Seeds

by Mary Wilkey

SEEDS

In the real estate business, there is a concept called
"farming."

An agent will pick a neighborhood as his farm and work
the farm in various ways. Sometimes he’ll start by mailing
out an announcement to each resident to make them
aware of his services, his location, and contact information
(plowing up the fields).

Then he may conduct a "doorknob hanger" program where
he hires people to place flyers right on the doorknobs,
reiterating the information he already mailed out (planting
the first crop of seeds).

The agent’s next step might be to offer to do free appraisals
via still another flyer, this one sent through the mail again
(watering the first crop).

Now he may decide to do another doorknob flyer, again
reiterating the free appraisal offer sent out by mail (cultivating).

Then he does another mailing to each resident, offering a
free sales prep analysis to go in and personally point out
things that can be done to profitably prepare the home for
the market (fertilizing).

Then the agent personally drives through his "farm," making
notes of any obvious home improvements that need to be done,
along with the addresses of those properties.

Back at the office, he then writes personal letters to each of
the addresses where obvious improvements are needed,
if they haven’t already responded to his recent mailing (weeding).

He keeps on tending his farm, planting, watering, cultivating,
fertilizing, and weeding, rain or shine. In other words, he keeps
his name and services foremost in his prospects’ minds, so
that when one of them does think of selling, guess who they
are most likely to call?

Keep in mind that this "farmer" started from scratch. He first
picked out his farm. Then he had to do the "back-breaking"
work of plowing it up and planting the seeds of all the crops
he wished to harvest. Getting everything started (setting
everything up) was the hardest part, like everything else in life.

Once he got a rhythm going, all he did was to water, cultivate,
fertilize, and weed on a regular schedule. And he got a good
harvest. But note that he didn’t plant his seeds one day and
expect that harvest the next. He realized that it would take a
minimum of ninety days, depending on the crop he planted.
The more bountiful crops take more time.

He also realized that he could start as many farms as he had
time to tend, or as he could hire others to tend (in which case
he would share-crop), so that his potential harvests matched
his efforts.

As the Bible so clearly points out, there is a time and a season
to everything . . . a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that
which is planted . . . Ecclesiastes 3:2-8

Once again, another success lesson from the Lord Himself!

About the Author

Feel free to reprint the above article with this info intact:
Article penned by Mary Wilkey, publisher of 'elf Expressions
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