The Art Of Marketing Vancouver ~ Orgasmic!

Yes I said it...well actually Avinash Kaushik said it yesterday during his presentation on Web Analytics yesterday during The Art of Marketing tour ~ and the crowd LOVED it!

Every once in a while I have the opportunity to learn from fabulous thought leaders...I'm drawn to TED talks and the ideas that are shared there...I gravitate to business/thought leaders in my own town and pick their brains...I attend meetup groups that are  specifically designed for higher learning... clearly I LOVE to learn...so when I had the opportunity to attend The Art of Marketing to hear legends Gary Vaynerchuk~ author of Crush It and The Thank You Economy; Mitch Joel ~author of Six Pixels of Separation; Guy Kawasaki ~ author of Engagement; Bill Taylor ~ Editor of Fast Company Magazine; And Avinash Kaushik ~ author of Web Analytics 2.0 it was almost more than one mind can take in one day! (but we managed ;)

There's a "T" in the Road

*disclaimer: I wrote this post a while ago and wasn't quite ready to publish as it would affect others but some decisions have been made and now I'm ready to share*
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"...all the best laid plans" is what they say.
"It's about the journey, not the destination."
Ok I'll admit it...some days I feel like I don't know WHAT THE HECK I'm doin!!

Ever get to the point when you know its time to make a change....there's all these little signs.  All of your efforts aren't moving you forward?  You lack motivation...your gutt is telling you something just ain't right??  It's time to come clean with yourself.

I've been wrestling with myself... denying the truth with little lies that we tell ourselves when its not convenient to look at reality...dealing with my ego that says:

"Never admit defeat!"

BUT....I'm there.

Do you LOVE what you do?  Are you following your passion?

I have to admit that when I got into Real Estate it was never because I was PASSIONATE about it.  It was always going to be a means to an end...allow me to prove to myself that I am in fact a strong business woman, that I can be a fierce negotiator, that I can be a solid contributor to my family; and still be a fabulous wife and mother (I may be taking a few liberties here ;) ~ we can ask my children later what they really think).

Here's the thing...I've been knocking myself out building the "Ultimate Real Estate career" doing all the brand building and event marketing; speaking and presenting; teaching and consulting...and what have I discovered?

What I REALLY LOVE isn't selling houses.

I am passionate about developing strategy, marketing, digital media, PR, branding, coaching, speaking and project management!  My vision for my partnership was to allow me to do all the things I'm good at, driving in the leads while my partner took on the sales side! It was a beautiful fantasy.  Problem is the partnership was never fully embraced and the investments weren't made and probably, truth be told, just like in my bad marriage where I felt I was trying to fit a round peg into a square hole, I must admit that Real Estate is not the dream career...like a marriage that is over, this partnership must end. 

I just love how Tara Hunt boldly describes "The Unclear Path" in this vulnerable, emotionally charged TEDx Talk...I only wish I was as clear about my vision:


So now its time to be honest and open myself up.  I'm at the "T" intersection.

"T" for Turmoil...

Transition...

Tomorrow...

and yes for Teri!

I don't have all the answers...but I know that digging deep for some faith, admitting failure and saying out loud that its time for a change will open up the possibilities.  

So left or right?

VIP is OK with ME!

You know ~ all the work I've done to build and engage with my community is TOTALLY worth it ~ especially when I get invited to VIP events!

Last night I had the great privilege of being invited to local trendy Sabo 2011 Spring Collection VIP party at British Columbia's only Thomas Sabo store-in-store boutique located at McBurney Junction one of my FAVE little stores in the heart of Langley City.  Katy Perry is the new Brand Ambassador for Thomas Sabo and so appropriately we shopped in style with pink champagne and yummy little cupcakes!

Just one of the many stations with gorgeous charms 

This little guy is in my future for sure!

McBurney Junction is a jewel in our town and carry the most stylish, classy furniture collections and also offer interior design packages! Owners Karla, Nikki and Karla's husband, Reid have proven that STYLE does live in the valley!

Tod and I with Owner Karla and her pink wig!! (In honor of Katy:))

I left with my little goodie bag with this adorable charm bracelet! Thanks McBurney Junction and Urban Life Media ~ I LOVE IT! Can't wait to pick up my stacked rings!!  SOOO pretty! 
See all the great pics at McBurney Junction's FaceBook page here - don't forget to like them!!

Indulgence with a Capital "I"!!

There have been so many times when I've drooled with envy looking at the pictures of someone else's excellent adventure as they soak up some lavish resort...well this time it was MY turn baby!!

My husband Tod and I took an impromptu getaway weekend to Seattle for some much needed R & R after my big Fraser Valley Twestival event (a ton of work but SO worth it!)

Tod wanted to surprise me so he contacted my good friend and collegue Debra Trappen - Director of Career Development at Coldwell Banker Baine/Seal who shares my appetite for all things glorious!  She steered us to gorgeous, lavish boutique Hotel 1000, and the rest as they say, is History!

I felt I had to write this post because when service is so fabulous by absolutely EVERY single staff member from bell hop to front desk to hostess/waitress to spa staff...there must be something pretty special about the place!  Didn't hurt that we got the Presidential suite either!  (Other important people like us who've stayed in our room: Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne; Alecia Keys; Brittany Spears)

360 view of our massive Presidential Suite

 Check out the floor plan: http://www.hotel1000seattle.com/roomsGrand.php

I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves:

Tod enjoying the sun pouring in

Watching the ferry at Sunset

Living area

Master King Bed! Soooo comfy!

Chaise reading corner in master suite

Board room/dining

 I can't express strongly enough how much I didn't want to leave!!  You may have heard me say before that someone REALLY SCREWED UP - pretty sure I was meant to be filthy stinking rich ;)
Tod and I didn't leave the hotel the ENTIRE time we were there....Didn't have to because Hotel 1000 also has a fabulous restaurant Boka Kitchen & Bar with the most delicious treats! Everything custom made ~ their chef was AMAZING!

 

La Playa and Red Carpet at Boka

melt in your mouth ahi tuna and avocado w root chip! *drool*

Best Waitress Ever ~ Lauren @seafashiontv

We LOVED our waitress Lauren who we discovered is also an avid blogger for Fashion Network Seattle and tweets @seafashiontv! Totally adorable and took fabulous care of us AND RAVED about working at the hotel! You can tell that the hotel totally takes care of their staff and have developed a culture that the employees really enjoy! That always impresses me!

Like Hotel 1000 on FaceBook and follow Boka Kitchen and Chef Angie on Twitter!

This is where Hotel 1000 REALLY shines! It was in all the little details! The Manager had to skip out on Tod when he was in the golf club (YES there's a Golf club in the hotel and he was just fine and had a blast while I was in the spa!) and so when we arrived back in our room we had a little gift waiting for us: 

Finally as we departed my 'home' (hehe) the valet brought our car around and we found these:

 I hated to say goodbye... as we left our beautiful home away from home, the sad little raindrops hit our windshield as if to say - the lovely dream is over....But I'll be BACK!  Thank you to all the staff who made our stay unbelievably indulgent! :)

You've Just Been "Gary'd"!

I have a few idols out there in the world of Social Media who I'll often refer to when I'm writing or giving a presentation.  If you follow me then you'll probably recognize a few of these names: Chris Brogan and Julien Smith who wrote Trust Agents; Scott Stratten author of Unmarketing; Jay Baer and Amber Naslund co-authors of Now Revolution; Shane Gibson and Stephen Jagger who wrote Sociable Book to name a few.

Pretty sure all of them would say that Gary Vaynerchuk is someone they all respect.  We all stop and listen when Gary speaks ~ this guy just gets it...and as Gary says its just in his DNA. (For full background on Gary - check out his Wikipedia entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk ) 

It was a great thrill for me to finally meet Gary in person and get both my books signed by THE man himself!

When I heard Gary would be in Bellingham on his new book tour The Thank You Economy, I knew I had to be there! Originally I thought it was going to be just a book signing but it evolved into a whole presentation! I managed to get a ton of video ~ my iPhone died!! So I'll give you some highlights, but before I do you may want to watch Gary's TED talk here from 2008 back when I was just getting into Social Media - Gary had been doing it for quite some time! *Disclaimer - Gary uses 'colorful' language ;)*



So that was back when Gary wrote his first book Crush It  all about following your passion and working HARD to make it happen!
Now cut to today ~ Gary has come a long way...he and his brother have started their own agency called Vayner Media and they consult with clients like PepsiCo and New York Jets and NHL!


Gary spoke about The Thank You Economy and how customer service and "Out-Humanize" your competitor you can 'Land-grab'...in other words there's still opportunity for business to win! What I loved was at one point he mentions going and shoveling your customer's walk because its a nice thing to do and a friend of mine, Michael Jagger of Provident One Security  has done JUST THAT! He gets Customer Service!! (and he was way ahead of the curve!)



Check out Gary speaking live in Bellingham:


(Side note: Gary mentions Jeff Bezos Founder and President of Amazon as the GREATEST entrepreneur of all time!)

Crazy Hot New App!

How lucky am I that I get to go to fabulous events like RE BarCamp and Agent Reboot and meet all the up and coming cool kids with their cool new apps?!!

I was introduced to Shane Mac in Seattle (where all the cool stuff happens ;) and he showed me his sexy, simple and seductive connectivity platform that has multiple applications ESPECIALLY for Realtors!

Let's face it ~ like Gary Vaynerchuck (author of The Thank You Economy and who I just heard speak in Bellingham -WOW but whole other blog)  says...Future of business is going back to small town relationships and that's why apps like Twitter and Facebook are so powerful....helping us to connect in a more personal and meaningful way.  Context vs content and how we share information has become the  focus in the new social economy. 

Enter Shane's new app Hello There!

Designed specifically for the young professional entering the work force I see multiple uses for this uber sexy platform!

Check it: 

Your own customized landing page with a video message that takes minutes build!  

The options are endless!!

It's like having your own virtual business card with the ability to show your own personality plus have the ability to attach multiple documents like resumes or cover letters or in the case of the REALTOR® Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) or graphs with market stats etc!

In my case I find it incredibly useful as the virtual thank you card especially for my international friends/colleagues and in the future can see using it in my consulting business for quick coaching tips as well as sharing slide presentations from my speaking engagements.

Where it gets CRAZY COOL is the analytics side!  Just like with BBM (Blackberry messaging) you can tell when you're recipient has watched your video! Think of the power and the addictive nature that provides! As a REALTOR® or business operator, you'll know when to follow up with a client in a more timely manner and the soft intro or pitch has already been made! Fabulous!

Price point is totally reasonable ~ unlimited super sleek and sexy personalized webpages for $25/month.  At a time when the consumer is sick to death of being 'sold' and when connectivity and humanizing your brand is the strongest proposition value, Hello There is a powerful tool and in my opinion a no-brainer!  Thanks to Shane for building it :)

Now Revolution Book Tour Vancouver

Last night I hosted an event with Jay Baer, co-author of Now Revolution ~ 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, And More Social. My team mates Kemp Edmonds and Jason Baker were amazing and thanks to Tracy Bains for doing such a fabulous job of recapping the highlights with storify below! Check out our night! (Special thanks to Shane Gibson, Mark Smiciklas and Erin Garrity who rounded out our elite panel!)