Contributors
Today’s working smarter tip can really help your business. Agents often get bogged down with too much to do and not enough time in which to do it. A great way to prioritize what you need to do is to ask yourself, “Is this a billable activity?” In other words, think of yourself as an attorney. If you were charging for your services, who would you bill for this time? Make these activities plus your prospecting activities your highest priorities everyday.
Billable Hours
January 5, 2012
Get Your Head Out of the Sand
December 29, 2011
Given that the median age of agents in the U.S. is 54, it comes as no surprise that many older agents don’t believe that they have to be on the social media. Today’s working smarter tip asks this important question: If you’re not speaking to your clients either face-to-face, by phone, or online, the question is which of your competitors is talking to them? If you want to avoid losing clients over time, remember, you must stay in regular contact. If you refuse to get involved in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, then it’s even more important that you’re seeing all past clients at least once a quarter as well as contacting them by phone or email at least once a month.
Being First Matters When Getting a Listing
December 22, 2011
The April edition of Texas Realtor has some fascinating data about how consumers select the agents to represent them. The Texas research shows that 62 percent of all sellers only interviewed one agent. Another three percent ended up doing business with the person who was sitting “floor time” or “up time” in a nearby real estate office. In other words, almost two out of every three consumers hire the agent with whom they have spoken with most recently face-to-face. This is why it’s critical to stay in constant contact with your past clients as well as the other members of your referral database.
Spend Less, Keep More
December 15, 2011
Today’s working smarter tip is about making the necessary changes to shift from being an unconscious spender to being a smart spender. The best way to do this is to form a group. Next plan a competition to see who can cut the most expenses each week as well as who can find the best deals. Don’t make this a burden—have fun. Best of all, working with others helps you to create an environment that supports you to be smart about your spending and can help you weather this tough market.
Expired Listing Script
December 8, 2011
Because the sellers are often angry that their property hasn’t sold, many agents are unwilling to approach owners of expired listings. One of the most common objections you will hear from these owners is this one:
“Where were you when I was listed with XYZ real estate? No one showed my property and now every broker in town is calling on me.”
Here’s a great answer from Bernice’s book, Real Estate Dough Your Recipe for Real Estate Success:
“Mr. and Mrs. Seller, when I take a listing, I focus on getting that property sold. If you listed your property with me, you would want me to focus on selling your listing rather than a competitor’s listing, right?”
Shorten your URLs
December 1, 2011
Have you ever wanted to send a link to a blog post or website to a friend and the link was three lines long? This is a common problem that can be easily remedied with today’s working smarter tip. You can shorten your URL’s by using a service like the one from BudURL.com (That’s “B” as in boy, “U” “D” as in dog, BudURL.com. The great thing about this service as that it allows you to track how many people clicked on your link. This is great for digital newsletters as well as for social media and blog posts.
Are You Ready for an Assistant?
November 24, 2011
Today’s working smarter tip asks the question, “Are you ready for an assistant?” The answer depends on how may transactions you are closing per year. As a rule of thumb, you will need one full time assistant for each 50 transactions you close. Also, don’t make the mistake of having your first assistant be a buyer’s agent. Instead, your first hire should be an administrative person who can help you set up systems for your business. Once you have good systems in place, then you can add another agent. If you don’t follow this advice, you will just be adding more chaos to your life, especially when you’re already overburdened with too much to do.
Become an Expert
November 17, 2011
In the past, it made sense to serve as many people as possible in your market area. Today’s working smarter tip is to stop using the shotgun approach and to specialize in two or three narrow market niches. This is the notion of target marketing. The goal is to make your print and web marketing efforts fit the lifestyle of the specific niche you are serving. For example, if you’re marketing to first time buyers, you don’t want your luxury real estate clients visiting a site that is all about entry-level properties. Your luxury clients will search elsewhere. The best way to determine which niches make the most sense for you is to look at your production. Identify the top two niches that produced the most income for you. Make expanding these niches a priority and don’t forget to target your marketing materials so they match the niche you want to serve.
Face-time Matters
November 10, 2011
There’s an old real estate saying that, “Nothing happens until an agent generates a lead.” Lead generation is your number one job. According to Gary Keller, the founder of Keller Williams, the one job you cannot delegate is your lead generation activity. The best way to generate leads is to spend as much time face-to-face as possible with your referral database. Almost everything else you do can be delegated. For example, if you have extra time between appointments, drop off some microwave popcorn or some hot cookies to one of your stay-at-home mom clients. Your thoughtfulness strengthens your connection, but more importantly, your physical presence is the best reminder to send you referrals.
Niche Your Business with a Niche That Never Goes Away
November 3, 2011
Let’s face it. Unless you absolutely have to sell, most homeowners want to wait for the market to improve before they put their property on the market. The result has been a glut of foreclosure and short sale properties. These properties often require an extraordinary amount of work. There’s another place to look for sellers who must move and they’re generally a lot more fun that working with distressed properties. Some great places to look for these “must move” clients include companies who are relocating to your area or out of your area. You can often discover these companies by tracking the business section of your local paper. Other niches to consider include probate, divorce, retirees, and people who have had a change in their family situation such as needing another room for grandma or a nursery for the new baby.
