Ready, Set, Flow

Real estate veterans share tips for preparing for season during the slow summer months

BY ROBIN F. DEMATTIA

hen season arrives, Naples is hopping with more people, more events, and, well, more of everything. That’s why many REALTORS® do a lot of planning during the slower months of the year. Preparing for season encompasses both business and personal affairs to ensure things run smoothly when it’s prime time to effectively seize the opportunity to generate the most income of the year.

Kathy Zorn Business Plan

“Take the time during the quieter months of summer to sit down and review your business plan and think about how you are going to adjust it,” says Kathy Zorn, broker-owner with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Pristine. Zorn acknowledges that REALTORS® can be anxious waiting for customers to come back and trying to predict what will happen with market dynamics, such as interest rates. But, she says, having a plan means REALTORS® can build a buyer’s confidence and set their minds at ease. Sandra Schlaupitz, team leader of Coastal Luxe Group Brokered by eXp Realty, takes a different approach. She doesn’t write her business plan until December, making it a 12-month plan for the upcoming calendar year rather than for season.

“I try to prepare my team not just for season but for the full year,” she explains, noting that she holds a weekly team meeting. “They need to understand that the market is not just the season.” Schlaupitz helps her team set an annual monetary goal, divide it up monthly, and then determine how many calls to make to reach their target.

Liz Koplitz, a REALTOR® with Royal Shell Real Estate, also takes a less formal approach. She says she writes up a goal sheet based on how much she wants to earn, determines the gross sales she needs to reach that, and then “keeps to the plan like it’s a Bible.” Her goal sheet is usually finalized by the end of October. “I prep all year long, so I don’t have a surge,” Koplitz says. “It’s less stressful because I’ve been pacing myself and it doesn’t get harder during other parts of the year.”

Liz Koplitz

NAPL ES AREA BOARD OF REALTORS® 39

Nicola Wakelin

Sandra Schlaupitz Database

Even with the best of plans, it takes customers to reach goals. Because former customers are great sources for new sales and referrals, reviewing your database is a good project for the slower months.

“I’m de nitely working on my database in the summer to make sure it’s updated,” says Nicola Wakelin, a REALTOR® with e Wakelin Team at John R. Wood Properties. A REALTOR® for 10 years, Wakelin ensures that customer contact information is correct, and she adds people she didn’t have time to during season.

Koplitz agrees that the database is an important tool but says analyzing it is just as critical. “People live and talk di erently, and we have to respect that. I talk to the executives I’ve known for 25 years a lot di erently than I do their kids,” she says. “I don’t send them the same message or try to sell them the same house. If you don’t know that distinction, you’re going to fail.”

Outreach

Once the database is cleaned up, it’s time to reach out to previous customers. “If someone bought nine or 10 years ago, they may be looking to downsize or upgrade,” says Zorn. “Maybe their children are looking to move down here to be closer to family.” Zorn cites a recent study by United Van Lines showing that 32 percent of Americans who moved did it to be closer to family.

Staying top-of-mind is the goal. “We are really, really good at networking and keeping in touch with everybody,” says Koplitz. She tracks birthdates and anniversaries and makes sure to acknowledge these special days with a phone call, email, text message, or card. “If someone’s dog dies, a card goes out in the mail and I make a telephone call,” she says.

Schlaupitz recommends that REALTORS® make calls from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Monday through ursday year-round—but especially

in the summer. “I’m very big into lead generation,” she says. “If you don’t have someone to call, pick up the phone and call your database.”

During the summer, Wakelin schedules lunches and dinners with previous customers and has gotten referrals from this networking. In December, she sends her customers a calendar for the next year that is designed by a local artist.

If a customer is going through a challenging time, Koplitz may send a care package with items such as soup, muffins, and teas. “They not only may need it, but they know I’m thinking of them,” Koplitz says. “We don’t leave our customers once the sale is over.”

Schlaupitz plans and holds community events to give back and generate leads. Her team’s annual back-to-school event last summer attracted 300 people. At Thanksgiving, her team gives pies to customers to thank them for their business. “You are successful because you are helping the community,” Schlaupitz says, “but you’re also creating people who will believe in you, and if they need a REALTOR®, they will reach out to you because you were there for them.”

Technology

There’s an endless array of cool apps and software designed to streamline communication with clients. Koplitz uses the customer-relationship management software Ace Media, based on a recommendation from her marketing firm.

Schlaupitz says she closed so many deals in the past year, she is looking for a system that will send a postcard when her customers have a birthday.

However, some REALTORS® opt for fewer gadgets.

“We have a lot of technology coming at us every day,” Zorn says. One REALTOR® in her office uses social media almost exclusively, she says, but other REALTORS® who have been in the business longer tend to make a phone call or send handwritten notes. “It’s the good, oldfashioned personal touch and thoughtfulness that people are really craving these days,” she says.

Branding

This summer, Schlaupitz and her team updated their branding so all of them have the same background on their Facebook accounts and use the same signature line in their emails.

Wakelin spent this summer updating both her business and personal websites with a goal

of optimizing search engine hits.

Koplitz gets a new headshot taken every couple of years. “I don’t want to be that REALTOR® who looks like a totally different person when the customer shows up,” she laughs.

She also fills her wardrobe with new items that range from casual to formal. “I do have luxury clients and even if they look like they just came off the beach, I can’t.” Schlaupitz also culls her wardrobe prior to season.

Education

Many REALTORS® use the summer months to pursue required or interesting continuing education classes.

Wakelin is taking Code of Ethics, Core Law, and Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist offered by NABOR®.

Schlaupitz reviews the upcoming NABOR® classes and asks members of her team to take refreshers or learn something new. She also shares NABOR®’s monthly statistics and information about the market with her team. This type of analysis allows REALTORS® to help buyers and sellers see the positives in the changing market and identify opportunities, which is important in lead generation. “It gets them educated with statistics, so it’s not only what you think—you have the data,” she says.

Personal Time

After Thanksgiving, Schlaupitz books inseason hair, nail, facial, and massage appointments. “They are needs,” she says. “They are part of your business.” Koplitz agrees that scheduling personal and medical appointments is important. “Nobody gets in the way of my nail or hair appointment,” she laughs, adding that she once went to a nail salon in a blizzard. “You have to take care of yourself. What we do for a living is incredibly intense.” Schlaupitz makes sure her calendar has the birthdates and vacation plans for her family members, so she won’t forget the most important people in her life.

Wakelin takes advantage of the slower months to spend time with family and do activities she enjoys, such as golf. “I try to work a little bit less and take time to recharge my batteries, so I’m ready for season,” she says.

It’s important to avoid a feeling of panic that can beset REALTORS® who worry that they might not make money during the summer months. “I try to be calm and reassure myself that it’s the normal state of affairs” in Southwest Florida, she says. “Things slow down during the summer and things will pick up in October as they always do.”