What does it take to be one of the top-producing agents and team leaders in the country? In a single word — discipline. One of the easiest ways to identify a disciplined agent is by observing their daily schedule.
Tom Toole is a great example of an agent who has created and follows a daily schedule that leads to success. Toole is the founder of The Tom Toole Sales Group with ReMax Main Line, servicing the greater Philadelphia area.
He and his team will close around 450 homes this year, and much of his success is a direct result of how he controls his schedule. “Every agent has the same amount of time,” Toole said. “Some agents utilize their time more efficiently than others and their results reflect their discipline.”
Toole’s schedule is built to maximize his production; the key is to develop a schedule that prioritizes the most important and productive activities for you. Here’s a breakdown of his day.
4:45 a.m.: Wake up, and start the day
Toole sets the tone for the rest of his day by waking with a purpose and beginning his day with accountability. This part of the day — the first 15 minutes — is his time to prepare for and get ready for his first appointment of the day at 5 a.m..
5 a.m.: Accountability call
Toole and a group of five other agents started doing daily 5 a.m. calls about five years ago. These six agents rotate presenting five to seven minute quick tips or inspirational training on what’s working in their business each morning.
Although the tips are always useful, the most important part of the activity is the accountability of being up and on the call every morning at 5 a.m.. It’s about starting the day early with a purpose.
This sets the tone for the rest of the morning activities that follow. The call is open to anyone who wants to join, and you can check it out at 5amcall.com.
5:10 – 6 a.m.: Preparing for the day
Directly after the 5 a.m. call is one of the most critical times of his day. This is the time where he is getting ready to work. Toole said most people show up at the office and spend an hour preparing to work.
Toole uses the time between 5:10 and 6 a.m. to gather all his call sheets for the people he will be calling that morning. These include the hot leads he is currently working with, birthday calls to past clients and nurture calls with leads that are either past clients or a few months away from making a decision to buy or sell.
Next, he uses this time to go through his email inbox. He looks to respond to people who have emailed him overnight and send out the emails he needs to send that morning.
“Email is someone else’s to-do list,” Toole said. “If the issue was pressing, they would call.” He answers emails a few times a day, but he does not get bogged down by constantly checking his inbox throughout the day.
He also uses this time to create his to-do list for the day. His list usually consists of 10 to 15 objectives that he wants to accomplish that day. He uses this time to mentally prepare for and prioritize the details of his day.
Lastly, he uses this time to work on all the long-term projects and ideas he’s working on that are always disrupted by distractions at the office during the day. Toole said this is one of the most productive times of the day for him due to the lack of interruptions.
6 – 7 a.m.: Working out
“If you’re not focusing on your health and vitality, odds are you are not focusing on your business,” Toole said. “Movement is medicine.”
Working out every morning gives him more energy, increases his ability to focus and reduces his stress. Exercise and working out is a daily discipline for Toole and most high-producing agents.
7 – 8:15 a.m.: Family time, then shower
This is where his day begins to ramp up. Toole has three children under the age of eight. This is when he assists his wife with waking his children up, feeding them breakfast and dressing them for school.
This part of the day provides the opportunity for him to spend time with his children and wife before he heads to work and his children head off to school. He also uses this time to shower and prepare for his day. By the time 8:15 rolls around, he is dressed and fully prepared for his day.
8:15 a.m.: Accountability call 3 days a week with Byron Lazine
Three days a week, he is on an accountability call with his long-time accountability partner Byron Lazine. This is not a call where they casually talk about what is going on in their life and business. It is extremely purposeful.
They track all the major metrics of their businesses and report on the parts of the business they are currently focusing on growing.
8:30 – 9 a.m.: Driving to the office
He uses this time to make calls that don’t require a lot of thinking. There are some calls that require you to be completely focused and in front of your computer to be able to pull information during the conversation. There are other calls that just need to happen, like checking-in on past clients or relationship-building opportunities.
Making these calls during the drive time allows him to gain this half hour back later in the day.
If all the necessary calls are made, he uses this time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts to increase his knowledge about the business. These audiobooks and podcasts are where he draws new ideas or concepts that he will consider for enhancing his business.
It is now 9 a.m., and he has already accomplished more than most agents accomplish all day as he arrives at the office.
9 – 11 a.m.: On the phone working to set appointments
This is lead generation time.
“This is the most important part of the day when it comes to revenue-driven activities,” Toole said. “This is the time when agents should be on the phone having conversations with potential buyers and sellers. The purpose of the phone calls is to set appointments with buyers and sellers.”
He shared a few tips on how to be your very best during this time and they include:
- Stand up during calls. Your body language comes through in your tone. If you are slumped over in your chair, it comes through in your energy level as well.
- Post your scripts in front of you. Keep your scripts on the wall in front of you in case you need to reference them.
- Use a power dialer. Toole uses a power dialer integration with his CRM, BoomTown, to increase call efficiency.
11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.: Deal doctor, return calls, respond to emails and eat lunch
The first thing he does at 11 a.m. is check to see if any of his current contracts have issues that need to be addressed. This is also the time to provide updates to buyers and seller clients who are under contract and working toward closing.
Once any issues and updates are addressed, he moves to returning phone calls. After phone calls have been returned, his focus shifts to responding to emails.
Once the tasks have been completed, it is time for lunch. He eats lunch at his desk most days. One of his keys to maintaining his energy in the afternoon is to have a healthy, light lunch that feeds his energy levels instead of depleting it.
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.: Lead follow-up
The lead follow-up time is utilized to nurture leads, confirm afternoon appointments and follow up with lead requests for additional information that was not pressing during his morning call session.
Toole and his team are a “call first, video second” team. If his follow-up doesn’t require a phone call, he typically follows up with BombBomb, his video email app of choice.
“The money is in the follow-up,” Toole said. This hour is devoted to ramping his post-lunch energy back up for his afternoon appointments.
1 – 6 p.m. Appointments or call to set appointments
The afternoon is when he schedules all of his appointments. He said the most effective days are when he has appointments and as he put it, “conversion-based afternoons.” These are the times when agents should schedule listing appointments and show buyers property.
If he has an afternoon that’s not filled with appointments, he gets right back on the phone, calling to set up future appointments. The documented best times to make calls are between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Knowing this helps him make calls at a time when he’s most likely to succeed.
In addition to his disciplined schedule, he noted there are a few time-wasters that kill agents’ ability to increase efficiency. Here are a few activities he suggests agents avoid:
- Setting appointments before 11 a.m.
- Attending entire home inspections
- Watching the news
- Setting hour-long meetings that can be done in 30 minutes
If you don’t control your calendar, you’ll never be able to operate at your highest potential. What time-wasters can you eliminate from your daily activities? How can you better organize your calendar? Increased efficiency always leads to increased production. Take action today, and watch how quickly the results follow.
Jimmy Burgess is the Chief Growth Officer for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida in Northwest Florida. Connect with him on Facebook or Instagram.
