MegaCamp came and went leaving a HUGE wake behind it! Top real estate professionals gathered from across the United States and Canada to share ideas and models for success with each other. It didn’t matter what company you came from, what specialty you had, or how much experience you had, there were fantastic ideas for everyone.

MegaCamp provided us with fantastic vendors with products that we can’t live without if we want to be successful in the real estate industry.

Here are the Top 9 things I learned at MegaCamp (sorry, Letterman wouldn’t let me do a Top 10)…

9. You might not like how the banks are doing business, but we have no choice, they are here to stay for quite awhile– foreclosures are on the rise and short sales are common across almost all of the states. Learn these systems to survive.

8. It doesn’t matter how bad your life is, it can get worse and you can also make sure it gets better. Chris Gardner (The Pursuit of Happyness) spoke to the crowd about how low things got but also how high they can go. For him, it started with the correct mindset and a lot of cold calling. If he can do it, we can to!

7. If a picture speaks a thousand words, how many words can video speak? Pick up a flip cam or a phone with the ability to record. A testimonial filmed from your clients, a video of a property for an out-of-town client, or even a video explaining your marketing before you even show up for the listing appointment. Video is the next wave of real estate.

6. A good IDX system is something that ever agents needs. You need a good website but it is more key to have a great “mouse trap” to funnel registrations as people search for properties on your page.

5. Learn how to use Craigslist as it is a powerful lead generation tool. It is free and a place to find sellers and buyers. Hearing a top agent that made over $700,000 in commissions from Craigslist means it can be done, if done properly.

4. Cold calling really can work! David Rosen made a career out of cold calling as the “wine guy” and became the top sales person selling over a half a million in wine each year to his customers. If you know what you are selling and you can speak the language of the person you are calling, you can make cold calling a success.

3. 96% of Generation X and Y are using social media–you can’t stop at mastering cold calling. You must have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and learn how to blog properly. Learn the different platforms and learn the communication preference of your client – email, instant message, phone calls or text messages.

2. It is all about mindset! Are you thinking the market is down? Then it is. Are you thinking this is a great time to buy? Then it is. Get your head right and the rest will follow.

1. We all need iPads! They were the hot item at MegaCamp. Companies were giving them away, people were using them to take notes, watch training, and put videos together on. An agent without one is going to be “behind the times” before they know it – now excuse me as I have to run out and pick mine…finally!  (I gave in…)

Chad Hyams
Team Leader, Keller Williams Western Realty – Bellingham WA