The Secret of the New Movement… REBarCamp
In the world of conferences, there is a new vibe… the UN-conference… and leave it to the real estate industry to lead the way. As loan officers, we have been marketed to and pimped to product-wise more than any other industry. UGH… can you feel me? [I feel more hip just saying that!] SO how do we go from a numb, battered industry to the super-sponge that we need to become in the “new world of real estate”… an attitude the the writers on this blog, including my Florida Mortgage Blog, have vigilantly tried to maintain?
Simple - take a play out of the Realtor play book. REBarCamp is the ultimate UN-conference of conferences. I had the privilege of attending a recent barcamp in Miami put on by Ines Hegedus-Garcia, Todd Carpenter, Jeff Turner and others in South Beach. [aka REBarCamp Miami - #REBCMiami] with none other than the Mortgage Cicerone himself, Tony “Mortgage Genius” Gallegos.
So there I was, walking into the Temple House, the venue for REBarCamp Miami, wondering… “What the heck is this all about”. As I walked around and saw the set up, I thought to myself this is gunna suck. There were multiple sections set up with groups of chairs – nothing like a real conference to be sure. “There is no way that this is going to work,” I quipped under my breath.
Then it started.
Average Joe’s filled out little cards stating that they wanted to facilitate a group about “x”. [snicker] As more and more folks did so, there was a projector that showed different facilitators hosting different topics in different sections within the venue. After the mingling, the sessions began. I reluctantly picked one thinking, once again, there in NO WAY that this is going to work.
Well – IT DID.
After the completion of the first session I attended [ about 45 minutes long], I thought to myself, ”Holy Crap -this works”. The first session I chose was hosted by Bill Lublin about Social Capital.It was a home run, and I was convinced… this is the future of busines conferences. The time of speaker-audience is so 20th century. The BarCamp set up is much more content-rich and participatory [I think that is a word]. The whole group participated and offered insight and input to the topic at hand… more so than I have ever seen before – and i have been to my fair share believe me!
So what is in store for the mortgage folks out there? A “MortgageBarCamp”? Hmmm. Possibly in format, but not in name. It is quite likely that the lead dog for the new vibe of mortgages conferences is the upcoming Mortgage Revolution. In addition to the Mortgage Revolution, however, visit an REBarCamp close to you and, not only will you witness the future, but will also network like never before – with people [like Realtor, Tim Kinzler] that GET IT!
I have drank [drunk? drinked? drankenen?] the Kool-aid!
September 18, 2009 by cbrown · Leave a Comment
Chris has been in the mortgage business for over 8 years. He found his way into the mortgage business through Jack Gritter; the originator of his family's first loan. He states "I was so impressed with the character and integrity of the gentleman that originated our loan on our first home purchase that I realized he was a man I could follow. The rest is history." Chris attended University of Central Florida and has a B.S. in Business Administration.
He is a past VP of Membership for Lake Mary Toastmasters,
Licensed Mortgage Loan Originator, Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist™, Justlisted.com Certified Professional Lender, Voted a Top 25 Most Connected Mortgage Professional in the Country and Voted as a Top 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professional Under 40
His additional community involvement includes:
· HOA Board for The Crossings Masters Association,
· HOA Board for The Reserve Association,
· Graduate of Seminole County’s Community Law Enforcement Academy,
· RDV Sportsplex Charter Member,
· Central Florida Real Estate Investors group member,
· Graduate of The Task Academy of Real Estate, Inc.
Chris is owner of www.OrlandoMortgagePro.com and the www.MortgageChiliBlog.com - historically a Top 100 Real Estate Blog. Chris’s passion for his clients is revealed through his mortgage planning approach of integrating the mortgage into someone’s overall financial objectives. Chris also enjoys spending “gobs of time” with his wife of 11 years, Mary, his daughter, Brianna, and their 3 German Shepherds, Harley, Natasha, and Shelby.
Hey Chris,
I’ve been to #rebcla, #rebcoc, #rebcsf and I’m registered for #rebcsv & rebcsd in the coming months – you absolutely nailed it on the head.
In San Francisco i offered a session on using webinars (similar to the one scheduled for Mortgage Revolution). Even though I offered and led the session, there was great input from folks that were also using webinars in different ways and I picked up 2 great tips that have made my conversion even better!
The format is fantastic and there are some really bright marketers there. As mortgage guys, we have to also be marketers and promoters. If you’re a mortgage guy what better place to be than in a room full of 300 or more real estate agents?
In this market we can never stop learning or trying new things. Things have changed incredibly and will continue to change before we have any sort of normalcy here.
Mortgage Revolution could be that forum for the mortgage industry – I’m looking forward to it!
What three actionable items, that will help you fund more loans in the 90 days, did you learn at REBarCamp, Chris?
Brian – I rode down to Miami with Chris and we had a lot of time to go over exactly what you have asked. During the trip, we spoke quite extensively about marketing strategies, etc…. Without going into detail (it was between Chris and self), I can tell you Chris truly did implement several strategies we discussed would up him game. As you well know, that is NOT very common. I was very proud of what I saw Chris implement and execute like n old pro!
Brian,
Your arrows are straight and true my friend and I love it. \\"What actionable items\\" is the question that should be tattood on all of our foreheads….or better yet – on all of our social media profiles!
Chris – I am SOOOO glad you made it down to Miami and got something out of it. What makes these so awesome is the fact that they are dynamic and interactive. When I invited Jeff to start of REBarCamp Miami and told him NOT to plan a “keynote”…….I knew he would hit a home run. Then I saw the faces when he said that successful barcamps depend on everyone’s participation – blank stares as if he was crazy.
Well…..I’ve been to SF twice, NY and Philly……and if timing is right, will keep on going – you will undoubtedly get at lease a nugget for your business, and the networking is priceless.
Love the Mortgagebarcamp idea – I’m sure you can pull it off