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Prospecting - I sometimes feel overwhelmed

By
Real Estate Agent with John L. Scott Sp34627

I have been a Realtor since 2006.  I have seen good times and bad times.  To tell you the truth I actually did better in the bad times.  I cut my teeth on the foreclosure crisis.  When times are good there are more of us Realtors and my clients have harder times buying homes. 

I know as a an experienced Realtor if you do something and stick to it you will get business.  This could be sphere of influence, cold calling, open houses, door knocking, farming a neighborhood, lead generation.   As long as you do stuff and you are consistent with followup you will do OK. 

I am really good at what I do but prospecting is my least favorite activity.   It is the one I find the hardest to do.  If I get busy I often stop prospecting to handle the business.  Eventually the pipeline gets empty and I prospect again.  Successful agent will tell you that you always must set time aside for prospecting.   Gee I almost would rather clean my bathroom.  But I want business and I took a break for COVID and it is time to prospect. 

The first thing I did was enter a contest at work.  I won a shiny new computer (which I am using), a social media package and marketing package.   More importantly I started doing the things I knew I needed to do.  I started calling people.  I reconnected with people.  I added people and took people off my data base.  I tried to be my normal helpful self.  I am a helpful person.  Now I seem busy.  Yeah!!!!  Yesterday I entered 10 new people into my data base from my open house. I wrote 10 notes for thanking people for coming.  I arranged to listing appointments (OK one appointment was on Sunday). 

We are doing a course at work.  Our broker, Craig Groves, is facilitating our office.  The program is actually designed to do on our own but Craig made a class out of it.  Even cooler they have it on Facebook live so if I can't get there I can watch it later.  Right now I am caught up.   Each day they seem to have a new activity to generate business. 

The problem seems that there are so many tools.  I sort of wonder if they will eventually integrate.  I have 4 different data bases I use.  The multiple listing service, the John L Scott CRM, homes.com and opt city.   I do not like opt city.  I might stop competing.  They take too much commission plus it is a race to get the lead.   I got my first lead on Sat.  I liked the tools I used for the contest.  It suited my personality.  

Yesterday I spent the whole day trying to put the new people from the open house into drip services and my data bases.  I felt overwhelmed. I still have work from the open house but I did need to negotiate a contract and other things. 

So the question is do we sometimes get caught up in the tools.  How do I figure out what is the most effecient way for me to generate business?  Would it be useful to have other people play with my data bases?   Or do I get something by entering them myself? 

While I handed out open house invitations I had a great time but it might be better for me to hire a kid to hand out more invitations.   Well it is time to write a thank you note for the wonderful lady who let me see her beautiful home on Friday.  Maybe I will get to list it.  I would do a great job for her.  

Posted by

 Debbie Holmes

John L. Scott Real Estate

  

(208)761-2551 Email: d5holmes@msn.com

To search Boise Homes visit my website

 

Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

Prospecting is important to our businesses and listing is how to stay in business.   Working my sphere helps me a great deal

Apr 13, 2021 06:25 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Debbie - everyday life can seem overwhelming at times.  It makes sense, at least to me, that real estate may fall into a staggering situation.  Priorities matter.  Your personal preferences come into play as well.  What may "work" for one will not "work" for all.  Don't be too hard on yourself but continue to challenge so you achieve to the best of your ability.  Good luck to you and to each of us.  You're definitely not alone.  

Apr 13, 2021 06:26 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thank you very much, Debbie, for sharing some of your personal experience.

Effective prospecting definitely impacts business success.

Apr 13, 2021 07:37 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Debbie- I'm not an agent but to me, it would seem that you have to find something that works for you. If there is something that you don't like doing but need to consider hiring it out to someone. 

Apr 13, 2021 06:01 PM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

Prospecting is my least favorite part of the business as well and I definitely don't do it as often as I should.  Because of it, I won't likely become a millionaire but I am paying my bills, haha.

Apr 14, 2021 06:25 AM