Top 5 Best Practices for 2009

The past 2 years have been brutal for most agents. Watching this pain fires me up. I’m not certain why, maybe because it motivates me or maybe because I’ve learned to harness its power.  I’ve learned that to thrive in the eye of a storm requires mental toughness, quick action, agile response, intelligence, the right tools and know-how.

With that in mind, here are our Top 5 Best Practices for ’09.

You can hang your hat on these.

They are the foundation upon which our success has been built.

  • #1. People First

1. Relationships matter, fill the cup and be well-informed.

2. Understand the long term value of a client and make sure they know how much they are valued.

3. Surround yourself with excellence.

  • #2. Remove Barriers

1. Follow up and stay ahead of the curve. Circumvent potential problems and please don’t avoid the phone, harness it!

2. Face your fear and it’ll disappear.

3. Remember, there is no sound more beautiful than the sound of one’s own name. Know your client’s names and use them often.

  • #3. Tools that WOW!
1. In with Blackberry, out with Treo! Push rather than Pull technology when information is needed immediately.

2. In with GPS, out with Map Quest! Expand your territory and sell more homes. You have a state license for a reason, use it.

3. In with Google Docs, out with waste! Share documents among team members easily and “go green”.

4. In with DocuSign out, with scanners and copiers!  No more running around for you or your client. Get documents signed ELECTRONICALLY in seconds.

5. In with Local Lead Generation by learning how to do it yourself, out with National Lead Providers! Low-cost, high quality leads are easy to produce and manage.  Since you know the market better than anyone, you can, with a little coaching, learn to produce your own.  Stop spending money and losing control, learn to fish.

6. In with Listing Syndication, out with Newspaper advertising.  We can show you how to produce 1,000’s of links to your listings and, better yet, how to quantify your activity and predict outcomes.  Imagine being able to confidently tell your clients when their homes will sell.

  • #4. Caring Staff
1. Listen and learn.  Model behavior and insist on quality interactions with everyone.  You  and your team mates, if any, have to always be on.

2. Guide and direct by becoming an effective leader and communicator not a manipulator.

3. No Jerk policy. When building a team no jerks allowed.

  • #5. Efficient Service

I cannot over emphasize the power of efficiency.  All systems, high and low tech, must work seamlessly.  Emphasis on rewarding efficient service and high quality interactions.

In conclusion, take any of this information and apply it at will to your own Rock Star business.  The fact that you are surfin’ the net lookin’ for Best Practices leads me to believe you are well on your way to your own personal stardom.  Once you’ve achieved it, pass it on. If we can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call.  We are in this thing together.  For the coming year, these are the most important items to focus on to align yourself with success.  Remember, you don’t achieve success, you attract it.