Now is the time to make the rest of this first quarter and early second quarter count! The more conversations you can have this quarter, the stronger your year will be. Your focus should be to set appointments and get in front of people. Here are the five things you should do to ramp up your production for the year ahead.
1. Get in front of people
It’s critical to talk to every lead you can. Call them in the morning, the afternoon, and the weekend until you catch them. You have a lot more power to move them forward than you think you do. Are they a valid lead? Are they willing to set an appointment to meet with you in the future? Talk to every lead you have. This is the time to be relentless in your pursuit of connecting with them. Leads are not like fine wine; they do not age well.
Make sure to ask who, what, where, why, when and how questions. They tend to hide their motivation so it is important to ask these questions to uncover their hidden motivation. Don’t look at the names in your past client and sphere list and assume they would not do something. Things change. Motivations change. Life events happen. So, qualify everyone.
A question I love to ask potential sellers is “By when would you like your home sold to the right buyer?” Another favorite line of mine to use is, “Here is what we need to do next.” Remember to take charge of the conversations you are the wise advisor. Ask a potential homebuyer, “by when do you want to be moving into and enjoying your new home?” Find out what is important to them about the time frame they give you.
Once you uncover their motivation, find ways to legitimately spark urgency. “What’s important to you about that time frame? If you thought there could be a financial advantage to doing it sooner, would you consider it?”
2. Commit to two open houses per week
Maximize the return on those open houses. Extend hours. Call other agents that you have a relationship with that may not want to or can’t hold their own open houses. For-sale-by-owners may want to take a weekend off, so contact them. Hold open houses on weekdays too if you don’t have enough. If it sells quickly let the buyers know you will have one more open house until all contingencies are removed for back up offers.
Ideally, two open houses a week will help fill the pipeline with leads quickly. I know a lot of agents who hold open houses from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and set up the open house as their office for the day. You get to talk to prospects that you would not have talked to working from your office that day.
Door-knock at least 25 houses to invite the neighbors. Your goal for each listing should be to get at least one additional listing from it. While collecting contacts for your database is good, your big focus for each open house should be to meet at least 2 great prospects that you can set an appointment with before you leave. When you get the open house leads don’t wait. Call them that night or, at the very latest, call them the next morning.
3. Dramatically increase calls and connections
Commit to the 10-10-10. Have 10 quality conversations a day eye to eye and ear to ear. Make 10 calls. Send 10 texts to create a new opportunity. This is the minimum you should do. Try to push yourself for the next 30 days and do 20-20-20 to ramp up your production. Talk to more people than you normally do and get to them faster. Keep the minimum 10-10-10 standard and stretch to 20-20-20 whenever possible.
It is all about meeting new clients and finding new customers. It’s a numbers game and a game of focus and intensity. Work to skill up. If you fall into ‘contactitis’ — where you show up and do the dials but you aren’t fully engaged — you could still get some leads. But, if you have the edge and focus and you don’t take a no when the yes might be around the corner. That intensity improves your results. It is a numbers game and a skill game.
Work on your housing market knowledge. When you know the market data and have great properties to talk about, you will have quality conversations. Next, make sure you master your 3-5 most common objections so you are prepared for them.
4. Make a rule- any day that you don’t have an appointment with a buyer or seller find one person to get in front of
Have lunch with your lender who sends you referrals. Stop by to see a past client. Knock on the door of an expired or for sale by owner. Remember it is the small things that add up and make a huge difference.
5. Contact your AAA clients and vendors and affiliates and ask them for a referral
Call your AAA clients and let them know that you really appreciate them and their loyalty. “I am here for you and would love to help you with your real estate needs. You know a lot of people. Who have you met that might need my help or want to ask me questions?”
Remind your vendors and affiliates that as much as you send business their way you expect the same. “I know you work with other agents and can’t give me everything. All I ask is once a month to send me a lead, make an introduction or an invite to an event something to bring value to my business so I can bring value to yours.”
Remember, success each day is all about how you use your time. Leverage or delegate anything you can. Before you say yes to things to do or take on new commitments, always give yourself 24 hours to consider it. When you say yes to one thing you are saying no to something else like your family life, health and business and financial goals. Be protective of how you utilize your time.
This is your time to shine. This is not the month for busy work and projects. This is the month for heavy lead generation to set the stage for the year ahead. Be accountable and keep your promises to yourself and your business.
What you do makes a difference in people’s lives every single day but if they don’t talk to you or don’t get to meet you, then you don’t get to help them.
Debbie De Grote is the co-founder and CEO of Forward Coaching.
