Luxury Clues

Holiday Bling--Diamonds for Your iPod

This is the first of a series of posts that will look at ultimate luxury gifts for the holidays. If you know someone who has everything, chances are they don't have diamond studded ear buds for their iPhone. The set from Deos Diamond comes with two sets of covers weighing over 9 carats. Each is set in titanium. Luxist.com reports the prices range from $4,500 to $60,000.

Posted by Bernice Ross, www.RealEstateDough.com Look for Bernice's new book, Real Estate Dough, Your Recipe for Real Estate Success to be released this week. It's the first book to combine the best of traditonal strategies with the best of Web 2.0. Be the first to order!

Hilton Head, SC

Walk through the impressive foyer of this 5,560 SF home, and you’ll think you’re in Tuscany, in a world of luxury and casual elegance. But then, when you look at the panoramic view of the lagoon, the signature 12th hole at the Country Club of Hilton Head and Skull Creek, you’ll know you’re on Hilton Head. The breathtaking sunsets will greet you at the end of the day.

Listing provided by Point2Agent

Your "Little Black Book" of Luxury Resources

When people used to keep their personal contacts in a "little black book," they seldom were eager to share them. The concept was that this contact information was private and special.

Today, we no longer carry "little black books." Instead, our contacts exist in online databases. To take advantage of this trend, you can create the equivalent of a little black book on social networking sites such as LinkedIn.com. The best thing about this solutiono is that it actually helps you grow your database.

In the past, creating and maintaining a strong referral database was a constant challenge. You had to rely on mailers or word of mouth referrals. Unless you designed something unique, you were possibly mailing the same person exactly the same materials that another agent is sending. Furthermore, the phrases that say, “I’m never too busy for your referral” or, “Oh by the way, if you know of someone who is thinking about buying or selling a home, I definitely would appreciate your referral” have been so overused that they are no longer effective.

In contrast, LinkedIn.com is one of the quickest ways to expand your referral database. Their motto at LinkedIn is “Relationships matter.” This site is an excellent best business-to-business way to connect on the web. Currently there are more than 19 million experienced professionals in this network. That's quite a big little black book.

When you join LinkedIn, you create an on-line profile that summarizes your educational and professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you locate others as well as helping them locate you. For example, once you post your profile, the system notifies you of other people who share the same associations that you do. This is a quick and easy way to locate old classmates, former colleagues, as well as to expand your current referral network

To use LinkedIn to build your luxury referral database, invite the people you know to become members. As you meet new luxury buyers and sellers, invite them to become members as well. Once they join, you then have access to the people who belong to their LinkedIn network as well. 

LinkedIn also has a place for recommendations. This means that anyone who is in your network can view testimonials posted on your behalf. This is a great way to build on-line credibility as well as to expand your referral database. For example, ask past clients to join and to post a recommendation on your behalf. When your past client posts the recommendation, it appears on both your profile and your client’s profile. Thus, if a friend of your past client is looking for a real estate agent and sees the recommendation, there’s a high probability that you will receive that referral with little or no effort on your part.

LinkedIn system also makes recommendations about other people that you may know. For agents, this translates into a wealth of potential referrals, both locally and nationally. By connecting, you now have the ability for others in your network to refer business to you. This is especially useful if your contacts have left the area and still have friends and family where you work. Alternatively, you can also refer business outside your market area as well.

If you’re not linking up your clients with LinkedIn, you’re missing one of the most important opportunities today to generate referrals, post testimonials, and grow your on-line credibility.

Posted by Bernice Ross, www.RealEstateDough.com Look for Bernice's New Book--Real Estate Dough, Your Recipe for Real Estate Success--352 pages of the best real estate tips, strategies, and insider secrets ever! Don't wait--order today to get the edge on tomorrow!

Photo by basykeys

Happy Halloween--Funny Pumpkins

Since Halloween is this week, here are my entries for some of the funniest, as well as the most interesting pumpkins on the web. In case you missed the ones in two of my preceding post, here's the most irreverent one as well as what happens the morning after.

Here are four more!

Posted by Bernice Ross, www.RealEstateDough.com Are you ready to make more dough in your business, order our exciting new game that teaches you how--great for holiday gifts as well!

The "black night" pumpkin (photo by Abdullah Al-Nasr)

   Super-super scary pumpkin (photo by pixability)

Killer pumpkin (photo by El Scorcho)

                                Terror on the Tracks (photo by Welovethedark)

West Lake Hills, Texas

This stunning contemporary luxury home was constructed with the finest materials to produce more than just a place to live.

Listings provided by Point2Agent

Feeling Down? The Absolute Best Way to Raise Your Spirits

I was in San Juan Puerto Rico to speak for RE/MAX broker owners last Friday. Before my session, there was a brief presentation on Children's Miracle Network. This is an amazing charity that takes care of more sick children than all the other major children's charities combined. My cousin's son was born at 24 weeks and has experienced surgery after surgery. His birth weight was less than 2 pounds and this network saved his life. In fact, he was one of their "champions" who had the opportunity to be on radio and television plus receiving a tour of the White House.

What a found interesting about their statistics was the research that shows how powerful giving to others is. The best way to get rid of the blues is to give to someone else. If you can't afford to give money, volunteer to help others whether it's reading to children or visiting an elderly person who spends their days alone. In fact, Steve Kantor's book, Billion Dollar Agent-Lessons Learned, shows a consistent pattern for top producers. Almost 80 percent of the top performers in his book were actively involved in charity work.

If you're feeling blue, then the best thing you can do is to offer a hand to someone who needs it. Say thank you, be grateful for what you have, and give the gift of you.

Posted by Bernice Ross, www.RealEstateCoach.com, the home of the best real estate sales training, real estate consulting and coaching in the industry. Visit our library of Listen and Learn Real Estate audio broadcasts--only $29.95 per month for over 100 audio broadcasts that will make your business soar!

Unlocking the Buying Code for Luxury Real Estate Clients

To sell to the luxury buyer, you must tap into the buyer’s “culture code.” This code varies from country to country. According to Jurgin Klaric, “forget about location. Marketing to the ultra wealthy is all about niche marketing and appealing to the factors that anchor luxury in the buyer’s country.” Clotaire Rapaille, the marketing consultant to numerous Fortune 100 companies, also emphasizes the importance of being “on code” when you work with buyers and sellers. Rapaille’s book, The Culture Code,identifies what’s on code for Americans. Klaric’s work addresses what matters to people from other cultures.

Both men believe that the reptilian brain, rather than the cortex, regulates the buying process. The cortex handles logical thinking. The reptilian brain is located in the brain stem and cares almost exclusively about its creature comforts. You can experience the power of the reptilian brain at any buffet table. While the cortex says, “You’re supposed to be dieting!” you load up your plate and then go back for seconds. As Rapaille puts it, “the reptilian always wins.” In other words, the brain’s desire for food, comfort, and other primal triggers outweighs logic. This same pattern also applies to real estate. The logical part of our brain may tell us that a particular property is not in a great location, it has street noise, and it’s going to take a considerable amount of money to repair. “You shouldn’t buy this,” your cortex screams. You write the offer anyway because “there’s something about this house that I love.”

Thus, to successfully market to the luxury buyer, or to any buyer for that matter, you must be on code. What are the codes for luxury? Rapaille’s clients spend $200,000 per day to consult with him about this issue. Based upon his work, here are a few of the key anchors for the ultra wealthy.

1.  Safety matters
In American society, safety is a huge issue. A primary concern for the ultra wealthy is protecting both their families and their assets. They do not want the properties listed on the Multiple Listing Service; they do not want a virtual tour that shows the art in their homes; and they definitely do not want unqualified buyers viewing their property.

2. Being bigger and more dominant matters
According to Rapaille, the reptilian brain wants to feel dominant. Consequently, the ultra luxury buyer normally wants the house on the hill or something else that says, “I’m the biggest and I’m the best.”

3.  Appealing to the five senses matters
Our decision to purchase almost any product is tied to all five senses. When showing an estate, find out what the buyers’ favorite type of music is prior to the showing and have that music playing in every room. Make sure the temperature is comfortable and if it’s cold, light a fire in the fireplace. On a hot day, have lemonade or other cold drinks available. During the winter, you may want to offer the buyer’s favorite type of coffee or hot chocolate. Make sure the room is comfortable and that there are plenty of pillows that invite the buyer to sit down and relax.

Of all the senses, however, scent may be the most powerful. In a recent study, researchers formulating a new perfume discovered that the most attractive scent to men was cinnamon rolls. Consequently, it may be smart to pop some frozen cinnamon rolls into the oven on 150 degrees to spread the aroma without ever cooking them completely.

Another approach involves giving clients a true luxury experience. As one luxury agent put it, “Don’t talk about how luxurious it is. Let them experience it first hand. Serve them caviar and champagne poolside and then seal the deal with chocolate.”

4.  Other early anchors
Additional early anchors include fresh flowers on the table, white linen table cloths, and live music playing in the background while dining.

While these strategies work well for the luxury buyer, they’re equally important to buyers in all price ranges. All buyers want to feel special. Ask them what matters to them and to their children. Stop for hot chocolate and coffee on a cold day or when it’s hot, have cold drinks and snacks in a cooler. When it comes to luxury, what you say is not nearly as important as the experience that you provide.

Posted by Bernice Ross--Are you ready to make more money in your business--if so, look for Bernice's new book, Real Estate Dough--Your Recipe for Real Estate Success at the NAR bookstore next month.

Photo by Amagil

Funny Pumpkin

This blog is being done in front of a live audience at the California Association of Realtors. We want to see your funniest Halloween pictures. Let's have some fun!

Posted by Bernice Ross, www.RealEstateCoach.com

Argentina

Exclusive Ranch of 183 acres with unbeatable view of the Lanin volcano and the valley meadows, the summit overlooks the lake Lacar and Lolog.

Listings provided by Point2Agent

Who Are the 545 People Responsible for Our Current Financial Mess?

If you are happy with the way things are, then skip to our next post. If not, then the column below that explains how things work in Washington. It's quite an eye opener. The article is essentially bi-partisan--the author suggests that perhaps it's time to throw out everyone in Washington and start over.

545 PEOPLE ARE TO BLAME!!!!!
By Charlie Reese  (Charlie Reese is a former columnist of The  Sentinel Newspaper.)

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits,  WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget.  The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. Congress does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
 
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.  They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing.

I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.  The politician has the power to accept or reject it.  No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. 

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget.   He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Whois the speaker of the House?  She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted by present fact of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in

IRAQ

, it's because they want them in

IRAQ

.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom

they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,' or 'politics'  that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. 

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

What you do with this article now that you have read it is up to you, though you appear to have several choices.


     1.     You can send this to everyone in your address book, and hope 'they' do something about it.

     2.     You can agree to 'vote  against' everyone that is currently in office, knowing  that the process will take several years.

     3.     You can decide to 'run for office' yourself and agree to do the job properly.

     4.     Lastly, you can sit back and do nothing, or re-elect the current bunch.

Posted by Bernice Ross and Jerry Rossi

Photo by Cloudsoup