In the recent 2010 Spring Auction in Beijing a Chinese Ming style stone brown teapot sold for two million US dollars. Created in 1948 by Master Ceramicist,Gu Jingzhou, who was treasured as an artist, on par with the famed artists in the Ming Dynasty.

The clay for the pot comes from Yixing (pronounced eeshing) and is prized by ceramiscists for it porous nature containing no lead as well as its unusual colors, brown, orange, blue, red, and in its rarest colors, purple.  This partiular teapot is brown, and has calligraphy etchings on the surface by artist Wu Hufan. As tea is brewed in the pot is absorbs the flavor of the tea and it said to have minerals that contribute to good health.  The pot becomes an integral part in the enjoyment of the tea.

It is truly important, as a luxury real estate marketing professional to examine and re-examine the meaning of luxury itself. Like beauty, luxury is in the eyes of the beholder. What we so often take for granted is the abundance of free experiences available to us, especially via the internet, experiences that are true luxuries. The wealth of free information that is literally at our fingertips is astonishing.  

For example, some many consider it a luxury to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey Bay, California. The cost is $29.95 for adults and 17.95 for children (3-18).  Students get a slight discount. Of course, there is the cost of getting there, if you do not live close by.

But, you can “visit” the aquarium for free via several live web cams (cameras) whenever you wish. There is a kelp cam, a penguin cam, an outer cam and a wading bird cam that features pink flamingos.  Did you know that flamingos are only as pink as the food they eat or that penguins “fly” under water faster than some fish? 

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was the first aquarium to rescue a great white shark.  They were able to keep it in captivity for 175 days until it became too dangerous for the other fish there. You can learn all about this on their website and watch videos about the shark on their You Tube channel.

Nature, the TV channel, produced a special presentation documentary on the aquarium featuring the great white shark and jellyfish.  The aquarium has one the most extensive jellyfish collections in the world. They actually breed these exquisite creatures to populate the ongoing exhibit.

Take the time to ponder what luxury means to you.  Ask your clients as well.  You may be surprised to find that many high net worth individuals consider life’s simple pleasures to be among their most cherished forms of luxury.  

KARL LAGERFELD © CHAMPAGNE MOET & CHANDON 2008

One of the most common traits of a market leader who is interested in sustaining dominance in his or her marketplace and also building a lasting personal brand, is visionary thinking. For those of you luxury real estate marketing professionals with this ambition it is wise to look to luxury brands that have stood the test of time and emulate the standards and the value that these brands embrace. Dom Perignon champagne is brand to emulate.

Dom Pérignon is part of LVMH (Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A.) family of brands, one of the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerates. Dom is a vintage champagne. This means that the champagne is not produced in weak years, and all grapes used to make the wine were harvested in the same year. 

When we lived in Napa Valley, we had the good fortune to sit next to chef de cave (head winemaker) of Dom Pérignon who happened to be dining alone.  We struck up a delightful conversation throughout our meal. 

What was most impressive about his Dom Pérignon stories was the fact that if the grapes are not perfect in a given year they simply will not produce the wine.  In the 80 years between 1921 and 2002 for example, Dom Pérignon champagne has been produced in only 36 years. Three vintage years in a row are a rarity.  This phenomenon only occurred two times: in 1969, 1970 and 1971, in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

CREATE THE “BEST WINE IN THE WORLD”, Pierre Pérignon, 1668.

In 1668, the young monk took up his post as the head of the cellar at the Abbey of Hautvillers . Over three centuries later, Dom Pérignon is the ultimate homage to this visionary spirit and to the founding work of the man who is considered the creator of champagne.

For fun, here some facts about this fabulous champagne: 

• In 1961, Dom Pérignon Vintage 1949 was on the menu for the dinner given at the US Embassy in Paris for Charles de Gaulle and John F. Kennedy during the American president’s official visit.
• In 1981, Dom Pérignon was chosen for the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles. The magnums of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 served at the wedding had a special insignia created just for the ceremony.
• Today, Costo sells more Dom Pérignon than any other retailer in the world.



While it is true that your social life can and should lead to business referrals, it is a good idea for luxury real estate marketing professionals to separate the concept of business networking and social networking.   Business networking can actually increase your bottom line faster because of its focused nature and clear intention: helping one another develop more business. What can be more clear, simple and, most importantly, direct?  

Last night, while on Linked In we noticed a profile of a CEO of a company on the east coast (we are in Santa Barbara, CA) with whom we shared common interests. There was immediate recognition of potential synergies between our companies. We are in a professional group together but we had not yet met. So, we invited him to also join the Language of Luxury group on Linked In.   Within minutes we noticed that he had joined LOL.   

By the time we woke up this morning we received a direct email from him suggesting that we connect.  He too, believed that there were possible ways to develop some business together which we confirmed in a wonderful phone conversation this A.M. Yes, we just used the “P” word! 

Phones are the missing link in online networking. In fact, the entire purpose of business networking online is to set up a phone conversation.  Between Skype, which is free, and smart phones with ridiculously low monthly fees (as compared to the cost of long distance calls in previous decades), there is absolutely no excuse for not picking up the phone.   Now, you can actually have an instant face-to-face meeting (e.g., with Skype video or iPhone 4 “face time”).

Business networking, online facilitates WARM PHONE CALLS! And, that is what most luxury real estate marketing professionals have lost sight of in this hurricane of white noise about social networking.

This very same morning, Alexandra noticed that an interesting company just started following us on Twitter.  She always looks up each of our followers’ profiles to see if there is a commonality and a reason to connect by phone.  In this case, there was, indeed, potential for mutual business.  So, Alexandra shot off a email and suggested that we connect directly. 

Within 5minutes we got a phone call from the director of business development from this company!  [Rapid response communication is one of our most highly valued business practices]. We had an excellent conversation and set up a phone meeting with the CEO of the company for Friday ( 2 days later).

Can you see the difference in the speed of concrete results between social networking and business networking online?  The key to successful business networking interactions is having it be equally important to give as it is to receive.  Sometimes there is only giving on your part.  But, it all balances out if you keep an abundant mindset, which is worth acquiring and maintaining in the field of luxury real estate marketing.

Studying the pursuits of your clients is extremely important to your success as a luxury real estate marketing professional.  Although this may not apply to all of your clients or to all luxury real estate markets, the quest to possess the finest and the rarest objects in the world is definitely one of the exciting sports of high net worth individuals.

For those of you and your clients who fancy fine champagne, here is some interesting news. A group of divers exploring a ship wreck in the Baltic Sea happened upon a bottle of champagne that is believed to be produced in the late 18^th century.  It could very well be the oldest champagne in the world!

The divers were hoping to determine the year the ship sank by dating the champagne.  Experts believed that, based on the shape of the bottle, it was made in the late 18^th century.  They were 98% certain that it was one of the first vintages of Veuve-Clicquot that was established in 1772.

Remarkably, when the bottle was opened, it was drinkable and retained its very small bubbles.  It was suggested that the vessel was most likely on its way to St. Petersburg, which was then the capital of  Tsarist Russia.

Researching those subjects that interest your clients the most and then speaking their language can make the difference between getting the listing or not.  Knowledge is not just power.  It can translate  into gold. 

Speaking of gold, you may also be interested that a white gold covered 3 liter bottle, a jeroboam, of Dom Perignon sold for $17,000 in 2008.  At the time, it was the most expensive bottle of champagne in the world.

Dive deeper into the pursuits of your high net worth clients.  This is a requirement for those of you who seek to achieve top-of-mind status in your luxury real estate marketplace.

This beautiful property is walking distance to the center of Saint Tropez and the beaches.  And, the sale includes a 1984 Rolls Royce Corniche.

Features:

• 6 bedrooms/bathrooms
• Living area with bay windows
• Studio (1 bedroom/kitchenette)
• Pool
• Furnished with fine furniture

Sale Price: 6 900 000 Euro

For more information contact:

Magda Vandenbussche-Knop

magda.knop@engelvoelkers.com

As a luxury marketing professional one of the great ways to promote your marketplace is to report on the local festivities.  For example, we are planning to go to the Annual French Festival in Santa Barbara, Saturday and Sunday, July 17 & 18 (Bastille Day Weekend), from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Santa Barbara's Oak Park.  This is the 23^rd annual event, and they are expecting over 20,000 people to attend.  Admission is Free.

Some of the highlights include, a poodle parade, French chefs preparing typical French delicacies both savory and sweet.  French beer and wines as well as champagne will be available.  Also, former French colonies will be represented such as Vietnam (French Indochina) as well as Morocco and French Polynesia.

Forty acts on three stages will feature continuous entertainment of music, dancing (can-can), as well as cabaret style (Edith Piaf) to name a few. If you love anything French, it is a great opportunity to meet people, join a French speaking club, and learn about interesting trips to France.  There will be a drawing to win a trip to Paris or Tahiti. 

Another way to promote YOU is to be a sponsor for one of these events.  The sponsors are always promoted and appreciated by the organizers who have large spheres of influence and may become your ardent referral sources.  Or, you could always volunteer to help at the event.

So, follow that poodle and get involved in local community events.  It is fun and also good for your luxury real estate marketing practice.



As a luxury real estate marketing professional, seeking market leadership, have you ever considered teaming up with another superstar in your marketplace to better compete with the current market leader or to secure your market leadership position?  Sometimes joining forces can yield better results for both of you, more so than your combined production as separate players. The buzz that could be created by an announcement of your partnership may be just what you are looking for to catch the competition off guard and tip the scale in your favor.

 Are you a LeBron James fan or foe?  The latest media frenzy that centered on his “big decision” to stay in Cleveland or “take his talents elsewhere” (namely Miami) has polarized basketball fans the world over.  Like him or not ESPN scored a major coup in creating an hour long TV “special” around the decision and triggering a controversy heard around the globe. This level of hype for a sports news company has overshadowed its closest competitors. What is at stake? Being able to attract more advertising dollars both on TV and online--that is what is at stake.

To compete with ESPN, Turner's sports division is about to take control of the Web business of Sports Illustrated, owned by Time Warner's Time Inc. magazine unit. The partnership will combine Sports Illustrated's SI.com and Golf.com with a the websites managed by Turner Sports, including NBA.com, Nascar.com and PGA.com.

Time Warner estimates that the combination of websites will reach 40 million unique monthly visitors in the United States. To put this in perspective, according to comScore Inc.Yahoo was the most-popular online sports destination in May, with 35.9 million unique visitors. ESPN, which is owned by Walt Disney Company, had 25.4 million in the same period.

If joining forces with a competing luxury real estate agent indicates to you as a good decision, be very careful how you brand your new team. "Turner/SI Digital" is nowhere close to being as powerful as simply Sports Illustrated Digital. Perhaps this is just a working name for now, but brand name recognition should be of paramount importance in your “big decision”.

You will notice that the photo above is not LeBron.  It is five time NBA World Champion, Kobe, the undisputed MVP in our book.





Affluence begins with an affluent state of mind. One of the best ways to stand out as a luxury real estate marketing professional is to hold the vision of a vibrant economic future, yours in particular. View the present marketplace as a place of opportunity rather than focus on the reality as presented to us by the media and other naysayers.  What is true is that some luxury homes are selling in most upper tier marketplaces. The question is, “are you in this rosy part of the picture?”

Maintaining a positive point of view definitely requires continuous practice. It is not like you need to hide from the negative, the trick is not to DWELL on it and “accentuate the positive”, as the song says. 

Here are 8 tips to get you back on the positive train of thought and keep you there more often.

1.  Appreciate someone or something around you.

2.   Focus on something beautiful such as your pet, a flower, a tree, or the abundance of cherries that are currently in season.

3.   Distract yourself with a few deep breaths

4.   Take a walk around the block, or exercise

5.   Give a sincere compliment, or two, or three.

6.  Share some good news

7.  Make maintaining a positive viewpoint a top priority in your life

8.  When all else fails, lie down, pull the covers over your head, and don’t move till you feel better. In other words, keep a good sense of humor. And, remember that life is just a bowl of cherries.

 Here is an excerpt from today’s post in the Mayo Clinic blog regarding the advantages of positive thinking for your health:

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

Think more positively!  It not only is good for your personal health, it is good for your personal wealth, your personal affluent economy.

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