Archives for May 2023

May 25, 2023 By amy snodgrass Leave a Comment

Beach, Barbecues and Business: Real Estate Survival Guide for Summer Success

Finding balance between personal and professional life is crucial for anyone who owns a business, but for real estate agents/entrepreneurs it can be a little challenging since you are having to accommodate your clients schedule as well.

When I first moved to my town, I literally knew no one, so it was a challenge to juggle a 4-year-old, a 4-month-old and then pregnant with the 3^rd. While we were building a house, we rented a home, and my husband traveled a lot for work, so it was all on me to make sure the home ran smoothly while also taking care of my mother-in-law. So, when I say I know how to plan out a quarter, a month, a week, and a day, believe me I mastered it and was quite successful with it both personally and professionally.

I created routines for my professional and personal lives. Did it always go as planned, NO, but by having a plan and being organized I easily could get back on track. Keep in mind this was before the Internet and cell phones.

Fast forward a few years to when the Internet and cell phones were a way of life, and it became so much easier to manage everything. As I started my business I had to get very creative since now I had 3 children, 1 in school and 2 toddlers running around while still being the primary caretaker of my MIL while my husband traveled and I might add we lived in the country, so I didn’t have neighbors to reach out to help out, so as summer approached I knew in order to continue being on this path to success I had to rethink how I could be there for my clients and my family.

So, with summer now here, kids getting out of school, you are probably meeting yourself coming and going. I thought now would be a good time to share some great strategies to help you accomplish your goals in both areas.

Personal Side:

Have a heart-to-heart talk with yourself and determine what is important in both personal and professional areas.
Write down your thoughts and concerns to get them out of your head before organizing and setting priorities.
Write important dates on your planner and set reminders.
Consider camps for your kids and allocate time for preparation and family bonding after their return.
Schedule dentist, doctor, and eye appointments for your family in July when it’s typically slower.
Plan and prepare for upcoming vacations, allowing time for adjustments upon your return.
Discuss schedules with your spouse to coordinate childcare and support each other.
Hire a neighborhood kid to play with your children while you work on organizing and planning.
Create a dedicated office space where your children can be present and engaged in quiet activities while you work.
Set aside specific activities that can only be done in that room to provide structure and quiet time when needed.
Wake up a couple of hours before your children to have some personal time for planning and tasks.
Work during their bedtime hours for tasks that don’t require immediate attention.
Arrange playdates with friends to create focused work time while ensuring your children have company and fun.
Determine how much you want to work during the summer and create a schedule that allows for a balanced approach.
Share responsibilities with your spouse in terms of household tasks and childcare.
Consider outsourcing tasks like house cleaning, lawn service, and grocery delivery to save time.

Business Side:

Delegate tasks to your children or family members to teach responsibility and involve them in your work.
Use time blocking or batching to create a schedule for making calls, creating content, and conducting research.
Establish clear boundaries between personal and professional life, including response times and preferred methods of communication.
Automate tasks as much as possible and use calendar reminders to stay organized.
Learn to say no and prioritize your commitments to avoid overcommitting.
Outsource tasks in your business to experts who can free up your time and help you accomplish more.
Take your children with you on business errands and involve them in small tasks, fostering their self-confidence and helping them learn.

General Tips:

Sit down every Sunday and map out your week, planning ahead whenever possible.
Remember to relax and enjoy the summer while being protective of your personal and professional time.
Seek support from your family and don’t hesitate to ask for help when needed.

Summer is a time of relaxation and for enjoying the family and taking a break. By following these strategies and finding a balance between personal and professional commitments, you can make the most of the summer season while achieving your goals in both areas.

Listen to this week’s episode on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio or do a search for Unstoppable Real Estate Agents in your favorite podcast directory.

Connect with Kim:

Email Kim
Real Estate Resources
The Ultimate Expired Listing System
Kim Hughes’s Amazon Store

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kim_hughes_consulting/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm4T_I5-Imrx_uOsMImKnvw
Facebook: http://facebook.com/KimHughesRealEstateProductivityExpert
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/KimHughes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimhughescoaching
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kim_hughes/pins/

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Are you struggling to set up systems and processes for your business? Let’s talk about how I can help you build a solid foundation with the right systems in place.

May 17, 2023 By amy snodgrass Leave a Comment

Visualize, Connect, Sell: How Pinterest Can Revolutionize Real Estate Marketing

When you think of Pinterest what do you think of? A place to look at all things pretty, get ideas for all aspects of your life, right?

Well, what if I told you that Pinterest could be your number one lead generator, would you be interested?

Pinterest is the #2 search engine and quickly catching up to Google to become the #1 search engine, so you want to make sure you are using this amazing platform to give yourself high visibility in your market as well as on a global platform. Since you never know where your next buyer may come from, you should be using Pinterest as one of the platforms used to market your listings. This will get that property in front of more people on a visual basis.

Creating Brand Awareness is huge, so let’s talk about how Pinterest can become a lead generator in your business.

First, you need to get your account set up correctly. If you don’t already have a Pinterest account, then jump over to Pinterest.com and sign up to open a Business Account and go through the process of creating your new account.

If you already have a Pinterest account, go into the profile to confirm you have a Business Account. If not change your account to business or create a new account for the business. You can keep business and personal separated, but I have everything under my business account and if I don’t want to share a board then I make it a secret board.

Once you have done these steps then verify your website. Pinterest allows you to claim your website to gain access to additional features. This is pretty simple, just add the meta tag provided or the html file offered and upload it to your website.

Then, set up your profile or take a look at your current profile and make sure you have a Cover Page that has your branding. Make sure to complete everything asked so your audience will know how to connect with you outside of Pinterest.

Now the fun begins…. I suggest you map out your boards on paper before you start creating them. Make sure when you create a board you give it a descriptive title and a brief description to provide context for your audience. When creating your Boards link to your website as much as possible.

Board ideas would be:

Selling Tips
Buying Tips
Featured Listings
Blog
Videos

The boards mentioned above should all link to your website. When you strategically link a pin to your website you have a better chance of converting visitors to clients. So, make sure you have an email funnel that they go into once the register on your website.

If you work in more than one market create a board for each town and link to area attractions.

This could be, restaurants, galleries, parks, Chamber of Commerce, shops, etc. Maybe you link to your business vendors, such as landscapers, painters, electricians. Another board could be schools, daycare, and churches.

Outside of these local boards you would want to think of Boards for the homeowner or buyer to get ideas. Choose your interests by selecting topics that are aligned with you and your market.

Staging Ideas
Interior Design
What’s popular – this could be paint, etc.
Living Room Ideas
Bathroom Ideas
Kitchen Ideas
Landscape ideas
Garage Organization
Cleaning Tips
Organization Tip for the Home

Remember your goal is to be all things to your community and by offering it here on Pinterest you are targeting a larger audience. So, map this out on paper so you can plan the correct way.

Think about what your audience needs and then provide it.

Pinterest’s biggest advantage is its emphasis on visual content. This makes it an ideal platform to display your support for your community as well as promote your listings to potential buyers and sellers. Leverage the platform’s visually appealing nature to engage your audience effectively.

Think of ways to offer something to your audience to get them to move to the website and engage with you there.

Offer freebies – this would be something like Checklist, Downloads, or worksheets. For example, it could be a buyer’s checklist giving them the steps to purchase a home or a seller’s checklist of what they need to do before listing their home. Give them something of value.

Start a video library on your website where you discuss the market stats, listing tips, busying tips, etc. By regularly sharing visually appealing pins you can increase your exposure to reaching a larger audience that will turn into leads.

Major Tip: When you are on Pinterest and you see a pin you like and would like to share it to your Board click on the pin to get the original link then pin that link to your board. Don’t just pin from Pinterest Boards because this will get you nowhere.

To recap:

Download the Pinterest Checklist by clicking on this link.

Create or review your Pinterest account.
Make sure you have a business account.
Get the meta tag or html file for your website.
Add your brand to the cover page.
Complete all the profile questions.
Create an outline for Boards.
Focus on keywords.
Gather links from your website to use when pinning to Pinterest.
- Blog
- Listings
- Search for Homes
- About Me
- Social Media Platforms
- Video Library
- Testimonials

Pinterest is a search engine, so the SEO benefits are incredible. Pinterest can drive organic traffic to your website through relevant keywords, so when you pin something to a board make sure you’re thinking of keywords as well.

There is so much more you can do with Pinterest and this amazing platform can be your best lead generating tool when you are consistent and offer informative information.

Just think that when you pin to Pinterest that pin has a longer life span unlike social media platforms where your content fades away and you’re always having to post new content to keep yourself in front of your audience.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Listen to this week’s episode on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio or do a search for Unstoppable Real Estate Agents in your favorite podcast directory.

Connect with Kim:

Email Kim
Real Estate Resources
The Ultimate Expired Listing System
Amazon Store

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Are you struggling to set up systems and processes for your business? Let’s talk about how I can help you build a solid foundation with the right systems in place.

May 11, 2023 By amy snodgrass Leave a Comment

Unlocking the Secrets to Successful Real Estate Lead Generation

In this week’s episode of Unstoppable Real Estate Agents, I talk about lead generation and how you can implement some great strategies to attract leads from various platforms.

When you are creating your marketing strategy you want to think about these 3 things for your business:

Lead Generation
Lead Nurturing
Lead Conversion

Let’s look at how you are attracting leads:

Paid Ad Program
Phone Calls
Social Media
Referrals
Direct Marketing
B2B

Once you determine where your lead generation sources are coming from you need to create a system on how you’re going to nurture them. How will you engage?

Your marketing strategy should consist of multiple ways to engage leads, depending on their needs. You need to map out how that lead is generated, and their reward once they have taken the call of action you have given them.

Remember, now that they are engaged, your objective is to cultivate their interest and nurture them. If you execute this properly, you should be able to turn those leads into buyers or sellers. So, lets break it down…

Everything you produce should be created with intention. Afterall, you want to see a return on the effort, time, and money you invest in it. Creating a strategy that speaks to a person based on their situation is what will help you grow your business. While you know what you have to offer, your potential client may not. Therefore, establishing trust is a crucial first step.

There are 4 strategies you can create:

Your social media
Direct Marketing
Past Client
How you meet new people

How are you going to get them to take action? Offer them something of value such as a link to a pdf, video, etc. What is that first step? Make this an opt-in – they must complete the form to gain access.

Some ideas could be:

A free download
- Checklist
- Tips on buying/selling.
- Form on “What is their Dream Home?”
Create a series of videos and offer them for free by having them fill out the form to gain access to these valuable videos.
- Selling
- Buying
- Investing
- Move Up/Down
- Empty Nester
You could also offer a CTA through your newsletter. This is the database of people you have already engaged with but need them to take action.

Once they give you their information through that Call to Action put them on your email sequence that coordinates with their interest.

Remember, your lead is not going to know what you have to offer, so make sure you explain how you can help them.

Once you have created the strategy and they have opted-in to receive what you are offering, you’ll want to put them on your email sequence.

Your email sequence is the next step to building the relationship. Make sure when you create this email sequence you are focusing on their needs and how you can help. For instance, you’re not going to put a buyer on a seller email sequence, so make sure you create engaging original content. Your CRM probably offers a variety of email sequences also known as drip campaigns, but you want to customize them to you.

Once you create these strategies you will need to monitor them and tweak them until you see what is working. When you create your strategy, you want to do it with intention.

Here are some ideas on how to first engage with your lead:

Branding –create your marketing to be memorable. Something they can resonate with and is aligned with your vision for your business.

Create a Story inventory.
- What is your story? You have hundreds of stories you can create and share.
- The origin story of how you came to be who you are today.
- What is the thing that encouraged you to start your business?
- What are the pivotal moments along the way that taught you lessons or shaped you into who you are today.
- Create a Google doc to brain dump.
- Stories stand the test of time.

Example of some stories you can create:

Stories about past client experiences.
Funny things that happen during a day.
Share family stories, pets, things you see during your day.

You have so much to offer to your clients, but they don’t know this, so you have to create your strategies based on what you have to offer in order to build trust.

So, let’s recap:

Create your Call to Action. What are you going to offer?
Once they have opted-in they will go on your email sequence. Create a sequence that speaks to them, so this will require some thought and effort.
Add them to your newsletter.

Creating a compelling Call to Action and email sequence requires your time and effort, but the potential reward is worth it when done correctly. If you need assistance in telling your story in order to generate leads for your business, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Listen to this week’s episode on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio or do a search for Unstoppable Real Estate Agents in your favorite podcast directory.

Connect with Kim:

KimHughes.com
The Ultimate Expired Listing System
Social Media Success Tools
Kim Hughes’s Amazon Store

______________________________________________________

Are you struggling to set up systems and processes for your business? Let’s talk about how I can help you build a solid foundation with the right systems in place.

May 3, 2023 By amy snodgrass Leave a Comment

Turning Failure into Success: How Real Estate Agents Can Use Expired Listings to Boost Income

In today’s episode I talk about how you can implement an expired listing system into your business and make it successful. An expired listing system is a tool used by real estate agents to reach out to property owners whose homes did not sell during the initial listing period. These homeowners may be discouraged by their previous experience and may be more motivated to sell their property. Expired listings can provide a significant source of potential new business. To maximize the return on your investment of time in pursuing expired listings, it’s important to have a systematic approach and consistent routine.

1. New opportunities: Expired listings provide a new opportunity for agents to find clients who are motivated to sell their property. By reaching out to these homeowners, agents can expand their client base and increase their chances of making a sale.

2. More leads: Expired listings can generate more leads for real estate agents. Homeowners whose properties were listed previously may be more receptive to working with an agent who can help them achieve their goals.

3. Increased market knowledge: By following expired listings in their area, real estate agents can gain insight into the local market. They can learn about pricing trends, what types of properties are in demand, and what buyers are looking for.

4. Competitive edge: Having an expired listing system can give an agent a competitive edge over other agents who are not using this strategy. It allows them to tap into a market that other agents may be overlooking.

An expired listing system is a crucial tool for real estate agents, as it helps them acquire new clients, generate leads, enhance their market knowledge, and gain a competitive advantage in the industry.

If you’re interested in using expired listings in your business but don’t know how or where to begin, you’ll appreciate the expired listing system designed specifically for you, so you don’t have to start from scratch. I have taken my 30 years of experience helping agents generate several ways to create income and put together this system which gives you everything you need…templates, worksheets, scripts, action plans and videos on how to set the system up.

The testimonials to this system are incredible. If you put the system in place, you will generate another income that is proven to work. And we offer to help you with creating, implementing and managing the system for you.

Are ready to transform your business, build your listing inventory and your client referrals while putting more money in your bank account? Normally priced at $397.00, I am offering a special discount of $97 on The Ultimate Expired Listing System. This is a limited time offer. Use promo code ULTIMATE23 at checkout to get your special listener offer.

Listen to this week’s episode on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio or do a search for Unstoppable Real Estate Agents in your favorite podcast directory.

Connect with Kim:

KimHughes.com
The Ultimate Expired Listing System
Social Media Success Tools
Kim Hughes’s Amazon Store

______________________________________________________

Are you struggling to set up systems and processes for your business? Let’s talk about how I can help you build a solid foundation with the right systems in place.