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Agents… Start Your 90 Day Shift

Wade Webb on June 3, 2020

“Do the thing, have the power.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Such a simple, yet profound idea. It’s one of my favourite mantras in both life and business.

In an era when everyone is seeking shortcuts and wanting results in the blink of an eye, it lays out the truth in plain language… You’ve gotta do the work to get the reward. If you’re putting in the work and looking for that Shift!

Step 1: Clearly Declare What You Want + Tell Others About It

This first step in the process is pretty straightforward…

You need to decide what you want in specific detail.

Then, don’t keep it to yourself. Goals kept private rarely get accomplished. So go tell people. Announce it from the rooftops.

Step 2: Start Your 90-Day Shift!

This is where you really start “doing the thing” that will give you the power.

You need to be performing the right activities – the actions that align with your goals – for 90 days. Each individual day might not move the needle, but collectively these 90-day cycles will most definitely move you closer to your goal.

Why 90 days? Because it gives you an opportunity to create real results. Any less and you haven’t given whatever you’re doing a chance to make a difference in your business.

Step 3: Momentum

At a certain point within your 90-day cycle, you’ll begin to see tangible results of your work. I’m sure you’ve experienced this in your business when your activities begin to pay off and suddenly things are clicking.

This is being in the momentum state.

But BEWARE! There are two ways to will quickly kill your momentum:

One, your ego jumps up to bite you. When you start gaining traction, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re doing great and let your foot off the pedal.

Two, you stop doing the work that got you there.

If you realize you’ve fallen victim to one of these traps, it’s time to push the reset button and begin a new 90-day cycle.

Step 4: Stabilization

I’m not going to promise you that one 90-day cycle will move your business significantly. But when you keep doing those activities repeatedly, your business will grow.

Which means you need to be paying attention and adjusting accordingly.

Growth requires new systems and structure, and that’s what the “stabilization” phase is all about… Identifying what’s needed at this new stage in order to stay there:

Systems
Checklists
Software
Personnel
Etc.

Don’t ignore this step! Without regularly stabilizing your business after growth spurts, you’ll fall back down to where you are most stable.

Step 5: More 90-Day Shift & Stabilization

After stabilizing, it’s time to get back to the work, and then rinse and repeat…

Get right back into more 90-day cycles (yes, cycles plural) and stabilize when needed.

Do that again and again. Stick with it and stay committed.

Because eventually your discipline, hard work, and perseverance will pay off and you’ll hit…

Step 6: THE QUANTUM LEAP!

When you “do the thing” over and over and over again…

When you build that momentum and maintain your discipline…

At a certain point your work is going to pay off and you’ll create a sudden and unpredictable burst of results.

I’m not talking about a little rush of activity, but the big jump from 30 transactions to 90 in one year.

This is the quantum leap where you can achieve true, lasting exponential growth in your business. (As long as you stabilize once again after taking that giant leap.)

Step 7: More 90-Day Shift & Stabilization

The last step in this process is to get right back to the work. Jump into a new 90-day cycle and stabilize when needed. You’ve gotta keep doing the thing to give you the power.

Take the 90-Day Call Out?!

What are 3-7 non-negotiable activities you’ll do in your business every day for 90 days in a row? (Or 78 if you want to take one day off each week – it’s up to you.)

Let me know what you’re committed to in the comments below!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Negotiating Strategies For Agents In This New World

Wade Webb on April 29, 2020

This week I am sharing from a wonderful negotiation instructor and friend of mine Suze Cummings some great strategy for us all in this unprecedented time. Stay home and stay safe but if you have a client that needs to buy or needs to sell or you have a deal that is in jeopardy of not closing, your negotiation skills are going to matter more than ever. I thought I’d take an opportunity to review the negotiation fundamentals and talk about how they might be beneficial for the next few weeks as we go through the peak of the health crisis and how they might be beneficial in the months after that when the market is sure to be unsettled, uncertain and difficult to predict. Many of you are CNE or MCNE grads and this will be a review for you but let’s sharpen those skills so you can serve your clients well.

Collaborative versus Competitive Negotiators.

The only way to get a deal done right now is to be highly collaborative. You’ll need to work closely with the other agent on every aspect of the transaction from virtual viewing, arranging inspections, crafting offers, overcoming both parties’ unique challenges and finding the common ground or win-win outcome that they can both agree to. I’ve been working closely with my clients on some pretty complicated deals these past couple of weeks and in each situation, I am 100% sure that the only reason those deals went together was because both agents were deeply committed to working together to overcome all of the challenges. The creative problem solving that was required took the input from both agents (and outside help as well)

By definition, a competitive negotiator is looking to win and have the other side lose. It’s a zero-sum game and they don’t care about trust, relationships, emotions or anything else except winning. While a degree of competitive behavior can be beneficial in some cases where you have a strong power advantage, it will destroy any chance of crafting a deal in this environment.

While it’s impossible to predict what the market will do when we get through the peak of the health crisis, we are likely to see some competitive negotiators come back into the market representing buyers who want to take advantage of desperate sellers. We will cover this in much more detail as those days unfold but know that having a clear understanding of the benefits of collaboration and not being emotionally upset by an aggressive competitive negotiator are the first steps to being able to get deals done. We are likely to have the opportunity to learn a lot about the aggressive low-ball offer – a classic competitive negotiation tactic that is very common in buyers’ markets.

Stands, Positions and the SAM Model

I won’t sell my house for a penny less than $x. This is a classic stand and our business is full of them. It could be about price, or commission, or timing, or marketing. In the CNE courses, we use the SAM model to go below the stand to understand more about what is going on the client and help them make good decisions. The stands will often be firmer during times of duress when people are afraid. It’s a natural bit of human nature and now more than ever, you need to see past the stand, ask questions to understand what is truly going on and tap into the emotions so you can help them make the best decisions. This takes time, patience, empathy and skill. You need to build a high level of trust so that they will be open to sharing the important details of their situation with you. As we pass through the peak of the pandemic, and we see some trades start to happen, it’s likely that pricing will be lower than the peak that occurred in February. It’s possible that we could see prices declining for some time. Your ability to see stands and be able to get below them to the stuff that matters will be critical. The SAM model is a great tool but also sharpen up on your questioning skills, trust building and communications.

Communication Principle

I’ve talked in the past about how much more effective you can be in a negotiation when you are face to face; and now, we can’t be face to face. It’s tempting to flip an email off to someone but think carefully about your best means of communication. Research says that when we communicate by written word only, our chances of persuading someone is about 15%. When we more to spoken words as in the phone, there is more information and immediate response and the rate increases to 35%. Face to face it jumps to 60%. In my experience these numbers are about right except if you are a highly skilled negotiator in which case each number might be 10-20 basis points higher. When negotiations get more complicated, communication matters more. This is why zoom and other video conferencing platforms are so popular now. I would suggest that whenever possible in any negotiations, you try to meet with your counterparts on Video and if that isn’t possible, use the phone. Leave email for sending information and following up. High level negotiation skills are going to be a critical part of your return to productivity when transactions start to occur again. Take the time now to sharpen them up. Take an online CNE or MCNE course or if you are financially vulnerable, don’t spend the money and read some books. Here are a few recommendations. Getting to Yes is the number one recommendation.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Missing Out On This? Agent to Agent Referrals

Wade Webb on February 19, 2020

One of the most un tapped opportunities in real estate is effectively working the massive income generation in agent to agent referrals. It is not enough to be managing one database but agents should be managing four separate databases. Sphere of influence ( P2P ), Business owners, service providers ( B2B ), Suspects and prospects (Leads) and the fourth being agent to agent database. This week I want to share how so many of my coaching clients are crushing the agent to agent database and generating six figure income streams annually from just this one opportunity. The benefits of mastering this opportunity are endless. People are relocating all the time, they are higher quality referral leads, easier personal client to deal with and you become the go to person for agent referrals in your market area if it is worked right! So let’s get started….

Step 1. Research where they are coming from?

Take some time to look at the data and see where they are coming from when it comes to your market area. Here are some resources that will help the research and identify the sources for your specific trading area: Be strategic with your targeting of referral agents and find where they are coming from first.

www.moving.com

www.relocatecanada.ca

www.cbc.ca

www.move.org

www.unitedvanlines.com

Real estate board sites

State sites

City sites

Managing brokers

Step 2. Find the agents and offices where they are coming from to your market area and assemble your database.

FACT the last 16 years we know 60% on average each year come within 60 mile radius that did business with our brokerage. Hence targeting the offices and agents first within that region makes the most sense. Find the agents, offices, brands that don’t have a relationship in your area, find their contact information ( name, email, mailing address, mobile), assemble a database. Great resource to get some excellent inexpensive help with all this work is using a virtual assistant www.fiverr.com

Step 3. Place the database into a contact management system. The best CRM is the one you will use!!! Don’t over think this please.

Outlook

Excel

Mail chimp

Bomb Bomb

Step 4. Create an introduction to your agent to agent referral program.

Intro email

Intro Video email

Intro call

Intro text

Who I am….Introduction

Why I am contacting? Their area is a destination for people relocating to your area

What’s In it for them? -Platinum Agent Referral Program

My Business Philosophy – Their destination agent of choice, permission to stay in contact

25% Referral Fees

Step 5. Agent to agent referral program road trip vacation time annually.

Mini vacation as a business expense

Attend office meetings

Collect cards at the door for a raffle

Quick intro and market snapshot

Attend caravan if possible

Take managers lunch, coffee

Leave pop by (Deck of cards) “Don’t gamble with your referrals to ________, I will treat your clients like kings and queens”

Handwritten notes to all the cards I collected once I get home

Step 6. Add value to them and give to get. Wow and awe and be engaging with pull don’t push marketing content.

Real estate tips

Self help tips

Financial tips

Tech tips

Cost Saving tips

Something they would value and appreciate that would improve them personally or professionally

Minimum contact once a month

Step 7. Delivering the unexpected. Three times a year.

Office Pop By Gifts ( Contact their office admin to help you place them into their mail slots and throw a gift card in it for the admin person. )

Personal Handwritten Notes

Office visits annually

Video tips

Blog tips

Good articles

Not my newsletter, stats, market reports!!!

Step 8. Be seen and top of mind every year. Attend events where the referring agents are.

Conventions

Sales Rallies

Meetings

Events

Add Value…

Top of mind…

Create Mastermind groups… share ideas

“Water boys of events..” hand out water bottles and your business card attached.

Step 9. Reward the behavior system. Do this every time!!!

Handwritten thank you card

Gift card amazon $20

Report on referral progress to the agent

Reward when referral completes 25%

Annual referrer grand prize contest ( video live draw )

Step 10. Build this and they will come!!!

A system for more revenue each and every year

Easier business

Fun business

Relational business

Be the area go to person

So there you have the 10 step plan to crush it with agent to agent referrals in the coming year. I dare you to take this and implement and execute and create another amazing and fun income stream for you and your business.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Planning For Real Estate Success 2020

Wade Webb on November 13, 2019

A mentor and someone I admire incredibly Jim Rohn, the legendary business philosopher always said to “Finish your week before it begins.” He meant that we take control of our schedule and real estate business and plan for the week ahead before it even happens. If we don’t take control then someone else or something else always does!

So when the year begins to wind down you should not wait until the very end to start planning for next year. This means having a crystal clear understanding of the successes and challenges of your current year, how it impacts your upcoming year, and developing a vision of what you want to accomplish, and how. Many agents aim for nothing every year and most hit it with amazing accuracy!! I believe you should always start working on your next year strategy months in advance of the new year. This awards you enough time to make an impact on your final quarter, and lay the groundwork for making sure your next fiscal year starts off on a solid footing.

For agents who want to achieve greatness, push the envelope, and grow their business through market share, market penetration, paying down debt, increasing sales, profits and cash flow, I urge you to get going now! The way I see things is, if your business isn’t growing, pushing the envelope, thriving, and maximizing profit, then all you’re really doing is suffering a slow death. Believe me, your competition is fighting the fight every day, and they didn’t wake up in the morning and say “Gosh, golly, I hope I stay even in 2020.” They want to eat your lunch, take your business, absorb your market share and steal your customers away.

Some people might ask me if they should start planning by looking at their competition, and I say NO. Why focus on the competition, instead of focusing on yourself? When it comes to my business, I don’t care what others do. I care about what I do. Recognize your competition for what and who they are, and then put your best foot forward by pushing the envelope in your business. You should approach the new year as if you are going to battle, and for that you should develop a strategic plan.

Business Plan – a written document that describes in detail how a business, usually a new one, is going to achieve its goals. A business plan lays out a written plan from a marketing, financial and operational viewpoint.

FACT: LESS THAN 3% OF REAL ESTATE AGENTS HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN

FACT: ESTIMATED 3% OF REAL ESTATE AGENTS IN NORTH AMERICA DO 97% OF THE BUSINESS

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Writing a business plan may seem a daunting task as there are so many moving parts and concepts to address. Take it one step at a time and be sure to schedule regular review (quarterly, semi-annually, or annually) of your plan to be sure you are on track to meet your goals. It is that time of year again when we begin to build our plan for 2020 so let’s look at the key areas of the agent’s solid business plan.

Business Plan for the Successful REALTOR©

Step 1) “Success and history always leaves us clues.” I began by looking back to identify the clues that have been left for us and the business. I would look at the real estate market first and search for the following clues.

What have the number of sales been doing the last year? 2-5 years? Up? Down?

What have the number of listings been doing the last year? 2-5 years? Up? Down?

What have the average and median prices been doing?

What price ranges are experiencing more activity? Less activity?

What neighborhoods or areas are experiencing more activity? Less Activity?

What property types are selling more? Less?

What buyer types are buying more?

Where are the buyers coming from? Local? Next state or province? Over Seas?

Imagine the targeted and strategic plan you would be able to build for you and your real estate business with this kind of information? Now you are not just winging it. You really know where and what to focus on.

Step 2) Looking At The Present State of Your Own Real Estate Business

What have my sales been doing? Up? Down?

What have my listings been doing? Up? Down?

What is my average price? Can I raise my average selling price?

What is my Gross Commission Income doing?

What is my average deal worth?

Where are my listings and sales coming from? Sources of business?

What types of buyers do I represent?

Where are the buyers coming from? Local? Out of area?

What are my pending sales?

What do I have for potential buyers and sellers?

What is working? What is not working?

What do I need to start doing again? Stop doing?

What if you took the time to really track and measure and reflect on your business at a deeper level and see your strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of yourself and your own business?

Step 3) Activity Plans – Take the time to lay out your activity plan calendar a year in advance. Focus on the activities you know you are good at and you see a return on your invested time and money. I am guessing for most agents it would be your sphere of influence, referrals and face to face or voice to voice activities. Set up a schedule for a month or two in advance of your activities for generating business. What is the activity? When? How? To Whom? Track and measure each of these scheduled activities to help identify the best of the best.

Step 4) Budgeting – Profit is the goal in business. Knowing what your personal life and your business world cost you monthly is so important. Expense management is just as important as your income and earnings. Have a clear picture of your expenses and measure all of them for their return on investment or if they can be reduced in any way. I understand this my be terrifying for most of us to see what we are spending personally and professionally but it is the foundation of your business plan to know what your personal and professional lives cost and then be able to set a financial target that is enough to cover them both and leave you some profit! So many of us stay away from this and run in a deficit and that is not good practice for any of us.

Step 5) Goals – If your “Why” is big enough the “how” will take care of itself. What is your purpose? Vision? Values? Mission Statement? Taking the time to know what it is you want and why you want it is a game changer for us all. Nothing gives me more joy than impacting and improving people’s lives personally and professionally every day. I have realized that the driving compelling force in my life is serving others and having the means to create memorable experiences with the people I care about most and nothing else has given me more joy than these amazing WHY’s in my own life.

In my own real estate business, taking the time over the last 25 years to create a business plan has been so incredibly beneficial for me and I know it will for you as well. In today’s post I have given you a brief business plan overview. To help you get going with your own plan I put together a Step-by-Step Real Estate Business Plan Workbook you can download for free by clicking the link below.

Click here to download the new 2020 business plan PDF….

Strength and courage,
Wade

Pre Open House Strategies In 2019

Wade Webb on October 9, 2019

One of the best activities I did for my business was an open house and it never failed me and should never fail you if done correctly. An open house will always be one of the top ways an agent can generate business because face to face lead generation is where most of us are at our best. This is the best opportunity for the consumer to meet you and get to know you and with enough skill they will even like and trust you.

So what was my goal for an open house? My number one goal was to capture a contacts Name, Email and Cell number and win the right to meet with them for an appointment outside of my open house and share solutions to their challenges in today’s market place. Some of you may say Wade the goal is selling the listing you’re hosting an open house at, and I say “yes I get it” and I also say “The blind squirrel does find a nut once in a while” but focus on contact capture and setting the appointment.

So where do we start?

Setting The Stage – Pre Open House Strategies

Select properties on salability, location, traffic, curb appeal, condition, style, area, price.
Choose the date a week or two out to properly plan for the event.
Consider working the open house with another agent to be able to control the crowds.
Preview and tour the home and comparable homes, so you really know your market.
Decide about food, beverage and entertainment for the event.
Strategize where the public looks for open houses online and offline to generate more traffic. Check out www.preopenhouse.com
The day and time will not matter if you have prepared and marketed the event properly.
Post a sign rider on the property for sale sign for the week or two prior to the event.
**POWER TIP** Market and advertise only the start time of your opens. Open @ or Open from …… This will make people call you and leave you their name and number ( lead capture) to ensure you don’t leave before they have arrived and you will call them when leaving. You also now can leave if nobody comes within an hour and not be held hostage to an open house that has nobody attending. Make sense?
Join forces with other agents and other listings in the area to drive your activity and traffic count up for the open house.
Announce your open house event using Facebook Live, Email your database, Social media posts.
Door knock and invite all the neighbors in the area of the open house and have them come to the open 15 minutes prior to the public start time. When the public arrives the open house will already have the neighbors there and creates a buzz and hype for the public arrival thinking this is a hot listing with traffic arriving early.
Drop a post card or door hanger invitation for the surrounding neighborhood when someone is not home to be invited in person.
Door knock the Expired listings and for sale by owners around your open house listing and offer to show their properties and give them a taste of how hard you work to market homes.

So there you have some of the pre open house strategies and I trust some of these will help you plan better or consider making adjustments to what you are already doing. Don’t hesitate to share in the comments below some of your own strategies, we would love to hear from you!!

Strength and courage,
Wade

What Are You Afraid Of?

Wade Webb on August 7, 2019

How does our brain create fear? What makes us afraid? Snakes, the dark, rejection, love, spiders, the unknown, public speaking, your first listing presentation as a new Realtor© flying, storms, failure — though the reasons are varied, we are all hardwired to feel fear. Or are we?

What about people who never seem to be afraid? Or the small percentage of the population that literally cannot feel fear? Why are there kids completely unafraid of taking risks and then others who seem afraid of everything? Fear’s purpose is to keep us from harm, but what if it holds us back from what we really want?

THE BIOLOGY OF FEAR

First, some facts: There is no single fear switch for humans; responding to threats involves multiple areas of the brain. We’re not 100% how, but scientists have found the amygdala—almond-shaped bundles of neurons buried deep in the brain, just above the brain stem—central to the process. “When you sense something potentially dangerous, the amygdala sends excitatory signals to other parts of the brain, effectively saying, ‘Hey everyone, pay attention!’” says Bambi DeLaRosa, a researcher on threat processing. The areas of the brain associated with language and memory also become active in the face of fear. If the amygdala sounds the alarm, the other areas help evaluate the threat level and how you respond. But people with the extremely rare Urbach-Wiethe disease have calcium deposits in their brains, making it impossible for them to process fear. Studies have found their amygdala completely calcified, so there’s nothing to signal for fear signs like sweating palms or a racing heart to begin. Researchers have identified only 400 people in the world with this condition. What’s particularly striking about Urbach-Wiethe is that fear has long been critical for human survival, so living without fear can be quite dangerous. Studying subjects with this condition has also given us insights to how we deal with emotions and drives. Since people can survive without fear, perhaps it isn’t as necessary as we’ve assumed. Other paths, like logic, can take us to the correct behaviors that help us survive.

So what triggers fear in the first place? One possibility is simply not understanding how something works. But we can’t stop fear just through knowledge alone. A 2009 study compared human reaction to sweat taken from people when they were terrified to sweat from regular exercise. Just smelling the fear sweat caused the fear centers of the brain to kick in. Other animals also share fear reactions via alarm pheromones, but this work is the first to show a similar reaction in humans. These findings suggest that just being around people who are afraid can make you fearful. And while that might not be a big deal when you’re visiting a haunted house or watching a scary movie, it can have huge impacts on your daily life or real estate business. Our reactions to others’ fear might be part of what holds particularly adults back from taking risks or trying new things, whether skydiving or applying for a new job.

CULTURAL FEARS AND MODERN LIFE

Psychological studies also bear out this idea of collective fear having a wider cultural impact. In the 1970s Roger Hart studied the children in a small Vermont town to see what they did when they weren’t under direct adult supervision, learning about their secret places for play and favorite spots where they roamed. He returned in 2004 and found a completely different set of norms. These parents, some of whom were subjects in the 1970s research, are much more concerned with the minute-by-minute facts of their children’s lives. Unsupervised play is almost unheard of and children stay much closer to home. Yet crime rates are exactly the same as they were 40 years ago. “There’s a fear” among the parents, Hart told The Atlantic, “an exaggeration of the dangers, a loss of trust that isn’t totally clearly explainable.”

But if you’re surrounded by others who aren’t afraid to let their kids roam around, chances are you won’t be either. There is power in who we surround ourselves with as well as how our culture shifts its norms. As Tony Robbins says, “Who you spend time with is who you become.” This is just one example of how fear often comes from the stories we tell ourselves; we bet you can think of more. Frequently parents project their own fears onto children or get them to repeat their own fear-driven patterns. Other stories we tell ourselves can lead us to fear everything from rejection to success. What then can we do to prevent fear from holding us or our children back?

WAYS TO LEVERAGE FEAR

You need to use fear, otherwise it uses you. Remember, bravery isn’t being fearless and unafraid; it’s being fearful and doing something anyway. Ways to use fear include figuring out what your fear tells you about your current situation and what it can teach you. One way people handle their fear is to push themselves to face extremes, whether climbing mountains or walking over coals. Just take the fire walk at Tony Robbins UPW event I attended a few years ago. Instead of letting fear win, people lean into their fear and find they can achieve anything they put their minds to. As a 45 year-old firewalker, you have to mentally prepare for the experience, “otherwise you surrender to the fear and that will conquer other parts of your life.” Fire walking made him feel like “Superman”; “It had nothing to do with my feet but was about following through on a promise.” No matter your age, you’ll never overcome a fear holding you back by walking away from it. Take courage and focus on what the fear will bring your way and you’ll be truly unstoppable.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Where & How To Use A Virtual Tour To Sell Your Listings

Wade Webb on June 26, 2019

Why would you want to include a virtual tour with your home marketing efforts? Nowadays, buyers don’t even look at online listings if they don’t include a virtual tour. The technology for virtual touring properties on the internet is amazing with the help of services like IGuide and Matterport. This allows us to virtually take the property to any potential buyer around the world and let them virtually experience the property without physically being here.

How Do Virtual Tours Work?

Virtual tours take you inside the home and give you a 180 to a 360-degree view. Some are interactive, meaning you click the mouse and it takes you to the ceiling, the floor, the walls, leaving no inch of the room unseen. Others are flat-screen views put together to give you a moving image that you watch but do not control. Some are digital and 3D like you are in there in person. You can order virtual tours in a number of ways. Shoot your own photographs and hire a professional to simply upload and assemble them for you. Hire a professional to shoot the photos, upload and assemble artwork into a tour. It’s so affordable today that most people pay for a virtual tour. Or buy your own software and compose/create it yourself.

How to Get Started With Making a House Virtual Tour?

Every virtual tour should consist of a minimum of two spins. Even a small 800-square-foot condo can be shot on a two-spin tour: the living room and the clubhouse/pool area, for example. Use collages of 36 photos or more. Super intense virtual tours are generally reserved for the homes valued at more than a million dollars and may involve an aerial tour shot from a drone. Buyers want to see the guesthouses, the wine cellars, the indoor pool and spa facilities, the libraries, media rooms, gyms, studios, the 18-car garages, and helicopter pads. Most professional virtual tour companies will handle everything for you, from beginning to finish, and will supply their own server to host the virtual tour. All you have to do is post the link in the appropriate places. These virtual tours are generally one long continuous show.

Tips for Staging a Virtual Tour

Determine what your focus is and what your viewpoints are. You can take your own digital photographs and upload them to your computer. This way you can study each room for its appeal and photogenic quality. Print out the photos you like and show the virtual tour photographer the angles that you want. Begin the tour focused on the most interesting element in the space and end with that element. Think about what the viewer will see first to determine your starting point for the tour. You don’t want to begin filming a doorway, for example, because most doorways are boring. Move excess furniture out, and properly prepare the room you are shooting. You want the space clean, open, clutter-free and to appear much larger than it is. Consider the level of the camera. If you raised it a foot or so, would it eliminate glare from windows or avoid showing the unpainted fence outside? Choose the best spot in the room to set up the camera. While you might capture a wider range of view from a location close to a hall or door, think about the entire circle of view and how interested your viewer will be staring at a close-up of a nearby wall. Remember, one click of the mouse, and your image is lost.

Added Features for Virtual Tours

Most virtual tours provide ample space for marketing content. Use adjectives sparingly. Concentrate instead on the use of sharp nouns and action verbs. Every picture tells a story, doesn’t it? Describe that moving video with text that rolls across the screen. Don’t rely on the viewer to know enough to scroll down the page to your verbiage. Add a line of verbiage directly to the video. Supplying Audio: Some virtual tours give you the option of adding your voice to the tour. Be enthusiastic, speak clearly, and remember to smile, like you were talking to a friend because a smile resonates in the voice. Allow a mute button.

Where to Upload and Post Your House Virtual Tour Link

Link the virtual tour to your agent’s MLS number.
Upload the tour to local websites and your agent’s personal website.
Consider buying a separate Web address to host the virtual tour. Domain names are very cheap, and independent property websites are popular.
Many tour operators will also upload the link to Realtor.com, Realtor.ca, a website which gives visitors the option of viewing only those listings with virtual tours.
Put your virtual tour on YouTube.
Showcase your virtual tour on Facebook.

There you have the latest technology for marketing listings to the internet empowered buyers around the world. Check out your local virtual tour provider today and put this technology to work for your listings and sellers today! You will be glad you did.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Are You Willing To Take A Beating?

Wade Webb on June 12, 2019

If you’ve been to a tourist hotspot like Venice Beach or Downtown Las Vegas in the last couple years, among all the sunglass vendors and street performers, you might have witnessed a weird new phenomenon: People who are willing to be punched or kicked in exchange for money. Yep, you give a complete stranger $20 or so, and he grants you the right to hit him. Sound crazy? Of course it does. But here’s an even crazier thought: I’d contend you – as a real estate salesperson – have more in common with these people than you might expect. You might not subject your body to physical punishment in exchange for money, but let there be no doubt about it… …If you want the monetary rewards associated with a successful career in real estate, you need to be willing to get punched in the face. Repeatedly.

All the Money is In Follow Up. So in your case, I’m not talking about literally getting punched in the face. But figuratively? Yes, most definitely. The statistics show only 5.6 percent of conversions happen upon first contact with a lead. That basically means for every 20 calls you make, one will achieve your desired outcome and 19 others will feel like a right hook landing squarely on your jawline. So here’s the big question for you: Can you handle that type of rejection? Can your psyche deal with that kind of punishment day in and day out? If not, you basically have two choices: Find a foolproof lead generation source that brings business to you automatically (Marketing Edge will help you there), or ask yourself if you’re in the right line of work. Or… you can adapt to accept the rejection and roll with it. Here’s how…

Remove the Emotion. Follow the Data. Here’s some more fun research based on numbers from our coaching members: 68 percent of conversions came after 8-12 conversations with a prospect.

Not one call. Not two. Not three. Not four. Not five. Not six. Not seven. EIGHT or more!

Are you following up with every one of your leads eight times? How about twelve times? (If not, you’re leaving money on the table. Piles of it.) Becoming relentless in your follow up is a matter of expecting to be punched in the face and knowing that each time you get “hit,” you’re one step closer to that next “Yes.” Conversion is purely a numbers game. The more you understand that and the more you look at it from that vantage point, the more you can eliminate the emotion from it and accept it as a reality of doing business.

3 Steps to Highly Effective Follow Up. To dramatically improve your conversion skills, follow these three steps:

Select and commit to a follow-up platform/CRM. Don’t get hung up on which one it is. Just get a tool in place that will help you set up your follow-up cadence and remind you when it needs to happen.

Create your formula. This really has two elements to it: Deciding the tools you’ll use to touch base with people: Phone call, text, email, in person, social media, etc. and the schedule you’ll follow with each of those methods.

DAY 1 A.M.

When a lead comes in, send automated email

Call within 5 minutes!

Send a text if you don’t reach them

DAY 1 P.M.

Call again

Send an email

DAY 2 A.M.

Call again

Send a text

DAY 2 P.M.

Call again

Send Market Snapshot

DAY 3-28

Call every 5 days via Mojo dialer

Send a text after the 5th attempt/28th day

DAY 29+

Call every 30 days until they “buy or die”

Track and measure your own numbers!

Don’t rely on the 8-12 calls statistic mentioned above when your own business is at stake. The better you track and measure your own results, the more predictability you can bring to your business.

So, what’s your verdict? Are you willing to (figuratively) get punched in the face? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below…

Strength and courage,
Wade

Fanatical Prospecting Effect

Wade Webb on May 1, 2019

A major activity for a real estate agent is to prospect for, and convert leads. This seems to be the most avoided activity due to its unnatural, time consuming and difficulty to do for most agents in the business today. This week we look at some of the best practices of prospecting in real estate from the book “Fanatical Prospecting” by Jeb Blount. We help the agent to overcome call reluctance, structure your referral requests and leave a message that will increase your prospecting conversion.

Let’s begin by accepting the fact that prospecting requires you to interrupt people and it is not bothering people but you are interrupting people in a relevant way and that’s what we do in sales. I believe I am an excellent resource in real estate and the agent that they need for help. Stop asking people “Is this a good time to call?” The reflex response from anyone to this over used question is always “NO” but instead give them the reason for your call and get to the point. Be Brief! Be Bright! Be Gone! The 1,2,3 punch to prospecting.

Learn how to ask for the referral. Don’t overcomplicate it, simply ask “Of all the people you know who do think will be moving next?” Just pick up the phone today and call a few past clients and ask them this question and let me know what response you get?! It is important you not only know how to ask for the referral but also educate them on how to give you that referral. “Give me their name and number and I will follow them up and give them excellent service and I promise not to pressure them at all.”

Once you have got past the reluctance of prospecting and you get good at being brief, bright and be gone. You master the ability to ask for the referral and remember to educate them on how to give that referral, you then block time for prospecting daily. The key to changing your business is blocking the time to prospect. Like exercising, the best workouts are usually intense, small intervals. So block your prospecting time to an hour a day. Yes an hour a day. Then break the hour into three separate 20 minute chunks of prospecting time. I guarantee you will see better prospecting results for your business. Remember! One hour a day, split into 3 twenty minute chunks will have a greater impact.

The last prospecting tip is removing all distractions and stop the multi-tasking insanity now! Turn everything off. Be present and focused for that intense interval of twenty minutes of prospecting called your Golden Hour. Maximize that prospecting effort and see the results begin to change for you by being completely focused on the task at hand.

So there you have it. We have to interrupt people in real estate to make money and accepting that fact will make your life a lot easier. If you are polite and relevant your interruption will always be welcome to any prospect. As an exercise today take the time to create a weekly grid and start blocking your one hour of prospecting every day but remember to block it into three separate twenty minute blocks of focused uninterrupted prospecting.

Let me know your results in the next couple of weeks!

Grid the time, block the time
3 twenty minute chunks a day
Do it first thing in your day
Remove all distractions
Repeat!!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Why Winter Is The Best Time To Buy & Sell Real Estate

Wade Webb on February 6, 2019

The real estate consumer has been buying and selling more during the spring and summer months for years now. If you think about it, buying and selling when everyone else does doesn’t help the real estate consumer but hinder them. We understand it is cold, wet and not the ideal conditions to be looking to buy a home or be moving from one home to another. This week we share with REALTORS® and their clients the benefits of buying and selling during the winter versus waiting to buy and sell when everyone does. This we hope will equip you with facts and a strong reality check to combat the need to wait until spring.

Why Sell Your Home Now?

#1 – Only The Serious Buyers Are Looking Over The Winter

Yes there are fewer buyers, but those buyers are usually very SERIOUS about making a purchase or many HAVE to make a purchase. Who else would want to look at buying during the winter?

#2 – Fewer Winter Listings Means Less Listing Competition

Most sellers wait until the spring or summer to list, so your home will have far less competition
Spring = Greater supply = Same Demand = Less Money

#3 – January Is The Biggest Corporate Transfer Month

More corporate relocation moves happen during January than any other time of the year.
Catch the corporate relocation buyers while you can.

#4 – Better Personal Prompt Customer Service

By putting the home on the market during the winter you experience better, personal and faster customer service from movers, lawyers, banks, insurance providers etc. Listing realtors have more time to better serve their sellers and get all the marketing strategies in place.

#5 – More Bargaining Time to Get More Money

By starting to market your home early, you may be able to secure a higher price with more listing exposure time. This season allows a seller to not be in a rush to sell and allow for more market exposure time and ultimately generate a higher price than in the spring.

#6 – Timing Is Everything. So Sell Now & Buy In The Spring

If your home sells quickly, you will be able to shop for your next home during the winter, a great time to find a bargain!
More time to look and not pressure to shop and beat the other buyers. Sell first and then buy in the spring when the inventory and selection begins to rise for you when you are the buyer.

#7 – Standing Out In A Smaller Crowd

Most REALTORS® and offices have less inventory during the winter, enabling your home to stand out even more.
Less marketing noise out there for the buyers and they see your home with ease now.

#8 – 20% Of Sales Still Happen During the Winter

Buyers and Sellers are usually quite motivated to get the transaction completed. We still have 20% of the business in the year occurring during the winter.
This can mean less price haggling and fewer hassles during the process.

#9 – Buying Without Having Something To Sell First

By selling now you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the spring, when more houses are on the market!
Less “subject to the sale” offers from buyers and you are not one of them when you are buying your next home.

#10 – No Yard Work When It’s Freshly Covered In Snow

Great time for a home that needs a yard make over to sell.
No need to worry about your yard work. Snow makes it look fresh and white

#11 – Buyers Time Everything Too

Buyers begin the search and purchase for spring moves in January, February.
Busy move times are March Spring Break, April Easter, May long weekend and July long weekends

#13 – No Pricing Wars With Others Sellers

Less choice for buyers means less sellers to play pricing against each other
Buyers will often make more concession in their buying decision with less choice

#14 – A Holiday Magic Feel To Your Home

Property shows well, almost staged with holiday décor adding to the ambiance
Tis the season for your home to shine!

#15 – Higher Quality No Looky Loo Showings

Little chance of quick showings and not being prepared to show your home
Easier time of year to make appointments and give sellers advance notice.
Higher quality showings

#16 – Right Buyer, Right Time Odds

The odds are the same for the right buyer looking at your home regardless of the season.
Right buyer, right time, right home

Why Buy a House Now?

#1 – Fewer Or No Multiple Offers

Little or no chance of multiple or competing offers for the buyer during this time of year

#2 – Better Personal Prompt Customer Service

Better service from all service providers like the agents, banks, insurers etc. Not as busy now.

#3 – Sellers Are Motivated

Sellers motivated at this time of year if still trying to sell from summer or fall.
Sellers willing to negotiate, been on the market for some time now. Give and take.

#4 – Expired Listing Inventory

Buyers can shop the expired listings market, which has the largest selection this time of the year.

#5 – Better Closing Options

Good time of year to make an offer and do the due diligence, buyers can move quickly now or slower in the spring if not in a rush.

#6 – More Alternative Housing Options

Easier for sellers to find alternative housing, not as much pressure finding a rental vs. the really busy spring and summer season.

#7 – Contingencies and Subject to the Sale Of Acceptable

Great time for buyers to make contingent “Subject to the Sale” offers and get them accepted and movement on the price.

#8 – Better Available Moving & Service Providers

Easier time for a buyer to move and find help and services like movers, cleaners, storage.

#9 – Smoother Mistake Free Completions

Better timing for buyers on completions with lawyers, banks land registry. Not that busy and time to attend to you now.

#10 – Buyer Competition Lower

Less competition for the same property from other buyers on the deals that pop up this time of year.

#11 – Having More Time

Having time to make a decision and not be pressured in to offers or pressured into removing conditions or speeding up your due diligence time.

So there you have some compelling facts that will help you make a buying and selling decision earlier this year and avoid some of the common pitfalls of waiting until spring like all your real estate buying and selling competitors will be doing.

Strength and courage,
Wade