May 2011 Articles (86)

How's the Wake County home market? There's good news.

In reviewing the Local Market Update for Wake County that's provided by the Triangle MLS, here are the essentials for you to know, and our assessment of them:

1) New listings are down vs. 2010 (by just under 28%): this is most likely because listings were up last year as people tried to take advantage of a possible influx of buyers when the 2010 tax incentives were in place.

2) Home sale prices are holding steady year over year: we and many others in the field believe… Read More

Added by Ken Smith, Goldens Realty on May 31, 2011 at 1:01pm — No Comments

Virtual Assistant Jobs - Raleigh NC

"I want to be a Virtual Assistant, but where do I find WORK?"

That is a fabulous question and I am happy to offer some suggestions that have helped myself, my team and other Virtual Assistants I mentor throughout the country.

A virtual assistant is beyond a telecommuting job. It is serving the needs of your client as a member of their team:…

Added by Angel Lebak ~ Virtual Assistant on May 31, 2011 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Day 11 — Inside 919 Adventure — A Featured Post?

Wow. I attended the fabulous Final Friday and then came home and posted my notes on it. Seemed to be a fairly normal thing for me to do to process my experience. I was a little surprised that there were not dozens of posts. I am still learning this culture. And then Pat made the post a "Feature". That felt like quite an honor for a newbie here. Big smiles of thanks and it is great to see everyone's comments. I am beginning to feel like part of the family. This is a great way to help someone… Read More

Added by Pepper P Oldziey on May 31, 2011 at 10:30am — 3 Comments

How Do You Implement Keyword Research?

Answer: Carefully

Here’s a simple approach.

1) Know your audience.

I’ve worked with realtors in the past who want to rank #1 for the keyword “MLS”. There’s a slight problem with that term; it’s real estate jargon that targets (speaks to) realtors, not to prospective “buyers” or “sellers”.

2) Target… Read More

Added by Bob Walton on May 30, 2011 at 11:36pm — No Comments

Hold the Mayo

If you run a business and have unhappy people who work for you, you just might want to hold the mayo. The mayo is Elton Mayo, the Human Relations Theorist who coined the fact that if you take care of your people and pay positive attention to them, performance increases. If you grab hold of the Human Relations Theory, and put in to work, your business will be more successful.

Companies in desperate mode will often go to their employees and ask them for ideas that might help save the… Read More

Added by Jim Vogel on May 30, 2011 at 1:47pm — 1 Comment

What is a Veteran?

Came across the message below this morning and thought I'd say.

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What is a Veteran?

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye.

Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity.

Except in parades, however, the men… Read More

Added by Pat Howlett on May 30, 2011 at 9:59am — 6 Comments

Collaboration Resources

Here are some resources for those of you that want to dive deeper into the topic of Collaboration and its application in your life/business.

1. This book is a must read especially if you are a coach “Collaboration - Uniting Our Gift in Ministry" by Loughlan Sofield, St and Carroll Julaino, SHCI. (ave maria press ISBN-10 0-87793-683-8) If you don’t like the word “ministry” substitute the word “business” as you read it.

2. Family systems…

Read More

Added by Diogenes Ruiz on May 29, 2011 at 4:56pm — No Comments

Make it so

"The civil rights movement would experience many important victories, but Rosa Parks will always be remembered as its catalyst." ~~Jim Costa

You have probably heard the expression about swimming out to your ship rather than simply waiting for it to arrive. This action-taking is catalytic.

How do you apply this concept in business? You can use catalyst events to foster introductions and establish relationships. These are especially useful… Read More

Added by Steve Hand on May 29, 2011 at 7:09am — 3 Comments

Collaboration on Collaboration!

Final Friday was marvellous. I'm not sure which was more enjoyable to hear about, the four teams and their collaborations, or watching the live collaboration happening right in front of us on the panel. This is what I learned from Pat, Martin, Leslie, Diogenes and Dan:

Collaboration is a sloppy process — clear communication is not the first stage, its messy . . . so we saw a wonderful miscommunication on "failure" happening in front of us. Martin… Read More

Added by Pepper P Oldziey on May 28, 2011 at 1:33pm — 12 Comments

Day 10 — Inside 919 Adventure — From the Heart

Another tip of wise advice I received from an insider was to set aside standard days to post. Set a schedule. She posts that way, by the schedule. Now on the business side this is logical good advice, as when you set a schedule these things happen. You actually do take action.

But from the perspective of an artist, as I am a professional artist - a designer - setting a schedule is good and setting clear action plans, but much of it really comes from the heart. I post from the heart… Read More

Added by Pepper P Oldziey on May 28, 2011 at 12:56pm — 1 Comment

Day 9 — Inside 919 Adventure — About Comments

A friendly insider shared a reassurance with me yesterday. She explained that many people read posts and do not necessarily comment. Oh, that's really helpful to know when you are new at posting yourself. Very good. She also shared that she reads all of these posts I am writing. Wow. So for newbies, do not let a lack of comments worry you or stop you. Excellent!

But do go comment on other posts. I think it is a good habit and certainly has been pleasant for me. As I go to Inside 919… Read More

Added by Pepper P Oldziey on May 28, 2011 at 12:33pm — No Comments

FINAL FRIDAY FORUM, WORKING TOGETHER...I'M GAME FOR MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY ETC.!

Working together with common purpose. Now, that's how to get more done and ADD VALUE to the process.
Great presentation today and outstanding panel. Examining our strengths and weaknesses and having FELLOW INSIDERS fill the gap and watching the customer smile with look how well I was served!! What are your insigts from FINAL FRIDAY?

Added by Lawrence Tibbetts on May 27, 2011 at 3:03pm — No Comments

Fulfilling a Dream

Hi I am Judy Julian and I am so excited to be writing my first Blog on Inside 919. This summer I will be cruising the inside passage of Alaska! This is a very special trip for me in so many ways. I will have an opportunity to see Alaska’s beautiful coastline as well as whales, bears, moose and eagles in their natural habitat. Most of all it is fulfilling a dream of my late Dad’s. Both my Mom and Dad loved to take fabulous vacations to Europe the Far East and places all around the Caribbean and… Read More

Added by Judy Julian on May 27, 2011 at 10:49am — 1 Comment

The Value of Sponsoring Events

What value do you get when you sponsor events?

Catering by Design, co-sponsored the May after-hours event of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, with Exhibit Resources near Brier Creek in Raleigh, NC. We provided the food, drinks and…

Added by Greg Lewis on May 27, 2011 at 7:16am — 4 Comments

Day 8 — Inside 919 Adventure — The Vaue of Videos

20 minutes a day is the goal here, to see what I can do and learn in 30 days online while making a reasonable and doable time investment. So far its working well! Today I spent it watching a video. Leslie Flowers sang her triumphant life story. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Now the obvious value of a video is the live teaching and the connecting to potential clients and attendees. It is a clear service to others. But for me, such a video enables connection. Finding elements of our lives in common,… Read More

Added by Pepper P Oldziey on May 26, 2011 at 11:38pm — No Comments

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

5-26-11

Agreement is the key to any relationship. Although opposites often attract, to succeed, each must agree. I do not mean total agreement all the time. Groupthink is an avoidable situation; google Irving Janis. But in every successful partnering , there needs to be discussion and alternatives which lead to collaboration and agreement.

Back in 1964, the Beatles hit number one in the United States with “She Loves You”. Through a lot of yeah, yeah, yeahs, the high energy… Read More

Added by Jim Vogel on May 26, 2011 at 3:20pm — No Comments

Scotty McCreary - Niche Marketing Garner NC

So American Idol is over for 2011. Some may cheer, some will be sad.

I was never a big American Idol fan in the past, but this year, Scotty McCreary, a local young man with a deep country voice, "was in it to win it"...so my family…

Added by Angel Lebak ~ Virtual Assistant on May 26, 2011 at 8:38am — 5 Comments

Day 7 — Inside 919 Adventure — Sharing the List

Today I was the speaker at the Women's Power Networking Coffee & Contacts Southpoint Group about my List of Inside 919 Tips. Of course I shared they came from Pat and Martin's class. Told my ipad story - I'm happy with my keyboard case now by the way, and it has solved much of the problem. So the group learned about the My Page ideas and blogging and referral partner searches and they all decided to come back inside and try it out. Several had given up and several had not ever tried it. So… Read More

Added by Pepper P Oldziey on May 25, 2011 at 9:55pm — 2 Comments

Does My Business Need an EIN (Employer Identification Number)?

What is an EIN (Employer Identification Number) and who needs one? An EIN is the equivalent of a Social Security Number for businesses. Just about all businesses are eligible to apply for an EIN; however, not all businesses need an EIN. In general, your business must apply for an EIN if you answer “yes” to any of the following questions:

• Do you have employees?

• Do you operate your business as a corporation or a partnership?

• Are you required to file Employment, Excise, or…

Added by Lauren Massie, Tax Specialist on May 25, 2011 at 9:00am — No Comments

And the survey says.....!

Greetings fellow Insiders. I'd like your help in answering an informal survey question. In making funeral arrangements in advance for yourself or at-need for a family member; would you choose cremation? If you would choose cremation, would you be more motivated by cost savings or environmental concerns? Thanks.

Added by David Heckel-Funeral Director on May 25, 2011 at 8:47am — 2 Comments