Ask most successful agents what the best source of business is and they'll tell you: 'your sphere.'
Ask most average or struggling agents when the last time they called or mailed to their 'sphere' and they'll look at you like you're from Mars.
Obviously there is a disconnect somewhere, and that somewhere is in the belief that the people you know will use you and send their friends and neighbors to you when they need your services. Well, if all you've done to get that business is get your license, join a nice firm and do a few deals, then I wouldn't give you any business either! You've got to earn it!
Oh, I hear you..."ok Jim, what do you mean?"
Let's start with the basic formula of Real Estate - In order to get a listing you have to go on a listing appointment, and in order to get a listing appointment you have to talk to someone who owns a home. So far so good...
Think of all the friends, family, co-workers, and church members you know who are, or might be a home owner, and that's your starting list. They all get exposed to ads from other real estate agents all the time and they don't call them either...why not? They don't need their services...yet. And when they do, they'll call many different agents for many different reasons and they will have forgotten you were even in the business at all!
So here's my simple solution: be a valuable asset to all the home owners you know. Owning a home for lots of people is the single largest investment they'll ever make - help them maintain and even increase its value. August and September are great months to talk to them about getting things around their home ready for fall and winter. In October and November show them ways to protect their home against the ravages of a hard winter. Talk to them all year round, and never quit. The Internet is a great place to get home maintenance ideas for all seasons. Recipe cards are cute and nice, but don't provide home owners much value, and besides, what are you trying to get them to think about you - you like to cook? If you provide value to the people you know, you will have earned the right to ask for their business.
So now let's go back to the basic formula and add one small step to the end - ...ask for their business. Believe it or not, most people you know are waiting for you to ask.
So let's pretend for a minute you do this and you get maybe two or three, or even four more deals this year. And just for kicks you try this same concept on your ‘farm area mailings' and get two more deals. By the end of the year you might have increased your volume by almost a million dollars. You've earned it!
Comments(9)