The Connection Blog

January 29, 2009

10 Tactical Lead Follow-Up Strategies

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — admin @ 9:44 am

“Be yourself, try your best, and never be afraid to dream.”

10 tactical lead follow-up strategies:

1. Effective marketing and prospecting efforts are a complete waste of time without effective and timely lead follow-up. Don’t confuse lead follow-up with prospecting. The goal of prospecting is to find leads; the goal of lead follow-up is to make appointments, get in front of people and sell real estate.

2. Determine the level of motivation for each lead - and keep only those who are serious. Ask all prospects three questions: Where are you moving? When do you want to move? When should your current home be on the market? If you have answers to two of the three questions, consider the lead worthwhile.

3. Get all the information necessary for follow-up. Get the names of all parties involved, take down all contact numbers, write complete details of the conversation, and find out the best time to call back, along with the best number to reach the clients during the day.

4. Always call back early. Generally, it’s the halfway point between when you spoke with the clients and when they said to call back. Make sure their plans are still the same. Recap the first conversation you had. Confirm your appointment or try again to schedule one.

5. The purpose of every call should be to set a face-to- face appointment. Before picking up the phone, decide what outcome you are trying to achieve with the conversation. Set a goal today for how many appointments you’re going to schedule. They don’t have to be this week or this month. Just get them scheduled and follow up properly.

6. Make it easy for prospects to set up an appointment with you. The further out the appointment, the easier it will be for the prospects to confirm it. Tell them you will pencil it in and will call back a week before to confirm. Mark your calendar and make sure you call.

7. Send out a hand-written note after every conversation whether you set an appointment or not. Make references to things you spoke about. If you set an appointment, the note should confirm the time, date and place. If no appointment was set, encourage a phone call to set one up.

8. Perform lead follow-up four or five times per day in time-blocked appointments. Carry your hot leads in a file with you all day and never finish your day until you’ve made at least four attempts at contacting leads.

9. Have a simple, yet effective, lead follow-up system. Buy a one-inch, three-ring binder with two sets of dividers: January through December and 1 through 31. Create a lead follow-up sheet to track client information: contact numbers, house details, dates of contacts and conversation recaps. As you make appointments or set up times to call back leads, place the sheet under the month the appointment falls. The 1 through 31 tabs divide sheets only in the current month. Every day, follow up with the leads under that day’s tab. Make all appropriate notes and refile accordingly.

10. Be open to everything and attached to nothing. Fear is a major obstacle with lead follow-up. There’s nothing to fear if you’re unattached to the result. If you’re prepared for any and every client reaction to your efforts, you remain in control.

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PLUNGING RATES AND PRICES SPARK NEW LIFE

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — KBurbage @ 9:42 am

IN A NUTSHELL: “Plunging home prices and falling mortgage rates may be starting to have an impact as sales picked up nicely at the end of last

year.”

WHAT IT MEANS: The housing market finally showed some sign of life in

December, according to the National Association of Realtors. It seems that the combination of significantly lower prices and mortgage rates have made

homes much more affordable and have attracted buyers back in to the market, at least for existing home sales. Of course, let’s not get too

carried away as the level of sales remains quite low. Still, up is better than down. Looking across the country, the biggest gain was in the West.

With all the foreclosed homes on the market in that region, prices have collapsed (they are down nearly 33%) and that has really helped drive

demand. Sales rose solidly in the South, moderately in the Midwest but were off a touch in the Northeast. But maybe the most important number in

the report was the inventory of homes for sale: It dropped an incredible 12% in just one month. Sellers may have given up hope and have pulled

their homes off the market, so the inventory could bounce back. But we need the excess supply to be whittled down and if sales slowly improve,

that is likely to continue.

MARKETS AND FED POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Housing is not out of the woods and

it is not even clear we can see some end to the massive problems. But an increase in sales is good news no matter how you slice and dice it. But

this report does point out a key aspect of economic forecasting. I have been arguing that there is a chance we could see strong growth by the end

of the year. One of the major reasons is that demand for so many things, houses being one of them, is so low that it only takes small increases in

sales to create large growth rates. The rise in existing home sales was nothing spectacular but it did produce a very solid percentage gain. We

could see similar large increases in motor vehicles and other big-ticket items. And investors are likely to smile at these numbers. Of course we

are in the midst of earnings season and most companies are probably going to report pretty ugly results. This report alone will not change

psychology but it is at least a reason to hope and we need that right now.

Joel Naroff is the Chief Economist for TD Bank. This economic status is for informational purposes only and should not be construed to solicit financial advice or sell financial products. Guardian Settlement Agents, Inc. may or may not agree with the point of view of the author.

from:

Christopher J. Brown, President

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January 24, 2009

Managing Your Time & Making a Difference

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — admin @ 9:20 am

With time management techniques you can make the most your time at work at home. Pass on the guilt and prepare a plan to make sure your summer and theirs is all it can be.

1. Get creative with that calendar!

2. Prioritize

3. Take the tag team approach.

4. Delegate.

6. Take it with you.

All in all, keep everything in perspective. Your business provides the foundation for you to take good care of your family, provide for what they need and build a better life. Make finding the balance so that everyone feels comfortable a family affair. You will teach your children the importance of hard work, of compromise and the power of a team.

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January 8, 2009

5 Tips to getting your listing sold

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — KBurbage @ 12:25 pm

1. It’s a Listening Presentation not a Listing Presentation!
Leave your ego at the door and don’t tell the seller what you think is important, ask THEM what is important. Then, focus your listing presentation on their wants and needs.

2. Don’t Fall into the Pricing Trap!

The moment you set the price for a listing, you will be a hostage to that during the term of the listing. Provided the seller with the market data and allow them to determine where they want to start the pricing. Have an agreement to review the marketplace on a consistent basis and adjust the price according to the competition and activity.

3. The Numbers don’t Lie!

Keep abreast of the market conditions at all times. Average sales price, median sales price, days on market, interest rates, current active inventory and all the information you can provide the seller while marketing their property. You and the seller don’t determine the outcome, the market does. Consistently provide the seller with detailed market data.

4. Service the Listing!

Have you ever taken a listing, walked out the door, and become a secret agent? One of the biggest complaints that sellers have is the lack of communication that takes place between them and their agent. One of the most critical parts of the listing presentation is establishing an expectation and agreement around communication and the frequency of that communication. Their goal is to sell the home and your responsibility is to communicate what you are doing to make that happen and what they need to do to support that.

5. What’s the Feedback?
The seller doesn’t determine what their home will sell for and neither do you, the market does. The market is defined by the buyer that makes a buying decision based on what is available. Speaking with buyer’s agents that are showing your listings will help guide you and the seller in the strategy you must use to get the home sold.

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January 5, 2009

RE/MAX Training and Coaching NOT just training

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — KBurbage @ 12:17 pm

RE/MAX Training and Coaching Not just training, but training that respects your schedule, your life. RE/MAX Preferred has in-house trainers and coaches to ensure your success as either a newer agent just breaking into the busniess or a seasoned agent looking for a few tips or a jump start.

• ON TV via the RE/MAX Satellite Network

• Online via RE/MAX Mainstreet

• Face to face at RE/MAX conventions, conferences, offices

• For new agents via 100 Days to Greatness, and our in house coaches and trainers to ensure success At RE/MAX, the philosophy about education is simple. You earn more when you learn more. That’s why RE/MAX developed RE/MAX University, a multimedia program that delivers just the type of training the most productive professionals in the real estate industry want and need - and most of it is free as a benefit of RE/MAX membership. Through the RE/MAX Satellite Network (RSN), streaming videos, and classroom instruction at the RE/MAX Global Education Center and regional sites, RE/MAX delivers the industry’s best training - and makes it available to agents on their own schedules. Because most agents who join RE/MAX already have extensive real estate sales experience, RE/MAX provides more advanced training. Education On Your Schedule Because RE/MAX University has many facets, agents can get their education when and where they want it - and in their desired format.

RSN, the real estate industry’s only proprietary television network, delivers 60 hours of motivational, educational and technology programming monthly, including courses leading to designations such as the ABR, CCIM, CLHMS, CRB, CRS and SRES. The monthly prime-time series, the RE/MAX Coaching Hall of Fame, features Howard Brinton, Brian Buffini, Richard Robbins and other top trainers. Agents across North America receive RSN programming at their offices, and U.S. agents can get it at home through DISH Network. For new agents, or more experienced professionals looking to jump-start their career, RSN offers “Brian Buffini’s 100 Days to Greatness - RE/MAX Edition,” a 14-week program that begins with five days of RSN-based coaching offered monthly.

Agent Training On Demand, part of the RE/MAX University online component, provides 24/7 access to streaming videos, downloads and other resources - all with one aim: to help the industry’s most productive agents earn more money.

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BE A TRUSTED ADVISOR IN 2009

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — KBurbage @ 12:13 pm

For those of you in the real estate world, these are important to remember. Almost of all of your clients are scare right now. Their net worth has taken a hit, their job may be in jeopardy or their retirement. Their home has lost value, but they are not sure how much or if they are buying how good a deal should they ask for.

So your job as agents has changed. Instead of being the beacons of unbridled optimism you are now counselors walking people through a difficult time. I truly believe that the emphasis of your discussions should be along those lines, especially with sellers. You still need to be positive, but the rah-rah stuff has to be put on the shelf.

You will be able to bring it out later on when the economy turns around. But to be a great agent today and for much of 2009, the tone should be more serious. Sellers will appreciate it and will be much more receptive to you as a trusted adviser than in the past

Real Estate Blog, Mortgage, and Development News

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December 1, 2008

5 Tips for a Productive Farming Strategy

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — KBurbage @ 2:57 pm

1. Do your research before you choose a neighborhood or area to farm!

Don’t pick a specific neighborhood because it’s close to your home or you like the way the houses look, make your choice based on statistical data. What kind of turnover has taken place in the past 12 months? Does a specific agent or agency have a huge market-share? If turnover is low and the neighborhood is dominated already, pick a different area to farm.

2. Consistency is critical!

Mailing to a farm quarterly or every other month isn’t going to get you the result you want. You must mail to your farm every single month! Homeowners constantly get mail from real estate agents, but rarely on a consistent basis from one agent. It’s the agent that is in front of them the most that will get the business.

3. What do you send?

Abandon the envelope and stationery. You have only a limited amount of time to capture the attention of people, get their attention with a postcard. Eliminate the chance of someone not opening your mail. A glossy postcard will at least be looked at and possibly kept if you have good content.

4. What is good content?

Keep your farm abreast of the market conditions at all times. Average sales price, median sales price, days on market, interest rates, current active inventory and all the information you can provide them to position yourself as the information portal. Consumers are looking for a competent agent with market knowledge. Not the agent that sends the best recipe card.

5. Don’t wait for something to happen, make it happen yourself!
As you become established in your farm as the local expert with up to date information you can now leverage yourself to generate even more results. How do you do this? Contact every FSBO in the neighborhood. The FSBO has now become a warm contact for you. They have been receiving your statistical market information and you have credibility. Consistently hold open house in your farm area. A lot of the visitors will be homeowners that have been receiving your valuable market information.

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October 14, 2008

Ways To Stop Foreclosure

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — KBurbage @ 3:43 pm

All over the country, many people have found themselves in a bad situation as far as paying for their house is concerned. They either took out a mortgage that was too big, got mixed up with the wrong type of loan, or are simply out of money due to a job loss, etc.
Unfortunately, this can often times lead to the lender looking into foreclosure on your home. Although this is a scary experience if you are faced with it, there are some ways that you can get around it if you try hard enough. This is not to say that your lender is going to let you slide time and time again, but there are some things that you can do in order to stop foreclosure. (more…)

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July 24, 2008

2008 Olympics Re/Max Sponsor

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — KBurbage @ 12:29 pm

RE/MAX is sponsoring the Westwood One radio broadcasts of the 2008 Summer Olympics from Beijing. The broadcasts - which include RE/MAX ads - will reach millions of consumers. This is the first time the network has sponsored Olympic radio broadcasts. Spread the word about RE/MAX with a high-resolution poster touting the network’s sponsorship of radio broadcasts of the 2008 Olympics.

Sixty-seven 30-second RE/MAX commercials running across Olympic coverage.

RE/MAX commercials during live updates throughout the games.

An average of six RE/MAX commercials will air per update.

RE/MAX commercials during play-by-play coverage of medal rounds for USA men’s basketball, including the gold-medal game.

RE/MAX commercials during nightly long-form updates recapping the day’s events.

RE/MAX open and close billboards during gold-medal round of men’s basketball

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June 30, 2008

Turn it UP!

Filed under: GoConnectionNJ — KBurbage @ 10:06 am

Turn Up The Heat
One extra degree can make all the difference
At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils.
And with boiling water, comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train.One extra degree = Exponential results
. http://www.just212.com/video/index.aspx

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