"Commissions: Concerns About Cost Diminish As Values Rise"

by Marylyn Schwartz CSP

If you were to look at the textbooks from some of the best business schools in the country, no doubt somewhere, you would find a statement similar to the one above. Every first-year business student understands that master- sales professionals are selling value to their prospects. If a product or service has no value in the eyes of the prospect, no amount of sales prowess would be enough to get a buy order signed.  Read More...

"Stretching Your Advertising Budget with Remnant Ads"

by Ralph Roberts

Advertising costs can strain your budget, but you can gain a lot more advertising real estate for less money by using remnant ads, also known as stand-by advertising. Various media outlets often have more advertising inventory than they can possibly sell, so they end up with advertising gaps in their publications or broadcasts. As a result, they stand to lose advertising revenue and have to develop additional filler material.

By being in the right place at the right time with a suitable ad, you can scoop up these remnants at a fraction of the standard advertising rates. A Detroit newspaper recently quoted the following rates for an ad in the Sunday paper:  Read More...

"Five Clear Rules To Open House Success"

by Dirk Zeller

Here’s a hard truth to swallow: No one comes to an open house to meet the agent. They come to see an appealing home, and your role as the hosting agent is to make that house shine. Your reward is the list of prospects you amass, and, one out of 20 times, a home sale to boot.

So as you prepare for an open house, think of the home you’re featuring as the headliner of the show. Choose a home with star power by following these points: Read More...