Next year’s sales and results are already in motion and have been for at least a month. Listings and sales for 2021 are being driven by the activities that agents are doing right now, so now is a great time to work with your existing agents to ensure that they are not letting up on sales and lead generating activities.
This is when managers can provide value to all levels of agents to keep their eyes on the ball. Customer appreciation efforts and business planning are important and should be given the proper amount of attention. Above all, agents need to stay in the sales game to ensure they have consistent, predictable income through the holidays and into the first quarter of next year.
Here are some guiding points for managers and agents to stay focused on creating sales activity now for first quarter closings and income.
Keep a full pipeline of buyer and seller leads. This is generally the time of year is when your inventory of buyer and seller leads goes down. That does not have to be true, however, and you can maintain a high level of leads by focusing on calls and connections with people. Tell your agents to keep adding people to their lists and stay close to them. Even if they aren’t interested ‘right now’, they are good, potential leads for the future months and they need regular contact so when the magic moment comes, and they are ready to move forward, your agent doesn’t miss it. I call this the GoldMine PipelineTM of future sales and income. If you plan it and are dedicated to a certain number of calls per day and have a follow-up system, it will happen. I promise. It’s proven and it gets amazing results, and it is the No. 1 reason why most successful agents achieve sales excellence.
Always be closing. Every person agents come in contact with is a potential buyer and seller. Let’s face it, agents are going to be physically in front of more people right now than any other time of year, even in this unique market. If not, they likely will be in contact with them somehow. Encourage your agents to maximize their time and ask everyone they speak with where they live, if they need to buy or sell, or if they are thinking about making a move in the coming year. Everyone should be talking about how great of a year they had and how they are taking new clients right now. Potential buyer and listing leads can be added to your agents’ pipelines from every event they attend and every interaction they have. The point is that, while they will make the conversations fit their own personalities, remind them that they should always be closing.
Focus on appointments. To convert leads through the sales process, it is vital that your agents actually secure appointments with potential clients. They must set up a time to see the client’s home, even if they aren’t ready to list—they have valuable input to share with them now. Have them invite clients to your office to review their new homebuyer guide. Your agents can show them homes, get them preapproved with their favorite lender or bring them a competitive market analysis. Make the appointments virtual if necessary, but obviously one-on-one meetings are better if done safely and agreeably for all parties. Whatever the case, your agents need to keep setting up income-generating appointments now, no matter what.
Opportunities aren’t lost…they go to someone else. This fact is a good reminder during a season when some agents ease up. Buyer and listing leads that agents don’t think are immediately serious will eventually buy or list with someone. Urge your agents to realize that even though a client may not want to do something right now or this month, they will eventually sell or buy, and you want it to be with your agent. This is repetitive, but that’s the point—if an agent doesn’t stay consistently in touch and talk with potential clients about their next steps, they will get converted by another agent.
Helping your agents stay focused and concentrate on these high dollar-producing activities will help keep them currently engaged in their businesses, will increase retention by demonstrating your interest in their success, and keep them motivated to produce new business now and into next year. When their closings eventually occur, they will remember the purposeful guidance you gave during this critical time and your mutual relationship and success will be further enhanced.
So keep your agents’ focus on income-producing activity now. Everyone wins if you do, and both you and your agents will start 2021 off with more closings, more income and a positive attitude!
To watch my free webinar on building a GoldMine PipelineTM of leads for consistent, predictable income, click here.
Sherri Johnson is CEO and founder of Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting. With over 20 years of experience in real estate, Johnson offers coaching, consulting and keynotes, and is a national speaker for the Homes.com Secrets of Top Selling Agents tour and the Official Real Estate Coach for McKissock Learning and Real Estate Express. She is also an RISMedia 2020 Real Estate Newsmaker as an industry Influencer. Sign up for a free 30-minute coaching strategy session or visit www.sherrijohnson.com for more information.
