How do you create them?

The first step is deciding what plans you need."? For transaction management, I suggest you start with the following:

Residential Listing Plan, Listing Price Adjustment Plan, Your Seller Closing Plan, Your Buyer Closing Plan, Both Sides Closing Plan.Let's talk about the timing of when to launch plans."? There are effectively 3 dates."? The listing date, the date of the executory agreement of sale (the day the contingency clock starts ticking), and the closing/settlement date."? Different programs work differently, with regards to the way you tell the activities which of those dates to use. As the plans I am most familiar with are in Agent Office, I'll use them as an example.

The following plans are to be launched when you have a listing:

• 'Residential Listing Plan' ' launch date is the actual listing date.
• "Listing Price Adjustment' - launch date is the date of the price adjustment.

The following plans are to be launched when you are responsible for the Seller's side only:

• "Seller from Contract Date' ' launch date is the date of the "Executory 'Agreement of Sale'."? This date will vary from market to market."? Some markets must take "Attorney review' periods into account."? The important issue is that the launch date should be the date when "the clock starts ticking', the date from which contingencies will start.

How many days do you typically allow for the home inspection and other contingencies"?? They're not always the same, which is problematic for standardized activity plans."? There are 2 ways to deal with it."? You can use the number of days for the contingencies in the plan, which are most common in your transactions."? Then, after launching the plan, you can change the contingency activities to the correct number of days, one by one, if they differ from what is in the standard plan."? The other way to deal with it is to use the 'Copy Plan' button to copy your original plan, and modify it to use a different number of days for the contingencies."? Simply name the new plan accordingly."? In other words, this plan could be the standard, and the other one could be 'Seller from contract date-15' - meaning it has 15 day contingencies in it."?

• 'Seller from Closing Date' ' launch date is the closing date.

The following plans are to be launched when you are responsible for the Buyer's side only:

• "Buyer from Contract Date' - launch date is the date of the "Executory 'Agreement of Sale'."? This date will vary from market to market."?

• "Buyer from Closing Date' - launch date is the closing date.

The following plans are to be launched when you are responsible for both the Buyer's, and the Seller's side of the transaction:

• "Both Sides from Contract Date' ' launch date is the date of the "Executory Agreement of Sale'.
• 'Both Sides from Closing Date' ' launch date is the closing date.

The next step is creating the list of tasks."? This is the most difficult part, in that it takes a good deal of time."? But that time is an investment, which saves far more in the future, than the original cost.

• If you have a list that you use in your listing presentation, use that as a start. Now sit down and try to remember all the paperwork, all the letters, all the phone calls, and all the to-do's that are accomplished through the listing or sale, and add them to the list."?
• Next, combine them all, and put them in the order in which you want them appear on your calendar."?
• Now go down the list and decide how many days after the listing date, after the AOS date, or before the closing date, you want that task to appear on your calendar.
• You won't remember all of the things you need to do for each transaction, but that's OK."? Just do the best you can with all the plans."?

NOTE:"? Do not attempt to complete "Notes' in the activities the first time around. If you complete these plans without the notes, you should be very proud of yourself. You'll be in a small and accomplished group."? If you try to do the notes at the same time, you'll never make it to that group. It will double or triple the time it takes to create the plans."? After you've used the plans a few times, and have refined them, then you can start adding the notes.

When you have them all done, as complete as you can get from memory, start launching them."? The first few times you use them, you'll realize that there are tasks missing as you go through that listing, or that sale. Just add them to the plans as you go, and they will automatically become a part of the future "launches'!

To-do's, and Not to-do's!

Efficiency is obviously the desired end result - BUT - with regards to 'combining activities', I would say be cautious. There are different qualifications to use when deciding whether or not to combine them.

Keep in mind that 'Activity Plans' should always be constructed with the long term goal in mind that they will be used by other members of a team, whether you have one now or not.

• If the activities will always be accomplished together, whether you are interrupted or not, then you may want to combine them. i.e.; Erect Yard Sign/ Affix Lockbox. If they are always done together, then make them one activity. If not, then don't. That sounds obvious, but note that I said 'May'.
• Why May?. Some of these programs provide a "Client Listing Report' to be printed/e-mailed."? This report includes all the activities form the plan; letters sent; phone calls made; notes on the transaction; showings; etc."? If you are sending out a 'Client Listing Report', to the Seller/s, then you want that report to be as long as possible, to give the Seller/s the perception that you are doing a lot of work for them. Combining activities shortens the list, and lessens the perception. A few extra clicks to complete the activities is a small price to pay to strengthen that perception.
• In some offices, a listing file cannot be submitted to the front office unless it 'complete'. If that is the case in your office, then there is no need to have each form being submitted as a separate activity. Unless, once again, you want the Seller/s to be impressed with that long list.
• If your office does not mandate a complete file, then they should be separate activities. One of the points of the plans is to not let things fall through the cracks. Separate activities ensure that. What takes more time; backpedaling when a form is forgotten, or a couple extra clicks to complete the activity.

Print out the plans, and use them in your presentations to the buyers and sellers."?

In 10 years, I've never seen anyone start using activity plans, and continue using them for a while, so that they became comfortable with them, and then stop."?

Using activity plans is a little like using a computer. You may have fought them in the beginning, and they may still drive you crazy from time to time, but you can't imagine going back to the way it was before them!"? Invest the time in your business, to run it like a business."? The investment will pay off.