Amanda Farnum - Broker, Realtor, Real Estate Instructor & Coach

Can obstacles within a deal get to you? Here’s how to handle it with less stress…

It’s so easy isn’t it? Before we know it, the phone rings and all hell has broken loose 3 days before closing and we are instantly thrown into total panic mode trying to fix the problem. Yes, most of us have been there and experienced the anxiety, the confused or angry clients, the feelings of dread while calling the other agent to update them, and the list goes on and on.

While siding with a client’s upset emotions may come from the good intentions of caring about our clients, it also can do some serious damage in a time of heightened issues. Instead of falling into this trap of reactivity, step back for a couple of minutes first, take a few deep breaths, and get some clarity. It’s much better (and healthier) to handle obstacles from a place of composure and rational thinking. Any issue that arises is simply a problem that needs a solution.

You're the professional in the relationship. Look at it like you are essentially the navigator for your client’s journey. We navigate for our clients to help solve obstacles as they come into our paths during each transaction. Real estate can be very emotional for clients and while we do want to show empathy for their concerns, we also need to control our own emotions to be able to best serve our clients to help them achieve their goals. “Like” below if this was helpful to you or your business.😊

This one small shift can change your 2024 and here’s why…

This time of year is when most agents slow down and start to “relax” for the holiday season. However, the actual result is a very slow first quarter or first half of their year as well.

While it’s perfectly reasonable that you probably don’t want to overload yourself during the holiday hustle and bustle, it’s also a good idea to ramp up your marketing efforts during this time. This doesn’t have to be anything extreme but should just keep you at the forefront of the thoughts of your previous and potential clients.

Send out holiday cards and then post on social that they went out as a thank you to your clients. Better yet, do hot cocoa pop-bys and drop them at your client’s homes or businesses from this year’s closings; again, make sure you’re posting the events on social. You could even include a section about it in your newsletter or do a blog post about it on your website.

Want to really amp it up? Host an event like a baked goods giveaway to past clients, drive-in holiday movie night, holiday pictures event (pets included 😉), or even a holiday drop-in with wine and hors d'oeuvres. There are a ton of ways to keep in touch, spread some holiday cheer, and have fun along the way.

Whichever method you choose, just be sure to document it and repurpose it in your marketing efforts. This not only attracts new clients but also keeps you in the game and not sitting on the sidelines during the holidays. If you’re doing anything for your clients throughout the holiday season, I’d love to cheer you on. Let me know in the comments so I can celebrate you and your efforts!

Are you optimizing your marketing, like social media, without a clear intentional path to your goals? If so, you may be wasting valuable time and here’s how to fix it…

Your marketing should begin with intentional goals for your real estate business and a strategy to achieve those goals. From that point, you can then begin to analyze what’s working and tweak what isn’t working for proper and continual lead generation, client conversion, and ultimately, closings.

When you have a defined strategy in place, each stage during the client cultivation process can be optimized over time to achieve better results. For example, let’s say part of your strategy is to generate 10 high-quality leads per month from your website. You see 10,000 people visit your website monthly, but no one is contacting you from it. That means that there is a breakdown somewhere in your system in creating a deeper connection with potential clients to get them to actually reach out. This could be lack of content on your site, faulty user experience, tech issues, ease of use, lack of information about you, lack of information clients find valuable, etc.

While this may sound like a huge bummer, it’s actually very valuable because that means you can focus on optimizing your website properly so you see those leads become reality and sync with your ultimate strategy.

Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your real estate business. If you’d like more tips like this, visit amandafarnumtraining.com today and sign up for my Abundant Agent VIP list at the bottom of the page. I’ll see you on the inside! 😉

Do you feel like you can’t get away from your business? Then this, my dear agent, is for you.

I TOTALLY get it! I’ve been there and it’s absolutely exhausting to feel like your business is running you, instead of you running it. But how do you stop the constant pull of clients and that 19-mile-long to-do list that beckons you at 2a?

The answer to that is setting boundaries. Boundaries not only for your clients, but also for yourself. The biggest challenge though is to adhere to those boundaries, like your life depends on it, or your businesses can easily suck the life and pleasure right out of you. This can ruin your personal and business relationships in the long run.

Being a burnt-out miserable scathing agent is not why you got into this business. I’m sure you’ve run into some of them though and honestly, no one wants to do business with those agents. Not you, not clients, not even their own family or friends.

So, where do you start? First, set office hours with clients. Set them up front, put them in your presentations, put them on your Google Maps listing, put them on your website, put them on your social media, put them on your voicemail, put them on your business cards. Broadcast them and be religious about them. The only exceptions to this should be absolutely necessary contract negotiations, but those can be handled as well by making contract deadlines earlier in the day. This will make those situations much less frequent.

Some additional things that you can do are use a Google Voice number and not your cell number, transfer your calls to an assistant/service during the evening or weekend hours, turn off social media notifications, turn off unnecessary email notifications, amongst many other methods to bring you more peace in your business.

It can be difficult to set boundaries sometimes, so just start with office hours first and go from there. It takes time and practice to gradually feel comfortable setting a boundary so be patient with yourself. Most clients do respect office hours and they understand you need time downtime. They want a good agent that’s at their best for them as well. If this was of value you, click like below.😊

Looking to up your marketing in your real estate business? Try this…

Neuromarketing has been around for ages and you’re experiencing it all the time, especially in our digital world. Simply put, it’s using certain techniques in your marketing and advertising that respond to your current and potential clients on a psychological level.

This can include certain color schemes, fonts, logo designs, brand voice/tone, and the list goes on and on. This also includes how you want them to perceive you in relation to your business. For example, want to get more eyes on that listing? Start writing great headlines that catch people’s attention. Want to draw in clients that are more in line with your style? Design your logo and brand colors with their personality in mind. Want your website to actually generate quality clients? Develop it based upon potential clients brand personality and user experience.

These are all very easy aspects that can be interwoven within your new or already-existing marketing for better results in your real estate business. If you want to learn how to fully utilize neuromarketing to boost your real estate business, then I invite you to join me in Resonate ~ Marketing Academy for Real Estate Professionals for some fun while learning. Just jump on the waitlist at https://lnkd.in/gnQmjkNe and you’ll be first to know when enrollment opens soon! See you there! :)

Are you struggling with the stress of work-life balance? Try this instead…

Finding a balance between work and life can be super tough in real estate. We have to be there for our clients, yet we have to be there for our loved ones, handle personal responsibilities, and try to get some downtime too. So how do we do that?

One highly effective method that I have used for years is time leverage. In fact, only a couple of years ago when I was a managing broker for a 200+ agent office, selling, teaching, and most importantly, taking care of my mother with cancer, I could never have accomplished what I needed to without being a time-leverage-savant.

Time leverage is being able to utilize 1 block of time for multiple tasks simultaneously to achieve the biggest result. Please understand, I’m not talking about multitasking. In fact, multitasking has been proven to actually cost more time for tasks due to switching back and forth. Our brains are programmed for monotasking (this is why you turn down the radio to look for an address 😉) and when we switch between tasks, we have to reset. That reset period is wasted time.

Instead utilize time leverage. Have to do laundry? Start it in the AM and let it run in the background while you write up a contract. Have social media to develop? Set a timer for 1 hour to batch create & auto-schedule 7 posts for the week. Get distracted by emails throughout the day? Silence your email notifications, check email only at specific times during the day, and respond during that window of time. Sending out a newsletter? Auto-schedule it via email or hire a company to mail one to clients for you monthly. Need to send holiday cards? Design/personalize them online and auto-mail them on the date you’d like in the future. Have frequent questions people ask you in your DMs? Set up an FAQ autoresponder. And the list goes on and on.

While there may be those occasional times of last-minute contract issues. Those instances become less stressful and much less frequent when the rest of your time is optimized fully. Plus, it’s much easier to pull away and take some much-needed downtime when you know things are running in the background for you while you’re relaxing or doing other things you enjoy. Comment below if you’d like to see additional ways to leverage time to the maximum potential.

Are you feeling burned out on so much tech? Let’s talk about how to fix that.

moment…keeping up with all the legal changes, transaction chaos, marketing, and lead generation is tough enough to do without adding in the technology factor.

While learning some tech can be super fun, a lot of it is just simply overkill for what we truly need. Many big systems are actually clunky, not user-friendly (who has time to spend a week learning a new CRM!?!), have features we will never use, and cost us more time in the long run due to tech problems.

The good news about this is that you don’t have to be trapped by using a big system if you don’t want to. Personally, I try to simplify as much as possible. While I’m very tech savvy, I prefer to put emphasis on things that can be simple and easily adaptable instead of huge systems.

For example, I still use good ‘ol Excel for my contact database. (I know, some of you just shuttered lol). But the reality is that a lot of my marketing is automated, and those systems just need a csv file – guess where that’s generated??? Yep, Excel. Plus, I can easily change vendors/services if needed as it stays within my control.

Another example is deciding on AI tools. I test tools regularly to see if they are something that can be applicable to my business and something I can easily show to my coaching students to help their real estate businesses. If I can’t have a general understanding and usage of it within 1 hour, I nix it. It’s not efficient if we can readily adapt our businesses to it.

Of course, our businesses are customized to us and our individual preferences. But if you’re like me, you’d like them to be as simple as possible too. Keep things simple in your business and there will be more structure and less chaos. Share the love and comment below with one of your simplicity hacks for your business 😊

Do you ever get nervous about going into a client appointment? If so, then this is for you…
Strong presentations are an absolute must in this day and age of real estate. However, the magic really happens during your conversation about the presentation. Conversation and presentation are two very different things.
Have you ever sat in a meeting or business lunch while someone just spewed information at you? That is a presentation. Conversation is 2-way communication. It’s a dance of both providing information and also actively receiving information. It’s slowing down enough to hear and digest the client’s position, needs, and wants. Then you’ll be able to respond appropriately and compassionately. Think of it like a friend helping a friend and it takes the pressure off.
When we slow down and start to listen to our potential clients, we connect with them on a much deeper level. This not only secures a buyer or seller but also frequently results in referrals and additional business with you. There is trust and relationship built within conversation.
While technology is a wonderful thing, sometimes your most basic human traits are what will gain you the most business. If you strive to perfect this very simple technique, I promise it will benefit you in not only your business, but all your relationships. If this tip was of service to you, hit like below😊

Are you displaying your uniqueness and value to potential clients? If not, let’s change that…

Don’t fall prey to the lie that seems to captivate our industry. Between old-fashioned ideals and unrealistic reality TV, it’s easy to be pulled into feeling as though you have to be something you’re not. Yes, I've spent my time doing that dance too, and I can tell you firsthand that it'll never make you happy. Listen sweetie, the world doesn't need another stuffy real estate agent. Clients want real people. Clients want agents they can relate to and trust.

Display your love for travel, showcase your wicked fashion sense, parade your prima-donna pooch, and accentuate your inner artist. Whatever your personal interests are, you can incorporate them freely into your real estate business and it can attract clients.

Maybe you’re a foodie, do a 5-minute video on your favorite restaurant in your town. Maybe you adore architecture, do a 3-part social media series on some of your favorite buildings in your area or favorite builders. Maybe you enjoy golf, put together a guide for golf course living in your area that potential clients can download or you can DM to them. The possibilities are endless!

This is YOUR business, and you have potential clients out there waiting for someone like you, the real you, to connect with. You just have to be willing to step into that role so you can be of service to them. You can be a professional, a creative, an entrepreneur, an agent, and yourself all at once. Your clients are out there, go find them. Share this to give a little encouragement to some of your agent friends as well.

Have you ever felt stuck in an endless cycle in your real estate business that feels like it’s going nowhere?

Far too often in my career, I've seen agents get stuck on the "deal hamster wheel." They get trapped in the mentality of their business "being part of them." This mentality causes them to be locked into the mis-reality that they have to do everything themselves. I use the term “mis-reality” because we can tend to live it like it’s true, yet it is the farthest thing from truth.

We might tend to ask ourselves “What do I need to do next?” This keeps us in “task” mode and we remain in the same cycle. If you find yourself stuck in this frame of mind, instead, start asking yourself "What does my business need from me in this moment?" Try to separate your identity from your business. Look at it like you're a person building a machine to help others. This is the first step in positioning yourself to move into higher levels of business.

Does it need someone to help it with social media? Does it need a bookkeeper? Does it need someone to design your website? By stepping back and reframing how you think about your business, you can have a more objective point of view and it’ll also relieve some of the pressure that you may feel to do everything yourself. If there was one thing that your business needs today that you could have someone else handle, what would it be? Comment below.

Do you get anxious when you hear all the news about interest rates and the shifting real estate market? Let me help with that…

Many moons ago during the Great Recession, there was a girl who did a lot of things wrong in her business but did one thing VERY right that made all the difference for a long-term successful career.

Yes, that girl was me and the one thing I did so right was to not pay any mind at all to the media. Now, I’m not saying not to be aware of interest rates or changes in our industry. That’s part of being a professional and knowing your craft thoroughly. However, I am telling you not to let it affect you. Don’t dwell on it, don’t wallow in it, and don’t have conversations about how “bad” it is. Those things are poison to you and your business.

Keep your blinders on, stay focused on your goals and being the best agent you can possibly be for your clients. That’s all that matters right now. While others are sitting in a self-made sea of self-pity, you’ll see the huge amount of opportunity that you have right now to gain market share. Don’t let the media in your head. Think positive, speak positive, find other positive colleagues to be around, grow together, and get excited. You have great things to accomplish and now is the time my friend 😊. Share this with a colleague who might need a boost!

If you’ve ever felt annoyed by a salesperson, then this is for you…

Sometimes life’s situations can result in our state of being shifting and how we present ourselves to others. For example, have you ever dealt with a salesman who just irked you or you felt coerced by? It probably wasn’t a great feeling, nor did you want to refer business to them, right? You may have even felt like they were shady or completely desperate and just trying to make a sale. You could’ve just felt that something was off and most likely you gravitated away from them.

While we never truly know why others act the way they do, we can be more self-aware of our own state of being, so we don’t present ourselves poorly. We all deal with stresses and successes daily that can cause us to get out of alignment.

For instance, maybe you just closed on a huge commission and are feeling pretty bold. It’s a good idea to “keep it in check” when you talk to other clients, so you don’t come across arrogant or haughty. It can be unsettling to them, especially if they’re dealing with an obstacle in their own transaction.

Regardless of the emotions you’re experiencing, good or bad, remember to just be present and keep the client’s best interest in mind. It’ll re-ground you and ensure your clients continue to feel confident in you and your abilities to help them achieve their goals. What are some other dispositions that you avoid when you run into them from people? (Chaotic, aggressive, etc.) Let me know in the comments.

Do you want more closings? If so, it's time to lean in!

Not only is that statistic staggering noting the lack of follow-up that happens in our industry, but it simultaneously depicts 89% of a vast opportunity for you. Marketing to homeowners that have been in their homes for some time could be very lucrative for you to gain a stronghold on your local market.

As the economy ebbs and flows, now might be the time to pick a couple of neighborhoods to start farming or start a business page on Next Door. While using mainstream social media is great, really digging deeper into hyperlocal marketing techniques can be a goldmine not to be ignored.

Another thing of note is to make sure you have a strong post-closing follow-up game. Research shows that many people don't remember the names of their previous agents but would have used them again if they could have remembered. Their agent never kept in touch, so they moved on to another agent instead. Don’t be one of those agents. Keep in touch with your previous clients, so when they are ready to buy or sell, they know exactly who to call first. Are you keeping in touch with your past clients? Let me know in the comments.

PS. If you’re ready to spicy up your farming, social media or post-closing follow-up game for closings galore, then visit https://lnkd.in/gnQmjkNe to join me in Resonate Marketing Academy when enrollment opens! I can’t wait to see you there!

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Are you going non-stop 24/7? Here’s why it’s better to rest instead…

Have you ever been getting ready to leave on vacation and all the sudden you get leads pouring in? Yep, that happens to us all in this business! There is a special beauty about when we finally relax and let our energy chill that opens us up to receiving…it’s just tends to be at the worst times though (ugh!).

So how do we fix that? We take calculated rest periods! This isn’t vacations or trips to see family. It’s 1-2 days per week where you actually rest and just enjoy the day. When you rest, it allows your body to regenerate and calm. This allows great ideas to seep in because your mind can be clearer. It allows your body to heal so you have less sickness, allergies, or body aches. When you’re under pressure mentally, it puts an absurd amount of stress on your body chemically as well, causing inflammation and illness.

Rest days also allow your energy to recalibrate. If you feel zapped at the end of every day for days on end, eventually you’re running so low that you don’t have anything left to give. This causes overload and can cause issues in you physically, emotionally, and mentally. It can also seep into your relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and clients.

Resting may seem like you’re wasting time, but in reality, it’s an essential part of having a well balanced and harmonious career. Take time to rest at least 1 day weekly. You might have to force yourself initially, but once you see the benefits it brings, you’ll understand clearly why it is an essential part of the work 😉. What’s your favorite way to relax? Comment below.

If you’re not generating leads from your website, here’s how to solve it…

Many times, potential clients that find you on social media will seek out your website to know more about you before actually reaching out to you. Websites have turned into a form of consolidated information resource for many of us. This has changed the way we should be designing our websites.

Years ago, it was fine just to have a simple webpage and focus on the contact information because there weren’t that many agents that even had that. However, in today’s world of tech, almost everyone has a website. But that doesn’t mean they have effective websites. Your website should make a point of connecting with your potential clients on an in-depth level.

Now, don’t get that confused with complicated. Simplicity is better, but the content on your website should speak to your potential clients with clarity and authority. This displays your expertise. It should also speak to how your unique strengths will help them reach their goals, demonstrating the value you bring to them. An “About” page and “Services” page with intentional and clear content can drastically change whether your website is just another page with a phone number on it or actually creating a deeper bond to create clients in the long run. “Like” below if you found value in this 😊.

PS. If you want to learn how to really liven up those leads from your website, join me in Resonate when doors open VERY soon! Visit https://lnkd.in/gnQmjkNe to learn more!

Are you making strides towards your goals? If not, this should help you realign…

In a world where we’re pulled at constantly in a million directions, we can lose sight of our goals sometimes. It’s perfectly normal, but that also means we need to realign when that happens. Here’s 3 tips to get back on your path:

#1 – Take a tech-free day. Yes, one day (or more) where there are no screens. Let your clients know ahead of time you’ll be unavailable. Go somewhere nature-based; a lake, the mountains, the beach. Something where nature exists and just “be.” Walk, exercise, just take in this beautiful world without rush or clocks. Your mind will thank you.

#2 – Eat real food and drink water, just water. Eat foods that are alive and full of nutrients, vegetables, fruits, nuts. Your body needs nutrients and lots of water. Not coffee, not juice, not tea, just water.

#3 – Visualize your goal and actually FEEL that accomplishment in your body. Feel the happiness, feel the excitement, feel the relief. Feel it and try to hold onto that feeling as long as you can. Studies show that your brain does not know the difference between reality and your visualizations. When your body and mind have these visualizations, chemicals start to react to help you create them. Visualization is an extremely powerful and effective tool.

Last but not least, don’t beat up on yourself for anything. You’re doing your best and life is to be savored and enjoyed. Strive towards goals that give you happiness, spend time with people make you laugh, and do something crazy once in a while to feel alive. Remember, no one ever has “I’m glad I worked so much” on their headstone 😉. Spread the love and share this with a friend or colleague that needs this little reminder

Do your presentations leave your clients feeling satisfied, speechless, and ready to sign on the dotted line with you? If not, let’s fix that…

While your client presentations can be great for showcasing your skills and services, they can also easily do all the work “sealing the deal” with clients hiring you when created correctly.

One of the main problems that I’ve seen agents do is focus totally on “selling themselves” during initial client meetings. I know, I know, we’re taught that in real estate and yes, there is some truth to that. However, when you’re meeting with a potential client, that meeting and your presentation needs to be all about them, not you.

When you create your client presentations with an emphasis on the client and serving their needs and wants, the client feels heard. If it’s a residential property, then it’s their home and there is an emotional tie. If it’s an investment property, then it’s their money and there is an emotional tie. Regardless of the situation, it needs to be handled with care and emphasis on their needs.

Great ways to do this in your presentations are creating full transaction step-by-step overviews, include FAQs for them to reference, or include worksheets and reminder lists for them at each step of the process. These are just a few ideas you can utilize to bring the focus back to them. When clients feel heard, seen, and understood, hesitation to sign on the dotted line doesn’t exist. What is something you use to help make your clients feel clarity and understanding? Comment below.

PS. If you really want to ramp up your client presentations, join me in Resonate when we open the doors. Not only do I cover Listing and Buyer Presentations extensively, but also 4 other must-use presentations that your clients will LOVE you for! Click https://lnkd.in/gnQmjkNe for more details.