Investment – It’s not just about the money

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Investment – It’s not just about the money

Have you ever noticed how you put a lot of effort, or at least what you think is a lot of effort, into something and the results don’t come quick enough?

Does this question resonate with you?

This is what I hear time and time again from agents – they expect instant gratification from their online marketing (or anything for that matter within their life or business) and when it doesn’t happen, they get extremely frustrated and give up and move on to another attempt of instant gratification. And so the insanity cycle begins.

Investment - Its more than moneyLet’s be realistic here. What you put in, you’ll get out. If you are putting little to no effort into something, then you’ll likely get little to no return from it. Think about it: ROI means Return On Investment. This isn’t just monetarily speaking! To invest in something is (per Dictionary.com) to use, give, or devote (time, talent, etc.), as for a purpose or to achieve something. So, really, be truthful, how much investment have YOU put into your latest attempt at online marketing?

People hire other people to do their work – hence, why I am, and have been, in business for almost 10 years. But at some point there has to be some personal responsibility for your own business’ success (or failure), wouldn’t you agree? Hiring others to help you with your business is a given – I mean there’s a reason why there is such a thing as a “TEAM“. Zuckerberg didn’t create Facebook single-handedly and Gates didn’t create Microsoft solo either. But they certainly did have their hand in the work, right?

One of the recurring questions I am asked from my clients is “What works“?  Or they simply will say, “Tell me what I need to do to make money from my online business (quickly!)“. The truth is, what you put in, is what you will get out. As with anything in life, if you truly put your heart and soul into something, rarely will it fail. If you try something for a few weeks, or months, and feel that it simply isn’t working, you stop. Well, what’s the chances that it will work better when you stop!? I would have to say… ZERO PERCENT!

Insanity - doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different resultSo, when we put this heart and soul mentality into practice within our online marketing, WE must TRULY do that and give it our all. I would urge everyone, whether you are a client or not, that when you are contemplating to stop trying something after a short period of time, DON’T! Do the opposite – put MORE effort into it! Think, ‘what can I do better? What can I do differently? How much INVESTMENT have I truly put into this up until now?’ Chances are, not as much as you need to.

The word “insanity” is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Don’t be insane! Stay consistent, stay on course, stay focused, and keep your goals in the forefront of your mind. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Filed Under: Coaching Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

Talk WITH Not AT Your Audience!

February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

talk with not at your audienceHere’s a quick tip:

We, at V.A. Work, don’t always talk about real estate and nor should you!   Imagine you are at a party and you walk up to someone and start a conversation by saying…

“21 homes sold in Baltimore last week and the percentage of those that sold under market value was 73%”

Do you think that you would get a warm response or a confused look?  I would say the latter of the two.  Would you start a conversation like this in real life?  Then why would you do it on the Internet?

Instead, I would bet that a more normal way to start a conversation would be…

“Did you hear about the Home and Garden Show they are having in Baltimore next weekend?   Last year’s was great!  Have you ever been?”

Now, the response that you would get to this conversation starter would more likely have a positive response, right?

The same can be said for your online social networking.    Don’t talk AT people, talk WITH people!

Go give it a try and see what kind of responses you get and let me know how it goes!

Filed Under: Coaching Tips, Savvy Agents, Social Networking Tagged With: , ,

5 Tips To Effective Time Management for Realtors

July 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Effective time management for realtors has been an ongoing issue for many.   If you are running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off, then you probably need to sit down for 5 minutes and take some notes!   The most successful business people, whether it is within the real estate industry or not, are those that manage their time effectively.

Head Cut Off - Effective Time Management for RealtorsThere are some very effective ways to manage your days and just like anything, once you have these systems in place they become second nature.  Take a look at the following five tips on how to effectively manage your time each day and see which ones you already use and those that you may want to consider adding:

1.  Make A List Each Night

Making a list of your following day’s activities not only prepares you in advance but also allows you to get started straight away the next morning.  I used to create my list of activies in the morning, however, I found that it took away time in my most productive part of the day (being the mornings).  With that being said, you may be more productive at night, but the most important thing is to create a list that is reasonable and attainable to complete each day.

2.   Keep It Quiet

Keep distractions down to an absolute minimum.  If you are anything like me, you’ll have multiple things going on at any given time and having additional distractions will significantly reduce your management of time.  By shutting down your email and turning off your phone ringer during your most productive hours of the day, you can improve your completed work load exponentially!  It may feel strange or even scary to keep everything quiet for a few hours, but it will definitely be worth it!

3.   Don’t Procrastinate – Prioritize!

Effective Time Management for Realtors - ProcrastinationWhether you want to believe it or not, getting your dry cleaning done does not take precedence over creating an action plan for your past clients!   Prioritization goes hand in hand with procrastination – it’s so easy to push items that you don’t really like doing to the end of the day (or even tomorrow), even though the priority is certinaly there.   Best thing to do is make a habit of getting those dreaded tasks done first and make them the priority and then move on from there.  At the end of the day you’ll be glad you did and probably feel like you’ve accomplished a lot more than if “it” is still on your list.

4.  Learn, learn and learn some more

By consistently picking up (and using) more tools of the trade, you will natually become more efficient in your work.  Tech Savvy Agent (our other learning resource site) is a great place to go to gain some amazing tips and information on the latest and greatest tools within the real estate industry.    TIP:  Instead of having to remember a bunch of resourceful websites to go back and read, sign up for their new information to be automatically emailed to you when they are posted through their RSS feed.

5.  Invest in technology tools

It seems like every day new techy tools are being introduced to the industry – from iphone apps to ipads – it’s a little overwhelming, right?   Think about what technology tools you currently have in place that you don’t use (or don’t help you manage your time), and which ones you believe you should get more information about?   Ask around and see what your co-workers or broker says, or post a question on your Facebook Fan Page and see what responses you get.

Making conscious decisions each day in and around these five tips will definitely assist you in becoming more effective in your time management and ultimately your success as a realtor.  Give them a try and let me know how you are doing!

Filed Under: Coaching Tips Tagged With: , ,
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