PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES Blog

SEO is the one of only three ways potential customers can find your website:

1. They know your URL by heart and can type it in and go directly to your site. (or they have it bookmarked)
2. You are using Pay-per-Click advertising and they click on your ad.
3. Or, you have optimized your site (SEO) and it appears on a search engine like Google or Yahoo when certain keywords or keyword phrases that are relevant to your product or service are used in a search. 

Is search engine optimization important for your website? You bet it is!  Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a technique of writing your content in a way that improves the volume of traffic to your website from all search engines.  Practically, good SEO on your website means higher, targeted traffic for your products and content.  Search engine optimization was initially developed as a marketing tool, but now more and more people use it for their blogs, websites and social network pages.

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Carl Conetta wrote “Radical Departure” back in 2004.  It’s a step by step plan to end America’s involvement in what has been our biggest debacle since Vietnam.

In January 2005 Massachusetts Congressman Marty Meehan was the first elected political leader to call for an exit plan. Since then “The Withdrawal Follies” have reigned supreme.

Having lived through Nixon’s failed 1969 Vietnam exit strategy called “Vietnamization“, I at least understand the importance of doing it right.  As a grunt on the ground in Vietnam from May 1969 through June 1970 I got to personally witness the Nixon/Kissinger plan to turn over the war to the South Vietnamese armed forces fail miserably.  The ultimate slap in the face was the loss of the South to the North less than five years later.  Vietnam is still run by communists some 33 years later. 

An orderly strategic withdrawal is the only sensible option on the plate.  Come 2009 with our new president in place, climbing out of the black hole must be the nations highest priority.  The funds we are spending on the war must go back to supporting the “right” projects that are so in need today.

Lord knows we will be paying for this war for generations to come with the long term health care needs of our wounded veterans and the damage to our economy. But hopefully we can find a few bucks in the budget to move this country forward on the right path. 

That’s my opinion.  What’s yours? As always, your comments good or bad are welcome. Just click on “Comments” below to let us know what you think.

Postcard mailing is one of the mainstays of Real Estate Marketing.  Well proven and longstanding, this system can be a great help to the real estate agent or simply another drain on the marketing budget. It’s up to you to get it right. Given the technology available today, there are many inexpensive and effective campaigns available to Realtors. Again, it’s up to you to sort out the thousands of offers received every day that promise to solve all of your problems and make you the next real estate millionaire.  Here are several tips that should get you headed in the right direction.

Selecting the Right Area…

When you select an area for mailing, there are several issues to consider:

• What’s the competition like in that subdivision or area? If it’s too heavily marketed already, you might be wasting your efforts and money.

• Is the area large enough, or are should you mail to multiple areas? You can’t expect to generate any amount of business from an area unless the base is fairly large.

• Are the homes in the area the type, size and price range that you’d like to work and priced so that you can make a living?

Do the Math to Determine the Area’s Potential:

Before you commit to a regular mailing of postcards to perhaps thousands of homes, be sure to determine the potential return on your investment and efforts.

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It all started with a call from #1 Son Scott back in January.  He had just received his letter of acceptance from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business. To put it mildly, he was elated and was already making plans to leave his management consulting job in San Francisco at the end of June and move to Chicago for the Fall term starting in September.

So, I’m in Chicago for the week doing a little of this and a little of that.  Mostly trying to stay out of the way while the wife and son shop for an entire studio apartment’s worth of stuff. 

I tried to meet up with an old Army buddy I served with in Vietnam for lunch on Wednesday.  Robert Kolling is a long time Chicagoland resident who is very active in Veterans associations like Operation Support Our Troops - IL.  They perform many services in support of our service men and women and hold annual fund raising events like ”Rockin For the Troops”. Check out this video from the OSOT-IL warehouse in Lisle, IL from last Friday afternoon when Gary Sinise stopped by to promote the 3rd Annual “Rockin’ For the Troops 2008“. The concert is scheduled for Saturday, July 19th at Cantigny Park.  Robert was Chairman of the 2007 event.  

Anyway, due to some serious air conditioning problems at Bob’s house we had to abort the lunch. With the temp in the 90’s and the humidity high, A/C repair guys were in short supply.  Bob wisely chose to stay home to meet them and finally get his system fixed.  I’ll be back, that’s for sure and we can catch up next time.

Bob is always actively seeking contact with others he knew in Vietnam before his tour was greatly shortened by a long trip through several Army hospitals along the way home.  Even though he was severely wounded in 1969, Bob has led a busy productive life ever since.  He is constantly running names by me asking if I remember this guy or that guy from Vietnam.  If anyone remembers Bob from Vietnam or would like to contact him, just email him at rkolling@comcast.net.

That’s my opinion. What’s yours? As always, your comments, good or bad are welcome. Just click on “Comments” below to let us know what you think.

Traditional methods of lead generation, from cold calling to membership in social organizations, will always be an effective tactic.  Forming strategic alliances for lead “sharing” is a great way to increase the quality of the leads generated. Whether through a formal organization such as LeTip, or informally among a number of related local businesses, sharing clients and prospects will not only generate leads, but it also create endorsements, and therefore stronger leads.

What if a real estate broker tied his or her lead generation strategy in with a trusted home construction contractor.  Though most people easily see the connection of a real estate broker selling a home that needs work generating a lead for a trusted contractor, some don’t realize the contractor may be in a position to generate future leads back to the real estate agent.  Another job the contractor takes on might be for a homeowner fixing up his or her house as an early step toward putting the home on the market.  While not every contractor’s job is for a potential seller, real estate lead generation is about reaching as many people in as many ways possible.  As long as the contractor is trustworthy it takes little effort, and no cost, for a real estate agent to provide one or more contractors to a home buyer. In return, the agent may have generated a strong lead for a future listing. This is true of many related services; the contractor is only one example. What about the plumber, the electrician, the painter, and the Gardener.  The list goes on and on.

Want to learn more about Lead Generation? Just call or write PSS at (310) 833-0432 Email: Info@PSSPROS.com.

As always, your comments, good or bad are welcome. Just click on “Comments” below to let us know what you think.