By Bob McComb
Creator
Top Dogs
Take 5 Swings at New Business
A results-oriented approach can help new brokers generate leads more effectively
Brokers who are looking to op- timize their lead-generation efforts should focus on iden-
tifying activities that have a direct
impact on their business results. Re-
thinking daily actions with associated
results in mind can help originators
concentrate on the ones that actually
pay off.
Think of the Pareto Principle — aka
the 80-20 rule — in the way it relates
to people’s productivity. For example,
20 percent of the people generate 80
percent of the results. This same prin-
ciple applies to our daily activities, and
it suggests that 80 percent of our pro-
duction results come from 20 percent
of the activities. This means that if you
have five things on your to-do list on
a given day, only one of them will pro-
duce the most results you want.
will take an active role in. An active role
means to attend regularly and partici-
pate in their committees. Pay close at-
tention to membership committees
where you’ll have an opportunity to
meet incoming members and develop a
relationship with them before they start
talking to your competition.
A natural progression
For any professional-services provider,
there are three main facets on which
they should focus: lead generation,
lead conversion and service delivery. At
the beginning of a broker’s career, the
“Brokering is a
people business, and
prospecting and
networking should
certainly top the
list of techniques to
develop new business.”
emphasis is usually on developing the
capacity to deliver services. This is nat-
ural, because no business will be trans-
acted otherwise. Next, brokers learn
how to convert leads into clients. To
accomplish this goal, they tend to rely
upon their prior sales experience, the
gift of gab, or being shown the ropes by
more experienced brokers.
The last and most important aspect
of the business to be learned is lead
generation, which often remains un-
derdeveloped or not developed at all.
Some brokers rely on their company
to generate the leads. Others join in a
team approach. The first scenario cre-
ates bone-catchers; the second means
dividing up of commissions that have
Illustration: Dennis Wunsch
already shrunk with declining prices.
Neither leads to high-level production.
The next-level solution
For brokers to take their business to the
next level, they must add ways of de-
veloping new business. Consider this
idea: If you took a very sharp axe, ap-
proached a tree and took five swings at
that tree every day, no matter how large
the tree, eventually it will fall.
Here are some things that you can do
in order to take five swings at improv-
ing your business:
1. referrals: Ask for referrals from
prior clients by conducting regular
check-ins.
2. online marketing: Create a You Tube
video, a podcast, a blog, or post
on Twitter or other social network-
ing websites; complete or create a
LinkedIn profile or group; or send
marketing e-mails.
3. general outreach: Send out a press
release with your business news or
a newsletter with 12 to 24 profes-
sionally written articles; write ar-
ticles on industry trends; conduct
or sponsor a seminar, tele-seminar
or webinar; invite people on your e-
mail list to connect with you online.
4. targeted actions: Compile a list of
your top 100 to 200 prospects and
call at least two every day; pass out
10 business cards daily, no matter
what.
5. building your image: Encourage
prior clients to write testimoni-
als; interview or get interviewed
in industry publications; create a
30-second elevator speech about
your services.
These are just a few examples of ac-
tivities that you can take daily to make
a difference. Select a few from this list,
or brainstorm your own customized
activities with your fellow. Then incor-
porate them into your daily planner to
ensure that you are taking the proper
number of swings at developing new
business as you begin each day.
Make it your ritual to take five swings
at new business development daily,
and you are virtually guaranteed to take
your business to the next level. •
Bob McComb is the creator of the Top Dogs com-
mercial real estate training programs. The web-
site of Top Dogs is tdogs.com. Reach McComb
at (888)894-2039 or bob@mccomb.com
