $400k and above, though not much above, at least as an average.

Anyway, the guy’s wicked smart, knows what he’s doin’ backwards and forwards, and does very, very well. He expected to be at roughly 70 closed sides by the end of the year. Again, his website spits out leads like Grandma used to make muffins.

Talking with agents like him is a treat, mainly cuz they’re not only good, and work hard, but they get it. Big time smart.

I asked him why he’d never pursued being a dominant lister.

I asked cuz he’s such a natural, he’d kill. Agents like him can leverage the combination of their superior online skills and agent experience into a tremendous pay raise while keeping the hours level or even reducing them if preferred. For instance, my guess is Russell Shaw, who’ll probably do (my estimate, not his) 5-700 sides this year, works 30-50 hours weekly. Not sure how those sales fall into listing/buyer sides, but I’d wager more than a six pack of Dr. Pepper that 70% of ’em or more are listing sides. I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m mistaken. 🙂

Back to the east coast guy.

He’s been at this for a decade or so with stellar results. That’s a lotta sales. A buncha homeowners who’re in their homes due to his efforts. They like him, and view him as an experienced, knowledgeable pro. Geez, I dunno, given a built-in database of roughly 500-700 satisfied homeowners, one might wonder if marketing your equally cool listing prowess might have some traction.

Just sayin’.

Let’s say it’s just 500 or so. He already ‘touches’ them with emails once or twice yearly, though Read more

August 10, 2010

What Do We Know? Be Like a Monkey On a Cupcake

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Know: Be absolutely certain or sure of something.

Certain: Established without doubt. Complete conviction about something.

Sure: Having no doubt that one is right.

How much do each of us know about what we do? How much do we know about increasing the number of people we’re able to talk with about what we do? How certain are we of the results we’ll get when we set out to execute a particular marketing/prospecting strategy? Are you sure what you’re doin’ and the money you’re spendin’ are gonna produce the expected results?

Kinda puts a different spin on things, doesn’t it?

BloodhoundBlog is all about results. Whether it’s about technology, marketing, some sorta prospecting, software apps — we’re about what gets our clients exactly where they wanna be. As I’m fond of saying, the rest is happy talk.

From the bottom of my heart, no offense intended, but if you’re a recipient of leads fallin’ from some RainMaker into your computer — this post ain’t for you. This is for those who create somethin’ outa nothin’ — the RainMakers themselves. You create the business where before you did whatever you did, there was none. You’re a full time real estate agent or broker. You’re in the trenches every day by choice.

Who knows that whatever they’re gonna do tomorrow, next week, next month, to generate new business, is gonna work?

Who knows?

The other day I was asked very politely by a young real estate agent if I’d be willing to have a cuppa coffee with her at StarBucks — her dime — to talk about why she’s not coming within shouting distance of hittin’ her 2010 goals. Sensing the advantage, I negotiated for a couple oatmeal raisin cookies. Deal.

We’ve met, had the conversation, identified problems, and fortunately also singled out a solution or two. She admitted to having little if any confidence in what her office manager has told her to do. Fair enough. We figured out what she knew would work. She’s pretty excited.

If you’re not doing as well achieving those lofty goals you set between Christmas and New Year’s, what’s the Read more

August 1, 2010

The Holy Grail of Real Estate Marketing: What Actually Works?

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

The only thing this marketing ignoramus can say with unshakeable confidence, is that marketing ain’t sales. The rest I’m not all that sure about. Though to be fair, the more I read, the more I’m confused. So many of those who put bread on the table giving marketing advice, disagree vehemently with each other on so many aspects of their trade. But that’s true in most disciplines, right?

Anywho, the more I read, observe, and try to understand about real estate marketing, the more I wanna ask the one question I think is almost never asked.

Is your marketing, whether in-house or from outside, producing bottom line, as in ‘your banker is happy to see you’ kinda results?

Since I generally couldn’t market my way out of a wet paper bag, I tend to use what works, discarding the rest. I suspect some of what I have discarded, failed due to my poor execution rather than bad marketing advice. Though Lord knows, I’ve paid for some pretty worthless counsel. Here’s what’s on my new menu.

Direct mail

Warm calls following direct mail

Blogging

IDX on company website

Seminars directed at ‘house’ agents — i.e. Rainmaker concept

What’s the Holy Grail of real estate marketing?

For my sake, let’s not make it too complicated. It’s marketing that predictably delivers wicked good bottom line results.

Did I say results? I meant results measurable in terms of increased bank deposits, not mountains of ‘leads’. Man, if there’s a marketing term that’s pretty much lost any real meaning these days, it’s ‘lead’. I’m surprised there isn’t a statue somewhere in homage to the lead. If there was any justice, it’d be the statue sportin’ the most pigeons.

Let’s really trash what seems to be the prevailing concept of leads while we’re at it.

Have you noticed how most marketing people want you to base the success of any real estate marketing system they tout, upon the quantity of leads, instead of increasing sales? Don’t get me wrong, they tell us sales will go up, but for the most part they’re sellin’ ways to generate leads. To be fair, their logical retort is that Read more

July 30, 2010

An Offer of Thanks and Some Encouragement – Fillin’ Barns

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

As is likely true for most readers, though hard work, a constant learning curve, and a little luck have combined well for me, it was mentors selflessly adding new possibilities to my menu who made so many positive outcomes even possible. They showed me where the pockets of light were in the dark times — and, more importantly, where the light switches were. How to leverage new skill sets and knowledge into useful and productive results for clients. But most of all, to become a mentor whenever possible. I’ve done this, if only to honor the frequent detours of their valuable time on my behalf.

All of them are gone now.

When thinking of them, which is often and fondly, a feeling of tremendous gratitude and a bit of frustration wash over me. Though I routinely thanked them for their priceless gifts, there’s always that nagging frustration — somehow I could’ve shown more gratitude. The lessons imparted weren’t limited to the nuts ‘n bolts of being a real estate investment broker. One thing they shared was the core belief that regardless of the times, those who kept plowin’ the fields, day in, day out, would always have their barn filled with enough, if not a surplus, come harvest time.

That one nugget of wisdom has kept me talkin’ to the mule, while plowin’ the field far past sundown more times than I can remember. I’ve not once been let down when it came time to bring in the harvest. That surely doesn’t mean there weren’t years when hamburger helper wasn’t a staple. It meant that I was still standing — ready to compete when the excrement stopped hittin’ the whirling blades. I learned as a young man that sometimes winning/success = survival. For many these days that’s surely the reality.

None of us are immune, most of us have been there, done that. But to those who’re experiencing their first go-round in this kinda rodeo, I offer heartfelt encouragement.

Grandma was right when she told you to keep your head down, and keep workin’ hard ‘n smart one day at a time. Read more

July 23, 2010

Gettin’ Listings Sold – Playin’ Hide the Pea

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

I’ve never really cared much about the infinite number of sites ‘marketing’ listings for real estate agents. It’s always struck me as oversold at best, and a con at worst. I’ll let you gentle readers gimme your experience in the comments section. I have done a kinda sorta poll in the last 10 days or so. The question was — How many sold listings do you attribute to any of the various sites that do that sorta thing? Mostly I was greeted with a whole buncha silence, though some immediately admitted not knowing.

This question began to bug me about 18 months ago as I was headin’ towards the return of my firm to our local San Diego market. I’m gonna be a lister for the most part — can’t help it, it’s in my DNA. My dad always said it was one of the ways to keep my ManCard. 🙂 Actually, those who know me assume I won’t be showing houses, as my son will be representing buyers who can’t get started in investment property, but can own as cheaply as they can rent — another post altogether. I’m more than happy for him to be on the road. 🙂

As I was sayin’, in January of 2009 I was wondering how effective these sites really are when the Firestones kissed the pavement. The answers most agents finally gave me were exactly what I’d expected — they use them to get listings. Potential sellers are impressed like Little Leaguers at their first big league game when they see that Larry Lister from TopProducer Real Estate will be putting their home on 3,058 different sites — and by Saturday to boot. Boy, does that guy know how to market, or what?!

Um, I opt for ‘what’. This declaration of implied marketing savvy, also implies the agent is a techie of the first degree. Geez, does he leap tall buildings in a single bound too?

Wanting to find out for myself, I did a little experiment with the first local listing I’d taken in about six years. No sign — no fancy stand-alone websites Read more

July 22, 2010

Some Observations From a Crappy Blogger Who Can Barely Spell SEO

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Though most of this post won’t necessarily be tech related, it’s probably wise for me to credibly establish by TechTard credentials. I’ll do it quickly by tellin’ a story on myself back when I was a beginning blogger. My marketing guys said, “Hey, this blogging thing looks to be real. You should do it, cuz you know stuff. Can you write?” And a blog was born. My first post was published, quickly followed by my first ever comment. It wasn’t really a comment though, as some of the text made my cursor turn into a hand. What the hell?! It was a trackback (ping?) from none other than Greg Swann at Bloodhound Blog. I literally was in a panic cuz I thought I’d been hacked. How did they get into my blog?! Betcha my marketing guys from back then are still laughin’ their asses off.

I know a bit more techie stuff these days, but not much more. So there you have it — I’m a legit, card-carryin’ TechTard.

OK — Let’s start with SEO, if only so we can leave it first. 🙂

I use key words in my posts mostly cuz I need to in order to make the damn thing readable, not for juice. Check out my page rank, then tell me, cuz I don’t have a clue what it is, nor do I give a damn. Most decent bloggers readin’ this draw traffic orders of magnitude more than I do. They also, most of ’em, get more comments on their average post than I do in 10.

Please tell me how much money real estate bloggers earn per comment, I’m curious. How much more do they earn with 10,000 readers a month compared to the guy who doesn’t average 1,000? 10 X more? Go ahead, make my day, say yes. 🙂 What a buncha hooey. Does SEO work to generate more ‘traffic’? No doubt. When driving, don’t we avoid traffic? 🙂 Those extra cars don’t get us to where we’re going any faster, do they? No — they’re just traffic muddling up our commute. They don’t care where we’re Read more

Author: Jeff Brown (page 3 of 15)

Talent and Hard Work — Overrated? Do Results Factor In?

by Jeff Brown

Giving a .150 Hitter More At-Bats Only Leads To More Runners Left On Base

by Jeff Brown

BarCamps — Trust Us — It’ll Be Worth Trashin’ Your Day?

by Jeff Brown

Find Your Passion? Make Money From It? Gimme A Break

by Jeff Brown

The Goal of Achieving…Goals

by Jeff Brown

“Hi, My Name Is Jeff, and I’m a TechTard” – “Hi Jeff!”

by Jeff Brown

Update – Adapting To a New Reality – Some Results

by Jeff Brown

“The Next Time You Actually Work 40 Hours In a Week Will Be the First”

by Jeff Brown

Nobody Cares About Your M.O. ‘Till They See It’s Skinnin’ Cats Big Time

by Jeff Brown

If You Were This Guy, What Would You Do?

by Jeff Brown

What Do We Know? Be Like a Monkey On a Cupcake

by Jeff Brown

The Holy Grail of Real Estate Marketing: What Actually Works?

by Jeff Brown

An Offer of Thanks and Some Encouragement – Fillin’ Barns

by Jeff Brown

Gettin’ Listings Sold – Playin’ Hide the Pea

by Jeff Brown

Some Observations From a Crappy Blogger Who Can Barely Spell SEO

by Jeff Brown

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Inventing Real Estate 2.0

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