How to Sell Like a Six Year Old & Exceed Your Goals

Yes, it's that time of year.  Young girls across the country are descending on doorsteps to sell Samoa's, Thin Mints, and Do-Si-Do's.  That's right.  It's GIRL SCOUT COOKIE season.

My daughter just turned six and is a Daisy (Girl Scout in training).  This is her first year as a Daisy.  She was really excited and very motivated to sell cookies.   I am not sure if it was a curse or a boon to be the daughter of the CEO of an Internet sales & marketing company.   I know some of you are rolling your eyes at this, but I truly believe that "selling" is one of the great skills that EVERYONE should know, understand and embrace.  (I believe in life and this economy, you are either creating value by making things like engineers or you know how to sell - products, services, yourself, your company to customers and investors).   We spent the last two weeks learning about creating lists, cold calling (relatives & friends), leaving compelling messages to get call backs, and going door to door (to neighbors accompanied by parents).   She hit her goal.  i am very proud.

These are the key sales lessons I learned from my six year daughter:

1) Have a Very Clear Goal:  She wanted the stuffed animal giraffe at the 155 cookie box level.  She saw that giraffe in the Girl Scout brochure, she didn't really understand what she needed to do to get it, but she knew she wanted it.

2) Be Tenacious & Make Sacrifices: Once she decided she wanted the stuffed giraffe and knew it took selling 155 boxes, she decided she she would do what it took to get it even if it meant sacrificing play time, skiing, and TV time.  Every free moment for the past several weeks was spent selling cookies.

3) Make a Targeted List:  Before she started, she created a list of "targets" of relatives, friends and neighbors.  We started with an initial list of obvious friends and relatives.  We then used online services like FaceBook, LinkedIn and Evite to brainstorm other "friendly" faces and warm, receptive contacts she could contact.

4) Create a Script & Practice:  She developed a really simple call script and practiced with me and my wife.  She then started calling relatives.  She then moved to family friends and neighbors and kept working on her presentation. (She had a 100% close rate if she could get someone on the phone.  People were surprised to get a call from a six year old.)

5) Optimize Your Voice Mail: She tested one or two voicemail scripts and got some reasonable call backs (who wouldn't return a call from that voice).

6) Be Fearless:  This is a funny one.  I think we learn fear and embarrassment as we get older.  She may not know better, but she was fearless in making calls and selling door to door to neighbors.  In fact, she was SO EXCITED by the giraffe that she was dragging my wife or me out to go door to door everyday that the sun was shining.  Weird to be that motivated, but six year olds have energy and are motivated by stuffed animals.

7) Get Referrals from Friends, Family, and Customers:  Sarena hit a roadblock at about 100 boxes.  We didn't think she would get to her goal of 155 boxes.  She ended up getting some really good referrals from family friends who helped put her over the top.  Of course, she wasn't afraid to ask for a referral.  Also, some friends of friends saw her selling cookies and just walked over and purchased as well. 

8) Be Enthusiastic:  When you are excited, your prospects and customers will be excited for you.  Most of us sell the same product or service every day and can lose the nervousness or excitement of that first sale.   Generally if we are tired or bored with our products, services or jobs, it will show in our voice, posture, and presentations.  Stay fresh and excited when you pick up that phone or enter the room.  Being nervous is a good thing as it shows that you care.

Of course, it helps to be six years old and it helps to be selling Girl Scout cookies. 

But be it selling cars, real estate, securities on the stock market, or yourself in job interview, there's a lot you can learn from the fresh eyes of a six year old.     

Share Some Stats Love - Get Some Great Leads

There are stages that buyers and sellers go through before they're ready to buy or list real estate.  Knowing that these stages exist is part of the puzzle.  However, knowing what to make available to them and when they're likely to want it could just help you to identify the very best leads for business in the near future.

While there are some of us who are just plain right-brained, you know those artistic creative types who could care less about numbers, the vast majority of us are at least interested in statistics that will have an effect on our next home sale or purchase.  Oh, and if you're an accountant or engineer, you're about to be in hog heaven!

My rather simple buyer or seller stage of interest list in a real estate transaction is:

1. Sometime in the distant future, may even check out signs I drive by or do a Web search now and then.
2. Decision has been made, but still some months off (the majority of Web searchers).  Doing Internet searches and gathering information, including trying to figure out what I can afford or how much my home is worth as a seller.
3. I've worked the numbers and I can buy or sell, so now it's getting more serious, and I'm really into trying to figure out the market for a sale or how much I'll have to pay for the home I want.
4. I'm a rabid numbers freak, as I'm closing in on listing or buying.

About Jim Kimmons: Jim Kimmons, with more than 16 years experience as a licensed real estate agent and broker in 3 states, is a consultant to Realtors in how to use technology to market and manage their businesses. He has also written books and eBooks on Internet marketing and real estate. Jim is RealtySoft's chief evangelist and is a compensated regular contributor to the RealtySoft.com blog.

 

About RealtySoft.com: REALTYSOFT WEBSITES: Niche Real Estate Websites that Boost Your Sales! REALTYSOFT IDX: Two Powerful MLS Search Solutions: FreeIDX & ProIDX REALTYSOFT CRM: CRM for Realtors! Capture, Cultivate, Convert. REALTYSOFT PRINTS: Complete Print Marketing Resource for Realtors FOLLOW US:

Video Email...It Doesn't Get Any Easier Than This!!

Thank you for visiting my web site! http://www.FayettevilleNcHomeFinder.com   I would like to take a moment to thank you for visiting my web site www.FayettevilleNcHomeFinder.com and otherwise known as www.LetMeBragg.com .  I hope that you found the site easy to navigate and find the information that you were looking for! I have written some blogs about purchasing a home in Fayetteville that you might be interested in... Rent VS Buying First time home buyer Fayetteville NC Misconceptions about VA loans Just to list a few! If you have any questions at all please let me know, that is what I am here for! You can call OR text me at 910-987-0567 or email me at melissa@letmebragg.com....There really is a real person behind the site! I look forward to hearing from you, but in the mean time feel free to visit as often as you like! Until next time I wish you a blessed day! Melissa “The choice for your real estate needs”   #profile_first_name##profile_last_name# Office:?#profile_phone# Cell: #profile_email# #profile_website#

It has worked with cars for years. So what makes a house different?

The rapid decline in real estate market values seems to have taken mortgage lenders by surprise. After all, who in the world would lend money secured by an asset that will lose so much value in just a few years?

Yet institutions have been writing automobile loans for years with full knowledge that the pledged security will immediately begin to have a declining net market value.

So what’s the difference? Well, it’s a calculated risk. Those that lend money against vehicles understand the actuarial future value of the asset.

So why don’t home lenders take the same approach towards mortgage lending? Good question. Most will be very cautious when underwriting in areas of declining value. But they will rarely craft a loan to adjust to the risk.

If it means bigger down payments and shorter loan periods then so be it. The race of equity against debt has to be won in order to prevent homeowners from being upside down in just a few years.

The loss of equity has to be addressed. And the best way to do it quickly is to pay down principle as soon as possible.

YouTube Thursdays - 2/16/2012 - How to make the Change with YouTube on March 7, 2012

You can always count on change. YouTube Channels are changing to a new design on March 7, 2012. I’ve already whined about it in a previous post, so today, I’ll adopt a more accepting and mature attitude and embrace the new options.  Are you buying that?

This week, YouTube Thursdays features an instructional video highlighting some of the YouTube Channel changes and how to best navigate in the new format. It’s my hope that you’ll find the information useful and that it will save you some time.

If you haven’t already, please join our YouTube Thursdays group. We are determined to help one another in our video production, and video marketing efforts. In addtion, you're encouraged to subscribe to each others YouTube channels and please leave comments when you're inspired.

 YouTube's New Look and My New Attitude

Note: It's best to view instructional videos in full screen - use the four arrows in the right hand corner to enlarge the view.

Hi! I'm coming over to set off your alarm and let the cat out!

Sometimes I'm amazed at how many MRIS comments use so many words telling us, not about the house we are about to show, but about the complications of showing it.

When we're choosing which properties to show, being able to get into and out of the front door with minimal complications is pretty important.  If you are trying to get your home sold, here are some of the things that give us pause when deciding whether or not your home will make the show list or not:

• Where is the key?  Is it in a lockbox that I can open with minimal hassle, or will I have to meet you or your agent at a specific time?  Lockbox is best.
• Is your alarm system activated?  If it is, there is an excellent chance that I will set it off, and if it is connected to the police department, you might be fined for the false alarm.  Oh, and my clients will easily fall in love with your house while the alarm is blaring in the background.
• Having a dog is a good thing.  Mine is my best friend.  But when my house is for sale, Willie the Labradoodle will enjoy an extended visit to one of his favorite aunts.  A dog, even an incredibly cute one, can be a distraction at best and a scary threat at worst.  You call him Fido.  I call him Fang!
• Your indoor cat will get out, and I will have to spend my time chasing the little guy around your neighborhood instead of selling your house.  

Then there are the comments that preach to us.  Instead of describing the exciting stuff, they remind me to turn off the lights and lock the doors. 

The comments in the multiple listing information might be the most important piece of advertising for your home.  They are geared to real estate professionals, one of whom will bring the buyer for your home.  These comments should be written to get them excited about your home, and to make them want to help their favorite clients buy the place. 

It's not a bad idea for you to read the comments that are on your listing.  Do they generate excitement?  If not, sit down with your agent and the two of you can do a re-write. 

Agressive Agents.....Pitbull vs Professional

I had a listing presentation this week. This was a good old fashioned equity seller....remember those? The ones who really cared about what the sales price turned out to be? I love those.

The seller has owned the house for over 15 years; that's a lifetime when it comes to real estate markets. Naturally he had a lot of questions about how to effectively sell his Mission Viejo home.

"How agressive are you in your representation?"

Not that unusual of a question. Buyers and sellers both want to know that their agent is going to represent them and their financial interests to the fullest extent.

Absolutely!

But the term aggressive has started to bother me. In fact, although I used to use this term quite a bit, I no longer use it to describe myself. I am tough....and firm...but aggressive? Not sure! That's a negative word in my book. More and more I'm seeing aggressive agents trying to prove something to either themselves or their clients. And I'm finding that this is becoming an obstacle.

Rather than marching into situations with guns blazing, problem solving as a professtional is a much better option!

In my listing presentation, I answered this question by discussing the different types of situations we face in real estate today...and how I would handle them. There is no reason to assume a "them against us" posture, we are all trying to piece together a win-win proposition, if we are doing it right. There are reasonable requests and users out there....a professional can help a Mission Viejo Buyer or Seller determine which of these they are dealing with, and how to respond.

I'm not a Pitbull...I'm a professional real estate agent who will carefully watch your interests to get to the best possible outcome for you. Then the final decision is yours. That's what you should be looking for in a Mission Viejo Real Estate Agent, in my opinion. The Pitbull Agent is more likely to alienate the other party and cause them to dig in their heels....which normally results in getting less than you might have otherwise.

What Mad Scientist Scent Is That In This House?

You enter some houses to show and immediately think...

What Mad Scientist Scent Is That In This House???

People think french vanilla, orange blossoms, raspberry, flora and fauna, fresh baked cookies sell houses. I tell you what most people think. What are they trying to cover up??

OR, it is plain irritating.

People can be allergic to weird smells too you know.

Unless your Stager says this MAGIC scent she has cooked up for you sells all her homes in a jiffy, just freshly clean the house and leave it

      N E U T R A L.

Like the heavily perfumed lady in the office or the guy with the strong cologne and the gold chains around his neck, they TAKE AWAY from making a good impression.

CLEAN is the best mad scientist scent to sell homes and show them best.

Nailed or Screwed

Fasteners, not a fascinating subject by any stretch. I have listen to engineers talk about nails and screws on several occasion, wishing I had went and got a root canal instead. Yes fasteners are not all that interesting, however where they are used and what type can be very critical.

If there is one structure I find during home inspections that has routine fasteners issues, its decks. I’ve said before, decks are a favorite project of the minimally skilled weekend warrior and sub par contractors. Often the issues I find are to do with what else, fasteners.

By far the most common issue I find is the ledger board (the board that is attached to the house) has not been bolted to the house. Another common problem is the deck builder’s failure to fasten the support piers to the beam or to the footings. That is when they bother to use beams and footings.

During a recent inspection I found a new twist on deck support. Instead of using footings, the ingenious builder used the two concrete retaining walls under the deck. Seems like an okay idea. Concrete walls are sturdy. The only problem is how does one securely fasten the post to the wall?

A good deck builder always uses brackets or hangers at critical points. Brackets assist in fastening, making a strong connection. Every bracket is engineered with very specific requirements for the fasteners. Each bracket has a table listing the fasteners that must be used so the bracket performs as intended. Using fasteners other than those specified makes a weak connection.

Looking at the base of each of the two deck support posts that had been placed over the two walls, I saw a commonly used bracket for this application. That seemed good, until I noticed something orange under the bracket.

Concrete is of course quite hard. It is very difficult to make holes or nail into concrete. Difficult, not impossible.

What I saw was the orange wadding for a concrete nail that is shot from a special type of nail gun. These nails are usually a few inches long at best. I saw two used to fasten one of the brackets to the top of the wall. This bracket is made to be fastened to a footing with one large bolt. A half inch diameter bolt specifically with a washer.

What it looks like is the installer made holes in the bracket by blasting the nail through the bracket down into the concrete. Two tiny nails are no substitute for one large bolt.

But they are a whole lot easier to fasten.

James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
Former SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services we offer in Connecticut click on the links below:

Serving the Connecticut Counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, Southern Litchfield and Western New London.

What is KILLING All the SHORT SALES!!!

The one thing most people agree on is that Short Sales will continue to be a large part of our market for at least the next year. I work on a lot of Short Sales both as a Listing Agent and a Buyer Broker here in the Manchester NH area. The short sale process is not regulated, therefore the way agents handle it varies widely. There are some outlandish trends happening that are making the process frustrating that just do NOT have to be. There is no easy way to say it and this is no time to be polically correct when the result of a poorly handled short sale can lead to foreclosure.

What is KILLING All the SHORT SALES!!!

1. INEXPERIENCED AGENTS Listing them

2. PRICING THE HOME BELOW MARKET VALUE

3. OUT OF TOWN AGENTS taking listings

4. DISCOUNT BROKERS not providing full service

5.  INEXPERIENCED NEGOTIATORS

6. SUBMIITING MULTIPLE OFFERS FOR APPROVAL

7. INCOMPLETE SHORT SALE PACKAGES

8. NO COMMUNICATION OR FOLLOW-UP BY AGENTS

9. UNREALISTIC TIME FRAMES

10. BUYERS WHO ARE NOT EDUCATED WHAT A SHORT SALE IS AND HOW THE PROCESS WORKS.

THE TOP THINGS YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT:

1. CHOOSING A LISTING AGENT: When choosing a listing agnet to conduct a short sales the seller should note that all agents are not created equal. They should also know they have a choice.

a. EXPERIENCE: Choose an agent who is experienced in Listing, Negotiating and Selling Short Sales. This is not the time for "on the job training". Do not settle.

b. CHOOSE ONLY LOCAL AGENTS: Too many home owners see flashy TV commercials and think that is their only choice. It is NOT. Interview and choose a local agent who will be there through each step of the short sale selling process.  

c. FULL TIME AGENTS: Whether Buying or Selling you want and need a FULL TIME agent whose sole job is to assist buyers and sellers with Real Estate.

d. FULL SERVICE: Using a discount Broker could lead to discount services. In a short sale you need every advantage you can. This is not the time tio skimp. For sellers commission is deducted from the proceeds teh bank is willing to accept. Choosing a full service broker does not cost more but could mean the difference between an approval or losing the home.

2. PRICING THE HOME: When listing short sales the practice of listing the home "way under market value" to attract more offers is leading to an increase in short sale rejections. This practice should be avoided as it is not helping out sellers who are losing their homes to foreclosure becuase of it.

3. Some of the trends and practices you should avoid are:

a. Paying up front to List your house as a short sale

b. Paying up front for a negotiator

c. Paying for an appraisal to submit an offer.

d. The bank is not the seller in a short sale - the home owner is the seller.

CONCLUSION FOR BUYERS: If you are considering buying a Short Sale, whether you are in the Manchester NH area, Southern New Hampshire or located aywhere else thoughout this great country of ours, the short sale process is the same. As a buyer there are some things you need to do in order to have an advantage and opportunity to have your short sale approved. The short sale process can be long, it can be frustrating but it does NOT have to be.

 CONCLUSION FOR SELLERS: If you owe more than your house is worth, if you are behind in your payments or if you have to move. A Short Sale could be for you. The most important tips is to list with an agent who is well experienced in listing, negotiating and selling Short Sales. If you live in NH, call me first. I use a professional negotiator that works on the sellers behalf when negiotiating with the bank at no cost to you. Most often the home owner can complete a short sale at no cost to them.

It does not take magic to turn your "For Sale" sign into a "Sold" sign. it takes a full time Local Agent who specializes in Listing homes like yours.

If you need to sell your home and you owe more than your house is worth, i may be able to help. I specialize in working with home owners to get your home sold. There are many options such as a short sale whcih may be able to help you.

Please try and avoid out of state or out of town agents and companies that make "out of this world promises". We are local agents with experience who never charge any up front fees. WE GET RESULTS!!!
If you need to sell a home in New Hampshire I can be that agent for you. I strive to provide the best personal and professional service through each step of the selling process.

We stand by you through every step in selling your home.

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Color Cop: A Cool Tool for Matching Colors

Color Cop:  A Cool Tool for Matching Colors

Yesterday I attended a Live Constant Contact Bootcamp from 9am til 4pm.  It was awesome.  Information obtained on the internet, including webinars is fine.  But for me, there is nothing like being in a live classroom environment.

A learned a bunch of stuff which I will post about later, but one of the coolest tools I learned about was a Color Cop. Color Cop is a handy color picker that helps you to match existing colors that you may already be using.

For example, below is a picture of one of my headers.  Yesterday I created a templates for future email marketing use and in order to format my colors for my mail pieces, I used the Color Cop (read how I used it below).

How to Use Color Cop

1. Simply to go the website, document, page, picture or other source where the color exist that you want to use.
2. Next left click on the little eyedropper on the Color Cop and hold
3. Drag the eyedropper over to the color that you want to imitate and release
4. And voila, you get the hex color code to use in your document, on your website or wherever

I was able to match the colors of the swoosh and use it for the colors of my email template.  All I had to do was paste the hex code in the appropriate place.

Download Color Cop

A Featured Post can be great for your Bottom Line Income!!!!

I've always cherished getting a featured post, but it's never been a driving force for me. When I got one, though, I'd enjoy that gold star.  Nice feeling, but again....it's never been the what makes me write.  As of today, February, 16th, 2012, I just recevied my 98th referral since joining the Rain.  Nothing for a bit, but good stuff in the last 24 hours as I received 2 referrals since last evening from the Rain.  I'm 2 from 100, but hey, that's another post altogether!!!!

Over the weekend, I was thinking about the value of featured posts and thought that there must be more than just getting featured.  What's the Why?

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY TO ALWAYS WRITE A KICKIN POST???? 

1. The Big Wigs Pubas at Active Rain take notice of you.  That can't be all that bad....I'm on someone's radar!  My work is paying off.  What amazes me is that there are a number of people who are on the top 100 nationally and they don't have even one featured post.  That means that they are throwing up a lot of post with little to show for.  Probably a lot of listings or just writing for points or just throwing up.  In the top 50 nationally on A.R. there isn't one blogger who doesn't have a featured post.  In the next 50 there are four.  The list grows as you scroll down.  For me, I don't need the recognition, but if I'm writing well, then the feature is a validation that I'm doing something right. 
2. IF YOU'RE FEATURED, IT MEANS THAT ENOUGH PEOPLE RECOGNIZE YOUR POST AS GOOD ENOUGH TO BE FEATURED.  I love it when someone says I'm featured, because I'm really starting to connect with a good enough writing style and good enough points to connect with the right folks;
3. Recognition by your peers.  Feature means that you're gonna get a bunch of comments too.  Why is this important?  For two reasons.  First, you connect with a lot of folks who are now reading your blog on the featured blog scroll.  I may never connect with that person had it not been for my post being featured.   Secondly, as a result you are bound to pick up other subscribers to your blog.  This is huge.  It's a great way to continue to build relationships and network.  Ultimately, I'm in the business for referrals.  I give them, but I love receiving them as well.  Just last night I was on Facebook with a fellow Active Rain member and we connected directly for the first time ever.  I have a referral that may work for her and she said that she's to have a client call me over the course of the week.  This is referral number 98 as a pure and direct result of Active Rain.  I guarantee you that I wouldn't be receiving any referrals if I just threw up a lot of schlock posts on rates or listings. 
4. If recognized by your peers, then the odds are that your writing will be enjoyed by the consumers who are searching the net as well.  I guess this is the most important for me.  I'm spending all of this time reaching out to others trying to create the Bettag brand.  The featured post means that my peers like me, and, as a result, I should expect the consumers who read my blog to like it as well.  I received a call from someone a bit ago who said, "Larry, we love your posts.  You're family is just like ours and I love the beliefs you adhere by.  We love reading your posts. Having said that, here's our situation....."  How awesome is that?  I'd love to find a way to let others, outside of Active Rain to subscribe to my posts so that I know who is subscribing.  I'm not the techy who knows how to set up the RSS feeds, etc, but obviously, my writing is influencing some folks. 
5. THE RE-BLOG -  .  My last feature was re-blogged a lot.  If you think about the law of multiplicity, that's one more reason you want to be featured.  Write a good post, have everyone else re-blog it and it becomes like one side of the NCAA March Madness bracket, but instead of working to the center, you're now working to the outside.  Everyone else is doing it for you.  I love re-blogging someone else's good post.  It's fun to discover great content.  Those who re-blog your post are multiplying you to the masses!  How cool is that.

Needless to say there are a lot of other benefits to getting featured, but for me the ultimate reason for writing a great post is to know that I'm writing in such a fashion to connect with those with whom I need to connect with.  From my peers to the consumers, I'm in it to win it. 

By the way, it's not about the points.  You could have a million posts out there and no points, and I'd still do it.  99 referrals (only 98 as of today) is still enough of a reason to make sure that I'm controlling the quality of the content that I want broadcast to the world.  I matters to me and it should matter to you.  Being number 1 anywhere is fairly empty if you're not getting the relationships and referrals that you desire.

I don't need the feature, but I am in it to win it.  The feature is a good indicator that you're doing something right.  By the way....it took me a long, long time to get my first feature.  It's worth the effort to learn how to write well.  The gold star that you received is a good indicator that you're well on your way!

Go get em!

Your Pathway Lies Before You Like a Sheet of Driven Snow

Does anyone remember autograph books?  Well, I had one when I was in grade school and one of the parents of my friends wrote in my booK.....

Your pathway lies before you

Like a sheet of driven snow.

Be careful how you tread it

For every step will show.

Roll forward a few decades and let me see.  Is this still relevant?  Of course it is and, in fact, it is more relevant in the computer age when texting, photos, blogs, facebooks, etc etc bring the world to information about you.  Certainly, I expect someone to have seen my websites and I know that information about me is available electronically.   Still, it is a bit of a surprise when it comes to being reminded of what you wrote or said.  It also is a good reminder that, no matter how long ago things were done, they stay hopping in the background until someone does a search.  

This week I was interviewing a possible volunteer for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.  The conversation got around to why a volunteer would chose to be at the Heart Institute and the candidate turned to me and said: "It is because you live close and can wheel your husband up the hill in his office chair if he ever has a heart attack."  Well!!!!!  Of course she was right and knew instantly where she got that information - from one of my posts when I wrote about my neighbourhood.  This post was done on February 18, 2008 and, along with several other points, I wrote:  

It’s the big one, Elizabeth.  You cannot ignore the hospital as part of the community.  I have told my husband how comforting it is to know how close the Heart Institute is as we get older.  I will be able to just wheel him up the hill in one of our office chairs and save the bother of waiting for an ambulance.  About those sirens, there are none.  Ambulances turn off the sirens so that they don’t wake up the hospitalized.  It is very quiet.  

So, if you are going to rant, going to say negative things about you, your family, your friends or your enemies,  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember that your post may live longer than your friendship or you. 

Your blog post lies before you, like a sheet of driven snow.  Be careful what you write, for every word will show.

You Used My Picture In Your Magazine, I'm Flattered.........I Think!

You Used My Picture In Your Magazine, I'm Flattered.........I Think!

I saw one of my pictures in a real estate relocation magazine this week, it was kinda cool! It is one of my favourite pictures, in fact I use it on the front page of my web site, I use it on my business cards. I have used it in blog posts, I got a call from the owners of the store asking if they could have the link to send to their friends.

Here it is

What do you think? "I'm no Picasso, but do you like it?"
So What should I do, nothing, send them an email letting them know I know? I really don't mind them people using my pictures as long as they ask, that way I know where they'll be going. I really DO mind if people are using my blog posts and copying them or changing the headline, which reminds me someone else did that recently as well....time to call Lenn!
I need to look into the copyright issue as this is only going to get worse, content is king and people who don't want to do the work will copy!

Do we really need to go over this again?

Do we really need to go over this again???

I know it has been said before because I remember reading it, hearing it and seeing it posted.  I have seen it on blogs, on Facebook, on Twitter, even on Pinterest.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure the message has really sunk in for everyone.  I am still seeing some educated grown ups do some of the silliest things on-line.  So, as a simple review here are some common sense do’s and don’ts for social media.

There we have it folks, bottom line is just use some common sense and don't be a horses butt on-line, in person or anywhere. Treat others as you would like to be treated and remember "You get more bees with honey than vinegar".  I am sure I have missed a few so please feel free to add them to the comments below. Hope y'all are having an awesome week and have an even better weekend!