ARE YOU ADDICTED TO NOT PROSPECTING?
“If you want to achieve big in real estate, the answer is simple,” says Gary Keller in The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. “You will need a lot of leads.”
Leads are the path to listing appointments, which are the backbone of any successful real estate business. To get quality leads, you must make prospecting your number one focus. If it isn’t, you’ll fall short of achieving your goals and fall into an addiction of “not-prospecting.”
Are you addicted to not-prospecting?
Read the statements below and note which apply to you.
The Not-Prospecting Addiction Test
Do you lose time from work due to not-prospecting?
Is not-prospecting making your home life unhappy?
Do you not-prospect because you are shy with other people?
Is not-prospecting affecting your reputation?
Have you ever felt remorse after not-prospecting?
Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of not-prospecting?
Does your not-prospecting make you careless of your family's welfare?
Has your ambition decreased since not-prospecting?
Do you crave not-prospecting at a specific time daily?
Do you want to not-prospect the next morning?
Does not-prospecting cause you to have difficulty sleeping?
Is not-prospecting jeopardizing your job or business?
Do you not-prospect to escape from worries or trouble?
Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of not-prospecting?
Has your physician (coach/TL) ever treated you for not-prospecting?
Do you not-prospect to build up your self-confidence?
Have you ever been to an institution (training) on account of not-prospecting?
If you’ve answered “yes” to three or more of these questions, you are definitely addicted to not-prospecting. Here are some ways you can overcome your addiction and beat distractions.
Stay Open but Keep Regular Business Hours
Think of real estate as a retail business and lead generation as the front door. Every time you don’t get up and prospect, you are shutting the door to business. In order to experience success tomorrow, you have to protect your time today. Ask yourself, “What time do I let customers in?” If you want to be a prospecting pro, it’s crucial that you establish certain hours of operation.
Avoid Common Traps
There is no overnight success when it comes to real estate. The only way to reach your goals is through prospecting. Make sure to avoid these common traps:
Not having a daily schedule
Allowing people and distractions to control your emotions and run your day
Not having a pre-prospecting routine
Believing that “you will do it later”
Not treating prospecting as an appointment
Create a Powerful Schedule
In The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, Gary Keller calls lead generation time, “the most dollar-productive activity you can do for your real estate business.” In order to take your real estate success to the next level, prospecting must be the most important time on your calendar and be “jealously protected.” Create a daily schedule that prioritizes prospecting. It may look something like this:
8 a.m.– Arrive at the office
8 - 9 a.m.– Prepare, affirmations, role-play
9 a.m. - Noon– Power prospect (for every 50 minutes, take a 10-minute break)
Noon - 1 p.m.– Lunch
1 - 2 p.m.– Lead follow-up
2 - 3 p.m.– Prepare for appointments
3 - 6 p.m.– Appointments/Prospect
Make a List of Contacts
Since your database is the source of your business, it’s important that you have a growing and diverse set of contacts! Make sure to take time during your day to review your database and get on the phone with:
Past clients (0 - 24 months)
Old leads
People you know
Expireds
FSBOs
Vendors
Just-listed calls
Just-sold calls
Geographic farms
Demographic farms
Plug into the Career Growth Initiative
The Keller Williams Career Growth Initiative (CGI) follows The Millionaire Real Estate Agent’s economic model by helping you understand how many leads you need to generate and appointments you must go on to reach your end goal. Whether your goal is $1 million in profit or another number, the CGI provides you with the tools you need to fund your Big Life.