If you're super excited by that answer then I have bad news.
Of course you CAN avoid lead generation on the phone, but you simply won't be a successful as you want to be.
Now, I understand how important having a web presence is. Quite frankly, its indispensable and my company is designing some systems to help agents manage and improve their on-line presence. But at the end of the day, its main function is to support your face-to-face and over-the-phone lead generation and prospecting.
For some reason, people look at the internet as magic bullet. The telephone was probably looked at the same way a hundred years ago right?
The internet is barely 20 years old. When the telephone was 20 years old do you think people gave up using letters? Of course not. And we still use letters today. Just because there is a new technology, even if it is really helpful, it does not mean you can avoid making phone calls and meeting people face-to-face.
Maybe in 40 or 50 years we will look at phone calls like we look at hand-written letters today. We probably will. The internet and whatever else comes along will be the centerpiece of our communication.
I recently asked our Director of Coaching Services, Michael Friedman, if he thought agents could rely more on the internet than on the phone. Watch the short video below to see his (unsurprising) response:
I like the point that Michael makes about "hope." A lot of what we do on-line might result in a conversation and in an opportunity to do business. We hope that it will, and sometimes it does. There's nothing wrong with that as long as you are also doing the things that will result in opportunities on a daily basis.
Don't you just feel more in control when its you picking up the phone to call someone?
That should be encouragement enough to not give it up just yet.
When you lay down to rest every night, do you dream of being an independent contractor? Or would you rather be the CEO of your own business?
That's a choice you have to make.
I'm going to do a series of upcoming posts that all hinge on you making the choice to think and act like a CEO, even if you are legally an independent contractor.
Why is it so important to make this distinction?
CEO's are 100% committed. They are always analyzing their business. They know their numbers. They spend their time only on incoming producing activities. They don't go to useless meetings. They master their time. They don't make excuses. They know where they have to improve. They give their all. They deserve to be rewarded.
Independent contractors are usually not 100% committed. They might be interested, but they are not committed to the level of the CEO. Because they are not 100% committed, they only some of the things the CEO does. And a lot of them don't do any of them. Therefore they are not rewarded.
The CEO is confident in his/her ability to say no! In fact, their job depends on it.
Michael Friedman, our Director of Coaching Services, and I discussed the differences between being a CEO and being an independent contractor in the video below. We reveal how we know if somebody is truly committed or not.
So, what are you? What would you rather be?
Do you see the fundamental difference in attitude it takes to be a CEO? If you have that attitude, are you taking action like a CEO does?
In my upcoming posts I'm going to give practical advice on how to follow income producing business principles, but if you are not committed, if you do not believe that you are the CEO of your own business, you will not apply these principles.
The choice is yours. I hope you'll join me in discovering what a "real estate CEO" does every day.
Lorraine is an agent in the South Western US who is fairly
new to the business.
She attended various training classes offered by her franchise and also the
local Board of REALTORS™ and she knows the material inside and out.
Quite frankly, Lorraine is a very bright woman.
She recently requested a GPS for Success coaching call and had lots of
questions.
The interesting thing about Lorraine was despite looking for answers, she
constantly remarked that, "I learned that in training", "I already know this"… etc.
I began to see a problem with Lorraine.
After 15 minutes of this dialogue I asked, "Why did you want this
call?"
She quietly replied, "I only sold 3 houses last year."
So clearly there was a major disconnect here.
Lorraine professed to "know it all" yet only closed 3 deals in a
year.
I told her part of the problem was, she is hearing my words but not really
listening to what I was saying. In order to continue the call this had to change.
She agreed and I began a new approach.
I pointed out that many firms, like hers, do not require agents to perform to a
set standard so there is no accountability. If she wanted to be successful in real estate, she
needed to regard herself as the CEO of her own company.
She needed to control her time.
She needed to control her lead generation.
She needed to know her numbers.
This was an "Aah Haa" moment for Lorraine. She finally understood
that training only shows agents what to do.
It didn't prepare her for running a business and putting the proper systems in
place to ensure her success.
As a first step, Lorraine signed up for the Success Tracker on our website to
help her understand her numbers.
Coaching would help remove the blocks that keep Lorraine from doing what she
was trained to do.
UPDATE:Fearless Living Tour™ with Dave Jenks and Laurie
Hathorn
March 25 & 26 – Vancouver, British Columbia
April 1 – Boston, Massachusetts
April 8 & 9 – Indianapolis, Indiana
Dates will be announced soon for the following locations:
New York, NY, Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, Miami, FL,
Orlando, FL, Nashville, TN,
Ottawa, Ontario, Seattle, WA, Phoenix, AZ, Cincinnati, OH, Las Vegas, NV
Are you ready to live a fearless life and build a fearless business?
A lot of
people write to us about how hard life has been. They recount stories of a
bad business climate, the strains it causes in relationships and drowning in
debt.
And the question people are asking is,when do the GOOD things start?
I'm about to tell you the answer. Now - full disclaimer and warning here
- you may not like my answer. But it's always been my style to tell the truth,
not what people want to hear.
OK.. So here goes:
A few years back, my friend Dale was going through some hard times both
personally and financially.
A mutual friend of ours recommended he try some type of bold
"outbound" excursion to motivate him… go west and do some rock
climbing.
Dale decided to take the challenge and started reading everything he could
about rock climbing to prepare.
When I saw him before he left, Dale was excited… almost cocky… about the
challenge.
"It'll be a breeze. I've read everything I could, I know exactly what I
need to do."
I saw Dale a few weeks later when he returned and I asked how it went.
A noticeably more humble Dale recounted an experience of being stuck on the
side of the rocks.
"I remember imagining I'd be spending the night on the side of that rock -
the humiliation in front of the group, the cold. I became paralyzed with fear.
How did I get stuck here? After some prodding by the instructor, I gingerly moved my foot up to
the next jut in the rock, which was almost invisible to me. Amazed that it held
me, I continued up. From that point on, each step became increasingly easier,
all the way to the top."
"You know John," he added, "I never considered that the climbing
would be tough for me... until that moment I got stuck."
So now, I'm going to answer the question. "When do the good things
start?"
As soon as
you are ready to change your mind.
It sounds simple and it is. Like I've said before, that does not mean it's
easy.
And this is the REAL goal of coaching.
People can read material, claim to be knowledgeable, however a coach helps you
apply it. But when you need to learn a new skill, all the reading in the world
won’t teach you the skill.
You have to learn by doing.
"When do the good things start?"Click the link below to get started today. http://bit.ly/free_call Thank you,
John Alexandrov
PS. Check out the videos from the session "6 Common Fears of Buyers and
Sellers" from our event in West Palm Beach.
As you know, I've just returned from our Client Appreciation
seminar in West Palm Beach.
I had the opportunity to speak privately with many of the agents who attended and some expressed concern over feelings of regret.
So let me ask you about what I heard...
Do you ever have the feeling that you were meant for greater success?
That you aren't living to your fullest potential?
Are you occasionally jealous of friends and colleagues who are getting ahead while you struggle?
Have you ever gone to sleep feeling stressed by a lack of listings or
closings...and awakened to the same feeling of anxiety?
When you look back on past years, do you regret not making certain decisions or letting some opportunities pass you by?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone.
These are the anxieties and concerns of intelligent people who expect more from life... and from themselves.
What happens with many agents and could-be top producers is that they try so hard to meet the many responsibilities they juggle that they never get to the things that will really improve their businesses.
It's not easy to get to the point where top agents are at. But it is simple.
Taking 5 steps to fulfilling your promises every day...Lead Generating every day...Lead follow-up every day. These are hard to do every single day with discipline, but they are simple to do if you practice and are committed right?
I talked about this at West Palm and you can see all of the videos from our first session here.
But take a look at those questions. You're answers will be the same as hundreds, if not thousands of other agents out there. Some of them take action to change...some go to bed and wake up every morning scared to death. Which one will you be?
PS - If you are a REALTOR or in a profession related to the real estate industry in Central Massachusetts, you are invited to a free seminar I am speaking at on February 8th at the WRAR in Auburn, MA. Click here to register. Space is limited.
New Year's is a unique holiday as it's the only
holiday that celebrates the passage of time.
Perhaps that's why, as the final seconds of the year ticked away, we became introspective.
We wondered: how did time get away from us?
Why did our hopes and dreams never materialize?
Inevitably, that introspection turns to thoughts of self-improvement and the annual ritual of making Resolutions.
We all do it. We swear to ourselves, "This is THE year" for
transforming our lives and fulfilling our goals.
We are determined to keep all the promises get more listings, to make more
money, work smarter - not harder... just fill in the blanks.
Statistically, over the next 3-4 weeks, millions of people from around the
world will ramp up their determination to make 2010 the best year of their lives.
After that 3-4 week period, most will give up.
The following is a creative exercise for you to think about how to surpass your potential in the New Year.
In 2010, I'm finally going to__________________________!
How would YOU fill in that blank?
Go ahead, take a minute and give it your best shot... I'll wait right here...
Now fast-forward to December 31st - New Years Eve, 2010. You're reflecting on the past year, jotting down a few notes in your journal.
"I've got a lot to be thankful for this year...
I sold ________________________ more homes last year.
"Because of that I...
I reduced my credit card debt by $_____________________.
I have increased my retirement fund by $_____________________.
I have exceeded my own expectations by_____________________.
I've started saving for a nice family vacation in ______________________.
So, what did YOU write down?
Well, this doesn't have to be just a fun little exercise. It can be something much better...
It can REALLY happen! Focus, discipline, and accountability are among the things that prevent people from achieving their promises.
One of the things I've started doing is creating a personalized spreadsheet for each one of my clients that helps them track their progress on both their business and personal promises on a weekly basis. Together we literally spend 5 or 10 minutes filling it and magically the focus, discipline, and accountability that used to prevent them from achieving their promises is gone.
If you would like to have one created for you, based on YOUR own promises, fill out the form on the side of this blog and you can speak to one of our coaches about creating one. Or join us at our free West Palm beach event where you can speak with a coach in person.
I was just in Chicago last week and the group we presented to were pumped about 2010, and rightly so. If you've survived 2009, or more importantly, if you've improved in 2009, be proud. It has been a really tough year, but if you've made the best of the situation you are set up for BIG success in 2010. However, don't make the mistake of expecting it to be easy or to "just happen."
As you know I like to keep things simple. If you can do these three things next year you will be ahead of 99% of the competition.
1. Keep doing the good things you did in 2009: Stay disciplined and do the 6 income producing activities every day
2. Eliminate the bad things you did in 2009: There are going to be more and more qualified buyers out there, so why continue to work with unqualified ones?
3. Improve on the good things you did and be great at them: We all did a lot of good things last year, but what if we were great at them? Identify a few areas which you can become great at...and do it.
In my last post I asked if you had incorporated the 6 income producing activities into your schedule. While you need to be doing those 6 activities every day, you also need to make sure your schedule is realistic. With our clients, we will encourage them to NOT put something on their schedule if they don't think it's realistic they will commit to it. I know some of you have things on your schedule that come up every day or every week that you ignore. If you are going to avoid it, then get it off there and replace it with something you will do.
Last but not least I want to post an email that I sent out to all our clients and friends last week. I hope you take some time to think about it going into the holiday's. Have a great rest of the week and cherish the time you spend with your family. - John Alexandrov, www.realestateinnercircle.net
Ok, it's time to bare my soul a bit. After last weeks
email about goals and promises,several of you asked how I came to use this process of "making
promises" in my coaching program.
Well, it's a very personal story and one that very few people know. It’s about
a promiseI made when I was 8 years old.
At that time, my mom was 8 months pregnant with my sister. One day my dad came
home andsaid, “I am leaving.” I remember standing in the living room and watching
my mom cry ashe just walked out the door.
He left us and never came back... no contact, no financial support, no love.
I didn’t know what to do. I was only 8 years old... what could I do?
Instinctively, I went to my mom, hugged her and told her I loved her. In all
honesty, I don’t knowwhere the next words came from but I looked my mom right in the eye and I
said...
“I promise everything will be all right. I’ll take care of you.”
I'm certain that I didn’t really know the power of what I had just said at that
point in time. However I did know that I had made a promise to my mom andI was going to keep that promise!
Some how, some way my mom, my sister and I held it together. We didn’t have
much and I couldoften see the fear and worry in her eyes.Sometimes
it was sheer terror.
As Christmas was approaching in 1971 (I was 13 years old) I could see my mom
was starting toworry even more. We had no money, we were living on welfare and she didn’t know where to turn.
It was then I thought back to the day my father had left and thepromise I had made to her.
The next day at school I asked my friend Kevin if I could take over his paper
route. Kevin couldn’tgive up his route however, there was one part of the route he hated because it was such a long walk…way over two miles from our neighborhood.
He said, “You can have the June Street route but there are a couple of things
you need to be aware of…you’ll have to get up at 5 am every morning to finish the route to get to school on time and you’ll haveto go out and collect your own money for the subscriptions every week at
night.”
So that’s what I did…5 am every morning and 7 pm twice a week.It was bitterly cold and it was always
dark.After 8 weeks I had saved $30.00. I had another $20.00 I made from raking
leaves and shoveling snow.
So one day before Christmas, I packed up my 4 year old sister and we took the
bus downtown to goChristmas shopping for my mom. We went to Woolworths’s and bought her an
electric can opener,a toaster, blender and an electric frying pan… a set that all matched.
Before we got to the bus stop to ride home, it had started to snow. It soon
began snowing so hard thebuses were running late. We sat at that bus stop for over an hour… and my sister started to cry.
When the bus finally came, it was snowing so hard I couldn’t even see out the
window. It waswarm on the bus though and my sister was safe. I had a hard time judging where
we were howeverI did recognize a few people on the bus that I thought lived near my neighborhood. So, when theygot off the bus... we did too.
As the bus disappeared into the blizzard, I realized I had gotten off at the
wrong stop.
My 4 year old sister and I were still over a mile from home and we couldn’t see
more then 20 feet in front of us.She started crying again and the snow was up over her knees. On top of that, I
had the bag full of gifts andit was heavy.
In that moment I once again remembered the promise I had made to my mom. So I
picked my sister upin one arm and carried the gifts in the other. We fell down twice and the bag holding the gifts broke.
I was so worried about my sister I couldn’t stop crying, yet somehow we kept
going. An hour and a halflater, we made it home.
Just before we walked in the house I pulled it together, stopped crying and
pretended to my mom that itwasn’t any big deal. Back then we didn’t have a car and there weren’t any cell phones so my momwas really worried.
A few days later my mom opened her presents. I remember the look on her face as
if it were yesterday.Joy replaced the look of fear and worryI'd become accustomed to. It had been 5 years since she hadreceived any type of special gift. It was a truly special Christmas.
That's when I learned about the power of a real promise.
That's why I have my coaching clients make promises.
A new year is fast approaching... what promises are you making?
If you want some free guidance on how to transform your goals into promises, click here to sign-up.
Quick, who can name the six income producing activities that agents should be doing every day?
If you've got them built into your schedule you must know them by heart. Lets end the suspense:
We will talk more about promises and goals down the line as well as the other methodology we use to keep people on track with their schedule, but I think its important to first focus on those six activities...and how simple they really are.
Lead Generation - simply the main way to get business
Lead Follow-Up - simple if you are lead generating
Going on Listings - simple if you are doing #'s 1 and 2 effectively
Working with Qualified Buyers - this is hard for a lot of people, but we make it easy by only working with buyers who will sign a contractual commitment to work with us.That way we know they are serious and we don't waste our time...which gives us more time to led gen, etc. I do this in my own business and it frees me up to pursue people I know are serious about improving their business and their life.
Negotiating Contracts - easy if we are working with qualified buyers
Taking price-improvements - easy if we are doing what's best for our clients
The things that are not simple that we do during the day are things like responding to fives emails at a time, or avoiding these six steps. One thing I know from watching and coaching people in this business is that it's 50 times harder to NOT do the 6 activities above than it is to just do them.
If you're a committed real estate professional, and I know most of you reading this are, take a fresh look at your schedule in 2010 and commit to doing these 6 activities every day. Like Staples says, "that was easy!"
Last week I asked you some tough questions about scheduling and Michael and I discussed why having a schedule is so important. I believe that 100% of us are not accountable to our schedule 100% of the time. But I also believe that there is one sure-fire way to get as close to 100% commitment to a schedule as possible. That's why I've designed the very simple "Schedule Accountability Challenge."
Here is my challenge to you:
Week One:
Today is Monday. For the rest of the week do your best to follow your schedule...meaning that you complete the tasks you put on your calender that day. So if you schedule prospecting for 9am but it gets moved and completed at 2pm that is OK as long as it gets done that day. However, if prospecting at 2pm forces you to miss a task, you will have to be accountable for that miss. Be brutally honest about this and at the end of the week compile your percentage of completed tasks (completed tasks divided by total number of tasks assigned). I will be participating as well.
Week Two:
In week two I would like you to do the same thing, except I would like you to find a person you trust (family, co-worker, coach, etc.) and share your schedule with them. Email it to them the night before or first thing in the morning (schedule it as a task!) so they have it every day. Tell them about this challenge and that you want them to hold you accountable to that schedule. They can send you email reminders, do a five-minute end of the day recap, however you and they want to do it. Again, compile your percentage of completed tasks.
Now I know what everyone is thinking: "Of course my percentage is going to be higher in week two because I will have somebody I trust holding me accountable."
Then why do 99% of people avoid having someone hold them accountable to their schedule? If you knew with 100% certainty that you would be more productive if you were held accountable by someone you trust, why would you not do it? (If you just made an excuse to that question, you need accountability even more than you think.)
My advice? Skip week 1 and go right to week 2.
In this short video, Michael and I discuss the important of having a coach review your schedule:
If you know what you need to do to become more accountable to your schedule, do it! If you know you need a professional coach to make you more productive, do it! If anyone wants testimonials of how we help our clients stay accountable go to my website and register for a free 1-on-1 coaching call. One of our certified real estate coaches will review your schedule during that call as well.
Make it a great day!
John Alexandrov
www.realestateinnercircle.net
PS. I am pleased to see that we are getting more and more people reading
the blog, following us on facebook and twitter, and watching our
videos. Thank you for your support.
Today I wanted to post our first video in a short series about the importance of scheduling. As coaches we know that one of the key things that every successful real estate agent does is utilize a schedule.
But as you'll see its more than just putting events in your calender. Ask yourself:
"Does my schedule reflect my promises and goals?"
"Am I accountable to my schedule?"
"Do I have down-time accounted for in my schedule?"
"Do I have the 6 income producing activities scheduled every day"
"Am I interested in having a great schedule, or am I committed to having a great schedule?"
Click below to play the video as I discuss the importance of effective scheduling with our Director of Coaching Services, Michael Friedman.
(TIP: The volume is a little low so please turn up your speakers)
I ask you...what tips and techniques have you used to implement an
effective schedule in your business? Can anyone give me an example of
how they account for a specific long-term or short-term goals or
promises by reflecting action steps in their calender?
Thank you for watching and be on the look out as Michael and I go into more depth on what makes a great schedule. As always please pass along to friends and co-workers.
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