Real estate agents are constantly searching for effective strategies and tools to navigate the changing landscape of the industry. By prioritizing effective habits, fostering strong relationships, and adopting a growth-oriented mindset, agents can position themselves not only to overcome challenges but also to flourish in even the most demanding market conditions.
At Thursday’s eXp Shareholder Summit in Orlando, a series of agent-led breakout sessions delved deep into these crucial topics. These sessions brought together exceptional panelists who shared intriguing insights, ensuring that attendees gained invaluable knowledge and perspective.
Rewire Your Habits to Boost Your Sales
This valuable session focused on providing practical strategies to adapt and improve sales habits in response to shifting market dynamics.
Moderator Katey Dallosto kicked off the session by saying, “The market has shifted – but have you shifted your habits?” The panel of speakers included Ruben Garcia, Lewi Gault and Sara Delansig.
The session emphasized the importance of focusing on the present and taking immediate action to achieve sales goals.
Review Your Calendar — Attendees were encouraged to reevaluate their calendars and allocate specific time blocks that align with their objectives. Regularly reviewing the calendar at the end of each day allowed participants to identify missed tasks and reschedule them for the upcoming days, promoting accountability. Tracking habits, akin to managing finances, was emphasized to demonstrate the impact of time allocation on future outcomes.
Leverage Your Tools — The panelists also highlighted the significance of leveraging customer relationship management (CRM) tools and maintaining diligent notes for effective client outreach. The Eisenhower matrix, which categorizes tasks based on urgency and importance, was recommended to prioritize activities. Additionally, when faced with unresponsive clients, strategies were suggested such as leaving personalized voicemails, sending texts, and sharing relevant videos that add value for prospects.
Building Market Share by Nurturing Client Relationships
This engaging panel presented diverse strategies for nurturing client relationships to achieve market share growth. The speakers included eXp agents Ricky Carruth, Juan Carlos Barreneche and Paula Snow. Nikki Klein was the moderator.
Ricky Carruth shared his approach, focusing on personalized service and establishing genuine connections. He avoids formal systems like CRM and instead invests time in getting to know his clients needs personally. By understanding their needs and challenges, he effectively assists them in finding suitable solutions.
Ricky’s sole promotional tool is a weekly email sent through Constant Contact, which consistently keeps his name in front of his audience. By providing valuable local insights, many recipients on his mailing list ultimately convert into satisfied clients. While he doesn’t host client appreciation events, Ricky believes in the power of authentic conversations and treating clients like family.
Paula Snow adopts a contrasting strategy, emphasizing diligent CRM utilization, regular follow-ups, and client appreciation events. She goes the extra mile for her clients, providing practical assistance such as supplying moving boxes and bubble wrap after a successful sale.
Paula frequently pays surprise visits to her clients’ homes, delivering small tokens of appreciation. Additionally, she organizes client appreciation events each year, fostering genuine relationships. When she first relocated to Florida, she was building her business picking up clients buying low-budget homes, and over the years they’ve become some of her most loyal clients due to the relationships she has built.
Juan Carlos Barreneche adopts a balanced approach, positioning himself between the two previous strategies. He plans his campaigns meticulously, mapping out content related to the buying or selling process and wealth building a year in advance. Throughout the year, he sends six text messages on national holidays and delivers two voicemail blasts.
Juan Carlos also invests in sending physical gifts to his VIP clients on their birthdays, acknowledging their importance to his business. While this approach incurs additional costs, Juan Carlos highlights that agents often spend significant amounts on lead generation. He employs his own CRM to effectively organize clients and prospects.
Amidst their varied approaches, all the agents concur on the importance of authenticity and relationship-building. They stress the need to approach people genuinely, without solely focusing on making a sale. By investing effort in building strong connections with clients and prospects, agents can foster enduring relationships and reap the rewards beyond mere financial gain.
New Markets Require a New Mindset
This panel featured a panel discussion with Kirtus Dixon as the moderator, along with Rick Geha, Denise Mai and Smita Singh. The session emphasized the importance of shifting your mindset to adapt to the changing market and find your own way to thrive.
The speakers highlighted the significance of entrepreneurial thinking, going beyond traditional tactics and finding creative ways to bootstrap and make things work.
They encouraged agents to think bigger and focus on activities that have a significant impact and are within their control. Instead of trying to tackle everything, the speakers advised choosing a few key areas to concentrate on.
While discussions often revolve around the “how” of real estate business, this particular session focused more on cultivating the right mindset for success. The speakers emphasized that market conditions do not determine an agent’s success but rather shape their strategy. They stressed that despite changes in the market, numerous opportunities still exist, and agents need to adapt and discover new avenues for growth.
A key shift in mindset recommended by the panel was moving from a self-focused perspective of “what can I do better?” to one of providing value to others. Rather than merely calling prospects to inquire about their readiness to sell, try sending them videos or resources that could be genuinely helpful and add value.
The session also addressed the importance of self-care and setting boundaries. The speakers advised agents to focus on themselves first, engage in daily affirmations, and prioritize exercise or yoga. They encouraged agents to avoid spending time with negativity and instead surround themselves with positive influences and continuous learning.
Lastly, the speakers highlighted the value of working with coaches. They explained that coaches can offer a fresh perspective from an external standpoint and help agents change their mindset. By gaining a better perspective on their situation, agents can benefit from the guidance and insights provided by coaches.
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Missed the eXp Shareholder Summit this year? Be sure to register for EXPCON, being held Oct. 2-5 in Las Vegas, where you can attend valuable panel discussions like this one.
