TGIF

For many industries this saying is as old as the hills and is something that people with a regular 5 day work week look forward to.  It means a weekend off, family time, maybe a short trip, etc.  In this industry for those on the "front line" of the sales forces it has often meant showing houses, handling traffic in a subdivision, submitting contracts, taking mortgage loan applications, and often could be the two busiest days of the week.  In a lot of cases it was TGIF because it meant there was business to do!

During these current times things aren't quite the same.  Not as many customers to show, not as much traffic in the subdivisions, not as many contracts to write and applications to take.  However it doesn't mean that it should neccesarily be any slower.  It is still an excellent time to make contacts and follow up.  I call or e-mail all the subdivision agents that I deal with (or try to) on Friday and/or Saturday morning letting them know that I am available all weekend to help in any way that I can.  With questions, with customers and their questions, etc.  I also make sure that I am on top of things for the coming week, going over any outstanding conditions on loan closings that are coming up, making calls to current customers to update, etc.  It is still a very good time to work the mine for those future nuggets.

I do a weekly newsletter so I am constantly looking for things in the industry that are important to make people aware of, and for hints and clues about potential builders and agents to contact.  The weekend newspapers are a good source for this, and also the internet.  Certainly I do yard work, putter around the house, and spend time with my family, but I am so used to being active with business issues as well that I still make it a part of my weekend.  I know that if I do that the phone will ring again like it used to, that there will be more customers to talk to, more applications to take, and more help to give.  When it does I will be ready!

TGIF, and HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!