Let's Talk Contacts!

You need to do something with this farm to make it valuable to you personally. How many ways can you think of to market to the farm?  What is the most cost effective way to market? Where do you find more information on Marketing?   Click 101 Marketing Ideas on the front page of BrokerTrainer.com!  When you need a new idea, check here first.   

BrokerTrainer's Agreed to Succeed explains all of the ways you can market to any type of farm. It includes many links to the sources of marketing materials.  BrokerTrainer's Agreed to Succeed is designed to make your life easier.

After you have decided which 5 methods you will use for the next 6 months (link to why it takes time to get a potential client to pay attention) to market to your farm, it is time to consider how to keep track of all of the contacts that you will find from these efforts.  None of the information found here is a guess! it has been tried and proven to work! That's why we link back to other pages to demonstrate the point.

Remember, the biggest complaint a buyer or seller will have about a Realtor is that they didn't stay in touch. How are you going to stay in touch with every person that you consider a potential client?

There are several different methods of contact management. You may try everything from a

• paper, rolodex method
• to an electronic phonebook that scans business cards, 
• to a palm pilot that interfaces with your laptop/desktop computer 
• to a contact management program that includes Real Estate specific letters and cards. 
• There is a new version of contact management software on the horizon, in Beta, that will interface with all of the Windows programs. To us that means an interface with Microsoft Outlook, too. 

 For the scoop on the different Tools available to Realtors today, why you might care and sources of where to buy, with approximate costs: BrokerTrainer's Agreed to Succeed.

Let's talk about a paper contact management system. When you are first starting out, this may be your first choice or your only choice due to finances, for a little while. Not only that, if you understand the basics, building any contact management system is easier.   

The most important thing about your management system is that you use it and that it takes very little time to maintain.

Keep your contacts in alphabetical order and use them by month. If you keep them alphabetical, you will always be able to find someone should it become necessary.

If you have developed a Solid Gold list you would cycle the list so that you are making 4 phone calls per day from this list. This means that you are speaking with this group every 2-1/2 months or so.  Example: 80 cards in the first month, 80 cards in the 2nd month, 40 in the 3rd month. (80+80+40=200) Adjust if you increase the list. As you use the cards, from front to back, they stay in the same order and move to the 3rd month in the back. 10 days thru the 1st month or when you get an extra 40 in the 3rd month (10 days worth!) start on the 4th month and add 80 etc. (More on who goes on the list, where to find them, mailers, marketing pieces, how to turn contacts into clients, how to handle current clients and the unique systems that apply to a buyer and a seller, how to ask someone for help and have them say YES in BrokerTrainer's Agreed to Succeed).

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Remember: every minute of every day! There is a cost!   

A secret to success in any business is SYSTEMS! 

 We will teach you how and when to say no and make it stick!

Remember: What is your highest and best use of YOUR time?

Realtors, a note to think about. Your MLS systems today, have areas for you to fill in client names, addresses, e-mail addresses, home and office phone numbers, fax numbers etc.  If you can NOT use this information to send postcards, letters, and e-mails etc. don't take the time to enter the information!  Remember, What is the Highest and Best use of your time? Adding addresses to programs that won't let you stay in touch is NOT a H&B use!

This is your year to consider, if there is a better way to use your MLS system you should find it! If there are shortcuts that you don't know about, you are losing time that could be spent having more fun or making more money. Real Estate is a lifestyle and it will take over your life if you don't keep an eye on it!  Check out BrokerTrainer's Agreed to Succeed for the "Fastest ways to make money with your MLS".

Have you heard other Realtors speak of how they really like the MLS Software and that it is a very useful tool in their business? Are you still trying to understand what they were talking about? Have you seen Realtors with marketing pieces that include charts and graphs and you wonder where they get the information to develop that kind of material? Perhaps there's another way!  If you are a hands on person, again we highly recommend that you visit your association and take the MLS classes, maybe even take them for the 2nd time!  Ask questions about the things you would like to be able to do.  Usually, there is a way to do it, from your MLS systems. For instance, if your MLS software is Listing Manager Professional, MLS Windows or Altaira, you have access to a CMA that includes 2 pages of bar graphs!  Are you taking advantage of these CMA's today? You may be competing with Realtors who use them. 

Looking more professional is a worthy goal! It's one of our goals for you! We want to raise the bar and stretch our Realtors just a little bit farther, a little bit higher.