To reach my goal of ... I will help my clients purchase or sell ... I will time block and lead generate an average of x hours per day and I will feed my database with y mets and z haven't mets each week.

All the sales gurus preach this: Have a mission statement. And every sales mission statement I've ever seen includes getting leads into the database.

Here's another way to feed the database using some simple, inexpensive technology.

In my many years of helping non-profits, the one thing that's a common theme:  A few people handle communications via their own email list, maybe something contained in AOL or an Outlook address book. When others in the group want to broadcast a message, they do a reply-all and hope that version of the list contains everyone.

The big downside you already know: Duplicate data means

a.) The lists will not be the same and b.) It's a real pain to maintain.

Simple solution is to use a hosted mail list.

This puts all the names in one place and each message to the group ends with Click here to add or drop from the list.   This makes it almost self-maintaining.   You can make the list private so that only those on the list can broadcast information.  It's a perfect solution and simple/cheap to implement.

Getting back to generating leads...

Assuming someone needs an agent, what are the four reasons people don't select you?

1. They don't know you
2. They don't know you're in real estate
3. Your offer to provide a service isn't convincing
4. They don't like/trust you

This idea can't help you with 3 or 4.  Sorry.  But the first two... absolutely.

The Idea

Volunteer to help support a high school athletic program using a hosted mailing list. (A hosted mailing list is one that you control, unlike something you can get from Yahoo.)   For a large high school, a JV tennis team can easily have 100 names in the list.

Don't worry. This idea requires very little of your time.

A hosted list means you purchase a domain name, then host it so that it has some type of home page onto which you place useful links so that people go there.   This is also where you include a Contact page that points back to your site.

It's Cheap, Simple and It Works

A domain name costs ~ $10 per year. It's possible your current host will allow you to add domains to your existing account. If not, this part will run ~ $75 per year. To install Joomla, or the CMS of your choice, and build the list: Maybe 2 hours.  Then spend maybe another hour or two adding some links.

Total start-up cost for the first year: ~$130 ... then it drops to $85/yr for subsequent seasons. (or $10/yr if your host allows multiple domains)

Here's a fully functioning site that was done in one afternoon.

(We used Joomla and Mailman, but Wordpress and any other would be just as good)

Tip:  Make sure whatever host you choose allows mailing lists.  Many have disabled this because of spammers.  Also, if you don't have a hosting account that allows you to add domains, then get one.  They don't cost much and if you plan to implement ideas like this, you don't want to be spending $85 for each new domain.   (Here's the host I recommend.  The "Baby" account allows multiple domains)

ahhh... one more thing:  Never never never use the list for anything related to your business.  Also, don't take the list and stuff it into your list.   This is passive lead generation, a way to put your face, name and a link to your website on the email list host site.