I was recently on the phone with one of my clients who is considering hiring a junior leasing representative to help him with his business (it’s exploding!) and we decided to come up with a to-do list. Once finished, I sent it out to a few other customers who raved about it. I decided not to keep it a secret and share it with my readers.
- Set 12 month goals – Setting goals is necessary because it sets the stage for what needs to happen in the next 12 months. Having goals makes it easier to take action that supports your goals. Make decisions about what the job should and shouldn’t be. Make sure your goals are specific, measurable, and timed. Develop 90-day plans with day-by-day action steps that support your annual goals. Then make sure you have set aside time each day to complete the tasks. If you follow your plan without cheating, success is yours.
- manage your time – Now that you have goals, you need to manage your time properly in order to complete everything. The 6 keys to effective time management are: attitude, goal setting/planning, prioritization, scheduling, interruption management, and delegation. If you have firm control over these 6 strategies and are blocking time for necessary activities, delegating what you don’t do well or can pay someone else to do it, and managing interruptions while remembering to plan each day, your income will skyrocket. Guaranteed.
- Organize – Are you organized? Do you know where everything is? Do you have archives set up where all your documents are kept? Folders on your desktop? Do you know what has to happen every day if you think about it too much? Whoever tells you that despite the mess on his desk knows where everything is, don’t you believe it? IT IS IMPOSSIBLE! Don’t fall into this trap: take the time to get organized and stay organized once and for all. To stay organized, new clothes must be created – start today.
- cold call – As much as I write about other (and possibly better) methods, nothing replaces good old fashioned cold calling. Have a script ready before making any calls, modify it as needed. Pick a specific number of calls to make each day and stick to it. Start with 5-10, make it a habit. Consult various sources to collect names to call: internal directories, subscription directories, online searches, CoStar, Loopnet, even your own personal database. knock on doors; knock on all doors within the competition area of your property. Leave a brochure and a business card. Be friendly and professional. Add each name to your personal database and keep track of who you called, when you called, and the result.
- Develop a tickle system – The only way to keep track of what needs to happen and when is to have a tickler system set up. A tickler system is a system that keeps track of what follow-up is required and when. You may retain this information electronically or manually; just know what to do, who to call and when!
- Have meetings – I have a client who likes to tell me that his number 1 goal is to get meetings. He knows that if he can have a face-to-face meeting with prospects, he has a high chance of at least getting to the next step of turning the prospect into a customer. In other words, he has a high conversion rate of getting new clients as a result of the meetings he has set up. Of course, this requires you to have a strong lead generation system in place so that you have prospects to schedule meetings with. But… that’s another topic.
- Qualify your prospect – This is a key to time management. Prepare a list of 5 basic qualifying questions that will allow you to discern who to work with and who not. DON’T MEET UNQUALIFIED PROSPECTS. You will never win with these people today (however, learn to determine who may be a customer tomorrow).
- Boost markets – Drive each market in your territory and really know it: be an expert. Don’t go to the next market until you’ve finished the first one and so on. And don’t forget to make follow-up calls and get any additional information you need as a result of your drive. Follow up is key to making this activity worth your while!
- Cold calling in person Knock on doors: every door in your market. Have conversations; Leave flyers and business cards (maybe even a PayDay candy bar). Be friendly and professional.
- Update Comps for your area quarterly – This is obvious. Information is king. Don’t get caught with your pants down because you don’t know the information.
- Marketing/Prospecting – Marketing is everything you do to promote yourself, your company, your product or your customer. Be professional at ALL times: dress well, bring crisp new business cards, produce materials you’re proud of, and don’t make mistakes. Do what you say you’re going to do. – Lead generation – Establish a marketing schedule. Touch each lead 1-2 times a month. It takes 5-9 times to hear or see your name before they feel like they know you. Remember that people buy from those they know, like and trust. – Have at least 3 lead generation activities per week. Stay on top of your prospecting even when you’re busy. This avoids the up-and-down cycles many agents experience with a constant flow of customers. – Marketing Pieces: Develop good, strong direct response promotional pieces. Write about 3 FREE REPORTS to hand out.
- Be technologically savvy Know how to develop a website and what should be in one. Learn how to send mass emails, faxes, and voice transmissions. Technology is a fact of life today; you need to be aware (or hire someone who is).
Bonus: Follow Up – This is where most fall short! I don’t have to tell you how to do this, just do it. Create a system with a checklist and STICK TO IT. Don’t let things fall through the cracks.