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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
5 Ways To Improve Your Real Estate Business in 2012
by Don Heller on January 20, 2012
Watching the ball drop this year in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, I was initially struck by the oddity of it all. Since 1907, hundreds of thousands of people have traveled from all over the world to be squashed together on a freezing December night in New York for the sole purpose of simultaneously counting backwards in an increasing frenzy, only to erupt in celebration upon completion of their task.
Even without Lady Gaga and Mayor Bloomberg locking lips, it is a strange sight to behold. But upon further reflection there is beauty contained in the chaos that few stop to fully appreciate: the universal appeal of rebirth. A new year is a new chance, a fresh start, a clean slate. This explains the most common of occurrences in the wake of New Year’s Eve: the dreaded New Year’s resolution. Most are made with honorable intentions, only to succumb to a lack of will power or a reversion to previous behavior. But all hope is not lost.
Limit Your Promises: It’s tempting to make a laundry list of everything you would like to change in your business: reach out to past clients, prospect for new ones, focus on expired listings, go door-knocking, etc. But since Rome wasn’t built in a day, it’s best to focus on one or two items that seem the most in reach, which will not only increase your chance for success, but will embolden you to tackle the other items on your list next year.
Write Them Out: In the fluid world of real estate, where deals can be reached, lost and then saved again in a matter of minutes, it’s all too-easy to get caught up in the minutia of the day’s work and lose sight of long-term goals. Writing down your resolutions acts as an anchor in this crazy sea and gives you a conclusion as to how you want the story you are writing every day to end.
Involve a Friend: Whether it’s helping to help alleviate some of your workload, serving as a check on accountability of your goals or even providing an outside perspective, co-workers can be a tremendously rich resource. At Partners Trust, we are fortunate to be surrounded by the best in the business, giving us an unparalleled resource at our disposal to serve our clients.
Get Out Of Your Own Way: For my money, this is the most important point. There are 1,000 reasons why something may not work. An offer you submit may be rejected because the price may be too low. Another agent with a perceived advantage may be going after the same listing that you are. No matter the situation, the greatest enemy in any business is doubt. Sometimes that doubt is born out of inexperience, and other times it’s born out of having seen too much. If we tried only what we knew was going to work 100% of the time, or even 50% of the time, we would be in state of paralysis. So cast aside all reasons why something won’t happen and focus on the reasons why it could. And remember that if you don’t try, it’s 100% guaranteed to never happen.
Expect Missteps: This is almost as important #4. None of us are perfect, fewer even still when trying to alter established routines. If your resolution is to make 100 calls a week to past clients and you miss a week or two, that doesn’t mean you should abandon ship completely. It just means you either need to adjust your goal or manage your time more efficiently. Remember that the goal itself is worthwhile. Aim for the stars and if you only manage to hit the moon, you’re doing very well.
With that in mind,we at First Capital - New Homes Group -Partners Trust would like to wish our clients and co-workers an incredible 2012. May all your New Year’s Resolutions come true!
Do you have a New Year’s Resolution You Are Looking to Keep? How do you plan on sticking to it? Please share your ideas and leave your comments below.
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First Capital Mortgage is a subsidiary of PHH Home Loans LLC, a direct lender, Dept. of Corporations file #413-0713
Watching the ball drop this year in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, I was initially struck by the oddity of it all. Since 1907, hundreds of thousands of people have traveled from all over the world to be squashed together on a freezing December night in New York for the sole purpose of simultaneously counting backwards in an increasing frenzy, only to erupt in celebration upon completion of their task.
Even without Lady Gaga and Mayor Bloomberg locking lips, it is a strange sight to behold. But upon further reflection there is beauty contained in the chaos that few stop to fully appreciate: the universal appeal of rebirth. A new year is a new chance, a fresh start, a clean slate. This explains the most common of occurrences in the wake of New Year’s Eve: the dreaded New Year’s resolution. Most are made with honorable intentions, only to succumb to a lack of will power or a reversion to previous behavior. But all hope is not lost.
Recently Time Magazine published a list of “Tricks To Make Your New Year’s Resolution Stick”.
And while they were probably written to keep people motivated to hit the gym or stop smoking, there are tremendous applications to real estate business as well.
- Limit Your Promises: It’s tempting to make a laundry list of everything you would like to change in your business: reach out to past clients, prospect for new ones, focus on expired listings, go door-knocking, etc. But since Rome wasn’t built in a day, it’s best to focus on one or two items that seem the most in reach, which will not only increase your chance for success, but will embolden you to tackle the other items on your list next year.
- Write Them Out: In the fluid world of real estate, where deals can be reached, lost and then saved again in a matter of minutes, it’s all too-easy to get caught up in the minutia of the day’s work and lose sight of long-term goals. Writing down your resolutions acts as an anchor in this crazy sea and gives you a conclusion as to how you want the story you are writing every day to end.
- Involve a Friend: Whether it’s helping to help alleviate some of your workload, serving as a check on accountability of your goals or even providing an outside perspective, co-workers can be a tremendously rich resource. At Partners Trust, we are fortunate to be surrounded by the best in the business, giving us an unparalleled resource at our disposal to serve our clients.
- Get Out Of Your Own Way: For my money, this is the most important point. There are 1,000 reasons why something may not work. An offer you submit may be rejected because the price may be too low. Another agent with a perceived advantage may be going after the same listing that you are. No matter the situation, the greatest enemy in any business is doubt. Sometimes that doubt is born out of inexperience, and other times it’s born out of having seen too much. If we tried only what we knew was going to work 100% of the time, or even 50% of the time, we would be in state of paralysis. So cast aside all reasons why something won’t happen and focus on the reasons why it could. And remember that if you don’t try, it’s 100% guaranteed to never happen.
- Expect Missteps: This is almost as important #4. None of us are perfect, fewer even still when trying to alter established routines. If your resolution is to make 100 calls a week to past clients and you miss a week or two, that doesn’t mean you should abandon ship completely. It just means you either need to adjust your goal or manage your time more efficiently. Remember that the goal itself is worthwhile. Aim for the stars and if you only manage to hit the moon, you’re doing very well.
With that in mind, we at First Capital - New Homes Group -Partners Trustwould like to wish our clients and co-workers an incredible 2012.
May all your New Year’s Resolutions come true!