There is a smart way to do things.  OK, there are lots of smart ways to do things.  So how do you choose?  You read - a lot and everywhere.  You research - the Internet is your best source.  You attend industry meetings and seminars.  You talk to your respective peers, your superiors, your mentors and even your competition.  So you do a lot to "get it".  But still you have to figure out how to do "it" more efficiently and yet be comfortable that you got the best possible information before you did "it".  Resources remain tight, yet you know you can't afford to fall behind.  Everything continues at a faster and faster pace.  You've been burned by speed before, so you're smarter than that.  You know that what's coming around the corner is important; it's knowing what to do with what's coming, and even more importantly, what not to do.
 
All of you are already high up the ladder of success and have a finely tuned sense when it comes to the smartest way to do things.  And I know for sure we can't stop learning how to do things better and smarter.  We need to believe, as Marshall Goldsmith, one of my favorite sources as a top executive coach to the corporate elite says, "What got you here, won't get you there."  If you haven't picked up his book by the same name, I suggest you do.   And yes, there's still a sense of urgency.

This week I want to strongly suggest that you continue to appreciate how technology impacts your success, day in and day out.  I want you to make a commitment to join me, my dear friend Jim Young and his team at Realcomm right here in my home state of Florida.  I want you to come and see what you don't know you're missing.  I want you to be there and feel the energy that only a conference of this kind can inflict and attract.  Year after year, Realcomm attracts not just the top in our industry on a national level, but the top experts in the world.  Now that's a lofty statement, but you know me. I'm honest.  So you know it's true.
 
Jim Young is a true visionary.  Like all visionaries, he is passionate and many times sees things that most of us can't.  You will not only enjoy Realcomm as a fun and educational opportunity, but you will make contacts and learn things that you can apply immediately...I promise...in a way and at a price that is truly unique.  You will really get a customized experience because Jim and his team have done all the heavy lifting...they've sorted through the unimportant, making it easy for you to "get it".  No one in our industry, either an individual company or a specific association, has the power and prestige to accomplish what Jim pulls together at Realcomm at the price he can offer this for.  I'm just so proud to be a small part of it and help Jim host it in our fine state of Florida.  And yes, it's in Orlando, so we compete with Mickey.  I promise you, if you attend you will have a personal experience and go away feeling smarter.   Jim has given me permission to offer special VIP opportunities for you.  So I ask you - please come.

Something I've learned must be present before we make a move is a sense of urgency.  Perhaps you feel there's no sense of urgency to attend.  Perhaps you feel no sense of urgency to understand about how technology continues to provide a competitive edge in our industry.   Perhaps you don't feel the urgency to explore ways to bridge the always present, but seemingly huge pricing gap between sellers and buyers.  Perhaps you think it is enough that the industry has embraced new tools such as online listings that extend the reach to prospects or email marketing that enables commercial real estate firms to market directly to databases of owners and brokers simultaneously.  Perhaps you believe the emergence of virtual deal rooms have eliminated the need for physical paper document transfer or that it is enough for brokers to utilize social media to generate leads on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I hope I can encourage you to...perhaps, think again!

   

Click here to join our blog discussion or simply shoot me an email when you get a chance.

I love technology. I might even go as far as to say I would shrivel up and die a slow, painful death in the corner without my tech tools. 

 

In today's marketing and advertising climate, instant gratification is the name of the game and technology mobilizes it. From text messaging to geo-targeted ping marketing, today's tech-savvy marketing resources tend to make direct mail and print ads seem more like carrier pigeons than relevant contemporary promotional tactics.

 

QR-Codes are the newest, snappy tech tool that marketers are using to help elicit responses from target audiences. QR-Codes were actually introduced in Japan a few years ago, where mobile device innovation reigns supreme. Only now is the United States experiencing a surge in their utilization thanks to our societal cravings for newer, faster, smarter smart phones that support QR-Codes. And apparently we are starting to catch on. According to a February survey of U.S. smartphone users by MGH, a Baltimore social-media marketing company, 32% of respondents said they have scanned a QR-Code.

 

So what exactly is a QR-Code? Don't worry if you are scratching your head. I am willing to bet that at least 80% of you have seen these passive looking graphics, yet may not have realized their interactive potential. The acronym-QR-stands for Quick Response. QR-Codes are actually two dimensional barcodes (datamatrix), designed to enable its contents to be decoded at a high speed. To decode the QR-Code, you'll need to download a free app for your mobile device. These apps rely upon your mobile phone's camera to capture an image of the code that the software can then translate to an action such as:

 

·    Connect to a website

·    Dial a telephone number

·    Launch your email app with a lead generation

message

·    Download an MP3 file

 

Blah, blah, blah.  So why would I recommend that you use them? The bonus for marketing mavens like myself is that QR-Codes can require less effort on your audience's part and fuel the instant gratification trend leading to more efficient communications and lead generation efforts. Users no longer have to remember a lengthy URL, write down a phone number, or Google you, piecing together remnants from their memory and hoping they spell your name correctly and that you are not buried in page 11 of the search results. In mere milliseconds, we can unite mobile phone users with what you are marketing via the mobile web. And the best part...they are free. My go-to solution for generating QR Codes is Kaywa.

 

Give it a try now... Grab your mobile phone and then download an app for scanning QR Codes. My favorite is ScanLife.  Once it's installed, launch the app and then hold your phone close enough to the computer screen to ensure that the entire QR Code fits neatly inside the decoding area that appears on your screen.

 

Now, wait for it...wait for it... Voila! You're looking at what I like to refer to as my newest, iTunes collection discovery, Alan Hampton. (Even the New York Times raved about him.)

 

For all of the high tech, applied science at work with QR Codes and their counterparts-Microsoft Tags-they are not without their distinct set of quirky challenges. And if you're like me, you may crave a little more visual "spice" than the standard black and white code allows. No surprise that others felt the same, and have figured out ways to push the aesthetics of these codes to some truly fun limits.

 

But alas my new friends, space in this RealWired! issue is limited and that will have to wait for my next article or until you visit our website to learn more.

 

Come on! What did you expect? I am a marketing maven, after all.