Did You Make Your Broker's Naughty or Nice List This Year?

With the year almost over and Christmas almost here, it's time to figure out whether you made your broker's naughty agents list or their nice agents list.

Which list you made it on comes down to a few different factors: lead generation, lead follow-up, and marketing. But if you weren't so nice this year, don't worry--now's the perfect time to start practicing for next year!

Lead Generation

Lead generation is a continuous cycle of contacting and converting leads and previous clients. You never know when someone you worked with in the past will have a referral for you or when a cold lead will suddenly be ready to move fast.

Naughty Agents:

• Depend only on referrals.
• Wait for leads to come to them.
• Never reach out to clients after they close.

Nice Agents:

• Have multiple lead sources, like these 12 Proven Real Estate Lead Generation Sources. They start with 2-3 good, solid lead sources, then add from there to continue growing their business.
• Regularly set aside time to find new leads, even if it means accessing these Time Management Strategies for Overwhelmed Agents.
• Follow up with old clients often, setting aside time to reach out to closed clients via mail, social, text, or phone call to catch any real estate referrals their old clients may be able to offer.

Lead Follow-Up

Once you know someone who may want to buy or sell a house, you have to follow up. Otherwise, a competing agent can swoop in and lure your client into a new deal.

Naughty Agents:

• Wait several hours or even days to contact a new lead.
• Don't call again if they don't reach their lead on the first try.
• Assume their leads will reach out to them when they're ready to buy or sell.

Nice Agents:

• Follow up with leads quickly. It doesn't matter how many leads you get if you don't ever call them up. Nice agents know that following up within the first five minutes is essential if you want to convert that lead.
• Follow up often. Leads are rarely converted after the first call. Nice agents each out to each new lead six to eight times and their lead conversion numbers skyrocket!
• Set up and use lead-nurturing programs such as drip email campaigns and monthly newsletters. Homes.com offers both of these services as a free bonus of using Homes.com services. Learn more about the free newsletter here!

Marketing

Leads are on just about every agent's wish list this time of year; unfortunately, Santa rarely brings leads. You have to earn them through marketing.

Naughty Agents:

• Create a website or blog and consider it "done."
• Either have no social channels or several social channels with outdated information and no recent updates.
• Spend too much time on marketing and not enough on lead conversion.

Nice Agents:

• Add new content to their websites and social media frequently. (If you need content ideas, download the free eBook, 300 Ideas for Your Blog and Social Channels.)
• Have 2-3 active social channels for their business and use Social Media Techniques to Win Referrals and Repeat Business.
• Work smart. They learn How to Identify, Optimize, and Upcycle Your Best Content so they can repurpose topics that worked well into even more great content.

How'd you do? Are you a naughty agent or a nice one? If you focused on positive, proactive steps to improve your business, you're surely on your broker's nice list. However, if you stood by and waited for business to find you, you might want to watch out for lumps of coal headed your way.

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.