YES It Can!

As a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, I see Realtors who succeed and grow with a Lead Generation System, and those who utilize it for a few months and then give up. What's the difference? A worthwhile Lead Generation System does not just produce leads! It also educates/enables you to log those leads, sort them easily according to motivation, and convert them. Conversion is KEY. If leads are coming in but not turning into face to face interaction, then they are useless. No one is going to buy or sell a home via email, voicemail, or text message!

The most difficult thing about my job is watching Realtors put their heart and soul into building their business only to see them stagnate because they didn't have a guide. The road they chose to go down did not have signs, arrows, nor had it even been traveled before by another agent! It was their own plan, and unfortunately it didn't turn out as planned. Maybe it did work for a while, but then the market changed and it's not leading to success anymore, let alone a paycheck that pays the bills. Why don't these agents have a guide? Why did they go it alone? There are numerous reasons; but a common one is they think that utilizing a coach will highlight their shortcomings. This is especially true if they are successful already and have been in the business a while. How successful are you if your business causes you to miss out on precious family time on a regular basis? Anyone can be successful if they work 70-80 hours per week, but is that really the direction you want to go in until retirement?

If you want to do something different this year, something that WILL change the cycle that you are on, I highly recommend talking with John McKenna of Real Estate Champions, Inc.  John McKenna is a very successful Realtor, and he has taken his model for success and standardized it to help other Realtors succeed without spending thousands on Google ranking, web sites, and advertising. And the best part, it's affordable!! He has several programs available to teach you the systems, with the starter plan as low as $299 for 8 weeks of education, accountability, and tracking your success for implementation! That's quite a deal! And the wonderful thing about it is the results: agents are averaging 8.2 transactions (i.e. listing taken, listing sold, buyer signed, buyer sold) during this 8 week period.  Talk about a return on your investment!

Why do I recommend investing your money and time into a coaching plan, even if you're successful? Because whatever is working for you now will probably have to be tweaked in the next 3-6 months. Did your sphere of influence and Referral base dry up quite a bit over the past year? If you answered no, then I'm happy for you, but don't count on it for next year. How's your family doing? Do they see an empty chair at the dinner table more often than they see you? How's your health? Have you been able to take the time to take care of yourself? Can you take a vacation and relax without worrying about where you next sale and/or lead is coming from, or without handling escrow details while you're trying to relax?

I love working with Realtors. As a former Realtor myself, I have a respect and an empathetic outlook that only comes from ‘being in the trenches'. It is painful to see an agent that can't even turn off their cell phone for one weekend because a deal is pending. It doesn't have to be this way! It can be better. Are you ready to improve? Are you ready to implement systems that will enable the leads to flow regularly, so that your time and income can finally settle into a pattern? Then please don't wait another day. Even if you feel you can wait, I bet your family would like to see you work less and be with them more, and you can do it while improving your take home pay!

The holiday season is around the corner, and 2010 will be here before you know it. Don't wait until next year to start implementing recession proof systems that will enable you to delegate and manage more business.

Visit www.TheBestRealEstateSystems.com for an amazing array of FREE tools and recommendations for your business. You can also contact John directly at 800-218-7715 Ext 5008. The web site offers free Webinars with very valuable information if you would like a sneak peek at the content. Life in Real Estate shouldn't be endlessly difficult or stressful...it should be simple: Get Leads, Sell Homes, Go Home. Take a Day Off Here and There. Vacation. Don't make more bills than you can pay. Simple. Rewarding.

For more information about how a Virtual Assistant can help you Contact Us

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Past Blog Posts by Markelle:

Forums: Social Networking Tools Worth Using

Since When are you a DoorMat?

Half of 2009 is Gone: How Much $$ Have you Wasted?

The Case for Realtor Preview Tours

What are your statistics for new business?

Facebook & Twitter: Are you Referable?

ONE FREE THING to Gain New Leads in 2009

Using Post-Its to Reach Your 2009 Production Goals

Best Contact Task Management Software Available for 2009 Organization Goals

Are You Using the Credit Crunch to Your Advantage When Working with Buyers?

A Review of Online Continuing Education Classes

Responses to Rejection

Finally, A Postive Article About the Future of Real Estate!

So you're updating Twitter and Facebook regularly. You're hitting Active Rain on a consistent basis. But the site www.city-data.com means NOTHING to you. Or maybe you know what that site is, you checked it out once, and you moved on. 

City-Data is a FREE site dedicated to compiling statistics about each and every city and town in the United States. City Data's home page boasts this line "Visited by 11.7 million unique visitors in June 2009, featured in 60 books, on CNN, WABC in New York, Bay News 9 in Tampa Bay, and USA Today's Hot Sites".  WOW! That's impressive! And it's true!

The best part of City-Data? Each major metro area has a forum where people who are curious about the area post questions, and area residents answer. From the best Italian cuisine to school info to local events, someone from the town is answering these questions. That someone should be YOU. Daily. Every time you update a social network site, you should log into City-Data and answer a question. Why? People on these forums are often moving. Moving into town, Moving out of town, or just moving within town (a twofer)!

Not convinced? Let me share my own experience with you: I started planning my move cross country about a year before we put the house up for sale, and then it took us 6 more months to sell, take care of some loose ends, and move. For 1.5 years I was glued to city-data, because I had not chosen the city I was going to move to. I knew it was the Carolina's, but other than that I didn't know where to go. Everything was a factor: Crime, Cost of Housing, Schools, Traffic, Weather, etc. The ONLY site that gave me statistics about each of those categories was City-Data. AND there were residents personal opinions on all of those topics. Dozens upon dozens of people who were in the process of moving and researching, just like me. It was like an online relocation club! And the best part? I had already selected my Realtor ‘online' based on the company she was with and her designations. But guess what? My decision was reinforced by city-data. Not because she was on there being helpful, but when I punch her name into the search feature of the site, her name comes up as a recommended Realtor over and over and over again. We found our moving company on this site. Our repair man. Our car transport company. Why? Because honest, every day people were sharing their experiences. No sales gimmicks. You are not allowed to post your web site or plaster ads all over the place. You simply have to help keep the forum going by adding your two cents, and  you can mention  your career as a Realtor as you see fit.

Don't have time? OK , here is the challenge: Think of the ONE person you know who is online all the time and lives in your area. Have THEM sign up, tell them to answer questions daily, and search for people who are asking about Realtors. Every time they see someone asking, put your name out there. See how long it takes you to gain a lead from this...for free. Or you could hire a Virtual Assistant to handle this for you to ensure accuracy and frequency...just a thought!

For more information about how a Virtual Assistant can help you Contact Us

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Past Blog Posts by Markelle:

Since When are you a DoorMat?

Half of 2009 is Gone: How Much $$ Have you Wasted?

The Case for Realtor Preview Tours

What are your statistics for new business?

Facebook & Twitter: Are you Referable?

ONE FREE THING to Gain New Leads in 2009

Using Post-Its to Reach Your 2009 Production Goals

Best Contact Task Management Software Available for 2009 Organization Goals

Are You Using the Credit Crunch to Your Advantage When Working with Buyers?

A Review of Online Continuing Education Classes

Responses to Rejection

Finally, A Postive Article About the Future of Real Estate!

The Title for this Blog was inspired by my recent experience with an unhappy home seller. Well, I should call them a 'Home For Saler', because with their lack of flexibility and obsessiveness with perfection, their home is going to be FOR SALE for a looooooooong time, not SOLD.

I recently watched one of the hardest working, most dedicated agents take a severe verbal beating from her seller. Why? The photos weren't good enough (they were professional, and they were good). The ad on Craigs List said 'Patio' when it was clearly a 'Porch'. Certain kitchen features were left out of the description. On and on and on and on. The house had been on the market for over 6 months, the seller had purchased the home through another Realtor, paid too much in hindsight, and now it was all the listing agent's fault that it was not selling. I work with many agents, and this agent gives her listings adequate coverage, more that most agents I work with. I was astounded when we talked, she wanted to change everything around to make him happy. I did say 'You know, if we do all of this, he's going to come up with something else, you've got to set some boundaries'. She said she would, but we made all the changes he requested, and sure enough, in a few days, there were more complaints. Petty things, nothing major. This continued for about 4 weeks, until he fired her and hired one of those discount brokerage firms. And guess what? The photos taken by listing agent #2 were AWFUL! 

Why didn't she call it as she saw it? Why didn't she say in one of their conversations "You are clearly unhappy with my service, but I think your unhappiness is displaced. I know how it feels to overpay for a home, I've done it myself. I understand you want your home sold, and that's why I took your listing, I want to help you sell it. But I can't help you if you treat me as though I am the enemy. The market is your enemy. The shrinking pool of qualified buyers is your enemy. And the longer we stay focused on what's wrong with me and not what's wrong with your list price/condition, the longer this home sits here and you have to make payments on it."

What's the worst that could have happened? He fired her right then and there? Fine! A seller who is unable to listen to reason during the listing is not going to be any more reasonable during negotiations, inspections, appraisal issues, or closing issues, so take that pink slip with a smile and RUN. Send the 2nd agent in a sympathy card, because they are going to LOSE with that seller!

My next experience was directly with a seller. She was concerned because her home is buried on Realtor.com, it does not stand out well, and she's getting zero showings. Of course I talked about price with her, but that went way over her head. It's an exposure problem, she tells me. Fine, I can help with that! Even if your agent does not have a Showcase Listing subscription to Realtor.com, I can create a virtual tour site that will give it the little red rotating house and all will be well. Or so I thought. Within 3 days of discussing the project, I am getting emails at 5am with remarks in all caps 'I EXPECT TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU TODAY'. Panicked, unreasonable emails. The writing is on the wall. I've got to set some boundaries. My email started with this sentence 'I want to be sure that our services match your expectations, so here is what we are going to deliver', and I spelled out what would and would not happen. After I sent the email, I wondered what in the WORLD this poor listing agent had been subjected to, and why on earth is she still carrying the listing? It's got to be weighing her down!

The photo feature of AR is down right now, but if I could insert a photo, it would be one of Wile E. Coyote holding a surrender sign. Is that you? Or are you more like Daffy Duck, and you get very angry and start yelling at everyone? Or are you like Tom in Tom and Jerry, taking what is yours, and running with it? (Your amazing service, your integrity, your time). I say be like Tom, and run like crazy when respect and good manners go out the window.

Recent NAR statistics show that over 40% of Buyers and Sellers selected their Realtor based on the recommendation of a friend or family member, a Referral. Aaaah, lovely referrals! Don't you just love it when your phone rings, and someone is just so happy to talk with you, because so and so said you were the BEST REALTOR EVER and they can't wait to meet you??

Given the feeling that you get when this happens, WHY are you still flushing money down the drain on things like Just Listed/Just Sold Cards, flashy postcards that get thrown in the trash, or worse yet, newspaper ads that never even get read? And oh yes, those email flyer ads that get blasted to a gazillion agents. Who opens those, anyway, besides your seller? I know, doing things the way you've always done it feels good. Familiar feels comfortable. What if you took the money you are spending on those, and invested in a system that would generate more referrals? A system that would truly make your past clients think about referring you each and every time they heard from you? A Just Listed card doesn't remind them to send you a referral. That tells them you just listed a home. So what? Their neighbor is a car salesman and just sold a new Honda, did he send them a postcard with a picture of it? Noooooooo. (thank you Joe Stumpf for that analogy, www.ByReferralOnly.com)

We are half way through 2009. If your leads are slow right now, or you spend a lot of time and money chasing new leads, I urge you to put a plan into action to increase your referral rate to AT LEAST 50% by the end of the year. It won't take much, certainly not more than you're already spending trying to generate cold calls from prospects.

A Virtual Assistant company can help you implement the system on a regular basis, and stay on top of the project. At A Virtual Genie, we never charge you for advice. We have seen many agents try different routes to success, and we know what works! Our services are surprisingly affordable, and after you get that first referral, you'll find our services are priceless.

My company recently started sponsoring a local Realtor preview tour. We gather up to 10 agents to meet at at a local coffee cafe, we board our bus, and Realtors preview each others listings, giving feedback, and leave cards so the sellers know that agents came through and saw the home.

Sponsors (real estate service providers) pay for the executive van, organize the submission/order of homes on tour, provide the treats, the feedback forms for the other agents to fill out and return to the listing agent, AND give the listing agent a front yard sign for the listing voted 'Best Value' on tour. Sounds good, right?  The agents on the tour are super appreciative and a really fun group of people. Those who don't attend or sign their listings up....why not?

If you've never been on one of these tours, but are lucky enough to have one in your area, here are some benefits of attending:

• FREE exposure for your listing. People who sell real estate will be touring the home - makes sense to me!
• Buyers Agents get excited about homes they've already seen and previewed. If a buyer were to inquire about that listing with their agent, the agent would be very excited to answer questions, because they've seen it. Enthusiasm is contagious!
• Feedback. Feedback. Yes, it has to be taken with a grain of salt. Some Realtors are very opinionated; but for the most part, the feedback is a great asset to your seller. Example: We took a professional stager on our last tour, and she commented that the grill on the back patio was blocking the view of the $60,000 pool! And she was right. No one had ever thought about that before!
  
• Market education. If you are also a buyers agent, you have a duty to familiarize yourself with the market. There is no better way to educate yourself about the inventory than to go and preview it. 

How can you use these events to gain a Referral: Catch your seller on a positive - if they say anything positive about the tour or show excitement, that is your window to say "I'm glad you think it's a great idea! The reason I'm able to take the time to attend these tours and showcase listings is because my clients share my great service with everyone they know. I don't have to spend a lot of time looking for new listings, my sellers tell everyone who is looking to buy or sell real estate about me. If you're satisified with my service, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't keep my services a secret!"

Wha - la! Now you have a fan ready to give you a referral! A FREE tour and a REFERRED client, does it get any better?

Every agent has been there - a client who raises your blood pressure by simply showing up on your Caller ID. They come in the form of an unreasonable seller who has lost all rationality, or a buyer who thinks you are a tour guide with no other clients, friends or family. It's never easy, but it really complicates things when the client was referred to you by a dear friend, family member or past client. Here are some tips on using old fashioned tact when telling a client 'You're Fired!' and still have a chance at referrals from the original source who referred them:

Firing Sellers:

1. Don't tell everyone you want to meet to cancel the listing! You can call it a Market Summary Meeting.
2. Make sure all parties who are involved are present. When you are trying to get a cancellation form signed, having one party present is never a good idea when two or more are involved. If the person who referred you is very, very close to the client, ask the seller if they mind if 'Mr. X' comes along as well, so everyone is there to hear the facts. 
3. Bring documentation, records of EVERY move you have ever made on this property. ALL Internet ads, MLS info, every time your brain touched this file, you should have that activity recorded for all parties to see. Next, bring statistics. Your MLS is capable of much more than you realize, and your goal in this meeting is to show the sellers that THE MARKET is the reason their home is not selling, not YOU, the agent.
4. Never, ever ever use 'I' statements to describe your opinions on pricing or condition of the home. Replace all 'I' statements with 'The Market'. Example: 'The Market shows that all homes sold in your area were priced $20,000 below where you are priced, and they took over six months to sell. The Market is showing us that we will not receive an offer while listed at ___'. Another example: 'The Market shows that homes with loud paint colors and outdated flooring don't attract offers from buyers right now'.
5. Tell the truth, and use the truth as your exit strategy. After presenting them with the facts: Your marketing efforts, the price and condition of their home, you will need to be honest. "Mr and Mrs Seller, I offer top-notch real estate services in xyz town. When sellers hire me, they hire me to sell their home, not to have it for sale for months and months only to go through the disappointment of not selling. I would like to give you the opportunity to exit our listing agreement so that you can make the changes necessary to get your home sold, and if you feel you need to hire another agent, that is OK. I am not being honest with you if I tell you to sit and wait at this price (or sit and wait with the outdated flooring, etc. whatever the problem is, insert it here), that your home will sell. I follow the Code of Ethics as a Realtor, and your home is not going to sell at this price (or in this condition)."
6. Be quiet now. Give them time to think. The silence will be uncomfortable, but have faith, you are 75% on your way to cancelling this energy-sucking listing and moving on to bigger and better things.
7. Here them out. As they talk, get out the cancellation form. Mark an x next to the signature blocks as they talk. Unless they agree to fix the condition that is preventing their home to sell, or lower the price, get that signature. Just pass that form over, and say 'I honestly wish you the best of luck. If you feel you are ready to make changes in the future, please give me a call, I would love to help you again'. Give them info on when the sign will be removed, give them their key back, and leave. Smiling. Happy. Free to receive another listing that WILL sell because the seller listened to you on price and condition.

Firing Buyers:

1. Schedule a meeting at your office. Starbucks or a local coffee shop won't work, this is BUSINESS.
2. If their signature is on the buyer broker agreement, they need to be present for this meeting. (If you don't have a buyer broker agreement, stop reading this right now, and RUN to your nearest ABR course)
3. Present the meeting to them as a 'review of their housing needs'. Buyers love when everything is all about them during the buying process, and this will ensure they show up, without the promise of seeing homes. Let them know 'We won't be looking at homes today, but this will help us narrow our focus'.
4. Present them with a list of all their 'needs' and 'wants' and 'cannot have' separated in three lists - preferable on one sheet in columns. Make a copy for each party who is present so everyone can read everything easily.
5. Print out a MLS sheet for every property you have shown them or answered questions on, even those emailed properties they found on Craigs List. It's OK if they share this list, it's probably extensive! (Don't have a record of all this? You should!)
6. Ask them to go through the list and tell you exactly what it was about each home that prevented them from making an offer (or ruling it out during inspections). If the reason they give is not listed, add it to your copy of the list.
7. After completing the entire list, and they have ruled out every home, show them your edited haves/wants/can't have list with the newest, latest objections.
8. Explain solemnly that you are a top rate buyers agent, and you pride yourself on being able to find the perfect home for families. Unfortunately in their case, there is not a home that is going to match their needs; they have too many objections for their price range. Explain that there are agents who will drive them around for months in hopes for that sale, but you are not into wasting anyone's time, as time is valuable. Suggest they re-evaluate their list, and when they do, you will be ready to help them. As you are talking, slide that cancellation addendum to cancel the Buyer Broker agreement over, and give them a serious look.

What if either party refuses to sign, or hems and haws?? GOOD!! You may have a more reasonable client on your hands!! These methods are not only meant to help you out of a situation that is hopeless! Your client may recognize and acknowledge how unreasonable they have been, and change their tune! You are presenting them with a choice: Change or move on. There is no reason you have to wait for your client to get frustrated and look elsewhere for service. You have a reputation of integrity, be sure to uphold it, even in an unpleasant situation.

If you lack the records that show how much work you have done for a buyer or a seller, a Real Estate Virtual Assistant can help you track and document this information, painlessly. Please visit our web site for more information on assistant packages, we have plans for every budget.

According to the NAR 2007 Member Profile, Realtors® receive a median of 25 percent of their business from previous customers and clients, which means that three out of every four clients come from new leads.

Did you track the source of your closed transactions in 2008?Did they come from advertising, online presence, a referral, an open house or a listing call? If you know the source of your leads, good for you! Now the challenge is to change that statistic, so that your marketing costs are lower in 2009 but new leads continue to come in.

You haven't a clue? It's not too late to go back and track them. Look at all of your sales, and your memory can probably fill on a lot of the blanks. If you can't remember them all, compiling some of the information is better than nothing at all.

If you DON'T know this number, it can negatively impact your business in the next year. How can you continue to gain new leads, close more deals, if you don't know the best source for leads? What if your method of gaining these new leads is expensive, and the return on your marketing dollar is low? Is this taking valuable money out of your family's budget?

If you would like help compiling these statistics for 2009 but aren't sure where to start, we would be happy to point you in the right direction. Sometimes all it takes is TIME, you don't have to enroll in a fancy software program to track it for you. Tracking this information will also help you document your lead to conversion ration - how many leads were converted into closed sales each month? How can we improve this number each month?

As we are bombarded with more and more technology tricks and information every day, it's easy to forget the basics. Remember that GRI 101 class? There's a wealth of information there about successfully growing your business with standard business practices, and it's never too late to start.

Realtors are busy people. Generally, computer time does not result in a listing contract or a buyer's offer to purchase, those are face-to-face activities. So WHY do you need to clutter up your life with even more, like Facebook & Twitter, and heaven forbid My Space?!!

Here's why: These sites are going to connect you to people you have not seen or heard from in years. Their curiosity is going to get the better of them, and they are going to look at your profile. Guess what? Once they find out you're a Realtor, an entire world of opportunity exists.

This JUST happened to one of my friends on facebook: She reconnected with an old classmate, and both discovered they are Realtors in different towns. Guess who's got a referral coming her way as a result of having her information on Facebook? Yes, that's right. No glossy ads or postcards. No money spent. Referral - for what? For filling in her profile, uploading her photo, and commenting every once in a while on her activities in life that concern her career. Can it get any easier?

There are numerous ways you can use your posts to increase your business, and as I quick guide I've divided these methods into two categories: Silly and Non-Silly. That's right! As a Virtual Assistant, I've 'friended' numerous agents across the country, and I enjoy their posts about real estate very much. But sometimes it borders on the absurd, like don't you do anything all day but sell houses? Do you have friends and family? Are you a human being? Do you have hobbies? If I'm thinking this, then I guarantee those who are watching are thinking that as well. I don't want to refer a friend or family member to a Realtor Robot! I want to refer a friend to a Realtor who posts scenic pictures of the area they service, who have values and a relationship to the community they live and work in. So in the spirit of referrals coming your way, here's your guide to posting on Twitter, Facebook, and yes, occasionally My Space:

SILLY

• Use Twitter and Facebook to document your every move within your real estate career.
• Only post photos of houses you have sold and have listed. After all, your neighbor who sells cars at Honda posts photos of the newest cars on the lot, plus those Acura's he just sold, right?
• Get involved in very serious debates about politics and religion, on a main area of the site so that everyone can read your comments and opinions.
• Complain in your posts often. About the weather, about your latest sniffle, about your clients, about your tax rate. Everyone loves a complainer!
• Every time you post a link related to real estate, make sure all 150+ of your friends/sphere is notified. This beats an e-newsletter campaign, right?

NOT SILLY

• Include personal notes on your wall, relating to hobbies, local events, family & friends, so that you seem human.
• Toot your horn. Make sure your profile lists ALL of your accomplishments in your career. If someone is poking around your profile, they want to know how great you are! Designations, recent seminars, even books you've read about marketing or real estate, add it!
• List your education background, even if you don't have a degree in real estate. Some agents are hesitant to post their Bachelor's degree because it's not a business degree. Nonsense! People change careers as often as they change cars these days, it's OK to have a degree in the Social Sciences or a background in customer service.
• Link your twitter account with your facebook account, so if you are updating regularly, it's faster! I usually update twitter strictly with business info, and then post personal comments/events to facebook.
• Using Postlets to link your listings to your facebook and twitter account. If you are 'friends' with your sellers, they will be pleased to see you are promoting their listing on your own social networking site.

In closing, these sites are meant to be an extension of yourself. Use common sense, so that you are Referable!  

Technology is advancing at the speed of light, or so it seems. Just when you think you've bought the most advanced lead capture system, paid someone for SEO for top ranking in Google, BAM! Something else catches your eye in that Realtor magazine or at your local office meeting.

The best thing you can do when comparing or considering new products to help manage your business is this: WAIT. Think about it. Breathe. Chart it. Compare it's main function with your main goals - is it even in the same category? As the Real Estate industry itself has suffered some setbacks and slow downs in the last year or two, so have the companies that sell products to Realtors. Lead management software companies, web site hosting companies, printing companies for all of those fancy, glossy postcards, Computer equipment manufacturers. Flyer companies. You name it, they want YOU to buy it from them. Only the fittest will survive, and unfortunately survival sometimes means more of a numbers game for them than providing you with the best service possible.

It's easy to get drawn in by claims and slick advertising. It's nice to think there is a way to get 'quick leads', but even those hot leads mean a closing at least 6 months out, and you still have to work them and compete with all the competition. So what's a budget conscious Realtor to do? Here is one suggestion, that if implemented on each and every closing, is practically guaranteed to result in a new lead. And not a cold lead either, but a lead that is a friend of a past client, one who already knows and you trusts you. Loyalty won't be an issue - you've come with their friend's seal of approval. You may be the only Realtor they interview. Wouldn't that be awesome!! Here's that FREE THING:

Improve your current escrow system, so that the buyers and sellers you work with get a report on EVERY task you performed after they entered into a contract to purchase or sell. At the end of each day, their file should receive a note of every activity you did for them: Took a call from Title regarding their closing details, followed up with the cooperating agent on inspection details, gathered names and numbers of contractors for them, gave them a list of moving companies, forwarded them a list of the utility companies, all of the 'small stuff'. No detail is too small. On the days you don't do anything at all, mark the task down as 'Reviewed Time Sensitive Deadlines', or 'Reviewed Communications, Upcoming Tasks that Need Completed'. All of these tasks should be documented, and about 5 days prior to closing, this detailed 'Escrow Report' should be sent to your client. Preface it with an intro letter saying that your goal as their Realtor is a hassle-free, smooth closing. Due to the existence of so many third parties and conditions in financing, you cannot guarantee a 100% problem free closing, but here is what you did to ensure the best chance possible - and give them the list. 30-45 days of activity on your part. List all the things you did. Close the letter by saying that you will be there before and after the keys have changed hands, because you truly care about their move. Although you help dozens of families make this type of transition every year, it is still important to you to provide them with the most professional, caring service available.

That, my friends, is called a Seed. A Referral Seed. You just sent them a letter telling them what a hard worker you are. You're paving the way for compliments!! And when is the best time to directly look your client in the face and ask for the names and phone numbers of people who are going to be buying or selling a home in the next 6 months?? When they are telling you how wonderful you are!! Believe me, 30 days after closing, unloading those endless boxes and meeting new neighbors and adjusting to new commutes/schools, that glossy postcard that says 'By the Way, I love Referrals' isn't going to resonate as much as saying to them in person or on the phone 'I'm so glad you appreciated my services. What is it that you especially liked so I know to continue to provide particular service?' Once they elaborate, let them know that you will do that for each and every friend or family member they refer you to. By the way, who do you know that is going to buy or sell a home in the area over the next 6 months? Oh, your sister? Would you mind emailing me her contact information, or I can write it down now if you have it handy. Boom. New Lead. Good Lead. Warm, friendly, the best kind of lead you can get. And you didn't pay anyone else to get it for you!

Can you imagine if you gained one solid referral from each escrow you closed? Or two? And it costs you nothing. Just some rehearsing in the mirror to have the conversation. Maybe a little time keeping the tracklist of tasks going. But a lot less than glossy postcards, calendars, recipe cards, etc.

Referral business is the best type of business to have. Master a system that works, and it will not matter how high your site ranks on Google or what your latest domain name is. 

To learn more about gaining business through referrals, visit www.ByReferralOnly.com 

Need an assistant to complete the tasks that will bring you referrals? Visit www.AVirtualGenie.com

Since it is January, all of my posts will be about those goals that we all set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. Some are vague; get more organized, cut marketing budget while increasing referral rates, etc. Some are very specific; find new contact manager software, upgrade flyer software, make-over the CMA, etc. But seriously, how are you getting there? Or did it move to the back burner already?

Let me share my 'madness method' with you, because it's so simple, it works! Look at your list, and zero in on three SPECIFIC things you could do at least 4 times a week to move you toward your new goals. For example, let's use these three: 1. Gather testimonials for my web site by offering to enter the participants in a drawing for dinner for two 2. Develop an automated email report for my sellers on my marketing activities and showing activity 3. Ask someone I know if they know a person who is looking to buy or sell a home at least twice a week, and ask for their information right there.

OK. Simple goals, right? But ALL of them have the potential to get lost in the details of the day. Here's my Post ItMethod, and it would take less than 30 minutes to set it up. Buy Post It's in 3 different colors. Copy your top 3 tasks on each color of Post It, this will give you 9 Post Its total, 3 for each specific task. Take the first color, and post the little stickers somewhere you will see them every day - except for your desk - They will get lost! Some examples of areas to post them: Bathroom Mirror, Refrigerator Door, Coffee Maker, Dashboard of your car, inside your favorite book, near your television, on your ipod, with your vitamins/medication, etc.

Now, every time you complete the task, put a checkmark on the Post It and the date of the check mark. Once the Post It has 4 checkmarks on it, you can replace the Post It with the next color. Same thing - after every completion, put a checkmark with the date. 4 checks? Next post it color! Now you're moving into week 3, wow! You will feel so exhilarated getting these things done, you will start the entire process over again. And guess what? By week 8 or 9, you may very well see a result of your efforts in a new lead or a new client.

Ready, Set, Post It!