Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
With the start of the NFL football season happening this past weekend, there has been a lot of commercials for on-line gambling and fantasy sports sites. The average fan can make (or lose) money by building the best team each week or throughout the season based on statistics of the players they choose in relation to other teams built by their friends, co-workers or even strangers in their league.
Some say the best strategy to build a winning fantasy team is get the best quarterbacks who touch the ball on every play like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning. Others say big game players like Rob Gronkowski or Dez Bryant make more sense because they score lots of touchdowns. It also might be wise to expect the big names to balance each other out each week and aim to win by selecting the best kickers and defense to put your team over the top.
Now on the Clock…
Imagine if there was a fantasy draft for real estate agents. Would your name be high on the draft board?
Listing Agents – Focus their efforts on securing listing, realizing that listings are the way to the top. (Bonus points for earning a full-fee commission and getting listings sold in minimal time)
Buyer Focused Specialists – While it takes more time to work with Buyers, being able secure the clients who will eventually turn into a Seller (and a referral source along the way) is a critical piece of your business. If you don’t have the time to serve Buyers, do you have a plan in place to have some buyer specialists on your team?
Market Expert – The consumer expects you to know your stuff. Neighborhood cultures, market values, local community customs and happenings and school district information are just some of the things our clients depend on us for. How is your competence when it comes to being the “trusted adviser?”
Follow Up Specialist – It’s cheaper to maintain a current relationship than it is to create a new one. How often are you staying in touch with people who have used you and your services in the past?
Pricing Specialists – Agents who always seem to nail the initial price position for their newest listing will drive energy and traffic to their Sellers properties both on-line and in person. Once you have created a perception of value, there is a greater potential for multiple offers, which usually leads to the highest net outcome for the homeowner.
Property Marketing Specialists – Those agents who truly understand where and how to expose their Seller’s homes to the best buyers will create traffic and offers. Professional photography, video and other personal efforts separate those who put “For Sale” signs in yards from those who put “Sold” signs in yards.
Personal Marketing – Do people know who you are and what you do? Are you leveraging social media in ways so your name is interchangeable with your brand? Are you reaching people in various ways like direct mail, the Internet, networking events and other face-to-face opportunities?
Prospecting – When it comes to your time, where are you spending most of it? There are only two things an agent does with her/his time; “Business Development” or “Business Support.” Without the former, the latter won’t be needed.
Customer Service – Are you developing a KuLT-like following from your clients? That’s when they Know you, Like you and Trust you. Once you’ve made them part of your “kult”, are you leveraging the word of mouth you need to earn repeat and referral business?
Technology Adoption – Every day the world gets more tech savvy. It’s not just the millennial generation that demands service providers who are plugged in, it’s everyone. Doctors using lasers, attorneys researching cases using “the cloud” and groceries stores expanding their “self checkout” aisles are just some of the ways our world is becoming more “plugged in.” Are you keeping your finger on the pulse of the latest tools and technologies?
It’s Draft Day
Where would you earn most of your points? Who comes to mind in your office, company and local board or association? Does your name compare to some of the “top draft picks” you also thought of? How could you start the week by making yourself more valuable on the draft board for those fantasy players looking for the next diamond in the rough?
Get your lineup together. You can’t win every week if you don’t win the first week!
Now log off the computer and start building relationships, solving problems and having fun. That’s where the real action happens.
Photo Credit: Derek Bridges via Flickr
Photo Credit: Coldwell Banker