With today’s cutting-edge technology, staying connected is simpler than ever. Business professionals and other people who want to become real estate agents have powerful tools at their disposal thanks to laptops, smartphones, and tablets, as well as social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. These tools enable them to develop a commercial strategy and build a large number of new relationships and maintain regular communication with those relationships.
These new communication channels may open up new possibilities for growing our personal networks, but they also pose many difficulties for maintaining productivity and directing our attention toward tasks that truly advance our careers and our quality of life. This is especially important for real estate salespeople because building connections is the foundation of real estate sales.
What can agents do to manage their own time, effort, and health in addition to their relationships? In this post, we’ll examine three strategies for managing your time, effort, and relationships so both you and your customers are both as effective as possible.
Don’t get bogged down in busy tasks
It’s simple to lose focus on what matters most in life when we’re engrossed in the details of daily tasks. Before we know it, the entire day has passed because of all the tiny tasks that have to be done. Sometimes we find ourselves wondering, “Where did the time go?” alternatively, “What did I achieve today?”
The issue arises from the misconception that we are “productive” when we are “doing” a lot of things. It turns out that the amount we do is not always significant; rather, it is what we accomplish that counts. Of course, each agent will have a different set of specifics. This is something you’ll have to determine for yourself based on your real estate sales strategy, your area of expertise, and your most successful markets.
You might, for instance, devote two hours to creating posh contact information and letterhead or you may make calls to potential customers you encountered at the previous open house. Which activity yields more long-term results? Which of them will be most advantageous to your company? Our best opportunities typically wait while we take care of the mundane tasks that keep us busy every day. We won’t actually see commercial growth in our business until we recognize our biggest prospects and make a concerted effort to focus on them. What are my largest opportunities, then? Try to think of 5 things you can do to get actual business outcomes.
Establishing limits can help you take care of both you and your clients.
If you simply close your eyes and try to picture the perfect “successful” agent, you’ll undoubtedly picture someone who is continuously active and on their phone. An agent can benefit greatly from having a phone that calls frequently. So it would seem logical that an agent would be as accessible as feasible, right? Okay, possibly.
When an important call comes in (like a referral or a call to seal a deal), we want to be by the phone, but we also don’t want to have to get up at two in the morning to handle calls from erroneous numbers or even frightened customers. When it comes to answering business calls versus stopping and relaxing, where do we draw the line?
On one side, we want to be accessible to our customers and provide the best service we can, but on the other hand, we also need to look out for our physical and emotional well-being. Our health will begin to deteriorate if we wrongly think that in order to service our clients and obtain the listing, we must sacrifice all (including our health). Then, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we could start to dislike our customers, our jobs, or life in general.
Without preserving our health and taking care of ourselves, we risk being ill, exhausted, and dissatisfied. What does that do to our company, you ask? Yes, it isn’t very good. If we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we plan on taking care of our clients? The solution lies in striking the ideal balance between work and rest. Setting clear boundaries for answering customer calls and checking email entails doing this.
But real estate brokers must constantly be available; it’s a requirement of their position; otherwise, they risk missing out on all the deals. I can already hear the objections. This kind of thinking typically originates from a nervous part of yourself, one which acts on the basis of need and shortage.
Agents that are approachable, informed, and competent are popular with clients. When you communicate with your client during your working hours in a clear and concise manner, you are expressing your integrity standards. Although they might not enjoy it (specifically if they experience an emotional outburst and are unable to contact you), they would respect you anyway. The nicest part is that you’ll respect yourself.
You establish boundaries and concentrate your energies by establishing specific periods when you are answering calls and checking emails. Without defined limits, our minds (and energies) become disorganized, and we quickly experience a sense of being tugged in many different directions. Although some individuals refer to it as A.D.D., it’s simply a lack of attention and the inability to establish boundaries.
When we are finished, our bodies normally let us know by making us extremely weary, unable to focus, and easily distracted. We may plan out the hours of the day that we are available and unavailable and become aware of when our bodies typically clock off of work.
Of course, you can make changes while deals are starting to close and time is of the essence. The secret is to provide the greatest possible service to your customers while still caring for yourself. What boundaries must I establish with my clients in order to maintain my health and provide the best service possible? Keep in mind that you’re a great negotiator, and good things happen when you are in a positive frame of mind and have lots of energy!
Include recovery in your workday.
This strategy is similar to the last one in that it requires us to remain aware of our own level of energy if we want to work as effectively as possible. The secret to being a successful agent in real estate is knowing when to take a break and recharge.
Typical weekday employment would be Monday through Friday, with the weekend off. The weekend is when all the action takes place for real estate agents! However, all of the paperwork plus follow-up calls take place throughout the workweek. Agents can easily work seven days each week without designating any off days as a result. It is understandable that many agents experience constant stress when you consider the constant calls and messages, emails, and uneven commissions.
It won’t take long for us to burn out if we keep moving forward at full speed without taking any breaks. Setting aside time to heal is essential because of this. This is to entirely unplug from work and, at the very least, “do nothing” for a bit. According to your degree of business and your preferences, the amount can now change. This can entail taking a month off to go to a different location at the end of every year for some, a weekend trip after a significant deal closes for others, or even just a 20-minute power nap in the middle of the day for others.
The crucial thing is to plan for this period of recuperation, during which we entirely unplug from work, email, and cell phones. We are free to read a book, practice yoga, or meditate. The concept is that our batteries need to be recharged. For just about every hour of extremely focused work, it’s a good idea to take 5 to 10 minutes to relax.
Our ability to work gradually and consistently is reduced when we don’t get enough uninterrupted downtime. Therefore, while a certain task related to work may cost us 20 minutes, when we’re tired and exhausted, that same task may take us 50 minutes. You get the notion when you multiply this effect over time. We resume our job with renewed zest and clarity when we incorporate predetermined times for recovery. Although we may have a little less “work time,” we will be far more productive and likely complete even more effort than we would have otherwise been able to.
Professional athletes are well-versed in this idea. They work out hard before recovering. Then, their ability to perform is much stronger the next time. It’s the same for the real estate industry. If you are concerned that you may lose leads while recovering, inquire if you can transfer calls to another agent while you are off and perform the same tasks for them. Think outside the box; there are always solutions. Making your strength and well-being a priority is all that is necessary.
So well you have it: three straightforward yet counterintuitive techniques for increasing productivity in the real estate industry.
