Take a look at what you have in the pipeline now. If you bank of listings is weak, you’ll probably have a weak bank account in 2013. Of course, you want to have a strong finish to 2012, but even if you’ve had a great year this year, ask yourself;

“With the listing inventory I have now, is my production in 2013 likely to outperform my production this year?”

Now that summer is over and school is back in session, most people are getting back to the business of managing their lives and priorities. Many of these people still have unfinished real estate business.

• Should I sell my home now before elections?
• Will I get a better price if I buy now?
• Why didn’t my house sell yet?
• Should I drop my price?

The point is, September is an ideal time to “Take the Prospecting Shots“.  And, we all know that face to face and phone calling prospects is usually far more productive and cost effective than mailing campaigns.  Here is a great approach to taking hundreds of shots in an effort to build your listing bank, either in your farm area, your sphere of influence, or with expired listings. Consider using the following script after you’ve mailed or e-mailed pertinent information to your contacts;

“Hi ____________,  this is Joe McAuliffe over at ____________.  Our team recently sent you a____________. I wanted to see if you found the information helpful. If so, I’ll be sure to keep you up to date about any market activity that may directly impact the value of homes in your neighborhood.

By the way, we’ve already had a great year. As a matter of fact, I’ve been successful with most of the clients I’ve represented this year. It’s been a great year and I feel very blessed. But, I wanted to ask, can you think of anyone that may be considering moving, or perhaps is thinking about real estate as an investment?”

If no one answers the phone, ask the following;

“Hi __________, this is ___________, I just sent you a ___________ and wanted to get your opinion and see if you found the information helpful. Give me a call when you get the message at ____________.”

It’s not likely you’ll get many return calls, except from your sphere, but, taking the shots is always a good strategy. And, besides, most of the time it beats the non-money making activities you’ve been focusing on during the rest of the week. Good luck building the pipeline for the remainder of this year and for next year. Opportunities will be abundant, so take advantage of them while the going is good