Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: What Does Your Brand Stand For?

If you know how you differ from the pack, then it is time to build your brand. A brand is multifaceted, it has a personality, it has core values, and it stands out by not being afraid to stand for something that it considers important. One of the ways to build a brand is to declare what you stand for. What do you care about? What are the values your clients can align to, identify with?

Here is an example. As we drove past Nordstrom’s this week, we noticed a sign declaring that they believe in celebrating one holiday at a time. They wished their customers a “Happy Thanksgiving!”, and stated that the Christmas décor would be seen in the store on the 28^th of November. In that simple message came the declaration that they differ from the rest of the retailers who are eager to jump start the holiday season. We appreciate their restraint, because we too enjoy savoring the holidays one at a time. This is congruent with Nordstrom’s brand of making shopping a wonderful experience.

Here is Rule #1 from the original Nordstrom handbook: Use good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.

What can you declare? What do you stand for?

This is part of an ongoing series about luxury real estate personal branding. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Your Personal Brand or What Sets You Apart?

Photo by Dennis Makarenko

When developing your personal brand, one of the first things to identify is what sets you apart from everyone else in the same business. Everyone has an opportunity to stand out or blend in. Anyone who is a success in any endeavor is stands out.

The music business has many talented people working in it in every genre: pop, classical, rock and roll, etc.. Studio musicians, although given credit on albums, are not necessarily household names to listeners, even though they may be as talented as or more talented than the star of the album. What sets the stars apart is:

• · They are daring
• · They draw attention, love to interact with their audiences
• · They have opinions They take a stand and dress outrageously
• · They are worth paying attention to

You know their names: Madonna, Sting, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Beonce, Prince and Cher. These superstars have all created outstanding personal brands.

They market themselves boldly and openly. They make sure to stand out and promote themselves as different from the pack. They don’t follow the trends, they create the trends. People follow them! They consistently deliver to their audience. They clearly communicate their essence and their value. And, so can you!

As a luxury real estate professional, what makes you different? How can you capitalize on that? How can you market that? What sets you apart?

This is part of an ongoing series about luxury real estate personal branding. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Know Your Brand

While attending the National Association of Realtors conference in Orlando Florida, we tried a new restaurant for dinner. The waitress told us with great pride that Oceanaire Seafood Restaurant is a small gourmet boutique restaurant chain. They do not advertise. Instead, they spend their money flying in the freshest fish possible. What is served for dinner was caught no more than 24 hours prior. The fish is refrigerated, but never placed on ice. They use Federal Express to insure overnight delivery in special coolers. Any fish caught in the 200 mile range of the restaurant is delivered and served that day. They also have their own crab boat in Alaska, and lobster boats in Maine to control the quality of these crustaceans.

In a few minutes, the waitress expressed the brand clearly and succinctly. We knew exactly what we were in for. It precisely met our needs and person preferences, as we are quite fond of very fresh seafood. It reminded us of a beachfront restaurant in Portofino, Italy where the fishermen bring in the catch and it is grilled within minutes of leaving the boat.

We ordered a fish that was new to us which was Carolina Grouper. It was absolutely delicious! On our way out we decided to come back the next evening and bring another couple. The second evening was equally perfect

We have told everyone who will listen about this restaurant and now are writing about it. This spontaneous, enthusiastic support of the Oceanaire Seafood brand comes naturally because it feels good to share great finds with friends. Word-of-mouth promotion is better than any advertisement, and it costs the company nothing.

This illustrates the power of a brand. Know who you are and tell your clients in such a way that it makes it easy from them to promote you. Then, live up to your brand.

This is part of an ongoing series about luxury real estate personal branding. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: A Green Gift

We spent last weekend at the National Association of Realtors conference in Orlando, Florida. As we wandered through the exhibitor’s hall, checking out all the various booths, we were impressed by the Eco Hatchery exhibit. Given that one of the top trends in the luxury market is the Green Factor, Eco Hatchery has developed a clever starter kit that introduces people to the fundamentals of Green Living. The Eco Starter Kit includes the tools needed to conserve energy, save money, and shrink your carbon footprint for good. The kit contains:

• Energy Monitor to identify appliance hogs
• Eco Lighting Replacement Tool
• Home Tap Water Quality Test & Conservation Tools
• Reusable Filtered-Water Bottle
• Home Insulation Products
• Reusable Shopping Bag
• Eco-friendly Soy Candle
• A-Z Recycling Resources Directory
• Recycled Coffee Filters
• Online Eco Roadmap with personalized recommendations for ongoing savings
• Etc..

The Eco Starter Kit might just be the perfect Holiday gift for your eco-conscious clients or friends. For further information, visit www.ecohatchery.com.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials:Real Estate Dough, The Book

Bernice Ross has done it again! Her new book, Real Estate Dough is now available and it is a winner. Bernice is a nationally syndicated columnist, trainer and speaker, as well as a Master Certified Coach with over 30 years of real estate sales experience. Bernice is also the author of www.LuxuryClues.com.

In Real Estate Dough, Your Recipe for Real Estate Success, Bernice rethinks the traditional business model for building a successful real estate practice and exposes the urgent need to adopt new business methodologies for the Web 2.0 era. Her style is unique. Each chapter begins with a Skills Check List so that you can focus first on what you need to work on the most. She also offers an Action Plan so that you can immediately implement the principles she recommends.

For example, Ross recommends that you can “Get Rich in a Niche”. Niche marketing is one of the most effective means to accelerate the volume of your business. She offers 13 different ideas of how you can narrow your focus and become known as the expert in your particular segment of your marketplace.

Bernice offers a wealth of resources on her website www.RealEstateCoach.com. You can also order Real Estate Dough (the book and the companion game) there.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Luxury Spending Trends

Trends are like waves. Like a surfer, a luxury real estate marketing professional has to read the waves and plan accordingly. Here are some of the trends which are manifesting as 2008 wanes and we head into 2009.

Before the economic downturn was evident, Americans were already cutting back on their luxury purchases. What has become cool is to consume less (bling is out), or to consume in a socially responsible manner. Unity Marketing‘s October survey on luxury trends reports this noteworthy change in behavior among 1200 affluent consumers. With an average annual household income of $210,000, half of those surveyed said they were shopping less, and when they did it was at outlet stores or sales.

Furthermore, they are minimizing driving by combining all their errands in one trip in order to lessen the carbon footprint. They are bringing cloth bags to the market to save the earth, (thank goodness Hermes sells one for $995). When making car purchases, they are interested in the Hybrid, and luxury brands are responding accordingly. Even the larger SUV such as General Motors, Yukon as well as Cadillac’s Escalade have hybrid models. Organic is in, sustainable agriculture, anything with the Save the Earth Theme is in.

Another survey by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate “Living Green” revealed that 48 % of the homeowners are willing to spend $2500 or more to green up their homes to make them more attractive to potential buyers. This is an important bit of information when advising sellers in preparing their homes for sale. The Green attributes should be emphasized in the marketing of a home.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: The Luxury of Feeling Good-Luxury or Necessity?

 

Too many of us react to circumstances and use the circumstances to dictate our moods. If the circumstances are pleasing, then we are pleased and feel happy. Conversely if they are not, we feel gloomy, sad or whatever we deem appropriate to the event taking place. The key to feeling good is maintaining that positive attitude regardless of the conditions surrounding us.

This concept was poignantly illustrated in the Italian movie, La Vita E’ Bella, which translates as Life is Beautiful. The main character, as played by Roberto Benigni, uses his imagination and sense of humor to help his son survive the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp.

In 2006, a Gallup poll revealed that feeling good matters in the workplace and directly impacts productivity and innovation. It also improves customers’ perceptions of the product and the company.

Take the luxury of time to make life beautiful. Or, would you rather hang out with the likes of Oscar, the Grouch. Is feeling good a luxury or is it a necessity? You decide!

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Unconditional Love or How Beauty Will Save the World

 

Luxury real estate professionals dealing with the world at large are sure to encounter all types of wealthy people who do not fit or even begin to fit any known behavior pattern to them. How do you handle people from another culture, whom do not understand you or want to understand? The easy answer is to practice unconditional love, i.e. respect who they are and allow them the right to exist in accordance to their own customs and beliefs, without feeling the need to “fix” them, so that you can feel more comfortable when you are around them.

“Beauty will save the world” is a quote by one the most prominent Russian writers, Fyodor Dostoevsky. His books, such as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov influenced the majority of the world’s leading philosophers as well as writers including Ernest Hemmingway. How could someone dedicated to exploring the troubled psyche of Russian society in the 19^th century make this statement?

He was referring to the genuine essence of beauty as an art form expressed either in a work of art or through genuine human love. This essence can move mountains and tame the opposition. This essence is a force to be reckoned with, and is the very thing from which beauty springs. One of the brothers Karamazov is Alyosha. His character represents unconditional love. His genuineness is such that even the raindrops part to keep him from getting wet. In the novel, this illustrates that, when you love unconditionally, everything is possible.

As humans, we all crave this kind of love, why not just give it?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding: The Unique Selling Propsotion #5

The secret for successful luxury real estate personal branding is to find something that you can do better than anyone else in your marketplace, something that you are passionalte about. Then, deliver extraordinary value for your ideal clients who can appreciate that distinctive value. Our client, Rick Teed in San Francisco, is passionate about helping his clients to buy and sell their homes like a professional investor. This is his Unique Selling Proposition.

We hope you have enjoyed this blog series.

This is part of an ongoing series about luxury real estate personal branding. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Tea Trends

Tea fields in Maylasia

For a long time, tea, the most widely consumed beverage in the world, has been the stepchild to coffee in the United States. As tea consumption increased in America, coffee stores have included tea in their offerings. Upscale restaurants usually hand you an elaborate wooden chest of different teas so that you can make your choice. Deem sum restaurants hand out tea menus of loose leaf teas to complement the tasty treats.

All teas are related to the tea plant. Technically herbal teas are infusions or herbs and fruit.

In the Hong Kong metro stops, commuters get their get up and go on their way to work, from tea kiosks. Attendants in white lab coats serve the antidote to caffeine induced energy by offering brewed teas for whatever may ail you. These Chinese healing teas have specific names such as: 1) Radiant Skin Tea to improve your complexion; 2) Lateral Thinking Booster Tea, and; 3) Pinkish Glow Tea, which tones and enhances the circulation of “Qi” (energy flow) and blood, as well as promising a rosy complexion. There is also a tea for positive thinking. How can anyone resist?

Here is an important piece of currency if you are working with a Russian client. In Russia tea is brewed and served from a samovar in tea glasses.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real EstateMarketing Essentials: The Lipstick/Necktie Effect

Although economists have not declared that we are in a recession, the consumers have responded by cutting back. Some segments of the luxury market are doing very well. The segment known as small indulgences, mood boosters, and soothing extravagances are alive and well. Among women, cosmetics and skin care reigns, also known as the lipstick effect. The skin care industry is up 2% for the first two quarters of this year, and sales of premium cosmetic products (over a $150) have climbed 21%.

The business of beauty is recession proof. Recently one of the premier cosmetic companies unveiled a skin care cream that retails for a $1000. Sales are brisk at Neiman Marcus, Beverly Hills. 37 jars were sold the first day. The cream contains platinum as part of its formula. This precious metal supposedly creates a bond with the skin’s DNA. It could be argued that at this price, it is less expensive than a surgical procedure.

Men on the other hand splurge on neckties. And instead of skin care, men are buying state of the art electronic gadgets such as flat-panel television sets and video game systems. Perhaps some of them are even using their mate’s rejuvenating creams.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Realty Marketing Essentials: The Power of Brand Essence, When Praying Hands Applaud!

A brand is not just a logo, slogan, font, color schemes, description of your business, or symbols. A brand includes the logo, slogan, etc. The purpose of a brand is to communicate and create a relationship of trust to the segment of the market you are targeting. It is nice to get your target market to choose you over your competition. However, in the context of luxury real estate marketing, the true objective of a brand is to instantly communicate that you or your company is the answer to your prospects’ most pressing problems or concerns.

Your brand needs to say, “I (or we) are the solution, there is no need to look further”. Therefore, you must clearly define your prospects’ problems and clearly express why you are the answer to their prayers. You want your clients or others to go out of their way to say that you are the only person to work with.  They will go out of their way to applaud you!

People love to promote solution minded people. They trust people who are solution minded. Investing the time to research and define your brand is invaluable. The definition of your brand becomes the keystone for your marketing strategy and the well spring from which a logo, slogan, color schemes and message flows.

How are you the answer to your clients’ prayers?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate MarketingLLuxury Marketing Essentials:: Converting Styrofoam into Luxury

 

As a real estate luxury marketing professionals, it is important to be aware of how ecology can be harmonious with luxury. Eco-Luxury is the new buzz word. It expresses those qualities and high standards that can be achieved without creating an imbalance in the ecology of the planet. It means sustainability defined as exploiting natural resources without destroying the ecological balance of an area.

Eco-Luxury is a trend that has taken root among global luxury consumers. For some, it has become a status symbol. The impact is seen in luxury hybrid cars (Lexus, and Mercedes (2009)), runway fashion designers (Stella McCartney), and the travel industry (Luxury Camps and Lodges of the World).

In the luxury building industry innovative home builders are using straw bale construction, rammed earth and rastra block construction. Rastra is made from concrete and recycled Styrofoam. Builders are also recycling and reclaiming beams, fireplaces, stonework, etc. from torn down buildings and homes.

The estate we feature here is located on a private knoll in Glenn Ellen, California. It is marketed exclusively by Maurice Tegelaar of Pacific Union, in Sonoma. It is an outstanding example of a eco-luxury and is built using Rastra Block.

These are some of the other eco-luxury features of this fine home:

• Solar panels for domestic hot water and radiant floor use
• Photovoltaic cells provide partial electricity for home
• Heated 7-zone warm floors
• Imported French antique roof tiles on main house
• Imported Italian cap and pan roof tiles on guest house
• Antique Ironwork
• Bronze switch plates
• Antique wood closet doors
• Stone quarried on site for walls and landscaping
• Antique French oak doors
• Imported antique French oak door

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: The Power of Color in Logo and Web Design

Color is integral to the design of your logo and you web site. Here is a brief discussion of various colors, which you can use as a guideline when you are contemplating colors for your logo or web site. It is also important that the colors are in harmony with your personality and your marketplace.

Color evokes a physiological reaction. The pituitary gland sends a message to your brain when it sees the color red. People will often say referring to a moment of anger, “I saw red!” The color red is connected with excitement, energy, and danger. Red commands attention and is provocative. Orange is known to be a hot color. It is a friendly color, it is energizing. The color yellow is equated sunshine, friendliness and warmth. Brown is considered rustic, rich and durable. Blue is dependable, and cool, such as blue skies water and a true blue friend. The color green is soothing, refreshing, and healing. The color purple is regal, sensual and elegant. White is lightweight, pristine and pure. Black is strong, powerful, mysterious, classic and elegant.

Here is picture of the UPS logo. It is brown and yellow. Their ads refer to their primary color which is brown. The meaning is clear they are durable, i.e. reliable. The yellow refers to their friendliness.

Brioni specializes in the sale of handmade men’s suits. Their logo color is a light red on white. The concept of attention (red) and (white) purity in handmade suits made of the finest fabrics expresses the brand. A handmade suit is appropriate for someone who commands attention, such as an actor or a CEO of company. Among their famous customers are Rudy Guliani, Pierce Brosnan, and the Rockefeller family.

Are your colors communicating your strategy, your personality, and your marketplace?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: The Role of a Logo in Your Personal Brand

A logo is defined as a graphic symbol which defines the identity of a business. In the context of luxury real estate marketing, a logo represents the brand; it defines who you are, what you do, and where you are going. A brand cannot be the graphic designer’s personal interpretation of what you do or how they think you should be seen. As talented as graphic designers may be, they need to be given direction as to how you want to be perceived by your target market and defined by your niche.

Above all a logo must communicate your essence and your authenticate self. It has to engender customer recognition of you and the market in which you work. A logo can be just an image (Nike, Apple, and Polo by Ralph Lauren). It can be a particular font (Jo Malone, Coca Cola), or it can be a combination of an image and font (Hermes). A logo can also incorporate a slogan (Hallmark "When you care enough to send the very best.").

A logo is also a graphic representation of your marketing strategy; it has to fit into the overall plan of your brand. In luxury real estate it has to embody the market niche you serve as well as your unique selling proposition. Does your logo fit you and your marketplace?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Website Design, Don’t Blend In, Blend Out

Several times a day, I look at luxury real estate professionals websites. I am amazed at how many agents use the identical template. Today, I saw two agents in a luxury market with the exact same website. The only difference was their pictures, their names and their featured listing. Furthermore, they are working in the same geographic farm. What are they saying to the prospective seller or buyer? Will they market my luxury property in a template fashion? Will it get lost with every other listing?

Here is an example from the world of luxury goods. LVMH (Louis Vuitton, Moet-Hennessey) is a French company that owns over 60 prestigious companies and brands. In the world of champagne, they own the following brands: Veuve-Cliquot, Domanine Chandon, Krug, Ruinart, Dom Perignon, Domaine Chandon Australia, California, and Spain. Each champagne has its own branded look, its own distinctive web site and its own identity. Most shoppers have no idea that LVMH owns them. Since peoples tastes vary they buy the champagne that appeals to them, and part of the appeal is that certain intangible emotional connection. LVMH also owns several cosmetic companies ranging from Yves St Laurent to Benefit. Again, they all maintain their identity and their look.

Take a lesson from the world of luxury goods and services! Get a branded look, don’t blend in! Blend out! Demonstrate your marketing savvy by marketing yourself with panache. Don’t blend in. Stand out! Blend out!

By Alexandra Seigel

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Know Your Caviar

High prices and scarcity often imply luxury, and so it is with caviar. Caviar is salted roe of certain fish, notably sturgeon for black caviar and salmon for red caviar. The sterlet fish (smaller specie of sturgeon) produces golden roe known to be the favorite of shahs and tsars. According to experts the best caviar comes from the Caspian Sea, home of the caviar sturgeons including the beluga sturgeon. The highest priced caviars are beluga, ossetra, and sevruga.

The Caspian Sea is one of the largest inland bodies of water. Its borders are shared by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russian and Turkmenistan. The lake itself has three distinct geographic regions. The Northern portion is very shallow 15 to 18 feet; the Middle Caspian is deeper 570 feet. The Southern Caspian is the deepest with a depth of over 3000 feet. The Caspian Sea is a section of the Tethys Ocean as was the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.  At one time they were all part of this ancient ocean and were divided by the movement of the earth's tectonic plates. With over 130 fresh water tributaries such as the Volga the Northern portion is a fresh water lake, and is saline on the Iranian side. Overfishing and pollution have led countries such as the US, Canada and Russia to ban or limit the harvest from the Caspian Sea. This has led to aquaculture of sturgeon in Spain, Uruguay and California.

As a real estate luxury marketing professional, acquaint yourself with the new caviars both wild and farmed. Petrossian Caviar is one of most famous caviar suppliers. They have a wonderful six month gift of caviar and blini (Russian pancake) comprised of six different caviars. If you are not a caviar aficionado, it is a great gift for someone who is. By the way, my Russian grandfather scoffed at the idea of serving caviar with champagne, frozen vodka in shot glasses was his recommendation. To serve caviar always use a spoon made of mother of pearl as caviar tarnishes silver.

By Alexandra Seigel

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: What is an Iconoclast?

To be a true standout in your marketplace, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, think like a trail blazing iconoclast. The dictionary defines an iconoclast as somebody who challengers or overturns traditional beliefs, customs and values. To get into the iconoclastic mindset, check out the TV series, Iconoclasts on the Sundance Channel. Robert Redford, executive producer of the series, explains: “Iconoclasts explores the intersection where two great talents meet, and where creativity comes alive.”

Each segment pairs two iconoclastic individuals who are great examples of a one man or a one woman brand, yet dissimilar in their life’s work. It then explores their views and their ideals. Each individual has blazed a path and has explored the leading edge in their personal inimitable fashion and passion. They have expressed their authentic selves. Each has strayed from the comfort of the normal and the average. They have each fearlessly opened doors that were considered taboo. They have stayed true to their own ideals regardless of the consequences.

One of the earlier episodes paired Norman Lear and Howard Schultz. Norman Lear is best known for his 1971 production of All in the Family, a comedic sitcom exploring bigotry and race, which according to the experts was doomed to fail. Howard Schultz is the CEO of Starbucks, and he recounted his efforts to raise money to fund Starbucks and how everyone told him, he would fail because he wanted all of his employees, including the part timers, to get have health insurance and stock ownership in the company.

The show is fun to watch. It is enjoyable, instructive and inspiring. It confirms that all is very well with our world as long as there are iconoclasts to blaze new trails. Are you an iconoclast?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Is Knowledge Power?

Luxury real estate marketing professionals attend seminars and workshops in order to improve their knowledge of technology, marketing techniques, and new laws which affect their business. As they walk out, they feel all fired up, armed and up to date with the latest and greatest. Are they? Or do they just know about it? Is there power in that knowledge? Yes, in terms of being aware of what is going on and no if you don’t learn how to apply it.

Do you take the time to apply what you have learned? Or, do you just stash all the workbooks and software you buy in your “one of these days, I will get to it” closet?

Everyone knows that yeast makes dough rise when you are making bread or certain pastries. This is a tidbit of information in the art of making bread or pastries. Knowing how yeast works does not make you a master baker or a pastry chef. In order to become a master baker, you have to learn about flour, yeast, oven temperatures, and the role of humidity to achieve a great result. And of course, you have to actually practice making bread over and over until you achieve the perfect result.

We have learned the art of baking bread and have even made croissants. However, we are perfectly willing to buy baked goods instead of making them ourselves. Our hands-on knowledge of baking has made us discerning and appreciative customers, and that is its own power.

We encourage you to take the time to apply what you have learned and put it into practice consistently if it adds to your winning formula. Otherwise, clear out that closet! Once you have applied the knowledge you have acquired it is also easy to delegate the application of it to another. Knowledge is only partial power. The application of knowledge is true power.

Speaking of dough, check out the innovative game created by Bernice Ross and Byron Van Arsdale, called Real Estate Dough. It is fun and educational, and can only add power to your game.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Don’t Rush, Delegate!

Scarcity of time is one of the main complaints of luxury real estate marketing professionals. Do you feel like you do not have enough time in a day? Do you feel like you are always in a rush?

Our answer is to try a new mantra, “I have plenty of time”. Repeat that over and over again. We realize that this may be new territory. Play along! Try saying, today, “I have plenty of time” to enjoy doing____________, going to________________, and being with________________. You will find that in time you have your schedule full of activities you like doing.

The best route to gaining more time is doing only what you love to do the most and delegating everything else to others. Give away anything that you don’t like to do to others who love to do that type of task.

Check into virtual assistants. They live to unburden you of tasks that you do not really enjoy doing. Concerned about the cost of virtual assistants? Think about all of the missed opportunities to increase your income that are slipping through the cracks because you are too busy to notice them or do not have time to follow up on them.

This is a wonderful world with an abundance of resources and people to meet your needs. How will you find them? By saying “I have plenty of time” to enjoy discovering all life’s treasures.

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form    in left column.