Know Your Numbers: What do you really know about the software you use?
Tony Robbins is arguably one of the biggest names ever in coaching and self-development. Both Marilyn Wilson, President of RE Technology, and I have attended two of his seminars. The last one was in August of this year. I'm going to let you in on a little secret, the most impactful idea we learned from Tony: Know your numbers. That's it. Know your numbers. Before you can determine if you have improved, made more money, or grown your business, you need to know where you started from and where you are at now. This article will be about knowing your numbers for your software. The average broker offers 12 different pieces of software to their agents; the average MLS offers anywhere between three and 10 pieces of software, and then there is whatever the agent decides to buy for themselves. Because the end of the year is approaching fast, I thought now would be a good time to consider what we use, how often we use it, and what other options are available to use. What Software Do We Use? Let's start with the what. To really understand what we use, we must start a list. I recommend creating this list in Excel or Google Sheets, so other columns can be easily added when we get to steps 2 and 3. As an example, I am going to do this exercise with you! The list below covers software I use with my work at both WAV Group and RE Technology. It is not a complete list of everything I use, but it is a good example for you. You might have noticed the same thing that I did. I am using some of the same types of software (e.g., using both Microsoft Word and Google Docs), but that is definitely a reason to do this exercise. This will help determine if you are paying for two different pieces of software that do the same thing. How Often Do You Use the Software You Listed? The next step is pretty simple. How often do you use each of the tools listed? As an agent, you will probably find that the bulk of your time is spent on only 20% of the software. See my answers below! As you can see from my list, about 25% of the software I use multiple times a day. Once we have completed step 3, then we can consider any changes that need to be made going into 2022. What Other Options Do We Have? This step you will have to do on your own as I am not with a brokerage or in an MLS. Compile a list of all of the software that your brokerage and MLS offer (free or paid). Just like our list from steps 1 and 2, add what type of software it is. Questions to Ask Yourself Now you should have two lists—one list of software you use and one list of software offered by your brokerage and MLS. Now ask yourself the following questions: What software do I already use from the brokerage and MLS? Of the software that I don't already use that my brokerage and MLS offer, am I paying for a comparable piece of software? Spend a lot of time on this question. If there are comparable pieces of software, what should I consider getting rid of in favor of the software provided by my brokerage or MLS? Additional questions if you are running a team or brokerage: When was the last time you determined what your agents are using? Could you save money by offering less software? Once you go through each of these questions, you will probably find that you are already paying for something you can get free from your brokerage or MLS. This will help you bring down the cost of running your real estate business. It's Your Turn Normally, this is where I challenge you to take 15 minutes to do what is mentioned above, but my hope is that you will do the challenge as you read the article—and it will definitely take you more than 15 minutes. If you haven't done this yet, schedule time on your calendar in the next day or two. This can really help you bring down the cost of doing business. I often speak with agents that tell me they didn't know their MLS offered a piece of software they are already paying for! If you have any questions about knowing your numbers or have suggestions for other articles, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.

Friday Freebie: 2022 Real Estate Business Plan and Strategy Guide
Here we are in the fourth quarter of 2021 with 2022 looming on the horizon. Is it too early to plan ahead? Not in today's market! With ever-tightening inventory, now's the perfect time to create--and budget for--strategies that will elevate your business in 2022. To help you out, we're highlighting a business planning guide in this week's Friday Freebie that comes complete with worksheets and performance calculators that will help you prepare for a profitable 2022. Free download of 2022 Real Estate Business Plan and Strategy Guide, courtesy of Zurple "If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going." That's a Maya Angelou quote, but it's applicable to planning for your business' future. The 2022 Real Estate Business Plan and Strategy Guide offers worksheets to help you understand your performance in 2021 so that you can better plan for 2022. In addition, this free guide offers: Real estate news stories to help your clients understand the current market Tips for success in 2022 Lead generation strategies Worksheets for calculating your performance in 2021 Worksheets for helping you set goals and strategize for 2022 Tools, including lead generation and performance calculators Get ready to tackle 2022 and download your FREE copy of Zurple's 2022 Real Estate Business Plan and Strategy Guide now!

What's Your Real Estate Business Plan?
Any sound business starts with a plan. But what is a business plan, exactly? A formal business plan can be comprehensive, investigating many aspects of the business and how they work together, or it can go deep into a single subject: most successful real estate agents have a marketing plan, for example. But if you've never written a business plan and have no idea where to start, it's not too late. According to Harvard Business Review, you should spend no more than three months working on a business plan. Developing a business plan has a tangible effect on your results, making your practice much more likely to grow — but you don't need three months. In fact, you can get started in a fraction of that time. Five steps get you the basics of a business plan you can continue to expand. Step 1: Write Your Summary The executive summary provides a capsule view of the problem your business was formed to address. It must be specific enough to demonstrate your basic market positioning. It should also include the basic strategic goal that you want to achieve with your business and the timeframe for reaching it. For example, a real estate executive summary might say: Next Nest Realty is a Nebraska-based real estate firm specializing in downsizing and retirement homes for retirees and those preparing for retirement, aged 55+. Next Nest simplifies the process of selecting, closing, and moving into a single-family residence for retirement. Sales are projected to reach $500,000 in Year 1, $1 million in Year 2, and $2 million in Year 3. From the perspective of an investor or other reader, this establishes: You understand precisely who your business will serve and how You can translate your real estate insights into tangible goals You have considered what products and services will be successful Naturally, your text will vary considerably based on your interests and specialties. But giving deep thought to your market niche will help you hit the ground running with marketing and advertising that resonates with your ideal clients. That helps you stand apart from other real estate pros in your area. Step 2: Define Strategies and Tactics Strategies describe your overall objectives and the messaging and audiences that relate to those goals. Tactics are the specific initiatives that you use to realize your strategies. (All tactics can be broken down further into business projects and processes — but these are too granular for a standard business plan.) If your strategy is to improve brand recognition among your target audience, your tactics might include joining a professional association, attending networking events, and launching your first marketing plan. Within that plan, you would then need to decide which methods are most likely to connect you with your target audience. As more Millennials buy their first home, the vast majority of new home searches are starting online. Adoption of digital technology continues to rise among older buyers and sellers, too. So, no matter what kind of client you're targeting, it's a wise idea to include digital marketing in your plan. For example, if you wanted five warm leads to contact you through your website each month, that strategy would be backed by tactics like SEO, blogging, video marketing, and social media. Step 3: Assign Deadlines Sometimes, deadlines may feel stressful. But deadlines aren't the enemy — in fact, they're your allies. That's because deadlines are what turn wishes and hopes into action. Assigning a deadline to a goal gives it a sense of urgency. Since many tactics are process-based, however, it is not always easy to know what a reasonable deadline might be. In cases like these, following the process is more important than using a specific amount of time — for example, publishing one blog post per week on your blog. Step 4: Estimate Costs Calculate projected income and expenses as best you can for the four quarters after your business plan goes into force. Not only does this help you get the best return on your business investments, but you will also hone in on areas where you need more information on cost versus value before you make a purchase. Step 5: Measure Results Measuring your results can take several forms. In the most basic sense, check in with your goals every week to ensure you are following the right processes. This helps you stay aware of results as they develop and course-correct if you get off track. In some cases, as with digital marketing, measuring results might mean using analytics software to see how your campaigns are affecting your online visibility, including visits to your website. DeltaNET 6 is the powerful real estate solution that makes it faster, easier, and even fun. RE Technology readers can try it FREE for 30 days. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.

Real Estate Business Goals for the New Year
Do you set the same business goals every year? If so, that's fine, but take a few minutes to think about what you actually want to accomplish this year and determine whether or not your business goals are supporting your overall plans. You should also make sure your personal and business goals are aligned so that you don't have to sacrifice one for the other.

How to Get Your Real Estate Business Ready for the New Year
In this post, you'll learn a few steps to take in ensuring you are well prepped for the new year. So, if you have a few minutes to spare, please continue reading to see how you could stay on top of your business and still have time for yourself in 2021.

Friday Freebie: Lead Generation and Marketing Budget Calculator Tool
Has your real estate sales funnel been derailed by COVID-19? How about your budget? Everyone's been thrown a bit off by the pandemic, and most of us need to reevaluate the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. If you need help getting back on track, this week's Friday Freebie is for you! Free Lead Generation + Marketing Budget Calculator tool, courtesy of Zurple We've said it before, and we'll repeat it again: A goal without a plan is just a wish. And to create a solid plan, you need to crunch some numbers. Or, in this case of today's Friday Freebie, let this free budget and lead generation calculator do it for you. Zurple is offering RE Technology readers a free tool that lets you set your desired gross commission income goal, and then see how many leads and closings you'll need to reach that goal. This tool also calculates the marketing budget you'll need to meet your goal, factoring in various individual lead generation sources, like your website, digital ads, referrals, email, social media, and more. Zurple's Lead Generation and Marketing Budget tool helps you: Estimate the amount of leads and closing required to hit your Gross Commission Income (GCI) goal based on the national average and your historical conversion rates. Projects your marketing expenses based on your conversion rates so you can budget appropriately. Track your lead generation results so you can compare them to your goals. Ready to get your 2020 goals back on track? Download Zurple's FREE Lead Generation + Marketing Budget Calculator tool now!

Rebuilding Your Real Estate Business After COVID-19
No doubt you've heard the phrase "new normal" being tossed around when talking about the end of COVID-19. It's still too early to tell what the new normal will look like, but it's unlikely that our society will go back to what it was before the pandemic. People will likely maintain a greater awareness of cleanliness and claim more personal space when out in public. We may see more people cutting back on shopping, entertainment, and eating out as they work to build a nest egg when the economy stabilizes. Convenient services like grocery pickup and delivery will likely maintain new levels of popularity and contactless payment options will be more widely adopted.

Top 10 Things Every Agent Needs to Do for a Successful Business
A real estate agent has the potential to grow their business into a successful business, but they have to be strategic. Here are ten essential things every agent needs to do to ensure they have a successful business. After reading these tips, you will be able to take away some key tips and have your very own successful business:

Friday Freebie: Business Planning Checklist for 2020
There are 15 days left in January--and 15 items to check off in this week's Friday Freebie. Today, we're highlighting a free business planning checklist that agents can use to make sure their business is prime, commission-earning shape for the year ahead. Read on to learn how you can end the first month of 2020 poised for success. Free 2020 Business Planning Checklist, courtesy of Homes.com Have you ever heard the phrase, Plan your work and work your plan? It's somewhat of a mantra at the RE Technology office. That's because we know that goals are never achieved without a plan to achieve them. But planning can be intimidating. That's why we like this week's Friday Freebie. It's a 15-item checklist from Homes.com that breaks down the work of preparing for a new year into small, manageable tasks. That way, you won't get overwhelmed and give up before even starting. Aim to accomplish one task every day starting today, and your business will be in tip-top shape once the real estate market starts to warm up again. Here's a sampling of checklist tasks: Update personal information on your website and social media channels Research competitors' advertisements and content for new ideas Add customer reviews to your website Take a new headshot Pretty painless, right? If you're ready to take on the new year, download Homes.com's 2020 Business Planning Checklist today!

Rebuilding Your Real Estate Business After a Disaster
Would your business survive if a natural disaster hits your city? Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and fires can have long-term effects on the real estate market in your city. But that doesn't mean you have to shut down your business. With the right precautions, you can ensure your business survives and put yourself in a position to help your community rebuild.

7 Tips for Growing Your Business in 2020
As we speed towards the holidays and the end of another year (gulp!), be sure that you set aside time to prepare yourself for 2020—personally and professionally. Here are my top seven tips for making the coming year as profitable and stress-free as possible.

Annual Business Checklist for Real Estate Agents
According to Mark Twain, "the secret to getting ahead is getting started." And when you're running your own real estate business, there's a lot of work to do. We've highlighted some important tasks to keep your business running smoothly and the best season to complete them so that you have ample time to grow your business while keeping your tools and systems up to date.

How Business Strategy Can Help You Stand Out in Real Estate
Have you ever come across a billboard you thought was ridiculous? It may have made you chuckle a bit, or you may have thought it was corny. Regardless of your feelings, the fact that you remembered the billboard was an attempt to stand out from a business--and it did its job. But doing something outlandish is not the only way to stand out in real estate. Yes, you can go the billboard route and do real estate parodies on Game of Thrones, the Lego Movie, or "Thinking about moving to Canada after the elections?" However, is that how you want local homebuyers and sellers to think of you?

7 To-Dos to Check Off Before 2019
3...2...1... Happy Almost New Year! Goal setting season is upon us. Resolutions are looming and the success of your business next year can depend largely on how you wrap up the next few weeks. It's a heavy task with all the festivities and subsequent lack of focus, but if you prioritize a few key things, you'll set yourself up for success.

6 Mistakes New Real Estate Agents Make
Whether you're thinking about becoming a real estate agent, or you're navigating the early years of your career, there's a lot to take in. Colleagues are always full of tips for new real estate agents, and it can be overwhelming! To help make sure you're setting yourself on the right track, we've gathered six common missteps to avoid as you start your career as an agent:

5 Tasks You Can Do in Your 'Free Hour' to Win More Business
Daylight Savings Time is coming to an end. Though I'll be sad to see it go, there is a positive side: we'll all get one extra hour in the day! That's right, once a year we do indeed get more hours in the day. How will you use that hour? We've created a list of tasks you can complete in an hour or less. Just choose a task and get to work!

Strategies to End and Start Your Year on Top
Q4 tends to be the the quietest season of the year business-wise, but it's probably the most important one when it comes to relationships – because you have the opportunity to finish the year strong and to fill your pipeline for the upcoming year. ReferralExchage's Lisa Fettner recently held a webinar with Dan Smith, a former top-producing agent and now a coach, consultant and speaker. They discussed how to make the most of your Q4 to ensure that you hit the ground running in Q1. Here is some of their best advice:

Time Management Skills to Master for Real Estate Agents
Real estate agents everywhere: Does your day feel like a cascade of tasks with no breaks for solving some of your larger problems? Do you feel overwhelmed and like you could really use either a) more hours in the day or b) less projects to do? Then it's time to learn and master new time management skills. Let's start at the beginning: addressing your daily activities as a real estate agent.

Miss the Mark on Your Q1 Goals? Try These Tips to Stay on Track in Q2
It's hard to believe, but the first quarter of 2018 is already behind us. Maybe you didn't quite have the start to the year you hoped for. We get it, the first part of every real estate sales year can be tough for agents. The majority of it takes place in winter, when sales are slower and the closings don't always stack up. This makes it tough to stay in shape for the spring sprint. We understand that the business is up and down and have a few suggestions on what to do if you're not confident your first three months' performance will lead to the year you had planned back on January 1.

[Infographic] Planning Your Best Year Ever
Was your first year in real estate everything you hoped it would be? What about your fifth, tenth, or fifteenth? When you launched your career in real estate, you likely set some goals for yourself, ones that you've tweaked and refined with experience and a better understanding of your market. Now you can probably make a decent estimate of the transaction volume you'll achieve each year. However, that's about to change. In a Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar, Tom Ferry explained how with the right planning you can double, triple, or even quadruple your business!

2018 Business Planning for Real Estate Agents
Real estate agents: Now is the time to start your 2018 business plan. The end of the year arrived quickly (as always), which has most of us reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the coming year. As an agent, what's your plan for ensuring next year is even more successful than this one? It's time to start your business plan, set goals, and put the right tools in place that will get you headed in the right direction – towards financial success. Here are a few things you should be thinking about this time of year, including a handful of free resources to help you get a jump start.

5 Ways to Prepare Now for a Strong 2018 Listings Year
With the holidays rushing in and your business slowing down, it may seem tempting to trade in your hustle for hibernation and take a long winter's nap. With many agents doing just that, this becomes an even hotter time to make yourself stand out and be known. This season is also a fantastic time of year to identify listing opportunities that could keep you busy from now through spring 2018. Below are five ways to leverage your downtime and take advantage of the season—all while building up your base of potential sellers.

5 Steps Real Estate Agents Can Take to Finish 2017 Strong
While our strong summer market continues to keep agents busy across the country, fall is just around the corner—and you have only five months to close out 2017 with a bang! Below are five foolproof ways you can assess your business goals, tweak your projections and ramp up your business so 2017 is your best year yet. 1. Start with the goals you might not meet

3 Tips for Agents Who Want to Open Their Own Brokerage
"It was never my dream to work for a real estate company for the rest of my life." —Stacie Perrault Staub Was it the idea of promoting someone else's brand, working around someone else's schedule, and splitting your commission that encouraged you to pursue a career in real estate? Probably not. Working for an established brokerage is a great way to get started in real estate, but it's rarely the end goal of aspiring agents. In a recent Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar, Stacie Perrault Staub, founder and owner of West & Main Homes and the brain behind the popular Genuine Hustle conferences, shared her tips to start your own real estate brand. Watch the free webinar, Launching a Real Estate Brand from Scratch, for more information, or find our three tips from the webinar below! 1. Take Your Future into Your Own Hands It can be hard to leave a job or company you love, but eventually you have to "make the decision to take a leap and go out on [your] own and start [your] own thing." Staub stressed that "finding those like minded people that share your passions" is a crucial step toward building the confidence you need to launch your own brand. Consider planning a conference, hosting an event, or forming a mastermind group to help you connect with real estate professionals who have already started their own brand, or who, like you, are just starting down the path.

Friday Freebie: 21 Steps to Get Your Business Ready for 2017
Have you made any business resolutions for the year ahead? If so, great! Now a tougher question: Do you know the steps you need to take to make those resolutions a reality? That's the most important part of your resolution, because as the old saying goes, "A goal without a plan is just a wish." If you find the planning part a challenge, never fear. We've got two free checklists to get your business ready for the new year--no anxiety-driven planning session needed! 2 Free Business and Social Media Checklists from Homes.com Part of what makes the process of planning intimidating for some people is that they picture it as one overwhelming task that they must undertake. But the real secret to success is in breaking up big tasks into small, measurable steps that are easy to achieve. And that's part of why we think you'll appreciate both the Business Planning Checklist and the Social Media Checklist from Homes.com. They make it easier to reach your goals with simplified tasks, like: Segment your contact list into groups you can target with marketing Verify your business listing on all major search engines Research competitors' advertisements and content for new ideas Respond to questions and comments left on your social media pages Track monthly changes in number of social media followers Pretty painless, right? Many of the checklist items offer links to extra resources like market reports and informative articles to help you out even more. If you're ready to take on 2017, download Homes.com's 2017 Social Media and Business Planning Checklists today!

What should agents do in the slow real estate season?
No matter where you work in real estate, there is a slow season in your market. Things pick up and then things go quiet. But what time of year that is and what each agent does with it with varies greatly. Come the fall, the slow season moves over the Seattle area like a cloud, and Kirkland, Washington agent Georgia Wall knows that means buying and selling comes to a halt. But her marketing efforts do not. "Buyers are distracted and spending money on shopping, not houses," she said. "And sellers are busy having friends and family over for the holidays and putting lights up. No one wants to move around this time of year." "During our slower times, I like to stop and reflect on what we are doing well, and also examine where our opportunities are, and how we can improve," said Carie Igel of Fathom Realty in Columbus, Ohio. "Some of this improvement is shifting around responsibilities within the team. I like to manage to my team's strengths instead of making someone do something they don't like." The same time of year is a bit different for Anchor Real Estate's Josh Tucker in Lake Norman, North Carolina. "Interestingly, my niche gives me a 'bump' this time of year during the slow-down," he said. "This is the NASCAR off-season and I sell to a lot of people in that industry."

Grow Your Business Exponentially Next Year by Starting Now
2016 is starting to wind down, so now is a great time to start planning for next year! Watch as Coach Tom Ferry breaks down the habits you should build in order to exponentially grow your sales in 2017. Check out the 2:36 mark for his first tip!

Friday Freebie: Track Your Marketing ROI with this Worksheet
You know how they say you have to spend money to make money? It's true, but you have to spend wisely in order to get the most bang for your buck. To better judge which expenses are worth keeping in 2016, zoom in on the return on investment (ROI) for each. This free ROI worksheet from Zillow will help you do just that. It's the second in our series of Friday Freebies that help you prepare for a successful New Year (You can see last week's 15-task business checklist here.) Free ROI Tracking Worksheet, courtesy of Zillow This little gem is a simple Excel spreadsheet that doesn't require you to share any contact info in order to download (refreshing, right?). Instead, it asks you to list your monthly expenses (advertising, website, CRM, etc.)--and annual commission in order to calculate your ROI. Like we said, it's simple. But the worksheet is flexible enough that anyone with a little Excel knowledge can use it as a starting point for more complex ROI tracking. Zillow, for example, recommends using a new worksheet for each campaign. You can modify it in whatever way works best for your business. Tip: If you add new line items to the "Expenses" section, be sure to merge Columns A&B and C&D for each new row. Want to start measuring your success today? Download Zillow's free ROI Tracking Worksheet now!

How to Make Next Year Your Best Year Ever
In last month's Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar, Tom Ferry, CEO of Your Coach, a multimillion dollar coaching and training service, offered valuable insights into business planning for 2016. Identify Gaps in Your Existing Business In his webinar, Ferry presented the 14 key components of your existing business that you should be reviewing to reach your 2016 goals. He suggests, before you get wrapped up in starting new projects and buying new leads, trying to "think about what are the holes in your business, and create a stronger foundation of integrity inside your existing business." Among the 14 components you should be looking at are things like: Is your database organized? Are you reaching out to your database? Are you marketing to your database? How is your geographic farming going? How about your open house conversion? You can download the full list of key business components here.

Five Steps to Create Your Real Estate Niche
The most successful real estate agents are those who have a specialized niche — but how do you identify which niche is the best fit for you? Whether you are just starting out in real estate, or if you have had a longterm "sell anything to anyone" approach, carving out a niche will focus your business and help you become a specialized market expert. Stop chasing after every sale, and follow the five steps below to identify the real estate niche that will most effectively grow your clientele and your profitability. 1.) Do a thorough market analysis: Your local market should play the largest role in determining your niche. Research census data, relocation and building trends, and local business growth to determine the strongest potential for real estate growth in your community. Only focus on developing a niche that is appropriate for your market. Niches can range from specializing in historical homes, urban lofts, first-time buyers, school district expert — be both strategic and creative when narrowing in on your specialty. 2.) Create a specialized network: After you've determined your niche, begin assembling a network that can help you better cater to your new clientele. Working with specialized mortgage brokers, home inspectors, stagers, attorneys and other professionals to create a smoother experience for your future clients. After you establish your network, work with them to create a thorough listing presentation that outlines the complete experience your potential clients will have. Your clients will love the feeling of exclusivity that comes with working with you and your team.

Friday Freebie: 2015 Real Estate Business Plan
Last week, we highlighted a 15-task checklist that agents can use to get their business ready for 2015. It was the first in a series of "Freebies" that help prepare you for success in the New Year. This week, we're kicking it up a notch with a free, full-on business plan (complete with worksheets!) from Trulia. 2015 Real Estate Business Plan, courtesy of Trulia Now when we said "full-on plan," we meant it. This is three dozen pages of content and worksheets designed to methodically assist you in determining realistic income goals and how to achieve them. The Plan starts off by looking at how you performed last year--closed transactions, average commission, sources of business, etc. Once you understand where you've been, you can set your sights on where you want to go in 2015. This is accomplished by calculating how many closed transactions and prospects are needed to meet those goals. From there, you'll identify your strengths and develop a plan for the year ahead. Target markets, lead generation sources, and communication channels are all part of what you'll consider. Your 2015 business plan will come together via a series of easy-to-use worksheets. Here's what's included: Production Analysis Chart Income Projection Prospect Calculator Plan Preparation Marketing Checklist Marketing Budget Worksheet Monthly Marketing Calendar Weekly Activity Tracker Daily Activity Tracker My 2015 Goals – Quick Reference Read to get started? Download Trulia's 2015 Real Estate Business Plan today!

Friday Freebie: 15 Tasks to Get Your Business Ready for 2015
It's our first Friday Freebie of the new year, and the first in a "freebie" series that focuses on preparing for success in 2015. Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing free business and marketing plans that will help you bank more money in the year ahead. 2015 Business Planning Checklist from Homes.com We're breaking you in easy today, though, with a simple 15-task checklist that will have your business running like an efficient, well-oiled machine. The idea is to break down the work of preparing for the new year into small, manageable tasks. That way, you won't get overwhelmed and give up before even starting. Here's a sample of some of the tasks included in the checklist: Segment your contact list into groups you can target with marketing Clean out and organize email inbox Customize one new email touch campaign Set notifications for birthdays and other key dates for important contacts Update your business cards and other branded marketing materials Pretty painless, right? Many of the items offer links to resources like market reports and informative articles to help you out even more. If you're ready to take on 2015, download Homes.com's 2015 Business Planning Checklist today!

How to Create a Foolproof Marketing Plan for Your Real Estate Business
A formal marketing plan is necessary to grow and sustain a successful real estate business. Whether you are a real estate rookie or celebrating your 25th anniversary in the industry, creating an annual marketing plan will help you stay relevant in a constantly evolving industry. Follow the below to recharge your marketing strategy and meet your 2014 goals by the end of the year. Bonus: We have included a link to download a marketing plan template to help you get started. 1. Analyze your competitors: Competition is a given in the real estate industry. Before defining your goals, understand where your business ranks among your local competitors. Ask yourself: What are my competitors doing differently than me that helps them succeed? How can I adapt those strategies to align with my marketing efforts? Where are my competitors not performing well, and how can I fill this gap for potential clients? Based off of your competitive analysis, determine what you can do to differentiate yourself in your market and give your business a competitive advantage.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting For Real Estate Agents
If you do not have goals for your real estate business, you are exponentially less likely to ever be considered a top producing, successful agent. Goals are a good thing. They give us direction. They are a constant reminder of the direction we want to head, and where we want to end up. As humans, especially in this day in age, we need direction. Without it, there are too many outside influences that will keep you from reaching your ultimate destination. If you don't reach your ultimate destination, you are not going to be a successful business person. While goals are good, they are also a tricky thing. Too many times we are not honest with ourselves about where we currently are, so where we want to get is just not realistic. As proud people, we also tend to want to bite off more than we can chew, not taking into account all the outside things that demand our attention and get in the way of us achieving our goals. Because of this, setting S.M.A.R.T. goals when planning the success of your real estate practice is critical. What are S.M.A.R.T. Goals? First off, let's just break down what S.M.A.R.T. goals are. Simply put, these goals are: Specific - Your goals have to have real number, as well as real deadlines. A goal of, "I want more listings in my farm area" is NOT a S.M.A.R.T. goal.

Friday Freebie: Business Plan Builder from realtor.com®
With a new year just beginning, now's the perfect time to put pen to paper and calculate what you need to do to achieve your goals in 2014. A business plan isn't set it stone, nor should it be a heavy burden. Rather, it's a roadmap that helps clarify your objectives and how you're going to achieve them. Success stems from having established goals and a plan to achieve them. Fortunately, this week's Friday Freebie makes creating a plan with achievable goals simple. Read on to learn more. Free Business Plan Builder from realtor.com® Realtor.com® offers a free tool that allows you to review last year's results, set goals for the next year, and calculate just how many activities you will need to engage in to reach your objective. This free tool is designed for agents who have set an ambitious goal for prospecting, sales and closings. It includes recommendations for the following, based on your unique business objectives: Webinars Downloads Tools If you're looking for a strong foundation to get your goals back on track, spend five minutes with this free tool from realtor.com®. It'll help you assess the tools you're already using so you can plug in solutions that deliver results. You will see how many prospects you need to acquire each month, and how many follow-up calls you need to make to position yourself to meet your goal. Click here to learn more about this free benefit from realtor.com®.

5 Steps to Effective 2014 Business Planning
It is hard to believe that there is only a little over one month left in this year. Where did the time go? The holiday season is quickly approaching, bringing the new year in its wake and conjuring up images of all the things that were meant to be accomplished over the past 10 months, but never seemed to be completed. Oh, the guilt of having neglected the reorganization of your storage room! On the other hand, it also brings about images of all the successful tasks that did get done during the year, as well as ideas regarding opportunities and tasks that can be scheduled for the new year. Glorious visions of that newly-organized storage room, the freshness of a new daily organizer, the hope that your email box will eventually clean itself. Visions that won't become a reality unless a plan is put in place! To help you achieve your goals next year, we've compiled five steps to effective 2014 business planning. It's never too early to plan for success. Step 1: Retrospective of 2013 Emerson once stated that, "Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect." He was right. Wishing on stars and hoping that things magically turn out the way you want them to be does not work. Looking back to 2013, if there are things that did not go the way you wanted them to, then looking at the reason this happened will provide a strong foundation for your 2014 planning. In particular, answer the following questions: What was your particular focus for 2013? Did you achieve it or how close did you get to achieving it? If you did not achieve your goal, what prevented you from doing so? What could have been done to remove those obstacles? What worked? What didn't work? What reporting did you use to track your progress? Did you track your progress? What resources were pinpointed as being potentially beneficial for the future? What resources are no longer helpful and should be discarded? Who provided you feedback or insight that was especially helpful? What key events took place that changed your focus or aided in your staying on track? Can they be repeated? What new things did you learn about you, your clients, your business, the industry? What mistakes did you make? What did you learn from these mistakes?  

Pump Up Your Sales with New Twists
Have you noticed that business today is facing a bit of a challenge? With costs of doing business changing, today's large and small businesses are overwhelmed, overloaded and stressed to find new ways to save money, time and streamline. If you are struggling to figure out what to do and are looking to pump up your real estate sales, here are a few key activities that can help you take action: Amp up your attitude Change opens the door to look for more creative solutions, so focus on how to enthusiastically embrace new innovative approaches to what appear to be obstacles. Begin with identifying the possible positive outcomes that spur creativity. Every change reveals new opportunities that would ordinarily be lost in the mundane and routine! Investigate options When markets get tough, the tough go back to basics, get creative and become intensely focused in every aspect of how their business functions to discover new ways to deliver their products and services. When sales stall--redesign, rework and reignite new processes in how you deliver those services and the experience of your customers to pump up and refresh your service model. Look at how strategic partnerships can expand your service options. Change is a great motivator to turn up the heat and initiate new relationships and pursue new solutions. See: Mike White on how to create strategic partnerships that pay

Friday Freebie: Business Plan Builder from realtor.com®
Now is a perfect time to reassess and calculate what you need to do to get your goals on track! As we move towards mid-year, it's time to put pen to paper to figure out what is working (and what isn't). A business plan isn't set it stone, nor should it be a heavy burden. Rather, it's a roadmap that helps clarify your objectives and how you're going to achieve them. Success stems from having established goals and a plan to achieve them. Fortunately, our latest Friday Freebie makes creating a plan with achievable goals simple. Read on to learn more. Free Business Plan Builder from realtor.com® Realtor.com® offers a free tool that allows you to review last year's results, set goals for the next year, and calculate just how many activities you will need to engage in to reach your objective. This free tool is designed for agents who have set an ambitious goal for prospecting, sales and closings. It includes recommendations for the following, based on your unique business objectives: Webinars Downloads Tools If you're looking for a strong foundation to get your goals back on track, spend five minutes with this free tool from realtor.com®. It'll help you assess the tools you're already using so you can plug in solutions that deliver results. You will see how many prospects you need to acquire each month, and how many follow-up calls you need to make to position yourself to meet your goal. Click here to learn more about this free benefit from realtor.com®.

Holiday Deal: 2013 Business Plan (and Training!) from Market Leader
It's December--the year is winding down, and savvy agents are beginning to look ahead to 2013. Our latest holiday deal aims to help REALTORS® do just that. Market Leader's 2013 Real Estate Business Plan is a free-to-download guide that empowers agents to achieve definable goals. It does this by helping agents: Understand consumer needs - By understanding potential clients, you are better able to connect with them. Today's consumer begins their real estate search online, but are often overloaded with information. Market Leader shows you how to differentiate yourself online and learn how to communicate with tech savvy consumers. Identify challenges facing the agent - It's all about the leads. Learn how to generate leads, engage them, and win their business, all while having fun. See what bad habits are holding you back and how to evaluate your online presence. Explore the tools needed for success - From a straightforward website to diversified lead generation, Market Leader shows you what you need to connect with the digital consumer. Most important, though, are action-oriented goals that are clearly defined.

10 Steps to Becoming a Successful Real Estate Agent
Working in real estate requires hard work and dedication, but the rewards are plenty. Real estate offers excellent income potential, flexible work hours and freedom to set your own pace. But working in this field is like anything else. You need the right education, training and drive to compete with the best in the biz. To get started, follow the steps below to ensure your future success and profitability. Step 1: Get a Good Education Knowledge is power, and the more knowledge you have about real estate, the more clients you'll obtain. Not only will more clients lead to more listings, it will eventually turn into more money. Following are the top real estate schools as ranked by the U.S. News and World Report: University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia: The Wharton School's real estate department offers concentrations in real estate at three levels: undergraduate, MBA, and doctoral. University of Wisconsin – Madison: Wisconsin's School of Business offers undergraduate, MBA and Ph.D. programs in business administration with a real estate concentration. University of California – Berkeley: The Hass School of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in real estate, including an MBA with a real estate concentration. University of Georgia: The Terry College of Business offers a real estate major for undergraduates in addition to MBA and Ph.D. degrees in the field. University of Southern California: USC's Price School of Public policy offers a Master of Real Estate Development degree as well as a certificate in real estate development.

An Agent’s Dirty Dozen of "Do Nots" - Part 1
Imagine life as an agent where the failure landmines have already been scouted, freeing you to focus on real estate. You immediately avoid 12 "Do Nots," saving you time, energy, exasperation and possibly your career. Taken from years of experience consulting hundreds of agents across the nation, I have identified the top mistakes agents make and paired them with my most effective advice in order to create solutions you can readily apply. If you are afraid of prospecting, unsure about how much technology is enough, and frustrated that your day is more white hot treadmill than lucrative career, read on – it just might make a difference in your life. Do Not... 1. Move too quickly or hardly move at all. There is an impatience with real estate licensees that creates an environment for making quick decisions on important topics. For example, they want a website, so they go online, search out an affordable template, pay the money and throw something out into cyberspace and they call it "good." Looking closely at the material, however, it is dated, obviously a template, does not reflect their personality, and often has clerical errors in the text. Or they go the other end of the spectrum and keep a to do list that never ever gets addressed. Making money is more important than building a sound business foundation. Recommendation: Slow down and define exactly what is that you wish to achieve. Talk to your peers and get recommendations from trustworthy sources. Make your decision with research under your belt and your objectives clearly in mind.

To Delegate or Not to Delegate
Guest contributor Scott Newman of REALTOR®Mag says: I think Jay-Z put it best when he said, "I'm not a businessman; I'm a business, man." He understands, as do all the top-producing real estate professionals out there, that in order to be a success in any professional endeavor you need to run your business like a business. That means controlling your empire from the top down in a well-defined and well-managed hierarchy. Why is this important? Simple. In order to continue to grow your business and thus your earning potential, you need to make decisions on how your organization will function—which means making some tough decisions on what tasks to handle and what tasks to delegate or outsource. I am going to break down some of the tasks and responsibilities that have many agents struggling to decide whether to delegate or outsource in an effort to make best use of time for the long-term health of your business. Web site With so many of our buyers turning to the Internet to search for properties, having a great Web site is no longer a luxury—it's a must-have. I constantly come across Web sites that are nothing more than a template thrown up on a domain, and that is a recipe for disaster. Those types of sites have absolutely no SEO value whatsoever, and are seen as cheap and unhelpful by consumers.

Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan
Our CEO, Victor Lund, is always saying it: "Plan your work and work your plan." And he's usually saying it when he's trying to motivate our team to do the things we don't want to do. He's a smart guy; he knows that it's easy to remember the things you enjoy but conveniently easy to forget the things you dislike. Technology Can Help What are the things most real estate agents don't enjoy? Cold calling is a good example. It's essential for your business, but it's the last thing you want to do. So you put it off . . . to your own detriment. Instead of continuing this pattern with cold calls and the other tasks you dread, it might be time to find ways to keep yourself on track. Technology can help; here are a few suggestions: CRMs Invest in a CRM. Customer Relationship Management tools organize contacts and automate some of the tasks for keeping in touch with those contacts. In fact, some CRMs offer pre-programmed activity plans with calendar reminders. Read more about CRMs Find a CRM Transaction Management Many transaction management tools also include a calendar to remind you about important tasks. These tend to be transaction-specific (linked to a certain listing), rather than related to general business development (like cold calling), but they can be helpful in reminding you to check-in on whether or not documents have been signed, etc. Read more about Transaction Management Find a Transaction Management tool

5 Local Directories to Bolster Your Online Reputation
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, reputation was the second most important factor when choosing an agent. Consumers are researching online and looking for a good brand presence and strong online footprint via online directories and social networks. The phone may ring a few more times this month because you read this article, so read on to discover more ways to brand yourself online. Increase your online presence by sharing your brand and contact information within several online directories. The conversion rate for local directory marketing can be up to 50% in some directories, which is significantly higher than traditional advertising like print and radio. That means that you could convert 1 in 2 leads into a potential customer!

Is That Tech Investment Worth It?
Summer is winding down and, for many real estate professionals, this means preparing for budget season. Now that we're well into the third fiscal quarter, you're probably just starting to think about how to best allocate your resources in 2013. Should you set aside money for the rumored iPhone 5, or would finally investing in a CRM make more sense? When considering a new tech purchase, it's easy to be distracted by the "wow" factor of the latest gadgets without thinking about their often high price tag. In order to preserve your bottom line, think of that new phone or software as more than just a toy--it's a tool that can help your business grow! In order to decide if a potential tool is a worthy investment, ask yourself if the benefit gained is greater than the money spent. Does it save you time? Will it streamline your workflow? Is it something that you will use frequently? If it's something that you will only use once or twice, it's probably best to just hold off. If you do decide that a new gadget or software program is a worthy investment, here are a few things to keep in mind in order to maximize its value.

What Is A Personal Brand, and Why Should I Care?
Guest contributor Karli Larson of ePropertySites.com says: Honing your personal brand is one of the most important aspects of a successful career. A personal brand is the association between your name and a particular product or service, and in the real estate world, a carefully crafted personal brand can have an enormous impact on your visibility and success as an agent. Consider the products or services that come to mind with the following names: Martha Stewart. Steve Jobs. George Foreman. These celebrity names are more than just representations of a famous television personality, technology guru, and professional boxer. These names have become synonymous with specific and well-known products as the result of strong personal branding. Whether or not you like, use, or purchase their products, you know who they are and you know what they sell. And that is successful marketing.

The ‘Scientific Method’ for Marketing Success
Reading an article on SearchEngineWatch.com brought me back to my high school science class with a jolt. All it took were two words: "scientific method." Now you're back there with me, right? Perhaps your memory of the scientific method isn't going to be as sharp as the memories of your bad perm or your crush-worthy lab partner, so we're going to give you a quick refresher that just might improve the effectiveness of your real estate marketing! Scientific Method: The Basics Essentially, the scientific method requires measurable proof in order to validate a theory. This proof is obtained systematically, through experimentation, observation, and measurement. So what does this have to do with your real estate business? Well, you can follow some of these same steps in order to determine which channels are most effective for marketing your listings. 1) Ask the right question. The questions you'll want to ask should sound like, "Is [marketing channel, i.e. PPC advertising] a good place to spend my advertising dollars?" This approach will also work for assessing the effectiveness of listing syndication. If you're looking at your syndication strategy, you'll want to ask a question like, "Is [syndication site, i.e. Zillow or Trulia] delivering leads for me?"

What’s driving the changes in the real estate market and how will they impact your business?
What’s driving the changes in the real estate market and how will they impact your business? Ian Morris of Market Leader, Inc. and Steve Murray of REAL Trends, Inc. are industry leaders who answer this question and offer valuable insights in their new book, Game Plan: How Real Estate Professionals Can Thrive in an Uncertain Future.Ian Morris will share “The 10 Trends That Will Drive the Next 5 Years,” featuring key findings from Game Plan on the evolving real estate environment and the trends you need to watch.When:                                            Friday, August 5Time:                                             10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM EasternCost:                                              NONETo Register:                                   https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/538866571 Who should attend:                       Real estate brokers and agents You’ll learn about: 10 trends that could affect your business Factors affecting brokerages and sales professionals Real estate challenges and opportunities Steps to thriving in the ever-changing industry You’ll learn how to create your game plan for the future and help your business thrive for years to come! Your questions are welcome in this live Q&A format.  

Tip for Success
"Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan." Thanks, Margaret Thatcher! That's our point exactly. One of the most important ways to ensure success is to plan for it. As a real estate agent in today's competitive market, creating a plan for growing your business is absolutely essential.