Get Up, A Get On Up-Eliminating Inefficiences In Real Estate. I have a feeling that what I deemed my biggest "inefficiency" for last year might initially raise an eyebrow or two when you first read it. While many will probably say they took to some form(s) of techonology in order to eliminate inefficiencies in their business, I, in fact, had to step away from them.
I began working in Real Estate in December of 2010. I'd had a Facebook account for years, Myspace had come and gone, Twitter was beginning to take off, texting was my biggest source of communication with friends, and blogging was the "it" way to do business. In planting my real estate roots I dove headfirst into all things Internet and fortunately for me, having grown up around computers, it was easier for me than some. Wait a minute, I take that back. It wasn't easy. It was damn hard work. TIME CONSUMING. Hours upon hours of work every single day. I created a Facebook business profile, I started a blog, I started another blog, I built a website, I joined Active Rain, I tweeted, etc, etc, and on top of that maintained listings on over 10 different sites. Sound familiar to any of you? I'm sure it does. Recognition for my work took some time but before long my phone was ringing with people on the other end saying, "I can't Google Lake Oconee Real Estate without your name popping up everywhere." I was asked to do presentations on Social Media at meetings and functions around my area. Finally those hours in front of the comptuer were starting to pay off.
Funny thing was though...when I went to give those presentations on social media, by then I'd been in the business for 6 months and no one at these functions really knew me. They knew my name, they knew my face, but they hadn't the slightest clue who I was once that Coldwell Banker name tag came off. I had internet presence out the wazoo but I had no presence in my community.
That had to change. All things internet was keeping me from getting to know the people and businesses in the town in which I lived. So what did I do? I became an Ambassador for the Greene County Chamber of Commerce. I started attending Third Thursdays at Bank South and Loan South. There I get the chance to meet and mingle with the people I'd turn to in order to help a Buyer get a loan or the woman who set up my checking account. I became a member of a local YPN (Young Professionals Network) and started attending monthly socials where I was able to connect with Realtors from several surrounding counties. I volunteered when Extreme Home Makeover came here to build a home for a local little girl who is now a small town hero. New businesses where I live often host After Hours in an attempt to introduce themselves and their product to those in the community. One of my duties as an Ambassador for the Chamber is to attend these but I enjoy going to them even when I'm not required. I recently met a guy and we bonded over a mutual love for sailing and have since gotten together with our spouses for dinner. Would that have happened had we both not been at that event? Who knows. And now he knows I'm in real estate but he also has a sense for who I am. These are just a few of the ways I've found to feel more like a part of my community.
There is a balance that has to be obtained in order to do this job well and be an asset to those who choose to do business with you. What's important to one client might not be the most important thing to another. One might prefer an Agent who is well known in town, another will want one who will focus more on the Internet side of marketing their property. The most important to me is, that regardless of their needs, I want to be able to meet them. So now I give equal amounts of time to all of the things listed above!
Everyone has them, they're nothing to be ashamed of, so click below and tell us an inefficiency you've encountered at some point and time and what you did to change it. Eliminating Inefficiencies In Real Estate-A Contest
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