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Kansas City real estate and community news blog featuring Olathe and Overland Park, Kansas.
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Google is the New Walmart for Small Businesses
When Walmart comes into town, it kind of wipes out stores that market price conscious commodities. What are they?
Examples of price conscious commodity stores are bike stores, toy stores, grocery stores, and garden centers.
Seth Godin, an author, recognized the Walmart phenomena and introduced to the marketing world the Purple Cow. A brief description of the Purple Cow goes like this. If you are driving down the highway and see a brown cow, you think "Big wiz" because you see brown cows all of the time. But what happens if you see a "Purple Cow" you think, that is cool, right? It sticks into your head. The Purple Cow theory is you need to be remarkable and stand out to compete.
The successful companies that competed against Walmart found out that they needed to be remarkable in order to stay in business They needed to be the "Purple Cow". The most obvious way for them to stay in business was offer outstanding service whether it was offer knowledge during the sale process or extra packaging with a handwritten "Thank You Note" after the sale. Service is the "Purple Cow" for small business.
Now the successful companies have weathered the Walmart storm and thought they had it figured it out and here comes Google.
Now your thinking, how is Google with all of its services for small businesses hurting small businesses, right?
Simply with its Small Business Package like Google Offers and Google Local, Google is changing how small businesses market. If used right, the services are great for small businesses. Unfortunately, most small businesses are using the Google services wrong.
First, most small business are not taking advantage of Google Offer like the big businesses. Consumers who use the Offers typically only see offers from Big Businesses.
Next when it comes to Google Local, most small businesses are not completing their profile and managing their profile. Why is this important? Most internet users use Google over the Yellow Pages to find a business.
So why do you need to monitor if I have a presence on Google Local?
First, your profile, which is tied to Google Search and Google Plus will need periodic updates.
Second, you need to monitor what your customers are saying about your business. Here are some random reviews:
So how is Google like Walmart?
Google Local makes it easier for consumers to post reviews about your small business. Just like when Walmart came to town, small businesses need to be remarkable or consumers will shop by price which will benefit large businesses like Walmart.
If you are not remarkable, your customer will be disappointed and will shop somewhere else. With Google Local they will take their friends and your future customers with them.
Be remarkable and consumers will make remarkable reviews.
I'm surprised at how many businesses in Kansas City don't have a presence on Google Local and do not monitor what their customers are saying.
Do you have a Google Local presence and monitor what your customers are saying?RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company.For a reason...should we talk?Another blog post written by:
Comments are appreciated! Go ahead and add your 2 cents . . .
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The holiday season is a great time to clean the home with guest coming over during the holiday weekends. It is also a great time to start getting the home ready to put on the real estate market after the first of the year.
PuroClean is here to handle your mold inspections, testing and removal needs. We also have a company that helps with decluttering and cleaning. HomeRescueKC, specializes in Clutter/Hoarder Cleanup, junk removal as well as market ready services, such as general and preventative maintenance to get properties ready for showings for sale or rental purposes and that can add value to your listings.
Don’t forget that we also do carpet cleaning and odor control for those houses that smell like cigarette smoke or pet odor!
Stephanie Sage, Owner
Puroclean Disaster Response Services and HomeRescueKC
Twitter: @SSage_PuroClean Linkedin.com/pub/stephanie-sage/26/92b/273
RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company.For a reason...should we talk?Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Premier Realty Comments are appreciated! Go ahead and add your 2 cents . . .We have 3 easy steps to find you the perfect home . Click here to get started, today! Short sales, foreclosures, luxury homes, investor homes, first time home buyer homes, land, investment properties and move up buyers.
Gardner, Olathe, Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Mission, Merriam, Prairie Village, Basehor, Tonganoxie, Lansing, Leavenworth, Spring Hill, Eudora, De Soto, Edgerton, Platte City, Smithville, Gladstone, Liberty, Riverside, Independence, Lee's Summit, Pleasant Hill, Raymore, Belton, Grandview, Raytown, Waldo and the surrounding Kansas City communities.
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Handyman Left Homeowner for Dead - Real Estate Agents Can Refer Trusted Partners to Help You With Projects Around Your Home
Last year a lady from Prairie Village needed some work done on her home. The lady hired a handyman to do the work, paid him his $500 and he left.
The only problem is the story doesn't end there. Two days later the handyman showed up back at the home. When he left, he had left the lady for dead in her basement. Broken jaw, slit throat and fractured skull.
The handyman was recently convicted and is being sent to prison, but that does nothing really for the injured lady who has had to battle back. Her dad wanted to know why and wanted the handyman to apologize. She received neither.
When hiring a repair person to repair anything in your home, whether it is carpet cleaning, HVAC repair, painting or so forth, contact a friend who knows reliable sources.
Real estate agents use trusted repairmen and handymen and have trusted people that they can recommend to do home maintenance and repairs on your home.
Many real estate agents also belong to networking groups. Some of their members maybe just the people you need to complete projects around the home.
Need help, feel free to contact the Dowell Taggart Team.
RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company.For a reason...should we talk?Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Premier Realty Comments are appreciated! Go ahead and add your 2 cents . . .We have 3 easy steps to find you the perfect home . Click here to get started, today!Short sales, foreclosures, luxury homes, investor homes, first time home buyer homes, land, investment properties and move up buyers.
Gardner, Olathe, Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Mission, Merriam, Prairie Village, Basehor, Tonganoxie, Lansing, Leavenworth, Spring Hill, Eudora, De Soto, Edgerton, Platte City, Smithville, Gladstone, Liberty, Riverside, Independence, Lee's Summit, Pleasant Hill, Raymore, Belton, Grandview, Raytown, Waldo and the surrounding Kansas City communities.
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The "Must Have" Facebook Page Checklist for Kansas City Businesses
Creating a Facebook page for your Kansas City business can be a little intimidating. Sure, it's easy to get one started, but how do you know if you're using it right? What's it for, exactly? How can you ensure that it meets your business objectives?
Wouldn't it be handy if you had a complete Facebook checklist to guide you through making and managing your Facebook business page?
Thanks to Jasper Krog and the folks at AllFacebook.com, now you do! This article breaks down the Facebook page project into 5 main activities: 1. Analysis
2. Strategy
3. Basic Set-Up
4. Community Management
5. Additional (ads & marketing)
In each category you'll find helpful questions, specific tasks, and links to help understand various aspects of Facebook management.
I'm just getting through this checklist and I have found it useful. Visit my facebook business page and lets connect!
It is simple to use . . . To get started, click on the Facebook Business Page Checklist, below:
RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company.For a reason...should we talk?Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Premier Realty Comments are appreciated! Go ahead and add your 2 cents . . .We have 3 easy steps to find you the perfect home . Click here to get started, today!Short sales, foreclosures, luxury homes, investor homes, first time home buyer homes, land, investment properties and move up buyers.
Gardner, Olathe, Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Mission, Merriam, Prairie Village, Basehor, Tonganoxie, Lansing, Leavenworth, Spring Hill, Eudora, De Soto, Edgerton, Platte City, Smithville, Gladstone, Liberty, Riverside, Independence, Lee's Summit, Pleasant Hill, Raymore, Belton, Grandview, Raytown, Waldo and the surrounding Kansas City communities.
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John Deere’s new sales and marketing center officially opened in Olathe, Kan., Friday, Sept. 30 during a ceremony marked by employees as well as city and state officials.The new 126,150 square-foot facility is designed to accommodate nearly 500 marketing professionals who will provide support and service to John Deere sales branches and agricultural and turf dealerships in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company. For a reason...should we talk? Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Premier Realty Comments are appreciated! Go ahead and add your 2 cents . . .We have 3 easy steps to find you the perfect home . Click here to get started, today!
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Looking for a job in Olathe, Kansas? Checkout Speed Interviewing
Volunteers from the Johnson County, Kansas chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management will provide free job-interviewing advice at an event set for May 18th 2011. Organizers of the event bill the event as akin to “speed dating” sessions — but this will be “speed interviewing.” Olathe job hunters will be able to sit down with human resource professionals for timed, individual sessions. Participants will get immediate feedback about their appearance, their answers to typical interview questions and how well they sell themselves in three minutes. The “So You Think You Can Interview?” session will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in Olathe City Hall, 100 E. Santa Fe St. For more information, go to www.shrmjc.org. RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company.For a reason...should we talk?
Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Premier Realty
Comments are appreciated! Go ahead and add your 2 cents . . .We have 3 easy steps to find you the perfect home . Click here to get started, today!
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Should you do business with InAccurate Title in Overland Park, Kansas?
I wouldn’t and here is why . . .
Last month I had a split closing.
The seller picked their title company, InAccurate Title, and the buyer picked their title company.
During the inspections it was discovered that the roof needed to be replaced. After the inspection negotiations, I prepared an amendment raising the sales price to accommodate the roof, and sent to the buyer’s agent for the buyer’s signature.
Upon receiving the amendment back signed by the buyer, I sent a copy to my office and another copy to the seller’s title company, InAccurate Title.
Next, I sent a new commission statement with the new sales price to the seller’s title company, InAccurate Title.
On the commission statement, the new sales price was very bold. In fact, I added the words “price change” in bold on the subject line. As is traditional, I also requested a copy of the HUD prior to closing. At that time, I also requested a reply that InAccurate Title had received the information.
I sent multiple copies of the new commission statement to InAccurate Title since they hadn’t confirmed they received, still nor response. Later in the day, InAccurate Title finally confirmed they received and noted that they had forwarded to the buyers title company.
Since I had not received a copy of the HUD and InAccurate Title had not returned my phone calls, I assumed that the transaction had not closed early. So I did my normal course of business.
Then the bombshell....On Friday that week, I ran by the vacant property and noticed that there were people living in the home.
I immediately called the buyer’s agent and left a message on her voice mail requesting what was going on. I then called the seller and informed him via a voice mail that we may have a problem. The buyers agent called me back first and informed me that the buyer had closed earlier in the week.
Of course when Monday came around I called InAccurate Title to get a copy of the HUD. When I received a copy, I noticed that the sales price was off a few thousand dollars.
Bottomline, I sat down with my investor/seller/client and reviewed the file. He determined that I did everything possible in his best interest. In fact, my investor/client/seller has switched to my new RE/MAX brokerage.
I asked him that if InAccurate Title doesn't correct their error, will you do business with them?
What do you think he should do?
Traditional solution? There is an “errors clause” in the title work that allows the title company to bring all parties back to the table to re complete the paperwork, and address any issues....Wonder why the Re/Max broker didn’t like that idea? Who knows. Ask him.
Coming up . . . You want to know about my experience at RE/MAX Best Associates?
No problem.
Hopefully there is nothing to report but a fond farewell. Hi Bruce, Martha, Lance, Martha, Lance, Betty, Barry, Deborah and Millie, how are things going?
RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company. For a reason...should we talk?
Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Premier Realty
Comments are appreciated! Go ahead and add your 2 cents . . .We have 3 easy steps to find you the perfect home . Click here to get started, today!
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The Overland Park, Kan.-based carrier, which owns 54 percent of Clearwire, agreed to pay $300 million in 2011 and $550 million in 2012 for the use of its high-speed 4G network. In addition, Sprint will make $175 million in pre-payments over at least the next two years.
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As the Kansas State Bioscience first phase comes to its opening phase, will the recent news affect the area. The CEO, Tom Thornton, is gone, and the investigation of the Kansas Bioscience Authority goes on. The governor and three members of the Senate Commerce Committee said they continue to harbor reservations about the agency, despite Friday's resignation of Thornton, its embattled CEO. To read more about the Kansas Bioscience Authority, go to the Wichita Eagle article: Bioscience CEO quits; scrutiny continuesRE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company.For a reason...should we talk?
Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Best Associates
Comments are appreciated! Go ahead and add your 2 cents . . . We have 3 easy steps to find you the perfect home . Click here to get started, today!View the Kansas City Network's social media profiles: 
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RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company. For a reason...should we talk? Let us know what you think or add to our blog by writing a comment. Do you have a real estate question for the Real Estate Wizards? Email us at RealEstateWizard@DowellTaggart.comBlog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Best Associates
YOUR success, health, happiness, and wealth can be attributed to the choices YOU make. Smart web surfers choose www.DowellTaggart.com, intelligent Kansas City home buyers and home sellers choose the Dowell Taggart Team for professional representation, industry leading advice and incredible online marketing. When YOU contact US, YOU work with US, Not a newbie assistant.
Who do you know that we can help? Checkout the wealth of information we have compiled for you . . . |
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15 Google Tools to Help Your Kansas City Business
Now that Google is coming to Kansas City, Kansas it is only fitting to list the Top 15 Google Tools to help Your Kansas City Business.  Want to increase your online presence and pump up your Kansas City business leads? Google has 15 free online tools for Kansas City business people that can help you accomplish this, and much more.
Here are the tools you can start using right away:1. Google AdWords – Display your ads on Google and its advertising network for free. You pay only if people click on your ads.2. YouTube Insight – Get statistics about your YouTube video audience including number, location and age of viewers, and how they found your videos. Real estate agents can create videos on local neighborhoods, school districts, parks and other topics beyond the listing to show consumers that they are the go-to community experts.3. Google DoubleClick AdPlanner – Refine and better target your online media buys with this tool that identifies websites your target customers are likely to visit, as well as defines audiences by demographics and interests. You also can generate aggregated website statistics for your media plan.4. Google Analytics – Analyze your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way.5. Google Goggles – It's an image-recognition app that scans photos and searches the web based on the image. This is handy for Realtors who exchange business cards; simply take a photo of business cards that you collect and Google Goggles will automatically convert text and import the contacts into your address book. The app works on Android and iPhone devices.6. Google Reader – Keep up with your favorite websites with easy-to-read daily e-mail updates.7. Picasa Web Album – Store, organize and edit digital photos for free, as well as create online albums. This tool is handy for listing photos and community/neighborhood images.8. Google Insights for Search – Compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties. This real-time search data helps you instantly adjust your online marketing and web tagging to home in on the right audience.9. Google Apps – They're free web apps that provide you with an array of messaging, collaborative and organizational programs such as:- Gmail – Get a custom e-mail address
- Google Talk – Chat with friends and family on your PC desktop; chat on the Internet using
- Google Chat via Gmail and other clients
- Google Calendar – Organize your schedule and share events with friends
- Google Docs – Share online documents, presentations and spreadsheets
- Google Sites – Create websites and group wikis
- Blogger – Create a weblog to share text, photos and video
10. Google Alerts – Sign up for e-mail updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic. Enter the topic you wish to monitor, then click preview to see the types of results you'll receive.11. Google Voice - Sign up for this free service that allows you to forward business calls to all of your phones and easily send text messages. Have voice mails converted to emails or listen on your computer. The address book integrates with the address book on Google Apps. 12. YouTube - Youtube isn’t just for spreading funny videos. Add videos of your product and service.13. Shared Spaces - Great Google tool to share with a group projects or communication.14. Profile - Your profile is part of your Google Account. Sign in on the right or create a Google Account for free using just an email address and password you choose.Here are some things you can do with your profile:Stay in touch with your friends by sharing your contact information with the people you choose.Create a page about you and embed your photos from Flickr or Picasa. Make it easier for friends to see your other content on the Web.15. Local - Add or Edit Your Business Listing Photos, Coupons, and More for Free
Which is your favorite Google tool? RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company. For a reason...should we talk? Let us know what you think or add to our blog by writing a comment. Do you have a real estate question for the Real Estate Wizards? Email us at RealEstateWizard@DowellTaggart.comBlog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Best Associates
YOUR success, health, happiness, and wealth can be attributed to the choices YOU make. Smart web surfers choose www.DowellTaggart.com, intelligent Kansas City home buyers and home sellers choose the Dowell Taggart Team for professional representation, industry leading advice and incredible online marketing. When YOU contact US, YOU work with US, Not a newbie assistant.
Who do you know that we can help? Checkout the wealth of information we have compiled for you . . . |
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I have been an avid fan of Logitech. I have multiple headsets including the 7-1 surround sound headsets. I have multiple keyboards. Oh, I even have multiple internet cameras including the orbital camera. Lately though, I haven't been impressed with their customer service. My kids got one of the Logitech Google TV systems. The remote control works great on the internet. The problem is the remote control doesn't perform the tv functions as advertised. After having my teenage high tech straight A kids play around with hooking the remote control and contacting Logitech customer service, I decided to get involved. My kids said, "Good Luck." Now I understand what they are talking about. After calling the Logitech customer service 4 or 5 times and getting switched to the tech support I got the same result. I got hung up on every time. Now remember, Logitech is supposed to be a high tech company, so I'm assuming I didn't get accidently disconnected every time. I'll keep buying Logitech hardware. I just might not rush out and buy the next Logitech product. I'll wait and read the reviews before I'll decide my next Logitech purchase. Not sure this is the kind of customer service that a high tech company is looking to strive for in this new decade. What do you think? What kind of customer service have you had with Logitech? What kind of customer service do you expect? RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company. For a reason...should we talk? Let us know what you think or add to our blog by writing a comment. Do you have a real estate question for the Real Estate Wizards? Email us at RealEstateWizard@DowellTaggart.comBlog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Best Associates
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Virgin Mary Studio is a advertising & brand design agency located in the Kansas City area. Specializing in brand design, advertising and web development. Visit them on the web at Virgin Mary Studio. RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company. For a reason...should we talk? Let us know what you think or add to our blog by writing a comment. Do you have a real estate question for the Real Estate Wizards?
Find out why you should contact the Dowell Taggart Team for your Kansas City real estate needs . . . . We can help you with online real estate tools that less than 10 Kansas City REALTORS use Search 21,000 homes for sale in Kansas City including foreclosures, short sales, luxury homes and more . . . Learn how to save on the real estate commission Learn how we can help you save money . . .
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Virgin Mary Studio is a advertising & brand design agency located in the Kansas City area. Specializing in brand design, advertising and web development. Visit them on the web at Virgin Mary Studio. RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company. For a reason...should we talk? Let us know what you think or add to our blog by writing a comment. Do you have a real estate question for the Real Estate Wizards?
Find out why you should contact the Dowell Taggart Team for your Kansas City real estate needs . . . . We can help you with online real estate tools that less than 10 Kansas City REALTORS use Search 21,000 homes for sale in Kansas City including foreclosures, short sales, luxury homes and more . . . Learn how to save on the real estate commission Learn how we can help you save money . . .
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