“Go to hell, stop calling me!” As real estate professionals we have heard a couple variations of this phrase. That was the exact phrase I heard from Chris, a Physical Therapist from Elmhurst, NY. Chris had a condo that expired on the market with a local company that I will not name in this email. 

Chris, like many people who’s home didn't sell the first time around, was being bombarded with realtors calling him trying to obtain his business. I was one of those realtors. About 90% of real estate couches will tell you to go all “Wolf of Wall Street” on the prospect. They are going to buy or die… That may have worked in the 80’s but in the era of consultative selling we have to take a different approach. 

The truth is that connection and relationship building is the key to success in real estate. It’s hard to build a relationship when the person you want to connect with starts the relationship with “Go to Hell.”

So, what did I do? 

I showed empathy, I said “you must be receiving a bunch of calls from realtors trying to solicit your business huh? On behalf of my profession I apologize for the inconvenience. Have a good day."

Before ending the conversation he asked me what my name was, I told him Alexander Fazelani with the Ian Alexander Team with EXP. He then went on to tell me that 5 agents called him in the last 10 minutes alone. He stated that he was a Physical Therapist who just started his own practice and that he is stressed out with the never ending calls. 

I could have tried to close again but instead I wished him success in his new career and asked if I could send him my information via mail in case he ever did want to list in the future. He agreed, I sent him out a letter and a card.

One week later I followed up with him to see if he received my information and he was in a better state. We connected this time and had some small talk. I found out he liked Brooklyn Lager Beer. 

I could have gone for a hard close but I didn't. I decided to schedule another call with him in a week because I might be in his area next week with a 6-pack. He found it funny and agreed to my call. I ended up getting this listing and getting a $20,000 commission check. 

I’m not saying this to impress you but to impress upon you that for every "Chris" there are about 10 other people that I couldn’t connect with. They will reject me, ghost me, block my number and even curse my mother. It sounds rough, and it is, but if you approach each sales interaction from a place of building relationships first, your conversion ratio and referrals will skyrocket!

Come to each conversation with 3 goals: to connect, help and provide value. If you come from that place you will always win. That is truly a win-win situation for a long term relationship builder.  

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A major challenge most real estate agents face is time management and productivity. There are so many things to keep track of and get done on a daily basis! Client management, prospecting, team meetings, trainings, appointments, showings, open houses, social media, and the list goes on. 

At the end of the day, there is one thing we know for certain...ALL real estate agents get 168 hours a week to get it all done, YET very few real estate agents are earning over 6-figures a year. This begs the question, what can a real estate agent do in order to be more proactive, more productive and create more opportunities to generate MORE BUSINESS!?

#1 Wake Up Earlier

Did you know that 90% of successful executives wake up before 6am, and 50% of all self-made millionaires wake up at least a few hours before their day actually starts. Success leaves clues and we have certainly noticed that top producing real estate agents wake up EARLY!

#2 Reflect At The End Of Your Day

Have you ever sat down and really looked at what you accomplished for the day? Chances are, there are a few tasks that weren't necessary. It's easy to get distracted doing "busy work." Take a few minutes at the end of the day to reflect on what you got done and see if there is either room for improvement or room to just never add it to your to-do list again...OR delegate it.

#3 Use a Daily Planner

No plan is a plan to FAIL! How many times have you forgotten to make a follow up call or missed an opportunity because you didn't add it to your calendar or planner? All of the top producers in real estate swear by plotting out there week in a very specific schedule. If you don't know what you're doing next Tuesday...chances are it's not going to be getting a new listing...

#4 Create To Do Lists

Have you ever made a to do list and crossed items off? Chances are you have AND it felt amazing when you did it! Begin each day with a specific to do list and cross things off as you accomplish them. This is a great way to keep yourself accountable.

#5 Label a Top 3

Now this is more of an add on to number 4, but each day you should have a list of the top 3 things you MUST get done in order to have a successful day. This doesn't mean you shouldn't get more than 3 things done, it just means you should label 3 to do list items as non-negotiable.

If you've been struggling with time-management, we know this can seem like a lot to commit to, but you and your real estate business deserve to commit to it! Think about all the things you can accomplish if you followed these 5 simple rules for weekly productivity.

Do you have productivity tips? Share them in the comments below.

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