“Neil, my real estate business has slowed down, what do I do?” Just this week, I have heard from 3-4 agents who feel defeated, and are noticing that the real estate rollercoaster has started to bring some extreme, unexpected dips. I know a few of you are terrified of this, so today I want to encourage you, and give you some rock-solid tips to avoid the extreme dips.
Ninety days ago, something happened to cause this unexpected dip you are experiencing right now. At the end of July, you may have taken a vacation, settled into your summer routine, did a few less open houses, or skipped your newsletter because you were in the middle of closing 3-4 deals. Things may have been crazy busy, so you let a few things slide off your plate. Now your plate is empty, and you are hungry. Before blaming the market, take a hard look at the last 90 days, they have a direct effect in the present.
If you are experiencing an extreme dip, it’s probably because you have not been working within your three-pillar system. Are you chasing every day, does your sphere of influence know you care about them? Are you attracting business? These things are not just random, one-time strategies. These three things make up your entire plan, and most of them (with the exception of the attraction pillar) must be done every single day. That’s where a clear plan comes in. It will work, but only if you do.
I know that the market is not always going to be on an uphill climb. You will experience lots of ups and downs, but extreme dips can be prevented when you are consistent. You NEED to get a clear plan, remove the shiny object syndrome, and declutter your business. You have heard that “casting more nets” is an option, but you can’t pay attention to all of the nets, especially when you are closing multiple deals at the same time. This is why the three pillars are so powerful.
How do you keep your foot on the petal, even when you are busy? This requires a plan that will almost run itself. This is also why you need a coach. Working in your strengths is not just about your personality, it’s also about leveraging the strengths already around you. I can teach you how to do that. The goal is to make your business extremely predictable! Let’s talk about how you are positioned, and how I can help you avoid the real estate rollercoaster!
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Is your attraction pillar becoming a distraction? The attraction pillar is the fun stuff...social media, Facebook ads, YouTube Videos, LinkedIn Content, among other things. I say all the time that we are media companies that happen to sell real estate. But, for many of you, your attraction pillar is actually distracting you, and your sphere of influence and your chase pillar are suffering. If this is you, I want to help you course correct, and learn how to balance your attraction, your chase, and your sphere of influence.
Shoutout to Zach and Ally from The Reality A to Z, who said “don’t let your attraction pillar become a distraction,” which inspired me to record this episode! Great advice, guys!
I would love to work on my attraction pillar all the time, who wouldn’t? It’s fun to create and content and Vlog and host events. I think many of you feel the same way. The problem is, your attraction pillar can actually distract you from the work that needs to be done in your chase pillar and your sphere of influence. I know several of you that have amazing attraction pillars, and those will eventually bring you more business...but for now, you have to chase it.
If you take a close look at who is liking and sharing your content online, you will find that less than 50% of your sphere of influence are the ones on Facebook or Youtube. Across all of my media platforms, most of the likes and comments come from photographers, videographers, and foodies. I love those guys, but they are not the ones who will be referring me or sending me leads. After nearly a year of hosting the I Love Madison Show, I JUST got two POSSIBLE leads that may turn into business. If I was relying on ILM for all my business, I would be starving. The vast majority of the clients I have worked with come from my chase pillar and my sphere of influence. If you don’t have a database, that’s where you need to start. An excel spreadsheet and a mailing list. Simple.
Imagine that you put one hundred people in a room, and give ten of them mics and a message to communicate. Who do you listen to? Probably the person with the loudest mic, or best message, right? How do you sort through all the noise? That’s social media right...Now imagine you have the same number of people, but only one mic. That’s kind of what creating content on LinkedIn is like right now. Only 1% of people are creating content...the rest are consuming. LinkedIn has this unique position of being both an attraction pillar, as well as a chase pillar...at least for now....
After your newsletters are sent out, your open houses are done, and your sphere of influence knows they are loved, you can take a recess. The attraction pillar is your recess. What content can you create to highlight your personality and passion? It’s time to publish that post, write another article, make a guest appearance on a podcast...the list goes on. This is your reward for making sure your chase pillar and sphere of influence are solid!
Our sponsors:
You can find my personal real estate coaching websitehere
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Onion Juice podcast on Apple Podcasts(formerly iTunes)
In the real estate industry, networking is the lifeblood for your business. If you are not a natural networker, this just might be the episode that you need to hear! If networking comes easy to you, this episode will also set you up for success! I have learned that networking is not just about the people you meet, but also about how much value you can bring to a conversation.
For a long time, I hated networking. I always thought real estate networking was just about how many people you can meet. I didn’t always want to talk to people, the ones I did talk to did not always turn into business, one and on...I read a quote on LinkedIn from Oleg Vishnepolsky that said “networking is not just how many people we meet, its how many people we help, recommend, and introduce to others.” I love this perspective, andI think this is a much better approach to networking for business.
Networking does not have to be a game of back and forth, coordinating schedules and indecisiveness about what coffee shop to meet in. If you are trying to network more, I highly recommend using a scheduler app like youcanbook.me or calendly (there are others, just google scheduler apps). These apps make it easy to set your appointment schedule, gather name and contact information, and choose a meeting place. I use youcanbook.me to get those ever-important face to face conversations. Once a person selects an available time, it automatically gets added to my calendar, and sets a notification!
I know a rolodex is a little outdated, but It still denotes having all of your contacts in one spot, so i’ll reference it! I think Oleg Vishnepolsky is right when he said “networking is not just how many people we meet, its how many people we help, recommend, and introduce to others.” With that in mind, how can you leverage your list of brokers, roofers, plumbers, contractors, cleaners, and painters to help you network better? Share them. In my newsletter and on my LinkedIn, I advertise that I have an amazing list of referral partners. Anytime someone on my list refers me, I ask them if I can publically thank them on LinkedIn. I take a selfie, write a thank you note, and mention them in the description or comments. This actually drives more referrals, because the people on my list know that they are appreciated!
Here’s what I would recommend...go through your list and create a “top 25” list. Once you have that established, reach out to them once a month (I am starting to do this on LinkedIn) to share knowledge and pass referrals. If you are an influencer in your community, your referrals are powerful!
Our sponsors:
You can find my personal real estate coaching websitehere
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Onion Juice podcast on Apple Podcasts(formerly iTunes)
So many of you real estate agents are grinding and hustling all the time, but you are not taking care of your own minds. You are plagued with worry and stress, and your families, peace of mind and quality of life are suffering as a result. The truth is, it doesn’t have to stay this way. There has already been provisions made for your peace of mind, but it requires one simple action on your part.
So many agents I know are caught up in the fear of what they do NOT have, the money they are NOT making, on and on. They are riddled with thoughts that distract them, they drink way to much alcohol, and worry all the time. This worry then leads to a lack of action, which only compounds the problem. Fear is like paddling upriver in a canoe, but dragging an anchor behind you the whole way. It makes it tough to move. Can you relate? What can you do?
Just because you are very familiar with fear does not mean that fear has authority over you. In fact, it’s the opposite. You have the authority to command fear to leave. It doesn’t matter if you are a person of faith or not, you still have that authority. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Many realtors and coaches believe we want results right now, so they teach techniques that will generate as much business as possible in a short amount of time. The one area they tend to overlook is building relationships with people. It takes time to build trust, so that does not fit into the “right now” scenario. The truth is, the most successful agents will tell you that 80% of their business comes from their sphere of influence. THAT is why relationships are the most important thing you can do to build a successful business.
Three weeks ago, I launched the first Neil Mathweg boot camp, and I and seeing amazing results from those in attendance. We are talking about how to develop a clear plan, working within your strengths, and the three-pillar approach to growing a business. I am not stopping there though, there is plenty more inside! If you are interested in joining a boot camp, check out neilmathwegcoaching.com!
Our sponsors:
You can find my personal real estate coaching websitehere
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Onion Juice podcast on Apple Podcasts(formerly iTunes)
Giving your real estate clients what they really want is a much better way to do business than just cold calling them to “stay in the loop.” This week on the OJ, we are going to take a closer look at what it means to provide value (even when you don’t have a house to sell yet), and why you NEED to be operating in a plan that is congruent with your strengths. If you are a new listener, or you have been a member of the OJ nation for a while, this episode delivers some powerful action steps you can start implementing today!
I know you have all used the lame follow-up call to stay connected to your clients. You know, the one where you call and say “ Hey, I just wanna stay in the loop.” You know it sounds lame, your clients know it’s lame, and there is little chance they will call you back. I wouldn’t call you back...YOU wouldn’t call you back. No value has been given, so they don’t have a reason to engage. Instead, I use this approach. “Hey it’s Neil, I just found out about a brand new listing that goes on the market Monday, and I think it’s a perfect match for what you are looking for,” I say it with excitement in my voice, and wait for them to call me back. Usually, the wait is not very long...
My friends Mark asked me this week, “is cold calling really the best way to generate leads?” Mark is hearing from several people that successful real estate agents just have to cold call clients. I disagree. Mark, what you need is a plan that is congruent to you and your strengths. Instead of cold calling as your chase pillar, I think that Open houses, Facebook Ads and Internet leads are a better way to get warm leads. Our goal is to use these platforms to generate search criteria, then you can go find what they are looking for.
A few of you have asked, “what else can we do to provide value if we don’t have a house yet?” The short answer is to figure out what they need and provide that. Are your buyers pre-approved yet? If not, connect them to your mortgage guy. Since most realtors will do this, it’s nothing special. A better question to ask is if they are a first time home buyer? If they are, connect them to someone who offers first-time buyers home grants! That’s a rockstar move. Maybe they need to sublet an apartment before they buy a house...you can post on your Facebook followers that a client has an apartment available. This leverages your connections and offers value to the client. As you gain experience, you will start to collect a network of contractors, trash removal guys, estate sale companies, cleaners, even pet adoption agencies. At some point, a client of yours will need one of these services. This is how you can provide value before you hand them the keys to a new house.
The cool kids have learned that I provide a ton of free content for you to leverage, and it’s all found on my facebook page. Go to neilmathwegcoaching.com, this will take you right to my shiny new facebook page where you can get access to videos, templates and other resources!
Our sponsors:
You can find my personal real estate coaching websitehere
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Onion Juice podcast on Apple Podcasts(formerly iTunes)