Facebook Phone Faces An Uphill Battle In Emerging Markets

Facebook Phone Faces An Uphill Battle In Emerging Markets
Parmy Olson, Forbes Staff
Tech 4/03/2013 @ 6:57PM

Facebook is gearing up to announce a big, new phone product tomorrow. We don’t know what it will look like, but this is already good news. Facebook needs a tighter integration with smartphones if it wants to grow. It has also reportedly paired up with Android and HTC, which suggests low-cost phones.
That’s more good news. Facebook needs momentum in emerging markets, where smartphone sales are advancing at breakneck speed. With expectations high, Facebook’s stock closed up 3.3% in New York today.
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Now comes the tough part.
Facebook has to establish stronger international partnerships with mobile operators and app developers if it truly wants to advance its mobile prospects in emerging markets.
Take India. The country has Facebook’s third largest user base with 62.6 million users in January 2013, still representing just 5.4% of the country’s population. Meanwhile smartphone shipments to India grew by 75% in the second half of 2012 from the first half, and the country is the second biggest market for the Android operating system.
Plenty of room to grow. Yet Facebook could struggle to shop a more deeply-embedded mobile service in emerging markets, where local apps born on mobile platforms dominate the landscape. These are apps like WhatsApp and Nimbuzz that are not popular, but already have all-important, complex relationships with local carriers and even mobile developers.
Nimbuzz is one of India’s most popular mobile messaging services, claiming 150 million global users, with more than 60% in Asia and the Middle East. Chief Executive Vikas Saxena says that Facebook’s Messenger service is “pretty basic” considering it doesn’t have the kind of educational apps, multimedia messaging, discounted calling and app marketplace that his platform has.
“We have apps that are relevant to local society,” says Saxena, citing dating apps, and Chatroulette-like apps that are popular in local culture and countries like Saudi Arabia where greater social restrictions exist for young people, particularly young women. By contrast, he says, “Facebook is known for known friends.”
Another advantage that Nimbuzz and other native mobile companies have in emerging markets is their relationships with mobile operators. With credit and debit card penetration low in India, smartphone users typically buy apps through their telco billing system.
For now if you buy an app on Facebook’s App Center through a smartphone, you’re sent to either Google Play or Apple’s App Store to make your purchase. It is unclear if Facebook’s new phone products will offer operator billing systems to make it easier for users in emerging markets to buy apps, and Facebook did not respond to a request for comment.
Nimbuzz, headquartered in India, has spent the last few years forming partnerships in India’s byzantine telecommunications industry, and has subscriber billing in place for the country’s eight big telco firms. India is divided into 22 geographic service areas, known as circles, and while some telco companies have centralized systems, others are decentralised so that each “circle” exists as a separate entity.
“You have to talk to each of them” says Saxena, who has at least 10 Nimbuzz staffers tasked full-time with maintaining telco partnerships. “Then you have Yemen, Pakistan, Nepal. It’s mind-boggling complexity.”
Nimbuzz is not the only messaging app busy forming partnerships with international mobile operators. Messaging giant WhatsApp, estimated to have between 200 and 300 million global users, has also partnered with more than 10 international operators in countries like Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Chile, to be packaged into data plans those operators sell. Partnerships between messaging services and the carriers whose business models they are disrupting might seem paradoxical, but they are growing according to Ovum, and happening most often in Asia Pacific.
Researchers at Analysys Mason say that Facebook needs to become more native on mobile if it wants user engagement to grow. They also say that engagement could increase six-fold for Facebook if the social network becomes the default communication platform for calling, messaging and email on smartphones.
But becoming “more native” means Facebook needs to establish clear billing systems in local markets, which means striking relationships with local carriers. It also needs to offer more compelling features than the messaging companies that are already dominating emerging markets, like WhatsApp, Nimbuzz and KakaoTalk.
According to Nielsen, WhatsApp Messenger is the most popular app in India, followed by Facebook,. Nimbuzz comes in fourth place, but Facebook Messenger, which seems key to Facebook’s mobile future with its real-time chat and forthcoming VoiP functionality, comes in at 6th.
Keeping up with the messaging companies alone is enough to explain why a Facebook phone has been rumoured to have been in the pipeline for so long – since at least 2011. The shift towards more permanency on mobile phones is crucial for Facebook, but it won’t be easy in emerging markets.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2013/04/03/facebook-phone-faces-an-uphill-battle-in-emerging-markets/

100 of the Most Inspiring Business Videos on YouTube

YouTube is filled with inspirational videos of all types, including those created by businesses or individuals looking to inspire others to succeed. Let’s look at 100 of the most inspiring business videos ever placed on this site.

Great Inspirational Tips for Business Success

Take a look at these cool business inspiration clips.

1.   9 Steps to Achieve Any Goal – Isn’t it great to know that you can make your business and personal dreams come true in nine steps?

2.   ABCs of Success – A powerful strategy for personal and professional success.

3.   Are You Going to Finish Strong? – Amazingly inspirational speech from an amazing man.

4.   Biggest Business Mistake – Gain inspiration from this online marketer who wants you to learn from her biggest business mistake.

5.   Business Ideas and Inspiration – Feel inspired by these business ideas and tips for ways to succeed.

6.   How to Bring Inspiration into Your Business – Trusting your intuition to get the inspiration you need to make business decisions.

7.    Life=Risk – This video highlights the risks some of the world’s greatest talents took to find amazing success.

8.  Secret Formula for Business Success – A great video that explains a simple formula for business success that could motivate anyone to get up and moving.

9.  The Power of Goal Setting – This video offers four great techniques on how to set goals for success in business.

10.  Top 3 Lessons from Akio Morita – Check out tips from Evan Carmichael on how to find business success just like Sony founder Akio Morita.

11.  Trusting the Path of Life – Explore why finding inspiration in business always requires trusting your life’s path.

12.  Visualizing Riches – This quick clip from the DVD The Secret reminds us that we can achieve financial independence if we believe we can.

13.  Wealth in Business – Great tips on how to become a wise business person while making a living following your passion.

14.  When You Stop Dreaming You Stop Living – Great short motivational video on why it’s important to dream for what you want professionally and personally.

15.  Why You Must Act on Business Inspirations – Video encourages you to act on those hunches you get in business that often turn into goldmines.

Home Business Inspiration

Starting a home business can be a scary prospect. Luckily these videos were created to provide you with the inspiration you need to get your start.

16.  3HourWorkDay.com – Awesome inspiration to create your own work-from-home business.

17.   Business Money Inspiration – Money values from a young and successful home-based entrepreneur.

18.   Exercise and Have More Success in Business – Online marketing entrepreneur inspires viewers to exercising, explaining why it can provide a successful business state of mind.

19.  Finding New Business Ideas – Inspirational tips for prospective online home business entrepreneurs.

20.  Finding Work from Home Inspiration – A man gives his inspiration for starting his home business. It may inspire you too!

21.  Home Business Inspiration – This soothing video provides all of the inspirational quotes you need to start your home business.

22.  How to Make Money Online – Feel inspired to make money online without being scammed after watching this informative video.

23.  The Life of an Internet Marketer – Enjoy this uniquely-filmed video offering inspiration on starting a business as an Internet marketer.

24.  Work at Home Business – If you’ve been thinking about starting your own work from home business, this video may just inspire you.

25.  Secrets for Success – Finding inspiration in home business may require listening to these secrets.

26.  Story of Inspiration for Online Businesses – If you’re looking for inspiration in starting your own home business check out this great video.

27.  Young Entrepreneur – Get inspired by the success of 17-year-old young entrepreneur Christian Fioravanti who has had home business success for three years.

Humorous Business Inspiration

Sometimes a good laugh can be all the business inspiration you need, especially when that laugh is related to business!

28.  Business Joke – If you’re in the middle of a business brain fart and need a break, this joke will perk you right up.

29.  Conan O’Brien – This hilarious American Express commercial shows just how important the little details are in business.

30.  Damn Funny Video Conference – Remember, when you’re primping for a business video conference, make sure no one can see you.

31.  Drunk Business Meeting – Nothing like the drunk in the room to offer all the business insight you need. Pretty scary indeed.

32.  FedEx Conference Call – Okay, this one is just funny–nothing more.

33.  Finding Your Passion – Funny poem with quality inspirational advice for success.

34.  Follow Your Dreams – Learn how to follow your dreams in business and beyond with this hilarious inspirational video.

35.  Leadership Secrets from Santa Claus – This cute little video gives some great tips on how to become a business leader from Santa Claus.

36.  Motivation? Do You Have Any? – Hilarious clip on ideas to consider if you’re lacking motivation.

37.  No Excuses, No Regrets – A great video that focuses on leadership and success.

38.  The Most Inspirational Thing Ever Said – If you’re about to make a business decision you might regret, just click on this video clip for what not to do.

Inspirational Business Quotes and Poems

Quick quotes, phrases, affirmations and poems that inspire success.

39.  A Message for Big Dreamers – If you want to shoot for the stars in business and beyond, this video is a great watch!

40.  Be Remarkable – This great video offers amazing inspirational quotes for business and beyond.

41.  Create Your Best Year Ever – Steps to take to create your best year ever.

42.  Don’t Quit – Great poem explaining why you should never give up on your dreams.

43.  Dreams and Goals – Quotes to help you remember to always follow your dreams and push to achieve your goals.

44.  Dreams are Whispers from the Soul – Great quotes and music giving tips on how to follow your dreams.

45.  Inspiration for Success – Great affirmations to create the life and business you want.

46.  Inspirational Quotes for Business People – Inspiring quotes for anyone looking to succeed in business.

47.  Inspirational Words of Wisdom – Beautiful words of wisdom from legendary author Napoleon Hill to help you in business.

48.  Life Success, Inspiration, Manifestation and Visualization – More great affirmations of success.

49.  Keys to Great Success Affirmations – Reciting these affirmations could provide the inspiration you need to succeed.

50.  Life is Life a Cup of Coffee – This is an amazing story for business owners who feel disconnected from their passion.

51.  Success-Motivation-Inspiration – If you’re looking for success, motivation and inspiration in business, this is the video for you.

52.  Very Inspirational! – Great business inspiration quotes.

Motivational Speakers and Keynote Addresses

Great speakers with the gift of motivating success in business and life.

53.  Andrew Barden – Gain inspiration and learn specific small business marketing strategies from this business trainer.

54.  Andrew Smith – Great business inspiration from this entrepreneur.

55.  Andy Cohen – Funny motivational speech that discusses how magic in business creates success.

56.  Art Williams – His “Just Do It” speech is inspiring enough to make anyone want to push for their business ambitions.

57.  Dean Lindsay – Humorous keynote address at SPEAK! Conference from author Dean Lindsay on finding success in business.

58.  Garrison Wynn – Funny, insightful keynote from business relationship expert Garrison Wynn.

59.  Jack Canfield – Author of Chicken Soup for the Soul offers four amazing tips to inspire you toward wealth and success in business and life.

60.  John Bell – Find great business inspiration from this impressive motivational speaker.

61.  Mike Schlappi – Motivational speaker and top disabled athlete, Schlappi offers encouragement in business and life.

62.  Oprah Winfrey – Talk about inspiration! Oprah Winfrey, the queen of business, offered a heartfelt keynote address to Stanford graduates.

63.  President Barack Obama – Parts of President Barack Obama’s inspirational keynote address to students at Arizona State University.

64.  Randy Pausch – Amazing inspirational final lecture from Carnegie Mellon University Professor Randy Pausch before he died in 2008.

65.  Richard Branson – You can’t claim to have received real business inspiration until you get some from business guru Richard Branson.

66.  Steve Jobs – This great speech by Steve Jobs encourages young graduates to stay hungry and foolish while they hone in on professional aspirations and follow their passions.

67.  Tony Robbins – This speech title “What is an Extraordinary Life?” looks at how you define your personal and professional life.

68.  Wally “Famous” Amos – Great speech by the founder of Famous Amos Cookies and father of the gourmet cookie industry.

Pop Culture Inspiration

Clips from pop culture that have done a great job of motivating entrepreneurs.

69.  40 Inspirational Speeches – 40 great inspirational speeches in movies that can motivate any prospective entrepreneur–and it’s all crammed into 2 minutes!

70.  Amazing is Belief – Sports fanatics and business hopefuls could appreciate this high-energy inspirational ad for the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

71.  Any Given Sunday Speech – While this speech isn’t specifically business-related, it inspires you to fight through your challenges inch-by-inch.

72.  Evolve – This popular Gatorade commercial teaches us that we must constantly evolve in order to achieve greatness.

73.  Failure – This Michael Jordan Nike ad reminds us that even though the best fail, it is these failures that push them to succeed.

74.  Failure: The Secret to Success – This Honda commercial showcases a number of clips from individuals who used their failure to find success.

75.  Money Making – Will Smith offers inspiration and tips on how to find success and make money in business and beyond.

76.  Protect Your Dreams – Great inspirational talk given by Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) to his son in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness.

77.  Rocky Balboa Speech – Rocky gives his son a powerful speech about how to win and find success.

78.  What Do You Get Up For? – Cool Nike ad that reminds you that following your passions should get you up in the morning.

Success Stories

Nothing like a success story to show you what others have accomplished–and just what you’re capable of.

79.  14-Year-Old Millionaire – At the age of 14, Farrah Gray, born and raised in a housing project in Chicago, became a self-made millionaire. Truly inspiring!

80.  Bill and Dave – Recap of the remarkable success story of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard.

81.  Inspirational Business Stories – Brief video of business owners who have found success.

82.  International Success Stories – The brief story of successful international health food product company, Innocent.

83.  Most Inspirational and Motivational Video Ever – If this guy can find multi-million dollar success after bankruptcy, you can find success too!

84.  My Bathroom Buddy – Great story from the founder of the successful eBay business, My Bathroom Buddy.

85.  New Zealand Fresh Cuts – Sometimes inspiration requires hearing the story of someone who found great success before you.

86.  Real Life Success Stories – A compilation of success stories from business owners who now earn six and seven figures.

87.  Small Business Success Stories – These stories prove that starting your own succesful small business is possible.

88.  Sweet Treats Entrepreneurial Success – Learn how a fun hobby turned into a successful business.

89.  Teen Millionaires – If these teen millionaires can’t inspire you in business, no one can!

90.  Third World Small Business Startups – You don’t have to be from a developed country to find success in business.

91.  Young Millionaires Share Their Secrets – Another great inspiration video from young entrepreneurs who have successfully made millions.

Women in Business Inspiration

Women looking for business inspiration can visit these videos for the motivation the need.

92.  Feminine Energy and Success in Business – Woman business owner talks about how collaboration and feminine energy create business success.

93.  Inspiring Video for Women Entrepreneurs – Inspiring video clips and phrases from the Women Entrepreneurs Rock the World Event.

94.  Million Dollar Mom – This mom started her own million-dollar business–an inspiration for any woman.

95.  Mumpreneur – If you’re a woman looking for inspiration in starting your own business, this video (with a Part II follow up) will get you one your feet!

96.  Welfare to Millionaire – She went from welfare to becoming a millionaire–maybe she will inspire you to do the same!

97.  Why We Ladies Rock – This network marketing video shows just why ladies are dynamic and able to succeed in business. Very inspiring!

98.  Woman, Thy Name is Entrepreneur – Amazingly inspiring video on the evolving perceptions of women in business.

99.  Women Thriving in Business – Listen to women at this conference discuss how they found success in business in Part I and Part II of this video.

100. Yoga Stress Relief – Learn to relieve stress with these women to energize and inspire your business efforts.

All these “100 of the Most Inspiring Business Videos on YouTube” taken from http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1rA169

HBR – The Management Tip

January 29, 2013

Before You Write Anything, Know Your Readers

Communication is a two-way exercise. Without knowing something about your readers, you’ll rarely get your ideas across. Consider their goals and priorities and what motivates them. Depending on what your recipients value, your tone will change and so will your content. Highlight the things they care about most. If you’re writing a memo to colleagues, for example, consider how they’ll interpret what you’re saying based on their levels in the organization. Or if you’re responding to a client’s request for proposal, address every need outlined in the RFP — but also think about the client’s industry, company size, and culture. To make this easier, consider choosing an intelligent, non-specialist member of the audience — or invent one — and focus on writing for that person. Your message will be more accessible and persuasive to all your readers as a result.

Adapted from the HBR Guide to Better Business Writing.

4 Step Guide to Staying Productive During an Open House

4 Step Guide to Staying Productive During an Open House

Carrie Gable, Real Estate Virtual Assistant on February 17th, 2012

Hosting an open house can be a fun and exciting experience. On the other hand, unfavorable weather, a popular holiday weekend or even coincidence can result in few to no visitors. If you’re hosting an open house that turns out to be lonely, make use of that time to your advantage. There are plenty of things you could be working on, and many of them may the things you have difficulty finding time for in the first place. (Does social media, blogging or lead management ring a bell?) You can definitely use times like these to work when you’re already working.

Lead Management

You’ve invested a good amount of money in marketing and the results are worth it. You have been receiving a lot of internet leads and things are going pretty well. But with showings, contracts, paperwork, leases, social networking, closings and more paperwork, how will you possibly find the time to prospect or work those leads? During an open house, that’s when! If you’re anything like the modern real estate agents of 2012, you more than likely carry your smartphone, lap top, tablet (or all 3) everywhere you go. These tools will especially come in handy during an open house that is receiving less traffic than anticipated. Instead of waiting for visitors to walk through the door, take some time to work on your Internet leads!

Get Social

With everything you have wrapped up into just 24 hours, one of the things you may have a tendency to neglect is your social networking efforts. This can range from Facebook and Twitter to even your blog. While it may be hard to believe, hopping on your social networks during an open house can actually be dollar productive. Tweet about the open house. Facebook about how slow it is. Talk about the weather and how it’s such a great day for home searching. With the amount of people who are glued to their social networks, you may have some open house visitors who decided to show up just from seeing your post. The key here is not to waste time chatting with friends or “creeping” as the youngsters call it. This is the time to take advantage of everything you know about social media and put it to use. Like a few pages. Comment on the post made by the local hardware shop. Let your community know about an upcoming event.

Market, Market, Market

Maybe the reason why the open house isn’t getting much traffic is because the marketing efforts fell short. Or maybe there is no reason at all. Either way, there is no harm in going the extra mile to make sure the home has been marketed effectively for the best results. Hop on your laptop or tablet and run through the different sites the property has been listed with and where the information has been syndicated to. Open these different outlets and have them ready to show the sellers when they get home. While at first they may be upset that the open house resulted in few attendees, they will be reassured that this will not deter the sale of their home based on the extensive effort you put in to marketing the property. To take it even a step further, take some new photos of the home and showcase its best features. You can even swap the old photos with the new ones on the various marketing sites to switch things up, and keeping the home’s online presence updated and fresh.

Reach Out

Watching the hands on the clock can be pretty exciting. Or not. To avoid boredom to the point of destruction, make use of your downtime by getting in touch with your past clients. When was the last time you reached out to them, anyways? Whether it was just a couple of weeks or months, it’s never a bad time to let your past clients know they are still a priority to you. You never know…one phone call could lead to a new client. It is a buyer’s market, after all, and there’s a good chance one of your old clients may know someone who is in the position to buy. And since they’ve got you on the phone, who better to refer than their favorite realtor (you)?

There you have it! There’s nothing better than getting work done while you’re working right? You can even take this “killing two birds with one stone” method a step further with the help of your real estate virtual assistant.

Read more: http://blog.onlinedominance.com/4-step-guide-to-staying-productive-during-an-open-house/#ixzz1mtEcz0ZY

Follow These Steps to Starting a Business

Starting a business involves planning, making key financial decisions and completing a series of legal activities. These 10 easy steps can help you plan, prepare and manage your business. Click on the links to learn more.

Step 1: Templates for Writing a Business Plan

Use these tools and resources to create a business plan. This written guide will help you map out how you will start and run your business successfully.

Step 2: Get Business Assistance and Training

Take advantage of free training and counseling services, from preparing a business plan and securing financing, to expanding or relocating a business.

Step 3: Choose a Business Location

Get advice on how to select a customer-friendly location and comply with zoning laws.

Step 4: Finance Your Business

Find government backed loans, venture capital and research grants to help you get started.

Step 5: Determine the Legal Structure of Your Business

Decide which form of ownership is best for you: sole proprietorship, partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC), corporation, S corporation, nonprofit or cooperative.

Step 6: Register a Business Name (“Doing Business As”)

Register your business name with your state government.

Step 7: Get a Tax Identification Number

Learn which tax identification number you’ll need to obtain from the IRS and your state revenue agency.

Step 8: Register for State and Local Taxes

Register with your state to obtain a tax identification number, workers’ compensation, unemployment and disability insurance.

Step 9: Obtain Business Licenses and Permits

Get a list of federal, state and local licenses and permits required for your business.

Step 10: Understand Employer Responsibilities

Learn the legal steps you need to take to hire employees.

Mentors: A Young Entrepreneur’s Secret Weapon

You need a good idea. Startup cash can make a real difference. Business experience and savvy also help, of course. But to take advantage of the most powerful weapon an entrepreneur can have, find a mentor.

A good mentor helps you think through a business idea, suggests ways to generate that startup capital and provides the experience and savvy you’re missing. You’ll get praise when you deserve it and a heads-up when trouble comes — probably long before you would have noticed it yourself.

My grandfather who owned a memorabilia and antique shop in Vancouver, British Columbia, was a natural entrepreneur. He helped my brother Matthew and me launch our first successful venture: selling toy airplanes at a local festival when we were just seven and eight years old. With his help, we developed just the right marketing strategy — putting on a show with the planes that created excitement and a “wow” impact. We sold out of planes in just two hours.

Our first mentor was someone whom we trusted and who cared about our success. He had the knowledge and skills to keep us focused, and he knew a small early success would spur us on to more entrepreneurial attempts. Looking back, I realize he really engineered our first foray into business to build our confidence and help us understand what it’s like to work for ourselves. Even now, nearly 30 years later, Matthew and I find ourselves remembering his advice when we’re planning or making decisions.

Although few entrepreneurs are fortunate enough to have a keen mentor in the family, it is possible to find one or two. Here are eight tips to getting the right mentor — or group of mentors — for you:

1. Determine your needs. Keeping in mind that your mentoring needs will shift as you start and build your business, take the time to determine exactly what kind of mentor you want now. Are you having trouble with the numbers, understanding your market or operations? Are you ready to ramp up production or still playing with concepts? Build a wish list for your mentor — laying out what skills and support you need to get to the next step.
    
2. Take time to network. Networking isn’t just important for finding customers. It’s also vital for finding a mentor. Who do you want helping you? Someone who sits in an office and thinks connecting with the business community means reading a couple of magazines a month? No, you want someone who’s out there, knows the market and can point you in the right direction.
    
3. Listen more, talk less. Given your youthful enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, it may be hard to stay silent. But to find a mentor, you need to listen — a lot. Pay attention and you‘ll be able to separate the smart potential mentors from those who just use all the right words.
    
4. Be “mentorable.” If you come off as someone who knows everything — or thinks you do — many people will back away. If you want to learn, be willing to consider ideas that may not match your expectations or opinions. Above all, don’t fall victim to your own hype. Your business may or may not have serious problems, but another viewpoint will help you sort things out.
    
5. Remain flexible. You may have mentors who stay with you over the long haul, but you will also benefit from people who provide just an afternoon of insightful ideas. If you are fortunate enough to get time with someone who is rarely available, absorb all you can and take notes. Your mentor may be skilled only in one specific area, but that’s okay. All help is good help.
    
6. Don’t overlook nontraditional mentors. Some mentors may help you without their knowledge through books, seminars, speeches, videos on Ted, TV programs and the internet. My brother and I always looked to Richard Branson as one of our mentors. We don’t have to meet him in person to appreciate all he provides to entrepreneurs and others all over the world.
    
7. Thank your mentors. When people help you, intentionally or unintentionally, let them know. Mentors are not in it for the money; they just want to help others grow. Think about what you can do to let them know how much you appreciate them and their help.
    
8. Pay it forward. You may never be able to pay your mentors back, but you can recognize what they’ve done for you by becoming a mentor to others. That’s one reason we started YoungEntrepreneur.com: to support those who share our dreams and goals.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222694

Top 5 Qualities Successful Real Estate Agents Share

Successful realtors® do not happen overnight.  They happen because of their unbridled enthusiasm, unfailing determination and an insatiable desire to succeed.  They are hard working, diligent and consistent in all that they do and will not allow anything to deter their efforts.

Their success isn’t difficult to pinpoint, but it can be tough to recreate.   Unless of course, you pay close attention to a few of their shared traits.  Traits that are incorporated into the very fiber of their beings and woven into every conversation they have.

1.  Honest

This is number one on our list and should be at the top of yours for obvious reasons.  Honesty is not a quality a successful real estate agent can exist without.   While it would seem like a simple task to just tell the truth, there are certainly many thoughts that come to mind when you think of the “less than ethical salesperson.”

Honesty requires that you are upfront and transparent in all that you do.   Honesty is telling the truth, even when the truth isn’t pretty.  Honesty means that you conduct your business in a sincere and trustworthy manner at all times, no matter the consequences.

  2.  Passionate

Passion is a word tossed around so often these days, I fear it will become passé.  Passion is addictive.  It draws people to you as they sense the excitement you feel about what you are privileged to do everyday.

Successful real estate agents do not act like they are worn out, beaten down and kicked to the curb by the industry. Your enthusiasm is not some over-rated hype; it is undeniably one of the most important tools in any Realtors® arsenal.  It can and will make you indubitably attractive to those clients you wish to connect with.

  3.  Risk Takers

Building a business will not allow you to take a back seat to opportunity.  Building a successful business requires that you step out in faith and embrace the risk.  It is all about the risk and reward.

The greater the risk; the more willing you are to dive into the deep end of the pool….the greater your reward can be.

  4.  Tenacious

Successful real estate agents pick themselves up and dust off the fear; anxiety and self-loathing that seeped in from yesterday’s transaction.  They look rejection straight in the eye and roar into the day that can and will be.

Successful agents are resolute in what their vision of tomorrow should look like.  They are bold, brash and indifferent to the small voice in their head telling them to let it go, pack it up and move on.

  5.  Compassionate

Potential clients want to know that they are important to you.  They need to “feel” valuable and know that you respect their needs, wants and desires.  their opinion.  If you can give people what they want, they will provide you with what you need.

Successful real estate agents are creative, inspirational, sensitive, endearing, responsive and so much more.  What success skills have you learned over your career that you would pass along to others?

http://bhgrealestateblog.com/2012/01/16/top-5-qualities-successful-real-estate-agents-share/

 

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

From HBR’s 11 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2011

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently
by Heidi Grant Halvorson
Talent plays only a tiny role in your success; what really matters is what you do. This post has stayed on our most popular list for months.

1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. “Lose 5 pounds” is a better goal than “lose some weight,”

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it’s not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go. Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress

4. Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good. Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability.

6. Have grit. Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty.

7. Build your willpower muscle. Your self-control “muscle” is just like the other muscles in your body — when it doesn’t get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time.

8. Don’t tempt fate. No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it’s important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it you will temporarily run out of steam.

9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper?

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist, and author of the new book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (Hudson Street Press, 2011). She is also an expert blogger on motivation and leadership for Fast Company and Psychology Today. Her personal blog, The Science of Success, can be found at www.heidigranthalvorson.com. Follow her on Twitter @hghalvorson

For the Full article Click: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/02/nine_things_successful_people.html

Happy New Year! Your Revenues Are $0

Each year provides a clean slate and a chance to grab market share from competitors. Here are three tasks to get you started.

By Karl Stark and Bill Stewart |  @karlstark   | Jan 10, 2012

 

The New Year represents a clean slate for your business. You have the potential to completely change your financial and strategic position in 2012, taking market share and growing the value of your business. Instead of unachievable New Year’s resolutions, commit to doing these three things to prepare your business for growth in the year ahead.

1.     Determine the reasonable “run-off” of your business.

What would happen if you turned off your company’s growth engine? If your salespeople stayed home and you stopped all marketing, would you continue to bring in revenue in 2012? For some businesses, sales would dry up in a matter of months as the business worked through its backlog. In other businesses, sales to existing customers might continue for years.

It’s important to understand this projected “run-off” of your business so that you can set sales and marketing goals to drive sales above this level. How much of Starbucks’ sales are driven by caffeine junkies who religiously visit their stores? A lot. In this case, it’s important to measure marketing spend against the incremental sales it would generate, rather than total sales. This would explain why most of Starbucks’ marketing dollars are used for in-store campaigns rather than through expensive TV ads.

2.     “Zero-base” your market(s).

Your competitors are also starting the year with $0 in revenues, with varying levels of run-off. It’s important to understand how much of your market is “fully baked”—committed to you or competitors based on your strategic assets and other strengths—vs. market share that is in play. You’ll probably find that more market share is up for grabs than you think.

Here’s a historical example to show what we mean: Before U.S. automakers collapsed in the great recession, each year they would tout their market share and state that their goal was to increase share. We all know that they reached these market share goals largely by reducing price and increasing customer incentives—which destroyed profits. Achieving a market share of 30 percent in one year didn’t ensure a market share of 30 percent in the next, because most car buyers don’t purchase a vehicle every year. Automakers essentially enter a completely new market each year in which anyone can capture share.

What steps can you take to grab share that your competitors owned in 2011?

3.     Determine the strategic investments you need to make this year to create competitive advantage that will last into 2013 and beyond.

Even if you do grow your business in 2012, you’ll face the same challenge on Jan. 1, 2013.  So it’s a good idea to do some thinking now about the investments that will make your life easier into next year and beyond.

For example, what investments can you make this year to increase your market share and reduce that of your competitors? Maybe it’s making a key acquisition, investing in R&D, or increasing brand awareness. Identify these investments now so they can make an impact in future years—so you don’t have to work as hard next year.

http://www.inc.com/karl-and-bill/happy-new-year!-your-revenues-are-$0.html

4 predictions about 2012 real estate market

Mood of the Market

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Tuesday, December 27, 2011.

Inman News®

With 2012 nearly upon us, many of us will be spending this week reviewing the events of 2011 and setting resolutions, goals or visions for what we’d like to accomplish next  year.

It  will come as no surprise that the most common New Year’s resolutions  fall into the categories of getting organized and getting fit — physically and financially.

Financial fitness includes getting your real estate business in order. But  you can’t set up your real estate plans for the year in a  vacuum. They must be done in context of what’s going on in the market. Here are four predictions about what that market  context will look like in the coming year:

1. Even more foreclosures

While I’d like to claim crystal-ball credit for this one, it doesn’t take heightened powers of prediction to foresee an uptick in the  rate of home repossessions in 2012. Last fall’s robo-signing debacle  and the ongoing legal fallout from it created a massive backlog in the  foreclosure pipeline, meaning that banks are taking many months, even  years, to actually foreclose on mortgages in default.

Earlier this  year, the New York Times reported that the additional hurdles New York  state courts are requiring banks to leap in the wake of the robo-signing  revelations, like additional settlement meetings with the homeowner to  see if a modification can be brokered, have created a backlog of  foreclosures that it would take 62 years to clear, at the current rate  of foreclosure.

It’s  pretty clear that in 2012 and beyond, the banks will work through those  backlogs. The inevitable result will be an increase in foreclosures.

2. REOs and short sales will become the new normal

If  you even know anyone who has house-hunted in the past couple of years,  you’ve likely heard tales of the high-drama high jinks — super-long  escrows, first-time buyers being bested by investors’ cash offers, banks  resistant to negotiating for repairs — that take place in the course of  a distressed property sale.

In  the coming year, distressed home sales will continue to represent an  increasing share of homes on the market. So, buyers will shift from  considering whether  to buy a short sale to understanding that they must be educated and  prepared to do a deal with a seller, a bank (to buy an REO) or a hybrid  of the two (to buy a short sale) to access the full selection of homes  on the market.

This, in turn, will empower buyers to make smart  decisions about what to offer and what to expect on any listing they  like, as well as to set smart priorities and make realistic comparisons  between listings based on their own personal priorities around timing,  certainty and seller flexibility.

3.  So-called ‘smart cities’ will do well  

This year, a number of housing markets saw double- or even triple-dips  in home values. In others, pricing stayed relatively flat. However, in  areas where technology powers the economy, home values prospered along  with the industry. Silicon Valley real estate, for instance, saw fierce  competition among buyers as the young employees of companies that went  public like used their newly stocked bank accounts to buy their first  homes.

I recently talked with Jed Kolko, chief economist for real estate search site Trulia, and his 2012 forecast  was that so-called “smart cities” will continue to have hot real estate  markets next year. But Kolko defined smart cities much more broadly  than the California tech hubs. Other tech centers like Austin, Texas, and  the Massachusetts suburbs of Cambridge, Newton and Framingham all made  Kolko’s list, as did Rochester, N.Y. (a town known for its highly  educated, highly skilled work force).

4. Consumers will get ‘hopeless’ 

I mean hopeless in the best of all possible ways. For years, buyers and  sellers have been waiting for that singular event to occur that would  cause a quick market recovery. But 2012 will mark the fifth or sixth  year of the real estate recession, depending on who you talk to. I  predict that those consumers who have not already done so will drop  unrealistic hopes for a fast return to the heady real estate fortunes of  the subprime era.  Instead, people will make their real estate plans  based on:

• today’s low home prices, rather than the fantasy of what could happen if the market miraculously came back;
• assumptions of very low, or no, appreciation in home values for years to come; and
• very conservative estimates of their own finances and how they will grow.

As  a result, buyers won’t break their necks to hurry and buy before prices  uptick; rather, they’ll save and plan to buy when it makes the most  sense for their finances. Homeowners will do the same; they will either  refi, remodel and be content where they are for the long haul, or decide  their homes no longer fit their lifestyles and their finances, divest of  them and move on. But the good news is, people will make these  decisions based on what is or is not sustainable for their lives and  their finances, and not based on inflated hopes about what the market  will or will not do.

Tara-Nicholle Nelson is author of “The Savvy Woman’s Homebuying Handbook” and “Trillion Dollar Women: Use Your Power to Make Buying and Remodeling Decisions.” Tara is also the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com. Ask her a real estate question online or visit her website, www.rethinkrealestate.com.