Executive Conversations

Long Time, No See; the Return of Agent2.0

Hello everyone!  Sorry for the extended absence from my posting on real estate and social media.  While my excuses are not necessarily important to any of you, I feel compelled to say only this - I miss talking to my real estate pals and exploring the social media scene.

Soon you'll see some new content I am ready to post, including a great interview with Russell Shaw and a few new locations on the social media scene that I am spending time in; one you might enjoy and the other, well - unless your also involved in ground transportation, it will be a good deal less interesting.

Anyway, good to be back!

Check out the 'World Webinar Network' - a SocNet for businesses looking to leverage social media for business.  Real estate people are hot on to this and the gang at WWN are about exploring social media for business - more so than many other socnets I've seen.

InTheLeftLaneOnline.com - another Ning-based SocNet, this one for the ground transportation industry.  The sponsor, Silent Dispatch, is an active project of mine and one I have an ownership stake in.  Come see how the same topics in social media are covered for a different industry.

Support the RE.net Tornado Aid Project

I received a note last night from Lani Anglin-Rosales  a contributor at BloodHoundBlog.com, AgentGenius.com and her own blog at RERevealed.com in Austin (yes, I do miss Austin!).  I like Greg and the Bloodhound gang and how could I deny Lani?

I promised I would put up the donate badge to help out the effort - if you can - donate now...

Technorati Tags: real+estate, stragegy, technology, blogging, help+tornado

Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference Recap - Many Thanks in Time for Thanksgiving!

Today I received the link from Essential Event Technologies for the conference video and all I can say is 'Wow!'.

Chance and his team have delivered a top-notch experience with the videos.  The landing page is very crisp and is a perfect mirror of the the OTEF AEC site.  The videos are very well done, they are indexed and... well - you'll just have to visit and see what he's done - it is just flat awesome...

Click here to visit the 2007 Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference Video Archive by Essential Event Technologies

Technorati Tags: Arizona+entreprenuership+conference, real estate, entrepreneur, real+estate

Entrepreneurship Education in Real Estate - it's the Agent2.0™ Way!

The 2007 Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference is over now and there were a few items I wanted to share - one is that I felt wonderful at acting in the role of  the show producer /   coordinator; it was my responsibility to manage the catering, the AV, the volunteers and a hundred small details to make sure that the attendees had a rewarding experience.  It was not that there were not a few wrinkles, but mainly the event went off smoothly.

The rest of the details; content, finances and the other hundred details were undertaken by my mentor and friend Francine Hardaway and the CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association, Ms. Joan Kerber- Walker - what an awesome team to be a part of!

The event was presented by the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation (OTEF) who seeks to provide education to the disadvantaged to help them escape the cycle of dependency that often traps them in a recurring model that drives abuse, crime and drug use in our culture - show them that there is another way, an entrepreneurial way, and they can help themselves become contributing members of our society.  A mission everyone at the conference agreed to help support by registering.

I am grateful for all the comments, good / bad, large / small about the event as it will help the next event - already being planned - be even better.  Share you thoughts here or respond to the survey being sent out later today to all the attendees.

At the event I also moderated a panel titled "Real Estate 2.0 - the Future of Real Estate" where both Joel Burslem and Brendan King came to town on their own nickel to participate in the panel... and what a panel it was.  Joel and Brendan were joined by David Miller / VP National Accounts for Chicago Title here in Phoenix and the interaction was lively and very well delivered - it was also captured on video by Essential Event Technologies and I'll link to it as soon as it come up.

The event was closed with a keynote by Michael Gerber, who delivered a great quote "Dream Big, Think Small, Act Even Smaller" - I like his words and he put them in the context that if we, as a culture or as a planet, could just bring clean drinking water to every person on the planet, it would change the way we interact with each other in powerful ways... a basic human need would be met.  The stat I just saw is that even though 71% of the earth is covered by water, .25% is available for human consumption - 1.1B people do not have access to safe water and 2.2B do not have adequate sanitation.  Remarkable in this day and age isn't it?

How does this all apply to real estate professionals?  First - Michael Gerber is a legend in entrepreneurship.  He is the Founder / Chairman of E-Myth Worldwide and his new venture In The Dreaming Room®.  E-Myth Worldwide has worked with more than 50,000 business clients in 145 countries over 30 years. He is one of the top five business authors of all time. His seven "E-Myth" books have sold millions of copies in 28 languages throughout the world and have appeared on Business Week's Best Seller List for more than a decade.  Inc Magazine calls Michael Gerber "The World's #1 Small Business Guru."

Second - My perspective, and that of many in entrepreneurial community (who also sell / buy real estate,) is that many real estate professionals often do not equate their business with being a small business, or with them being an entrepreneur.  What occurs is that they never pursue the education of an entrepreneur - well they do get an education, the most expensive education ever paid for - the cycle of success / failure until something catches or they learn the lessons through experience.  I see the same mistakes being made time and time again by real estate professionals because they do not seek the entrepreneurial education to break through. 

I have an idea that if entrepreneurial education were offered, particular to real estate, we would see a change in the way agents act and the service level of the agent would be affected.  I've met with his organization and they have talked about developing a real estate specific offering of entrepreneurial education. It sounded right, but the question I always ask at this point is "would a special offering of Michael Gerber, particular to real estate be useful?"

My sense of it is 'yes of course' but I really want to hear your input on the question.  I am interested in your thoughts on the idea.  The Agent2.0™ model I've developed counts on the agent as entrepreneur, so I support the concept, but I do not want to be the carpenter with a hammer and everything looks like a nail - share your comments!

Technorati Tags: real+estate, technology, entrepreneurship, strategy, Michael+Gerber, dreaming+room

Arizona Point2 Users Get to Decide if the Arizona Point2 Technology User Group is Launched

I am a big fan of the Michael Gerber school of thought that you need to determine 1) what is the market for a product / service you want to offer and 2) then your ability to provide the product / service.  It is not always quick to know the answer to those questions nor easy, but it is what I am about in the realm of Web2.0, social media for real estate.  What's that got to do with this post is that Brendan King / COO of Point2 Technologies came to town and we were all treated to a snapshot of the Point2 system and some of the upcoming features they are working on.

I understand that this was the first ever event of it's kind for Point2 - that of a local user group meeting and Jay Thompson and I hosted it.  We had about 50-60 people show up and enjoy the catering from BobbieQ's restaurant.  Here are the pictures from the user group meeting posted at Flickr.  You might even catch a picture of Greg Swann, not a Point2 user, but who was invited to the event to meet Brendan.

So as part of the Gerber-esque effort to determine what real estate professionals want relative to Web2.0 and social media the Arizona Poiint2 User Group website was launched.  It was initially a Phoenix group, but we expanded it when we had people came from Sedona and as far away as Bullhead City!  (shout out to Candice Donofrio!)

Now Arizona Point2 Users have an opportunity to build on the effort and connect for mutual support - the Arizona Point2 Users Group website has been launched and users are signing up to share ideas about what they would like the group to become.  It is based on Ning, a social; network environment so it is pretty friendly and easy to use.  We'll see what the group wishes for eh?

Brendan shared a presentation with us that spelled out the value proposition of Point2 NLS - here is an online video version of that presentation.  I like the clip - it really spells out what what I think is a sometimes overlooked aspect of the industry and that is who controls the intellectual property that is the listing?

In the interest of transparency here are the stats I am tracking for the event - Point2 invited every user in the area, not absolutely sure of the number, but estimates are around 1,800 users, 110 or so responded to the call for registration and 60 showed up for the event.  18 users have signed up so far for the user group site.  This has been a process of about 3 weeks.

Is there something to observe in the numbers?  I don't know that there is anything earth shattering in them - it is always the few who make the investments of time, effort and whatever money needed who lead the crowd.

This is the same stat that I find in any situation that involves group dynamics - I think it's the 90/9/1% rule in social network participation as well; a stat I found on the Citizen Journalist page at Facebook, which states that 90% of the crowd will only watch what is going on, 9% will comment now and then when the topic touches / affects them in some way and that 1% really drive the conversation and interaction.

1,800 potential users of Point2 if 10% responded we would have 180 at the event (we had 110 so closer to 6%), of those 18 have signed up to part of an online group and to provide a voice for Point2 Users in Arizona, so yes - 1% will be your representative voice to the software company that hosts your site and helps you manage your listing - I'm good with that.

What a great event and what  great time; now come share with us what you want Point2 to hear and how you want Point2 to support your efforts in creating an online presence.   If you do not yet have a Point2 account , click here - they're free to get started and less than $600 per year of you want Professional acess.  They also have a Premium level access that is $119 per month.

Technorati Tags: point2, technology, real+estate, agent2.0, strategy, user+group

PodcampAZ - A Success for All Attendees

Brent & Michelle Spore and the team did a real stand up job today.  PodcampAZ is was today and I have had not one, but three presentations on topics I follow and enjoy.  I've posted them here -

• The ROI of Social Media; Hard & Soft Metrics Considered
• Marketing in 3D Internet; Sex Sells... and other tactics
• Real Estate and Social Media: Hit or Miss?

These links are here.  (update - I changed them to .PDF files) If you were in the audience today, thank you for attending and if not, where the heck were you!

Post event analysis - what a great day!  I met so many people and had so much fun today.  My daughter was with us all day and she had a good time an people I think enjoyed having her around.

For the people in the 3D Internet and Real Estate sessions; here are the preso we developed and we talked through... sorry they did not make it to the big screen, but we still had a great time talking it through.

Thanks to Lon Safko for his backup in the 3D session and Greg Swann for the Social Media in Real Estate session - you guys were awesome and I really enjoyed our time together today; aside from Lon's support in the session, he just pitched in and helped as a volunteer all day!

I also had a great experience with Fred Castaneda / StrugglingEntrepreneur.com, who took a the time to interview me for his podcast show regarding the 2nd Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference; I know Fred will be producing his podcast before posting it on his site, below is the raw recording of our interview - it was a blast to meet Fred and a real testament to his dedication to podcasting; this is his fourth Podcamp and the second in as many weeks - he was also on his way to California for a family situation; our prayers went with him.

Click here to download the interview or play it now using the controls below.

It is also available at iTunes for your iPod (just search for 'Steven Groves' in the iTunes Store from iTunes)

Here are the pics from Flickr... enjoy!

Lastly, we finally made it down to the conference closing session and came away with a great haul in the door prize drawing - many thanks to Microsoft and TechSmith!

Technorati Tags: PodcampAZ, Agent2.0, Social+Media, ROI, blogging, 3D+Internet, Second+life, real+estate, metrics, technology, strategy

Phoenix Local Real Estate Social Media & Technology - PodcampAZ

Coming this weekend is the first time Arizona has hosted a Podcamp - well, probably the first, not sure what Tucson has done... Podcamp is an un-conference; an event that has no cost to attend and does not require the speakers to submit papers and go through a process of selection.  It focuses on new media technology, like podcasting (audio blogging), vblogging (video blogging) and whatever other topic or media the presenters care to put up for consumption by attendees.

The PodcampAZ is this Saturday at the UAT facility on Baseline, West of the I-10 freeway.  I was across the table from Brent Spore / IBoughtAMac when he said back in March, "let's do a Podcamp!"; having no idea what he meant at the time, I said "sure! how can I help!".   Brent and Michelle have dedicated hours and days of their lives in making the event a reality and while I've made some contributions along the way, Brent and Michelle are the one to thank for their efforts to make PodcampAZ a reality.

I bring this up because if you area real estate professional anywhere near Arizona or can get to Arizona for PodcampAZ, you'll want to do so - Greg Swann and I are co-presenting on "Social Media in Real Estate: a Miss or Match?".  I'm pretty excited about presenting with Greg; he is one of the sharpest minds in the industry but at the same time, I respect that we may differ on a few points - he promotes a more inclusive strategy of setting up and running your own servers; I tend to advocate an outsource approach using what is called an ASP (application service provider) model - neither is wrong, least not in my eyes, they are just different ways to slice the online presence requirement of the Agent2.0.  It should be a lively session!  Casual dress is encouraged.

I am also presenting two other sessions - if you see me, I'll be the guy jetting from session to session and likely not having all the time I might otherwise wish for to network and connect.  I will be collecting cards and handing out some of my own though for those who are serious about the social media conversation and what trends are. 

The other two sessions I am presenting include "ROI of Social Media; Hard and Soft Metrics Considered" (turns out this is one of the more popular sessions at PodcampAZ!) and "Marketing in the 3D Internet: Sex Sells and other tactics" with Lon Safko.

If you are not starting your Christmas shopping early (what happened to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend for heavens sake!) and want to get a jump on your social media strategy for 2008, PodcampAZ is the place to be this weekend.  Click here to register at Upcoming or here to make your entry on the PodcampAZ wiki.

Technorati Tags: podcamp, podcampaz, real+estate, technology, social+media, strategy, blogging, podcasting, vblogging, coaching, agent2.0

A Bit of Fatherly Pride - and a fundraising plea on my kids behalf

I have some very amazing kids - three to be precise; I am not married today, but have been twice and the most amazing blessing for me from those relationships are my three children.  The two youngest are still in school (one in Middle School, the other a Sophomore in High School) and get good grades, participate in extra-curricular activity and enjoy the community they have at their church.

Recent those same two youngest children have been selected to participate in a foreign exchange program called People to People as student ambassadors. 

I do not know a lot about People to People, but I have traveled internationally a few times, have a current passport and their mother was raised overseas for a time - I believe that a persons perspective on the size and scope of the world changes a great deal once they've had their passport stamped; it is a smaller place then and we come to understand that people living in Bali are basically no very different than we are; they live, eat and breath the same air on the same planet and often have the same kind of hopes, challenges and aspirations that we do.

It's a lesson I did not learn until my adult life - my kids get to learn it sooner; if we can raise the funds to get them to Australia; the country they have been assigned to for this first year of travels.  It would be my blessing and they would be grateful if you cared to participate in their fundraising effort by clicking here and sharing a few dinero; they need about $5K a piece. 

While the kids are encouraged to conduct their own fundraising, I promised I would put a badge (look on the right sidebar) and a link on my site asking readers to lend a hand.  Thanks for your support! 

The image is from ProudPapa.com a great site for daddies to be...

Technorati Tags: Student Exchange Program, People to People, fundraising

Point2 Phoenix Users Unite! Well, at least meet one another...

If you are an agent using Point2, or considering Point2 as your web site provider, this is an event you'll want to attend - November 7th provides an opportunity for Phoenix Point2 Users to meet Brendan King / COO of Point2 Technologies Real Estate.  This is quite an opportunity for us here in Phoenix - Brendan was just named one of the top 100 real estate industry executives by Inman News; he is insightful and knows a good deal about what's happening in real estate globally.

Brendan will be in town for another event, the 2nd Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference, where he will be speaking on a panel with Joel Burslem of InmanTV and the widely read blog, the Future or Real Estate Marketing, and David Miller of Chicago Title; they will be discussing "Real Estate2.x - the future of real estate".  (click here to register for the Entrepreneur Conference - early registration runs through October 15th.)

When I talked with Brendan to set up his attendance for that event, we figured we would work him a bit harder and have him address the Point2 users in the area the night before - I figured they might be interested in hearing from him; I guess this event will tell, eh?

The event is being held at the Jobing.com HQ offices, 4747 N. 22nd Street (Map) in the second floor conference room, which can hold about 120 people in a classroom seating configuration.  There is no cost for the event and Point2 is even providing some munchies for the event - whoo-hoo!

What will Brendan be talking about?  The state of the product successful agents count on and where they are going with the product.  He'll also be answering questions as far time will allow.

• Who - Current / future Point2 Users in the Metro Phoenix area
• What - Point2 User Meetup and presentation by Brendan King / COO of Point2 Technologies
• When - November 7th, 2007 beginning promptly at 4P, running to 6P
• Where - Jobing.com HQ Offices / Jobing.com HQ offices, 4747 N. 22nd Street (Map)
• Why - To inform and connect agents in the area using Point2Agent web sites

We are taking registrations because we've figured if the room fills up, we can move it to another location.  Again - no cost, we just want to monitor headcount. 

- CLICK HERE TO REGISTER -

...and Yes, Now Would Be a Good Time

Special note: Parking can be problematic for this size of a group - there is a parking structure just East of the building - use the upstairs spaces that are not reserved.

The event is being coordinated and promoted by myself and Jay Thompson / PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com - let us know if you have any question or comments, or if you can lend a hand!  There will be lots to do!

Technorati Tags: real+estate, point2 Neighborhoods, brendan+king, technology, strategy, agent+web+site, meetup, user+group

How will flexmls handle your listing? According to Michael Wurzer, it will be a balancing act. Podcast part two of two.

In this segment of our interview Michael Wurzer / CEO of FBS Data Systems talks about how their product, flexmls, handles the varying MLS associations demands for control of the listing data once it's entered into the system.  He talks about how the web is influencing the future of real estate and what MLS data models are in place today that consider all the stakeholders involved - the agent, the broker, the association and perhaps more importantly - the consumer.

In our conversation, Michael suggests that there is a balance that they have to manage; one that sifts through the sometime competing demands of the stakeholders.  Finally, Michael tells us why he embraces the open collaborative process that is at the heart of the Web2.0 / blogging community.

The system is scheduled to go live July 1 and he's promised to keep us all advised on the FBS blog, but now we have the Phoenix Real Estate Technology Exchange, a group blog produced by Greg Swann and contributed to by a really excellent group of Phoenix area blogger's.

I really enjoyed meeting Michael over the phone and learning about FBS Data Systems, what they do and where they are going - it looks like ARMLS has picked a winner for their data needs this time.

As I produced this segment, I held onto two comments in particular that Michael made in this segment; 1) that it is an interesting time to be involved in the real estate industry as a data provider and 2) that the open collaborative process is the best way they've found best to find the truth of the situation and to address the concerns of all the parties involved. 

It is an interesting time; the changes being handed to us as an industry are powerful and have far reaching effects - I'll suggest that the data the industry counts on is straining to be let go; history suggests that it will not be artificially constrain - the real question I think we all need to consider is how long the associations try to hold on and control it.

On his comment about the truth of the situation - in my mind I connect his comment to one in Michael Gerber's book, 'The E-Myth'.  I have read everything I can find on Gerber's entrepreneurial philosophy, have met him before and the one comment I usually come back to is the one in which he suggests that the entrepreneurs responsibility is to 'find the truth' of the business the entrepreneur is engaged in. 

They must find out what it is the market wants and discover their own ability to provide it - only by doing so will the entrepreneur be successful - that is what I heard in Michael Wurzer's comment and it is one that I will encourage him most strongly in.

Click here to download the interview or play it now using the controls below.

It is also available at iTunes for your iPod (just search for 'Steven Groves' in the iTunes Store from iTunes)

Click here for part one of the interview.

Technorati Tags: real+estate, arizona+regional+multiple+listing+service, ARMLS, technology, flexmls, FBS+Data+Systems, strategy