James Dray

That's right do you want to have a fruitful year it's not too late to do so. It's very simple to get clients and get those all important listings, contracts, and closings, referrals etc. all you need is to turn yourself around.

I've been sitting around for the last few weeks feeling sorry for myself after getting a few sales under my belt and really not trying to get any listings or for that matter not trying to do much of nothing. For those of you who know me first of all you got to check my pulse to make sure I'm breathing and then shake the hell out of me to wake me up and ask me what's wrong. I have got to get back into the swing of things before it's too late and 90 to 120 days from now when I'm down and out looking around for that deal and can't find it then I'll be kicking myself for being so lazy today.

Can't keep going like this and stay afloat I have got to get motivated and hit the ground at full throttle this week. Tomorrow is plan on what neighborhood is my first victim and then the next day is strike day. Now for those of you the neighborhood is a small thing to plan the other thing is the door hangers, offer, speech, clothing, you name it I'll have it planned out to the final step and door knock. I will know what the going price per square foot is about when the neighborhood was started, what builder did most of the building etc.

Yep it's time to get going and get up off my back side so we'll see and hopefully it might even help me lose a little weight (side benefit) who knows remember "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

That statement was my intent when I started this job and you know how long that lasted. This is the second in the NEVER and ALWAYS wording wonders.

Take for instance the agent who makes the fatal error that says "I ALWAYS take my lunch at 11:00 to 12:00 no matter what. If they hold true to that and I'm sure some might just let me know who they are if they are in my neck of the woods. I want the listings, showings and contracts they won't get during that hour. I take my lunch when I can and have no certain set in stone time. My car NEVER and ALWAYS does not start on the first turn of the key. And my clients NEVER and I repeat NEVER will accept that offer YEA RIGHT... I have in my former profession learned NEVER take for granted what a person will do NEVER trust anyone (there are exceptions) and ALWAYS expect the unexpected. I ALWAYS do and so should you. I ALWAYS put my keys on the counter and now I can't find them. My favorite "I ALWAYS eat dinner at 06:00 PM." If that were true here lately I've missed a lot of meals and if you've seen my photo you know that's not true. I do know one true statement that is ALWAYS true and that is "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

This is a follow up to a previous blog and brings up another point. There was a lieutenant at a police department in the same county where I worked. He was noted for two things, one of which was his shooting I swear he could knock the eyes out of a flea at 50 yards and never hit the rest of the animal. The other thing was his report writing you talking about crossing you're "T" and dotting your "I" this was your man. But the one thing I noted him for and still am using and will continue to use till I die is this statement: "Never and always are two words you should always remember never to use."

We are going to cover the never today and of course the always tomorrow... what a leader. If I can find his email I will forward this to him and I'm sure he'll correct it and send it back to me.

Just the other day I went to one of my sons home to get a part for a weed eater and he asked me to check on his dogs to make sure they were in a certain place needless to say they were not. I had to put them where they needed to be and when I told him about it of course his words were; "I NEVER leave them there." Well as the old saying goes... Just last week I told another agent my client will not accept an offer and she did not but within 24 hours an offer was accepted for less than she turned down the week before.

NEVER I mean NEVER anticipate what your client will say or accept, remember "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

I need some feedback on this one. I usually deal with expired listings so I know the clients want to sell their homes. So I make the call and get a recording and I leave a message and I know I'm one of countless other agents leaving messages. If I don't and usually I don't get a return call I call back sometimes I get them and sometimes I get the recording again. How many times do I leave a message? What's my next step? Do I go knocking on the door; do I send them a letter, what other avenues are left open to me?

I have no problem in all the above but I don't want to have the client getting so mad at me I lose them because of my tactics. How much is too much where does one draw the line? If I just send a letter how long do I wait before I make the call? This is driving me nuts I'm already there a little so a little more won't hurt. Awaiting your response I can't help but to remember "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

Come on admit it I do your sitting at your desk or in my case a cubicle, the phone rings you pick it up and.... There you sit in all your glory with no pen or pencil no paper and it's a prospective client what a dope. Hang on a minute now you're in a pickle scurrying around looking for something to write with and some paper.

In the meantime you're making small talk hoping the client does not catch on to what you're trying to do.

The only time you might get by with this is while you're driving and the cell phone goes off. This in turn brings a host of new problems least of all is you don't need to try and write something down while driving. So then you know the answer to the problem and there are two: either don't answer the phone or have a writing instrument and paper. There goes the phone, hang on a minute while I try and find something to write with remember "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."