Fidelity National Title's Tips and Tricks for flexmls® - What is the difference between a Portal and an Auto-Email in flexmls®?

A Portal is a personalized website that you set up for you customer. When you create a Portal for a client, they will receive an email containing the link to their website.

Your client will receive the email one time but will be able to login to their website any time they wish (see below).





The Portal is an interactive website that is branded to you and includes your contact information. Upon logging in, your client will be able to view the results of any customized search that you have attached to their contact record. They will have the ability to mark properties as favorites, possibilities & rejects (by clicking on the emoticon faces) and to send you an email inquiry on specific properties that interest them (see below).




***Tip: As your clients mark properties using the emoticons in their personalized Portal, this information flows through to their contact record in your Flexmls system. In contact management, if you click on the client's contact record and then click on the Portal tab, you will be able to see which properties your clients are most interested in, as well as those that they are not interested in. By clicking on the Favorites link within the Portal tab, you will be able to see the exact properties that your client has marked as favorite (see below).***




In comparison, an Auto-Email is an email event you set-up, based on a customized search that you have created for a specific client. You may specify how many days of the week you’d like this email to be sent to the client. The email will be generated when there is a change to a property which meets your client's search criteria (for instance, a new listing or a price change). If there were changes that met your client’s search criteria, your client will receive an interactive email which will contain a link to the properties. If there were no changes to any properties that met their criteria, the email will not be generated. You can create an Auto-Email in Contact Management by clicking on the client’s contact record, selecting the Searches/Auto Email Tab, highlighting the specific search that you’d like to setup the Auto-Email on from the Searches box on the left-hand side and clicking the Add an Auto-E-mail link (see below).







***Tip: The number of Auto-Emails sent to a client will be tracked on the client record in Flexmls. This information can be viewed from the Flexmls Dashboard under the A Column of the Contacts Pane. If you click on the number, you will be able to view the details of the email delivery, as well as the hit count (how many times your client viewed that specific email). If you click on the View link under the Content column, you will be able to view the properties which were included in the Auto-Email (see below). This is a great way to track whether or not the client is opening the Auto-Emails that have been sent to them. If your client has not opened any Auto-Emails, you may want to verify that you have the correct email address or that the emails aren’t going into the clients spam folder.***







Would you like us to bring a customized Flexmls class to your office? If so, please email info-fntarizona@fnf.com.

Pati Conover - Armls Approved flexmls®Trainer Fidelity National Title

Resource for Flexmls Training Online:
http://www.newarmls.com/
https://armls.webex.com/mw0305l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=armls

flexmls® Web is a registered trademark of FBS

Think Outside Of The Box...The New Face of Home Tours

Tired of driving agents to 12 different houses? Trying to find a new way to get investors around to show foreclosure properties or just looking to grow your business in a unique way?

Here are some ideas that may get the juices flowing!

1. Try a bike tour-A company in Boulder, Colorado takes clients on a bike tours through neighborhoods and advertises all over town with their custom bikes, read more...
2. Use the new light rail to tour clients around the city.
3. Book a Foreclosure Limo Tour with Fidelity National Title- Get a group of investors together, a Lender and Fidelity and we will donate the Limo Bus! For more information call 480-214-4540 or click here for more limo tour details....
4. Meet for a hike with clients to discuss their needs and show them the area in a whole new way.

There so may ways to save money and grow your business. You just have to think outside of the box!

A Glimpse of Real Estate in 2009- Reshaping Real Estate

The close of the year often begs a retrospective approach to the events that took place-good, bad or otherwise. The sharp edges are often dulled in hindsight, motivated by the desire to put it all behind us and move on to the fresh promise of a new year.

To close out 2008, therefore, we’re taking a look at the industry’s most significant paradigm shifts. Don’t mistake these for trends-these are long-term, if not permanent, foundational changes to the way real estate will be conducted in 2009…and well beyond. If you haven’t embraced these shifts yet, start now. They are critical to your survival and bounce-back in the real estate business.

1. Accepting Economic Reality
2. Waning Consumer Confidence
3. The New Lending Landscape
4. Creative Cost Control
5. Green For Good
6. Seeing Real Estate Clearly
7. Differentiation That’s Actually Different
8. Bye-Bye, ‘Back to Basics’-Hello, ‘New Deal’
9. Real Estate’s New Face
10. Targeted Technology

For the full article, click here: http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-12-01/reshaping-real-estate/#more-31306

By Maria Patterson, Stephanie Andre, and Paige Tepping with RisMedia- www.RisMedia.com

With 2009 knocking on our doors, it is important as a real estate professional to go into 2009 with a Marketing Plan, with Market Information and an understanding of where the market and your business will be in 2009.

Here are some Fidelity National Title Suggestions-

1. Make sure you have a Marketing Plan in place going into 2009.
2. Have Current Market Trend Data on hand at all times.-http://www.fntarizona.com/Content/Content.aspx?ContentID=977642
3. Learn how to navigate a Short Sale-http://www.fntarizona.com/Content/Content.aspx?ContentID=998699
4. Make sure you have a website-https://www.arealestatewebsite.com/
5. Take classes- Be an expert! - http://www.fntarizona.com/Content/Content.aspx?ContentID=888696

Thank you for your business and Have a Wonderful Holiday Season and a very happy New Year!!

Fidelity Flexmls Tips and Tricks - Map Grid, Subdivisions and Zip Code Overlays Now Available in FlexMLS Mapping

Did you know...

That there are three new overlays available in the Flexmls mapping section. Map Grid, Subdivisions and Zip Code overlays have recently been added to the system, making it easier for you to create custom map searches.





Map Grid Code Overlay




Subdivisions Overlay




Zip Code Overlays



Would you like us to bring a customized Flexmls class to your office? If so, please email info-fntarizona@fnf.com.

Pati Conover - Armls Approved Flexmls Trainer
Fidelity National Title

Nine ways to dump your slump

By Bernice Ross,
Monday, November 17, 2008.
Inman News

What does it take to dump your slump?

Surprisingly, it may be easier than you realize.

1. View change as adding to rather than taking away. One of the most powerful barriers to success is a fear of change.
Many people fear change because they believe change requires giving up something they value. A more effective way to look at change is to view it as "adding to" what you already have or do. For example, if you upgrade your computer and cell phone, you will have to spend time learning new functions. While this can be frustrating, it's important to remember that 90 percent of the skills you have already acquired will still be applicable. In the end, those new skills will reap benefits for years to come by saving you time and making you more efficient.

2. Build your business on your strengths. Write down the address of each property that you closed in the last 12 months. Beside each address, record where the lead for that sale originated. Next, determine how many different lead sources (i.e. open house, Web leads, referrals, etc.) have yielded results for you. For example, if you had eight lead sources, the idea is to concentrate on the top 50 percent. In this example, that would be your top four sources. Ignore the rest. It's much easier to break your slump by concentrating on what is working.

3. Identify the characteristics of your ideal client. Take out a sheet of paper and make two columns. In the first column, list as many characteristics as possible about your ideal client. In the second column, place a checkmark next to the characteristics that you share. People want to do business with those who are like them in some way. Start working on raising your personal standards. The closer you become to your ideal, the more likely you are to attract that client in your business.

4. Write down how many transactions you would like to close. Writing down your goals dramatically improves the probability that you will reach them. For those who lack written goals, only 5 percent achieve the goals they set. Take a moment to write down how many properties you would like to sell per month.

5. Create and implement your plan. You have identified what works for you as well as what constitutes your ideal client. The next step is to write down three ways you can reach your ideal client using the strengths that you identified. For example, if open houses are a good lead-generation tool for you, hold them on weekday afternoons around the time that children come home from school. Spend at least one or two hours per day engaging in these core activities. At the end of the week, determine if you have hit your lead-generation goals. If not, clear your schedule and do whatever it takes to generate those additional leads. Failure to hit lead-generation goals is the primary reason for most slumps.

6. Fish where the fish are, To generate more high-quality leads, monitor MLS activity and note which areas and price ranges are the most active. Concentrate your efforts in these areas. For example, if you've been listing estate properties and there are virtually no buyers, shift to working in a price range where there is activity. A different approach is to prospect for people who must move, such as relocation buyers and newly married (or divorced), as well as in companies that may be moving into or leaving your area.

7. Offer service, Use your marketing materials to make an offer of service that is available only on your Web site. For example, many people who are in foreclosure are unaware of services that can help them. Send postcards that read: "Do you know someone who is facing foreclosure and needs help? If so, visit www.myWebsite.com to learn how troubled homeowners can often avoid foreclosure and stay in their home." On your site, provide a list of people who can help those facing foreclosures.

8. Keep in regular contactIn a slowing market, generating high-quality leads is challenging. To make sure your clients list or buy through you, keep in regular contact. If the person is older, face-to-face contact is best. For younger clients, touch base using text messaging or one of the social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Regular contact maximizes the probability you'll be the agent they choose to represent them.

9. Watch for market shifts. Don't stay married to a plan that is not working. Track where the activity is in your market and focus your efforts there. To "dump your slump," you must constantly monitor market conditions and adjust your lead-generation activities to those areas experiencing the greatest amount of sales activity.

Welcome To Our First Post!

Fidelity National Title is Proud to Launch their new website, http://www.fntarizona.com/

This website will not only feature the blog you are reading right now, but the website will be a one stop shop for all your marketing, escrow, title and industry needs.

Here are a few highlights:

1. Pre-Foreclosure Reports, updated weekly.
2. Market Trend Reports
3. Short Sale Packages
4. Office Locations
5. Fast Facts about Title Insurance and Real Estate Transactions

For more information on how to sign up for one of the many resources mentioned above, send an email to orders-fntmarketing@fnf.com