- Katie relies on making morning affirmations, eating healthy and regularly, prospecting vigorously and making time for herself to thrive in this business.
SAN FRANCISCO — Katie Maxwell knows a thing or two about being a successful agent. As the Managing Broker of Intero Real Estate Services, Katie oversees one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in Houston.
“When selling myself in the past and working with the agents that I have to make as successful as possible, I know what it takes,” she said. “If you don’t have the groundwork or the foundation, you’re going to be out of luck.”
A few off-the-bat tips Katie has for new agents include skipping the logo and staying off of Instagram when you’re supposed to be working.
And don’t bother with a buyer book in 2016 — or later, for that matter.
Behold, Katie Maxwell’s hour-by-hour schedule to be a successful agent.
Starting the day right
6 a.m. — Wake up, “affirmation time”
“Believe it or not, some of the most successful people in the world are doing their affirmations daily,” she said.
Write your goal over and over again. Katie says goals become top of mind when you do that.
8 a.m. — Eat some breakfast and go to work
To stay fit physically and mentally, you need to start your day with a healthy, balanced breakfast.
If you’re working from home, put on real clothes so you aren’t in sleep or relax mode. At least get out of your robe, Katie says.
8:05 a.m. — Check MLS for new activity
“You guys got to know your craft,” Katie explained.
Check the MLS, know your market, go and preview. Utilize the technology you know can help, but don’t skip this crucial step.
9 a.m. — Prospecting time!
Find out what kind of agent you are and play on your strengths.
Katie’s office categorizes agents based on strengths: the hustler who cold calls, the relationship agent who works on referrals and silver spoon agents who get business with little effort.
Try cold calling expired listings or FSBOs — or just working off the relationships you already have.
If you feel uncomfortable, you’re on your way to being a successful agent.
“We’re salesman, believe it or not. And for some reason salesman has become a bad word,” Katie said. “But there’s a classy way to do it when you’re bringing massive value to the table.”
11:30 a.m. — Respond to email/voicemail
People are going to be upset if you don’t respond to them. Set it into a specific time in your schedule, or you fall into the chaos of life.
12 p.m. — Eat lunch
Re-energizing and staying healthy is pertinent. Don’t eat scraps out of your car in between appointments.
Have a real lunch, whether you take clients out to a restaurant or prep something beforehand to eat on-the-go.
Katie recommends cutting out some of the foods that may weigh you down – alcohol, dairy or sugar.
1 p.m. — Appointment prep time
If you prospect for two hours a day, every single day, you’ll have appointments the same day. With regular business, you’ll need to prep accordingly.
3 p.m. — Appointments
“If they really want to work with you, they will take time away from their workplace and they will come meet you at their office for a consultation on working with them,” she said.
Balancing successful agent and human being
6 p.m. — Go home, dinner and wine time
“Go home. Spend time with your family. Eat your food,” Katie stressed.
7 p.m. — Attempt to have a life
Put your phone down. Respect your spouse enough to give them your full attention.
8:30 p.m. — Respond to email/text
Self-explanatory.
9 p.m. — Create a schedule for the next day
Use Google calendar, or a paper calendar, and follow up the next day. It’s an obvious part of the day, but so many agents forgo this step.
“Try it for a week, see where it gets you,” she said.
9:30 p.m. — Take time for yourself
At the very least, Katie recommends: “Hide from your children and spouse in the bathroom with a bottle of wine desperately grasping any sanity you have left.”
10 p.m. — Sleep
When you’ve done the day right, you’ll be more than happy to get in bed.
“Going to sleep with a smile on your face, thanking God you have a career where the success you experience is directly related to how hard and smart you work,” Katie closed.
