Getting It Out Of Your Head And Into A System That Works
Systems sound good. Whenever I attend a class and someone talks about them it feels like a warm, fuzzy blanket. There are visions of well oiled machines running smoothly and little fairies flying around getting things done as if by magic dancing in my head.
And then there is the implementation of a system in real life, which usually feels more like rolling a square object down a hill. Clunk, clunk, clunk. If the hill is steep enough you can pick up speed, but it’s always a little awkward.
Sound familiar?
Systems may feel confining, or be out of your comfort zone, or maybe you are afraid they will take too long to put in place, but the reality is:
You can’t grow your business without systems in place.
Systems do 3 amazing things:
- They free up time. This allows you to meet with more people and create new marketing plans for additional clients.
- It means things don’t fall through the cracks. You might be great at keeping it all in your head, but the reality is that when you get busy, things get missed.
- It allows others to help you. When it’s all in your head, you are the only one who knows about it, which means you are the only one that can do it. NOTE: I did not say that you are the only one capable of doing it. Systems allow others to come in, take the reins and get it done.
Here are some systems you can use to keep you going.
- Plan your marketing 12 months out. Marketing is an essential part of business development. Ideally you should contact your clients once a month. But thirty days goes by fast and getting something out consistently is hard when you don’t have a system in place. Having a plan also allows someone else to execute it for you.
- Calendar all contract time frames and listing dates: Have you ever realized that you have a closing in 2 days only to realize that you haven’t contacted the escrow company about signings, done a walk through or scheduled the key exchange? Put it on your calendar the minute you reach mutual acceptance. You might need to move the date, but at least it will not be missed.
- Old fashioned check lists: Whether they are electronic or hard copy, never underestimate checking things off the list. It lets you see what you’ve done, what remains and allows anyone to jump in, know what’s going on and pick up the slack.
- Time block your calendar for a few select things: People have been telling me to time block my calendar for YEARS and I have yet to do it. That definitely feels to confining. While I will probably never commit to fully time blocking my schedule I have found that if I pick 2-3 key things that HAVE to happen, like making client calls and previewing homes and block those out, everything else will work itself out.
And if all of that is just too much. Do this: each day wake up and ask “what one thing can I do today to sell a house?”
To your success!
Nicole
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