real estate advice: Don't Just Make a Plan, Make an Action Plan for 2023
- 12/02/22 03:33 PM
Don't Just Make a Plan, Make an Action Plan for 2023 The internet is full of business planning templates that will allow you to make lofty goals. But, without a path that will lead you to achieve what you envision, it just isn't worth your time to do a business plan. Without the path, a business plan is just a list of dreams!
Simply put, the path is the most important part. Without it, you really have no way of knowing if your goal is achievable - let alone how to achieve it. Your path, the one what will take … (0 comments)
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real estate advice: Referrals: A Money-Making Powerhouse
- 07/07/22 04:33 PM
Referrals: A Money-Making Powerhouse How much money do you think you could earn from sending out referrals if you really made a concerted effort? $25,000 a year? $50,000? What if I told you this amount could easily exceed six figures per year if you had a system for attracting the type of lead you were willing to refer out and a system for working with the agent on the other end? Would you believe me?
I can tell you with certainty that I have set this up for myself when I was selling and it earned me hundreds of thousands … (5 comments)
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real estate advice: My Favorite Mailing Campaigns
- 02/11/22 01:29 PM
My Favorite Mailing Campaigns
I'm excited about today's Zebra Report because I get to talk about my favorite mailers—both my favorite mailing campaign I sent out and my favorite that I've received.
Let's rewind maybe ten years, and it was the Victoria's Secret mailing campaign. They did such a phenomenal job. They were so consistent that I received something from them about every ten days. It was all-around a quality mailer. The quality of the paper and vibrancy of the ink made it visually appealing. They changed up the sizes so that when there was a big sale going … (3 comments)
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real estate advice: Campaign Fundamentals and Ideas
- 02/09/22 06:38 PM
Campaign Fundamentals and Ideas
Over the next few Zebra Reports we are going to be covering campaigns. At The Lones Group, we define campaigns as a series of communication points geared towards a specific audience. For example, if I send an annual property report to my past clients, that is part of my past client campaign. If I send a monthly postcard to my farm area, that too is a campaign.
Today we are going to touch on audiences, frequency, media, and content - the four pillars of any campaign:
Audience
Most real estate agents have different buckets of … (1 comments)
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real estate advice: The Little Things That Have the Greatest Impact
- 02/24/21 12:43 PM
The Little Things That Have the Greatest Impact
When I first starting my real estate career, many years ago, a very smart mentor/trainer of mine used to tell me ALL THE TIME that it was the little things that would determine my level of success in real estate.
It took me years to fully understand the impact of what he was saying but it was through his watchful eye and gentle reminders that I was able to benefit from his wisdom.
So, what were those little things, those pearls of wisdom that he shared with me? He used to … (10 comments)
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real estate advice: Power of One
- 10/12/20 10:57 AM
This week I want to talk about efficiency and getting things done. I know that this sounds like such an elementary topic, but I hear this from my clients all the time! They are struggling to get something done, but they are getting so distracted that they are putting too many things to do on their schedule. That results in none of it getting actually done.
It is like if you and a friend were out in a rowboat on the lake, rowing about. Now you are rowing in one direction, but your friend is rowing in the other. That's counterproductive and … (12 comments)
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real estate advice: What Covid-19 Means to Inventory in 2020 and Beyond
- 04/17/20 10:12 AM
What Covid-19 Means to Inventory in 2020 and Beyond
Whenever there is any type of crisis in the housing market it is critical to take a step back to assess how the current crisis can affect housing in the future. Real estate markets are all driven by supply and demand and without inventory house prices can soar and buyers can be left without product to buy.
Most people may be wondering why I am worried about inventory at a time when buyers are sitting on the sidelines waiting for the Covid-19 crisis to pass. The reason I always worry … (1 comments)
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real estate advice: The Property Purchase Analysis: A Smart Assessment Tool for Homebuyers
- 01/23/14 06:05 AM
The Property Purchase Analysis: A Smart Assessment Tool for Homebuyers
Real estate agents wouldn't list a house without doing a CMA for the seller, but many agents who work with buyers don't provide an in-depth analysis prior to writing an offer. While some agents do take the time to run some stats, there is much more to doing the kind of analysis that helps buyers make an informed buying decision.
By the time a buyer finds the house they want to make an offer on, they may have been inundated with information on many homes and many areas. Their … (0 comments)
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real estate advice: Let Quality of Life Be Your Guide in 2013... and Beyond
- 12/14/12 06:35 AM
Let Quality of Life Be Your Guide in 2013... and Beyond
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a long-held belief that the first, and the most important thing in your business, is creating quality of life.
As we wind down 2012 and head in to 2013 I want to encourage all of you to think about your quality of life.
What do I mean by quality of life? If I had to define it simply it would be happiness that is created when there is a good balance between your personal and professional lives.
Sociologists study quality … (7 comments)
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real estate advice: The Power of Feedback
- 11/09/12 07:13 AM
The Power of Feedback
You can have every fancy tech gizmo that exists.
You can have dozens of years of experience.
You can have beautiful branding.
You can have a state-of-the-art website too.
But if you're not getting regular feedback about your performance, you're missing the boat.
Feedback - honest feedback from customers - is the most important tool any business has at their disposal. Yet so many businesses either don't ask for feedback, or ignore the feedback they receive.
This is true in businesses both large and small. It's true with entrepreneurs, like real estate agents, too.
Sometimes … (4 comments)
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real estate advice: Have You Vaccinated Your Business?
- 11/02/12 08:47 AM
Have You Vaccinated Your Business?
As long as I've been in business I've regularly received calls and emails from agents who are struggling to reach their potential. Many of them make a good living, but want to make more, while others are barely getting by. Some are facing dire circumstances.
Everyone struggles in this business for different reasons, but the common denominator when they reach out to me is a lack of happiness. Some are absolutely exhausted by what they see as an uphill battle to make it as a real estate agent in today's market.
The good news? … (3 comments)
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real estate advice: Successfully Converting Telephone Leads
- 09/21/12 02:14 AM
Successfully Converting Telephone Leads
Two weeks ago I talked about converting internet leads and last week I talked about converting "live" leads. Today I want to talk about converting telephone leads.
By far the most difficult lead to convert is the telephone lead, but agents who can master this type of lead conversion can double or triple their results with very little effort.
You probably won't be surprised to hear me say that the way to successfully convert telephone leads is to differentiate yourself. Differentiation is a key concept that runs through my coaching and training of real estate agents.
… (4 comments)
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real estate advice: Successfully Converting In-Person Leads
- 09/14/12 02:15 AM
Successfully Converting In-Person Leads
After my Zebra Report last week on converting internet leads agents reached out with many comments. I was actually surprised to hear that many agents have sworn off pursuing internet leads because of bad experiences, and who want to go back to the good, old-fashion method of being live in front of potential clients.
But they tell me they're having trouble converting these live meetings into working relationships with clients.
Some agents are masters of this kind of conversion. No matter where they meet people, or how unrelated to real estate their first meeting may be, … (6 comments)
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real estate advice: There's Always More To The Story
- 07/30/12 02:59 AM
There's Always More To The Story
Recently one of my clients forwarded an article to me about unemployment in their area. The gist of the article was that jobless claims are up in the Kennewick area.
When the contents of this article hit my client's marketplace (Kennewick, a town in Eastern Washington), he told me the article had people so concerned that it felt as though the residents were running amok in the streets in fear of Godzilla. It was very much an atmosphere of doom, gloom, and fear.
As you can imagine, this made me absolutely crazy.
The whole … (21 comments)
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real estate advice: Eight Tips to Building a "Belly-to-Belly" Business!
- 07/13/12 03:34 AM
Eight Tips to Building a "Belly-to-Belly" Business!
As I was thinking about this week's Zebra Report I posed a question to myself: Is real estate still a belly-to-belly business?
That's what we used to call it in the old days. Back then we didn't have email, we didn't have online MLS systems, we didn't have electronic key boxes, and we didn't have cell phones (let alone today's smart phones).
Being belly-to-belly (or face-to-face) with your clients forced agents to be good at things that were critical in building client connections. You had to be able to develop rapport, you had … (3 comments)
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real estate advice: Are You Ready for Your “Distraction Diet” Guidelines?
- 06/08/12 01:20 AM
Are You Ready for Your "Distraction Diet" Guidelines?
Last week my Zebra Report focused on what I called the "distraction diet" - a concept based on regulating the interruptions you allow which disrupt your ability to focus and work.
Remember, distractions draw us in because they either: 1) add pleasure to our lives, or 2) remove pain from our lives.
The first step in managing your distractions is to determine why you are being distracted. Is the task you are trying to tackle something that:
Bores you? Frustrates you? Doesn't feel natural to you? Takes too long? You don't have … (4 comments)
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real estate advice: Is It Time to Try the Distraction Diet?
- 06/01/12 01:49 AM
Is It Time to Try the "Distraction Diet"?
Are you feeling lethargic? Pulled in too many directions? Are you unable to complete the tasks you used to handle easily? Feeling weighed down and uninspired? Lacking energy and focus?
If so, it may be time for what I call the "distraction diet"!
I work with real estate agents with varied backgrounds, and varied businesses, in various parts of the country. But here's what I can tell you most of them have in common: a problem managing distractions. Feed the engine Think of your business as an engine that must be fed. … (0 comments)
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real estate advice: Finding Your Brokerage "Fit" (part 1 of 2)
- 05/11/12 01:38 AM
Finding Your Brokerage "Fit" (part 1 of 2)
Not a week goes by that I don't get a question, comment, or complaint from an agent who's thinking of switching offices.
I'm always eager to hear why an agent feels the grass is greener somewhere else. It's human nature to feel that there is something better out there!
And sometimes there is. We've seen a lot of agent movement in the real estate industry in recent years. Sometimes the move is beneficial; often it is not. That's because agents often don't ask the right questions before making a move.
But I'm … (3 comments)
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real estate advice: Does Conflict Make You Cringe?
- 05/04/12 03:03 AM
Does Conflict Make You Cringe?
As you know, I think there are a lot of things that are important to have in your toolbox.
Great presentations skills... a unique business brand... market knowledge... and more.
But I truly believe that the ability to manage conflict is the single most important skill you can develop.
Developing top-notch conflict management skills is far more critical to your business (and your personal life) than learning scripts, following dogmatic four-step scenarios, or mastering high-pressure sales techniques.
Conquer conflict, and your world will change... dramatically!
Hear the word "conflict" and it probably conjures up images … (0 comments)
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real estate advice: What You Can (And Should!) Learn from QVC
- 04/27/12 05:00 AM
What You Can (And Should!) Learn from QVC
It's been around for over 25 years, it's the butt of many a spoof or joke ... and it's one of the most finely honed selling machines in existence.
What am I talking about? QVC, or course!
I know you're probably wondering why in the world this Zebra Report would focus on QVC. Well, stay tuned - because I think QVC has a lot to teach us.
First, a little background about QVC, which stands for "Quality | Value | Convenience". At its most basic level, everything about QVC's message can be … (6 comments)
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