“Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.” – Thomas Jefferson
  

Your feelings are not your friend.  They will get you in trouble more times than not. 

I’m not saying not to have them, just keep them in perspective.  If you get mad and rip into someone because you are angry or frustrated, you may feel like you won the battle, but you will have lost the war.  Don’t feel like prospecting?  Is it really better to go with that feeling, if you do where does it lead?  Most of us live on an emotional roller coaster, with our life, business and the service we offer our clients.  We do so at our own peril. 

Your feelings give color to your life, and they can be glorious and exciting.  They just shouldn’t dictate your actions.  As you paint the portrait of your life, your commitment and actions should provide the black and white outline of how you live while the color adds the vibrancy.  Reverse it and your life will look like a kindergartner’s version of the Michelangelo masterpiece your life was destined to be…

Carpe diem,

Most of the real estate community is stuck fishing for income. Living deal to deal and in feast or famine.

Almost all of life has a financial aspect to it. The surplus of it adds to yourpossibilities through opportunity and the laws of attraction. As they say “The rich get richer…” It’s true, but not because they have money. Wealth is a by-product of the way they think. If you change your thinking, your habits will change, your habits change and your account balances will take a turn for the better.

Here are a few questions to give a quick “check-up from the neck up.”

· How is your financial situation?
· How stable is your income stream?
· Do you live within, at, or beyond your means?
· Are you a natural saver or a habitual spender?
· How much credit card debt are you carrying?
· How much money is enough for you?
· What actions could you take that would double your current salary or profit?
· What mistakes do you seem to make with money?
· How much of a priority is making more money?
· What holds you back financially?

We are all guilty of not getting in right, the point is not to beat you up and have you start your day on a downer, but to remember what we need to focus on to make tomorrow a little brighter.

Carpe diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have the mastery coaching blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate’s elite delivered to your computer,

To subscribe to the mastery coaching blog via email To subscribe to the mastery coaching blog via RSS reader

Two words: Sticky content.

Sticky content is information (web site content) that makes people stick around and return for more. Examples are how-to articles, tips and tricks, beginner’s guides, and any other free information that your clients and prospective clients would find of value.

Keep in mind that the more content you have, the stickier your site is. Sticky is good for at least three reasons: It gives your visitors a reason to come back again and again; it gives your visitors a reason to tell others about your site; and it demonstrates your expertise for people who are interested in your services.

With good content, you will be able to gather leads, acquire names for your mailing list, as well as offer good reasons for your visitors to tell their friends and colleagues about you.

Carpe diem,

Here are a few of my notes from a seminar by Zig Ziglar on Top Performance

• Leadership starts with you
• Trust is where that key is
• Integrity is NOT relative
• Motivation is to “want to” as training is to “how to”
• Lead with positive solutions
• Leaders are always learning
• Colleges are full of professors teaching about a future that no longer exists
• You can have everything you want if you help others get what they want
• Leaders make it personal
• Individuals score points, teams win games
• People stay where they grow and are respected
• Leaders build teams
• What you do off the job determines what you do on the job
• Leaders create healthy environments
• Leaders are in the people business
• What you say to yourself is the most important conversations you have

Carpe diem,

Here are a few things to give some thought to this week.

• Have nothing unresolved or unfinished.
• Get over any addictions and be healthy and well.
• Be a part of a full, successful, and happy community of people who love you as you are.
• Be able to verbally express your feelings, sensations, and prob­lems.
• Want a tremendous amount but crave nothing.
• Have life set up so you have really neat things, people or activities to look forward to all of the time.
• Know and live in your values.
• Have much more than you need.
• Have goals that turn you on.
• Have standards that are clear, and high.
• Have plenty of time.
• Be okay about and with yourself.
• No longer try to “make it” or prove anything.
• Working on a special project that is personally and professionally fulfilling.

Carpe diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have the mastery coaching blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate’s elite delivered to your computer,

To subscribe to the mastery coaching blog via email To subscribe to the mastery coaching blog via RSS reader

Everyone needs a map and compass (or better yet a GPS) if they are lost in the woods and want to find their way back to civilization. After years of accumulation of procedures, rules and practices our “Business Opus,” the policy and procedures manual had become a behemoth text. In a moment of inspiration, we flushed our 300 page operations and client services manual in favor of a three question compass and it changed our business culture instantly.
Here’s our guide –

1. From our client’s point of view, am I treating the client with the utmost respect?
2. From our client’s point of view, am I exceeding the client’s expectations?
3. From the company point of view, is what I’m doing in the best long-term interest of our company?

Carpe diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have the mastery coaching blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate’s elite delivered to your computer,

To subscribe to the mastery coaching blog via email To subscribe to the mastery coaching blog via RSS reader

“You can not push anyone up a ladder unless he is willing to climb a little.”  – Andrew Carnegie

Most people get into the broker side of the real estate business because they enjoy the personal development aspect.  Yes, there are other contributing factors, but a broker’s belief in their agents is one that is a two edged sword.  We tend to believe that we can work people through their rough spots and make them successful despite themselves.  No one can succeed for someone else.  Success can’t be given away, despite our noble attempts to do so.   As we take a look into this next season, let’s take a look at our staff and get brutally honest with reality.  We cannot drag someone against their will into success; we cannot push them up that latter – unless they are willing to climb a little…

 Carpe diem,

Are you committed to really knowing your trade?  Do you know what your customer is thinking?  Do you know your Inventory?  Do you know how many units are closing a month in your service area?  Do you know what to do this next year to create a predictable and sustainable stream of revenue? 

Most agents start off by slinging mud against a wall to see what sticks.  While having a new agent try the smorgasbord of real estate prospecting and marketing ideas may be a viable strategy for new agent trainers, it is ridiculous pursuit for the experienced agent.  The professional should be an expert in something.   They should study their trade, have key distinctive and advantages.  The reason that the top 15% dominate the top 85% of the market is because they approach the business different than the sea of faces that represent the masses.

Starting today, spend a few minutes each day studying your craft.  Learn a bit more about people, business, marketing or your current inventory.  Find a topic that you want to camp on for a bit to go deep on one subject or spread things out to develop a wider view.  Either will be a benifit to you, the important thing is to make it a habit.  Spending just 15-30 minutes a day really adds up over the course of a few years.   Before long you will have forgotten more than most of your competitors will ever know.

 Carpe diem,

One of the best ways to save costs and improve your ROI is to shift is from traditional marketing to advocate marketing. So you will need to put as much effort into referrals as you do into marketing efforts. Remember if you had 50 advocates that give 2 referrals a year is 100 great leads a year. Here’s some things to keep in mind -

1. It’s easy to create 50 advocates.
2. Make it easy for people to advocate for you.
3. Appreciate and thank them for their advocacy.
4. Tell them how to be an advocate.
5. Continue to innovate your services so it’s easy to be an advocate for you.
6. Make you service clearly better then anyone in the market.
7. Live your service/values/philosophy don’t just sell’em.
8. Get really good at using 3rd party edification to your advantage.

Carpe diem,

Do you struggle with leads?  How about key listing or showing appointments?  Conversion rates?  Closing on contracts?

As the market has changed, the sales skills of the pros have become more and more in demand.  Strong negotiating and closing skills are ever important in today’s market climate.  No longer can we simply make our clients feel “warm and fuzzy” about the experience.  Character must be saddled with competence.  As the DNA agent dies (those who did deals solely with those related to them), the pros gain market share.  The foundations of fortunes are made in these markets. 

The single most effecting sales skill to get more business is to be fearless about asking for the order.  What would happen to your business if you got 10 new contacts a day by simply asking if they had an agent they currently are referring business to?  It doesn’t even have to be via door knocking, FSBO contact or working expireds (although all of those are good and viable) but it can be as simple as asking those in line at Starbucks.  How about with your current pipeline?  What would it look like to simply ask each one of them to just take the next logical step in the process?  Are you walking out of appointments without the signed contract?  Did you really ask for the order or did you let the prospect take the lead? 

Start with 10 new contacts a day for this week, then translate asking for the order at each of the next steps through the process and watch your business transform before your eyes. 

Carpe diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have the mastery coaching blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate’s elite delivered to your computer,

To subscribe to the mastery coaching blog via email

To subscribe to the mastery coaching blog via RSS reader