MASTERCLASS ON PRODUCTIVITYFOR ESTATE AGENTS

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TABLE OFCONTENTS

GET ORGANISEDIDENTIFY WHEN YOU’RE MOST FOCUSED3PLAN YOUR WEEK4SET DAILY MITs (MOST IMPORTANT TASKS)4DITCH MULTITASKING5USE THE 20-MINUTE RULE5MAKE TIME FOR PROSPECTING CALLS6BATCH THE TIME YOU SPEND RESPONDING TO EMAILS6

ELIMINATE DISTACTIONSCREATE AN INSPIRING SPACE8MANAGE NOTIFICATIONS8BLOCK SPAM CALLS9LET TECH DO THE HEAVY LIFTING9KEEP AS MANY PROCESSES AS POSSIBLE IN ONE SYSTEM10ENSURE THE RELIABILITY OF YOUR DATA10SET REMINDERS FOR IMPORTANT DATES11AUTOMATE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN12IF YOU CAN'T AUTOMATE, DELEGATE12USE EMAIL TEMPLATES15TOP-RATED PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS FOR AGENTS16

STAY CURIOUSPODCASTS20GREAT READS22MOVERS & SHAKERS25

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GETORGANISED

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IDENTIFY WHEN YOU’RE MOST FOCUSED

According to Dan Ariely, a Duke Universityprofessor of psychology and behaviouraleconomics, the two most productive hours ofthe day are right after we wake up. Somesuccessful entrepreneurs say they are mostproductive on Friday evenings, in the middleof the day, or at lunchtime. Spend a couple of weeks paying attention towhen you feel most focused and alert. Don’twaste your most precious and productivewindow of time. Block it out each day tospend on your most cognitively demandingwork that will impact your business.

Both the underperforming and the super successful agent have 24 hours in their day. Sowhat’s the difference? It’s about time management and prioritising, learning how to worksmarter instead of harder and make the most of your workday.

As author Tony Schwarz puts it: ‘Manage your energy, not your time.’

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We constantly create unrealistic To-Do lists for ourselves. We include thingsthat are never going to get done and keep adding more and more as we go. Allthis does is cause unnecessary stress. Instead, try deciding on three things you must accomplish each day, Justthree. Make sure that at least one of those MITs is something that will moveyou closer toward your long-term goal. You could set your MITs first thing inthe morning or the night before, this is an important part of boosting yourproductivity. By prioritising most important tasks, you can take control of your day, be a lotmore productive and eliminate some of the daily work stress.

PLAN YOUR WEEK

Before your work week begins, plan yourtime realistically. Give yourself enough timeto complete a task well before moving ontothe next. If you’re always feeling rushed, thatfrenetic energy will spill over into everyother part of your business. There are many ways to plan. Some use awhiteboard, others prefer sticky notes, aleather-bound agenda or the calendar ontheir mobile. However, you do it, laying out a plan for yourweek will help you visualise how you canbest spend your time to completeeverything on your list.

SET DAILY MITS (MOST IMPORTANT TASKS)

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We live in a culture where multitasking is seen as a supernatural ability. The truth is,multitasking actually makes you less productive overall. Some researchers suggest thatmultitaskers are 40% less productive. Not only will they need to work longer to get ‘caughtup’, but, according to Stanford researcher Clifford Nass, heavy multitaskers have a hardtime regaining focus and sorting out relevant information from irrelevant details. Why? Your brain can really only focus on one thing at a time – so even though you’re doingfive things at once, you aren’t doing them very well. Instead, experts say you should focuson completing one task at a time and limiting distractions while you work. You’ll get moreaccomplished in a shorter time.

DITCH MULTITASKING

USE THE 2-MINUTE RULE

The 2-minute rule comes from David Allen’sbestselling book, Getting Things Done. The authorargues that most of the tasks we procrastinate arenot actually difficult or time-consuming, they’resimple and quick to complete. The rule suggeststhat if there is a task that can be completed in 2minutes or less, you should do it immediately.Need to make a photocopy of a contract, write athank you note, or check a postcode? Take care ofthese quick jobs before they pile up andoverwhelm you. Adopting this rule will help youcombat procrastination and feel more productive.

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Between evening viewings and Saturdayopen houses, agents don’t always havepredictable hours. While there are a lot ofscheduling hiccups beyond your control, it isimportant to prioritise prospecting on a dailybasis. There is nothing more important thancreating new opportunities. Productivity insales is measured in opportunities createdand won. Experiment with your schedule tofind what works for you, but set aside at least1 hour each day to focus on prospecting.Many agents like to focus on prospectinginitiatives in the morning between 9-11 am.Treat this prospecting time as you would anyother important appointment andstick with it.

MAKE TIME FORPROSPECTING CALLS

BATCH THE TIME YOU SPENDRESPONDING TO EMAILS

If you spend your time constantlyinterrupted by replying to emails,you’re never going to get yourmost important work finished.Try batching your replies intojust two times a day (11am and4pm, for example). If you use email to do prospectingor follow up with leads, this maynot be an option for you. But theprinciple behind the idea can stillwork. Instead of using email reactively,proactively set aside specifictimes where you’ll be working onemail and focus on other work atother times.

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ELIMINATEDISTRACTIONS

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CREATE AN INSPIRING SPACE

MANAGE NOTIFICATIONS

Your environment plays a large part in yourproductivity. Home offices are a lot easier tocustomise and keep tidy but both can beretrofitted to boost your productivity. Consider the most common distractions. Asun-filled window can be an inspirationunless what’s going on outside is distracting.How’s your chair? If you’re constantlyfidgeting to get comfortable or findingyourself sore from slouching all day,find an ergonomic one.

Try to turn off as many distractingnotifications as possible, whileremaining available to yourclients. It can be a tricky balance.If you’re able, let messages andcalls come through and muteeverything else. While at yourdesk, put your phone face downso you don’t see any blinkinglights or popups.

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Technology has changed the landscape of business. While it has made ourlives more complicated in some aspects – essentially allowing us to be on-call24 hours a day, with access to email and social media in the palms of ourhands – it has also given us tools to increase our productivity. There aren’t many things that can streamline agent productivity better thanproperty software tools. From your CRM to apps and other software, utiliseanything that frees up your time to be more productive. Don’t just considerbuying new tech, make an inventory of what you currently use and whether ornot it’s working for you. Start with your CRM – if it’s not helping yourproductivity, if you’re spending too much time doing things that automationshould be doing, consider upgrading to a more robust system.

BLOCK SPAM CALLS

Your phone ringing all the time is distractingbut you don’t want to miss calls from clientsor leads. Try an app like TrueCaller thatscreens inbound calls to help you blockspam calls and make sure you’re onlyspending your time talking to clients.

LET TECH DO THE HEAVY LIFTING

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Your CRM is designed to facilitate lead management andconversions. To maximise its effectiveness you need to feed itcurrent and accurate information. Take time every week toupdate your CRM with new leads.

ENSURE THE RELIABILITY OF YOUR DATA

KEEP AS MANY PROCESSES AS POSSIBLE IN ONE SYSTEM

Logging in and out of different systems to complete relatedtasks, creating accounts and trying to remember the passwordsfor each one… it’s time-consuming, stressful and simplyunnecessary. Invest in software that keeps all your processes inone place and can be used efficiently by all your agencydepartments.

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SET REMINDERS FOR IMPORTANT DATES

Stop wasting time going through paperwork and oldnotes trying to figure out when those importantdeadlines fall. Use the calendar reminders on yourphone to set reminders for all important dates you needto remember. An even easier option is using Veco™ byEurolink to set reminders and automate as much as youpossibly can. This way you can make sure that you arespending your time productively, focusing on the mostimportant tasks that require your attention.

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AUTOMATEAS MUCH AS YOU CAN

It’s the 21st century! While we maynot be driving around in flying carsyet, automation and AI technologyare rapidly evolving how we dobusiness. There are many apps andsoftware designed to help you worksmarter, faster, with less effort.Everything from emails to yoursocial media content can beautomated.

For example, you can use Hootsuiteor Later to schedule your socialmedia in advance, our partnersfrom BriefYourMarket to plan andschedule your newsletters, andVeco™ by Eurolink to automateapplicant matches, arrears chasing,viewing confirmations, offer letters,Gas, EPC, EICR certificate chasesand more!

Try delegating or outsourcing repetitive tasks you can’t automate them. Anoffice assistant or a new agent just learning the ropes may be willing to take iton to get exposure to a new aspect of the business. There are also manycompanies whose business is making your life as an agent easier.

IF YOU CAN’T AUTOMATE, DELEGATE

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ITTRIA

Ittria's mission is to be an indispensablesource of revenue and free services toletting agents across the UK. Ittriaoffers a variety of revenue streams suchas utilities, broadband and insurance.They also offer a host of free servicesthat eliminate the hassle of someseriously tedious tasks but importantlyalso free up time for your team to doother things. These include void billmanagement, utility notifications,tenant referencing and more.

HELPTHEMOVE

Helpthemove was established to save agents time. Not only does the businessmodel provide a solution to streamline work processing, but it also incorporatesa way to monetise the administrative tasks that agents are already doing, via apioneering energy switch model. Since, starting up in 2014, the company hasbecome one of the fastest-growing utility management solutions in the market.Helpthemove put service and meeting their clients’ needs at the core of theirbusiness goals.

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Fixflo is an innovative, picture-based repair reporting system that reduces timeand resourcing of property maintenance repair reporting. It allows clients tocarry out repairs quicker and more efficiently by collecting information neededabout a problem without time-consuming calls or emails. It also reducesworkload by advising tenants of issues they are responsible for fixing, steps theycan take to help themselves and what they should do in an emergency. There is no need for data entry as the information that is submitted by tenantsautomatically flows into the Veco™ system. The web portal is available oncomputers, tablets and Smartphones without download and it takes less than10 minutes to set up. The portal can be set up in a way that a tenant wouldn’t see a break in processand would feel as though they haven't left the clients website. You can alsoamend the advice messages to tenants to provide a more unique experience.The system is available in 40 languages with reports translated back into Englishby the time it reaches Veco™.

FIXFLO

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USE EMAIL TEMPLATES

Are there are emails you find yourselfsending on a regular basis but can’tautomate? Don’t waste your time writingthem from scratch. Derive templates foryour most common messages so onlynames and dates need to be updated.

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TOP-RATED PRODUCTIVITYTOOLS FOR AGENTS

BOOMERANG FOR GMAIL

We’ve listed various productivity tools that canhelp you save time and increase efficiency.

Boomerang helps users write an email and schedule it to be delivered at theperfect time. With this productivity tool, you can also add reminders when youneed to follow up on an email within a specific period of time. The built-inhandy calendar picker and the text box that understands language like ‘nextMonday’ help Boomerang recognize when the user wants to send an email. Boomerang also reminds you if you don’t hear back which will help you ensureno communication attempts fall through the cracks. It also provides users witha cleaner inbox and the backup of important messages. This way you can keepyour email out of your inbox until you need them. A clutter-free inbox is crucialfor keeping all essential conversations in one place.

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SLACK

Slack enables users to have enhanced and clutter-free communication, helpingthem become more productive. Many agents run around between meetingsand viewings taking random notes, managing documents and exchangingnumerous emails. In this fast-paced environment, it is really easy to lose the communication orsource of information in the pile of unkempt data. Slack, an intuitive messagingapp helps you be more productive while communicating with your team. It isalso accessible via iOS, Android and Windows devices which means you canhave seamless communication with your team no matter where you are.

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Research shows that at least 90% of your (or any) website visitors will nevercome back after their initial visit. This means you are under immense pressureto make that crucial first impression on your website visitors. Being in theproperty industry you know that a responsive and intriguing website is the besttool to interest clients. LeadPages is the tool that you need for making animpact on your potential clients. LeadPages allows you to create and launch high-converting landing pages in ashort amount of time. It has hundreds of templates to choose from and awelcome gate designed specifically for greeting your first-time website visitors.Its primary objective is the collection of important contact information whichyou can use for your future references.

LEADPAGES

DocuSign is by far the best tool for eSignatures as it is fast, effective, and can bedone quickly via email. But, DocuSign can also increase your productivity andrevenue while reducing time and costs. DocuSign automates the entire agreement process, and it is the number oneprovider of eSignatures for agents. The tool can integrate with any system youare already using (including Veco™ by Eurolink) all while offering additionalvalue for your business to grow.

DOCUSIGN

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STAYCURIOUS

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Entrepreneurs on Fire is an award-winning BusinessPodcast where John Lee Dumas chats with today’smost successful Entrepreneurs. Pat Flynn, SethGodin, Tim Ferriss, Tony Robbins and GaryVaynerchuk are just 5 of the over 2000 interviews todate. EOFire was created for YOU, the Entrepreneur,Side-Preneur, Solo-Preneur and Small BusinessOwner.

ENTREPRENEURS ON FIRE:INSPIRING INTERVIEWS

PODCASTS

The Garyvee Audio Experience is hosted byentrepreneur, CEO, investor, vlogger, and publicspeaker Gary Vaynerchuk. On this podcast, you'llfind a mix of the #AskGaryVee show episodes,keynote speeches on marketing and business,segments from his WEEKLYVEE video series,interviews and fireside chats he’s given, as well asnew and current thoughts he records originally forthis audio experience!"

THE GARYVEE AUDIO EXPERIENCE

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This inspiring and thought-provoking podcast isbrought to you, courtesy of Stanford University.Its weekly show features discussions and interviewswith successful entrepreneurs and innovators andshares their personal stories to help others learnvaluable lessons on “developing, launching andscaling disruptive ideas”.

ENTREPRENEURIAL THOUGHT LEADERS

Youpreneur by British entrepreneur and bestsellingauthor Chris Ducker is dedicated to helpingentrepreneurs understand what it means to developtheir personal brand in the 21st century. Duckercovers every topic from delegating to launchingonline products and establishing industry authorityin his weekly podcast and offers key insight, adviceand tactics to help business owners succeed.

YOUPRENEUR

RISE is a weekly podcast which features “boldconversations” with business heavyweightsand industry leaders that help its audience gain“real-life takeaways” and actionable informationthey can use to help grow their business. The showis hosted by Rachel Hollis, a New York Times BestSelling author and motivational speaker.

RISE PODCAST

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In 2009, Simon Sinek started a movement to help people become more inspired at work,and in turn, inspire their colleagues and customers. Since then, millions have been touchedby the power of his ideas, including more than 28 million who’ve watched his TED Talkbased on Start With Why—the third most popular TED video of all time.

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little incommon, but they all started with WHY. They realized that people won’t truly buy into aproduct, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it.

Start With Why shows that the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world allthink, act, and communicate the same way — and it’s the opposite of what everyone elsedoes. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework uponwhich organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And itall starts with WHY.

GREAT READS

START WITH WHY: HOW GREAT LEADERS INSPIRE EVERYONE TO TAKE ACTION

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Homo sapiens rules the world because it is the only animal that can believe in things thatexist purely in its own imagination, such as gods, states, money and human rights.

Starting from this provocative idea, Sapiens goes on to retell the history of our species froma completely fresh perspective. It explains that money is the most pluralistic system ofmutual trust ever devised; that capitalism is the most successful religion ever invented; thatthe treatment of animals in modern agriculture is probably the worst crime in history; andthat even though we are far more powerful than our ancient ancestors, we aren’t muchhappier.

By combining profound insights with a remarkably vivid language, Sapiens acquired cultstatus among diverse audiences, captivating teenagers as well as university professors,animal rights activists alongside government ministers. By 2018, over 10 million copies havebeen sold, and the book has been translated into nearly 50 languages.

SAPIENS

A revolutionary system to get 1 per cent better every day. People think when you want tochange your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear hasdiscovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect ofhundreds of small decisions - doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, orholding a single short phone call. He calls them Atomic Habits.

ATOMIC HABITS

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When you're going into a career thatinvolves a lot of self-discipline andmotivation like real estate, it can be hardto find a system that helps you manageyour time and stay focused. This bookserves as a great motivator and resourcefor how to set goals, organize yourworkflow, and get things done.

THE ONE THING

An A to Z guide packed withactionable advice for developing yourpersonal brand and accelerating yourprofessional success. 26 practicallessons to help you whether you're anentrepreneur, business leader,aspiring professional, creative,marketer or second careerist Insightsfrom professionals who are reapingthe rewards of recognition.

THE ROAD TO RECOGNITION

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CEO & Trustee of Agents Together, Sarah Edmundson has beenpart of the property industry for many years, initially on theground as an estate agent and later establishing herself as one ofUK’s leading industry trainers. Since launching a training businessnationwide in 2017 focusing on physical and e-learning delivery,Sarah has developed one of the most unique insights into modernestate agency. To keep up with Sarah you can follow her onLinkedIn, Twitter @SarahEdSays and Instagram @sarahedsays.

SARAH EDMUNDSON

Leading industry figure, Nicky Stevenson is Fine and Country’s managing director.Starting out in estate agency during the early noughties, Stevenson rose to become asenior lettings negotiator at Chestertons before joining an industry awards organisation in2012 and later developing her skillset to include agency recruitment, training, businessnetworking and growth consultancy. You can keep up with Nicky on LinkedIn.

NICKY STEVENSON

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Josh Phegan is the internationally renowned go-to speaker, trainer andcoach for high-performance real estate agents and agencies. He is thenumber one preferred trainer for Australia's top 100 agents and top 50women in real estate. He personally coaches some of the who's who inthe real estate industry, both new, emerging and high-performanceagents. The free training library on his website is full of valuableinformation. You can also keep up with Josh on Twitter @joshphegan,Facebook @joshphegancoach, Instagram @joshphegan, LinkedIn andYoutube.

JOSH PHEGAN

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A real raconteur and larger-than-life character, Simon has a deep understanding of theproperty industry, having spent two decades working in customer relationshipmarketing. Now as the founder of Kerfuffle, Simon is devoted to helping agents makesense of proptech suppliers. Listen to his regular podcasts or follow on Facebook, with asuitable warning about occasional language.

Women in Property creates opportunities, expands knowledgeand inspires change for women working in the property andconstruction industry. The network links members to fellowprofessionals across sectors and across the UK. They are multi-disciplinary, encouraging an exchange of ideas and sharing ofexpertise, often through an extensive schedule of best practiceworkshops, site visits, keynote talks and social events. Find outhow to join HERE.

SIMON WHALE

After a career as a bank manager and a letting agent, Christopher Watkins now runs ahighly successful business generation company aimed at letting agents. His popularround table-style podcasts are often as hilarious as they are insightful. Subscribe toChris’s YouTube channel for his next instalment.

CHRISTOPHER WATKINS

WOMEN IN PROPERTY

The Property Academy provides information, insight, ideas and inspiration forindividuals and companies in the property industry. Powered by Peter Knight andaimed at estate and letting agents, it facilitates marketing round tables and idea-sharing sessions. The organisation is on Twitter (@propacad) and Peter can be followedby using @peterknightblog. Regular property insights and musings are delivered in hisweekly four-I newsletter.

THE PROPERTY ACADEMY