Can’t Miss Daily Time Management
How often have you said to yourself, “How can that agent make so much money when they’re not near as talented as I am? Or, Doesn’t work nearly as hard as I do”. This is a question that many agents ask themselves when they meet an agent making lots of money in real estate, that doesn’t do a good job following up or running their business. In some cases, these highly successful agents don’t even appear to have the intellect or talent to be in the top tier of the industry.
Keep in mind, that it’s not how smart you are, how much you know, who you know, or even how much experience you have. all of these attributes can help you become very successful. But what’s even more important is the Strategy you use to manage your time and get business. What does this mean? Quite simply, if the market is recovering, (and believe me, it is!) and:
– You’re focusing your time on activities that will make you money, or what we call the 20%’ers, you’re going to be in the top 20% of income earners in your industry.
– If you’re focusing your time on the 80%’ers, you’re going to make the same money as 80% of the population.
The choice is yours:
– Do what most people do, and just get by, always worrying about paying your bills and your future financial security.
or
– Make the decisions that you’re going to focus on 20% activities, and become one of the best in the real estate industry.
How can you determine which activities are 20% activities, versus which are 80%’ers? Here are some examples of each:
20% Activities examples include:
1. Calling past clients
2. Mailing to a Farm
3. Attending a social gathering and talking about real estate
4. Playing golf and talking about the coming Real Estate and Housing recovery
5. Networking with local business professionals
6. Negotiating an agreement
7. Meeting with Buyer Prospects
8. Meeting with Seller Prospects
9. Attending a closing, picking up the check and depositing it in the bank
10. Strategizing your next steps with you Buyers, Existing Listings and Hot Listing Prospects.
11. Attending a second showing
80% Activities examples include:
1. Organizing your files
2. Following up in preparation for a closing
3. calling a seller to give them an update on showings
4. researching a farm
5. cleaning out your desk
6. surfing the net
7. reading your e-mails and responding to them if they’re not prospects
8. updating your website
9. getting ready to make phone calls
10. picking up your dry-cleaning or running other errands
11. Picking up a survey
Notice that 20% activities can’t be delegated to another person. They’re activities that will lead directly to you having money in your bank account. The 80% activities on the other hand, don’t lead directly to the Pot O’ Gold At The End Of The Rainbow. They are time-consuming, less-productive activities. In some cases, they have to be done. But, they almost never have to be done first. And, most of the time, they can be delegated to someone else.
Take a look at the attached Daily Plan Sheet. It is a slightly modified Outlook calendar day. Notice that to-do’s are listed in the right columns. In the right column the time slots should be filled in with how you spent your time. Print out a blank copy of the Daily Plan Sheet for each day. Start with the list of 20% activities by listing what they are for the coming day. Do as many of those as you can. Then, and only then, attack the 80% activities. Don’t even write any 80% To Do’s until you’ve first identified and written down all the possible 20% To Do’s for the coming day. If you can train your mind first, to identify the most important activities, and then to accomplish them first, your life will change almost instantly. This is the skill that will allow you to master Time-Management.