Back to The Basics – A Simple Yet Powerful Reminder
This morning I was sitting in my office when a newer agent that I am friendly with popped in to say hello. Naturally, we got to talking about how each of our businesses are doing and I loved what he shared with me. It was simple, yet powerful.
In short, he decided to focus on his personal sphere and created a systematic approach to touch base over the phone with each person on his list at least four times a year.
Yes, I completely understand that this is not anything revolutionary that you haven’t heard before, but that is the beauty of it. You can improve your business through extremely simple and inexpensive means if you simply apply the most important fundamental element of success…..CONSISTENCY.
This particular agent has over $6,000,000 currently in escrow and is on pace to more than double his production from a year ago. Did I mention he has only been in the business for three years?
Consistency is typically accompanied by Focus. The two together are almost impossible to stop. Because he has both consistency and focus, he is able to come up with innovative ways to maximize his phone conversations. One example is that he puts together a number of categories that nearly anybody will fall into and he uses that to spearhead a good conversation. People who have children about to leave the house for college, getting married, new baby, and empty nesters still living in a big home are all examples of the type of categories that he puts them in.
But this post is not about how to effectively call your sphere. It is about deciding what you are going to do, how you are going to do it, and go do it over and over and over again.
If you are going to call expireds , you must call each and every day consistently. If you are going to send out mailers it must be over a long period of time with consistent intervals between mailings in a systematic and planned way. Or perhaps you want to become an REO agent and so you must put together a comprehensive long term plan to attract attention from banks and asset managers. Simply sending out a few inquiries and applying for an REO account here and there just won’t cut it.
The trouble with real estate and why so few agents make the big bucks is that they are the ones that are willing to treat this like a real business and follow through on a concrete business plan.
Do you have consistency in your business? If not you are just hoping for a miracle.
Kirk Eisele
Posted at 12:13h, 23 MayIt’s a really good point. So much of marketing success relies on really digging deep into a single type before trying something new. There tends to be a lot of hidden knowledge that are easily taken for granted that make the difference. In this case, the agent probably adjusted his categories based on his experience, has figured out what kinds of conversations fit his personality, etc all because he went deep. Good reminder!
Michael Borger
Posted at 13:35h, 23 MayGood post, Daniel. Unfortunately the barrier to entry is pretty low. Basic qualifications and an exam are all it takes to become an agent. However, that also allows the ones who treat it like a real business and are focused and consistent in their actions, as you mention, to truly elevate above the others who don’t give it its just due. Too many people think this is part-time work for easy money — it’s quite the opposite. I’m not an agent (at this time) — I’m an investor out here in Honolulu — but I work with many agents here to help close deals. It’s pretty easy to see who ‘gets it’ and who didn’t do their research about what it takes to succeed.
StagingWorks
Posted at 01:33h, 25 MayEvery now and then we need to be
reminded to become more aware of the simple things around us. Most of
the time it is the desire to be ahead of the competition that we
sometimes forget the essence on why and what should we
achieve.Bringing consistency to the business is one of the key to
success!Thanks for the reminder!
JeffRiber
Posted at 13:40h, 25 MayConsistency isn’t sexy but it usually gets the job done… I have a system for calling
expired listings at least 4 days a week (and have for about 3 years now) and it accounts for about half of my closed volume… Good insight Daniel!
Daniel Beer
Posted at 12:44h, 26 MayCare to share the details?
JeffRiber
Posted at 16:20h, 27 MayLike I said… It’s not sexy 🙂
I use Red-x for capturing contact info and scheduling follow up phone calls. 17 contacts = 1 appt. 2 appts = 1 listing. 1.6 listings = 1 closing.
I’ve tried direct mail unsatisfactorily… Have a few ideas that I’m going to re-try on the direct mail front though.
Patrick Hake
Posted at 07:27h, 29 MayCouldn’t agree more. I have long felt the key competitive advantage successful agents have over mediocre agents is a willingness to consistently work and create systems.