Pieces of the Puzzle

Pieces of the puzzle that lead you to success – what are they? In today’s market, one of the most important pieces is knowledge. You need to know the numbers. How many houses are available for sale? How many months supply do we have today? What are prices doing - going up, down or remaining stable? What are the average days on market? What are interest rates? With these numbers and others you need to know how they compare to where they were last week. Last month? Last year? Additionally, you need to know what markets are “hot”. What price ranges are selling and which are not and why. You need to know what is happening in the industry – underwriting guidelines, appraisal rules and regulations, loan programs and guidelines, and what is going to change that will affect our industry. You have to know the contract and all addendums and be able to communicate what they say and mean to your clients.

Prospecting is also a very large piece of the puzzle. All of the knowledge in the world is useless without someone to share it with. Your efforts need to be intentional, focused and proactive. When speaking with people, tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and then let them know what you told them. If you are looking to help people in distress, let them know. If you are looking for buyers, let them know. If you want to work with clients not in distress, let them know. Be specific, be direct and be positive in your approach and you will reap the rewards.

Another puzzle piece is time management. Setting a schedule, following it and incorporating the following areas of into will help lead you to success. Find time to work on your business, schedule working in your business – showings, listing appointments, writing contracts and closings, make time for your family commitments and friends. Also make sure to include community involvement, to get involved in your association, and work time for charities into your schedule. As you have heard, the more you help others, the more help you will receive.

You must also work on sharpening your skills regularly. Rehearse your presentations, attend trainings, read sales books, take courses on selling. Learn to network better by having your elevator speech prepared and be able to communicate it at any time. In real estate, we are always “on” so practice to be prepared.
Your attitude also needs to fill in one of the holes in your puzzle. A positive, upbeat and optimistic attitude will give you energy, focus and determination when times get challenging. Remember, helping people and being solution oriented will produce huge rewards for you in life and in business.

Work on you delegation. Only work what adds to your bottom line. By only doing what creates revenue and delegating the rest makes you an asset to your team. Give up control of paperwork, mailings, brochure creation, feedback calls, MLS input, etc – review it but don’t do it. Get busy getting in front of people and your bank account will grow!

Tools are another piece of the puzzle. You need to know what works and why and how it can help you and your business. Know how to work on social media sites effectively and efficiently and don’t let them be a distraction. Use them to enhance your marketing and to develop and grow your sphere. Also, know which devices are most effective for your business and invest in your business. In today’s market, you need at a minimum a lap top with wireless capabilities, portable printer & scanner, PDA/IPhone/Blackberry, video capabilities through a flip video or camera, and a digital camera. Also, you need to know what software programs will help make you more productive, efficient and effective.

Put your puzzle together today and your success will follow. Get it? Got it? Good! Now, go sell something!