Hello Bellator Team! I hope you all have had a great week and a great start to 2024. Congrats to all of you for an impressive 2023 despite some pretty big challenges. Thanks to our leadership and staff for outstanding awards ceremonies this week with fantastic news for the company. It's great to know that we're backed up by folks at the very top who are willing to work to invest in us, as agents. Just know that Bellator is, and always will be, focused on how to help improve our agents and their businesses.

All indications point to 2024 having more activity than 2023 - but, you never really know in this business. The key is to SHOW UP with a PLAN every day. If the market is amazing or a little lackluster, the only way to know when it's time for your people to buy, sell or refer to you is to stay in FLOW with them. We're blessed to work in an area of very high demand, so I have no doubt that the business will be there indefinitely for good agents who show up daily to work their plans. Will we all have some years better than others? Absolutely we will, but it's within our power to optimize every opportunity to improve, grow and serve.

I hope all of our SOI's are hitting on all Bellator Auto-flow systems to the tune of 4+ touches per month. If you're behind in talking to your folks on the phone or in person - do not procrastinate. Start FORD calls today. If you're not covered up with listing or working with buyers and closing, then double up on calls starting NOW. Make 5 calls before the end of day today! I can tell you from experience that it is heart-breaking to have done all the right things (maybe for years), but when you call a month, or two, or three months late, you find out that your client and friend just listed or bought without you. Remember, it's on us to stay top of mind; our clients have a lot on their minds and they need and want to be reminded that you are their own personal Expert Real Estate Advisor.

Still having trouble with being comfortable with these calls? Talk to your broker or fellow agents and work on it. The key is that you are not selling them anything. Truly take an interest in your folks, their families and friends and ALWAYS provide value. Ask FORD questions and listen (giving the client/friend 70% of the talk). Have Facebook, Lolo and your CRM pulled up during your call. Ask about events in their lives, confirm they understand their Lolo and ask them if they know anyone that needs help boosting their business. Have stats and MLS in front of you and be knowledgeable. If they have any questions about their home, the market in general or their neighborhood and you can't provide the answer on the spot - impress them by getting the answer and following up with them the same day. These calls should be smooth (not forced) and enjoyable.  So, get your head right before starting - you know, gratitudes. :-)

If you do not have the number of folks in your CRM that you need for your goals, this note is for you. I challenge you to create a goal to be social daily and to create at least 5 relationships per week. I've always struggled with this because it's taken me years to understand how vital this is for our business. I've always had my daily task list and worked hard to check off those tasks - often I'd run out of time to socialize and create new relationships and to foster existing ones. For me, it has to be a priority and to be a priority, it must be on my daily task list and time must be blocked for it. Again, don't delay on this. You may say to yourself, "..I'll just shoot for one relationship per week until I get the 50 or 100 more contacts that I need more slowly."  I have to ask you, WHY? Why would we not want to go ahead and push to build and foster these relationships? Why wait until several of them have already bought or sold their homes?  

The bottom line to this is that, right now IS the time to go to work, put in the time, the calls and get what should be yours. Use your skills to help your folks; bless them with your talents so they have a smooth, less stressful and more profitable transaction. Today is THE day you'll look back on at the end of 2024 and either kick yourself for procrastinating again or be grateful that you started and had the best year of your career.  The choice is always ours, my friends.  

I hope that some of you find this helpful. TSW (This system works!)!