Private Lender by AAPL

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as CO it N w FE or th REN it? C E

COVER

PRIVATE LENDER

THE OFFICIAL EZINE OF AAPL MAY/JUNE 2014

(EMILY)

THE TRUTH ABOUT REAL ESTATE RECOVERY

+

LENDER LIMELIGHT FEATURING JASEN PORTERO

Also inside: Chairman’s Corner: Larry Muck

10 Tips for Successful Business Marketing

Why Invest in Real Estate

www.aaplonline.com

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Private Lender

Private Lender May/June 2014

CONTENTS 4

Editor’s Note

By Matt Benson

7

Chairman’s Corner Tales from the other side By: Larry Muck

8

Was it worth it? Yes, it was!

The Got Money? Need Money? Conference Recap By: Ian McSevney

10

Private Lender Photo Gallery Got Money? Need Money? Conference Photos by Twilla Miller and Henna Sexton

13

Investing in Real Estate Find out why real estate investing may be the best choice for private lenders By: Bruce Silverman

14 Lender Limelight

New talented programmer pioneers software to enhance investor relations 16

Are we being Told the Truth about the Real Estate Recovery?

Things aren’t as rosy as the headline indicate By: Eddie Speed and Kevin Shortle

21

Selling Congress on Seller Financing A coaltion of lenders and note traders is trying to reverse over- regulation by educating elected officials.

By James Hart

24

5 Social Tools for Small Businesses What’s the one thing that we never have enough of?

By Chrissey Breault

27

10 Tips for Successfu Business Networking Want to make your business networking more effective?

By: Stephanie Speisman

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AAPL Member Directory

Editorial

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR A s the calendar moves into the summer, people often look forward to vacations. Meanwhile, here at the AAPL we are busy gearing up for the rest of our 2014 Conferences.

On August 3-4 in Philadelphia, the AAPL will host an East Coast Regional Event at the Hyatt at Penn’s Landing. This two-day event will bring together the “best of the best” for networking and education.

Eddie Speed from NoteSchool will host an entire day on Sunday, August 3. David Lang, our Sr. Director of Sales and Strategic Relatonships, just returned from attending one of Eddie’s events and for those of you who have never heard him speak, I guarantee that you will want to. His insights on Economic Conditions, as well as Notes and Private Lending are invaluable. On Monday, August 4 we will have a full day of Private Lending education. Among the topics that will be discussed are: Dodd Frank, Long-Term Financing and Servicing Your Note.

Additional information about this event is available at: www.aaplonline.com. The Association will host one other event during 2014 – the Fifth AAPL Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Information on this event is available at www.aaplonline.com In this issue of Private Lender, you don’t want to miss Eddie Speed & Kevin Shortle’s article “Are We Being Told the Truth About The Real Estate Recovery?”

Eddie and Kevin are longtime friends and partners of the AAPL. They have over 30-years experience in Private Lending & Note Trading and their piece gives an interesting perspective on current economic news.

Finally, I want to once again thank all of our members and associates for their support of the American Association of Private Lenders. When I came to the AAPL last summer, I couldn’t imagine that we would be nearing 300 members just one short year later.

That dramatic increase, as well as the momentum that it created is all due to your support. We are very excited about what the future holds and we have some very significant plans to announce in the coming weeks. Here’s hoping that all of you have a wonderful summer and safe travels.

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PRIVATE LENDER May/June 2014 CEO Michael Wrenn Executive Director/ Matt Benson Editor-in-Chief Production Manager Chrissey Breault Art & Design Emily Bowers Henna Sexton Advertising and Sales Linda Hyde David Lang

Private Lender is published semi-bi-monthly by the American Association of Private Lenders (AAPL). AAPL is not responsible for facts or opinions as presented by authors and advertisers.

For Subscriptions: Visit www.facebook.com/aaplonline; email info@aaplonline.com, or follow at www.issuu.com For Back Issues: Visit www.issuu.com, email info@ aaplonline.com, or call 913-888-1250.

For Article Reprints or Permission to use Private Lender content including text, photos, illustrations, logos, and video: E-mail info@aaplonline.com or call 913-888-1250. Use of Private Lender content without the express permission of the American Association of Private Lenders is expressly probibited.

Copyright © 2014 American Association of Private Lenders. All rights reserved.

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Chairman’s Corner

TALES FROM THE OTHER SIDE

By Larry Muck

A

fter taking a leave of absence from writing to you, the Private Lending community, I’m back. And I have a lot to say.

My recent travels have found me more East Coast than West, in sweaty Boca Raton (stay inside) at the REO to Rental Conference and at the REI Expo in DC. As usual, I met many good people, many of which plan to rule the world at some point. The software solutions that are emerging and becoming part of the investment tool chest are becoming much more intricate and have further reach than what has been available before. New “crowdfunding” platforms with an eye to secured lending have been built. New property portfolio tools are out there and everyone seems to be wanting to stick a toe into the “deal flow” stream.

While that stream looks placid and meandering, there are many obstacles underneath the surface.

Just as with the large hedge funds and institutional investors, these platforms can catch the eye of large investors. It is the deployment of that capital that remains elusive. Each of these capital providers have very tight underwriting criteria and therefore, they have to spend a great deal of money on advertising to get sufficient opportunities to increase their portfolios. And, because of the tight underwriting, they are virtually intent on skimming the cream.

That in and of itself isn’t bad. While driving down yields on the top five to ten percent of borrowers, they don’t have the local knowledge that enables them to be particularly nimble. The short term

nature of the bridge lending that we do doesn’t yet lend itself to the mass market. Some of these capital sources are funding long term investment property loans which is a perfect take-out product for those lenders not wanting to fund buy and hold operators.

On the other side of the coin, outside of the money center funds, good borrowers exist looking for the right lender. When I talk to them about rates, I remind them that they should view Private Lenders as “capital partners” putting money at risk alongside of their business operations.

While the Private Lenders hold the trump card in the relationship through a security interest in the property, contrary to what many people think, most don’t want the property back. It is expensive, time consuming, and fraught with risk.

However, while they remain “loan to own” lenders, that doesn’t represent the majority.

There remains a great deal of opportunity and frankly, I see this turning back to a more normalized situation after a period of settling in. But you have to do the right things:

• • • •

Provide great service, Develop a personal brand, Stick to your guns; and, Associate with those that share your vision.

aaplonline.com

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Where to be

WAS IT WORTH IT? YES, IT WAS! The Got Money? Need Money? Conference Recap

By Ian McSevney

I

think when people turn the open sign to close, put whatever else they can think of — all of it so you the “out of the office” greeting on their voice mail don’t realize that this is just the last conference you and head off to an event, conference, trade show or attended 2.0, a simple rebooted version! whatever else that takes them away from their daily The set-up and quality of exhibitors really allowed us routine, they always cringe with stress and worry. to swap stories about our backgrounds, careers and I know I do. With laptop in tow and mobile phone purpose for being at the conference. The cross-section charged, people are of exhibitors ranged all looking for that from all corners of the There were even attendees that as far as quiet corner they real estate and lending I could tell were total newcomers to one can duck into to world.Exhibitors side of the industry or the other. They keep on top of their ranged from software were welcomed with open arms by all... workload back at providers, insurance the office. firms, lenders, property However, not this time — not me. I, for one, unloaded managers, IRA trustees, fund managers, educators my laptop, plugged it in and placed it on the work and trainers. It was diverse to say the least, a virtual station in my room at the Marriott Hotel. Yet the smorgasbord of available information and experts to strangest thing happened: I never turned it on. Not speak with about that information. once!

Plus, there were the two large booths manned by

Diverse exhibitors From the moment I wandered in to the Kansas City Convention Center at 7:30 a.m. on the first day of the Got Money? Need Money? Conference, I was immersed in the wonderful venue that the American Association of Private Lenders (AAPL) and Professional Real Estate Investors and Manager’s’ Alliance (PREIMA) chose to host the event. The set-up was inviting, with spacious aisles to graze through while taking it all in. Seeing all the different exhibitors while having room to step to the side and have meaningful dialogue with the presenters manning the various booths was a change from so many conferences I have been to before. You know the ones that are all smoke and mirrors with no real substance, trying to distract you with music and

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Private Lender

multiple representatives of the AAPL and Professional Real Estate Investors and Managers Alliance (PREIMA), who were ready, willing and able to assist you at every turn with whatever your question or concern may have been. They were simply great.

Chance to network One of the things that struck me about the conference over time was the willingness of not only the exhibitors but also the attendees to share ideas and talk about their own business. They would speak about their own unique take on their respective sub sector of the real estate and lending industry candidly. Some were on both sides of the equation, and others had very specific experience, skills and knowledge that they were happy to share with you.

There were even attendees that as far as I could tell

Where to be

were total newcomers to one side of the industry or the other. They were welcomed with open arms by all, and through my discussions with them, it was clear that it was the education and training components that attracted them to the show, as well as the support that they clearly felt they received from both AAPL and PREIMA. What they also received but may not have expected was new contacts, new colleagues and perhaps even a mentor.

The betterment of our industry I personally had the opportunity to meet directly in an intimate brainstorming session with several of the AAPL executives, such as Matt Benson, Larry Muck and Mike Wrenn.They were engaging and genuine. Their motivation is pure and focused on the betterment of our shared industry of real estate and lending. They want to see all of us succeed at what we do. They want our industry to have a solid foundation that serves the needs of the public well, as well as contribute positively to the economy and the building of wealth in our communities. They see the connection that is played by a strong group that can represent our interests collectively and help us succeed individually in our own business.

If you have not spoken to these executives directly or in person, I recommend that you take the first opportunity you have to do so. I am confident you will see what I see. Like me, you may have wanted to tread slowly into the depths of the AAPL’s waters, but honestly I recommend that you jump right in, feet first, of course, and tap into this great resource. As a Canadian who was really on a fact-finding mission, the conference was tremendous and informative and had many value-added aspects for me, a person who hasn’t worked a day in the Mike Wrenn, CEO U.S. markets. So it will definitely benefit you, providing a platform to advance your career and knowledge level. I am joining, and so should you.

If you build it, they will come The measures that people often use to gauge events such as the “Got Money? Need Money? conference are typically things like the cost, the venue quality, geographic location, travel costs and accommodations. In this case, the event deserves an A+. The cost was fair, the venue was top-notch, and the accommodations at the adjacent hotel were first-class in quality and price.

In addition, the location of downtown Kansas City was amazing and surprised me at every turn.

The city was walkable with great restaurants and entertainment at every turn. Wonderful architecture both old and new co-existed side by side, and the streets were clean and felt safe. Kansas City is a testament to what a city can become again and serves as a great example of what smart and industrious redevelopment in urban centers is capable of creating for its citizens.

The phrase “If you build it, they will come” is what came to my mind when I arrived in downtown Kansas City. Even the mayor himself noted that our industry played a direct role in the redevelopment of downtown Kansas City. This is something to be proud of among the negative things the real estate and lending community has been so often accused of.

Again, was it worth it? Did I earn some interest on my investment? You bet I did! In fact, the ROI may be immeasurable to my business even though I never even turned my laptop on. Instead, I worked the old-fashioned way, shaking hands — a way I have not done in some time.

Thank you AAPL, and thank you PREIMA. And, how about that Kansas City BBQ?!

Ian R. McSevney B.A., AMP is president of Altmore Investment Corporation. He is currently practicing in both commercial and residential mortgage financing, as an MIC Manager, as well as the Principal Mortgage Broker of a boutique-style brokerage firm in Ontario that is steeped in the tradition of providing sound advice and professional service. For more information, contact McSevney at ian@altmoremic.com.

aaplonline.com

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PRIVATELENDER

PHOTO GALLERY The Kansas City Convention Center was the home of the AAPL and PREIMA Got Money? Need Money? coneference, in April.

Real Estate lenders and spenders from across the county were together under one very large roof for twodays of professional education and unprecedented networking opportunities.

Jillian Sidoti

Attendees don’t get to have all the fun!

Emily Bowers and John Schmitt

Real Estate Shark Tank. No shark attacks were reported.

10 Private Lender

Terry Mock

Coast to Coast Radio Live Broadcast: Pete Asmus with Ivan Oberon

Kansas City Investors Funding Title Lounge

AAPL Executive Director, Matt Benson with Kansas City Mayor, Sly James

Tim Norris with Alex and Anthony Coffey

David Hansel

Ben Rao is hooked on CBG

Christopher, Anthony and Tony Shubert AAPL employees get goofy with sleep deprivation due to event planning! Chrissey Breault and Linda Hyde

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Finance

INVESTING IN REAL ESTATE Find out why real estate investing may be the best choice for private lenders.

By Bruce Silverman

F

orty-percent of all self-directed IRA money is in real estate, and there are several excellent reasons for this. First, it’s a safe and secure investment. Second, you are dealing with a tangible asset; people have to have a place to live, and mortgage rates are still at 40 year lows. Third, the returns can be quite attractive at 8 percent to 10 percent or higher. Fourth, for those already retired and needing a supplement to Social Security, real estate can provide a steady income stream.

Active or passive?

The question you have to ask yourself is whether you want to be an “active” or “passive” investor. If you decide to become an active investor, know that you are taking on a job. If you are currently working, you will be taking on a second job. The answer for those who are looking to make money in real estate but are not willing or able to take on a job is to become a private lender. This is also known in many states as trust deed investing.

There is a lot of money being made right now “flipping” homes. In many ways, it is much better than owning rental properties because the profits are realized in a short period of time. In fact, there are many TV shows that address this topic, such as “Flip This House” and “Rehab Addict.” There are professional rehab companies that are purchasing, rehabbing and selling these single-family homes all over the country.

You can take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity by becoming a “passive” real estate investor. What I mean by “passive” is that you can make a good return as a lender and don’t have to be directly involved in the process of acquiring and holding real estate. Many of these rehab companies use private money to help them fund their projects, often from investors using their self-directed IRAs.

There are many levels of security with this type of investment, and you get the same security instruments that any bank would get as you indeed become the bank. You are provided with a Loan Agreement, Promissory Note and 1st Lien Deed of Trust for each specific property you lend on. This is not a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), and there are no commercial properties involved. There is no co-mingling of funds, and you are the lender on separate and specific single family properties.

The borrower pays all costs associated with the purchase of the property, including closing costs, Title insurance and liability insurance, all to protect you, the private lender.

Another advantage to this type of investment is that there is no long-term commitment. You can work with these established rehab companies on six-, 12or 18-month contracts, or on a project by project basis. It’s your choice, and you can invest in any way you want, with anyone you want.

Consider the area One other thing you may want to consider is the area that the rehabber is working in. You want to be in a stable area where prices have already bottomed out and there is a good job market. You can invest in trust deeds anywhere, and may have a comfort level in your local area, but some parts of the country are significantly better than others.

Bruce Silverman is sales manager for Atlanta Private lending. To find out more information about becoming a private lender and using 1st Lien Trust Deeds as an alternative investment strategy, contact Bruce Silverman at 770-842-2015 or at bruce@ atlantaprivatelending.com.

aaplonline.com

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Jasen Portman Photos (waiting on TMO/ABS)

aaplonline.com

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JASEN PORTERO New talented programmer pioneers software to enhance investor relations

W

ith over 15 years of software development experience working with companies such as Universal Music Group, WellPoint, Warner Bros., and Ticketmaster, Jasen Portero has joined the Applied Business Software, Inc. team. Bringing a fresh perspective on the industry, Jasen pioneered and spearheaded the development of one of ABS’s newest addition to The Mortgage Office, the iPad app.

Seeing the importance of good investor relations, Jasen revolutionized the way investors check, monitor, and update their investment portfolio.

Through The Mortgage Office software, using the iPad app, ABS can now offer customers the ability to provide their investors with the same access to online information formerly only available through large banking institutions.

When asked about joining our seasoned team of mortgage programmers, Jasen said, “I was very excited to have this opportunity to join Applied Business Software’s development team. I knew there were many things I could learn from them, but I also felt I had a lot that I could contribute.” You need only to view ABS customer’s testimonials to see his impact.

“Our customers not only described noticeable

15 Private Lender

investor-management improvements but commented on being able to watch their investor base grow since the addition of our app.” Jasen said with a smile.

Jasen explained the iPad app as an intuitive and clever product that works seamlessly with the Loan Servicing Software, “It allows investors to use their iPads to check anything related to their portfolios, payments, loans, delinquencies, and investments. No phone calls or paper reporting necessary, and the app is available to investors 24/7 from anywhere they have an Internet connection.”

Whether at home, on vacation, or on route, the app provides the investor with the ability to control their investment and receive information anytime, thus increasing their loyalty to ABS customers.

ABS is very pleased to have added Jasen to the team, but he insisted that he doesn’t want to be referred to as a hot shot programmer. “I am just one programmer here, but I do really enjoy innovating and making an already fantastic product even better.”

His skills and talent have already improved the products and customer satisfaction, plus ABS customers have quickly learned that investors will also benefit from his future enhancements to The Mortgage Office loan servicing software.

Business Strategy

ARE WE BEING TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT THE REAL ESTATE RECOVERY? THINGS AREN’T AS ROSY AS THE HEADLINES INDICATE

BY Eddie Speed and Kevin Shortle

Stock Photo

16 Private Lender

Business Strategy

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Business Strategy

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Legislation

SELLING CONGRESS ON SELLER FINANCING A COALITON OF LENDERS AND NOTE TRADERS IS TRYING TO REVERSE OVER-REGULATION BY EDUCATING ELECTED OFFICIALS.

BY JAMES HART

W

hen Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act and the SAFE Act, the stated goal was to protect the average homebuyer and rein in the bad actors who helped cause the financial crisis of 2008.

Unfortunately, those regulations have had a major impact on private lenders, note traders and others who work with seller-financed mortgage notes — people who didn’t have anything to do with the economic meltdown.

about the industry and push for legislation that could reform or eliminate burdensome rules.

‘We don’t have any false impressions’ In addition to Repass, the other founding members of the Seller Finance Coalition include Scot Campbell of SR Campbell Properties, Glenn Lee of Texas Funding, and Eddie Speed of Colonial Funding Group and NoteSchool.

The coalition formed in early 2014 and hired the Keelen Group, a Washington, D.C.-based firm, “We just got kind of sucked up into the vacuum,” to serve as its lobbyist. said Bob Repass, managing In February, coalition director at Colonial Funding “We’re following the same rules that members traveled to Capitol Group in Dallas. “We’re some of the big banks have to follow Hill and met with 16 following the same rules that and we’re not part of that world.” different representatives or some of the big banks are their staffers, including both -Bob Repass, having to follow, and we’re Republicans and Democrats.

Seller Finance Coalition not part of that world.”

Under the SAFE Act, for example, seller-financiers must now pass a difficult national licensing test if they want to do more than a few deals per year. The test covers Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA and similar loans, which people in this sector don’t originate.

Frustration over the new rules — and a growing concern that overregulation could force them out of business — has led Repass and several colleagues to form the Seller Finance Coalition.

The organization is working to educate elected officials

“Those conversations served a dual purpose,” Repass said, “Obviously, coalition members wanted Congress to know how Dodd-Frank and SAFE had hurt their operations.”

But Repass and his colleagues also explained that, if the rules drive sellerfinanciers out of business, the public is ultimately going to suffer.

The coalition’s members provide financing that most banks won’t touch, usually less than $100,000, for people in inner cities and rural areas

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Legislation

Glen Lee, president of Texas Funding; Scot Campbell of SR Campbell Properties; and Bob Repass, managing director at Colonial Fund Group formed the Seller Finance Coalition to educate policy makers about the important role that seller financing plays in our economy that are traditionally underserved by institutional lenders.

“I think the light went on for a lot of people,” Repass said.

The coalition is working on legislation to reverse some of the worst new regulations. In fact, by the time you read this, their first bill might have already been introduced in Congress.

Despite the early positive feedback from elected leaders, Repass is realistic about the path forward.

They’re not going to be able to repeal entire laws; chipping away at them is more likely. Even that can take time, especially during an election year.

“I think it will be relatively easy to get bills introduced,” Repass said, “but we don’t have any false impressions on how hard it is to get bills passed through both houses of Congress and signed by the president.”

Across the aisle, across the country Besides pushing for regulatory changes, the coalition’s other immediate job is to add more members. So far, about a dozen people from across the country are part of the group, and more are

22 Private Lender

joining all the time, Repass said.

That can only help the coalition as it tries to convince Congress to pursue policies that don’t hurt seller-financiers. One of the first things that elected officials ask is whether the organization has any members in their state.

“We’re going to take this thing across the aisle and across the country,” Repass said.

Even if Dodd-Frank and SAFE magically disappeared tomorrow, there would still be a need for the Seller Finance Coalition to exist. Somebody needs to be around to represent the industry’s interests and fight the wrong-headed regulation waiting around the corner.

“You’ve got to have a coalition or an association in place to handle whatever regulations come down the pike,” Repass said.

James Hart is managing editor of Community Investor magazine. For more information about the Seller Finance Coalition, visit www.sellerfinancecoalition. org.

aaplonline.com

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Tech Tools

5 Social Tools for Small Businesses What’s the one thing that we never have enough of? TIME!

By Chrissey Breault

T

hose of us who run small businesses, the one thing that we never have a lot of is time.

Many small businesses don’t want to or don’t think they need to spend time finding or learning how to use the right tools to achieve your goals. The reality of today’s social world is that there isn’t a point in having a social presence if you don’t have any goals or even know who you want to reach.

Every situation is different, so I’m starting off by assuming a social media plan has already been drafted. I am also going to assume that you have a presence on at least one of the Big 5 (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube) and that you already have a website, maybe even with a blog. The biggest advantages in social media for business is in driving traffic back to your website. It’s a key strategy in proving or showing that you are the expert in your field.

You’ll need to decide which social managment tools you want to use. It can be a difficult choice due to all the decisions you will have to make, for instance; how many people are going to manage your social channels and what’s your budget?

I’m not including those tools in today’s lesson. Besides, I may mention something that will be so effective at managing your channels that you might be able to get away with not using tools such as Hootsuite, TweetDeck, SproutSocial, or Sendible. (I’m not knocking them. I’m an avid TweetDeck user myself.)

Alright, are you ready? Here we go!

1. GOOGLE ANALYTICS! (Yes, I’m yelling that.)

Anybody who has a website and/or a blog NEEDS TO

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HAVE INSTALLED GOOGLE ANALYTICS. It had a complete overhaul in 2011, and now includes custom dashboards and real time statistics and it even has a very powerful social media analytics report built in. If you don’t track your visits and visitors on your website then how can you tell if your social media presence is making a difference?

2. bit.ly A URL shortening service.

There are several shortener services available but bit. ly is my go-to. Historically, the limited number of characters would make using full URLs a giant space-waster. Now, Twitter has it’s own shortener - t.co. Great shortcut, right?

NO! (Yes, I’m yelling again.) Most URL shorteners don’t just shorten your URLs- they offer analytics and tracking. AND, if you shorten all your URLs across all your social network with the same URL shortener you can track all of your social networks from one dashboard. I prefer bit.ly because it is very widely used and has great analytics. You can easily see how many times a link in a tweet had been clicked as well as from what network was being used.

3. MailChimp MailChimp is an email marketing and newsletter service with a proven track record - they’ve been going since 2001! We are highlighting the importance of socal media today - but the point of all social tools is to meet your

Tech Tools

customers where they are. That means you can’t forget email. The stories about younger generations not bothering with email any more should be dismissed. Think about it; what do you need to sign up for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like? A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS! My favorite perk of MailChimp-beside their fun marketing and phenomenal customer service - is that most of the features are free! Even better? That phenomenal service doesn’t change just because you opted for free services!

4. Commun.it This is a great social media relationship mangement tool. It helps you find out who is in your Twitter community and those who are influencers.

Instead of getting notifications for every mention or retweet and stopping everything else you could be doing to send “thank yous,” take about 10 minutes on Comm.it and reply to all your outstanding mentions, thank people for retweeting, thank those who are in your community, find those who have linked to your blog and engage, thank any new followers and dig deeper to interact with those on your local lists. It also takes it to the next level; you can find out who has unfollowed you and decide whether or not you want to unfollow them too! Sounds a little high schoolish, huh? Still, it’s a necessary evil - social breakups.

Core features of Commun.it are free (catching on to how much I love free things?!) but even the plans are reasonably priced and can give you access to all kind of reporting features, as well as unlimited monitor items, engaged members and custom groups for up to four Twitter accounts.

5. Feedly I joked about unfollowing people above, but there are actually good reasons. One biggie is that the posts

are ‘ME ME ME,” - not caring about others. If you are only posting about yourself then you are missing the point of social networking. It is about sharing others’ content, too. People are more likely to invest in you if you invest in others - particularly if you are sharing their content. There are some websites and bloggers that consistently produce awesome content - I like to share all kinds of random tidbits.

But, how do you keep an eye on it? How do you find it? That’s where feed reader apps come in. Feedly is my favorite. Things start to become difficult to keep an eye on after five websites for me - it’s probably 10 to 20 for most people - a feed reader takes the RSS feed from all the blogs and websites you want to keep on top of, then lists them for you in an easy to read way. You can save an article for later or instantly share to other social networks.

There you go. Five social tools that small businesses could...should be using. Of course, there are other great tools that have been omitted, maybe they will pop up in another article.

A Pittsburgh native, Chrissey started a part-time photogprahy and design business in 2008, while working full-time in local government communications.

She currently is the Director of Marketing and Education Services with the American Association of Private Lenders. Follow Chrissey @CBExpressions on Twitter.

Are you

Passionate?

Experienced?

Compentent?

WRITE FOR PRIVATE LENDER! Contact Chrissey for more information.

913-888-1250

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The American Association of Private Lenders serves as a catalyt for professional growth by: • Fostering education • Providing networking • Promoting best practices

Don’t end up like this guy.

Join Today!

.com

www.aaplonline

Manage and Lead

10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS NETWORKING WANT TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS NETWORKING MORE EFFECTIVE? HERE ARE TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND

BY STEPHANIE SPEISMAN

E

ffective business networking is the linking together of individuals who, through trust and relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another.

Keep in mind that networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others Ask yourself what your goals are in participating in networking meetings so that you will pick groups that will help you get what you are looking for.

Some meetings are based more on learning, making contacts, and/or volunteering rather than on strictly making business connections.

Visit as many groups as possible that spark your interest. Notice the tone and attitude of the group. Do the people sound supportive of one another? Does the leadership appear competent? Many groups will allow you to visit two times before joining.

remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you visible to them.

Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, for whom, and what makes your doing it special or different from others doing the same thing. In order to get referrals, you must first have a clear understanding of what you do that you can easily articulate to others.

Be able to articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you. Too often people in conversations ask, “How may I help you?” and no immediate answer comes to mind.

Follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor that and your referrals will grow.

Hold volunteer positions in organizations. This is a great way to stay visible and give back to groups that have helped you.

Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa. Express that you enjoyed meeting them, and ask if you could get together and share ideas.

Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.

Stephanie Speisman is a Success Coach who coaches groups and individuals in business networking skills based on her booklet “99 Tips for Successful Business Networking.” Contact info: (301)469-8015, successcoach@erols.com.

Become known as a powerful resource for others.

When you are known as a strong resource, people

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COLORADO Company Name

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Bridge Capital Resources LLC

Greg

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(303) 475-5873

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Colorado Federal Savings Bank

Jonathan

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Forrest Financial Group

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Redemption Company LLC

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FutureGen Capital

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RevitaLending, LLC

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FLORIDA Realiquidators, LLC

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Rollins Consulting Group

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Make it Move! Properties

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Wallace Capital

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MARYLAND Advance America Property

Guy

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MidAtlanticIRA

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Blair

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Jack

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RealInvestors, LLC

Sherman

Ragland

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Specialty Lending Group

Jeffrey

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Marshall

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MICHIGAN Dusek Network, Inc

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E3 Funding

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Mock

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REAL FIC REALTY, INC

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John

Duffy

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Larry

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Alex

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Heilstein Lending, LLC

Kimberly

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(910) 366-0192

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Valley Song Capital Management, Inc

Meg

Winberg

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NEW JERSEY Alpha Funding Solutions

David

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(732) 657-2014

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Asset Based Lending, LLC

Paul

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(201) 942-9090

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Toll Bridge Capital Partners

Darin

Haft

(561) 705-7740

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(505) 344-4734

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Kate

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Credit Circle

David

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Gemini Capital Managers

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Jonathan

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(419) 841-7503

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Breslin

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Downs

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Dunkel

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Hytha

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