Real estate is an industry full of ups and downs. Listings might come in bunches, and then you might go a while without any. Sales might boom, and then they might dwindle. But dealing with this ebb and flow is just part of being a Realtor.
However, Realtors, especially new ones, sometimes hit one of these typical slumps and have trouble recovering their optimism afterward. They end up overworking and stressing themselves out, which often keeps their outlook negative.
Today’s blog is about overcoming those slumps.
Because mindset is so important to success in real estate, recovering optimism is crucial. Here are tips to give yourself a boost when you need it.
First, take a step back and slow down.
Start your day with ease. Meditate, breathe deeply and take a moment to feel gratitude. Learn how to avoid the “chatter” of the Internet and the world at large until you feel ready.
That said, a constantly overbooked schedule is doing you no favors. Adopt the attitude that you’re going to get through your day slowly and feel fully present. There is a difference between working efficiently and moving 100 miles per hour through each task.
Start politely declining a few requests for your time, or ask if they can be scheduled at a later time. Remember, people will understand that you are already booked for the day. Make sure you get the most important things done without stressing yourself out over your workload.
Once you start moving more slowly, you’ll realize it’s actually more efficient than doing 100 things a day. After establishing a comfortable pace, begin planning your weeks with a schedule you can actually stick with and feel happy about. Thinking ahead is only possible when there aren’t too many tasks staring you right in the face.
Reflect on your routine.
Dedicate time to assessing your routine. First, try to write down all of the major things you did in the last week, in the order they happened. If you can’t, write down what you did yesterday in chronological order, along with how long each task took.
Next, remove any aspects of your routine that aren’t productive or aren’t necessary. This is the first step to establishing a fresh and efficient routine. Add every small detail, including stopping for coffee and browsing social media. If it’s not helping you move forward, take it out. Schedule breaks, but don’t waste time or energy on things that don’t help your business.
Also, pinpoint what parts of the day stress you out the most, and either take them out or figure out why they’re causing you so much stress.
These can be some of the main reasons you keep hitting a wall — daily stressors and distractions clog up your mind and rob your focus. These may not even be real estate-related; they could be ongoing medical issues or issues with family members.
Focus on yourself and get your mind as clear as possible. For work-related stressors, try to come up with solutions that allow you to work more easily. Schedule an hour or two each week and continue to make plans and keep moving forward to reduce your stress. For stressors not pertaining to work, do the same thing; just bear in mind they might require a longer time to resolve.
Freeing yourself of stress is going to allow you to start your workday more optimistically and maintain that optimism throughout the day.
Eat the elephant one bite at a time.
Now that you have a day you actually look forward to and a solid schedule you won’t give up on, think of tackling things in smaller pieces. This will make any task seem less daunting and keep you focused on what’s important.
The most successful people in business don’t conquer a complex task all at once. They break it down into smaller steps, then work through each step.
For example, don’t just schedule a time for prospecting. Schedule the amount of time you want to dedicate for each type of prospecting, whether you’re cold-calling, emailing, door-knocking, etc. If you want to handle prospecting in a four-hour block, spending an hour on each method will seem more productive and less daunting to tackle.
Be sure to avoid distractions during this scheduled work time. Not only will they set your schedule back, but they’ll decrease the effectiveness of your work. Then, if you happen to finish the work you planned to accomplish ahead of schedule, you’ll feel like you’ve earned and can take a break without falling behind.
Look at recent business trends and analyze your short-term goals.
It’s time to consider your recent successes and failures, and how your slump likely began. This might mean writing down what has worked and what has failed over the last few months. (Remember, you can only do this when you take a step back and don’t have calls and emails that are higher priority!)
Once you build your list, really focus on what has been successful for you. The key is to discern things that will build your confidence and inspire you to move forward. That way, you will already feel optimistic when you get to the other parts of your job.
Next, be honest with yourself about the things that haven’t worked so well. Analyze the reasons they didn’t, and think about how you can attack them differently.
Ultimately, you’ll want to start planning short-term goals based on this distinct list of things that went well and things to change. It’s also useful to jot down on this list why you love the real estate business, challenges and all. That brings us to our final tip.
Remember why you became an agent and why you love your career.
Sometimes, when we lose sight of what we love about something, it helps to rewind. Everyone needs to remember that “new car smell” once in a while.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Why did you become an agent?
- What or who specifically inspired you when you started?
- What parts of the business attracted you and made it seem worthwhile?
- Did you have goals your first year? What were they?
- What challenges have excited you?
Reflecting on your answers will likely bring a smile to your face and bring back some of the joy you feel for your career.
Bonus Tip: Cut back on your effort.
Yes, you heard that right. At Smart Agents, we’re all about working smarter, not harder.
What does that mean? It means using the most effective tools and strategies to cut out some of the effort (on your part) to achieve your goals.
Our MyBooks members gain instant credibility when they hand out their books to prospective clients. The books can help you turn what would be a cold call into a “warm call” — meaning your leads already know who you are and respect your opinion before you ever give them a call.
If you can’t seem to put a finger on what’s been holding you back from success, consider giving your prospects a helpful book that separates you from the pack.
If you want your own free sample of our most popular book, click the link below!
