In most businesses you will see periods of feast and famine. There are times when leads are pouring in and periods when no leads are coming in. Sometimes it’s hard to see what causes this vicious cycle, but stopping the cycle and keeping the leads coming in steadily is an absolute must if you plan to make 2012 the year your real estate business takes that leap into the business you’ve been dreaming of. Below are the things you must do if you want to begin enjoying a consistent business.

1. You have to get consistent in your marketing. No more hit or miss marketing, but implement a strong marketing plan that you follow on time every time.
2. Set up systems in every part of your business. By setting up systems for every lead, every new client, every new transaction, you follow the same process every time. By doing this, you will eliminate the hit or miss factor completely.
3. Implementation. Having systems is great, but if you are not implementing those systems then nothing is getting done. You will not experience the increase in business you want if you fail to implement.
4. Stop being your own assistant. I tell successful agents all the time, “If you don’t have an assistant, you are the assistant.”, and no matter how much time passes it is still true.

As a real estate agent, time is your most valuable asset. If you want to experience growth and consistent income in your business, the single most important thing you can do in your business is get the help you need so that you can work with more clients and spend less time on paperwork and marketing.

If you have any questions about creating systems and automating your business, feel free to contact me. I’ll be happy to help you out!

Recently I had some great conversation with Brandon Wise of Wise Agent and enjoyed his personal tour through Wise Agent. It was one of those systems that I hadn’t had a chance to check out, but after hearing so much buzz about it I decided it was time to find out what all the fuss was about. I was prepared to be underwhelmed, but Wise Agent goes above and beyond to give you features you will love. As a real estate virtual assistant I have seen the back end of a lot of databases, but this one stands out for me for many reasons.

Here are some of the features I really liked about it:

• I can take the checklist which I use in my database and share it with my clients accounts, so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time I set up a new client.
• I can create custom drip campaigns and share them with clients, so again, I don’t have to reinvent the wheel on this.
• Custom themes, so you choose the view.
• The ability to sync with Gmail, which is next to impossible to find.
• The ability to sync with your Gmail calendar, which again is hard to find.
• The ability to integrate your Mailchimp account, so no more having to move your sign ups over. It will do it for you.
• Integration with Listings 2 Leads, which is another powerful tool to simplify.
• 24/7 customer service from their team in Arizona, not a call desk in another country.

In short, Wise agent has not only created a product that is simple to use, but has amazing features. I like the fact that it’s a less costly alternative to Top Producer, especially that they don’t charge an additional fee for assistant access, and that their customer support is getting rave reviews from agents across the board, but what I like most is the fact that every feature in this CRM system is user requested. They listen to what you, the agent, have to say. In the end, the agent has to be happy with the system, or let’s face it. You won’t use it. If you’re currently in the market for a new database system, try out Wise Agent with their free 30 day trial.

The secret to creating a successful 2012 isn’t in having a certain database or lead management system, and it’s not in the number of hours you spend working your clients. Well, some of it is, but in the past week I have put a great deal of thought into what it is that makes the agents I work with so very successful. Want to know what it is?

Consistently implementing your systems will lead to success

It’s implementation. That one little word hangs up so many agents. And here’s another one for you. Consistency. Yep. You hate that word don’t you? Well both of those words are what makes up the big one. Systems. Systems are the key to creating a consistently successful real estate business.

These systems are in implementing your database instead of paying for it and not using it. They are in consistently marketing all of your properties with the same intensity all year long, not just during your slow periods. You have to consistently schedule in your lead follow up, consistently implement your marketing, and you have to consistently enter people into your database and put notes in there. Consistency is just a best business practice for your real estate business.

I know these things take time, and I know what it takes to grow your business, because I do it consistently for my successful clients. So if you want to create the 2012 that you are planning on, get consistent in your implementation or get the help you need.

I would be happy to speak with you and help you plan out your marketing and database issues if you need the help to become consistent. Just click on the tungle button to the right and we’ll get started as soon as you are ready!

When you have to juggle as many tasks as Realtors you can definitely use a great tool to help you keep track of all those things that have to be done. Keeping up to date with what needs done and has been completed can be a problem, however with the help of this great tool, you’ll be able to get your task list tamed in short order!

Basecamp is a project management tool used frequesntly in businesses large and small to keep everything organized and getting done in a timely manner. I use it to keep track of  what each agent needs done on each listing and closing, putting together their ezine, and so much more. To get you started, Basecamp offers one free project to everyone. Here’s a breakdown of how you too can get organized!

1. Set up your Basecamp account
2. Set up your first project
3. Set up a To-Do list (set it as a template)
4. Add tasks
5. Create milestones for when you need them completed
6. Invite users (like your assistant)

Once you have done all that, you can begin using the system. I know at first it seems like a lot of work, but imagine if you did this for every listing. What would happen if you set your To-Do list as a template? It would only take you a few seconds to set up each new listing in the system and you would be able to stay on top of it at all times. That’s why I absolutely LOVE Basecamp! To learn more about the system, click here.

Database management, CRM (client relationship management), etc… what ever you choose to call it I do it.

Is it easy? No, it takes time to get your 5000 contacts into the right catagories.

Do I do it alone? No… you have to have some input here. If you can’t tell me who goes into each catagory there are going to be issues. I have no idea if Joe Smith is a buyer, seller, agent, vendor, etc.

I also have to have your input about how you would like to catagorize your contacts. I have some great input to help you clarify those catagories, but in the end it has to be what will work for you.

If you have a database, such as Top Producer or My Red Tools, I’ll be happy to help you get it organized and utilize these great systems. After all, if you are not using it, it’s just another system. Systems do not work if they are not utilized.