1. Create More Sales Opportunities

Real estate is about networking. You have to get out there and network with other agents, mortgage brokers, insurance people, and most importantly, your target audience. It’s a numbers game, the more people you come into contact with, the more opportunities you will have to sell your services.

2. Weed-Out Looky Loos

The sooner you can drop these people off your radar, the sooner you will find clients that are looking to buy a house.

3. Persuade Undecided Customers More Effectively

You have to overcome objections. The better you become at this art, the smoother you will be able to talk to clients and move the sales process into the next step.

4. Attract & Keep Better Customers

You know where your skills are at. You have to create an “ideal client” profile so you can connect with these types of clients. The more disciplined you are at focusing on these types of clients, the easier you’re business will become.

5. Replenish Your Supply of Clients Every Week

Even though you may be working with a couple of clients, you still have to prospect. When the clients you’re working with finally make their purchase, you want to make sure to have other potential clients in the pipeline.

MSN posted a great article today called As housing falls, short sales becoming common that goes into the reasons why short sales are becoming so common and how best to manage a short sale transaction.

Short sales are becoming more common in today’s market:

“Our numbers suggest that 20 percent of completed home sales nationwide are short sales,” said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance. “The number would be larger if it weren’t for the fact that one-third of all attempted short sale deals don’t go through.”

The reason there are so many short sales:

The combination of falling home prices and homes financed with low down payments means many homeowners owe more on their properties than they’re currently worth. Add to that the population of homeowners who face foreclosure due to resetting mortgages or who must sell for other life reasons (relocation, etc.) in the middle of a bad market, and it makes sense that lenders hoping to avoid more foreclosures on the books will take this alternative.

Both of these are reasons why real estate agents need to know how to complete a short sale transaction. You need to have this skill for your business to thrive in this market. We recently posted some short sale common mistakes to avoid so you can complete more short sale transactions.

Here are a couple other resources to learn more about short sales:

Short Sale Basics

Notes from a Day of Short Sale Training

Field Guide to Short Sales

I’ve seen many real estate agents come and go over the years and the biggest reason they go is because they don’t understand that being a real estate agent IS a business. They get licensed to sell homes and they think they’ve found their golden ticket to freedom and wealth. However, many of them start to see how tough the business really is and quickly find another career.

Being a real estate agent IS a business, and the successful agents run their career AS a business.

There are many different products and services you can use to market yourself as a real estate agent and over the coming months I will provide reviews on many of these products and services and how you can incorporate them into your own marketing program. But to get started, I wanted to introduce you to the marketing plan.

A marketing plan outlines your approach to attracting potential clients to your product and helps convince them to buy. Without a marketing plan it’s like shooting darts in the dark. You may hit the bullseye if your lucky but for the most part you’re going to be all over the board. A marketing plan will give you better focus on accomplishing your goals.

Real Estate Marketing Plan

Many real estate agents are very competitive and that’s why I want to introduce you to a marketing plan from Action Plan. They offer a free Marketing Plan Start-Up Kit which you can download from their website. I really like their marketing method called the Marketing Ball because it uses a baseball diamond as a metaphor and shows you what you need to do to go around the field. Starting with home base and getting your marketing process started until you come back to home base to complete the sale.

It’s a great way to sit down and really think about how you are going to succeed in the real estate business. If you’re just starting out, or even if your a seasoned pro, understanding how you’re going to attract more clients and generate more sales will take you up a notch in your career.

Be Successful!

“Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”