Live Real Estate Event… Free with the Purchase of our Product, is what the email says. And you think to yourself, “I could use more training, and this sounds like a great deal”. So you bought the product and eagerly awaited details of your impending Live Event.
You get the date, time, and location. Book your flight, reserve your hotel room, line up the necessary childcare, and perhaps get your spouse on board. The date arrives, and you’re on your way; Woohoo! You arrive, dump your bags in your hotel room, and hustle to the venue with a notebook in hand, ready and eager to learn. The first speaker kicks off the event and you are about to jump out of your seat with excitement. You listen attentively for all the details that will help get your business off the ground. Paying attention to any new bits of wisdom to help get you going in the right direction. OK, maybe I’ll write that one down. What was it again? Well… maybe with the next speaker. And after being informed, cajoled, and herded to the back of the room; you see that the speaker has many products on display you can purchase for only $1,995.00 today. Hmmmm.
Oh well, on to the next Speaker. They manage their way through the next cleverly-crafted talk and come up with yet another product to sell. By the end of this seminar, you are left wondering why you flew out here when you could have just listened to a webinar and bought their products, with less hassle.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? Now, I am not writing this as a slam against anyone who holds a seminar, but as the real-life experience of so many of us in this industry, including myself. And realizing these types of scenarios are very common, there is some irreplaceable value in going to a live event, with real, live people. In this age of the internet, Facebook, Skype, Twitter, conference calls, and every Virtual Way of meeting and disseminating information known to man (all of which I am a fan of) there still is no way to replace meeting face to face, in person and in real-time.
Yes, attending a live real estate event takes a lot of effort and coordinating schedules, time off work for some, childcare coordinating for others, (ask me how I did a recent event with my kids), and of course, money. Here is the thing. If you go to an Event that provides Real Value, as opposed to a Sell–A–Thon, it is worth every bit of cash, effort, coordination, and sweet talking to the Boss or Spouse, you can manage. The Momentum it builds is priceless. The way that it can open your mind to new or renewed goals, expand your horizons and help you build a team is like nothing else.
Recently, I attended a 2-day Live Event in Orlando with a company I was doing my due diligence on. There were several speakers and a lot of great information was provided. The cost: Free. Also, I could not find a course at the Back of the Room to save my life. And to top it off, there was even a little Karaoke thrown in on Saturday night for good measure and all-around fun.
Now what I left there with was more than just the great information presented. I left this event with a clear vision of how to grow my business. What direction to take it, how to do it, and finally knowing I would not be alone! There were plenty of people who would support my efforts, and in turn, folks whose efforts I would support.
Was this worth all the hassle of getting down to Orlando? You bet it was. Best live event I ever attended. And luckily for everybody there, this won’t be the last one these folks conduct. Trust me when I say this, “You do not want to miss an event held by this community.” I will be back as many times as I can get there, it was that valuable to my overall business.