Lucky Friday the 13th

You remember what I just said about luck? Well Friday the 13th was another lucky day – and I got to spend time with a good friend. The dynamo from Arizona, Joeann Fossland, was in Baltimore for a school reunion. When I found out she was coming to town, I said "You have to come speak at my Coldwell Banker office!"

Now Joeann could talk about dozens of topics, but this time it was the NAR's online e-PRO certification program aimed at helping Realtors® raise their level of technology understanding and use. I took the program and got the e-PRO designation a few years ago, and it was very helpful. Now that 82% of buyers start their search on line, it's more important than ever to get comfortable with technology.

In about 90 minutes Joeann gave her audience not only an overview of the e-PRO program, but also some tips they could put to use right away. One of the things I love about her is the attitude that you don't have to spend a lot of money to take advantage of technology and give good service. As she says, her favorite four-letter "F" word is FREE!

So where is luck in this? I knew about Joeann Fossland through the many articles she had written in real estate magazines. Several years ago I was vacationing in Arizona and realized I was near where she lived, so I called and invited her for lunch one day. We hit it off immediately, and since then she's invited me to contribute to articles on niche marketing and technology that she has written and published.

I was "lucky" to meet this wonderful lady because I picked up the phone and made the connection. And a couple of days ago, Joeann was "lucky" to sign up several new e-PRO candidates because she travels the country educating people about this program and making connections. How "lucky" can you get?