Top 5% Sales Nationally authors new book for prospective new real estate sales agents. Real estate consumers can benefit from book to learn the transaction process,day-to-day real estate agent activiites,and agent jargon to better manage their present or

INTERNET TURNS REAL ESTATE ON ITS HEAD

A real estate professional might well ask: "So I've got my desk and business cards. Now what?" The answer to that question has changed dramatically thanks to the Internet.
"Until recently, real estate professionals were proud of being ‘the keepers of the information.' We kept the information of properties for sale or rent through the multiple listing service or other collection services. The Internet made this information free to the public, so we are no longer keepers of the information and are free to add value to our real estate transactions in more meaningful ways." So says Mark W. Nash, founder of Training Institute, LLC, of Illinois, which provides state-approved pre-license real estate education, technology, and sales training.
In his new book, The Original New Agent's Guide to Starting & Succeeding in Real Estate (Trafford Publishing), Nash provides pre- and post-licensed real estate agents and independent buyers and sellers with ideas for gaining a competitive edge in a real estate industry that has
been turned inside out by the Internet.
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"When I started in the real estate sales business, I wanted to follow some recent consumer product marketing strategies," Nash recounts. However, in the Internet age, Nash finds that "consumers have as much information as I do about the transaction process and market, and as much access as I do to market inventory and sales information. So I found new benefits and values to add to their process. Niche or target (specialty or interest-based consumer groups) marketing allowed me to focus and build relationships first, and to market my real estate transactions service second . . . Most agents want to prospect today, show property tomorrow, and write transactions on the weekend. I wanted a more loyal relationship-based, real estate sales business based on the value that I brought to my clients' transactions."
Rather than fight the Internet, Nash also learned how to use the Web to market his services. "The Internet in real estate is here to stay," Nash confirms. "You should keep in mind some fundamentals about Internet consumers. First, they like the anonymity that protects them from unwanted interaction. Second, they like to be in control of communication and keep it impersonal. Third, they appreciate that it gives them some information to be more educated so they can shop more efficiently."
He also urges real estate agents to set up their own Web sites. "It can move with you if you change broker affiliations," Nash points out. Also, be sure your Web site includes, among other things:
·    Sign-up information to be on your mailing list
·    Your listings
·    Links to home finding sites
·    Testimonials from clients, active or past
·    Relocation information for your specific market

Visual designers would do a better job creating your Web site than would technology-based developers, Nash explains, because uninteresting online brochures do not attract potential clients. In addition, Nash believes every real estate agent should purchase a Web page at Realtor.com, a national Web site for real estate listings and real estate sales agents so that clients who are shopping online for real estate agents can find them. "It's still possible to jumpstart your career in real estate sales, even in a rapidly-changing environment," Nash concludes. "You simply have to learn how to provide extra value and services, and how to make the Internet work for you, rather than against you."
But Nash points out that one can't find all the information he or she needs on the Internet. So, for new real estate agents and for people who want to become real estate agents, he has included some difficult-to-find facts in his book such as:
·    The step-by-step plan to land you in the right first real estate office
·    What relocation is all about and why it should be part of your
          business plan
·    Brokerage and agent profiles
·    Office jargon
·    The entire process of selling properties, from day one with new clients
          to closing your first sale
·    Which client personalities to attract and which to avoid

"With this insider's information, readers will learn how to maximize their chances for success in real estate. In some cases, they'll even be able to determine that real estate isn't the right job for them at all."
# # #
Mark Nash
Mark Nash has been in residential real estate brokerage since 1997. He is a member of the Prudential Real Estate President's Club, whose members are the top 5% based on sales of all Prudential real estate agents nationwide. Mark's early commitment and success in e-commerce marketing to residential real estate consumers has brought him recognition from his associates and competition alike. Visit his Web site: www.marknashrealtor.com. His vast corporate background in sales and marketing for such international and national consumer product corporations helps position The Training Institute, which Mark founded, as a leader in real estate education.
The Training Institute provides licensing, certification and continuing education courses for real estate salespersons, real estate brokers, appraisers and leasing agents. Courses are offered throughout the state of Illinois. Its Web site, www.TrainingInstituteOnline.com, received the Golden Web Award in 2001 for outstanding Web content, site navigation, and design.

Suggested Interview Questions

1.    If you met someone who was interested in getting a real estate license today, what would you tell him or her?
2.    Let's say you've just run into a newly licensed real estate agent. What advice would you offer?
3.    What separates successful real estate agents from those who fail?
4.    How does having a niche help a real estate agent's business?
5.    What other services can real estate agents offer to set themselves apart from their colleagues?
6.    Do you feel threatened by the Internet, and will the World Wide Web eventually put real estate agents out of business?
7.    What do real estate agents offer property buyers and sellers that the Internet cannot provide?
8.    How can real estate agents make the Internet work for them, rather than against them?
9.    Why should home owners care about building a personal relationship with real estate agents in their area?
10.    Is "location, location, location" still the most important phrase in the real estate business?
11.    How has the real estate selling business changed in the past decade?
12.    What's the one strategy for working with real estate agents that could benefit every home owner?

Story Ideas
Buying and selling property online: Is the real estate agent really dead?
Selling to a niche market: How outrealtor.com and GayLesbianOnline.com have helped one real estate agent penetrate the gay and lesbian real estate market.
Nurturing Relationships: Why real estate agents who go straight to the transaction miss golden opportunities to build their businesses.
Home on the Net: What every real estate agent needs to know about setting up a winning Web site.
Behind the Scenes: How learning about the life of a real estate agent can help consumers manage the home-selling process instead of being managed by it.
What's not online: Find out what's not on the Internet that you need to know for your next home search.








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