SILVAR member Chris Alston shared interesting tips on how real estate agents can succeed with colleagues at the Menlo Park/Atherton District meeting this week. Alston is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams and is an instructor for SILVAR education classes.

 He said , "It is your success is not dependent on the market; your success depends on you. It's not about the market it's what you do. He shared  "12 things top real estate agents are doing to tackle tough times", based on the book SHIFT, by Gary Keller.

Alston defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." He said many agents are still practicing their business the way they used to do two years ago and hoping to get different results. Alston stressed the market has changed, and so as the agents should do to have success in this market.Here are tips:

1. Focus on Seller Pricing Strategies. Price the listings to sell! Learn how to price them correctly, how to handle price reductions, and get them sold.

2. Master Staging.  Stage your listings so they stand out from the competition.

3. Learn and Use Creative Financing. Credit is tightening and the interest rates are fluctuating. Know all of your options in financing and be ready with back-up financing plans.

 4. Bulletproof the Transaction. Make it all the way to closing. Know the pitfalls to avoid and how to resolve issues so your transactions will close successfully.

 5. Master Lead Capture and Conversion. Getting to the table, the one that matters. Leads are precious, don't let them slip away.

 6. Be More Proactive with Internet Leads.  Catch the right people in your Web by maximizing your internet skills. It's no longer about the clicks on your site; it's about how many clicks you can convert to the appointments.

 7. Get Lean and Mean with your Expenses. Re-margin your business. When sales drop, you must be prepared to do more with less. You need to know what to spend or to cut.

 8. Increase Your People Effectiveness. Work with the right people in the right ways. In a turbulent market, everyone on your team must be more effective. Leverage is the name of the game.

 9. Get Clear About Your Role. Get realistic about your market and optimistic about your opportunities. Adopt the mindset necessary to power through a shifting market.

 10. Create Buyer Urgency. They call it a buyer's market, not a waiter's market. Yet when the market slows, buyers lose urgency to take action. Master the ability to sell the dream they are looking for... The lifestyle change.

 11. Become an Expert in Short Sales REOs and Bank-Owned (maybe). Master the market of the moment. Increasing number of foreclosures create increasing needs for REALTORS® who know how to work short sales, foreclosures and REOs.

 12. Upshift Your Lead Generation. Find the motivated. Focus your lead generation efforts and match your message to the market. Try to get to three hours a day of lead generation. One hour of preparation, one hour of calling your SOI, and one hour of follow up. Try to lead generate till you get the desired result: APPOINTMENTS! You need to get in front of decision-makers.

I found out there are shift club also. I will like to join one of them so I can shift to right direction of my career. I knew to get busy to fill out your appointment book is one great way to start.