For many agents specializing in luxury homes, apps and tools are essential for streamlining workflows and ensuring high-quality client services. But it’s important for real estate professionals not to let them drain their time and attention.
Deborah Pirro
“It seems each day there are multiple, new-to-market digital systems, which take time to research and determine if their benefits outweigh those of existing systems,” says Deborah Pirro, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty. “Honestly, I’m finding quite a bit of redundancy.”
She notes that the convenience of the iPhone can be a blessing and a curse. “I may open it to check email and become completely distracted with marketing emails, notifications of open houses, a new listing — all of which are important, but not an immediate priority.”
It’s an experience shared by many agents, including Casey Joiner, Real Estate Professional with Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty. “Digital tools are great and have helped me transform my scheduling, but I really think having everything on your phone can be an easy distraction,” he says. “I find that opening my phone and seeing ten apps can lead me down a rabbit hole.”
His solution? “I went back to putting my daily task list in my journal.”
Build motivation, momentum, and mental acuity
Casey Joiner – Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty
Taking an analog approach is a powerful way to focus the mind, reconnect with the body, and devote full attention to the details of a particular client or task. For many, it also fuels creativity and helps them process and retain more information.
“My journal is where I start my day,” says Joiner. “Don’t type what’s in your head. Write it. That’s where the magic is for me. Some of my best ideas for approaching listings, or just problem-solving for the day at hand, have come from picking the pen up and letting those thoughts fly onto the page.”
For Pirro, having a visual point of reference brings clarity and repeatability. “At the end of the day, you can refer to your morning’s to-do list, check off what you’ve done, circle or carry forward what remains, and write notes for the next day’s tasks. You add annotations to be referred to in the future, and it’s direct, focused, and non-distracting.”
Writing by hand is a strategy Pirro makes especially enjoyable by investing in gorgeous stationery to annotate her 12-month planner and deliver beautifully curated client communications. It’s one of a few non-digital techniques she incorporates to improve her day.
“Taking time for a workout boosts my mood, mindset, and overall health, while meditation lets me clear my mind and enhance my memory,” she explains.
Differentiate yourself by integrating non-digital marketing
Mary Binder and Dianne Klink – Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
Pirro’s point about stationery for client communications is not lost on Joiner. “While digital marketing is a necessity, it’s a very crowded space. So there’s a real opportunity to take a personal approach with analog marketing and client retention tactics right now,” he says.
Casey Joiner
“The luxury segment thrives on the personal touch, as opposed to the mass-marketing approach. It has to feel personal. Especially in my market, which is primarily second homes, we aren’t selling essentials — so a purchase has to be emotionally driven and an immense amount of trust is involved.”
To stand out from the digital crowd, he encourages agents to master some form of art in an analog format. “I’m writing more now than I have in the past several years. Our ‘just listed’ and expired campaigns now revolve around personal letters or even postcards. My advice is to be rare and pick up the pen.”
Merge modern methods with ancient modalities
Casey Joiner – Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty
Joiner arrived at this practice in an interesting way. “I read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and realized that documenting your day on paper was a lost art that I needed to explore,” he recalls.
He recommends the book to other agents, but there are more recent books that can help professionals embrace new ways of thinking and working.
“Coach Micheal Burt also does a fantastic job of laying out his ideas in written form. I found seeing the concepts in his actual handwriting refreshing when doing a webinar or teaching course, and I also recommend his new book, Flip the Switch: Activate Your Drive to Achieve a Freakish Level of Success.”
Quality magazine subscriptions are also a wonderful way to keep the mind nourished, expansive, and engaged. “I’m a Harvard Business Review enthusiast, and I love a hard copy of The Wall Street Journal or a local publication,” adds Pirro.
Express yourself exceptionally and authentically
Mary Binder and Dianne Klink – Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
“I’m writing better thank you notes and letters to prospective clients due to my daily writing, and I’m emailing better due to my daily writing,” says Joiner. “I think it gets you to a place where you are truly articulating what you are trying to say in a message versus the short and quick diction social media tends to encourage.” He adds that he’s also writing more sincerely — and that clients sense that sincerity.
Pirro sums it up perfectly. “In today’s fast-paced world, an integrated approach between digital and analog is truly a necessity for success.”
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