Profit in Preparation
It sounds contradictory, but the more time you spend on projects and with clients up front, the more time you save down the road and the more income per hour you will earn. The time you spend in preparation is where your real money is earned.
Every situation will require a different level of preparation but here are some of the basics:
- Conduct detailed pre-listing and buyer interviews. Learn as much as possible about your clients wants, needs and whys.
- Google your clients and research them on social media.
- Have pre-listing and buyer packets ready to go, customized to each client. Deliver them ahead of your meeting.
- For sellers, start on the comparative market analysis right away. Learn their neighborhood, analyze trends and start putting together the tools you need to help them understand fair market value.
- For buyers, begin conducting searches and set up automatic alerts for listings that meet their criteria. Call ahead to those listing agents to get more details and understand what the current buyer activity looks like.
- Anticipate questions you clients may have and start compiling answers.
All of this work in preparation will enable you to take appropriate action to ensure a smooth process. Use this prep work to your advantage in qualifying your clients and keeping them focused on their real goal. As you move through the selling or buying process with them, each interaction will require its own level of preparation; don't skip out on this. Too many opportunities are lost because people do not show up prepared.
Over time your up front work will compound and eventually start to take less time. You will notice operational efficiencies that you can leverage to scale your business. The results will be a demonstration of greater professionalism, your meetings will take less time and you will close more business with an increasing number of satisfied clients.
So hone in your pregame and turn your effort into an increased bottom line.