I love to cook. It's probably because I really, really love to eat. In fact, if I was not a real estate broker, I would probably become a chef. When I was a very little boy, it was my father...and ex- short order cook...who first turned me on to the joys of the kitchen. So today...on Superbowl Sunday... I've been called upon to make a few "snacks" for the big game. OK...anyone can make that 7-layer dip (which I really love) or even a decent plate of nachos or wings. But I wanted to do something different...something a little more fun.
Pears! I thought. I love pears....Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc. There's something wonderful about their flavor, texture and juiciness. I have a super simple recipe for pancetta crisps topped with goat cheese and PEARS! Add a few fresh thyme leaves, and you're done!! This recipe is always a big hit when I'm looking for some quick and funky finger food (email me if you want the recipe...it's a killer). But have you ever tried to get a ripe pear in the supermarket on February 1st when the outside temperature is 27 degrees? What a bummer!
The problem is not that you can't find pears in the supermarket...you can. But they come in 2 basic varieties: hard as a rock, and mushy. It seems that if you want to cook using pears, you need to buy them well in advance, and then sit some weird bedside vigil...waiting for that narrow window when they become ripe...but not too ripe. Usually, I miss the timing completely. I check them out every day, hoping that they're ready for me to enjoy. They're often not, and I leave them alone. Then...I get busy. Several (many) days later, I check back on them with heightened expectation, only to find that they're shot...well past their prime, and ready for the trash. CURSES...I shout! If only I paid closer attention!! I hate buying fruit to feed to my compost bin! My local market has decided to help me out, offering "ripe pears" for a mere 40 cents/ lb more than their petrified cousins. But hey...today is the big game...so I decided to spring for the good stuff!
As I drove home from the market, I got to thinking about how our real estate leads are like pears. They never seem ready when we want them to be. We get a new lead, and just like my pears...we immediately want to put them into a recipe. But they're not quite ready. So we wait for a little while...hoping that they'll ripen quickly. But they don't... and we get distracted. When we finally check back in, it's always the same story. CURSES AGAIN...we shout!! They listed or bought with someone else. But this time, instead of blaming ourselves for not checking on them more frequently, we blame them for being disloyal... or worse.
Pears act like pears...and clients act like clients. The simple truth is that they're both going to be ready on their own timetables...not ours. Sooner or later we need to come to the realization that if we want to be successful in this business, we need to keep "checking on our ingredients". It amazes me how many agents don't have a good system for managing their database. Correction...it amazes me how many agents don't even have a database for managing their leads! They work with whoever is in front of them at the moment, and then they get distracted and move on to someone new. But the leads are never "ripe", and the outcome is never what they want.
Buying "ripe leads" is expensive. But throwing away "spoiled leads" is really, really expensive! Still....this is the choice that I see so many struggling agents make day after day after day. And it doesn't need to be that way! There's a wide variety of contact management software out there. I used Top Producer for years when I was actively selling, but there are others. Hey...even a well constructed Excel spreadsheet would be a start. The push-back I always hear from agents is that it costs money. Well, yes...a good database is not free. But did you ever calculate the cost of lost leads. Try it...it's a real eye-opener! If you need some ideas about where to begin, post an inquiry right here on Activerain...you'll get plenty of them. Learn how to stay close to your leads through drip campaigns, and regularly scheduled follow up. It's really not that hard.
But for heaven sake, let's stop wasting the pears. They're so damn good with pancetta and goat cheese!!
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