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Are you busy? Yes, we’re busy! Thank you for asking!

By
Title Insurance with John Bethell Title Company, Inc.

When Realtors® and Lenders start asking me if I'm busy, I know what they really want to know. "Are you busy?" usually means "Am I the only one who is not busy? Please tell me so I know it's not just me."

Tammy Walker, our Sales V.P., is getting this question a lot lately. We talked about how we should respond. We want to be truthful. No blowing smoke. Be genuine, not phony. Most importantly in the current environment, we want to be as positive and upbeat as we can be. Here's how Tammy is answering this question.

Well, even though business is softening considerably over the last six weeks, we're busy. We're busy getting better prepared for when our customers get busy again.

Every winter we examine our entire work flow process; start to finish, looking for better ways to communicate with you and with each other; and, eliminate wasted activity.

We are planning our winter training activities so that next year our team will be even more prepared to deal with the unusual and unexpected.

We're upgrading our computer network, improving the tools we use to service you; looking at how to incorporate powerful new features into our process.

We're looking at our existing production software. They say you only use 10% of your brain. Most of us only use 10% of the features in our software. We're going to be busy improving that ratio.

We're busy with our clients, too. What are you planning for your business? What things about how we work together would you like to improve? Please give us some constructive criticism.

We're into social media; talking to our clients about it. What are their thoughts about web 2.0? How will they incorporate social media into their marketing strategies?

Hopefully soon, after the election maybe, people will stop watching CNSBN (Cable News Sound Bite Network), things will settle out and start returning to normal. It's not a question of ‘if'; it's a question of ‘when.'

In the meantime, yes we are busy. There's so much to do and so little time to get it done before you're busy again.

Comments(7)

Allison Stewart
St.Cloud Homes - Saint Cloud, FL
St. Cloud Fl Realtor, Osceola County Real Estate 407-616-9904

John

If what is happening in Florida is any indication of what is coming your way- you WILL be busy. Homes sales are on the rise here despite the doom and gloom people are taking advantage of the great buys available...or maybe it is just the beautiful weather.

 

Good luck and sell well

Oct 08, 2008 10:33 PM
Barry Bridges
Barry Bridges Weichert Realtors Bridges & Co. - Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Lake professional

How can you not be busy in this business? Like you guys I am doing all those things that will produce business in the future in addition to taking care of todays clients. How can REALTORS not be spending their days prospecting? Farms, FSBOS, and expireds. The list goes on.

A REALTOR who is not busy is not really a REALTOR they are just a person who has a business card that says they are.

Oct 08, 2008 11:22 PM
Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

I have a blog topic coming up about how people kind of shy away from asking whether you are on food stamps if you are in real estate....this is our best year ever !  Focus and move forward !

Oct 09, 2008 12:05 AM
Paul McFadden
Responsive Pest Control - Seattle, WA
Pest Control, Seattle, WA.

John: I'm happy for you. A person in our business can always stay busy. The question is it leading to good results since that's how we're paid? I wish you success1

 

Paul

Oct 09, 2008 11:45 AM
John Bethell
John Bethell Title Company, Inc. - Bloomington, IN

Thanks to all for your comments!

Allison: Yes, there are great values here too, in every price range. Our local economy is both stable and to a large degree insulated from national economic trends. Every month there are people who move into a home buying demographic. When they stop watching the news, they'll realize its time to act.

Barry: My clients are busy like you too. They get worried that they're the only one not closing deals, though.

Sally & David: Absolutely! Concentrate on what you can do. Don't get too bent out of shape about things outside your control.

Paul: Deciding what will be a productive use of your effort and time is always a question in business, in slow times and in fast times.

Oct 09, 2008 09:57 PM
Charlie Holloway
Equity Land Title - O'Fallon, MO

John,

Very good as always.   If you aren't busy your doing something wrong that's they way I see it.

Charlie

Oct 10, 2008 01:35 AM
Jeff&Grace Safrin
F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate - Valparaiso, IN
SpousesSellingHousesTM

Hey John - we look at it this way...

We always say Yes to that question - if we are not busy servicing existing  clients by showing them homes or marketing new listings, then we get real busy getting more buyers and sellers as new clients.

Sincerely,

Grace

Oct 14, 2008 02:10 PM