Getting Started

  Start Off on the Right Foot, Have a Plan
 
You've probably heard the saying: "Failure to plan is planning to fail." With careful planning, you can focus on activities that will lead to success.
 
Deciding where you want to go and how you're going to get there is important. The first step is to review where you are today. Keeping accurate records will help you identify what is working for you. Try asking yourself these questions.
 
  • How many sales did you make in the last year?
  • What was the average sale?
  • What was your biggest sale and how much did you earn? How did you find this client?
  • What was the smallest sale and how much did you earn? How did you find this client?
  • Who is your "ideal" client?
  • What is your best source of leads?
  • How many sales did you close on the first interview, the second, the third, etc.?
  To be successful, it's important to run your business like a business. Create your annual sales, profit and income goal. Then determine how to get there.
 
  • Know the type of prospects you're targeting.
  • Determine the average number of prospects needed to reach your goal. If you're selling 50% of your interviews, you'll need to increase the number of prospects according to your desired goal.
  • Market to prospects based on your best source of leads. Focus those precious marketing dollars on activities you've evaluated and prioritized for their ability to deliver results or a return-on-investment.
  Maintaining consistent contact with your prospects is the key to acquiring new listings and selling properties. Since you don't always know when someone is ready to buy or sell, they need a regular reminder from you that you are available to serve them. Otherwise, they'll use a real estate professional that does a better job of keeping in touch with them.
 
Newsletters, postcards and client follow-up programs are the most effective tools to communicate your values, beliefs and expertise to your clients and prospects on a regular basis. You can't meet personally with each of your clients and prospects every month, but your personalized mailers can.
 
Implement your marketing plan. The world's best marketing plan is worthless if it's not implemented. Review your plan twice a year and evaluate the performance of your activities. Make the necessary adjustments, but avoid making frequent changes to your plan. Rather, focus on its long-term effectiveness. If something clearly has not performed, adjust or eliminate that activity, then reallocate those marketing dollars into an activity that has produced results.
 

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