Real Estate Agents – How to Get Noticed

What is the key to getting noticed, being remembered, and getting referrals?  It’s simple actually, the answer is building strong, lasting client relationships.  The most effective way to do this is by keeping in constant contact with them and leaving a gift behind to remind them of you later.  A phrase used for this type of self advertising is “Pop By”.  You want to Pop By clients, old and new, on a regular basis. apartment shanghai
And it doesn’t matter which market you find yourself in.  If it’s booming, you need to keep in constant contact with all your many clients and hit the pavement to get those FSBOs in your trusted hands.  When it’s a slow, dragging market, you need spend a lot of time building long lasting relationships with the few clients you have at the time so they think of you every time hear of a friend who wants to sell.  And you need to hit the pavement and gobble up those listings that have expired.  After all, who wants to be sitting at the office making cold calls all day?  Every agent’s dream is to be working completely by referral.  And this is done by keeping in constant communication with your clients and building new relationships with their referrals.
So what’s the best way to do this simple key thing? The answer is simple and FUN!  The most effective way to do the above is by quickly stopping by and bringing the client, or prospective client, a small personalized gift that can be left behind to remind them of who you are.   The main point is for this gift to be personalize with your contact information. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to purchase the minimum of 300 letter openers (as cool as they are) with your logo painted on them.  You can do this much more economically, creatively and with a lot more flexibility by creating your own tags or putting your business card with the gift.
So start a campaign!  Whether it’s gobbling up those expireds, getting the latest FSBOS to trust in you, or keeping your past clients within arms reach, you need to start a campaign that’s all your own. Use gifts that are small, inexpensive and something you can easily personalize by attaching a tag or business card.  Another key point to this style of gift is to add a smart, witty tag line so the client actually remembers what they read. You can make cookies and write “I’ve got the recipe to your success.”  This is a concept  advocated by some major business coaching companies here in the states.  shanghai apartment focuses on creating these items for real estate agents who don’t have the time (or creativity) to create their own.
Are you going to focus on gobbling up those expired listings?  Search the MLS every morning to grab that listing that expired at 11:59pm last night.  Be at their door hours after it has expired and represent them before anyone else get’s the opportunity.  For expired you want to bring an item that’s not too pricy – you don’t want to invest too much in someone that might close the door on you.  But is definitely something to break the ice when you randomly show up on their door step.  Something that catches their attention and/or entertains them.  I have a client that gives little miniature flash lights to all her expireds and “Spot Lights” their home to get it sold.  Another clients using little tool shaped candies to say that she has “all the right tools to get the job done.”
Some key points:

• Have you already branded yourself? Pick gifts that highlight your brand.
• Use several different “levels” of gifts.  Have smaller, less expensive gifts for lower priority clients and nicer slightly more expensive gifts for your A clients.
• Bring gifts specifically for your clients children or pets.  When the clients sees that you have paid attention and know about their family and personal life, they are more willing to trust in you and take you in as part of that life.
• Specify it to the season or holidays.  Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas make this type of marketing great fun.
• Get creative and have fun!

Point being, spend some time building a brand and hitting the pavement to really get to know your clients.  Besides, sitting in the office simply calling to say hi get’s really boring.  So get creative, get out there, and get busy!
Author: Alissa Avolio

E-mail History in Your CRM

There is no one Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), AKA Contact Manager that is the best for everyone. There is only the one that is best for you, given your aptitude for software, your current needs, and your future goals. The following is just one more example of different CRMs having different ways of accomplishing a similar function. This should help you in your decision when choosing a CRM.
Because our primary method of communication throughout a transaction is with e-mail, it is vital that those e-mails be retained for future reference for many reasons. Many brokers are now mandating that their agents retain a copy of all communications, including e-mail, and deliver them to the broker at the conclusion of the transaction for retention with the transaction file. Therefore, it is more important than ever to be organized with respect to e-mail.\
E-mail has always been available in the agent's e-mail software such as Outlook, Gmail, and Ymail for future reference and documentation. What has changed is that more and more agents have also been using a CRM to allow them to be more efficient with marketing, prospecting, follow-up, and transaction management. Until relatively recently, most agents who have been using a CRM that is not an Outlook add-on have had their detailed contact information and notes in a CRM and their e-mail in a separate e-mail program. This has necessitated the inefficient task of essentially maintaining two different databases, one in the e-mail software and one in the CRM. This has meant not only redundant data entry, but having to bounce back and forth between the e-mail software and the CRM when working with a contact or on a transaction. That is the case, because until recently, the vast majority of CRMs have not been capable of automatically storing both outgoing and incoming e-mail with the contact record in the CRM. Many CRMs allow the user to send an e-mail from within the CRM and automatically store it with the contact record, but historically very few have allowed the same for incoming e-mail. The most desirable scenario has always been that all e-mails would be automatically stored with the client's contact record in the CRM, allowing the agent to have a complete history of all communications stored in one place. Optimally, that whole history could then be printed or saved to a file.
Now that agents are becoming aware that it is possible to have that best case scenario, they are looking for CRMs that provide it. There are two ways in which the CRMs are providing this function. shanghai apartment

• The CRM has its own e-mail software integrated into it. This means that instead of using Outlook or Gmail or any other external e-mail software, the software provided in the CRM is used to replace them. This is the most efficient method which is why several CRMs now provide this capability. This method enables the user to automatically store the e-mails with the contact record without having to take any extra steps such as copying and pasting them into the notes.
• The CRM uses what is most often referred to as a drop box. The way it works is that the user continues to use whatever e-mail software they are currently using, and can use literally any e-mail software. Instead of the e-mail being automatically stored with the contact record, it must be Forwarded or CC'd to the CRM by using a special e-mail address. When that e-mail is sent, the CRM receives it, looks for the contact's e-mail address, and stores it with that contact record. This is not as efficient, but does enable a consolidated history with the contact much more easily than copying and pasting.

There are two different ways the CRMs store e-mails:

• They are stored as actionable e-mails, meaning that if the e-mail is opened from where it is stored in the contact record, it can be forwarded or replied to.
• The e-mail is stored as a time-stamped and dated note.

There are pros and cons to both methods:

• If it is stored as an actionable e-mail, the upside is that it is easy to reply or forward, retaining the original message in the body of the e-mail for the recipient's reference. The downside is that the e-mail history can not be exported to be imported by another CRM program if at some time there is a decision to switch to another one.
• If it is stored as a note, the downside is that a new e-mail must be created without having the previous content of the e-mail being referenced in the body of the message. The upside is that if the CRM can export notes, then it is likely that they can be exported so that the next CRM may be able to import that history. apartment shanghai

Clearly, there are significant pros and cons to both, so once again it comes down to a personal choice of which is best for you. When choosing a CRM it would be best to have one that does provide one of these features and can be prioritized by which is your favorite. You may prefer one over the other, but when looking, you'll want to balance that preference with what other features are provided by the CRM you like most overall. Happy hunting!

3 Essential Steps to Working Smarter, Not Harder

Most of us were raised by parents who had depression era scarcity beliefs about money and working HARDER.

Have you ever had the following thoughts?
To be successful:

• Do I have to work long, hard hours?
• Will I have to struggle and sacrifice?
• Will I have to give up time for my family and friends?
• Will I have time be able to have fun or practice self-care?
• Do I have to be everything to everyone?
• Will the needs of others come before my own?

Can you understand now why you might sabotage your success? Why would anyone every want to suffer like that?

The first step is replacing these old beliefs with new empowering ones.This is where a coach can help you dive into your subconscious mind and find the beliefs that aren’t serving you. shanghai apartment

For example, if you really want to work smarter, then you need to find someone who will help you discover the origins of those self-limiting beliefs and help you pull them out by the roots, like pulling out weeds.

Once you have found the origins, you’ll create a vacuum and into that vacuum will go your new Empowered Beliefs, such as:

• Success means I work smarter, not harder
• I easily create success with ease
• As I am successful, I create a balance between my personal and professional life
• I always have plenty of time for fun, rest, self-care and self-maintenance.
• I am so happy and grateful that the only person’s approval I need is my own.
• My needs are as important as anyone else’s.

The second step is learning to delegate.

It’s impossible to do it all on your own.  Trying to do it alone only leads to “burn out”.  Trusting staff to take care of the details frees you up to do the things that will generate more income.

Here are a few beliefs you’ll need to let go of to delegate successfully:

·       If I want it done right I have to do it myself
·       Everything I do needs to be perfect
·       People only let me down, I can’t trust anyone.
·       I should do it all
·       I can’t trust anyone to not make mistakes

The third step is to remember that YOU GET WHAT YOU FOCUS ON.

If you want abundance, then you need to focus on abundance and FEEL what it feels like. apartment shanghai

If you desire is to make a Multiple 6 figure income, then spend time contemplating what that feels like.  Focus in on the feelings you have, such as joy, satisfaction, security, confidence, empowerment.

If your mind veers away from abundance and starts to dwell on what you DON’T have, then intervene on your own behalf; say “STOP” and switch your focus. Like attracts like, so focus on how it will be to receive what you want.

One of my favorite authors, Louise Hay, says this "happiness is feeling good about yourself."

So for you to achieve success, you need to be feeling good about yourself. I know this how difficult this can be. Because when you're not already achieving the level of success you want, it's very common to start putting yourself down. In fact most of my clients have the belief that they "need to be hard on themselves in order to achieve success."

Actually nothing could be further from the truth. When you put yourself down in your heart you lower your energy and you de-motivate yourself.

Remember you get back what you give out.

If you're giving out discouragement and fear anxiety, it all comes back to you multiply resulting in a lack of income and the lack of clients.

On the other hand, if you're feeling good about yourself, then you are giving out joy, appreciation, and gratitude.

Since like energies attract like energies, this will come back to you in the form of your ideal clients, increased transactions, and an abundance of prosperity.

But here's the rub: how can you feel good about yourself when you're not doing the things you know you need to do and you're not living up to your full potential?

This is the time when you need to realize you can't do it yourself without some outside support. Then you can begin to nurture positive beliefs about yourself and you begin to realize that your feelings of worthiness don't depend on your performance.

Most people think "I’ll feel good about myself when I'm succeeding." Actually they have it backwards. When you feel good about yourself, you will start succeeding.

Are You a "People Pleaser" or Are You Committed to "Win/Win"?

The biggest mistake that most real estate agents make in dealing with their clients and colleagues is that they are unconsciously committed to "people pleasing." The signs to watch out for will clearly show you whether you are inadvertently falling into a "people pleaser" pattern. If so, you'll be shown an alternative strategy. You'll learn what it means to commit to “win/win” or “no deal.”
Part 1: How do you know, if you are a people pleaser?
Here are the signs to watch out for:
1. You don't feel in charge of your business. It seems that your clients are running you around. You find yourself accommodating to their schedules and feeling that you have “no life of your own.”
2. You find yourself wasting time with people that you thought were “prospective clients”, only to find out that they were not really committed to working with you.
3. You find it hard to speak “the truth” to your clients. For example, you find it hard to tell them specifically how to price their home. You may also find it hard to insist that prospective buyers agree to a “buyer's agreement” with you.
4. You take on clients that you know you shouldn't. You intuition is telling you that there is “trouble ahead.” You don't see the red flags, because you want to be “nice” and you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
5. You find it hard to pick up the phone and call on prospects. It could be that you find it hard to call your sphere of influence, your former clients, or even warm leads. You tell yourself, “I don't want to bother anyone.”
6. You let your colleagues and associates encroach on your time. Perhaps they pass by your office and think that it's a good time to talk to you. You have trouble setting boundaries with them and saying, “Sorry, I'm busy now.” You want them to like you. shanghai apartment
7. You also want your clients to like you, so you bend over backwards to meet their needs. I've even had some clients who took on the job of babysitting children of their prospective clients. They thought if they could just please them enough, they would get their business.
8. If you are a broker or a manager, you put up with having people in your office that shouldn't be there. Their energy is negative, and they pull down the morale of your office.
Part 2: A case history of a broker and her “hard to let go of” agent.
One of my clients, I will change the names to ensure confidentiality, was a broker of a small office.
About a year ago, she failed to follow her intuition and hired an agent who turned out to be hostile and negative. “Looking back on it, “she said,” the red flags were there.”
For a year, my client, Jacqueline, had been trying to let this agent go. As the year went on, not only did the agent fail to produce, but she became increasingly hostile, picking fights with other agents in the office.
My client felt sorry for the agent, Mary, and tried to overlook the difficulties. Under the surface, what was really happening was that my client had been taught when she was young to “put up with people” instead of speaking her mind.
Although this served to help her survive as a child, it really got in the way of her being a successful real estate agent. This interaction with Mary brought it to a head.
She would either have to speak the truth and tell Mary to go or she would have to put up with more “slacking and negativity.” Because she felt sorry for Mary and afraid of any negative repercussions of letting her go, she procrastinated. She didn’t want to face the difficult task of letting Mary go.
Finally, after a few sessions of coaching, she got the courage, the understanding, and the right words to end this negative relationship.
To her surprise, there were no repercussions, no fights, and no fallouts. Instead, Mary handled it calmly and swiftly. Before the end of the day, Mary had packed up and left the office.
My client was so relieved. She felt like a burden has been lifted off of her shoulders that had been weighing her down for nearly a year. She and I discussed how this happened, the red flags that she ignored and how she could prevent this from happening again. She then committed to “win/win or no deal.”
Part 3: Win/Win or no deal - what does it mean?
When you commit to “win/win or no deal”, as Stephen Covey says, you are agreeing to never again enter into a relationship in which you will lose and the other person will win. In other words, you are deciding to relinquish your old “people pleasing pattern.”
Remember, the "people pleasing pattern" is based on the self limiting beliefs that “other people's needs are more important than your own.” Dropping that paradigm means embracing a new paradigm -- "my needs are as important as other people's needs."
What can you expect as the results?
• You can expect that you will be more highly tuned in to your intuition and "gut feelings." If your "gut feeling” says, "No" then you will listen to that rather than your "mind", which doesn't always tell the truth.
• You can expect that prospective buyers you work with will respect your policies because you will insist that they agree to a “buyer's agreement.” You can expect that when they do finally buy a home, it will be from you.
• You can expect that your clients and colleagues will gain respect for you because you are finding respect for yourself. Please note that you don't need your clients to “like” you. You just need them to respect you.
(As an aside, studies have shown that it is not important whether they like you, but rather, what's important is that they perceive that you like them. When they perceive that you like them, they feel protected and taken care of, and will give you their business.) apartment shanghai
• You can expect that you will be telling the truth to sellers about how they should price their homes and you will be telling the truth to buyers as to how much they can expect to get for their money.
• If you are a broker, you can expect to be much more particular when you hire agents. You won't be worrying about pleasing people, and you will be better able to evaluate the character, and work ethics of your team.
• You can expect to have better control of your own schedule. You will be clearly setting boundaries and defining when you are able to work and when you're not. Not only will your clients respect you for that, but you will find that you finally “have a life.”
• You can expect to be more courageous in your prospecting. No longer will you be trying to “please” everyone you call. Rather, you will be coming from the mindset of “I have something valuable to offer”, and “this person is lucky to hear from me.”
• You can expect to back out of deals that you recently entered into when you were trying to be a “people pleaser”. As soon as you sense that this deal is going to be difficult or draining to you, you'll remind yourself, “that it's Win/Win, or no deal.”
• You can expect to be more assertive with your clients, with colleagues that stop by your office and pull on your ear, and even in group situations when you need to speak publicly.
What is the underpinning of all of this positive change? The key is that you approve of yourself. This is the greatest confidence builder that you have - your own approval of yourself. When you have that, you are no longer “outer directed”, i.e. trying to get the approval of others. You are inner directed and finding your own “inner approval.”
Finding your own “inner approval” is a process. It doesn't happen overnight. Usually you need the help of a mentor or a coach to help guide you out of your old “people pleasing pattern” (which is usually your blind spot) and into a healthy pattern of self approval, leading to a “win/win” or no deal.

Avoid/Resolve Complaints from Clients

Here at Real Estate Pipeline, complaints are viewed as a double-edged sword. We believe that receiving an occasional complaint isn’t the problem. Regardless of how hard we try, glitches will occur and on occasion, those glitches will lead to a frustrated client calling us to complain.

What is critical to us is how we address that complaint when it is registered. For the most part, clients who call with complaints want to continue working with us, they just want to have their problems addressed. So, of much importance to us is how we address those issues when they do come around.

If we address problems to a client’s satisfaction, they probably will remain with our service. However, if we don’t handle a complaint properly, a client can quickly become a former client who is taking their business elsewhere and sharing their dissatisfaction with their friends and associates.

Most of the time, it is up to us how it plays out. First, we try to limit the amount of complaints raised. At Real Estate Pipeline, we have a template of how we do things to keep complaints to a minimum. We recognize what usually will prompt a complaint and have specific procedures for when we are working in those areas.

As a real estate agent, do you know what activities cause the most complaints to be filed against others in your industry? Do you have a thought out approach when working with a client in one of those potentially troublesome activities? shanghai apartment

Following is information from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission on what agent activities lead to the most consumer complaints. While the list is specific to North Carolina, the areas of concern remain similar in other states as well.

1. Misrepresenting material facts. This is at the top of the list of common complaints lodged against agents in North Carolina. Clients rely on you for information to make informed decisions. Make sure the info is clear and correct.

2. Mishandling trust accounts. Remember, the broker in charge – not a bookkeeper or agent – has ultimate responsibility for managing trust accounts.

3. Disputed earnest money accounts. Always have written agreements on how this money should be distributed to avoid most of these.

4. Drafting legal papers. Unless you also are a licensed attorney, leave it to one to prepare paperwork. As an agent, you can help a client fill out documents, but don’t try writing them or amending a complex agreement without an attorney’s help.

5. Disputed contract acceptance. Just remember, all accepted transactions involving property must be made with a written – never an oral – agreement. A verbal agreement is not a binding agreement when buying or selling real estate.

6. Loan fraud. If an agent helps a client with a down payment or other fees, they may be committing loan fraud – something no agent wants to be accused of. apartment shanghai

7. Conflict of interest. Whenever you represent someone in a transaction, make certain to disclose to them if you have acted in the interest of any other party involved in the deal.

8. Discrimination. This is illegal under federal law. If you discriminate for any number of reasons, you probably are breaking the law.

9. Records violations. Keep records longer than required by your state’s law. Complaints can be filed even after your obligation to keep records may have lapsed.

10. Lack of communication. Try not to leave a client uniformed. That means, return their calls, offer complete answers to their questions and keep them informed of developments.

Remember, tread carefully when working in one of the above areas and always remember they are common sources of complaints when not handled properly.

Fine. But what should you do when things don’t go as planned and a client does call with a complaint?

Well, again, remember that if they were so upset they no longer wanted to work with you, they probably wouldn’t be calling to complain. Most complaints are made in hopes of having an issue resolved.

When working with a client who has a complaint, always:

1. Listen. Give the client a chance to vent. Ask them specific questions. Take the time to truly understand the frustration. Find out what a client thinks would resolve the issue.

2. Apologize. Sincere, well crafted apologies can go a long ways to resolving a sticky situation. For a site with good advice on how to apologize, go to:http://www.wikihow.com/Apologize.

3. Offer real solutions. Once you clearly understand the problem, offer a solution that fixes the source of angst.

For more pointers on how best to handle complaints, check out http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/crmindset.htm.

Also, when talking with a client who is unhappy and complaining, keep cool, positive and helpful. DO NOT be defensive or rude, don’t take it personally and don’t blame it on someone else.

Just remember, avoid most complaints by being aware of what usually triggers them. When a complaint is made, address it quickly and properly and you can usually keep it between you and the client. Don’t handle it in professional fashion, and the odds increase dramatically a client’s friends and associates will hear all about it and you will be reading about it on an Internet site. villa shanghai

Foreclosure Property – Can You Win the Bid?

People want to save money whenever purchasing real estate. The problem is, lots of people basically have no idea exactly how as well as where to actually come across those incredibly elusive financial savings. When you find yourself buying on the open marketplace, it can be genuinely laborious to come across unusually discounted prices. You may be capable to win a residence with a lower bid by way of a real estate broker, but if your are in search of discounts that will progress to a great deal of original cost savings and highest possible potential investment value, you should evaluate the marketplace for foreclosure properties. These awesome resources are the homebuyer’s key to finding discounts on very good properties that may offer savings of as much as 50% off your original investment.

The purchase of a property using an auction is regarded as the most fruitful and common way to generate a fortune in the field of real estate. However, if you do not know how to buy foreclosed residences, it may also turn to be the simplest way to shed a lot of money. Most mishaps come about due to over-bidding on the house without assessing the real market worth accurately and fix-up costs of the property before entering their bid. Exactly what could make or break your fortune is dependent on the research you conducted ahead of time. Now, don’t run out and look for night vision goggles for sale so you can really look over the property. You will get enough time to carry out proper and effective examinations during hours of sunlight. shanghai apartment

For most people, discovering the right property or home is merely half of the goal of a property purchase. Locating a list of foreclosures on homes is not difficult. Where the difficulty arises for the majority of buyers is finding homes that offer a huge prospect of savings and valuable investment.

Let us consider the disadvantages of foreclosure real estate investment:

- Buying a foreclosed property involves a lot of learning. Smart business people have been known to experience the darker side of buying and selling the foreclosed properties. If you are careful, you can make the most out of it, but if you are careless, you can be looking at being bankrupt yourself.

- It requires a lot of capital investment.

- The payment period is very short and one has to be ready even before bidding to successfully invest in a foreclosed real estate property.

- The transfer of title involves a great risk. If your research is not correct or incomplete it could lead to major losses. If the risk is high, the profit will also be better provided you are very careful and do a significant research before buying one.

- A good many foreclosed real estate investments require a moderate to heavy amount of repair before subsequent use. I have seen some real gems; except for the fact most of the support joists were toast.

What about the huge benefits:

- Wealth creation. How is that for THE advantage? The primary advantage of buying a foreclosed property or home through an auction is the profitability, i.e. the total amount saved between the hugely discounted price and the expected price for which you can sell it. A normal foreclosure property auction has a six-week notice making it possible for the interested purchaser to examine the property and analyze its full cost including the repairs along with other concerns and research the market value at which it could be disposed of. It may have a wireless home security system that is pricey to refurbish and/or maintain. One needs to constantly remember that putting in a bid at a foreclosed property or home auction need not be competitive but should be based mostly on what you assess. If you sense wetness or see dehumidifiers for home use, beware of that potential predicament.apartment shanghai

You can find all kinds of these terrific foreclosure homes, bank owned properties and foreclosure properties available for purchase in existing marketplace, plus they are available from quite singular sources. Although foreclosure bailout lenders are trying to assist the owners of the foreclosed property, it doesn’t always work. The entire process begins when a homeowner can’t make the monthly payments necessary on their home mortgage loan. When this occurs the lender is still going to have to find a method to satisfy the residual mortgage debt. This is normally accomplished via the repossession of the real estate and the follow-on sale of it to the general public. The note holder then retains the proceeds of the foreclosure property sale to settle the debt.

Auctions of foreclosed property or homes and HUD homes for sale are ordinarily held at public auctions. These foreclosure home auctions are executed under the oversight of the country or state court where the property or home is located. This works in favor of the buyer since the transfer of title is immediately carried out after the end of the bidding. Normally the bid winner is the mortgage lender that has asked for the foreclosure of the property or home to begin with.

Be advised that the owner may constantly make an effort to structure a new mortgage or get new terms while the house is in foreclosure and in some cases succeeds. If you don’t understand how to buy a foreclosure home, it may also switch to be the fastest way to loose a lot of money. Do your research and don’t get caught up in the frenzy of the auction bidding!

See Bank Repo Homes for more info on what is foreclosure, buy foreclosure home, foreclosure on homes, hud home listing, foreclosed home listing, hud housing for sale, foreclosures on homes, VA repossessed homes, foreclosures on houses, government foreclosure listing, home foreclosure sales, foreclosed homes list, foreclosed homes in Georgia, and foreclosed homes in Ohio