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This article was last updated July 19, 2022. Reposted with permission from Rachael Hite.
By this point in the summer, you’ve probably enjoyed barbecues, vacations, and long days by the pool. But with all these fun activities, it’s easy to lose sight of your future goals. If you’re coming back to an empty pipeline, here are some strategies to jumpstart the second half of your summer.
1. Follow up
Go back through your leads from the beginning of the year. Remember all those people who said they were going to list or buy, but then they got busy and you got busy?
Pick up the phone and call them. Leave a text instead of a voicemail. Email them with some current market stats, and send them a handwritten note if you have their physical address.
2. Farm for new business
I know that it is hard to make time for new business when you are busy, but prospecting is an essential part of breaking the roller coaster cycle.
It is feast or famine for the many agents who do not have a great system in place. Make a commitment to do something after every transaction to maximize referrals or grab new business.
Old school business tactics such as “Just sold” and “Under contract in X days” still work.
You know what doesn’t work? Doing nothing.
3. Call back all leads
Lead generation experts are saying it will take an average of five to six communication attempts to reach leads. I have found that many new agents are finding luck with third-party site leads who state that they tried to contact the listing agent several times and never heard back.
Every call and inquiry could be a potential client for your fall and winter pipeline. It is easy to get busy with a hot listing and multiple offers, but do not let future customers fall through the cracks because you are too busy to return all calls.
If this is impossible for you, it is time to hire a full-time administrative assistant or partner up with a buyer’s agent.
4. SPF 100 your current business
If you are just now heading out of town, make sure to reach out to all clients before you leave. Next, make sure you have a dedicated agent to fill your shoes while you are away.
Customers do not care that you do not have cell service down at the beach. When there is a problem, they want it addressed right away. Make sure to empty your voicemail and return necessary emails each evening you are away.
There is nothing worse than having an emergency and trying to contact an agent who has a full voicemail box. Business should continue at the same pace and with the same level of customer service.
Make sure to have systems in place, or you may get burned while you are soaking up rays on the beach.
5. Make the list
Set aside time in your calendar for the day you return and choose five past clients or sphere of influence contacts with whom you need to connect.
Contact those people first thing and make them the foundation of your game plan for prospecting as soon as you return.
Now that you’ve refreshed and renewed, it’s time to regroup and restart your prospecting for the months ahead.
By day, Rachael Hite helps agents develop their business. By night, she’s tweeting and blogging. Feel free to tweet her @rachaelhite.