WOW! I just learned a lesson . . . Wrote a blog . . . Best blog I've ever written . . . Didn't save the material before publishing . . . Hit the "Post Blog Entry" button . . . and the it disappeared never to be recovered - OUCH!
Anyhow, so now I will write a shorter, sweeter version :-)
January 18, 2008 and I am sitting here thinking about the veritable blizzard of business activity that I see many of the agents in our office experiencing right now . . . and wondering how this could be?
Last week, there was a MAJOR announcement that Bank of America has purchased Countrywide . . . This event attracted a moderate level of "expert interviews" on all of the talk and news shows and seemed to pass without extraordinary fanfare. In fact, I am fairly certain that virtually all of the media coverage had a positive tilt to it. This was a "GOOD thing" . . . Less doom and gloom then I am accustomed to hearing recently. Is doom and gloom no longer "selling papers" or do those banks have better "spin doctors" in their PR departments?
Here in Middle Tennessee, we are seeing signs of recovery . . . There is a newfound buoyancy in the marketplace. It seems that many of the Buyers and Sellers who "Paused the game" when the Real Estate Industry news went caustic are now re-entering.
When the down-turn became mainstream, the REALTORS who stuck their heads in the sand got trampled by the storm. Many of those REALTORS simply threw in the to well and went to find a "real Job" . . . There are other REALTORS who have been hanging on by a thread but put blinders on and continued to do the same things in denial . . . expecting different results . . . and are just now reaching finality and stepping aside . . . and then there are the REALTORS who are simply out there transacting LOTS of business.
How could this be?
What's the secret?
PROSPECTING IS THE KEY! Those who are succeeding are the ones out there ACTIVELY prospecting - Networking with everyone they encounter - setting up shop in the local coffee shop wearing a t-shirt that says "I AM A REALTOR" in HUGE letters - Speaking to groups in the community - Walking the streets of their farms - Not necessarily working 24/7 but absolutely TALKING about real estate 24/7.
Why is this working so well?
ORPHANS!
There are hundreds and probably THOUSANDS of Real Estate ORPHAN Clients out there wandering the streets. These are people who were in the market as Buyers and/or Sellers before the market weirded out - They stepped aside to watch as the storm raged and now that they are ready to act, their REALTOR has left the business . . . They are orphaned . . .
How do we find and serve these folks? How can we become the Foster Parents and adopt these folks and serve them as they should be served? How can we rescue these people from their listless wanderings?
We find them through our PROSPECTING efforts . . . and we start paying close attention to those who left the market in the past year (Withdrawn and Expired listings) . . . Mass marketing will not draw these folks in. They do not trust us because they've "been burned" by the market and their sole "parent" REALTOR abandoned them when things got tough. These folks might be For Sale By Owners now.
What these people are seeking is STABILITY. They want to find someone who can offer them confidence and re-assurance that everything is now OK and that they are safe and well represented. It is now safe to move about the market place and transact business.
So . . . If you want to be one of those elite agents who are capturing the lion's share of business, it doesn't matter how long you've been in this business nor your level of experience. What matters is your willingness to do whatever it takes to find and adopt as many of these orphans as you can . . . and to serve them well.
Best,
b
Barry Owen
Productivity Coach and Principal Broker
Keller Williams Realty - Nashville, TN - Green hills
www.creatingspaces.blogspot.com
Simply Living the FourFold Way in Open Space!
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