Did you realize that you are most creative at 10:04 pm? Another time that you are creative is in the shower? So, take a shower at 10:04 pm and let those creative juices start flowing.
And just so you do not forget those great thoughts, make sure that you take notes right away about your ideas.
I would have to agree and say my shower time is a very creative time for me. I do my best thinking in the shower. That’s probably why I take long showers.
On another note, did you realize that you are least creative at 4:32 pm? This must be the 80% (always goes back to the 80/20 rule) of people waiting for 5 o’clock to come so they can run out the door.
You do not need to change your lifestyle to give into the economy, you simply need to change your business plan to work more effectively in the current economy. Different market conditions equals the need to change your marketing tactics. You as a real estate agent, a sales person, an employee simply have to understand that we are in a MORE economy and as you and your family are use to a certain income, a certain lifestyle….unless you make changes now that income will lessen and you will have to stop many of the so called “Extra” things in your life.
The easiest way to explain is the 5 = 25 theory, which I came up with during my coaching and sales training over the last 4 months. You have to understand that there is still plenty of business out there you simply need to reach out to more people to attain your expected lifestyle. If in 2005 for every 5 prospects/clients you were working with turned into money that substantiated your income….currently now in 2008 you need a higher number to maintain that same income, so you may need 25 prospects/clients. Some of you may be on a 10 = 50 or a 25 = 100 situation. Regardless of the ratio you get the point that MORE IS NECESSARY. Means more leads, more marketing, more prospecting, more open houses, more networking, more calling your Sphere of Influence, more knocking on FSBOs doors, etc. Let us not forget your income potential is unlimited regardless of market conditions.
Do not allow the Economy to control you…..make sure you are always in control!!
Or should I say what are you NOT THINKING! I am just blown away by the amount real estate agents I am speaking to across this nation that are stopping their marketing efforts in the current MORE ECONOMY. That just makes absolutely no Common Sense unless you are getting out of real estate!?
It is absolutely imperative that you are dedicated to MORE continued marketing, proper/better follow up and additional coaching/education….now, more than ever! Let’s break it down: Interest rates are still at all time lows; FHA has lowered (yet again) the qualification requirements for buyers; There are different tax credits for first time home buyers; homes are still being bought and sold everyday. Everything around you is trying to make it as easy as possible for you to be successful in the current market however, so many of you are not seeing this as incredible opportunity instead you want to bury your head in the sand and wait for the storm to pass.
Those that fight properly through this storm will find incredible success. Many new millionaires will emerge from this current economy…..are you strong enough to be one of them?
Sales Person, Real Estate Agent, Janitor, Cashier, Doctor, Race Car Driver, Attorney, or whatever your career choice….you are the greatest! Or you at least need to think you are!
Daily affirmations to empower your mind in a positive direction will ultimately provide regular successes to build additional confidence for bigger challenges and in turn greater success. Your daily affirmations need to fall in line with your personal and business goals so that you go into each day with the proper mindset. If you are generally negative make it a point to look at the good side of everything, realize that every difficulty is actually opportunity and then hold yourself accountable that your mindset controls your outcome.
Try these general affirmations every morning in front of the mirror and regularly throughout your day as needed:
1. I will be successful!
2. I will NOT allow Negativity to control my destiny!
3. Only I Can Make It Happen!
Good luck with being the Greatest….after all if you do not believe it, nobody else will!!
Many of you will never climb Mount Everest or Scuba Dive along the great barrier reef. Most of you probably will not get your pilots license or ski the Alps (I have and it was awesome). A great number of you will not take the steps necessary to lose that extra 20+ pounds you are carrying around or go out and buy that sports car you have been dreaming about.
These and many other things are not going to happen in your life and not because you can’t do them but simply because you won’t. The won’t is because of you either simply do not want to do it or you simply do not believe you can do it. I am here to tell you that you can….but you gotta want it!!
Many of you will never make a six figure income in real estate or hit $500,000.00 in annual commissions….not because you can’t because you won’t. Most of you will not take the steps to put a solid real estate team and structure together with assistants and buyers agents…..not because you can’t, because you won’t. A great number of you will not take the steps necessary to ensure a strong real estate career by having enough leads/prospects at all times in your pipeline and utilizing a well structured follow up system….not because you can’t, because you won’t.
So, whatever your Mount Everest is make sure you are not climbing it because you absolutely do not want to and not because you think you can’t!!
I truly do not care what the “state of the market” is nor do I care what CNN dictates as a dismal future in the real estate market. What I do care about is the size of my Pipeline! I know that every day houses are being bought and sold!! I must get in contact with as many potential buyers and sellers as possible and putting them into my ProspectMaximizer (CRM) and following up with them through Phone Calls, Visits, Emails and Mailings until they buy, sell or refinance.
In this market I must be adding AT LEAST 4 new prospects to my pipeline for every 1 lost and making sure that they are followed up with automatically and physically so that I can guarantee my 4+ settlements every month. I must use Online Lead Generation as well as Traditional Methods of Lead Generation to ensure that I meet my goal of the biggest Pipeline around. I must tell myself that the only Bogus or Bad lead is the one I do not have and I will do everything in my power to get those leads into my pipeline. I will spend money on Increasing The Size of my Pipeline because I believe in my abilities to turn those leads into clients and then commissions. My pipeline can never be too big if I am using the proper CRM tool and I have the right team of people in place.
So please, do me a favor, make sure the size of your Pipeline measures up to the demands of your goals and your current market conditions so that you can have a long and happy real estate career.
Too many real estate agents (sales people) still do not get Lead Generation Follow Up yet so I am going to break it down into simple terms so that everyone can understand:
1) You get a lead;
2) You call (talk) the lead right away or leave a message and email the lead;
3) You discover what bits of information you are missing from the lead and you get the information through various obvious places (Google…duh!!);
4) You place all the leads information into your Contact Management (CRM) [Prospect Maximizer] system for regular and automated follow up;
5) You at no point concern yourself with the Leads time frame for doing business for that will allow you the opportunity to falsely accuse the lead of being invalid and since you are not going to only be in real estate for 6 months you can put a lead in your pipeline that has an 18 month window and know they will eventually be your client….trust your abilities and your follow up system;
6) You follow the contact management structure you have established for the lead which includes calling, visiting, emailing, mailing, etc.;
7) You continue following up with the lead until they become a client at which point you can stop referring to them as a lead;
You are struggling, you are allowing situations to control your paycheck, you are trying to blame others for your troubles and you are considering getting out of sales and getting into something with a steady paycheck but limited income. If no one has “The Balls” to tell you the truth then I will….THE PROBLEM IS YOU! Now you can choose to get all upset which will make your struggles even worse or you can choose to listen and do something about it!! The solution is simple stop being trapped in the box that is handcuffing your success and start being creative with your actions and “Think Outside The Box” for success beyond imagination.
You are in sales and you control your own destiny but you struggle from time to time because you are not thinking past traditional means. Here are just a few creative ways to get your creative juices flowing:
-REFERRAL TREE: Instead of just calling your sphere of influence to touch base call them to give you 2 names of people that you can introduce yourself and proceed to do so. Those become warm calls.
-GIFT CARDS: The gift card is perfect anytime, not only after you complete a sale. Get a bunch of $5 Gift Cards to Starbucks and get them to your most stubborn prospects with a note that says “I want you to be fully awake when we finally get a chance to meet…..Does Wednesday at 4:00 or Thursday at 11:00 work best for you?”
-MAIL THEM A SHOE OR A FOOT: Easy now….do not cut your foot off!! If you can get your hands on some old Manequin feet or better yet just get some slightly used shoes at Goodwill and put one in a box and send it signature required with a note “Now that I have my foot in the door, please let me know when would be a good time for the rest of me to join it?”
-SEND A SINGING TELEGRAM: Send a singing telegram with a song that details exactly what you are selling, why you are great and when you want to meet with them.
-SEND A CARD: Not to the prospect, but to the prospects spouse or significant other asking: “Hello….would you mind having (name) call me when they get home, for some reason (he/she) is not getting my calls at their office and I am trying to schedule a meeting with them in the next week.
I know some of you are saying that wow these things are very Corny and my reputation is more important than doing things like that. I will look you straight in the eyes and tell you that if you are not going to use every creative effort imaginable to make sure that your income is always in excess of $150K++++ every year can you please step aside so that the good sales people can get through and maintain their reputation….THANK YOU.
Part of your job as a real estate professional is to educate your clients and prospects on every aspect of real estate. You have to assume they do not know anything about real estate, because actually most of them know very little. You may actually find yourself repeating the same thing over and over again…but this is how most people learn.
You cannot assume that your contacts are going to understand how a Realtor gets paid and that you do not get paid unless a home sells and that is the reason why you enter into a Buyer Agency contract before showing homes. They need to understand how imperative it is that they have a Mortgage Pre-Approval in place before you go and look at homes because it is not fair (to anyone) to show them homes they cannot afford. They need to be educated that it is not our job to show homes to someone that is not willing to work with us, in fact a Realtors job is to provide the absolute best service possible and it is tough to do that without the client being committed.
You must educate “Potential” clients as well. You must hold “State of the Market” educational seminars where you teach people the facts about the real estate market as it truly is, not what the Media over dramatizes for entertainment purposes. You must teach people how it is a buyers market and how interest rates are still incredible.
The moment you got your real estate license you became an Educator with the sole purpose of teaching (sales) the public all about real estate so that you have more leads than you know what to do with.
