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I am afraid that a lack of holiday listings will make it ugly for you in February. You still have a few months to increase your inventory so even if you hate seller lead generation -- it's only for a few months! Here is a list of what I would do, if I wanted more listings in the last quarter. I have a list of twenty. Choose TEN and implement. You should have a happy start to 2015.

When I coach, we set up consistent, inexpensive lead generation activities for sellers. Some require a complete overhaul, and some require only small tweaks. Do you look for the small tweaks? You know, tweaks like those easy-to-include, natural moves taken within a mundane (but necessary) real estate activity. I have devised hundreds of these "tweaks" over the years. Proven and tested, each produces a new client when implemented. You have to be smart in this business while trying to get it done well - all within 50 hours a week. This is why efficiency is so important. Here are a few of the hundreds of small tweaks that don't add much to time or overhead but will produce big results...

My coaching clients are beginning to find more success with their online listing leads. Whether the lead is coming from postcard-generated invites to complete forms on their site or third-party consolidator leads, the web leads are coming in. The problem with a lot of these leads is bad phone numbers but good email addresses. The question is – how do we engage them in a conversation that leads to an appointment?

Having a coach can provide the right answers when you need it. Below is an exchange with one of our coaching clients and it provided a little “911” for his current situation...

If only I had been a student of God's word sooner.... The pain I could have avoided and the good I could have done! Now, in a position to coach some of the top agents and make presentations all over the world, I'm careful in what I endorse. Here are 15 changes that I would have made early in my career had I been a better student of the Bible...

You could have a seminar in your town where I could train you and your assistants! In addition to yourself, another who would benefit from such a seminar would be your lender. For years, I teamed up with my lender and suggested activities for him to make more money. One of those ideas was to bring in top real estate training talent. Each time, the lender received kudos from the attendees and earned more potential clients. You, the agent benefits from attending a seminar in his/her hometown rather than traveling across the continent. Below is a great action plan to share with your favorite lender so he or she can plan a great real estate event.

As some trends die, others are born. Short sales and REOs are in their last days, and we need some inventory! Builders have been hurt. They are being careful, and the banks are not backing them like the "old days." We are seeing the "stirrings" with small and medium-sized builders. The builders will need contact (call, letter, email, or personal visit) to remind them that you are their friend and colleague in this business. It is always easier to talk to with a potential client when you are delivering value. You feel better, and they listen better. The reason our clients are so successful is that they have the best value propositions to the best seller demographics. Builders are no different. Offer value that eliminates the competition and causes the builders to talk about you, their new agent, at the golf course, at business dinners, etc. Begin putting together your local, small and medium builder list. I would recommend starting with a letter explaining the value that your builder services offer and your promise of future contacts.

How do the pros do it -- take listings quickly and have high "sign-through" rates? There are so many strange opinions, but we're sticking to the facts. We only want to show the procedures that lead to a fast turn-around and terms that are saleable with a happy client.

Effective real estate brokerage is simply doing the most profitable activities before you do the less profitable activities. One of the greatest mistakes is believing that all net profit producing activities should be done. The great agents – those who retire wealthy – learn quickly that most activities taught today in real estate will end in net profit but only very few maximize net profit. Since maximizing net profit is a special part of real estate to me (a part that I enjoyed and pursued), I’m going to lay out the 25 ways that I believe maximum profit can be obtained from your real estate business.

Recently, Bridget McCrea of the Illinois REALTOR® Magazine asked me some questions on how to build a superstar referral system. Below is our communication exchange, and I hope it helps you!