I wrote a post earlier this week, that had mentioned some of the things that I have done over the last 12 years, that have helped me be successful in Real Estate. But you know the more I think about it, it’s not so much what I have done as how I have done it. By this I mean being consistent. Doing things over and over again, know matter how mundane they may be, is what makes you successful in Real Estate. As you know, if you have been reading my Blog, I am a big fan of expired and withdrawn listings. I love them. These are Sellers who have already decided to sell and have already decided to use a Realtor. There are no better leads than these! So, religiously, for 12 years, the first thing I do in the morning, is pull up the MLS hot sheet and send out my letter. The other advantage of this practice is I get to look at every new listing and every sold listing in my market, every day. This gives me a great feel for what is going on in the market. After years of doing this, if someone calls me about listing their home, I can usually tell them all about their house and the activity on their street, without ever having seen it.
I’ve had a few Realtors from ActiveRain, who have implemented my expired letter program and have made comments that it doesn’t seem to be working. Well folks, I’m hear to tell you, it does work. But not in 1 month or 2 months or even 3 months. This is something you have to do daily, forever. No matter what kind of advertising you are doing be it newspaper ads, direct mail, expired letters, calendars or whatever, the key is to do it, forever. Forever means always, never stop, constantly, consistently. This is why I am obsessed with my expired letter. I know for a fact, the one day I don’t do it, or the one letter I decide not to send out, is the one house I would have listed.
During the time that I have been in this business, there are 3 things that I do constantly. My expired program, my just sold and just listed mailers and my 2 ads that I run in the local papers. I may try other ways of generating business but I never stop doing these 3 things. That’s never as in, always, never stop, constantly, forever and consistently.
Granted, I go through periods where I am not getting very many calls off of my ads. Like last year. Well, there just weren’t very many expired listings because everything sold. But I still stuck to my plan. I still did my mailers, even though I was extremely busy and probably didn’t have to. But you know what, I get calls now, from mailers I did last year. They kept them. Even though it was very busy, I still kept to my plan and worked it everyday. I don’t have to start my marketing over, now that he market has changed, because I never stopped doing the things that work. Real Estate is a marathon not a sprint. Consistency will win every time.
I love to fish. In Florida we have some of the best largemouth bass fishing in the world. I live on a lake and love going out there and throwing my plastic worm and catching bass. Plastic worms are the bait of choice for most bass fishermen. They come in hundreds if not thousands of different colors and styles. Some fisherman try them all and never catch any fish. They are constantly changing colors and styles to try and find the “perfect” worm. The one that will miraculously catch a largemouth bass. I have a different approach, I use the same “grape” colored worm I have been using for years. Why? Because I know it works. I can fish with confidence. Do I always catch the big one? Of course not. But I do know that if I keep throwing it out there I will catch a fish. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but by the end of the year I will have met my quota. Now isn’t that what it’s all about? Consistency.
So folks, find the worm that works for you. Keep throwing it out there, day after day after day. Stick to the basics. Try new things, but stick to the basics, as well. Who knows? You may just catch the big one.
I don’t know about you but I’m going fishing!
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