RE/MAX real estate
Office Newsletter - Week of July 29th Edition
Reader's Choice 2019
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Personal Mastery. The fourth Principle of Ninja Selling.
When we talk about the morning routine and its' "super powers" in the Installation, we suggest reading something inspirational every day. On Day 2 we read Mastery by Stewart Emory. As we say in the Installation, this piece has many years worth of wisdom imbedded in it. It is worth a few hundred reads from our perspective.
Paragraph 4 starts with the sentence,
You see, we are all ordinary..
Thought of the week: Put down your measuring stick and run your own race!
How to Create Long-Lasting and Profitable Client Relationships
You’ve closed a deal and now you’re done with that client—right? Wrong!
Just because the transaction is over doesn’t mean the client-agent relationship has to be, too. In fact, you want to continue building a close connection, because guess what? That’s how you’re going to get their return business—and, more importantly, that’s how you’re going to get their referrals. So before you prematurely end what could end up being the most lucrative part of your business, follow these tips to keep a good thing going.
Maintain an interest. This should be genuine. No one wants to hear from their agent a year later if it’s just going to be a sales pitch. Keep in touch and up to date on what is going on in their lives. Take note of any momentous occasions, such as anniversaries and birthdays.
Have conversations. Don’t just spew out facts you’ve learned along the way, whether related to real estate or to your client’s life. You want to really connect and leave an impression. What better way to do that than to allow your clients to relate with you?
Just be human. Show them that you’ve experienced similar things and provide guidance or support when appropriate.
Be around. You should be a constant presence in your clients’ lives. This doesn’t mean barrage them with calls and emails on a daily or weekly basis, but a few touch points on a quarterly basis can really reinforce your relationship.
Invite them to community events or client appreciation gatherings, and if you have anything like movie or concert tickets to give away, use that as a reason to reach out to a past client and give back.
Getting through the transaction part is easy. It’s continuing to develop the relationship when you’re not working together that’s the tricky part. Trust me—with some commitment, it all pays off in the end.
Attitude and Effort
Many years ago I received some exceptional advice from a mentor that has stayed with me to this day. He told me to stop trying to control things I couldn’t control. His recommendation was that I focus 100% of my attention on the things within my control. He also said to “block out” the uncontrollable things from my field of view because they were nothing more than distractions.
Through the years as I’ve considered his advice I’ve discovered there are far fewer controllable parts of my life than there are uncontrollable. I can influence what other people think of me but I can’t control their thoughts. I can try to influence their actions but people will eventually do whatever they think is best for them. The list of stuff I can’t control could go on forever.
But that’s okay because through the years I’ve also discovered that I can control, completely, two areas of my life which have the greatest impact on my success and happiness.
Those areas are attitude and effort.
In his timeless book “Man’s Search for Meaning” Viktor Frankl describes the “last of the human freedoms.” He says that last freedom, a freedom that can be taken from no one, is the choice of one’s own attitude. Every human on earth is free, regardless of their circumstances, to choose their own attitude. No one and nothing can take that freedom away from you.
Before you say “well Viktor Frankl never worked where I work. He never experienced how tough my life is. He just doesn’t know,” before you say any of that you should know that Viktor Frankl is a surviver of Nazi Concentration Camps. He knows.
He would tell you that his choice of a positive attitude was literally life saving.
I can only imagine, actually I can’t even imagine, how tough a fight it must have been each day for him to choose a positive attitude. But he fought the fight and won.
The choice of a positive attitude is a big fight for me even in my relatively cushy world. I lose that fight too often but this much I’m certain of: every single part of my life is better on the days I win that fight.
The question for you is will you consciously engage in that fight or will you allow other people and things to make the choice of your attitude for you?
When it comes to making an effort I realized early on that there was a direct correlation between the level of effort I put into something and the results I received from that effort. When I really want something I remember the words of the immortal Yoda who said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
You alone control the level of effort you’re willing to put into any endeavor. You can allow obstacles to stop you or you can learn from them and use them as launching pads to your next level of success. You can make excuses or you can make progress. It’s hard to do both.
As Babe Ruth said, “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” If you allow yourself to be beaten you can be assured there is someone close by willing to put in the effort to do just that…beat you.
If you adopt Yoda’s thinking then you won’t try to succeed you’ll do it.
Direct all requests to:
If needing assistance, please contact Jackie Karmilowicz. She will be main contact person for all agents. She then will direct all inquiries to either one of her two assistants, Bill Cook and Sandra Saturne who will work with your clients.
Business Development Manager
NRG NE Realtor Channel
Office: 267-295-5836
Personal mobile: 717-875-7690
https://www.nrghomepower.com/energy-choice/energy-solutions/concierge/
I'm sure Matt will reach out to each of you individually over the next few weeks.
Booj Client Engagement
Contact Joel Diaz to Make an Appointment to start getting ready for Booj
Work Smarter This Summer with These ShowingTime Settings
As we’re hitting the hottest days of the year, showing activity remains high throughout the country. Hopefully you’re one of the many real estate agents experiencing lots of summer activity and have already sold a number of listings.
If you’ve been super busy, there’s a chance you feel overworked by keeping tabs on all your listings’ activity. Responding to calls from buyer’s agents, sellers and prospective clients can take a toll on anyone and, in this heat, leave you exhausted and maybe a tad sweaty.
You don’t always have to pack an extra shirt, however.
ShowingTime subscribers can stay cool and at the top of their game by making a few key settings changes that will make future work easier.
Add Sellers
If they’re not already added, add your sellers’ contact details to your listings and encourage them to use My Home by ShowingTime so they can keep up with their home’s activity and play a bigger part in the home-selling process.
Within My Home, sellers can view upcoming appointments and, with your permission, can also confirm or decline showing requests.
When showing your clients the ins and outs of My Home, be sure to explain the different appointment types available, including the Go and Show and Courtesy Call options.
While all eight appointment types have their benefits (appointment types vary by product), the Go and Show and Courtesy Call options — if it makes sense for your sellers — can be a great way to make scheduling showings through ShowingTime even easier, as well as get the listing seen more often.
Mobile Communication
Confirming or declining showing requests is just one of the many benefits for sellers using My Home.
Sellers can also message their real estate agent in My Home, as well as review their home’s showing and feedback activity. This gives them the ability to know what’s going on with their listing at all times without having to ask their agent and wait for a response.
My Home also encourages buyer’s agents to log when they’re done showing a listing, thereby alerting sellers that it’s OK to return home.
Add Appointment Rules and Showing Restrictions/Exceptions*
As most seller and agent schedules vary from day to day due to work, vacations or even a simple doctor’s appointment, ShowingTime provides a way for agents to create appointment rules for specific days and/or times that differ from the standard day-to-day ones.
This is known as setting an ‘Appointment Rule,’ which can modify confirmation preferences for a specific time period. These can be as simple as a ‘Restriction’ all the way to completely changing the confirmation process for a specified date or time, which we call an ‘Exception.’
These options, which you can read more about, are a great way to not only plan ahead, but also clearly spell out when the listing is or isn’t available to be shown by buyer’s agents. This helps cut down on frustrating, unneeded calls and streamlines the showing request process.
Over sending birthday cards? Try these 7 unforgettable ways to connect with past clients
Keeping your pipeline full depends on the effort you put into connecting with clients in memorable ways
Real estate is about relationships. Always has been, always will be. According to the National Association of Realtors 2018 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, in fact, as much as two-thirds of real estate transactions come from referrals.
Agents get the vast bulk of their business from people who already know and trust them and want them to succeed. Eighty-five percent of homesellers said they would definitely or probably recommend their agent for future services, according to the same report.
Building a successful real estate career based on relationships needs to be planned, thoughtful and consistent. It must be as strategic as it is meaningful. This means getting involved in the lives of new, current and past clients — keeping in touch and adding value to an ever-expanding group of individuals.
There are hundreds of ways to keep in touch with past clients. Newsletters, birthday cards and movie tickets all work in keeping an agent’s name in front of past clients, but they also fall short when it comes to actually building a relationship and getting referrals.
Everyone has received a generic birthday card from their dentist or insurance agent. Yes, it’s nice to be recognized, but does it make the recipient more likely to recommend business to the sender? Probably not.
Here are three business-building activities that are memorable, personal and keep the agent at the top of the client’s mind. They are not meant to replace other tactics but rather serve as examples of high-value activities.
1. Host a dumpster party
At least once a year, rent a dumpster for your clients to use. Everybody always has items that need to be discarded and would appreciate a free way to dispose of them. The invites should be made by calling all the people in your database, as you’ll get a much higher response rate than if you simply emailed them.
Try to get them to commit to a specific time so they will be more likely to show up and bring their items to you. This also helps avoid having too many people drop off items at the same time, which would limit the amount of time you have to catch up with each of them. The whole idea is to remind them what a great person and agent you are.
A dumpster party could also be an office-wide event. Think grilling, refreshments and maybe an inflatable bounce house. Hold it in the parking lot of your office. The bigger the event, the more positive impact it has for the agents and company. For eco-minded clients, you can offer a donation or recycling option as well.
2. Bake cookies, and break bread
The holidays are a great time to bake cookies, bread or make something tasty. A homemade wreath will stay up for the entire season, and it gives past clients a reason to mention your name to friends and guests. The key is to make the item yourself and personally deliver it.
This activity does not need to be reserved for the holidays either. The time of year, or the item itself, is not as important as creating and delivering a memorable way to get face-to-face with past clients and let them know how much you appreciate them being a part of your life.
Call and arrange a drop-off time beforehand to make sure you get the opportunity to have a decent conversation.
3. Paint the house
Another really cool idea is to hire a local artist to create a signed, original piece of art based on the exterior of the home. It could be watercolor, line-drawing or any medium, as long as it’s high quality.
Take the piece from the artist, and have it framed and matted. Make it so beautiful that the homeowner will prominently display it in their home. It becomes a daily reminder of what a great experience they had working with their agent.
It also serves as a natural conversation starter when company drops in, meaning your name will certainly be mentioned over and over. Make sure your past clients have plenty of your business cards available to hand out when this happens.
True business relationship-building activities need to be memorable, add value and get the agent face-to-face with the client. A handshake or a hug is more powerful than a dozen handwritten notes.
Showing up for a child’s piano recital will be remembered much longer than a cute newsletter. Personal is always better than generic.
4. Plant a garden
This is a perfect spring activity for getting in front of past clients. Homeowners are always interested in making their homes look better affordably. Everyone loves flowers in and around their homes, so the gift of flower seeds is a perfect way to stay in touch and improve the look of a home.
Call each client in late winter (soft touch No. 1), and ask if they are interested in seeds for their garden in the spring. Ask them what flowers they like, how much sun their place has and whether they have an inside or outside garden.
The key here is to have as much conversation as possible and never bring up the topic of real estate. Talk about their garden and their lives.
Make an appointment in the spring to drop off seeds (soft touch No. 2), and have them show you the yard where the garden will be. Ask them to send you progress updates or photos of the garden as summer progresses.
They will think of you every time they admire their garden and will mention their agent’s name to visitors. Make sure they have an ample supply of cards.
5. Client video diaries
The really cool app 1 Second Everyday allows users to create a one-second video clip of their favorite moment of the day. It’s absolutely addictive! These video clips can be combined to display a month’s worth of activities in a 30-second movie. The app does all the work, and the movie can then be posted to social media.
A creative way to use these videos is to create a social media site on Facebook or Instagram and call it something like “Sharing the lives of Robert Realtor’s clients.”
Invite past or prospective clients to use the app, and post their monthly activities. Create a forum so users can post questions and comments.
Users will constantly check into the site to watch the agent’s videos and other participant’s life videos. It’s social, fun and a great way to keep the agent’s name and life top-of-mind.
6. Get sweaty
Organize a fundraising event for a charity. It could be a biking, walking or running event. It could be a bowling party or hot dog eating contest. The activity doesn’t matter as long as members get pledges for their accomplishments.
The pledging gets others involved and interested in supporting charitable causes. But the beauty of this type of event is that the charity is chosen by the winning team or individual.
No one knows ahead of time which charity will benefit from the event, so the participants will work harder and get more pledges so their charity will win.
This event is difficult for an individual to pull together and is probably best for an office or company to host. It’s logistically complex but can have a huge return as far as benefitting the community and sponsors. Made an annual event, it could become a cornerstone of brand awareness.
7. Give annual checkups
Every year on the anniversary of ownership, call your clients and set an appointment to review the equity position of the home that was purchased.
Bring a housewarming type gift that is appropriate to the owner and stay no longer than half an hour. Make the presentation brief, and load it with enough detail to positively reinforce their decision to purchase.
The visit also reinforces the agent’s value in the transaction and offers one more soft touch every year. It can also provide additional opportunities to keep in touch at other times of the year.
Wanda Hoffman
Jamie Bowman
Sherrie Brunetti
Phil Edmiston
Jeff Burnatowski
Chris Topping
Andrew Dilg
Years with RE/MAX real estate: 8
Years in Real Estate: 8
Trese Merkel
7/19/2019
Years with RE/MAX real estate: 3
Years in Real Estate: 3
Tyla Jackson
7/23/2019
Years with RE/MAX real estate: 1
Years in Real Estate: 16
RE/MAX real estate
Let us know about your open house TODAY!
Email: joel@LehighValleyHomes.com
Website: www.LehighValleyHome.com
Location: 3120 Hamilton Boulevard, Allentown, PA, United States
Phone: 610-770-9000
Facebook: Facebook.com/LehighValleyHome
Twitter: @jdiaz01