Will you be selling real estate in the year 2000?

There will definitely be fewer agents in the years to come. If you're reading this on-line, you're are among those who are attempting to stay on top of the latest trends. And you know by now that if you don't stay abreast of all of the changes, you'll be finding yourself one of the statistics to prove what you've heard by those forecasting the future.

But don't kid yourself. That doesn't mean less competition. It actually means more competition for you. You won't be measuring your performance by the vast majority who are wondering aimlessly through the fields of poor to mediocre production. You're left with the big boys and girls who don't play unless they can win.

Do you find yourself wondering if you should you stay or if you should leave the field? You bring to the field your talent, sales skills, contacts and a certain enthusiasm. You also bring one thing without which you may as well punch out of this game. - Time.

Want to get the most out of those hours you devote to real estate sales? - Listen up.

• DO NOT WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN.
• DO NOT WAIT FOR YOUR BROKER TO BUY YOU A COMPUTER or ANY OTHER EQUIPMENT YOU NEED.
• DO NOT WAIT FOR THE MARKET TO CHANGE.

Leverage yourself, your TIME, right now. Think about this and apply your personal production to the formula:

How much do you earn per hour? How can you increase the amount? Imagine - You work 200 days per year, 6 hours per day. Total of 1,200 hours.

There are four primary and obvious ways to leverage your time and give yourself a raise:

1.) Get a lap top computer.

When I speak across the country, I am still amazed at the number of agents who either don't own their own computers, or have outdated models. The idea may sound incredible to those of you who have been implementing software programs for years, but you'd be surprised at the number of agents who are still waiting for the broker to make the investment for them. Are they in business or not? What are they waiting for?

Prices have never been lower, and features have never been more advanced. For every advancement, there has been an increase in user-friendliness. Lap tops have never been less intimidating.

Wake up! This is your life. With a few hours of training, you can point and click your way to an enormous time saver - instant answers, everything necessary for instant solutions. Think of it as a telephone. Today's average consumers wear more computing power on their wrists than existed in the entire world before 1961. Computers are here to make life easier.

You may say, "I've already got a computer." But is it able to handle current technology? How quickly can you access the Internet? Are your A and D drives peripherals or built-in? Is it portable? Can you take it easily to showings, listing presentations, and meetings?

Take it to the next level. Think about a complete mobile office and incorporate the Internet, the portable printer and the digital camera. Connect the two with one wire. Push two buttons and the picture appears on the screen. Print a copy. Do you have a fax/data modem so that you can transmit information instantly?

Wherever you stopped on the technology train, begin there and build.

Soon, all office and MLS systems will be on the Internet, which means your clients will come to expect you to be able to do business anytime, anywhere. Can you do it?

Also See: Notebook Buying Tips

2.) Get a digital camera

Digital camera require no film and no development. You can photograph your listings, plug the camera in and print brochures. You can photograph the home while showing it to a prospective buyer and print out copies for them to take home or e-mail them to your buyer's e-mail. You can plug the digital camera into the computer and download the photos into your website for current listings.

This is another piece of technology that agents expect the broker to buy. If there is only one camera per office and multiple agents, when do you get to use it?

Again, prices have dropped and resolution has improved. Go get one.

Also See: Don't Wait to Buy a Digital Camera

3.) Hire a personal assistant.

The vast majority of you are really frightened of this step. Yes, it cuts into your profit. But the necessary minutia obliterates your profits. A personal assistant provides the "team" that lets you leverage yourself. She holds hands with clients, follows up with present clients, follows up with prospects, makes sure the prospects are ready to do business - sets the tone for you to close. One assistant can double your efforts and free your time to generate more business. Think of her/him as a profit center. With the right instruction, your personal assistant will provide the leverage you need to gain control of your time. If you already have an assistant, delegate more to that person or hire another one. I bet there are things you insist that only you can do. And there are those few things. But there are always new frontiers for you in delegating. A good assistant can perform over 500 jobs for you to help you free your time.

Don't depend on the broker or office manager to be able to do much for you. His/her time is divided among all agents in the office and there is no way s/he could possibly be effective for you.

Also See: Finding the Right Assistant

4.) Get a call capture service.

Again, don't put your business in the hands of others. You don't want your calls going through the office where someone else doing floor time could either make a mistake or take your client.

Potential buyers can find out about your properties 24 hours a day. Once they respond to your ad, you have a record of their name, address, phone and time of the call. If you're wearing a pager, you'll be paged immediately. You'll also have a call log as a handy reference.

Leverage yourself. - your time. Start with these four steps. Incremental changes can produce huge results for you, and could well make the difference in whether you are here next year or not.

Also See: Try Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Published: February 11, 1999

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Monica Reynolds only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.