Showing posts with label Wisconsin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wisconsin. Show all posts

Friday, June 22, 2007

Hey, how 'bout them Mets!!


OK, so nobody liked my last blog (not a comment) - well I wasn't too fond of it either. But I had to use my right as an American and brag a little - with a wise lesson included - in case my Mom ever buys a computer.

Who am I kidding - she only learned the popcorn button on the microwave last week! I did it for me. I confess. And it felt GOOD!

Now, there are many blogs floating around (mental image registered) that are screaming about NEGATIVES. So, I decided to change the subject. I love the New York Mets (but not as much as the Yankees, mostly due to cool Joe Torre). Well, I don't really love the Mets - it's more a geography-based "like" of the Mets, but I love the line, Hey, how 'bout them Mets!! that has appeared in TV and movies whenever someone was in an awkward situation and wanted a distraction or subject change.

Now don't get me wrong - the Mets (Metropolitan Baseball Club) are a team I've been following for over 40 (did I say that?) years. In my adolescence I would listen from my bedroom in Upstate New York to the Mets' night games as I drifted off to a restless sleep on a very, warm muggy, still August night (couldn't use HOT August night - I'd be in the clutches of Neal Diamond's attorneys). OK (again). It was HOT! There was no "drift." I laid there in my sweat, flipping my pillow to the "cool" side about every ten minutes listening to a rookie named Nolan Ryan walk batter after batter in the ninth inning to swipe defeat from the jaws of victory.

I remember feeling so sorry for the hapless speedballer that one night a single tear slipped down my cheek to further moisten my already sloshy feather pillow. Now, in retrospect, I might concede it was probably another drop of sweat. Man it was HOT!

Well, I'm through here. Just a respite from the negatives of the world. I use Hey, how 'bout them Mets!! to distract me - you can use it or get your own. Works for me.

Art Blanchet

YHYM



Thursday, May 24, 2007

BRAT FEST - Madsion's Summer Kick-off





25-29 May 2007 Madison, Wisconsin


Gas prices are up! Memorial Day is here! Summer begins in America, heralded by the World's Largest Brat Fest!

Little did I know when I moved to Wisconsin a half-decade ago that I'd be participating the event that makes even the greediest cardiologist flinch! BRAT FEST!


This memorial day weekend join us in Madison Wisconsin as we celebrate the consumption of artery-clogging foodstuffs that helped make this nation great - well, great big and fat!


When I moved to WI in spring 2002 I'd never even heard of Bratwurst. One day while at my sister's, my brother-in-law asks if I'd like a "brat" (a what?). OK. It was hot and it had that fat-taste our tongues just can't refuse. Next day, nice weather - we're grilling. Same question - brat? (I guess so). After about a week of this I began to see a pattern - this food (pronounced "braht" with the soft "ah") is a staple here! Welcome to Wisconsin.





My first Brat Fest was in May of that year - what a blast! So ever since that Day of Decadence I've been supporting Boy Scout Troop 90 (in my own brat-eating way) and grilling brats by the hundreds as I join the line-up of 40-plus commercial grills and listen to the Johnsonville diesel roaring from the semi containing the World's Largest Grill (everything is World's Largest here!).


Brat Fest was a twice per year routine until 2005 - now it's the summer kickoff. Troop 90 is one of dozens and dozens of charity orgs that share in the profits - the Metcalf family splits the profits among the hundreds of volunteers' groups and they (The Metcalfs-organizing family of madmen and madwomen) get to clean up the mess and prepare for the NEXT year of rides, games, music, food, and summer fun!

Our goal this year: Break the Record of 189,432 Brats consumed. Or really just to have fun. My goal - to get back to grilling brats - last year I was on Hot Dog Duty - boiled hundreds of those puppies (5 to a pound of the Oscar Mayer brand - local Madison company) for kids and The Timid. But I'm a purist and want back into the Manly Art of Grilling. Whatever they need...rain or shine!


Brat Fest is now at the Alliant Energy Center on Willow Island. Come on down or shop for BratGear on the web. FREE admission, FREE parking, FREE entertainment, and I'll give FREE mortgage advice if you can find me - I'll be the guy in the yellow Bratfest shirt...


Art Blanchet


Bill Quigley


Your Home - Your Brat Fest!













25-29 May 2007 Madison, Wisconsin


Gas prices are up! Memorial Day is here! Summer begins in America, heralded by the World's Largest Brat Fest!

Little did I know when I moved to Wisconsin a half-decade ago that I'd be participating the event that makes even the greediest cardiologist flinch! BRAT FEST!


This memorial day weekend join us in Madison Wisconsin as we celebrate the consumption of artery-clogging foodstuffs that helped make this nation great - well, great big and fat!


When I moved to WI in spring 2002 I'd never even heard of Bratwurst. One day while at my sister's, my brother-in-law asks if I'd like a "brat" (a what?). OK. It was hot and it had that fat-taste our tongues just can't refuse. Next day, nice weather - we're grilling. Same question - brat? (I guess so). After about a week of this I began to see a pattern - this food (pronounced "braht" with the soft "ah") is a staple here! Welcome to Wisconsin.





My first Brat Fest was in May of that year - what a blast! So ever since that Day of Decadence I've been supporting Boy Scout Troop 90 (in my own brat-eating way) and grilling brats by the hundreds as I join the line-up of 40-plus commercial grills and listen to the Johnsonville diesel roaring from the semi containing the World's Largest Grill (everything is World's Largest here!).


Brat Fest was a twice per year routine until 2005 - now it's the summer kickoff. Troop 90 is one of dozens and dozens of charity orgs that share in the profits - the Metcalf family splits the profits among the hundreds of volunteers' groups and they (The Metcalfs-organizing family of madmen and madwomen) get to clean up the mess and prepare for the NEXT year of rides, games, music, food, and summer fun!

Our goal this year: Break the Record of 189,432 Brats consumed. Or really just to have fun. My goal - to get back to grilling brats - last year I was on Hot Dog Duty - boiled hundreds of those puppies (5 to a pound of the Oscar Mayer brand - local Madison company) for kids and The Timid. But I'm a purist and want back into the Manly Art of Grilling. Whatever they need...rain or shine!


Brat Fest is now at the Alliant Energy Center on Willow Island. Come on down or shop for BratGear on the web. FREE admission, FREE parking, FREE entertainment, and I'll give FREE mortgage advice if you can find me - I'll be the guy in the yellow Bratfest shirt...


Art Blanchet


Bill Quigley


Your Home - Your Brat Fest!









Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Mortgage Lessons Learned from Tiger Woods

4 April 2007

Reprinted form Tom Domin's Mortgage Marketing Toolkit article pages. As some of you may have figured out, I like Tom and his advice, tools, and helps. He asks what appears to be a more-than-fair price for his materials, but also gives away much for free. While his info is geared toward Mortgage Professionals, there is much in the way of truth for all pros here. I also like this article as I am a Tiger fan and enjoy the stats. (Art Blanchet)

A Valuable Mortgage Lesson Learned From Tiger Woods

Unless you've been living in a cave or under a rock the last few years, you've seen first hand how Tiger Woods has become one of the most dominate forces in men's golf.

We watched as he won the CA Championship at Doral Golf Club this past weekend by two strokes. Woods won this event for the sixth time, more than any other tournament. Tiger is believed to be the first player to win a tournament six times on six courses - in Spain, Ireland, Atlanta, San Francisco, London and Miami, the latter on a Blue Monster course where he has won the last three years.

There is no doubt we are witnessing the performance of a truly great athlete. His dedication and preparation is truly amazing. He finished at 10 under par at 278 and earned $1.35 million for his second victory of the year, and 56th of his career.

You're probably asking...Where's that mortgage lesson you talked about? OK...Here we go!

On every hole that Tiger plays (whether it is practice or sanctioned play) a gentleman follows Tiger closely...charting each stroke and documenting the results. He maintains a low profile and you would find it difficult to pick him out from the gallery that follows Tiger on every hole. He documents each hole, of each round, at each location that Tiger plays.

Just so you know, the gentleman's name is Hank Haney and he is the "Swing Coach" of Tiger Woods. Tiger pays Hank one million dollars a year plus expenses to perform this function. Hank Haney charts each stroke from tee to green, analyzes each stroke, and then recommends the appropriate practice to correct the problems that he may have noted.

Hank Haney doesn't organize Tiger's travel plans or make hotel reservations, and he doesn't chart the golf course (that's the job of Steve Williams, Tiger's caddie of six years). As a side note, Tiger pays Steve some 10% of all purse monies. Hank Haney gets paid to do just one thing...to be Tiger's "Swing Coach."

Today, most of the top pros on the tour employ a "Coach." We picked Tiger to underscore our point here: Why would a man so naturally talented and currently so dominating in his profession, be willing to invest such a huge amount of money into his game?

The answer is simple! He's investing in his business...his livelihood...and, his future. He knows that to stay ahead of his competition he needs to invest, or better yet...re-invest in his business at every opportunity. With tour earnings of $9.9 million in 2006...Tiger spent more than 20% of that amount to improve his business

I am always amazed by the number of Loan Officers/Mortgage Brokers who don't spend more than fifty dollars a year on their own professional growth. We're in a profession that's changing daily and by leaps and bounds, and most mortgage folks refuse to invest in their business.

There's no doubt, you began a strong mortgage career, and you really got into it - but then you fell asleep at the switch and forgot to do those basic things like read industry publications or new books by sales masters. You don't go to sales seminars. You don't listen to audios or view videos on sales-related topics. You don't have any paid subscriptions to newsletters that could improve your mortgage knowledge or capability. In short, you don't constantly re-invigorate and improve your business or yourself.

If you want to survive and prosper in the Mortgage Business today...you need to be a "Tiger."

************************************************************************************************

About the Author: Tom Domin has over twenty-five years of experience in Real Estate and Mortgages. Tom is the author of "101 Ways to Originate Mortgages" available at http://www.101WaysToOriginateMortgages.com/ and publisher of "Tom's Mortgage Tips" a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter that is geared for Mortgage Professionals. You can sign-up by visiting http://www.MortgageMarketingToolKit.com

Copyright (C) 2007 Sunset Management Solutions, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

FSBO vs Realtor - The Truth Will Set You Free

31 March 2007


FSBOs are your friend. When you consider (depending upon the source) that about 70% of FSBOs are eventually sold by Realtors, there is a massive market out there. Can they be YOUR market?


One simple tool - one idea: You can help a FSBO with a CMA to help them price their home (per local real estate laws and guidelines) and in turn possibly become their Buyer's agent - they're moving somewhere.


We took this concept a little further.


We recently did an eight-show radio (WTDY) series of FSBO episodes that incorporated other industry pros (realtor, mortgage, attorney, HOW, title, whatever) instructing FSBO owners on how to sell their homes. We were sincere and focused and offered all the advice and marketing techniques at the disposal of our impromptu "team." Did we hurt ourselves in this market?


We doubt it. Ignorance can indeed be bliss - we painted a very real picture of pitfalls, responsibilities, costs, and obligations, yet we still encouraged. But people are people and each will respond differently to the info. Some might do it, some might be overwhelmed and call right for help away, and some might ignore us - but no one made any enemies by offering the help and opening a dialogue.


Consider yourself - how many self-help books do you read and how many do you REALLY follow?! Information itself use useless without implementation. FSBO sellers are no different.


We can embrace the FSBO and build relationships or we can consider them lost forever. Since 70% sell through somebody, that somebody could be you. Even if all the free info changes that to 60% or 50%, that's still a big fat opportunity.


If you send an email I'll point you to the audio archives (podcasts). Or catch a link on our home page. Or go to the player in the right-hand margin.

Art Blanchet


Bill Quigley




Friday, March 23, 2007

KIVA Talk-A-Thon Called a Screaming Success

20 March 2007 - First Day of Spring

KIVATHON called a screaming success! TalkShoe (http://www.talkshoe.com) - our premiere podcasting relationship (and the place where you can find our archived radio shows) - staged a 24-hour KIVATHON from March 18th thru March 19th, Noon to Noon. The Your Home-Your Money radio Mortgage Guys - Bill and Art - hosted one of the hours and had a blast. The interactive podcast talkathon - the first of its kind - raised money and awareness for http://www.kiva.org/, the world leader in online microlending.

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You can go to http://www.kiva.org/ to see how it all works.

Microlending consists of giving small loans to (very) small businesses and entrepeneurs in developing nations, ones where the economy and regular banking do not allow the "little guy" to make it. The loans range from $250 to $1300 and will be paid back in 6 to 18 months. At KIVA.org the lender - you or me - invests in $25 increments and we choose the individuals, who are pre-screened, WE want to sponsor. (Don't have $25 right now? TalkShoe can handle smaller investments at their website - Look for the KIVA banner.)

It's fun and rewarding to see a business grow from nothing, especially in areas where women are little more than property and bank interest rates can be as high as 1000% (and you though YOUR interest rate was high!) Each lender gets a "home page" and the people you sponsor - along with their other lenders - are interlinked throughout. There are bargraphs depicting fundraising efforts and reporting the amount of money paid back as a percentage. That's right - lenders get PAID BACK - it IS a loan, you remember. We can then take our money out (we don't get interest) or reinvest in another business. Simple

You can also subscribe to our KIVA blog at http://activerain.com/groups/KIVA and stay in the loop.

Bill and I have our lender page at http://www.kiva.org/lender/YHYM, where you will see our two (so far) entrepreneurs at work. As of the writing of this blog, both Asia (Bulgaria) and Dilorom (Tajikistan) are now fully funded and working their businesses. Booyah!

This is an incredibly worthwhile venture. We urge you to get involved - or to find someone or something you want to help learn and grow and make a better life. Thanks for all you do.

Best wishes.

Art Blanchet

Bill Quigley