When planning your travel and training budget for next year, try to take into account a few the following options.  I won’t touch on your particular brand conferences or NAR, which are also great options, but rather talk about 3 great non brand specific options out there, and best of all, at some point through out the year they are likely to be with in driving distance from your office.

1. Inman’s Agent Reboot – As I said, I had the pleasure of seeing this for about the 3rd time this year this past week in Columbus OH. The reboot tour does a great job of traveling across the country and making the information they provide accessible to just about everyone as they will more than likely end up in a place that is a one day trip away.  Reboot, is MC’ed by the former Tech Savvy Agent himself Mr. Chris Smith so you know they are bringing value.  This week’s even covered such topics as Online Reputation Management, Video, Mobile, Web, Lead Capture, A/B Testing and much more  (check out #agentrb on twitter to see the stream from this past week, so much great info to share I left with blisters from tweeting so much). I think one of the best things about Reboot is the quality of speaker and the level of expertise they provide.  Speakers this week included: Chris Smith (Inman News), Darin Persinger (Productivity Junkies), The main TSA Man Mr. Steve Pacinelli, Sherry Chris (Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate), Sean Carpenter (@seancarp on Twitter and The Realtors Toolbox Blog) and many more.  Agent Reboot is a great choice if you want to learn whats working across the country and hear from some of the best in the industry for a very affordable price.  Tickets to the event in Columbus were $49.

2. Xplode Conference – What makes Xplode really cool and unique to other traveling tech shows is the fact that they partner with local vendors, MLS’s, and Associations as well as speakers on a national and international level.  This really adds a unique local feel while still receiving top notch content from national speakers.  I was fortunate enough to attend Xplode this year in Washington DC and outside of the traffic jam on my way to the airport it was great.  They even offer a VIP pass which gives you prime seating, electric and premium high-speed  internet so you can easily digitally capture and even implement some of the strategies that were discussed before you even leave the event!  If you ever have the chance to attend an explode event, I would encourage you to do so.

3. Max Pigman & Tech Savvy Agent - Did you know that Tech Savvy Agent aka Steve Pacinelli has his own event in addition to appearances on other major national stages.  Well now you do! The folks as Move Inc. have a traveling tech event anchored by National Speaker Max Pigman in the morning and Steve covering the afternoon.  Having helped design some of the content for these shows in the past, I can tell you the quality is top notch.  The difference maker for the “Real Estate Series” events is that a lot of the content is live, no powerpoint!  That’s right, there are step by step live instructions for the strategies discussed and they are FREE to attend. Free? Yes Free. The events are usually co-sponsored by Top Producer and Realtor.com and as such there is no cost to attend. Generally before each break the sponsors will take 5 minutes to feature a product.  Now I know what you’re thinking, this is probably one of those timeshare deals with a hard core sales pitch. Negative. The sales guys do a nice job of showing you how their products can help augment some of the great new tech you have learned throughout the day and you are free to take them up on the offer or pass.

So now that you have a better feel for whats out there, take advantage. Head out to the sites (linked in this post) and find the next show in your part of the world.  If you have been to one of these shows please leave your comments below.

In closing, I have one piece of advice for you tech training novices: Commit to implementing 3 things after the show.  You will undoubtedly learn more than 10 things that will help your business at each one of these shows, however implementation is key! Pick the 3 best and go for it. By choosing only a few, you will increase your chances of success exponentially.

Guest post by Greg Grospitch. Follow Greg on twitter @greggrospitch

So with that said I decided to write a post to give you a few tips for overcoming bloggers block. Bookmark this post, and next time you need to put out a post, and your mind just can’t seem to squeak out a single creative thought, stop back and check out these helpful tips.

Tips to help you scale that brick wall!

1. Looking Through Old Email – Some times all it takes to spur your memory is a walk down memory lane. Open up the inbox and look back through all of your old saved emails.  Personal experiences coupled with some advice on how you handled the situation or would have handled it if you had to do it over again make great posts. So open up that inbox and get to typing.

2. Let Them Learn From Your Mistakes – Speaking of personal experience, nothing makes for a learning lesson better than a mistake.  Think back over the past few months (or weeks…days?) and recall those situations you might approach differently if you were to have the chance.  Well, you might never get the chance, but your readers could. So help out and start imparting your wisdom!

3. Stop Worrying – Many of you may have a great idea that your not writing about because you think other people will find it stupid or inconsequential. Believe Me! If I didn’t write every post I thought might be found stupid by someone, I would have written about 2. (Example: This Post )

4. Do an Interview – Have a favorite restaurant or business that has really impressed you recently? People LOVE free publicity. Try giving them a call and ask for an interview.  Tell them how much you love their establishment and that you would like to tell the rest of the world about it.  Jot down 8-10 good questions and do your best Barbara Walters! Another way to incorporate interviews is to ask a peer for their thoughts on a particular subject.  Introducing another perspective can really spice up a post (or create a non-existant one!).

5. Solve a Problem – Think about all of the problems in your life, your industry, or even this country.  Pick one and provide your solution.  It may not work, it may not be realistic, people may disagree with it (see #3)  but it will make a good post.

6. Google Alerts – This last point takes a little bit of set up work but once its in place it will help provide you with great content ideas.  Setting up Google Alerts for all of the main topics on your blog will always allow you to see what else is being said about those topics across the internet.  As these alerts come streaming in, read and respond.

So there you have it. 6 Great ways to over come writers block. Still can’t think of anything to write about? Write a post about how you overcome writers block!

Good news!  Google has an answer for you!  And, of course, it is free to use.  God bless Google, right?!  The answer is In-Page Analytics.  This beta program was released back in October and is a great addition to what Google has to offer within their analytics system.

Below I have put together a short video on how to access it, how to use it and what you should be able to takeaway from the information it provides you with.  So if you have ever wondered if your page layout is optimal for what you want your buyers/sellers to accomplish, or if your calls to action are motivating and visible enough, this is a must have weapon for you to add to your arsenal!

But what about after the sale is all said and done?  Are you just so thankful that you got the transaction to close that you pretty much just succumb to the emotional roller coaster you’ve been riding and slump into a big messy heap, recover and move on to the next ride?

What percentage of Realtors® do you think have an after sale plan in place and using consistently?  50%?  40%?  30%?  Nope.  How about less than 10%?   Now, the question is, are you included in that 10%?

Referrals should be the root of your growing tree.

Here’s some savvy ways to continue to be at the top of your past client’s minds when it comes to referrals:

1.  (This first one may seem really elementary, but you’d be surprised how many don’t do this!)  Get a testimonial! It always has and it always will be not what you say you can do, but what other have said you have done.  The easiest way to gain testimonials is to request it within a week of closing and via an email.  Get it while your successful closing is still fresh in everyone’s minds and get it quick!  These can be used in your listing presentations, your blogsite your LinkedIN account, pretty much everywhere.

2.  Send some type of communication to them on a REGULAR basis.  Since 80% of sales happen after the 5th means of communication,  consistent contact is truly a must in this scenario too.  A simple email saying hello, a quick call to see how they are doing… this is also an excellent example of how to use the social networking aspect of Top Producer’s 8i system where you can see what your previous clients have been doing via their Facebook updates – pick up the phone and talk to them about it.  Instant connection!

3.  Remember the dates.   Not just their closing date, but their birthdays too.   I’m still a huge fan of SendOutCards (no affiliation here) or handwritten notes.  They just exuberate emotion.

4.  Be social.  Get out to where your previous clients socialize.  Not in a stalking way, but in a relationship sustaining way!

With just one of these suggestions in place and made part of your business building routine, it’s practically a given that your referrals will grow in numbers and your sales will too.

Have other suggestions that work too?  Share with us in the comments below.

Why not try giving your clients what THEY want, not what you THINK they want! And no, your picture is not one of them!

The single most sought after feature of a real estate website is the ability to search the MLS for Real Estate listings. Buyers and sellers alike want to be able to search the MLS with an intuitive, easy to use, graphical interface. They want to choose their own criteria and then display the search results in a variety of ways like on a map or as a gallery of pictures. The results should also be sortable by various filters like “Price Low to High” or “High to Low” for example.

To really improve the user experience make some of the most common searches in your area accessible through a single click. For example you might have a search titled “Foreclosures” and another one for “Lakefront Properties.”  Think about what your niche or specialization is in your area and focus your attention to that.

Once you have a great Search interface for your clients, you’ll want to make it easy to find on the internet. To be found organically (in much less time than a traditional website) you’ll need to have a blog based site and post regularly.

The WordPress blogging platform is the gold standard for real estate blogging. For an example of a WordPress based site with an amazing custom search interface built in, check out Will Rahill’s Big Bear Real Estate Website.  This example is certainly not on the cheap side, but is an option for a more customized blogsite.  Another great company to contact for customized blogsites would be Arranging Pixels. Of course there are other options, if a less expensive (but still very intuitive and savvy) blogsite is what your budget can handle.

There are also some amazing real estate plugins out there for adding an MLS Search to your blogsite – but with an enormous added bonus!  Each of the pages created by the search results are indexed by the search engines and therefore boost your sites ranking!  (Will’s site actually has two IDX providers that covers all the areas he services!  Talk about giving your clients what they want!)  Two of the most popular plugins that are available for blogsites are IDXPress by Diverse Solutions and IDXBroker.  Both have their own unique benefits, and neither are available in every area or every State.  Contact them directly to find out more info…

The ability to search, and search easily, for properties is paramount to having a site that is successful – because let’s face it, that’s what this is all about!  SELLING PROPERTIES!