By Kelly Quigley, REALTOR® Magazine

Confessions of Shameless Self-Promoters by Debbie Allen (McGraw-Hill Cos., 2006)

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Marketing drives visitors to your Web site and keeps your phones ringing. It builds trust in your brand and convinces prospects that you’re their best choice. The best part is it doesn’t have to cost a fortune; sometimes all it takes to create a buzz is a little creativity and courage. This book can serve as your inspiration. Entrepreneurs from various industries share amusing stories of how they “shamelessly” promoted themselves and their companies to reach success. The tales are a few pages long at most — making for a quick, light read — and contain lots of original low-cost marketing ideas. The stories are divided into 12 chapters on topics such as Web marketing, networking, developing gutsy goals, and becoming better known in your community. Although many of the stories come from professional speakers and authors, most of the tactics also lend themselves to the real estate profession.

Tips From the Book:

• Get over negative perceptions. You may have a hard time promoting yourself because you’ve been taught that it’s a negative thing. However, effective self-promotion is never rude, pushy, loud, or obnoxious; it’s all about looking for opportunities everywhere to promote yourself in the service of others. There’s no shame in self-promotion if you’re promoting something of value that you feel passionately about.
• Be productive at the airport. Regulations force you to be at the airport far in advance of your departure time. Rather than killing time by reading magazines, stop by the newspaper stand and buy a stack of postcards. Within an hour, you can write out more than a dozen cards to prospects and clients. Postcards always get noticed in the mail and will put a smile on recipients’ faces.
• Create an awards program. To be recognized by the public and the media for your expertise, create a list patterned after the Fortune 500 that relate to your services. Perhaps it can be your town’s top gardens or best renovation projects. Develop a process for nominations and selection, and hold a media event to announce the winners.

By Kelly Quigley, REALTOR® Magazine

The Homeowner’s Manual by Lynda Lyday (Que Publishing, 2006)

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When consumers buy a car, they read the manual to learn about the car’s features, maintenance requirements, and other important information. But when they buy a home — often the biggest investment they’ll ever make — all they get is a key. No directions on maintenance, no guidance on repairs, no description of how all of the parts work. Home improvement expert Lynda Lyday, host of the DIY Network’s viewer call-in show “Talk2DIY,” sought to change that with her latest book. She explains how every component in the home works, from the hot water heater to the chimney cap, and provides practical maintenance tips. Each of the generously illustrated chapters covers a different part or system of the home, such as flooring, ventilation, and plumbing. The focus isn’t on do-it-yourself repairs but on providing an overview of the terms, materials, and care needed for each part of the home. The book can help you and your clients better understand the inner workings of a home and would be especially helpful for buyer clients who just bought their first home.

Tips From the Book:

• Make sure the lawn is properly graded. If it’s not graded correctly, rainwater will create puddles on the lawn and suffocate plants. In most cases, once the water has done damage to the yard, it will find ways to enter the home through cracks in the foundation. When enough water builds up against the foundation wall, it creates pressure that can crack the foundation and cause water to seep into the home.
• Buy the right kind of dimmer switch. There’s nothing like being able to create an instant mood with the touch of a button, making light dimmers an excellent choice. But not all dimmers are created equal. An inexpensive switch can cause the light bulb’s filament to buzz. Spend a few more dollars on a more expensive switch, which has components to store the electrical charge that makes the filament buzz. If you’re buying a dimmer for a ceiling fan, you can’t use a regular dimmer. You must buy a switch especially for that purpose.
• Burn dry hardwoods in the fireplace. Have the chimney cleaned and inspected every year to remove the risk of fire and ensure the fireplace works efficiently. Chimney sweeps clean out the soot and the creosote, which is produced by an incomplete combustion of wood. Creosote is caused by burning woods that are not seasoned or are wet, and softwoods produce more of it than hardwoods do. Season firewood under a cover for six months before burning it, or consider fire logs made of sawdust and petroleum wax, which burn much cleaner and minimize creosote buildup.