I have the great fortune of being affiliated with a firm that has a company coach, Bud George.  He started out as an agent, but found his passion was in helping others to better themselves.  For several years he held a two-day retreat to allow agents the opportunity to reflect on their goals and to devise a written plan on how to accomplish them.  In addition to looking at our often lofty life plans (we were allowed to dream big), it allowed us to put together a marketing plan for the coming year that would get us from Point A to Point B.

On this rainy day in which the phone is quiet, I decided it was time to consider what next year will hold for me. I want to be one of the agents who outlasts this housing slump, so what can I do to become exceptional in the eyes of my community?

Having a positive reputation as a knowledgeable professional is probably most important.  How do you earn this reputation because it's not just word of mouth that will carry you?  Here are some ideas:

• Write for more than Active Rain... start a community blog site using Wordpress or other free online software.  Promote events in your area, your neighborhood, your city. Build it and they will come!  My community blog draws from 200 to 800 visitors each day and the comments made by readers often result in stories covered by the media.
  
• Send at least one to five hand written notes each week to your friends, neighbors, and others in your sphere.
• Send out mailings (if you can) at least twice a month... a postcard, a letter with housing activity that month, Halloween wishes, a Thanksgiving recipe.
• Resolve to have an updated email list, even if it means spending a day or two going through your old files. Send out at least monthly email updates (and don't forget to give people an opt-out option).
• Call your sellers at least weekly.
• Stay in touch with potential buyers ... partner with a mortgage company, or a company like Lowe's (I'm not paid to say this) that has monthly email campaigns.

As individual agents, our words and areas of expertise may vary.  However, business won't fall into your lap without you putting some effort into it.  Your efforts don't have to cost a fortune ... just do something on a regular basis to stay in front of potential customers and clients.