Change yourself and your work will seem different.
Norman Vincent Peale
january 20, 2015 by linda day harrison, cpm, ccim
Today I attended a lunch meeting and our topic of conversation was new business. That got me to thinking about how really, really hard it is to get new business. Acquiring new business can be a painful and arduous task. There can be so many layers of bureaucracy to overcome, objections to counter and the sheer volume of competitors to thwart. Overall it is just tough. The one thing we do know for sure is that acquiring new business always comes back to the same thing: RELATIONSHIPS! Who do you know or who do you know that knows somebody.
Make a list
I am not talking about complex networking here. I am talking about people who know you, trust you and care for you. I am talking about stakeholders in you, or stakeholders in your projects or buildings or clients. For instance, existing clients, employees, a neighbor, a relative who has a contact, your staff and people they know, valued vendors, professional service providers, etc. The goal is to unearth these contacts and find out who YOU really are connected to through all of these connections.
Believe it or not, social media can be a big help to you in forming relationships. Yes, they are virtual relationships initially, but they can and do blossom into real, face to face relationships and business too. Have you ever visited your employee social media pages or your vendors pages to see who they know? Same with people who are already clients.
So now for the technology part
There are many ways to approach this, but with today’s technology, there are so many tools, like Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and WordPress. These sites and platforms give you a 24/7/365 view of who knows who. That is a really good start. If you are looking for someone and that person is connected to the person you want to meet, give them a call or send them an email. Ask for an introduction. It cannot hurt and it can at least give you a warm introduction and it is much better than a cold call!
Blogs Are Communities
As far as WordPress and blogging, commenting on blogs and sharing blog content can help build relationships too. As a blogger you get to know your audience. They actually become friends and colleagues. It is a community spirit and it breeds so much opportunity to meet more and more people as you share your opinions and viewpoints. Try it out and you will see what I mean. A good tool for this is Disqus and Gravatar. Be sure you have your profiles set up on both of these powerful platforms.
Twitter is the Ultimate
If you use Twitter, just retweeting someone’s tweets and replying can give you a leg up. Yes, believe it or not, something as simple as that can help open doors. The same with Facebook pages or Linkedin Company pages. Follow those pages, Like the pages and comment on their content. There is nothing wrong with getting to know someone on social media, BEFORE you call them. If you call them you can reference a blog post or a tweet or a Linkedin discussion and it may help get your call answered.
The bottom line and one of my favorite sayings is that you have to “use every single tool in the drawer” until you find the one that works for you. Remember a warm introduction is better than a cold call any day!
Photo Credit: Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World Jonathan Goldsmith
About Linda Day Harrison, CPM, CCIM
Linda Day Harrison, CPM, CCIM has written 29 post(s) in this blog.
Linda Day Harrison founded theBrokerList.com in an effort to create efficiency and streamlined operations for the commercial real estate industry, property and facility management, leasing and brokerage. Linda contributes more than 25 years of professional commercial real estate experience gained in suburban and central business district office and mixed-use buildings, condominium conversion and management, commercial and residential leasing, commercial and residential management, re-positioning and marketing for the disposition of commercial properties. Linda has earned an outstanding reputation as an exceptional professional service provider who has raised the bar among colleagues and peers. A visionary strategist, she directed the redevelopment and re-positioning of a major Chicago high-rise office building, on behalf of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), that dramatically increased its value. She was awarded special honors and recognition for her innovation, commitment and execution, by the NAR. Linda is a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago and served on its alumni board. She has earned the professional designations of CPM and CCIM Certified Property Manager and Certified Commercial Investment Member from the Institute of Real Estate Management and the CCIM Institute. She holds an Illinois real estate license. Follow me on Twitter @dayharrisonor connect with me on Linkedin or check me out on tBL Linda Day Harrison, CPM, CCIM.
I am actively looking to build relationships with Real Estate Investors and Owner / Users for Phoenix – Scottsdale – Tucson – Maricopa County – Pima County – Pinal County – Cochise County – Santa Cruz County –Yavapai County – Gila County – Arizona , USA
Walter Unger CCIM – walterunger@ccim.net – 1-520-975-5207 – http://walter-unger.com
1
Timeline of Phoenix, Arizona history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Phoenix,_Arizona_history
2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix,_Arizona
3
Facts of Arizona – year 1848 to 2013
http://walter-unger.com/?p=9507
Feel free to contact Walter regarding any of these stories, the current market, distressed commercial real estate opportunities and needs, your property or your Investment Needs for Comercial Properties in Phoenix.
1-520-975-5207
View my listings and my profile at:
http://www.loopnet.com/profile/14101172900/Walter-Unger-CCIM/Listings/
Investors and owner/users need to really know the market before making a move in commercial investment properties as the market has a lot of moving parts today. What’s going on socio-economically, what’s going on demographically, what’s going on with location, with competing businesses, with public policy in general — all of these things affect the quality of your commercial properties/investment properties. Therefore, you need a broker who understands commercial properties. Please go to my web-site and get all the newsflashes and updates in Commercial Real Estate.
Check out my professional profile and connect with me on LinkedIn.
Follow me on Facebook:
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Walter Unger CCIM, CCSS, CCLS
I am a successful Commercial / Investment Real Estate Broker in Arizona now for 20 years. I am also a commercial land specialist in Phoenix and a Landspecialist in Arizona. If you have any questions about Commercial / Investment Properties in Phoenix or Commercial / Investment Properties in Arizona, I will gladly sit down with you and share my expertise and my professional opinion with you. I am also in this to make money therefore it will be a win-win situation for all of us.
Please reply by e-mail walterunger@ccim.net or call me on my cell 520-975-5207 or Office:480-948-5554
Thank You
Walter
Walter Unger CCIM
Associate Broker, West USA Commercial Real Estate Advisers
7077 E. Marilyn Road, Bldg 4, Suite 130
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Cell: 520-975-5207
Office : 480-948-5554
Fax: (480-658-1172
View my listings and my profile at:
http://www.loopnet.com/Profile/14101172900/Walter-Unger-CCIM/
a little about me and my expertise – video
commercial-investment real estate adviser-land specialist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPs3kpKR4nY
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