To no one’s surprise commercial real estate insiders are projecting that 2010 will not be significantly better than 2009. The real question of course is what is the projection for your personal brokerage business? Does the declining velocity in your market correlate to declining commissions for you?
It would be easy to provide you a simply answer, however the answer varies bases on market, focus, level of experience, dedication to your business and yes your personal brand and personal marketing plan. 2009 showed the same level of failure in new-to-business brokers as seasoned industry veterans. The same holds true for the levels of success. Many new to the business brokers have out produced their seasoned veterans.
It is also true that many commercial real estate brokers have had extremely rewarding years in 2009. They have leveraged their market presence, existing client relationships and current market conditions to identify new opportunities, and in many times for new clients.
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A valuable source of untapped networking opportunities for commercial real estate brokers is trade associations. Becoming a member of a local trade association can prove to be a valuable resource and a viable part of your network as you establish yourself as the real estate expert for their specific needs. More than likely, existing members of the trade association are all members whose area of expertise is directly related to the industry. By becoming a member and establishing yourself as the real estate expert for their association, you will not only be able to provide valuable insight into the real estate issues relative to their industry, you will ultimately be looked upon as their real estate adviser, from which fee service and transactions can result.
For example: If you are a broker of retail space, it would naturally benefit you to participate in the local Restaurant Association. How? Simple: Food courts provide space for parasite locations such as fast food outlets in regional malls and strip centers. Parasite stores provide a guaranteed high traffic area with a small rental space. Local members of this useful trade association are usually the owners/franchisees that make the final decision in the site selection, and a working relationship with them could mean untapped sales from an unlikely source.
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If you have recently upgraded to Windows 7, you are probably a little overwhelmed with all the new options. For “power users” of Windows XP it can be a little frustrating, since most of the older settings are no longer where they used to be.
“GodMode” to the rescue!
There is a hidden feature in Windows 7 called “GodMode”. It displays almost all user-adjustable settings and control panels in one place. But you won’t find it on any of your menus. Here’s how to activate it:
- Create a new folder on your C: drive
- Rename the folder to: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
- The new folder will now rename itself “GodMode” and the icon will resemble a control panel. Double-click the folder, and you have access to over 250 settings and options all in one place – very cool!
If you’re like most commercial brokers, you are probably engaged in a constant battle to keep your e-mail in-box under control. Perhaps the source of your frustration is your corporate I.T. department and their frequent demands to trim your storage space usage.
There is a simple, free, and incredibly useful way to solve these issues, and it’s called MailStore.
MailStore enables you to back-up all your email messages from multiple applications and accounts into one secure and persistent archive, then you can delete them from your mail program. It works with Outlook, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey – even Gmail and Yahoo. It also backs up all your attachments, and you can restore any message back to your in-box with one click. Searching MailStore is much faster than searching Outlook, and it even allows you to burn archive CD-ROMs and DVD disks. You will never lose important emails again!
MailStore Home is free for personal use. They also have a server-based version that is designed to back up entire company mail systems starting at $299.
I’ve been depending on MailStore for about 2 years, and couldn’t imagine working without it. Now my e-mail box stays clean, and I know that I can instantly find anything I need, read it in MailStore, and restore it to my in-box immediately if necessary.
To no one’s surprise commercial real estate insiders are projecting that 2010 will not be significantly better than 2009. The real question of course is what is the projection for your personal brokerage business? Does the declining velocity in your market correlate to declining commissions for you?
