Real Estate Just like 20twenty Cricket

I was watching the ACA Legends twenty20 cricket over the weekend. The fantastic thing about those kind of games is that they put microphones on some of the players and the commentators talk to them through out the game and we get to listen to how they approach things. It was amazing to listen to Shane Warne direct the players around the field and to hear his comments on his plan of attack.

The first thing I noticed was his work rate! I have played club cricket for a few years and there is no where near that kind of work rate going on. He didn't shut up. Constant encouragement to his bowler, constant changes to his field. Always thinking about what was happening next.

He also made some very interesting comments about the short form of the game that is twenty20 cricket. How it is much faster and how you need to be planning 3-4 overs in advance. With such a short game you cant afford to be slow to react to the situation. Compared to the 50 over match or a test match it is extremely challenging for him as a captain.

Another thing that was very clear was for every batsmen that came to the crease he had a plan. He had obviously done his homework and knew their strengths & weaknesses and had come up with what he thought was the best strategy to get them out and implemented it.

I took two things out of the game besides the fact that it was an entertaining game of cricket to watch. The first is that to compete at an elite level you need to have a plan and implement it, Secondly you need to be evaluating how you are against that plan. Shane also needed to decide on the fly if his original plan was right or needed to be changed all together before the game got away. Which can happen very quickly in twenty20 cricket, a couple of quick sixes and the whole balance of the game changes within a matter of balls.

How do you compare to Shane Warne.
What is your plan of attack?
How well are you implementing it?
What is your work load like...are you constantly making sure you are implementing your plan and re evaluating it?
How adaptable are you to getting hit for 6?
What is your talk like to your team mates?
Are you ahead of the game or trying to catch up?

The current real estate market is much like twenty20 cricket. It is a different world now than what it used to be and is constantly changing and it is vital to keep pace with the evolution or you will find your self playing test cricket and everyone else is playing twenty20.

Spring Cleaning Time

Coming into Spring, the time of year that is typically the busiest selling time for Real Estate the signs are positive that this spring will return similar results.
In spite of the doom and gloom and the apocalyptic predictions of some, the sky hasn't fallen. The world continues to turn and amazingly the economy is recovering. Although we have been lucky here in Australia in that we haven't fared as badly as our US counterparts. But believe it or not. The sky hasn't fallen in there either. Life goes on.

Those that have fared best out of this are those that realized that the world would go on and actively made efforts to position themselves. Are you one of those. Are you positively poised in your market place to take advantage of the upcoming spring rush.
Here are my top 10 tips to to get ready for Spring.

1. Be clear about how your business is positioned and have your goals and targets in place. This may seem obvious but you would be amazed at how many agents out there don't do this. I know it is a cliche but fail to plan and you plan to fail. It's a cliche for a reason...it's true
2. Review your listing presentation. Do your recommendations you make in your presentation align with the state of the market.
3. Set in place your prospecting plan from now until the end of the year. I know it seems like a long way away but in reality it's not. The prospecting you do today will come back in the future and as the market improves don't wait until the going is great again to try and pick up the business. Get in those doors now!!
4. Touch base with your entire database, personally. Ring them and discuss the market, see if their circumstances have changed. Changes in the market are a great excuse to build onto the relationships you have with your clients. And they will feel important having heard from you personally. Make 10 calls it will only take a few weeks to get through.
5. Do a review on your closing successes. Look at your last 10 sales. How many inspections did each property have? How many properties had you shown the buyer of the property before that purchased that particular home? How did the negotiation process go? This shouldn't take longer than an hour. Can you make any improvements?
6. Past appraisals. The appraisal you do today will convert into your listings for in the future. Don't forget the appraisal you did last month or 6 months ago.
7. Perfect your open homes. As spring approaches more and more people start looking at open homes. It's show day. Not only are the properties open for inspection but it is a chance for the public to watch you at work. Make an impression. Are your open home signs up to scratch. There is nothing worse than seeing an open for inspection sign with a time scrawled on it in nicko. Wash your flag!!. If you have a flag make sure you wash the grease off it that has come from shoving it in the boot of your car!!
8. Wash your car!! As real estate agents we spend a lot of time in our cars.
9. Do the same with your office. It's not called a spring clean for nothing.
10. Get active. The days are getting longer. Summer is around the corner and most of us have a little winter warmth to get rid of. Try it just one morning. Get up an hour early and go for a walk or run. Some of us are lucky enough to live near the beach. If not it is still nice and fresh early in the morning and a great way to start your day. It will improve your day!!!

Have a great spring!!!!