1.    Identify who your ideal client is. Size, niche, location, small company, corporate services account, multiple locations, outlot user, etc. Really know everything about who your ideal client is – it makes it easier to identify them.

2.    Develop a highly targeted prospecting list of ideal prospects (100-500). You will need to set aside significant time away from the phones and email to do this.  There are many resources available to help you. Some are free and some have a fee attached.  Get as much of the contact information as you are able to.

A few to get you started are:
a.    CoStar
b.    LoopNet
c.    Your Business Journal
d.    Google
e.    Association Membership Directories to the organizations your prospects belong to
f.    ICSC Member Directory
g.    Public Libraries often have fee access to things like:
i.    D & B
ii.    Lexis Nexus
iii.    Salesgenie
h.    ProspectNow.com

3.    Develop a “Touch” program and a process to track your activity – a spreadsheet is a good tool for this. You will need to know how you intend to reach out – phone, door knock, email, letter, etc. By measuring your success you will be learn what to expect. I.e.: Snail mail letter, email, snail mail letter, email, snail mail letter, email, call, call call.

4.    Know what your offer of help is and be able to clearly communicate it. Don’t be salesy. If you have a specific process you use, name it. Write it out and memorize it – your elevator speech; aka 30-second commercial.

5.    Schedule large chunks of time for prospecting twice a week (3-4 hours with 15-minute breaks once or twice) rather than 60-minutes each day. It’s too easy to say I’ll do it tomorrow when you have it scheduled daily.

6.    If the prospect says “no”, move on. Do not press for an appointment. If there is no need for your services in the near future, don’t press for an appointment. Your time is better spent identifying a prospect that needs and wants your service.

7.    Tape yourself and listen to see if you were authentic – yourself. Or, were you salesy and awkward or boring?

8.    Always be in a “Disqualifying” mode. The trick of successfully selling is to get to a no. And often times it is you who will have to say no. Life will be easier if you qualify really really well.

9.    Understand it really and truly is a numbers game (sorry). You need to have enough people on your list so that a handful will stick. Keep a record of your effort and results so you can measure your success.

10.    Don’t give up. It’s called work for a reason. Once you truly develop a prospecting habit and incorporate into your routine it becomes easier. Also, it takes time to see results and most of your competitors will give up before they see success.

As you progress quickly through the last quarter of 2013 and head into the New Year you are most likely wondering what 2014  will bring you. You are not alone; most commercial real estate professionals are asking themselves the same question.

Well…well I am going to spend the next few blog posts on just that. I will lead you step-by-step on exactly how you do this. And if you listen well, do as I say and execute…you will earn more money with less stress and overwhelm. OK, let’s get going.

But wait…first; we have to go over a few basics. I want you to have a strong foundation so that your energies won’t be wasted. It is essential you have an enduring morning ritual you follow daily. A morning ritual allows you to begin the workday with the ability to respond to what the day asks of you verses reacting all day long. And when you respond rather than react, better decisions are made.

The morning ritual begins with waking up at a decent hour and drinking a glass of water. Water hydrates you and a well-hydrated body has more energy and is less tired. Then, best to get some exercise in before the day gets away from you – even if only for 10-minutes. A few push-ups and jumping jacks (no laughing please) can do wonders if that’s all you can squeeze in. And don’t forget about breakfast…add a little protein while you are at it.

Once you are in the office the ritual continues. Now pay close attention because there are three major ingredients to the success recipe – Spreadsheet Updates And Review, Daily Planning And The Power Hour. I call this “The Triple Play”!

1.    Spreadsheets: The GIC Spreadsheet is the single most important document to keep close. It is your roadmap to getting more done. It prevents things from slipping through the cracks. Your weekly prospecting spreadsheet is also important to keep your eyes on so don’t forget about it either; use it.

2.    Daily Planning: The Top Habit of Top Producers. Your daily planning is CRITICAL. Each and every workday morning you need to identify all of the things you need to accomplish that day.

3.    Power Hour: The slice of time you give yourself each day to focus on priority tasks uninterrupted. It may be 30, 60 or 90-minutes.

The experts say it takes 30-days to create a new habit. Try this everyday for 30-days (you can take Saturday and Sunday off) and make it a permanent habit. Notice how much more you get done and watch the overwhelm melt away. This is the way CEO’s of major corporations do it. Bill Gates is known for his two-hour daily planning routine.

A morning ritual will do wonders for your business. New research into the old-fashioned concept that the early bird catches the worm has proven it to be true. Tasks that require self-discipline are simply easier to do while the day is young.

If you wait until the end of the day to complete important things it probably won’t happen…

Next time I will reveal Part 2

I most likely piqued your interest with my title but chances are you are a skeptic. You are wondering what you could possible do to double your income and how much additional time each week will it take? What if I told you it would only increase your workday by no more then 30-minutes daily would you believe me? Probably not. But yet you may be intrigued and have read this far so please keep reading; I might just change your mind.

You see my clients ask me all the time what the Top Producers do that allow them to continually keep the pipeline full and earn top dollar. Top Producers have isolated the activities that produce the best results and repeat them every day.

Do you want to play with the Top Producers? Then implement the following 4 Strategies and don’t skimp on any one, ever:

1.    Upgrade Your Ideal Client – For example, if you typically work with small businesses in the 5,000 – 10,000 square foot range, upgrade to 10,000 – 20,000 square feet. Don’t be afraid to do this. I am not expecting you to suddenly abandon your current clients and pipeline but rather begin today with prospecting activities that recruit bigger and better clients. But of course this will require a bit of thought on your part. You will need to focus on identifying who they are and add to your database.

And the truth is when you work with bigger and more select clients you will discover they are better clients. They will take up less time; their demands will be briefer and they will value your expertise more. This is because they are also busy and have hired you because you are the expert in what you do leaving them more time for their business.

And working with bigger and better clients will increase your commissions.

2.    Qualify Your Prospects – You absolutely, positively must qualify prospects before agreeing to work with them. If you don’t, you risk wasting valuable time that would have otherwise been available to service or obtain a more viable client.

Have a list of 5 or so standard qualifying questions you ask before moving forward. You will need to ask questions such as: Are you the decision maker? Do you have the required capital? Have you talked to any other brokers? What is your timeline? What economics make sense to you? And too many more qualifying questions to list but hopefully you understand the concept. Plus, 95% of the time this includes securing an exclusive agency agreement before you begin in order to avoid wasting time.

If the answers to the questions raise ANY red flags, don’t accept the assignment.

3.    Say No – Every time you say yes, you are saying no to something else. If you have committed your time and resources to work on non-income producing activities then you have limited your income. Top Producers know this and are proficient at say no to activities that yield little or no return.

Be very clear about what you will say yes to and what you need to say no to.

4.    Work Your Spreadsheet – We talked about this a few weeks ago. Working your spreadsheets daily the way they are supposed to be used has the potential to double your income.

It’s because you are reviewing all of your deals and potential deals daily and identifying the appropriate actions that are required. This leaves no tasks undone and all follow up is prompt.

If you work with bigger and better clients, qualify well, say no when necessary and remember to work your spreadsheet daily the amount of time spent will be less, commissions higher and fewer actions missed because you are minding your spreadsheet. The end result: Bigger and More Commissions!

Stop Doing That

 

I love reading and learning. Reading affords me the ability to learn, well… just about anything. And so this morning while reading the April 2013 issue of Inc. Magazine I came across an article written about Tim Ferriss (Author of “The 4 Hour Workweek” and multi-millionaire Guru) titled “Get More Done” and just had to share a small portion of the article for you to read. My clients continually want to know how to get more done and be more productive. So…

 

Stop Doing That…Some Tim Ferriss Basics for Avoiding Distractions and Wasting of Time

 

·      Check your email just a couple of times a day and train the people you correspond with not to cc you on endless email threads.

·      Avoid meetings, and when you must have them, make sure they have scheduled end times.

·      Adopt a “low-information” diet and read only the headlines in the news.

·      Develop template responses for customer service and supplier or media queries. Empower employees to use them.

·      Calculate how much your time is worth by the hour, and outsource administrative and research tasks to people who will handle them for less (Ferris uses sites like TaskRabbir, a company he invested in to find the help.)

 

In general, Ferriss says, “Preserve your creative horsepower for things that actually matter, not how much to charge some guy for overnight shipping.

 

I really enjoyed the entire article but experience has taught me commercial real estate professionals struggle to delegate and have difficulty giving up control over things like email and phoning.

 

Ferriss has what he calls the 80/20 rule.  Eighty percent of your productivity comes from 20% percent of your efforts, and, likewise. 80% of your wasted time comes from 20% of the possible causes. So, eliminate the 20-percent time wasters, and spend as much energy as possible on the productive 20 percent. An example – fire high-maintenance, time-wasting clients and get twice as many new well-behaved ones instead.

5 Prospecting Rules to Live By

I got an email the other day and the subject line was something similar to 5 Prospecting Rules to Live By but when I opened it up I was very disappointed because it was just a bunch of propaganda to sell me something. I decided to write my own version and make it really good.

 

So, below are the 5 Prospecting Rule to Live By. Follow these and your business will have nowhere to go but up!

 

1.    Prospect Daily: This is a no-brainer but I have learned very few commercial real estate brokers are consistent with prospecting. It’s usually an afterthought. You need to establish the habit of prospecting everyday. Even if it’s just touching base with a handful of old clients while you drive to or from work. If you don’t prospect your pipeline will dry up quickly and if you do prospect you will never run out of clients.

 

 

2.    Know What Prospecting Strategies You’re Good At: There must be at least 100 prospecting strategies available today. Anything from making calls, to door knocking to postcards to newsletters and many more. But the best ones are the ones you will take action on. So, if you hate cold calling, make warm calls instead. If you hate canvassing, drive around and see who has a full parking lot and probably needs to expand. If you think Facebook is a waste of time try LinkedIn.

 

There are no magic bullets when it comes to prospecting. That’s why there are so many different possibilities. It takes a minimum of three solid strategies that you use regularly. Choose ones you will do rather then force ones you hate upon yourself; you’ll be more successful.

 

3.    Treat Prospecting as You Would an Important Meeting: This means you need to block time in your daily calendar and honor the timeslot as you would an important client meeting. What typically happens is that because you don’t like prospecting you easily find other activities to take its place and justify it by selling yourself on the idea that what you did instead was more important – but it wasn’t. No excuses.

 

4.    Know Who is Your Ideal Client Is and How to Qualify: This is BIG! The first thing you need to know is who is your ideal client? For example if you are an office tenant rep broker it may be companies with 50-200 employees who have multiple offices in your trade area. This means these are the types of companies you look for and reach out to when you prospect. A company with 10 employees would not be a good fit.

 

And then, if you are lucky enough to dig up a prospect and before you spend too much time, be certain the prospect is qualified. You know, doesn’t already have a broker, has a REAL need, is the decision maker, has the financial ability and well…you get it.

 

5.    The Money is in The Follow Up: OK, this is key and I see the same mistake being made over and over. You find a prospect, the prospect is qualified but you didn’t follow up as promised and you read in the paper that a deal got done with this company and you weren’t the broker – your competition was.

 

You must have a tickler system that let’s you know when and how often to follow up or you’ll loose the business. The number one reason companies change broker’s is a lack of communication, don’t be that broker.  

 

Good luck with your prospecting – you ought to be able to land a few new clients now that you’re committed…

You may already know that the most successful sales professionals earn more because of ‘WHO” they are rather then “WHAT” they do. More simply put, those perceived as experts get paid more. Furthermore, as your status of “Expert” gets elevated, so does your income. While a professional with impeccable skills but lower status often earns less.

So naturally you are asking yourself what you can do to increase your status, right?

1.     First, Connect With Others – Sales is a relationship business. It is not only important to continually form new relationships but maintain old relationships.

2.     Be Known – Attend all association meeting and tradeshows.

3.     Get published

4.     Speak

5.     Use Video

6.     Mastermind and Learn —

7.     Finally, Call Yourself an Expert – After all, Mohammad Ali proclaimed himself the “World’s Greatest Boxer” long before it was a reality. But…what came first, the chicken or the egg?

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE MARKETING

for

Commercial Real Estate Professionals.

8-Weeks to Success

 

The hype about Social Media and Online Marketing is that you can make a lot of money generating leads online while doing hardly any work. It’s only half true.

While you can make a lot of money generating leads online using Social Media and various Online Marketing strategies, there is a fair amount of work involved in order to do it right and without hassle. But, you will need to learn SOCIAL MEDIA and ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGIES specific to commercial real estate to be successful as a broker, and now you finally can.

Because…We are less then 4 weeks away from my wildly successful SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE MARKETING for commercial real estate professionals program

Listen to What People Have Said About Cindy’s Social Media and Online Marketing For Commercial Real Estate Professionals:


”Great Course!” 
- Andrea N. –

“The Class Is Supercharged!” 
- Rick A. –

“Very Helpful – All Good!” 
- Tom K. –

“I Am Not Internet Savvy and This Has Enlightened Me!
I Never Thought I’d Use A Person

Like Her But She Has Exceeded My Expectations!” 
- Slater S. –

“I got a new client within 30 days, amazing!” – Michael K. –

“Cindy understands how this game is played” – Jennifer E. –

 

Simply put, you cannot grow a solid commercial real estate business today without using the Internet and that means online marketing and social media. This may just be the closest thing we have to a “Magic bullet”. Can you afford to miss this opportunity?

Not only do you get the easy-to-follow Course Manual – 1 chapter each week and Reference Guide that connects the dots for you, but I’ll be there every step of the way to support you. You will be able to pick and choose what to implement now and what to easily implement later by referring back to this Manual. And you can learn from the comfort of your own desk without the hassle of travel.

So, Please Join Me For. . .

Social Media and Online Marketing for

Commercial Real Estate Professionals

8-Weeks to Success

WOULD YOU LIKE TO DOUBLE YOUR 2013 INCOME WITHOUT
EVER MAKING ANOTHER COLD CALL AGAIN?

Learn how to generate leads using social media and online marketing via the Internet in order to eliminate cold calling (well you should still make a few calls, but maybe they can be warm calls!), while handling the rest of the sales process with traditional face-to-face meetings. It’s not really that hard and you can have fun in the process.

Using the Internet including social media to market yourself and your commercial real estate assignments can result in:

• Getting Leads You Would Not Have Received Otherwise
• Building Your Online Presence in No Time
• Doing Big Things Online
• Creating Expert Status Within Your Niche
• Attracting Your Ideal Client
• Dominating Your Competition
• Increasing Your Earnings – Even Double Them
• Learning to Love the Business Again
• Winning more invitations to “pitch”
• Putting Your Business on Autopilot
• Having your phone ring with leads
• Taking More Time Off

And just imagine what would happen if you went to a meeting to win a new client and had a conversation about how you can use the Internet to generate leads for your new listing or tenant rep assignment.

If you are not familiar with the online marketing tools and social media strategies available to you on the Internet it’s time to learn. If you don’t, your competition will and soon! Don’t wait. And even if you do know a few, chances are you don’t know nearly enough!

And the best news! I will tell you how you can effectively accomplish apportion of this without personally doing it yourself – and you won’t even have to spend a lot!

Below is the 8-week outline of what you can expect to learn:

8-Week Outline: Each class will include a multiple page corresponding study guide. All Webinar classes are 75 – 90 minutes in length (Replays available 24/7).

Week 1: Wednesday, April 17, 2013

11:30 AM ET/10:30 CT/9:30 MT/8:30 AM PT/4:30 PM UK Time

Introduction to Social Media and Online Marketing

Brief Overview of Social Media Platforms & What Online Marketing is and how it relates to you. Identify Your Social Media and Online Marketing Goals for CRE. Sample System for Social Media & Online Marketing Success in CRE

Week 2: Wednesday, April 24, 2013

11:30 AM ET/10:30 CT/9:30 MT/8:30 AM PT/4:30 PM UK Time

We’ll begin with Twitter and LinkedIn. What applications in Twitter and Linkedin will help you generate leads in commercial real estate. Plus, learn a few secrets that will make this one session worth your entire investment!

Week 3: Wednesday, May 1, 2013

 11:30 AM ET/10:30 CT/9:30 MT/8:30 AM PT/4:30 PM UK Time

Next we will move on to YouTube and Facebook. YouTube should be #1 on your list as a CRE professional! Isn’t CRE visual? And Google favors YouTube when it comes to showing up first in the rankings. And Facebook, well…you gotta at least try…

Week 4: Wednesday, May 8, 2013

11:30 AM ET/10:30 CT/9:30 MT/8:30 AM PT/4:30 PM UK Time

Email Marketing Campaigns. Ahh…email marketing is the number one way to generate leads when done correctly. Discover how to get your marketing emails opened, anticipated, valued, and saved. THIS STRATEGY ALONE IS WORTH YOUR PROGRAM FEE!!!

Week 5: Wednesday, May 15, 2013

 11:30 AM ET/10:30 CT/9:30 MT/8:30 AM PT/4:30 PM UK Time

Blogs and Blogging The magic of the written word – people tend to believe what they see in print and perceive the writer as an expert – this is a proven fact. Discover the secrets for making this strategy a home run and how to get help when you need for next to nothing!

Week 6: Wednesday, May 29, 2013

11:30 AM ET/10:30 CT/9:30 MT/8:30 AM PT/4:30 PM UK Time

Pinterest, Slideshare, Flickr, and a few more. These social media sites can be great for commercial real estate.

Week 7: Wednesday, June 5, 2013

11:30 AM ET/10:30 CT/9:30 MT/8:30 AM PT/4:30 PM UK Time

OK, you done all this work, now discover how to show up on page one of

Google and generate more leads

Week 8: Wednesday, June 12, 2013

11:30 AM ET/10:30 CT/9:30 MT/8:30 AM PT/4:30 PM UK Time

Recap, how to REALLY generate leads, be mindful not to waste too much time and be obsessed. Questions and Answers.

Click Here to Sign Up Now

SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING FOR COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS IS A NO-BRAINER! Why? Because you will earn additional commissions as a result of attending this PROGRAM and have skills that will carry you well into the future. These are things you need to know. I will break them down into manageable bite-sized pieces so that it is easier to digest and learn. Plus, the accompanying study guide for each week can be used as reference material for after the course ends and when combined equals one gigantic Course Manual and Reference Guide.

Additionally, the live Webinar based course will be recorded and available 24/7 and hosted on a website page specifically developed just for attendees for your added convenience! This means you can listen to each class as many times as you’d like or download the replay to your smartphone, ipad, or computer (or even miss a class if you must). Each class will be available as a replay 48-hours after the scheduled class.

Look, you need to learn this stuff. How you learn it is up to you. You can buy a book, attend a seminar, ask a friend or attend this 8-week program.

 

Click Here to Sign Up Now

Cost: 1 Payment of $997 or 3 installments of $367 each

Yes! I want to Attend Social Media and Online Marketing for CRE Professionals.

Click Here to Sign Up Now 

Cindy, please reserve a seat for me. I want to spend 8-weeks with you learning from the comfort of my own desk

Let’s Review What You Get:

1. 8-Weekly Webinars 75-90 minutes each
2. Replays of these Webinars available 24/7 within 48 hours
3. 8 Study Guides (1 each week) to form a Complete Social Media and Online Marketing Reference Guide specific to CRE
4. Weekly Monday morning “What’s Up” emails
5. Bonus #1: The first 3 participants will get a personally designed Blog specifically for you and hosted by me for 12-months (Value $600)
6. Bonus #2: The first 18 participants will get 2-45 minute 1/1 coaching calls with Cindy (Value $475)
7. Bonus #3: Six Done 4 You Newsletters to send to your database
8. (Value $582)
9. Bonus #4: Bonus Call at a later date to make sure you are implementing what you learn and for any questions you may have (Value $97)
10. A Resource Guide containing a handful of secret resources to make everything just a little bit easier with this stuff
11. My Guarantee that you will love this class or your money back
12. Lots of fun along the way!

Click Here to Sign Up now

Cost: 1 Payment of $997 or 3 installments of $367 each

PS: If you are a current client or past Boot Camp Attendee, please contact me for a hugely discounted Price (Cindy@cindyspivack.com or 847-562-0030)

If you have any questions, let me know…

I’ll see you on April 17^th!

 

This is a great list: Thanks Dennis!

10 Tablet Apps for Commercial Real Estate

by Dennis LaMantia

In CIRE’s September/October 2011 issue, CCIMs  discussed how they used their tablets to enhance their business. Here are the 10 most-commonly mentioned ones:

1. 10BII Calc Financial Calculator ($5.99) – “If the iPad saves you from having to pull your laptop out, this app saves you from having to carry your 10BII calculator,” says Jonathan Epstein, CCIM, of Berger-Epstein Associates. in Allentown, Pa.

 

1. Dropbox (free) – Debi Carter, CCIM, vice president of Hudson Peters Commercial in Dallas, uses the Dropbox app to access property fliers, video, and pictures on the go. She shares files by saving them to a public Dropbox folder and sending the download links to clients and colleagues.
2. LogMeIn Ignition ($29.99) – Remotely access work files and programs via an iPad with LogMeIn. Users can also remotely log in to their desktop to view Flash Websites, which the iPad doesn’t support. The GoToMyPC and Remoter apps offer similar features.

 

1. TheAnalyst ($9.99) – Developed by Blyncc, a tech company co-founded by Todd Kuhlmann, CCIM, this app includes lease vs. own analysis and investment analysis tools, financial calculators, and an environmental risk summary report generator.

 

1. Springpad (free) – This app organizes notes, images, and places that users want to remember and syncs them on an iPad, iPhone, or computer. Springpad also can retrieve product information from a barcode scan and includes location-based features like business and restaurant searches.

 

1. Google Earth (free) – Commercial real estate pros can use Google Earth to show clients aerial property images. Geo-located Wikipedia articles and user-submitted photos provide additional location information.

 

1. GoodReader ($4.99) – “GoodReader is an excellent app for storing and opening almost any file,” says Joseph W. Edge, CCIM, president of Sherman & Hemstreet Real Estate in Augusta, Ga. The app works with Microsfot Office, iWork, audio, and video files. It also can be used to view and annotate PDF files. Office² HD ($7.99) and Documents To Go Premium ($16.99) have similar features, and iAnnotate PDF ($9.99) and SignMyPad ($3.99) include a comprehensive set of PDF tools.

 

1. Penultimate ($1.99) – With “photorealistic” paper designs and a selection of ink colors, Penultimate positions itself as the stylish alternative to other note taking apps. Notes and sketches are organized into notebooks and can be shared as PDFs. For free alternatives, try Evernote or the previously mentioned Springpad.

 

1. CamCard ($6.99) – Networking pays dividends in commercial real estate, and the business card is the currency of in-person networking. CamCard digitizes and organizes those cards and also has features for adding supplemental information. Contact information can be exported to Excel, which makes it easy to import new contacts to Outlook and other e-mail programs.

 

1. Air Sharing HD ($9.99) – The iPad has built-in support for printing to any of HP’s 28 AirPrint printers. Printing to a non-AirPrint printer is possible with Air Sharing HD. It has to be networked with a Mac OS X or Linux computer – it’s not compatible with Windows. PrintCentral for iPad ($8.99) is an alternative to Air Sharing HD.

Summary:  Cloud computing is the latest and greatest expansion to hit the IT market.  Although cloud computing has many advantages, this article briefly discusses three of them: Automation, mobility, and cost effectiveness.

What is Cloud Computing?

By Cindy Spivack

In any business, employees need the appropriate hardware and software to do their jobs.  Initially, this means purchasing computers and software licenses for each employee and with each additional new hire comes the additional expense of purchasing software or licenses.  With cloud computing, the landscape of business software applications is quickly changing.

“The Cloud”

Even though it has been an evolving technology for the last decade or so, the latest buzz in the IT community is “cloud computing”.  The cloud is a metaphorical reference to the internet and, in the simplest terms, cloud computing services deliver hosted services, such as e-mail, document applications, and many other applications, via World Wide Web.  This is attractive to organizations for many reasons; one of them being that the software needed to conduct everyday business does not need to be stored on an individual PC or company network.

Cloud Computing can be as easy as uploading documents to an online application such as dropbox.com. This way you don’t clog up your own desktop and you can access your files from anywhere! Google docs is another form of Cloud Computing. If you upload your docs to Google.com/docs you and your business peers can access them from any computer! Amazing and convenient.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

According to businesses that have used the service, the advantages to cloud computing are many.

• Automation.  Since cloud computing services are managed by the cloud server, no longer is it up to IT personnel to keep software updated.
• Mobility. Cloud computing incorporates flexible methods of doing business since needed business applications can be accessed from anywhere there is an internet connection.
• Cost effectiveness.  Since you only pay for what you use – much like electricity – cloud computing has proved to be a money-saving innovation.

Cloud computing technology is advancing at a rapid pace to improve the efficiency of business by putting within arm’s reach the software applications that are needed most.

 

THE SECRET TO GETTING YOUR EMAILS READ!

Hopefully you read the email that I sent you yesterday – apparently a lot of people are jazzed about Bootcamp 2012 Chicago! But truthfully, even more were intrigued by “The 7 Golden Keys of Today’s Top Producers” and asked me to share some more of the “good stuff”.

So, here goes…there’s so much I could write about and it was hard to come up with just one thing that could make a big difference, but I did. Would you like to know the secret to getting your emails read? Of course you would, who wouldn’t! Keep reading…

Getting your emails read is actually really easy, use a KILLER subject line (scroll down for 18 examples you can use).

Why does the subject line matter?

If you have a dull insignificant subject line, why bother. After all, you need to find a way to allow your message to stand out amongst all of the hundreds that arrive each day – mostly junk by the way.

The subject line is the determining factor of whether an email is opened and read or whether it is simply deleted unopened and unread. You must always consider the importance of your subject line when you send an email.

Often times the subject line of a marketing email is just thrown in at the last minute without much thought being given to it but that is a big mistake.  But no worries below are 18 examples for you to use.

18 Sample Email Subject Lines:

1.”For Office Building Owners This Works Like Crazy”

2.”Why Your Marketing Efforts Won’t Produce Results”

3.”How To Survive The CRE Downturn”

4.”This Leasing Tip Is Almost Too Easy”

5.”The Biggest Mistake Shopping Center Users Make”

6.”Do You Make This Mistake With Your Property?”

7.”The Real Secret To Selling a Commercial Property”

8.”The Fastest Way to Produce Results”

9.”Get Your Leasing Questions Answered”

10.”Here’s An Example Of What Works For Most Property Owners”

11.”Something Every Office Tenant Needs To Know”

12.”Here’s A Short-Cut For Effective Marketing”

13.”How I Sold/Leased XXX in 60-Days”

14.”Here Is Your Leasing Checklist”

15.”The Best Way I Know To Get More Deals Closed”

16.”About Your Biggest Asset – Your Commercial Real Estate”

17.”A Great Commercial Real Estate Resource I Just Found”

18.”This Ruins Most Deals”

What should you do now? Run, don’t walk to your computer and get going on that great email you intend to send today…what are you waiting for? It could be that you are about to land your next great client…

At Bootcamp 2011 Chicago we will spend a chunk of time going over the A-Z checklist we developed last year for writing effective email that get read and are designed to generate leads (and leads convert to sales – right?)

So join us for Bootcamp 2011 Chicago – Registration opens tomorrow, Friday May 6. WE have limited capacity, don’t miss out. An email will be sent to you tomorrow.

PS: I like to have fun so that means you can plan on not only learning but also having a good time as well laughing a bit along the way.

PSS: You will leave with a BIG, FAT BINDER filled with lots and lots of valuable information that truthfully you cannot afford to be without!

Go to: www.Bootcamp2011Chicago.com for details

 

More than every once in a while – something of value is worth repeating.  So, this week’s feature article is a TIMELESS one that bears repeating.  In fact, I will continue to hear this complaint and you will continue make it until you dig your heals in and do the work it takes to change your behaviors.

One of the biggest struggles my clients face is how to effectively manage their time so that everything important gets done. With our busy lives, constant interruptions, an abundance of technology that quite frankly often hinders us verses helping us, the desire to be available 24/7 and the “I can do it better and faster myself” attitude, it’s a wonder we get anything done!

You need to change your behaviors. Ask: “What do I want to achieve by seeing time differently? Take your power back and make the decision to do things differently, to do them better. The 5 critical time management strategies are:

Plan/Goal Setting

• Have clear measurable annual goals.
• Keep a daily list of action steps required.
• Take time each morning to plan what needs to get accomplished that day and the required action steps to complete the tasks.

Prioritize

• Tackle the A-1 most important tasks first and delegate or delay B and C level priorities as much as possible.

Time Block

• Identify your key daily and weekly activities and then schedule them in your calendar.
• Respect these time-blocked activities as you would a doctor’s appointment or dinner out with family and friends.

Avoid interruptions

• Do not allow co-workers or others to distract you during the workday.

Delegate

• Know what your time is worth! What is your hourly rate?
• Know that to succeed and create profitability, you can’t do all of he work by yourself, so practice delegation.
• Routinely assign tasks with a very clear definition of what is to be done.
• Routinely assign tasks with a very clear definition of whatis to be done.
• Routinely assign tasks with an explanation of the consequences of the action.
• Routinely assign a deadline for completion when you delegate a task.
• Have a systematic approach for following up on work that you have delegated.

Ideas are a dime a dozen, implementation is the key. So, tonight when you go home or first thing tomorrow morning, look this over and identify 3 ideas and even decide how to implement them!

3 Bonus Strategies:

1.       Quit Multi-tasking

o    Research has shown multi-tasking makes you stupid – you’re not focusing on and completing any one particular thing.

o    Sometimes multi-tasking is useful (driving and listening to audio cd’s; exercising and listening to audio cd’s, talking to a friend while fixing a meal).

o    TASK: identify moments of multi-tasking that hurt you.

o    Use the 2-minute rule: if you can get it done in 2 minutes or less, it’s OK. Otherwise, put it aside.

o    Stop negative multi-tasking.

2.       Biggest Time Waster: Unrestricted access to you!

o    Those who are available 24/7 have a lack of integrity with self.

o    Create boundaries that serve you.

3.       Buy and use an egg timer!!!

4.       The Fax:

o    It’s fast but not so easy and instant like email or a phone call. It encourages thoughtfulness with communication

o    When you are so available it makes people automatically think: “Oh…he/she doesn’t have that much work”.

o    Encourage people to communicate with you via fax; it will save you hours of previously wasted time.