The Hurst Convention Center was bustling with nearly a thousand Real Estate Investors this past weekend for the 3^rd annual REI Expo. With so many speakers and sponsors there was something to be seen every which way. One thing was certain, this was a well run event and could be at least partially attributed to the veterans that were hired though The Military Veteran Peer Network to staff the event.

Tim Herriage, Founder of the REI Expo served as a Marine and it shows in the way he runs the event. When asked about the veteran staff he said, “Whenever I get the opportunity to help out a fellow vet I take it. They did not disappoint.”

“The Military Veteran Peer Network or the MVPN is an organization that helps vets that have gone through some hard times to get back on their feet. They are good people, they just need another chance at life.” said Anthony Suber of MVPN. MVPN helps the veterans with a place to stay, counseling and work opportunity.  

Belinda Savage of IRA Services attended the event as a sponsor. She commented on how well the event was run. One of the veterans identified himself as such and told her that his paycheck was going to pay his tuition and that it would change his life. Savage said, “I was so grateful to have been blessed to hear this from this fine man that had given so much for us. It really touched my heart deeply.”   

The giving didn’t stop with the paycheck. Scott Carson of Inverse Investments, also an event sponsor found out the staff were veterans and took up a collection for them. He raised over $600 in the little time that was left. As Carson talked to others about the veterans they emptied their pockets to give what they had. Carson said, “It was really cool seeing people giving back to those that gave so much. Those guys went out with dreams and so many came back to an unexpected cold welcome. This was our chance to make that up to them in a small way.”

Carson continued, “Those guys have given so much there is no way we could really ever thank them enough for what they have done for us. Those guys went out of their way. They are the reason we can have these events. Both veterans that served and those serving now give us our freedom to enjoy all the little things in life.”           

As this money was divided equally and presented to the veterans in a private room, many looks of amazement turned to humble tears and strong words of gratitude. One veteran looked upwards and thanked his maker.

The REI Expo thanks everyone that helps make this event so special on so many levels.

Military Veteran Peer Network http://milvetpeer.net/

Scott Carson Inverse Investments /http://www.weclosenotes.com/

Tim Herriage REI Expo http://www.reiexpo.com

Written by: Samuel Sadler elleven group http://www.ellevengroup.com

Energy Swing Windows Manufactures Windows in Murrysville

I did this press interview 2 years ago. It has been fun continuing to watch this company grow and still bring innovation to the window industry. February 10, 2011 – Murrysville, PA – Energy Swing Windows is manufacturing and installing windows in Murrysville. In a recent interview Energy Swing Windows CEO, Stephen Rennekamp commented “In the perfect world a company would sell, manufacture, install and service custom windows entirely in-house. Welcome to our perfect world. With us homeowners deal directly with the manufacturer. We make every window for a specific opening in a specific home. Every homeowner gets the best case scenario every time.” That is very different from the middle man approach so common in their marketplace.

No one else in Murrysville both manufactures and installs custom windows. Their competitors rely on another company to manufacture the windows and would then either install them or they may have subcontractors install the windows for them so the only role they really play is middle man. This is a very popular business model, not so much because it is what is best for the homeowner, but it is relatively inexpensive to open and operate this type of business.

Energy Swing Windows has a different philosophy and they attribute their growth in Murrysville to that philosophy. “If a homeowner has a problem, they only have one call to make. They won’t get the run around. They won’t get two or three companies blaming each other for the problem. They will get the same people they bought the windows from coming out and taking care of the product both labor and material. Most homeowners do not understand that most window manufacturers will have the homeowner send in their faulty part and send them a repaired or replacement part. The homeowner would then have to reinstall the part themselves or pay for the part to be reinstalled a second time,” Says Rennekamp.

“It makes a lot of sense to manufacture a window specifically for an opening instead of trying to fit a mass-produced window into a custom opening,” Says Rennekamp. With variables such as brick or siding on the exterior or drywall, cinder block, metal, plaster or jamb and casing on the interior, significant risks are taken if the replacement window is not custom manufactured for the opening with the correct surface systems in place for that specific application. Many contractors simply use caulk and backer rod to try to aesthetically fix an imperfect window installation or size issue. Over time that installation will fail and leave the homeowner with significant problems. Energy Swing Windows offers the solution.  

Google Transcribing Youtube.. Good or Bad for You?

Action required for Brand Management- 

Since 2009 users have been able to use a "transcribe" option on YouTube videos. As great as this feature is, it is just as entertaining at times. When Google translate came out this was just as entertaining and comical fail websites and videos popped up all over the place. Now Google will be transcribing YouTube videos to make the text Google searchable. Either, yea! or Oh, no! might apply here. 

I bring up this point because businesses need to be aware of how this could affect their businesses for the good or bad. Although they should have done this already, businesses now need to go back through all the old video content relating to their business and make sure there isn't anything that could hurt them. I know, all part of brand management 101. But, now businesses will have to go through all the text once Google is "finished" and make sure there aren't any miss-interpretations similar to the ones that come through Google Translate. 

This hockey clip is a prime example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-EpbyLqK0c

   

After all is said and done this should be good thing as the videos with fake, misleading or bad content will drop in search rankings and increase Google and YouTube search accuracy.This should put a considerable nix on video spamming which is a welcome change. 

The spin..........Creativity = free advertising

A few of you can actually have fun with this. Imagine the additional coverage you would get if you intentionally made a video that would be mistranslated in such a comical way that it went viral? You wouldn't have to do much to Trump the hockey video above. I know someone will steal this idea, what else is new? But it is documented as being here first. If you can't pull it off, call my studio and we will make it happen for you. We love clients that allow us to use our creativity. 

 

YouTube Changes Ranking Rules

YouTube Search is changing the ranking rules again. This time it is a good move I support. I have always hated geting some lame video that has nothing to do with what I just searched for and now it sends you through all the other lame videos this same person made.

Well, YouTube Search is making some changes to address that. YouTube Search will now rank time viewed over click counts. This should take all of those garbage clips and drop their rankings like rocks and put the good content at the top. I won't even make a comment about how long it took them to get to this point, but now we are here...great.

YouTube Analytics also reflects "Time Watched" so you can track your video watch time and pinpoint what is working for you and what isn't.

When you make your YouTube videos keep the new search rules in mind. Put great content up front, give the viewer some sort of promise it will get better and an incentive to stay through the end. Take a fishing show for instance. Early on you need to capture interest with a type of fish the viewer would want to catch. Tell them they will see one caught. Then show them the how to's from knots to rigging, bait, etc.. Be entertaining during this portion, espcially if the clip will go over 5 minutes in duration.

Then give the viewers what they want at the end, actually catch the fish. Any other video should show the final product or the success of the system, or the completion of the magic trick. Here is a sample pattern for this format as a sales video:

Attention getter/intro
General Overview
laugh or interest builder
Content
Soft Commitment
Testimonials 
Finish/Close

Happy YouTubing

"Social" Media Made Simple

Why is "Social Media" so widely misunderstood? This is not named some idiotic brand with some trendy spin that you have to Google to find out what it is. But yet nearly every day I find myself in conversation with people that have no idea what it really is. It's "Social" and it's "Information".

The very essence of your social media campaign should be social-based information. Content, activities, subjects, presentation of material people are INTERESTED in on a social level. Making a Facebook page for your chain link fence product is not going to magically spur 2000 likes. No one cares. A Facebook page featuring content on how to keep children safe from the dangers of unattended swimming pools...now you have a shot at social media. Every soccer mom in America would share that with their friend who has kids and a pool or kids that live near a pool or body of water. Swimming pool contractors would send the article out in their newsletters, (if properly distributed). Day cares and home school groups would send it out as well. The list goes on. Why? Because it is now interesting and you have created a message that applies to enough people that they would share it. Now your chain link campaign is moving. 

This is the time when you use your creativity. If you admit you could use a little more creativity, hire someone that has it and knows how to use it. Most social media should cross the typical business lines into creating a personal interest in the material being presented. It is extremely difficult to capture someone's attention on a social level with the same old material spun one more time. This is why some of the old Fuddy-Duddy marketing gurus can't quite get their finger on it. It's a new paradigm altogether. If you stick to the business theme, there should either be real value given to generate the excitement you are looking for. The "free report" gig still works if the content is strong enough and the supply is short enough but it has to be stepped up a notch. 

A few platforms you can start your social media campaign from are: 

Humor- (Be careful not to diminish your brand with this one)

Cause-oriented or Not for profit

Activities, events 

Peripheral and associated interests

Industry good or bad news that directly affects the intended audience

Warnings such as safety recalls and scams

Money and time savings

These are just a few of the platforms that hold interest on a social level. You notice I did not add ball bearings, hospital supplies or insurance to the list. I did not add Dentistry or Chiropractic or limestone to the list. This is not a time for executives and entrepreneurs to be offended that people don't love their product or service as much as they do. This is a time to understand the concept, make money at it and benefit their industry because of it.  

Keep the message short and sweet. This paradigm could accurately be titled as "Hey411plsTTYL". Roll with the times on this one.   

In summary, social media is about giving someone such engaging information that they would want to share it or be a part of it. If it is used correctly it will profit us all tremendously. If it is abused it will become as congested as the highways we call the "Internet Superhighway".  With too much peripheral information making it difficult to find the exact information we really want.         

  

      

Intellectual Email Boxes

Lesson for today....Shhh.

Have you ever had something important to say and the person you are talking with said something and you didn't get another chance to say it because the conversation changed? That happened to me the other day when I was briefly chatting with someone who had asked me to mentor them. It happened more than once in the same short conversation.

Especially when you are in a conversation with someone you need to learn or benefit from, shut up and listen. It doesn't matter if it is an intellectual or monetary gain. The strategy is the same. Calculate your interjections and lead the conversation if necessary but do not dominate it or talk over them. Don't yell or be too loud in your speech. This is a conversation, not competing radio ads. For all of you "I" personalities out there this will be extremely difficult and will take some practice and self-discipline, but it will be worth it. Just think to yourself, "Shut up and let the money come".

Compare a person's brain to an email box. If too much filler or irrelevant emails are received you tend to tune them out and delete them before reading them. You may even unsubscribe from the mail list even if you are interested in the general subject. On the other hand, if emails are direct, compact and easy to gain from, you read those emails expecting value and getting it.

Don't clutter people's intellectual email boxes. Give them the good stuff they really want. They will value your content and naturally do business with you.

Stone Coat -- The Original Blown Limestone

Consumer Beware- June 11, 2012 Addison, TX-- I recently saw an innovative product in the building industry that I found intriguing.  It is an all natural, green stone product that can be "blown onto almost any surface".  I found it while looking to resurface one of the real estate projects I own. It is real stone and is a lightweight substitute for more traditional heavy quarried and cut stone.   The company is StoneCoat, and their product is called “Blown Stone”. 

I was so pleased with how the project turned out I asked for an interview with Stone Coat President, Ken Morrison. I always do my home work on companies I interview. I discovered that Stone Coat not only is the manufacturer of the product and the only domestic source in the United States for this product, (I talked to the raw lime stone supplier). This includes proprietary product formulations, intellectual property, etc.

 Interestingly enough the Stone Coat product has been used for hundreds if not a thousand years in Europe but is a fairly new product and process here in the US.  "You must have the special hydraulic limestone to make it work" Morrison said "and although there are huge limestone deposits in the United States, there are no quarries in the United States or North America that have the hydraulic limestone.   We are the only company who has this special and original formulation using the imported Limestone".   When asked about a few others claiming to be installing “Blown Stone” Morrison simply said, “Well, there are a few out there that are trying to imitate what we are doing, but I don’t know what they are installing or telling people they are installing. I can tell you that it isn’t the same hydraulic limestone that has been used and tested over time and years in Europe.  Stone Coat owns all the rights to it and is the exclusive domestic supplier of the product and importing this special limestone where it is naturally quarried overseas.”  

The question then rises, “What material are the other companies installing if they can’t even get the same raw materials?” 

When investigating the subject I found only one company claiming to have a product similiar to StoneCoat.   Besides finding pictures on thier website and promotional material of projects that StoneCoat had done that they were taking credit for, I found that other company to have a questionable and somewhat sordid history in starting similar companies, then closing them and then re-opening in another “blown stone” type of company.  I also found a similar pattern in opening and bankrupting other companies in other unrelated types of products and subsequently finding themselves riddled with lawsuits along the way. I was unable to identify the physical make-up of the product as their salesperson claimed to be currently “shooting blown limestone”.

Another source reported it to be a new product they developed within the past few months which is far different than what they were “shooting” before. I am not sure that I (nor any of my readers) would want their home to be the "guinea pig" for that one. If they are excited about the new product one would think they would be excited to tell people it is a new product instead of portraying their new product as the old product.

Similarly, I spoke with Brian Rizzo of ICE Cables in Los Angeles, CA. Rizzo has been known as an industry leader for innovative packaging and superior material developments included at no additional charge to the customer.  Rizzo comments, “When copper prices went through the roof a couple years ago we were forced to raise prices to reflect our rising raw materials pricing. Some of our competitors mysteriously didn’t raise their prices commensurate with the rising raw material price increases. It was time to investigate.”

An independent team was called in to get to the bottom of the issue. Either ICE Cables was paying too much for copper, or there had to be something physically different. When the team measured and weighed some of the competitor’s wire they found it was lighter in weight than the minimum standard allowed by industry governance. The competitors continued to advertise their wire as meeting the industry standards.

Neither Morrison nor Rizzo shared the names of their “competitors” that were not playing by the rules and held a very professional air and presence.  In the end, it is the consumer that pays the price for what they perceive to be a “good deal”. My advice to the consumers continues to be, “Do your homework”. Take a few minutes to research before making a significant purchase. You will be glad you did.     

Information about Stone Coat can be found at: http://www.stonecoat.com972-380-2700. There is no reference given herein to the identity of the competitors to the entities listed herein. 59809 Sadler 049843 Sadler  

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