As we prepare for the New Year, we’ll take a look back at some of the best decisions FORCE members made this year to help their businesses grow.
Just as many of us make New Year’s resolutions in our personal lives, it is common for professionals to plan ahead for the New Year and devise a list of goals and strategies for achieving those goals. Of course, looking back and reflecting on the year behind us can help determine which objectives to pursue and how.
As 2015 comes to a close and we look ahead with hope for the New Year, we asked a few FORCE agents to share the best decision they made in 2015 to grow their businesses:
Establishing a team of reliable service providers
Virginia Montero-Smith, RE/MAX 100 Inc.:
Having just started listing REOs about a year ago, Virginia Montero-Smith said, “I created a team of people to do property preservation for me. I have two plumbers, people who do yard work… The hardest part was to find reliable people. Now I have a team of people I can call any time.”
More advertising
Michael Eaton, Estate #1 Realty Group:
“I did a lot more advertising to get buyers. I advertised online, and mail-outs were really big for me too. I am also getting into helping buyers get credit repair in my office.”
Leveraging the FORCE
Steven Pagano, Pagano Properties
“Affiliating with the Five Star was instrumental in promoting our business with asset managers and promoting our position in the industry. I joined the FORCE about a year and a half ago, but I attended the Five Star Conference long before that. At the conference, I got in front of companies I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. It also helped put a name with a face and let me shake hands in person with people I’d worked with before.”
Hiring an assistant
Tylene Blake, Horizon Real Estate Services
“Hiring an assistant really put me in a position to work on what I needed to be working on, so I could focus on working with buyers and sellers instead of doing administrative tasks.”
Finding a good CRM system
Halina Zdanowski, Royal Service Realty Home Sweet Home
“I got a good CRM system to stay in touch with clients. I send them property information, updates on the market and what’s going on. Even for closed customers, I send them newsletters and stay in touch with them.”
Having a tech-savvy team member and a list of quality vendors
Tina Adamson, Real Living Mutter Real Estate
“My husband has been my assistant, and he now has his license. He’s working very hard to get us a CRM system that he thinks is good. If you’re not a technology expert, it’s good to have someone else on your team with those skills.
I’m also finding it’s good to find reliable vendors that are licensed and keep their licenses updated. Sometimes there is a small job that doesn’t require a license, but for some things, I need someone who is a licensed state contractor. It’s good to have people with different backgrounds and expertise—someone who’s a good roofer, someone who’s a good plumber, et cetera.”