Member Services Division Report April 2019 The Member Services Division encompasses many member benefit programs at the Colorado Association of REALTORS (CAR), which include Meetings and Events, Research and Market Trends, Member and Consumer Awareness, Communications, Professional Development and the Legal Hotline. Member Services promotes achievement of the following priority results, as set forth in the Policy Governance Manual: The public values, respects and uses REALTORS. Local associations/boards have support and quality services. Members are knowledgeable of market trends and data, neighborhood and economic statistics. Members are knowledgeable about exclusive benefits. The Member Services Division also develops a plan to support and promote the CARs Value Proposition and Strategic Plan. Key Endeavors: Market Trends The market trends program continues to rank as one of CAR s most used and most-valued member benefits. CAR continues to modify local area reports to better meet the needs of the membership. Visit http://www.coloradorealtors.com/market-trends/ to learn more about this important member benefit. Throughout the last year, we have seen an increase in market trends-related requests from state agencies, universities, and economists who are looking to use CAR Market Trends data as a reliable source of real estate information. Research CAR is involved in an array of other Research activities, including involvement with the Common Sense Policy Roundable (http://commonsensepolicyroundtable.org/remi/ ) and providing various reports to the membership, including the Colorado Home Buyers and Seller s report from NAR. For a full listing of the Coalitions CAR is involved in/has memberships with, please click HERE. Member Surveys CAR continues to plan qualified and quantified member feedback surveys to occur no less than once every two years. We expect to execute a member survey by June of this year to guage our effectiveness in the realm of Member Services and general core services offered by CAR. Media Spokesperson and Public Relations Program Public Relations: CAR s communication team, Government Affairs team, and senior staff continue to work with PR expert Martin Schechter to facilitate media relationships and ensure that CAR s message is consistent throughout all of our programs and services. By providing a clear, consistent message, CAR presents a unified face in all public and media-related communications. Media Relations and the CAR Spokesperson Program (Update provided by Kelly Moye): CAR s spokesperson program has continued to build trusted relationships with members of the media across the state and all media types who call on us when they need to speak with an expert in all things real estate. Trained CAR spokespeople are handling media requests that span issues across the real estate industry to
include legislation, finance, economics, and other housing-related issues. CAR s media monitoring service is showing approximately $1.7 million in PR value associated with over 900 spokesperson/car market trends program mentions and added exposure to millions of Colorado consumers over 250 million times since the beginning of 2018. CAR data and CAR s REALTOR Member Spokespeople continue to be featured in the state s largest publications, TV, and radio. Due to CAR spokesperson training 1.0 and now 2.0, we have more effective and trained spokespeople than ever before. We are reaching most parts of the state and now have the REALTOR voice not just in the front range, but throughout Colorado. Just recently, we offered a live webinar with Leadership Academy students from all over the state on how to better understand and interpret the monthly statistics. Every month, each spokesperson writes a thorough analysis of their market which is then used to produce press releases to the media. We are now being sourced more than any other organization when it comes to what s happening in the market. Many local news outlets call our Spokespeople directly, knowing they will get prompt and accurate information. We believe the CAR Spokesperson program is an effective way to assert Colorado REALTORS as the experts in real estate, and can be considered an arm of the consumer awareness program. CAR Spokesperson Training 1.0: CAR Spokesperson Training 1.0 was offered last month as part of the CAR Leadership Academy. We invited the Pikes Peak Leadership Academy to join us for this one-day training. Spokesperson 1.0 gives attendees a basic understanding of media relations, presentation skills, and allows them studio time to practice on-camera interactions with reporters. CAR Spokesperson Training 2.0: CAR s initiatory advanced CAR Spokesperson Training 2.0 took place last summer as an all-day enhanced training for current CAR spokespeople and CAR leaders who had previously completed 1.0 training. This more advanced training was designed to prepare spokespeople who will be asked to represent Colorado REALTORS and the industry on an array of complex issues in both television news and in local and statewide printed publications. Training 2.0 focuses on tough media questions, taboo issues, crisis management situations, and how to handle legislative issues. CAR is looking to host an additional 2.0 training in the 2019 calendar year. Meetings & Events 2019 Economic Summit and REALTOR Day at the Capitol: CAR s fourth annual Economic Summit and REALTOR Day at the Capitol was held February 4-5, 2019 at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. Economist Elliot Eisenberg joined us for his high-energy economic update. New this year was a Housing for All Panel that brought together experts from AREAA, NAHREP, NAREB, and NAGLREP to discuss how REALTORS can be better advocates for fair housing across Colorado. REALTOR Day at the Capitol featured Chris Brown, Director of Policy and Research with the Common Sense Policy Roundtable (CSPR), discussing the implications of public policy issues in 2019. This continues to be a popular event that gives CAR Leaders a look at potential shifts in the economy and the housing market prior to the busy Spring selling season. Member Services and staff will start initial planning for the 2020 Economic Summit and REALTOR Day at the Captiol by summertime. 2019 AE Symposium: The fourth annual AE Symposium will be held on July 10 & 11, 2019 at the new Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora. At this event, Association Executives get the chance to connect with AEs from across the state at a one-day conference filled with featured speakers, interactive discussion, and idea-sharing.
REfresh Expo: CAR will once again be participating in this industry-wide conference this year in partnerships with real-estate industries across Colorado. It will take place at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver on September 5. Stay tuned for registration information. Fall Forum: This year s CAR Fall Forum will take place in a NEW venue; the Park Hyatt in beautiful Beaver Creek on October 14-16, 2019. This event is geared towards REALTORS who want to become more involved in leadership. Member Services is currently working on discovering speakers and other professional development opportunities for Fall Forum. Industry Events: The CAR team continues to be committed to making sure CAR and the REALTOR message is visible at industry events throughout the state, including association events such as the Northern Colorado REALTOR Summit and the Western Slope REALTOR Rally and industry events such as the CMLA Mortgage Expo. Professional Development Leadership Academy: 16 future REALTOR leaders from 2019 Leadership Academy class will graduate at Spring Summit! This year, we reformmatted the Leadership Academy curriculum to be more expansive and geared towards creating well-rounded leaders for tomorrow. The Leadership Academy is an exclusive fourmonth program packed with challenging workshops, rigorous leadership-focused professional development, networking events, and the knowledge required to strive for a Leadership position. Do you know a Future Leader who could benefit from the program? Follow the link HERE to review the Leadership Academy program and encourage your colleagues to apply for Leadership Academy 2020. Many graduates have gone on to serve in various leadership roles at the local, state and national levels. Some of the accolades for the graduates are: CYPN of the Year, local YPN chair, District Chair, CAR Leadership Council, Board President, BOD at the local and state level, NAR s 30 under 30, local Association Executive, and CAR spokespeople. MIC Drop Videos: MIC Drops are Mini Informational Courses available on CAR s YouTube channel. This year, we revamped the program to allow CAR to respond to industry events/news in a more timely manner, and to give members information on the topics that interest them most. REALTOR Richie Averill will host more interactive and conversational MicDrops, and we re currently exploring creating a series of consumerfocused MicDrops in partnership with the Department of Regulatory Agencies. View the MIC Drop Playlist here. InteractCE: InteractCE continues to add value to REALTORS across the state who need access to CE on an online platform. We re currently working with InteractCE to make some important changes to the program that ll make it easier for REALTORS to access and easier for local associations to help promote the program. In-Person Professional Development Opportunities and Continuing Education: CAR s Professional Development program has focused on providing more in-person professional development and CE, including programs such as the NAR Leadership 300 Course offered at this year s Spring Summit. CAR Representation on DORA s CREC Task Force: CAR staff continues to be a part of the CREC Education Task Force, which is charged with creating the new 2019 Annual Commission Update course for the Colorado Division of Real Estate. The group includes education experts from across the real estate industry, including VanEd, Armbrust Real Estate Institute, CRE School, residential and commercial employing brokers,
the Colorado Association of REALTORS, real estate attorneys, and staff within the Division of Real Estate. We see immense value in being part of this task force to ensure the educational needs of our members are being met and to arm the Division of Real Estate with the knowledge on what real estate topics our members routinely seek legal advice. Member Awareness and Communications One Thing with Justin Knoll - A New video series launched in December of 2018 featuring Justin Knoll and other members discussing Just One Thing REALTORS need to know about CAR each month. Topics range from REALTOR safety tips, to Fair Housing, to business discounts available through CAR. The video series can be found on CAR s YouTube Channel along with other series such as Legal Bites and Mic Drops. Member Tools: CAR strives to create materials that help REALTORS in their business, including Why use a REALTOR infographics, Member Benefit Guides, and other marketing materials. These printed materials are available to the membership on an ongoing basis. You can find these flyers at http://www.coloradorealtors.com/member-resources/ under the Marketing Flyers tab. Why be a REALTOR Elevator Speech The Member Services Committee has been working on a Why be a REALTOR elevator speech that can adopted by CAR Leadership and can be printed onto cards and shared with the general membership. Communications: Continuing into 2019, Communications has put an intense effort into creating original content for the CAR blog and Colorado REALTOR Magazine, both housed on the CAR website. Online News - We continue to publish two monthly Online News emails that go out to CAR membership, educating members on industry and association news. The Online News maintains a 30-40% open rate with the entire CAR membership of just over 26,000 members. Colorado REALTOR Magazine - We have continued to focus on providing original and unique articles that bring value to this member communication. The Colorado REALTOR Magazine continues to be CAR s most read publication with approximately 40% open rate. The April 2019 issue of the Colorado REALTOR Magazine can be found at https://www.coloradorealtors.com/colorado-realtor-magazine-april-2019/. Look for the next issue in July! Social Media CAR staff continually works on social campaigns and paid placement to advance CAR s social influence and interaction. CAR is active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. BOD News and AE News In partnership with CAR Leadership, CAR staff continues to create communication pieces designed to provide detailed communication to both the BOD and AE s on information members want and need. Consumer Awareness Digital Campaigns and Influencer Videos: CAR will continue a successful digital consumer awareness campaign again in 2019, partnering with iheart Radio to provide digital retarget marketing, geofencing, Over-The-Top videos, and social influencer video campaigns utilizing radio personalities. New this year will be influencer videos targeting specific generations of homebuyers and sellers (specifically millennial, Gen X, and baby boomer generations). Social influencer pre-roll videos will run on the iheart Radio app, website, and social media channels to targeted audiences that are looking to buy or sell a home. The 2018
summer campaign social influencer pre-roll videos can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlw1onpogue. These digital tools allow us to deliver a direct and targeted message to the consumer across Colorado about the Value of Using a REALTOR and Why Use A REALTOR. We also believe that continual mention of CAR s Market Trends program within publications and on television/radio stations (as part of the work done with the Market Trends and Media Relations Program), in conjunction with Colorado REALTOR Spokespeople, is also an effective consumer awareness campaign that keeps Colorado REALTORS at the forefront as experts in real estate. Task Forces and Other Strategic Priorities 2019 Global Task Force: CAR is looking into starting a global network at the statewide association level and has initiated a Global Task Force to investigate a broader plan for this network and set initiatives. Chair Inge Frerichs will be moderating a panel at Spring Summit designed to engage membership/leadership in a broader discussion about global networks and their potential impact on REALTOR business and the broader business community. The discussion will revolve around is currently being done in other states and across the nation, and why REALTORS should be embracing global networks. Legal and Risk Management Tools The Legal Hotline: The CAR Legal Hotling continues to be one of the most popular and utilized member benefits. Available to employing/managing REALTORS and their designed REALTOR associates, the Legal Hotline is open 6 hours/day, Monday-Friday. On average, the Hotline continues to average approximately 30 calls per day (150 calls per week) making it one of the most intensively used member benefits. Members continue to have quality access to a competent real estate attorney! Legal Classes: CAR General Counsel, Scott Peterson, continues to deliver his 10 Things CE course (and a variery of other education) to local associations and large brokerage groups throughout the state. 10 Things is very popular and available to local associations and brokers at no-cost. In 2018, Scott provided legal classes to more that 60 distinct local associations, brokerage firms or other real estate industry groups on behalf of CAR. Legal Bites: The award-winning Legal Bites video series, accessed through YouTube and sent out to the membership in both monthly publications, has proven to be a popular video series, garnering thousands of views. Videos are 5-7 minutes long and give the membership detailed information about a single trending hotline issue or other risk management hot topic. The entire Legal Bites series (now including more than 38 individual videos) can be found on CAR s Youtube Channel. Summary The Member Services Division is actively working to provide enhanced benefits and services through 2019. Respectfully submitted, Molly Eldridge 2019 Member Services Division Chair