Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Your Most Important Business Asset....

Real Estate is a hectic life style, running from showing to listing appointment to inspections then to the closing table…and for some of us, before, during, and after those business duties… you are also being your children’s “taxi service”!

Do you ever get so caught up in the daily stress surrounding your life that you skip the gym, grab your lunch and dinner from a drive-thru window and then lie in bed at night unable to sleep? It is common for REALTORS to get caught up in caring for others... In fact, so caught up, their own wellness starts to suffer.

Think about the last time you flew in an airplane… one of the safety instructions advises you to place your oxygen mask on first before helping others with theirs. This is not a selfish act, the simple fact is… if you can’t breathe, you are not in a position to assist others. In your business…Just like in an inflight emergency… you can’t help others if you are exhausted because you haven’t taken care of yourself first!

Your Most Important Business Asset is YOU…Ways to RECHARGE NOW!

 RELAX: This is an unappreciated necessity of life. Take short breaks through-out the day, walk around the block, listen to music, or take a power nap…a little siesta never hurt anyone!

Take at least one full day off every week. When you are busy it is tempting to work 24/7, however…a full day off will refresh your mind, improve your mood and prevent burnout. Remember: you set your schedule! Schedule in a day off and do something for you.

MAINTAIN PERSPECTIVE: Don’t become a “Drama Queen”. Separate the “important” from the “urgent” but remember…not everything which seems urgent at the time is important. Learning to isolate molehills from mountains sometimes takes a special set of skills.

Not every issue is a big deal. Being blessed with the talent to calm your clients and make them realize this “urgent molehill” will be a forgotten memory in a few short months will assist you in transforming more past clients into “referral sources”.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE POSITIVE: One of my favorite books is The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. “The Secret” ...is to be positive and surround yourself with positive things and people…things and people which make you happy. Negative things and negative people bring about negative energy, my father told me once “you become who you hang out with”, and I have this to be true throughout my life. I make a conscious effort to be naturally drawn towards the positive, maintain a focused positive energy, and do things that make me happy.

LAUGH OFTEN: Milton Berle once said “Laughter is an instant vacation” always take time out for fun. Enough said!

GET PHYSICAL: Exercise is a great stress reliever…strive to exercise every day for at least 1 hour. Get outside and go for a walk or a run, ride a bike or play golf. Join a gym…which by the way, is a great place to add new people to your B.o.B. You will feel better, maintain a higher level of energy and the positive side effect may be that you will look better as well. You may even start to fit into those “skinny jeans” again!

EAT TO LIVE…DON’T LIVE TO EAT: A healthy diet is essential to help you stay on top of your game. It fuels your body and gives you the energy to last through the day. Stay away from fad diets... which are usually unbalanced and unnatural…limit junk food, and stay hydrated. You should drink a minimum of one ounce of water for every pound you weigh daily. So if you weigh 175 lbs. you should drink 175 ounces of water, (almost 1.5 gallons every day). 
Limit your intake of sweets, sugary sodas and caffeine. Combine a healthy diet with exercise and in no time flat you will “own” those skinny jeans! In fact, you may have to go buy a smaller "new" pair of skinny jeans!

I hope these suggestions will help you to take care of your most important asset and assist you to have more energy throughout your day!

www.ICU-Coaching.com
Eddie Brown  2012

Friday, September 7, 2012

Finish 2012 Strong!


115 Days Left Until 2013... Are You Ready?

250 days of the calendar year 2012 has passed, and unless you believe the Mayans and Nostradamus are correct about 12/21/12… we need to stay focused on our goals.

The first step is to write down what you want to accomplish by January 1st 2013…

Step 2:  As the Warden said to Cool Hand Luke “You got to get your mind right”…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y28pFJqDkkU&feature=fvwrel

Self-accountability is imperative for reaching short term year end goals…data base management systems and activities have been covered in other blogs http://icu-coaching.blogspot.com, but you must learn to hold yourself accountable to do the things which will help you to reach your goals.

Adopt a referral based mindset and “data mine” your Book of Business to discover who are the individuals most likely to help you reach your new goals…then start a system of contact and care to “train” them to begin to notice those around them who could use your professional services.  Remember, your objective is to become their resource for everything real estate related.

Consider the following flow for your initial contact:
First:  Get personal / build rapport
Second: Discuss their real estate needs (Discover a need … “find a problem…fix a problem”)
Third: Ask for referrals (Who do you know who is currently thinking of buying of selling real estate?); it is critical you ask for business.http://icu-coaching.blogspot.com/2012/06/are-you-asking-for-referrals-or-just.html

Step 3: Get a System… this is a very important step. So many agents we coach never had a system to manage their prospecting activities…not having a system to tell you when to contact, who to contact, the type of contact (written, electronic, voice to voice, or face to face) , and a system to track what your last activity with them consisted of…is an open invitation for your prospects to slip between the cracks…and slip away!

 Step 4: Contact every A and A+ contact in your B.o.B. every month. -Examples include: Items of Value, Postcards, market updates, newsletters, just- listed cards, just-sold cards and charitable notices. Always refer them to your website. Also, offer them free reports on how to increase the value of their home, how to build wealth investing in real estate, how to stage their home, etc. Become their “go-to” person for everything real estate related!  When considering “Items of Value” make sure it holds value to each individual …the same Item of Value sent to everyone in your B.o.B. will not be seen as “valuable” …know the individual so well that you know what they find valuable.

Step 5: Use hand written notes as the foundation to your prospecting system. -In this high technology world of e-mails and form letters, it is important to still maintain a personal touch . A simple way to do this is to send out a handful of handwritten notes each day. Almost every hand written note you send will be read...there is no bigger bang for the buck than a hand written note. Use them and watch your response rate soar!

Step 6: Develop an attitude of gratitude with your Book of Business…when you receive a referral go over-board thanking them… keep them updated on the disposition of the referral and when it closes thank them again!

When contacted regularly and enthusiastically your past clients and center of influence people will be some of your strongest sources of business. You will be able to consistently obtain quality referrals from these people in any type of market. Focus on providing great service to them, and the leads you receive in return will be the foundation of your business.

Eddie Brown ©2012