Video Interviews from the International Builders’ Show – Round 3
Last but certainly not least, here is the final round of videos from the International Builders’ Show. If you want to check out all the interviews from IBS, they are here on YouTube.
One of the highlights of the show for me was meeting John Fanning, the Co-Founder of Napster. (if you aren’t familiar with Napster, it is the service that basically turned the entire music industry upside down) He attended the Extreme E-Marketing presentation on Thursday and we spent a few minutes throwing around some video communication ideas.
Want some great marketing ideas from the best in Australia? Darren Mehl is the marketing manager for Metricon, Australia’s largest homebuilder. I spent half of my final day hanging out with him and the executive team soaking up as much as I could. Darren is extremely sharp and an all-in-all cool guy (its not just the accent).
Good thing I had my iPhone ready when I bumped into Extreme Makeover Home Edition, in the cab line. He shared some great stuff plus said some nice words about Simmons Homes. As I write this, I am working with Simmons on their third Extreme Makeover. (watch out, volume is high on this one)
I caught Jason Forrest from Shore Forrest in the hall after an event. I wanted him to talk about his new book, the 40 Day Sales Dare. I love the concept plus the interactive blogging from those who are on the dare.
Video Interviews from the International Builders’ Show
One of the best things about the International Builders’ Show is the opportunity to meet and learn from the best in the country. Below are a few videos from day 2 of the show.
I can’t say enough about Myers Barnes. He has inspired me on so many levels and is a force to be reckoned with in the homebuilding industry. He is one of the best New Home Sales Trainers in the country.
Myers talks about the current state of the market and what can be done from here to move in the right direction. If you watch only one interview, watch this one.
I had the chance to hang out with the group from LGI Homes based out of Texas. LGI Homes has been recognized as one of the top 200 builders in the United States and the only builder to increase closings and revenue over the last 3 years. Eric Lipar is the CEO and shares some successes from last year and aggressive (but from everything I have seen – attainable) goals for the future.
I grabbed Tom Nelson after his presentation with Myers Barnes. Tom is the founder of NDG Communications and had some powerful points for creating focused content for your marketing programs and how to make it work. (As a bonus, he tells you how to get your whole vacation to Vegas paid for)
Are you looking for a great system to mange your internet leads and prospects? You need to take a look at Lasso Data Systems. I was able to catch the CEO, Dave Clements, and ask him about the new QuickStart product starting at $39 per month and the great features of this system.
What are some takeaways from the show? Don’t be shy, chime in and leave a comment below.
Video Wrap Up from the International Builders’ Show
What a tremendous time in Vegas. The International Builders’ Show was a huge success with a new and refreshing energy in the air. I wanted to post a quick video with a few takeaways from the show.
Stay tuned over the next week as I upload a lot of great video interviews shot with some really cool people you should get to know. I tried posting from the show but 3G wireless just couldn’t keep up with the Flip HD. (here are some from the first day)
If you were there, please be sure to leave your comments below, maybe something you are going to implement that you learned from the show.
Off to Orlando next year (we will miss you Vegas!)
Video from the International Builders’ Show – Day 1
Great day at the International Builders’ Show. There is a lot of positive energy in the halls. I was able to ambush a few great folks on the first day.
Tim Costello, CEO of BHI (newhomesource.com and the newly formed Builders Digital Experience) who shared some great new tools available for builders (plus his story about driving Betty)
Jeff Shore talking about opportunities for builders to rethink their strategies for 2010 and overcoming addictions to “b-backs”
Finally, the good people at Graphic Language have a new “revolutionary marketing tool for homebuilders, real estate folks, and their agencies to broadcast, propagate, manage, and track new home listings online” that they are launching at the show – newhomefeed.com (Robert O’ Shaughnessy can explain)
Stay tuned for more videos coming as fast as I can upload over 3G…
Realtor.com Launches Real Estate Search iPhone App
Realtor.com has hit a home run! A little late to the game but they finally released their iPhone app – and survey say… it’s actually good!
Until now, I had been using Zillow’s app as my location based search tool. Drive by a house, pop it up and see what the home was listed for. Problem was, not every home was on Zillow. (Of course, the opposite could be true about FSBO on Zillow and not Realtor.com…) At least I could get data without calling.
Now, Realtor.com released a slick app that works great. Check out the video below and the quick hits from their site. Download it and play around. Good stuff.
As Joel points out on his post, now is more important than ever to make sure your sites are optimized for mobile. I couldn’t agree more.
Here are some of the specs from the Realtor.com website (I have added my thoughts in parenthesis) :
Not only can you instantly access over 4 million homes for sale with the touch of a button (that’s huge), whether you are driving or walking through a neighborhood, you can also see:
- Homes for sale nearby your current location with your GPS enabled iPhone (bam! huge…finally…)
- Open house times, dates and locations (they still do open houses?)
- Homes for sale on a map, even the neighborhood you’re standing in, instantly (yeah buddy!)
- Multiple photos, property details and pricing on nearly any home for sale (Realtors you better add more photos, please for the love…)
- More homes for sale than any other real estate site in America (true, for now at least)
- Information you can trust – because it’s the official listing site of the National Association of REALTORS® (Well, if you say it’s official. really…I trust everything that’s on the interwebs)
