In today’s property market, not enough salespeople really do prove themselves or sell themselves strongly enough. They hope that the office or boss that they work for will do that. It’s time for a reality check.

The only reason people will use you as an agent or salesperson is if you have convinced them that you and your office are relevant to them; that you really do know how to handle their property situation in the best possible way.

It is a personal thing; if you do not have enough listings or enough deals on the go right now, then you have not sold yourself enough. It’s time to take more of the right action.

So let’s look at some points of relevance that you must have:

• A great database of up to date contact and prospects that you can quote your listings to even before you advertise the listings in the internet or local newspaper
• A signage presence in the local area that shows the market that you are a dominant specialist commercial agency
• Marketing systems and skills that really do reach the right markets in the best ways for the right levels of enquiry
• A website that attracts enquiry in the local area and does so in a way that is better than the other agents
• Search engine optimization that takes you to the top of the website rankings for your local area and property specialty
• A social media strategy that keeps you in contact with your prospects and clients
• The ability to prospect, inspect, negotiate, and close listings and deals in the most efficient and productive way
• Knowledge of the local area, the properties, and the deals that have been done

Why not prove yourself to your company before you ask them to prove to you that they want you. It takes a bit of time to build a footprint of experience and relevance in this industry, however after about 12 to 24 months of hard work you can get there.

You will note that the items above are including some very individual issues and facts relating to the web and the internet. Over the last couple of years, the social media process has taken over the way in which we will be communicating in the future. It is not just the real estate office that has to be web savvy, but now also the salesperson. It is time to build your online presence as a property expert in your town or location.

Take the time to prove yourself and market yourself to the stakeholders in your life and career. Understand how to do that and start taking more daily action. The really successful people in the commercial or retail property industry are those that are known and respected by many.

When you work in commercial real estate sales or leasing, your listings and commissions are the keys to success as a salesperson. You need plenty of both. Your listings can be your cash cow if you set the right rules and implement them.

To make the most of your time in the real estate business you want your listings to convert to closed contracts and leases as effectively as possible. Here are some ideas to help you do that:

1. Dominate your territory on a location by location basis. For this means that street by street you should penetrate the market with your property signage and property promotions. Street by street marketing is far more effective in territory domination; over a period of time you can be seen as the property specialist over a larger area.
2. Every property enquiry that comes to you should be qualified given the property type and the attributes of the local area. One key question to add to the process in all conversations is that of the property referral, or the person’s awareness of property needs with the other people that they know. The simple question will open many doors of future listing opportunity.
3. Get to know the local businesses within each area or precinct, and the proprietors of those businesses. They will have property needs from time to time and on that basis you should be well known to them. The way to achieve this is through constant ongoing contact with relevant property and territory information.
4. Every property that has been successfully sold or leased by your office should be subjected to a successful letter campaign through the adjacent and nearby businesses. This type of letter is more inclined to reach the right people and decision makers related to property locally.
5. Every property that is released for sale or lease in the local area should be directly promoted to the local businesses and property owners. The best way to do this is via direct telephone calls, property flyers, and direct letters.
6. When a particular property is put on the market and the signboard is placed on the property, take a few hours to walk around the area and meet with the property owners and business proprietors immediately surrounding the listing. This becomes a source of local property market intelligence.
7. Given the high value process in item five above, you can adopt the same strategy with the listings of other agents in your area. It is remarkable how other agents do not canvass the local area comprehensively around their own listings. You can use their signage as the opportunity to find nearby listings and compete with their activity.
8. The most successful real estate agents and salespeople develop a high profile for the office and themselves through well-structured quality marketing campaigns. Local property owners and business proprietors observe the quality of the marketing that you adopt on all your listings, and are therefore more likely to return to you when they have a property need in the future.

All of these factors are aligned to the listing opportunity in your local area. They are stages and points of focus that produce momentum and future leads; they can make your listing process a ‘cash cow’.

The best way to tap into this ‘cash cow’ market intelligence is through the use of a comprehensive database that is exclusively yours and totally up to date.

A business development consulting firm helps new business owners create a business and a business identity before it goes public. In addition to creating the brand and the business plan, these firms may also help the business with day-to-day operations when the company is young and in the process of expansion. Business development consultants are experienced in a wide range of different core areas of business. They are experts in marketing strategy development, brand development, brand marketing, writing marketing messages, editing press releases, and creating and managing start-up budgets. Here are just some of the many activities a consulting firm can help a start-up business with:

Logo Design and Logo Development

A logo is a symbol with a combination of words that is used to portray a company. While some business owners take time early on in the development process to design their own logos, these logos may be very similar to others in the industry. One of the keys to designing an effective logo in any industry is making it unique. Business owners who are having trouble with their logo designs can work with business development consultants to further develop their designs and make the necessary changes. In some cases, changing the design of the logo is an effective way to create a business identity that people can identify and will remember.

Developing Content of All Types for All Platforms

Content is very important for start-ups and veterans in the industry. Today, prospective customers want to do business with a company that has values and values them. The only way to communicate value is to have detailed content that people want to read. A business development consulting firm has a team full of marketers and professional writers who can write anything from website content, to content for printed marketing materials. The benefits of allowing a firm to write and edit copy is that everything will be written in the same voice. The writers will focus on unique topics but make sure all of the content blends together in a cohesive way. All of the copy written will be in an appropriate tone based on the demographic of the reader and the niche that the company is trying to target.

Generating Leads to Grow the Business

Business development consultants also help develop your book-of-business. Once you have a brand strategy and a marketing strategy in place, you need to find clients if you want to be profitable in the future. It is difficult to launch a marketing campaign when companies do not have an audience to market to. Consultants will help businesses generate leads and will also teach the company the fundamentals in lead generation for the future. By learning how to target markets, reach these markets, and gather contact information, business owners can expand their reach and grow their businesses.

Entrepreneurs do not have to have a college degree in business management. They do, however, need to be goal-oriented, professional, hardworking, and resourceful. One of the most effective ways to be resourceful is to use experts in business development to your advantage. By hiring the right consultant firm, new business owners can learn the ropes, develop an identity, and grow their book-of-business in the process. For some, the difference between failure and success weighs heavily on the consultants the company chooses.