Huh?  What?  A coach who says there is something more important than your goals?

You bet.  Hundreds of thousands of Agents a year set a goal and throughout the year it doesn’t mean a whole lot to them.  But those Agents who work on their habits, their daily and weekly habits, those Agents get results.

In our Free Daily Coaching Webinars we break the week into four type of days, two prospecting days, a marketing day, a service day and a thinking strategy day.  The Agents who make it a habit to spend just an hour on the priority for that day and make that a habit get results. 

Goals are important too.  On the thinking strategy day you look at your progress toward your goal for that week, that month, and the year to date.  On the thinking strategy day you look at what worked and what didn’t work.  What to focus more on and less.  It is always an interesting epiphany that of the four types of priority days the thinking strategy day is the most important.  It is the day that ensures that you follow through on all the others.

Most Agents don’t make it a habit to slow down; to think and strategize on a scheduled regular basis.  Once you do you recognize that thinking is your greatest strength. 

As you speak to Buyers and Sellers, as you prospect, and as you shop, work out in the gym, as you encounter anyone in your life, you can attract business by sharing what is going on in Real Estate particularly if you put an honest and positive spin to it.  So, I like to provide you with “Talking Points.”  My strong advice is to print these talking points.  Review them.  And go out of your way to have conversations in which you bring these up. 

December home sales are up 15% over 2008.  That’s huge.  (Yes I realize they are down from November but (duh) it’s December, the only really accurate measure is year over year. 

National median home prices increased by 1.5%, the first gain since August 2007!  That’s huge too!!!

Mortgage rates fell for the week ending Jan. 21st.

Low prices but rising, low rates, stable expectations, and tax credits make this perhaps the best time to buy in decades, maybe ever.

And it is not dependent on the tax credits, many people are planning moves because of the other factors.

Part of the Government bailout of buying mortgage backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is ending this spring which should press interest rates a bit higher.  But the Government is ready to step back in if rates begin to look like they are reaching prohibitive levels.  At the same time, it makes the current rates look that much better.

The news is obviously better for Buyers than Sellers unless the Sellers are also buying in which case they will probably do so much better on the purchase that it will far more than make up for any softness on their sale.  For Sellers not buying, the market is not going to rebound dramatically so unless they can delay for years it is probably as good a time as any, particularly if they take a good Agent’s advice on staging and pricing. 

As one example of the power of these talking points.  At my health club virtually everyone, hundreds of guys look to me for Real Estate advice simply because they respect my opinion and expertise.  How do they aware of my opinion and expertise?  I openly share these thoughts which initiates the conversations in very natural ways.

Let me know how it goes for you.

At my health club I was chatting with a top National fundraising consultant.  I asked him, “What’s the secret to success at getting people to make donations?”

He answered, “Two things, you want to be sure that the person asking for the donation has a relationship with the giver.  If you are asking for a big donation the request needs to be made by someone who has a strong respected relationship with the giver.”

He continued, “The second thing, particularly for large donations, is that you want to know enough about the giver’s financial situation, history of giving, and history with the organization you are representing, you want to know enough to know how much a reasonable request is.  If you have a good relationship, the giver has a good connection to the organization, and you make a reasonable request you will always get it.”

Driving home from the club this morning, after that conversation, of course I thought about how that related to success in Real Estate sales.  There is a direct connection.

First, the stronger the relationship you have with the Buyer or Seller before you even contact them, the better your chances of a successful transaction.  That is why you want to:

Work with people in your spheres of influence and past Clients
Work with referrals from people who know, like, and trust you
Create a marketing brand as a knowledgeable, successful and respected professional in the area.
Second, do your homework.  Find out all you can about the prospect ahead of time.

Check property tax records
MLS records
Google and other Search Engines and Web sources
Call and ask questions about what, where, why, when and who (how, too)
Finally, specifically ask about their current and previous experiences buying or selling Real Estate so you know the attitude that they bring to the transaction with you.

My friend, the fundraising expert related a number of stories where this background work wasn’t done and the effort failed; and where it was done and the effort resulted in major donations. 

These are the contexts of the best salespeople on earth.  Make them yours.

 

The most common questions an Agent is asked are:

“How’s business?” 

“How’s the market?” 

The way you answer those questions can attract business to you or drive it away.  On our Free Daily Webinars I often remind Agents to consider that half of the people that ask  those questions are either thinking of making a move in the upcoming year themselves or they know someone who is.  They have a son or daughter moving to town; a parent or grandparent needing to sell; they are losing a job, getting promotion, etc. 

Answer those questions with negativity, a lack of enthusiasm and you are communicating that you lack confidence in your ability to do the best for them. Even if the market is soft, there are easy ways to be honest and positive. 

Answer those questions with complete honesty and with the most positive spin you can find for the current market; answer with modest enthusiasm and you are communicating that you are the person to find the best way to get the job done.  On our Daily Webinars (which are recorded so you can listen to them anytime during the day) I share lots of ideas and scripts to communicate that enthusiastic, honest and positive response. 

Right now, where ever you are reading this, imagine that you have just been asked, “How’s the market?”

Answer it quickly with the first thought that comes to your mind.  Examine that response.  Does it attract or repel?  Then consider all the ways you could answer it to make a better impression, to attract. 

Make a note of those compelling, attracting answers.  Ask it of yourself again and this time, answer out loud.  Keep this up, in your car, in the shower, at random until it is natural for you to use these opportunities to generate some of the easiest business you may do all year. 

 

Every successful business, every well run business is built and run with systems.  That is also true of every well run Real Estate Agent’s business.  We are declaring in our business that 2010 is ‘The Year of Systems.’ 

A Real Estate Agent has a particular challenge because there are so many systems required for a successful, well run, productive and profitable business.  There are time management and organizational systems, prospecting systems, marketing systems, listing systems and many more.

And there are systems within the systems.  In your listing system are your listing preparation system, your listing presentation system, and your communication with the Seller system, your pricing system, and many more here also.

So, throughout 2010 in our blogs, courses, webinars and coaching we are going to even more clearly teach and document each of these systems for you, how they work together, how to simply and permanently implement them into your business.

Interested in this topic join our free daily 1st Fifteen Coaching Webinars.

 

I don't normally share coaching calls but this one was just to good not too and the client was happy to share. It is about 40 minutes long but contains tons of insight and information about not only the Get Rich Success Charts but also real struggles from real Agents. So if you want some great information, motivation and insight. Take time to listen to this recording. Also we talk about many of these issues on the 1st Fifteen Daily Webinars and will discuss more in the upcoming weeks.
Enjoy and remember if you have questions about the charts please don't hesitate to contact our office, we are happy to help! 585-244-2700.

Download | Duration: 00:41:09

One initial appointment per week with a new Buyer or Seller will result in twenty sales for the year.  For any Agent that aspired to do twenty sales for the year the focus of one initial appointment per week is the absolutely best focus to get you there. 

In case it hasn’t already occurred to you, forty sales for the year are two initial appointments per week and so on.  In our Free Daily Coaching Webinars this is explained in detail often. 

An initial appointment is a listing presentation or a Buyer presentation.  For those who don’t do Buyer Presentations, it’s time to learn them. The momentum toward making the MLS public and the new technologies that will replace it, lifestyle searches cross referenced with listing searches, will make Buyer presentations as necessary as listing presentations.

That aside, the focus on initial presentations is a secret simply because it is not taught.  Instead, making calls, sending mailings, and other activities are the focus for most Agents.  An activity focus will always frustrate you.  A results focus will set you free.  And the most important result to focus on every day to set you free is your initial appointments. 

It’s time. 

Kelly, an Agent said to me, “Rich, I am feeling lazy and unmotivated.  I’m coming to the office and working hard and getting less and less results.”

I said, “It’s December 18th.  Why work so hard?”

She said, “Well, my Broker and Manager and all the trainers are saying that this is the time of year when Agents stop working so there is a lot of opportunity for those who keep working.”

I said, “Oh, I understand.  Let me ask you a couple questions.  Do you have some Christmas shopping to do, presents to wrap, food to prepare, time that you want to spend with your kids or plan to spend when they are out of school for vacation?”

She answered as you might expect with a bunch of things done and more to do.

So, I said, “Stop working.”

I said, “Serve the Clients that need your attention and slow down.”  I went on, “Remember in October and November I said the year is not winding down or wrapping up until the second week in December.  Well… it is the second week in December.  Wind down.” 

She said, “What about all the lost business that the others talk about?” 

“Well,” I said, “go shop for those last gifts.  Wrap presents.  Take your kids out for pizza.  Bake.  Do the things that will make you happy for the holidays; the things that will make you feel more love for your loved ones and more peaceful and fulfilled.  As you do, you will think about business.  Do what absolutely needs to be done.  And think about the year you are going to have next year.  If good ideas come to you, make notes.  Imagine the year you would most like to have.  Think about what you liked about last year and what you would change; and how next year will turn out with those corrections made.” 

“Wow!” She said. “That makes so much sense.  It fits.  I guess I just needed someone to give me permission to take my life back.” 

“Exactly,” I said. “I promise you that if you work hard against your nature until the end of the year you will come into the new year burned out, unhappy, less motivated and very possibly in a slump.  On the other hand, if you take your life back through the holidays.  Spend time with the people you love doing the things you want; thinking about your business with calm and peace.  You will enjoy the holiday break and you will start the year eager to put into place and into practice all the things you have been imagining.”

“Rich,” she said, “I am going to hang up the phone.  Go into my Broker’s office and wish him a Merry Christmas, go shopping, pick my kids up from school and enjoy my life.”

This is a true story.  And one that has been and will be repeated many times over the next week in my coaching Clients, on my webinars, in my blogs, and tweets. 

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”  That is from Ecclesiastes III.  Now is the time to shop and the time to love; the time to wrap and the time to be wrapped for.” 

With love and joy and peace, please take time for your life.  Happy Holidays!!!!

 

 

Join Rich on Tuesday, December 8 at 11:00 AM EST for his very popular Webinar: Dynamite Real Estate Presentations that Seal The Deal. REGISTER NOW

The public is more educated, sophisticated and has more information available instantly.Do your presentations, communication skills, tools, materials, style and approach match today’s Buyers and Sellers?Is a mismatch costing you business, adding to your stress, and losing the confidence of your Clients?Dynamite presentations are a perfect blend of timeless structure, approach, and abilities with twenty first century technologies. >>

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The most difficult problems that arise in the course of an Agent’s business; disloyalty, distrust, and communication breakdowns can all virtually be eliminated.The most challenging objections that delay and destroy transactions can be avoided.Dynamite presentations constructed and conducted with a higher level of selling skills accomplish all of that on the way to providing the Agent with more closed sales more easily.>>

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You receive preparation and presentation checklists, scripts, materials, and step-by-step structures for all six presentations necessary for a successful Real Estate career.Whether you are in the business three weeks or three decades this workshop will strengthen your presentations, increase your income, and build your confidence.

REGISTER NOW

Keep it simple, stupid; or, the more polite version, keep it simple, salesperson.  Or, keep it short and simple.  This has been an instruction to teach salespeople to avoid unnecessary complexity with prospects.  The simpler the salesperson can make the decision for the prospect the more likely they are to take action.  It makes complete sense.  Violating this principle is the reason most Agent Business planning does not stick.  Here’s a radical thought.  Any business plan that can’t be created in less than an hour is unlikely to be implemented.  Take one hour by the clock to complete a plan for 2010 as if that is all the time you have; as if that is the plan that has to guide you for the year.  And it has to be done in one hour.  Whether you complete your plan in that hour or not; that sharp focus motivates you to create a better plan because of its simplicity.  Keep It Simple & Succeed.