It's a New Year. Time for new plan to Grow!

Operating a real estate agency in today’s competitive market requires both the skill to make the company run like a well-oiled machine and the willingness to do the hard work to make it successful. This holds even truer if you are looking expand your real estate agency. In order to grow you and all of your agents must be at the top of the game, finding ways to stand out from all the smoke and noise other agencies put out and continue to build on what you have already accomplished. Creating Trust and Value for Your Agency To create an air of trust that your company can get the job done you must show potential clients not just that your agency has value, but more value than your competition. Start by creating a solid value proposition, a proposal that will show your clients exactly what they will receive from your agency and the reasons they should pick your agency over your competitors. Your value proposition must clearly state how your agency’s services will solve the client’s problem. Show how your agency is different. While you may be able to beat your competition in areas like pricing, it is vital to show what sets you apart and how picking your agency will benefit the client. Detail value of your services, such as a free no-obligation market appraisal within a specified number of days, as opposed to just a “free market appraisal.” Building Your Online Presence The phrase “less is more” definitely applies to your website. In today’s digital world your website is usually the first point of contact you’ll have with potential clients, and clients tend to quickly exit a site that is cluttered and hard to navigate. Keep the layout and message simple. Once your website is up don’t just forget about it, but keep it fresh by regularly updating current listings and adding new ones. Building Your Team A good team is crucial to any agency’s success, and if your plan is for growth the people you select are even more important. If the personnel you currently have are not performing to your expectations it is up to you to push them to perform better. As your agency expands you will need to increase your staff to handle the extra workload. However, you must be every mindful to not just settle for average salespeople just because you have an immediate need. Keep your standards high and it will provide positive dividends for your agency in the long term. When you are interviewing agents, try to determine if their eagerness is genuine passion for the industry, or if it’s just all show to get the position. Never underestimate the importance in passion for the business, as passion and drive often outweigh experience and knowledge, both of which are developed over time. A positive attitude is a needed foundation for new recruits and will make the difference between their success and failure. Streamline Procedures to Increase Productivity Once you have the right people in place make sure they have all the needed tools to deliver the results you desire. Never accept that just because something has always been done a certain way that is the way it should continue to be done. You may often find that simply sticking to the status quo is what has been keeping your agency from reaching new goals. Reviewing and refining your practices and procedures, such as marketing techniques and even filing methods, on a regular basis can help produce the growth you seek. Cloud-based accounting software is a good way to raise productivity by eliminating the need to continually download and update software on company computers. Cloud-based platforms also allow all team members to access documents anywhere, from multiple devices. Electronic invoicing, filing and marketing can cut down on printing costs, trips to the post office and mailing expenses. Email marketing can also generate repeat business for your agency by building a database of past buyers and sellers as well as keep present clients informed of your current property listings. Email invoicing will also reduce printing and filing costs. By now you can see growing your real estate agency takes a multifaceted approach. By using all the tools available to you, matched with sufficient capital you will be able to expand your real estate agency as far as you wish.