by Tamara Dorris--copyright 2008

When I think of all the things I advocate as making someone a “Six-Shooter Top Producer,” I can’t help but think back to my recent interview with Jim Striegel.

Jim is a top producer in Flower Mound Texas (Dallas) who graciously gave me some nuggets of gold I’d like to share with those agents who have their sights set on the top.

 Leading a team of more than a dozen, Jim is a straight-shooter and a big proponent of systems. In fact, one of the first things he acknowledged was that every real estate agent should have a business plan. It boggles the mind how many agents enter this industry thinking they can survive, let alone thrive, without a plan. Agreeably, Jim says that virtually all businesses need a business plan and a real estate practice is no different. 

Jim’s no-fooling-around approach is refreshingly direct. While many agents are giving lip service to the adage, “Back to basics,” it appears Jim Striegel never made the departure. He shared with me that he started out by spending five days a week on foot, hitting hundreds of houses, hoping to meet prospects (or at the very least, leaving a value-driven postcard in the front door). And note, this wasn’t 20 years ago; Jim’s only been in the business several years, but he’s no stranger to sales or implementing successful strategies, and by doing so, he’s catapulted his way to the top of his game.

Another back-to-basics approach, which is standard practice for Jim’s team, is calling FSBOs and expired listing on a daily basis. Jim lists between 100-150 of these, making it well worth the time and effort invested. Another point of interest is that Jim still holds open houses. These days, they may be million-dollar listing and he may not hold them open as often, but he told me that when he first got started, he would hold 3, 4 or 5 per week and that any newer (or struggling?) agents might benefit by doing the same. Something else we can learn from Jim is the fact that open houses always generate leads from him. Most agents consider noisy neighbors to be almost a waste of time, but not Jim. In fact, Jim categorizes open house visitors as either “A”, “B”, “C” or “D” leads.

Our noisy neighbors might likely go into the “D” category, but that still gets them into the database and a quarterly mailing. It would be interesting how many “D” “C” and even “B” prospects most agents walk away from each day.  Unlike most agents starting out, when Jim entered the real estate business he set aside a big amount for marketing. “As I started making money, I allocated 25% to marketing.” While he knew it was on the high side, the increased exposure evidentially paid off. He says once he got to a certain point, he leveled off to about 12-15% (which is what most agents spend on marketing—or should).

While we didn’t cover all the kinds of marketing he does, Jim’s mailings must be impressive since one of Roger Stallbach’s employees called Jim to compliment him on his newsletter (Go Cowboys). While he might be all systems, service and down to basics when it comes to attracting and converting prospects, Jim has one of the most innovative websites I’ve ever seen.

Not only is his site filled with an enormous amount of user-friendly content, but it’s very high-tech. In fact, meet Jim firsthand by logging on to www.JimStiegel.com and don’t be surprised when Jim himself walks onto your computer screen. Jim’s site pulls in hundreds of leads each day, some from out of town and not necessarily “right now” business, but he figures he’s getting exposure for future prospects that might relocate or want to invest in Texas. (as a side-note, feel free to think of Jim if you have clients moving to the Flower Mound/Dallas area).

When it comes to Internet leads, Jim’s systems-sense dictates.  “If you can call an Internet lead back within five minutes, you will convert 30-50%.” He also notes, however, that waiting even 20 minutes to call the lead back will dramatically reduce your conversion rate. 

Jim is now sharing his proven systems and top producing strategies with agents all over the country. In fact, he’s just written a new book that I for one cannot wait to read. The book is based on wealth building strategies and ways to become more successful and will be available on his website soon. If you’re interested in learning from someone who became a millionaire real estate in just two years of getting his license, I can’t think of a better person. Visit his site, and tell him Tamara sent you: www.JimStiegelTraining.com.