33 tips for the three types of real estate agents

There are 3 types of real estate agents… Those that have forgotten more bright ideas than they can remember, those filling their heads with all the new bright ideas they can find and those that have both forgotten more than they can remember and are always on the lookout for new bright ideas.

There are 3 types of challenges for all real estate agents… the status-quo will not maintain your business, choosing solid gold over fool’s gold and moving our chosen ideas out of the imaginary feel-good world of good intentions and into the real world arena of action, implementation and monetization.

Which ever type you are. . .

I thought these ideas were solid-gold and were realistically simple to implement.  I plucked these ideas from a 59 page list of Twitter sized ideas submitted by attendees at Prudential Real Estate’s Top Producer Summit conference.

1. Use video chat to meet your relocation clients face-to-face often before they relocate! Be the source of the source!
2. Find an article, fact or something at least once a week to post on your blog or Facebook.
3. Start networking in your office! Know you team.
4. Offer to sponsor the local high school play! Print their programs for them in exchange for your info on the back!
5. Volunteer to read one day a month at a senior home/school.
6. Buy an external hard drive and back up your computer weekly.
7. Be the water stop sponsor for a local running group.
8. Send a “welcome to your new home” to the new buyer who purchased your listing and add them to your mailing list.  Even if they weren’t your buyer.
9. Always wear a name badge.
10. Communicate with your clients based on how they communicate with you.
11. Every day that you don’t prospect, ask yourself “Why?” and refuse to use that excuse again.
12. Send lots of personal notes.
13. Hire a professional photographer.
14. Add free and open Wi-Fi to your listing for all buyer agents to use when visiting any of your listings.
15. Pick one new tool or technology to learn each week and become an expert.
16. Start every day with a clear and measurable goal. Know what a successful day looks like before your feet hit the floor.
17. Remember anyone can be a client, so be kind when you meet people.
18. A thank you goes so much farther when it is hand written.
19. When your buyer has completely moved into their new home, offer to have their house warming party for them. Let them invite 20 of their top friends.  You, the agent, can buy the food and of course a nice bottle of wine.  Home owners buy drinks.  Now you are there at their party.
20. It’s a price war.  Keep getting price reductions.
21. Instead of a sign-rider saying call me, it should say text me for info on this house!!
22. Create email signatures for the things you send out often.
23. SlideShare.com.
24. Ask your clients how they would like you to communicate with them.  Some prefer email, some phone, others only text.
25. The status quo will not maintain your business.
26. Surround yourself with people that support your goals and who are fearless.
27. We cannot control the market.  We can control our attitude and focus.  Become the agent that buyers and sellers seek to make it happen!
28. When I get a buyer I send a mock offer to them right away.  Then when I see them or talk to them again, I review it with them.  It allows us the chance to answer all questions or concerns before we write the final offer.
29. Stop making excuses and devote 5 hours a week to prospecting.
30. A busy day doesn’t mean a good day if you haven’t reached out to 5-10 clients in your database or recent contacts.
31. In order to not be overwhelmed on my cell phone with inquiries, and to separate new folks from signed clients, I use a unique telephone number from Google Voice.  Messages are transcribed and sent to email, or a number can be forwarded to your assistant.
32. Luck is predictable.  If you want more luck, take more chances, show up more often, try more things.
33. Send closing sheets copy to clients in January from previous year’s closings.

The status-quo will not maintain your business.

What I’m going to do is implement at least one of these ideas per week. They say it takes twenty-one repetitions to create a new habit, I’m going to keep that in mind in my quest for success.  If you have some ideas you’d like to share, twitter sized or otherwise, please share them in the comments.

Thanks for reading and sharing.