So, you want to make more money in real estate sales, huh? Well...I'm fairly certain you aren't the only one. I think we all do. And here are 5 ways to help:
Do something NOW! - Too often, agents lull themselves into this false sense of reality that preparing to do something is the same thing as actually doing something. Endless attempts at coming up with a plan, meetings, conference calls, strategic alliances with others in their market, etc are nothing more than a waste of energy, time, and brain matter unless you actually ACT ON THEM! You must do something productive that will lead you to a commission...and you MUST DO IT NOW! And, while you are doing that, have a reward in mind that you can get when you do get your reward from doing something. Quit wasting your breath by saying that you are "doing what you love" or "following your passion". Let's be honest for a second...does anyone really LOVE selling real estate? I mean, honestly...Don't you use the money you make from your job as the fuel for the fire of your true passion? I know I do! I don't love my job...In fact, there are days I hope my building gets hit with a thermo-nuclear weapon. But, I REQUIRE my job to allow me to fulfill what I truly am passionate about...No one ever laid on their deathbed and said, "I just wish I could stay one more day at my desk at that job I loved so much..."- Don't convince yourself that this is a ‘numbers' game! Sure, lead generation is important and will always be a cornerstone of this business, but it's not about the numbers. It's about the people. You are in the ‘Helping People' business. That should always be the very first and most important aspect of your business. Track the numbers...I'm not saying you can get away without doing that. But, help your people first!
- Position yourself to reap future rewards! I don't have to tell you that markets across the country are in a massive state of upheaval. Heck, you're probably more of an expert on that than I am, to be sure. Offices closing, people leaving the industry to get "a real job", prices falling like a rock, foreclosures running rampant...All of this is creating OPPORTUNITY! Now is the time to take advantage of those things. Adjust your business model to accept changes in the market and position yourself to take the shot when the chance arrives.
Avoid procrastination and ‘getting caught up in the little stuff'. Every night before you go to bed, write down just a couple things that are important and need to get done the following day. Don't procrastinate on those things. Get them done. Simple rewards like that will free up the mind and reduce your over-all ‘workload'. Also, do what actually matters first. For example, if you are writing a blog and a customer walks in the door that says they want to view property, QUIT WRITING and show them a house! Seems dumb to most of us that I have to say that...but that's the simplest way that I can think of to make this point. Just because you have a list of things you WANT to get done doesn't mean you have to ignore important aspects of this job to do them. As my mom always says, "Life is what happens while you are trying to plan your life." Smart woman.- Make your business fit your life, not the other way around. If you want to have a life outside of your career, then develop boundaries that will achieve this goal. And, stick to them! If you don't, you will end up with no life. And that is a sad existence for anyone. Also, along the way you will be told all kinds of ‘street-sage wisdom'. Do yourself a favor...Ignore it! "Work smarter, not harder" is wonderful advice, in theory. Great idea. But, in this business in this economy in this market, you have to bust your hump every single day. I'm not saying you shouldn't work smarter. I am saying you MUST work hard! Figure out a way to combine the two, and you will succeed.
If you would like information on how Real Estate Client Referrals www.recr.com can help you work smarter, please contact Clint Miller directly at 800-977-7058. Or, follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/recr.
Nice post and right on target. I LOVE your Mom's quote, I'm adding it to my list of favorites!
Kevin and Monica -- Thank you. Glad you liked both the post and the quote. She's a smart woman. :-)
@recr Does this list include getting a 2nd and 3rd job? (J/K)
Thanks, @SarahStelmok!! LOL!!
Clint, your are right on the money! I always say, I won't be on my death bed saying I wish I would have sold just one more house. I have to admit, I can get caught up in Twitter and AR and have to put my computer down and get back to the task at hand.
Audrey -- Thank you so much! I think you have a good goal there...and I definitly have the same problem re--computer usage. My problem is...its right there!!!! LOL!
@recr heh heh a thermal nuclear weapon!
Thanks @Maryannead!! Truth hurts...LOL
Nice post. You did a good job.
Suefrom maine
Sue -- Awww, Thanks! I try. :-)
Oddly enough, I quit real estate once only to find that I actually DO like this job. Of course, the money is required (not doing it for free!), but I choose this path to get to the money.
www.lesleylambert.com
Lesley -- And, that is fine...you can like this job all you want. Heck, you can like it alot!! But, remember that you chose this path to make money so that you can support the things you LOVE. For me, that level of clarity is required to understand where your loyalties are truly at in your heart.
Much love!! I hope you are doing well!!
I DO love what I do. I think I see a shift coming and want to be postioned properly. But it is true- this life (the worklife) is in place because of the responsibilities imposed upon you by the other life.
Diane -- I know people say that they love what the do for a living. And, although that is the same word, it is a different form of 'love'. As I said, no one was ever quoted on thier deathbed as saying they would like to stay one more day so they could sell one more home because they love it so much...lol
Preach it, Clint! I needed to hear your five points. I think its easy for all of us to forget what actions actually bring home the bacon.
I have a pretty good quote pasted to my desk that helps me...
"Am I inventing things to do to avoid doing the important?"
Quit wasting your breath by saying that you are "doing what you love" or "following your passion". Let's be honest for a second...does anyone really LOVE selling real estate?
Clint - I have to admit that I actually do love it. Mind you, I come from a background where my "job" was more like a 24 hour party during a three month vacation to locations around the globe, so having this as my career is exciting for me - because its so different. Part of the reason I left the music business was that although I loved what I did, I had lost the passion for it. Nothing compares to the thrill of being onstage, but when the rest of the day seems like an endless monotonous Groundhog Day, you begin to question whether you're really passionate about it anymore. It was like being a junkie - you spent hours waiting for your fix (being on stage), then hours wishing you could do it again. With real estate, I feel that same thrill all day long. Sure, its a different kind of thrill, but one none the less. And real estate is anything but monotonous. Maybe some day some of the thrill will fade for me, I don't know, but for now I truly do love it. Of course, I do have other things that I love too and those will benefit from this, so they're all tied together for me.
Nicole -- Excellent quote!! I like it very much! Thanks for commenting!
Matt -- I knew you would chime in, brotha...lol. Again, I believe that you are doing what is right for you and your family and chose a career path that would help support that choice. Loving what you do for a living is something everyone says...I love what I do...but, you will never see me choose my career over my family. So, do I really "love" it??
Clint - When you put it that way, I can see what you mean a little more than I did originally. Career over family? Never. Family is part of the reason I lost some of the passion for my former career. Being away all the time takes its toll on you and your family, so that played my decision to walk as much as anything else. Thanks for responding, because it definitely made me look at it again and think of it slightly different than when I read it at first.
Nicole - Great quote. Now stop avoiding work by playing on ActiveRain (just kidding).
Matt -- Youre a good man, Charlie Brown. :-) Now you see it from my standpoint. Yes, I enjoy what I do and couldnt see myself doing anything else at this point. But, given the choice.......
Great post, procrastination is contagious, dont get caught in the cycle of tomorrow. I have found that the more I focus on doing my daily Real Estate tasks, the more centered I am on Real Estate the more random converstions I have with people about it, the more clients I come in contact with.
Clint,
I must have been fortunate to have learned early on in my RE career that it's the relationship that's everything in this business. My broker taught me to build a relationship first, and then business will follow. Much of what you point out here is just that - focus on the customer, build a relationship, and then be prepared to ACT when the time is right.
Walter -- Thanks! And, that is how it is supposed to work! Nice job!
Vance!! -- You had a really good broker, my friend.
I have to work hard not to let myself get caught in the little stuff. It's amazing how time consuming it can be.
Christine -- Absolutely. Nothing is more of a "time suck" as busy work. Time that could be spent helping you make money is wasted doing little things that do not lead to a commission check. Even though you are busy, you are really not accomplishing anything.