I’m writing this just as I’m getting ready to leave for Atlanta to attend the RETechSouth conference. I’m looking forward to spending time with my online friends. People that I follow on Twitter, friend on Facebook, Tokbox and LinkedIn. Although I rarely see these people face to face they are friends who I learn from, communicate with via social networking and consider myself fortunate to have connected with.

This is the power of social networking and it works at every level of our business and personal lives. For years I tried to convince agents in training programs and coaching that their buyers and sellers use the Internet when searching for properties. I think with all of research to support this myth, we can safely call this one a myth busted!

Now, we have a new myth to bust. “My clients aren’t on social networking sites.”

Yes, they are. According to Pew Research 35% of adult Internet users now have a profile on at least one social networking site. Among 18-24 year olds, 75% of those who go online have a profile.

These are your current and future clients. The question for real estate professionals today is how are you connecting with these people?

Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t need to spend the next ten years trying to convince real estate professionals the value of adopting social networking practices into their business. If they just took our word for it and starting following the guidance of the many experts out there. They could benefit so much. Instead, many say “show me the proof that social networking will help my business –I don’t think that my clients are on social networking sites.”

So, those that adopt social networking will reap the benefits of building the proof for those that sit back and wait for years of research to prove what we already know today. Think of the lost opportunities.

I recognize, if you are reading this,  I’m likely “preaching to the converted” as they say. But sometimes you just need to vent a little! Thanks for reading.