August 28th, 2008
Introducing “Field Best Practices”
Here at Agent Field Guide we invite you to check out a new series of posts designed to identify tools that can make you more successful. In the Field Best Practice posts we’ll identify necesary tools and programs and give you the information needed to put them to use. As I think forward to possible posts I imagine some will be obvious, others obscure and probably even a few that are bizarre. They might not all work for your business but we’ll put them in the context of real estate and give you direction on how to put them to work.
August 26th, 2008
Digital Photography and You!
It has been said that a picture says a thousand words but does that also apply to digital photography?
Helping agents manipulate their digital pictures on a regular basis, I’ve seen a pattern. One of the beauties of a digital picture is that it doesn’t cost anything; one photo has the same production cost as 1000. Because digital photography is a relatively new phenomenon many people use their digital cameras like they would have used a film camera. With a film camera you find your best vantage point and take one, maybe two shots and move on. You wouldn’t want to waste your film and have to pay to have it printed. Same agent now has a digital camera; problem is that their habits don’t change with the new medium. Stop being an amateur and “shoot like a pro.” When was the last time you sat next to a professional photographer and watched their technique? They constantly take pictures. Of those hundreds of pictures some turn out bad, some okay, and occasionally they get a great shot. We should all use that same technique when taking pictures of houses. If you take 20 shots of the front of a house from 20 different angles and exposure settings, you’re bound to get a great one.
So to bring this full circle, if a picture says a thousand words, say a couple hundred thousand!
August 25th, 2008
Welcome to Agent Field Guide
Thanks for checking out Agent Field Guide. As the name implies this site is designed to be a resource where you can find frank answers about the tools that are available to agents today. Brian and I bring an objective eye to the technology and marketing programs offered in the industry. We aren’t agents but we spend our working hours leading agents through the murky waters of the ‘08 real estate market. In our experience we’ve seen both Bull and Bear markets. We’ve seen a lot of agents make it and agents fail. Through these experiences we’ve developed an inventory of skills needed by successful agents, brokers and support staff. Agent Field Guide was created in the spirit of sharing that message and filtering out what tools and practices will hold you back and which tools will propel you forward. We welcome an open discussion throughout our site. Our ultimate goal is to make your business more successful and turn your clients into enthusiastic evangelists of your professional services. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to keep it fun and entertaining too!
August 15th, 2008
Added Value
Figured I’d do the obligatory first post. To many of the people who may read this, the first and most important thing you need to remember is that some of the things discussed on this blog may or may not apply to you and your business. Your clients should be the determining factor for implementation of a new idea or system. If your clients will not see any added value, then maybe spending time and money on a particular subject discussed is not applicable to you.
That being said, The Agent Field Guide is designed to help agents improve their business and provide more value to their clients.
I’d also like the thank Mike Rahmn and Justin Waskow for getting The Agent Field Guide up and running.