I seems like only yesterday that I arrived in Cape Coral, Florida and in reality it has been over 8 years! Wow, how time flys when you are having fun! Well, I was having fun,for five years and then the market changed and the fun disappeared, but it is coming back! And although things have changed, I have come to the realization that they remain the same! Let me explain what I mean!
When I arrived in Florida in 2000 I had no intentions of selling real estate! I was working for an investor and it was my job to identify and purchase real estate in Cape Coral, Florida that would appreciate in value! After a very short time my frustration level began to rise with the local Realtor community! If I called on 10 properties on average I would actually hear back from 1 or 2 agents! They would usually call back the next day or even 2 days later! When and if they did call back, they were usually not prepared to answer my questions!
I made a decision shortly after to change places and I got my license and I soon was closing 10 to 12 deals a month! Do you want to know what my secret was? I answered my phone and I returned all calls within 2 hours!! Imagine that, I did what I should have done and I became very successful and I owned my own office within 2 years!
Well for the last few years I would have given anything for the phone to ring! And now it is ringing again! Buyers are taking advantage of the unbelievable prices and they are buying! This passed weekend I had the privilege of speaking to at least a dozen prospective buyers and I was shocked at what I heard! Caller after caller told me of the frustration of calling one agent after another and not being able to speak to anyone. They had called and left messages both at the office and on voice mail and no return phone calls! Wow!
How do we expect to become successful and survive in our chosen career when we don't even do our job! When your phone rings- answer it! Yes I know it is inconvenient at times, but it is what we do! At least if you can not answer it now, call back within an hour or so! Make it a habit to change your voice mail message daily and let people know if you will not be available! If I am in a training seminar or a meeting I change my voice mail to say," This is Mike Kelly and I will be in a meeting this morning until 10AM and I will be returning all calls between 10 and 11! Please leave your name and number and I will return your call shortly!" Now my callers know when I will be calling back and they are no longer wondering if they will hear from me!
So in summary, answer your phone, return all calls promptly and you are on your way to being successful! And always,"Do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it!"
Mike Kelly, Broker/Owner, Sellstate Advantage Realty, Cape Coral, Florida 239-549-9200
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