Let's start with the question I posted as number 1 in my last blog.  Although we all agree that we should start with attitude, I'll save that - the best -  for last.

What am I doing today to generate prospects?

Sitting at your desk waiting for the phone to ring isn't the way to generate prospects.  My favorite one liner (which I know I have mentioned before) is: Confucius say, Man have to sit at desk long time before roast duck flies into mouth.

Here are some things you can do to generate prospects:

Preview property so you have an incredible knowledge of the marketplace and can speak with authority. Don't sit there worrying about where your next transaction will come from.  Get up, get dressed, get out there!

Call your friends and family. Let them know that you have seen 5 new properties today that would be great investments.  This is definitely the time to buy!  Ask them, "Who do you know who might be interested in buying..." Have they considered acquiring a rental?  Let them know you'll stay in touch with other new properties that are coming on the market- they would like to know about them, wouldn't they? Ask if you could email them the info from time to time.

Call your past clients.  Ask how they are doing.  They actually may need your help - job loss, need to sell; having twins - need to move to a bigger home. If it has been awhile and you are hesitant to call out of the blue, you can say," Hi, this is Claudia Wicks.  I know it has been awhile.  I have been thinking about you..." Ask them how they are doing.  Ask for their email address to stay in touch.  Let them know you'll send them market info from time to time.

Participate in a networking event, join a gym or volunteer for something.  Meet new people!  Hand out your business card; ask for theirs.  Send them a follow-up email, letting them know you enjoyed meeting them.  Tell them you'll stay in touch from time to time by sending them market updates.

Open Houses have been much maligned over the past few years.  According to many top agents, traffic at Open Houses has picked up dramatically over the past month or so.  I know, it could be the better weather, but the prospects are venturing out.  That is a good way to meet new potential prospects- regardless if they are ready to buy or sell today.  A time waster is only a time waster until they have a life-altering event. Agents who advertise their Open Houses on Craigslist tell me they have more traffic- a lot more traffic!  It is free.  Why not?

Obtain more listings.  Some agents are telling me they don't want more listings because they are taking much longer to sell.  Their carrying costs are running pretty high.  The listings need to be very well-priced and in good condition in this market.  When you control the listings you control the inventory and the buyers come to you.  Make sure you are syndicating your listings online for 24/7 exposure, rather than using print ads today.  That will help your marketing costs and 87% of consumers are searching online. Online ads are FREE for the most part.

There are no magic bullets on this list, are there?  It is just good business sense.  We'll talk about online prospecting when we cover question # 3.  However, I attended a webinar put on by Active Rain earlier this week.  Bob Stewart and Brad Anderson mentioned that not all Internet leads tend to take 6-18 months. Bob said that the prospects generated by SEO using very specific neighborhood online searches (Seattle home, Green Lake neighborhood) tended to convert within 90 days.  Basically, they already had done their homework and knew what they wanted to buy and where they wanted to live.  That's smart marketing!

What have YOU done to generate business today?