Real Estate is a business whether you lease properties for an owner, list and sell homes or handle commercial transactions you are in a business and a hard one at that. Realtors in each practice have to figure out what their brand is, who their marketing is and how to convey that message while simultaneously doing expense reports and paperwork for days. Because of the work load as a Realtor you must be organized from the get and having a few good habits can make or break a fantastic business plan. I speak with Realtors weekly that have had great success as well as those that need to find another career and the main differentiator is the habits between the two. I have spent many nights working on my habits as I have built my business and have changed them over time, but having them and owning them day in and day out is just what most Realtors or small business owners need to get to their next level. Here they are:
- Understand “The Touch” – “The Touch” is a word of mouth marketers dream come true. Each of your future, current and past clients should be reminded of you regularly and what you do. Whether its a phone call, a pertinent email or handwritten note “The Touch” can be the most important part of your lead generation. Have a system in place to introduces your services, reminds them regularly, educates them and makes them want to pick up the phone when its time to buy or sell. There are a thousand other Realtors in your area and being the one that comes to mind at that moment is what you need to survive.
- Get Dressed – Realtors have so much freedom and their set appointments can be sparse, but getting dressed for work 5 days a week in the morning is very important. Why you may ask? As a Realtor every single person that you come into contact with is a potential client and whenever you are out of the house you should be ready to make a good impression. Now most of you that know me already know that I am no longer a suit and tie guy but I rarely leave my block or gym without a shoe on or clean enough to not take away from my business. The other side of it is that when you are dressed for work you feel better about business and carry yourself a little different. I don’t know any bankers, lawyers, doctors or restaurant owners that do not get dressed every day that they work. Get dressed and feel like a badass Realtor for the day. Get sloppy and comfy at home on days you won’t be out making first impressions.
- Marketing All The Time – So I am a Social Media junkie and have had pretty good success using it to marketing my services and expertise to potential clients, but rarely do Realtors spend much time creating a marketing plan for their business to stay on track. Every business has to advertise, do PR and hand customer support everyday so why would a Realtor not do the same. I say find 2 really efficient outlets to create your brand awareness on and use them every single day to tell your story, message and the experience someone may have by using you to buy or sell real estate. Pick out the top 5 Realtors in your area and you will be able to easily find marketing coming from them to attract more clients. If you think the phone is going to ring because you sent a mailer out last year you are so wrong. Create a regular plan, measure it and make adjustments as needed but never stop advertising what you do.
-curt
