Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night and realized that you did not send an addendum to the client for signature?  It was meant to be signed and delivered before you finished for the day but with everything else going on it fell through the cracks!!!

So how do you avoid this nightmare scenario?  tcDocs to the rescue!!! (more…)

As a Top Producer 8i Certified Trainer and Consultant I am asked numerous questions about this popular real estate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) but the  one question that comes up more than any other is “How do I set up my Action Plans?”. This is one of the most powerful features of Top Producer 8i, yet in my opinion one of the most underutilized.

We are consistently told that staying in touch with past clients, potential sellers, buyers and your sphere of influence is more cost effective than marketing to strangers. Using Top Producer 8i Action Plans is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this task. They remind you who to contact and when, either by calling, mailing, or emailing and once scheduled the task stays on your to do list for weeks, months and even years.

There are numerous customizable action plans to choose from.  However, (more…)

This week Adele talks about outsourcing and as a Virtual Assistant this is a topic close to my heart. There are a lot of my clients who thought they could not afford to hire me and now could not run their business without me!

If there’s been a common theme to my guest posts here, it’s that you need to outsource. Trying to perform each specific task for your business works against your productivity for many reasons. Here are just a few of those reasons: (more…)

This week Guest Blogger Adele Jackson suggests taking your Laptop on vacation, is she crazy!!!! Well read on to find out:

In an ideal world, we would go on vacation, leave the laptop at home and never give business another thought. Unfortunately, we don’t live in the ideal world. For most business owners, going on vacation means having to tote the laptop, iPad or other digital device. However, just because you bring it, doesn’t mean you have to have it attached to your hip. Here are some tips that might help. (more…)

This week Guest Blogger Adele Jackson gives some ideas to create a summer marketing plan using Holidays and observances.

Last time we talked about drumming up some business in summer and I encouraged you to think about what’s on the mind of your customers to create your summer marketing plan. Well, today’s post goes perfectly with that. Holidays and observances are a great way to tap into what’s happening in your customers’ lives. Some holidays are widely celebrated and some observances are a bit quirky and fun. Either way, they can all be great for blog post ideas, creating product promotions and more.

Here is a handy list of holidays and observances in summer. (more…)

This week Guest Blogger Adele Jackson is talking about not losing your motivation and how to keep your business ticking over and still enjoy the summer with family and friends.

Just a short post for you today because I don’t want to keep you from getting your work done!

Summer should be about enjoying yourself, getting outside and hopefully getting away from it all. Of course, most of us don’t have the luxury of avoiding work all summer long. Sometimes, we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and get busy, but it’s not always easy if you work from home.  I’m sure just about any home or Internet business owner can relate, so here are some tips to stay motivated this summer.

• Work hours are your friend: We talked about this in the avoiding distractions post, but it applies here too.  When you know when you’re supposed to work, you’re more likely to do it. If you leave your days wide open and think you’ll squeeze work in somewhere, it’s less likely to happen. (more…)

Well I know like me you have been looking forward to Adele’s posts so here is the first of the series “How to Focus on Your Business when it’s Time to Focus”.

Enjoy!

Summer should be about enjoying yourself, getting outside and hopefully getting away from it all. Of course, most of us don’t have the luxury of avoiding work all summer long. Sometimes, we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and get busy, but it’s not always easy if you work from home.  I’m sure just about any home or Internet business owner can relate.

For me, the distractions are the nice weather, having the kids home from school and the desire to just be out camping or even sipping drinks with friends on a patio. One of my best friends is a teacher with summers off and she’s always trying to corrupt me! Even though summer can be great fun, I have learned to set my limits and turn off the distractions as needed.

Here are some tips for you… (more…)

Summer is here and it is vacation time! But business does not stop so with the help of Adele Jackson we are going to be giving you tips and advice on how to combine work and fun!  Adele has got a ton of ideas for your business this summer. Whether you want to take a vacation or rev up your sales, we have got you covered.  I hope you will enjoy her posts…I know I will.

Without further ado, meet Adele Jackson…

Hi folks, I’m so glad to be able to visit over the summer and share some strategies that have worked for me and others. Keeping business going through the summer isn’t always easy, but if you approach it right, you can still have fun and keep the cash flow coming.

My house is always filled with kids in the summer (my own and, it seems, all the neighborhood kids), so I can relate. Add to that, we love to go camping and get ourselves right off the grid for days at a time. I know, it can be a shock to the system to survive without Facebook. 😉 Regardless, somehow I always manage to make it through and I’d love to help you too.

A few things we’ll be talking about (more…)

Today’s Guest Blogger is Dianne McDonald who specializes in Event Planning.  Here are 10 tips to make your bash go fabulously:

Whether you are a seasoned Event Planner or planning an event for the first time, the strategies needed to make your event memorable and profitable are much the same and extremely important.  There is no doubt that a successful event requires a large amount of planning plus a great deal of commitment to achieve the ultimate goal: Having a Great Event people will remember and talk about long after the event has passed.

The ultimate reward of a successful event leads to more knowledge, more business, and most likely more people eager to work with you on the next function.

Now…there are many different types of events.  Corporate events could be a meeting involving a few executives, a ‘thank you’ event for several treasured clients, an awards ceremony for dedicated employees, a very large conference or even a trade-show. (more…)

If you were once in corporate America then you probably worked in a team environment.  You had administrative support and a marketing department which allowed you to go out and meet clients to promote the companies services and products.  This made you and the company successful as year on year the company grew and your sales target was met or surpassed.  It was maybe one of the reasons you decided to go into real estate because you were a great salesperson and wanted to help people buy and sale real estate.

So why I ask do a large number of real estate professionals decide to be their own Real Estate Assistant?  Is it because: (more…)