Doesn't it always come down to time?

When we talk to real estate professionals about what's holding them back, we hear over and over: Time. When the marketing engine isn't quite humming – time. When past clients aren't becoming future clients – time.

This is a business built on personal contact, and the better you are at consistently showing knowledge and authenticity, the stronger your business results. But how we maintain contact is changing, and so is marketing in our industry. The challenge for many of us today is focusing on the right fundamental skills we need to drive real business.

Here are the five must-have marketing skills that you need to keep top of mind to build a high producing sales machine.

1. Good Content

To generate new listings and new sales, you need to attract new clients. That means content. This could be posts on your website, videos, even tweets – whatever forum you choose, effective lead generation happens when you give something of value. In today's industry, you need to be a publisher and author. What to write? You've got lots of choice: market commentary, selling strategies, information about staging a home, neighborhood events. Great content builds trust, draws people to your site and also makes it easier for you to stay top of mind with past clients.