“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:

1. Create a new folder on your C: drive
2. Rename the folder to: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
3. 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!

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.

Did I mention if you are a commercial real estate broker, you also need to make time to find, win and fulfill business?  How can a dedicated commercial real estate professional, whose life blood is personal relationships and transactions cultivated from these relationships, take any valuable time away to focus on some fad that will last a year or two at most?  Heck, I heard the other day that most folks stop using their Twitter accounts after the first 30 days.  I really don’t care where you went this weekend with your dog.

Well, unfortunately we have little choice.  You can look at any industry, including commercial real estate, and more and more opportunities are finding the broker, versus the other way around.  That’s right, investors, users, owners, tenants are all looking for solutions and they are using the internet as their prime source.  If you think you have a loyal client that will never leave, think again.  Once that client is bombarded with a proactive and aggressive marketing campaign that persuades him your competition is smarter, better, faster and has a more robust online presence, you will find yourself in the same position as Augustus Gloop, that “chunky” kid who fell in Willy Wonka’s chocolate river.   He was sucked up and left behind.

Don’t get me wrong.  Another MUST with social marketing is you MUST continue to have personal relationships and you MUST prospect now more than ever before.  Web 2.0, 3.0, etc is here to stay and you need to find a way to get on board.  But it is not the only answer.  A robust online marketing solution creates a presence.  Prospecting with presence creates wealth.

By the way, you can follow me on my web page, Linked In, Twitter, my blog and yes, our soon-to-be-released Massimo YouTube Channel.  I still need to figure out the whole Facebook thing.

For many years, TheCommercialBroker.com has been the most popular web site for commercial real estate technology information, reviews and tips.  I had an epiphany recently, and decided to totally re-design the site.  In the age of Twitter and Facebook, when people are accustomed to fast, succinct updates, I decided it would be more useful to turn this into a blog.  The reasons are many, but mostly I think it is better to have more frequent timely updates rather than to focus on longer articles as we have in the past.  I hope you will be happy with the results.

I will be posting some of our most popular legacy articles shortly, and then we will press on with new stuff.

The ability to post from “the field” via my iPhone is a great plus – no need to wait until I have time to write HTML code.

I will continue to write technology articles aimed at helping commercial brokers be more productive.  I have also lined up several excellent guest bloggers from our industry who will focus on sales and leasing, broker performance and best practices.  I have also started a Twitter feed, which you will find at the top of the page.

It’s an exciting new format, and one which I hope our loyal readers and new-found friends will find useful.  As always, the goal is to sort through the vast amount of information out there and cull out the pieces we think will help you be more productive and successful in your commercial real estate practice.