Jim and I had a meeting this afternoon with 2 agents within our company explaining ACRE® and why we have become involved etc.

Question one of them had was if one have to be a licensed realtor to become a member of ACRE® ? I thought this was a good question because no doubt as consulting takes off there will be other companies surface with similar programs.

Mollie's on my mailing list, so when she got this email from me this morning, she asked me to post it here! Enjoy!

Dear SWS'ers,

A few months ago, I got a phone call from a fellow real estate trainer-type who had a wonderful opportunity for me.

Apparently a bunch of trainers were getting together to cross-promote each other's products. If I were to sign up, I would agree to send out a newsletter to my (precious) mailing list recommending the other participants' products. So, say, in November, I'd tell you all about Joe Schmo's FSBO-Gettin' Package, and encourage you to buy it. If you do, I get 25% of your purchase. Then in December, I'd send out another newsletter raving about Jane Schmane's SEO Program and encourage you to buy it. If you do, I get 25% of your purchase. And so on.

By being in the program, I have to agree to do this for every one of the other members of the program, whether or not I actually know anything about their product. Of course, they'll be doing the same for me.

So... I'm supposed to commit to abuse my mailing list and risk losing subscribers to promote products I know nothing about just so I can make a few bucks and help other trainers add to their mailing lists?

I think the ACRE model is perfect for introverts (I call us "Reluctant Prospectors"). Why? Oh, let me count the ways...

1. Introverts can not effectively sell their service or product unless they believe in it. If they sell real estate, they must know what they're doing and feel confident in their skill & expertise. They're not inclined to "fake it til you make it" with their precious clients. We tend to approach our real estate careers with the hearts of advisors, rather than of salespeople.

2. Introverts can (and should) trust their gut. We have good judgment and intuition, and have the natural ability to look at a specific situation and come up with a personalized solution. Isn't that what a consultant is supposed to do instead of charging Big Bucks for a boilerplate solution?

3. Introverts are not typically natural prospectors, especially if we feel our product or service is a commodity. We have a hard time approaching prospects with a canned script or off-the-shelf marketing piece. Offering an alternative business model gives us something unique to offer!

Being an introvert is not the same as being shy, and it's certainly not a criticism. As a successful introvert myself, I get tired of well-meaning extroverts telling me how "If I work at it, I can overcome my introversion," or my favorite, "An introverted salesperson - isn't that an oxymoron?"

A lot of people don't realize they're introverts - they just think there's something wrong with them when they question traditional prospecting techniques or hesitate to venture out of their comfort zones when seeking business.

I'm doing an interview today on BlogTalkRadio on the subject; if you'd like to listen in, here's the link... would love to have the moral support - this is the first time I've been interviewed on the subject!!! It's at 11:30 Eastern Time.

Okay, here goes my first post!

On August 1st, I'm holding a free teleseminar (NO, this is not an infomercial!) on the topic of "Alternative Business Models." Mollie has agreed to be one of my guests, along with ACRE® Margaret Rome. The grand plan is to discuss four different real estate business models, with ACRE® being one, Flat Fee being another, Discount Brokerage and, for lack of a better term, "Luxury Brokerage." (That's not at all what Margaret is going to talk about, but I can't think of an alternative at the moment).

However, I've been warned by a CRS instructor friend that ANY discussion of business modeling, even without using real numbers, among a group of real estate agents is asking for trouble with the anti-trust police. Here's what she said:

Hi ACRE® Colleagues:

I want to revise and improve the client satisfaction survey I've been sending to clients but with which I have never been entirely happy. Does anyone have one they're willing to share? Thanks,

Ron

Yesterday in one of the list-serves that I belong to, a member brought up a topic which comes up all the time when prospective ACRE's contact the counsel about whether ACRE was "approved by NAR". This is what he wrote:

"Please, believe me when I say that I do not want to open a can of worms with this topic, however, I feel I need some direction from those who have gone before. Who among us has already gotten their Ecobroker designation? I am confused by the fact that NAR seems to be headed off in their own direction with a separate designation when EcoB. Seems to have been the leader in this area. I want to share and participate in a process in which I feel strongly, however, I have neither the time or money to be duplicating efforts here. I don't believe I have seen this before...dueling designations. Guidance from above please..."

This was my response:

Below is my response to an inquiry for our services. My guess is that my response is not exactly what he has in mind. We have given our services away for so long, it is totally expected. This is the height of chutzpah OR what the public has been conditioned to expect! OTOH, since most Realtors are not consultants and will blow off this type of an inquiry, I might be very surprised at what he is willing to do! I'll let you know if I hear anything further.