I have been socializing up a storm lately... blogging here, tweeting there, facing here, linking there. It can be never ending and so addicting. It has been easy to sit in front of the computer and socialize away. I tend to eat and drink more too. Humm, this is not good, not good at all.
Since I have had more time at home recently, I have had to restrict myself from my social internet party. No more eating, drinking and relying on Internet socializing for my marketing. Oh now don't get me wrong... AR will always be my addiction, but I will be toning it down with all my other vices. I will not be the Biggest Loser in Real Estate!
So in order to loose 10 pounds;
I am going back to pounding the pavement.
I am going back to visiting Open Houses,
I am going back to passing out 10 cards a day,
I am going to "limit" my social/marketing network intake,
I will smile, chat, and enquire.... like I did when I first started and Active Rain was just a small community of 11,000 and "everybody knew your name".
Yup, I am starting over.
Whew, glad that I got that out, I feel so much better, part of some kind of real estate therapy I guess. ;)
My inspiration for this Blog has come from 2 Active Rain sources or should I say "Trainer Sources:
A blog by Joe Manausa ACTIVE RAIN MEMBERS EPITIMIZE SUCCESS
and another by Lenn Harley "DON'T REST ON YOUR LAURELS". Or, past success doesn't guarantee future success.
Both of these Blogs really got me thinking...two different view points but powerful information that we can all learn from. We can be thankful for all that the Internet has allowed us to do, but we can't forget our bottom line to get out, meet people and promote our services.
So folks, I am starting this "diet" tomorrow, because I have something to say tonight on the net, and also have a small glass of wine to inspire my writing.
But you may want to ponder this thought: If Internet socializing were to suddenly go away... would you survive?
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Lori Kim Polk is the Founder and Lead Designer of Artful Journey Designs and Staging, a full service Home Staging and Design Corporation and nationally recognized leader within the home staging industry combined with Ryan Dressel from Stage Right Design located in Roseville, California. With 6 years of success, they have been recently featured in Sacramento Magazine, Sacramento News and Review, KFBK radio and SMUD's Home of the Future. Proudly serving Granite Bay, Rocklin, Lincoln, Sacramento, and surrounding areas.
We are presently the #1 Staging Company in the Sacramento area. Our stats say it all.....current DOM with our staging is 16 days. Call us today at 916-300-0402 or 916-517-5710 for our premier services. "The art of selling your home!"
View our listings HERE. View our portfolio HERE.
We have real estate packages just waiting for YOU!
Lori Kim Polk and Ryan Dressel are owners of Stage Right Design, a full service Home Staging and Design Corporation and nationally recognized leader within the home staging industry located in Roseville, California. Lori and Ryan have combined forces in order to better serve their growing list of clients in the Sacramento areas. They have been recently featured in Staging Standard Magazine, Sacramento Magazine, Sacramento News and Review, KFBK radio and SMUD's Home of the Future. Sponsors for the PCAR 2010 Masters Club Awards and proudly serving Granite Bay, Rocklin, Lincoln, Sacramento, and surrounding areas with exceptional home staging.
See our most recent listings: Listings for Stage Right Design
We are presently the #1 Staging Company in the Sacramento area having staged over 50 homes in the first 2 quarters of 2010. Our stats say it all.....current DOM with our staging is 20 days. Call us today at 916-300-0402 or 916-517-5710 for our premier services. "We are changing this market one home at a time!"
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Lori- I would survive. Never been one to rely on just one thing to get me through. I will admit that I've phased print advertising down to a smidgen of what it used to be and I'm happy with that. But just like my financial portfolio, I feel quite diversified and how and where I "shop" for leads.
Hi Lori... sounds like a great combo exercise regime/new year's resolution/business plan all-in-one!
This blog isn't as entertaining as mine was on virtually the same subject, but mine was tongue in cheek.
I need to lose 10 pounds also... Maybe there should be a computer on my exercise bike.
Tammy... great that you see the point here. Best to you!
Steve... nothing like rolling it all into one huh? Thanks for the S and P (stop and post).
Kyle... where did you post yours? Sorry, but would have included it for sure. I will try to make mine more entertaining ;))
I too think social media is just one piece of the puzzle of marketing. I need to do some newsletters.
Lori, yours was totally fine, thank you for posting.
-david
Lori . . . a brillant way to put it: There's social networking which is totally different from internet socializing.
I found out 2 weeks ago that when you get sick and can't eat you loose weight too... I have lost 20 lbs in the past 2 weeks. Now to keep it off...
Don't get sick,.... just focus on your goal !
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best for 2010!
-Keith
Thanks for that Lori!
Nothing beats face time with potential clients and past clients. Get out there and pound the pavement.
The easy path is easy for a reason.
Happy Holidays!
Best of luck with the new exercise and going for more balance -- all the best.
Lori ~ I think you're on to something ... we need to do more than just FB, Twitter, etc if we want to meet our prospective clients. I reach my consumer market through A/R, referrals, and in-person contacts. Have a very Happy New Year!!
Hi Lori- Thankfully you can take your Blackberry with you when you work out and tweet your progress! Good luck.
I need to lose more than just 10 pounds. I was thinking about getting a laptop tray for my treadmill. LOL
Funny, I was thinking towards the other end of the spectrum. . I will double my internet presence this year since 90% of my business came from google and my blogs
to lose weight, I'm making an appointment with myself at the gym 3 times per week (spinning class)
Balance is the key with socail media. It is easy to get "caught up" and not only health but family and business can suffer
Have a great day
Tony
Great post... I need to get out and pound the pavement too. And break this A/R addiction.
Lori,
Well thanks. I was wondering what was causing that sudden weight gain. Pretty sedentary, sitting behind a computer.
Rich
Lori,
Great post and very true. Use the rainmeter: if you do 500 points/day, you better get a life and get those listings instead...
Happy holidays!
Cody
Will now have to read the two posts you linked to. I'm not yet getting significant business from social networking - still 90% COI - so I'm going to keep linking, facing, tweeting and blogging. But am also starting your diet (and Weight Watchers) after the first of the year!
Lori,
I really enjoyed your post as well as Carla's #9 response
Lori~ Everything in moderation.
Hi, Lori:
Good thoughts to start out the new year. Get out from behind the keyboard a bit. Also, try popcorn (few calories), chew Tri-dent gum (no calories) and take up a sport and play several times a week.
Lori, always good to loose a few pounds after the holidays, right?
Evaluating what we do, what worked, what didn't is an exercise all business folks must do to stay trim and fit.
Hi Lori-Congrats on a well deserved feature. It is just another tool in the arsenal as they say. Happy New Year. <SMILE>
You know that you have sat at the computer too long when you start dreaming about a Herman Miller Aeron chair.
I agree, spending so much time at my computer is a problem. I try to take my laptop to the kitchen counter and work standing up. I figure that is at least better than sitting all day.
Lori, if you wait to implement your new "diet" on New Years Day rather than Boxing Day, you won't need to think up a new New Years Resolution. :)
I had to smile when you said you are going to start the diet tomorrow. Aren't we all? But first, let's start off with a good glass of wine. Hmmmm, some cambembert would go really well with that wine. Oh, and some left over turkey. You know, there is still half a cherry pie left in the fridge. Cheers!
I guess it's time for me to join you. My husband and I are implementing many new strategies, including a move to make 2010 the year we want it to be!
Lori,
I think balance is the key! I plan on pounding the pavement as well delivering newsletters next week. Plus, I have good success at Open Houses.
My blog just brought me a listing on the 23rd, so I'm going to continue to blog, but the two-a-day era is over.
Hi Lori, I don't understand how so many can put so much time into the social thing. Must be better at time mgmt than me ! Happy 2010 to you !
My wife says my haircut makes me look fat ... I say my fat makes me look fat.
I clicked on your blog because it is so true! I wonder how the blog superstars can maintain a healthy weight with so many hours behind the computer..I have a new rule for the future....I will be spending an hour on my unicycle for every hour I spend online in 2010! Here is the new mantra...."I wanna be a ten in 2010!"
Lori Kim, this post really hit home. I need to lose some extra pounds and the only way to do that is to ensure that each day is structured, with a certain amount of time allotted to social media and internet marketing as well as to exercise. For me, structure needs to come first and then the discipline to follow that structure naturally follows. Thanks for showing me that I'm not alone! LOL -- Tanya in Montreal
LOL it is all about balancing the whole gamete of our strategies. I could make some of the same resolutions but the net has yielded great for me.
My diet starts Monday....I need the weekend to plan it! LOL
Lori Kim - I think everything should be done in balance, which I don't do very well but am challenged by it daily. Setting up the goals and sticking to them is the way to go. Working smart and staying healthy is important for you as it will be reflected in the way you deal with your clients, family, and friends! Too much of a good thing can also not be a good thing. I tried an experiment in my 20's, as I loved ice cream, breyers to name the brand. I said I was going to eat that ice cream every day all day for every meal - I thought how cool, this will be pure heaven. Well, after a day and a half, believe it or not, I had enough ice cream!
I like this new 'starting over' plan. I think I may add it into my own 2010 plan. Here in Manhattan New York, we don't drive much, so we are constantly on the pavement and subways! I think most of the agents here are in pretty good shape since we are so active!
Yup - just got off my treadmill and wow does my brain feel good! I also decided that every time I am waiting for my computer to change gears, I'll do a few exercises.
Perfect reinforcement of not putting all your eggs in one basket. Need to balance the social media with the walking, the mailing and the GULP calling.
We have to remember that our inventory and clients are "in the field" I not "on the computer".
we need to get out there and interact in person.
Funny.....you know it's just that when you rely on any one thing, it's not good. Everything in moderation! See you on the pavement.
I walked my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago and handed out calendars. It was great exercise, and I met so many nice people. I also got 3 referrals. This only took 3 hours.
Contrast that to the last 3 months I have spent behind the computer blogging on activerain. No listings, no buyers, no referrals, 10 extra pounds and credit card debt from liquor store charges!
Yep - I'm going back to what works! Face-to-face and voice-to-voice.
Kim it always makes a lot of sense to the approaches you take in business. Most successful people do more than one thing. Social networking online is great but the real world should not be ignored.
Nicely said, I guess I could take a tip from you and spread the word to get back to basics. We do not realize how easily we can get into the social media and forget to knock on a door or pass out a business card. This will be an idea for one of my trainings in 2010. Thanks
Nothing beats the face-to-face interaction and many are dependent upon social media now because it's "easy". You can truly think before you speak! But you're right, where would we be without it after only such a short time of using it.
I spend way too much time trying to figure it all out and be sure I'm not missing out on something I should be doing... Just the thought of all this on-line socializing is wearing me out!
Back to the basics sounds like a restful relief!
Since I've gained 30+ pounds since getting married, what I really may need is a divorce, but I'd miss her cooking.
I do enough marketing offline to survive just fine if social networking went away. But it isn't.
It isn't the social networking that has caused me to gain weight, it's just the food! LOL
Lori, your blog was just fine, by the way. I too, find that I sit too much in front of this thing called a laptop. I think we should seriously consider a laptop shelf for our treadmills. Perhaps that would make us USE the treadmills. Oh wait, where will we hang our clothes. LOL
LOL! Oh Lori, your post brought to mind those people in the movie WALL-E who stayed in their chairs all the time. Well, I do admit that I stay at my computer more these days. I also decided to get out more even if it's going for a walk.
Social networking has opened so many avenues for meeting people and networking. I don't know if I'd do as well without it. I used to be involved with local organizations and go to monthly meetings and luncheons, even calling on offices... but nothing has helped me to really get to know people and form the kinds of bonds I have as much as the online media platrform. Plus look at all we learn from one another her on AR. Man, I would not like it at all if I didn't have Active Rain. It's my number one favorite. =) And, I do remember you.
Here's a tip - when you pound the pavement, take a dog. More people will talk to you!
In Joe's post, you have to look backward to see how far we have truly come. Problem is, some agents are still doing that stuff! Joe is fabulous and has to be tops for market updates for his area. Hands down, he knows his area. Someone to emulate if you are looking to change or start market updates. Joe has been nice enough on occasions to link to my market graphs on occasion and I consider it an honor.
Beat the bushes, no matter where they might be and in the process you might loose that 10 lbs!
Great Point! I received a gym membership for Christmas and actually went today!
Oh my!! What a wonderful Christmas present. I "open" my computer and there you all are. Thank you Rain Gods for the unexpected feature. I will surely get back and try to respond to all of your wonderful comments............ tomorrow ;))
I'm gonna follow your advice and go have a glass of Merlot !!!!!!!!!!!!!*L*
Hi Lori~ The worst thing is to eat while sitting in front of the TV or the computer. I think it is mindless eating as you don't even realize what you are doing until it catches up with you! I don't think you are alone is this quandry of putting on some weight, and now needing to lose it!
Hello again Lori Kim,
Great post and very timely! All I can say is "me too."
Thanks for the inspiration to put in the hard yards. Congratulations too on the feature - well deserved.
All the best for the season.
Donna
I think there is a real balance between the two approaches.
Lori Kim, There's no end to change in real estate marketing, but we've entered into a era of rapid change. Here's hoping all our changes in 2010 are productive ones.
Steve
Lori,
I did not think my diet could be tied do my business, but where you find 10 lb, can I get 20 lb off? And I do not even do anything besides AR?
This crazy box on my lap is where must of my business originates... but I call it social networking when I go hang out in the places my past and future clients gather...
I like the time I spend in front of the computer, and I get quite a bit of business from it. However, it is easy to spend too much time here and lose myself in it at the expense of other potential business.
Better time management and more bicycle time are on the resolution / goal list for 2010.
Right on Lori!
[If Internet socializing were to suddenly go away... would you survive?]
Oh God Yes.
As much as I love all this stuff...I can feel myself starting to implode after 'too long' which to me is 'not that long'. :) This is a job. And all work/no play sucks.
Doing this job well takes ENERGY and you can't replenish virtually. So for me, frequent time-outs for real air, real people and real exercise are critical.
I tried to get into a pair of old jeans this morning to do some yard work, and discovered that I couldn't fit into them. It's very odd that all of my pants seem to be shrinking! I might have to cut back on the peanut butter, or buy some new pants. Maybe later. For now, I need to keep reading all these wonderful blogs and then zoom over to Facebook to see what's up over there.
Thank you everyone. This ended up being a very fun read. Love all the different, and humorous comments but it will take me longer than my "alloted" socializing time to thank each of you individually, so one big THANK YOU, ALL THE BEST TO YOUR SUCCESS, AND SEE YOU ON THE CONCRETE HIGHWAY!
Although social networking is important it cannot take the place of all prospecting or networking. I still think meeting with people face to face is the best way to network.
Lori, a great post and reminder to get back to the basics. Great new year's resolultions..
Thank you for the post. I keep hearing how you must do this and you must do that in regards to social media because that is were your clients are coming from. Well the hippies didn't change Wallstreet and the dot.coms haven't shut shut down the brick and mortar stores. Business (non-commodity) is done face to face where you can judge a person's character not through a computer with lots of bells and whistles. With that said I need to get busy answering emails, replying to my Facebook, updating my website, writing a blog and if I'm lucky viewing 5 homes in my farm area.
Lori, good for you for recognizing a good habit that's morphed into a bad one! I had the same problem this year. In addition to getting out in the field more, what has helped me was to start a Weigh-In Wednesdays blog where I forced myself to report in on AR every Wednesday. My final post will be tomorrow (I had a New Year's deadline). Going public really helped me be honest with myself. Good luck to you!
LOL ! Congrats on the Feature. What a wonderful ambassador you are..
Here's to a new year filled with balance -- and speaking of balance, have you tried a large exercise ball to use as a chair when working the keyboard ??? works those core muscles while catching up with networking/admin duties,et al.
why not put the laptop on top of the exercise bike....and yes u r PHAT!...:)
Lori you are not fat, you are just big boned!! :)
Lori you are not fat, you are just big boned!! :)