Ask and Be Surprised

September 19, 2007
Volume 2 Issue #3

Our oldest son, Andy, a 2nd year senior in college, is going to be a high school shop teacher.  We are not quite sure where he got his talent genetically, but we do know he will be a great teacher.  The time has now come (actually, its been here for awhile) for Andy to secure his student teaching position.

He had a problem, not so rare among 5th year college students he wanted to teach in a whole different part of the country (out West) and waited until 2 weeks before the deadline to find this position.  To find a location to teach and live, my wife/partner, Sarah, decided to help.  She got on the Internet and, in five minutes, had sent an email to everyone she knew explaining Andys need for a place to student teach and live (with, hopefully, his dog, truck, off-road vehicle, and tools).  Not a small order!

We were amazed at the response both in the amount of emails and phone calls we received and the quickness with which people jumped into action.  People all over the country offered to help.  They started calling their school contacts, offered him places to live, and made suggestions on how to proceed.

Here comes the real estate tie-in...

People often ask me about ways to promote their website.  One of the best ways to do it is to ask people you know to review your website, including suggestions to make your website better.  And, one of the easiest, fastest ways to do this is by sending an email to everyone in your address book that might be interested in your site. Pick a catchy subject title like I need help or Jeff Stone needs your help.  Ask for their input. (For help on doing this, just give me a quick call.)

What happens is All Good:

-People visit your website

-They are reminded you are in real estate

-They tell their friends about your site

-You get some great suggestions to make your site better

-Collaboration with those who are asked to help almost always improves your site and understanding of how it appears to others as well as being energizing to you

-People are flattered that you respect their opinion

-People buy into your business (they take an extra special interest)

-And, this technique of asking friends, clients, potential clients and contacts for help is a great way to promote and improve your business not only on the Internet but in every phase of the business.

So, what happened to Andy?  As it turns out, he discovered that after all of the fabulous response, that a little known technicality mandated that he teach in Upper Michigan where his university is located.  He was not happy!  However, he ended up with some great contacts and leads for next year when, hopefully, he is out of college and a real teacher. Oh, and I had the subject for this months newsletter!

Monthly Tech Tip- Review each link on your website at least once per quarter.  Look for 2 things:  1-Make sure each link actually works (the Internet is always changing and links move, change or become inoperative); 2-Make sure you truly want a visitor to go to the link you offerdo you really want your visitors being routed off your site or worse yet, going to a site that features by owners or your competitors?