Market Share: Creating the Elephant in the Highways of the Mind First!

Mind share precedes market share; that is the most powerful law of niche marketing.  There is tremendous leverage in this mighty real estate niche marketing law.  Therefore, capturing mind share should be your priority, unless you absolutely have the need to justify your success with a real estate marketing strategy that involves heavy lifting.

Here is a real estate marketing branding case study of a friend of ours, Joe Petrowsky, president of Right Trac Financial Group, Inc., who we met through Active Rain.  This case study demonstrates the incredible leverage you can enjoy if you apply this powerful niche marketing law.

Prior to being a highly successful mortgage broker, Joe opened his own real estate company in 1970. Starting from scratch Joe had no brand name recognition and needed to create an identity in a hurry.

He decided to buy three 40’ trailers at an auction that his brother ran. He had both sides painted black on yellow. They said the following,  “PETROWSKY REAL ESTATE CO. IF YOU DON’T KNOW US YET, YOU SHOULD”. Can you imagine how big each letter was, especially with this color combination?

He then rented three parcels of land that abutted the interstate, two on one side and one on the other. Each parcel was leased for 5 years. Joe figured the state would eventually start an action to have him remove the trailers.  But, between the ostentatiousness of these trailers along the highway that no one could miss and the press that he got (which he made sure of) he was able to capture a huge amount of mind share, fast!

Joe’s company became the number one volume producer in Eastern Connecticut in just 17 months!  He quickly controlled the listings throughout the area.  Then in 1985 he sold the company to 13 of his agents. He had 100 sales people and 5 offices at the time.

If your quest is market leadership leverage the power of niche marketing’s most powerful law: Mind share precedes market share.  How can you leverage this law in your own practice?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Re-Thinking Your Social Media Strategy: Time for Social Media Spring Cleaning?

Apart from connecting with actual friends, have you been experiencing social media clutter in your luxury real estate marketing business?   The way we evaluate the benefits of social media in a business context is simple. What is the return on time invested?  We define return as actually communicating with someone who can be a potential friend or networking contact that can eventually lead to business. 

We definitely experience a high return on investment on Active Rain, the leading social platform for real estate professionals.  We find that members on Active Rain are genuinely and consistently engaged in quality communication in the true spirit of a community. On other networks, we have mixed results. To avoid social media clutter, we did some spring-cleaning to limit the social platforms on which we spend our time.  It is amazing how much time was freed up.

Is it time for you to re-think your social media strategy, and do some spring-cleaning?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Follow Up to FOMO Marketing & Pinot Noir: A Personal Perspective

This is a follow up to our recent post on FOMO Marketing. Recently, we visited a winery in our nearby central coast wine country. We tasted their Pinot Noir (“Limited Edition”), Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Our favorite was their Limited Edition Pinot, which was absolutely outstanding and fairly priced. 

But, we were told that we had to join their wine club to purchase it, as club members were re-ordering and they did not want to run out.  That tugged at our F.O.M.O (fear of missing out) heartstrings. But, we resisted joining the club, knowing that we would be obligated to purchase more wine that we did not want by doing so.

This experience led us to take a closer look at F.O.M.O. marketing as a tactic in marketing luxury real estate.  Personally, from a logical standpoint, we do not buy into the premise of SCARCITY of anything!  In fact, as consumers, whenever we feel tempted by the knee-jerk reaction of F.O.M.O marketing we head the opposite direction.  We have purposely tested this out and discovered that in every case there was another opportunity just around the corner. Or, we lost interest altogether in what we wanted in the first place.

We believe that scarcity is fundamentally a false premise. For us, at the very core of the luxury mindset is the premise of ABUNDANCE. Stepping back and regaining perspective, there certainly is an abundance of well-priced high quality wine out there. In fact, there is a plethora of fine wine all over the world.

 Even when there appears to be a scarcity of luxury real estate on the market, some agents are still doing very well.   To be one of them, you just need a bigger slice of the market that is selling!  But, you may need a better strategy to acquire that business.

What do you think?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tip: FOMO Marketing & Potatoes!

There are a variety of marketing strategies.  One of these is known as FOMO marketing.  FOMO is the acronym for “FEAR OF MISSING OUT”.  This is a natural human response and one that in our opinion was partially instrumental in building the behemoth we now know as social media.   At the onset, we attended conferences whose speakers noted that the Internet was a river of gold (i.e. business), and all we had to do is join in to pan that gold.

FOMO is what bargain hunters respond to at midnight and early morning sales on Black Friday.  It is based on an illusion of scarcity, necessitating immediate action for fear of losing out.  There is a farmer who sells potatoes at the Santa Barbara Farmers’ market.  He has a sign on the potatoes that says, “these will be gone next week!”  Funny enough, I see them there the following week with the same sign.  In his defense, he does not specify which next week he is referring to.

Flash sales on the luxury end of the spectrum are regularly held by high-end department stores.  A variety of merchandise is offered at steep discounts for several hours, or in some cases during a specified time period, described as “pre-sale”.

Ron and I were invited to an elegant opening with Wolfgang Puck catering the affair.  One of the appetizers-his famous pizza with smoked salmon and sour cream, was the hit of the evening.  The minute it came out of the kitchen, people would ambush the waiter and within seconds it would be gone.  The ones with extreme FOMO stood at the door of the kitchen to get theirs. 

A shortage of inventory in real estate as well as a potential rise in interest rates precipitates a FOMO response.  How can you use FOMO in your luxury real estate marketing strategy, if appropriate?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tips: Spaghetti Marketing: Marketing Your Strengths

In marketing yourself as a luxury real estate marketing professional or company, it is important to assess your strengths. This assessment can be used to develop a smart marketing strategy.  Here is an example of spaghetti marketing:

Italy is suffering from a bad economy (2 trillion euros in public debt), and recently The Wall Street Journal reported that the city of Rome is on the verge of bankruptcy.   A savvy entrepreneurial company, Fico Eataly, the food emporium chain, with stores in Rome, New York, and Chicago, has come up with an innovative concept.

Italy’s strengths are: history, culture and cuisine.  Over 48 million visitors spent 32.2 billion dollars in 2012, ranking it as the fifth most popular tourist destination in the world.  How do you capitalize on that?

Eataly is going to develop a food theme park in Bologna, the capital of the Emilia- Romagna region.  Emilia Romagna is known for its many gastronomical achievements such as Parmegiano Reggiano, Proscuitto, Pancetta, and its pasta made with eggs (lasagna a la Bolognese).  It is one of the meccas of Italian cuisine.   It is also known as the home of Ferrari, Maserati, Ducati, Lamborghini, etc.

The city of Bologna is delighted with this idea.  The city administrators have provided 20 acres of land and several unused warehouses, totaling 80,000 square feet for this venture.  This food park would include restaurants, grocery stores, food labs and an aquarium.  Some have dubbed it as the Disneyland of food.

Access your strengths and come up with your own version of spaghetti marketing!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Privacy Is the New Luxury: Turn Your Texts Into Cyber Dust!

In marketing luxury real estate many sellers/buyers would appreciate having a way to communicate with their agents privately online without a digital record of their conversation.   Now you can with a new app created by Mark Cuban’s new company, Cyber Dust!  In an interview with Piers Morgan, he mentioned that he uses this app to communicate with his attorney, bank, etc. 

Here is an excerpt from the CyberDust site:

A new type of communication is upon us. Leaving a track record of everything you've ever said is frightening. Not everything you share or say digitally should last forever. Cyber Dust allows you to escape the age of permanent digital conversations. Messages are ALWAYS permanently deleted forever and never stored anywhere upon disappearing. Once it's gone it's gone.  Forever!

Privacy is indeed the new luxury.  Now, we have a way to walk the Internet without leaving cyber footprints.   Turn Your Texts Into Cyber Dust, And It Is Free (for Apple devices only)!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Competitive Edge of Stellar Service

One of the deciding factors in choosing someone to work with in selling or buying luxury real estate by the high net worth or ultra high net worth individuals is stellar service.  This is what creates loyalty and referrals.  Here is an example.

Friday, we started having trouble with receiving email on our iPhones.  Since we are subscribed to Apple Care, Ron called in.  This was a problem that was resolved the first time and popped up again.  Apple had a record of the previous call, and brought in a senior tech to work with Ron on it.  After trying several solutions, which did not work, the tech person suggested that conference with our email provider, together.  When they did the wait was too long, and they decided to table it to Saturday morning, since we had dinner plans.

Saturday morning, the Apple tech called Ron.  Together, they talked to our email provider, and found out what could resolve the problem.  By process of elimination we come up with a work around after ruling out many variables.  After three hours of patient and fun tech support, it turned out that the email service provider is not up to speed yet with Apple’s latest technology. 

We cannot imagine Apple’s competitors reaching this level of quality of service consistently any time soon.  How can you achieve stellar service in your luxury real estate practice?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tip: Who Do You Think You Are Fooling?

In one of our last posts on co-marketing we referred to Cost Plus’ campaign in promoting Downton Abbey, as an excellent co-marketing example.   They now are using the Downton Abbey brand to sell shortbread cookies and wine.  This, in our opinion, lessens the appeal of the Downton brand, and taints its luxury aspect.  

If you are a fan of the show, you know that the head butler, Mr. Carson and Robert, the Earl of Grantham, are wine connoisseurs.  They certainly would not drink either of these Cost Plus 2012 wines, bottled in Bordeaux, France.    Their chief cook, Mrs. Patmore makes shortbread.

The Cost Plus red wine is a Claret, which is a generic or semi-generic Bordeaux. The word Claret, used only for export, was used primarily for the British market and became the favorite of the less knowledgeable British upper classes.

The red grapes used in the soon to be released 2012 Bordeaux wines were battered by unusual weather patterns resulting in small yields, according to the Wine Cellar insider. 2012 has been referred to as a wine maker’s vintage, meaning that additional work and expense went into production to ensure a minimum yield.  Some of the white wines for 2012 fared better.

So how does this relate to luxury real estate marketing?  Be a student of every aspect of luxury. If you fake it, it will be obvious to your clients and prospects that are in the know. Eventually, you will be laughed out of a job. Check your facts, and then double-check them. Do not assert it, unless you can provide a reliable source (or online link) of where you found the fact.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tip: A Matter of Honor

As we mentioned in a previous post, original content marketing for your luxury real estate practice is key to increasing your visibility on Google. It also increases the number of your followers.

Writing localism posts are a great way to make friends in the community providing that you are not paid in any form for doing so.  It is a matter of honor, which translates into long-term success and peace of mind.

Ron and I often write about our Santa Barbara local scene including what we think are the best places to wine, dine, or visit.  We are always able to mine luxury marketing or branding principles from our experiences, because local is where we are, and where we learn.   The chocolate/espresso amazing cookies pictured above are from our superb and delectable lunch experience at Baker’s Table in Santa Ynez.  A visit to this bakery is highly recommended for bread, lunch and sweets.  It is definitely worth a detour.

Many companies are reaching out to bloggers with a sizable following to have greater visibility on Google and gain what appears to be an objective third party review. On several occasions, we have been asked to write advertorial articles in exchange for dollars or gifts, and have consistently declined.   

We learned some of the fine points of journalism by following two journalistic luminaries: Walt Mossberg, Technology reviewer, (previously from the Wall Street Journal, now with re/code) and Ruth Reichl (previously food critic for the Los Angeles Times, now a writer and speaker).  In our opinion, both exemplify honor.

Walt always returns any product that he is asked to review, and buys his own gadgets.  His reviews are clear, concise, and easy to understand.  He makes reading about technology a pleasure.

Early in the game, Ruth observed that when she was recognized at a restaurant, her food looked better than the neighboring tables’ identical item.  Her solution was dining in disguise.  Her reviews were always interesting as well as honest.  As a result the restaurant patrons benefited. 

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, beware of those who are bearing gifts for a favorable word.  It is a matter of honor!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: So Five Minutes Ago?

It is said that the only people who like change are babies.  In the last two decades, the new technological advances have disrupted what once seemed to be the order of things.  In marketing luxury real estate or anything else, change is a constant. 

With the rapid means of communication via the Internet, we are aware that we constantly need to reformulate or refresh in order to adapt, (you snooze, you loose).  The experts tell you that yesterday’s marketing plan is so five minutes ago.   How do we stay sane and ready to adapt?

Focus on the fundamentals that represent a constant.  In luxury real estate marketing, the most important fundamental of success is impeccable communication. It is creating an ideal working relationship that gets the desired outcome.  It is only then, that you decide on the latest and greatest technological advance not because everyone says it works, but because it works for your marketplace.

For instance, many experts have insisted that print advertising in real estate is a waste of money.  However, there are many marketplaces where the target market has the paper delivered to them, read the real estate section, or pick up magazines to view the latest listings on the market.  So don’t tell those people that print advertising is so five minutes ago!

In life, we all have fundamental values that we enjoy living with, where we dismiss the technology.  Many enjoy reading books in print, rather than downloading them to their tablet reader, or shopping in stores to feel the fabric and see the colors of clothes they buy, rather than shopping on line.  This is what works for many, their fundamentals of life style.  It may be so five minutes ago for some, but not for others.

As a child living with my grandparents, I remember how every morning my grandfather would wind his pocket watch that sat on his desk.  Although he had a wristwatch, this pocket watch was his favorite timepiece, pictured above.  It was his grandfather’s given to him when he was child.  If he was alive today, I am sure he would wind it everyday, even if he had the latest timepiece.  For him, it would not be so five minutes ago.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tip: "Tire-d" or Original Content Marketing?

As a luxury real estate marketing professional it is important to understand what effective content marketing means.   Google’s new algorithm, Hummingbird, is trying to assess the meaning contained in its users’ search queries and match that meaning to the most authoritative content on the web.  That is why "original" and not "tire-d" content marketing is here to stay.

It is more important now than ever to understand the mindset of your target market.  Knowing what their most pressing needs, their lifestyle and their values are should be the guiding principles for the content you publish expressly for them.  It is true that content is king as long as it is “original” (not what everyone knows or writes about)  that rates today.  This content is geared to the audience you are targeting in your luxury real estate practice.

When you write a localism post it is important to give it a point of view rather than just stating the facts, which can be easily found elsewhere.  Your point of view is what makes it “original”, it is old and tire-d". 

Here is an example:  In 1900, Michelin the tire maker published a book for travelers.  It included maps, their recommendations for accommodations, auto service, and restaurants.  These were given away free.  Today, the Michelin has evolved into a prestigious guidebook to the world’s travel locations sold worldwide.  A mere mention in their restaurant guidebook can assure a restaurant a continuous flow of business. 

Does your content marketing really meet  the needs of your target market?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Define What You Stand For!

In branding and marketing yourself as a luxury real estate marketing professional it is important to declare what you stand for.  The optimal way to do that is to state it in a clear straightforward manner. People like doing business with people who are like themselves. Your statement of what you stand for can often be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing one agent/company over another.

Last week, on a recommendation from our local wine guru, we purchased the above-pictured bottle of wine.  Had our friend not recommended it, we would not have necessarily purchased it based on the label.  The word “effort” for us evokes the connotation of spinning one’s wheels and going nowhere.  Perhaps, the arrow in the brand meant that they actually had a direction.

In looking at their website, we understood the brand and the thought that went into producing this wine.  The first two sentences told the story: “There is nothing expedient in our winemaking approach.  We embrace the detailed labor-intensive methods that are required to produce the finest wines.”

Imagine if that concept could have been stated in just a few words on the label, we would have reached for that bottle without a recommendation. 

What do you stand for and how can you state it in just a few words?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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There Are Riches in Niches: Sign Up for the Webinar

We are honored that Active Rain is hosting this exciting presentation and hope you can attend!

--Ron & Alexandra

WATCH THE 2 MINUTE WEBINAR PREVIEW

 

There Are Riches in Niches - Developing a Niche for Your Business 

FEBRUARY 20, at 10AM (Pacific Time)

Join ActiveRain Community Evangelist Bob Stewart as he hosts Ron and Alexandra Seigel, managing partners of Napa Consultants, International for this special class on selecting and marketing to a niche. 

In this webinar we will learn: 

*How to pick the right niche for YOU

*How to harness the power of focus through niche marketing

*How to out-think your competition and achieve top-of-mind status in your niche

*How to strike the right balance between high tech and high touch in your niche

*How Ron and Alexandra have put this into practice to dominate their niche, helping luxury real estate professionals gain or sustain market leadership

Ron and Alexandra have a vast background in consulting agents and brokers on how to dominate a niche. Their particular specialty is the luxury homes market but the lessons learned here can and should be applied to any niche that you hope to dominate. 

We hope you can join us for this informative hour and we expect you'll walk away eager to dominate your own niche! 

Luxury Real Estate F.A.Q's: How Do I Break Into Luxury Real Estate?#3

This post is Part 3 on the subject of FAQ's, how to break into Luxury Real Estate. The subject is MONEY.  Be prepared to invest your marketing dollars wisely.  Don't be cheap.  It is OK to be wise, which is different than being cheap.  To a luxury buyer or seller, cheap is a REPELLENT.

Many think that what they immediately need to invest in is a luxury car and a premier designer wardrobe.  That in our opinion is thinking you can dance with the American Ballet Theatre, because you bought an expensive wardrobe of tutus and toe shoes.  

Here is where you should be investing your dollars, which is different than buying or leasing a car, or buying a wardrobe, which will be out of date next season.

Your first approach should be to develop a strategy of HOW to get your target market to know you exist.

Secondly, you have to know your competition, and how you have something of value to offer that they are not offering.  Don't get caught up in the trap of competing on features or qualities, such as integrity, experience, certifications...anyone can get certified and should have integrity to be in the business in the first place.

Finally, identify what is different and FRESH about you...That is your unique selling proposition.  Identify what you stand for, who you are as a business person/or company based on your core values, and create a graphic representation based on that.  Make sure you stand out from everyone out there!  These three steps represent a long-term investment.

One of our clients decided fresh out of getting her license that she wanted to break into to the luxury real estate market. She had made several real estate investments that paid off for her.  She also had business experience in launching a line of clothing, which she sold. Given her experience she was well versed in the language of luxury.

Her first investment was to develop her brand strategy and brand identity.  Secondly, she had a friend who had two luxury cars, and was willing to let her use his spare car as long as she paid the insurance on it. Thirdly, she studied fashion, talked to personal shoppers at the best stores who were willing to let her know when something was on sale.  

In six months of consistently applying her strategy, she earned enough commission income to be able to buy a  home in her preferred community, and the car she always wanted.  After an excellent run, she retired in splendor.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate F.A.Q's: How Do I Break Into Luxury Real Estate?#1

We get several inquiries a month asking us, how do I break into to the Luxury Real Estate Market?

Here is one of our answers:

If your only intention is to make more money, because of the higher prices on homes, forget it!  You have to be passionate about this unique section of real estate, if you want to be a success and eventually dominate a niche in that area.

You have to become a student of luxury of every kind.  You have to speak and understand the language of luxury.  In a talk we gave at NAR in San Francisco for Prudential Fine Homes, we suggested that at the break agents should wander into the high end San Francisco stores such as Nieman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Tiffany's.

After the break, some of the agents reported that their perspective had changed in being able to understand luxury more clearly.  Educate yourself on high end building materials: stone, wood, wall finishes as well as luxury home furnishings   Luxury car showrooms areanother great place in understanding the nature of luxury possessions.  The car in the photo is a Bugatti Veyron.

Stay tuned for more answers in Part 2!  

Part1 ,  Part 2

Part3

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tips: How to Practice Safe Phone...

This is a follow up to our last post,Is Your Phone Sharing Secrets About YOU?  How do you stop the madness of sensors that track your whereabouts as a shopper, or as a luxury real estate marketing professional, as you move around town?  The answer is simple: just flip the switch! 

Go to your settings and turn off Wi-Fi when you are not deliberately using it.  This will stop them from tracking you, your current location and your movements. 

We went one step further in our investigation of this important topic.  We checked with the managers of Nordstrom’s in two locations that offer Wi-Fi as a convenience to shoppers. They both confirmed that they do not also use tracking sensors within the stores, or otherwise.  We also spoke with the managers in two Apple Stores who do have in-store sensors, but theirs do not work with Wi-Fi. 

Apple has developed a new in-store sensor tracking technology called iBeacon and they are testing it in 254 of their stores. These sensors are short-range low-energy Bluetooth transmitters that can detect a device's location more precisely than GPS to determine when to push a notification, offer or other communication to your phone.  But, you have to have the Apple Store App for it to work.  It differs from the Wi-Fi sensors because it is just short range. 

IBeacon is strictly an Opt-In arrangement. But, keep in mind that Apple has your account information and your credit card on file if you purchase something through your app.  

It is the correlation of your personal information with the general data collected that is most disconcerting here with these types of tracking systems. We trust Apple more than just about any brand and do not believe they will sell the data to third parties.  But, this technology will be licensed to many other major companies and local merchants.  Beware of the privacy policies of those who gather and correlate your personal information with the data collected by either Wi-Fi sensors or Blue Tooth. 

Here is our recommendation:  Practice Safe Phone! Ask yourself if the bargains or other communications are worth sacrificing your privacy. When in doubt, just flip the switch, on or off, Wi-Fi, Blue Tooth or both.  The choice is yours.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tips: Is Your Phone Sharing Secrets About YOU?

This is an important update to one of the our most popular article series of 2013 entitled, “Is Privacy the New Luxury Expenditure?”  This article is about the challenge of keeping your smartphone privacy-safe, not just your computers. 

Several new startups are popping up that can, through sensors, track your physical location down to the square meter when you have Wi-Fi enabled on your smartphone.  One company has placed sensors in about 200 local businesses in a Canadian city within a one-mile radius that track the whereabouts of shoppers, unknowingly, as they move around town. 

These companies know which gym you frequent, which coffee shops and restaurants you visit, which movies you see, on a certain day. They can sense if you are just window-shopping or if you actually come into the store immediately afterwards. 

It is not just the raw information they glean that is most alarming. It is what the information means.  Algorithms can determine if you are a jogger if they can track your movements across a park between certain times of the day. They can determine where you live based on where you are during the hours when you sleep.  They can determine your age by the hours you spend at a certain school. 

It is one thing for restaurant owners to know how many of their customers in general are from an upscale neighborhood.  It is another if they can identify YOU in particular as living in that neighborhood. 

When you log into “free” Wi-Fi using Facebook, at a coffee shop that subscribes to these marketing services, for example, they do collect your name, your age, your gender, and have access to your social media profile.  By cross-referencing your whereabouts with your PERSONAL profile they can learn way too much without your consent, just by inference! 

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, ask yourself this question: "What if that coffee shop owner is a potential client who is choosing between you and your competition?

Be deliberate about enabling Wi-Fi on your phones.  Understand that when you login to Wi-Fi using Facebook that you might be giving personal information away. This information may be innocuous in and of itself. But, it can also be analyzed and aggregated by powerful computers that correlate this information with data about your whereabouts at certain times that accurately yields additional meanings. 

And, remember that privacy is indeed a luxury.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tips: A Sense of Community

A sense of community can be the deciding factor for buyers of luxury real estate.  Of course, if that community is a cluster of a multi-million dollar ski-in, ski out homes in one the most prestigious ski resorts in the world, that doesn’t hurt.

One of the most charming communities we have ever encountered can be found along the Last Chance run in Deer Valley.  What these homes have in common is woodcarvings of animals and Native Americans on display for all to see as they ski by.

One of the homes features raccoons.  Another has bears skiing on the roof. And, another has a three-story hand carved totem pole with a bald eagle and nest at the top.  The community spirit is palpable, with neighbors out-doing each other as if it were a high-end Christmas decorating contest.  The craftsmanship however, speaks for itself.

When you show high net worth buyers homes in luxury communities, take the time in advance to discover whcin ones have a true sense of community. This factor alone can be the tipping point in clinching the sale.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tips: Power Networking - Part 1

Making strong connections and continuously building your personal sphere of influence with high net worth individuals is perhaps the most important success habit for luxury real estate marketing professionals. This is the first in a new Video Blog series on Power Networking.  We hope you enjoy these one or two minute video POWER TIPS!

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tips: 3 Ways to Prepare for a Market Upswing

Courtesy of Wikipedia /Public Domain Limpet from Cyprus

As the luxury real estate market recovers in your area you will notice that more new agents are diving back into marketing luxury real estate.  That means competition is heating up. Now is the time to prepare in order to out-think your competitors.

The median sales price for homes in San Francisco jumped 16% in 2013, according to the San Francisco Association of Realtors.  This is primary due to a stronger demand among the “Technorati” who want to live in the city and are content to commute to nearby by Silicon Valley.

Whereas, your area may not be rebounding as fast as San Francisco, you must be prepared to protect your turf.  To do so, think more like a limpet!

The limpet is a sea snail with a conical shell.  The limpet attaches itself to hard surfaces in the ocean. They feed on the algae in the waters and what makes them unique and interesting is that they maintain a garden, which surrounds their home base. When another creature dares to graze in their garden, they push them off by ramming them with their shell, so that their garden can continue to thrive.

California Limpet

For luxury real estate marketing professionals, limpet thinking means keep your garden in order and watch out for interlopers.  Here are three ways to prepare for a market upswing:

Refresh your personal or company brand

Create a new full featured luxury real estate website or update your current one

Stay in close communication with your sphere of influence on a regular basis

So, think like a limpet, and protect your garden in 2014!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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