Writing That Gets Results

Writing that Gets Results

Tips for Faster, More Effective Communication Online

by Scott Levitt

of Oakley Signs & Graphics and Free Help for Real Estate Agents (http://www.FHFREA.org)

We hope you enjoy this guide and find it helpful in your real estate career.

The next time you need signs and real estate accessories, we would be honored

to have the opportunity to earn your business. Shop online or by phone:

http://www.OakleySign.com 800-373-5330

Need signs? More FREE HELP in real estate: http://www.FHFREA.org (800) 373-5330

2

What to Expect in this Guide

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip." Elmore Leonard, writer

Like it or not, the written word is the most-used form of communication online. In

a business which used to be almost entirely “belly-to-belly” and “phone-to-

phone,” more often than not conversations are happening via email, Facebook,

text message, and live chat. Though video email, video chat, and other

multimedia channels exist, the king is still the written word.

How you “sound” to others depends on how well you write. This guide was

written to help you become a more efficient, effective communicator. It will

attempt to cure you of bad habits, help bring your writing focus, and cut down on

the amount of time you spend writing each day by advising you on concepts of

brevity, clarity, and tone.

In addition to email “dos and donʼts,” youʼll find a specific section on writing for

Facebook, as well as a handy tech tip which will save you literally thousands of

typed words in the future.

This guide contains practical tips about structuring your messages as well as

best practices. You may find it helpful to have the first section (“Tips to Ensure

Timely Responses to Your Email Messages”) in front of you before you dive into

your next email message.


3

Want to be the First to Know About New Free Guides?

Join the Tuesday Tactics Newsletter Finally— if you want to get the heads-up on guides like this (and others) “from the

source,” we invite you to join our Tuesday Tactics Newsletter, a helpful weekly

email that (as of this writing) is sent to over 200,000 real estate professionals.

You can sign up for the newsletter here: http://www.TuesdayTactics.com

Weʼve tried to leave plenty of space for you to make notes to yourself if you so

desire. Also, we encourage you to share this guide freely with people you think

might enjoy it.

Please donʼt sell it or steal from it… give it away in its entirety, just as it was given

to you: In the spirit of helping others.


4

Table of Contents Tips to Ensure Timely Responses to Your Email 5 How to Write Respectfully for Productive Communication 10 “Never Do” Pitfalls When Writing Online 16 Writing Facebook Status Updates & Comments 20 Writing Faster: The “Swipe” File 26 Prioritize Your Writing 29 A Note About Gratitude 32 Keep in Touch 33


5

Tips to Ensure Timely Responses to Your Email Messages

“Never let a computer know youʼre in a hurry.” (Author Unknown)

Did they get the message? Sure. Did they reply yet? No. Ever

wondered what could be the hold-up? It might be the way you wrote

the message! The advice in this section will help you craft easy-to-

read, easy-to-answer email messages. Youʼll also learn a couple of

time saving and organizational tips along the way.


6

Between spam and junk mail and then all the

actual action item requests we receive, our

inboxes are usually overflowing. On the

receiving end, you know how frustrating it can

be to wait an unnecessarily long time for replies

to your messages and requests.

Below are some tips to keep in mind when

crafting your email messages; strategies that

will make certain your emails are read, understood, and replied to in a timely

manner.

1. Write specific subject lines: Your subject line affects whether or not a

reader will open your email. It must be relevant and informative enough to

catch their attention, and should tell the reader what the message is about

in clear, concise language. Whenever possible, it should offer some

indication of what the reader stands to gain by opening the message.

2. Employ a “hook:” Express a single message, contained within a “hook,”

which the reader can quickly and easily understand. The hook should

provide focus for the entire email, which should express its primary point

plainly and directly to the reader. Make certain your hook conveys the

single thought succinctly, so that your reader can act. Customers are

more likely to reply and take action if the request made of them is clear.

Ever miss a day -- even an afternoon -- at work? When you

return to the office, what does

your email inbox look like? Most of us receive more email in

an hour that we used to receive in an entire week.


7

Compare these two:

A. “Hi, John. Hope all is well with you and youʼre enjoying the fine day

weʼre having. Unfortunately, the day hasnʼt been the best for me,

because I forgot something, and Iʼm kind of stuck. Maybe you could

give me a hand? I would be truly grateful if you could call Mary to

reschedule our meeting tomorrow.”

B. “John, I could really use your help. I forgot to reschedule our meeting

with Mary. Could you please reschedule for me?”

3. State the important things first: People of course read the introduction

of an email to find out if they need to read more, and they tend to pay less

and less careful attention as the email continues. Accordingly, you should

put the most important information (the “hook”) in the first few lines of your

message. Putting key information in the middle or end of an email is

risking that it will be only scanned. Clearly state what you need at the top

of the page… get to the point.

4. Be succinct: Keep your email short, and all the content relevant to a

single subject. Try to convey what you need in as few words as possible,

and choose those words carefully. Adjectives are wonderful, but maybe

not necessary in professional correspondence. Particularly email

correspondence. Again, you want to get to the point.

5. Use the active voice: Many of us slip into the passive voice without even

realizing it, but keep your eye on it. The passive voice is weaker and

much less authoritative, and can almost always be replaced with an active

construction. The active voice focuses on the subject, as opposed to the

passive, which focuses on how the subject is being acted upon.


8

An example:

Passive: The deal was closed by Mary.

Active: Mary closed the deal.

6. Write for speed and scannability: Since direct, short emails get better

responses, you want to make your messages as brief and easy to read as

possible. Most of us look at computer screens all day, and our eyes can

only absorb so much text at a glance.

a. Use short paragraphs of no more than three to four lines.

b. Cushion the text with white space, and use double spaces between

paragraphs, as the clean, white space makes the text pop.

c. Use bullet points to list individual pints or to emphasize individual

points.

d. Consider boldfacing names within the email to draw attention to

particular sentences. This is especially useful when an email is

sent to multiple people and has separate requests contained within.

These techniques make it much easier to quickly read or scan the emailʼs

content, and take in all the salient points.


9

BONUS: “The Three Sentences Rule”

Want to be an email machine? Follow the “Three Sentences” rule.

The website http://three.sentenc.es, advocates that you should consider “treating

all email responses like SMS text messages” by limiting the length of your

communication.

From the website:

The Problem

E-mail takes too long to respond to, resulting in continuous inbox overflow

for those who receive a lot of it.

The Solution

Treat all email responses like SMS text messages, using a set number of

letters per response. Since itʼs too hard to count letters, we count

sentences instead.

three.sentenc.es is a personal policy that all email responses

regardless of recipient or subject will be three sentences or less. Itʼs that simple.


10

How to Write Respectfully for Productive Communication

“Tact is the art of making a point

without making an enemy.”

(Howard W. Newton) What you say, how you say it, how you send it. Three vital

considerations when crafting respectful, effective messages. Would

you go to an open house in a stained t-shirt, smelling of yard work,

swearing like a sailor? Of course not. But that may be the

impression you give with a sloppy message. Show respect, get

respect.


11

We all respond better to a request, be it personal or professional, when it

has been asked of us courteously, respectfully.

In turn, when you need something from a colleague, be sure to observe a few

basic but essential rules in your written communication with them. We guarantee

that youʼll receive more timely, and more thorough, responses when your initial

email was simple, direct, and courteous.

Keep the mail short and sweet

This point canʼt be stressed enough. Most readers receive a steady stream of

email throughout the day, and are inundated by the sheer volume, never mind all

the requests made on their time. A good rule to remember with your email

correspondence is the two-minute rule: if it takes more than two minutes, your

message will likely be scanned briefly then put aside. Keep your email brief and

simple.

Donʼt include secondary information

If you need to address more then a single point, you should send more than a

single email. Focus on one clear point per email: the more narrow the messageʼs

focus, the more likely a response. Also, this makes it easier to scan the mailʼs

subject line afterward and locate the message content you need. Most of us can

answer a single direct question fairly quickly – the easier you make it for your

recipients to respond now to your questions, the more you decrease the

possibility of procrastination, and your mails getting shelved, filed, or just lost.


12

Reply in a timely fashion

Think of the Golden Rule here, “Do unto others as you would have them do to

you.” How many times have you needed a simple answer to a fairly direct

question, yet you find yourself waiting for the response for two days? Be

respectful of the colleague who has asked the question. If for some reason the

reply will be more complicated than it would seem, and will require some time

and research on your part, you might want to simply send a 1-sentence

acknowledgment of the email, and inform the sender of when they can expect

your reply. The acknowledgment will take less than a minute, but will go far in

terms of treating your colleague with respect and courtesy. And bear in mind,

most people donʼt expect an immediate response from email queries – I try to

reply to professional emails in three waves a day (with some exceptions, of

course).

Be mindful of to:/cc:/bcc:

Be sure to check that your intended recipient is in that field, and that you keep

any others to a minimum. You can assume that the more people on your

recipient list, the less likely the chance that anyone will respond to the mail.

Particularly, the less likely anyone will actually do anything!

• Anyone you put in the recipient “TO” field should be the person/people you

expect to read and actually reply to your message.

• Anyone you put in the “CC” field should be people who need to kept in the

know; be careful not to include colleagues in this field “just to be safe,” or

for any kind of political reasons (e.g., to show your boss how busy you are,

or to go around the chain of command in what you think is a sly move).

• The “bcc” field should be used sparingly, if ever; think of it as for only

exceptional cases. Eventually someone will respond who was hidden, and

then youʼll look sneaky for “blind carbon copying” them. Itʼs the same


13 as getting caught talking behind someoneʼs back. Arguably, the only valid

use for the bcc: field is when you want to copy the email you sent to

another email account of your own, for backup purposes.

Be aware of your tone

Donʼt assume that those reading your email can “hear” your tone, or will

automatically “get” your humor, or pitch, inflection (or any other non-verbal cue

that aids in the understanding of an email).

• Email recipients donʼt have access to aids like inflection, pitch, gestures,

body language or humor to ensure that the meaning behind your message

is clear. As a result, you need to be as straightforward as possible, and

donʼt rely on any cues that perhaps mean something different to your

recipient then to yourself.

• Donʼt rely on anything except clear, direct language. Always assume the

recipient doesnʼt know you, and therefore does not know how to “read”

your tone.

• Be especially careful with sarcasm – if your reader doesnʼt understand a

given remark or request to be sarcastic, they could potentially be offended.

The plainer and more direct your language, the lesser the possibility that

something could be misconstrued. The more straightforward the email,

the faster youʼll get a reply. Consider that risking sarcasm could end up

costing you big:

“Would I consider cutting my commission to 1% for this deal? For

you? SURE, why not!!!”


14 • Avoid using “clever” punctuation or special typography to simulate actual

speech, such as pauses, exaggerations. If you think a small emoticon

such as a smiley face :-) or wink ;-) would help, use it sparingly. ALL

CAPS sounds like shouting. Double and triple punctuation marks look

particularly unprofessional.

Spell check is there for a reason

Mistaken grammar or punctuation can be forgiven, especially when the mistakes

are occasional. But every major word processing program (as well as most email

clients) include their own automatic spell check feature, so there is simply no

excuse for spelling errors in your email. Not checking an email for spelling

mistakes is lazy, simply put. It shows a lack of respect for your recipient, reflects

poorly on your degree of professionalism, and on your companyʼs as well.

Proof your correspondence before you hit “send”

Most of us type fairly quickly (even if we hit and peck, we do it fairly fast). Most of

us also consider ourselves lucky if we are able to craft our emails in a quiet room

relatively free of telephones ringing and co-workers yelling. Tranquil work

environments are pretty hard to come by. Accordingly, proofing your emails is

one small but powerful thing you can do to ensure professionalism.

• Typos, spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and punctuation errors are

minor enough mistakes individually; but they can work together to

undermine the content of your email. And if you want your email requests

to be taken seriously, you would do well to take your email itself

seriously… re-read it before you send it.

• Make sure no words have been double typed or dropped, there are no

misspelled or incorrect words, no incorrect grammar or punctuation.


15 • Make sure you are using good email etiquette, and that youʼre

communicating clearly.

• For “make or break” email messages, read the entire message out loud

before you send it. 99% of the time, you will catch something that sounds

awkward or could be misinterpreted.

• If you write a lot of email from your iPhone or Blackberry, consider adding

a line to your signature on your mobile device which says, “This email

message was written from my phone. Please excuse any minor typos that

may have slipped through. Thanks!”

Provide your contact info with every email

Make sure to provide your contact information with every message you send.

Make auto-signatures part of your email stationery. Treat your colleagues with

courtesy. Respect their time, and make certain they donʼt have to hunt down

your extension or phone number in order to reply to your request, and cut down

on the overall traffic online by ensuring you wonʼt receive another email asking

for contact information.


16

“Never Do” Pitfalls When Writing Online

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You canʼt live long enough to make them all yourself.”

(Eleanor Roosevelt)

Mistakes are a natural part of learning, but a good number of

mistakes made in online communication can be avoided. Even if you

are well-versed in the “customs of the country” online, a review of

common errors might save you from eating a little crow down the

road.


17

Most of the “never dos” listed below are actions that should not be engaged in

anywhere. They are sloppy, even reckless behaviors in any area of your life, but

especially so in written professional communication (where thereʼs a permanent,

public record to remind you and everyone else of your inappropriate conduct,

forever).

Never use email to criticize someone.

It is never easy to hear criticism, but itʼs especially difficult when you donʼt get the

benefit of non-verbal cues. The likelihood of offending or angering someone is

much, much higher, never mind the offended party can potentially forward your

critical email on to other parties (often, colleagues you work with, or for). The

nature of such a delicate conversation is always best handled face-to-face, where

you get the non-verbal aids of timing, humor, tone of voice, physical gestures,

and reading the reaction on the face of your colleague and managing to turn the

tide, etc. Email offers none of that assistance. More importantly, with no email

account, there is no permanent record of the conversation, regardless of how it

goes; youʼre not trapped by what you wrote.

Never send or forward obscene, racist, sexist, or libelous messages.

And if ever youʼre not certain that an email is obscene, or sexist or racist, donʼt

send it, just in case! Better safe than sorry, especially in written professional

communication. Always err on the side of caution. Also, by sending or

forwarding a potentially offensive message, you put yourself (and your company)

at risk legally… never forget that email is not private nor is it yours to keep.

Never send or forward chain letters and/or emails.

There is no place in the workplace for chain letters, or for what often amounts to

superstitious urban myths. If you simply have to forward along a given


18 message, do so from your personal mail account at home. Donʼt disrespect your

colleagues by cluttering up their already-packed inboxes.

Never respond in the first flush of emotion.

One of the best things email correspondence offers us is distance -- if only we

force ourselves to make strategic use of it. It allows us the time and space to

craft a response, unlike face-to-face communication, where you have to reply

immediately to what was just said to you. Email allows us to read the message,

react emotionally, cool off, think rationally, and last of all, to fashion a reasonable

response that brings you one step closer to solving the issue at hand.

But you should never respond immediately, in anger, because that response

almost never works toward solving the issue. Not waiting for the emotional “cool

down” almost ensures that youʼll say something you regret. Remember thereʼs

no taking back email… itʼs permanent.

Overtly emotional responses will provoke overtly emotional replies (or no reply at

all). Rather than respond, take a moment and ask yourself:

1. How do I solve this issue?

2. How do I get what I want?

3. Do they have valid points, even if I donʼt like hearing them?

4. Could I be misinterpreting this message?

5. Would a face-to-face meeting be better than email here?

If you really feel you need to vent, open up your word processor and write the

flaming, angry, hurt, nasty email you wanted to send… then delete the file.

Youʼll feel a lot better (and by using the word processor, you wonʼt accidentally

send it!).


19 Remember: Email is not private.

We all tend to think of our email accounts at work as “ours,” but in fact nothing

about it is ours. It is backed-up on (and potentially monitored on) company-

owned servers, it is scanned by company-employed managers, and it was written

when you were on the companyʼs clock. All email is the companyʼs email.

Period.

Be patient with response times. Just because youʼre online at 9AM responding to email doesnʼt mean everyone

else is. If you have an issue that is truly urgent, donʼt use email in the first

place—pick up the phone! If you lose your cool and send multiple, “I havenʼt

heard from you” messages, youʼre going to look pretty foolish when you find out

that they were taking a long weekend and your 27 impatient email messages will

be waiting for them when they return.

Also remember that people you email may not be in your local time zone. This is

especially crucial for working relocations. Your 9AM may be someoneʼs 6AM.


20

Writing Facebook Status Updates & Comments

“What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only

consequence is what we do.”

(John Ruskin) Facebook is like a stage, and how you perform will dictate whether or

not your audience will applaud or walk out of the theater. With these

tips, youʼll have a better shot at leveraging Facebook for itʼs core

function: networking.


21

Consider Everything Public

Facebook status updates, since they are public and appear on every one of your

friendsʼ live feeds (unless theyʼve hidden you from view) need to be written with

an “everyone who knows me” mentality. Even if you intend a status update for

the three friends you went golfing with on Sunday, remember that everyone on

your friend list may see it. (And if that status update includes photos of drinking a

few too many at the “19th hole,” youʼd better be absolutely sure how that will look

to the new client who just friended you and hopes youʼre on top of their home

sale Monday morning.)

While you can manage who sees what on your Facebook account, most people

neglect to take the time to hand-select their publishing and privacy settings. The

safest thing to do is assume that not only will everyone see it, but that it could

turn up down the road, even after it has long scrolled off most peopleʼs screens.

Your Status Update is the “You” Channel

How you think about Facebook can change how you think about what you write

on Facebook. Unlike email, which is generally considered personal, with a “one-

to-one” or “one-to-a-few” intent, Facebook is something much different.

You should think about Facebook as the “you” television channel. Itʼs all you,

broadcasting all the time, and what you put out there will determine whether

people will like your status updates or “hide” you from view. Why would people

want to watch your channel? What would make people turn your channel off?

What would make people want to add you as a friend, based solely on your

status updates?


22

Here are 12 great guidelines for writing status updates and

comments:

1. Focus on updates which would amuse, entertain, inform, or inspire

people. If you can find a place as a little ray of sunshine in peopleʼs days,

they will be more inclined to interact with you.

2. Ask questions to which you genuinely want answers. “How great is

this new listing I have?” is pretty lame, because itʼs obviously a shill for

advertising. But something like, “Client needs a recommendation for a

new lawn service. Anyone out there in Orlando know someone they would

recommend?” This second example not only helps your client, but it

shows youʼre a considerate agent and you welcome the opinions of your

friends.

3. Donʼt update too frequently. Once or twice a day is usually more than

enough for most people. If you start to go overboard with the updates,

people will choose to hide you from view, which means theyʼll see nothing

you post.

4. Reference posts on your blog to direct traffic to your website, but not ALL of them. Short updates such as, “Just wrote a short article about

this great park in XYZ neighborhood: [include the link to the article page]”

are perfectly good ways to highlight what you know about your community

while not pushing your services too hard. Just be careful that youʼre not

spamming your Facebook feed with your own content too often.

5. Donʼt write status updates or comments drunk. Sure, it seems

obvious, but after a couple glasses of wine on a Friday


23 afternoon, you might begin to think it sounds like a fun idea. Imagine your

broker or the president of your company coming across a few “under the

influence” updates. You can imagine theyʼd be pretty steamed to see their

logo or your headshot next to a sloppy post everyone can read.

6. Be careful on topics of politics, religion, and sexuality. Unless youʼre

100% comfortable on how your personal views will impact your business,

you should probably refrain from going on the warpath with any of the

above topics. Not to mention you could rack up some serious ethics

infractions.

7. Stay on topic when you comment on othersʼ updates. Commenting is

a fantastic way to get to know a bit about friends of friends and get your

name in front of people who arenʼt your friends yet. So when you

comment on someoneʼs status update or post, contribute to the

conversation with comments that are relevant to the discussion at hand. It

is a terrible idea to “butt in” on a comment with some trashy line like, “Very

interesting, Tom. By the way, I love getting referrals!” Come on! Donʼt be

that agent. You can bet that this will only come across as self-serving and

insensitive. Remember, social media is not soft-sell, itʼs no sell. Be there

honestly and people will get to know and trust you over time.

8. Give kudos publicly. The status update is a great place to thank or

honor a friend. Especially if that friend is also a business contact in the

community. You like good press, donʼt you? Well, donʼt forget to give

better than you get. Updates like, “I am incredibly thankful that Jennyʼs

staging company, XYZ Stagers, finished staging my new listing on 123

North Drive just in time for this Saturdayʼs open house. Fantastic work!”

not only thank someone, but get your business (and your open house) out

there. However, the best way to compliment others is without the


24 slightest hint of self-promotion. People will see you are the type of person

who is positive and cheers others, and that is the type of person people

want to do business with.

9. Avoid the mundane status update. “Having a sandwich” or “I love

Fridays” may be true, but does everyone need to hear about it? More

effective versions: “Anyone for a sandwich from XYZ deli tomorrow? Will

be there at 12:45PM.” Also: “What are people up to this weekend? Iʼm

looking at yard work.” In the first, you might turn a solo lunch into a casual

business meeting. In the second, youʼll learn a bit more about what your

friends and contacts are up to, which is both great for conversation and

helps you build your customer relationship database by refreshing their

hobbies and interests.

10. Cool off before posting angry. Caught in a traffic jam? Miss a flight?

Someone cross you in a transaction? Do yourself a favor and put down

the Blackberry. A quick status update angry can result in lots of damage

control later. While you can delete updates, you can bet that people will

see your hot head before you have a chance to reel it in.

11. Know when to take the conversation “private.” Sometimes a

comment thread on someoneʼs status update can quickly lead to a

conversation between just two people on the thread. If this happens, have

the sense to directly email that person through Facebook to continue the

conversation. Otherwise, youʼll subject everyone on the comment thread

to a conversation theyʼre not a part of… which is just rude. Plus, direct

messages via Facebook mail can be a great place to ask questions such

as, “How do you know [FRIEND]?” You can broaden the conversation

beyond the comment threat and get to know someone a bit better.


25 12. Share and thank others for sharing. Find a great article? Enjoy an

article from someone else? Share and thank people for what they share

via comments.


26

Writing Faster: The “Swipe” File

“If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, Iʼd type a little faster.”

(Isaac Asimov)

A handwritten note has tremendous impact because everyone knows

the time and care that must go into it. But when it comes to writing

online, there are shortcuts available that will allow you to express

yourself faster. Learn here how a little effort up front will save you

thousands of typed words ahead.


27

Write less, paste more

If youʼre like most people, you probably find yourself answering the same

questions a lot of the time via email and (sometimes) chat. Youʼd be surprised

how much time this actually takes out of your week once you start to add it up.

One of the fastest ways to decrease the amount of time you spend managing

email and chat is to have a document (often called a “swipe file”) where answers

to commonly asked questions are stored.

Rather than retype the entire answer each time, you simply highlight, copy, and

paste the answer from your swipe file into the email or chat window youʼre using.

If you always have this file open while youʼre working on email or chat, itʼs very

easy to switch between windows and find the text you need. It also reduces the

possibility of typos (since your swipe file is always meticulously proofed for

errors).

Over time, youʼll build up an incredibly valuable swipe file for handling virtually

hundreds of common responses to questions. Itʼs also a great place to store

thank you notes, special signatures, and information you want to share with many

people (but that you email individually).

Software that simulates “swipe files” Even faster than a swipe file is the use of a program such as Breevy or

TextExpander which converts special abbreviations into entire blocks of text.

This way, you never have to leave your email or chat program to quickly dash off

a response. Simply by typing a short combination of letters, the program

replaces the letters you type with a pre-defined block of text.


28 For example, you might make a snippet abbreviated “cellme” which would output

the following text:

Give me a call on my cell phone at your earliest convenience: (555) 123-4567.

Thanks! I look forward to your call.

If you compare the time it takes to type “cellme” versus the phrase above, itʼs

quick to see how much time youʼd save in the long run, all while being polite and

direct!

Both operating systems offer inexpensive software and (as of this writing) offer a

free trial:

For PC:

http://www.16software.com/breevy/

http://www.activewords.com/

For Mac: http://www.textexpander.com/


29

Prioritizing Your Writing

“Time is the most precious element of human existence. The successful person knows how to put

energy into time and how to draw success from time.”

(Denis Waitley) Mastering the art of productivity requires self-knowledge. There are

no hard-and-fast rules for becoming more productive; there are only

helpful hints which will direct you to discover what strategies work for

you. One tip, however, seems to work for everyone I've encountered:

Plan your communication tasks around your capacity to complete

them.


30

Throughout your day, your mental focus and physical energy will vary. As you

organize your to-do list for the next day (or coming week), you'll find you'll get

more done if you match tasks which require complex thought or extraordinary

attention to the times of day in which you are sharpest or best able to focus.

Take, for example these three tasks:

1. Cleaning out the SPAM folder on your email.

2. Hand writing "thank you" notes to clients who've sent you referrals

3. Drafting a new blog post for your website

Now consider these three times of day:

A. 10AM, after your second cup of coffee

B. 3PM, between client meetings

C. 8PM, watching baseball on TV

If you were to match the above tasks to the above times, which do you think

would make the most sense? Your personal situation may vary, but for many, the

optimal task-to-time planning would be:

1 = B (cleaning out the spam between client meetings)

(Afternoons tend to be low-energy and since you're between clients, it's

easy to break-off from the task at any time.)

2 = C (thank you notes during the ballgame) (Writing personal notes by hand is an ideal task to perform while you're

relaxed and in "leisure time.")


31 3 = A (drafting a new blog post after morning coffee)

(With a good night's rest and a little caffeine, you're likely to write your

sharpest posts!)

Too often we allow ourselves to "slip into" tasks when our focus and energy

should be spent on better tasks. Be mindful of not only of what you want to

accomplish, but when the best time is to perform it. You'll reclaim more time and

achieve better results.


32

A Note About Gratitude

“Praise the bridge that carried you over.” (George Colman, English essayist)

We sincerely hope youʼve enjoyed this guide. Take a moment to leave your comments online… weʼd love your feedback!

Visit and comment at: http://www.fhfrea.org/writing-that-gets-results/

At Oakley Signs & Graphics, we take great pleasure in building long-term,

meaningful relationships with the real estate community. You can read more

about our mission with Free Help for Real Estate Agents here:

http://www.fhfrea.org/about/

While you have absolutely no obligations to us, we would love the opportunity to earn your business when the time comes. We do offer a best

price match guarantee and the fastest shipping times in the industry. When it

comes to signs and sign-related accessories, we take great pride in our products,

just as we do the research and production of our free guides.

Be sure to check out our “No Worries” guarantee: http://www.oakleysign.com/store/noworries.php

If youʼre so inclined, try shopping our new website: http://www.OakleySign.com,

or give us a call any time at 1-800-373-5330. We do provide service in Canada

and Mexico as well, so if youʼre outside of the U.S., weʼd welcome your business

as well!


33

Please Keep in Touch

Visit Free Help for Real Estate Agents: http://www.FHFREA.org

Join the conversation on our Facebook Fan Page:

http://www.FHFREA.org/facebook

Stay on the cutting edge with our Tuesday Tactics Newsletter (All of these tips appeared in past issues!)

http://www.TuesdayTactics.com

Email us with your thoughts, comments, and questions:

Scott Levitt President of Oakley Signs & Graphics:

[email protected]

Eric Raymond Editor in Chief, Free Help for Real Estate Agents:

[email protected]

Documents

Writing That Gets Results