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Tips to Build Better BUSINESS HABITS BY LINDSEY GETZ
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s a Realtor®, your communication and active listening skills are likely right on point, and it’s likely your proficiency in these areas led you to became a Realtor® in the first place. But what about your business habits? When you’re not in the field and talking to clients, do you feel like you are practicing good habits to help you to improve—and expand—your real estate business? These areas can often need improvement so we talked with Realtors® around the state to develop eight habits to improve your business and bring you success.
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“It can be easy to get caught up in the new person that wants to see a house, but what about those five people from last week?” said Lotan. “The follow-ups, the phone calls, and the paperwork are where the ball can be dropped—but you can’t let it.”
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You can be busy and have multiple transactions occurring simultaneously, but if you are ignoring the back end and not remaining organized, it can ruin your business, said Michelle Pais, Realtor® founder and CEO of the Michele Pais Group, a division of Signature Realty. “It’s about working on your business, not just in it,” said Pais. “I would always set aside some specific hours each week just to work on the business. This is the time when you should be building systems and implementing strategies that are going to help you run your operations.”
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Use the 80/20 Rule
According to David Lotan, ABR®, Realtor® at Lifestyle International Realty in Secaucus, 80% of your time should be focused on 20% of your business. In other words, if you get too caught up with new clients, you could start to damage relationships with existing ones.
20 | NEW JERSEY REALTOR® | March/April 2022
When you first obtained your license, you likely wore a lot of hats. Even early on, it’s important to remember you can’t do it all, said Naeem Boucher RealtorAssociate® and founder of Naeem Boucher Properties, headquartered in Montclair. “You have to have the proper systems in place, and you likely need an assistant managing your schedule,” said Boucher. “If you can’t go to all the showings you’re landing, you might need a showing agent. And if you can’t get to all the paperwork, you need someone who can do that for you. You have to be able to delegate.”
Organization is Everything
According to Pais, technology can help facilitate these efforts and there are many software systems such as zipForms or Quickbooks, to assist with back-end management.
Know That You Can’t Do It All Yourself
Pais agrees and said, “Fire yourself from some of the tasks you’re currently handling and hire someone to do them for you.” She said a good rule of thumb for when it’s time to hire an assistant is when you have about 25 transactions per year. She adds at any point if you feel a lot is slipping through the cracks, it may be time for help.
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Immerse Yourself in Knowledge
There is always something new to learn, which is why you should immerse yourself in knowledge, said Adam D’Annunzio, Realtor® Keller Williams Realty Jersey Shore. “Always be learning. The more you invest in yourself, the better you’ll be able to help clients. There is no greater return on investment than investing in yourself,” said D’Annunzio.
