Well it was bound to happen. I just got my first bit of bad news. Cynthia Ashley of Sedona Home Watch has had to resign from the Advisory Board. Unfortunately, other responsibilities have left her too little time to serve. We will miss her, and wish her the best of luck.
They say that when one door closes......
We are still looking to add members to the Advisory Board. I would like representation from the northeast, midwest, south, northwest, southwest and west coast. Florida is represented by Chip Sollins and Bob Myers and of course, the southeast by yours truly. If you'd like to be considered, please get in touch with me. There are some perks....
Much Success,
Jack
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
How is business?
As a Home Watch business owner I am constantly looking for ways to increase business. Advertise more? Advertise differently? Stop advertising altogether? How about my website...is it effective? How do I know if it is or isn't? WHAT IS MY PAGE RANKING? What the heck is a page ranking? Well, as a guy who just launched this organization's website, I can tell you that the more I found out about how this stuff works, the more I knew how much more I needed to know.
Your page ranking means...what page are you on when you look on a search engine (google, yahoo, etc). How close to the top of the heap are you? If you haven't considered this, you are probably losing customers. Actually, you haven't actually lost them, because you never had a shot at their business. They never got to your site, because they never saw it. The NHWA is here to help. Joining will raise your web status! There is no doubt. How do I know? Well, Coastal Carolina Home Watch (my business), is first page all the time on Google. And while we are a sponsored link, how about the fact that the NHWA site did not exist before the first week of September, and it already appears on page 3 or 5 depending on the search engine. As a member, you will be able to link with the NHWA site, and therefore all present and future links associated with this site. For those business that are paying for a sponsored link (and you know how expensive that can be...), your ranking will grow organically (aka...free). We plan on having discussions with the members about this and many other topics that are relevant to our industry.
By the by, I want to reiterate that applying does not mean automatic entry to the NHWA. Our staff needs to verify insurance, applicable licenses, and consumer ratings before membership is granted. Accreditation will be a significant advantage. Getting the contract when competing against a non-accredited Home Watch company will be a no-brainer.
My last piece of information concerns those of you who are waiting to join. I look at Google Analytics daily. It tell me the amount of clicks...what pages; how many visitors on a given page; how the visitor found the site;
all kinds of information. You can not believe how many inquiries to the member search pages there have been. There are leads that are being held for states not yet represented. What are you waiting for?
Much success,
Jack
Your page ranking means...what page are you on when you look on a search engine (google, yahoo, etc). How close to the top of the heap are you? If you haven't considered this, you are probably losing customers. Actually, you haven't actually lost them, because you never had a shot at their business. They never got to your site, because they never saw it. The NHWA is here to help. Joining will raise your web status! There is no doubt. How do I know? Well, Coastal Carolina Home Watch (my business), is first page all the time on Google. And while we are a sponsored link, how about the fact that the NHWA site did not exist before the first week of September, and it already appears on page 3 or 5 depending on the search engine. As a member, you will be able to link with the NHWA site, and therefore all present and future links associated with this site. For those business that are paying for a sponsored link (and you know how expensive that can be...), your ranking will grow organically (aka...free). We plan on having discussions with the members about this and many other topics that are relevant to our industry.
By the by, I want to reiterate that applying does not mean automatic entry to the NHWA. Our staff needs to verify insurance, applicable licenses, and consumer ratings before membership is granted. Accreditation will be a significant advantage. Getting the contract when competing against a non-accredited Home Watch company will be a no-brainer.
My last piece of information concerns those of you who are waiting to join. I look at Google Analytics daily. It tell me the amount of clicks...what pages; how many visitors on a given page; how the visitor found the site;
all kinds of information. You can not believe how many inquiries to the member search pages there have been. There are leads that are being held for states not yet represented. What are you waiting for?
Much success,
Jack
Friday, October 22, 2010
Liability Insurance - Is Home Watch being rated correctly?
Even though we are from all over the country, we all share some common problems. Public education, for example. Even after all of these years of repeating myself, there are still people that think Home Watch
is nothing more than "house sitting". As a matter of fact, on Google Adwords, "house sitting" provides a lot of hits to this very site. But I digress. This site is getting a huge response from companies who want to ask about their insurance. There are lot's of questions being asked about the disparity in premiums. I am also being contacted by new companies, and people looking to form new companies. The insurance question is a constant theme. So...what can the NHWA do for your company? What's in it for you? Is is worth the money? The answers are obvious: A lot; A lot more than meets the eye; and Absolutely!
As a unified group, we can more strongly negotiate with industries that we do business with.
Insurance companies being one example. How many of you had to educate your insurance broker and still jump through hoops to secure insurance? I believe that with the amount of Home Watch companies that exist, insurance companies should be able to get a handle on what we do and don't do. They should be able to come up with a symbol for our industry. What about the Yellow Pages? I am willing to bet that most companies are still being listed under "security". We should rate our own decription, don't you think? Southwest Florida, which is the center of thr Home Watch universe, has been given a listing for Home Watch.. But for the rest of us, why should we have to hope that a potential customer thinks enough to look under security or guard services or even maintenance?
There are so many reasons to join the National Home Watch Association. Not the least of which is the "Big Picture". Being accredited will separate you from the pack, and give your company the access to more qualified, direct leads. If you've ever looked at what advertising costs (I know I look at my bills every month...), the annual cost is quite a value. FYI - since we launched the website on September 7th, there have been over 900 new visitors to it. Given the fact that only 300 or so companies have been contacted, well do the math. I currently have leads for many states with no representation.
C'mon you fence sitters......
Much success,
Jack
is nothing more than "house sitting". As a matter of fact, on Google Adwords, "house sitting" provides a lot of hits to this very site. But I digress. This site is getting a huge response from companies who want to ask about their insurance. There are lot's of questions being asked about the disparity in premiums. I am also being contacted by new companies, and people looking to form new companies. The insurance question is a constant theme. So...what can the NHWA do for your company? What's in it for you? Is is worth the money? The answers are obvious: A lot; A lot more than meets the eye; and Absolutely!
As a unified group, we can more strongly negotiate with industries that we do business with.
Insurance companies being one example. How many of you had to educate your insurance broker and still jump through hoops to secure insurance? I believe that with the amount of Home Watch companies that exist, insurance companies should be able to get a handle on what we do and don't do. They should be able to come up with a symbol for our industry. What about the Yellow Pages? I am willing to bet that most companies are still being listed under "security". We should rate our own decription, don't you think? Southwest Florida, which is the center of thr Home Watch universe, has been given a listing for Home Watch.. But for the rest of us, why should we have to hope that a potential customer thinks enough to look under security or guard services or even maintenance?
There are so many reasons to join the National Home Watch Association. Not the least of which is the "Big Picture". Being accredited will separate you from the pack, and give your company the access to more qualified, direct leads. If you've ever looked at what advertising costs (I know I look at my bills every month...), the annual cost is quite a value. FYI - since we launched the website on September 7th, there have been over 900 new visitors to it. Given the fact that only 300 or so companies have been contacted, well do the math. I currently have leads for many states with no representation.
C'mon you fence sitters......
Much success,
Jack
Friday, October 15, 2010
What's going to happen to REO's?
I don't know how many other Home Watch companies are doing business with lending institutions, but I (Coastal Carolina Home Watch) do. Short sales and foreclosures are income producing opportunities for smart and diligent HW businesses. These properties are generally empty, and almost always in need of some type of "help". A little mulch, or perhaps a few flowers to give it a little curb appeal. A little paint? A good cleaning? Or even just making sure that there are no bugs running around on the floor, are all income opportunities. Because I consider Realtors to be my best customers, I joined my local Realtors association as an affiliate. The information provided by them is incredibly important to my business. More importantly, the networking opportunities are invaluable.
So, now that the top three lenders in SC (my state) have suspended all pending foreclosure proceedings for further review, I have to wonder how I can turn a possible negative into a positive. On one hand, properties that are "on hold" might lead to extended inspections of the property. On the other hand, all needed work might be totally stopped until the mess is sorted out. It is going to be interesting to see. I will keep you posted on how it goes.
FYI - I am amazed at the amount of hits the Association website has been getting. According to Google, over 900 unique (first time) visitors have seen our sight. For those of you who are still on the fence about joining....many states are still not represented on our interactive Member Search page. We at the NHWA are about begin marketing to the second group of potential members. Don't miss the boat on this!
Much success,
Jack
So, now that the top three lenders in SC (my state) have suspended all pending foreclosure proceedings for further review, I have to wonder how I can turn a possible negative into a positive. On one hand, properties that are "on hold" might lead to extended inspections of the property. On the other hand, all needed work might be totally stopped until the mess is sorted out. It is going to be interesting to see. I will keep you posted on how it goes.
FYI - I am amazed at the amount of hits the Association website has been getting. According to Google, over 900 unique (first time) visitors have seen our sight. For those of you who are still on the fence about joining....many states are still not represented on our interactive Member Search page. We at the NHWA are about begin marketing to the second group of potential members. Don't miss the boat on this!
Much success,
Jack
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Las Vegas is IN THE HOUSE !!
We'd like to welcome Las Vegas Home Watchers as the newest member of the National Home Watch Association . Dan and Virginia Kruger started their business back in 2008, and became the leading Home Watch business in Las Vegas. They also provide concierge service. I'll bet they've had some "interesting" requests.......
The second wave of invitations are going to be sent later this week. It is amazing to see the amount of new home watch businesses that have sprung up just in the last 6 months. Get those applications in to secure your membership.
Much success,
Jack
The second wave of invitations are going to be sent later this week. It is amazing to see the amount of new home watch businesses that have sprung up just in the last 6 months. Get those applications in to secure your membership.
Much success,
Jack
Monday, October 4, 2010
OK home watchers....it's time.
Hello all,
So every morning I jump onto "Google Analytics" to look at how many people have visited the NHWA site, and every morning I get more excited. The site has had over 500 "unique visitors" since it went live less than a month ago. Here is what blows me away: The NHWA only sent out about 250 letters and 100 emails to companies across the country as a 1st wave marketing. Only 350 or so ...total. If you aren't aware by now, we believe that there are over 1000 companies (or more) doing business. The member search map is up and running, we are being contacted, but we have no companies in most states to recommend yet. I apologize for the map not being up quickly enough, but I made a judgement call to try to keep everything fair with regard to posting new members in overly competetive areas. The bottom line is, there are no more excuses. The overwhelming response from almost all of you has been terrific. I am constantly being told that the NHWA is a great idea that needs to be supported. I know $495 might sound like a lot, but the benefits that it delivers are more than worth it. Think of your advertising dollars. $41.25 per month is an small investment in both your business and the industry as a whole. You, the truly dedicated professionals will set yourself apart from any Tom, Dick or Harry looking to make a fast buck, with no intention of doing the right thing for their customers. Become accredited and instantly make our industry more professional.
Much success to you all.
Jack Luber
So every morning I jump onto "Google Analytics" to look at how many people have visited the NHWA site, and every morning I get more excited. The site has had over 500 "unique visitors" since it went live less than a month ago. Here is what blows me away: The NHWA only sent out about 250 letters and 100 emails to companies across the country as a 1st wave marketing. Only 350 or so ...total. If you aren't aware by now, we believe that there are over 1000 companies (or more) doing business. The member search map is up and running, we are being contacted, but we have no companies in most states to recommend yet. I apologize for the map not being up quickly enough, but I made a judgement call to try to keep everything fair with regard to posting new members in overly competetive areas. The bottom line is, there are no more excuses. The overwhelming response from almost all of you has been terrific. I am constantly being told that the NHWA is a great idea that needs to be supported. I know $495 might sound like a lot, but the benefits that it delivers are more than worth it. Think of your advertising dollars. $41.25 per month is an small investment in both your business and the industry as a whole. You, the truly dedicated professionals will set yourself apart from any Tom, Dick or Harry looking to make a fast buck, with no intention of doing the right thing for their customers. Become accredited and instantly make our industry more professional.
Much success to you all.
Jack Luber
National Home Watch Association Blog: OK home watchers....it's time.
National Home Watch Association Blog: OK home watchers....it's time.: "Hello all, So every morning I jump onto 'Google Analytics' to look at how many people have visited the NHWA site, and every morning I get m..."
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