Quick Skim

You may be throwing hundreds — or even thousands — of dollars away on direct mail pieces that go straight to your prospects’ junk pile. To make sure your letters are getting read, keep them simple and sincere. That’s just one of the tips that authors William H. Pivar and Corinne Pivar serve up in the latest edition of Power Real Estate Letters: Letters, E-mails, and More to Meet All Business Needs (Dearborn, 2007). “Because direct mail is one of the most costly advertising media in terms of each contact made, you don’t want to waste dollars on mailings that fail to maximize results,” the authors write. Find out 10 quick ways to make your letters snazzier so they’ll grab prospects’ attention in those critical first 15 seconds. Plus, get advice on how to ensure your letters come across as personal and professional, not as cheap mass-mail pieces. Read an excerpt

Posted on June 22 at 11:28 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (2)

Here are today's top selling sales and marketing books on Amazon.com:

1. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, By Malcolm Gladwell

2. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, By Robert B. Cialdini

3. Little Green Book of Getting Your Way: How to Speak, Write, Present, Persuade, Influence, and Sell Your Point of View to Others, By Jeffrey Gitomer

4. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant, By W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

5. The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, By Chris Anderson

6. Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness, By Jeffrey Gitomer

7. Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS, By Jeffrey Gitomer

8. The Wisdom of Crowds, By James Surowiecki

9. Little Red Book of Sales Answers: 99.5 Real World Answers That Make Sense, Make Sales, and Make Money, By Jeffrey Gitomer

10. Writer’s Market 2007, By Robert Lee Brewer

Posted on June 18 at 01:59 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (1)

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors (Jossey-Bass, 2006)
By Patrick M. Lencioni

—Dale Stinton, CEO of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Who Says You Can't Buy A Home! (AMACOM, 2006)
By David Reed

—Blanche Evans, editor of Realty Times

Satisfaction: How Every Great Company Listens to the Voice of the Customer (2006)
By Chris Denove and James Power
The Sign of the Book: A Cliff Janeway Bookman Novel (2005)
By John Dunning
— Pat V. Combs, president of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

The Dangerous Book for Boys (Collins, 2007)
By Conn and Hal Iggulden

— Dave Liniger, chairman and co-founder of RE/MAX International Inc., Denver

The Innovator’s Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins, 2003), By Clayton Christensen
The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth (Harvard Business School Press, 2003), By Clayton Christensen and Michael E. Raynor
— Richard Rector, president and CEO of Realty Executives International Inc., Phoenix

Tell us what you’re reading. Send an e-mail to bookblog@realtors.org and include the book you’re reading, your name, contact information, and photo.

Posted on June 6 at 04:58 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (6)

In this exclusive podcast with TV host Kirsten Kemp of TLC's "Property Ladder," Kemp responds to your house flipping questions. Kemp is the author of the new book Flipping Confidential: The Secrets of Renovating Property for Profit in Any Market (Wiley, 2007). After you listen in, join the conversation about house flipping in the comment section of the blog.

Listen to the Podcast >

Posted on June 4 at 12:55 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (2)