Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The Winning Attitude for 2014: Unbridled OPTIMISM

The Sky Above Sandyland, Carpinteria Beach in Santa Barbara in December 2013

Some pundits say the recession is over.  Other say we are still in it.  But, how will this affect your productivity as a luxury real estate marketing professional in 2014?  Should you be cautiously optimistic?  

We say don’t listen to “them”.  Here is our recipe: Listen to your own heart! If you let the tough times from the past overshadow the present you are going to miss opportunities that are right under your nose to make 2014 the best year of your life. 

If you do look back, focus on the bright moments and use them as touchstones that offer promise for a better future.  Turn any challenge that comes up into an opportunity to expand.  Then drop the concept of good times and bad times all together. Above all trust yourself! Only then can you experience unbridled optimism, the winning attitude for 2014  

Enjoy Barbra Streisand’s version of “Who Will Buy” (a question luxury real estate listing brokers often ask) from the musical Oliver (lyrics below). It expresses this attitude perfectly!   Here is the link, because Blogger does not have Adobe Flash (so it says), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0MmYihZ_Ws

Who will buy
This wonderful morning?
Such a sky
You never did see!

Who will tie
It up with a ribbon
And put it in a box for me?

So I could see it at my leisure
Whenever things go wrong
And I would keep it as a treasure
To last my whole life long.

Who will buy
This wonderful feeling?
I'm so high
I swear I could fly.

Me, oh my!
I don't want to lose it
So what am I to do
To keep the sky so blue?
There must be someone who will buy... 

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Monday, December 30, 2013

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Learn a Competitive New Skill in 2014!


Staying at the top of your game is key in the New Year. It is essential if you want to gain or sustain market leadership. If you do not continue to grow in knowledge and skillset each year, you can count on the fact that your competition will.  So, it's time to turn over a new leaf and learn a competitve new skill in 2014!
Recently, Sal Kahn of Kahn Academy (the online video learning center that is totally transforming education) sent me (Ron here) this email invitation: 
“In the last week over 15 million people tried out [computer] coding for the first time as part of the 'Hour of Code' - would you like to join them? At the end of your hour, you'll have coded your very own greeting card to send to someone this holiday season” 
It was really easy and fun. You can do it too! Just click on the link above the video below.  The “card” below is what I coded for Alexandra.  

In the video below, you will see how many celebrities, including Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, have joined in to help Code.org spread this important message:  The digital future depends on more people learning computer coding! 

Staying at the top of your game is key in the New Year. It is essential if you want to gain or sustain market leadership. If you do not continue to grow in knowledge and skillset each year, you can count on the fact that your competition will.  So, it's time to turn over a new leaf and learn a competitive new skill in 2014!
Recently, Sal Kahn of Kahn Academy (the online video learning center that is totally transforming education) sent me (Ron here) this email invitation: 
“In the last week over 15 million people tried out [computer] coding for the first time as part of the 'Hour of Code' - would you like to join them? At the end of your hour, you'll have coded your very own greeting card to send to someone this holiday season” 
It was really easy and fun. You can do it too! Just click on the link above the video below.  The “card” below is what I coded for Alexandra.  

In the video below, you will see how many celebrities, including Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, have joined in to help Code.org spread this important message:  The digital future depends on more people learning computer coding! 
Anybody can learn to code: A 60 second video from Code.org on how anybody can learn to code
Anybody can learn to code: A 60 second video from Code.org on how anybody can learn to code
Whereas, I have no intention of becoming a computer programmer, the mental exercise was exhilarating. My appreciation for our web developers that we work with in personal and company branding has grown significantly. 

Think of how many kids and adults can be inspired by experiencing their initial success at a new skill.  Even Gates and Zuckerberg had to learn to write their first line of code at the beginning of their stellar careers. 

So, shake things up in your world. Try something new, turn over a new leaf!. What important new skill will you learn in 2014 to expand your luxury real estate marketing practice and stay on top of your game?

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Friday, December 27, 2013

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Is it Time for Two Internet Models?


In marketing luxury real estate many homeowners would prefer to have photos of their homes forever erased from the Internet for privacy and safety purposes. Have you every published a comment or photo online that you later regretted for fear of it being misjudged or taken out of context?  Growing concerns about privacy has spawned an entire new model for the Internet. Is it time for two Internet models?

New technology known as “ephemeral/erasable” has come into the picture. This is giving voice to both spontaneity and privacy.  It started with an app called SnapChat, a photo-messaging app.  Using the app, you can take photos, record videos, add text and send them to your friends.  You can also control the time the recipients have to view their snaps, from 1 to 10 seconds.  Subsequently, the message is deleted automatically from their device as well as SnapChat’s servers. 

The big Internet companies have operated on the idea of data gathering. Although, you get Google and Facebook for free, you actually do pay by giving them data, which they can subsequently analyze and sell to marketers and advertisers.  The more data Amazon gathers about your buying habits the more valuable they are to marketers and advertisers.

Here is an example:  One of Facebook’s users announced her pregnancy and delight.  Target’s Facebook page gleaned the data and sent the woman coupons for diapers and other baby items.  Babies R Us was also there to promote to her.  However, this individual was incensed and felt that she was sharing a private moment with loved ones.

The permanence of data has been challenged in court in Argentina, with the “right-to-be-forgotten” movement. This movement is supported by the European commission, and was included in its proposed privacy legislation.
Law professor Jeffrey Rosen, wrote in an article for the Stanford Law Review, “This legislation could make giants such as Google and Facebook for example, liable for up to 2 percent of their global income if they fail to remove photos that people post about themselves and later regret, even if the photos have been widely distribute already.”
Some tech pundits are calling SnapChat the most important technology of 2013. But, if a second Internet model emerges the big companies want to control that too!  Facebook made an offer to buy SnapChat for 3 billion all cash, which the partners refused.

Perhaps, the time has come where two Internets exist and WE have the choice: Permanent or Forever Erasable. That would be the ideal world for many luxury homeowners. What do you think?

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Monday, December 23, 2013

The Ultimate Luxury of the Year in 2013: Being Young at Heart!


The Ultimate Luxury for 2013: Being Young at Heart
Every year we strive to examine and re-examine the meaning of luxury. And, we keep coming back to the simple things in life. 

In our recent travels to the East Coast, we stayed at a wonderful historic hotel that was right across the street from the Discovery Place, a children’s science museum. In the museum store I (Ron here) spotted a toy that I would have flipped for as a kid.  I was always fascinated by the principles of electronics and wanted to learn more. But, the toys, like the one I found (pictured above), were either too complicated or didn’t work very well. 

There is no way I was going wrap this and wait until Christmas to open the present and play with it!  Notice on the box it says, “AGES 8-108”.  I already did the first 10 projects. Wow! So much fun!  I highly recommended Snap Circuits for kids of all ages if you need a last minute gift idea.

The song Young at Heart was featured in a film by the same name with Frank Sinatra and Doris Day.  Here are the lyrics and Frank's version of the classic song. This line says it all about the ultimate luxury:
"Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth - To be young at heart. For as rich as you are, it's much better by far To be young at heart."


Wishing you a very Happy Holiday Season and a Fabulous 2014! Always stay young at heart!
"Young At Heart"
written by Johnny Richards (music) & Carolyn Leigh (lyrics)
 Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you're young at heart.
For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you're young at heart.

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes.
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams.
And life gets more exciting with each passing day.
And love is either in your heart, or on it's way.

Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth
To be young at heart.
For as rich as you are, it's much better by far
To be young at heart.

And if you should survive to 105,
Look at all you'll derive out of being alive!
And here is the best part, you have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart.

And if you should survive to 105,
Look at all you'll derive out of being alive!
And here is the best part, you have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart.
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Thursday, December 19, 2013

When we recently visited our clients luxury real market, they pointed out that their main competitors copied their distinctive color. As the market is improving, more agents are jumping in the fray to sell luxury real estate, and more copycats are on the prowl. Imitation is our opinion is not a sincere form of flattery. It shows a distinct lack of creativity and originality, and both qualities are integral to marketing luxury real estate or any other service or product. The luxury car industry is starting to thrive as the economy improves. Here is an example done by two separate creative agencies, whose clients are Mercedes Benz, and Jaguar. To illustrate the Mercedes car suspension and its function of anticipating terrain to insure comfort, this video was created using a chicken. The chicken is shown moving to the music of Diana Ross; “Upside Down”, and it is held by two hands in white gloves and black sleeves representing the magic of Mercedes suspension engineering. Jaguar’s agency decided to parody the commercial by showing a scientist manipulating a chicken with the chicken flying away, he tells us, “See it is just like a Mercedes”. The next scene is the jaguar with feathers flying out of its jaws. The commercial claims that its suspension is cat-like. The commercial ends with the slogan, “It Is Good to be Bad”. According to Mr. Schorr, a Jaguar executive, “Everyone enjoys a little friendly competition and acknowledge how brilliant the original ad was and how clever and fun our spin on it was.” In our opinion, only chickens are copycats! What do you think? Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel- -WATCH VIDEOS- Buzz-Worthy Luxury Real Estate Websites Personal Branding Case Studies Company Branding Case Studies About Language of Luxury - JOIN THE LOL COMMUNTIY - GET FLUENT. GET AFFLUENT! Linked In, Facebook, Active Rain Follow Us on Twitter: LuxuryMarketing


When we recently visited our clients luxury real market, they pointed out that their main competitors copied their distinctive color.  As the market is improving, more agents are jumping in the fray to sell luxury real estate, and more copycats are on the prowl.

Imitation is our opinion is not a sincere form of flattery.  It shows a distinct lack of creativity and originality, and both qualities are integral to marketing luxury real estate or any other service or product.

The luxury car industry is starting to thrive as the economy improves.  Here is an example done by two separate creative agencies, whose clients are Mercedes Benz, and Jaguar.

To illustrate the Mercedes car suspension and its function of anticipating terrain to insure comfort, this video was created using a chicken.  The chicken is shown moving to the music of Diana Ross; “Upside Down”, and it is held by two hands in white gloves and black sleeves representing the magic of Mercedes suspension engineering.


Jaguar’s agency decided to parody the commercial by showing a scientist manipulating a chicken with the chicken flying away, he tells us, “See it is just like a Mercedes”.  The next scene is the jaguar with feathers flying out of its jaws.  The commercial claims that its suspension is cat-like.  The commercial ends with the slogan, “It Is Good to be Bad”.
According to Mr. Schorr, a Jaguar executive,   “Everyone enjoys a little friendly competition and acknowledge how brilliant the original ad was and how clever and fun our spin on it was.”
In our opinion, only chickens are copycats! What do you think?

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Simple & Memorable Luxury Marketing, Part 2


As we have often mentioned, the competition in the wine industry is even fiercer than the competition among luxury real estate marketing professionals.  Whether selecting an agent or a bottle of wine without a direct referral, you may only have a Nano-second to make a great impression and stand out from the crowd. However, if your messaging solves a problem your chances are even greater to get a quick decision.

Here is an example of a marketing message that collapses the time of the decision-making process, by solving the problem of selecting a wine to bring to a dinner party. 
First, the Foodies brand name itself, plus its price point (4 bottles for $23.96), identifies and speaks directly to their precise target market:  less sophisticated wine lovers, on a budget, who aspire to learn more and also look good when buying wine as a gift.

The messaging on the label clearly indicates which wine goes with which meal, which immediately solves a problem. It enables the customer to make a quick decision about which wine to bring to the party. 

Foodies’ further defines their target market on their website:
“Whether farm to table or head to tail, great food deserves great wine.  Foodies was created for culinary-minded wine lovers seeking delicious, balanced wines to complement a range of inspired dishes.”
Then they go on to use “social proof” to convince their potential customers that they are making a wise decision. Foodies’ wines have garnered accolades from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Jefferson Cup Invitational and the California Fair Wine Competition. 

Taken all together, Foodies uses brilliant messaging to create what is known in the world of branding and marketing as a “frictionless” decision.  They rapidly remove all obstacles, all resistance due to uncertainty and all objections to buy.

In the context of luxury real estate marketing, the objective of your marketing message should be to instantaneously communicate that you or your company is the answer to your prospects’ most pressing problem or concerns.  Your messaging needs to collapse the time of the decision-making process to hire you for their needs, which often includes the need to impress others.

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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Simple & Memorable Luxury Marketing


Like luxury real estate marketing, the world of luxury retail has been trying to figure out the conundrum that the Internet has created.  The consumer now has a plethora of choices to get information and, in retail, buy products.  It is no longer as simple as walking into a local store.
Capturing attention is the first challenge.  Here is one simple and memorable marketing idea aimed at selling directly to travelers on the go, a captive audience: The Airport Kiosk.
Deploying self-service kiosks at airports is not a new idea.  But, they are gaining in popularity.  Now, there are kiosks for electronics gadgets, in-flight accouterments, sandwiches, and See’s candies, etc.  In keeping with the humorous, edgy and retro-style of its brand, Benefit, a hip cosmetic brand, built a kiosk that looks like a bus.   Note the license plate, GLAM 4 U, which immediately caught our attention.
Benefit, understands the value of multi-channel marketing.  And, they keep their marketing simple and memorable.  How can you accomplish this and capture attention of your ideal prospects in marketing luxury real estate?

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Sunday, December 15, 2013

Marketing Luxury Real Estate: How to Get Invited to the High-End Listing Presentation? - Part 3

Photo by © Carrienelson1
Two of the most iconic and charismatic film heroes of all time are Hans Solo (Star Wars) and Indiana Jones both played by Harrison Ford, Although, he has never won an academy award for his acting, he is the 5th highest grossing box office star in the world. He had the extraordinary packagiing (good looks) and the charisma to land these coveted roles. Mr. Ford has GLAM! 

Choice film roles are like high-end listings. To break into luxury real estate and get invited to high-end listing presentations you either need a lucky break, or you need the courage to project your inner certainty, which is what charisma is. With extraordinary packaging (expert personal or company branding) your work is considerably easier because your packaging is like your personal, silent salesperson; it speaks on your behalf.   

However, having extraordinary packaging and charisma without substance, i.e., without competence, communication and caring, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, is tantamount to walking on thin ice.  Eventually, your shortcomings will be exposed and your foundation will crack, crumble and melt.  

Harrison Ford also playes a romantic role in, Working Girl, a film that exemplifies this point. Melanie Griffith protrays the part of a lowly, unglamorous secretary with brains but no charisma.  Her boss, Sigourney Weaver, a financial executive with GLAM in spades, encourages Griffith to share her business ideas. When Griffith discovers that Weaver plans to steal her ideas she begins a glamorous makeover (extraordinary packaging) so she will be taken seriously as an executive not just a secretary, and she pitches her own idea directly to a potential client. 

The proposal is well received because she took command of how she was perceived. And, she mustered up the courage to project her certainty, which gave her charisma with substance. At the end, Weaver’s character is exposed for what she is:  someone with charisma, talent and extraordinary packaging, but without heart or soul.
The moral of the story is that, in marketing luxury real estate, GLAM (extraordinary packaging and charisma) can get you just so far. It can temporarily cover up for deficiencies in Competence, Communication and Care.  But, the illusion eventually fades. 

This image of an African secretary bird (since we talked about an unglamourous secretary's transformation into a charismatic executive) says it all! GLAM (Extraordinary Packaging and Charisma) + Competence + Communication + Care = The winning formula for getting you invited to high-end listing presentations. 

Tis the Season for GLAM! Stay tuned for more.
Part 1   l   Part 2   l   Part 3
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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Marketing Luxury Real Estate: How to Get Invited to the High-End Listing Presentation? - Part 2

Audrey Hepburn, courtesy of Wikipedia
In Part 1 of this series we stated that to in order to get invited to high-end listing presentations “YOU GOTTA HAVE GLAM!” Glamour is the attractive or exciting quality that makes certain people or things seem appealing or special.  It is the allure, the fascination the charm the magic, the romance, and the mystique that captures attention and sparks word-of-mouth advertising.  

You would think that having Competence, Communication and Care alone would be enough to build a very strong luxury real estate marketing practice. Well, it is possible if you have the patience to build your reputation one client at a time. But, to get there faster and with much less effort you need to rapidly broaden your referral base. And, that takes GLAM. 

On a professional level glamour is a combination of two essential elements: 
1. Extraordinary Packaging that AMPLIFIES your unique promise of value to your target market.
2. Charisma: The compelling PROJECTION of your inner certainty. 

The combination of extraordinary packaging and charisma creates a MAGNETISM that can ACCELERATE the pace at which you achieve top-of-mind status and can also CATAPULT you to the top of the “A List” for listing presentations.

In Part 3 we will discuss how having extraordinary packaging and charisma without the substance of competence, communication and care is tantamount to walking on thin ice.  Eventually, your shortcomings will be exposed and your foundation will crumble. 

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Monday, December 9, 2013

Marketing Luxury Real Estate: How to Get Invited to the High-End Listing Presentation?

Throughout this article series we focus on an important question that is often asked of us by luxury real estate marketing professionals who want to challenge the incumbent market leaders in their marketplace:  
“Why am I not on the "A List" when others who are less competent, less communicative or less caring are being invited to listing presentations for prestigious properties?” 
Our answer is quite simple:  YOU GOTTA HAVE GLAM!  But, this requires a depth of understanding of the real meaning of glamour, its counterpart, “charisma” and also the ability to seize control of the way you are perceived by your target market. Glamour is the “secret sauce”, which is at the core of personal and company branding in luxury real estate marketing. 

Men, be sure not to dismiss the word glamour as being gender specific because there is so much more to the full concept of glamour than just the style or appearance of women.  The allure of an expensive sports car or the rugged lifestyle of the Marlborough Man or the accolades of a famous athletic hero, or the call to duty to serve your country at a time of war is also at the root of glamour. 

When we behold glamour, in its many forms, it offers the promise of a different or better self or lifestyle.  Most importantly, as it pertains to marketing luxury real estate, it influences our decisions about what we buy as a consumer or whom we hire to sell our most expensive assets. 

In Part 2 of this article series we will begin to answer the question about How to get the most coveted invitation in our industry, the invitation to the  High-End Listing Presentation?

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Luxury Real Estate Brand Strategy: Think Smart

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

Here is one of the most common questions we get from luxury real estate marketing professionals: 
How can I focus on selling luxury homes without alienating my clients is other price ranges?
One answer is to create separate brands for the two components of your real estate practice.   One stands for luxury the other stands for your general practice.  Follow the wisdom Daimler, manufacturer of both Mercedes Benz and smart (all lower case).  

In the early 1990s the inventor of Swatch approached Mercedes Benz to realize his vision of the “ultra-urban” car.  Although, the car took off fast in Europe and elsewhere around the world it was introduced to the United State ten years later as the 37th country to sell smart for two.

One of the coolest things about this car is that it can back into a parking space because it is as long and it is wide. Two smart cars can actually fit into a single parking space! However that  type of parking is prohibited in most US jurisdictions and some cites around the world.

The key takeaway here for luxury real estate marketing professionals, from a branding standpoint, is that smart does not dilute the MBZ brand nor does it alienate would-be smart buyers. It works much better to create two brands rather than branding the “ultra-urban” car as “MBZsmart” or “Mercedes Benz” mini.  

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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Marketing Your Luxury Real Estate Practice: Think Co-Marketing in 2014


 
If you are seeking top-of-mind status as the dominant luxury real estate marketing professional in your area, always keep your eyes open for fresh opportunities to promote yourself.  But, if you really want to leverage your marketing budget, look for ways to co-market with compatible, non-competitive businesses or non-profits.  Think co-marketing in 2014. 

We recently made a stop at Cost Plus World Market to pick up some of our favorite 85% dark chocolate. It is made only with the finest quality fair trade cocoa from Kuapa Kokoo a cooperative of smallholder farmers in Ghana and it tastes divine (Divine is the actual brand name). When we checked out we received this canvas bag (depicted above) instead of a paper or plastic bag. 

Most of the local food markets here in Santa Barbara encourage their customers to bring their own shopping bags as one of their ways of helping the environment. We enjoy supporting their pro-environmental efforts so we were delighted to receive this bag.  
As you can see this is a brilliant example of co-marketing between Cost Plus, BBC and our local Public Broadcasting channel. Downtown Abbey just moved up to the top of our list of must-watch TV series and we are happy to give Cost Plus the spotlight here for supporting public broadcasting, a non-profit that so much enriches our lives.  Notice the quote on the back of the bag; it perfectly targets the Americans consumer.
"I'm an American. I don't share your English hatred of COMFORT"
Think-co-marketing in 2014.  This expansive mindset alone can contribute mightily to your bottom line!

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Monday, December 2, 2013

Marketing Your Luxury Real Estate Practice: What is Your 2014 Vision?

Vision without action is a daydream.  Action without Vision is a nightmare.  (Japanese proverb)

Have you taken the time to daydream and create your vision for marketing your luxury real estate practice in 2014? Think of a vision like the picture on the box of a jigsaw puzzle.  Inside the box are all the pieces that will create that picture.  Once put together the pieces (representing the action) will duplicate the picture on the box. 

Be sure you love and are passionate about your daydream/vision, or else the actions needed are often abandoned like New Years’ resolutions.  Take the time to daydream and find your perfect picture.  The actions  will be inspired, fun and satisfying.

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