A Simple Way to Make More Time for You
I have a question for you—how long has it been since you last took a vacation where you completely disconnected from your business? A week or two away can work wonders for your mindset and often increases your business as well.
Most agents have challenges doing this because they don’t have another agent to cover their business. Two of the easiest times to get away are over the holidays and in August before kids go back to school. A different strategy is to work
with another agent you trust and to cover for each other when you each decide to take time off.
Personally, Saturdays are my “real estate free days.” I do my best to avoid even discussing real estate on these days unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Disconnecting for even just a day can be a powerful tool. To see if this approach works for you, try declaring one day a “real estate” free day. You will be amazed at how energized and invigorated you will feel when you get back to work, you may want to make this a regular habit.
Common Scents Marketing
If you have ever walked into a house where there were strong pet odors, you know how strong the influence of smells can be.
One of the most neglected ways to market a property is through aromas or scents. If you doubt this, have you ever wondered why so many new home salespeople are baking cookies all day long in their model homes?
Several years ago, a research study testing perfume scents used cinnamon rolls as a control group. When tested, the men in the study overwhelmingly preferred the scent of cinnamon rolls over all perfumes in the study.
To create the “cinnamon roll effect,” purchase canned cinnamon rolls and put them in the oven at 150 degrees so that they heat up but don’t bake. Another approach is to sprinkle cinnamon on aluminum foil and place it in a low oven. In either case, the cinnamon aroma will make the home feel much more inviting.
By the way, I highly recommend against baking during an open house. A number of years ago one of our new agents became engrossed in a conversation with an open house visitor. She lost track of time, left the cookies in too long, and the oven caught on fire. You certainly don’t want that happening to you, especially if it sets off the smoke alarms.
A Simple Way to Stop Procrastinating
Here’s very simple, but powerful tip to help you overcome procrastination.
The primary cause of procrastination is the feeling of being overwhelmed by how much you have to do.
The solution is surprisingly easy. Shift your focus from “what’s not done” to “What can I do right now?” This simple approach clears out all the “What I should be doing” and allows you to focus on what your highest priority activities are.
Try this approach for at least five days to see how well it works for you. Chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how effective this simple approach can be.
Avoid a First-Come, First-Serve Mentality
Most agents respond to their clients on a “first-come, first-serve” basis.” A better approach is to focus your efforts on those clients who are closest to writing an offer or listing their property.
One of the most important steps you can take in today’s tough market is to review what’s in your pipeline at least once weekly. A critical part of this process is to constantly track which of your clients are closest to signing a listing or writing an offer. Make these clients your highest priority.
Moreover, if you have unrealistic sellers or buyers who are wasting your time, decide whether continuing to allocate time to them or referring them to someone else is the best strategy.
Listing Time Is Almost Here
Did you know the month that a seller lists their home affects their bottom line? Depending upon the weather, the sellers will sell faster and net the most money if they list their home in March. If you’re being hammered with snow right now, the best time for your market may be the first week in April.
How can you determine the best timing? Look for a significant increase in the number of new listings, usually sometime in February. The time to have your sellers list is several weeks later when this initial rush has passed and there is not as much competition.
To take advantage of this fact, pull together your social media, video, and print marketing campaigns, get in touch with past clients now, and make sure you’re in contact with the top people in your sphere (5 a day will yield 150 per month) each month. Remember, the first agent who meets with the seller face-to-face when they’re ready to list is the one who gets the listing.
One more thing. In case you didn’t know this, NAR says the best day to list a house is on Friday.