GreenPearl Blog

In the beginning…

When we first started GreenPearl (aka MyDealBook), we were extremely enthusiastic about the potential of a massive database connecting all things real estate:  people, companies, opportunities, transactions, associations, news, and more.  The idea was that you would be able to see how everyone was interconnected and therefore have a better idea of how to go about getting your business goals accomplished, whether they be developing a property, placing money, offering services, selling products, or simply growing your referral network.

The idea was indeed a success, with tens of thousands joining and more every day.  However, as we’ve toiled to bring together the best online business-to-business network for the real estate industry and real estate investors, we also discovered that there is no true replacement for the power and effectiveness of meeting people in person.  In order for an online business community to flourish, there must be a real-world component to solidify new relationships and bring deals to fruition.

Shift.

As most of our members have noticed, we’re focusing increasingly on events:  panel discussions, networking mixers, teleconferences, workshops, and now conferences.  In late September, we’ll be holding our first national conference on distressed property (press release pending).

Building on a track record of successful events, we’re increasing our investment into the in-person networking services market, working harder to bring people in the industry together in the way that they want to network:  face-to-face.

The ability to assemble large number of high-quality people who all share a targeted interest is extremely valuable.  It is valuable to attendees; it is valuable to speakers; it is valuable to sponsors and exhibitors.  It’s even valuable to local businesses such as venues, caterers, hotels, and related support services.  And it’s something at which we excel.

We are now planning over 50 events per year in the greater New York City area, including local franchises on a county-by-county basis.  These events attract anywhere from 50 to nearly 1,000 attendees.  Some are simply networking opportunities, but many are opportunities to speak or hear from industry experts.

The Result:

The testimonials have started to pour in.  From industry luminaries to in-the-street investors, our events are generating real business for the industry.  Here are a few recent examples:

“Networking is a key ingredient in the success of any service provider and the GreenPearl platform is one of the best of its kind. I was a speaker at a recent event and met some people which resulted in my being retained to assist with the sale of a 25 building portfolio. GreenPearl events provide access to key participants in the marketplace.” — Bob Knakal

“Your event allowed me to network and obtain additional leads related to lending sources for my current clients and open up opportunities for fellow lenders & investors to source their commercial projects with my direct lending contacts. I am presently working to close a deal with a contact I made at your event related to a hotel development in New York.” — Joe Scorese

“Thanks for coordinating a GREAT event last night! PowerHouse Solutions had an extremely successfuly evening: We picked up 4 FHA deals and opened 2 new referral accounts. Awesome!” –Trevor Curran”

“What a success! I am truly in awe of the passion you have behind what you do and how these events turn out. You are truly a visionary with results! Great work tonight!” –Cori-Ann Roublick

‘Thank you for Tuesday’s event, for the knowledgeable panel, and also for the delicious drinks and eats. Excellent event: hope you do something on a similar topic in the future.“  — Karla Fisk

“Thank you for hosting a really informative, fun event in a great setting with great speakers. The panelists you assembled, all dynamic leaders in the green building industry, presented a wealth of insights and knowledge. For someone like me looking to learn more about the various avenues of this industry it was time well spent.“  — Pat Parker

“My compliments on the networking event.  The one thing that struck me as how much everyone I talked to was open and inviting to discuss all aspects of things.  Everyone seemed to have a good open mind to hear about the aspects of the business that each of the attendees serve.“  — Rob Cantrell

Learn More!

To learn more about upcoming events in the real estate industry, go to http://GreenPearl.com/Events

Contact us if you would like to join our events mailing list, become a speaker, or would like to learn more about sponsoring or exhibiting.

We’re improving the way we manage our lists in order to  deliver more appropriate content to each of our constituents:  speakers, advertisers & sponsors, newsletter readers, event invitees, and GreenPearl.com registered users.

Here is a quick guide to the lists and how to sign up for each list and how to join or opt-out.

Speakers |  Sign up to this list

If you would like to be considered for a speaking opportunity through one of GreenPearl.com’s events (panel discussions, teleconferences, networking events, speakers series, or conferences), sign up for this list.  We will send our “calls for speakers” through this list when we are planning a new event, as well as use the information to contact you personally regarding specific speaking opportunities.

Advertisers, Sponsors, and Exhibitors |  Sign up to this list

If you are interested in hearing from us about opportunities to reach our audience of over 100,000 investors, developers, and real estate professionals in the NYC area or nearly 500,000 nationwide, sign up for this list.  We will use this list to send you our media kits as we update them as well as any special opportunities such as specific events that match your target market.

NYC Real Estate Events Newsletter |  Sign up to this list

This newsletter goes out once a week and provides you with photographic coverage of interesting and valuable events in and around NYC.  The contents of this newsletter can also be seen in blog format:  http://newyork.greenpearl.com.  Bookmark the blog or sign up for RSS feed updates.  You can also follow the blog on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/greenpearlnyc.

Event Invitations |  Sign up to this list |  Customize your preferences

These invitations go out weekly on Mondays, as well as the morning of any event we hold as a reminder.  Event invitations include information such as title of the event, date/time, location, content and agenda, as well as information from event sponsors.  If you tell us which types of events interest you and which ones don’t interest you, as well as your professional details, we’ll be able to tailor what emails we send to you and cut down on unwanted or excessive email.

GreenPearl.com Registered Users |  Sign up for GreenPearl.com

Join GreenPearl.com to post deals, events, or jobs to our marketplace.  In addition, you can maintain a public profile that allows others to find you for purposes of doing business together.  Further, you can join Groups on GreenPearl.com that allow you to find others who are interested in specific topics (e.g. 100+ members of Brooklyn Real Estate).  Signing up for GreenPearl.com means that you’ll get emails when other members send you messages or invite you to join their network, event, deal or group.  You may also receive an email from us about new features, privacy, or other important users information.

If you have any questions about any of these lists or how we maintain them, please contact us at lists@greenpearl.com.

On February 3, GreenPearl.com held a webinar with Social Marketing and Internet Advertising guru Rick Rochon of Adsymetrix:  “How to Socially Market Your Listings”, a 90-minute online seminar about how to use the latest Internet tools to promote yourself and your listings at little or no cost, including Facebook, LinkedIn, VFlyer, Twitter, video and more.

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As of the first of the year, MyDealBook.com is now GreenPearl.com.

There are lots of reasons for this, not the least of which is that the NYTimes threatened lawsuit because they have a trademark on “DealBook”.  In addition, people were constantly mangling the name to my face, calling it MyDeal.com, confusing it with The Real Deal, etc.  Although we were attached to the name MyDealBook.com, we saw this as a powerful opportunity in disguise.

Today, in these difficult economic times, many real estate professionals are leaving to found new companies.  Forced out by reasons of cost cutting or compensation structures that no longer function in down times, these professionals need to establish new names for their start ups, an exercise that can stump many.  I worked up a couple of rules that I used both when we came up with PropertyShark and when we came up with GreenPearl.  Learn more after the jump…

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Although a lot of landmark buildings clearly have name brands (the Chyrsler Building, the Empire State Building), so do (or should) lots of smaller buildings and not just new luxury condo buildings like the Toren.

Today, I met with Cameron Pollard of Real Estate Arts, who helps owners and developers reposition and brand their assets (fancy word for buildings) to attract tenants at higher rates per square foot. Their client list includes: CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, and Jones Lang LaSalle.

How this is done is perhaps more science than art, and investing a few dollars with REA improves the bottom line, through higher rents, higher occupancy rates, and higher tenant retention. How does REA achieve this?

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Posted by Ryan Slack, CEO, MyDealBook.com.

I get this question a lot.  In fact, I was inspired to write this blog post when I found myself explaining Twitter to an older gentleman at the recent ULI Holiday Party.

This is what Wikipedia.org has to say about Twitter:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service, that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

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Posted by Ryan Slack, CEO of MyDealBook.com

This post is the first of a multi-part series that advises you on the how-tos of email marketing.

Email marketing is the life blood of many sales organizations the world over.  Mastering email marketing is not easy by any means.  There are laws against “spam”, such as the CANSPAM act against which it is easy to run afoul.  In short, you are not supposed to email anyone who hasn’t given you express permission to do so, known as permissions-based marketing.  But what does that mean exactly?  Does someone giving you their business card count as permission to email them with impersonal messages?  Is it good for your business to do so?

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Posted by Ryan Slack, CEO, MyDealBook.com

Efficiency is intelligent laziness — David Dunham

I couldn’t agree more. I’m lazy. I admit it. But I use laziness to my advantage. I am always in search of shortcuts that make my life easier or move faster. I jaywalk to avoid waiting at lights. I found out that it’s healthier to leave your bed unmade (I won’t explain why it’s healthier, believe me you do not want to know), so that was the pretty much the last time I made my bed voluntarily. And most importantly, I’ve mastered the art of keyboard shortcuts.

While you might think that a simple and trivial thing like a keyboard shortcut should not deserve its own blog post. I beg to differ. I cannot tell you how many employees I’ve trained who had never mastered the art of the keyboard shortcut. Consequently, these employees were slow and inefficient when working at the computer, opening multiple applications and then getting lost among the resulting chaos. Mastering this simple keyboard short cut will make you wealthier, sexier, and an all around better person. So, without further ado, I present to you…

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Posted by Ryan Slack, CEO, MyDealBook.com

Today I met with the good folks at Previsite to get a good look at their offering, and frankly I was impressed. I have to admit, when I first heard that they provided a service related to virtual tours, I was not very interested. After all, doesn’t everyone do virtual tours? You cannot go to a real estate expo, swing a dead cat and not hit someone who does virtual tours. Hey, that’s an idea? If we put a camera on the cat’s head when we swing it around, the result would be a virtual tour. You heard it here first.

Anyway, Previsite is not your typical virtual tour shop, and they know it. At our event on Tuesday, when I first asked their New York sales rep, Katya Bruen, to explain what her company did, she outright refused, telling me that I had to see it to understand. And the truth is, she was right! Once you see the product, you’re sold. So, rather than explain further, I invite you to take a look.

Keeping track of prospective and present client contacts is key to any type of business success. Easy to say, sooo hard to do. How ’bout those little pink “While you were out” slips? How’s that working for you? Now there’s a new player in town, a web-based turn-key system called AdSymetrix, that can help you keep track of a host of different marketing and other contact issues.

It works by letting you assign different phone numbers to each marketing channel. When the calls come to you, the system keeps track of where the responders came from. Simple and useful. Say you’re a realtor. Those cheap flyers working better for you than the expensive display ads in your local dead-tree daily paper? You will know soon enough and can adjust your marketing strategy to maximize bang-for-the-buck. It is like the old-school couponing advertising approach–on steroids. It keeps track of clicks to your site, live chat sessions, and ad responses in one place.

Another compelling use for the system is specifically of interest to those managing multiple properties. By assigning different numbers to each building–and even to each type of issue like rental inquiry or plumbing–you can really get a handle on what is going on with your day-to-day workload and expenses.