Brian Copeland

By Brian Copeland

I’m consistently reminded by my peers “you’re online too much,” “you can’t possibly get any work done,” or “you must not have a life to do what all you do.”  Every time, my blood boils inside, and I find myself breathing harder to calm down and smile kindly.  My response is then, “Yeah, I manage,” then I simply shut up.

What most of my fellow-market-REALTORS® don’t know is that while they are paying $0.25 to $0.45 for postage, spending hours of time fishing in an abyss of non-measurables and spending hours chasing potential, I’m sitting back every day with free leads coming through my door with no money spent and minimal hours worked. Why?  I know how to capture my bloggable moments.

Posterous, iPhones, and quick boot laptops have made our efficiency soar in the recent years. I can work any time in those gaps in my days.  What are the bloggable moments you are missing or not even noticing in your own business?

Being chauffeured. I’m writing this entry while riding in a shuttle from a Canadian airport. While not all of us travel a lot, if you’re stomach can handle it, you’ve likely got a 30 minute ride when you arrive somewhere on business.  Turn that idle time into productivity.

Waiting on healthcare. Doctors, pharmacies, and health providers are notorious for being behind schedule.  If you simply plan ahead to bring a keyboard device, you can turn that inconvenience into a victory.  You don’t Internet connection there?  Big deal.  Open a Word (or like product) document and start typing.  The joy of the cut and copy lives forever.

Getting stood up. Admit it.  We all get stood up by buyers or sellers.  Even when you confirm, schedule, reconfirm, it happens.  If it hasn’t happened, then think of the times a buyer has been late for a showing.  Capture the opportunity.  Twiddling your thumbs, texting friends, or meandering around the subject house for 20 minutes is poor stewardship of your time and business.  Enter every situation as if (1) someone’s going to be late or (2) you may be stood up.

In-law visits. Nothing says, “Wow, son-in-law! You care enough about your family’s finances to even work while here.  Better yet, we get to  visit with our child while you stay out of our way” better than being ready on visits.  Two of biggest productivity days of the year are when I’m at my in-laws.  Now, of course, when the food is on the table, the presents are opening and the kids are “having moments,” I’m 100 percent present.  Don’t be that mom or dad with your laptop or phone at the little league game!

We should be working normal healthy hours.  Nothing fills in the gaps better than blogging and lead generation 2.0. Start by analyzing your days and weeks.  Pay attention to the gaps and lost liter time.   I promise you, you’ll find clients, money, closings, and servicing opportunities with every keyboard click.

As my bloggable moment ends, we’re exiting the highway, I see my hotel, and I need to take some motion sickness medicine.

Brian Copeland is a real estate practitioner in Nashville, Tenn. You can follow Brian on Twitter: @NashvilleBrian