Archive for May, 2010

« Older Entries

Monday Mojo: Make Them Proud

By Tom Tognoli | May 31st, 2010 0 Comments

Don’t we all love a three day weekend?!

But don’t forget why we have this three day weekend. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, over 140 years ago. Today, Memorial Day, we all need to pay respect, honor, and remember those who died defending us. Think about it, they died so we could have the life and opportunities we have today.

So, today as we remember those who gave up their lives so we could have ours, here is the question we need to ask ourselves: would those who’ve died so we could live, say it was all worthwhile if they were to be with you today, to see how you are living your life and to see how you are making a difference?

Don’t let them down. Make them proud of what you do and the difference you are making in this life. Make the most of it. They gave their lives so we could too!

So, when things aren’t going our way, when we are tired, and when the going gets tough, close your eyes and think of them. Ask yourself, what advice would they give me? Would they think it is so tough? Would they tell you to give up, hit the snooze bar and stay in bed a little longer and make excuses? Is that what they would have done? I don’t think so. What do you think? I’m sure they would gladly trade places with you!

We owe them giving it our ABSOLUTE BEST!!!!!!!

Click here to watch this moving Memorial Day Tribute:

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Monday Morning Mojo

Cool Apps: Total reQall

By John Thompson | May 28th, 2010 2 Comments

For the most part, most of the tech stuff that I look at and test falls under the heading, “Mildly Interesting.” Every so often, though, I stumble across something that absolutely blows me away.

I had that experience a couple of weeks ago.

I have been blown away…by reQall.

Before I get into the ins and outs of what it does, though, let’s chat. Now, I’m sure that there are those of you out there who are hyper-organized, who never have any trouble remembering anything. All of your ducks are in their respective rows and every tiny detail is in its place. Well, most of us are not like that. Most of us have great ideas, but we have them when there are no Post-Its on which to jot them down. We make appointments, but can’t remember them. We know that there was … something … that we were supposed to do, but we can’t quite remember what it was because we haven’t had a quad shot gargantulatte (no whipped cream on that, thanks) with a side of Red Bull.

For those of us who are dealing with that grim reality? reQall is at our beck and/or call.

With applications for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Outlook, GoogleApps, email, Evernote, SMS, IM, and even an extension for Firefox, reQall is there, wherever and whenever we need it.

What it is is a high-toned, get-your-backside-in-gear memory aid that’s an organizer, a reminder system, and a productivity assistant, all rolled into one. Have an earth-shattering idea while on the road? Call reQall from your mobile phone and your recording is transcribed into text. Suddenly remember an appointment that you forgot? Record it with reQall and it’ll appear in your Outlook or Google calendars.

reQall is smart. If you say, “Meet with Jack Bauer every Tuesday night at 8,” reQall knows that it’s a meeting, and that it’s every Tuesday night at 8. It’ll also record it accordingly in your calendars. If you say, “Remember to buy milk” it’ll record that in your shopping list.

Here’s where it gets scary smart, though: reQall will remind you of things at the precise moment you need to remember them. Let’s say, for example, that you want to buy flowers for your wife on your anniversary. Create a reminder in reQall and when you’re near the flower shop, it’ll remind you to stop. Right then. I know. Crazy, right? But in the best way.

There are a ton of things that you can do with reQall, each of them cooler than the thing that came before it. Sign up for an account today and see just how organized you can become. You’ll have total reQall.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Intero Cool Apps

Thursday Thoughts: Leadership Requires Sacrifice

By Gino Blefari | May 28th, 2010 0 Comments

Next Monday is Memorial Day. Most of us will celebrate at backyard barbeques, in the company of friends and family, enjoying the fruits of our hard work.

But what are we celebrating?

We are celebrating – indeed, we are honoring – the courage of those who do what must be done, who bear the load for others so that they may be free to live their lives.

On Memorial Day we bear witness to the leadership demonstrated by the members of the armed forces – those who sacrifice so we don’t have to.

General Norman Schwarzkopf, who led America’s combat forces to victory in the first Gulf War, understands this sacrifice that comes with leadership.

In a speech about leadership to several hundred real estate executives assembled for a conference he posed the question, “Why do the troops go? Why do their families let them go?

His answer: They go because their country asks them to.

Schwarzkopf continued, “As I speak to you right now, somewhere in this great nation, servicemen and women are saying goodbye to their families as they go off to war. I know what it’s like. Think of the anxiety of a family that is saying goodbye to a loved one with absolutely no idea when they will see them again or worse yet if they will ever see them again alive.”

The general defines leadership as the ability to inspire people to willingly do that which they wouldn’t ordinarily do. He distinguishes managers from leaders: whereas managers oversee processes, systems or equipment, leaders lead people who have their own dreams and ambitions.

Sounding like a preacher delivering a Sunday morning sermon, Schwarzkopf emphatically stated: “Leadership involves a sense of duty. Leadership involves a value system. Leadership involves ethics. Leadership certainly involves integrity.”

So, as you enjoy our American freedoms this Memorial Day, join me in reflecting on the model of sacrifice and leadership embodied in the men and women of our Armed Forces.

Think, too, how you might apply that model to inspire others around you to higher ideals – those places they might not otherwise go.

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Thursday's Thoughts On Leadership

Wednesday Wellness: Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone

By Tammy Parkinson | May 26th, 2010 0 Comments

Remember when you were little and you reached for the fire or the stove and got burned?  It didn’t take long for you to realize that reaching out to touch a flame wasn’t a good idea!

At that point, did you decide never to be around fire? Did you decide that only “fake” candles would be allowed in your home or if you went camping and needed a camp fire, you’d just shiver instead?  I hope not!  (That would really be a bummer!)

My point here is simple, in life, we have situations that come up that scare us, maybe upset us, but it doesn’t mean we have to avoid these situations all together; we just need to navigate a little wiser through them.

In the fitness world, I see people who are afraid to try new and different exercises because they tried something similar once and didn’t like it.  It doesn’t stop there, however, some try several things and decide they didn’t like something (or many things) and refuse to consider a new variation of the same thing to see if they might enjoy the exercise or routine a different and new way.  What happens is the alternatives start getting narrower.  Eventually, these folks decide there’s only a handful of options (if even that) to work with and limit themselves for the rest of their lives.

If we continue to constrict our choices, we will no longer allow ourselves to have diversity at all!

Is that what we want?  To have no viable (or recognizable) “choice” as we get older?

Consider this with your fitness routine!  Have you limited your own selections?  Do you think because you’ve tried something once that you throw out any similar alternatives?  If you do, the walls in your world become smaller rather than vast.  Try stepping out of your comfort zones a little and see if you can safely and gingerly expand your world!  You might find that there’s something new, exciting and different that you would never have considered because of long ago beliefs and self-inflicted boundaries!

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Wellness by Tammy Parkinson

Intero Mojo: Mugwumps drive me crazy!

By Tom Tognoli | May 24th, 2010 0 Comments

I subscribe to 3 different daily emails, which I print first thing in the morning when I get up and then take them to the gym to read while I am doing my cardio.  The first is a daily devotional to get me spiritually anchored for the day, the second is an inspirational email from the Napoleon Hill Foundation called the Thought for the Day to make sure I am fired up for a powerful and successful day, and the third which I have just recently subscribed to is from Dictionary.com called Word of the Day to help me broaden my vocabulary.

So, if I combine these with what we send out from Intero each day, I have four daily emails that I read everyday – they are the foundation of my day.  It is something I have only been doing for the last couple of years. If you are looking for a great way to start your day, to get yourself anchored to the foundation of your success every day before you get started, I recommend you do the same.  It is amazing the impact making this part of my day has had on me in all the areas of my life.

So, what is a Mugwump you ask?  It is a person who is unable to make up his or her mind on an issue – person who is neutral on controversial issues.  Yes, it was one of my Words of the Day from Dictionary.com.  I can tell you that in all of my daily readings they reinforce that one of the easiest ways to insure you will NOT be successful at anything in life is to be a Mugwump.  So this week’s MOJO is simple. Don’t be a Mugwump. Be decisive. Make a stand and CRUSH IT!

Here are links to my daily emails if you are interested in signing up:

Daily Devotional Subscription

Napoleon Hills Thought of the Day Subscription

Dictionary.com Word of the Day Subscription

Make it a GREAT week!

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Monday Morning Mojo

Cool Apps: Get A Handle On The Soc-Med Game with Postling

By John Thompson | May 21st, 2010 0 Comments

There are lots of opinions on Social Media and how it can be employed to promote business and engage with our customers. One thing upon which we can all agree, however, is that it can be enormously time-consuming. A time-suck, if you will.

Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Yelp. FourSquare. YouTube. Tumblr. Flickr. How are we supposed to stay on top of it all and still, you know, do our jobs?

Postling is here to help.

Postling saves you time and frustration. Period. Postling endeavors to help you make social media engagement more efficient. It monitors your presence, and provides you one hub through which you can update your WordPress blog, Facebook fan (or profile) pages, Twitter…you name it. No longer do you need to log into different social media sites every day. Postling does all the work for you. In two simple steps, publish your blog post to your blog(s), then update your Twitter and Facebook status with a link and custom message.

Postling offers unrivaled information curation.

Now partnered with Collecta, Postling will give small businesses a way to track search terms and see its mentions on blogs, in mainstream media, and on social media sites. In addition, they’ve created a custom RSS feed reader, so that you can monitor competitors or blogs that are of interest to you and your business. From Postling, you’ll be able to tweet, comment or post to your blog.

And all of this will happen in real time. Pretty cool, right?

Some of the best features of Postling are the ability to monitor as many different accounts as you like, as well as a great community support feature, to which you can turn for advice when you really need it.

You want to know what people are saying about your business. You want to know what they’re saying right away. Postling will help you listen.

Postling is the tool for small businesses to get a handle on their social media usage. It’s not built for the big boys, it’s built for you and me. Check it out today!

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Intero Cool Apps

Thursday Thoughts: You’re as good as your good people

By Gino Blefari | May 20th, 2010 0 Comments

In my Saturday Morning Book Club we are currently reading The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership by legendary pro football coach Bill Walsh.

Walsh changed the way football is played. And he transformed a franchise that was in shambles – the San Francisco Forty-Niners – into one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the sport.

He was a football genius. But he was a leadership genius too.

Many forget that Walsh was not only the head coach responsible for the X’s and O’s on the field, but also the General Manager – the leader tasked with staffing the entire organization.

Walsh was a firm believer in the idea that a leader, and the organization he or she runs, can only be as good as the people they hire.

He illustrates this in the book with a lesson he learned while on Paul Brown’s staff with the Cincinnati Bengals. One game day the bus taking the team from the hotel to the stadium became lost. After it became obvious to Brown that the driver did not know where he was, he barked at the driver: “Fella, I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at the person who hired you.”

Brown understood that his anger was pointless if directed at the bus driver. He was just doing what he was hired to do: drive the bus. The true responsibility lay at the feet of the person who placed Brown’s team in the hands of this unprepared driver.

Walsh took this lesson to heart and created a list of essential traits of staff members in a winning organization.

I have excerpted them here:

  1. A fundamental knowledge of the area he or she has been hired to manage. You may think this is so self-evident it’s insulting to include. However, often we are tempted to hire simply on the basis of friendship or other user-friendly characteristics. They can be important. Expertise is more important.
  2. A relatively high level of energy and enthusiasm and a personality that is upbeat, motivated, and animated. Groups will often collectively take on the personality of their department head. A negative, complaining staff member will be emulated by those he or she is in charge of. So will a positive go-getter.
  3. The ability to discern talent in potential employees whom he or she will recommend to you.
  4. An ability to communicate in a relaxed yet authoritative – but not authoritarian – manner.
  5. Unconditional loyalty to both you and other staff members. If your staff members are chipping away at one another, the organization is weakened from within – like a tree full of termites. There is, in my view, no offense more serious than disloyalty.

The big picture? If you want to succeed as a leader, recognize, like Walsh, that the people with whom you surround yourself can be the difference between winning and losing.

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Thursday's Thoughts On Leadership

Wednesday Wellness: Add Some Zest

By Tammy Parkinson | May 19th, 2010 0 Comments

As summer approaches, adding nutrient dense foods and spices to your hydration might be something to add to your grocery list!  Here are a few ideas:

Cinnamon:  Helps regulate blood glucose and aids in digestion.  Great in almond milk and yogurt smoothies!

Rosemary:  Known to help improve digestion and boost immunity.  Rosemary has a pine like taste and goes well with a dollop of honey or agave nectar and Perrier.

Beet juice:  Beets (when not in a can and pickled) are fabulous.  This is one of my “newly found foods!” Beets help our bodies fight off free radicals that have been linked to cancer and heart disease. Beet juice can be taken by itself (similar to a wheat grass short) or even added to water for a pure body cleanse.

Carrot juice:  Carrots are well known to be loaded with beta-carotene a powerful anti-oxidant.  Carrot juice when fresh pressed is very sweet and can be drunk in a 4 oz shot in the morning or added in a vegetable juice blend.  Add some cinnamon and you get a lot of “wow” in your drink!

Pomegranate juice:  There are “ellagitannins” found in this dark fruit which has been thought to help slow or prevent the growth of breasts cancer cells.  Add about an ounce of unsweetened pomegranate juice to your seltzer water.  It’s great with fresh lemon juice too!

Enjoy mixing up your nutrition into some of your liquids!  I promise…it WILL get warmer and before you know it, water will be a hot (or cold) commodity!!  Add some “zest” and some nutrition!!

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Wellness by Tammy Parkinson

Monday Mojo: First Impressions

By Tom Tognoli | May 17th, 2010 0 Comments

It’s the key of success or the handcuffs of defeat.  The question is, do you have the key or are you in the cuffs?

“My life is 30 minutes late. It’s not my watch, but my life!”  You know who I am talking about.  You end up telling them everything starts 30 minutes earlier than it actually does in hopes they may be on time, but they’re still late!!!!!  They wonder why their life always seems to be totally out of control and why they are always stressed out.  And the excuses are always the same: I just have too much on my plate, I just can’t get it all done, I just couldn’t get out of the meeting, I just couldn’t get them off the phone…I just…I just…I just!  They are always blaming someone or something for them not taking control – for their poor time management.   The other brutal thing about not having good time management is you never have time to do those things you want to do – those things important to you. You are always saying I will do it tomorrow, because all of your time is spinning out of control just trying to keep up.  Unfortunately for them, the tomorrow they are waiting for never comes.

The single most valuable thing in a person’s life is time.  And when we keep people waiting and/or don’t show up when we say we are going to show up, we are telling those we care about, those we are trying to do business with and those we want to gain respect from, that we don’t care about their most valuable asset, because ours is more important.  It’s a success killer. It’s a happiness killer. It’s a relationship killer. It’s a life killer!

Here is the reality of it:  If we could stop time for 24 hours, except for them so they could catch up, and then started the clock ticking again, they would still be late.  It’s not a time issue it’s a planning issue. Let’s face it, it’s a personal issues and it’s just simply a bad habit.  Heck, they are going to be late to their own funeral when the time comes.

If you are one of those folks we are talking about here, all hope is not lost. Here is a great thing to try and institute in your life and business today.  Make a commitment to show up 5 to 10 minutes early to everything you do.   I have every clock in my life (from the clock next to my bed, to my watch, to the clock in my car) set 10 minute early.  I am not going to say I am never late, because that would be a lie.  But I can tell you, those who know me will say I am very punctual and respectful of everyone’s time – including my own.  Certainly being late is the exception for me, not the rule.

You can never change a first impression, and our first impression is when we show up early, on time or late. What is your first impression?

Make it a great week!

Remembering Bill “Papa” Moles – Details on his Celebration of Life

The Intero Family suffered a big loss recently.

Bill Moles, father to both our Chairman, Bob Moles & Kevin Moles, passed away at the age of 78.

Speaking on behalf of the entire Intero family, we all send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the Moles family in their time of sadness.

The Moles family would like to invite you to the Celebration of Life. Details are as follows:

Date:              Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Time:              1:00pm
Where:           St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church
219 Bean Avenue
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Reception:    St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church
Following Celebration of Life

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be sent to the Intero Foundation or to the Hospice of Santa Cruz County.

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Monday Morning Mojo

Have You Landed On An iPad?

By John Thompson | May 14th, 2010 3 Comments

Love it or hate it, the iPad, Apple’s latest shiny technogadget, has taken the world not just by storm, but by virtual F5 tornado.

For most of the folks snatching them off shelves like they were loaves of bread in Russia, circa-1980, they’re just awesome, hyper-beautiful, super-slick … toys. But for REALTORS? The iPad holds a wealth of creative new ideas and opportunities to provide new services for customers and clients.

For starters, the iPad’s display is absolutely gorgeous. Really. It’s second-to-none. Imagine taking your clients on showing appointments and presenting them with splashy, hi-res, full-color photos on it. If you’re out and about and they suddenly decide that there are other properties they’d like to see, you can show them right on the iPad. No more carting around that heavy, cumbersome laptop. With it, you’ve also got a terrific way to take notes as you go with them from house-to-house, or with which to give a listing presentation the likes of which they’ve never seen.

And it’s a pretty cool tool outside of client interaction, too!

Some of the great tools that are available to enhance your business are:

  1. Evernote. We’ve talked about this fantastic app before, but the version that’s available for the iPad is fantastic. The app itself is free, and basic memberships to Evernote are free, with upgrade options that, at their most expensive, are a minimal $45 annually.
  2. iWork. Apple’s answer to MSOffice, iWork is a suite of tools — Pages, Keynote, and Numbers — that is incredibly easy, incredibly intuitive. Pages (iWork’s word processor) is a breeze to use, and the iPad version is really slick. Keynote simply blows PowerPoint out of the water in terms of the quality of presentation it produces. Numbers, which is similar to Excel, doesn’t have quite the juice as its Microsoft counterpart, but it’s still off to a pretty good start.
  3. Things. Hands-down, this is the best organizational software out there. It’s a little pricey in terms of apps (most people are still used to paying $1 for things from the AppStore) at $19.99, but it’s worth every penny. If you’re a Mac user, this is a must-have.

There are tons of new apps being added each and every day, so be sure to check back for your favorites.

The iPad isn’t for everyone, but for us? For REALTORS? The iPad’s going to provide a very happy landing.

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Uncategorized

« Older Entries