1. Recharge
As a Realtor no matter who you are and how hard you like to work we all need time to unplug and recharge our batteries. Big holidays can be a time where no one expects anything out of you so it is a great time to get away. When you know a big holiday is coming it is a good idea early in the week to get a lot done so that when it is time to have off you can take the time. In a world of cell phones, mobile internet, and so much connection it is easy to fall back into the category of work. As self-employed people there is always something to do but learning it can wait will help you relax.
2. Be appropriate
I have often heard salespeople say the reason a holiday is a good time to work is because you know they will be off and answering their phone. While this may be true you need to think what is appropriate and what is not. When you call someone on a holiday it better be important. Yes they are going to answer but they are answering in more of a “what could this possibly be” way and not “I can not wait to talk to this person about business on my day off”. Remember if you MUST talk with them then now is the time but if you want to sell something hold off and work on better relationship building.
3. Gift Giving
While it is very common for people to give gifts, I think a lot of time the reason why is lost and all we get is money spent on a gift that no one wants. When buying clients or other professionals’ gifts around the holiday try to put some thought into it. If you are running a good CRM or you are a thoughtful person this should be easy. Take what you know about your colleague or client and use that to your advantage. Going to the store and buying one generic gift for every client says nothing more than you are just trying to fill a void vs when you buy something they like or want it shows you listen and truly care. In the business of real estate we are always working to build lifelong relationships with our clients.
4. Realtor® Holiday Workplace Ethics
When a holiday is coming up in the workplace be sure to remember the people you work with and their goals. If you are a broker or Realtor® team manager make sure to have a team meeting early that week and lay out the goals for the week so people can mentally prepare for holiday preparations. If you have a new big project now may be the time to wait until the holiday passes and people return reinvigorated. Having your staff or other contractors you work with start a big project right before a holiday can lead to sloppy work, bad attitudes, and take away your peoples’ time to recharge. When you properly plan the workload, having them find success right before break usually leads to them coming back like winners and ready for the next challenge.
5. Strike While The Iron's Hot
I know in the first item of this list I mentioned taking the time off. Now this one will seem to contradict that but know when clients reach out to you on a holiday and want to make moves it is go time. My father works in the car industry and he always says if someone walks on the lot and it's raining they are buying a car that day. The same thing applies in real estate. When you have a client that shows up on a holiday often it is because they need to make a move sooner than later. This can be great because you may be the only show in town that day and you may have better luck getting something done. Remember when this happens one of the nice parts of self-employment is the ability to shift one day off into the next so make sure to still take time to recharge just move your schedule around a little bit.
Final Thoughts on Realtor® Holidays
Real estate is a great industry and most of us are incentivized to work hard based on our pay scale but remember that mental health is more important than anything. If you are ever feeling burnt out and tired, take the time you need. While you might be missing opportunities right now and today with a fresh attitude and more energy you will do better at closing the opportunities in the future. Have a great week and keep working hard and you are sure to find success in this business.
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