7 SECRETS FOR GUARANTEED REAL ESTATE SUCCESS

November 7, 2006
Issue #5

Hard to resist something that promises to tell you secrets, isn't it? The word guarantee makes it even harder not to read on, doesn't it? The word success makes it almost irresistible.

OK, where is this newsletter going? If it were about writing ads, listing descriptions, flyer headings or content for your web site, it would tell you to use a title to catch the reader's attention, that guarantees build prospects trust and to sell benefits not features. Consider the preceding a bonus that would fall under one of the 7 Secrets and will be part of another newsletter. I'm actually going to share the secrets with you in more general terms.

Secret #1. You have to know your product. Product knowledge includes such things as knowing what your company offers and the benefits for customers. It includes knowing the market, trends and statistics. Other parts of product knowledge would include marketing, sales, negotiations, what to say and how to say it. Basics would be learning how to fill-out the paper work and using email and the Internet. Knowledge is power. Become powerful.

Secret #2. A plan. Boring- maybe. (Judging by the response to last month's letter about planning, it's not a real estate agent favorite.) Important- absolutely. A plan gives you focus, direction and a way to measure where you've been, what you're doing, and where you are going. Put it in writing, make it meaningful to you, share it with someone else so they can help you be accountable.

Secret #3. Prospecting. You cannot succeed without prospects. There are many different ways to get prospects. Figure out three sources of prospects and go after them with vigor, not occasionally, but daily. Prospecting does not have to be cold calling but it does have to put you in contact with people who are going to buy or sell.

Secret #4. Appointments. If you don't have appointments, you are unemployed! Lots of leads may make you feel good but unless you are face-to-face with people, you will not make it. Part of your planning process should be to figure out how many appointments you need for a sale. To be successful you have to have enough appointments to make enough sales. Obvious, yes, but not often enough in the forefront of most agents' thinking.

Secret #5 Follow-up. The phrase buy or die comes to mind here. Follow-up with every lead, after every appointment, and with every person who sent you a referral. Past clients are a gold mine. Do not let them become strangers. All the research in almost every industry will tell you the value of a satisfied customer. Make sure they are yours for life by following up with them regularly.

Secret #6 Systems. Systems are not very sexy but they save you time and make you money. Develop systems to follow-up with past clients, leads, referral sources and transactions in progress. How you approach your day should be systematized. Real estate is full of tasks you do over and over. Systems should be in place so you do not have to recreate the wheel. It is easy to let details go unattended with disastrous consequences. Systems prevent disaster and keep you focused on what is most important.

Secret #7 Positive attitude. The power of positive thinking is enormous. All you have to do is look back at your life's greatest accomplishments and I bet positive thinking was involved. Love what you are doing. Hang with positive people. Positive people are magnetic. Harness the power of positive thinking and success will follow.

There you have it --7 simple secrets that will guarantee real estate success. None of them are all that difficult. Now that you have the secrets, I have to share one more secret. Knowing the secrets won't make you successful; acting on them will.

Monthly Tech Tip

Often you are working with pictures, emails or files on the computer that are part of a larger list. You want to copy or delete 10 out of 20 for example. You don't have to do it one item at a time. If you want to copy or delete consecutive items, you click on (highlight) the first item, hold the shift key down, click on or highlight the last item and every picture or file from the first one to the last one you selected will be highlighted. You can now copy or delete all of them at once. Perhaps, out of the 20 items above, you wanted to select numbers 2,6,7,10 and 14 for copying or deleting. In this case, you would click on the first item you wanted (2), hold the control key down and click on (select is another way of saying click on) the other items that weren't consecutive (6,7,10,14). They are now all highlighted and ready to be copied or deleted. Try it, it works. Next time you need to get rid of those 1000 emails you have been saving, remember this tip