Gooder Group is happy to announce that Council of Residential Specialists (CRS) has featured Rainmaker Handbooks on their website for the month of December.  We thank the CRS for recognizing and designating our handbooks as a CRS Quality Tested Product!

Be sure to check out the CRS store and remember to add copies of the Home Sellers, Home Buyers, Relocation and Financing Handbooks to your order!

Let us know how you use Rainmaker Handbooks in your business!

Renowned national technology trainer Allen F. Hainge has just released his third book on how to make money with real estate technology. The title is “Digital Essentials For Today’s Agent.” The complete package comes as an e-Book, hard copy book and a 3 CD au dio set. (Visit Allen’s Agent Blog Here.)

Run, Don’t Walk To Get Your Set

“Digital Essentials for Today’s Agent” shows beginning and experienced real estate agents how top producers use today’s technology to make money, save money and save time. The e-Book is a collection of 228 specific tips, techniques and strategies for using real estate technology from 128 of Allen Hainge’s CyberStars® — top agents from the US, Canada, Australia and the Bahamas who use today’s technology to dominate their markets. (Complete list of CyberStars® can be found at http://www.AFHSeminars.com/cyber.htm)

Scope and Contents

This powerful collection covers every thing you need to know to beat the new market. Topics include: Web sites, contact management, digital and video imaging, using a VA effectively, single property Web sites, automatic follow-up systems, digital and video marketing, blogging and podcasting, smart phones, agent networking via technology, social networking, necessary hardware, 100+ tech tools.

It Gets Better

The eBook has active links to technology tools that make you money. Also the spiral bound hard copy (60 pages) lets you flip the pages, take notes or take the book to the beach. Both eBook and hard copy have examples of forms, documents, marketing plans and more, used by the top agents in the book. The icing on the cake is an in-depth set of 3 audio CDs where Michael Krisa (“That Interview Guy”) talks with 12 CyberStars® for 3+ hours. Just pop the CDs into your car’s sound system and you’ll learn the nuts-and-bolts of making money with technology. If CDs could have sticky notes, these would be covered!

Priceless

• CyberStar® Super Bundle (eBook, hard copy book & CD set): $99.95 (Save 30%)

• Downloadable eBook: $29.95 • Spiral bound book, same content: $49.95

• 3 CD set of in-depth interviews with 12 CyberStar® contributors: $66.95

To order go to CyberStarTips.com. While you are there check out the table of contents for the eBook. Don’t miss the button to 23 Top Tips from the book. Any one of these tips alone is worth the price of the Super Bundle. Just imagine where the complete set can take your business!

First the challenge…

Treasury Department estimates 9 million homeowners may face foreclosure in the next 36 months.  That’s nothing less than a threat to the American Dream.

Did you know that almost 90% of all loans in the country are covered by the new Make Housing Affordable (MHA) program? (Now you will get at least one of the six quiz questions correct!)  But the rules for short sales have changed.  If you don’t know how the most recent legislation impacts your short sale marketing, I strongly recommend you check out the new approach to short sale training based on the new rules at the Short Sale Summit in Houston in a few weeks.

Get involved.  Get trained.  Get to work.

It’s not too late to take up the Make Housing Affordable challenge.  Don’t miss the top-notch short sale success training put on by the folks at the new Center for Asset Preservation.  (You may know them better for their Institute of Luxury Home Marketing achievements.)  With over one million Realtors, you can make a difference…just like Rosie the Riveter made a difference to save the American Dream in the 1940s.  Check out the Short Sale Summit 2009 in Houston (October 7 & 8).

Get Involved. Get Trained. Get to Work! MHAChallenge.com

With the right training and, frankly, making the most of a huge business opportunity, YOU can help families facing foreclosure preserve their dream with a timely short sale.

As Rosie says, YOU are the missing piece to make the MHA program work.  With the right know how, YOU can spread the word and YOU can help homeowners in distress when a short sale cannot be avoided.

Now for the quiz…

Just 6 simple True/False questions.  If you don’t score 100%, get to Houston for the Short Sale Summit 2009 (October 7 & 8).

Quiz: Test Your Short Sale Knowledge

Get involved.  Get trained.  Get to work.

Rosie the Riveter could not have said it better.

Now do your part for the country and for yourself.

Best of all the webinars are free, thanks to the “Social Media Training Center” created by Janelle Odishoo, VP Marketing and Business Development at AnnounceMyMove.com.

Check out these “Past Events” topics…and Mike’s upcoming webinars:

• Build a Social Media Strategy for a Profitable 2009!
• Make Money Connecting with People on Facebook!
• How to Make Money Using Twitter as Part of Your Social Media Strategy
• LinkedIn – Building Your Professional Image

While you are there look into the popular service provided by AnnounceMyMove designed to help you connect with the social networks of your clients and sphere of influence.

The more influencers you have in your network, the more business you will capture from those connections.

Happy social marketing!

Here are voice-to-text highlights of an interview with Amanda Dykes, Training & Membership Director of The Institute For Luxury Home Marketing (ILHM) and the RE/MAX Satellite Network (RSN) in Las Vegas on March 5, 2009:

RSN: Please tell us about the "The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing."
ILHM: The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing is an international training and membership organization for agents who work in the luxury market.  Our mission is to help agents deliver high-quality service to the buyers and sellers of luxury homes and in so doing, maximize their own success. Our two-day training course is the first step in earning the prestigious Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation. In short, we are all about helping luxury agents.

RSN: How does Institute membership benefit sales associates?
ILHM: Most important, our training gives agents the information they need to take their luxury business to the next level.  Once the course is completed, agents can use our Institute logo to brand and differentiate themselves in their market. We have a LONG list of benefits agents can take advantage of…everything from ongoing research information to tips and marketing tools. Of course, one big benefit is the ability to network with other luxury agents. Once agents have earned the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation, they can attend our special annual networking event, Leaders in Luxury.

RSN: What are the steps for earning the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation?
ILHM: Agents first must take our two-day training course that makes them an Institute member. Then, there are three different ways to earn the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation – each requires meeting clearly defined performance requirements. It’s a bit complex to explain the alternatives here, but the important thing to remember is that you must have numerous closed transactions in the top 10% of your market. We also have a new fast track plan for agents who specialize in properties priced at $5 million and above. The complete explanation of how to qualify is on our website at www.LuxuryHomeMarketing.com . 

RSN: Where can agents get training?
ILHM: This year we are rolling out our training online. This means you can take the course in the office or at home at your own pace. There are also numerous live courses offered across the country.  Agents can find information about online training and the live course schedule on our website at www.LuxuryHomeMarketing.com . The RE/MAX Satellite Television Network (RSN) also offers the course on DVD for RE/MAX associates.

RSN: After an agent receives the designation, what kind of support does your organization offer?
ILHM: Lots of support! In fact our support and member benefits start as soon as an agent takes the course.  Completing the course makes you a member and you can immediately take advantage of a long list of benefits.

1.  Each of our members gets a FREE luxury agent profile on the Wall Street Journal’s web page.  That normally costs $800 a year.  Again, it’s free to our members.

2. Each Institute member gets up to six free property listings annually on the Wall Street Journal website…this benefit alone is worth over $2000!

3.  We host free monthly conference calls each month for our members.  Topics include “Branding Yourself as a Luxury Agent,”  “Luxury Property Short Sales,” “Technology Tips and Social Networking for the Luxury Agent.”  Members tell us they really like these calls.

4. Our Luxury Insights Blog (http://ilhm.typepad.com ) is packed with great information, marketing ideas, success tips from other luxury agents and more.

5. Institute members can participate in a new International MLS and networking organization. Members can promote their properties around the globe and network with other luxury agents.  All free to Institute members.

I could go on and on, but the bottom line is there are tons of member benefits designed to help agents be more successful! 

RSN: Where do agents sign up to take the course and how long will it take?
ILHM: The course is about 15 hours in length.  Register for live courses on our website at www.LuxuryHomeMarketing.com .  Information on the online course is also available there. RE/MAX agents who want to take the course on DVD should contact the RE/MAX Satellite Television Network (RSN).