You may feel a bit overwhelmed with all the advice you get about what you should or shouldn't be doing for your business. Maybe you can only implement a few changes and need to figure out which are the really important ones to focus on and which ones you can put on the backburner for the time being.

In this post, I'll discuss three big points to think about. Each one will greatly affect your overall business success.

1. Focus on retention more than acquisition

It costs five times less money and energy to retain an existing client than to acquire a new one. Too many agents make the mistake of focusing all their efforts on prospecting and securing new leads and customers. But if they put half that time into their clients and staying in touch with them long after the transition is over, they'd be much more successful. The highest performing Realtors get the bulk of their business from referrals and repeat transactions. Business from prospecting is supplemental.

In order to focus on retention, you need to stay in touch and build lasting relationships with past clients over time. It all starts with a good real estate contact management system, or CRM. If you're not already using a real estate specific CRM, the first thing you need to do is get one.

2. Take a creative and multi-faceted approach

We talk about keeping in touch, but keeping in touch doesn't just mean calling people from time to time. You need to have a broader and more creative line of attack to maximize your success. Supplement phone calls with face-to-face events like a cup of coffee, round of golf, client appreciation nights, and home expert seminars.