It was about this time last year while attending a meeting of Royal LePage brokers that I asked the question, “What about this blogging thing?”
I’ll admit I knew little about it, and frankly, the whole idea struck me as a bit silly. At the time, I could hardly imagine what I’d write about and I was certain that the number of people I could actually reach would be limited. To my way of thinking, it would surely be a waste of time.
Undeterred by my skepticism, one of my colleagues insisted that I’d be missing the boat in a big way if I didn’t give it a go. “It’s the way internet marketing is going Norm,” Wendy informed me. With that I returned home, still feeling lukewarm to the idea but convinced that I should at least give it a try.
I scoured the internet seeking out real estate blogs, reading posts wherever I could find them. Within about eight week’s time the Saskatoon Real Estate Resource Centre Blog was born. I fumbled about, doing my best but feeling like a fish out of water as we often will when we’re experimenting with something new. Eventually, I found my footing and my voice. My little online community began to develop and discussions ensued. It started to “feel right,” though I wasn’t sure why.
Over my 14 years as a REALTOR®, most of my business has come from my personal connections, and those whom I’m introduced to through that little circle. This year, I’ve found countless opportunities with people I’ve never met. Oddly, many of them seem to feel as though they’ve met me. Building rapport seems to be a snap and it’s like a higher level of confidence and trust is already there. It still feels a little strange, but it is nice.
Here’s an email I received just a few weeks ago that really speaks to the potential of blogging when it comes to building relationships.
“Hey Norm, I found a house that looks pretty solid and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be making a bid on it. The realtor I was using is away on vacation this whole month and hasn't responded to my email about it (I guess he's not checking email while on vacation). In any case, I've really appreciated the information you've provided me which has actually given me a lot of confidence to go forward with this purchase. As such, I wouldn't mind having you represent me on this purchase. If you're interested, please contact me and we can take a look at it on the weekend. For your information, it’s on 10th street (North Park) selling for 229,900. Probably contacting me via cell as early as you can today (Sat) would be best.”
Here’s a brief paraphrased version of the discussion which occurred when I called.
“Hi Matt. It’s Norm Fisher calling. How are you today?”
“Great Norm! Thanks for calling.”
“Sounds like you’re feeling a little abandoned.”
“Yes. How do you feel about helping me out?”
“I’d be happy to do that Matt, but let me ask you; didn’t your agent make arrangements for someone else to serve you while he was away?”
“Well, he did give me a name and a number and I have spoken with the guy on a couple of occasions but I’ve misplaced the note.”
“You could probably call your agent’s office and find out who is covering for him while he’s away.”
“You know Norm, I could do that but to be honest with you, I’m just not that comfortable being represented by someone I’ve never met.”
“I understand Matt. How does 1:00 PM work for you?”
“Perfect! I’m just a couple of blocks away so I’ll meet you there at 1:00.”
I didn’t bother to remind Matt that we hadn’t actually met before. To him, it felt like we had and that was good enough for me. J