UP AND RUNNING IN 30 DAYS: Real Estate Training and Coaching

Business Planning: Do You Know Where You Spent Your $$$ Last Year?

December 7th, 2019

Do you where you spent your money last year? Knowing is critical to your NOT having empty pockets next year. In my upcoming webinar, I discuss the importance of 3 critical areas you must know to succeed next year. One of these areas is your budget.

Here are the surprising results of a study on how top agents spent their marketing dollars:

As you can see, agents spent their money NOT on the best sources of business, but on other sources.

Click To Tweet

Why? Maybe because they thought these other sources were more interesting. Maybe they wanted to try something new. Maybe they didnt know where they had spent their money before, and just kept throwing it at these less-than-stellar sources.

So, be sure YOU know where your money went last year, and how big a bang you got for your buck. Now, youre ready to plan for 2020.

Join Me for a Complimentary Business Planning Webinar!

Whether you’ve been in business 20 years or 20 minutes, you need an awesome blueprint for a great 2020. Join us for this fast-paced webinar, where Carla Cross, who literally ‘wrote the book’ on real estate business planning, will help you do just that.

In this webinar, you’ll:

Get the blueprint the most successful agents and businesses use to create a plan that works. You don’t need a ‘fill in the blanks’ color by the numbers plan–you need a businessperson’s way to think through your business so you’re ready for anything that comes your way in 2020.

Gain the critical step usually left out in business planning–the step that can literally save your money and efforts from going down those dreaded planning ‘cul-de-sacs of frustration and failure

How to predict and project your 2020 results so you know your plan is going to work for you–not someone else!

Your gold mine right in front of you—and few agents are ‘mining’ it. You’ll save thousands in marketing dollars, lower your stress, and enjoy a much better business if you create the right action plan for 2020.

You’ll get some stunning and surprising statistics that will help you create the right actions for 2020, instead of guessing at what to do next.

Managers: You’ll gain tips on helping your agents plan–and how you can be a true support for their planning efforts. Just imagine what your profits would be like if every one of your agents had a workable plan?

Questions: You’ll have a chance to ask Carla your business planning questions, too. You’ll gain handouts from her business planning programs.

Space is limited, so register now! Let’s work together to create an exceptional 2020.

$$$$$$ 2 lucky people will win Carla’s complete business planning systems, too.

When: Dec. 12 (Thursday)

Time: 10-11 am, Pacific Standard Time (west coast)

What: Business planning webinar (join with your computer)

Register here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Categories accountability, Business Plan, Coaching, customer satisfaction, lead generation, Marketing, New Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success
Comments (0)

Inspect that Business Plan: Three Areas to Examine

by Carla Cross

December 5th, 2019

In these posts in November and December, I’ll be featuring business planning strategies. Watch for checklists, processes, and systems--ready to use, too. I want to help you create a great business plan for next year!

This post’s ‘gift’ is my after sale survey. See the link in the body of the blog.

Before you launch right into that business plan for next year, take a look back. Why? Your history will provide clues about how to save time and money for next year.

Here are three areas of your real estate career, that, with small adjustments, can pay huge dividends.

1. Where’s your money been going? It makes sense that the money you invest in your career should be giving you pay-offs equal to your investment. Unfortunately, many agents don’t know where they spent the bulk of their money last year. Go back over the past four months.

Add up the moneys you’ve spent to generate business in each of your ‘target markets’–those identifiable groups of people that you build programs around to get business (geographical farm, first-time buyers, etc.) Where are you spending most of your money? Are you getting a good enough ‘return on your investment’? You’ll use this analysis to build your budget for next year, too.

From working with agents in my business planning course, I’ve observed that

many agents don’t build a business plan around their best source of business: ‘sold’ customers and clients.

Click To Tweet

Marketing surveys show that it costs six to nine times as much to get a new customer as to keep an old one. So, if you spend more money on your best source, and less on your other sources, you’ll optimize your investment.

2. What are your ‘success’ ratios? Most agents don’t know this one:

What are your ratios of listings taken to listings sold?

How many of your sellers are you making happy?

How many of those sellers are so delighted with your service that they will refer more people to you? In my opinion, a good agent should target a 80-90% success ratio in this area.

Why? We all know we need to promote ourselves. The most successful, believable promotions are based on our success records–what we’ve done, not promises. If you have a sign on your desk that says “If you don’t list, you don’t last”–tear it up. Instead, put up a sign that reads, “If your listings don’t sell, you don’t last. Small adjustments, big dividends. (Plus you’ll save lots of marketing dollars.)

3. How ‘delighted’ are your customers? Most so-called ‘business plans’ in real estate merely are goal-setting grids. Focusing only on the ends suggests that the ends justify the means. However, the consumer sure doesn’t think so! These goal setting grids alone lead agents to miss the point of the decade: Top-flight customer service begets more business. That is, not just what you do, but how you do it.

What level of customer service are you providing? Is it just good enough to get through the transaction? Or, is it so great that your customers and clients are thoroughly delighted? (Delighted consumers refer business to you–less cost and more effort equals big pay-offs, right?) What can you build into your business plan to assure that you’re regularly delighting those you work with?

One of the agents in featured in many of my books, Rick Franz, now provides surveys weekly during the time he works with buyers and sellers. He wants clients to know he cares how they feel about the service, and that he’s dedicated to providing the best service they’ve ever had. Pretty competitive, yes?

Click here to get my after sale survey, one of the dozens of strategies ready to use in my business planning system.

Although there are dozens of areas to scope in your plan, just taking one hour out of your day now to assess these three areas–and plan adjustments–will assure you make more money this year–and create a better, more pleasant long-term career.

Prepare for the 2020 Changes

You need a great, flexible business plan for these quickly-changing times. I’ve got it online for you. Check out Beyond the Basics of Business Planning. Everything you need to create a plan that ‘rolls with the punches’–and saves you time and money.

Categories Business Plan, Coaching, New Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, time management, Training, webinar
Comments (0)

Is 2020 the Year You’re Going to Get a Plan? (Or a better one….)

by Carla Cross

November 26th, 2019

Is 2020 the year you’re going to get a plan? It’s estimated only 10% of real estate agents have a business plan. Yet, almost all would admit that businesses operate much better with a plan. And, we’re in business for ourselves, right?

During November and December, I’m going to give you tips on business planning, plus, some business planning tempaltes from my business planning program (see below).

Click To Tweet

Why Not Make 2020 the Year You Make a Great Plan…..

Whether you’ve never had a plan, or your plan sat on the shelf, all alone and orphaned through all of last year, why not decide to make 2020 the year you step up to a professional plan–a plan you use each day, week, month, and the whole year to

stay focused
stay on track
avoid wasting time
spend money wisely

Wouldn’t that make your professional life (and personal life) easier?

Help in Grabbing a Practical Plan–or Polishing your Planning Process

Each November and December, I feature business planning in my blogs (see Management in a Minute for planning tips for leadership). I want to give you information, and, most of all, motivate and inspire you to create a plan to serve as a practical road map to success in 2020.

Free Planning Documents for You, Too

In some of these blogs, I’ll be providing you planning tools, so you can have a proven process to follow. These are excerpted from my online ‘how to make a business plan’ programs, Beyond the Basics of Business Planning.

How to Get Ready to Plan

Right now, start thinking about what went right in your business this year, and what you want to change. See my previous blog, too, on what to analyze about your last year’s business. I’ll be offering you specific suggestions in my complimentary business planning webinar, coming up soon.

I want 2020 to be a year of growth and opportunity for you–a fulfilling year both professionally and personally.

Check Out the Easy Way to Plan Here

All these analysis tools for making your plan exceptional are all in one place–my online business planning program, Beyond the Basics of Business Planning. Take a look here. There’s a program for agents and a program for leadership. The leaderhship program includes the agents’ program, so you can share that with your whole office.

Also, check back to join my free busines planning webinar coming up in December (more later….).

Categories Business Plan, Experienced agent, goals, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, webinar
Comments (0)

Business Planning: The Analysis Tools You’ll Need

by Carla Cross

November 19th, 2019

Throughout November and December, I’m focusing my blogs on business planning, so you have plenty of information to create a great plan. Look for checklists, processes, and systems--ready to use, too.

Agents, managers, and trainers: If you’ve been in the business any length of time, you know how much more challenging this business is than it used to be! Yet, most of the information we are still getting is about day-to-day selling and managing. However, we’ve learned that

we can’t just keep completing tasks and get ahead. We know that, after we’ve conquered sales and management basic skills, we still have a whole group of skills to master. Those are called ‘business skills’,

Click To Tweet

and they require as much dedication to master as do those sales and managing skills. One business skill is we need is analyzing your business.

Why Business Analysis?

If we don’t know where we’ve been, how can we decide on best strategies for the next year?

Here are the tools you’ll need in your business planning toolkit:*

Time analysis (watch my next blog for a questionnaire to analyze your time management)
Business plan activity review
Expense/budget review
Profit and loss statement review

1. Your time analysis. Do you have the analysis tools to see where your business is, and where you want to take it? With a time analysis tool, you can see what your priorities are. It’s amazing how many agents and managers have no idea where they spend the bulk of their time. Look at your schedule for the last week. Did you spend time in the areas that are most productive for you? If not, why not?

2. Business plan activity review tool. This allows you to capture the history of your business in a way that clarifies your direction. For example, does the tool you use ask you where you got your business last year? Does it ask you the percent of your listings you sold in normal market time? Managers, does your tool ask you the numbers of agents you interviewed, and your conversion rate? Find the tools that ask you the right questions.

3. The expense and budget review. How many agents have a budget? How many managers and owners? All businesspeople set budgets and review them. After all, it’s about profitability in a business, not productivity! At best, you want to use tools that are similar to the ones used by others at the same business level as you, so you can analyze like problems and solutions.

4. The profit and loss statement review. How many agents do you think have a profit and loss statement—and review it? I believe, less than 5%. Yet, if you don’t know where your money went, you can’t analyze its effectiveness. Use Quicken or Quickbooks to get a handle on your money.

Analyzing your business in these four areas gives you a great ‘handle’ on your business habits, your strengths, your challenges–and the areas you want to change for a more successful year next year.

*Grab All the Tools You’ll Need

All these analysis tools all in one place–my online business planning program, Beyond the Basics of Business Planning. Take a look here.

Categories Business Plan, New Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Success, Sales Strategies, time management
Comments (1)

How to Get Excited about your Business Plan (!)

by Carla Cross

November 7th, 2019

Is this you when you think about business planning? No wonder. Most times, the critical parts of the plan are left out–and you’re left with cold numbers.

Note: Through November and December, I’m going to help you with your 2020 business plans. You’ll find free documents from my business planning system for owners and an invitation to a complimentary webinar. Why not subscribe and be sure not to miss a thing?

Let’s get real. Your aren’t motivated to build that business plan. We know we’re supposed to write business plans. Yet, if you are like 95% of real estate professionals, doing that seems just like an exercise in futility. Most business plans don’t inspire.

Leaving Out the Magic?

There are components left out of most plans–components that put the inspiration and motivation into your plan and your agents’ plans. I’ll give you specific guidance for you to put that magic into business plans, so you are inspired every day to not only to complete the plan, but to use it as a very personalized and specific guide to your success.

Why Are Most Business Plans Useless?

Unfortunately, when most people write business plans, all they do is fill in some blanks with “guess” numbers. The problem here is that numbers in blanks aren’t inspiring. They aren’t motivating. They don’t call out and suggest to you that you should look at those numbers once in awhile!

What Really Motivates Us?

If numbers inspired us, we’d all be gazillionaires selling real estate.

Click To Tweet

After all, we say we want to sell more homes than the average agent. We want to make more money than the average agent. You know the drill, and we’ve heard it from hundreds of agents hundreds of times. Yet, if numbers and money were motivators, our results would be different than they are. The fact is that money, in itself, is not a motivator.

It’s what we do with the money.

And that’s as individual as we are. Martin Luther King didn’t say, “I have a business plan.” He said, “I have a dream.” You must include the dream part–the emotional driver–of your future in your business plans to make that plan useful to you. To do that, include the three ‘missing’ parts of business plans that I describe below.

Building the ‘Why’ Into Your Business Plan

That’s the motivator. In other words, we have to have a big why. Most business plans don’t build in the why. So, they fall flat, and leave us cold. That’s why agents don’t want to go through the exercise of creating them. Managers always commiserate that they can’t get their agents to write business plans. You wouldn’t want to write a plan, either, if you know it wouldn’t help you with your business the next year.

The Tools to Find the ‘Why’

Most people think of business plans as projections of numbers. But, that’s not all there is to a real strategic plan. There are three parts of a business plan that provide that inspiration, that motivation. Those are the parts of the planning process that are most frequently left out:

our vision--why you’re in this business; how you see yourself after you retire
Your review–what happened in your business that will make an impact on your business in the future
Your mission–who are you in the business

In the next few blogs, I’ll show you how to create these parts of your business plan so you give yourself the inspiration and motivation you need to create and implement your plan.

Ready to create your plan? Take a look at my online business planning program, with all the guidance and forms you need: ***Beyond The Basics of Business Planning.***

Categories Business Plan, Experienced agent, mission, Real estate systems, vision
Comments (0)

Polish your Trust Level to Platinum

by Carla Cross

October 31st, 2019

Polish your trust level to platinum!

We salespeople can’t sell anything to anyone without first establishing an exceptional level of trust–an increasingly difficult thing to do.

Click To Tweet

The ten tips I shared on in a recent radio show can help sales professionals build a ‘platinum level’ of trust.

The Ten Tips

1. Learn non-verbal skills and apply them in writing, on the phone, and in person to establish rapport in an increasingly ‘cold inquiry’ world.

Tip: How fast do you talk? Pace your speech to your potential client (at the beginning of the relationship). You’ll establish rapport. For more on pacing, mirroring, and much more, see a book on this fascinating look at communication: For example see this book: Neuro-Linguistics.

2. We believe what others say about a salesperson, not what the salesperson says about themselves. Use testimonials; check evaluation websites to see what consumers are saying about you.

Tip: Do an evaluation after each of your closings. You’ll get the good, the bad, and the ugly–and wonderful testimonials!

Check out www.realestateratingz.com and www.incredibleagents.com.

3. Create an after-the-sale survey and use it consistently. If there’s something wrong, fix it fast.

4. We believe what we see, not what we hear. Show, don’t tell. Use visual presentations consistently.

Tip: Are you still talking through your presentations? Studies show we remember 65% when we see and hear it, but only 10% when we only hear it.

5. Flip your sales presentations. Ask questions—lots of questions—first. Educate. Finally, sell (well, you won’t have to sell if you’re a great questioner).

6. Tell the truth attractively. Show evidence. Don’t try to scare the client into action by predicting the future.

7. Evaluate the client for long-term relationships. Is the client someone you want to add to your ‘tribe’?

8. Use ‘tough love’ with a client to tell the truth. Be brave enough to turn down a client—to stay true to your values. Do what’s best for the client.

9. Re-cap. Regularly, stop and re-cap with the client. Do this, too, when you can’t meet client expectations.

Tip: We leave out ‘review’, both in our presentations and in our teaching. Don’t dump the whole load!!!!

10. Book of Greatness: Don’t brag about yourself in the middle of a presentation. Create a ‘Book of Greatness’ to use in your pre-first visit so your clients get to know you and your approach to sales.

How do you stack up on this list of 10 ‘platinum’ trust makers?

Assistance in Marketing Yourself Attractively

I’ve created an online tool to help you create effective marketing strategies. Included is a section on creating that Book of Greatness. Check out Marketing You here.

Categories Coaching, customer service, New Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Sales Strategies, Training
Comments (0)

Why Selling Real Estate is Just Like Tickling the Ivories

by Carla Cross

October 25th, 2019

Here’s why selling real estate is just like tickling the ivories…..

From working with real estate agents for so many years, I know that one of the mistakes they make is to think that real estate success is largely related to what you know. Yet, once agents get past the panic of not knowing all the right answers, they start to understand (that is, the ones that will be successful)– that knowing lots of ‘stuff’ about real estate doesn’t equate to success.

If It’s Not Knowing Lots of Stuff, What Is It?

Practice and performance. So, what in the world can a pianist teach you about getting higher performance? A lot, I think. Why? Because pianists play better by learning and practicing new skills–not learning about how the piano is tuned…….

Without new skills, we just keeping working harder, not smarter. The really bad thing about continuing to beat your head against that invisible but very real ceiling, is that it hurts more and more. You spend more energy just trying to accomplish the same thing.

Too Much Energy, Too Little Results

Worse yet, we bounce off that ceiling and hit a new low every thing we get up the energy to try to break through it. Not only that, the last few years have been discouraging for many in real estate. Don’t give up on yourself! You do have the talent, the skill, and the determination to succeed at a much higher level again.

All Performers Hit ‘Ceilings of Achievement’

As a long-time performing pianist and flutist (I spent the first thirty years of my life playing and teaching music), I had to learn how to constantly change up my playing for the better. I learned a lot, which I translated to success in real estate.

You Aren’t as Good as You Can Be—I Promise

I just did a talk for our area’s Women’s Council, on how to have a much better ‘next year’—how to smash through that ceiling of achievement. (Title: Everything I learned about Achievement I learned from Tickling’ the Ivories—also the title of my latest keynote–where I use the piano to demonstrate important points).

As a four-year old, I climbed up on the piano bench and figured out, by ear, how to play “Sue City Sue”—with bass notes, chords, rhythm, melody—the whole shebang. I was acclaimed as a little kid. However, as I got a little older, I found that playing by ear just wasn’t getting me to be a better player. Here’s what I did to get to concert artistry level, and earn a bachelor’s in piano performance—and how you can translate these performance principles to your real estate business.

Get from ‘By Ear’ via your Talent to Conscious Systemization

As a musician, I know that no one can play very well when they try learning only by hearing (playing ‘by ear’). To progress past a ‘whiz-bang, aren’t you wonderful’ amateur level, musicians must learn to read music, get a great teacher, and learn to practice perfectly. Generally, their teacher/coach will teach them how to practice, and provide the best editions of music. They will teach them a specific system. The better the system, the coach, the music, and the practice, the higher the performance—the sky is the limit.

The First Time You Do Something Isn’t As Good as it Gets!

What does that mean to a real estate professional? Most of us started selling or managing ‘by ear’. Some of us were talented, and that carried us pretty well for quite a while. But, then, we hit our ‘ceiling of achievement’, and found we were working 24/7 and expending way too much energy—and money. The way out:

Embrace systems (the best systems you can find)
Follow processes and checklists
Get a great coach
Practice as perfectly as you can

Practitioners—Watch Those Actions, Not Just the Words

Unfortunately, we real estate professionals don’t realize that we are judged on our performance, not our knowledge. So, when you get all antsy because you think you need more classes, stop and think about your performance level, not your knowledge level.

Click To Tweet

Spend more time evaluating your performance, and pay someone to coach to you get better (all performers, whether musicians or golfers, do this, by the way). Critique your systems, and keep refining them because they will subconsciously affect your performance levels.

If I had a piano, I’d demonstrate these points (I do use the piano in the keynote!).

What Do You Want to Work on This Year—from ‘By Ear’ to Systematic?

Do you have some business plan goals for yourself this year to raise your ceiling of achievement? What do you believe is most valuable for you to work on?

Remember, if you’re a newer agent, you’ll be tempted to hang back, keep your fingers off the keys, and wait for something different–or better–to happen to you. Don’t get tempted! Put to work these performance principles and see your results improve dramatically.

Question: What do you wish you’d had as training to help you ‘see’ success early in your career? What would you change about your training if you were creating it?

Speaking of training: Let me help your instructors become masters of the classroom! I’ll customize a workshop just for your group, so they can break through those ceilings of achievement and master their crafts. Contact me and find out how I can help you: 425-392-6914 or carla@carlacross.com.

Categories Business Plan, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Real estate systems, time management, Up and Running Coaching Companion for Manager
Comments (0)

Does Your Career Path Match Your Manager’s Style?

by Carla Cross

October 18th, 2019

OK. Pardon me, but this post is about management style match-up for today and tomorrow–and it has nothing to do with age!!!!!!

Does your career path match your manager’s style? Sometimes agents change companies because they are failing. And, often, they look outside for the answers. Even with that in mind, I’ve got a question for you:

What’s your manager’s management style? We all know everything has changed, yet, my observation is that many managers are still using old-style management methods. And, those methods greatly impact whether you will reach your goals……if you have goals (and I’m not being facetious….)

Father/Mother Knows Best

Until the seventies (at least), ‘father/mother knows best’ was the preferred management style. The CEO made the decisions. The agents, the workers, sold real estate. Unfortunately, too, many managers took that top-down management style clear to the doting parent extreme. When you act like the parent, guess what the agents are supposed to act like? The kids. That management style caused a rebellion from agents in the seventies, when they decided they ‘didn’t need a manager’ (a parent) and left the traditional ‘parental style’ management real estate offices for offices promising more independence.

Is Your Manager Trying to Love Them All to Success?

Many managers have taken that parental management style to the extreme in an effort to protect and encourage agents. I call this the ‘loving parent’ manager. The ‘loving manager’ dialogue sounds like this: “If I just love them enough they will come back and go to work. I feel sorry for them. I just need to be there for them because times can be so tough.”

Unexpected results. There are, unfortunately, negative outcomes from this management style:

1. This style appeals to the non-producer. Loving agents without standards and accountability bleeds clear into sympathy, and sympathy encourages victimization. And victimization encourages non-action.

2. This style treats adults like little kids. When a three year old skins her knee, we kiss the knee to make it better, and put a cute little band-aid on it to comfort that three-year old. Why are we treating our agents like three-year olds?

3. This style drives producers crazy, lowers their production, and they ultimately leave. A recent study from The Ripple Effect, a Washington , D. C. management training and research firm, asked over 70,000 executives, managers and employees in 116 organizations what kind of impact under performers were having on their workplaces?

Eighty-seven percent said working with a slacker actually made them want to change jobs (retention issues, anyone?). Ninety-three percent said it had hampered their development or decreased their productivity.

Poor producers cause producers to produce less.
Poor producers cause good producers to leave.

My recommendations to managers, to evolve their management style:

a. Respect each agent as a responsible adult. Have an adult conversation with each agent. Ask that agent if he/she intends to work in real estate? Ask for a commitment to a work plan. After all, this is a business, not a love-fest!

b. Move your ‘love them into business’ actions toward ‘business love’. Ask yourself: Is it fair that they work in the business to enjoy those commissions they want to earn? Is it fair to expect that they work even half as hard as you work? Is it fair to expect that they keep honing their skills, keep getting better? Is it fair for you to expect them to invest in their businesses?

The irony of the ‘adult-style’ manager, foundationed in standards, is that it actually is the kinder of the management styles—by far. Why would we want to keep agents in careers where they were failing? Why would we want to provide sympathy instead of helping them create and implement a plan of action?

My question to you, agents: What’s your manager’s style? Is it helping you reach your goals? Is your manager too ‘easy’? Too ‘hard’? What needs to change to get the management and partnering you need to success at your desired level?

My question to agents: Is your manager’s style enabling you to fail? If you’re that kind of agent, you probably love the protective atmosphere short-term, but, when you’re failing, you’re going to be looking to that manager and that environment as the cause of your failure (whether true or not).

Recommendation: If your manager’s style doesn’t fit your goals, find a more businesslike atmosphere where people go to work, there’s pride in great performance, and there are performance expectations. You’ll rise to the occasion!

Categories accountability, Coaching, expectations, goals, manager, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success
Comments (0)

Are You Committing These 5 Fatal Career Mistakes?

by Carla Cross

October 3rd, 2019

What if there were things you were doing that got in your way–and you didn’t know it?

Are you making career mistakes that are costing you success? If you’re not making the money selling real estate you want to make, it’s time for some adjustments in your career habits. Here’s a list of the 5 most common career mistakes real estate agents make, with some advice in how to correct your course fast.

1. Wrong “career roadmap”

Most agents have unrealistic expectations from the business. Examining your preconceptions–and misconceptions– is important to grasping how you got to where you are now–and why. What’s your job description right now? What kind of activities do you spend most of your time doing?

Recommendation: To make money, you should have only three priorities: Lead generating, showing and selling. Are you spending enough time doing those activities now? Analyzing your time and activities is key to gaining a hold on your time management.

For a Time Analysis tool, click here.

2. Following the wrong role models

With real estate changing dramatically, each agent must know the opportunities and challenges inherent in his stage of the ‘career life cycle’. Without realizing it, many agents today are slipping into ‘decline’, hoping that real estate will go back to the ‘good old days’.

Recommendation: If you want to move your career ahead, you must consider yourself in the “growth cycle” of real estate. Why? Because the dramatic changes in the business force us salespeople consistently to examine our businesses and adopt new methods–just as we do when we want to grow a business, not merely maintain it.

3. Not managing your attitude

A recent survey showed that agents expect managers to “keep them up”. Now, just think about it. How many times a day do you get “down”? Unless you carry your manager around in a fanny pack (that’s a picture), and wire him/her into your emotions, your manager just can’t ‘be there for you’ when you need a pep talk.

Recommendation: Find 4 methods to keep your attitude on an even keel. Listen to motivational audios; watch inspiring videos; read the right books.

4. A ‘peaks and valleys’ business

Do you know agents who have a great month, followed by four terrible months–even when the market is good? They do that over and over until it’s their business pattern. They’ve created a ‘peaks and valleys’ business. How did they do that? Mainly, by waiting for the customer to come to them.

Recommendation: If you’re getting more than 25% of your business from re-active sources, (floor time, open houses, Internet leads), you’re playing Russian roulette with your income. If that pipeline freezes, you’re back to being a first-day agent again! Your business should be coming from 75% or more pro-active lead generation (you go out to find the prospects).

5. Spending your marketing dollars wrong

Recently, I was a speaker on business planning at a large regional real estate conference. I asked the agents what their best source of business was. They told me, “Old customers and clients–referrals.” I then asked them how much money they spent on that source. Out of 400 agents in the room, only one knew his investment in his best source!

Recommendation: Plan on spending 60% of your promotional dollars on old customers and clients. They’re your best source of business.

What did I miss? How do agents in your office get off track?

Don’t forget. Click here to get your time analysis tool. This is a very valuable tool that will reveal to you exactly how you’re spending your time–the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, attitude, floor time, Internet leads, new agent business plan, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Up and Running in 30 Days, Up and Running in Real Estate
Comments (0)

Can You Meet These 5 Criteria that the Buyer Wants to Know from You?

by Carla Cross

September 27th, 2019

Have you qualified as a buyer’s agent? Read the Five important criteria buyers want to know about you.

Can you meet these 5 criteria the buyer wants from you?

We all talk about qualifying buyers and sellers. I hope, as the year folds into 2020, that you’ve made a goal of creating better qualifying methods. I hope you’re setting your standards higher for buyers and sellers. But, in addition,

buyers actively qualify agents to figure out who to work with.

Click To Tweet

(Or, if they just take any agent who comes along, they are disappointed because ‘the customer doesn’t know what he’s getting, until he doesn’t’.)

Why meeting buyer qualifying criteria is important: Buyers today have many choices of how to find homes. You need to create competitive reasons to help buyers choose you. It will save you time and money. And, if you’re a newer agent, creating solid reasons to help buyers choose you will increase your self-confidence 200%.

Five Critical Questions Buyer Should Ask Agent ‘Candidates’

Here are five critical questions I believe buyers should ask agents to assure they have a ‘match’ between what they are looking for and what the agent provides. In addition, I’ve added what I believe buyers should look for in the anwers (that means that we agents must be able to qualify on these terms). Finally, I’ve given you some tips to become the agent buyers love:

1. “Is selling residential real estate your full-time career?”

My advice to buyers: Listen to be sure the agent specializes in residential real estate. You want someone selling homes for a living, not apartment houses. Listen to see if this is the agent’s full-time career. Ask additional questions if the agent’s answers need more clarifying.

Tip to the agent: Be sure your mission statement and promotional statements clarify your areas of expertise.

2. “How many homes did you sell last year?”

My advice to buyers: You want someone successful; that means, at minimum, the agent sold homes to buyers at least six times in that year.

Tip to the agent: If you haven’t sold at least 6 homes this year, be ready to show the buyer how you are honing your expertise to compete with more productive agents.

Principle: Practice makes perfect!

3. “How long have you specialized in residential real estate in this area?”

My advice to buyers: Be sure the agent has been working in the area where you want to purchase for at least six months, so you know the agent has expertise and interest in that area.

Tip to the agent: If you haven’t worked in that area over a period of time, be sure to educate yourself so you’re working in the buyer’s best interests–and be able to explain that to a buyer. Or, explain that you’ve lived in the area a long time–or had transfer experiences that have prepared you to adapt to new areas, etc.

4. “Describe the work you do in our price range and area.”

My advice to buyers: Listen to be sure the agent zeros in on the area and price range you need. If the agent says, “I work anywhere with anybody”, that agent may not be for you, for he may be trying to cover too much ground to know very much about specific areas.

Tip to the agent: Be sure you’ve focused your efforts through creating a mission statement. Be able to explain to the buyer how you’ve made yourself an expert in the area they want to explore.

5. “Tell us how you will work with us.”

My advice to buyers: Listen as the agent describes the buying process, as he views it. Does it reflect what you’re looking for?

Tip to the agent: Create a detailed, professional buyer process. Have that process in writing to show the buyer, to prove you can lead the buyer through that process.

Agents: Think These Criteria are Too Tough?

Did some of those questions and my advice to buyers make you defensive and argumentative? That’s because we agents tend to look at things ‘inside out’ (from our perspective). Instead, pretend you are a discriminating buyer. You’re going to spend $60,000 on a car. What kind of customer service do you expect? Now, think in terms of the real estate buyer. What kind of service should a real estate buyer expect?

Newer Agents: Panicked Because You Think You Can’t Qualify?

Relax. You don’t need to qualify on all terms. But, you need to have answers and explanations ready so you can provide buyers reasons to work with you. Advice: Educate yourself so that you are as well-prepared to help a buyer as an agent who has sold 100+ homes in his/her career.

It’s Getting to be Time to Plan for 2020: A Resource to Help You Create your Plan

My new business planning program, Beyond the Basics of Business Planning, helps you create answers to the questions above. It guides you through the vision and mission process, and helps you set goals. See more here.

Categories buyer presentation, Buyers, customer service, New Real Estate Agents, Raving Fans, Real Estate Success, webinar
Comments (0)

Join Me for a Complimentary Business Planning Webinar!

Prepare for the 2020 Changes

Check Out the Easy Way to Plan Here

*Grab All the Tools You’ll Need

Assistance in Marketing Yourself Attractively

It’s Getting to be Time to Plan for 2020: A Resource to Help You Create your Plan

Subscribe to Blog

Categories