Excuses Are Fuel for Failure

“It’s not my fault.”

“Nobody is buying during the holidays.”

“The market is so slow right now.”

Chances are, you truly believe what you’re thinking—but what if you’re wrong? Dead wrong?

Regardless of what’s happening in your market, people are making life-changing decisions, and housing transitions are an everyday occurrence. The question is: If these people have to move, are they calling you?

We look for options to validate what we see, but the market is what the market is. Your job is to position yourself to be that one solution people seek whenever their life changes require them to sell or buy a home.

Not a believer? Check out your local MLS and review the newest listings that came on the market this month, or even in the last two weeks. There was no town meeting urging everyone in your area to avoid local agents. Unless you’re living in a highly rural area, there’ll be properties that are new on the market, recently under contract or finally closed.

Rather than buying into “loser vision,” work under the assumption that a larger percentage of your competition is supporting this very attitude. Winners work while everyone else isn’t, so here are a few simple ways to drum up quick business when everyone else is waiting for the market to return to normal:

Get Visible
Check out newly listed properties and deploy circle prospecting around those listings. In the case of a single-family property, identify the 10 properties on either side of that listing and the 20 across the street, and ask them to help you find their new neighbor. Statistics prove that the owners of these 40 targeted properties are highly likely to either know someone who really wants to buy in their area, or who are thinking of selling. If you do the math and perform one of these circle prospecting activities a day, by focusing on one property a day five days a week for a month, you’ll rack up over 800 touches a month.

Get Neighborly
Follow up with a “thanks for your help” note that introduces their new neighbor, and you’re close to 1,600 touches without a huge investment of time and money. Host a short housewarming event, if appropriate, to help new neighbors get acquainted.

Get Face-to-Face
While the bulk of agents slow down at the end of the year, top producers harness the power of face-to-face connections. Even if your market hits a short lull, take advantage of this time. Set up meet-and-greets, provide market updates and send out invitations to client appreciation events or holiday gatherings, and connect with your sphere of influence, past clients and prospects.

Ready, Set, Go
Use this time to jumpstart your 2019 production with a 90-day strategy that includes following up to confirm contact information, providing a chance for reconnection. Now is also a great time to schedule your clients’ annual home-pricing review, discuss new mortgage updates at small gatherings or plan one-on-one meetings. Consider a joint venture with your lender to explore trade-up/trade-down or investment options with clients that can help them plan for their forever home.

Don’t let the weather, the season, the temperature or any other excuse deter you from these prospecting activities that guarantee high visibility and reconnection. Slow markets mean fast-tracking for agents who ignore the excuses and create new opportunities for high profitability.

For a copy of the Help Us Find a New Neighbor script, visit http://bit.ly/2EIz3i4.

Terri Murphy is a communication engagement specialist, author, speaker and coach. She is the author/co-author of five books, and founder of MurphyOnRealEstate.com. Contact her at TerriMurphy.com, MurphyOnRealEstate.com or Terri@TerriMurphy.com. For more information, please visit www.workmansuccesssystems.com.