We work in a cyclical business. I do not care how busy you are today, how buried you feel in work, you will have a downturn. It is the nature of the appraisal business to be up for weeks and months, but also have some lulls. So, what do you do when things slow down?
In my office, we have our regular tasks and our “backburner to-do list.” It is the backburner items we turn to when things slow down. This is a list of things that can and should be done when there are not more pressing items (such as appraisal reports to get written).
I have a mixture of both hourly and commission employees and contractors. It is the hourly individuals who are tasked with the backburner to-do list. If they are at work (physically or remotely), they are being paid. If they are being paid, I want to see them getting things done. When there are not more pressing things to do, they are instructed to turn to the backburner to-do list. There is no down time in my office, just a shift in focus.
Not only do I have an extensive list of things that can and should be worked on when valuation work is slow, it is prioritized. The top of the list are the most important things that need done (and usually have to do with revenue generation). The items at the bottom of the list often do not get touched very often as things seem to always pick back up.
Here are a few items from my office backburner to-do list:
Accounts Receivable
Change Templates
Update E&O
Update Licenses
Update W-9
Update Fees and Coverage areas
Call Companies that are on the old database that we have not done anything for in a while and ask them what we can do to be active again
Post a blog
Vacuum
Take out Garbages
Dust everything (and under everything)
Water Plant
With permission, clean out desk drawers
Wash Baseboards
Clean windows inside and out
Vacuum along baseboards
Wipe down and disinfect chairs, keyboards, phones, etc.
Wipe computer screens
Clean out fridge
Clean up the back storage room
Go through Google Drive, dropbox, and other digital files and delete old ones and organize others.
How about you? Do you have a backburner to-do list? Please share below some ideas.
For more information on this subject, please listen to The Appraiser Coach Podcast Episode:
