in this issue…
Putting a Face on Real Estate since 1995™
• AMBA Installation • Women’s Council Installation • Holiday party pictures and much, much more!
Home Sales & Median Price Statistics
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JANUARY 2011 • VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 9
Take Back Your Time to Meet Goals Four Mantras for Less Stress and More Productivity Every Day by Stacy Stroud
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ou know it, and they know it: the best use of your time is face-to-face with your clients. But with the daily bombardment of e-mails, requests, and followups that REALTORS grapple with, it’s possible to stay very busy without actually making progress on your pipeline. Who hasn’t felt helpless in the face of all there is to do (and not enough time to get it done)? Here are four sound principles to keep in mind when you’re going head-to-head with your workload, along with some practical ways to prioritize.
Commit to a Simple Plan
Was there ever any better advice than “keep it simple”? Though intuitive in principle, in practice, simplicity is a science that requires some planning and commitment up front. In his wildly popular book The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less, author David Koch stresses the importance of keeping things simple by applying an economic principle to modern business. Pareto’s Law of income distribution (popu-
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larly known as the “80/20 Principle”) states that 80% of the wealth and income in society is produced and possessed by 20% of the population. Similarly, 80% of the results—in just about any field—are produced by just 20% of the effort, and that includes real estate. The trick is in finding which 20% to zero in on with your focused efforts. To make sure everything you do maps back to the main goals you have for your business, work from a simple system: 1) Create a realistic business plan to drive your sales. This isn’t something you’ll be showing to investors. It can be as simple as this formula: the number of contacts that leads to the number of prospects that generates the required number of listings you need to make your sales goals. 2) Establish a set timeline for when and how often you’ll contact hot, warm, and cold leads. A real estate client relationship database can help you here. Staying in regular contact will eliminate the need for mass communications when sales are lean. 3) Before each day begins, list your most
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important tasks—the ones that will have the greatest and most immediate impact on your bottom line. Don’t trust your memory. Don’t use an electronic to-do list (you’ll be tempted to add more items); just jot them down on a piece of paper or sticky note. Decide which tasks you need to do personally, and delegate the rest. In The 4-Hour Work Week, Timothy Ferriss offers a simple rule of thumb for prioritizing: Ask yourself, “If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?”
Avoid the Multitasking Myth
Multitasking is counter-productive. Email is the biggest culprit, because checking it constantly throughout the day can be addictive. Turn off e-mail alerts and Front page: Continued on page 2
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Upcoming Events… January 20 WCAoR TREPAC Bowling Event Mel’s Lonestar Lanes - 2 to 5 p.m. 1010 N. Austin Ave, Georgetown January 27 WCR Monthly Luncheon Cool River Cafe - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. February 11 HBA 2nd Annual Chili Cookoff, Horseshoe Tournament, Silent Auction Travis County Expo Center - 5 to 10 p.m. February 15 & 16 RE/MAX Statewide Convention Austin Hilton & Convention Center February 16 CRS Quarterly Luncheon Westwood Country Club -11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. February 17 WCAoR Super Bowl of Builders WCAoR Board Office - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. February 24 ABoR TREPAC Chili Cookoff ABoR Auditorium - 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. More events at myRealtyLine.com
Realty Line Names New Managing Editor
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ealty Line Austin is excited to announce that Naomi Bludworth has been named Managing Editor. Bludworth comes to us from the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Austin where she was Communications Director since November 2005. “I’m excited to join the Realty Line team,” says Bludworth. “Over my last eight years in marketing roles in the Austin real estate industry I have become very familiar with Realty Line as have most people in the business. The paper is a lot of fun, adored by its readers and quite frankly has become a staple in the industry. I am proud to be part of such a well respected publication and I look forward to serving the real estate community in this capacity,” Bludworth continues.
As Managing Editor, Bludworth will be responsible for managing all editorial content as well as advertising for the monthly publication. She will also assume the role of marketing director related to promoting the paper to current and potential advertisers; assuring that the advertising products offered are in line with the latest market expectations. Publisher Doren Carver will still maintain the lead role for advertising sales, however. With Bludworth’s help, Realty Line has recently launched a new and improved media kit which includes a slew of reader statistics, a 2011 editorial calendar and several new advertising products such as online adEditor: Continued on page 21