Time Out!
By John M. Ravage
Real Estate Education Co., 144 pages, $19.95
The purpose of this book is to help real estate salespeople sell more real estate. But the book is not about realty. It is about time and how to effectively manage it.
The author, John M. Ravage, was formerly public relations manager for Day-Timers, whose handy little schedules are carried by millions in our pockets. But in this book, Ravage explains how to make the most of schedules, without becoming a slave to them. Yet the book is much more. It is about setting, planning and executing goals, by means of time analysis.
This is one of the most valuable books a real estate salesperson can read. It is short. Quick. Direct to the point. I like the style of not wasting words, as a time-efficient person should do.
Real estate salespeople have so many time problems Ravage must have had difficulty knowing where to begin. Delays, appointment changes, cancellations and other time wasters are part of every realty agent`s typical day. Ravage recognizes this. But he shows how to take advantage of these time
opportunities.
I should emphasize this book is an outgrowth of a magazine article Ravage wrote about Weichert Realtors, a 200-office, 5,000 associate, five-state sales firm. The book is based on that original article, but greatly expanded.
The key word in this book is ”control.” The average real estate agent earns only $19,000 annually, Ravage reports. But the successful agents who control their time earn much more, he quickly emphasizes, and they enjoy life, too.
It is hard to summarize the benefits of this book because there are so many. Setting plans, especially non-real estate goals, are emphasized. But practical advice is explained too, such as knowing the best times to phone clients.
Much of the book is common sense. But it also is filled with tips from successful agents, such as whether or not agents need a pager, car phone and answering machine. Topics discussed include controling how you spend your time, deciding what you want, from dreams to goals to action, your
responsibilities, creating a system, planning each day, but expecting the unexpected, matching performance to goals, how to curb the urge to
procrastinate, what is your time worth, the time-managed office, and the life cycle of a real estate agent.
Perhaps the reason I liked this book so much is it is short and direct. The author uses the reader`s time efficiently by explaining his point, perhaps using an example and moving along to the next topic. Yes, he uses Day-Timers to schedule time. But, more important, Ravage knows where he is heading and he never loses sight of the goal. Very highly recommended, even for non-real estate agents.
