Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Watch What You Say And How You Say It
For whatever reason--possibly because they are mostly volunteers--the folks who type the messages for Church Bulletins don't always do a thorough job of editing their words and saying what they really mean. But they sure do provide entertainment! Reading some of their messages is a good way to improve our own communication skills.
Watch what you say and how you say it!
Here are some examples:
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Scouts are saving aluminium cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."
Sunday, August 24, 2008
"Big Ideas" Shared At Leadership Invitational
"This business is an ever-changing target" said Phoenix franchisee Tim Risley and there's "constantly a need to get pumped up," said Tucson franchisee Fred Hubbard.
Some 50 franchisees and corporate members of Team HVA couldn't have agreed more with these sentiments, which were expressed in the closing moments of the 2008 Leadership Invitational at magnificent Lake Tahoe.
"The opportunity to sit and talk casually to so many people who know much more than I do is invaluable," commented New Jersey franchisee Jim Wiley. Atlanta franchisee Ian Mendelson added, "The side discussions and informal socializing is of real value to me."
Detroit franchisee Kim Drake commented that she's thankful to be "part of a network that is so dedicated to us (the franchisees). I'm more excited than I've been in years." Similarly, Georgia Junior Market franchisee Randy Perez said, "It's smart for HVA to put yourselves in our shoes and HomeVestors does that consistently."
Dallas franchisee Chas Carrier said he's amazed at "how well you (HVA Leadership Team) keep up your positive attitude" in spite of the tribulations of recent months. "There are big ideas in the system!" he added.
And indeed we unveiled numerous "big ideas" during the LI, an annual, invitation-only event that includes HVA's top performers in closings, sales and overall performance. Also invited: Ad Council Presidents and members of the Franchise Advisory Council.
Highlights of the LI:
1. The DA Model, which provides an opportunity for full-service franchisees to become Development Agents and recruit and support their own network of Associate Franchisees (AF). The roll out of this program is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated event in HVA's history. Before we left Lake Tahoe, 15 franchisees had already completed applications to be considered for a DA. Some of them said they had already recruited AFs! We anticipate appointing our first DAs by mid-September and signing our first AFs by early October.
2. RESULTS. Our long-awaited CRM program, which has been developed with the help of several franchisees and championed by former franchisee (now a consultant to HVA) John Holman, received enthusiastic support. Fort Worth franchisee Wes English is already using the program and Atlanta franchisee Todd Reid will be trained to use it in the next few days. Then, Holman will conduct regional training for RESULTS, the first to occur in New Jersey. Watch the HVA Web site and The Vestor's Voice for details. Talk to your Ad Council President for information about when training might occur in your area. Training is on a first-come, first-served basis and New Jersey was selected as the first training locale because 3 NJ franchisees requested the training during the LI. Training will also occur in Dallas. Eventually, every HVA franchisee including AFs, will use RESULTS.
3. The Wealthbuilder Investor Network was further advanced with the input of our LI participants. HVA's Marketing Department is working on the roll out of this program before year's end. The network provides opportunity for franchisees to recruit investors who will pay a monthly fee in exchange for information from HVA, and a relationship with HVA franchisees. More details will be forthcoming.
4. Lobbyists for National REIA conducted an intense workshop to better prepare our franchisees for grassroots lobbying . . . and guest speaker, Andrew Waite, publisher of Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine delivered a timely "big idea" presentation that further substantiated HVA's leadership role in the indusry and our market dominance.
Of course, there were many other topics discussed as well, but perhaps nothing was more important than the opportunity for a small group of top-producing franchisees to network, socialize, exchange ideas and get re-energized for the final quarter+ of 2008.
Next up: The 2008 Annual Convention in Las Vegas!
. . . You want to attend the 2009 Leadership Invitational? Now's the time to start working for that privilege. It will be held in August at a new and exciting location to be announced in the next several days! Why not make it your goal to qualify for 2009?
Friday, August 22, 2008
"Why Don't They Use Common Sense?"
Ever hear someone lament: Why don't they use common sense?
Ever think that about your staff . . . your spouse . . . your kids?
Come on now, we've all done it, heard it, said it.
Problem is, that's usually not what we really mean. We say, "Why don't they use common sense?" when we mean, "Why don't they do it the way I would do it? . . . Why don't they use my common sense?"
Chances are they don't, or didn't, because you never told them or showed them how.
Think about it.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Take A Moment For This Reflection
Are you as good at managing as you are at buying and selling?
If the answer is No, then let me ask you another question: Why don't you just buy and sell?
In my experience advising franchisors and franchisees, I've often noticed that my client was really good at A and not so good at B. But for whatever reason my client insisted on doing B!
Why?
Why is it that entrepreneurs believe they must or can do it all?
What's really sad is when you know a business could thrive if only the entrepreneur would get out of the way and do what he/she does best.
It's usually not managing!
Managing is every bit as much of a skill as are buying and selling.
Yet most franchise companies do not train franchisees to manage. For one thing, it's hard to do! By nature, franchisees don't want to sit still long enough to learn how to manage. And it's not what they do! They'd rather buy and sell . . . but for whatever reason, they often insist that they manage the place.
Why?
Oh, because they own it. They don't trust anyone else to do it. No one will do it the way they want to do it. They don't want to pay someone to do what shouldn't be all that complex (in their mind) if everyone would just do what they were told to do!
It makes no sense, really, but entrepreneurs aren't always about making sense -- they're about making money. And yet, more of them could make much more money if they'd get out of the way and make sense when it comes to doing what they do best and letting someone else do what they don't do well.
Believe me, in our franchise system there's more money to be made by the franchisee getting out of management.
. . . By the way, one of the best forums for teaching you how to manage and how to turn over the reins of your business to others is the Strategic Coach Program. The "Coach" program teaches that we each have a unique ability and if we learn what it is and then focus our attention on fulfilling it we can become extraordinarily successful and perhaps even wealthy. It's not a perfect program and it lacks what Gerber provides in his mentoring program, but it's a good fit for many entrepreneurs.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Who Will Prosper In The Upturn? Those Who Prosper In The Downturn!
Picked up this gem during a Strategic Coach meeting . . .
The best people in any industry will always be busy even in a downturn for that industry. If you were "made to do this"--whatever "this" is--then you will not only endure but excel in a downturn and you are setting yourself up beautifully for the upturn that's to come in the future.
So if you're doing well right now, in this downturn, pat yourself on the back and get ready for the good things to come!
Because they're coming!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Property Valuation Training Valuable In More Ways Than One For This Franchisee
I'm withholding the name and market purposely from this particular blog article. Neither is important to the message.
Recently received a message from someone who has experienced a market hard hit by fraud. Appraisers had grossly overvalued properties and many lenders are now upside down in the market. The letter writer was pleased that while he was a lender in this market, he has no "bad loans" because of the market change.
Here's the best part. He said he had no bad loans "thanks to my HomeVestors training on how to figure out what a property is really worth."
Makes you want to pay all the more attention to our training!
Monday, August 18, 2008
75,000 Letters Is At Least A Beginning. But DPA Still Needs Your Help!
 Interviewed Scott Syphax, CEO of Nehemiah Corporation on the Real Estate Investors Hour yesterday (you listen don't you? Every Sunday morning at 8 CST and you can stream it live at HomeVestors.com) and then had a brief discussion with him moments ago as we continue to plot and plan and track the developments that may possibly result in Congress protecting down payment assistance (DPA).
If there's anyone reading this who has not done something to help this cause please do something! (And I'll tell you in a moment what you can do in a flash that will help without taking much of your time). And whether you've already done something to help or not, call three people today and get them to do something, too. (If you call three people, you're really doing something to help this cause).
So here's the skinny. DPA gets banned Oct. 1 unless Congress passes a law to save it. Congress is in a recess until the week after Labor Day and when it returns there will be only a few weeks left in the term. To protect DPA we need to get the attention of Congress and the Bush Administration.
And we're off to a good start! So far, 75,000 letters in support of DPA have been delivered to HUD through one Web site alone: DPAGroundswell.com operated by Nehemiah Corporation. If you haven't visited the site and voiced your opinion, do that now--it takes only a moment and it's at least something. Then get three other people to do it, too!
But we need more than 75,000 letters -- all the letters count, but there's nothing more important than a personal visit to a Congressional office. I know it's not something you want to do, and many people say they don't know how to do it, or it's too far to travel, or it's impossible to get in, or they don't know what to say, etc. But it's the most important something than anyone can do.
It's easy to do right now because Congress is in recess. Call your representative's regional office (not the DC office) and ask for an appointment to discuss the protection of DPA. Ask to meet with your representative--you may be surprised to learn how accessible they are, especially when they're in recess and looking for opportunities to meet constituents.
It's especially important to meet with members of the U.S. Senate where we do not have support to protect DPA. But meeting with any member of Congress is important. And all you do is say that you support DPA and you want them to support DPA. Explain that you are a real estate investor, that you buy and sell houses, and if you can give specific examples of how DPA helped your customers buy a house, use that information! If you can get a customer who bought a house from you using DPA to accompany you to the meeting--you get an A+!
Part of the problem we've had in fighting this fight is that we don't have good data. HUD claims that people who get DPA are 300 times more likely to default on their loan. Scott Syphax says "That's ridiculous," but neither he nor anyone else has been able to produce data to contradict the claim. However, Scott said that within a couple of weeks some data will become available through the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. I'm not sure the data will be all that helpful because, frankly, the data will show that DPA recipients do in fact, default (but perhaps not as often as HUD claims).
"We're serving the lower quadrant of folks economically," explains Scott. They're going to default. However, the default rate can be lessened with various reforms including home ownership education and pre-foreclosure consultation.
The Bush Administration is beginning to get the message that without DPA a significant part of the housing market will implode. FHA will lose about 40% of its mortgage business without DPA. So even HUD officials have recently shown some signs of cooperation, per Scott.
What can you do? Keep the pressure on! Make those appointments now! Get your friends together and collectively voice your concern about protecting DPA!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
There's Nothing Like Free Publicity, So Why Not Get Some For Your Business?
The #1 publicity generator for HomeVestors and its Franchise Network in 2007 was hands down The Ugliest House of the Year Contest. Do you remember the excitement about that program during our Orlando Annual Convention? And do you recall the publicity that followed the voting process that identified the top 10 ugliest houses in America? We had dozens of TV and radio news spots focusing on local HomeVestors franchises and many more print and Internet placements for that campaign.
All of that will occur again in 2008 . . . the only question I have is: Will you get a share of that publicity?
Who wouldn't want the local publicity to showcase their business--not only informing people in your community what it is you do but perhaps driving people to a house that you need to sell?
This is a no brainer!
At a time when you're looking hard to sell houses, and the media are looking for something interesting to say about real estate (even they are now tired of the same old doom and gloom stories) this is the perfect opportunity to find an ugly house and enter it into The Ugliest House of the Year Contest at HomeVestors.
But the deadline is fast approaching so you need to hurry. All you need to do is submit some information along with photographs that showcase the ugliest house. It's easy. No, you do not need to submit a video, but you can if you'd like. I don't know how that rumor got started--that we must have video--all we need are still photographs. We'd like high quality photographs because if your house is selected the media will want to use the photos.
Details are in this article in the current Vestor's Voice on your Web site.
This is really a must-do this week or next! Get out there with your camera and take photos inside and outside of your ugliest house and submit it. Easy as that. Then, if your house is in the top ten, you're going to enjoy a smattering of good publicity later this year.
And hey, you may win some great prizes, too, including ad credits!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Excitement Mounts As We Develop New Opportunities For HVA Franchisees
I've been in Dallas.
Working!
Ever notice how time flies when you're working hard? An entire week nearly passed me by without posting a blog article. So I had a few emails asking where I've been, what I've been doing, am I okay, etc.
It's all good!
I've been busy preparing for the Leadership Invitational, which begins Thursday of next week in Lake Tahoe. I'm looking forward to spending time with nearly 50 of our top franchisees--these events are worth every moment because they provide an intensive training opportunity along with hours of networking and socializing. And, of course, Lake Tahoe enhances the experience (so long as we stay out of the casinos--what am I saying, we're staying in a casino!).
We're bringing in a couple of speakers and trainers, we'll participate in another rousing team building event, we'll spend part of one evening cruising the lake, and we'll invest several hours in strategizing ideas as we roll out future plans for HomeVestors of America.
I spent much of my time this week preparing materials for the new Development Agent Model, which will include an Associate Franchise (AF) opportunity. I'm eager to share the details with the Leadership Invitational to gain franchisee feedback.
The DA Model has pumped a new level of energy into our Leadership Team as well. We like what we've developed! We're all eager to roll it out, to sign our first DAs and Associate Franchises, and to continue developing our full-service Franchise, too.
Existing franchisees, beginning with our top franchisees, will have the opportunity to apply for our Development Agent program. DAs will help us build HVA by recruiting, training and supporting Associate Franchises. In the not too distant future, I expect we'll have a large DA network and some of the DAs will be responsible for a couple of dozen AFs or more! The combination of DAs, AFs and full-service Franchises offers HVA the opportunity to lockdown a market and dominate it! That adds tremendous value to the brand and enhances the franchisee's opportunity as well.
The new AF program allows someone who doesn't want to build a full-service franchise to join our network. AFs may be employed full-time, but they'll buy a few or maybe a dozen houses annually. Of course, that's what's happening now in reality--there's no Burger King to our McDonald's (I guess I could say there's no Quizno's to our Subway) but there are countless mom and pop operators who are buying 80%, 90% or more of the houses in markets where HVA flies its flag. The AF program will allow us to penetrate the market by bringing many of those competitors into our fold for a small investment and no transaction quota.
Existing franchisees will embrace the AF program, too. Many will want to become DAs, but many will also favor transitioning into the AF plan. Within a couple of weeks, I believe we'll be ready to roll out these new opportunities to all of our franchisees and we'll also begin selling these opportunities to new prospects. Perfect time for this level of excitement and activity . . . it will lead us to one of HVA's best-ever Annual Conventions in December.
Times are changing, markets are changing, and we're beginning to feel like we're almost riding on top of the big waves again. Not quite yet, of course, but I can feel the energy and excitement and we'll really experience it next week at the Leadership Invitational.
Stay tuned!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Book This: Day On The Hill 2009
As I write this, there are 109 days and 06:35:01 until the opening of our Annual Convention in Las Vegas . . . how can I be so precise? Well, it's easy, of course, if you're looking at the Main Page of the Franchisee Area of our Web site. Did you notice that timely little feature added by our IT Department?
If not, then you may also have missed the information about Day On The Hill 2009. This event, sponsored by HomeVestors of America, is likely to become one of the most important and well-attended events in our calendar year. It's an important event because it allows us to place issues of concern to us, our industry and our company squarely on the desks of national legislators, and it's appealing because it's a grassroots initiative that incorporates real estate investors from all parts of the country--it's not a closed HomeVestors event. All investors of any significance are invited--even encouraged--to attend. Therefore, it becomes another opportunity to network with your peers, most of whom will be members of National REIA, which competently organizes the event.
Without sounding haughty, allow me to also add that it's a flattering event for anyone who wears the HomeVestors logo because everyone is curious about our company, and that works to our advantage. We are recognized for our credibility and goodwill and there's something to be said for that.
Most of all, however, I encourage you to attend this event because it allows you the opportunity to meet face-to-face with your representatives about the economic importance of real estate investing and the work that we do. Plus, you get an insider's look at what's happening "on the hill," and the day's events help you to better understand why it's so important for you, and others who care about our industry, to get involved.
A very good example of why you don't want to miss this event is going on right now. How many of you are scrambling to help protect down payment assistance, which is now clearly a steep uphill battle? Had we made it our business to get on the hill, in significant numbers, at least a couple of years ago, and kept up the pressure, we likely would not be in this situation today. It's a hard lesson to learn, but now that we've learned it, let's protect ourselves and the industry from similar kinds of incidents moving forward.
Get involved! Get yourself and members of your staff to Washington, D.C. for Day On The Hill April 22-23, 2009. Get the information now from the Web site, get it on your calendar and make your reservations.
. . . By the way, we're making a concerted effort to give you advance information about events as far in advance as possible. With conventions and summits and boot camps and training of one type or another, we know there's a demand on your time (and pocketbook) and there's only so much travel any sane person can handle in a year (fortunately my sanity is borderline). The Main Page of the Franchisee Area of the Web site provides advance information about Training & Events. Please check it often. Dates for the 2009 have been posted and dates for the 2009 Mid-Year Summit will be posted soon.
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