A goal is something you work on, a commitment is something your will do whatever it takes to accomplish.

As a group we set a lot of goals.  Especially come January 1, there will be a plethora of wish list items that will go into a goal format (wish is something I want to do, goal is a wish with a date attached).  Most will never be accomplished.  I have a friend who works at a gym - he tells me that over 80% of the people who sign up in January never come back into the gym after the initial session. 

My wife is an inspiration; she decided that she wanted to run a marathon, no she committed to run a marathon.  Which was strange to all those around her because she doesn’t even like running.  She laid out her training program and picked the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon to be her event of choice.  She ran her entire training program regardless of circumstances.  We’d go on a trip – she would run.  It would be cold, hot, or rainy – she would run.  We went on a cruise – she had to run around the boat 80 times, but she ran.  She ran hurt.  She ran when she didn’t want to.  She ran and finished the marathon with blisters that were 3 inches across.  She was committed. 

When we look at our goals, which are the ones we are committed to attain versus just our fantasy wish list?  We can want for things in each area of life, but to attain, we need to focus. Focus, by its very nature requires us to eliminate all but the top one or two goals that we can commit to.  When you look at your Ne w Year’s resolutions, be honest with yourself on what they are – goals or commitments.

Carpe diem,

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There is no quicker way to disaster than to lose site of an internal compass.   If your business is based on simply generating revenue and you are driven solely by the next deal you are a wreck (and lawsuit) waiting to happen. 
 

If I were to look at your business, how you operate, what you market with , or even interview your clients, what would they say about you?  Is there a central theme?  If so, what is it?  And more importantly, is it what you want it to be?  Does it reflect your core values and convictions?

I see this more often than not with people who claim that their faith is the number one value in their life.  They claim (often with great sincerity) that it is the basis of who they are and what their business is founded on.  Yet, when you look at their business, talk to their clients it isn’t even mentioned.  Why?

We’ve been taught to stay away from anything that polarizes and may offend.  In this Politically Correct society we have lost our internal compass because it may upset someone.  Even ff that is the case, do you really think that the person that was offended by your most basic and core value and conviction is going to be your ideal client?  I’m not advocating being discriminatory, that’s wrong.  But I am talking about being yourself and letting who you are shine through to attract those that will really truly appreciate you and your business.

 Carpe diem,

Do you know what you really need to know to market your business effectively?  If you’re like most women in business, you started your business because you are in love with an idea or a product, and are firmly convinced that everybody else in the world will be just as enamored of the product or service as you are. 

After all, most of us believe that we are savvy buyers, and if we like something, then we believe that every other rational person in the world would like it, too.

Not so fast, Oprah.  That’s not how it works.

Women desiring more than ‘sales’ status, let’s call them: REALTOR® Entrepreneurs – do have some natural advantages in the real estate business.  First of all, real estate is a WOMAN FRIENDLY business.  More REALTORS® are women and most of the homes buying decisions are made by women.

Very often, you are excellent at the soft skills such as communication, connection, empathy, and persuasion.  Those skills are why many women are so successful in sales positions.  But those skills often aren’t enough make a business work in the long term (or even to get it off the ground).

As a marketing coach, I’ve worked with hundreds of women entrepreneurs, and I see the same mistakes being made over and over again by smart capable women who were very successful while working in the corporate world. 

So what’s keeping these women from being spectacularly successful as entrepreneurs?  As much as I hate to admit it, one very important thing standing between most women business owners and success is the failure to understand who really wants what we’re selling.

While this may come as a shock to some of you ladies, there is no product, service, or idea that has ever been developed for sale that appeals to everybody.

Not everybody wants to be thinner, richer, smarter, blonder, sexier, taller, better hydrated, fresher-smelling, chemically enhanced, or more physically fit than they already are.  Not everybody wants a six-step all-natural skin-care regimen, a five-piece poly-cotton wardrobe that can be packed in your handbag for those spontaneous weekend trips to Hawaii or funky costume jewelry ensembles to match every mood and outfit.  And not everybody wants to take advantage of once-in-a-lifetime-ground-floor opportunities, make money from their down-lines, or cash in on the latest investment trends.

The question we need to ask ourselves is this:  Who really wants what you’ve got, and who is ready, willing and able to pay for it?  And finally, who will be thrilled with it?

Once we can identify who is most likely to buy from us, and who is seeking our solution to a specific problem, then all we have to do is let that person know that we exist.  This is much easier, much cheaper, and much faster than trying to sell ourselves to someone who just plain isn’t already ready or willing to buy what we’re selling.

Now, that’s actually pretty good news!  Because marketing to everybody is time-consuming and expensive, and I have yet to meet a REALTOR® entrepreneur who is willing to spend much more than 15% of their annual revenues on marketing.

Of all the many reasons to focus on a specific target market as your ideal client, the one I like best is that really happy clients become your unpaid marketing department.  Seriously, though, by focusing on a certain type of problem/solution for a specific type of client, you enhance your problem-solving skills and get really familiar with that category of issues (and therefore more valuable in the eyes of that client).

Once you are crystal clear about who your clients really are, the key elements of your marketing plan such as your niche, “‘Sound Bites’” or self-introduction, and the tactics you need to use to reach your clients, become so much easier to identify, which in turn helps you determine what you need to do to market yourself effectively.  And of course, marketing to a smaller pool of prospects is easier, quicker, and less expensive than marketing to a huge pool. 

So unless you have an unlimited marketing budget and nothing but time, money, and energy to spend, my advice as your marketing coach is that you focus on the easiest, quickest, and least expensive sale – your ideal client.  That is how you leverage all your natural assets, and make a spectacular success of your business.

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,

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So, you had a ‘blinding flash’ of entrepreneurialism and left the big company to own business? And, now, you are not sure you made the best decision?

Even if your best friends won’t tell you what they really think, I will.

I will tell you what I think about your state of readiness for self-employment, but be warned: I am not going to mince words. I will call it exactly as I see it, so please be prepared for either encouragement or discouragement, as the case may be.

Will you ever succeed at being your own Boss?

Answer the following truthfully -

1. I can and do work for myself even if it challenges my family’s or my friends’ perceptions of me and/or causes conflict.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

2. I can and do stop activities during my work day that are not part of my own marketing plan, including playing computer games, checking my e-mail more than once an hour, having the TV on while I work, and making personal phone calls, among other things.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

3. I can and do temporarily stop talking to or hanging around friends and family members who are not supportive of my business, and who may wish to sabotage my efforts to be self-employed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

4. I am ready to own my own business, take responsibility for its success, and willing to do what it takes to make it succeed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

5. I understand that I may need to change myself, my beliefs, and my behavior to succeed, and am willing to do the work and commit to my action plan in order to make my business succeed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

6. I have a written business plan for my business.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

7. I am willing to create and follow a marketing plan for growing my business.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

8. I am willing to redefine my business if that’s what it takes to succeed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

9. I am willing to commit both an action plan and a timeline to succeed at my business.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

10. I am willing to devote at least 50% of my working hours to marketing my business or prospecting until I have reached my initial goals.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

11. I am willing to make succeeding at my business a top priority in my life.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

12. I am willing to review my goals and action plan every working day.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

13. I am willing to memorize positive affirmations and/or success statements that ring true for me.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

14. I am willing to learn to speak clearly and concisely about my business and what I offer without embarrassment or apologies.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

15. I understand that marketing and getting clients is my sole responsibility, and that nobody else can do it for me.

Yes___ No___ Maybe____

16. I will stop lying to myself about how I spend my time.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

17. I am willing to commit to following my action plan and to do everything I say I will do, when I say I will do it, even if I don’t feel like it at the time.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

18. I am willing to admit that I may have some fears, doubts, deficits, and challenges, but I will not allow any of them to get in the way of my success.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

19. I understand that I alone am responsible for my success, not my clients, friends, colleagues, or partners, and am committed to doing what it takes to succeed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

20. I understand that the process of marketing my business may feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but I know that I can do it with integrity and even with ease as I learn to understand how to use my talents and resources effectively.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

21. I am willing to say aloud that I will succeed, despite any challenges, even if it is hard and I get discouraged from time to time, because no matter how tough it is to work for myself, it is better than working for rat-soup eating, knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, credit-stealing, cheap-assed heel of a boss who told me he’d hold my job so when I failed I could go back to letting him make my life miserable for too little money and no possibility of advancement.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

Scoring Your Assessment

Total all your Yes answers. Forget the others, they will never count in the self employment world.

0 to 3: You’re In the Zone (but not the right one)

You are clearly not ready to be self-employed and it’s time to go back to the world of the cubicle, because you appear to have taken up residence in your comfort zone (and maybe not even because it is comfortable, but because it is familiar). You can pretend you “want” to have your own business, but at this point you are better off getting a paycheck form somebody else, because you are not willing to risk anything, or even accept responsibility for your own actions. You prefer having someone else figure out what you should be doing, then tell you to do it, and pay you for it. You might grumble if your actions result in good business for your employer, especially if you are not personally enriched by your efforts, but since you aren’t risking anything, you don’t deserve to share in the rewards.

4 to 10: You’re on the Fence (and that’s not comfortable, is it?)

You’re actually thinking about being successful, but that’s really all you’re toward your success. You may want your own business to succeed, but not enough commit to the level of effort that entrepreneurship requires. Your biggest obstacle here is fear, such as fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, fear of appearing too needy, fear of cockroaches, or whatever. Who knows what you’re afraid of? But it does not matter, and you are stuck in that fearful place. Some advice from me to you: The only way you to overcome those fears is to do it anyway. You will discover that you can do things you never though you could do, or decide that you’d rather scuttle back to the security of a nine-to-five somewhere rather than live out your heart’s desire.

11 to 15: You’re at a Crossroads (which way will you go?)

You are serious about success, and you may have a great action plan, but you’re not making the progress you want, right? You’ve got great ideas, great intentions, and high hopes, but it just isn’t working at the moment. Believe me, you are almost there. You just need to get moving and doing. You’ve got the “being” down, so now get the “doing” happening, and sooner than you think, you’ll achieve the having” part that you want so much.

16 to 21: You’re Ready, Willing, and Able (look out world, here you come!)

This is it; your time is now. You understand what you need to do, and you are prepared to take that leap of faith. You realize that the only thing in the lay of your success is you, and the question is not “can you do it?” but “are you reading and willing to do it?” It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see your future: You are going to do it. If you’ve made up your mind that you really want this business to succeed, that you will deny yourself success no longer, and you are willing to put up with the discomfort of change (even change for the better), then you are ready to do it AND make your business work.

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

Most of our marketing efforts as an industry have been a series of trial and error decisions, made on a reactionary basis at the hands of a professional salesperson trying to extol the benefits of their wares.  It has had very little root in systematic evaluation or factual data.  We have been sold that “we have to get our name out there” and taken to the cleaners by affiliate industries that have made a fortune by taking advantage of our naivety.

As a master at your craft, you recognize that you need to run your business on fact, not emotion.  It is not only helpful, but absolutely essential to take an honest look at what you are doing, why you are doing it and what you expect at the end of the day.  The days of slinging mud on the wall and seeing what sticks are over, and guessing what will be effective will be reserved for those who represent the 90% of the industry that scrounges for 10% of the business.

What do you do that sets you apart?  What makes you different?  What ROI (return on investment) do you demand or expect from your marketing and advertising programs?  Does every piece of marketing material reinforce your brand?  Does every piece answer a need or offer a solution to a problem that the prospect has?  Do you have a marketing plan or is it piece meal? 

What are you expecting as we turn the corner into this next year?  Expect the best and if you don’t know how to get it by all means have someone, whether it be another agent, your broker or a coach help take some of the guesswork out of this crazy business.

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

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I don’t usually post things that are purely inspirational or non original. But every once in a while something comes along that touches me in a special way, or illistrated a core theme that I believe in or teach, or is something that is just to good not to share.

The following video clip is a story of Johnny, the grocery store bagger.

It is very short, but it will remind you of why and how we make an impact in what we do.
Click Here To View The Movie

 Carpe diem,

When you are traveling to a new place, there is nothing quite as unsettling as losing your way. It is a place of great anxiety and frustration (especially as a guy who refuses to ask for directions). It is only more amplified when the stakes are higher and the pressure is on. If you have lost your way in life, here are a few questions to get you back on track -
· Why are you alive?
· What are you most proud of having accomplished at this point in your life?
· If you were financially able to retire one year from today, what would you begin working on to prepare for that?
· What would you most like the people at your funeral to say about you, specifically?
· Who in history do you admire most, and why?
· If you could solve a world problem, what would it be? Be very specific, please.
· What is the inkling you have of your purpose or vision?
· What is in the way of putting this ahead of what you are engaged in now?
· If it weren’t important to have a life purpose, what would you most like to do in the next decade?
· Can you list three possible life purposes?

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,

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To make money in business, you need to add value to customers. And to have a very attractive life, adding value is, of course, key. With this short list, you’ll learn how to add value to others in ways that can also bring you joy. In fact, the aspect of the practice of adding value which will make you most attractive is the joy that you experience in doing so, not the quantity or quality of the value you are adding. Big difference. The bees do it right. They do their thing, going from flower to flower collecting pollen as they go. What is the byproduct/value being added? It’s pollination of the trees and flowers. Often, the best value is the byproduct to others of what you do for joy.

1. Find out what the other person places a high value on.
   Everybody has their own opinion as to what adds value to their life. Take the time to ask and get to know what other people define as value. You may not want to package or deliver what you have to fit their exact description, but the process of being open will add value to you because it will sensitize yourself to what matters to others. With this expanded perspective comes wisdom.
2. Discover what brings you joy and do lots of that.
   Very few people know what brings them joy, but when they find out, they become more attractive to themselves. What does bring you joy? Is it intellectual pursuits? Giving to others? Solving problems? Designing something? Usually when you’re expressing your values, you’ll feel joy. When you experience joy, you’re probably adding a lot of value to others at virtually no cost to yourself.
3. Find ways to broadcast/share what you have/know, without a cost to yourself.
   Thanks to the Internet and electronic distribution of information, you can add lots of value to others, without it costing you any extra time or money. Set up a weekly e-newsletter, teach a class, train trainers/teachers, write a book, or create a podcast. These are all ways to increase the distribution of what you know, which add value all along the way.
4. Stop trying to sell, convince, enroll or hype yourself or what you offer.
   Part of the process of becoming more attractive is to stop pushing yourself or what you offer onto others. Adding value occurs least expensively to both parties when one party takes it from ‘your doorstep’ instead of you knocking on their door. It’s a pretty big change in style, but few people who are pushing hard experience joy. So, stop, and find a better way to make your business work or reach your goals.
5. Help others create tremendous value from what you provide; instead of just giving them more value.
   You can overwhelm your customers and potential customers with too much value, just as you can fill your mouth so full with food that it’s hard to chew. So, one way to add more value without adding a thing is to show your customers/potential customers how to make the most of what you’ve got. Giving them instructions, coaching them, staying with them as they use your product or service, challenging them to invent new ways to use it, etc., are all ways for more value to be created without you having to give more product.
6. Don’t get your personal needs met by attempting to add value to others.
   ‘Adding value’ is an attractive mantra, but it becomes less so when it is simply a way to get your needs met. When this is the case, the buyer feels the added value as a hook or a setup, not as a gift. It’s pretty subtle, but it affects the buyer negatively. Add value because it brings you joy, not because it fills a need for you personally.
7. Match what you have to the people who need/want it; customize.
   One of the easiest ways to increase the value you deliver without a lot of extra work is simply to repackage or customize pieces of what you offer to fit the exact (and I do mean exact) needs of your best customers. Buyers are getting very picky and exacting; each of the forty shades of beige/ecru/bone matters a great deal to the person buying those shoes. The same is true for almost every product or service today. Plus, it’s fun to customize if you’re at all creative.
8. Get into synch with a large trend and move forward to the head of it.
   Because the bulk of what is called value added in our information age is intangible (information and skills, not brick and mortar), the more you can add value to other people’s intangibles, the better. And keeping up with trends which will affect the value of information and other intangibles, is the perfect lookout-position! Right now, two meta trends (that’s meta, although these are mega as well), are the Internet and ‘meaning.’ Perfect your knowledge of these, and their implications, and you’ll be adding a lot of value because it will upgrade what you currently offer without you having to upgrade that.
9. Put people together in networks that mean a lot to them.
   You can add a significant amount of value by doing what may come naturally to you – putting people in touch with each other. Whether you have a big Rolodex or are developing one, the more people you put together, the more value that everyone receives. And if you can sponsor, host or create a special-interest network that is even better. People need to belong (emotionally) and need resources (professionally), now more than ever. You can provide this service without any extra work.
10. Think about the best examples of someone else adding value for you.
    Simply by taking some quiet time to reflect on how people either close to you or not close have added value to your life in past or are doing so right now brings value to you.

Carpe diem,

Throughout history, people have banded together for economic and social reasons (as we still do today) but also to build a common defense against their enemies. Because governments and hired law enforcement now handle defense, safety is less of a factor in the choice of whom a person selects to be in their family or community.

This relatively new act of delegating security results in more choices for the average person. The family’s historical role of protection has faded and people are now choosing who their families are.

With the pressure off of the family as the sole source of a person’s life, the option to build a community of like-minded individuals is now available. But it’s not because the family failed; it’s because people want more than a family can, or was designed, to provide: additional intellectual stimulation, similar activities and interests, common commitments, professional development, and other group endeavors and projects.

The virtual communities of today are formed out of natural attraction, based on values rather than protective need. Humans now have complete freedom to band together to create things, free of the constraints of the expectations of others or institutions.

Your community and your family may be the same, totally separate, or somewhere in the middle. The point is that you are free to develop a community based on choice, not on need. And as you strengthen your Personal Foundation, imagine what you can cook up with the members of your community, out of choice.

Carpe diem,

Working at home, alone with one’s computer and to-do list, seems like the ultimate manifestation of the American dream of successful self-employment. In the corporate world, how often do we roll our eyes at the fifth unwanted visit from boredco-workers in the space of an hour, or chafe at the time spent in mandatory (yet pointless)meetings, and heartily wish we could have just one afternoon of uninterrupted time to finish that project?

Just the thought of working quietly at home, comfortably clad in sweats rather than restrictive “office wear” and sipping a cup of fresh coffee for a change is enough to evoke a feeling of peace and tranquility that lasted until we realize with a start that we are still at work, laboring under glaring fluorescent lighting, drinking what passes for coffee in this reality and listening to the idiot in the cubicle next to you humming loudly enough to cause your client on the phone to ask you to turn down your radio or to at least tune it in to the station properly.

So one fine day, you leave the corporate world for the freedom and excitement of a REALTOR® entrepreneur. You look forward to reaping the benefits of your own hard work, rather adding value to some corporate entity whose leadership team thought that giving you a paper certificate acknowledging all your contributions to the company was adequate compensation while your former boss receives a five-figure bonus for “empowering” your good work.

But you’re not bitter, and as a matter of fact, you’re quite exhilarated at the prospect of working for yourself, and anticipate with pleasure the productive workdays and the sense of accomplishment that you’re sure you will have after each day’s work.

But then it doesn’t quite turn out that way. Oh sure, you wear sweats and drink good coffee, but somehow days slip by and your work still isn’t done, or your business isn’t growing like you thought it would.

You decide that your office supplies aren’t adequate so you drive to the office supply store and wander for hours, finally staggering out with hundreds of dollars of paper clips, pens and file folders that you thought you needed, but now survey with a sick feeling that perhaps you’ve overspent today, both your budget and your time, so you drive through the fast food place for a quick burger, and find you still don’t want to go home and face that blank computer and a phone that doesn’t ring.

It’s only been two months, but you’ve already gained 12 pounds and seen every episode of “Dr. Phil” since you quit your job. You’re beginning to worry that you’ll never get your business off the ground, and the thought of returning to the corporate world suddenly doesn’t seem quite so repellent anymore, although you get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach at the thought of job hunting, or worse, crawling back to your old job.

Let’s face it, you’re not in a good place, but you don’t have to stay there, and you don’t (necessarily) have to scuttle back to the corporate world with your tail between your legs.

Here are 10 suggestions for organizing your workday that will give you the feeling of control and help you succeed in your efforts to develop your home-based business.

1. Create a separate, distinct workspace. Having a space that is devoted to work helps you concentrate and stay organized because all your supplies and materials are right there.

2. Get ready for work each day as if you expected a visitor. No, you don’t have to be dressed up, but you do have to be showered and in clean clothes.

3. Set your office hours, and stick to them. Work can be never-ending if you’re always putting it off to do household chores, run errands, or watch TV. You can probably accomplish more at home since you won’t have as many interruptions and meetings, so don’t feel guilty about working fewer hours, but do work them. Don’t waste time surfing the internet.

4. Learn to work with your natural strengths and inclinations, and you’ll find your days become much more productive. For example, if you’re a morning person, schedule mentally arduous tasks in the morning, and meetings in the afternoon. Create and stick to a business plan.

5. Book appointments to do all your work, including your marketing and administrative tasks. This helps you make sure that everything gets done, and gives you a realistic idea of how much time you are spending on building your business.

6. Create hard copy files or binders with important documents for your business, and keep them in plain sight for easy reference. You’ll need a business binder with a list of your vendors (phone, ISP, web host) along with your account numbers and access codes, plus your business license, insurance and banking information. You’ll also need your business and marketing plans within easy reach so that you can review them often.

7. Create standard responses for common transactions. For example, create scripts or letter templates to welcome new clients, confirm meetings, or for sales conversations. This saves time, helps you maintain your standards, and keeps you calm when you receive an unexpected call from a prospect.  (Create standardized packages for new buyers and sellers.)

8. Create daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly financial goals, and review them daily. Yes, it sounds like lot, but once you create these goals, all you have to do is check them each day to see if you need to make modifications in tomorrow’s schedule. For example, if your sales are down today, schedule sales meetings or calls for tomorrow (and do them!). Constant attention to your financial goals really does help you prioritize your daily actions, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you learn what works for you.

9. End each workday with 30-minutes of goal setting and planning for the next day, and general clean up. You’ll be glad you prepared your schedule the next morning, and you won’t have to face a messy desk at the beginning of tomorrow’s workday.  (OK, those that know me well know my desk is still messy – but it’s MY mess and I know where EVERYTHING is.)

10. Hold yourself to your own standards. Find yourself making a lot of personal phone calls, running errands, or taking long lunches when you’re supposed to be working? Ask yourself if you would accept this behavior from someone you were paying to work for you; if not, then stop it, because you are paying yourself (or you should be). Just because you are the boss doesn’t mean you are exempt from your own standards.

Approaching your home-based business like a job is really all in your attitude and your work habits. When you focus on your daily goals, you can leave your office feeling comfortable about what you accomplished each day, and you won’t stay awake nights worrying about whether you are getting enough work done, because you are.

Carpe diem,