Holiday season - Time for Cruise Control in the Real Estate Business? uh, no!

Hey, we made it to the end of the year, ups and downs, but is it time for us to take the well deserved break? What's that? I have investors, because of their religious beliefs take the weekend off, and I asked myself, what is that? It seems +Realtors get together on a weekend or at #holiday parties seem to discuss Real Estate, yeah, we obsess, just a small bit.

So what should we be doing as we wrap up 2013? This is a good article to get you ready for 2014:

1. Review your November credit card statement and go through it with a fine-toothed comb. Are you spending money on real estate services that you haven’t used in more than six months and have no intent on using? Are you paying for things that are not generating growth for your business? Stop it.
2. Clean up your contact database. 2013 was blissful mayhem for many agents, but the side effect of a hot real estate market is often sloppy lead management. Get that shovel out and start digging through every lead you acquired and make sure they are loaded in your contact management system, aka your customer relationship management (CRM) system.
3. Remember how long the typical buying cycle is, or DOM (Days on Market) — it is entirely possible that you’ve got some hot leads hiding in there. 
4. A local Realtor added - “Our databank is our bank of business for now and the future. It requires constant addition, nurture and contact, or it dies.” Also, remember the touches you have of those on your databank, call, post card, coffee, lunch, you never stop touching those on your list!
5. When was the last time you looked at your own real estate website? Time block an hour to read every page on your website to make sure the information is both current and visually appealing.
6. Time for the annual cleanup and dump, go through your office, what can you toss, what do you need to keep, do you really need to keep that?  Tame those dust bunnies and hit the recycling bin while things are a bit more quiet.

Holiday prospecting is not limited to Christmas cards.....

Real estate is a face to face business, and you need to make your presence felt with eggnog and cookies. Or skip the eggnog and bring Champagne for celebrating! Attend as many holiday parties in your community as your digestive system can handle. Without fail someone at the party or event will ask how the real estate market is going.....and you thought that reruns of sitcoms were your plan for the season....

Door knocking. You didn’t think we would take it there, did you? A one-page informational flier on the market with some splashy color graphs (and NOT about yourself). Everyone is interested in local numbers. Use minimal text. It is just a way to get to know someone. Spread some holiday cheer, wish others a happy holiday season, more of a reason to see others!

It’s never too late or early to reconnect with industry peers. Ask others about their year both at the office and in the area. Your broker may be able to show you statistics and get an idea with others how to expand your business for 2014. Maybe you can get a jump by taking additional Real Estate classes. These things can help you learn more about current methods of customer service.

Lay the groundwork for 2014

When was the last time you Googled yourself? Odds are good that when a buyer or seller searches for your name online, he is going to find your profile on Google+, Trulia, LinkedIn and other national websites. Update your online profiles on these sites during the holidays to make sure those prospects get a great first impression of you.

Write your 2014 business plan. In a nutshell, your plan just needs to say how many transactions you need next year and where that business is going to come from. What will you do different this year, that you did not do last year? Perhaps contacting more investors? Perhaps more networking with others?

Re-examine your market niche. As a real estate agent, you can’t be all things to all people. You’ll get the most bang for your marketing buck if you choose a specific niche like luxury homes, investment properties, first-time buyers, historic homes, etc. If your marketing still revolves entirely around distressed properties, it may be time to to shift your focus to a new niche.

#LizBobeck