Name a prospecting technique that is perfect. They are all #'s games. You make the right # of attempts doing any of the above & something hits. 

I would define heuristics as mental shortcut that allows you to make decisions quickly.  Your definition is not wrong - I'm just phrasing it differently.  The thing I don't like about the definition you posted is the guarantee part.  There are very few actions is this world that guarantee a desired result.  Offhand, I can't think of any that guarantee a result, but if I worked at it I could probably think of a few.

Anyway, using my definition, we all do this everyday... when you decide that a cooperating agent is incompetent because he hasn't returned you last three phone calls, that is using a shortcut to make a judgment.  When you decide that the new rookie isn't going to make it in this business because of the way she dresses, that is using heuristics.  When you decide that the potential tenant you meant will likely take good care of the house because he has a nice, clean car, you are using heuristics.  When you hire a new employee based on a one-hour interview and a few reference checks, you are using heuristics.  All of these are examples of where you use a shortcut to make a decision.  You assume that if someone does one thing well, they do other things well (or vice versa).

We have to use mental shortcuts.  I don't even see how it's possible to get through life without using some mental shortcuts.

Some things are a process.  And some things are merely folly.  

Farming, however you do it, should not be short term processes to achieve short term goals.

Busy work is not my thing. I prefer to focus on a well thought out plan. 

Annette,

My own practice is relationship based. I help people and the money just comes.

I’ve seen a lot of shiny objects (it will only take one transaction to pay for it) that have been peddled over the years. I’m not sure most of them would even fall into the heuristic category.

I can't identify anything I do that's not rational. I don't door knock or cold call, but for some people that's a rational method. And if I decided to do it, voila, it's rational! haha

Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 did you get a new dictionary and are trying out new words like heuristic???

Agree with Nina Hollander 

Annette,

We have never been into busy work...we keep identifying what works strenghten it, and get rid of what does not work... A

ALL experiences develop the soul.

So why not pick the ones that are fun and profitable?

back to basics methods have ALWAYS worked well for me.... and the key to that success is knowing HOW to work them....

Concentrating on my SOI gives realistic results.

I would call those lead gen activities long term good business practices - any of those activities will lead to biz if a commitment is made to be consistent.

We are humans and prone to imperfection.

The word "realistic" will better serve anyone who is willing to enter into it

Thank you, Karen Climer 

Exactly what I'd say.

Nope.

I'm sure everyone has practices that are not as efficient or optimal as they could be.  I remember the story of the efficiency expert who one day commented about how his wife would prepare breakfast by making multiple trips to the refrigerator instead of one trip for all the items she needed.  He commented about that and now HE makes breakfast far more efficiently.  Moral of the story: more efficient is not always less work for you.

Ha! Most of our industry falls into that question, startying with NAR.

For me, the shortcut is to agree with Michael Jacobs!