10 Best Techniques for Creating an Amazing 2016 – the Fast Start Formula

How important is it that you make 2016 a highly successful year? The first step is to get a fast start… one full of commitment, a start with a sense of urgency, supported by plenty of good habits.

Here then is the formula… here are the 10 Best Techniques for Creating an Amazing 2016:

1. Set Up a Mini 90 Day Business Plan for the 1^st Quarter

— establish your first-quarter production targets right from the start – January, February, March

— focus on the main 5 categories (listing appointments, listings taken, listings sold, buyer sales, and deals closed)

— post these targets the wall of your office so they are front and center at all times

— Keep track of your results weekly and keep your monthly production up to date at all times

— to make this easy, use the chart on Page #7 in my 2016 Business Plan. ”Predicting the Future & Making It Happen”. You can download it right now and it’s FREE

2. Write Out Your Personal Goals for 2016

— begin the year with the end in mind. Make sure you know what you want before you start

— put it on paper so you know you are committed

— as a beginning, write out of 2 personal goals for each of the following categories… My Health, My Family, My Financial Future

— how to stay focused on these goals? Now don’t stuff your list in a drawer and forget about it for 12 months. Two options:

#1. Write them out in a journal every single morning before you start the day

#2. Post the list on the wall beside your production targets/results

— also, consider creating your own personal Dream Board with photographs and images to really cement your decision to succeed. The power of visual is very beneficial

3. Set Up a Year-at-a-Glance Calendar Immediately

— another visual to help you stay on track. Start with a Year-at-a-Glance dry erasable calendar 24” x 36” (the full year – not just 90 days)

–the one included as part of our “All the Right Time” Time Mastery package is ideal

— indicate in advance your plans for vacations, regular days off in the week, and continuing education

— next start tracking your consistency for lead generation by filling in the blank spaces as the year progresses

— here’s a short video to describe exactly how to do this

4. Decide on Your Lead Generation Plan (Who? When? How?)

— WHO? Know who your target audiences are going to be for your daily prospecting. Estimate the number of transactions you are expecting from your main categories – past clients and center of influence, for sale by owners, expireds, old expireds, old leads, farming, etc.

— WHEN? Set aside a minimum of 2 hours every morning for lead generation. Make this activity “not optional” as it is the most important aspect of your daily routine. Remember that “the mornings are for lead generation in the afternoons/evenings are for lead servicing”. Get your lead generation done first!

— HOW? Personal contact is still the most productive way to identify new opportunities, build rapport, and generate leads. Here is the order of efficiency to help you plan your strategy:

• One-on-one contact (phone or face-to-face)
• Personal notes
• E-Mail and texting
• Direct mail
• Internet marketing
• Flyers
• Traditional marketing (print advertising, bus benches, billboards, etc.)

Critical Point – the success of your Lead Generation Plan is dependent upon two main criteria: what you say and how you say it. This comes from having access to the foundational scripts and dialogs plus practicing your delivery. It’s an unbeatable combination. Multiple solutions for both these criteria are available in “All the Right Words”

5. Update Your Buyer Presentation

— most real estate Agents do not have an organized Buyer Presentation (other than the traditional flyers and brochures produced by their company)

— this is one way you can really stand out from the competition! Show your prospect that “I am different”

— the basic components of your presentation should include:

• A short resume (unless you are brand-new to the business)
• Your track record (if you are new to the business – use your company’s track record)
• ***Your Buyer’s Marketing Plan*** A list of the things you do to help them find their dream home. Examples: prospecting an area to identify unlisted homes, researching for sale by owners and expireds, prospecting 2 hours a day for new listings, eliminating any properties that do not meet their needs, negotiation skills, etc.
• Blank Buyers Agency and Offer to Purchase forms
• Overview of typical closing costs

Lastly, make sure you practice your Buyer Presentation. Don’t just hand them a folder with all this material. This is part of the “selling” aspect of working with Buyers. Help them understand the advantages you bring to the table.

6. Upgrade Your Listing Presentation

— start the year off by improving and updating your listing presentation. Again – to earn the full commission you must demonstrate that “I am different”

— look at to your Marketing Plan for Sellers (12 – 18 points). Is your “Secret Sauce” going to inspire your prospect?

— 2 ways to inspire them:

#1. What’s on your list? Examples… Internet marketing, % of your listings that sell, your sale price to asking price %, daily prospecting, print advertising (keep to a minimum), #of agents in your office/company, market share, etc.

#2. How well do you present these features? Are you “telling or are you selling”? This too takes practice… help your Seller understand the significant benefits you offer for each of your strategies. “Mr. Seller, the benefit to you of this particular activity is…”.

Conclusion – revisit your marketing plan ask yourself does it allow me to stand out? Does it separate me from the competition? Next, practice presenting it in a compelling and sales-oriented fashion. No more “winging it”!

7. Revisit Your Daily Schedule

— take a fresh look at your daily schedule. Start a year with a clean slate (see page #14 in the 2016 Business Plan)

— the main components you need to include are lead generation, lead follow-up, listing presentations, buyer activity, administration, and skills practice (role-playing, etc.)

–build to your schedule around your own personal lifestyle. Your order of priorities would be the same as it is for your personal goals (i.e.: health first, then family, then business)

— the most important consideration is the answer to the following question… “Does the sum of my activities equal my goals?”. In other words, am I allowing enough time to keep my conveyor belt full? If not, make adjustments

— the key to the success of following a daily schedule consistently boils down to three very important commitments… going to bed on time, getting up on time, having your morning prospecting prepared the night before

8. Call All Your Past Clients and Centres of Influence in the Next 90 Days

— this is the #1 source of business for virtually 100% of all real estate Agents

— commit to a personal contact with each person in your database every 90 days (if they’re not home, leave a message)

— call them up and after you have re-established rapport (keep it short) ask them two very specific questions:

“As you know, I’m always looking for more people to help in real estate… so I was wondering… WHO do you know that needs my help to buy or sell a home this year?”

“Thanks for thinking about that, I’m curious…when do you suppose you folks will be moving next?”

— you can supplement this personal contact activity with ongoing e-mails or direct mail newsletters and personal notes

— Mark everyone over 90 days and repeat the process. Remember, the way you will stand out is to consistently stay in touch. Provide them with added value on every contact and they will return the favor with ongoing loyalty

9. Call All Your Old Leads in the Next 90 Days

— this is a hidden Goldmine – don’t let this one slip by

— “blow the dust off your files” and pull out all your old leads. It doesn’t hurt to go back 12 months or more

— ask them two questions:

“Did you folks ever buy/sell your home?”

“If we were able to find what you are looking for/sell your home… would you still consider moving?”

— invariably you will find a “nugget” in that pile of old leads. Don’t miss this one – it’s quick and it’s easy

10. Track Your Results & Commit to Tough Accountability

Two points for this last technique:

#1. Make sure you track your results on a daily basis. Remember that “trackers are winners, guessers are losers”. By looking in the mirror every day it will inspire you to higher levels of production

• here is another short video to help you with your tracking…

#2. Now take on some Tough Accountability to ensure your success.

It’s as simple as this… Accountability = Success and continuing to try and do it on your own results in mediocrity– Consider Coaching very seriously. WHY? You can expect a minimum of a 5 times return on your investment. Here is my mantra for you… “A great Coach is someone who will not let you settle for what you think is your best”. 

Bonus Point…Take on Something New This Year

Add to your repertoire… here’s some suggestions:

1. Geographic Farming – pick a particular area and work it consistently for a minimum of 12 months. If you are already farming then THIS time – commit to either doorknocking or phoning the whole area every 90 days (4 times per year). Be sure to add value each time you connect.
2. Video – at last report, only 15% of real estate Salespeople are using video to communicate and generate business. I’m not talking about videos of the inside of a listing, I mean as a replacement for regular e-mail. Stand out! The public respond very positively to all video communication. www.BombBomb.com
3. Social Media – are you doing enough? Allocate 30 minutes per day for Facebook, twitter, Linkedin, etc. Again, the public is looking for this and it needs to be part of your marketing. On the flipside, don’t depend on this as your main lead generation vehicle. It is just another piece of the puzzle.
4. Upgrade Your CRM – is your overall database follow-up system as current as it needs to be? Two questions: #1. Should you dedicate a few hours to updating addresses, e-mails and phone numbers? & #2. Is your system simple and easy to work with? Here’s another link for you to check out…
5. Make your Listing Presentation Digital… if you really want to show your prospective Sellers that you are “ahead of the curve” put your listing presentation on your laptop, iPad, or tablet…. Here’s an easy way to get that done…the “Plug & Play LP” Listing Presentation Package
6. Customer Events – plan 1 – 2 special events for your database over the next 12 months. A movie night or Saturday morning for families, meet and greet cocktail party, sleigh rides/wagon ride at the farm, barbecue, Easter egg hunt, skating party, etc. Once you get this system in place, it’s easy to repeat the process. Well worth the effort in building ongoing rapport. Quick tip – always invite your clients to “bring a friend” it’s a terrific way to build your database in a relaxed fashion

CONCLUSION

By changing myself I change my results. Make sure that you open the doors to change really wide this year. Create some excitement and some inspiration for yourself to “break through that glass ceiling”. Take the above ideas and revitalize your business.

“Go for something beyond what you thought you could do. Live with intensity. Be all that you can be… you deserve that, your family deserves that… the world deserves that!” Jim Rohn