Empowering Women in Real Estate® - The Podcast with Karen Cooper

At some point in your business you are going to want to bring in support staff to help you do the tasks that you can delegate. Karen's teaching us today how to scale your business.

First you'll want to write a list of all of the things that you do over the course of several days. Take a look at which of these things have to be done by you. The other things on that list, that have to do with your business or your home life can be hired out. We know it may be a little scary, but start with hiring a runner by the hour and realize that this will help you have more time for prospecting!

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Welcome! You're tuned in to Empowering Women in Real Estate, The Podcast, Episode 39 and we're so happy to have you here!

Our title makes a pretty outlandish claim: that Karen shares the secrets to her success and we won't disappoint you. The secrets may not surprise you, but they work!

Unfortunately, there's no magic button you can hit to achieve business. There's no subscription you can buy, but the great leveler of all things is hard work. Karen's been building her business for 18 years; that's long enough to see ups, downs and steady growth.

Karen says above all else to prioritize marketing. That's an important budget item to keep things rolling. Listen in to hear what she recommends most.

Remember engagement. Real estate is a lifestyle. You're always working so stay genuinely engaged in whatever you're doing.

Lastly, to deliver the best service to your clients you've got to be careful with time-sensitive tasks. Urgent matters that need to be done right now, that could cost your clients the deal if they're not done by EOD, make sure you get those done! That's how to be excellent.

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com

Join Karen's client care program Empower Coaching for only $59 per month with no commitment.

Or, you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Welcome to the podcast! We are so glad you're joining us for our back to school pep talk. We're facing logistical challenges with school starting back up again, to say the least. Whether you are a parent or your clients are parents, everyone is crunched for time and screen time.

Let's talk about how to adjust your schedule to accommodate education and this fall season, while still maintaining your professional appointment systems.

And, as a special bonus Karen is giving us tips on how to "take back the morning!"

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com

Join Karen's client care program Empower Coaching for only $59 per month with no commitment.

Or, you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Welcome to Empowering Women in Real Estate! Karen is back with another backyard addition of the podcast, this time to talk about making real estate fun!

Karen loves to use contests in her business and she has 2 main ways she does this:

1. Client contests. Having a contest with clients like a pumpkin carving contest, for example, is a really fun way to get people excited. People like winning things and so it gives you an extra opportunity to interact them. And, the bonus is that it gives clients the chance to share their entry or their prize on social media!

2. Team Incentives. Actually, whether or not you work on a team you can incorporate incentives into your business. You can set a challenge for you and your teammates or for you and your colleagues and either way this ends up being lots of fun! Gear the incentives toward specific actions or create a point system for things like: meeting up with clients, delivering pop-bys, adding listings, etc. Then give prizes for certain point levels. This way there isn't just one winner; everyone can win!

By the way, tracking for the contest has other benefits. This kind of tracking shows you how well you are doing your job and how good your stats really are. Turn things into a game and life gets better!

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

The level of success that you're going to have in the listing appointment depends on how prepared you are, your ability to connect quickly and inspire confidence. Thanks for tuning into Episode 36 of Empowering Women in Real Estate, The Podcast today where Karen Cooper is sharing her *entire* playbook on listing appointments!

When you are on that first phone call to schedule the listing appointment you need to ask a few key questions. Here's what they are:

1. How did you find me?

2. Tell me about your situation? (This allows you to assess their motivation.)

3. What is your expectation of value?

4. Confirm what you see on the tax record regarding bedrooms, bathrooms, fencing, etc.

5. (Don't directly ask if they are interviewing other agents.) Instead ask, "After our appointment on ... Wednesday, are you going to be ready to make a decision?" or "What does your decision timeline look like?" If they tell you that they are going to be interviewing other agents, then respond positively and boldly. (Karen's got a great way of using this potentially awkward conversation to confirm your expertise!)

When you arrive for the listing appointment bring a small gift. A pie or a plant is fantastic, just never show up empty handed.

Listen in for exactly what Karen says during each stage of the listing appointment. She recommends leading the appointment and following this sequence: tour, presentation, comps, and paperwork. It's the best way to build connections with the homeowners and demonstrate how professionally you work.

Lastly, make sure you know your worth. Know the commission rate you want and ask for it!

This episode is chock-full of wisdom. Psst! Especially listen for tips about what to do right after the listing appointment and how to be professional when you know you're being compared to other agents.

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Karen Cooper is here today to talk about one of the best long games you can play in your community: becoming the local expert.

Get involved in local events, sports teams and programs, and better yet, sponsor them.

Also, as you are supporting local businesses, post pictures on your business AND personal social media accounts. Patronize local shops and restaurants, leave your business card on the board, and talk to everyone you can.

Thank you for tuning in! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

We love renters! Renters are future buyers and they refer buyers. Join Karen Cooper and Christie Pekala as the go over all of the reasons why helping renters is worth your time!

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Learn how being the go-to person for everything related to homeownership can improve your business!

Be the connector between vendors and their customers. Share the name of the painter, the stager, the photographer, etc! If you can establish a reputation of someone who knows the best referral for any need three main things will happen:

1. Buyers and sellers alike will think of you first when it comes to their home's needs.

2. You'll lock in better service and loyalty with your vendors.

3. You'll widen your network - big time.

Though you'll always try to refer the best quality work, if a referral ever goes south make sure to step in and help resolve the situation.

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Thanks for joining us today to learn how to strategically fresh your database!

As far as databases go, Karen uses the Referral Maker CRM by Brian Buffini, but there are so many ways to organize your client data. You can even just use Excel or the contacts feature on your phone.

Feel free to refer back to our episodes 6 and 9 here to learn more about how to build your database:

https://empoweringwomeninrealestate.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=database

As you begin your database refresh you might want to find a way to print it out and work on paper.

Start with the A+ names and go from there. Make any revisions based on how many referrals are coming in and how engaged they have been in social media.

Of course, update missing and outdated information. Take the time to gather e-mails, addresses, phone numbers, etc.

Next, spot-check the silent accounts. See if you can find out whether these contacts have made any transactions with other agents lately and maybe even reach out to let them know you're happy for them and you're interesting in knowing how you can improve. Often the reason they used a different agent on their recent transaction is because a family member became licensed. There's no need to feel bad about that. Karen reassures us that she knows this can be a hard step but not to do any mass deletes.

As you're working on your database refresh, keep a list on the side of things that pop into your head. As you review these names of your wonderful contacts, you'll be reminded of nice things you can congratulate them for or thank them for.

This process takes Karen about 2-4 hours and she does it at least twice a year. Go ahead and dive into your refreshing your database, too!

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

We're half way through 2020! Can you believe it? Seriously, good job for hanging in there. And, thanks for tuning in today. We're going to . . . attempt a mid year review.

It's important to check in and see if we are on track toward meeting our goals. In this very difficult year we've had, we may need to course-correct in order to meet our goals or adjust our goals all together. Let's dive in.

First, look at the data. What are your lead sources? What is your conversion rate?

Second, reflect on what worked and what didn't work in your business.

Third, reflect on your very best transaction and then your worst transaction? Can you crack the code on what worked so well and what did not? Can you identify red flags with certain clients that you can avoid moving forward?

Karen walks us through how to adjust for the huge upsets of this year and she reminds us that Empower Coaching is free until September 1st. Join in and benefit from this great support!

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.