5 Reasons for Real Estate Agents to Send Holiday Cards

5 Reasons for Real Estate Agents to Send
Holiday Cards

By Cheri Alguire

The Holidays are approaching. There is a never ending to do list that seems to get multiplied this time of year. Is sending Holiday Cards something that should make that list? As a business coach, I say, YES! Sending greeting cards, including Holiday Cards is a way to show your appreciation and send well wishes to your clients. In fact, here are 5 reasons to make sure sending cards makes your Holiday to do list this year:

1. Show how much you care: The act of sending a card shows the person on the receiving end that you thought about them, that you care about them, and that you recognize the fact that they contributed to your success. Everyone wants to feel special and when they receive a greeting card from you in the mail, they feel that way, not like they are just a number with your business. It is how you make them feel.

2. Send well wishes: The Holidays come at the end of the year. When you send a Holiday card, it is a great time to wish people a prosperous new year. You are saying that you are thinking about them, and you wish only the best for them in the future.

3. Cultivates referrals: I am not suggestion you ask for referrals in your Holiday Cards, I am just saying that when you send a card and make someone feel good, they naturally want to reciprocate and do something for you.

4. Keeps you top of mind: It is much easier and cheaper to keep customers than it is to get a new one. However, you still need to do something. You can’t just ignore you past clients and expect them to come running to you next time they need your product or service. You need to stay top of mind. Instead of advertising to them, remind them how much you care about them. A little (of the right stuff) goes a long way here.

5. It is fun and easy to do: At least I think it is. I use a system at www.CardsForRealEstate.com You can try it for yourself on me. It allows you to easily add pictures and create a custom card, send it to multiple recipients with a click of the mouse, and even add a gift. All for the fraction it would cost you doing it all by hand.

So are you going to send Holiday Cards this year? Your clients will thank you by helping you have a prosperous new year.

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Coach Cheri Alguire has been helping small business owners take their business and their lives to the net level of success for over a decade. To find out how you can access a system to easily send holiday and other greeting cards go to http://www.CardsForRealEstate.com

One Flaw In Women

I started my morning reading this poem a friend emailed to me. I am not sure who wrote it, if you know, please leave a comment!

One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.....

They bear hardships and they carry burdens,

but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy

and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in..

They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer

when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel

and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about

a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They grieve at the loss of a family member,

yet they are strong when they

think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss

can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you

to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what

makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.

They have compassion and ideas.

They give moral support to their

family and friends.

Women have vital things to say

and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,


IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

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Don't forget how AMAZING YOU ARE!!!

Effective Listing Presentations

By Cheri Alguire

Everything is coming together. You have prospected, contacted and now, finally you get to do your listing presentation. You have gathered all the information to present your marketing plan, company and self to your new prospect, but how do you do so in a way that is truly effective? Here are a few tips to help you do an effective listing presentation:

Keep It Simple

Keep the listing presentation informative, yet simple. You might know all the minute details on how you will market their property to the general public and other Realtors, but now is not the time to go into that in extreme detail for a couple reasons.

If your plan is complex, cumbersome and loaded with details, your client’s decision will also be complex, cumbersome and loaded with details. Keep it simple and make it simple for them to make a decision to work with you.

Also, if you begin talking too many details with someone who is not detail oriented, you will talk them into and out of working with you in the same conversation. Watch for eyes glazing over.

Follow the 4 Steps to the Anatomy of a Presentation

1. Uncover your prospect’s pain

Before you ever go into what you and your company can do, you have to find out what is motivating them as sellers, their why. There is some reason why they are talking to you. Why are they selling? What are the circumstances around their decision? What are they looking to do, change or alleviate with this transaction? There is something in their life that is causing them discomfort or dissatisfaction. What is it for the person or people you are presenting to? It is imperative that you find out. Think about all the things you do as an agent as a list of features and benefits. By asking your prospect some High Yielding Questions, you are able to quickly uncover their pain and check those items off mentally on your features and benefits list that are important to them. You want to make sure you highlight the right things in your presentation.

2. Present the solution

Tell them why you and your company are a solution for their pain. If you have skipped step 1, then you will spend your time going down a laundry list of all the features and benefits without really connecting to their needs and you will appear to have a one-size fits all approach. Remember to keep it simple and don’t go into too many details, yet give them enough information so they can see that you really do have a solution for them.

3. Determine their interest

This is where you summarize the main points and recap how these things will be of benefit for them. Then ask them how they see listing with you and your company will benefit them and their challenges. This will insure that you did a good job in steps 1 and 2. If you didn’t make a good connection between their pain and what you offer and will do for them, this is a good time to go back to step 1 and ask more High Yielding Questions.

4. Call to Action

Don’t let the presentation just fizzle to an end, make sure you ask the prospect if they are ready to get started today. If they are not, then set up a time to follow up. A “no” is often a “not yet” which is fine, just make sure you follow up.

Practice

“Amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.”

Don’t forget to practice, practice, practice. You will be more confident and relaxed and your prospect will be able to sense that. Learn to LOVE Practice!

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Business and Life Coach Cheri Alguire has partnered with hundreds of Real Estate Professionals to help them become more successful. Learn more at www.ProRealEstateCoach.com or www.RealEstateBusinessReasources.com

What Kind of Business are you in?

by Cheri Alguire

PSST. We are in the People Business, not the Houses Business.

Do you believe that? Now it is true that you do have to have a working knowledge of home basics. If you don't know what a water heater looks, like or the difference between a Rambler and a Split, you may have some challenges being in this industry. However, having a background in structural engineering won't help you either, unless you have clients to work with.

I am sure you have heard the old saying "They don't know how much you know, until they know how much you care." But how do you show people how much you care?

Well let me ask you this? Are you on Facebook? Do you post information on your new listing or latest price reduction? Probably. And that is fine. But, is that the ONLY thing you post? If it is, you probably get past clients and friends tuning you out. You also have to connect with them on a personal level. As human beings we are craving connection with each other.

So how are you staying connected? Let me know what is working for you.
You may want to try connecting on Facebook, or sending a personal email, or handwritten note. A great way a lot of my coaching clients are sending personal notes is with www.CardsForRealEstate.com

Here are just a few easy, inexpensive ways you can let your sphere and past clients know you care and to keep your name top of mind when they here of someone looking to buy or sell:

● Birthday Cards
● Anniversary of their house sale cards
● Thank you cards
● Let’s do lunch cards
● Get well cards
● New baby cards
● Congratulation cards

Spending just a few minutes each day connecting with your sphere and past clients can help lift someones spirits, remind them of who you are and the great job you did for them, and help them to remember you when others are asking them if they know a good real estate agent.

Because people DO want to know how much you care!

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Coach Cheri Alguire has helped hundreds of Real Estate Professionals and Super Small Business Owners create a Lead Generation and Marketing Plan to really take their business to the next level of success using www.CardsForRealEstate.com and other methods. Find out more at http://www.CheriAlguire.com

Time for a Fresh Start

by Cheri Alguire

The tax credit has almost expired, now what?

Well, the good thing is that it is SPRING!

I saw some flowers off the trail on a recent hike. It reminded me how much I love Spring.

I love the fresh starts. Beginning all over again. It's like hitting the refresh button.

And now that we are finally getting some good news about the economy, maybe it will be time for some of those old stall leads to finally buy or sell.

Spring is always a good time to check in with leads, past clients and your sphere. You can either call them, or try sending a greeting card with www.CardsForRealEstate.com

There are also more and more Expired Listings out there. Agents all across the country are having fantastic luck with www.ExpiredRealEstateLeads.com

Whatever you are going to do to boost your business this spring, NOW IS THE TIME!

Our coaching clients are experiencing fantastic results from having a great plan, a sounding board, and an accountability partner. Maybe it is time to talk to one of our coaches at http://www.Prorealestatecoach.com to see how we may be able to partner with you to take your business to the next level this spring.

I have had clients who have had a tough year.

I have had clients that have had an amazing year.

And everything in between.

No matter what kind of year you have had, it is time for a fresh start. No matter what challenges you had yesterday, you can create your own tomorrow.

Happy Spring!

Tips for Real Estate Moms

By Katrina Eileen

As a working mother sometimes from morning ‘til our heads hit the pillows at night we are going. Taking care of clients, children, husbands, PTA, church & organizations that matter to us, the home, the car, balancing the bank account, bills, the yard, opening the mail, packing lunches, calls from school, finding babysitters, mothers, fathers, you name it - it can consume us.

How can we balance business, family and all of the things that are important to us in our life is the key to living a life that we love. Here are a couple of tips to maximize your effectiveness in business while being available as a mom to your kiddos.

Turn off your cell phone - It was a wakeup call for me the day that, while we were sitting down for dinner; my kids asked if we could have a rule that we don't have any cell phones at the table. While I would never take calls at the table I would forward incoming leads to buyer’s agents or shoot text messages and answer texts from members of my team. I thought these were flying under the radar. Guess what, they weren't. I laughed at myself and then realized that what was important during these few precious hours that I had with my children was them and that as long as my mind was divided so was my attention. One of the best choices that you can make for your relationships is to be fully present to the people that you are with. I actually had to turn my phone on silent and leave it in the other room. Even having it in the same room I would sometimes absentmindedly pick it up, just to glance at it and get roped into some form of, "oh wait! just a sec...gotta send a quick...".

Schedule family time first - Take some time once a month to look over the next month or quarter and write in time for you and time for your family. When you schedule that big vacation you always make time for that. Why not schedule smaller respites throughout the month or quarter even if it is just for a day or even a couple of hours. Treat these as one of the most important appointments you have, when talking about them always refer to them simply as an important appointment. There is no need to let anyone know the nature of your appointment. This is time to connect to what is most important in your life.

When you are working - WORK!

W hat are your dollar productive activities
O rganize and delegate the rest
R elax...breathe, remember why you are here and what your intention is
K eep focused

In coaching I like to work with my clients in creating a customized plan of action for implementing their business plan and maximizing their effectiveness. What you will find is that work may have taken a 10 or 12 hour day to complete may only take you 4 - 6 hours. Yes, you can actually create more time in your day. Whether you are Bill Gates or the Average Joe on the street, there is one thing we all have in common, 24 hours in a day. How you are spending yours will directly translate in the level of success you experience.

How do you stay focused, genuinely motivated and on track to succeed at whatever you endeavor in life? You find your true passion; you find how what you are doing or not doing now will help you live that passion. One very powerful tool that I utilize is the balance wheel. If you'd like a copy of this you can request it here. http://www.prorealestatecoach.com/pages/contact-us.htm This is one of the most effective tools I use is coaching.

Having a coach is vital to me both back when I was building my real estate business and still as a coach, a mother and personally as a woman. I feel it is so important to have a voice, an advocate in my life who knows my aspirations. This person helps me see where I am now on the map and helps me to clearly understand where I want to go and where that is on the map. Then, together, we can draw a bridge from point A to point B on that map.

When I found myself floundering, not working but spinning my wheels, feeling overwhelmed, constantly moving but never seeming to make any substantial progress, coaching was what was missing. When I began being coached and being coachable is when I found satisfaction, accomplishment and balance. Maybe you are ready to move ahead as well. Maybe it is time for you to hire a coach.

TIME MANAGEMENT AND DELEGATION

By Cheri Alguire

Remember the “best made plans of mice and men often go astray?” The old adage applies readily to your business plan if you do not manage your time effectively and/or delegate activities when needed. You can have the most inspirational vision, the tightest budget, the most sensible production plan, but if you do don’t have the time or resources (staff) to accomplish the goals, you are little better off than when you started.

To better understand the importance of the concept of time management, take a look at how you spend you time when working. Begin with a work day and then expand your analysis to the entire week. How much time do you spend “IN” the business? This refers to the crucial everyday details of the job. It includes the showings, the opens, the listing appointments, and the negotiation of contracts. How much time do you spend on the technical aspects of the business? The accounting, the scheduling, the entering of data and working on files? Without question, this can take the lion’s share of any given work day. However, danger awaits you if that is the case.

Working “ON” the business is vital if your business is to ultimately succeed and cannot be ignored. These tasks include management of the business and visionary activities. It includes mentoring, motivating, training and tracking accountability. It also includes “the big picture” activities like studying, reading, attending speakers and seminars. The problem with working ON the business is that it is too easily set aside for the daily “put out the fire” duties of tending to clients and paperwork. But that is why it is critical to create a physical time management plan that you abide as religiously as your budget. Chart it out, mark it in your Outlook calendar, and pay attention to it.

Similarly, you must think ahead in terms of the number of tasks that have to be completed to successfully make your business run. You cannot do it alone. Again, you cannot do it alone. (At least, not for very long.) Remember early on in the business planning process, we referred you to THE E-MYTH? Revisit it again in order to (re-)learn the lesson of wearing all the hats. Probably the best way to delegate the work load of the business is to create and refer to the resources chart and written job descriptions. If it’s not your job—delegate! If the person responsible isn’t doing the job, confront the problem and replace him/her as needed. You are running a business. Without delegating responsibility, you are doomed to crash and burn. And you won’t be having any fun, either.

Coach Cheri Alguire has helped hundreds of Super Small Business Owners, Realtors, Managers and Coaches create Business and Life Plans. Check out http://RealEstateBusinessPlanningGuide.com or http://www.SmallBusinessPlanningGuide.com/ contact us today at http://www.CheriAlguire.com