I was sitting with a business coach today and he was able to set off a light bulb over my head. We sat for 90 minutes talking about the ins and outs of sales in general and the culture that goes along with it. One time after another he had examples of amazing sales people not making money and non-salespeople that have created long careers at the same exact job. His main point was that smart Realtors don’t take for granted a big sale or relationship and they never ever ever rest when things are going good. So I came to a couple of suggestions that may help if your business might be a roller coaster and without a steady stream of leads or if you have a slow season coming up.
1. Targeted Marketing – My business coach friend spoke of one agent that was just getting started. She picked 2 neighborhoods and every 2 weeks walked those neighborhoods with flyers. She made herself an expert in a small market and became a top resource to those owners and buyers in that area. After a time she became the go to broker in those neighborhoods and still dominates it years later. Very smart
2. Getting the listing is easy – One of the favorite strategies is the expired listing Realtor. Anyone can take an overpriced ugly house and put it on the market, but a smart Realtor dismisses the listing until its ready to sell. The expired listing Realtor lets everyone else waste their time and when its truly priced right and the sellers are ready, they swoop in as the fresh new honest face. At that point the first 6 months to a year are not wasted trying to push a deal but focused on salable properties.
3. Ask for referrals now – Running out of listings is part of the game but drying up and not having new ones on the horizon is a rookie mistake. As soon as a property pends, have that seller give a referral to a could be selling neighbor or fsbo. Ask them to shoot them a text or Facebook message, or even have them write you a glowing review to share on Nextdoor and so on. No on is happier then a seller with a contract heading to closing. Leverage that relationship before everyone moves on and the opportunity is lost. If you are not using recent sales as a referral tool your missing out on a very reliable lead generation tool.
Hopefully your business levels out and and stays steady for many years to come. And with a little planning and strategy you can avoid lots of slow seasons and missed opportunities.
-curt