End of the Season Business Plans

Heading into the winter and holiday seasons this year I wanted to post on what my business plans were going to be.

Towards the end of 2013 and into the beginning of 2014 I plan to work on my websites and social media. I really want to get these systems organized and in shape. I also plan to work on getting a few systems in place with lead generation and mailings. Since I haven't noticed a real slow down in business just yet I want to start time blocking or at least attempting to. :P

In addition, our company recently just went paperless. YAY! We are required to turn in our contracts electrically and I would like to work on filling out contracts the same way also. The Dotloop program we are using really is wonderful and has so many options. I actually look forward to working with it more often. It's been by far more efficient that our paper contracts.

Another big project I wanted to work on was getting my drip campaign revamped and enter new contacts into the system. Its been a while since I've messed with that. I suppose being busy with working on my business is a good thing though! If anyone has any recommendations on what program they use for their drip campaigns I would really appreciate it. I like the one I'm using but would like to move to something better with more customization.

I'm hoping this will be enough to keep me busy this winter. I'm sure I can find something to fill my time should I come up with nothing to do. (if only that really happened) As we enter the new year I will also be updating my personal and business goals as well as business plan. In addition to looking back at the goals I had made at the beginning of the 2013 year.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Be sure to travel safe and enjoy the time spent with family this year!



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Agent Websites and Why Every Ageny Should Have One

In this blog post I wanted to talk about agent websites and my opinion and experience with Zillow's Premier Agent Websites.

As far as Agent websites go I believe that most of us have at least one, maybe two. Since most larger real estate companies provide their agents with a website or page, some may not feel the need for additional sites or pages. However, I feel differently on this.

Company Provided Websites
If you are strictly using a company provided website or web page I recommend obtaining a website of your own for many reasons. If you put all your time and marketing into a website the company provides you, what happens if you switch companies? Most likely, you will lose your website. So all that time you spent doing SEO (search engine optimization) and advertising is gone! I'm a firm believe of NOT putting all your ducks in one basket. Usually these websites do provide great lead management and organization, but they aren't the only resource provided out there as far as agent websites go.
I thinks it important for agents to have their own websites for the sole purpose of having complete ownership of the site. Many company provided websites market the company more so than the agent. When you have your own website you can choose the layout and content.

My experience with Zillow and Agent Websites
I use a combo of Zillow Agent Premier Website and the website my company provides me. I was weary of using Zillow at first, but after finally setting up my site I'm glad I did. Zillow makes it very easy to set up your website, edit and change things around. The templates they provide you are fresh and clean looking. There are many of widgets and extras to add to your site as well. For only $10.00 a month I feel its a great tool to use and promote your business. You also get to pick one free domain name and you do not have to worry about bandwidth like other website providers package.
I also use the web page my company provides me. It's free and adds extra exposure to my business. I don't add content to it as much as my Zillow site because this site isn't on my business card nor do I advertise it. I do however have my company provided website set up to direct visitors to my main website.

What do you use for your website provider? What works and what doesn't?
I would enjoy hearing what everyone is using for their agent website, whats working out and what hasn't. Please comment!


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Finding the Balance of Working IN Your Real Estate Business

Well, I've seemed to find time again to do some more blogging. I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments on my first blog post. Again, Thanks everyone!
For this post I wanted to talk about the importance of working IN your real estate business, and finding the balance in which to do so. As I am approaching my second month as an active agent, my goals as to where I wanted to be at an online stance isn't up to par. I've been working in real estate as an admin and tech support for a while. In my time I've found that the biggest neglected factor for others and myself is working inside your real estate business.

Finding, Making and Planning the Time

Working on your real estate business is easy. We do it everyday. Meeting with clients, showing houses, writing contracts, etc. However, do we always take the time to work inside our business? For myself, I've acknowledged the fact that I do not work in my business as much as I originally planed to. My website needs to be updated. I've been ignoring my Twitter, Facebook and I haven't been on AR as much as I would like.   I finally had to set specific time aside to do so!
Since then, I have decided to set a few hours, one day a week to work on organization, web pages, social media and other odd and ends that do not get the attention during the rest of the week. I feel like the importance of this is just as important as working on my business if not more.

Why is it so Important?
I've spoken to many different clients and customers who shared their experience in finding an agent and starting the home buying process online. Since so many people do start online these days, why wouldn't we want to focus AT LEAST a few hours a week to working inside our business. In the experiences I was told, the most common factor that pushed clients from one agents page to another was old content and layout. I don't want to focus on agent websites too much. (That's a whole post on its own) Continuing, a simple update to your homepage can mean the difference between gaining a client and losing one.


Organizing Yourself
In addition to working on your online presence. Making sure your keeping organized is key as well. Entering that clients contact info you jotted down on a sticky note into your CRM, and that those random papers are filed where need be. I've had days were I go look at my desk and question how I let it get that bad. I try to stay organized as I go but at the end of the week I've surprised myself again.

I feel like to could go on and on about the topics in this post. My main goal was to encourage agents to make the time to keep organized and updated on the web. Such a small amount of time can make a bigger difference than you think. My next few blog post will go into specifics on tech for agents and I've included the topics and schedule below. Please feel free to comment and let me know your opinion and any tips or pointer you may have or if there is a topic you would like me to cover. I'd love to hear what other agents have to say.



1) Agent Websites and Zillow Primer Websites 11/11
2) Email, Email Campaigns and Email Blasts 11/20
3) Social Media and Real Estate Agents 11/30
4) CRM's 12/9

Richard Russell
cutler Real Estate
330.281.6582
Selling Akron Oh and Surrounding Areas! 

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogs/rrussellneo#sthash.qY8dh2ku.dpuf