​WEEK TWO: GET GOING!

"IT IS NO USE SAYING 'WE ARE DOING OUR BEST'. YOU HAVE GOT TO SUCCEED IN DOING WHAT IS NECESSARY." - WINSTON CHURCHILL

   I love this quote from Winston Churchill. We hear (and maybe say) "I'm doing the best I can". That just may not be enough. Sometimes you have to do more than your best - you have to do what is necessary. 
   This week we will start doing things that may be uncomfortable for some of you. You may have to go outside your comfort zone. That's a good thing. 
   Let's face it: you cannot succeed if you do only those things that are comfortable for you to do. So, with that in mind, let's get started.

_____ DAY ONE - FINISH ALL UNCOMPLETED TASKS FROM LAST WEEK​!
 Gather all  your old leads, unmotivated buyers and dead listings.
     All of us have leads we've left behind. Buyers who called on our listings, people who came into our open houses, buyers who decided to rent... you probably have dozens of them. Today, you find them. 
     Go through emails, open house logs, scraps of paper on your desk, folders, notes... leave no stone unturned. Don't forget listing appointments you went on but didn't get, listings you had that didn't sell, buyers who gave up (or you gave up on).  When you think you've found all of them, keep looking! You may be tempted to say "Oh, that lead was no good", but don't!  There is no such thing as a bad lead - some leads are just not ready yet. Find them, and make a list.
     If you're too new in the business to have lots of these lost leads, learn practice the "Qualifying New Prospects" dialogue - we'll be using it later this week.

______ DAY TWO  Call the leads you found on Day One
    You had to know this was coming, didn't you?  
    Call all the leads you found on Day One. Reconnect with them. This might feel awkward and may be difficult, but don't approach it that way. Be focused, be positive, and have a good time. Also, it's important that you don't apologize. Just say something like "I realized it's been a long time since we've talked and I just wanted to check in with you to see if you were still hoping to... (buy a house, sell a house, invest, whatever the circumstance is). I've written some sample dialogues and posted them. If they have already bought or sold, say "Great! I'm glad your needs have been met. Thanks for your time!" If they still have some interest, ask them if could get together for 10 minutes to review their interests. Or, ask them if they have two minutes to review their needs or if there is a better time to talk. Always ask for their email or if they prefer to be contacted by text!
    If their response is less than positive, don't take it personally, just thank them for their time and exit gracefully.
​    Remember, your excitement is contagious. If you are enthusiastic, your potential clients will be, too. Invite them to come into the office for a Market Update. This works for both buyers and sellers. Try hard to make an appointment for the office - really. Shoot for an appointment from Thursday through Sunday of this week. Second choice is to make an appointment at their home. Bad choice is by phone, email or text is terrible for this kind of review.  If you don't reach them, we'll try again tomorrow.
     If you schedule an appointment, immediately send a follow-up email confirming the appointment.if you don't, but have a positive conversation, send them a follow-up note or email. Toss the negative response in the trash.
     In addition to calling lost leads, review your current listings and make a firm decision to get price reductions on each listing that needs it. Make appointments to discuss that with sellers this week. See the price reduction process and dialogue here.
    For you newer agents, call five of your friends, family or other personal acquaintances. Use the "Qualifying New Prospects" dialogue in your call.
   All agents should be making a minimum of 10-15 calls today, with a goal of 2-5 appointments.

_____DAY THREE Call all of the leads you didn't reach from Day One; begin Open House preparation.
    Try again to connect with those folks you didn't reach from the leads you found on Day One. Remember to be enthusiastic and to invite them to come into the office for an update. This time, if you don't reach them, leave an enthusiastic voice message.
    Trust me on this task. There is a commission check with your name on it just waiting for you to claim.  The seller who wasn't ready yesterday is ready today. The buyer who wasn't sure last week is sure today. Call them and get your commission.
    Newer agents, today, call five more people - this time, people who are not family or close friends, but who know you are in the real estate business. Maybe people from church or people you do business with or who do business for you. Same dialogue.
    Everyone - Begin trying to identify your best opportunity for an open house. We'll be holding a house open in two weekends (a week after Thanksgiving weekend). If you don't have a listing, identify an office listing in an attractive area and ask the agent if you could hold it open for them next week. If you can't find one, ask me or your manager for help.

_____ DAY FOUR Open House Preparation - Two
   Confirm your open house and begin making preparations. It is absolutely NOT to early to do this since we will be holding an open house EVENT! How do you prepare? First, choose a house in a high traffic area. I've seen some successful open houses held in out-of-the-way areas, but your best opportunities are in fairly busy areas and no more than 2-4 turns off a main road. Then, prepare a CMA. If it's your listing, do a new one. If it's a listing you're "borrowing", prepare your own CMA. Then, preview the competition. In fact, preview at least 4-6 houses today that are competition for you Open House listing.
​   Prepare for your market update appointments and conduct any you have have scheduled.

______ DAY FIVE - Continue or begin  your Market Update appointments you scheduled earlier this week.
These appointments don't have to be long - 15 to 20 minutes tops. People always want to know the state of the market from a trusted advisor (that's you). Have some basic information on sales, new construction, and basic pricing information for the price range you think they may be looking at. Be prepared to answer questions on interest rates.  You can always use the office computer to get more specific information (which is why you want them in the office... duh)
This is really your chance to have them update you more than it is for you to update them. Have them clarify what their time requirements are, their objectives, needs, etc. 


Don't forget to come to the Accountability Meeting Monday November 13!! We won't have a meeting 11/20 because of Thanksgiving.