Listen Up!

Reality TV is booming.  What began as a concept that most people believed would be a passing fad has grown into a national viewing pastime.   From singing and dancing to finding love and racing across the world to relationships among strangers thrust together in one house, reality TV has hit the big time.  Why?  Because reality TV feeds our hunger for a reflection of ourselves; its core purpose is to show real people in real situations. Watching and building relationships with real people like themselves. By the millions, Americans have replaced actors with real people.

Enter YouTube: new technology that gives the general public the ability to not only watch, but to participate. This became the fastest growing online community in history. 20 Million users in 16 months! In 2007 it was estimated that on any given day, 13 hours of videos are uploaded onto YouTube every minute.  There is clearly an intense and global interest in regular people and their unique personalities. People are interested in other real people like themselves.

So what do reality TV and YouTube have to do with successful sales?

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I’m going for VA!  I’ve decided to really focus on a niche, like Seth Godin suggests in his book – Purple Cow.

Why VA?  Well because the focus is so heavy on FHA right now that I feel VA has been kind of lost.  I’m going to launch my campaign within the next week, and I’ll keep everyone posted on my results.

I’m going to make a video in my TBWS account that will have several other videos as hyperlinks in the description box, that will cover all of the aspects of VA financing.  It’ll be kind of like a “one stop learn everything about VA” video.

I’m going to send it to my database, track who viewed it and who didn’t, call every freaking one of them and encourage them to refer me people they know are Vets, and/or forward it to Vets.  I’m also going to hit the local Air Force Base and see what I can get done there as far as getting my video posted.  Then to top it off, I’ll run a Google Ad Words account on it.

Being that I am a Vet, I think I will be able to have some fun with it.  Now more than ever VA is a killer option with home prices so low along with rates.  VA is really the only true 100% option out there as well.  I’m going to commit to it for six months – nothing worthwhile happens overnight.

So wish me luck!  I’ll keep you posted!

Frank Garay – www.TBWSDaily.com

This industry has taken it’s toll on the whole earth.  I don’t think anyone has escaped it without some kind of abrasion.  With that in mind, is it wierd that even though my income has dropped by 65%, my savings have been evaporated, and I’m growing accustomed to “Devilwood Ham” sandwiches for lunch, that I’m still optimistic?

I get up every morning, knowing that a gut punch and a swift knee to the balls is waiting for me somehow.  Do I let it stop me?  No.  Why? I clearly have issues, and the scotch does help at the end of the day, but really I think it’s because I get such a great feeling from the small victories I experience every day.

Sometimes I’ll get a great comment from a viewer of the TBWS Daily, or we’ll pick up a new partner for TBWS Rate Alert.  Or I’ll nail a “Frank Flick” that I know the peeps will use.  It’s these moments that seem to make the 4000 pound anvil on my head somehow feel a little lighter, and getting up at 4:30am to shoot the Daily all worthwhile.

So I’m broke, yet optimistic.  I know that if I work small and celebrate the little victories that eventually it will all pay off and bring me to a better place.  I honestly believe that celebrating the small victories is the answer to staying focused and motivated today in our industry.

Well, it’s back to the grind for now.  Haven’t had my knee to the balls yet today, but the day is young.  At least I got this blog post up – my third small victory of the morning.  Hope the knee to the balls comes after the scotch today - makes it less painful.

Go get ‘em.

www.TBWSDaily.com

Guest Contributor Frank Garay, co-creator Think Big Work Small

One of the biggest problems we face today as mortgage originators is the “learning curve”.

What learning curve?  The learning curve of the new technologies that can dramatically help us in our marketing efforts.  An example would be video marketing.  You know that millions of videos get viewed and forwarded to others every day, and it would be cool to be able to do it, but your mind kicks in  and says “it’s too hard… No one will teach you… You’ll need to invest tons of money into equipment”, the wind gets knocked out of your sails and you drop the whole idea.

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It’s Sunday night and I have one quick question for you.

What will you do differently this week than last?

That’s it. It doesn’t have to be monumental, but keep this in mind. If you don’t do something differently this week you are almost guaranteed to keeping the same results you’re getting now.

I think the key to change is getting used to change itself until change becomes comfortable. Start with something small if that is easier for you. Or start with something big if that motivates you. But start with CHANGING something.

If you’re cool (a little peer pressure) you’ll come back to this post and leave a comment about what you chose to change…. if anything.