1. Don’t do what every other Realtor is doing right now:
Take note to Mark Twain’s wisdom: "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect". Everyone and their mama is jumping on Zoom right now. Zoom is a great for connecting people socially to celebrate birthdays and get together with friends while shelter is in place, but be clear to define the agenda for any Zoom meetings for business purposes. No meeting should go more than 30 minutes and there should be a clear outline to update participants of any new developments and provide value. Once that is done, meeting is done. Don’t feel pressured to have to join Zooms and webinars to feel busy.
2. Hit your database:
Stay in front of your sphere of influence but be conscious that times are different right now.
Emotions and tensions are present throughout our neighborhoods. People don’t necessarily want to get a sales call, email, or see the new listing posted on the Gram. This is important, but we are in the service industry and first and foremost our profession requires us to anticipate and then serve our clients and prospects needs. What people need right now is support! Make things easier for them.
One great way is offering to pick up groceries and prescriptions weekly for them at no cost.
Having phone conversations with them reiterating everything will be alright is another. Staying strong and creating the narrative reinforces those that may have failing beliefs right now and get them back on track to restoring their faith and feeling a sense of certainty. “Love your neighbor as yourself” is true as ever. Open your email right now and send out an email offering to pick up groceries or prescriptions for this week!
3. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” -Winston Churchill:
For those clients that you already have listings with or are preparing their homes for market have the conversation of the changing conditions and the need to adjust marketing strategies. Familiarize yourself with the C.A.R Forms and local ordinances. Here is the link to the latest C.A.R. Covid-19 Updates (They are constantly changing and being updated) Make sure you are in the know. You are putting everyone at risk if you do not operate following the Best Practices and the guidelines of local and state ordinances. When you know the playing field and market conditions you can properly advise your clients on pre-inspections, photography, and virtual staging, and commissions. For a long time sales commissions were reduced to 5% or lower with discount brokerages. This is the time to have the conversation what the benefits of a 6.5% commission will do for the seller and why this could help get them a higher sale price. You are serving your clients and industry if you are operating in compliance and know how to properly market your client’s property during the Shelter in Place.
4. Further Education:
Now is a great opportunity to take online classes for your Broker’s license if you are not already a broker. There are plenty of online companies that offer courses that can further you and your business.
Why not break into the basics of a foreign language? Check out Duolingo that you can download on your phone and practice the new language with just 5 minutes a day. Who knows what this may lead to?
If you are a newer agent, I highly recommend reading Gary Keller’s The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. It is one of the greatest resources an agent can have. I wish someone recommended this book when I first started. It would have saved so much time and money!
5. Get your self on a low information diet:
Ralph Waldo Emerson notes: “There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant”. If most information out there is negative, depressing, and discouraging, turn off the noise.
I am not suggesting to shut off information that is relevant and will provide value and knowledge, but turning off the news headlines, Instagram and Facebook feeds will help bring calm back into your life.
If you have a garden,
get out there and pull some weeds. Getting your hands in the soil and your breath right is an ailment and will reconnect you to the earth and you as a human being.
The birds seem to be louder, the flowers sweeter, and the air cleaner. You might even get a phone call when you are out there from someone in need and I promise you will be in a better mental state to facilitate the conversation to provide help.