✈️ Pilots Don’t Waste Resources (And Neither Should You)
Happy Monday!
Here is an Idea, an Action, and a Question to consider this week.
Idea
In the Air Force, we talked a lot about “Economy of Effort”––the idea of using all your resources (time, money, equipment, etc.) wisely in order to achieve the desired objectives. As a pilot, wasting resources wasn’t an option, so efficiency became an emphasis item for me.
I use the idea of Economy of Effort as an investor-agent, too. Each minute saved can be directed towards cultivating new leads, nurturing existing relationships, or fine-tuning my strategies for a bigger, bolder business footprint––all of which matter even more now given the state of the market. (I’m also a husband and a father of four, so I don’t have time to dilly dally.)
One way I save time is using canned responses––pre-constructed email templates that I personalize as per each transaction.
Canned responses allow me to have a ready-to-use template for emails that I send regularly. It’s unnecessary and inefficient to repeatedly rewrite an email that I use regularly. Doing so not only wastes time but also increases the risk of omitting important details each time I recreate the message.
Despite being a template, canned responses can be warmly personalized to each client. In the email below, you’ll see that the greeting is customized with the client's name, injecting a personal touch right at the outset. And I’ll almost always include client-specific info to help them feel like I really care––because I really do!
If you’re still rewriting the same email over and over again, let today be the day that you write your first template. Use mine (below) as a guide, if you’d like.
Our time is precious, so let’s act that way.
My “Congratulations! You’re Under Contract!” Executory Canned Email
XXXX,
I'm so happy to be the first person to say, "Congratulations!!" You're officially under contract to purchase the property at XXXX in XXXX ~
The market’s been tough. And we looked at a ton of properties. But you did it!
I've attached the contract for your records.
Timeline Highlights:
Effective Date: XXXX
Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) Due: XXXX ($XXXX to the escrow officer)
Loan Application Due: XXXX with your lender.
Inspection Period Ends: XXXX
Financing/Appraisal Contingency Ends: XXXX
Closing Date: XXXX
Intro/Contact Info:
- XXXX (XXXX) - Awesome buyer in the mix!
-XXXX (CC'd, phone #) - Superstar lender!
-XXXX (CC'd, phone #) - Amazing title, escrow, and closing agent!
-XXXX (CC'd, phone #) - Transaction coordinator - She will be your main point of contact for the admin/paperwork to ensure we get this deal across the finish line. I'm always here as a back as well :)
-XXXX (XXXX, XXXX) - Listing Agent, NOT in this email chain.
Path Forward:
XXXX - The title officer will send you a separate secure email with wire instructions for the EMD. Please send that to her at your earliest convenience and get your loan application completed as early as possible as well.
Appraisal - XXXX, fire away when you're ready!
Home Inspection - XXXX will order ASAP to get that going.
Wood Destroying Organism (WDO) Inspection - Would you like XXXX to also order a WDO inspection for you? This is a specific inspection looking for termites and wood rot. It typically costs about $125.
HOA/Condo Docs - XXXX will pass these when we receive them as well.
Survey - XXXX
Termite Bond - XXXX
Insurance - XXXX will pass you some insurance options in a separate email :)
Seller Disclosure - XXXX
STR Support - XXXX.
Let me know if I'm missing anything else -- Let's do this!!!
Respectfully,
Roar
Action
Watch this video on how to create templates in gmail. Then pick one email that you can turn into a canned response, and create a template for it.
Question
What process can you automate today to help streamline your business?
See you next week,
Matt “Roar” Gardner
Real estate investor-agent, Author of Supersonic Real Estate: Light Your Afterburner to Accelerate Your Investor-Agent Career (Coming Soon!), and keynote speaker.
PS: Never forget.
