This isn't about "five golden rings" or "seven swans a swimming."
Today, we're not talking about "lords a leapin'" or "maids a milking."
I want to talk about some realistic, doable reasons to contact your clients, customers or friends and family. This doesn't need to start on the 12th of December. Heck, it could start the 6 days before Christmas and then conclude the 6 days after Christmas. In fact, that might give it more legs...
Day 1 - Call to wish your contacts "Happy Holidays." - No designation or religious implication. Just a great phone call to let them know you were thinking about them heading into this festive season.
Day 2 - See Day 1, just add the next 10 people on your list. Same message, same emotion.
Day 3-6 - Admit it...if you just made this simple, yet easy, call (possible a 15 second message at most) to your last 50 clients or personal "bullseye" people in your database, you'd have more personal contact and valuable conversations in these six days leading up to one of our biggest holidays than at any other time of the year.
How long could 10 calls a day take you? Even if you still have shopping to complete, take your list of contacts with you. 2 calls between stores means you can "shop and service" at the same time.
Sample dialogue: "Greetings ________________, I was just out doing some last minute shopping and I was thinking about you today. I just wanted to call and say hello and wish you and the family "Happy Holidays." How's the new house? Is it all decorated for Christmas? (or "Do you have your tree set up yet"...or "Does your new neighborhood do lots of decorations outside?")
Christmas Day - No prospecting allowed. Spend the day with family and friends and count your blessings. Turn off your "sales instincts" for this one day.
Day 7 - Touch base with some of your "sphere of influence" and invite them out for coffee, lunch, cocktails or an evening out. Any night between now and New Years. This is a typical "dead time" for many people so it just might be the ideal time to meet up for breakfast, lunch or a holiday beverage and talk about life, family and who knows?...Maybe people they know who might be looking to buy or sell in 2012. Maybe their own familial "life change" that could include a new house?
Day 8 - See who might be celebrating a birthday in late December or January.
What's that? You don't know who has a birthday in December or January? What a great reason to call then, no?
"Hey Mr. ________, I am updating my database for 2012 and I'm trying to make a point of calling all of my friends because I want to have a reason to stay in touch in the new year. Can I get you and your family member's birthdays so I have a reason to keep in touch? Would it be okay if I stayed in touch with you in 2012?"(Let me know how many people tell you "No, we'd rather you drop off the face of the earth and forget about us)
(Trust me...if this is said with a mix of passion and genuine honesty, it will be a great call. - If you have to fake the honesty, please save you and the client the time and skip the call. The insincerity will show through your voice)
Day 9 - See who might be celebrating an anniversary in late December or January. What's that? You don't know who has an anniversary in December or January? What a great reason to call.
"Hey Mr. ________, I am updating my database for 2012 and I'm trying to make a point of calling all of my friends because I want to have a reason to stay in touch in the new year. Can I get you and your wife/husband's anniversary so I have a reason to keep in touch in the years to come?"
(Trust me - see Day 8)
Day 10 - "You know, over the holidays, I have run in to a lot of people who have asked me about the real estate market. So I've decided to put together a real estate newsletter/update/blog letting people know about what is happening in our city/community/neighborhood. Is that something that you would be interested in?
[yes]
"Great. What's the best email address to send this to? I'll make sure you get the newest one immediately.
"By the way, who do you think will be the next person to need real estate help in 2012?"
Day 11 - "Happy New Year to you (and your family)" - This is a perfect dialogue for those clients of yours that you just don't have that great relationship with but still would like to maintain contact with. There's a good chance that they won't want to have much dialogue with you either.
It's not that they don't like or respect you. It's just that they aren't very social people...and you are. So make the call, be polite and friendly, maximize the chances that they add your name and brand to the top of their mind...and move on to the next call.
Day 12 - "Happy New Year. I am just making some early calls today to wish you a safe celebration and to wish your ____________ (insert favorite college or pro football team, college basketball team or hockey team) good luck in their game this weekend.
"I am trying to grow my reach on social media in 2012. What is your Twitter handle? I'll make sure to follow you and will try to tweet you during the action this weekend."
Maybe you meet up to catch a bowl game, a playoff game or just to grab a few Christmas beers at the local pub to catch up. Whatever you do, it's gonna be better than sitting there and waiting for the phone to ring, right?
So what are you going to do? Will you actually put into action these ideas or will you just sit back and wait for 2012 to arrive?
Just like the gifts you'll be receiving in the next few weeks, some will "fit you" perfectly while others will not work so well. That's the same thing with business development ideas. Not all ideas are "one size fits all."
What ideas will you be using to build your business? Are there any other "reasons to call" your clients that I didn't mention? Drop them in the comments box below. Maybe we can all learn some new "hangover remedy" to start the New Year.
Until then, if you do nothing else over these next few "days of Christmas," find a way to build relationships, solve problems and have fun.
Those are the gifts that everyone will love and size, color or flavor doesn't matter.
You've probably had this reaction before, right?
You are out at a upscale restaurant and you order something that sounds delicious on the menu. You're enjoying a glass of wine while you wait for your entree to arrive. Perhaps a bowl of soup or a house salad and a nosh on some bread whets your appetite until the meal is delivered to your table.
The waitress arrives and puts down the item you ordered and you look at the nicely plated entree and think to yourself, "That's it?"
The serving appears small and the entire plate isn't even filled with meat or fish or pork or chicken and there certainly can't be enough potatoes or vegetables to fill you up. Not when you're used to everything being "Biggie-sized" or "extra large," right?
But as you take your first bite the delicious flavors simply ooze into your mouth. You savor the perfect blend of taste and aroma. The side items compliment the main dish perfectly and your enjoyment of the dinner is ideal. In fact, when the waiter returns at the end of the meal to offer desserts, you have to sadly pass because you're too full.
More Isn't Always Better
It's human nature to think that if it's more expensive, it must be better. If someone will give you twenty of something, that must be better than ten of the same thing, right? Shouldn't a headliner's show be better than the warm up act? Could a underdog really ever beat a favorite? "Do you believe in miracles?"
In our world of real estate, sometimes doing more of something isn't necessarily the answer. Doing less but doing it better might be exactly what is needed. Calling prospects for three hours might not be as beneficial as scheduling three face to face visits with past clients who have referred you business in the past. Sending 1000 postcards to a subdivision once a quarter might not prove as effective as sending 200 cards to a smaller section of the same neighborhood every 18 days.
Repetition is certainly valuable when learning any new skill but there must be some focused intent behind it. Are you repeating something so it can be memorized for a one-time event or so it can become internalized and called upon each and every time you face a certain situation. There is a big difference between repetition and redundancy.
If there is one thing that everyone shares, regardless of their status in life, their role in the work force or the balance in their bank account, it is time. No one gets more than anyone and no one gets less. Taking every task and allotting it the correct amount of time is so critical to your success.
Utilizing the MLS to search for houses is a requirement for most Realtors but spending 3 hours "surfing" the MLS to set up five showings isn't a better use of time. Holding a 90 minute sales meeting for the office because "that's the way we have always done it" might not be as powerful as scheduling 10 minute individual coaching sessions with the 20% of the agents who bring 80% of the business to the office. Sitting around in the office talking about last night's American Idol results might be fun but it's not going to deliver the results that knocking on two For Sale By Owner's doors could bring in the same thirty minutes.
Don't get fooled into thinking that bigger, longer, more expensive or louder is better. If the smaller, shorter, cheaper or quieter way doesn't work, you could always add some back...or perhaps, maybe even take more away?
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Until next time, keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun.
Back in high school, many of us had to study the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. For those who weren't lucky (?) enough to have been assigned to read this story/play, it's basically two characters - Vladimir and Estragon - waiting on a third person, the titular Godot, to show up.
That's it. That's the whole premise of the play.
Nope, nothing else. No murder mystery. No love story. No action packed fight sequence.
I hate to say it but, as I have been out in front of agents "in the field," I have been seeing a lot of people in the real estate industry just "waiting for Godot" lately.
Want to see if you're one of them? Ask yourself the following questions and be honest with your answers:
When was the last time you spoke to your current Sellers voice to voice or face to face?
How many times have you spoken voice to voice or face to face with any of your clients who have bought or sold a house with you in the last 12 months?
What have you done for the people who have referred you leads in the last year?
When was the last time you knocked on a For Sale By Owners door to offer assistance?
Can you remember the last time you followed up with an expired Seller?
Can you identify all the people who live on your immediate block...by name?
What new organizations have you become a part of since this time last year?
Are you just sitting their "waiting for Godot"?
"Godot" might have visited you often back when the market was good but today is a new type of market and "Godot", like Elvis, has left the building.
It's time to take control of your business and quit waiting for it to come to you. Every day people will be deciding to sell their house and every day, people will be deciding to buy a house. Will they hear from you, either directly or via a personal referral?
Or will they end up using Vladimir or Estragon? They may not have a clue, but at least they are out there "on stage", in front of a live studio audience.
In my last post, I said I would share some activities and/or tasks that you could build in to your daily, weekly and monthly plans. See how many of these activities you are currently doing and then think about how many of them you could add.
Clear Voice Mails and Emails - Sure, we do this all day long but that is where we get into trouble quickly. If we don't have a scheduled time to check our messages, we can be drawn into a reactionary position instead of a position of control. Doing this first thing each day (sometimes before you arrive at the office) will allow you to determine the proper priorities for the coming day. Remember, not every thing is urgent and not every thing is important.
Time Needed: 15-30 minutes three times a day
Idea: Some people swear by the idea of updating your voice mail daily and letting callers know when you'll be returning their calls. It allows you to be in more control and also let's your callers know that you will reply. Now, the pressure is on to make sure you do what you say you're going to do.
Current Client Research - You should have a scheduled time to do basic searches in the MLS for any current clients you are working with. That means looking for new listings or price reductions, potential builder or interest rate updates for your buyers and a market snapshot around any of your current listings. This is also when you would complete any CMA's you may need.
Time needed: 60 minutes per day
Current Client Updates - Did you know that one of the biggest complaints from consumers about their Realtor is lack of communication? So what do you do to assure that you and your clients communicate regularly? I recommend that you schedule weekly calls to update all of your Sellers about your findings from your Client Research efforts. These should be 15 minute calls, scheduled at the time of the listing paperwork being signed. It is a great way to set expectations of "truly remarkable service" from the beginning of the relationship.
This is when you discuss new listings that have hit the market, price reductions of competing listings, anything that has gone into contract, was withdrawn, expired or sold and any "market specific" news that may affect the Sellers (Buyer activity, financial changes, school/zoning issues). Each time you contact your clients, you need to get a re-commitment on their motivation for selling their house - "Do you still need to be in Chicago by the 4th of July?" I recommend that these happen at the same time each week and then after three calls, a face to face meeting would occur so you can review an updated CMA.
Time Needed: 15-20 minutes per active client
Use the Prospecting Pyramid - We'll discuss this more in future posts but for now, are you reaching out to your sphere of influence each and every day? You should be using a combination of email, phone calls and hand written notes.
Time Needed: 20 minutes max for every 120 names in your sphere of influence
Other Prospecting Activities
Expired Contacts - During your "Current Client Research" you probably were accessing the MLS. How many listings, or should we say "market rejects," have expired today, this week or in the last month? Those are home owners who at one point had a desire to sell and move. Do you have a system in place to reach out to them? Do you feel that you have a the skills and level of professional service that can help them? If so, what are you waiting for? Go out and knock on their door. If they're not home, then you can call them and leave a message. Please just don't add them to a mailing list and start sending the propaganda and other crap about how great you are. They haven't asked for anything from you yet and just stop and think for a second how many other agents are just going to "mail it in" as well. Be different and show them what you do differently.
I once spoke to a homeowner whose listing had expired. She estimated that within the first week, she received over 70 pieces of mail from agents interested in obtaining her listing. Most went directly in the trash because it wasn't addressed to her - just her address. She got about 8 phone calls from Realtors (and several more who called and never left a message) and just 1 agent actually knocked on her door and introduced themselves. Out of 7000+ members in our local board just one agent went the extra mile. What does your efforts say about your service?
Time Needed: 1-2 hours per week from research to personal visits. (Plan ahead and these could be worked around your client appointments)
For Sale By Owners - The Three F's
FSBO Finding - Drive around and identify homes that are for sale by owner or spend time on FSBO sites or even look in the want ads of your local and community papers. Yes - you know that buyers don't look in papers much anymore to find homes but most FSBO's don't know that.
FSBO Facts - Do your research and learn about the neighborhood, their original mortgage balance (if available through MLS or other tool), how long they've lived there, etc. No need for a full blown CMA now - they haven't hired you yet. Just learn enough to discuss their situation and current market conditions.
FSBO Follow Up - Schedule an appointment. Once again, you could take the easy way out and mail them something, you could call them or you could stop by. You'll find that when you actually make the extra effort and have done your research, you will have a better opportunity of getting an appointment with the Seller and you will have begin the process of showing them that there is a difference between brokers. It's easy to throw a mailer away and it's easy to hang up on a telemarketer but it is much harder to slam the door in someone's face.
Time Needed: 2-4 hours per week
Business Meetings- If you're associated with a full-service company, there's a good chance you are expected to attend weekly or bi-weekly Business Meetings. These are great opportunities to learn what's going on in your office, company, board, local community and other items that may help you provide better service to those you will work with. They also usually present you with an opportunity to network and personally promote your current clients to other full-time Realtors.
Time Needed: 1-2 hours per week, depending on office
Coaching Appointments - It's all about personal accountability in this business. Take advantage of the opportunity to have someone help hold you accountable for the things you need to do so you can accomplish the things you want to. These should be weekly for newer agents and anyone doing less than 12 transactions a year; bi-weekly for agents closing between 13-24 transactions; and monthly or bi-monthly for those of you doing 25+ deals a year. Many of the top agents in the world have a full time coach to assist them, help them stay focused and on task and provide additional encouragement.
Time Needed: 15-30 minutes per session
Community & Board of Realtor Events - Real estate trainer and national speaker David Knox has for years been talking about the importance for Realtors to "be there" if they want to succeed. It's not always the best agents who get the deal, it's the ones who are "there." Are you an active member of your local board of Realtors? Your children's PTO? Your Home Owners Association? A local charity that would love your help? Many of these activities will reap two rewards - you'll feel great about helping others and you just might start building relationships with people who could help build your business.
Note: I know of many people who ask why I would want to get involved in my local or state Board of Realtors when none of those people are never going to buy or sell a house with me. I guess I always had three good reasons:
It gave me an opportunity to learn from those Realtors who had "been there and done that." Agents from all different companies from all parts of town who all do business in different ways with different people. If you can't learn something from them (even if it's the way you don't want to do something), you're just not a good listener.
It lets you feel like your helping to support the organization that helps support you. Stop for a second and think of all that you get for the small amount of dues you pay to these organizations.
The next time you're negotiating a contract with a fellow Realtor with whom you've built a relationship while serving on a committee or attending a local function, you'll be glad for that prior opportunity to get to know them and for them to have known you.
Appointments - Other than "talking to people," this is what our focus should be on each and every day, week and month. Without appointments, we'll never get to the closing table and a commission check. Preferably these appointments should be listing appointments and Buyer Counseling Sessions but you may also have walk throughs prior to closing, builder appointments on new construction transactions, home inspections and hopefully closings.
Time Needed: Ideally 50%+ of your time should be spent in appointments that will get you closer to a closed transaction and a commission check.
Tech Time - Maybe you're very skilled with the computer and you've figured out ways to maximize your time and energy on line. Perhaps you have implemented systems and have software that helps you stay in touch with customers, current clients and past clients. Good for you. Keep it up.
For many of you however, actually scheduling some time each day, week and month to get on-line is a great idea. First, it will help you avoid getting "lost in the sea" of the world wide web, especially social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. I speak to so many agents who are on Facebook but they are never "on" Facebook. Schedule 15 minutes into your calendar each day to jump on and update your status, connect to a few friends and see what some of your friends are up to. This information will come in handy if you would happen to run into them at a grocery store or kids sporting event.
How about exploring or keeping up to date with blogs? There are some fabulous blogs about real estate, negotiating, general sales, personal health and motivation and much, much more. Build in dedicated time to stay up to date on blogs. You could also subscribe to them and save the reading until your next open house or phone duty time. It's better use of that time than reading Cosmo or filing your nails.
Does your company have an on-line learning system? Could you improve your skills on some aspect of technology? Think of how much more confidence you'll have when you can learn how to better utilize the tools in your own "Realtor's toolbox"?
Time needed: 5-30 minutes per day for social networking (at different times throughout the day). 1 hour per week for technology classes.
Personal Time - Why are you in this business in the first place? My guess is your answer isn't "to work 85+ hours a week, be ready to go at the snap of my client's fingers and make enough money so I can spend time with my kids after they have grown up and moved away," is it? Start putting your own needs into your calendar. What time does your kid have soccer practice and games? What night is your golf league? Do you try to attend church regularly? Are you the kind of spouse or partner who has a "date night"?
Time needed: this one is up to you? How much do you need?
Don't compromise on these times because that helps you be a better, more focused agent when you are "at work." It also allows you to forget about real estate every now and then. One of my favorite quotes for us workaholics is this"
"The work will wait for you to look at the rainbow but the rainbow won't wait for you to finish the work."
I hope this list has given you some good ideas to build into your business plan and daily, weekly and monthly schedules. What else do you have on your schedule that helps you be a better Realtor? I want to know so I can share with others. Please leave a comment one your scheduling habits.
Until next time, keep building relationships...solving problems... and having fun.
