I travelled most of the time, seeing 36 countries and racking up over a million and a half frequent flyer miles and while I was out, things were really quiet and I got a lot of things done that needed doing...

You see, I was on the other side of the world - and the clock...

Though, every day I was in the office (for those rare times in the 12 years I worked there - the last year being the 'worst' as I was tired of traveling and decided to get married and "settle down"...), there were just meetings after meetings after meetings - and, it seemed, very little got done!

It really irritated me as it became clearer and clearer that attending these meetings were not only something to 'keep busy', they seemed to be designed to simply exert power from the presenter's point of view!

Rarely were they productive, just time wasters!

At one point I read a book, or a line somewhere - something, that really helped me and I trust it will help you, too...

In every meeting you can, STAND UP!  In fact, the worst thing you can do is to have chairs in the room!

Think about it - those 'impromptu' meetings at the water fountain, or at a cocktail party, etc. - you get in, get said what needs saying and get out!

Even those 'drop by' meetings in your cubicle (presuming you still work in an office) - make sure you don't keep a 'guest chair' and you will see a dramatic increse in your productivity, simply because those that do drop by will say their piece and move on.

And, soon, they'll get the idea that your area is not there for chatting, it is there for you to do your work!

Try it, and let me know how it works out for you!

I find in my current business (the LAZY one...;) that I rarely have "meetings".  It gives me a lot of time to do things I enjoy - working in my back yard, in the garden or simply watching the koi fish swim around...

And, if the phone rings with some business stuff, I can take it right there, whereever I am!

I keep the phone call short (a great way to do that is again, to STAND when you are on the phone...!) and to the point, and if I need to take notes or follow up on something, I can go in the house/office and take care of it right away.

It is a lifestyle choice, I guess, though it is yours to make for yourself...

I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Learn, Apply, Lower taxes, Your wealth will grow!

Steve Majors - The LAZY Investor
http://TheLazyInvestor.com/InnerCircle

That's a great question and one that I needed to find the answer on, too!

Web 2.0 is a key-phrase term that really means a '2nd level' or even a 'second coming' of the power blast of the Internet.

Most people use it to mean things like;
- video on the web (you'll see below how that's not what you think...)
- various 'new' ways to clean up webpages for better SEO (more below)
- 'Social Networking' methods to really make your site stand out

OK, let's look at each of these briefly, and most importantly, how YOU can use them to help your real estate investing business!

Video on the web (see how that's not what you think...)

"Video" itself brings to mind doing pictures, moving pictures, film/movies even...

However, in today's Web 2.0 version of 'video', it can mean a variety of things;
- presentation video with voiceover sound
(like http://TheLazyInvestor.com/ChoosingTheRightHouseInAnInstant.html)

- live, recorded sessions with audio and visuals
('webinars' - like http://TheLazyInvestor.com/Presentations/cheaphouses)

- actual video/audio production with real presence presenter
(like http://TheLazyMinute.com/11_Real-Estate-MENTOR.html)

- and more

While Web 2.0 video activities are much like you'd think, the 'movie' portion of it does not necessarilly ring true.

So, if you are cautious of being in front of the camera, or find it stressful to get the lighting, location and layout just right in a video of you doing what it is you do, then you shouldn't worry.

Certainly, using presentations is a worthy alternative!

However, there's something else you should know....

Even with poor lighting, bad focus and aweful hairdo (in my opinion...), you can do pretty well...
http://www.youtube.com/v/qW2jplF-gTc&rel=1

This girl (while she is nice looking and sings pretty well - although, again, not my style of singing...)
has made a really big hit with this video - seen over FOUR MILLION TIMES in around a year, she's
been on Oprah and now has a contract with Justin Timberlake (if you know who that is, you might
add a comment - I've heard the name....)

What I'm telling you is that you really don't have to have great lighting and such - just do the videos! (I know, I know, I'll be doing more soon.......  ;)

Various 'new' ways to clean up webpages for better SEO

While many will argue that "SEO is dead", I'd have to argue that it still matters, though not as much as it did ten years ago.

So, what is SEO??

It stands for Search Engine Optimization and it really boils down to the Google ranking or Yahoo ranking of your page (yes, there are other page ranking pages, but these are the two top ones - for the moment...)

With a good page ranking, you get visitors to your webpages automatically - in other words, you don't have to go get them yourself or pay to bring them in.

There are several ways to get good ranking (one of them is to use this service - I've seen some really good results from it....), most all of them involve simply putting more posts with quality content out there so people can find you!

Many places help your page ranking - scribd.com, squidoo.com, del.iciou.us and digg.com are among the best. 

Post to those places and I've been told (just starting to do that myself, so I'll fill you in later on the results) your Google rankings and Yahoo rankings will soar (we'll see....)

The topic here is about 'cleaning up your pages', so let's hit on that as well as the ranking bit...

This really gets into the 'techie' side of web page design and goes much further than a quickie daily post, so let's keep the heavy details out for the one-on-one mentoring times, ok?

Mostly, cleaning up your website pages means that you need to get your content wording higher than your template wording  (see, I told you it gets a bit techie...)

This can be accomplished in several ways, and depends on the template you are using.

What's a template?  Well, it is the thing that is the same on every one of your web pages - usually the top, bottom, left and right sides of the site (see http://TheLazyInvestor.com/members for mine)

Some of the new 'cleanup' methods I've just learned (and will get implemented in the near future) is to;

- make all common borders that are not links into graphics (like our testimonials - no need to have them as words the computers can read, make them graphics so humans can read them but search engines won't count them as 'duplicate content')

- by reducing the word count on the template, the content section (the center part, that changes every different page) will be much easier to have a larger word count than the template (cool, huh?)

- be sure to watch for and remove other 'duplicate content' stuff in your page titles and make them as unique as possible while watching out for 'stop words' - those things that computers dump out anyway like 'a', 'an' 'the', etc.

OK, that got a bit techie and you are wondering what all this has to do with your real estate investing business...

Well, it all does, if you are to put your real estate investing business online and expect to get any sort of traffic from it!

'Social Networking' methods to really make your site stand out

Now, let's go into the Web 2.0 segment of social networking...

Social networking is a relatively new concept for the Internet, however, it has been around in the background for a few years now.

Mostly, social networking and how it relates to real estate investing is more of the active video stuff you'll likely want to put on your website.

Here's some examples (yeah, I'm working on these things too.... ;);

- Put a video on your main page that tells a bit about you and what you do (you can see mine at http://TheLazyInvestor.com/members - and also an introductory one with me alone at http://TheLazyInvestor.com)

- Take a video of you in front of a recent property/deal you completed
this can tell the world how well you do on deals (I've recently put up some of my properties at http://TheLazyInvestor.com/members as 'static' content and have a 'to do' of putting together a video of these deals)

Note that you don't have to stand out there in front of the camera, you can just use PowerPoint and a picture (as I did).

- Take a video of a property you have for sale
Selling property with video is simpler than you think.  I find that pictures help a lot and even with a short description, you can get a good response ("The Lazy Investor's Guide To Real Estate Investing"  now includes an automatic webpage generator that takes your picture or video and guides you through the text to make a winning ad)

CONCLUSION
"Pictures are great, videos are better" - that's the Web 2.0 cry... 

Taking everything to video you can is certainly a wave of the near future.  You should begin practicing with your camera and get into editing a bit (I just found yesterday that Windows has a free editing software called Windows Movie Maker - it's been on my computer and I didn't even know it!)

I'll be doing a lot more video as time goes on - I highly recommend you do, too!

Learn, Apply, Lower taxes, Your wealth will grow!

Steve Majors - The Lazy Investor
http://TheLazyInvestor.com
702-568-7194 ext. 854

According to the Russian calendar anyway (and several others, btw...), this is the day of the birth, NOT the 25th of December!!!

Now, I'm not a specialist in how it all works, but it has a lot to do with the use of the different calendar systems - both of which were started at the same time, but have, over the last several hundred years, drifted apart by a few bits every day.

As I understand it (and remember it - I invite you to do the research on the Internet yourself - there must be tons of it out there... I'm just going from my memory and my day-to-day life here!), it was Julius Caesar that made the old calendar 'illegal' - and it 'stuck'.  From that time, the old system of counting days, hours and weeks went away and everyone, all over the world, adopted the one we use now (at least, in the 'modern world' - the Chinese still have their own, and I think the Muslims and Jewish folks have their own, too????  - maybe Caesar's power wasn't all that powerful after all... ;)

Nope, I'm not a calendar expert, I just wanted to give you a bit of the background on this as my wife and her mother are preparing to go to church (Russian Orthodox) and celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus...

... for the third time in two days....

Yup, they went yesterday morning for a couple hours (that was a 'Sunday service' though), then last night, another FOUR HOURS with a priest that came in from San Francisco, and again today, another couple hours.

Well, it gives them some time out of the house, and quiet time for me - works all around....

And, the celebration here at home won't revolve around an iconic, commercially-manufactured day of excessive spending (that comes on New Year - NEXT WEEK!   ;)

Learn, Apply, Lower taxes, Your wealth will grow!

Steve Majors - The Lazy Investor
http://TheLazyInvestor.com
702-568-7194 ext. 854

And VIDEO on the Internet is where it's "AT"!!!

As you are reading this, you may find this old-fashioned...

There's already 'YouTube', 'Google Video' and a bundle of other places you can place your "produced" video, but getting there LIVE has, until recently, been a different story!

Last night, my friend and webconference service provider Tim Romero of http://www.inetcommunicator.net really turned my world around!!!

You see, he's already cracked the code on the lowest price webinar rooms anywhere around, and now, he's busted open the VIDEO WEBCONFERENCE market as well!

He was in his demo room - having one of his 'Open House' meetings where they answer every question about webinars and web conferencing and when I popped in, WOW, all of a sudden, there I SAW Tim - right there LIVE on the screen as he was talking!

We had MORE FUN watching videos (those 'old-fashioned' pre-recorded things... ;) and popping in, doing funny faces and dancing to the music, etc.  - it was a total BLAST!!!

Of course, the video webconferencing system Tim's designed will do a lot more than that, and certainly any serious business person will see value in it as it becomes the standard for the Internet.

The interesting part is, though, it really DOESN'T MATTER what you look like on the Internet - the GREAT part is that you can see and be seen!

I've always felt like video-phone stuff was not for me.  It's been around awhile and I have never felt comfortable with it.

But, then, there I was, in an old shirt, dirty from bringing in wood for the fireplace and a day of kicking around the house (and unshaven, too!) and the only comments anyone had was "WOW, There's STEVE!" 

What they liked was that they could see me and the expressions on my face as I was talking.

And, that's what I think made the difference in this technology and the video telephone stuff...

This one only shows you when you are talking - not when you are listening!

That means, you can be 'on' for only the time you talk and then kick back, drink a beer (or whatever) when the other folks speak.  Of course you listen to what they say, but it isn't so intense when the video isn't on!

Well, I wanted to put in a short note on this and how much fun I had doing a push-to-talk video conference with Tim and the group last night.  We may have to do this more often...... :)

I also wanted to invite YOU to see this thing LIVE for yourself!  I'll be posting a webinar event soon - so watch for it!  Inner Circle members will get the value of this more often, as we hold private sessions together...

Learn, Apply, Lower tax, Your wealth will grow!

Steve Majors - The Lazy Investor
http://TheLazyInvestor.com/InnerCircle

Most people want to be "in real estate investing", yet very few actually would say they want to be "in business".

The fact is, real estate investing IS a business, and just like any other, you have to put in the time and effort to do research, negotiate a price for your wares and advertise/market to others that will pay you more for it than you paid initially.

Yup, it really is just like any other business - even though it pays a LOT better than most other businesses for the same amount of time/energy and effort!!!

I see that on a daily basis, however, I wonder sometimes if the message gets lost somewhere - and just how often you need to be reminded of it...

I'm always writing emails or other things (web pages, articles, etc.) and constantly am looking for that 'gotcha' phrase or message that will get the most attention and, ultimately, relate to the most sales and/or profit (either way you look at it, the most $$$!;)

Know that many of the messages I write never get seen by anyone other than myself - yes, it's true - a good copywriter will write their message ten, twenty, even THIRTY TIMES or more before it gets released!

My copywriting mentor, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero of 'Red Hot Copy' says thirty times is a good start....

In her Boot Camps and sessions, I learned a lot about copywriting, telling stories and capturing people's attention.  To be really successful in the L.A.Z.Y. method of real estate investing, writing copy is key!

In fact, it is one of the most essential tools in my personal toolbelt!

Being able to write a good ad that will get people's attention is what makes the properties sell, not what color carpet it has, how 'cute' it is or anything else - you have to write about the things that matter the most to the reader, clear, concise info on how this property will save them money, make them look better, lose weight or get more sex!

That's what copywriting is about and once you master that skill, your real estate business (and any/every business you want to have) really fly!

Check out Lorrie's stuff - it has worked great for me and I highly recommend it for anyone serious about making your business soar!

Learn, Apply, Zero taxes, Your wealth will grow!

Steve Majors - The LAZY Investor

http://TheLazyInvestor.com

702-568-7194 ext. 854

Yup, this is a lesson that YOU can use in your business - even if you are a full-time real estate investor (I find that a mis-nomer [sp??] as even "FULL-TIME" investors have other business methods in the works (gotta market those properties somehow, still have to keep in touch with the people buying from you, etc....)

Today's research brought me to a really interesting DV channel where there's a ton of podcasts on business building on a variety of topics, and the author (Penny Haynes) has a GREAT voice and provides great info on many topics via podcasts, plus she hosts a channel on 'Comedy Clip of the Week' where I just watched a really funny video on 'Why Dogs Bite'... (now, I'm not huge on watching videos and such, but this one really caught my eye, and then put TEARS in them - from laughing...)

Ok, back to the business side of things...

I am heavily considering doing a podcast myself.

But, I need your input!

What topics would you like to hear about?

How long would you like each session (i.e., a 5-minute 'tip' or full-length, 1-2 hour sessions)?

How often would you listen? (daily, weekly, monthly, other???)

Would you only want real estate topics, or should I bring in others? (business building, Internet, Health, Wealth Strategies, etc. - any topics you like, let me know!)

Yes, I'm asking for YOUR feedback here as I want to bring you what you need to succeed!

Many of the topics I can train you on myself, but I'll also be happy to bring in some of my own team members and trainers if that makes the most sense.

Let's build this together and make it great!

Learn, Apply, Zero taxes, Your wealth with grow!

Steve Majors - The Lazy Investor

http://TheLazyInvestor.com

People simply don't do what you think they will, and the most unfortunate part is that so many simply don't do what they say they will do themselves!

Now, I'm not going into a big 'rant' here, and my soapbox is in the shop.....  ;)

However, I do want to express my opinion on doing what you say you will do - INTEGRITY is the MOST IMPORTANT thing in the world, to me, and I just can't seem to get it in my head why people would say one thing, then do another...

When I was growing up, that was called LYING, not lack of integrity, but then, times have changed a bit....

Yeah, I am a bit ticked at some folks today - asking for my time, reserving most of the day for me to meet with their clients, then, when I showed up, I get the message that 'we made some calls, but nobody is coming...'

As I was quite a drive from home, I decided to work there to make the best of it and at least made some calls and such - not a total waste of time (I learned years ago to always carry some extra work and/or a book, etc. in case meetings didn't quite work out...), but still, it is never great...

However, I did get to stay in the conference room all day by myself - a nice quiet place, nice furniture and nobody around - and with no Internet access I had no email bugging me!!!  ;)

Well, that's my post for the day - a bit on the 'nasty' side, though perhaps 'worthy'....

Let's take them one at a time and I'll chat briefly on each, then look for your comments on which one(s) I should expand on in the near future...

- Living Trusts

Living Trusts are the best tool for eliminating probate.  In case you don't know what probate is, it's the process that automatically happens to your estate when you die, if you don't set up something different.

It's kinda like having a sole propritership in your business - it's the 'default' method and the government sets it up for you, where you pay the most out of pocket to someone else...

Nope, probate is not the way to go!

The way around it is to set up and live within a Living Trust.  Setting one up is not difficult, although it does take a bit of time to go through and make the decisions on all your 'stuff' (your assets) as to which one(s) go to what person (your heirs and beneficiaries).

If you think that sounds like a Will, you are somewhat right.  A Trust contains your Will, as well as many other things.

And, there's a lot of reasons to have the Trust over/above the Will (there's one of those things you could comment on....  ;) - all of them reasons that help your heirs and beneficiaries not go through probate while it also keeps them from 'bickering' about who gets what once you are gone!

Ok, enough for now on Living Trusts. 

Let's touch a bit on Land Trusts.

I have never been a big fan of Land Trusts - mostly because of the 'buzz' about how to get around paying taxes, secretly transfering title to get around the due-on-sale clause, etc.  I simply feel that 'getting around' something can lead to other challenges in the future that I prefer to avoid.

That being said, though, Land Trusts DO allow for those things and, when used properly and for the right reasons, I believe they have their place.

You see, I, too, continue to learn about things - all the time and I've spent the last few days expanding my knowledge a lot about different kinds of Trusts from a home-study course I got from one of my mentors, JJ Childers.

Something I have learned outside of what JJ teaches (currently - I'm actually going to talk with him about it in the coming weeks...) is about specific rights on your property that most people don't know you have.

Being introduced to this concept about a month ago, I have gone NUTS with it and have not only put all my properties into it, I have signed up several other people into it and covered their properties, too!  Plus, some of the people have decided to help others as well and have signed up as agents, getting the home-study course I designed as well (yes, I really like this thing - enough to make a course on it and have teleseminars, training and support for everyone...)

It's not for everyone and I'm not going to 'unveil' it publicly for several weeks (I've been asked by the people that own the patent to keep it 'silent' for now) - in fact, the first 'public' view of this will be in my Be Your Own Bank Working Laboratory in February.

In the meantime, I am talking with developers, big wholesalers and clients with large portfolios to help establish a base of understanding on this fantastic concept.  If you fit into that level (or personally know someone very well that does), let's chat.

This is a new concept (started in 2005) and we are keeping this 'real estate secret' somewhat under wraps, for now.  We know that when we release it to everyone, we'll be flooded with requests on individual properties, which will cause a paperwork jam that we simply must staff up for.  That's the biggest reason we are only working with large projects right now.

OK, that's it for today.

Time for your comments!

Learn, Apply, Zero tax, Your wealth will grow!

Steve Majors - The Lazy Investor

http://TheLazyInvestor.com

702-568-7194 ext. 854