Posts Tagged ‘Michael Russer’
Mid-Life Crisis vs. Mid-Life Transformation
Saturday, February 4th, 2012
If you are anywhere between 40 and 60 years old chances are you have experienced something generally referred to (and depicted in uncountable comedies) as a “mid-life crisis”. Most think of this in terms of a mortality-awareness panic attack. For some it certainly is that and no more. There are others however that use that awareness as a jumping off point for a major reset in their life. We all come to terms with our own mortality and failures to achieve what we thought we would by a certain age. What we do about it can literally affect how you live the rest of your life.
Never Waste a Good Crisis
A mid-life crisis, as the name suggests, is a fear-based reaction to the sudden acute awareness of one’s limited life span and failures to achieve goals and dreams. And any time you react based upon fear, the result is usually not good. A person going through a mid-life crisis will typically try to assuage their fears (or dull their awareness of them) by looking to external things. A new lover / spouse, hot new car, etc. with great mis-guided concern about what others think of them. Unfortunately this approach never works because it is the opposite of acceptance of what is. And until one reaches that acceptance they will never find true peace. Quite often, once the manic phase of a mid-life crisis burns out, the person reverts to “settling” for their current life situation. Not a very inspired way to live the rest of one’s life. By the way, “settling” and “acceptance” are worlds apart.
A mid-life transformation starts out the same way –a sudden realization that a) life is short (and getting shorter by the day), and b) you are not happy with your current state of affairs. Those who use this new-found awareness as a jumping off point for true transformation react quite differently from those is “crisis” mode. There is no panic or fear-based reaction. The first thing that happens is true acceptance of what is, then a deep inquiry as to what can be.
A mid-life transformation is an inside job, internally focused. There is little concern about what others think –a good thing because many people going through true transformation tend to lose many of their “friends” who are threatened by the “new you”. A mid-life transformation is about assessing (and being grateful for) all the skills and experience you have acquired so far and re-purposing them to design and live the life you want. A mid-life transformation is not about acquiring anything, it is about releasing what was always inside of you that was afraid to come out all those previous years.
There is something far worse than a mid-life crisis however. And that is being so dead inside that you never have one. Millions of otherwise hardworking, decent law-abiding people exist with barely a flicker of life. They go through the motions, smile when appropriate, tip the waiter, say hi to the mailman and hang out with friends whose lives are as dead as theirs. These are people who are so afraid of who they really are and the possibility of their own greatness that they bury any glimpse of that awareness. They’re born, they live, they die and all they have to show for it is a little 2″ dash between dates on their tombstone. These are people who live complaining about what is and die with nothing but regrets.
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.
~~Henry David Thoreau
So if you had (or are about to have) a mid-life crisis –celebrate! It means you are still alive and a bit more aware. Now the trick is to turn that awareness into an opportunity to transform your life from the inside out. Take full responsibility and go for everything you are worth until your last breath. Do that and I guarantee you will live life fully and have no regrets at the end of this journey.
Do Your Online Marketing Efforts Inspire Trust in Your Brand?
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
Trust is imperative to the success of any business, and real estate is no exception. After all, people hire you to help them buy or sell their homes because they trust that you have the experience, knowledge, work ethic and integrity to do so. If you lose trust in your brand, then you lose business, and if you lose business, then let’s just say it: you’re out of business.
Part of our job as real estate virtual assistants is to help you implement more marketing efforts that will help you build your business. The main reason that we are successful at doing this virtually, not on-site, for all of our clients is because they trust us. They rely on us to guide them in the right direction, make suggestions that will benefit their business and get the job done to their standards. We’ve built and maintained that trust, and we advise our clients to utilize the resources available to them to build that too. This is one area that social media maintenance and blogging can actually really benefit your business.
Since social media is a platform in which your community can interact with you and ask questions, you can really utilize it to build trust in your brand. If you look like you’re taking the time to answer everyone’s questions, interact with your network and consistently post valuable information, then people will realize that you are a true expert in your field and you can be trusted to get the job done. Blogging demonstrates how knowledgeable you are about your field and showcases your involvement in your community, as well. If people who are looking for a real estate agent come across this, they will see that you are a trusted resource and that they can rely on you to help them through their real estate transaction.
These two marketing efforts will only help you build up trust in your brand, if you utilize them correctly. If you do them the wrong way, they can actually detract from your brand and make people question you. Here are a few ways that you can ensure that your online presence is building your brand’s trust instead of hindering it.
• Please check your work. As a writer, I can’t tell you how crazy it makes me when I see agents posting things on Facebook or their blog with a bunch of spelling and obvious grammatical errors. Sure, people make the occasional typo, but if your work is filled with spelling and grammar mistakes, it makes you look a lot less professional. Take the time to spell check, and your presence could start looking more credible and impressive to people who come across it.
• Answer questions and respond to feedback in a timely fashion. If someone posts a negative review of you on your Facebook wall or asks you a bunch of questions, don’t just ignore them. Take the time to address it in a professional, non-threatening manner. Answering questions does not mean that you have to plug your services. Answer their question as if they were just a friend asking for advice. Similarly, if someone posts a criticism or negative review of your services, then address it, but do so respectfully and if need be, apologetically. People will see that you do care about your clients, and they will respond well to that. After all, nobody has a perfect track record with clients, and it’s how you handle the negative things that show your true strength as an agent.
• Consistency is key. If you’re going to utilize online marketing as a way to build trust in your brand, then you need to be willing to commit to it. Communicating with your network as frequently as possible will show just how much you value your online network and their input. When customers feel valued, they feel that they can trust that you will do everything you can to make them happy in a business transaction. We know that posting to social media and blogging every day is a large investment of your time, but if you take the time to build the following, you will see how much it actually contributes to the trust people put in to your brand.
In today’s world, before people hire services of any kind, they hop online and look up the business or person they want to hire. Having an active online presence will publicly demonstrate that people value in your brand, and that will make others trust you, too. Your real estate virtual assistant can help you build your brand from the ground up, and they can also get people to respond and trust your brand through your online marketing efforts. After all, if there is one thing that you should want people to associate with your business, it is trust and honesty, right?
Take some time to think about it. Have a great day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
A Positive Outlook for 2012!
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Whether people are just tired of moping about the economic downturn of the past few years or they’re sensing true change, it seems there’s an overarching sense of positivity for 2012… and that’s exciting! Of course just thinking positively is not a magical formula for boosting the economy, but it’s the actions that spring from a positive outlook that are agents of change.
A survey from The National Federation of Independent Business this past December noted that small business owners confidence in the economy had risen for the fourth month in a row. This positive momentum is just the thing needed leading into a new year with a clean slate and endless possibilities!
As a real estate agent, you are at the forefront of one of the economy’s greatest indicator of change; the real estate market. You’ve seen first hand the market ebb and flow and are probably the first to talk about positive changes that occur. You understand the importance of keeping that favorable outlook as you lead buyers and sellers through the real estate market.
So, how can you capitalize on this optimistic trend for the new year? Below are three ways as noted by Entrepreneur.com to which I’ve added a few real estate specific examples. Take a look!
1. Up your marketing spend. Money invested in marketing now should pay off in more new clients as the economy improves.
As you boost your marketing, you become more familiar and trustworthy within your community. When buyers and sellers do jump into the real estate market as the market continues to improve; you’ll be on the top of their list! You’ve taken the time to become that trusted resource for them and, consequently, you’ll see that return on investment many times over.
2. Consider a hire. It’s a great time to snap up talented applicants.
This is true for expanding your business to include additional real estate agents for your team, but is also true for all of your daily tasks as well. By hiring a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, you can “have a marketing team at your fingertips, not in your office” which means you’re not paying for additional overhead. As your virtual assistants, we’re here when you need us, which frees you up to decide when you need the extra help!
3. Move in a new direction. If you’ve been holding off on a new business initiative, now is the time to put it in gear. Get a jump on the competition before everybody catches on to the upswing.
Whether it’s boosting your marketing, creating a personalized listing presentation, revamping your website, tackling video marketing or starting your real estate blog; now is the time to embark on a new endeavor!
These three tips give you the practical steps to begin to turn your positive outlook into an agent of change! Keep the momentum for this new year going by capitalizing on this approach to 2012.
Your real estate virtual assistant is here to help you implement new initiatives for your business or to take on those daily tasks that keep holding you back.
Have a great day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
How to “Make” Things Happen Effortlessly
Saturday, January 21st, 2012
Anyone in business for any length of time is used to “making” things happen. Trouble is we typically struggle, sometime mightily, in our efforts to do so. There is a way to allow things to happen with little or no effort or struggle. And here is why it is so much better than brute force.
“Making” things happen is a very western way of thinking that resides firmly in the ego. In essence, when you try to make things happen, this is what you are really saying about how it will get done:
- In my way
- Within my time schedule
- Using my resources
- Under my control
“Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead –ram anybody or anything that gets in our way!” Are you beginning to see the problem here? Especially when others are all taking the same approach. Everyone struggles and he/she who struggles most/best wins –that is if you call being exhausted, uptight and frustrated most of the time “winning”.
There is another way that is so powerful you may be tempted to think that it is just too simple to ever work. It’s called “creating a space” for things to happen. Instead of fighting for every inch, go with the natural flow of things. Open up the space of possibility for what you want to happen. Now for you to successfully employ this method and enjoy all of its benefits (relaxed effortlessness, serendipity, greater outcomes than what you intended, etc.) there is a few things you need to let go of.
First is the illusion that you have control over anything other than your own choices. Anything else is just part of the mystery and wonder of life. Secondly (and this is REALLY important) let go of any attachments to the outcomes. This means being dispassionate about whether or not you achieve your objectives no matter how badly you want them. When you marry strong intention (i.e. what you want) with letting go of the need for control and not being attached to outcomes you have by definition created a space for your intentions to happen. This is a powerful space in which miracles occur effortlessly and often bigger and better than you intended. They may not happen in the way you intended, on your time schedule, or through your resources, yet they will happen never-the-less.
This doesn’t mean sitting back waiting for things to happen –not at all. It means taking the steps with full commitment you deem necessary for fruition, yet being open to any possibility that may result from your efforts. By the way, this approach is even more powerful in relationships. When’s the last time you tried to “make” a relationship happen? (and how did that work for you?) In this context making a space for a desired relationship means showing up fully for the other person yet not being attached to whether or not they respond in the way you wish.
There is a corollary to this principle that basically states that the more you try to make things happen, the less space you create to allow them to occur with little or no effort and the more fear is pushing you away from what really works. There is no valor in struggle when there is an easier, more natural way.
The next time you feel tempted to swim upstream just ask yourself how tired do you really want to be when you finally get to where you want to go –only to be taken down stream once again anyway. Fight life or flow with it –it’s your choice.
Have You Mastered the Blogging Basics?
Friday, January 20th, 2012
Search-engine optimization. Who knew that these three little words could become so important to successful online marketing? Many real estate agents spend several hours obsessing over how they can give themselves the most SEO possible so that they can achieve the ultimate dream: landing on page 1 of Google. As real estate virtual assistants, we completely understand the importance of having a strong, SEO-friendly online presence. After all, several of our clients come to us because they have found us on Google, but our secret wasn’t hiring an expensive SEO company or having search engine superpowers. Our secret can be summed up in one word: blogging.
Yes, blogging is the key to boosting your SEO! Before you scratch your head in confusion, take a second to think about it. Google loves two things:
1. Custom-written content
2. Content that is full of keywords (that people commonly type in to the Google search engine box) that are linked back to relevant pages on your website.
Blogging takes care of both of these things. You or your real estate virtual assistant can write custom-written, informative content that your community will enjoy reading that also features important keywords that people in your area use when searching for a real estate agent. Many agents have a blog, but they don’t really take advantage of all of the benefits that this marketing tool can offer. We thought that we’d take a few minutes to remind you of what you should be doing when you’re blogging. If you follow this advice, we’re certain that you’ll start to see yourself move up the SEO ladder.
• Make sure that all of your content is custom-written. Several real estate agents hire companies that will post blogs for them, but instead of these blog posts being custom-written, they are one article that is blasted out to several other agents’ blogs at the same time. While the content may be interesting, this approach will not boost your SEO. Google places content that is custom-written above that which has been copied and pasted to several areas on the web. If you’re going to blog, take the time to write your own articles, or find a real estate virtual assistant to write them for you!
• Blog consistently. Posting one time every two months is not going to help you get to page one of Google. The more often you submit custom content to your blog, the more Google recognizes your site as having new information, and they will place your site above ones that haven’t been update in awhile. This doesn’t mean that you have to blog every single day, but posting an interesting article that you wrote yourself once or twice per week will be enough to get yourself moving up in the search engines much faster.
• Use keywords and hyperlinks throughout each post. While you want each blog to be readable and not have keywords placed randomly throughout each post, it is important to use keywords often. You want each keyword to be something that people type in to the search engine box when they look for a real estate agent. For example, if you’re in Boston, you will likely want to use “Boston real estate”, “Boston real estate agent”, “Boston homes” and “Boston condos” as keywords throughout each post. You would then link each of these keywords in your blog back to various aspects of your online presence. This is perhaps the most important part of blogging, as it’s how you start seeing your SEO improve. If you’re blogging and not using keywords or hyperlinks, then you’re not seeing any SEO benefits from your blog. This is an important step, so find ways to integrate your keywords into each post!
• Have fun! This is an important step, too! Blogging gives you a platform to show off your personality on your website and have a little fun. Sure, you want to come off as professional and informative, but you’ll also want to have an approachable, interesting voice that will leave people wanting to come back and read more of what you have to say. Don’t be afraid to switch up your posts a little and try some new things. It will give you more traffic, and you’ll find that people will enjoy your blog posts!
Remember: if you want some organic, easy-to-get Google juice, the answer is blogging. There are so many benefits to implementing this in your online marketing, so we hope that you will all start to take advantage of it!
Have a great day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
The Quickest Path to Getting What You Want
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
If you are in business, then almost by definition you are goal driven (otherwise you won’t be in business for long). Goals are important as they give us direction and purpose for our energies. Their size and whether we achieve them or not is a fundamental measure of our progress, growth and success. Yet it is how we react when we don’t achieve them that determines just how successful we ultimately become.
Anytime we work on achieving a goal, we are acutely aware that there two possible outcomes: we either achieve it or we don’t. And for most people, the more intensely committed we are to achieving our goal the sweeter the taste of victory when we do, and likewise, the more bitter taste of defeat when we don’t. As a result, the greater the effort and commitment expended, the more we tend to become attached to tasting the sweet and avoiding the bitter. This approach makes achieving big goals a rather tense affair, even to the point to where we don’t bother because we can’t stand the possibility of not achieving them.
Now what if we took an entirely different approach to achieving any goal or objective, no matter how big. Imagine for a moment being totally and completely committed to achieving a big goal where you are giving it everything you got. And, (this is the important part) not being attached to the outcome. In other words, you truly become indifferent to the whether your goal is realized or not. Kind of makes your head hurt doesn’t it.
Being totally committed to every endeavor without being attached to the results of your efforts is one of the most powerful secrets to true and lasting success. Here’s why:
- You have more energy available to achieve your goal – that’s because you don’t waste any of it on worrying about what will happen if you don’t achieve it;
- You have more creative resources to achieve your goal – being unattached puts you in the present moment like nothing else. No longer are you concerned about the future. This empowers you to focus on the “right now” which is where any goal is ultimately achieved. Also, being in the present allows you to access other creative possibilities that you may not have considered if worrying about the future outcome.
- Failure becomes a stepping stone to success – not a gauntlet of self-doubt and incrimination to be avoided at all costs.
- It’s a lot more fun! – when you are in the moment working on something important without worry of the ultimate outcome you will simply enjoy your efforts that much more.
A straight line from point A to point B is rarely the quickest path. We often run into many detours, road blocks and alternative routes that at first seem to take us further away from where we want to go. Yet these are all part of any process to achieve anything worthwhile. How you react to these unexpected twists and turns and whether you choose to treat them like the adventure they are, or barriers to your progress will ultimately determine how fast and often you reach your goals.
Commitment without attachment to outcome is a skill that can be developed. Start practicing with small goals first just to see the relief it give you. Then work up to the big ones –your life will never be the same.
2 Cutting Edge Tools for 2012!
Friday, January 13th, 2012Each year, new innovative tools come on the market, and 2012 is no different! Although it can seem nearly impossible to keep up with the latest and greatest thing out there, it’s worth it if you find something you know you’ll use all the time.
As a team of Real Estate Virtual Assistants, we enjoy being your eyes and ears for the latest in marketing and technology. Our goal is to help make your life easier. Below are a few new gadgets that may spark your interest. Take a look!
Cutting Edge Video
Product: Dot
Company: Kogeto
Description: A 360 degree camera for the iPhone 4 and 4s
Imagine taking panoramic, high resolution videos of your latest listing and sharing them instantaneously on Facebook and Twitter… Dot makes this a reality! This attachment easily snaps on to your iPhone 4 or 4s and, with brilliant quality imaging and two microphones to capture audio, you’ll create stunning videos with ease.
As real estate agents, you can seamlessly amp up your marketing with quality videos of your listings, your community or any up to the minute real estate advice you want to share. Dot comes with Kogeto’s free Looker app as well as Dotspots web service which allows you to share videos in real time on Facebook, Twitter and even over email.
Dot will be making its way to Apple stores soon, or you can order yours now and learn more on the Kogeto website.
Cutting Edge Presentation
Product: (Still in the works)
Company: Mezmerize Inc.
Description: A projector that’s small enough to embed in a mobile phone
Although this product is still in the works, we thought we’d let you in on this innovative commodity that should be hitting the market sometime this year. The goal is that this product will allow you to project images and videos from your mobile phone onto any surface!
Think of those times you’ve bumped into a past client who’s looking for a new home and you don’t have your laptop with you or you awkwardly try to scroll through pictures of your latest listing on your phone. With this tool, you can easily show off the photos or even video of your new listing right from your phone by projecting them onto a table, wall or even the ground!
This is an impressive, fun and convenient tool that’s sure to wow clients. Be sure to check out more information on Mezmerize Inc.’s website.
We hope this sneak peek at some of the latest technological tools has sparked some interest in how you can more effectively reach your past, current and potential clients this year!
If you’re looking for more ideas and ways to build your business in 2012, your real estate virtual assistant can help!
Have a great day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
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Retarget Site Visitors to Maximize Lead Conversion
Sunday, January 8th, 2012
You do a lot of work to drive traffic to your website. Blogging, social media, SEO optimization, pay per click ads, postcard campaigns, drip messaging… It’s overwhelming and probably costs you a fair chunk of your income. Yet for all that, how many visitors land on your site once and for whatever reason, never come back? Well, now there is a way where you can follow up with your site visitors to remind them of your services, and even qualify those leads as you do so! The amazing thing is it’s very easy to do and costs far less than you think…
How Retargeting Works
Humans are creatures of habit. We seek information using certain guidelines or parameters. And, when there is something we are interested or curious in, we tend to notice things that relate to that item more readily. So, let’s say you are considering buying a house, you will search for information on the internet using some term like “buying a home in ______” (fill in the blank with a geographic location). You get a list of real estate websites, and will probably click on the first 3 or 4 before wondering what other resources you can find and try a different search, perhaps ending up on say, Realtor.com.
Now, consider this… You are starting to search around there, when you see an ad offering a custom luxury tour of a neighborhood you were just considering, or perhaps the ability to get greater details on a house you were interested in. Coincidence? Nope! Retargeting.
Because of your cookies, search engines can track every single place you visit on the internet. Google also has a vast network of advertisers, and they only get paid when someone clicks on one of those ads. So by combining these two pieces of information, Google has the ability to present specific ads to select people who have already shown an interest in that particular service or product, thus increase the likelihood the audience will click through.
You can leverage this for your site and business by developing targeted ads presenting tempting offers to entice the lead to return and engage with you.
Implementing a Retargeting Campaign
Firstly, you need to understand there are two different ways you can garner an audience for retargeting. The strongest by far is building your own list – which happens over time as people visit your site and are naturally tracked by their cookies – because you will already know that not only are they interested in real estate, but possibility even what specific kind of real estate. The second way is to use a “preset audience” which goes by established preferences based on browsing history, for example internet users who like horses, in a certain geographic region, and expressed an interest in real estate. This second method is not quite as accurate as the first, but allows you to get started right away.
Next step is to develop your ads. You must have a variety of them, because think about it… If you see the same thing getting shoved in your face over and over, are you really going to say yes the 10th time you see it when you’ve already said no 9 times before? Don’t think so! A templated ad builder is available, or you can have a designer customize and upload them. By the way, ever notice that ads are different sizes at different places on web pages? Some are a banner across the page, some a little box to the corner, some long up and down the side. You will need to have your ads created in all these sizes because Google will select ones that fit the available space.
You can control all aspects of your ads including budget, number of impressions, termination point, etc. You can set your ads to display according to certain keywords, or even specific websites. You can even control what they see when they get to your site, which means you can drop them right in the entrance to your click funnel. For example, here is Progressive Insurance’s general site at www.progressive.com:
Obviously, you see navigation, multiple offers, all kinds of access to all kinds of information. Now, look at what we get after clicking on a retargeted ad:
No navigation, no offers. One purpose, and one purpose only – follow the three easy steps. Note also that the box she is holding says “Auto” on it, because I searched using the keywords “car insurance.” I repeated this exercise using “house insurance”, and in the image she was holding two stacked boxes, you guessed it – one labeled “Homeowners” and the second “Auto.” So you can very simply drop your retargeted lead directly on the landing page for the offer you present, don’t make them think about it.
After launching, you will want the ads to run a couple of months until you saturate your market, then swap them out. It can still be the same offer, mind you – just a different way of presenting it. For example, you may start out with an ad offering a “No Committment CMA,” then go to “See Recent Sales in Your Neighborhood,” then swap to “Check Out Detailed Market Data.”
How Much Does Retargeting Cost?
So, I’m telling you that you can follow up with warm leads on a consistent basis over a long period of time with a single effort of setting up a couple ads. You’re saying, this has got to be yet another major expense to undertake, right? Actually, it costs less than standard pay per click.
To determine the cost of an ad, you have to balance out the per click payment versus its quality score. On the basic level, Google determines the quality score by the number of times a given ad is displayed (an impression) and the number of people who respond to it. If the ad has too low of a quality score, Google will shut it down because the ad is not making money. On the other hand, if you are getting people clicking through but still not engaging, it is not worth any money you are paying and you need to revise the ad.
Now, let’s look at a return on investment. Studies show it takes an average of 7 touches for someone to engage with a site. If you are paying $4 per click to get a visitor to your site using pay per click, but out of 100 visitors only 2 engage, that’s $392 lost. Now, if you can pay a fraction of that to retarget those other 98 visitors over a period of weeks or months, you vastly increase your exposure and the chances of those warm leads returning, thereby increasing your return on the initial investment.
In the end, retargeting comes out less expensive than standard pay per click. PPC is triggered by keyword searches, which although gives you a “best guess” does not necessarily identify any specific need. On the other hand, retargeting is based in the actual content the user elects to view, which is a far more accurate gauge. So Google charges less based on the likelihood being much higher of someone clicking on a retargeted ad versus a generalized pay per click ad.
Best Practices for Successful Retargeted Ads
As always, there are a few guidelines you should follow when creating and launching your campaign:
- Make sure your ad shows on related sites. A guy shopping for lingerie for his wife on Victoria’s Secret is NOT thinking about real estate. Do not waste your time and money displaying your ad to him. Be sure your keywords are specific enough that only sites related to real estate are used.
- Don’t make it easy for your competition. Don’t show paid ads on your blog or site. You cannot control what ads Google shows on your site, and it would be mighty embarrassing to have a competitor stealing your leads.
- Follow good marketing practices. As always, your ads should focus on benefits first and foremost, have big headlines and a strong call to action.
- Give ‘em what they want. Few things are more frustrating to a visitor than having to search for the promised information. If your ad offers a specific product or service, make sure the link takes them directly there, not to your home page landing. The whole point of this is to channel them into your click funnel.
Although some companies have been using retargeting for quite some time, it is becoming more and more prevalent. To find out more about actually implementing retargeting, you can go here: http://www.google.com/ads/innovations/remarketing.html
When used strategically and judiciously – there is a huge difference between retargeting and cyberstalking – this long-term method of marketing to potential online clients has shown itself to have tremendous success.
NOTE: Mr. Internet®, RUSSER Communications, its staff and officers receive no compensation whatsoever from any third party vendors (unless he/they are directly involved with the creation and/or improvement of a vendor service or product), and make no recommendations as to the suitability of the products or services mentioned in this article. Always thoroughly investigate any product or service before trying or purchasing.
Mr. Internet is the alter-ego of Michael J. Russer, an internationally recognized Internet speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry. He’s dedicated to helping real estate professionals leverage their people skills into profit on the Internet. Send your Internet questions to help@askmrinternet.com or you can visit his Website at http://www.OnlineDominance.com and Facebook page at Facebook.com/OnlineDominance
This article is reprinted in its entirety from the December 2011 issue of REALTOR® Magazine by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright © 2011. All Rights Reserved other than mentioned above. Mr. Internet® is a registered trademark of RUSSER Communications.
One Question That Will Transform Your Life and Business
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
I recently learned something powerful from my good friend and fellow coach Bob Corcoran. He always asks his coaching students (and himself) a simple yet profound question, that when answered truthfully, almost always transforms their business and life.
“What are your mooring lines?” In other words, what is holding you back from being the very best you can be. The reason this question is so powerful is that it puts the responsibility of our life and business success squarely on our shoulders and no longer allows us to blame others.
As you know, mooring lines are the things that prevent hot-air balloons from rising, planes from taking off and ships sailing away. In just the same way, they are the things that prevent us from soaring, from truly living life fully, from achieving our highest business success. Mooring lines are unique to each person. No two people have the exact same ones.
There are many different types of mooring lines. See if any of these ring true for you:
- Limiting Beliefs – seeing your world as “small” so you feel safe in being small. Not accepting possibilities that are right in front of your nose for all kinds of “because” your mind will throw your way. You were designed to live and work large and this mooring line will prevent you from doing that.
- People and Relationships – chances are you have existing relationships that are absolutely holding you back. These creatures can take the form of “energy vampires” (where you feel exhausted just being around them), “complainers and nay-sayers” (who quickly throw a wet blanket on any attempt to change for the better) and “green monsters” (who outwardly applaud your successes yet inwardly seethe with envy). These mooring lines can be hard to cut because our society puts such a high value on relationships (as it should). Yet here’s the thing, when you cut these lines it frees you up to find new relationships that support rather than constrain.
- Negative Emotions – anger, frustration, etc. (to name a few) can all be powerful mooring lines because they take up so much of our energy and time. The way to cut these lines is learning to become “unattached” to outcomes. The fine skill of being totally committed to something yet unattached as to whether you achieve it or not is one of the most powerful you can have for both business and life.
- Lack of Gratitude – seeing the glass as half-empty vs. half-full holds you back from seeing unbelievable possibilities. Now imagine how different your life and business would be if you saw everything that happens to you, no matter how devastating, as a blessing in disguise.
- Being Shut Down – sometimes the pain of life is so unbearable we shut our heart down to avoid feeling it anymore. The problem is that you don’t feel anything else anymore as well. The way to cut this mooring line is to imagine your heart being open, even in painful or threatening situations (which admittedly takes lots of practice). And once you let this line go, you are free to accept the most powerful gift life can offer us, love.
You may be wondering why “Fear” was not part of that list. Actually, the very strands of every mooring line are woven with the fiber of fear. Behind each one is fear when you really get down to it. It just shows up in different forms.
Now here’s the best news. No one but you is holding on to your mooring lines. You have the free will, the choice, to let each and every one of them go. Will it be easy? Most likely not. Will it be worth it? You already know the answer.
The Secret to Successful Relationships
Monday, December 12th, 2011
Ever have the words, “Sure, no problem!” get extended to “…but you’ll pay for it!” When you meet someone for the first time, there’s a little process everyone goes through of assessing the other person and how you will relate to each other. If both parties are up front and honest in that process, you end up with a strong relationship, be it personal or professional. If not though, watch out! That’s when people can surprise you and end up costing you way more than you expected, whether through personal emotions, or money and time invested.
Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you’ll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others. — Benjamin Franklin
Every relationship starts out with potential and branches out from there. Sometimes those branches lead to an amazingly productive and positive outcome, which is what everyone desires. No one goes into a relationship hoping it will fail! Where the bough breaks is when your purposes for the relationship are not aligned. From there, a power struggle of sorts ensues as each individual tries their best to get something from the other.
When meeting new clients, agents have an introduction period where they get to know and understand their new prospect, and with enough experience this is generally sufficient for your purposes. But what if the client isn’t entirely up front? What if the person just wants to go window shopping – next thing you have over invested your time driving him around just to satisfy curiosity. Or, perhaps you are working with a couple who as it turns out are at odds in what they are looking for in a house! Sometimes these things don’t become apparent until after you are already invested in the client relationship.
An easy way to avoid this is to create a simple needs assessment (read this as “Real Estate Relationship Readiness Assessment”!). As part of your interview process, have the individual complete it, or in the case of a couple have both fill it out separately then compare. By doing so, you are managing expectations – yours and theirs. This will allow you to keep the relationship on a productive and positive course by serving both the immediate need as well as giving you insight into future desires, which increases your ability to serve the client.
The tough part is when you have to pull out of a relationship before getting over invested. And let’s face it, it’s going to happen in life more than once. Once you realize you and the other person are not aligned in purpose, it’s very difficult to back track. To do so would be changing either yourself or trying to change the other person to suit. And that’s never a good thing for anyone.
So, go into all your relationships openly and honestly to get the greatest success!
