You already know that setting goals in important in business. When you set goals you are setting yourself up to achieve new things and to reach milestones in your professional life and in your business. However, when setting goals, many agents forget that a goal does not have to be something difficult or something that will take years to achieve.

Every time you set goals, you should set some that are very easily attainable. Set simple goals that you can reach in a few weeks or even a few days.

By setting attainable goals you will motivate yourself. You will make yourself feel better and give yourself that little boost of confidence you need to stay on track to reach those more difficult goals.

To set an attainable goal, you need to be able to control the circumstances 100%. Make sure that you are in compete control over the situation so that you can be positive that the goal can be reached easily and quickly.

Setting easily attainable goals keeps you on track, but at the same time encourages you. When you are constantly working towards long term goals, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and feel as if you are not accomplishing anything. Avoid failure by setting some goals that you know you can reach without a problem.

Understanding the value of your database is essential to your success as a real estate agent. You have to have a strong grasp on your database and just how important it is to your business overall. Only by understanding this can you succeed in your business and grow it to the level you desire.

Only about 1 in 1000 agents really know the value of their database. The reason why this number is so low is that most agents do not realize the importance of their database.

Your database is the backbone of your business. It is the one thing that opens doors and allows you to grow. Your database is very valuable. As such, it must be maintained carefully and it must be used to its full potential.

If you have no clue how to manage and best use your database then it is time to do some learning. Research and learn what you can about using your database and how to properly manage it. Once you have a good idea, make sure that you never forget the value of your database.

Expired marketing is a segment that can really take you a step up in your business. Handling the expired market, though, can be a lot of work. You need to have every aspect in order to ensure that you are dominating the expired market in your area.

The first thing you have to do is be confident in your own abilities. You need to be strong and willing to go that extra step. You need to be able to distinguish between the listings that are worth your time and which ones are not.

You should also know the market inside and out. You need to ensure that you understand the market conditions. You need to understand the trends in your area. You have to know the market so you do not waste your time on listings that won’t sell.

You have to do your research. This not only includes research on the market, but also on buyers. You need to know who would buy your listings so you can create a good marketing campaign to reach them.

It takes some effort to get into the expired market, but there is a lot of opportunity there. There is a lot of ability to make some major cash. You have to take that leap of faith and get started.

No matter how long you have been in business, you know that you cannot handle every aspect on your own. You have to hire assistants, work with other agents and assign tasks to others if you ever want to be able to go home at the end of the day.

In your own business you know what jobs that you have to handle. You know what is important to growing your business and helping you to get ahead. Working directly with clients and handling the finances are two things you must always do. Those tasks are things you should handle to keep your business going strong.

There are things, though, that you can assign to someone else. You can either hire an assistant or consider outsourcing these tasks. Outsourcing tasks is actually a great option for many reasons.

First of all, when you outsource, you only pay for the work done. You do not have to pay hourly wages every day as you would with an assistant. Secondly, outsourcing allows you to quickly get someone to handle your work because the company or person that you outsource to will be capable of handling the task and have the experience they need. You won’t need to train them.

Outsourcing is a fast, easy and cost efficient way to ensure that every aspect of your business is being handled. You save your own sanity while being able to run your business smoothly.

You probably have several databases with contacts stored in them. You have your email account, your cell phone, your laptop. Are the contact lists all the same or do you have different lists in each place? If you want to make the most out of your contact lists then you need to merge them.

You should take the contact lists you have in each place and make sure they are the same. You do not want to miss someone just because they were on your Blackberry and not your email list.

Besides just getting all your contact names in one place, you will also be able to merge all the information you have for each contact. This is essential. You do not want to make careless mistakes, like sending seller information to a buyer because your database is not up-to-date.

It can be a lot of work to organize and merge your databases, but it is well worth it. You will guarantee that you have every contact in one database so you can successfully manage them and your business.

Books are often forgotten about these days. It seems whenever anyone wants to know something they run to the internet. Books are still valuable business tools. Do not think that taking the time to read a good business book is a waste of time. It can be something that helps you in many ways to improve your business.

There are millions of business related books on the market. It can seem a little tedious to go through them and try to find one that will help you. Instead of spending your valuable time trying to find a good book consider turning to book reviews. Book reviews can lead you in the right direction and give you a good idea of whether or not a certain book will help you. You can find book reviews easily online.

You can use business-related books to help you in all areas of business, from general real estate to sales to service. There is a lot to learn and it is your job to find all the outlets that will help you to better yourself and your business. Do not count out books as an old fashioned method. They can be just what you need to get a step ahead.

Marketing is a major part of your business. You can easily get carried away with 5, 10 or even more marketing segments. That is too much. You have to streamline your efforts to get results. The best thing to do is to limit yourself to just three marketing segments.

This allows you to stay focused. You can put more effort into three segments and you will get more from them. So, what three should you focus on?

- Focus on getting referrals and repeat business through client marketing.
- Get leads through one direct seller lead marketing segment.
- Don’t forget listing marketing.

When you narrow your focus and put your efforts into these three segments only, you will start to see more happen. Too often agents think they must diversify to grow their business. All that does is scatter your energy and overload you with too much.

Simplify and you will see just how big of an impact that can have. You will be more productive, more focused and your business will start growing.

Managing client lists can be a huge task. It is an important one, though, and one that requires attention on a continuous basis. In order to keep your business alive and keep it growing, you have to have proper list management.

List management is more than adding names and making calls. It is about keeping the list current and making sure it is being used to its fullest potential.

Your client list needs to have labels, clearly marking each client with the next step in your dealings with them. You need to mark them with helpful information that will let you and your staff know exactly what is the next thing that will occur with that client.

You should have labels like:

- downsize

- upsize

- check in on new buy

- assist with staging

Whatever you will be doing next with the client should be marked on your client list. You want to have this list handy so that everyone can refer to it and be on the same page when interacting with clients.

Your client list will also serve as a to do list that will let you know when you need to contact clients and what type of contact it needs to be. A well managed client list can take you a long way in your business.

Every top agent knows that appearance is important. It is important when selling a house, so you do staging. It is important when you show houses to potential clients, so you dress nicely. Do you know what is also important in your business? You need to show that your business is solid and stable by keeping a consistent staff. High turnover of employees can give your business a bad image.

You need to start off strong. When you hire a new assistant or an agent to work for you, make sure that you do a complete interview and background check. You want to be sure that this person is capable of handling the tasks you will be giving them and that they have the proper attitude to work in your business.

You want to keep on top of new employees. Check in with them often and ensure that they are happy working with you. You want to address issues right away and try to keep your office a great place to work.

When you start to see a cycle where you are losing employees and hiring new employees, then you must take action. You have to find out what is wrong. It could be the people you hire or it could be a problem in the office. By staying alert and ensuring your employees like working for you, you can keep a stable team.

Having the same people there all the time will give clients and potential clients a better feeling about your business. It will also help them to be able to trust in you and believe that you can handle their needs.