Not enough people have a sense of urgency. It doesn't mean you're pushy or can't meet people where they're at. It's doing what most people don't want to do in a timely manner. If you host an open house on Sunday and don't reach out to them or enter them in your CRM until Tuesday, then you've already lost that potential client. How you do one thing is how you do everything. If you're waiting for days to follow up after meeting a potential client, that's letting them know how you do business. A new home will come on the market and you won't share it with them for days. Urgency is foundational.

Managing expectations is not only critical to your business but also to your life and relationships with others. If you don't have a proven process that you lay out for your clients up front, then they will hold you to whatever expectations they set for you not the expectations YOU'VE set. In this low inventory market, it's even more critical for agents to set expectations and constantly communicate with their buyers so they know you're on track whether it takes them 6 weeks or 6 months to get under contract. You must be able to keep your client's confidence in you and what you're doing for them.

Too many salespeople, real estate agents in particular, fall short when it comes to psychographics. Sometimes we lose sight of the important journey and decisions our clients are making and focus too much on checking off events and transactions on our list like showings, writing contracts, and the closing itself. We need to be sensitive to what our clients are feeling and meet them where they're at. Acknowledge their emotions and have empathy. The more transactional you become, the less relationship-focused you are. Create a strong bond with your client, enabling you to serve them at a higher level.

If you have put in the work to get to know your buyers' needs and wants, then don't let yourself get in the way of asking those questions that will close the deal. Don't think of yourself as just a salesperson -- you're here to guide and advise them through a process they chose to be a part of. Ask those sometimes uncomfortable closing questions. "It sounds like this home checks your boxes and rates highly, I think the next step would be to submit an offer." ASK FOR THEIR BUSINESS. Don't be afraid as you'll be surprised how many potential clients are waiting for you to make the first move.

What is your value proposition and identifying feature? Why are you the right agent for them? When you start a conversation on the phone, you have about 5 seconds to make the person on the other end start to like, know, and trust you. The more clearly you can articulate your value proposition, the more successful you will be. Know who you are, feel comfortable with who you are, and articulate that to the market.

When you do anything, you have to know what your end game is. When you're talking to a potential client: Do you want to set an appointment? Do you need to further understand their goals? Have they talked to a lender? When you have a plan and you work that plan, there is no doubt you will achieve results. When you don't have a plan, it is unpredictable what results you will get.

Good things will happen when you get active. Consistent "bird-dogging" - going out into the field and shaking trees doing activity to find opportunities - always leads to something. If you're not sure how to start, just do something and the pieces will fall in line.

Structure your dialogues around: feel, felt, found. 1) Acknowledge what the client said and that you understand, 2) You or your team have had clients dealing with the same situation, and 3) Share your solution or plan of action. Build relationships with your clients.

Get deep with your clients to understand their motivations and appetite for competing in this market. Only then can you truly advise them. Frame it like this: do they want the mild, the medium, or the hot sauce? 

Time-blocking is incredibly important for your business. It's not about how much time you spend, but how effective you are with your time. When you time-block, you can manage your expectations with others and more easily achieve family-life-work harmony.