David Krichmar
By David Krichmar
Any time you come in contact someone who needs a REALTOR®, you should add them to your database. Trust me, I know this idea in itself is not brilliant. Once you have a database, how do you keep in touch with those clients?
The key to having a database is to stay in touch with past clients, current clients, and future clients. Not just past clients. What about someone who contacted you but did not need your services at that time; that is defined as a “future” client. So if you don’t already, add every person and email address to your data base as soon as they contact you. Now would be a great time to start. Once you have a growing database, let’s talk about 5 ways to keep in touch with them.
- e-Newsletters - Again, not a rocket science idea; you probably already do this. But if not, start doing it. Many email marketing programs will do the newsletter for you and send it out monthly. Making this the easiest way to keep in touch. Make sure the newsletter does not just talk about real estate, but other topics as well. This gives a better chance of your contacts actually reading the information and finding it helpful. Keep in mind, not everyone needs a REALTOR® right at this moment. But they always are looking for helpful information.
- Friend them on Facebook - As Facebook has grown, the majority of folks are on Facebook daily. So friend your database on Facebook. This makes it easiest to keep up with their needs and life events. Most people look at Facebook as being private, so not all clients may accept your friend request. In this example I suggest just friending past clients, that way you have the strongest relationship with them. Continue reading »
Jared James
By Jared James
Patterns are a powerful tool available to you. But just like ignorance of a law or principle does not make that law or principle any less powerful… neither is our ignorance of our patterns. Everything that we are currently and everything that we will become and achieve is directly tied to the daily patterns we have created, consciously or subconsciously, in our lives and in our businesses. Check out my latest vlog which will help you take a pattern inventory and set goals for your future!
Jared James is the CEO and founder of Jared James Enterprises (JJE) and travels around North America speaking to and coaching REALTORS®. Connect with Jared at www.jaredjamestoday.com, on facebook.com/jaredjamestoday, or follow him on Twitter @jaredjamestoday.
CENTURY 21® is a proud sponsor of the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Anaheim and our home base will be booth #325. We will greet guests at the International Welcome Reception on Thursday, November 10th. The CENTURY 21 brand is co-sponsoring the International Night Out on Saturday, November 12th, a premier opportunity for real estate professionals to network. In addition, CENTURY 21 is also supporting the Young Professional Network (YPN), which is one of the fastest growing industry networks in the nation.
On Sunday November 13th, the CENTURY 21 System will host an invitation-only tailgate complete with beverages, ballpark food, and flat screen TVs that will broadcast both AFC and NFC games. And here’s the exciting part! We have a limited number of tickets for YPN Reception attendees on a first come first serve basis. To get your Tailgate ticket, go to the CENTURY 21 booth and show us your business card. That’s all you need to do to attend the hottest Tailgate party of the year!*
Beyond the conference events, we will be at the booth to share how the brand is working “Smarter. Bolder. Faster.” with online, social and mobile platforms. From branded Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages to location based services like our smart phone app, to the @C21-Home Matters Blog, the brand is continuing to evolve our strategy for reaching the next generation of homebuyers. Recently, CENTURY 21 became the first brand to buy real estate in ngmoco’s We City, a leading mobile game.
*Note, you must be registered for the NAR Expo on Sunday, November 13th to attend the Tailgate party.
Anand Patel
By Anand Patel
Earlier this year I gave a presentation locally that I entitled “The Pipsqueak Principles” — three lessons my now 2 ½-year-old daughter inadvertently taught me during her first year. You see, before her birth (as those of you who are new parents may attest to) I lived in my own bubble and didn’t pay much attention to anything that didn’t affect me personally. But during the first twelve months after my daughter was born, I began to see things around me in a very different perspective. Three principles in particular that I learned from my little “pipsqueak” (in addition to changing dirty diapers!) were to 1.) Love unconditionally, 2.) Give back to the community, and 3.) Connect with others.
The other day as I was reflecting on that speech I realized these same three principles of loving, giving and connecting can also be applied to real estate:
Love what you do. To truly be successful in real estate — not just financially, but for it to be personally fulfilling, you really need to love your profession. If you don’t love being a REALTOR®, you inevitably will be unhappy, no matter how much money you make doing it.
Give back to your community and profession. As a real estate professional in the field, you see firsthand the amount of change that needs to take place in our communities. We all want safer neighborhoods, affordable housing for the poor, better transportation options …well WE need to get involved and do something about it. The same holds true for the professional associations we belong to — by giving back and getting involved, everyone benefits.
Connect with your peers. By networking and connecting Continue reading »
Cory Brewer
By Cory Brewer
In the past year or so I have run across several examples of REALTORS® (myself included) being tempted to be a “jack of all trades” when it comes to serving their clients. Let’s face it, we don’t want to give up control and we are also worried about potentially giving up a paycheck.
However, is it really in your best interest to step outside your area of expertise? More importantly, is it in your clients’ best interests? Sometimes the answer to these questions is no, and that’s when you have to step back and think about giving up a little bit of that control.
I had an eye-opening conversation with a local colleague of mine recently who focuses his entire business on short sales. I have closed my fair share of them, but that is virtually ALL he does. The point of the conversation came down to a key statistic: Success Rate. This REALTOR® closes about 90 percent of all short sale listings that he puts on the market, whereas the national average is somewhere around 25 percent.
Here is the food for thought: Are you better off busting your hump to have a 25 percent chance at a 100 percent commission (which could very well be reduced by the lien holders, especially if you’re not a seasoned short sale negotiator) or are you better off referring it out and having a 90 percent chance at a 25 percent referral commission? Think about all the time, effort, and marketing dollars that go into a listing. Now think about how much longer (and how much more work) it takes to see a short sale through to closing successfully. And finally, think about who is truly doing a better job for the client…you, or the specialist that you trust to take care of them? Continue reading »
Recent Comments