Author: John W. Tanner, J.D.|M.S.

Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.

– William Faulkner

Here is a sneak peek into our first demo real estate commercial.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nJ7N0cNKWqzXJfzGmjvHvrvhBO2_qKLd/view

Hi Folks,

I’m trying to design a new business card and with 3 companies that I manage, I’m splitting hairs on which logo/name to use for one side of the card. I NEED YOUR HELP! What logo do you like best?

Option 1:  Tanner Enterprises is the parent company (me, essentially) that manages the Florida Professional Entrepreneur Network (PEN).

Option 2: Essentially, the goal is to make PEN a national brand of networking, but for now we just have FL PEN, which includes 7 citywide networking groups: JAX PEN, SAF PEN, MIA PEN, FTL PEN, WPB PEN, ORL PEN, and TPA PEN. (example: www.meetup.com/jaxpen)

So, when I’m creating my business card I am at a roadblock of indecision because I just don’t know what to do. I’m thinking that option 2 is better, for now, because I’m trying to be the megaphone for the company. After PEN is famous (hopefully), then I can market Tanner Enterprises as the company who pioneered the PEN brand. That seems to be a logical sequence. What are your thoughts??? Your help is GREATLY appreciated!!!! 🙂

Cheers!

Jack

As the fairly new organizer of three Meetup groups in North Florida (with plans of expansion across the state), I decided to engage in researching the ins and outs of networking. One of the four books I recently checked out from the local library, The Networking Survival Guide by Diane Darling, McGraw-Hill (2003), pp. 22-23, has an interesting bullet list of 20 insights and thoughts on networking by Richard Saul Wurman, founder of TED (technology, entertainment & design) and author of 80 books, which I share with you now:

• Networking provides potential for greater joy.
• Discover common interests.
• Develop good friendships.
• Business gets done!
• Need to understand what people do.
• Be curious.
• Look at the dashboard – what does it tell you?
• Networking allows you to explore differences as well as what you have in common.
• Don’t distance yourself from failure.
• People like to make things complicated.
• Break bread.
• What drives him is that he’s always confident, and he’s always terrified.
• The desire not to fail is the same as being shy.
• Be a good listener.
• Like interesting people.
• Don’t have to be smart.
• Be genuine.
• The definition of learning is remembering what you are interested in.
• There’s no such thing as a teacher – only a guide.
• Celebrate connections with others.

Which of these ideas will you embrace as you attend your next networking event? Do you have anything to add to this list? Please comment below and share with your tribe if you think it’ll add value to their lives.

Cheers!

1. Plan for outcomes and ROI.
2. Offer value in marketing and selling that will resonate with buyers and differentiate your firm.
3. Create and leverage offers and experiences like thought leadership in the form of books, white papers, seminars, speeches, and other tactics.
4. Use the right lead generation tactics for your firm.
5. Sustain lead generation and lead nurturing efforts.
6. Measure, test, and improve your lead generation and nurturing efforts.
7. Build your brand through lead generation.

Source: Professional Services Marketing by Mike Schultz & John E. Doerr

Planning your lead generation marketing begins with the end in mind (Dr. Stephen Covey), and in this case you should consider how many leads you expect to receive for your dollar spend. Are you hitting your return on investment benchmark?

Your firm can offer value in the form of free initial consultations, low-cost services, or free information that should benefit your prospective clients.

Provide deliverables that identify a problem and solution for your prospects, while elevating your status as an expert in the minds of your audience.

Not all lead generation is equal. Some methods are better suited for your industry. Figure out what works, then scale up or down your inertia to match your firm’s capacities to serve your conversions well – better yet, superbly.

Don’t drop the ball! – metaphorically speaking. Keep your marketing efforts running on auto-pilot so that you aren’t on a rollercoaster of ups and downs in business development.

Run A/B tests to maximize your lead generation, conduct quality assurance surveys among your audience to improve your nurturing efforts, and check in on your ROI frequency.

Strive to increase your firm’s recognition as the “go-to” firm in your niche/geographic region. Not only are you striving to achieve Top of Mind Awareness (TOMA), but you want to create an insatiable desire within your audience so that they crave to work with you.

Lastly, convert your leads to buyers.

When your buyers are very, very satisfied with your service, they’ll become racing fans who love to tell others about their experiences working with you, which is the best type of lead generation of all – clients for life! (And referrals!)

It depends. If the injury occurred on leased property and was caused by one of the five following items, the landlord may be liable:

1. Common areas (hallways, stairs). The landlord has a duty of reasonable care to maintain and repair the common areas. Safety in common areas is also a duty.
2. Latent (hidden) defects. The landlord has a duty to disclose any hidden defects that he or she should reasonably be aware of. For example, if an apartment door has a defective knob that could harm a tenant and the defect is not readily apparent, then the landlord has a duty to disclose of that defect to the tenant. (Or simply repair it)
3. Assumption of repairs. If the landlord chooses to self-remedy a broken handrail on a staircase, but does so erroneously, and a tenant subsequently gets injured from the handrail, then the landlord has assumed the liability flowing from his attempted repair.
4. Public use. If the tenant operates a convenience store and is aware there is a defect on the premises, and also knows the tenant is unlikely to correct the problem, then the landlord has a duty to repair the problem or will be liable for the defect.
5. Vacation homes or short-term rentals. The landlord is liable for any defects in the dwelling that cause harm to the tenant. (It may be advantageous to use a “terms of acceptance with an indemnification clause for certain activities in the rental contract, and carry a landlord insurance policy).

Source: CriticalPass Property Law MBE Flashcard. http://www.criticalpass.com

Image Source: Pixabay

Disclaimer: This information is not to be construed as legal advice and is provided for educational purposes only. The reader assumes responsibility for the use of this material and information. The author assumes no responsibility or any liability whatsoever on behalf of any reader of this material. If the reader has any questions about the subject matter, he or she should consult with an attorney who practices real estate law and is duly licensed in the jurisdiction where the subject property is located.

I’m playing a game and my opponent is the time thief. So far he’s been winning, but I’ve been observing his strategies for awhile.

I’ve also been calculating my own strategies for some time now, and pretty soon I’m going to gain a very competitive advantage!

Image source: http://absfreepic.com/free-photos/download/game-wood-3351x2589_96539.html

I

As law students, we are trained to identify the legal risks of a given scenario and then advise our clients of those risks. That is the essence of lawyering.

As a transaction lawyer, because we can recognize the potential for misconduct within a transaction, we have a fiduciary duty to protect our client’s interests in the transaction by structuring it in a way to optimally minimize such risks. Our three duties, then, are to:

1. Identify
2. Reduce
3. Deflect

Identify the nature and scope of any perceived risks that can disrupt the transaction.

Reduce the probability of loss (i.e., transaction costs, opportunity costs, out-of-pocket costs, or sunk costs) from those identifiable risks.

Deflect, to the extent most possible, the costs of inalienable risks.

Put another way, our goals are to protect our client’s interest (identify, reduce, deflect) & facilitate the completion of their desired transactional interest.

Source: Rick Daley, Real Estate Development Law, West Publishing (2011)

Here’s 5 Advantages:

1. High rate of return, typically better than stocks or bonds;
2. Tax shelter (depreciation, 1031 exchanges, and capital gains exemptions);
3. Hedge against inflation;
4. The power of leverage: making money with OPM;
5. Equity!

Here’s 5 Disadvantages:

1. Illiquid (not a quick cash option);
2. Local market risk (casualty from storms, changes in jobs or government regulations);
3. Requires expert knowledge (contractors, engineers, attorneys, banks, realtors, title insurance);
4. Asset management expenses, and
5. Risks (on-site, local market, regional, national, and international.

The tv shows make real estate investing look easy and glamorous, the reality of it is – it is not easy or glamorous.

Yes, you can make good money if you do it under the right conditions and you should own real estate, especially if you are currently renting.

You’re better off building equity and taking advantage of deducting the tax interest payments from your taxable income, than paying someone else’s mortgage off (rent).

In conclusion, with a decent plan of action, using OPM, you could fund your retirement lifestyle far better than relying on interest from your own savings and depending on social security.

Go, buy some real estate!