Eight Tips for Success

LEADERS ARE READERS:

I’m an avid reader and you should be too. I’m always on the hunt for what’s new in the industry, but I also like reading about sales strategies that I was aware of and perhaps forgot along the way. Every day I read the New York Times, National Post, Washington Post, Inman, REM, RIS Media. It keeps my focus on where the economy and industry are heading. I suggest you get in the routine of blocking 30 minutes every morning over coffee to keep yourself up to date.

HAVE 10 MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS A DAY

One of the biggest challenges for real estate agents is that they don’t talk to enough strangers, so their pipeline of opportunities dries up. I get it, talking to strangers is a little uncomfortable, but if you only talk to your friends and family, those conversations will not generate enough opportunities to fill your pipeline. I’m an advocate for constant prospecting. Commit to talking to 10 people a day (strangers, FSBOs, open houses, networking events, at the coffee shop, etc.) If by dinner time you haven’t spoken to enough people, then sit down at your desk and make prospecting calls in your geo farm. You can generate lists of phone numbers using services like Cole Realty Resource in the US or Telelistings.net in Canada. Most people are home in the evenings, so the best time to make calls is between 7-8 p.m.

HAVE A POWERFUL GOAL TO STAY MOTIVATED

If you talk to strangers every day about real estate you are going to face a lot of rejection. The best way to overcome rejection and stay motivated is to have a POWERFUL goal. Something that you are so excited about that you will do anything to get it. What would you treat yourself to if you reached your goal? Add that reward into your business plan, so it is no longer just a dream, but you have a concrete plan to achieve it. When you have a powerful goal, your conversations become focused, and you start talking to people with INTENT. You don’t just go through the exercise of talking to people, but you have intense focus, and every conversation has the intent of getting a face-to-face appointment. Place reminders of your goal everywhere: make it the screensaver on your phone and laptop, post a picture of it above your desk, put a picture of it on the visor of your car. Everywhere you look you are reminded of what you are working hard for.

IMPROVE YOUR RESPONSE TIME

Real estate agents are not always the best with their follow up and follow through. You will lose opportunities if you don’t follow up in a timely manner. How often are you frustrated when you call another agent about a listing and they don’t get back to you right away? How quickly do you follow up when you get a referral? If you talk to someone Saturday night and they mention they are thinking about moving, do you call them Sunday morning? This may come across as ambitious (or even a little aggressive) but don’t talk yourself out of doing it. I’d rather have people say “No thank you” then for you to miss an opportunity. With technology today we are all connected 24/7. This has given rise to consumers expecting immediate responses to inquiries. If you don’t follow up with people quickly, I guarantee you are frustrating people and losing opportunities.

TALK LESS, LISTEN MORE

When most agents deliver client presentations they oversell, and they talk more than necessary. Think before you speak! Hear me when I say this… when it comes to sales, less is more. Listen more and talk less. If you ARE going to talk, use questions, don’t make statements.  For instance, one of the questions you may want to start with on an appointment is “Tell me your story. What do you like to do when you’re not selling houses?” If you don’t know what else to ask them, remember the acronym FORD (ask about their family, occupation, recreation or dreams). When the conversation naturally shifts to talking about the house, ask about their wish list: “What are the 2-3 things you would change if you could?” Get them excited about moving forward. Bridge from talking about selling their current home to where they are moving. You can make this happen for them!

DON’T BE COMPELLED TO LOWER YOUR FEES

The way we do business is constantly changing. We are always innovating and adding new strategies and removing strategies that are no longer applicable. Your business model is always a work in progress. It is never finished. If there are strategies in the marketplace that you haven’t adopted and others have, then the only way you can compete is by lowering your fees. I can tell you from experience, you will never win the race to the bottom. There is always another agent willing to do it for less and in the end, you will end up working yourself out of the business. As a consumer, I have to see value in what you are charging for what you are doing. Not only do you need to adopt the latest strategies, you need to be able to communicate the value of those strategies to clients. How will they benefit? What’s in it for them?

IMPROVE SOMETHING EVERY DAY

To stay current and competitive, you must constantly refine what you do. If you don’t, you become irrelevant to your clients. Your good looks and personality will only get you so far in sales. If your clients don’t think you are up to date on all of the new digital marketing strategies, they may like you, but they won’t list their house with you. We can get so caught up in the day-to-day work of the business that we don’t spend time thinking about the future. If you continue to do business the way you always have, you are working yourself out of the business. Constantly look for what’s new, who is using it, how much success have they had, and what investment you have to make.

CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY

Birds of a feather flock together. To be successful, you need to surround yourself with successful people. It has been said that we are the average of the five people we spend most of our time with. Hang out with agents who are more successful than you to push yourself. Stay away from the negative people in the office who will affect the way you think. Don’t listen to the complainers. Get out there every day and hustle, hustle, hustle…that is how winners are made.