5 Tools to Implement in the New Year | The Zebra Blog

5 Tools to Implement in the New Year

Here we are.  It’s 2010.  The holidays are over.  Time for a fresh start.

Had a bad 2009?  Put it behind you.  It’s over and done with.  Time for a new you.  It’s time to figure out what you need to move your business up to the next level.

The first step is to make sure you have the right tools.  A carpenter wouldn’t go to work without his bag of tools.  Neither should you.

If you don’t have them in place, here are five tools you need.  If you don’t have all of them, then you need to make getting them top priority in 2010:

1.  Get contact.

Yes, it’s time to renew your efforts for staying in touch with your clients.  I don’t care how far you’ve lagged behind, send something NOW.

Now is the time to reinstate contact with your database—especially this year with the extension of the First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit.

Stumped for what to send?  Let your clients know what you think the upcoming year in real estate is going to look like.  People love predictions.  Show them that you have a finger on the pulse of the industry.  Demonstrate your expertise by including charts, graphs, and numbers that impress.

Or you could send an Annual Client Review.  This is another great way to get contact started for the New Year.  (Don’t know how to put one together?  Click here.)

2.  Get organized.

Now is the time to take a moment and look at your surroundings.  What do you see?  Are there piles of papers stacked all around you?

Look at your desk.  Look at your office.  Look at your home.  Look at your car.  Look at your closet.

If any or all of these are a mess, get them organized.  If your desk is a mess, then you’re not going to be able to quickly pull out the forms you need.  If your car is a mess, then you can’t allow clients to get in it.  If your closet is a mess, then you won’t know what to wear to impress.

Organization isn’t something that should be taken care of “eventually”.  Organization is a task that needs to be done on a daily basis.  If you’re not organized, start to fix this problem right NOW.

3.  Get marketing.

Marketing is the engine of your business.  It is the one tool that moves you forward.  Without it, you don’t have a business.

If you’ve been putting off getting a Marketing Makeover, now is the time.  If you’ve been putting off developing a brand, now is the time.

Now is the time to get people attracted to you and your business.  No more putting anything off.  Get into action and get the marketing tools you need that are going to propel your business to new heights.

4.  Get prospecting.

Now is the time to prospect.  Not in the spring.  Certainly not in the summer.  The time is NOW.

Now is the time to hold Open Houses.  Yes, I know it’s January.  You’ll be the only one doing Open Houses.  This is good.  You will get the clients that all the other agents are missing.

Now is the time to contact some expired listings.  Yes, you can find a lot of business from expired listings.  Many agents I know use this tactic to make serious sales.

Now is the time to target renters.  With the First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit, renters have an amazing opportunity to finally get into home ownership.  Be the conduit that helps them get there.

Now is the time to put together your year-plan for working your geographical farm.  When you know what you’re going to do ahead of time, it all becomes a matter of filling in the blanks.

5.  Get educated.

Now is the time to plan your educational calendar for 2010.

Is there a new designation you want to earn this year?  Is there a class that you’ve been itching to take?  Could your technology skills still use some improvement?

Make 2010 the year that you finally fulfill all your educational goals.

This is it.  It’s here.  Let’s make 2010 a fantastic year.  Let’s embrace the opportunities presented to us.  Let’s strive to make this our best year yet!

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI

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