Women Lifestyle See It Now

During the holiday season, most people are spending and spending and spending even more. They are buying gifts for those they love. Whether it is a gift for a friend, family member, or even an enemy (yes, people do buy gifts for their enemies), huge numbers of people are spending large amounts of money both online and offline to be able to give the perfect gifts.

For those in the Direct Selling Industry (aka network marketing, mlm, etc.), many marketers are making a huge mistake by not tapping into the cash flow stream of the holiday shopping season. What is worse are some marketers are scrambling to try and figure out what new market they can tap into and are inadvertently missing out on the business sales in their own backyard.

During the holiday, or even the weeks leading up to it, is not the time to start thinking about breaking into a new market. Nor is it the time to sit idle and wish or hope for business success. The fact is the holiday shopping season can bring prosperity and joy to anyone in this industry that is willing to take action in putting forth the effort to reach out to their prospects and customers.

In this article, we will share with you, the starting point for marketing your business throughout the holiday season. These are practical tips and advice for tapping into your existing market for the holiday season.

A little known secret you need to know is when you look to your own backyard (your local market), you will discover unlimited possibilities for taking home your share of the holiday shopping boom.

It’s the people (your friends, family, relatives, strangers, and even past customers and prospects) in your local market that you already have connections with that will be the most responsive to your recommendations and ideas. So let’s take a look at how you can prime the pump for those gift-giving dollars.

TIP – Remember to think outside the gift box.

We don’t just make money from gift purchases during the holidays. There are millions of related dollars spent on:

* Food, Food and more Food
* Travel and Entertainment
* Home Holiday Decor (Inside and Out)
* Holiday Cards and Gift Wrap
* Holiday Parties

Think of your unique selling position. What makes you unique and different compared to other marketers and their companies? Look at what niche areas you serve and what products or services you offer.

TIP – Take about 10 minutes and write down as many things you could market. Do not prejudge your thoughts. Make sure you write whatever comes to your mind. Then shorten your list to three products or services you can focus on.

One question I get asked quite often by marketers is, “Who will I market to?” Unfortunately, the possibilities are unlimited. The problem with unlimited possibilities is the fact most marketers get tripped up and become overwhelmed when they are faced with too many possibilities to choose from. This causes them to become blind to the true potential. The result is they end up doing nothing!

The secret strategy to unlock this potential for you is consistent action. Not just any action, but the action that puts you in front of the people most likely to buy. The fact is people are spending money and they will either spend it in your store or at the store of someone else. So you have a decision to make and if you truly want to tap into this holiday shopping boom, you know what that decision will be.

Since the foundational key to sales for every business (both online and offline) is in having a strong list of prospects and customers, you must begin examining your list in-depth to identify possible goldmine spots within your list for holiday sales. Look at who your customers are, how many people are on your list, as well as what the most common theme of wants and needs have been expressed by those on your list.

The fact is if you have been taking action in your business throughout the year, you have a growing list. I am sure you realize there is both good and bad on this list. The good are your repeat customers. This is where you want to focus your marketing effort.

TIP – Santa puts a priority focus on the list. Shouldn’t you?

Now is the time to begin capitalizing on the biggest ecommerce season of the year. Yes, even if you are building your business locally, you should be capitalizing on ecommerce. Will you be able to put your list to work for you and take advantage of holiday shopping dollars? To accomplish such a task, think strategically.

If you are like me in the marketplace, you have spent months and thousands of hours and dollars to build up your list. And the drips of information you have poured on your prospects and customers are probably a far cry from holiday shopping. The key ingredient to capitalizing and earning some phenomenal commissions on holiday gifts will depend a great deal on the relationship you have established and built with your prospects and customers.

TIP – Even if your list is primarily cold, it is never too late to start warming up your list.

Hopefully you have been following up consistently and not fouling up. Follow up throughout the year allows you to connect with your prospect. Not just on a business level but also on a personal level.

The fact is the Direct Selling Industry is built heavily on relationships. You are representing your company for one main reason, which is to establish and nurture relationships with your prospects. It pays to get to know your customers and let your customers catch a glimpse of the human behind the business.

TIP – Make sure you focus on establishing and nurturing relationships with your prospects and customers consistently throughout the year, not just during the holiday.

You don’t have to go overboard and share the emotional roller coaster of your life with everyone, but you do need to share occasional stories from your home life. A family vacation photo, a short story about how quickly your daughter learned to ride her new bike or how Impatient, the family dog, taught you a lesson in patience; these are all great little bites of life that will help your prospects and customers feel like they are getting to know you.

The secret to tapping into the holiday shopping boom is in your list. You must nurture this list and that begins now. Even if you have a small cold list, you can begin today to grow and nurture that list so next holiday season you break your company sales records. Make a commitment and make it happen.

Let’s look at what goes on in the mind of a luxury home owner who wants/needs to sell their property. This may actually apply to a home in any price range but as you recall, we are going to focus on the luxury home market in particular today.

Typically, a savvy luxury home owner will go back to the real estate agent who helped purchase the home.  Another common practice is to do a Google search of nearby realty firms and decide on the best realtor to sell their home using various criteria. Some reasons a person may choose a realtor is because that person has the most sold listings or they received a flyer in the mail or because they liked the realtor’s smile. Another way to choose a realtor is using personal connections, such as a relative, a classmate or a friend.

For whatever reason, when choosing ABC Company and XYZ real estate agent, the process is usually the same.

- Decide on a Real Estate Agent or Realty Company
- Sign a contract with the Real Estate Company to represent you
- The Agent suggests a price based on comparable homes in the area
- A listing price is negotiated and decided upon
- The Agent lists the property on the MLS

So what is “the MLS”?

MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service. Basically, it is the main listing source that pools all member real estate companies’ available inventory or list of luxury homes that are registered with them so that everyone can see what is available on the market at any given time.

What are the advantages of having an MLS listing?

- Ease in finding the majority of luxury homes that are for sale right now
- Comparing luxury homes presently on the market without difficulty
- Listings are contracted for a specified amount of time
- Accessible only through a certified member of the Board of Realtors
who has a fiduciary duty to represent you and protect your interests

Real Estate Companies Specialize in Selling Homes at Market Value.

With the centralized pool of listings on the MLS, real estate companies are able to establish and check on the value of a piece of real estate in any given area. Determining value is crucial to selling a property. Without a tool to measure its value, it becomes difficult to know the true worth of a luxury home.

Another thing to remember when determining the value of a luxury home is of course, the condition of the luxury home. A newly constructed luxury home is more desirable than a remodeled luxury home, which in turn is more saleable than a fixer upper. Keeping your luxury home well-maintained enables you to ask top dollar for the home.

There is only one catch to the retail market of luxury homes and that is you can list your luxury home for whatever price you want to but it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, in other words, market value.

The real estate professional uses many tools to sell your luxury home. Some are:

- informs his clients and fellow realtors of your listing to see if there may be a potential buyer
- puts a For Sale sign out in front of the property
- lists it on the MLS
- advertises it in newspapers or in magazines
- holds open house events
- more sophisticated companies have marketing campaigns in place to give more exposure to their listings that the seller more often than not will have to pay upfront.

Real estate professionals more often than not, cater to owner-occupant buyers.

Once a realtor is decided on, an agreement is reached on length of listing and the luxury home is appraised, the luxury house is put on the market and the roller coaster ride of when-will-my-house-sell begins.

The 3 types of Buyers

From a business perspective, the luxury home is considered a commodity for which there are buyers. Identifying your end buyer will dramatically increase your chances of selling and/or selling quickly.

- Owner occupant’s 1st,2nd, 3rd + home
- Buy-and-hold investor’s rental unit
o entry level investor
o modest investor
o sophisticated investor
- Niche investors
o Short sales
o Foreclosures
o Rehabbing
o Wholesaling

Determining which end buyer you want to target will determine the price and how quickly you may be able to sell the home. As with anything else, there are those who are better than others in getting the job done.

The median home market has many more investors to turn to than the luxury home residential market. These investors may have ads or signs stating, “We buy homes.” “We take over payments.”

Real estate investors are, as a whole, people trying to help others out of a difficult situation and trying to make a profit in the process. These types of businesses are NOT non-profit companies so they expect to make some monetary gain from the transaction. After all, investors are not a charity operation and are not going to make your problem luxury home their problem luxury home. They make investments of their money and time to do transactions that they specialize in and expect to make a profit for their talents.

Investors are specialists in their field just as real estate agents, doctors or lawyers are specialists in their respective fields. They help people out of circumstances that could potentially become worse.

What about the Luxury Homes owners?

Waiting for an owner occupant is a great choice if you can afford to wait for the right buyer to come along for your luxury home. Listing it with a Real Estate professional is the most effective way in selling a luxury home “retail”.  In the luxury home market, the average time it takes for the “right” buyer to come along is from 1 to 5 years. The more the luxury home costs, typically, the longer the wait. The 1-3 Million price point of luxury homes has heavy competition and there are better options when comparing what is available entirely and not just in a particular neighborhood.

Since investors who typically do business at the 2M-200M price points or at retail prices are few and far between, what problems would a typical luxury home owner-seller face?

- $12k or $50k monthly house payment are typical for a luxury home. Who can you turn to? How do you solve your financial situation? A part time job at Wal-Mart will not cover this kind of expense.
- Sometimes, when upgrading to a new home, you may have found the perfect house to move into but you may still be stuck with the home that you grew out of.  You still have to keep up payments on that luxury house because 1031 exchanges aren’t always as smooth as they could be. In addition, remember you have a limited amount of time to do that exchange in.
- What if your key to financial stability is through the sale of your multi-million dollar home? Who do you turn to for guidance and confidentiality?
- Do you need to relocate because of business or personal reasons and must sell your property quickly?
-           Divorce or health problems place an urgency to liquidate assests

So what is a luxury home owner to do in the event that holding costs are too high and keeping the property means essentially losing money with each day that goes by?

Luxury home investors

There are companies that specializes in the acquisition of luxury homes and commercial properties all over the world? A company that closes the transaction quickly and uses CASH in all transactions? No waiting for approvals from the bank, which may not even come through especially in today’s lending environment.

How can you meet investors who specialize in luxury homes and who purchase luxury homes at a fair price? Investors who have an established list of prequalified clients wanting to buy luxury homes at a fair price can re-sell those acquired luxury homes. That is a scenario which would work for all parties involved.

These investors are not in the business of stealing luxury homes. They solve problems and make their money on the sheer volume of luxury homes that are bought and sold.  It is the investor that has his or her own buyers’ list that will get business done quickly and efficiently.

Business much easier and quicker

Investors typically have a database of buyers that do business with them exclusively due to the relationships that have been built and the value that is gained by buying through them exclusively. The clients entrust investors in this industry who do business honestly, ethically, with integrity and also guarantee good value. They have access to an unlimited amount of cash to complete transactions. Usually what ends up happening is the need to buy more houses to keep up with the demand.

As with any business, the cost of doing business prevents a wholesaler from buying at retail value of the luxury home. If a miscalculated purchase occurs the outcome is not being able to make any profit or worse yet paying money which would put one out of business rather quickly, and be the laughing stock of the industry. Here are some examples of the overhead and costs involved in running a real estate investment business:
- Cost of cash (8-18%)
- Closing costs on the buy and the sell
- Marketing costs
- Insurance
- Prepping a home
- Travel costs
- Inspectors
- Other miscellaneous costs

If an agreement of price is reached………

That is what you will get. Cash in your hands for your luxury home, the exact amount that is agreed upon in order to acquire your home at closing. Closing on the date of your choice is a relief to know and to use the title company of your choice. Wholesalers take the anxiety out of selling your home. This is an all around WIN-WIN-WIN situation and this is the only business we do. It is that simple.

If you want to sell your luxury home, wholesalers want to buy your luxury home…………….. NOW

In my article, “The Art of the Approach–to Life,”(available on http://www.000relationships.com/towomen/articles.php) I taught you the best ways to approach the very art of approaching: with attitude, and with choice. Decide what mindset you’re going to carry into your encounters with girls, and decide what kind of girls you actually want. Once you’ve figured out what type of women you want, it’s time to go for her. Let’s find out what are some great ways to approach girls, then how to get the first date.

First subject: the inevitable topic of pick-up lines. They just DON’T WORK. You know why? Because they’re predictable and ordinary, the exact things girls DON’T want from a guy. When you feed a standard pickup line to her, you’re communicating that you’re the same as every other guy you there. Not what you want. What WOMEN want are excitement, spontaneity, surprise.

They also want someone GENUINE. So when you’re talking to a girl, don’t look like you’re copying someone’s lines; talk like you just noticed her and, being confident, decided you want to pursue her.

* Be open and honest; don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.
* Use open body language-a relaxed, leaned-back body, and open arms and legs.
* Direct eye contact is also CRUCIAL; looking down or away while talking just doesn’t fly.
* Most of all, if you’re able to shock a chick with surprise-a crucial way of impressing and attracting a girl-then you’re really in for a treat. Or rather, she is.

Unfortunately, a lot of times you won’t be able to just go up to her; you’ll have to get through her group of friends, first. If you have some buddies with you, this is where the old “wingman approach” comes in handy. Make sure you and your buddy, or buddies, are on the same page as each other. Don’t go into a group with differing approaches-there’s nothing worse than one guy being cool and relaxed, and another being all braggadocio and stupid. Key your buddy in to how you want to approach.

Approach Techniques

A lot of guys ask me, “How do I just go up to a group and start talking?” Well, let me tell you what works from past experience:

1-Use Humor. I had a friend I did a schtick with that ALWAYS got us into the group. One of us would go to a girl in the group and be like, “Hey, I need your help on something. Do you think my friend Mike-or whatever your friend’s name is-is gay? I mean, look at his nice shirt, nice hair, nice skin. He’s gotta be gay!” Not only do girls laugh at this, but they feel they have to give their input. Nothing quite flatters like asking for advice.

2-Ask questions. As in the previous example, asking a group for their opinion on something-especially something funny-is a great way to get inside the group, then get to the girl you’re interested in. If you ask the question in a genuine way, and listen intently, the group of girls will feel flattered and excited. You’ve also given them a spark to an otherwise boring evening out. Joke about their answers, and ask more questions, and you should be in for a while.

3-Develop a secret, “inside” joke. Nothing works quite like having something personal between you and a group of people. An inside joke, or a secret handshake or sign, is a great way to do things. Try saying something to the group like, “Hey, ya know, we need a secret handshake or something.” Girls are all about making connections, so doing something that builds a strong foundation for friendship means guaranteed success.

But the all time best method: #4-Tell a story. This is what the guy I consider to be the original master of the art of approaching: Joseph Matthews, aka Thundercat, recommends, and it works not only for groups of girls but also for one girl in particular. He says, “When you first meet a girl, it is usually a good idea to have at least 3 openers and 3 stories memorized that you can talk to them about. Be sure that the openers and stories are good, open-ended, and interactive conversation pieces. Then, you’re going to STACK them.”

Good story-telling is definitely the best “in” to a group of girls. If you can make up a good story, like, “Hey, did you see that crazy guy in here who was dancing around in his underwear?”, or “Hey, have any of you ever heard of Celtic soul-gazing?”, then you should be in. You have to be convincing, and a good story-teller, but it’s a great way to open up the group to outsiders. Entertainment=Results.

Setting Up the First Date

Okay, so now you’re alone with your target, the girl you want to talk to. How do you set things up for another date? Joseph Matthews writes that no girl will go out with you on a first date without you first establishing TRUST. As he writes, “the quality of that number isn’t always the best. About 90% of the time, it’s a fake number the girl gave him just to get away from him, and the other 10% of the time, the girl isn’t interested enough to go out with him.”

You have to set a TEMPO in getting the phone number. Don’t rush. It’s important that you come off as cool, relaxed, and confident. Guys who have those qualities are in no hurry to get a phone number because they are CONFIDENT a girl will eventually give them his number.

It all begins with the basics–ABC: Always Be in Control:

* In this case, be in control of yourself by being relaxed, calm, and PATIENT.
* Don’t worry the whole time about getting her phone number; it’ll come if you act like you KNOW it will come.
* Remember to show an open body that suggests you’re relaxed, and confident.
* Keep your hands wide, your feet open.
* ALWAYS look a girl in the eye; if you don’t, you’ve already lost. Steady eye contact conveys confidence and control over the girl.
* Leaning back like you’ve got all the time in the world is also great; it will calm and relax her, too.

Just by doing these things, your girl will see that this is a guy she SHOULD give her phone number to. The ironic thing is, the less you show you care about seeing her again, the more likely SHE’LL care and give you her phone number, or suggest you meet up another time.

As Matthews writes in his free 6-day e-course, “Here’s the sequence I usually follow when getting the date:

1. Invite her out right then and there. Either I’ll ask her what she’s doing right now and if she wants to get a drink. If that’s not convenient, I’ll ask her if she wants to meet up later that night.

2. If she says “Yes” to meeting up later, I’ll then ask for her number. If she says “No,” I’ll still ask for her number because I like her and I want to see her again.

3. Finally, I’ll ask her when a good time to call is.

That simple 3-step process will get you a TON of dates.

Setting up the next meeting during the initial interaction is ideal. If you can’t do that, get her number and try to set it up later.”

Practical, wise advice that you can actually use, to get results, not frustration. That’s why I consider him the best pick-up artist out there. Other artists might have fancier techniques, but his actually make sense and work.

There are so many ways to approach girls. Few of them are exactly right and exactly wrong; a lot of it is subjective. Guess that’s why they call it the ART, not the science, of approach.

For more information on the art of approaching a girl, check out Joseph Matthews’ “Art of Approaching” website:

http://www.artofapproaching.com