Agents at Keller Williams Do

Do you plan the trip, or just go along for the ride? That was a question I recently came across in John Maxwell’s book The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader’s Day. The reason I ask this is that planning is the key to success. As John Maxwell writes anyone can steer the ship but few can navigate, which he illustrates in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Recommended Reading

Let’s take the example of us, Realtor’s; on an almost daily basis I am looking at real estate agents stats on the listing end of our business. What I see varies between what I call the navigators and the agents just along for the ride, or maybe they just never learned to navigate so they are at the markets mercy like a ship would be at the mercy of the ocean without a skilled navigator on board. The skilled navigator gets the job done and closes the deal and in their stats they have more closing than they have active properties. The unskilled have very few and possibly no closings and many expired listings along with their active properties which do not lead to regular paydays.

The first part of a skilled listing agent’s navigation and planning process begins with the comparable s they choose and an effective professional presentation, they get on the right course by first pricing it right, and adapting their services and marketing plan to get the job done. Whereas the unskilled navigator fails to price it right, rarely has a closing which leads to lack of funds and a weak marketing plan. All of these problems really stem from lack of skilled preparation.

In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Maxwell describe the difference in preparation skills of the two famed Arctic explores, Captain Robert Scott the Englishman and Captain Ronald Amundsen the Norwegian and the vast difference in the outcome of their quest to be the first to reach the South Pole.

Due to the harsh weather conditions at the pole meticulous planning was of a life and death necessity. This planning encompassed setting up base camps with the supplies needed for the round trip journey, to the clothing they would wear, and to the animals they choose to haul the heavy loads over the tundra. Scott chose dogs; motorized sleds along with pony’s to carry the load, Amundsen on the other hand choose only dogs to pull his supplies and equipment.

Very early on in the trip Scott’s motorizes equipment failed due to the harsh weather conditions, and at the base of the mountain range the pony’s could no longer continue and were killed for food, which now left the team carrying most of the load.

The clothing they wore was critical for their survival; Amundsen was meticulous in his research and planning and once again made a superior choice to Scott. Scott’s poor choice lead to frostbite, the goggles that Scott also chooses left his men snow blind. Once again Amundsens preparation pays off. At the very last moment before departure, Scott decides to add a fifth man to the team, even though the base camps only had supplies for four men.

When Scott finally reached the South Pole on January 18, 1912 he saw the Norwegian flag flying and a letter attached. Amundsen had reached the pole almost a month earlier. Disheartened and exhausted they begin the long arduous trip back to base camp, where the poor planning on Scott’s part becomes even more evident and painful. His men had such severe frostbite that it took them as long as an hour every morning to just put their boots on. To make matters worse they were low on oil which they would use to heat the ice and snow for drinking water, because Scott had positioned his supply stations too far apart.

March 11, 1912 only 11 miles from One Ton Depot, where supplies were available, a raging blizzard kept them from the depot, and the remaining crew died at this camp. They were found dead in their sleeping bags by a rescue party on November 12, 1912.

So are you meticulously planning your real estate career or just leaving it to chance?

If you would like to plan for success and not get caught in the blizzards, drop me an email, or just give me a call to schedule your visit with us.

Call me today for a FREE 30 minute coaching session. Nothing to lose, only your goals and dreams to achieve.

Making a Difference – Keller Williams Agents Know How

How are you making a positive difference in your community? As Realtors we have the opportunities to make a positive influence in the lives of others. I really don’t think that we have been put on this earth just to sell real estate, go home at the end of the day, pat ourselves on the back and say to ourselves, good job. The opportunities to meet people are a blessing in our professional lives that most people don’t have. Do we take these opportunities to seek ways in which you could better the lives of those in our community?

The Realtors, who give of time and energy to their community, are not surprisingly the most successful in our industry and of course the happiest. I don’t think that there are any coincidences between happiness felt by those who serve, it’s simply the joy of giving. Now I know what some of you are thinking, yeah, they can do it because they make a lot of money. Let me tell you, your wrong, they make a lot of money because they are willing to serve and help in the communities that provide a living for them.

Some ideas for serving your community could be from offering small scholarships at a School, working in a soup kitchen for those less fortunate than us or maybe getting involved with the local Optimists. We have the opportunities to make a huge difference in a child who lives with a single parent or parents who may have lost their job and can’t participate in a particular activity such as the school band because they may not be able to afford the small cost of a musical instrument. Some years ago I had the privilege to be involved in a small way with Everglades High Schools Band. I attended their awards ceremony and the impact I witnessed that these music teachers and others had on these young lives was huge. For many it was the first time in their lives that they were being recognized for accomplishment in front of their peers. It is these small accomplishments in the lives of people that help them take the next steps to success.

I recently read where a writer described life like a foot ball game. It is about multiple little successes. In a football game you do not gain yards 60 or 70 at a time; it is little successes 3-4 hard fought yards at a time before you get the touchdown.

So get out there get involved and remember it is through big efforts and small accomplishments through serving that will lead you to a rewarding and successful real estate career.

Share your ideas and what you are doing to serve the communities in which you work.

Movement – Keller Williams Agents Always Are Moving

What direction are you going in? Successful people are always moving and most of the time in the right direction towards their goals. It’s rare that they’re stuck on a particular problem for very long that by the way is because they have a purpose and a why, now they may not have all the answers, but they do know the likely sources that do and they seek them out.

Some years ago when I read Henry Ford auto-biography I came across this story. Mr. Ford had granted an interview to several newspaper reporters back in the 40′s, while in Mr. Ford’s office they were flattering him on his brilliance, Mr. Ford prompted them to asking him any question, and he would have the answer for them in minutes. Mr. Ford went on to say that he himself may not actually have the answer, but showed them an assortment of different colored buttons on the side of his desk, and depending on what the question was, would determine what button he would press. At the press of the button he informed them, someone would come running in and would be able to provide the answer to their question.

The point is successful people don’t have all the answers, they just know how to and where to get them and get on, they are in action and moving towards the goal. Now I know that we all know people that are always moving but accomplish little, they’re like the octopus, you just don’t know which way they are going. H. Jackson Brown. Jr. said it best about the octopus. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards or sideways.

So let’s revisit the opening question, in what direction are you going in? When I read Henry Ford’s auto-biography I was impressed and hoped one day I would achieve that type of success, and be able to have my own set of buttons to press and have people to come running to solve my dilemmas. Well I do, except I have a lot more people than old Henry ever did. On the right side of my desk sits a mouse and a keyboard, and I just Google the topic and thousands of the world’s leading experts answer as soon as I summon, and I am provided with counsel and advice on the subject or situation that has me stuck. As the productivity coach and acting broker in this market center with over 200 agents I am asked an assortment of questions, many of my agents seem to think I am some type of genius until I tell them I used Google to solve their problem. I love to see the surprise on their face when I tell them this. The point I am trying to make here know your purpose and you will have all the answers you will need to solve your problems.

What is rejection? It’s not what we tend to think it is, so let’s define this term rejection. Webster’s Online Dictionary defines it as; refuse to accept, consider, and submit to.

In real estate sales we need to high five each other a lot more than we do which will get those positive endorphins flowing in our brain. I have seen so many agents over the years get listings and close deals and for some it almost seems like a chore. I come from a sporting back ground of horse racing and every win was an occasion to high five. I was a leading trainer on my circuit for several years and during those best of years my win percentage hovered around 14%. That means for every hundred of my horses that ran in a race I only won 14 races. In other words my closing ratio as it is known in real estate was 1 in 7. 1 win for every 7 starts. When I was out listing homes on a daily basis my closing ratio hovered around 70% which meant it took me 1.5 listing appointments to get a single listing.

My son who is also a Realtor, and has been for about 10 years asked some time ago, in a nice way, why I still get such a big thrill or, as he put it, a big head when I get a listing after all these years in the business. I thought about it and the only conclusion I could come to was the thrill, the thrill of victory, getting the signature. I believe that it is that thrill, the releasing of the endorphins that keep me coming back. I think in part the best of the best also have this release no matter how many goals they score, races they win or listings they take, the thrill is still there. Could you imagine a pro ball player getting a touchdown or hitting a home run and hanging his head down and his team mates acting as though they did not see the points being scored and all acting as if it’s just another part of the job, such as having to go over an inspection report with a seller. What an exciting game that would be for us to watch. Zig Ziglar commented “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”

So the next time you or someone in your office get a listing or makes a deal, give them the high five, release those motivating endorphins by creating excitement in your office.

“The Little Train That Thought It Could” brings back fond memories to me. Many of you will probably remember the story of that little train that did. I can remember my mother reading that story to me as a young child. This story goes like this I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Do you remember it?

Well the little engine thought it could, and it did get over that steep mountain. When we think we can, we do. Now I’ m sure that little train worked awfully hard, and what we need to say to our self as Realtors is, just one more call to make, one more door to knock on one more mailing to mail, that’s what the little train did. Athletes say one more lap, one more round, one more hole, one more bowl, and one more dive, that’s the thought process of champions. There is no quit. Many people quit just inches from success without ever knowing how close they were.

In The Olympics we watch these tremendous athletes from around the world, have you ever wondered what it took to get there? I don’t see any quit in their faces regardless of whether they win a medal or not, they are all winners because they think they can and they go out and perform as though they will, they give it their all. Now some don’t get the prize on that day but they win on another day many of life’s winners loose more than they win. Thomas Edison had something like 1700 different inventions and he is only remembered for three, the light bulb, electricity and the phonograph. I recently heard Warren Buffet say in an interview, you only need to win a few times to be a success, what I don’t think he meant was you only have to try a few times to achieve, it is a continuous push forward, knowing you can.

Are you giving it your all? You became a Realtor by choice; why not choose excellence, your best. I can tell you this if your manager, team leader or broker is not encouraging you to reach for excellence, fire them today and find one that will. But first ask yourself if excellence is what I really want, because if it is, there will be growing pains that come with it , but the reward of accomplishment and being a pro and helping others are all well worth the climb up the mountain.

]]> http://marklyon.com/?feed=rss2&p=26 2 http://marklyon.com/?p=16 http://marklyon.com/?p=16#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:26:52 +0000 Mark Lyon http://marklyon.com/?p=16

Keller Williams Agents Know How to Soar

We are not all born eagles, some of us are ducks, with that in mind let us, remember eagles soar and ducks waddle. Let us learn to recognize those among us who are ducks and by far they are the majority of people and treat those ducks as they want to be treated like ducks they don’t want to be eagles. Ducks are very useful, they swim well, are friendly and social, they move slowly, we’re not really sure of where they are going we just hope they do, they are non-threatening, show much enthusiasm when they see a free meal. While the eagle glides the skies high above, gracefully looking for its next opportunity. No wonder we all like to fancy ourselves as eagles.
As in John Maxwell book Leadership Gold, he writes good people are found not changed. They can change themselves, but you can’t change them. Maxwell also writes about the mysteries of the mind. Why are some people motivated and others not? Why does one salesperson see his first prospect at seven in the morning, while the other sees his first at eleven? I don’t know. Call it mysteries of the mind.

We all attend seminars and one walks out and says, “I’m going to change my life.” Another walks out with a yawn and says, “I’ve heard all this stuff before”. Why is that?

The wealthy man says to a thousand people, “I read this book, and it started me on the road to wealth.” Guess how many thousand go out and get the book? Answer: Very few why wouldn’t everyone get the book. Mysteries of the mind…..

To one person you have to say, slow down your working too hard, you can’t possibly go, go, go, you’ll have a heart attack, the other person won’t get off the couch. What is the difference? Why wouldn’t everyone strive to be wealthy and happy?

Chalk it all up to mysteries of the mind, and don’t waste your time trying to turn ducks into eagle, find people who already have the motivation and drive to be eagles and then just let them soar.

Here are three good reasons not to send ducks to Eagle School

1) If You Send Ducks To Eagle School You Will Frustrate The Ducks
Let’s face it Ducks are not supposed to be Eagles.

2) If You Send Ducks To Eagle School, You Will Frustrate The Eagles
There is a saying “Birds of a feather flock together.” Eagles don’t want to hang around with Ducks.

3) If You Send Ducks To Eagle School, You Will Frustrate Yourself
Here is a familiar nursery rhyme that reads

Pussycat, Pussycat, where have you been?
I’ve been to London to visit the Queen.
Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under the chair

Why did the cat start chasing a mouse in London when he was there to visit the Queen a once in a lifetime opportunity? Because he was a cat! What else would a cat do?

Cats do what cats do, ducks do what ducks do and eagles do what eagles do. Don’t try and train a duck to do an eagle’s job!

When building your team look for eagles, trust me your life will be easier and happier.

For Real- Keller Williams Agents Are

How often do we have to deal with one of our customers not facing reality? Like the buyer wanting to pay less than market value and the seller wanting to sell above market value. We say there not realistic. I hear a lot of people these days saying, “Is that for real.” When they find something surprising, being real is important to people, it’s trustworthy, it shows character and integrity.

So are you real as a real estate professional? When asked or when the customer or client  suggest some idea or thought that you know won’t happen do you bring them to reality, I know that Realtors like to talk about the reality of the market to their customers, but are you as a human being real with your customers.

Being real means putting their goals ahead of your commission. Are you doing that with your customers or just buying the listings and telling them what they want to hear to avoid confrontation?  Being real you will earn close more transactions because your customers will grow to trust you.