Jared James

By Jared James

Tell me that you have not ever had the experience of being fully committed to someone else, passing all of your leads to them, only to look on the MLS one day to see that they have listed their house through some other REALTOR®. Is there anything more frustrating in the world? Well, of course there is. But this is maybe a close second.

So the question becomes how do you avoid this in the future; or even better put, is this avoidable?

The obvious answer is “yes”… but how?

I have had the fortune of hearing from and working with thousands of REALTORS® from all over the world over the last 12 months and I truly believe that the answer lies in something as simple as being intentional with your business. It amazes me how many real estate professionals create a network of other business professionals that they refer their clients to on a regular basis and never really bother to make sure that the people they are referring to are just as committed to them and the success of their business.

Now, if you can relate to this say “aye,” but don’t worry because you find yourself exactly where the majority of REALTORS® do. The only question now is what are you going to do to make a change and become more intentional with your business?

Step 1 – Contact everyone that you have referred business to in the past, or will consider referring business to in the future, and have what I call “the talk” with them.  Have a casual conversation with them and then at some point mention that you run into people all the time that you could possibly send their way and are they interested in receiving these referrals. Their response is obviously going to be a resounding yes. Now is the time to let them know that you just have certain business practices that you follow and one of them is that you don’t commit to any other business that is not just as committed to you. Follow this up by asking them if they have a REALTOR® that they are committed to. The best way to get to the bottom of this question is to ask them if they were to buy a house, or sell their own right now, do they have a REALTOR® in mind who they would be working with. If they don’t have anyone in mind, use this as an opportunity to form a reciprocal relationship with them where you are both just as committed to each other’s businesses. Keep in mind that you may want to have this conversation with some of your people over the phone, while others may be better suited to be had over a cup of coffee. It is up to you to determine which is appropriate according to the relationship that you have with them.

Step 2 – Once you have completed “the talk” with all of your current business contacts, it is now time to expand your business and start brainstorming about what other industries you can create reciprocal relationships with that you don’t currently have. Think of it this way: for every new relationship that you create, you increase the odds of receiving another referral or more this year with someone who right now doesn’t even consider you to be on their radar as an option to assist them, or someone close to them in buying or selling a house in the near future. When you think of it that way, what do you have to lose?

This point was driven home recently by an email that I received from a brand new coaching student who wrote to me and said that as a result of her first couple of coaching calls, her eyes have been opened and she is now being more intentional with her business. As a result, she just listed a $3 million house and made an offer on a $1.2 million property. She wasn’t afraid to solidify her relationships and ask for the business and she is a better agent because of it.

Get intentional with who you network with and how you do it, and you can have the same results!!

Jared James is the CEO and founder of Jared James Enterprises (JJE) and travels around North America speaking to and coaching REALTORS®. Connect with Jared at www.jaredjamestoday.com, on facebook.com/jaredjamestoday, or follow him on Twitter @jaredjamestoday.