Loretta,

We have all benefitted from this site. It is the only one that produces results. The new marketing plan proposed by SOT is going to require an infusion of cash. When we began to discuss this in October a number of different plans were discussed. However, all of them contemplated a cash contribution by those participating in the marketing program. We talked about trying to keep it to an amount that everyone could afford. The subscription fee and enhannced listing fee are completely in line with the dollar figures we talked about at that time. SOT has produced business for all of us to date with little or no funding from the members. The funding resulting from the subscriptions will only augment the results thus far produced.

In so far as comming up with the payment is concerned, it is a simple matter of reallocating advertising budgets. In our case we plan to cut it out of the funds we normally allocate to yellow pages advertising...a very expensive but lack luster advertising medium. For those with a small advertising budget, internet advertising may be the best route to follow. Radio and television is far too expensive for most people. Print is the least efficient of all the media in reaching the target audience, and it is difficult to change the information in the add after it is printed unless you reference a website with the information that you wish to change. I think we should all give it a shot. If it does not work, we can try something else.

It sounds like Maryland is becomming a difficult place to work for title producers. That is all the more reason to advertise. Most of us have taken a very passive attitude to the title companies forcing reduced fees, the title insurers reclaiming the role of the signing agent and various states redefining abstracting and closings as a practice of law. This is an instance in which Ghandi was wrong.Passive resistance will not work. We have to think of more creative ways to actively market our businesses in order to survive. What SOT has proposed looks pretty good.