Posts Tagged ‘business’
Creativity —Your Key to Standing Out From the Crowd
Monday, June 7th, 2010
As a speaker / coach, you would not believe how many times I hear “I’m just not creative!” coming from the mouths of real estate professionals (then again, maybe you would).
First of all, this is a complete myth. Everyone is creative. Some are just more in touch with their creativity than others. Given that success in business depends heavily on standing out from the crowd, this is an important trait to nurture for every every real estate professional serious about their career.
So why do most sales people feel like they are not very creative? Fear. Fear of making “mistakes” (there are no “mistakes” in the creative process that by definition is messy), fear of not being in control (creativity is about letting go, not hanging on with a death-grip) and ironically, fear of being different (wait a minute, isn’t that a prime reason for being creative?) Sorry, there are no good excuses for not tapping into your God-given gift of creativity…
…your ability to create and contribute isn’t determined at birth. It’s a choice.
Seth Godin
Our ability to think and act creatively sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Our ability to literally “cause” from nothing is as close to god-like powers as we get in this life. Yet, like any muscle it needs to be exercised. Use it or lose it.
How to Avoid Being a Top Producer “Biggest Loser”
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
What good is it being a “top producer” if you are working 80 hours (or more) a week and haven’t had a vacation in five years? Sounds more like a prison to me. It doesn’t matter how much money you make if you are always exhausted or miserable.
I remember meeting the #2 producer for an entire state during one of my speeches. When the audience was asked “Who here is having an extraordinary career?” she raised her hand and said: “I maintain 75 – 90 listings at any one time, get 2 – 3 hours of sleep a night and I hate my life!” She was as serious as the heart attack that was heading her way.
So why is it that so many of us work ourselves to death this way (whether or not we are making a ton of money)? Largely it is due to fear. Fear of being out of control, fear of uncertainty, fear of scarcity and the big “gotcha”, fear of who would we be if we were not doing what we do. That last particular fear is a result of becoming a “Human Doing” instead of living as a human being…
Strive to turn your business into a faithful servant that always serves you, instead of you being a slave to it.
Mr. Internet
I remember a couple of elderly lady Realtors during a speech in Texas. During the break we started chatting and they shared how they just returned from a trip to New Zealand where they did (among many other things) bungee jumping! As I was recovering from my shock of that mental image they went on to say how they were looking forward to visiting Antarctica! When asked why they were going there they said it was the only continent they hadn’t visited.
These two ladies were clearly enjoying themselves (unlike most of the rest of the audience) so I asked them how is it they were able to balance their work with such an active lifestyle. Their answer will stay with me forever: “We learned long ago that we work to live, not live to work.” Out of the mouths of very seasoned babes…
Plan Your Success In Just 5 Minutes Flat!
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Our industry continues to evolve into the space of “less agents doing more business”. There’s an interesting parallel you should notice: A very small percentage of agents have a written business plan they follow on a consistent basis.
Today’s consumer is looking for a relevant and competent business person, not just a real estate agent. To be in business the basic first step you must take is to have plan of action to realize your vision. Here is your chance to discover how to create a workable plan for your business faster than you thought possible. This Tuesday (4/20/10) from 7:00pm – 8:00pm EDT we are hosting top industry speaker and consultant Jon Cheplak as he delivers a no-cost (and nothing to buy) Webinar on “How to Create Your Killer Business Plan In 5 Minutes Flat!“. (CLICK HERE to register now —we expect a very full house…)
Here is what he will cover:
- The six critical steps to a successful business plan;
- How to benchmark your current business;
- How to analyze your current market for opportunities;
- How to develop strategies and tactics;
- How to implement your plan and measure results;
- And, how to automate much of the business planning process.
SPECIAL BONUS: Just for attending the event you will receive a FREE online automated business plan.
DATE & TIME: Tuesday April 20th, 2010 — 7:00pm – 8:00pm EDT
REGISTRATION: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/281829840
Jon Cheplak has 20 years in the business first as a highly successful agent, then growing and managing very large multi-office brokerages and now the CEO and founder of several ground-breaking companies that serve the real estate industry. He also happens to be a close friend and colleague of mine as well :0)
How to Step Back For Success
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
How often does it feel that the harder you push in business (and life for that matter) the harder it pushes back? It’s kind of like that cornstarch in water demonstration most of us have seen in school (or our kids school). You can drag your finger through the solution slowly and it provides no resistance at all. However, the instant you try to plow through it quickly the solution stiffens into a solid-like substance that creates impenetrable resistance.
There is a natural flow and pace to the things we do. Go too slow and we miss opportunity. Push too hard and it pushes back just as hard, exhausting us. The key is to figure out that ideal pace that produces maximum results with the minimum amount of effort.
Yeah, that sounds good, but most of us are pretty hard charging when it comes to business. After all, that’s what got us where we are, right? But what if “where we are” is just the beginning of “where we could be”. Sometimes us “hard-chargers” have to push so hard that we finally think that nothing is working and we’re just stuck. The moment we realize that is the moment we are finally open to real breakthrough…
The most effective work is not hard work. The most effective work is work that flows easily and naturally. Valuable results don’t come from stress and anxiety. Really valuable results come from authenticity and truth.
Imagine being relaxed and confident, not fighting against the challenges but instead allowing the best possibilities. Imagine the feeling of genuine fulfillment that comes when what you do is completely aligned with who you are.
Stop trying, and allow. Stop worrying, and be.
Ralph Marston
Next time you feel like you’re stuck no matter what you do, consider stepping back for a moment and just accept that simply pushing harder is not the solution. Then be open to the possibility that another direction will present itself that may get you farther than you even dreamed possible.
How to Flip Your Optimism Switch
Monday, April 12th, 2010
Have you ever underestimated the impact something had on you to the point where your jaw was hanging open? I have to confess, that just happened to me and it had to do with last Wednesday’s live keynote featuring Dr. Terry Paulson.
There was no doubt he would do a great job or that his message about optimism would be right on the mark. What I didn’t anticipate however, was the profound response from so many of you on how meaningful his message was. Quite frankly, that blew me away.
This powerful impact and response must stem from the fact that we are all living in a time of tremendous upheaval, change and uncertainty. Terry spoke about how optimism can make such a huge difference in our outlook and outcome during these challenging times. Yet, how does one suddenly turn on the “optimism switch”? Here are some thoughts that might help…
Do you want to really feel good? Then feel thankful. Do you wish to make a great impression? Then be appreciative. Would you like to empower your actions? Then live and think and act with an ever-present sense of gratitude.
Ralph Marston
So many people get it backwards. They wait for the right “feeling” before taking the corresponding action. When, in this life anyways, it is almost always requires taking the actions that will eventually create the feelings. And that includes optimism. If you don’t feel optimistic, just act (i.e. “act”ion) as if you did and soon the feelings and results will follow…
Breakdown / Breakthrough
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
Every day “good” and “bad” stuff happens to us. It’s inevitable and part of what it means to be human. Now consider this for a moment: what would your business and life be like if you didn’t label (i.e. identify as “good” or “bad”) everything that happens to you? Your experience of life would be very, very different indeed.
Labeling things as “good”, “bad” or something in-between is as natural as, well… survival. That’s because when we label things we have this (false) sense of knowing how to handle it or how it will affect us. The only problem here is that labels are not reality. A crisis that at first appears to be devastatingly “bad” in reality could be the shift that was necessary to open up whole new possibilities. There’s a neat expression for this, it’s called “Breakdown / Breakthrough”.
And likewise, something that at first blush is unquestionably positive (“good”) could in fact be a prison that holds you back from your true potential, or worse. Just take a look at the broken lives experienced by many Lotto winners for proof of this. The point is that labeling our circumstances or the people we meet is a form a judgment. And the whole purpose of judgment is to help us feel secure in knowing what’s what of everything and everyone around us. How ironic that judgment is the one thing that blinds us to what is real…
Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.
Wayne Dyer
Life happens. We can spend our time (and emotional energy) trying to identify what is “good” and “bad”, or avoid the trap of labeling and judging so real possibilities can reveal themselves.
Speaking of what’s real, don’t forget to register for a very special free LIVE video keynote by Dr. Terry Paulson who just wrote “The Optimism Advantage”. He is a world-class speaker (and past President of the National Speakers Association). Just CLICK HERE to register for this extraordinary live session on April 7th from 3:00pm – 4:00pm EDT. I guarantee your reality will grow exponentially by the time he finishes :0)
VA Saves 17 Year Old Real Estate Firm
Monday, January 18th, 2010I’ve been preaching (yes, preaching) about the benefits of using VA’s since the mid-1990’s. It seems to have taken a major down-turn for the industry to wake up to Virtual Outsourcing.
The following is an excerpt from an article posted on the National Association for the Self Employed Website. If you ever questioned whether VA’s are right for you, this should convince you…
Get More Bang for Your Labor Buck.
Independent Contractors Can Save You Time and Money
By Phillip M. Perry
For Laura MacDonald, running a successful real estate agency always meant maintaining a full-time staff. And why not? Her two office workers responded efficiently to a flood of housing inquiries from buyers and sellers.
Then the recession hit the real estate industry with the force of a freight train hitting a wall. Her profits threatened, MacDonald knew she had to do something to preserve the viability of her 17-year-old St. Louis-based firm. <continued…>
How to Have 90% of Your Business Come From Online
Sunday, January 17th, 2010
If you were to name the number one criteria for success in this business, what would it be? Talent, knowledge, connections or a combination of all three?
Given that most people in real estate sales barely make a living, perhaps a better question would be “What do most sales people fail to do?” And I can answer that in a heart beat, they fail to implement the ideas and strategies they already possess.
During last week’s Live Group Coaching session we had one of my very long-term and highly successful students, Douglas Newby share the secrets to his incredible online success. He went from doing practically nothing online to having it comprise 90% of his continually growing business.
If you listened carefully for the “theme” behind his success, it was his committed persistence to implement what he learns. Now imagine that, actually putting into practice new ideas —who would have thought…
A good idea is about ten percent and implementation and hard work, and luck is 90 percent.
Guy Kawasaki
In speaking to the industry for over 15 years I have found that perhaps 1% – 2% of sales associates in any training program fully implement what they learn. So what do the rest do? Well it seems that they are on a never ending quest to find the elusive “silver bullet” that will solve all their problems by simply writing a check. Good luck with that.
The good news is that the ability to consistently implement is a learned behavior. Which means that you can choose to use this sure-fire success strategy at any time. It’s simply a matter of making the choice and then, well… implementing it 
)
The Fire Marshall Said "No More!"
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
It was the last session on Friday afternoon at the NAR Convention in San Diego. I walked into a much bigger room than expected thinking “no way” this room is going to fill given the modest convention attendance and the beautiful afternoon soon-to-be weekend weather. Yet by the time I started speaking that venue was standing room only. In fact, the Fire Marshall prevented additional people cued outside the door from entering for safety reasons.
My speech was called “Convert Online Prospect with Email and Web Scripts“. Clearly this really resonated with the people at the convention. Yet what I find so funny is that I’ve been teaching these same principles to this industry for nearly 15 years! One could argue that old habits die hard (which is usually true), but I think there is something else going on here. You see, most sales professionals still prefer the visceral thrill of working with people face-to-face or on the phone, where they, not the consumer is in control. However if they try to apply those principles online, they will literally drive the online consumer away from them.
One of the more popular strategies I shared with them is my “Critical First Response Email Script” which has a proven track record (over many years) of instantly changing the relationship between the agent and the online prospect.
Now this is where it gets interesting. You see, Brad & Bobby Carroll of Dakno Marketing (good friends and colleagues of mine) were LiveStreaming my presentation to viewers all over the Net just using Brad’s laptop camera and microphone. Well, it turns out some of these folks really paid attention because it started a Twitter storm with one virtual attendee (who immediately put the email script to work) remarked:
“Please tell Michael that I used his sample letter (that you were kind enough to twitter post) to respond to a net inquiry. WOW! It worked!”
Joan
Everyone in the session had a great time (especially me ) and I loved seeing the enthusiasm from so many agents when so much of the industry is down in the dumps. This just goes to show that if you enter into something fully engaged and with no expectations, you can be pleasantly surprised.
What it Takes to Succeed in Business
Friday, October 30th, 2009Chances are you have heard of Godaddy.com. Either by reputation as the largest domain name registry or their racy commercials. Bob Parsons is the rather colorful owner / founder of Godaddy and he has some rather entertaining tips for business success (be sure to hit the play button when the video loads)…
Even if don’t like his commercials, you have to admit this guy has chutspah –which is one more business success tip I’d like to add…
