How Important are the Habits of Real Estate?
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems ~ James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits
Habits are everything, and the book Atomic Habits by Jame Clear helps the reader see their habits in a new light. Clear brings the reader along with compelling insights and interesting stories. He does a great job of giving the What and Why of habit formation, then giving action steps to help you with the How.
The book isn’t specific to real estate. In fact, it’s not even specific to business. Clear touches on the importance of habits in our relationships, our health, and many other areas of our lives as well.
If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, it all begins with your habits. And while I highly recommend picking up the book and reading it yourself, I did want to share a few tips on how you can use the power of your habits to transform your real estate business.
Get your systems in order. This starts with having a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. I know a lot of agents stress over which one is the best, but I would submit that the best system is the one you will actually USE. Sometimes the features are so robust that you can get frozen in a state of overwhelm. Other times the system is too clunky so you just dread logging in.
Find one that is focused on real estate first and foremost. From there, make sure you like the interface. Once you’ve found one you like, stop researching and start using it! If it offers a lot of features, start by learning the basics. You can get more in depth on what it can do once you’re comfortable.
Time block your key habits. In our industry, our daily activities can look very reactionary. And while it’s important that we react in a timely manner to all the things that come our way, we have to set aside time to be proactive about keeping our business on track.
The main thing is relationship building. Many people refer to this as “prospecting.” But that term gives a connotation of being self-focused. Using the term relationship building helps us keep in mind that we want our efforts to remain others-focused.
Set a time every day, 5 days per week, to make proactive steps to build relationships with the people in your CRM (Sphere of influence, past and present clients, and leads). Determine how many calls you will make each day, how many personalized messages you will send, and how many notecards you’ll write.
With every call, text, email, or notecard, be sure to make a note in your CRM. What was discussed? Are any further action items needed? Be sure to set a follow up reminder for the next time you need to reach out to the person. Whether it’s in 2 days, 6 months, or next year, if you don’t set a reminder it’s too easy to lose track and forget to follow up.
Get an accountability partner. In this industry, it’s easy to give ourselves permission to let things slide. If you have another person holding you accountable, it becomes much more difficult to ignore the important habits to which you’ve committed. This is where a good coach, team leader, or another agent you respect can come into play.
What habits are you doing in your business right now that are working? Which habits do you know need improvement?
Jacki Semerau Tait – www.RealEstatebyRelationship.com
Jacki is the founding agent for Team Three 23 with Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert, a team who has consistently been in the top 1% of Realty ONE Group agents Nationwide since 2019. She is also a Certified Coach, leading the Agent Success Program for her brokerage and runs coaching accountability programs for agents Nationwide.