New year, new you—right? If you want to be more productive in 2018, I have six tips to help you stay on track and maintain your daily tasks. 1. Remain calm. We all have bad days or days that have been a little tougher than most. No matter what’s going on in your personal life or what’s happening with a difficult client, your client doesn’t want to hear about it. If you are having a difficult time, take a deep breath, relax, and be professional. Remind yourself that it will all work itself out. 2. Don’t jump into your inbox first thing in the morning. If you want to stay focused on certain tasks, don’t start your day with your email. If you do, you’re more likely to get distracted and do things that aren’t cost-productive. You’ll be too busy replying to emails, checking your Facebook, or shuffling papers. Focus on important things like prospecting first thing in the morning. Once your important tasks are done, you can take some time to check your emails. That way, you won’t have to scramble to finish something important later in the day, either. 3. Do what’s important first. This goes along with my second tip, but it will really help you stay focused and be more productive in 2018. No matter what you’ve got on your plate, do what is going to make you money that day. That means you need to talk to your clients, so look at your prospecting log, see if there is anyone you need to follow up with, and make sure you do that. “At the end of the day, write down what you are supposed to do tomorrow so that you can hit the ground running.” 4. Get rid of all of your distractions. Cell phones can be incredibly distracting. I shut mine off in the morning so that I can focus on prospecting. Keep your phone out of sight while you are tackling those important tasks first thing in the morning. 5. Develop a consistent morning routine. Believe it or not, consistency is key when it comes to maintaining your daily tasks. If you wake up at 6:00 a.m., work out, shower and eat breakfast around 7:00 a.m., and then head to the office at 8:00 a.m., try to stick to that each morning. Experts say that waking up at the same time every day is important to our Circadian rhythm and actually helps us sleep better at night. Even if you don’t head to the office on Sunday, wake up and stick to the other aspects of that morning ritual.  This ritual might include meditation, exercise, reading, journaling, or listening to a business podcast or inspirational music. Do whatever it takes to get going. Your body will adjust to that, and you will be in a state of mind to get to work.   6. Start tomorrow today. This is the most important thing that I do each day. When my work day is done, I pick up my planner and write down what I am supposed to do tomorrow. That way, I can organize my important tasks and hit the ground running. Writing a to-do list for tomorrow will also prevent you from lying awake at night and stressing out about the next day because you’ll already be organized and ready to go. Although these tips are designed to help you be more productive, don’t forget to plan some personal time. Write it into your calendar and honor that time. If you only focus on work, you will get burnt out and be less productive. We all need to rest and recharge, so schedule some time for yourself and stick with it. If you have any other questions or want to talk about our team’s approach, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Todd Martin Real Estate Careers and Training Podcast

6 Ways to Be More Productive in 2018

2018 is finally here. I hope your new year is off to a great start so far. Today, I’ve got some key advice that could make sure you stay productive moving forward into 2018. Here are four successful marketing tips for you to keep in mind. 1. Focus on content creation. People want to see that you’re busy. Of course you already advertise and project the things you’re doing in your business, and you’re also probably already making posts to social media. However, people want to see a more personal side of things, too. Remember: We’re in the relationship game. They want to know what you’re doing and keep track of you. Things like blogs, videos, and emails can help your clients feel more connected to you and your business. If you aren’t already running a blog or sending out videos, I suggest you look into doing so. We send out two videos a month to our database with market updates, buyer and seller tips, and more. We also encourage our clients to ask us questions about the local real estate market so that we can answer them with a video. This is a great way to build rapport with our clients and present our team as the leading local real estate experts in the area. 2. Don’t give up on email. Have an automated email campaign that goes out to your clients, sphere, and suspects on a regular basis. My team and I find that we get positive responses to these kinds of emails. You can even set it up so that emails are sent out to clients on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. “As professional agents, we’re in the relationship game.” 3. Fine-tune your media strategy. I know we mentioned content creation already, but your media strategy is more specific than that. When it comes to social media platforms, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. There are a number to choose from: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. Stick to two or three that make sense for your business, and then really focus your energy into presenting yourself well on those platforms. Again, don’t be afraid to share personal updates on social media. Doing so will create a stronger connection between you and your clients. 4. Check Google Analytics. If you have a website, I highly recommend this step. Google Analytics will let you know who’s visiting your page, how long they stayed, and more. Of course, utilizing this tool can be overwhelming at first. If you have a Google account and are interested in pursuing this feature, don’t hesitate to ask for the help of Google support staff. They will walk you through everything you need to know. I genuinely hope these tips help you grow as a professional in the coming year. This kind of growth is something my team specializes in. We have over 15 years of experience and are always looking to expand. We are looking to help agents become successful in a team environment. If you’re interested in growing as an agent and working on a team environment, have any other questions, or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

4 Successful Marketing Strategies to Use in 2018

As we get into the fall and winter season, now is not the time to rest. It’s time to ramp up. We’ve all heard the story of the ant and the grasshopper. The ant works hard all summer, and the grasshopper is lazy. Then, the grasshopper has to ask for the ant’s help over the winter because he has no food. You need to be prepared going into 2018, so make sure these last couple months are some of the busiest months that you do. Clients this time of year can be a little bit difficult to work with, so I want to offer a few strategies to help you deal with difficult clients. We’ve all had that client who started out specifically looking for a small house only to suddenly ask for a third-floor condo with no elevator. It can definitely be frustrating. So, how do you handle a difficult client? First of all, don’t be afraid to educate your client. Thanks to the internet, buyers are more educated than ever. However, you are still the expert. You are the professional. You need to make sure that you have given the client direction. Listen to the client’s wants and needs, but don’t let them dominate the decision-making process. It is still your job to provide guidance and help your client make the most informed decision possible. Otherwise, they may not be happy with their house—or the service you provided. “Buyers may be more educated but you are still the expert.” For example, when the client tries to make a lowball offer, you really have to educate them about the potential pitfalls of that offer. A low offer often means a higher counter offer. A low offer may even offend the seller to the point where the seller will not cover closing costs or repairs. When you make a recommendation to a difficult client, make sure you back that recommendation up with some data. Show them specific examples of clients you’ve helped through similar situations. If you’re working with a seller, show them comparable properties and explain your pricing strategy. Everyone wants to get the most money possible for their home, but you know that overpricing is not the way to get top dollar. Help the seller understand that. Being prepared with credible market trends and home sales data can help set the tone for less emotional negotiations. Data-driven recommendations will prevent clients from doing their own research, which is often incorrect. It’s nothing personal; it’s business. You are there to represent your client as a neutral party. If a client asks a difficult question that you don’t know the answer to, be honest. Say, “I’m not sure. Let me do some research and get back to you.” They will definitely appreciate you for that. Remember, there will always be demanding homebuyers and sellers. By listening to them and addressing their concerns, you can ensure your clients have the best real estate experience possible. Use these tactics to hang onto those difficult winter clients and you will set yourself up for a great 2018. If you have any questions, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

How to Deal With Difficult Clients

You’ve probably seen a “get rich quick” real estate ad out there. It’s usually an email or a flyer in the mail that tells you you can flip a home quickly for profit or make an investment now and see a huge return within the year. Now I’ve known a lot of people who have built wealth through investing in real estate. However, it didn’t happen for them overnight. Real estate is more of a long-term play and hold than a quick flip. There are a lot of different investment options in real estate. You can invest in single-family homes or multi-family units. Whatever you decide to buy, know that it will take time and effort in order to build that equity up. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a good real estate portfolio.   If you really do want to use real estate to create wealth, you need to be willing to spend adequate time doing research on your investments. You’ll also probably need the guidance of a professional, whether you plan on becoming a landlord or flipping homes. If you or someone you know is looking to invest in real estate, give us a call or send us an email with any questions you may have. We would be happy to answer them.

Real Estate Is a Long-Term Play

Now that spring has sprung, we’re looking at having one of the best years the real estate market has ever had. How can you take your business to the next level? While new business is great, your goldmine is your previous clients and your sphere of influence. Make sure you’re reaching out and marketing to those past clients. You need to have a system in place that will help you follow up and make sure you reach them on a regular basis.   “Your goldmine is your previous clients and your sphere of influence.”   One of the things we do for our clients is send out our video blog twice a month just to stay in touch. We also make sure we call them on their anniversaries and birthdays. These are things you don’t necessarily have to ask for but can obtain at closing and put into your database. Another thing we’ve learned is that business brochures, cards, and other marketing materials can boost your business, and we have our own personalized card we send out to clients. We ask them for their business during the beginning, middle, and end of the process, in addition to when we follow up with them. We make it easy for them to contact us by giving them a website address, a phone number, or a section on our card that they can fill in. If you want to take your business to the next level, I would be happy to sit down and talk with you about how you can do it. If this interests you or you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to call or shoot me an email. Talk to you soon!

What Do You Need to Do to Take Your Business to the Next Level?

If you’re a buyer’s agent, you might have trouble getting buyers to commit to using your services exclusively sometimes. One way to ensure your clients aren’t hopping from agent to agent or purchasing a home without you is to have them sign a buyer’s brokerage agreement. Some agents are nervous to ask their clients to sign a buyer’s brokerage agreement, but once you explain all the benefits that come with using you exclusively to find their home, they’ll understand why it’s necessary. We work in a day-to-day atmosphere where the market can change at any second. Buyer’s don’t know how much work we put in behind the scenes before we show them a home or how much money we can save them. You spend a lot of time putting together contracts, taking them to showings, and so on. At the end of the day, you just need to be honest with them. After all, they wouldn’t hire multiple attorneys to represent them if they needed legal help. That competition would drive down the quality of the services they would receive. The same goes for a buyer’s agent. Don’t hesitate to let them know how valuable you are to them and don’t be afraid to ask them to sign the agreement. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’m always happy to help!

A Great Tip for Buyer’s Agents

Lately, a lot of people have been asking, “Is now the right time to jump into the real estate market?” I would absolutely say yes. Why? The current market is phenomenal. We are coming off some amazing gains and the best real estate market we’ve seen in awhile. There is a lot of pent-up frustration from buyers who have been in the market for the last year trying to find a home. Due to low inventory, many buyers have not been able to make a purchase yet. Not only that, interest rates are slowly creeping up, so we have plenty of people ready to buy a home. Our team has a lot of business going right now. “We need new team members to help us with all of this great business!” As we come into the first of the year, there are some great grant programs available for first-time buyers, so we have a lot of options to help home buyers in 2017. That said, if you’re interested in a career with the Todd Martin Group, we are looking for someone to join our team. We need someone to help us manage all of this great business! Plus, our Guaranteed Lead Program will get you 30 to 50 leads a month. We will also show you how to convert those leads. So, if you’re ready to jump into the real estate market or start your real estate career, give me a call or send me an email. I hope to hear from you soon!

Is Now a Good Time to Start Your Career in Real Estate?

As a real estate agent, how do you plan on bettering yourself in 2017? As we look to progress forward, we all try to set goals. One of the interesting things I find about setting goals is that you have to work backwards in accomplishing them. By that, I mean you have to have a goal, and then you have to figure out how to achieve that goal. For example, if your ultimate goal for 2017 is to go to Disney World, the question becomes, “What do you have to do to get there?” First, you’ll have to do things like set your travel schedule, arrange hotel accommodations, and plan your itinerary for when you arrive. After that, you’ll have to calculate how much the trip is going to cost. Once you determine those factors, you’ll need to figure out how many houses you’ll have to sell in the first place to make the trip happen. “We can help you accomplish all of your goals in 2017.” This is something we at the Todd Martin Group can help you with: we can examine your goals and break them down for you. We can look at your set appointments, your met appointments, and your sign appointments and figure out how many people you have to talk to, get under contract, and complete a transaction with to accomplish whatever your ultimate goal may be. A crucial concept in doing this is goal setting and tracking. For example, I have my own list of items that I track that are critical to accomplishing my goals for 2017: Marketing Sales Operation Finance People (e.g., your database) Faith Family Fun Fitness If you’re interested in learning about the Todd Martin Group and how we can help you obtain your goals so you have a wonderful 2017, feel free to reach out to me. All phone call and/or email conversations are strictly confidential. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

How We Can Help You Accomplish All Your Goals in 2017

A Podcast about Louisville Real Estate; It's industry, and the people working in it. Whether you're just starting out, aspiring to begin, or been working in the field for a few years, tune in to get updates, tips, tricks and more!

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Todd Martin Real Estate Careers and Training Podcast

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