We’ve spent the past several episodes discussing the “Pillars of your Business”. We’ve covered "setting up your CRM", "taking advantage of open houses" to expand your sphere of influence, and "geographically farming" to again, expand your sphere of influence.

You’ve got your sphere of influence growing, you’ve got a business plan in place, you’ve got an advertising budget and you’re farming an area. Today we’re going to talk about focused prospecting. How can you maximize your time and energy prospecting to ensure that you get the best results?

We’ve spent the past several episodes discussing the “Pillars of your Business”. We’ve covered "setting up your CRM", "taking advantage of open houses" to expand your sphere of influence, and "geographically farming" to again, expand your sphere of influence.

You’ve got your sphere of influence growing, you’ve got a business plan in place, you’ve got an advertising budget and you’re farming an area. Today we’re going to talk about focused prospecting. How can you maximize your time and energy prospecting to ensure that you get the best results?

This week we’re going to continue our discussion on the “Pillars of your Business”, setting up the foundation of what’s required to have that solid foundation for success and growth as a real estate salesperson.

Now that you’ve got your sphere of influence setup, you’re actively engaging in open houses and you have some money coming in, the next logical business decision you need to make is where you spend your money to continue your growth.

The third pillar that we’re going to be talking about on today’s show is Geographical Farming. There is so much emphasis put on generating leads and maintaining relationships through connected methods like email marketing... but we shouldn’t lose sight of the physical. The tried and true method of farming a geographic area. It’s a method that’s been used by agents for decades, and with good reason. That being said, geographical farming doesn’t have to be limited to the physical, as an agent you can also take advantage of virtual geographical farming.

Today's show was filmed live at CENTURY 21 Canada Conference in Quebec city, and we had the pleasure of talking to both Kristie Cavanagh from Kenora, Ontario and Mark Fagan from St. John's, Newfoundland, both members of Century 21's Future Leader's network.

We discuss the future of real estate, technology trends, and more, hope you enjoy the show!

Last week we discussed the first “Pillar of Business” for real estate agents. You sphere of influence… Setting it up and growing it to start cultivating your future sales opportunities. This week we’re going to continue the discussion with the next pillar… Open Houses.

Open houses can be a great source of leads generation for all agents, especially for new agents hungry to find business and expand their network. So how do you maximize your effectiveness at open houses and convert people walking through the door into future leads?

Every successful real estate agent, new or old, has a solid business foundation upon which they’ve built their business. This foundation may have been carefully planned and executed when the agent first got into the business, or it may have been carefully curated over time, slowly growing over the course of their career.

By establishing solid “Pillars of your Business”, any agent will find the path to success in real estate. It doesn’t matter if you’re fresh to the business, or if you’ve been in the business for 40 years, it always pays to take an introspective look into your business plan on a regular basis, and patch it up as needed.

What we’re starting on today’s show is the first part of a multi show segment on establishing the pillars of your business. We’re going to be covering many pillars over the course of many weeks.

Multiple representation in the provinces that still allow multiple representation is being examined with a fine toothed comb. There has been a lot of negative press regarding sales representatives improperly respecting the boundaries between customers and clients in these scenarios. Changes to the rules restricting multiple representation are inevitable, and in Ontario specifically, they’re close to becoming a reality.

On today’s show, we’re going to discuss the nature of multiple representation, and how the rules regarding it are about to change. On the back half of the show, we’re going to talk about how Century 21 awards have been presented, and how to take advantage of Online Office and how to present your awards to your sphere of influence in the most optimal way.

The real estate market over the past couple of months has been anything but predictable. We’ve seen drastic price swings in areas as there have been large shifts in supply and demand, especially in many pockets in the Greater Toronto Area. Through the Spotlight Marketing Program, we’ve seen a record number of price changes on listings over the past month, just yesterday, Eryn and I were discussing a listing that came to the market with one price, had a price reduction a week later, and then had a price increase a couple weeks after that.

The market can be so price volatile that it can be difficult as a real estate agent to assess the value of a home. When home prices are in constant motion, past sales data from comparable properties may be outdated after even a couple of weeks. So how can you confidently price a home in a market like this?

Real estate agents and their clients rely on professional home inspections to make crucial home purchasing decisions. It’s one of the most common conditions in the offer of purchase and sale for a good reason, you want an expert to look over the large financial commitment your client is making to make sure that they have all of the information available to them before the offer goes firm.

But did you know that until recently only BC and Alberta were the only two provinces to regulate Home Inspectors and issue licenses? The Toronto Star phrased this the best…. ‘Anyone with a flashlight and a business card’ can promote themselves as a home inspector across most of Canada. Well, just recently, Ontario passed legislation to start regulating the industry. We’re going to talk about home inspection, and what to be careful of when selecting home inspectors in provinces without (and even with) regulation in place.

You’re a new agent. This business can be daunting to get started in… You’ve got the drive, but little experience, very few leads and the feeling that you’re a fish out of water. Who do you turn to? Brokers, management and trainers are great resources, but what about your peers? Other agents at your office are invaluable assets when starting out in real estate, so how do you leverage them as a resource?

On the flip side, if you’re an experienced agent, how can you utilize new agents to help further your business? Mentoring has its benefits for both sides. On todays show we talk about the important of peer networking among your fellow agents and the advantages that this brings.