Nuggets For The Noggin

Habits, Insanity, Are They The Same?

2011-12-25T16:26:00.000-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

Habits, Insanity, Are They The Same?

By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown, December 25, 2011

Alfred Einstein said that insanity can be described as doing the same thing (over and over) and expecting different results.

How would that apply to sales? It does not matter WHAT you are selling only that you are selling something.

With all things being equal and the economy never changing - a sales career would be steady, rarely increasing; rarely decreasing – all things would be equal. That’s not life. The economy changes. Sometimes cars, homes, toys, golf clubs (had to say that) and twigets (that is a make believe item for You-Know-Who), are easily sold and sell often but sometimes the sales are in the tank. The difference is usually a result of a changing economy and consumer confidence.

Most people who start out on a sales career are hungry to learn. They take classes, a few optional but most required. Think about that for a moment. If you were going to work on an assembly line building cars and your job was to install only the right side driver’s door, just how much training would you require? Not much. But if you wanted to progress and learn how to install the passenger side door, you might need additional training. If you wanted to learn how to build and install the engine, a lot more training. But you install just the driver’s side door. You are paid regularly and you occasionally get a raise usually when everyone else receives one even if one of your doors you installed happens to fall of the car while it is in operation. And life goes on.

It’s 1990 and another person, YOU, start out on your sales career and you “learn the ropes” either through training or by one-on-one instructions from someone willing to teach you “the ropes” or both. Why would someone be willing to teach you “the ropes?” It may be that person’s “job”, or that person may be teaching out of the kindness of his or her heart or both.

That was 1990, today is 2011, 21 years later. It is easy to identify with 1990 or 2011 but what about the period in between? Can you imagine what that time frame might represent in regards to a person’s sales career?

Most people, certainly not you, start and eventually finish and the days in between are rarely different than the first couple of days when they started. They sold like this in 1990 and it may have worked, why change now? Why go to training, I have heard it all before? What could someone teach me now I have not been doing for 21 years?

Let’s say YOU need open heart surgery. Which surgeon would you want operating on you? A surgeon who learned the practice 21 years ago and then rested on what the surgeon thought he or she knew? Or would you want someone who over the past 21 years stayed on top of the profession and then operated on you using the latest and newest techniques? I’ll wait for your answer….

Is it really any different in sales? If you are reading this, I seriously doubt you are selling a spatula; instead you are probably selling life insurance, automobiles, homes, furniture, appliances, etc.

Do products change? When I was a kid people wanted a car that took them from point A to point B and how cool is this, it had an FM radio and air conditioning, WOW! Now cars park themselves and have computers and television screens not to mention a sound system that would knock your socks off.

Almost every product, unless they do not or need not be improved upon, increased in its function and use and usually increased in its cost to the consumer. Let’s agree that prices go UP! If prices go UP and the economy is going DOWN, is it possible to still sell a car or house or whatever using the same methods when the amount of money coming into a household decreases while the prices increase?

Something has to change – YOU! How do you change? Typically you will discover if you take a serious look. This is not the first time business and/or the economy has changed. Someone has gone through this long before you are forced to experience the change. What did those folks do to change with a changing economy or innovative product line? Some changed and experienced success; others - fell by the wayside because they either failed to change with the economy or refused to learn how to deal with a changing economy. Worst still, they were satisfied with the status quo.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STATUS QUO! You cannot stand still. You are either moving forward or you are being left behind. The later means you are going backwards.

There are good habits and there are bad habits. In sales a good habit learned in 1990 may be a bad habit in 2011; nothing every stays the same. Some people start their career with one huge bad habit – taking only the courses that are required. Required courses will get you started and keep you legal but they will not take you to where you want to go. They are usually required to meet some organizational requirement to keep you legal not to improve your skills.

Example: In real estate sales, the government requires a licensee to take a specific number of required hours of training; let’s say 12 hours a year. Do those 12 hours enable you to become better at sales, better at understanding people, better at negotiating, better at relationship building? Or do those 12 hours keep you abreast of legal issues that may keep you out of trouble but rarely teaches you how to help you better find solutions for your real estate customers?

What specific classes have you recently attended to help you better understand a changing economy? What specific classes have you attended to help you better understand foreclosures, short sales and bank owned properties? What classes have you recently attended to help you better understand the ever changing technology facing every industry? What specific classes have you recently attended that you were not required to attend? And…what class did you attend to improve your attitude? In most cases, not many.

Thus the reason that fewer than 20% of any sales force makes 80% of the sales. The 20% does the homework and training required to stay ON top of the profession not just the minimum required to stay IN the profession.

In my opinion the best way to work at mastering your trade is to teach it. Not what happened 30 years ago but what must happen today to stay atop of your profession. When you teach, you learn. When you teach, others learn. When you teach your profession becomes that much better than what it otherwise might be. The question is this: What are you doing to improve yourself and your profession? If you find it difficult to answer this question, you need to give serious thought to your self-education program and update it. You do have one, right? Some may have to initiate it. No one is going to force you to learn except you. Need more be said?

2011-12-22T10:23:00.001-06:00


December 2011 Market Update One of the key drivers of homes sales, the employment rate, is beginning to show promising signs of a turnaround. The four-week average for jobless claims, as of November 19, was 394,250, a drop of 3,250 from the previous four weeks, and at the lowest levels since April. Consumer confidence also rose 15 points in the last month, and is now at its highest point since July of this year. Eric Green, Chief Market Economist at TD Securities Inc. said, “The trend remains very constructive. Jobless claims are back below 400,000, which seems to be the pivot point in terms of a strengthening labor market as opposed to a weakening one.” In addition to improving employment conditions, home affordability also improved as interest rates fell further, opening the door for more first-time home buyers who accounted for 34% of the sales in October, an increase from 32% last month and last year. The western United States saw the greatest increase in home sales, which were up 4.4% month to month and up over 15% from last year. A strengthening job market, along with encouraging signs from the housing sector, including a 10% jump in pending sales for October, are strong economic forces. While mortgage lending still remains a challenge, these forces may send a signal to banks to relax lending regulations and allow for a more rapid recovery. Home Sales in millions Existing homes sales improved 1.4% in October, or to an annual pace of 4.97 million, a 13.5% increase from October of last year. Even more dramatic, was the jump in pending home sales, which surged in October by 10.4% from September, and were up 9.2% from October 2010. This jump in pending sales could lead to a strong fourth quarter as signs continue to point to a pent-up demand brought on by current lending conditions of mortgage providers. . Home Price in thousands The national median home price in the U.S. saw a small decline in October to $162,500, from $165,800 in September. This number can be affected by the sale of distressed properties, which typically sell at discounted prices. Distressed properties accounted for 28% of homes sales in October. Yet despite a drop in the median price from last September, the Federal Housing Finance Authority reported that seasonally adjusted prices rose 0.2% in the third quarter from the second quarter in 2011, which could be an early sign of appreciating home prices. Inventory- Month's Supply in months By the end of October, the total number of homes on the market had fallen 2.2% to 3.33 million homes, which represents 8 months of inventory at the current sales pace. Since a record high of 4.58 million homes in July 2008, the inventory of homes for sale has been steadily declining. When homes sell faster than they come on the market, the market comes from its current favor toward buyers into balance or in favor of sellers. This can trigger an appreciation in home prices and lead the way to a stronger recovery. Source: National Association of Realtors Interest Rates Mortgage rates continue to push lower, dropping to 3.98% from 4.23% in October of 2010, offering historic affordability to today’s home buyers. While mortgage lending conditions continue to be a challenge, more and more people are seeing the advantage of buying a home sooner rather than later. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said, “Home sales have been plodding along at a sub-par level while interest rates are hovering at record lows and there is a pent-up demand from buyers who normally would have entered the market in recent years. We hope this indicates more buyers are taking advantage of the excellent affordability conditions.” This Month's Video Topics For Home Owners, Buyers & Sellers When first-time home buyers decide they are ready to buy, it is important for them to begin the process by carefully assessing their values, wants, and needs—both for the short and long term. This is a critical step since consultation sessions normally start with the buyers’ values. Afterward, buyers can explore their wants and needs and, once defined, determine actual criteria. A recent study shows how important the following home-buying factors were to buyers: List Price: 72% Location: 69% Neighborhood: 55% Floor Plan: 37% Square Footage: 28% Schools: 22% By having the home-buying criteria in mind before walking into a consultation, buyers are off to a better start when meeting with their real estate agent. The consultation allows buyers to fill in any missing gaps within their values, wants, and needs.	.

Brought to you by KW Research. For additional graphs and details, please see the This Month in Real Estate PowerPoint Report. The opinions expressed in This Month in Real Estate are intended to supplement opinions on real estate expressed by local and national media, local real estate agents and other expert sources. You should not treat any opinion expressed in This Month in Real Estate as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy, but only as an expression of opinion. Keller Williams Realty, Inc., does not guarantee and is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of information, and provides said information without warranties of any kind. All information presented herein is intended and should be used for educational purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as investment advice. You should always conduct your own research and due diligence and obtain professional advice before making any investment decision. All investments involve some degree of risk. Keller Williams Realty, Inc., will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in This Month in Real Estate.

The Law of Attraction Re-Visited

2011-12-05T11:32:00.000-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

The Law of Attraction Re-Visited

By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown, December 5, 2011

What does the Law of Attraction really mean? That you tend to have come into your life more of what you think about most.

If you continually discuss illness, you tend to have more illness come into your life either through you or near you as in family and friends.

If you continually discuss financial problems, you tend to continue to have financial problems and maybe even go deeper into debt.

In sales, if you continually discuss how unreasonable your customers are, they not only become more unreasonable you find more just like them; or you don’t find any customers at all primarily because you have also become unreasonable.

In golf, (had to bring that in) if you think about the lake, the bunker, the trees, the out-of-bounds, three putts, etc, you will definitely find more of them and more often than you want. Think about long straight drives, high soft shots into the green and sinking putts and that is exactly what you will receive. Certainly not every time but the more you think about what you want, the less you will receive what you do not want.

MORE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION: People and situations come and go in your life; they have in mine; oftentimes we are totally unaware of when they come and go. Example: You see and like a certain type of car, there are not many on the roads and you want one. You buy one and then as if by magic that same type and maybe even the same color as your car seems to suddenly appear everywhere you go. Were they there before or did you just not notice them or as said, “they suddenly appeared.” Actually they were there all along, you simply were unaware.

This same principle applies to people passing through your life. Someone once said that we should have the attitude that we can learn from everyone we come in contact with; both good and bad. In fact it was suggested that you imagine the letters WCILFTP tattooed on their foreheads; What Can I Learn From This Person?

If that were the case, how might your life be different? The same is true from the books you read, the CDs/DVDs you listen/watch and unfortunately the television you watch. WHAT CAN YOU LEARN BY DOING SO?

In a recent class on goal setting the instructor asked that everyone write down what they don’t want. I just sat there. She then asked me why I wasn’t writing. I told her that I cannot think of “stuff” I don’t want since I focus on what I do want, really. Why would you ever want to concentrate on what you don’t want? I discovered that was the point of her exercise as she then instructed the class to throw away their lists. That such thoughts are meaningless and can be very destructive.

When you become someone who is constantly aware of your surroundings you discover all sorts of wonderful and oftentimes life-changing (hate that phrase as it is so over used) events, people, situations, books, CDs, DVDs, training classes, etc.

Exercise: Read this and then try it. Close your eyes. Clear your mind of all the “stuff” you are thinking about, really, clear your mind. Imagine that there are only three people left on Earth you being one of them. Your survival will depend on two of you working together. One person is positive, energetic, honest, has integrity, is learning based, and goal oriented. The other constantly whines, looks for disasters, lies, cheats, looks for the gloom and doom, and has no direction. You have the ability to choose to be with one over the other. GOOD QUESTION: Who would you choose? EVEN BETTER QUESTION: Who would the other two choose? Hmmmmmm?

This exercise is similar to the Native American story about the elder tribal chief telling the little boy the story about another little boy who had two wolves inside of him, one vicious, one peaceful. When the little boy asked which one survived, the chief said the one he fed the most.

The Law of Attraction in real life. About seven years ago I came in contact with a book entitled “What’s The Big Secret” by Michael Dunn. It was so powerful that I read it several times. When I had the opportunity to add toys or candy to less fortunate children’s Christmas bags, I instead put a copy of the book in the bags and addressed a note to the children’s parents or guardians that read: “We can give a fish to a hungry person or we can teach a hungry person how to fish. This book will teach anyone who reads it how to fish. Merry Christmas. Santa”

I do not know what happened as a result of those books; I like to think at least one person read it and at least one child is better off today than he or she might otherwise be.

Now for the “rest of the story.” About two weeks ago something caused me to pull “What’s The BIG Secret” from the book shelf and gave it to someone to read. Prior to Hurricane Katrina I had become friends with Michael Dunn and he and a group of local residents would regularly meet to discuss what I have later come to realize was something Wallace Wattles wrote in 1910 in “The Science of Getting Rich.” Wattles repeatedly referred to “thinking in a certain way.” That is what the group focused on, thinking in a certain way as described in “What’s The BIG Secret.” Sadly Katrina brought an end to those meetings and we lost touch with each other. Then only days after removing the book from the shelf, I received a call from someone I did not know asking for a personal referral in regards to Michael Dunn the author who she was considering as a personal coach. A coincidence? Then a week later I receive a call from Michael Dunn who I had not spoken with in some time (years) asking to “just” meet with me which we did. Another coincidence or The Law of Attraction at work?

Michael and I talked for well over an hour; no agenda, just talked. Looking back, we both spoke but I think I was doing more listening because what Michael was saying was causing me to think. Not superficially think; the conversation caused me to really think – deeply. During the conversation Michael suddenly began painting a picture of something I had just said in passing. The picture was vivid, it was HUGE, and it was what I should have been doing for the past several years and for one reason or another had not. It was an amazing experience.

This is important, at least to me. After about 90 minutes of conversation, I was no longer the person I was just 90 short minutes prior to our meeting. I would say that is life-changing.

There are life-changing events around us at all times if we just pay attention to what is around us. This year I suffered a mild heart attack, in fact I didn’t know I was having one but it resulted in open heart surgery. Shortly thereafter I lost a teammate and personal confident to a heart attack. More recently I lost a teammate and friend who felt a change was needed and made it. And then I met with Michael Dunn.

All of those events were on my life’s path but as they occurred, the path literally branched out in two directions (the vicious wolf, the peaceful wolf). We each have that choice every day of our lives. Unfortunately most of us do not realize (1) there is a fork in the road and then (2) we do not even realize which fork we had subconsciously chosen until we are far down the road. We simply do not pay attention.

In three out of the four instances above I chose to be positive and move on and did. For the fourth situation, meeting with Michael Dunn, the jury is still out. It is hard to imagine something being more important than suffering a heart attack; I can assure you that meeting Michael Dunn was or could be that important. As I said, the jury is still out.

What jury verdict are you waiting for? I believe we are put on this planet to make a difference. What kind of difference are you making? Are you sure? How do you know? Upon whose lives have you made a positive difference? Upon whose lives have you made a negative difference? When might you have put money over common sense? When have you put revenge over understanding and forgiveness? An easy way to answer these questions is to answer this question:

Do you brighten a room when you enter or when you leave?

I’m just saying……

If you need help on your attitude and who doesn’t, read Jeffrey Gitomer’s “The LittleGold Book of YES!Attitude”; more than once and sooner rather than later. Ben Franklin was a great man still he recognized that his worse problem was his own attitude and the way people perceived him; not good. He spent the next year and the rest of his life working on his beliefs one belief or character trait a week for 13 weeks and then repeated the process every quarter. (For You-Know-Who, there are 13 weeks in a quarter.) The result, Ben Franklin became a “new man” and the people around him recognized it and responded accordingly. It is The Law of Attraction at work! It can and will work for you. Read “What’s The BIG Secret?”

GYMBEAUX'S BIG WHY - SORT OF

2011-11-28T08:28:00.002-06:00

Gary Keller in the book The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (MREA) said that everyone should identify what their BIG WHY is and then everything they do should be done with the idea of achieving your lifetime BIG WHY.

I have been in the work force since 1957, I really did start when I was 12 working in my Uncle’s drug store as a stock boy. I have always taught the importance of having personal goals and Gary’s book put the exclamation mark on the real importance of having written goals and especially identifying the one really BIG goal that is your BIG WHY.

The following goals are more of my past TO DO’S or TO BECOME’S; they are what they are; I think you will agree I “could” do a lot worse. They are identified by “bullets” as to not put more importance on one over the other. These are not goals in the strictest sense of the word where the goals should be measurable and have a specific achievement date; they are more of works-in-progress:

· I want to Fail Forward as in Failing Forward by Dr. John Maxwell www.JohnMaxwell.com.

· I want to say YES! far more frequently and make it part of my daily life as Jeffrey Gitomer defined in The Little Gold Book of YES!Attitude. www.JeffreyGitomer.com.

· I want to be known as a Professional as Bill Wiserma defined in The Power of Professionalsm, www.BillWiserma.com.

· I want my friends to think so highly of me they would refer all of their family and friends to me just as Bob Burg describes in his book Endless Referrals www.BobBurg.com and Jeffrey Gitomer in his book The Little Black Book of Connections www.JeffreyGitomer.com.

· I want people to trust me like Jeffrey Gitomer writes in The Little Teal Book of Trust, www.JeffreyGitomer.com.

· I want to live at the summit as Dr. Tom Hill described in Living at the Summit, www.TomHill.com and maybe even write about me in a future book by Dr. Hill in his second or third version of Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul.

· I want to “leave a legacy” as Jim Paluch described in Leaving a Legacy at www.jphorizons.com.

· I want to be and stay “motivated” like Tamara Lowe suggested in Get Motivated at www.GetMotivated.com.

· I want people to know that when they talk to me they hear what I think, not what they want to hear, lessons learned from Fierce Conversations and Susan Scott www.Fierce.com.

· I want my life to be “gossip” free and people know gossip is not welcome when talking with me like Bob Burg and Laurie Palatnik wrote in Gossip, www.BobBurg.com.

· I want to be ever vigilant for new and better ways to do things like Marshall Goldsmith said when he wrote What Got You Here Won’t Get You There!” www.MarshallGoldsmith.com.

· I would like for me and everyone I work with or for, but especially me, to be “all hands on deck” as Joe Tye describes in All Hands On Deck www.JoeTye.com.

· I want people to know the 5 important things about me and my beliefs as defined by Jim Paluch in 5 Important Things at www.jphorizons.com.

· I want to get what I want, who doesn’t, just as Jeffrey Gitomer describes in The Little Green Book of How To Get What You Want, www.JeffreyGitomer.com.

· I want what I do to be on purpose, not an accident just as Tommy Newberry wrote about in Success Is Not An Accident at www.TommyNewberry.com.

· I want BIG dreams just like Joe Tye said in Your Dreams Are Too Small, www.JoeTye.com.

· When I win, and I want to win often and BIG, I want to do so without intimidation just as Bog Burg wrote in Winning Without Intimidation, www.BobBurg.com.

· I never want to lose sight of my 12+ deep core action values; Joe Tye helped me define these in The 12 Core Action Values, www.JoeTye.com.

· I know I don’t know everything therefore I want to simply understand the questions, much like Debbie Ford suggests in The Right Questions, www.DebbieFord.com.

· I definitely want to think for a change, right Dr. John Maxwell? Thinking For A Change at www.JohnMaxwell.com.

· In the end I want to be known as Peggy McColl writes in Being A Dog With A Bone, www.PeggyMcColl.com and one who always ate the biggest and ugliest frog first and every day like Brian Tracy Eat That Frog! www.BrianTracy.com.

· And how cool would it be when people say they learned something on www.NuggetsForTheNoggin.com that they may not have learned had it not been for yours truly and then they would say AHA! Like Bill Wiserma in The BIG AHA!

You know I could go on. What you don’t see above is that I want to be like the folks on Survivor, the Great Race, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol (that would be me anyway); you get the point. These shows are probably fun to watch but if that is all you do they can also be like invisible mooring lines to your personal growth and development firmly holding you to your invisible dock on your invisible ship of success with no particular place to go. These things are nothing but “time traps” as described by Todd Duncan in Time Traps at www.ToddDuncan.com.

I am hopefully always in my Training Camp in the hopes of not only getting on the Energy Bus but also planning the right Seed as guided by Jon Gordon at www.JonGordon.com.

Finally I Never Want To Fight With A Pig, Peter Thomas, because the pig loves it and you both get dirty, right? http://www.lifemanual.com/order_book.php?name_desc=9

What is it that you want to do or become more (or less) of.

WORLD’S GREATEST TIP TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE WHAT YOU DESIRE!

JOE TYE’S DIRECTION-DEFLECTION-QUESTION:

Is what I am about to say or do

consistent with me achieving my BIG WHY?

If YES, are you going to do it?

If NO, are you going to avoid doing it?

Passion - On Target or Misplaced

2011-11-21T09:53:00.001-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

Passion – On Target or Misplaced

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, November 25, 2011

Unless you live under a rock, you should be aware of the Occupy (you name the street) protest groups around the country if not the world. Personally I am impressed with the passion of these folks whether you believe it is justified or misdirected. History is full of passion misdirected.

Where can you find passion like the protesters have? Let me see…

Go to almost any university on Saturday morning/afternoon/evening and you see passion amongst the supporters of their local football team tailgating in parking lots across America. The same applies to the National Football League once a week.

Look at the hundreds of thousands of supporters for political candidates who they believe in or what they support.

Not easily found are the folks who support charities by giving of their time and/or their money for a cause they believe in.

Think of Ryan Hreljac. Who is Ryan Hreljac? When Ryan Hreljac was just six years old, he set on the task of raising enough money to build (drill) a well to bring clean water to people who needed it. Today, aged 16 (2008) and relentlessly pursuing his childhood dream, Ryan's Well Foundation has built 365 wells (now 700 wells) - serving over 500,000 (now 736,569) people with clean water - supported sanitation, health and hygiene services in 14 countries around the world, is working with partners such as Matt Damon's H2O Africa Foundation, and has been featured on CNN Heroes and Oprah. Keller Cares (Keller Williams Realty International) also contributed to his foundation to provide clean drinking water. See for yourself at: www.ryanswell.ca

You do not have to look very far to see and witness passion. There are hundreds if not thousands of stories like Ryan Hreljac’s; you just have to look for them.

Right or wrong, the perception of the “occupiers of (you name the street)” is that they want something for nothing. They want to take from those who “have” instead of providing for themselves. What could they produce or become if they redirected their passion to self-improvement or improving the plight of others. If a 6 year old can provide safe drinking water for hundreds of thousands, what could just one of the occupiers do?

The real question should be “What are you passionate about?” Is your passion productive or non-productive? As an example, if your passion is watching reality television, will you be able to attribute any of that television time to your eventual success (or non-success)? The same is true of golfing (can’t believe I just wrote that), fishing, hunting, mindless shopping, or becoming an expert couch-potato.

I am not suggesting that you should not engage in those things that you enjoy but rather are you also engaging in activities that would lead you to achieve the goals you dream of achieving. The problem is that if you are only dreaming, you are not taking action to achieve those dreams. That is the one flaw in the Law of Attraction. Just wishing something to be so will not happen just by dreaming. Most goals eventually break down to attracting the kind of money you would need in order to make your goals happen. For example, if your goal is to rid the world of hunger and poverty or find a cure for a disease, that takes money and/or time. Time you have, money you may not have. Wallace Wattles wrote in 1910, to help those in poverty, avoid being in poverty yourself – make money and then you personally can do something about poverty, if only by setting the proper example.

I highly recommend reading “What’s The BIG Secret?” written by Michael Dunn (of Slidell, LA). The book reminds me of the story about providing hungry people fish to eat or teaching hungry people how to fish for themselves. This is what Wattles wrote about when he suggested you engage in attaining wealth instead of wishing for wealth; the term “wealth” not necessarily meaning money but rather your goals.

Have you ever given thought to just $1.00 that you may give to say finding a cure for breast cancer if it became the $1.00 that put the research over the top and found a cure? Or the $1.00 that enables a 6 year old to drill just one well in Africa?

It’s difficult to “give” the $1.00 if you first have not made the $1.00 (either in money or time). In order to make the $1.00 you must redirect your focus and passion to what matters. The balance occurs when you work towards achieving your goals while at the same time enjoying the activities you enjoy. When you learn to enjoy your productive passion, you have struck “pay dirt!”

Action Step:

Do what you love; love what you do!

Hopefully that “love” will be productive

in one way or another!

Trust - Confidence - Reputation

2011-11-10T09:46:00.003-06:00

NUGGETS FOR THE NOGGIN

Trust – Confidence – Reputation

Something Very Special

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, November 10, 2011

When you say “Jump”; what percentage of the people actually jump?

What percentage of people would ask; “How high do you want me to jump?”

What percentage of people would simply ignore you and not ask or do anything?

I recently received a weekly eZine from Jeffrey Gitomer. www.JeffreyGitomer.com I must give full disclosure by saying I have read every book Gitomer has written and even his eBooks. I am a fan. When Gitomer suggested that people should read Harvey Mackay’s new book, The Mackay MBA of Selling In The Real World (http://www.harveymackay.com/tag/the-mackay-mba-of-selling-in-the-real-world/) I immediately, without hesitation, went to the Internet and purchased the book; no research, no doubts, no questions, just purchased the book.

This is not about Mackay’s book although what I have read thus far is outstanding. I have said that it would be easier to mark the pages that DO NOT contain information I want to remember than to mark all the pages that do – GREAT READ!

This is about Trust – Confidence – Reputation. It would be almost impossible for you to like AND trust everyone you meet. When you do meet that person, it is a special relationship even if the other person does not know who you are. In this regard I have many long-distance mentors by way of books I have read (Jeffrey Gitomer), DVD’s I have watched (Cheryl Richardson), CD’s I have listened to (Dr. John Maxwell) and the list goes on. When my many mentors recommend something I usually listen and in most cases I take action. Purchasing AND reading Mackay’s book is one such example. I trust the judgment of Jeffrey Gitomer so much that I did not hesitate for one second to purchase the Mackay book. Gitomer’s email was still on my computer monitor as I ordered the book on another site.

How does someone get to that point with me? How would someone get to that point with you? For Gitomer it occurred rapidly by providing value to me through his books, CD’s, online videos and a live conference. Do I agree with everything he discusses? Surprisingly pretty much so. He thinks like I do and that is scary. He does not think outside the box; he lives outside the box. I know sight unseen, that his next book that has not as yet been written let alone published will be an immediate purchase for me regardless of the title or subject – I have that must trust in his products; I usually pre-order his books well in advance of the publishing date.

Do you know someone like that? Who is it? Have they ever been wrong? Have you ever been disappointed?

Far more importantly than your answers to the above questions, is this question: Who values and reveres YOU and your opinion and leadership? Have you ever been wrong? Have you ever disappointed the people who look up to you? How do you know?

There is a term that has become somewhat lost in the vast training programs of Keller Williams® Realty and that is “wealth builder.” Who are your wealth builders? In the case of people like Jeffrey Gitomer, Dr. John Maxwell, Dr. Tom Hill, Cheryl Richardson, Joe Tye, Jon Gordon, Bob Burg, Lee Shelton and many more, I am one of their thousands of Wealth Builders – I buy their products – sight unseen and without hesitation. It is about TRUST! It is about CONFIDENCE! It is about their REPUTATION!

What are you doing to create that kind of TRUST, CONFIDENCE and personal REPUTATION amongst the people you put in your database of people you have met? What are you doing to create TRUST, CONFIDENCE and personal REPUTATION amongst the people you put in your database of people you have NOT as yet met but would like to meet? If creating TRUST, CONFIDENCE and your personal REPUTATION with people you hope to buy or sell or refer you to someone they know who might buy or sell using your services is not part of your Personal Development Plan, how will you get them buy? Get them to sell? Or refer you to someone who will buy or sell real estate through you? How will you develop YOUR wealth builders?

The answer is very simple! You provide value! Not just sometimes – all the time! Keep this book title in mind as you grow your business: What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, written by another of my mentors, Marshall Goldsmith. (I would suggest you read the book.) http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/

What are you going to do to provide value to the people you know or would like to know over the next 12 months? It is not enough to just have your license to sell real estate and then “hope” people will use your services to buy and/or sell real estate. As Dr. John Maxwell so aptly wrote, “Hope is not an effective strategy!” It might happen once in a while but not on a consistent and predictable basis. Why would anyone trust you if you do not give them reason to trust you? Why would anyone have confidence in you if you first have not given them reason to trust you and then develop the confidence that you will do the right thing for them? Why would anyone feel so confident in your abilities that because of the reputation you have nurtured, they refer their friends and family to you for their real estate needs? It starts with providing value!

How do you provide value? The problem with providing value is twofold. First, the most common practice is to provide what YOU think is valuable. Talking about YOU is not providing value to a probable buyer or seller; yet that is exactly what a lot of people in sales do. The best way to provide value to another person is to ask what they consider valuable; then provide it. Providing a list of awards you received is not providing value. Keeping them informed on what is happening in their neighborhood, the real estate market, interest rates, the value of their home, or how to maintain their home, etc is providing something of value. If the information (value) you provide is accurate, you develop trust in what you do. Create trust; create confidence. Trust + Confidence = Reputation. A good reputation equals sales success as a by-product; not the main product which is the value you provide.

All of my personal mentors repeat the same principle: People will do business with and refer people to those people they know, like and trust. This is not just going to happen; you MUST WORK ON IT!

The 80/20 Rule once again. 80% of your peers keep doing the same thing that the 80% of people do and yet expect different results. 20% of your peers watch what the 80% do and then do something else or different; that is why the 20% of your peers do 80% of the work. 20% of your peers probably read, take courses (courses not necessarily required to take to keep a license), attend seminars, conventions, family reunions (Keller Williams) and other such activities to become the consummate professional. In this regard, I would suggest you read The Power of Professionalism written by Bill Wiserma, http://www.wiersmaandassociates.com/blog You will not think of the word Professional the same way ever again.

ACTION STEP (only one) – Create a Self-Improvement Development Plan. Time block your day to include at least 30 minutes every day for the purpose of improving your knowledge and ultimately yourself.

DODGING BULLETS!

2011-11-07T16:48:00.004-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

Dodging Bullets

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, November 4, 2011

There are two ways to “dodge bullets”; one is to be quick on your feet and learn to “bob and weave”; the other is to avoid being shot at in the first place.

The later is the best way to handle objections as well; address them first and early in your conversations before they are brought up by your customers.

Teaching moment: Imagine writing an Agreement to Purchase on a home that is about 20 years old. At some point in time three major events occurred during the life of the home; Hurricane Katrina, an addition being added to the back of the home and energy efficient windows being installed.

These should be “red flags” for YOU and YOUR buyer?

Katrina, was there any damage, did it flood, was there any mold in the home, was the roof replaced, etc.? These conditions are typically addressed in the Seller’s Property Disclosure and Mold Disclosure forms.
Windows. Most windows are installed and come with a warranty. The more expensive windows usually have a longer warranty. In this case the windows were installed approximately 10 years ago. Several of the windows have leaks between the double pains and moisture has clouded the windows. You have been told that the windows are covered under their original warranty and the warranty DOES NOT include the installation of a replacement window(s). The replacement of 8 windows would be expensive for the labor but if the windows themselves are not covered by the warranty, the cost could be in the thousands of dollars. Logic would tell you to verify the warranty information with the original window company. It was confirmed that the warranty is still in effect and would cover the replacement but not the labor to install the windows. Still expensive but not outrageously expensive.
Addition: The addition to the home showed separation and settling of the foundation. The owners had the addition professionally raised and sealed.

Discussion:

The Seller’s Property Disclosure and Mold Disclosure were satisfactory to the Buyer. If these documents were prepared in error, and there is no indication or suggestion that they were, the Louisiana Law of Redhibition would come into play if known defects were intentionally not disclosed.

The windows were in clear sight so even if they were not disclosed on the Seller’s Property Disclosure because they were in plain sight they would not have to be included on the Disclosure. You and I may not agree with that premise but that is common practice and acceptance. The buyer had every opportunity to see the damaged windows as did the buyer’s home inspector. The seller agreed to pay a portion of the labor costs to have the 8 windows replaced and the buyer agreed. This should be the end of the problem. Here, however, is where going “three deep” in your questioning can help you avoid “being shot at” as compared to “dodging bullets” after they have been fired. The window company had assumed that the owners who had the windows installed were still the owners of the home when you asked the question on behalf of your buyer. The best advice anyone could ever give another is NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING. In this case the warranty terminated when the home was sold by the THEN owners to the owners of the home now. Therefore the windows were NOT covered. This is true with a great many warranties; they are NOT transferrable unless so stated in writing. Had the agent, in this case YOU, not asked the question in regard to the warranty being transferrable and given there was not sufficient time to replace the new windows prior to the scheduled closing, can you see where this would have erupted AFTER the closing and AFTER the new owner took occupancy?

In regards to the additional room. The fact that it had settled is not that unusual but that fact should raise an additional red flag. Who added the room? Was it added by the homeowner or did a professional contractor add the room? More importantly, was the addition properly permitted when built and was it properly inspected?

To demonstrate how this could affect the sale I use my own home. I was aware that I was purchasing a home that had a serious fire and the owner had converted the home from a one story to a two story. I purchased the home at a time when Seller’s Disclosures were not in play and it was more of a “buyer beware” attitude throughout the real estate industry. There were two skylights in the den area which were not part of the second floor addition after the fire. There was no reason to think that the skylights were improperly installed. I had lived in the home for more than 25 years and the skylights had not leaked until very recently. The skylight flanges had rusted and required replacing. Upon installing the new skylights, the installer pointed out that one of the two skylights was not installed according to building codes now or at the time they were installed. The choice was to replace the window with no warranty or rebuild the roof removing the skylight entirely. Apparently the second skylight was built too close to a roof valley vastly increasing the odds that it will eventually leak as it did.

On a related issue, it is only a matter of time before someone gets seriously burned by not conducting thorough walk-thru inspections prior to closing or leasing of properties. You owe it to your owners of your listings (both for sale and for lease) AND to yourself by validating the condition of the property before transfer of ownership or renters moving in. How can you possibly arbitrate damages to the property when discovered after possession if not addressed prior to possession? You cannot! In the age of digital cameras it is so easy to take a lot of photographs and file them on very inexpensive flash drives. Then when an issue rears its ugly head, you have proof of the condition of the property prior to possession.

If you want to avoid rounded shoulders and a flat head, learn to think outside the box, ask a lot of questions. When you think you have asked all the questions you could possibly ask, think again, ask more questions.

What is with the “rounded shoulders and flat heat” remark? Question: Why do REALTORS have round shoulders and flat heads? Answer: When you ask them a question they shrug their shoulders. When you tell them the answer they slap their forehead.

Learn to avoid being shot at

so you don’t have to dodge the bullets later!

The Oldest Secret to Success

2011-10-26T06:54:00.001-05:00

THE NUMBER ONE OLDEST AND MOST FORGOTTEN SECRET TO SUCCESS

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, October 26, 2011

We live in a time of instant gratification - of that there is no doubt. “I want it now!”

What do people all over the world do within seconds of something happening in their life; good or bad?

They Facebook it, they Twitter it, they Linkedin it, they Plaxo it; you get the idea. Am I saying the oldest secret to successes is technology? No, not at all.

The oldest and most forgotten secret to success is actually the second oldest and most forgotten secret to success – WORD OF MOUTH!

The logical question would then become, what is the oldest secret? CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Customer service is a forgotten practice. Think not? When was the last time you received exceptional and memorable customer service? I’ll wait…….

When was the last time you purchased an item and someone in the store actually said “Thank you, come back.” It doesn’t happen.

When was the last time the person helping you even made eye contact with you? It doesn’t happen.

It has been said that once a person, certainly not you, tells a lie, the second lie becomes easier. The third lie becomes easier until you can’t tell the truth from a lie because it has become so easy and the liar becomes very good at it through practice.

In my opinion, customer service, either good or bad, is the same. If you practice exceptional customer service it becomes the norm just as poor customer service when regularly practiced becomes the norm.

Have you ever been to a store where the attendant wore a telephone implanted in his or her ear? When they waited on you were they talking to someone else on their ear phone? Was the conversation even about business or was it about their personal life? Tell me it hasn’t happened to you.

There was a time when a customer who received poor customer service would write a letter to the manager of the business to complain. Those days are gone! Today, their voice is instant, their voice is forever recorded, their words are forwarded to others and your reputation goes into the tank all on the Internet.

Do one thing right, without fault and you will be fortunate if your customer will tell 5 people about it. Do one thing wrong and your customer will tell the world-wide web – instantly! Once posted, it does not matter if the customer was right or wrong; the words are posted and remain posted literally forever.

There is only one way to stop such actions being taken against your reputation and that is to provide exceptional customer service – always! Not occasionally – always! More importantly, when something goes wrong you must take action immediately, not later. Later is too late. You must stay on top of your business and respond to problems just as you would like others to respond to your problems. Sound familiar – the Golden Rule!

If a professional pollster conducted a survey and asked just one question, how would your customers, your database, your family, and your friends respond?

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst customer service you have ever seen and 10 being the absolute best, how would you rate (insert your name)?

If you think those folks would answer anything less than a 10, you are in trouble! Do the math. Let’s say the “average” is 7. That means that 7 people may tell 5 other people and that would mean maybe 35 people find out about your quality service or product. But that also means 3 people are telling the entire world about your less than adequate service. Which would you prefer - 35 people or THE ENTIRE WORLD THREE TIMES OVER? Can you be satisfied that 35 people have been told? On the surface that would be a plus but is it possible that when the 35 are told by THE ENTIRE WORLD that your customer service sucks, they may to go elsewhere for your product or service?

As in all businesses and especially sales, you cannot afford to have anything less than ideal customer service and that requires a change in mindset. When was the last time you worked on your attitude because that is what customer service represents. Your attitude is internal – your product or service is the external product of that attitude.

Just about everybody will change the oil in their car to make it run efficiently and longer. Few people change the “oil” in their minds. How do you change your mental oil (attitude)? You work at it, every day of your life. It starts when you awake. Are you going to be happy and have a great day or are you just waiting for the other shoe to drop in your life? The choice is yours.

Don’t think so? Read about people who have or are experiencing real problems in their lives and how they best cope with them and you discover they do not consider themselves as a victim. In many cases such people consider themselves as being blessed that the things that have happened to them actually happened.

My unscientific formula for success is very simple:

Fantastic Attitude + Magnificent Customer Service = SUCCESS!

My unscientific formula for disaster is also very simple:

Bad Attitude = AN INTERNET CREATED DISASTER

Less Than Stellar Customer Service = AN INTERNET CREATED DISASTER

Bad Attitude + Less Than Stellar Customer Service = OUT OF BUSINESS!

Put it all together and this is my VERY unscientific formula:

Great Attitude + Stellar Customer Service + Word of Mouth + Internet = A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS LIFE!

Personal happiness is defined by you. Personal success is defined by you. Your attitude is defined and developed by you. Stellar Customer Service may be “developed” by you but it is interpreted by others.

Word-of-mouth advertising is definitely created by others but encouraged by you by doing the right thing – always! The Internet is what the Internet is, a media used by millions world-wide. It can be used for good; it can be used for bad.

You will notice that it all, and I mean all, begins with ATTITUDE. Do you have a plan to work on your attitude? Really? What is it? Have you ever taken a course on Attitude? Have you ever read a book on Attitude? Do you work on your Attitude Habits every day (they are habits)? Are you even aware of how others perceive your Attitude? Are you sure? When was the last time you asked? If you are thinking “I really don’t want to know,” you know you are in trouble.

The rubber meets the road between your ears, not beneath your feet! Rubber, like your tires on your car, wears out and constantly requires replacing. What are you doing to replace the worn out and maybe even flat “rubber” that exists between your ears?

What would I recommend as a starting point; thought you would never ask:

Read, study and practice The YES!Attitude by Jeffrey Gitomer
Read, study and practice Failing Forward by Dr. John Maxwell
Read, study and practice The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey
Read, study and practice The Power of Professionalism by Bill Wiersma

If you have read this far, there may be hope.

Advancing The Pall

2011-09-02T13:07:00.003-05:00

ADVANCING THE BALL;

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TOIMPROVE ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 1, 2011

As you read this, remember, a customer is EVERYONE you interact with.

You have probably heard that a “chain is only as strong asits weakest link”. Surprise, so is acommittee, a group, a team and especially a company.

It is no surprise that when you do something correctly ahandful of people will be pleased but you will be lucky if they “pass the word”about your proficiency to more than 5 others.

Do something wrong and the customer or cooperating agentwill tell the world! The world! They will do so by word-of-mouth, byFacebook, by Twitter, by Linkedin, etc.

What can we learn from this? Do things correctly – FIRST & ALWAYS!

Each of us may be independent contractors and that is a goodthing. But being independent does notmean being free to NOT perform as a Professional Real Estate Agent and moreimportantly a Professional Keller Williams Realty Professional. Theactions of one not only adversely affect the 85 other members of the team, iteventually affects the over 77,000 members of the Keller Williams Family.

IT DOES NOT STOPTHERE. Just as it is possible for aButterfly to flap its wings in New York and ultimately create a wind storm inSan Francisco; the failure of just one real estate agent could adversely affectthe reputation and production of over one million licensed real estate agentsthroughout North America. You are NOT alone. Your actions or inactions count in everythingyou do! Everything!

Actions have consequences! Every action has an equal and just as powerful reaction!

I would highly recommend reading the following books:

· The Power of Professionalism by Bill Wiserma

· The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey

· The Little Teal Book of Trust by Jeffrey Gitomer

One over-riding theme discussed in these books is that ittakes years, maybe a lifetime, to build trust with your customers, teammatesand even your family. But it takes asplit second to destroy that trust that in some cases can never be restored.

Part of building trust occurs when the people you work withfeel that they can count on you to do the right thing – even when no one iswatching – especially when no one iswatching.

To demonstrate what this means would be impossible if I werenot to identify the behavior observed within the real estate industry over my32 years in the business. Pointing thisout hardly indicates that I am perfect, far from it. I do, however, observe people and that is oneform of learning.

Just as you should identify what the 20% of agents who arecreating 80% of the business are doing, you should also learn from what 80% ofthe agents who are creating only 20% of the business are doing. If you watch closely what other people do, ornot, you discover it is difficult to produce great results when you repeatedlyand adversely affect the public’s impression of the real estate industry. A lot of this type of agent activity falls withinthe 80%. So here we go, on a scale of 1to 10, with 1 being “I don’t do this” to 10 being “I do this all the time,without fail” how would you grade yourself in regards to:

Complete every blank on every form, really doyou do this?
Submit paperwork ASAP (that means As Soon As Possible foryou-know-who)
Return telephone calls as soon as possible
Return text messages as soon as possible
Be learning based, attend classes, read books,become better at what you do
You are NOT judgmental about other people in thebusiness
You do NOT take transactions personally; you remainan unbiased third party negotiator
You do NOT spread gossip; trust me, the REALTORGRAPE VINE is very much alive and well and that is not a good thing!
Celebrate other people’s victories
Help solve problems; you do not become part ofthe problem
Teach and guide others; remember everyone,including you, started somewhere
Read and study the REALTOR Code of Ethics atleast annually
Read and study the Real Estate Commission Rules& Regulations at least annually
Lead by example in a good way!

If you are not following the golden rule, and you should, itis very possible that you might be part of the problem as to why the “public”thinks so unkindly of real estate agents. Think about it:

Do unto others as youwould have done unto you. That doesnot mean sometimes - it means all the time. If you want others to be “professional” towards you, you must beprofessional towards them (actually everyone, especially the people you may notparticularly like). If you wantcustomers to refer future business to you; you must be and do your work as aprofessional for them. If you talk about other people; you will betalked about yourself. If that is not auniversal law it should be!

There once was a village elder who was looked upon andrespected for his knowledge, experience and wisdom. A younger villager was jealous towards theelder and began spreading malicious gossip about the elder to anyone who wouldlisten.

Realizing what he had done, he wanted to apologize to the elderwho graciously accepted a request to meet with him. At the meeting the youngster told him what hehad done and asked for the elder’s forgiveness; so far so good.

The elder said with a smile that he would accept his apologyon one condition; here it comes. Theyoungster was to take a feather pillow to the highest point overlooking thevillage and cast the feathers to the wind. The youngster was eager to earn the elder’s respect and forgiveness tohe gladly did as requested and quickly returned to proudly report his action tothe elder.

The elder then said, “Son, now gather all the feathers thathave been dispersed by the wind and bring them to me.”

The youngster was shocked and cried that it was impossible;the wind had spread the feathers about the country.

The elder said, “That is correct. Just as you cannot retrieve feathers spreadby the four winds, nor can you retrieve words spoken as truth, as lies, orbased upon a personal agenda.”

This story clearly demonstrates the power of words – bothgood and bad. Once spoken - they cannever be retrieved. So my advice wouldbe to THINK before you speak or act andconsider the consequences BEFORE yousay what you want to say or do. Is whatyou are about to say true? Is what youare about to do going to enhance your reputation or help destroy it? How do you know for sure? What will be accomplished by what you say ordo? Who will be helped? Who will be hurt? Vince Lombardi once said, “Gentlemen, this isa football. The object is to advance theball and score.” Or something to that effect. It could not be more basic.

Using Joe Tye’s Direction-Deflection-Question (DDQ), youshould always ask and answer the following question:

Is what I am about tosay or do going to “advance the ball?”

The answer: If YES –say or do it; if NO – don’t say or do it!

The “ball” in this case would be to become more professionalin what you say and do. Think about this– please. This is not how a great manyin our business think. They should! In our business we are like actors on astage. Our every move and our every wordis being watched by the eyes of critics and everyone is a critic! Didyou move the ball forward or did you fumble the ball when you had theopportunity to move it forward? Thereis no standing still!

Food for thought: Would you want your children to read about what you said to a customer –especially in anger; what you said to or about a colleague; what you did orfailed to do; what you thought or failed to think; how you helped or failed tohelp, especially a colleague and have it all printed on the headlines of thelocal newspaper.

INTEGRITY – do the right thing; especially when no one iswatching or listening!

My uncle would always ask me, “Jim, did you ring the cashregister today?” What he meant was did Ilearn anything or did I accomplish anything. It is possible to accomplish both good things and not-so-goodthings. I prefer to ask, “Did youadvance the ball today!” And as ClintEastwood would say, “Well did ya?”

If NOT why NOT?

And my favorite quote from whom I don’t know is:

Do you brighten aroom when you enter or when you leave?

Are you sure?

But It Did Not Happen!

2010-05-18T09:57:00.003-05:00

Nuggets For The Noggin
But It Did Not Happen!
Article By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, May 19, 2010

My job is to provide you with food for thought. Your job is to read what I have written and give it some thought. If you finish your job before I finish my job then my job will have been a failure. If on the other hand I finish my job before you finish your job, wella – success!

Remember The Gratitude Stone as discussed in the book/movie The Secret? It is a stone that when carried is a constant reminder to be grateful for all that enters your life. You see it first thing in the morning when you awake, you give thanks. You feel it in your pocket all during the day, you give thanks. And then when you retire at night and remove the stone from your pocket, you again give thanks for all that is good in your life.

This past weekend Dr. Argile Smith of the First Baptist Church in Biloxi, Mississippi gave the keynote address to the graduating class at William Carey University. He had a slightly different take on the art of being grateful. Dr. Smith suggested that in addition to being grateful for the good things in our life we should also be grateful for that which did NOT happen. It was a very thought provoking presentation.

For example:

Hurricane Katrina was devastating to be certain but have we considered giving thanks or being grateful for what did NOT happen? Our office building was virtually untouched thus providing each of us a place to move on with our business and help the people of our area with their housing needs.

We all saw the devastation and even death but did we give thanks for not being among those that perished?

Our company was shut down for a month; that was bad. But were we grateful when the bad times did not extend into month after month? In fact were not the months following Katrina some of the best sales months of all times?

When you close the sale from hell and you say good bye to the customers from hell do you give thanks for the opportunity to demonstrate how good you really are, the lessons you learned and all the bad things that did NOT happen? After all, they did not kill you, right?

When you close a sale, do you give thanks to what did NOT happen, like an appraisal that did not come in low?

Like a termite inspection that did NOT find termites?

Like a title search that did NOT find title problems?

Like a home inspection that did NOT find serious problems?

Like a personal check that did NOT bounce?

Today there was a car parked in the company parking lot. On the back window in very large letters it read, “So & So Appliance Sucks!” Obviously I changed the name to protect the innocent. I dare say that no matter how professional and no matter how well you conducted your business, there are incidents that you would rather forget. So while you are being grateful for all the good that enters your life, be grateful that an unhappy customer did NOT feel the urge to put your name on the back of their car indicating that your service sucks! After all, things could be worse!

It has been said that the mind cannot think of two things at one time. I don’t necessarily agree with that because I can certainly think of a Blue Bell Hot Fudge Sunday at the same time I am thinking of the whipped cream on top. Just kidding; actually no I’m not. Certainly it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to think of two opposing thoughts at the same time. As Dr. Smith suggested, being grateful IS the Secret. If you are forever being grateful it is hard to be ungrateful. Given the choice why would you want to be ungrateful? The same is true about being always positive or always negative or somewhere in between not being able to make up your mind. Dr. Smith asked the question, when you are being grateful (or ungrateful) who are you being grateful (or ungrateful) to? Only you can answer that question but I think we all know the answer except for possibly you-know-who if you-know-who is reading this.

So here’s the deal. Professional golfers use what they refer to as a trigger that they use to get into the zone. What is the zone? They understand that it is impossible to focus 100% of their concentration 100% of the time. Therefore professional golfers will not focus on their next shot until it is time to do so. They will adjust the sleeve on their shirt, adjust the strap on their glove or some other physical activity to get their mind focused on what is at hand, hitting a good golf shot. In between shots they are better served NOT trying to think too much about the next shot. It is impossible to concentrate for four hours of a golf round but it IS possible and even probable that a professional golfer can give 100% focus for the next 60 or so seconds that it takes to strike the ball.

The Gratitude Stone is such a trigger. If not a stone, consider wearing one of the colorful rubber bracelets you see people wearing and then every time you see or feel the bracelet remind yourself to be grateful. Be grateful for all the good things in your life that DID happen and all the bad things that DID NOT happen. Worries, by the way, that a great many of us continually worried might happen. Those are the worries we seem to F.E.A.R. – False Expectations Appearing Real but rarely are.

Enter the Law of Attraction where we tend to attract into our life that which we think about most. As stated, it is impossible to think of two opposing thoughts at the same time. Therefore, stop thinking about the bad things that might happen and focus on all the good things that did happen including having Dr. Smith enter your life through this Nugget. Or thank my daughter Kelly for attending William Carey University Graduate School for had she not, I would not have heard Dr. Smith and neither would you. All things seem to happen for a reason and if my attending my daughter’s graduation ceremony is the cause of you thinking better thoughts, you are welcome!

USING SIMPLE LOGIC

2010-05-04T05:14:00.003-05:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

USING SIMPLE LOGIC
Article By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, April 30, 2010

What does it take to list and successfully sell a home?

Competitive Sales Price: A sales price that is not only competitive with other comparable properties but probably slightly less. If there are more sellers (inventory of available homes), the price may have to be a lot less than what otherwise would be considered competitive. It is a simple case of supply-and-demand. The fewer the buyers the longer it typically takes to sell therefore a homeowner must make their property stand out from the crowd. When there are more buyers than houses (such as immediately following Hurricane Katrina), all bets are off in regards to pricing. But in a “buyer’s market” the correct pricing is critical!
Condition: The condition of the property being sold must be reflected in the asking price. If a property requires a lot of work as compared to other similar properties that do not require similar work, the price must reflect that. A great practice would be to encourage the homeowner to obtain a professionally prepared home inspection as the property is being put on the market. The seller can then price the property accordingly and/or make the repairs necessary plus use the home inspection as a marketing tool demonstrating to buyer exactly what they are purchasing. Purchaser may still obtain a different home inspection if they wish to.
Seller Motivation: “We’ll just put it on the market to see what happens.” That is not motivation to sell. A seller who is motivated to sell will insure that not only will the price be competitive and the condition match the price, the seller will do whatever is necessary to sell the property. Seller motivation is a huge factor in selling real estate. An unmotivated or unrealistic seller will almost always result in a long sales period if there is a sale at all.
Professional Yard Sign: This is HUGE! Yard signs represent a significant number of all sales that are made. A professional yard sign as compared to a For Sale By Owner sign clearly demonstrates to potential buyers that the sellers are represented by a professional, that would be you. On the contrary a For Sale By Owner sign that signifies the seller probably does not have professional real estate experience or knowledge and therefore may be subject to being taken advantage of.
Home Warranty: Would you buy a car without a warranty? Most say no but then list their home that is significantly more valuable than their car without offering the buyer a home warranty. Everything may work perfectly on the day of the act of sale and moments later fail. Who would ever believe that the sellers and the seller’s agent did not know that something was about to fail or didn’t work properly in the first place. Who does the buyer call? The sellers and the agents involved in the sale both listing and selling. Who would you prefer the buyer call? A Home Warranty representative! Offering a Home Warranty is the right thing to do.
Multiple Listing Service: The use of a professional yard sign and placing the property in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) accounts for most sales. Period!
Great Real Estate Agent: This is more important than most real estate agents are aware of. Who wants to work with a jerk? I don’t, do you? Therefore everything you say and do when in relationship while working with other real estate agents throughout the area as well as those in your own office is absolutely critical. If a seller lists a home with a real estate agent who is known to be “hard to work with”, “unethical”, and/or “non-existent”, they should expect that their property will be very difficult to sell. For example, a buyer’s agent finds 15 homes that meet the customer’s needs. Only 5 to 7 homes are going to be shown and remember they all meet the customer’s needs. Which 7 or 8 homes are going to be EXCLUDED? I can guarantee you that one or more will be listed by agents who could be hard to work with so with that in mind why would you want to show their properties when others are available? This is not rocket science. Unfortunately most sellers are unaware of the reputation of the agent they select in comparison to other agents in the area. How do you promote your reputation? Through the use of testimonials both letter format and video format. Nothing speaks more highly of you than satisfied customers as well as recommendations from people within the business like loan officers, closing attorneys, etc. Most agents, certainly not you, never ask for referrals in writing from their satisfied customers or people “in the business.”

Obviously there are other factors that go into a successful sale but these are by far the most important factors. What happens when a seller indicates that they do not want a yard sign in their yard or one of the other essential elements of a sale? Before you can answer that you need to know what the seller believes in regards to the use of a yard sign. Experience has shown that some homeowners do not want their neighbor to know their home is on the market. Not sure why; you need to delve deeper into their reasons. If the reasons are legitimate by all means honor their desires. However most reasons are superficial and really are not warranted.

What do you do or say to convince the homeowners they need to rethink their position? It is important that you not only provide the logic but you also allow them to come to the logical conclusion.

“Mr. & Mrs. Seller, I understand your concern. When we (the “we” is important because you and the sellers literally form a team and it sounds as if they have already listed the home with you) put your home on the market we are literally going to war. By that I mean look at the number of homes we are in competition with. (Show them the list.) In addition to those homes there are the few For Sale By Owner and bank owned homes as well. Everyone wants THEIR home to sell so they typically give their agent all the tools (bullets) necessary to market the home. The most important of these tools (bullets) are; (1) competitive sales price, (2) price that reflects the condition of the home, (3) your motivation to sell, (4) use of a professional yard sign, (5) home warranty, (6) use of the Multiple Listing Service, and (7) a great agent like me. 7 tools. Let’s assume that every agent representing the owners of every other home on the market have all 7 tools working for them. (You can have a bit of fun and suggest that unless they have hired you, the other homeowners will never have all 7 and do it with a definite smile on your face). You have indicated that you do not want a yard sign (or a home warranty or a non-competitive price, etc). You are asking me to go to battle for you without all the tools (ammunition) available. Do you see where we, you and I, are starting out in the hole before we begin?” (Wait for their answer, say nothing before they do, let them answer first. There is no way they cannot agree with you. When they agree they usually permit you to do what is necessary to do the right thing.)

ACTION STEP: Prepare & Practice! If you wait until an objection is voiced and then develop your response, you are doomed to fail. You know such objections are going to come, be prepared for them. Identify potential objections or concerns and then develop a logical response. No trickery, just logic. Help the customer to come to the same conclusion that you have reached by providing them with the information necessary to do so.

Raising The Bar

2010-04-01T03:57:00.002-05:00

Nugget For The Noggin

Raising The Bar
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, April 1, 2010

What does “raising the bar” really mean? Pulled this definition off the Internet:

You have a bar (FIGURATIVELY!). It represents a STANDARD, something to get over (at this point you may well imagine the high jump or pole vault contest in track and field). Once achieved this standard remains unchanged over a period of time. Then someone “raises the bar” tries again and succeeds. All of a sudden more is expected to meet the “new” standard. This extra could be absolutely anything. That’s the beauty of the concept. Use your imagination. Before anyone could go to university! Now they have raised the bar; you need to be intelligent!

Using the high jump as an example, it was not that long ago that anyone who could jump over 6 feet high was considered a record holder at that height. Over time, techniques and equipment improved, people in general became larger, faster and more agile and now high jumpers jump well over 7 feet. The same is true for pole vaulters. Each year athletes “raise the bar” ever so slightly and jump even higher.

It has been my sporting experience that there are self-imposed barriers. For example, I can remember when people thought no one would ever run a 4-minute mile, jump over 6 feet high or pole value over 15 feet. All these records have fallen. Did you notice? “4” minute mile? “6” feet? “15” feet? People tend to establish barriers at almost predictable measurements. In golf people talk about “breaking 100” meaning they shoot 99 or less; or breaking 90, or 80. You never hear someone say they are going to break 85 for example.

Now think about the Law of Attraction. You tend to bring into your life that which you think of most. Therefore if everyone (figuratively) says you cannot run a mile in less than 4 minutes that is what most people thought about. Few people were not restricted by such thinking and tried anyway. Along comes Roger Banister and he ran the first sub 4-minute mile. Once he did it, it only took a couple of weeks before the next person and then the next person and then the next person ran sub 4-minute miles. So what is the next barrier? Actually it became the 3 minute, 50 second mile.

In golf, if you typically shoot between 95 and 100, why would you set a goal to break 90? Why not set a goal to break 95, then 94, and then 93 and before you know it you are breaking 90. Then what? 88? 85?

Before you can “raise the bar” what must you know? You must know where the bar is set now. What is the “acceptable” standard whether it is in sports, business or life in general? What do you accept as your standard? How did you come to accept that particular standard? Who set it; did you or did someone set it for you? Why did you come to accept whatever it is you currently accept? Can you do better?

Now there’s a question for the ages; can you do better? Well can you? Is there anything you currently do that cannot be done better? If that is so, what is keeping you from doing better? Let’s count the reasons:

You don’t really believe you can do any better.
Someone, maybe the voice inside your head, has convinced you can’t do any better.
You believe that if you do better someone, maybe even you, might expect you to do better every time; not just this time.
Maybe you relate doing better to being compensated for what you do or, “I’m not getting paid to do this.”
You believe that the more I do the more I will be given to do therefore why do more or better?
Unconsciously you don’t know there is a “better” to actually do; what you are doing is acceptable (to whom?).
One of my personal favorites is “Close enough for government work!” Therefore there is no incentive to do better.
What’s in it for me if I do better?
No one is really looking, why go the extra mile?
Another one of my personal favorites as this applied to me in high school back in…… If I do better I will be considered a geek and people like those on the football and basketball teams will not want to include me in their activities. Sound familiar? Hope not; was for me.

Can you come up with more? I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to the 80/20 rule but it applies to raising the bar as it applies to everything in life. If statistics could be maintained, it would be my guess that 80% of people would accept the standards that 80% of the people currently experience. While the 80% are doing whatever they are doing, what are the remaining 20% doing? I can say with certainty, they are doing what the 80% are doing plus a “little bit more!”

Why would anyone ever want to be in the 80% group who are obviously satisfied with the status quo? What is to be gained by being like everyone else? It may take a while to answer that so I’ll wait…..

See if you can equate to my logic. When I became an instructor in the U. S. Coast Guard I was tasked with teaching people how to complete their paperwork, imagine that for those who know me. We would actually grade people on how accurate they completed a form(s) or process an event. Students would get an A, B, C, D and F just like millions of students for hundreds of years. The first thing I did was change the grading system. Instead of having a student prepare a form and get a grade of 70% or a C, I would mark the areas of the form(s) the student failed to properly prepare or calculate and then return it to the student not with the correct answers but simply the areas that were incorrect. It was up to the student, with an open book, to properly complete the form and return it for review. As in the first case I would mark up the form(s) and if incorrect, return them to the student to try again. It was the same with every form and every procedure. The student would be graded not on each form but rather how many times it took him or her to get it correct.

I can remember it as if it were yesterday when the Training Officer called me into his office to ask me what on earth I was doing. He called me crazy. I told him that a passing grade for the school was 70% and he agreed; it was 70%. Then I said, “Sir, if I were teaching students to be dental technicians, would you want someone who passed with a 70% grade working in your mouth or would you want someone who did it right the first time working in your mouth?” Before he could answer I then asked, “Sir, let’s look at it another way. If I were teaching payroll and accounting, would you want someone calculating your pay check who passed the school with a 70% or would you prefer someone who knew how to do it right the first time?”

The silence was deafening! He agreed. The only problem we then faced was how many times would we permit a student to keep trying to get it right before we came to the conclusion that he or she was just not cut out for what was being taught. After all, not everyone has the motivation and intelligence to be a brain surgeon, plumber or pay clerk. I can tell you that the quality of the graduating students improved when they understood that the standard, or where the “bar was set” was what they were expected to achieve when performing their work. Anything less is unacceptable; anything more, commendable!

Whenever you are performing work, providing a service, or providing a product for someone else, where do you set your bar? Do you set it where the 80% reside or do you set it where the 20% flourish? I’m just asking. You tell me. If you think the work you do is satisfactory or “good enough for _______”, is it really? If the shoe were on the other foot and you were the customer and someone else was performing at the level they considered as satisfactory, would it be satisfactory for you?

Is it possible to set the bar too high? Is it possible to run a 4-minute mile? Absolutely! Is it possible to run a 3-minute mile? Not yet!

Here is another way to think about it. I took my one and only hot air balloon ride with a pilot and one other person, a lot older than I was. It was magnificent but the actual ride is for another story. It was getting dark and the wind had taken us north over forests instead of south over clear pastures. With the sun setting we were definitely in trouble and you could sense that in the change of attitude and presence of the balloon pilot.

“There”, he shouted as he pointed to a very small clearing surrounded by a fence and with one large oak tree in the center. He let the air out of the balloon as much as he safely could and we descended so fast I think it was a little more than he safely could. We landed very hard and the basket turned on its side and dragged us for quite a distance but we managed to get on the ground, not hit the tree or the fence. We had made it slightly bruised but alive.

But wait, we landed in a coral not a pasture and there was a very large and very angry bull in the coral. We were in BIG trouble. Like the joke you hear about one hiker shifting to his running shoes not to out run the bear but to out run his fellow hiker, I felt I was faced with that choice. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was as young as I and neither one able to out run the bull. With only seconds to spare, I decided that I could attract the bull’s attention and get him to chase me while the other two could get to safety on the other side of the fence. I had one chance and that was to beat the bull to the oak tree. So screaming to get the bull’s attention plus the fact that I was scared to death I began a bee-line to the tree with the bull on my tail, literally. It was really getting dark but I could see a low hanging branch about 10 feet high and if I could only reach that branch I could escape the bull.

Running as fast as I could and to this day I remember the heat of bull breath on my neck, that’s an exaggeration but I swear I could feel it. As I neared the tree I jumped with all my power to grab hold of that life-saving branch.

Since I am telling you this story, you can safely assume that the bull did not kill me. As I said, I ran faster than I had ever run and I jumped higher than I had ever jumped – I missed the branch; after all it was over 10 feet in the air. But much to my surprise, I caught it coming down.

Most of that story is true and the part about catching the branch on the way down is not but it serves my purpose in this Nugget. It is perfectly permissible to shoot for the moon and it is perfectly permissible not to make it because who knows what star you might latch onto on the way up or down. The standard or the bar should be perfection. Anything less is like the student passing with 70%.

I have one question for everyone who reads this Nugget. Would you want a dentist working in your mouth who obtained his or her dental degree with a grade of 70%? I’ll wait for your answer…..

When you have a position where people rely on you and your failure could cost them money or as was in the case of the Coast Guard even their life, it is incumbent on you not to score a 70% but to score a 100%; every time! Remember, if the shoe were on the other foot you would expect nor would you accept anything less than 100%, am I not right on this?

Never accept ordinary or the minimum because ordinary and/or the minimum will never make you great; it will only put you in the 80%. More importantly, you cannot expect others to give you 100% if you do not expect the same from yourself when working for another person’s best interests.

ORDINARY WILL NOT MAKE YOU GREAT!
ALWAYS SET YOUR BAR HIGHER THAN WHAT OTHERS EXPECT!

The P.M.W.Y.T.I.W. Factor!

2010-03-10T17:47:00.002-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

The P.M.W.Y.T.I.W. Factor!
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, March 10, 2010
Born from a group of words in MOJO written by Marshall Goldsmith

Did you notice the person who served you at the last fast food restaurant or coffee shop you visited? Most people, certainly not you, would have paid for their food, collected their food and within minutes could not tell you if the person was a male or female let alone what type of service was given. In most cases the failure to observe may have been out of habit, after all it is a fast food place isn’t it?

Ever been through a toll booth? Paid your toll, collected your change and off you went leaving the person in the booth ready to greet another passerby. What did he or she look like? Did the person make eye contact? Did the person say thank you? Do you even know?

Picture this situation. It is early morning, about 6:00 a.m. and you are about to embark on a trip in your car that will take hours. You see the local Burger King opening for business and you use the drive-thru to purchase a cup of coffee. What normally happens? “Can I interest you in a breakfast combo?” “No thank you, just a cup of coffee, regular size.” And that’s it! Probably no thank you and definitely no eye contact. Sometimes the person at the windows is too busy talking on their cell phone to even know you are in the car.

How would you feel if that is what you expected but this is what you got? “Good morning, my name is Debra, how may I help you?” Catch you a little off guard did it? Did me. “Well thank you Debra, I’ll have a cup of coffee, regular size, black.” “It will be ready for you at the next window, thank you.” What’s up with this you think? But it gets even better. Now that we are face to face Debra looks me in the eye, imagine that, sales tip #1, look the customer in the eyes and she says, “Good morning, here is your coffee. Black, no cream no sugar correct?” “Yes Debra, that is correct.” as you hand her the money. She immediately made the change but instead of putting the dollar bills in your hand and then dumping the loose change on top to where they are subject to sliding off your hand and onto the ground, she put one hand beneath my hand and then put the change in my had first and then the dollar bills. “Have a great day and please come back again.”

How did that exchange measure up with your normal experience at a fast food restaurant? Dare I say different? It was for me. So much so that when I returned home several days later I hand-wrote a thank you note to the manager complimenting him on Debra’s service to his customers.

Over a month later, 6:00 a.m. in the morning and on the road again, where do you think I stopped? It was Burger King but this time I really didn’t want a cup of coffee for the road but I just wanted to see for myself. Again it was Debra and again she was just as nice as the first visit. This time, however, she looked me in the eye and she said, “I know it was you who wrote the note. I got a raise because of your note.” Who would have thunk it?

By now you are trying to figure out what this story has to do with the initials above PMWYTIW, admit it; that is what you are thinking except for possibly you-know-who. What do you think would happen between Debra and her manager if when he hired her she said to him, “Instead of the minimum wage, why don’t you Pay Me What You Think I’m Worth?” That would have been an interesting conversation wouldn’t you think?

Let’s say you are a real estate agent and you are meeting with a homeowner. When you get to the blank on the Listing Agreement referring to the commission you say, “Mr. & Mrs. Homeowner, instead of a commission, let’s put TBD on this blank and when we, you and I, sell your home, you Pay Me What You Think I’m Worth?” (In case you-know-who is reading this, TBD means To Be Determined.) What would happen? What do you think the homeowners would say to such a proposition?

What do you think would happen if you sold the home in less than a month? What would happen if you sold the home in six months or it didn’t sell at all? Which effort would bring you the most money?

Before all the real estate agents out their panic, it is not suggested that you tell all your customers to pay you what they think you are worth. Rather - just think about it for a moment. Most sales people in most professions act like they are entitled to be paid for the work they do or not do regardless of the result. How many times have I heard an agent say, “I worked so hard on this, it is not worth it, I’m going to get a real job!”

The problem is in the words “worked” and “job.” In real estate if you are “working” on selling real estate it probably is a job. But if you are servicing your customers while being grateful for the opportunity to do so you have a “calling” for what you do. It is doubtful that anyone with a job is really ever passionate about what they do.

Joe Tye, author, speaker, America’s Value Coach and my friend says, “Someone with a job is never secure, someone with a calling is never unemployed.” Which are you?

While waiting for a friend to arrive at the airport I was sitting amongst a great many people doing the same thing and as I was. I sat reading a book. Several feet from me was a trash can of no particular significance. Not long after I sat down a fellow who by his attire obviously worked for the airport came by with his janitorial cart and stopped at the trash can. He gently pulled the can away from the wall and dusted off the top just before he carefully removed it and set it, as compared to dropping it, on the floor next to the can. He then ever so carefully started to slip the plastic trash bag away from the lip of the trash can making sure not to tear the bag. He then partially twisted the top edges of the bag to put a tie on it but before he did, he pushed down on the bag to compress the trash and let the air escape out of the bag. Be patient, I’m getting there. Next he wiped out the inside of the trash can and pulled another trash bag from his supplies. As carefully as he removed the old bag he installed the new bag making certain that as much air was allowed to escape from the inside of the trash can as possible before he pulled the top edges of the bag over the edge of the can. He replaced the top of the can, took a step back as if to admire his work and before he left he gave the cover one more wipe with his cloth.

No one paid him any attention while he performed his duty and can you imagine how many times he must do that in a day’s work in a busy airport? Unlike other people who I have witnessed doing work that some might consider boring and mundane he took pride in what he did. I said to him as he was about to leave, “You do nice work.” He responded, “You noticed…thank you.” I then asked him, “How many people have told you that you do nice work?” He said, “Just one.” Pity.

I once worked in the summer months between semesters in an Open Hearth at a steel mill in Ohio. It was nasty, dirty and extremely hot. There were periods of time that I had nothing to do and that was my job, do what they told me to do and only that. Getting bored, I looked for other things to do like cleaning up the mess in various parts of the building. I was chewed out for making other people in the plant look bad. Now compare that to the fellow changing out the trash bag.

What if YOU were paid what your customer thought YOU and your service you provided was really worth? There are hundreds of people who do what you do. In what way do you do it differently, or not? If you cannot answer that question you need to go back to the drawing board. You MUST know what your points of difference are as compared to everyone of your competitors. What makes you different? Why would one customer want to work with you as compared to your competitors?

In real estate sales I oftentimes refer to the basic real estate training as the “Three P’s”: I’ll Put it in the MLS; I’ll Put a sign in the yard; and I’ll Pray on Sunday that it sells!” The Three P’s of real estate sales and for a lot of real estate sales folks that is all they do. Remember, only 20% of the people do 80% of the work so your first task is to figure out what it will take to get into the 20% group. Doing what the 80% continually do won’t cut it.

Approach your career as if the customer is going to pay you what the customer thinks you are worth in regards to what you bring to the table. Here is another abbreviation for you – JAR. If you do not discover and then promote your points of difference and the points of difference that your company provides as compared to your competition, you are a JAR – Just Another REALTOR! One of the 80 Percenters who are doing only 20% of the work.

10 SECONDS TO MAKE A SALE

2010-03-01T18:03:00.004-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

TEN SECONDS TO SUCCESS; OR NOT!
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, March 1, 2010

“People will do business with and refer business to
those people they know, like and trust.”
Bob Burg http://www.burg.com/

Your mother was right, you should never judge a book by its cover and you should never judge people until you get a chance to really know them. I hope she does not read this; Mom may have been right but putting that principle into daily practice is almost impossible.

Who has not bought a book just because the cover was attractive or cute? Who would not be caught up in this title: “Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth, I'm Kissing You Goodbye!” Cynthia Heimel. Here’s another: “Life Is Short, Wear Your Party Pants.” Loretta LaRoche. My personal favorite is “Never Wrestle With A Pig; You Both Get Dirty And The Pig Loves It!” Mark McCormack

First impressions DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE and you have about 10 SECONDS to make that favorable impression. This morning I took my wife out to breakfast and it was great. A couple sat down at the table next to us and the first thing I noticed about the man was a HUGE gold earring hanging from his nose; it was hard not to see. It almost distracted me enough that I might have missed the tattoos on his neck. This man may have been the key to my future but neither of us will ever get the chance to know. At least in my eyes he failed his 10 second opportunity. The reverse of that is also true. I may have been HIS opportunity to an abundant future but as stated, neither one of us will ever know will we? What do you think would have been the result had this man sat in front of me at a job interview? How about you? Could you see past the nose earring? Maybe so; probably not.

How you dress speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying. How you dress DOES make a difference in that first 10 seconds and that includes all kinds of things such as:

Body piercings
Excessively large earrings
Excessive makeup
Hair styles that are either unkempt, out of date or trying to make a statement – Mohawk
Casual dress when it should be business-like or even formal
Formal dress when it should be casual or business-like
Extra short skirts (for women in case you-know-who is reading this)
Low cut necklines, again for women or I guess for men as well
Jewelry, believe it or not, if it is excessive or gaudy
Food on your teeth
Food on your blouse or shirt
Ink stain on your shirt pocket
Coffee stain on your shirt or blouse
Foul breath
Foul body odor
Smoking
The smell of smoke on your clothes and/or in your car if used for business
The smell of alcohol on your breath – a real killer
A telephone sticking out of your ear; come on, you know it looks horrible and sends the signal that although I am with you, I am also with anyone who happens to call me and then you take a back seat - admit it – you know I am right about this.
Old fashioned but...not standing up when a person enters the room.

When meeting people for the first time, the above list represents INSTANT KILLERS to building rapport. How do you measure up? Are you sure? Sometimes you need to ask a good friend and if you ask, you CANNOT BE OFFENDED AT THE ANSWERS! When you ask, set the parameters of the question and your response to the answers, explain that it could mean a sale (and it will if it hasn’t already).

Meeting someone face-to-face for the first time you really do have about 10 seconds to make a favorable impression. Meeting them on the telephone is a little different but not much and it depends on who generated the call. If a stranger is calling you, you have about 30 seconds. A lot of people calling a sales person do so to ELIMINATE them from consideration; not necessarily what they are selling or offering but rather he or she as an individual. If you generate the call you have about 10 seconds especially since the person you call is NOT sitting around waiting for your call. Keep in mind that you are interrupting them from something that at that moment is far more important than your call, at least to them. Therefore 10 seconds might even be a bit optimistic. In this age of caller-ID you will be lucky if such a call is even answered.

What could go wrong on a telephone call that could create a bad first impression? Let’s count the ways:

Eating food; like the other party can’t tell
Excessive noise in YOUR background area
Loud music playing in the background
Typing on a keyboard while you answer the phone; yes it can be heard
Chewing gum
Holding the phone with your shoulder with your head is pointed down toward your desk creating a muffled voice
Not sounding excited about the opportunity you have with a customer
Placing people on HOLD or worse FORGET; use HOLD only as a last resort

There are some simple rules regarding talking with probable buyers on the telephone:

First and foremost, STAND UP! Your voice comes across on the telephone much better than if you are sitting down
If you can, look into a mirror before you answer, stand up and smile into the mirror. A smile comes across in your voice; you want to sound happy and positive
Take 2 to 3 seconds, if you can, to clear your mind of what you are doing and start thinking that the person on the other end of the line could mean a sale for you; he or she probably does
Get in the SERVICE mode, how can you help this person
Don’t get hung up on emphasizing your name and company when ANSWERING a call because the caller either already knows it or more likely, doesn’t care. You can give it to them deeper into the conversation when it will make a difference
In real estate sales, at least in Louisiana, you MUST give your name and company at the beginning of your call when YOU are making the call
Repeat important points to demonstrate to the caller you are both listening and paying attention
Answer questions with the answer to the question. Do not answer with a question. Then ask a related “open-ended” question that causes the customer to think and answer with something other than a YES or NO – keeps the conversation going
DO NOT TALK TO CUSTOMERS IN YOUR CAR WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING. You cannot give them proper attention and you are menace to everyone else on the highway!

Here is a novel thought, why not create a phone message for your cell phone to advise customers that you are either with a customer OR you may be driving in either case you will return their call. If you were a customer, could you accept that premise?

PUT A SIGN ON YOUR PHONE – “I HAVE 10 SECONDS TO MAKE A SALE!”

Get in the habit of asking yourself a Direction-Deflection-Question (DDQ), originated by Joe Tye, http://www.joetye.com/.

Is what I am about to say or do consistent with me providing EXEMPLARY customer service?

Unfortunately most of the time people, certainly not you, act more like they are interrupted than wanting to serve the public who visit or call. How do you measure up?

YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS
TO MAKE A FAVORABLE FIRST IMPRESSION!
THINK ABOUT IT!

REMEMBER:
YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT MOST!

THEREFORE THINK:
I AM AT MY ABSOLUTE BEST WHEN SERVING OTHERS!

Thank God It's Monday!

2010-02-25T08:35:00.002-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

Thank God It’s Monday!(*)
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, February 20, 2010

(*) The title “Thank God It’s Monday!” was taken from Tommy Newberry’s book, “Success Is Not An Accident” (a wonderful book I might add and I highly recommend it.)

You have all heard the phrase, Thank God It’s Friday. There is a very successful restaurant chain named TGIF meaning the same thing. What is so special about Friday? Why are so many people happy that it is finally Friday?

Most will tell you it is because Friday signals the end of the work week. Others will tell you that it is because they now get to pursue something they really love to do. Some are just tired of working and others can’t wait to have fun. Yet there are some who are tired of working and have no fun scheduled for their time away from work.

What happens on Sunday night or Monday morning? Do these same people move into a feeling of dread as they head back to their JOBS? Do they refer to Monday as TKIM, Thank God It’s Monday!

In sales we tell our probable buyers that we want them to buy what they love and love what they buy. Why would that same advice not be true for what you do? Do you do what you love and love what you do? The actual career field makes no difference; your attitude towards your profession/career does.

If you loved what you do and did what you love do you think it would make a difference in the number of sales you make? Do you think it would make a difference in your family relationships when you came home for the evening or the weekend having just completed a day at work doing what you love? Do you think it would make a difference in your relationships when you come home from working at a job you hate and can’t wait until its Friday to get relief from something you hate?

Take it to another level. I love to play golf. What kind of golfer do you think I would be if all during the week I absolutely loved my job and had a great relationship with my family and now it is Saturday and I am going to play golf? I may not play a great game of golf but it would not be as a result of a horrible attitude. On the other hand, I would be almost guaranteed a horrible game if I carried onto the course all the dislikes of the past week from my profession/career.

If you are not passionate about what you do, it almost assuredly will carry over into other aspects of your life. If you ARE passionate about what you do, you will discover that your attitude and your goals and objectives become contagious amongst those people you surround yourself with.

Now comes the hard part – improving on a good thing. Find your passion; hopefully it’s something you love to do. But what are you doing to get better? How will you maintain the love for what you do? If you are not getting better, it is easy to understand why you would hate what you are doing. The solution is really quite simple:

1. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Avoid the complainers in life as if they had the swine-flu. Find people who stimulate your thought process, who can appreciate what you do and where you want to go and who can help you get there.
2. Become engrossed in your own self-education. Once into the business world there is no one who will take charge of your education. If you fail to assume this role for yourself, you are almost doomed to mediocrity. It is almost impossible to advance without education and while you may think you are improving you are more likely not even standing still, you are instead falling behind those who value their own educational process.

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” – Charles “Tremendous” Jones. Not one to argue with Mr. Jones, I believe that there is more to this. I believe you will be the same person in five years, ten years, and for the rest of your life unless something intercedes into your life to change the people you “hang” with, the books on improving your life and career you choose to read, the CD’s you choose to listen to, the DVDs you choose to watch and the seminars and conventions you choose to attend.

It has been my experience that the 80/20 rule applies to all of the above; 20% will do it, 80% won’t. With over 75,000 real estate associates in the company, about 8000 attended the 2010 annual family reunion (convention). As good as that number first appears, that’s not even 20%. It was stated that 25% of the attendees were NOT with Keller Williams so that means 6000 were; 2000 were not. The main excuses given, “I can’t afford to attend”, or "I'm too busy to attend." What is really being said is that "I don't see a value in attending." I believe you can’t afford NOT to attend. It is impossible to attend and not learn something that will help you in your business. I contend that it is impossible to attend a convention and not discover at least one technique, one script, one new tool, one new process that will help you close at least one sale you otherwise would not have closed. If that is true, and I believe it is, then the one thing you learn will have more than paid for your attendance at the family reunion (convention) where not only do you learn, you have a lot of fun.

Why do so many people, not you of course, fail to see the value of attending seminars hosted by experts, people who have done what you would like to do? Most say it is a lack of funds. If you thought you would make money by attending, the funds would be there. Some say they don’t like the travel. How much travel is there? If it involves flying and you don’t like to fly, I can understand that so combine it with a family vacation and drive – spend time with your family to and from the event. Plus you can deduct a lot of the expenses as business expenses on your income tax return all while you are learning and having fun with your family.

It has been my experience that money is typically the problem because so few people, at least in real estate, fail to create a business and personal budget and then work their budgets. For those who prepare budgets how much is included for personal development/improvement? If the answer is “0” then without some outside influence, you are more than likely doomed to continue to do what you have always done while expecting to achieve different results – how’s that working for you?

Education is the key to success. It is that simple. Here is a frightening thought. At what point in your life did you learn about money, about savings, about buying a car, about balancing a check book, about buying a home? If you are like me it was much too late in life; it certainly was not during my formal years of high school and college educations. I see nothing changing that process and therefore it is up to parents to make certain that our children/grand children are receiving guidance on the value of having goals, understanding money, interest, taxes, investments and most important – continuing their education – no one is going to do it for them – like so many they will be left to their own devices to discover what should have been taught by either the educational system, parents or both.

TGIM – Thank God It’s Monday! I get to go on stage to demonstrate I can do what I do and that I love doing it. It would be easier to say Oh God, Another Monday! If all things were equal, who would have the better week? If you need help with the answer, please stay off the highways.

Y2K

2010-02-14T07:36:00.002-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin
Y2K
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, February 12, 2009

Do you remember the years leading up to Y2K? (That is January 1, 2000 for those folks who may have lived on the moon?) How could you forget? It was like the world was going to end at midnight on December 31, 1999. All the computers in the world were going to crash. Admit it; you thought there was some truth to those predictions. I’ll even bet you ran to your computer soon after midnight to see if it was still working just to see what you may have lost, right?

Can you believe that was over 10 years ago? Well it was, it was over 10 years ago; how time flies.

It is now February 12, 2010 and something caused me to think of Y2K. Think back to January 1, 2000, what were you doing? What goals did you set? What did you want to have achieved in the next 10 years? Did you achieve them? Did you have goals? Did you have yearly goals? Did you have goals for 5 years out? Did you have life goals? If you are like most folks, there is not a lot of difference between January 1, 2000 and February 12, 2010 in regards to setting goals; they still do not set them in writing; they simply are not a priority in life. If so, you still are working without a net. You have no specific goals. You do not have a picture of who you want to be or what you want to achieve 10 years from today. Therefore why would you expect that anything would change between now and February 12, 2020, 10 years from now?

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”
Charles “Tremendous” Jones

For those who have read previous Nuggets you know that they emphasize creating an educational plan for yourself because no one is going to do it for you. Run the numbers for yourself. If you had spent 30 minutes a day, every day for the past 10 years, you would have spent 1,820 hours working on your profession. What could you have achieved or become if you spent 1,820 hours working on becoming the best you could be? What and who WILL you become by February 12, 2020 if you spend 1,820 hours over the next ten years? It is never too late to start. If you do not start now, when will you start? If you do not make a study of your profession now, when will you start?

I have a list of over 50 of the best reads for anyone in sales and will make it available to anyone who asks. Just send an email to JimBrown@gymbeaux.com and ask for Best Reads in the subject line.

But for those of you in real estate, both new and experienced, if you want to start a real plan to educate yourself in real estate at least over the next year, this is my recommendation:

1. Start with your state’s Real Estate Law and Rules and Regulations. This should be read twice a year. Yes it is boring but it is what gives you the authority to do what you do so does it not then make sense to become an expert at what the law says?
2. Read the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, again at least twice a year. This gives you the guidelines to enable you to ethically work with the public and with other REALTORS®. Again, does this not make good sense if you want to be the best you can be?
3. The only other book I would read during the first year is The Million Dollar Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan. Yes I am with Keller Williams Realty (a disclaimer) but this book is NOT about Keller Williams; it is about building a business. Therefore any business person in any business could use this book as a study on how to set up a profitable and successful business, real estate agents being no exception. I would take it a step further and not only purchase the book, I would have a company like Office Depot, Staples, etc take the book apart and insert a spiral binder so it lies flat on your desk. If you take your real estate career seriously you will want to make this your absolute study over the next year and beyond. You will want to highlight the ideas and business practices that will enhance your business. I would also purchase the book on CD to listen to in my University on Wheels whenever I am on the road. Is this an over kill? Only if you do not want your real estate business to succeed. If you truly want to be the best real estate agent you can be you must first become the best business person you can be and this book will certainly demonstrate how than can be achieved.

The key is not to just “read” these items but rather to read, highlight, re-read, discuss, create plans to implement what you have learned, set goals for yourself and your business and then treat your business as a real business. The ultimate result would be that when you decide to retire you will have a product to sell – your business. What will it be worth at that time in your life? If you have it defined, if you have systems in place, if you can show history and success, if you can show a profit and loss statement with the emphasis on profit, YOU HAVE A PRODUCT TO SELL! If you owned a donut shop you wouldn't just walk away from it as most real estate agents seem to do, you would sell it. Why would you not want to sell or derive a benefit from all your hard (smart) work?

What Is Your Pre-Shot Routine?

2009-12-27T20:35:00.004-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, December 27, 2009

To the non golfer, people playing golf would appear to be something like grabbing a club, swinging at a ball, putting the club back in the bag, and then, repeat step one. There would appear to be little if any “routine” involved whatsoever. Most golfers know this is not the case and that a routine is often the difference between a good golfer and a not-so-good golfer.

In fact if you watch a professional golfer in action, you will see that just before taking each shot, the pro takes one very specific action that serves as a “trigger” that starts a very specific (sorry for using that phrase twice in one sentence but it works) set of actions and thoughts that culminates in the golf ball finally coming to rest. Even then the routine is not complete until the golfer instantly and immediately assesses the completed shot; what went right, what went wrong and then what went right again.

That in itself is a lesson: Never start a self-evaluation with a negative (what went wrong) and never end with a negative. Think of an Oreo cookie, the chocolate represents the “what went right” and the cream filling the “what went wrong?” You never want to leave your mind thinking about the things that went wrong; always end on a positive note.

A good golfer does this before he or she can totally relax between shots. Famed Jack Nicklaus said that he only had to focus on the golf shot for about 30 seconds. That would start with some form of “trigger” to start his pre-shot routine. He would relax between 30 second shots. He said it would be impossible for someone to give 100% focus for a four or five hour round of golf but in 30 second increments it was not only possible it was required.

What is a trigger? In golf a trigger is a very specific action like adjusting the strap on your golf glove; adjusting your cap, pulling up the right or left sleeve of your shirt or as in the case of Arnold Palmer, tugging on his pants. This action started a thought and action process that like Nicklaus said, took only about 30 seconds to complete where he remained focused on the task at hand for about 30 seconds. By repetition he grooved his swing and in a lot of ways also grooved his results.

Why is having a pre-shot (pre-day) routine so important to your business and your life? No one that I am aware of, except of course for maybe you, can be focused every waking minute of the day; no one! Therefore it would seem, at least to me, that compartmentalizing your specific daily activities into time blocks would be step one to having a more successful day.

Compartment #1: Waking up. If ever there was one aspect of your day that was the most important this is it, regardless of what you want to accomplish on any given day; wake up! When you do, what do you do? Is it the same every day? It is by design or by accident? Have you given any thought as to what you do the first thing upon waking up? What would happen if you did what you do by choice rather than by accident?

Create a trigger action upon waking up. I would suggest that your first thought should be giving thanks for waking up to another day; keep in mind the alternative may not be the start of a great day for you. Think about it for just a second. The very first thought you think could set your mood for the next 12 to 18 or so hours. Become aware of this moment and when you awake, make good use of the fact that you did wake up for another day and be grateful for doing so. Then tell yourself it is going to be another great day!

This may sound a little kinky but then sometimes kinky is good. Since the first thing you typically see when you awake is the ceiling why not put something on your ceiling that will make you happy as soon as you see it? That is your trigger for the next several activities you will do each and every day. (Dr. Jeanne Reeves, my dentist, has motivational posters tacked to the ceiling above her dental chairs so that is what you see while you are being worked on.) You decide what those activities are and if I may be so bold, here are a few suggestions:

First and foremost, give thanks for being alive! It’s always better to see the grass from the top instead of the roots. :-)
Get in the habit of waking up a little bit earlier than you have been and use the extra time to read a few pages of something motivational and/or inspirational – you choose!
Exercise for a few minutes. If you have a treadmill in your home, consider walking AND reading something motivational and/or inspirational at the same time – multi-task! This is one of the few times you can really multi-task without compromising either activity.
Look in the mirror and remember this one thought, you would worry less about what other people think if you knew how little other people actually thought of you. Learn to love what you see in the mirror and stop criticizing who you are looking at. After all, you are who you are and no amount of make-up or wishing will change what you look like. Okay, maybe some make-up would help a little; for you-know-who, make that a lot. :-)
Take a few minutes and review your goals; you do have goals don’t you? Goals will keep you on track to accomplish what you want to accomplish.
If you did not create a Daily To-Do List the night before, create one now and make certain that you concentrate primarily on those activities that if done will make the biggest difference in your life TODAY! For folks in sales, like you-know-who, those activities would be considered dollar productive activities.
Besides yourself, make the first and every person you see this day feel really important; really important! If everyone you met today made you feel important, how would you feel? Imagine seeing the letters MMFI (Make Me Feel Important) on their forehead.

Jack Nicklaus knows the importance of having a trigger followed by a pre-shot routine; why not learn from the master and create your own trigger and your own pre-day (pre-shot) routine? Spend a few minutes every morning doing the same thing to set your mind in the proper mindset to attack the day.

You can figure out what the remaining compartments of your day are. Here is a thought; try Joe Tye’s Direction-Deflection-Question (DDQ) and ask yourself:

IS WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY OR DO
GOING TO MAKE ME FEEL GOOD OR BAD
ABOUT THE REST OF MY DAY?

You be the judge!

Income Insurance; Or Not!

2009-12-15T15:18:00.002-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin
This Nugget written by Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, Revised December 2009

It is the end of the year and most businesses, that would include you of course, have already prepared their 2010 business plan and budget. But just in case you haven’t, this Nugget may help you figure out just what you need to be doing for the next twelve months.

What is the first question you ask yourself or a coach might as you when establishing goals; you do have goals, don’t you? “How much money do you need to make?” The emphasis is on the word “need”, meaning you have a number in mind that you MUST make in order to pay the bills you have and maybe put a little aside for that “rainy day” we hear so much about.

Well Breaux, the rain hasn’t stopped in several months – or put another way – the rainy day has become what one might call a “normal” day. Look at these numbers:

Economy drops 20% (that is just a number it does not represent a factual number).
Agent A’s income for the previous year was $68,000 and that was Agent’s A break even point where Agent A had sufficient income to pay all of her business expenses, pay all of the living expenses and as stated above maybe put a small amount aside for the rainy days.

Along comes the rain. Now Agent A’s income, keeping in line with the economy, has also dropped 20%. 20% of $68,000 is $13,600 for a net income of $54,400. If Agent A was not saving at least $13,600 a year for rainy days, there is a deficit and Agent A is spending more than Agent A is making.

Now look at Agent B who the previous year earned $250,000. Agent’s B’s income also dropped 20% over the same period in time maintaining pace with the economy or $50,000 for a net of $200,000. The question then becomes was Agent B saving $50,000 a year for rainy days?

Here is another very serious thought to consider. If Agent B’s average sales price was $400,000 and the average Board’s sale price is $200,000, do you think that Agent’s B’s income might be affected a bit more than the economic average? Hmmmmmmm?

I hate to tell you the answer. In most cases certainly not yours, neither Agent A nor Agent B were saving $13,600 or $50,000 respectively. Income can best be compared to the storage space in our homes. The more storage space you have, the more stuff you collect to fill it. Purchase more storage space like a shed or off-site storage and you guessed it, you collect more stuff. Being in the Military for 20 years had one very definite advantage over most folks. Every 2 or 3 years we moved and when we move you guessed it, we got rid of stuff. But if you don’t move, the stuff overwhelms you. Then one day, one or more of your children leave home. Wow, I have more room now that Johnny has moved out. Yes and you have more room for more stuff. The unplanned consequence is that Johnny does not have enough room in his new place so he still uses your home for some of his “stuff.” And this vicious circle seems to go on forever. “I can’t get rid of that; I might need it some day!” Well the same is true for income; we tend to not only spend what we make, we spend more than what we make by using charge cards.

Income and expenses are no different. The more money people make the more money they spend and I know this because……. We are in very odd economic times and while I am not an economist, I think I know enough about past economies that would lead me to believe that the world is in for a very rude awakening when future revenues fail to make up the difference between what was spent today and what comes in tomorrow as revenue or lack thereof. That is a formula for inflation. I can only hope I am wrong but I don’t think so. Financial planning becomes essential for survival.

A great many people do not control the amount of their income as do people in sales have the ability to do. Need more money? Make more sales! The formula is that simple. There are other ways to make more money and they are, (1) cut your expenses to the bone – that effectively increases your disposable income. (2) Earn more money on the sales you make – that also effectively increases your disposable income. (3) Be more selective regarding the quality of probable buyers and probable sellers you work with meaning you work with fewer people but the ones you do work are ready to buy or sell and waste less of your time on those who are not. While that does not directly increase your income it does increase your dollars of income per hour worked and that is always good thing. (4) Become an expert on the Federal Income Tax Code or hire someone who is and take advantage of tax savings, especially for Independent Contractors. Saving more on taxes is effectively earning more to save or spend. (5) A combination of all four.

This is what I know. Correct that, this is what I positively know! The following is a plan and any plan is better than no plan just in case you do not have one:

Review your expenses for the past 12 months. Every expense, not just the car payment, house payment and utility bills – EVERY KNOWN EXPENSE! While you track them, try to identify if there are any seasonal increases/decreases like spending more on electricity and gas during the summer months. Here are some expenses that most people should think about:

Insurance premiums like annual Flood Insurance. Semi-annual, or quarterly payments like various insurance premiums. Health insurance or supplemental health insurance. E&O.
Christmas, birthday, anniversary, wedding and shower gifts, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day (this is typically a great deal more than you first think it is)
Annual dues to trade organizations like the Board of Realtors, MLS, personal designations like CRS, or groups such as the Women’s Council of REALTORS®, etc.
License renewals
Personal development like attending Family Reunion (convention for those not with Keller Williams), off-site training (travel, food and lodging), books, CDs, DVDs for your personal growth library (you do have one don’t you?)
Unscheduled repairs to your car(s), home, tools and equipment
Personal loan payments
Student loan payments
Credit Card payments
Charitable donations and church donations
Political donations
State income taxes as applicable
Federal income taxes as applicable
Property taxes
Telephone service
Internet service
Cable Television
Co-pay medical payments
Gas for the car
Tuition for the kids
Emergencies (especially evacuations due to storms)
Unscheduled trips to visit relatives due to family emergencies
The cost of pets (much higher than you might think)
Date Nights (entertainment in general)
Cost of hobbies, golf, crafts, photography, etc.
Cost of smoking
Cost of drinking (and that does not mean milk and water Breaux!)
Expected or unexpected increases in any of these categories (requires planning)
Accounting expenses
Legal expenses
Advertising and marketing expenses
Customer gifts and entertainment
Tools and equipment required for work (or still needed for work)

You hopefully get the idea and here is a way to fine tune the list. Get some of your co-workers and form a mastermind group. Ask them to bring their check books with them and then using the above list, work towards improving the list by reviewing what they have spent money on over the past year. A side benefit of this activity is that you may identify more deductable expenses than you had realized were available for tax purposes.

Let me give you an example of just how out-of-control expenses can be. How much do you spend at Christmas? Do you know? Do you really know? A lot of folks buy Christmas presents all year long which if they are bought on sale may not be a bad idea. How many birthday gifts do you buy? How many flowers to you buy? Wedding Shower gifts? Do you spend $3,000 a year on gifts? You might at first say, no way. But if you have a family of 5 (3 children) that is $630 a year per person. But wait, do you have parents to consider? Now we are down to $428 per person. Add in a niece, nephew, an aunt or uncle, someone getting married, etc, and suddenly $3,000 is an insufficient amount to budget. Tell me I am wrong on this. But wait, if you divide $3,000 by 12 months that means you have to budget $250 a month in order NOT TO OVER SPEND during the year. If you think you are spending $3000 a year on gifts, are you saving $250 a month for that purpose? If you are like most folks, I doubt it.

Before you can set a financial goal for the year, you MUST absolutely identify every penny that you know you will spend and even might spend. How can you just pick a financial goal out of thin air if you really do not know how much you are currently spending? I would wait for the answer but unless you are independently wealthy, there is no answer to that question.

At this stage in creating your financial plan, take time to analyze your expenses and cut them where you can. When you identify exactly how much you are spending in the various categories, it becomes very obvious that you may be spending entirely too much on several categories. Cut and consolidate where you can. Do your homework on what is most cost effective like hard line telephone service in addition to cell phone service. Consider the new technology available like Vonage or MagicJack to cut phone costs. Where else can you make cuts? Do you really need that “new car” car payment?

If you are in real estate sales, how can you “cut your commission” on a sale or listing if you do not know how much on average working a sale or listing REALLY costs you? Do you know?

If you have children, are you planning NOW for them to attend college LATER? How much does it cost for a college education? Let’s say for argument purposes that it costs a frugal $25,000 a year (at some time far into the future and that is going to probably be a very low estimate). That is $100,000 for a four year college education PER CHILD. Let’s say you have only one child who is 5 years old and you have thus far saved nothing. Therefore you have approximately 13 years to put away $100,000. Without considering the effect of earning interest on your money, saving monthly with the goal of saving $100,000 for when your child reaches 18 and goes off to college would mean that you would have to save $641 a month times the number of children you have. Here is the good part; if your child receives a scholarship, you can use the money to implement Plan B – buy a boat! Want a better plan? Buy a rental house for each child. Let someone else pay the rent (mortgage) on the home. When your child is ready for college, sell the home to pay for the college costs.

Now you must account for the things you do not know and the big one is the rainy day. Let’s go back to Agent A who said she “needed” to make $68,000. If Agent A did not go through the expense part of this Nugget, I would suggest that $68,000 is an insufficient amount and that $75,000 would be a more conservative estimate. If you then calculate a percentage over and above that amount for your “rainy day” contingency, you have a more realistic goal. How much more would be sufficient?

Well Breaux, there is yet one more step. If you read the Nugget “The SECRET is in the BAG”, you know that everyone should have a BAG (Big Ass Goal) and that would not be a financial goal. A BAG goal would be more like putting all your children and maybe even your grandchildren through college – now that is a BAG! Or being financially independent but to know that, you would also need to know what your future expenses will be and then how much money you would need to maintain an income and life-style without working, another huge BAG! You decide, what your BAG is?

Once you identify your BAG, you need to estimate just how much longer you intend, must, and/or be required to work to attain it. Therefore, your annual financial goal needs to include (1) what you need to make to break even, (2) money for a rainy day, (3) an amount that will insure you attain your BAG and, (4) paying yourself 10% FIRST! Where did number 4 come from? Read The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. Clason. Clason suggests that you take 10% of whatever you earn and pay yourself before you pay anyone else. Of course you still need to pay all your bills but imagine the nest egg you could build yourself by paying yourself 10% FIRST! Keep in mind, we all tend to spend what we make. Therefore get in the habit of spending only 90% of what you make!

Using Agent’s A’s numbers, Agent A NEEDS $68,000 annually (based on the upcoming 12 months and obviously this will change from year-to-year). Agent A calculates that she needs to earn at least 15% more for that “rainy day.” And not knowing what Agent A’s specific BAG is, let’s add in another $15,000 (that would be conservative for most BAGs). Now we have a financial goal:

$68,000 – Need to have
$10,000 – Rainy Day Fund (equal to 3 to 6 months of income in reserve)
$15,000 – BAG account
TOTAL $93,000 (Remember it was once only $68,000)

Now we are talking!

That means Agent A needs to earn $7,750 a month. What does Agent A need to know to insure that she earns a gross $7,750 a month?

Not just the Market’s Average Sales Price but HER average sales price; they are not necessarily the same. For the purpose of this Nugget, HER average sales price is $175,000.

Now Agent A needs to know what HER average commission percentage is on each sale and how much of the total commission does Agent A get to keep. This is a bit more complicated for agents on a 100% plan where part of the commission is earned on one percentage and the balance for the year on a 100% plan. To make this easy, let’s say the first $36,000 of earned commissions is on a split of 70/30. And for calculation purposes, let’s say the gross commission on a $175,000 sale is $4,500 and therefore the agent’s net would be approximately $3,150. If you divide $36,000 by $3,150 you discover that Agent A would need to close 12 sales on a 70/30 split to reach the point where Agent A would then receive 100% of the commission. If Agent’s A’s goal is $102,000, subtract $36,000 from $102,000 and that leaves $66,000 to be earned at 100%. Divide $66,000 by $4,500 and you discover that Agent A needs to close an additional 15 sales to reach her goal. 12 Sales at 70/30 plus 15 Sales at 100% equals a total of 27 sales for the year. That equates to 2.25 Sales a month or approximately half a sales each week.

This is where it gets interesting. Gary Keller’s The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (MREA) book indicates that you should expect to close 2 sales for every 12 people you put into a MET Database and who you touch 33 times a year FOREVER! But let’s be conservative and say it is 1 sale for every 12 people. This principle works for real estate sales. If you are in another form of sales like car sales, there are numbers that work for you as well; find out what they are! Using the above numbers, how many people would you need in a MET Database in order to reach Keller’s numbers? 348. Does Agent A know 348 people? How many do you know? Keller also stated that you should expect to close ONE sale for ever FIFTY people you have in an UNMET Database PROVIDED you contact them ONCE a MONTH FOREVER!

Therefore, first put everyone you know into a MET database. Calculate how much money you established using the formula above as your financial goal. Then calculate how many people you need to put in an UNMET Database to make up any shortage.

You must then become disciplined to your goal. Gary Keller suggests that you play red light – green light with your money. Simply put; is what you are about to spend money on going to help you reach your life’s big goal (BAG)? If yes, green light – spend it. If no, red light – don’t spend it. I like Joe Tye’s Direction-Deflection-Question (DDQ) to help you in this regard.

IS WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SPEND MY HARD EARNED MONEY ON LEADING ME TOWARDS MY LIFE’S GOAL OR AWAY FROM IT?

Use the DDQ every time you contemplate spending a dime! The one category that should never be cut is education. Remember, “Education” is what you get when you read the fine print; “experience” is what you get when you don’t.” If you want to get better at what you do, create a self-education plan and stick to it!

One more suggestion from the book “Somebody’s Gotta To Say It” by Neal Boortz. Neal suggests that from this day forward, NEVER SPEND ANOTHER DOLLAR BILL. Spend only $5.00 bills and larger. When you receive your change, do what you will with the loose change but put the dollars in a jar on your dresser. These one-dollar bills add-up in a hurry and it would be very easy to save $1,000 a year or more from your loose one-dollar bills. This is a great savings technique that provides you with emergency funds, date-night funds, etc. Try it, you’ll like it!

If the economy shifts for the better – you are in fabulous shape. If it turns even further south, you should be okay. Remember, the market is what the market is and it never stays the same. You must reevaluate your financial goal every year based upon REAL numbers from the year(s) before. Now that you know, what are you going to do about it? Do they teach this stuff in our schools? I don’t think so.

Planning example:

It has been my experience that most real estate agents seem to fail to plan or account for funds due to maintain their businesses. Here is a breakdown of some known fees that should be accounted for MONTHLY instead of waiting until the end of the year and then be short of funds.

Annual license Renewal $ 55.00 Due December 31 each year
E&O Insurance Renewal $184.00 Due December 31 each year
Board Dues $364.50 Due December 31 each year
MLS Annual Renewal $295.00 Due July 1 each year

Total Amount Due During The Year $898.50

If you begin to withhold EACH MONTH $75.00, you will have sufficient funds available when these dues become payable.

You are strongly encouraged to literally write yourself an invoice each month for $75.00 or and then pay the bill – no exceptions – by placing the money into a savings account in order for that money to be available when it is needed to keep your business running smoothly.

Imagine how better off you would be if you deposited in a savings account EVERY MONTH an amount sufficient enough to insure that all your licensing, dues and annual expenses are accounted for when they become due. Now imagine how you would feel if you also deposited into this savings account 30% from every commission check you received for the purpose of insuring you had enough funds to pay your state and federal income taxes.

Remember The Millionaire Real Estate Agent premise, LEAD WITH REVENUES – NOT WITH EXPENSES. If you fail to save enough money to be able to pay your annual renewal dues and your income taxes in cash, you are only adding to your cost of doing business by either putting the expense(s) on your credit card or taking out a loan, either way you are not only paying your renewal fees and taxes, you also are adding to the cost by now incurring interest fees as well.

This is a great time to discuss having not only a business budget but also a family budget. Most real estate agents combine their income and expenses but these need to be maintained separately. In fact you should maintain at least three banking accounts:

• Checking account for home purposes
• Checking account for business purposes
• Savings account for taxes and known renewal fees

Whenever you receive a commission check, immediately deposit it into your business account. From that account make a deposit $75.00 into your savings account plus an additional 30% for tax purposes.

You should have created a family budget including income sources. From the budget and projected income you should know how much annually you need to contribute to the family budget from your real estate business. Therefore, you should write a check and deposit it into your home checking account for home expenses. By maintaining two checking accounts, your accounting for taxes would be greatly simplified when you write checks from your business account to pay ONLY BUSINESS EXPENSES.

Real Estate Schools teach you how to pass your license exam but touch very little on running a business. It would be hard to find a successful business of any kind that did not have a working budget to identify expenses and income. As a real estate agent you are a business. Without the knowledge of how much it costs for you to be in business, how can you possibly know when you have made a sufficient number of sales and received a sufficient “net income” to pay all your expenses and make a profit? Don’t even think about it – YOU CAN’T!

DID I REALLY SAY THAT?

2009-12-06T10:08:00.002-06:00

Nugget For The Noggin

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, December 10, 2009

First let me premise this Nugget by stating that I have been in the real estate business for 30 years and in the personnel management business for over 45 years. This length of time does not of itself make me an expert but experience ought to count for something.

I have observed people saying things that if they had really thought about what they had said would never have said it, or maybe they would if they did not care how it was received. This Nugget will identify words or phrases I have heard people say or things I have seen or heard people do that possibly could have been done differently. If so they might have gotten a different result.

To prove my point, I like to think I am a learning based person. I am constantly reading and listening for better ways to do and say things primarily to achieve better results. The most recent case-in-point occurred after reading Jeffrey Gitomer’s book, The Little Black Book of Connections when he suggested never to ask if someone had received something you sent. This usually occurs after you had sent an Email or a FAX and you did not receive a response. The natural tendency would be to send another and start out by saying things such as SECOND REQUEST or DID YOU RECEIVE; admit it we all have done this. It just happened to me and my doctor. I followed his directions and the pain in my shoulder had no change. I was to fax him the results and he would set up a second appointment for an MRI exam which I did. After waiting two weeks without any word, I faxed him again but this time I faxed it as if it were the first time I did so. Within hours I received the most friendly of calls stating that my appointment was in the works.

I thought about it after I received the call and I believe the call would have been much different had I called them out for not responding the first time. Thinking about the first fax transmission I did not wait to receive the fax transmission report – it may not have been received. The fax may have been misplaced or with a name like mine, Jim Brown, it could have been put in the wrong Jim Brown record; I know this because….

Therefore my first Action Step would be – please, for your sake and the sake of all your customers, not to mention your family and career - please make it a priority to read books and articles that will make you better at what you do. It does not matter how long you have been in the business; there are always better ways of doing and saying things that others have discovered that can help you become more productive. Set aside at least 30 minutes a day to learn, every day, forever! I am living proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

Also keep in mind the Law of Attraction that basically states, you tend to bring into your life more of that which you think about most. This is real simple. Think about scarcity and you get more scarcity. Think about abundance, and you get more abundance. Question: has something ever happened in your life that would cost money and you wondered where the money would come from and then suddenly the money seems to just appear? It might be a bonus check, might be an unexpected sale, might be a gift, might be a refund of some sort, it just appears in the nick of time so to speak. It tends to happen more when you think about how the money will be there when you need it as compared to thinking it won’t be there. It has also been said that the mind tends to run downhill meaning that it tends to think toward the negative unless you intercede and make it think more positive.

Action Step number 2 would then be; BE MORE AWARE OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND WORDS. When a negative thought or statement appears, simply ask yourself, “where did that come from; that is not like me” and then think more positive thoughts and definitely think before you speak.

Have you ever said or heard someone say:

“Why do I get all the kooks to work with?” Do you? Really? Do you work with every kook there is in the world? Of course not but you let the great customers you work with take on the personality of the kooks because that is what you have come to expect. And then when a great customer does something you feel is “kooky” you reinforce your belief that you only get the kooks in life. Remember you will get more of that which you think of (expect more of) most.

“Buyers are liars.” Really? Why would anyone call someone they don’t know a liar? Have you ever thought that just maybe you have not given the buyer enough information to trust you? Or is it possible that the buyer you think is lying really doesn’t know what you want or meant? I have found that when someone is not forthright with you it is because you have not created the degree of trust needed to be forthright with you. More importantly if you believe buyers are liars you will most assuredly find evidence to prove yourself right and eventually attract more buyers who are also liars.

“My little people.” I cringe every time I hear someone refer to their customers as “My little people” or “My little guy or gal”. What kind of mental image do you conjure up when you say “my little people” and why would you say it at all? Here is a great thought as provided by Jeffrey Gitomer, why not refer to your customers as “probable buyers” or “probable sellers”. If you did, would you not think differently about the customer if you thought they would result in a sale? Or you might want to say, “My little probable buyer”, just kidding.

“My people (what else would they be) will never accept this offer.” Really? How do you know? Is this something you think to be true? There is no way for you to know for certain. And instead of “people” why not “probable seller?” When you say that how do you think the other agent feels about the offer submitted and also about you the agent? I know my first thought is that this deal is dead before it ever gets presented. Is it possible that even though your seller has said, “I will never take anything under $200,000 so don’t even bring me an offer”, that since that was first uttered things could have changed and now the seller would take just about anything offered? If you want to be upset, don’t be upset towards an agent or buyer who makes a low offer, be upset about agents and buyers who have seen what you are offering and made no offer at all. Instead of finding fault with the offer presented, why not thank them for the opportunity to present an offer to the seller? Would you prefer to go through the selling period with no offers to present or receive offers that might be unacceptable but that you can at least present to your “probable seller.” Most people, except of course for you-know-who, would always prefer to be presenting offers. You never know when you can make one work.

“I’m no good at (insert whatever you think you are not good at)!” My question to you is, “As compared to what?” What is your standard of acceptable performance? I would also ask, was Frank Sinatra (showing my age) a great singer the first time he ever sang? Contrary to what some may think, I was not there but I can assure you he probably was not. “I’m no good at working For Sale By Owners.” “I’m no good at working expired listings.” “I’m no good at working numbers.” “I’m no good; I’m no good; I’m no good!” Geeze, maybe you are right. It is a matter of the self-fulfilling prophecy – say it enough and it is true at least in YOUR mind. Politicians are notorious for this principle; tell a lie enough and everyone will believe it. What would happen if instead you said, “I am the greatest when I work For Sale By Owners.” Maybe you are not the greatest but neither was Mohammad Ali (Cassius Clay) when he first told the world, “I am the greatest!” The important message was that HE believed it even if no one else did. The rest is history – he became the greatest, and so can you.

“I can’t believe what those folks did to me; I worked so hard for them.” This one always has bothered me the most. If as a REALTOR® a sale you worked failed to close, before you start to condemn the customer, you have to ask why did the sale fail? In most cases it was because of something you either did or failed to do. If for example, a buyer found a For Sale By Owner over the weekend, you failed to explain just how dangerous that could be for both the buyer and the seller to negotiate a sale without any professional representation. You also failed to secure the customer by means of a Buyer Agency Agreement or you elected not to enforce the terms of a Buyer Agency Agreement. When I hear words like this I also hear that the commission was the ultimate goal of the transaction rather than satisfying a customer’s needs. When you focus on the commission to be earned instead of the customer’s needs, you are basically out of business before you start.

“I can’t believe it, the appraiser killed the deal!” Is that true? Did an appraisal really kill the deal or did you list a home higher than what the market would indicate or did you write an offer on a home that was listed higher than what the market would indicate. In either case, whose fault really was it? When you represent a buyer you owe it to the buyer NOT to show overpriced homes and if you do, you do it with their full understanding and knowledge. When you list a home at an overpriced number, you also do it with the seller’s full understanding and knowledge. In the case of the seller, I would strongly suggest you get it in writing that the seller understands the price being offered is THEIR decision and not yours and that you feel the market does not justify the asking price. So think again, when a sale falls through because of an appraisal, whose fault is it; really?

“I can’t believe it; the home inspector killed the deal!” Can we agree that things are not always as they appear? With that being true, is it possible that the home you are selling really is not in the pristine condition that it appeared to be? If that is true, do you really want your buyer to buy a home that has significant problems associated with it? Can we also agree that the two biggest reasons a sale falls through occurs when a buyer fails to qualify for a loan and/or the home fails a home inspection? As a listing agent there is not much you can do about the buyer’s qualifications unless you represent the buyer. You do represent the seller and there is no reason NOT to obtain a home inspection upon listing the home arranged for and paid for by the seller other than a seller’s unwillingness to do so. The inspection report will advise the owners of the condition of their property and they can either make the repairs or price the property accordingly, and then you can use the inspection report as a selling tool. The buyer does not have to accept the report and can obtain an additional report if desired. Pre-inspecting the home when it is listed should eliminate a great many sales that otherwise would have fallen through. Therefore if a home has NOT been inspected and you market it for sale, you should know that an inspection could prove fatal to a satisfactory closing and it should come as no surprise to you and/or your sellers when it does.

“I’ll take care of that for you honey, or baby, or sugar.” Using such terms of apparent affection or endearment may be acceptable in your close circle of friends and family but I can assure you that that not everyone appreciates being called “Baby”, “Honey”, “Hon”, or “Sugar.” Think before you speak. Not only is it inappropriate, it could be considered sexist. Are you willing to lose a sale on your insistence to use such words? If so, do not blame the customer when they choose to go elsewhere.

My advice to everyone in sales is to stop reading your own press clippings. The sale is NOT all about you and your statistics. It is a simple case of misplaced emphasis. Your emphasis should always be on the customer; the probable buyer or the probable seller. If you feel bad because a sale fell through, how do you think your customers feel? You hopefully move on to the next sale leaving your customer feeling dejected and confused and wanting to know what went wrong. Was it something they did? Was it something you did or did not do? Are they happy with you and your service? Or, do they blame you for what went wrong? Do they have a case? Left unanswered, how many people are they going to tell about how horrible you were to work with?

None of these conversations should occur if you are totally prepared. Are you a sales person or are you a teacher? Do you put the best interests of the customer above all other parties to the transaction especially yours? Jeffrey Gitomer has it right when he says, “To get everything you want in life, just help (teach) someone else to get it – FIRST!”

My thirty plus years in the real estate business has also clearly demonstrated that the sale does not end at the closing; on the contrary, the sale is just beginning. Hopefully when you have closed a sale meaning ownership has transferred, you “should” have a satisfied customer. If that is so, why would you ever stop developing the relationship you already have created by never again contacting the supposedly satisfied customer? But before you just assume that because the sale closed you have a satisfied customer, think again. The customer may have purchased a home but are they really satisfied? Better question: Are they really loyal? If so, to whom? There is no way for you to know for certain unless you ask them how you did. Most people do not want to know; they don’t want their feelings hurt because they have read and believe their own press clippings. After sadly reading about the recent Tiger Woods infidelity issues, believe me, no one is as good as they might think they are!

I Do Sound Professional; Don't I?

2009-11-21T10:55:00.004-06:00

NUGGET FOR THE NOGGIN

By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown, November 20, 2009

Attention ActiveRain folks, this was also posted on ActiveRain so you may have already read it.

LOUD! Do you have a loud voice? You know who you are, you oftentimes admit it. When you talk on the telephone, do you make adjustments for your LOUD VOICE? Here is what happens when your LOUD VOICE is not adjusted; the person called is scrambling for the volume control on their telephone if it has one. In the mean time they feel very uncomfortable and until the volume is adjusted they are really not paying attention to you or what you said.

SOFT! Do you have a very soft voice? Again you know who you are and you as well oftentimes admit it. When you talk on the telephone can the other person hear you? While you are talking they too are scrambling for the volume adjustment to make your voice louder just to hear you and in the meanwhile, they are forming opinions and not really listening to what you are saying.

JUST RIGHT! How do you know? Have you recorded a telephone conversation from the other end to hear what you sound like? This may be the worst position to have, thinking your voice level is “just right” and therefore you have no idea how you are truly being received. In such a case, no change in how you conduct your conversations is even considered; after all, it is just right, right?

TOO FAST! There is only one situation that would be worse than talking too fast on the telephone and that would be TALKING TOO FAST AND LOUD AT THE SAME TIME! Have you ever tried to write down a telephone number left on your voice mail by someone who talks too fast? I have and there have been times I have had to listen up to three times to the same voice mail message to hear a 10 digit telephone number (that is provided they also leave the area code).

T O O S L O W! Come on, my time is valuable and I don’t have time to listen to your slow or long-winded conversation. Say what you have to say in as few words as possible. Let the person called know you appreciate and put a value on their time. “I know your time is valuable so I will be brief.” If you are on the receiving end of a conversation from someone you know who is long-winded, tell them up front that your time is precious, “I have an appointment in a few minutes I can only give you a minute. What’s up?” You need to control your time and spending it on long-winded conversations is not a good use of your time.

WHINING! This may be the worst of the worst. Some people just can’t seem to help it, they sound like they are always whining even when they are trying to say something positive. Your voice inflection has everything to do with the message. Yell at the top of your lungs, “I love you!” to your dog and the dog will cower in fear. Your actual words mean little; it is the volume and inflection of your voice, not to mention your body language. The reverse is also true, chew out your dog with a loving and soft voice and the dog will wag its tail endlessly.

The Three Little Pigs Theory (again one of my own theories): If you are talking to someone who has a loud voice, then loud may be just right. If you are talking to someone who has a soft voice, then soft may be just right. Different strokes for different folks. However, when you first make the call, you have no idea what the other person’s voice OR hearing is like. Someone who may be hard of hearing may hear your loud voice as being just right. Believe it or not, some people have very sensitive hearing and loud noises bother them very much. And I know this because…

In any case, you simply cannot make assumptions. The first assumption that everyone makes is that their telephone instrument is perfect and that the sound it produces is of the highest quality – trust me Mon Frère, it ain’t! And like your voice, how do you know what your phone sounds like unless you record? Another common assumption is that the person you are calling has the time for you at that very moment; do not take it personal when they don’t. Just as your time is valuable to you, their time is valuable to them.

Recommendation: Call yourself and leave yourself a voice mail message. You will be able to determine quite a bit from this procedure provided you talk as you normally think you do. If you take the position that you know you are being recorded, quite possibly, you will talk a bit slower to be understood better and you will be more conscious of the volume of your voice. If you do not think this is true the next time you are in a restaurant and someone sitting near you answers a cell phone, listen to how they increase the volume of their voice. Everyone in the restaurant can hear their conversation. And if you listen closely you can also hear the other person’s voice because that person is also talking louder. “Can you hear me now?” That may have been the most disastrous television commercial of all time in regards to voice quality. Everyone has heard it and has probably said it. So whenever you pick up a phone the first subconscious thought is, can you hear me now and you talk louder. You know I am right on this. Hear is another teachable moment. When you call yourself to leave a voice message, for the first time, clear your mind and then listen to your recorded voice message as a customer would hear it for the first time. Is it inviting? Does it show excitement in what you do? Is it too soft? Is it too loud? Do you talk to fast? Do you talk to slow? Does your message give the caller to a reason to leave you a message? How do you know? On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being outstanding, how would your best friend rate your voice mail message? Is your friendship strong enough for them to tell you the truth? Just asking.

Better Recommendation: Set it up with a friend that the friend will record your telephone call over the next two months but not tell you when. In time you will have forgotten you asked to be recorded and the eventual recording will be more of your real voice than a voice used knowing you are being recorded.

Best Recommendation: Remember the Golden Rule (a rule I made up of course) of telephone conversations – the person being called is ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING so no matter when you call them, they are busy doing whatever they are doing. It may be something that can be interrupted or not; you do not know when you place the call. Therefore acknowledge that the person called is a busy person and ask if they have just a minute or would they prefer to call you back or you call them back at another time. For example, “Joe, I know you are busy can you spare me a minute (or if longer say so) or should I call you back at a better time?” In most cases since you recognized that the person called is busy, that person WILL give you the minute or two you asked for. Never say you’re sorry that you called because everyone knows that is not true. If you were truly sorry you would not have placed the call. Example, “I’m sorry to bother you…” no your not, you need something and you need something from the person you called. And while we are talking about being interrupted, have you ever called someone between 12:00 and 1:00 pm or 5:00 and 6:30 pm; what were you thinking. Is this not the time most people are either at lunch or supper? Would they not be busy? Dah! On the other hand, if you do not want to engage in a conversation and you only want to leave a voice mail, those times might be the perfect time to call; when they don’t or shouldn’t answer their phone. Leave your brief message and be done with it. 

Back At Ya Recommendation: If YOU don’t want to be bothered while YOU are eating lunch or supper or whatever it is your are doing, DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE! Let your phone or your phone service take a message. Discover the benefits of being in the present moment and focusing 100% of your attention on what you are doing and who you are with rather than letting your cell phone dictate your life!

Keep this thought in mind (if you can):

What I thought I sounded like was not what the customer thought I sounded like and what the customer thought I sounded like was not what I thought I sounded like and we both thought the other person sounded different than what they thought they sounded like. So who was right?

THE CUSTOMER!

It’s never about YOU! It is always about the CUSTOMER! What the customer thinks is paramount to your success not visa versa. Stop reading and believing the press clippings of your mind; they mean nothing to a customer. The only person that truly matters to the customer is the person the customer thinks you are! Who should that be? Glad you asked – someone who puts the customer’s needs first! If you are not in the proper mindset to do that when the phone rings, don’t answer it.

ABSOLUTE BEST RECOMMENDATION: When your phone rings, immediately stop what you are doing provided you intend to answer it. Don’t try to type in one or two more words on your document or read one more paragraph, stop right now! Take a deep breath, count to 3 and then for just a second or two recognize that this call may be the most important call in the world and you need to give it the attention it will deserve. Who knows, it just may be the most important call in the world; you won’t know until you answer it. And when you do answer it, the caller must think they are the most important person in the world by the voice they hear on the other end of the call. For you-know-who, that would be you.

Is It Just Me?

2009-11-18T14:53:00.005-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown, September 2009

Can we agree that America is being torn apart by politics and politicians drawing lines in the sand? This Nugget is NOT about politics but instead about a seemingly insignificant vote taken by the Senate Finance Committee on September 23, 2009 that clearly demonstrates the arrogance of our elected officials.

No one can turn on the news of late and not see the angry debates, name calling and the massive town hall meetings not to mention the September 12th march on Washington. Lost in all the hysteria is that Americans seem to be growing in their mistrust of their own government to do the right thing whatever that may eventually prove to be.

But let’s be honest, despite your political leanings, half the country is FOR the health care as being discussed by Washington and half the country is AGAINST the health care as being discussed.

This is where the arrogance of our U. S. Senate was displayed in full color. While ridiculous speeches are being given at the United Nations that go on and on and say nothing and the national news media waits on each word spoken, the Senate Finance Committee quietly voted 12 to 11 NOT TO PUT THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF THE HEALTH CARE BILL ONLINE. THEY VOTED NOT TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME. Instead they want to post a “summary” of the bill and whenever someone puts forth a summary, they typically tell you ONLY what they want you to know. Any intelligent person can understand that when something that SHOULD be public is kept SECRET there are things in the bill that the Senate does not want you to see or hear. Is that the American way?

Unfortunately this vote came down almost entirely on party lines. All Republicans voted against it and wanted to make the bill public for 3 days prior to the committee voting on it; and, all the Democrats except one, voted to keep the bill private and post only a summary.

I have a new American Hero, Senator Blanche L. Lincoln, a Democrat from Arkansas. She had the courage and conviction to “do the right thing” and to make the bill public but unfortunately she was the only one on the Democratic side to do the right thing. There was absolutely no harm involved in posting the entire bill to the Internet. Personally I doubt seriously that I would read the thousands of pages of the bill and I feel that most Americans would not as well; but they could if they desired to. That is the important point of this Nugget. Why would you not make the bill available unless there was something to hide?

I don’t know the entire story about how Nero fiddled while Rome burned but that is what our elected officials appear to be doing; at least to me. The country has never been this divided since the Civil War and our politicians are “fiddling while the country is burning” (a figure of speech).

While in the Coast Guard (a government employee), I was taught that if you want something to be approved, you make your report massive, too massive for most people to read. The thought being that since so much “apparent” work went into the report, it must be right. This is the exact principle we are seeing at work in Washington as I write this Nugget.

I would never be mistaken as being a genius but resolution of the health insurance problem is quite simple (notice I did not say health care because there is no better health care in the world than what we have in America, this is a health insurance/coverage issue):

1. Break the issue down to its smallest segments.
2. Determine what steps can be agreed upon by the majority of Americans as represented by our Congress and Senate.
3. Take whatever actions that do not need a vote like targeting corruption within the HealthCare system and demonstrate to voters that tax dollars CAN be saved by oversight. As stated, this does not take a vote in Washington.
4. Create a short easily understood bill that addresses one corrective measure at a time that CAN be agreed upon and then voted on; approve and implement that one segment of the Health Care problem.
5. The more complex issues of the proposed bill can then be addressed one at a time by both houses and the President; surely they can come to some kind of agreement on the correct actions to be taken and it should not be implemented by only Democrats voting to approve it or only Republicans voting to approve it with no crossover votes whatsoever.
6. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, INCLUDE IN ANY BILL ANY ITEM THAT IS NOT JERMAIN TO THAT BILL LIKE BUILDING A FRISBEE PARK UNDER THE HEALTH CARE BILL. In other words, no “earmarks!”

As an example to this principle I offer State restricted health insurance. Health Insurance Companies are restricted from writing policies outside of their state borders. That restricts competition. Competition usually makes businesses more competitive in their pricing. Removing these barriers from Health Insurers should make their premiums lower and more affordable. Why has this has not happened? Government regulations for no apparent logical reason. A stroke of the pen can change this practice immediately without 1000+ pages to accomplish it – yet this provision has not been included in any of the proposed Health Care Bills – go figure. This is just one example that should be a no-brainer! Makes me wonder if any of our elected officials in all parties have a brain to think with.

I hate to use the analogy but we (America) have put a man on the moon yet we cannot get 535 representatives to agree on anything but partisan issues. How sad!

I would be remiss if I did not describe my personal first hand knowledge of not being able to trust our government to do the right thing. I joined the military in 1965 for a four year term. We all were told, all branches of the military, that the military is a great career. Stay until retirement and you and your immediate family will be provided free health and dental care for the rest of your lives. At the time and throughout most of my 20 year military career, members took this life-long benefit into consideration when it came time to elect to stay in the military or leave. It was a significant consideration, at least for me, in the 60’s and 70’s and I decided to stay; more because I like and enjoyed what I was doing but partially because of the cost savings of free health and dental care into my retirement years.

I can tell you that life-long free health and dental care DID NOT HAPPEN. Millions of military members served and retired only to find out that their government has betrayed them by NOT providing free health and dental care in their retirement years. Granted we did not have specific contracts in place that identified the benefits offered; we felt it was our government, why would you need a contract? We needed a contract! In the case of the Government, there is no one person whose “word” was at risk; instead it was a collective “word” of the entire bureaucracy; no one was responsible for violating its military. This is one of the best kept secrets in America.

When you are considering the various Health Care Bills being offered and you apply what they “say” (the government) and what the bill will do for YOU in the future, keep in mind your military retirees and be very careful what you ask for – as in the case of our country’s military members, you may get something entirely different than what our government is telling you regardless of what side of the political spectrum you happen to fall on. Me? I tend to vote for the person I feel I can trust, regardless of party affiliation but who also shares some of my core believes and values until that person proves me wrong. Unfortunately finding a trustworthy politician is extremely difficult if not down right impossible.

I would suggest all our politicians take a lesson from Gary Keller from The Millionaire Real Estate Agent:

LEAD WITH REVENUES; NOT WITH EXPENSES!

What a concept!

How To Make Conventioneering Work For You!

2009-11-10T08:53:00.004-06:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown

November 10, 2009

Have you ever attended a large corporate type convention? There may be several thousand attendees to twenty-five thousand or more. How do you, one individual, make networking at such a large event work for you?

Think small! The first advice I received regarding attending a convention was to go with as many business cards as you can carry and give out as many as you could. For a lot of years I witnessed this approach and frankly it was a useless exercise. Instead of networking on purpose, it was networking by accident meaning that it was totally a hit and mostly miss activity. People would walk up to me, hand me a business card and say something really intelligent like, “Hey, when you have someone moving to San Diego, think of me!” They would hand me their card and move onto the next sucker (I meant to say convention goer; sorry).

First there was no interaction. There was no form of introduction. More importantly there was no reason for me to want to know this person or to keep the business card. Having flown to my first big convention I learned upon leaving that I had a problem bringing home all the stuff I had collected from convention booths, classes, and marketing pieces/business cards handed out by most if not all of the convention attendees. Therefore as I sat in my hotel room I had to decide, what do I keep, what do I throw away. With hundreds of business cards to consider, I first went through the cards and threw away any that did not have a photograph. Like so many people I have a hard time remembering names and faces and it is almost impossible to remember anyone by name alone. TIP NUMBER 1: Include on your business card and promotional pieces a photograph that gives the recipient a first impression that you are someone who looks like someone they would be willing to work with. SURPRISE – not all photographs accomplish this most important task. Some glamour shots you have to look twice to make certain it is the same person.

Even after going through all the cards, I still asked why I wanted to keep all these cards. Over the years they would follow me home, be stuck in a drawer, eventually would end up with rubber bands wrapped around them and ultimately find their way into the trash can. Any Aha here? TIP NUMBER 2: Why would I want to keep this specific card more importantly YOUR CARD? What value does it have for me? If I know, for example, that a lot of people moving to my area come from a specific market area, like Houston, TX, the cards from Houston could lead to future referral business as compared to cards from areas that I may have never heard of. Therefore, one great way to make your card “keepable” would be to also make it “memorable.” How do you do this? Jeffrey Gitomer has at least two ways; one was to have a business card for his cat and would give his cat’s business card to probable referral opportunities. His second method was to hand out business coins instead of business cards. The coins contained his likeness and contact info. Would you keep such a card? I found two methods that worked well for me. First was a baseball or sports type card. It was the same size as a baseball card, in full color on one side and the back was written in the same format as a baseball card. Memorable? There are people who still have that card even though I am no longer with the same company some 20 years later. Another card I found extremely valuable and still use is the card with a photograph of a bottle of furniture polish PRIDE and dishwasher detergent JOY on the back of the card. I would explain that whenever your probable referral opportunity was given the card you would explain that when their friends and co-workers showed pictures of their kids, grandkids, dogs, cats, etc, you show them your “Pride & Joy.” I know for a fact that people put that card in their wallets and do just as I suggested and kept those cards for years. After all, isn’t that the objective of giving out your card? I have also used miniature business cards. They were no bigger than the size of two postage stamps side-by-side. They were all in one color, blue on white. Contact info was on one side albeit hard to read. The other side said, “The size of this card was necessitated to save money as a result of lack of business and referrals from you.” Another card was full size with contact info on one side and on the other, big letters GENERIC BUSINESS CARD. In smaller print, “This generic business card was necessitated as a result of a lack of business or referrals from you.” It causes people to laugh, when they laugh it is much easer to build rapport. More importantly unique cards are oftentimes retained if for no reason than to show other people or to duplicate for their own use. Point made!

TIP NUMBER 3: Later in my career I began keeping ONLY those cards from people who made an effort to at least seem interested in me and what I was doing and where I was from. They took time, real time, to spend with me and instead of telling me all about what they did and who they were, asked me questions about what I did and who I was. You can reinvent the wheel but you would better be served by trusting me on this one – to build rapport with anyone, get them talking about them instead of you talking about you. I would then take their business card and write on the reverse side where we met (at what activity) and briefly a note on what we discussed, just a word or two.

TIP NUMBER 4: Immediately upon returning home, I would write each person who I met that I kept a business card for and write them a hand-written thank you note. I would enclose my card and tell them what a pleasure it was meeting them and look forward to being able to help them grow THEIR business in the future. These folks may or may not have kept the card I gave them at the convention but I increase the odds that they will keep the card I mail them. It may also at least subconsciously suggest to them that this is something that they should have done as well. If that happens, it reinforces how seriously you take your business and who would not want to work with or refer business to someone who takes their business seriously?

TIP NUMBER 5: If your personal promotion materials are not significantly unique or memorable, they most likely will not be retained. Therefore it would be my suggestion NOT to spend money on materials used to promote yourself to hundreds or thousands of people as it most likely will be trashed. Special Ed Haraway, an Exit Realty agent in Maryland suggested, “You want people to remember who you are and what you do from the mailbox to the trashcan!” That may be the best advice I had ever received. In this case from the moment you hand them your materials - to into the shopping bag they carry - and then to the nearest trash can.

TIP NUMBER 6: Instead of shaking hands with hundreds of convention attendees, spend quality time meeting a few people each day. Set a goal of having breakfast, lunch and dinner with a different person or small group of people YOU DON’T KNOW, each day. You can increase the odds of creating a life-long business and personal relationship by targeting people from those areas that you know have a likely chance of referring business to your area or your unique field such as vacation homes or waterfront homes, etc. I guarantee you that if you continually sit with folks you know, especially those from the same office, they are not going to help you grow your business by passing referrals to you!

TIP NUMBER 7: When you attend an activity, make absolutely certain that you sit with people you don’t know and then introduce yourself to them and get to know them by asking them questions about who they are, what they do, what are they doing that has been successful, what one tip would they give someone about how to be successful, etc. If you sat next to two new people (for you-know-who that would mean a stranger on either side of you) and you attended 4 to 6 classes or seminars a day, that would equate to meeting 8 to 12 quality contacts each day not including other opportunities to meet people. In this case you will have the opportunity to spend at least one hour with your new probable referral opportunities.

TIP NUMBER 8: Study the calendar of events to make certain you attend classes/seminars that will enhance your career first and meet people second.

TIP NUMBER 9: Tips 1-8 will be useless if you do not attend. I have for years been amazed that so few people I know in the business attend their company’s annual convention. Attending is how you become known within the company. Attending is how you can build your referral opportunities. Attending usually means that you should learn at least one additional technique or procedure that would generate at least one additional sale that would ultimately pay for your attendance. How simple can this be? Therefore to those folks who have made the decision not to attend I have to ask, “What are you thinking?” Probably, I can’t afford it. You cannot afford NOT to go. I don’t have the time; I’m too busy. Yea right! No one believes that. In fact if you want to increase your business just plan to leave town and your business immediately picks up; you know I’m right on that point.

CONVENTION BOOTHS

If you are attending an event as a vendor whether it is a convention booth, a trade show such as Home Show or any gathering of people who could eventually may do business with you or who may give you referrals, you want to stand out. You want people to “linger” at your booth. You want people to take something away from their meeting with you that causes them to remember you and what you do. And, you want to capture contact information from as many visitors to your booth as possible.

TIP NUMBER 1: Have an attractive booth. If you are going to participate in such events, spend the money to create an attractive presentation. There is nothing less professional than paying for a booth or table and having only a table with your brochures displayed on it.

TIP NUMBER 2: It has been my experience that a great many vendors at trade shows set up a backdrop and then put a table between those folks working the booth and anyone who stops by. Eliminate barriers between you and potential business. You want people to “enter” your area and feel welcome and comfortable doing so.

TIP NUMBER 3: To get people to enter your “area” you have to realize that most will not enter unless you give them a “reason." Using real estate as a subject matter, most visitors to a home show, for example, do not have a specific real estate need at that very moment so why would they want to stop and talk to you? Most vendors at trade shows collect business cards or have fill-in-the-blank give-away slips and then give away something of perceived value. While this is certainly a good thing to do, the result is that you may get a lot of names and addresses but you get to interact with only one person – the winner. What about all the other folks who left a card or filled out the slips? Why not spend your marketing dollars on a lot of give-away items instead of one moderately expensive item? You then have reason to contact a lot of people instead of just one. Or, do both! This works exceptionally well if the organizers of the event announce winners whenever one is drawn. You can wait until the end of the event and have your name and/or company name announced only once or you can have it announced every fifteen minutes or so. The choice is yours.

TIP NUMBER 4: Give visitors a reason to spend time with you. This is a bit more difficult especially if there is no reason for them to stop and talk with you. The best such reason I have personally used is a computer, monitor, printer and “what-happened-on-your-birthday” software. I would setup an easel with an enlarged printout of What Happened On Your Birthday displayed. As people would tend to just walk by the booth, I would ask them, “Would you like to know how much eggs sold for on your day you were born or a special anniversary date?” Not only would they stop, they would tell others about the booth and the printout I would give them and those folks would seek the booth out. Since it takes a couple of minutes per person to enter the required information into the computer and printout the result, you have “time” to “talk” about what you want to talk about – your business and how it could help them. Ask great questions about the visitor, not statements about what you do. This works! The problem is that you will have more people stop than you can work – what a great problem to have – so get help working your booth. The software is really cheap, less than $10.00 at most computer stores that sell software. TIP 4B, bring a “slow” printer or setup your printer for the absolute results and that takes longer to print – gives you more time to spend with the visitors to your booth. Check out: http://www.symphonicsoftware.com/symsoft/ as one source for the software.

TIP NUMBER 5: What one thing do all convention attendees seem to have? Not what you think – they all have sore feet. At one show several agents got together and reserved two booths, side-by-side. Instead of tables of brochures and cards, we purchased foot massagers and set up about 8 chairs. At the end of the show we gave away the massagers. People actually lined up to sit and relax. And while they did…..do I have to draw a picture?

TIP NUMBER 6: Just think outside the box. Do you want to do what everyone else is doing or do you want to be memorable? Don’t be afraid to be different – different will get you noticed. An example of this occurred when I would use PayDay candy bars. The real estate company I work for has the highest commissions in the industry. When an agent from another company would stop by or walk by I would offer them a full size PayDay candy bar. But before they could take it, I would acknowledge the name of the company they work for, put the candy bar in my pocket and then give them a “bite-size” PayDay. It caused everyone to laugh but more importantly it opened the door to some great conversations.

TIP NUMBER 7: I remember and still have a photo of me on the cover of a trade type magazine. A real estate agent had a cover set up and would take a photo of visitors, get their name and address and if possible give them the finished product before they left or it would be mailed. In today’s digital world you only need to take a digital photograph and then superimpose it onto the cover, save and email or print it out and give it to them. I have since seen such photos on the desks and walls of many business people.

In summary, to make conventions work for you:

Attend – that’s #1
Spend time with a smaller number of people rather than just giving out as many cards as you can
Engage other attendees; ask them questions, take notes, follow-up
Build relationships
Be different – be memorable
Instead of selling, find out how you can help the people you meet
Did I say follow-up?
Learn to be a resource
Learn to be a connector by connecting people with what they need or who they need to talk to
Did I say follow-up?

2009-10-16T14:22:00.006-05:00

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NUGGETS FOR THE NOGGIN

“You Know…”
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, October 16, 2009

When was the last time you wrote a note to someone and wrote, “and a”, or “you know”, or “ah”? If you spoke like you wrote, you might have more success in getting what you want. In that regard, I would recommend everyone, regardless of their profession, read “The Little Green Book of Getting What You Want” by Jeffrey Gitomer.

Have you ever been distracted by a speakers’ favorite word, pause, or annoying habit? Was the message distorted or blurred because you found yourself counting the number of times the speaker waved her bangs away from her eyes or when he jingled the loose change in his pocket? Have you or the speaker ever looked at a watch? If you look at it, you are probably bored. If the speaker looks at it the speaker is probably thinking of being somewhere else; certainly not focused on you. Tip: Whenever you are with a customer, take your watch off. That way you will never be tempted to look at.

Just how annoying are you when you are the speaker. Most folks who read this, except you of course, do not think of themselves as speakers. Yet whenever you want to get your point across whether to your children, your spouse, friends or in the case of sales to a buyer or seller, that is exactly what you have become, a professional speaker; and hopefully a professional listener but that is for another Nugget.

I have found that most people do not know that they insert a word or words on a consistent basis into their conversations. They don’t know they have annoying habits like blowing or sucking air through their teeth, fixing their bangs, etc. If you do not know you are doing it, you also probably fail to grasp the affect those little words or gestures create in the listener’s mind. If the listener also happens to be a customer, you may lose the sale and it would have nothing to do with what the content of your conversation or speech.

For example, you would think that after a four-year college education a college graduate would learn by design if not by accident NOT to continually insert the phrase “you know” into a sentence. Yet when you listen to your favorite professional sports figure chances are you will hear “you know” more than once, you know?

The following is a short paragraph taken from The Millionaire Real Estate Agent written by Gary Keller. I have inserted the phrase “you know” like a lot of people would do if they were saying the same words aloud:

Most real estate agents you know... who consider becoming employers believe, you know... that hiring someone will cost them money. You know... the truth is that a bad hire will not only cost you money, you know.. it will also cost you opportunities. A good hire you know... will actually save you money and you know… probably won’t cost you any opportunities. A great hire-talent you know... will not only make you a lot of money you know… it will also create opportunities for you and your business; you know…?

Now “you know” I am telling you the truth. How many times do you say “you know” in your conversations? Really? Most who read this probably said I never say “you know”, you know? Really? Think again.

Here is another variation of the same paragraph. Does this apply to you, remember this is a conversation, not a written paragraph?

Ah… most real estate agents who consider becoming employers, ah…, believe that hiring someone will cost them money. And ah… the truth is that a bad hire, ah… will not only cost you money, and ah, it will cost you opportunities. Ah… a good hire will actually save you money and ah, probably won’t cost you any opportunities. A great hire, ah… talent, will not only make you a lot of money, and ah… it will also create opportunities for you and, ah… your business.

Again, you know I am right on this not that being right is the message, the message, ah… is that people typically do not speak like they would write when they say the same thing.

Other words or phrases we say but wouldn’t write are:

Yea instead of yes
Nah instead of no
Right!
Oh Yea
You know what I’m talking about?
Do you see?
Do you hear what I’m saying?
To be honest, as if sometimes you are not
The fact of the matter is, everything you talk about should be factual
Refer back (refer means going back)
I agree with you BUT…never say but, it builds a wall you don’t want built
Fixin to, local slang, don’t use it
Makin Groceries, local slang, don’t use it
MLS, GRI, CRS, CRB, ABR, JAR, PNG, etc, no one knows what these things mean except for other people in the same business but we use them nonetheless as if everyone knows what we mean; they ah…don’t but worse, they do not want to embarrass themselves by asking what they mean. For instance, JAR means Just Another REALTOR®, and PNG, means Pretty Nice Guy or Gal whichever the case may be.

Consider taking the word “but” out of your vocabulary. “I agree with you but…” It would be far more effective to say, I agree with you AND I think you will….”

There is a simple answer to the problem of adding words to your speech that should not be added and that is to record your speech/conversation. Recording your conversation would be even more effective if you ask someone you know very well to record your conversation over the next two months but NOT to let you know which conversation(s) they will record. In the beginning you will be more aware of what you are saying because of the agreement you made. Later you will forget the agreement and your conversations will be more natural and that is where you will truly shine light on the areas of your communications needing work.

I video taped my listing presentation. I thought I was good; I wasn’t! It involved much more than just what I said. Consider the things I did or did not do during the taped presentation:

Did not maintain eye contact
My body language was the complete opposite of the customers’
Used “ah” and the famous “and ah” so many times I needed a barf bag
Fidgeted in the chair
Sat when I should have been standing
Stood when I should have sat
Physically leaned into the conversation when I should have given the customer more space
Spoke way too fast, there is a difference between being excited and confident and when you are uncertain and nervous
Talked when I should have listened and taking notes
Did not take notes, unconsciously saying I was disinterested

These things happened when I knew I was being video taped. Some of the problems could have been caused by knowing I was being taped; I was nervous. I believe that if I did them on tape I most likely did them when they were for real.

What you say is not always what you mean and what you mean is not always what you say. If you have a pet, try this experiment. Yell these words to your pet, “Sophie, you are the best dog in the world; don’t know what I would do without you.” But you have to YELL THEM! Everything, your voice, your expression, the pitch, the volume tells Sophie she did something wrong EXCEPT for the words themselves. Now get down to the same level as Sophie and say in a loving voice the same thing and you get a different reaction from Sophie saying exactly the same thing. How people react to what we say is the same. How we THINK we sound and what we THINK we are saying may be entirely different than WHAT the other person hears. So think again Mon Frer!

Try saying the following and place emphasis on the embolden word:

I did not say I beat my wife.
I did not say I beat my wife.
I did not say I beat my wife.
I did not say I beat my wife.
I did not say I beat my wife.
I did not say I beat my wife.
I did not say I beat my wife.
I did not say I beat my wife.

Did the meaning change when you changed the emphasis placed on each word? Is it possible that the listener heard something other than what you intended?

For example, “I did not say I beat my wife,” might suggest to the listener that I may have beat someone else’s wife. Or, “I did not say I beat my wife,” might suggest that it was not I who said it, might have been my wife who said it. Same words; different meaning by just emphasizing a different word in the exact same sentence.

If you find yourself constantly repeating what you said, either the other party is hard of hearing, has no interest in what you are saying, or is unfocused, OR more likely you are speaking too softly, not directly to them, OR you are not speaking distinctly.

Finally, in a one-on-one conversation you MUST be aware of when you are jumping on the end of a sentence spoken by the other party. Let the other person finish their sentence and thought before you speak. In fact if you can learn to insert a long pause when the other person has finished speaking you accomplish the following:

You send a signal to the other party that you were listening
You send a signal that you are contemplating what was said before your respond
You insure the other person has finished speaking
You allow the other person to add a thought that might have been omitted

Silence during a conversation is difficult and powerful; learn to use it wisely.

To become an effective speaker you must first become an effective listener. In my many years in the sales business I have never been offered or seen a course on listening. (That is until I created one.) I recently took a golf lesson from a Professional Golf Association (PGA) pro. Did you notice I did not just say PGA? He was a terrific sales person. Aside from the cordial opening remarks, his first question to me was “What do you want to happen from this lesson?” He did not automatically assume he knew what I was expecting; he asked questions for the first 15 minutes of a 60 minute lesson. That was great! Far more importantly, he listened to what I said and then modified his lesson “on the fly” to adapt to what I (the customer) wanted or expected. When was the last time that happened to you? If you are in sales when was the last time you asked questions of your customer, listened and THEN responded with what the customer needed to know?

WORDS MEAN THINGS; BUT SO DO THE NEEDLESS WORDS AND BODY LANGUAGE WE USE. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU ASKED SOMEONE TO CRITIQUE YOUR LANGUAGE AND BODY LANGUAGE? YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER DOING IT BEFORE YOUR NEXT CONVERSATION.

On Being On Time

2009-09-29T07:23:00.002-05:00

Being On Time
Article By: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, June 2, 2005 updated September 2009

It is 9:00 AM in Baltimore, 8 AM in New Orleans, 6 AM in San Francisco and it is 5:25 at the Board of Realtors. Real estate agents are notorious for being late. It’s as if it is a fashion statement, a statement of independence or of power by being late for meetings.

The problem with writing Nuggets such as this one is that people tend to take it personally and feel a need to justify their actions or defend their position. No explanation, apology or justification is needed, expected or desired. The purpose of this Nugget For The Noggin is to simply point out the ramifications of being late for meetings, seminars/classes or appointments.

Let’s examine appointments first. There have been numerous studies regarding the Left Brain and the Right Brain. For the purpose of this Nugget, suffice it to say that a Left Brain person is literally a slave to the clock. There is a time and place for everything and they are never late! But to a Right Brain Person a specific time, such as 7:15 AM, may be 7:00 or it may be 7:45, time is not important. It may not be important to them but how do you think the Left Brain person who they are to meet with feels? If this is a sales call, you start out with one strike against you before you meet. In fact, you may have already been called out on strikes before you show up. Being on time is a two way street. Just as YOU expect people to meet YOU on time, most people expect YOU to meet THEM on time.

Meetings. The occasion of a meeting or class is what prompted me to write this Nugget. Hopefully everyone will simply take it and apply it to their lives as being important and not personal. What has past is past and forgotten. But, at a recent meeting/class, 11 of 33 attendees showed up late for the class. I am sure everyone had a reason or justification but that is not the point. There was an instructor from the government who had to stop and start every time a late attendee entered the room. It was extremely distracting not only for the presenter but also for everyone in the room. The repeated interruptions actually extended the time for her to make the presentation. More importantly, as it almost always occurs, someone who shows up late will almost assuredly ask a question that had already been covered or asked prior to their arrival.

In some instances, a quorum is needed before a meeting becomes official. In any case, if a quorum is required, no action can be taken if the required quorum is not present. Let’s say there are 12 members that are scheduled to meet and 7 members in attendance represents a quorum. Let’s also say that the meeting is to begin at 10:00 AM. At 10:30 there are only 6 voting members present. Clearly 30 minutes have been wasted while waiting for the 7th member to show up. If you are one of the 6, how does that make you feel? Unimportant? Disrespected? Angry? All three? If you are one of the 5, what are you thinking? “I’ll just be a few minutes late. After all, I have a real excuse for not being there on time. There will be enough people present to conduct the meeting.”

Everyone can verbalize a legitimate excuse for not attending or being late, or do they? If someone said they were going to give you $10,000 if you show up no later than 10:00 AM, would you be on time? Most events are scheduled well in advance so does it not make sense to enter the event on your day timer and then not schedule other activities that would clearly interfere with your commitment to participate? It also makes little to no sense to leave at the very last minute and allow no time for traffic or anything else that could deter you and make you late.

Education is the key to increased productivity. The more you learn the more productive you become. Educational classes are scheduled weeks and months out from the actual event. Therefore, if education is critical, and it should be, commit to attend and when someone wants to take you away from that commitment, learn to adjust and say, “As much as I would like to meet your schedule, I cannot because I am committed to attending a class.” Most people can accept that. If not, then you have to choose what is more important to you. If you choose NOT to attend the class, inform the party hosting the event that you will be unable to attend.

I recently attended an event where 45 people had signed up to attend; only 21 did. The hosting company had not only brought breakfast for 45, they also brought lunch for 45 and now had to throw away the excess food in addition to paying for it. When we commit to attend an event, it is very easy to justify not attending because after all, “it is only one person.” But as you can see by this example, it was NOT just one person; it was 24 one-persons!

I would like to think that no one is late on purpose. I would like to think that most people simply do not put a personal value on their being on time when so many others always seem to be late. They tend to justify being late by convincing themselves “it is only this one time.” Being late is being late. Being late is also being disrespectful to someone; either the presenter, the host, those in attendance or all of these people. But just as important, the part of the meeting/class/seminar that you missed might have triggered a question or input from you that could have changed the content of the program.

There is one simple rule to follow:

BE ON TIME!
SOMEONE IS DEPENDING UPON YOU TO DO SO!

Oh, by the way,
when you attend;
TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE!

That is a Nugget for another Day!

CHECK OUT THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT

WWW.READFORACHANGE.COM

USUALLY POSTED ON TUESDAYS OF EACH WEEK

Online Newsletter for the Week of October 2nd

2009-09-28T08:22:00.003-05:00

If you like the following, you can access it every week by going to:
www.ReadForAChange.com. They are typically posted every Tuesday.

QUOTE: “Nothing tastes a good as slim feels!” Dr. Louis P. Bauer. If this does not say it all in regards to maintaining a proper weight, nothing ever will. If you want to lose weight remember Joe Tye’s Direction Deflection Question (DDQ): “Is what I am about to eat or drink consistent with my desire to weight (insert your desired weight)?” It works! I am a living testament to this action. Gymbeaux

29 WAYS TO COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR YOUR BUSINESS. We have been told repeatedly to collect as many email addresses as we can in order to use them for prospecting and marketing (1) because they work and (2) because they are FREE and whenever you can use FREE, that is a good thing in case you-know-who is reading this. Here is the link to a great article on the subject: http://blog.verticalresponse.com/verticalresponse_blog/2009/09/change-up-your-newsletter-get-more-clicks.html?utm_campaign=29%20Ways%20to%20Collect%20Email%20Addresses%20for%20Your%20Business&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_term=Click%20here%20to%20read%20ideas%202-29

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: A JOURNEY TO INNER HEALING. By Dr. Louis P. Bauer, a resident of Pearl River, MS. I read this book quite a while ago and while I thought it was outstanding, my second reading of it this week meant more to me than I could ever describe. I highly recommend this book if you want to work on a positive attitude, if you want to achieve your dreams, if you want to learn to forgive, if you just want a better life. If interested, buy it from Dr. Bauer’s web site, the difference in price between it and Amazon.com is unbelievable. http://www.goodtapes.com/

THE HYBRID REAL ESTATE AGENT: This is just too good! Love the way Kris Berg writes. This is a must read article: http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/krisberg/the-hybrid-real-estate-agent?page=0%2C0

OUTSIDE THE BOX BUT FUNNY MARKETING TIP COURTSEY OF JEFFREY GITOMER. One of the most valuable tips I have ever received was from Mike Scrutchfield a RE/MAX agent when he said, “You want the customer to remember you from the mailbox to the trash can.” When working For Sale By Owners, the hardest part of the presentation is the opening, how do you get their attention. You have a better chance of closing the sale or at least moving the process forward any time you can get a probable buyer or seller to laugh with you. So here you go: either write a letter of introduction, use your personal brochure if you have one or bring something like a booklet on selling their own home (both of which we have on www.slidellcalendar.com) or something as simple as a Seller’s Disclosure Sheet with you TO THE FRONT DOOR. (IMPORTANT POINT: Do really think that someone who as yet does not know you is really going to keep what you give them? Really?) Ring the door bell, take two to three steps back, turn to a 45 degree angle (this was taught by an FBI agent and he went on to say you are then not blocking the door or interfering with the owners personal area). In one hand you have whatever it is you are going to eventually give them, in the other hand a personalized trash can. That is what I said, a personalized trash can. Then after you do your introduction and any other conversation that might ensue, or whenever the opportunity strikes, you give the owner your gift and then give them the trash can. “Mr. or Mrs. Homeowner, I would like for you to have ________ and here is a trash can for you to put it in when you are finished with it; just in case you don’t have one. I would appreciate it if you would also put whatever my competitors give to you in the same can if you would please?” This has to be a guaranteed ice breaker! You have to admit, you probably laughed as you read it; so will the homeowner. When was the last time YOU received a trash can as a promotional item? Want a very inexpensive can with your name and logo on it? Go to: http://www.wadayaneed.com/smalldesksidewastebasketscustommadepromotionallogo.htm You can get these 60 for $6.35 each; the cost of a good ad.

JEFFREY GITOMER SEMINAR. It is no secret that I think Jeffrey Gitomer is a genius as evidenced by his books, CDs and DVDs. I attended a live seminar this week and have to tell you that it was the most interesting and educational seminar that I have attended in 30 years in the business. He kept everyone laughing while at the same time giving them raw meat sales tips and suggestions. He definitely thinks outside the box and he teaches like he talks (as he says upfront). As a result, the seminar could have been label PG-14 or even R but I can assure you that few if any attendees were offended except for maybe the bald guys. The three hour seminar whizzed by and it was over way too soon. If you ever get the chance to catch him live, do it! Follow him on www.JeffreyGitomer.com and sign up for his free ezine newsletter.

CONVERTING SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS INTO DOLLARS. A Jeffrey Gitomer sponsored seminar in Atlanta, January 29, 2010. Cost is $297 ($397 for the VIP Ticket). Check out the web site for the list of presenters: http://www.gitomer.com/seminars/SocialMedia.html I was surprised at the recent Gitomer seminar in Jackson how much emphasis he put on becoming proficient in using the Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, etc) to enhance your business. Good idea: For anyone who is interested, start a sign up page to send someone from the Market Center and share the cost. That person would become the Market Center “go to person” and “trainer” for the Market Center.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE REVIAL. Another Jeffrey Gitomer sponsored seminar to be held in Atlanta on February 10, 2010. Cost: Early Bird Special $147 (VIP $247). Information at: http://www.gitomer.com/seminars/RealEstateRevival.html

DOMAIN NAME TAKEN? Mine is. Had to be early to get Jim Brown; that is one of the reasons I went with http://www.gymbeaux.com/. Here is a solution: http://www.thegreatjimbrown.com/. or; http://www.theoneandonlyjimbrown.com/. What can you use to include your name and you not only want YOUR name, you ought to consider reserving your children’s and grandchildren’s names as domain names, the cost is so inexpensive and you can reserve them while they are still available. There are many sites to reserve Domain Names such as www.Domaindad.com. www.GoDaddy.com.

DON’T HAVE A WORKING COPY OF MICROSOFT OFFICE? The JAVA folks have unveiled a free download that seems to have all the bells and whistles of Office. I downloaded it to check it out and was able to call up the files created in Office so it seems to work plus there are additional programs included that I have not as yet tried. If you do not have Office on your computer and want something similar at no cost, check out: http://download.openoffice.org/

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Make a sale, make a commission. Make a friend, make a fortune! It is all about building life-long relationships.
Your job as seen by the customer: “Mr. or Ms. Real Estate Agent, your job is to engage ME about ME. I could care less about you until you can demonstrate what’s in it for me.”
What are you known for? Ask the people in your database: “When I say (insert your name), what ONE word comes to mind?” You can’t give a better answer than your customers can.
When it comes to Real Estate, there is no such thing as a “global market”, real estate is local. Therefore, THINK LOCALLY; ACT PERSONALLY! It doesn’t matter what the real estate market is like in California, Florida or where ever. What is the market like on your street?

BUILD YOUR OWN YOUTUBE CHANNEL! Personally haven’t done it, don’t know much about it. Here is the link to the YouTube Handbook. http://www.youtube.com/t/yt_handbook_produce Video yourself presenting valuable real estate tips, home maintenance tips, fixing up your home tips, etc. Link your YouTube videos on your web site. Send the link to your email database. Ask your customers for video testimonials that you put on CDs and with their permission post on YouTube. You can do most if not all of this FREE and FREE is good especially when you will be a market leader instead of doing like everyone else.

BEFORE YOU HAVE LASIK EYE SURGERY. Joe Tye had Lasik Eye Surgery and it did not go as well as he would have hoped. As he said in this report, he wishes he had taken the advice he is providing in this report. The report is not to deter you from having the surgery but rather it gives you info to consider before you do, as compared to after you have had it done. Thank you Joe for what you do. The report has been uploaded to www.SlidellCalendar.com for future reference and has been attached to the email that notified you that this online newsletter has been posted to the Internet.

SALES; ACCORDING TO GITOMER AND OTHERS

2009-09-08T08:30:00.006-05:00

Sales; According to Gitomer (and others)!

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 11, 2009

“Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth;
the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence.”
Democritus (460 BC-370 BC) Having been in sales for 30 years, I am often asked by people new to the business “What should I be doing right now to become successful?” It would take months and even years to attend all the classes you should be attending so the path to your immediate success as compared to your long-term success, will be self-taught through reading. You could do as I have done and read a great deal, picking and choosing what you believe to be correct or you can follow the advice from Wallace D. Wattles, written in 1910:

“You must lay aside all other concepts of the universe, (that would be competing books on sales) and you must dwell (become totally focused) upon this until it is fixed in your mind (become routine and a habit) and has become your habitual thought (your belief). Read these statements over and over again. Fix every word upon your memory and meditate upon them until you firmly believe what they say. If a doubt comes to you, cast it aside. Do not listen to arguments against this idea. Do not go to churches or lectures where a contrary concept of things is taught or preached. Do not read magazines or books which teach a different idea. If you get mixed up in your understanding, belief, and faith, all your efforts will be in vain.” Wallace D. Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich (1910 AD)

If reading has taught me one thing it is that all books, no matter how great or how poorly they are written and no matter how much you may agree or disagree with their contents, they make you think and thinking is good. Wallace D. Wattles (1910 BG – Before Gitomer, you’ll understand later) repeatedly said in all of his writings, to achieve whatever it is you have set as your goal, YOU MUST THINK IN A CERTAIN WAY! Over 50 years later Earl Nightingale said it differently but with the same meaning in The Strangest Secret, “To change your life, change the way you think!”

“Many great ideas go unexecuted, and many great executioners are without ideas. One without the other is worthless.” Tim Blixseth

"While wishing and hoping makes you a dreamer, acting and doing makes you someone who can turn dreams into reality." Nan S. Russell

If I had to do it over again (sales) and if I knew what I now know and if I had available what is now available and if someone were to ask, “Gymbeaux, what would you recommend for me to do to become successful in sales in general, real estate sales specifically (or for that matter life in general)?” I would say:

READ

ATTEND SEMINAIRS, PAY ATTENTION, AND TAKE GREAT NOTES

WRITE – DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU WRITE THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL SEEING YOUR THOUGHTS IN PRINT AND/OR ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN

FIND TEACHERS (WRITERS/SPEAKERS) WHO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND STICK WITH THEM

TAKE ACTION ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

“But Gymbeaux”, you say, “there is so much to read, If I want to be successful in sales, where do I begin?”

As I write this, I can see my collection of books, CDs, Cassette Tapes, DVDs and yes even 8-Tracks in my library of collected works over the past 30 years. They are all good otherwise I would not have purchased them. But what books would sit upon the pedestal that should and could help someone to be more successful than most who try? Remember, we are talking about sales in general and real estate sales specifically. The following in either in book, CD or DVD format and in the order given would be my recommendation; so here goes:

1. “The Little Gold Book of YES!Attitude” by Jeffrey Gitomer. “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” An old Chinese Proverb. It is true. No training will provide the results you desire until your attitude is such that you are ready to learn what is being taught. This wonderful book by Gitomer may be his best and is worth reading many times over. Like Henry Ford said, “If you think you can or if you think you can’t; either way you’re right!” If Wallace D. Wattles is correct and I know he is, then thinking you can is the beginning of a wonderful new career but you still have to have the right attitude and this book will provide you with good thoughts to hopefully help you be aware of how you think each and every minute. READ IT BEFORE ALL OTHERS! This is one of the few books where I have also purchased the book on CDs because it was that valuable.

2. “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles. This is one of the books that the movie success “The Secret” was based upon. It is all about THINKING IN A CERTAIN WAY, and that way will lead you to wealth, not only in terms of money but in terms of quality of life. If you would like a free Ebook copy, go to www.ScienceOfGettingRich.com.

3. “The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (MREA)” by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan. There is no better book on building a business than the MREA; NONE! Yes it says “real estate agent” but it is not about being a successful real estate agent as much as it is building a successful business. The problem is that most people in real estate sales do not think of their business as a business. Successful real estate sales people do and therein lies the difference between being successful (the 20%) and the unsuccessful (the 80%). The MREA is written like a cookbook. Follow the lead of what other successful people in sales have already done and then do what they did (plus a little bit more). The MREA is the “nuts & bolts” of business building. Without the proper attitude towards your business and life, this book will not help you. Read Gitomer’s YES!Attitude first.

4. “The Little Black Book of Connections” by Jeffrey Gitomer and “Endless Referrals” by Bob Burg. You do not have a business until you have customers. You do not have customers until you know how to find them, build relationships and then nurture those relationships into successful sales contacts. When a doctor retires and sells his medical practice (business) what is he or she selling? It is not his office, equipment, etc. The doctor is selling the patience database; that is where the wealth is. Sales of any kind are no different – the wealth is in the database. To build a fruitful database you must know people. These two books will help you create the personal skills necessary to grow your database. Without it you are destined to be part of the 80% who go through the motions of sales. When the market is good they will enjoy sales but when the market is bad the 80% starve; the 20% are still successful. The choice is yours. Build a large database of probable buyers, or not.

5. “The Little Teal Book of Trust” by Jeffrey Gitomer. Having a database of people, no matter how many, is worthless if those people do not trust you. As Gitomer says, “All things being equal, people want to do business with (and refer business to) their friends. All things being not so equal, people still want to do business with their friends.” Therefore, and this is not rocket science, MAKE MORE FRIENDS WHO TRUST YOU! You make more friends by building trust. Pages 154 to 193 should be required reading for everyone, start with your family.

6. “The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching!” by Jeffrey Gitomer. I had an uncle who would always ask me in my early years, “Jim, did you ring the cash register today?” Gitomer’s Platinum book explains what that means. In the early days of National Cash Register, the founder John Patterson understood that he was not selling a cash register. He first created a need in the customer’s mind that they needed a receipt for what they purchased. He then sold this desire the customer had to business owners. It also provided the business owner with a record of sales but it was establishing the need for a customer’s receipt that caused the company to flourish and succeed. Do you sell a twidget or do sell what a twidget will do for the customer? This is all about identifying customer’s needs and then satisfying those specific needs.

7. “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Loyalty is Priceless” again by Jeffrey Gitomer. Let’s review, you have the proper attitude (book #1); the importance of having a proper attitude was reinforced by Wattles (book #2); you know how to build your business (book #3); you know how to build your database with people (books #4); you develop your database by building trust with the people in your database (book 5); and then you become aware of what you are selling and why (book 6). This book teaches you how to build customer loyalty as compared to simply creating customer satisfaction; there is a difference. Being satisfied and being thrilled are obviously two different things. We far too often expect only satisfaction in a sales transaction rather then expecting an outstanding experience. You build loyalty by going beyond what is expected by providing what is not expected – something outstanding and out of the ordinary in a good way.

8. “The Sales Bible” by Jeffrey Gitomer. You can see where this is going. Of all the authors of all the books I have read, one author/speaker has stood out as having it all together. And as Wallace Wattles said in the quote at the beginning of this Nugget, don’t become confused by all that is available; instead find someone that has it together and learn from them and do not give up but rather focus on the goal. Jeffrey Gitomer, at least to me, is that one person that I feel you can learn from for a lot of reasons but simply put, he knows what he is writing and talking about. When you read his works it just makes sense. His writing style is as if you and he are sharing a cup of coffee across the table from each other. In a lot of cases it is not something new. But how many times have we read and forgot what was important only to be reminded of it in a later reading or teaching. Gitomer puts all these forgotten moments and a lot of new ideas into his books so you have them conveniently at hand to provide a constant reminder of what you should be doing.

Gitomer has written other books worthy of reading as well but I would concentrate on the above books FIRST. I have personally read them all at least twice and most three or four times. His other writings include, “The Little Red Book of Selling”; “The Little Red Book of Sales Answers”, “The Patterson Principles of Selling”, and “The Customer Loyalty Concepts.”

Jeffrey Gitomer’s books concentrate on the process of selling. Gary Keller’s book “The Millionaire Real Estate Agent” shows you step-by-step how to build a sales business. As Keller has said, if you are serious about building your business you should read this book once a month for twelve months. Read it with a high-liter, mark it up, follow the path to success because the path outlined is a compilation of many successful sales careers put into one outstanding book. I took my copy to Office Depot and had it spiral bound making it much easier to use to study from as it would lie flat on my desk without the pages flipping. Obviously I took reading this book seriously so much so I purchased the book on CDs and listened to it in my car.

IF, and as you can see, this is a huge IF, IF you train yourself to watch less television and spend the same amount of time becoming better at what you do, in little to no time at all you will be exposed to the traits, habits, scripts, dialogues, procedures, organization and both the follow-up and follow-through daily practices needed to be a success in sales and ultimately in life. As Wattles says in his book “The Science of Getting Rich”, (I also have this one on CDs) "if you want to help the poor, become rich. No one has ever helped the poor by being poor."

Love what you do, do what you love!

ACTION STEP

There is only one step, after marking up your day timer for the year with the vacations and family time, set aside one hour a day to spend reading something that will make you better at what you do; help make you a better person; and, help make you a more successful person. When YOU become successful, everyone wins as long as your success was built on high ethical standards.

BONUS RECOMMENDATIONS.

I have just finished reading three of Jon Gordon’s book, Training Camp, The No Complaining Rule and The Energy Bus. I rarely read books in one sitting but these are short and extremely compelling. All three are written in inspirational novel format and hold your attention. The books discussed above and these three books would be a great beginning to your personal self-improvement library if you do not already have one.

It Pays To Be Skeptical

2009-08-27T10:35:00.002-05:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

It Pays To Be Skeptical
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 1, 2009

“If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Unknown

Good question: Do your ads and marketing materials set you apart from all the others; are they eye-catching and unique? Better question: Are your ads and marketing materials believable? Best question: Are your ads and marketing materials true?

Turns out your mother was right (again), be skeptical of sales people. “But Gymbeaux,” you say, “how can you say that, aren’t you a sales person?”

Great question and the answer is yes and no. I have never considered myself as a sales person in the traditional sense because I never sold homes. Surprised? I have always taken the position that I did not care if a buyer bought a particular home after all, the homes I showed were not my home therefore I really did not care. I deeply cared that I was helping my customers find a solution to their real estate needs. If their need was to put a new roof over their head, I knew eventually that together we would accomplish that goal. I was an adviser. I was a consultant. I was a service provider. But yes, I did sell – I had to sell the probable buyer that I was the answer to their real estate problem. I had to sell me to them FIRST before they would permit me to help them. I believed then and I believe even more so know that Zig Ziglar had it right when he said, “To get everything you want in life, help someone else get what they want." Jeffrey Gitomer enhanced that statement by saying, “To get everything you want in life, help someone else get what they want – FIRST!” Amen to that I say!

Advertisements and marketing can “puff” or “fluff” (lie or exaggerate) a product and service to make it “seem” like it will solve a probable purchaser’s need. Television infomercials are notorious for this. People in need of pain relief, in need of money, in need of a mate, just simply in need of something but especially pain relief will buy anything that is perceived to work and will do so from someone they do not know or necessarily trust. For example, have you ever wondered how many of the people providing testimonials as to the value of a product actually used the product or are they simply actors? If you are paying attention, some of these people appear in other advertisements for different products; what are the chances of that happening?

Advertisements and marketing pieces can also speak the truth but how can you know the difference? You can’t; but you do know if they are your own advertisements and marketing pieces and YOU do know if they are true or puff pieces. Gary Keller defined integrity as doing the right thing. I define it as doing the right thing especially when no one is watching.

To give you an example, a large real estate franchise advertised that they closed more sales than any other franchise. At the time that was probably true. What was not said was that they also had more unsold (expired) listings than anyone else as well. What would a probable purchaser want to know (whether they knew they needed to know or not)? If the purchaser was considering using the company to market (list) their real estate it should be what percentage of your listings actually sell and in how many days? When your advertisements and marketing pieces paint only half a picture you are providing only half the truth. It is very misleading if not outright fraud when the customer “thinks” they are getting the whole picture. Many years ago an automobile manufacturer advertised how safe their vehicles were. They showed various cars running off cliffs landing on their roofs and the roofs did not collapse. What they failed to show was the roofs had been reinforced. A soup company advertising vegetable soup added filler to the bottom of the bowl to make the vegetables rise above the soup level leaving the impression the soup was loaded with vegetables. A very successful real estate agent would list a home that would remain on the market for months and months. When an offer to purchase was finally received, she would remove the properly from the listing service and show it as a withdrawal. She would then re-enter the listing as a new listing and then take it out as a property under contract. She showed her potential sellers that her listings sold in days rather than months and could show them “proof” on paper. Who would not be impressed with statistics like hers?

President Obama is currently selling the public on health care with a “public option.” A study was reportedly conducted where people were asked if they were in favor of a public option or a government option and the majority selected public option. The problem is that the public option IS the government option. One simple word is misleading where “public” to most citizens means public and public to the government means government. Same word; different meaning and understanding.

Some of the products or services being advertised on television do what they claim; some do not. The Internet can make a huge difference if used. When you see a product you think may satisfy a specific need, simply type in the product in a search box to see what web sites appear. You may be surprised at how many unhappy customers post their displeasure with a product or service they have purchased or used. What would happen if you put your name in the search box? What would happen if someone entered the name of your company in the search box?

Gymbeaux’s Law of Unfairness: The Law of Unfairness says that if you satisfied 100 customers and dissatisfied 1 customer, the 100 would say nothing but the 1 would tell the world. Now they tell the world on the Internet. How many probable purchasers would be affected by the comments of the 1 dissatisfied customer? Most likely a great many. Hollywood movie makers are now concerned that movie goers who post their critical reviews on web sites like Twitter and Facebook are adversely affecting the number of people who go to the movie being criticized.

Every adviser, consultant, and sales person MUST have an effective Customer Service Department in their business; in real estate sales, that would be you. It is unfortunate that most of these people have no clue how their customers perceive their service because they never ask. They never see their business through the eyes of their customers both good and bad. They believe that one customer lost is only one customer lost; big deal. WRONG! As stated, one customer will tell the world what is wrong with you and your product or service not to mention your company.

If the consumer is becoming more skeptical (and they should be), is it possible that you are not perceived as you might believe? Do you know for certain? How do you know for certain? If you are not asking your customers either directly or indirectly, there is no way to be certain. If you do not know, how many sales might you have lost or continue to lose? You cannot fix something you do not know is broken. If you really want to test how good you are, arrange to have a mystery caller call as if they were a customer and then report the results of the call. You just might get the surprise of your life – you may be even better than you think. Of course the reverse might be true as well. SURPRISE!

Who Would You Be If You Hadn't Met...

2009-08-11T14:56:00.003-05:00

Mitch Album has written a book entitled “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” and that prompted me to think about the five most influential people I have met on Earth and why I think they have been influential. Every day we come in contact with people who have had both a positive or negative influence on our lives; some more than others.

I would like to pose a question to everyone who reads this Nugget. Who would you be if you had not met (you insert the name of the person who has had a positive impact on your life)? Using the above book as a basis for this question, identify the 5 most influential people in your life and then explain why. Then considering that this is the Christmas season when giving means so much, write each of them a note to thank them for what they have meant to you.

Because I “practice what I preach”, here are my five in no particular order:

DR. TOM HILL: Dr. Tom taught me that the past has very little bearing on the future. Far too often we blame the past or take the lessons from the past and use our past consciously or subconsciously to create restrictions or boundaries regarding our future. The past is the past. You can do nothing about what has happened except to learn from it. The future is limited only by your imagination. Dr. Tom taught me the difference between Right Brain and Left Brain thinking and it was through Dr. Tom that I discovered that throughout my life, I had been a Right Brain Person in a Left Brain World. What that meant to me was that I was NOT a slow learner as I suspected, but instead I tended to “think outside the box”. I was in fact a creative type person but in the early days of my elementary education, thinking outside the box was NOT a good thing. In the Left Brain world of education, you had to “color within the lines” and anyone who dared to color an oak tree as being purple was considered weird. I also learned from Dr. Tom to be patient. To be focused on the prize and that you can do anything you want to do. Other traits Dr. Tom exemplified were honesty, integrity, a sense of humor and a deep thirst for learning. All these things have remained with me and upon which I remain focused and work to improve upon. Dr. Tom Hill writes a wonderful Friday Ezine that you can subscribe to by emailing him at www.EagleInstitute.com. Dr. Tom Hill has written a wonderful book entitled “Living at the Summit” that I highly recommend. Update, Dr. Tom Hill has collaborated with Jack Canfield on a new book, “Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Soul”, a very good read!

JOE TYE: I can sum up Joe’s contribution to my life in one word – values. Everyone has values to some degree but Joe Tye has made a study of values and how they affect our everyday lives and more importantly our decision process. Joe Tye has written several books, again I highly recommend all of them but the two that stand out are, “Never Fear, Never Quit”, and “Your Dreams Are Too Small”. Joe Tye teaches the 12 Core Action Values and because he routinely sends out weekly Spark Plug updates in addition to more in depth works on each value, it is easy to remain focused on values. Joe has taught me to use the Direction Deflection Question, DDQ, to date the most effective tool to accomplish whatever you wish to accomplish. You ask yourself a question in regards to your values, your goals, or whatever it is you wish to do. For example, if you want to weigh a certain weight, let’s say 185 pounds, you say to yourself, “Is what I am about to eat or drink consistent with my desire to weigh 185?” If yes, eat it, if no, don’t. I have used this system in just about everything I wish to accomplish. Joe also has taught me never to compromise my values. If you would like to subscribe to Joe’s Spark Plug program, send him an email to joe@nfnq.com and ask to be included on his distribution. He also has a paid subscription to Spark Plug Plus so you might also want to ask him about that. Not a day goes by where I do not review the Self-Empowerment Pledge written by Joe Tye. There is a different Pledge for each day of the week. This being Thursday, the pledge is: I Contribute! I earn the help I need in advance by helping other people now, and repay the help I receive by serving other later! 2009 update: Joe has published at least two more book, The Healing Tree and The Farmer; both compelling reads. Joe has also put his 12 Core Action Values in book form that is certainly worth reading.

BOB BURG: Bob is an exceptional writer, thinker and speaker. I have read just about everything he has written, especially “Endless Referrals”, “Winning Without Intimidation”, “Gossip” and the latest, “Master Your Traits; Master your Life” and this is a real winner! What have I learned from Bob Burg? Where do I begin? I believe that I have learned to work with people. Through “Endless Referrals” I learned how to meet people and then develop relationships that could and should eventually result in future business. Through “Winning Without Intimidation” I learned to be more tolerant of people and their unique behaviors. Bob has taught me to listen, and then respond in ways that tend to get you what you want primarily by acknowledging that people are different and using creative ways to get them to agree with you. “Gossip” is a real work of art. I could not help but identify with many of the situations discussed in the book. While there were many lessons, the most value from the book involved hearing other people make jokes about people or engaged in discriminating language during which I would say nothing nor would I leave. This implied that I agreed with what was being said even though I didn’t. I was afraid to hurt someone’s feelings but by not saying something I was giving my approval to what was being said. Bob’s latest work is by far his best. He took lessons from Benjamin Franklin (not actually took the lessons from him, but learned from him through research). Ben Franklin knew he lacked a great deal and in fact people initially did not care much for him. Ben created a system whereby he identified the 13 personal traits that he needed to improve upon. He then focused on just one trait per week for thirteen weeks. At the end of each week he would grade himself. By focusing on just the one trait, he could not help but improve upon it by simply being aware of it an example would be, “positive speech”. If you concentrate on the positive speech for a week, it is hard to speak negatively. Bob’s book, “Master Your Traits; Master Your Life” is a thirteen week course to improve your traits. My character traits were improved just by reading the book. I intend to start the course on January 1, 2005 and taking Bob’s suggestion, I intend to repeat the course every quarter in 2005. Go to www.BobBurg.com and you can sign up for his free Ezine or purchase his wonderful books and tapes. 2009 update. Bob has written another absolute winner in The Go-Giver. Check it out at www.TheGoGiver.com.

STEPHEN COVEY: If you want to be successful, find someone who has already done it and repeat it. Stephen Covey’s book, “7 Habits of Highly Successful People” has become a classic work on self-improvement. Mr. Covey has studied successful people and then has identified what they have done to achieve the success they desired. His book clearly points you in the right direction and gets you thinking in a certain way. He has written other books including “Focus” and the one I am working on at the moment, “The 8th Habit” and they are all thought provoking, life-changing books. As I do with Joe Tye, I review one of Covey’s “habits” every day, one for each day of the week. Again, this being Thursday, it is: I Think Win-Win! I seek mutual benefit in all interdependent relationships! I have not as yet met Stephen Covey but it remains as one of my life’s goals to do so. As have the others described in this Nugget, Mr. Covey has become my mentor and coach albeit unknown to him. On his web site at www.FranklinCovey.com, he has created a wonderful free program to help you build a personal mission statement. From that exercise, I have created mine, “To help people do what they do, to do it better!” The five people identified in this Nugget and their works and their leadership all have become intertwined in my life as one tends to build on the other. Together they set an awesome and very high example to work towards. I know I will never reach perfection but I also know that I have come a long way and will never return to the Gymbeaux of old. 2009 update. Although it is not a Stephen Covey book, it is a book written by his son, Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust that I highly recommend. www.speedoftrust.com.

LEE SHELTON: There was no specific order to the people listed in this Nugget in regards to importance because they all have meant so much to me. Lee Shelton, however, is the one person who started it all for me. I had just retired from the U. S. Coast Guard. I had been in real estate for 7 years (some while on active duty with the Coast Guard). I was about to embark on a real estate management career when I came across an ad for a 4-tape set entitled “Creating Teamwork” by Lee Shelton. I ordered it and listened to it about 5 days prior to starting my new position. Not only did I listen to it, I listened to it at least 3 times during those 5 days. You have heard of the proverb, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear!” I did not know I was a student when I purchased those tapes. I have become friends with Lee and he has said that I could recite the tapes word for word – they were that good! I still use the principles taught and discussed on those tapes and that was 15 years ago. One of Lee’s suggestions was that everyone should read “I’m OK; You’re OK” by Thomas Harris and that it should be read every six months. I thought the information on the tapes was so good that this suggestion must also be good so I bought the book and read it. In all honesty I have not read it every six months but the content was so good, it started me on my path to reading. Because of Lee, his tapes and the book “I’m OK; You’re OK”, I have set a personal goal to read at least 12 books a year – one-a-month. I have far exceeded that goal (not bragging, only stating a fact) because reading has become such an integral part of my life that was void until I listened to Lee’s tapes. Had it not been for Lee Shelton, I would not have been exposed to people like Dr. Tom Hill, Joe Tye, Bob Burg and Stephen Covey. I certainly would not be writing this Nugget. 2009 update. Because of Lee’s lessons, not only have I read at least a book a month, my personal library now includes over 500 books, over 100 E-books and I have no idea how many cassette tapes, CDs and now DVDs that are in my library. Speaker Jim Rohn later said, “An EDUCATION will earn you a living; SELF-EDUCATION will earn you a fortune.” Had it not been for Lee Shelton, I would be earning a living. The fortune was not measured in monetary standards but rather in what I have learned.

These are my five. Who are yours? They are at the top of a list of many who have influenced my life. Others that I admire and have learned from are Andy Andrews, “The Traveler’s Gift”; Dr. Wayne Dyer, “The Power of Intention”, Wallace Wattles, “The Science of Getting Rich” and “The Science of Being Well”, Jim Paluch, “The Five Important Things”, and “Leaving a Legacy”, and Michael Dunn, “What’s the BIG Secret?”

As suggested at the top of this Nugget, Thank You notes are going out this week.

So I have to ask. Are YOU making a difference in someone’s life? Who would list YOU as one of the 5 most influential people in THEIR life?

If you want to make a difference, use Joe Tye’s Direction Deflection Question (DDQ):

Is what I am about to say or do going to
make a positive difference in someone’s life?

THE FIVE HAVE BECOME SIX.

Since I first wrote this Nugget in 2004 I have been introduced to the work of Jeffrey Gitomer. While there have been so many more books, classes, and tapes over the years that I have listened to and all have had an impact, Jeffrey Gitomer has had the most influence. It all started while waiting for a plane in Dallas. This one black covered book caught my attention by its appearance. When I opened it the inside appearance also caught my attention, it had color throughout the book, color cartoons, colored highlighted wording, it had a permanent book mark ribbon like you might see in a bible and it had lists, one numbered list after another. I bought the book, The Little Black Book of Connections and the rest is history. I have read everything that Gitomer has written, all of his book, at least twice. His Little Gold Book of YES!Attitude I have read 6 times. Gitomer writes about sales, customer relations, attitudes, presentations, techniques, etc. I would highly recommend reading anything he writes but I would start with the Little Gold Book of YES!Attitude, my personal favorite.

I have also written a Nugget in 2009, My 45 Favorite Books which can be read in the Archive section of www.NuggetsForTheNoggin.com.

Blogging To Success!

2009-07-06T12:57:00.002-05:00

Nuggets For The Noggin

Blogging To Success!
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, July 4, 2009

“Become the neighborhood economist!”
Gary Keller from “The Shift”

There can be no argument with Gary Keller’s quote above in that if you want people to do business with you they must come to KNOW you, LIKE you, and more importantly TRUST you. The latter part of that comes from Bob Burg’s book Endless Referrals.

There is a basic principle involved in selling and that is to make more money, make more sales. However, you can also make more money by spending less on your marketing endeavors. If people do business with and refer business to people they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST, would it not make sense to make the objective of spending money on marketing that would result in more people KNOWING you, LIKING you and TRUSTING you?

Keller’s book, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent has the history of numbers working for it when he describes that as real estate sales people we need to touch the people we know 33 times a year, without fail, forever! Every time I would teach that I could see the disbelief on the faces of the students and more importantly the mental calculators working overtime calculating how much touching everyone 33 times a year would actually cost. THAT IS INSIDE-THE-BOX THINKING! If something is KNOWN to work, why try to find reasons why YOU can’t make it work for you? Find activities you can do to make it work and for less money than you think.

For example, if you called everyone in your database just once a quarter, 4 times a year for you-know-who, how much would that cost you? In money - $0.00 and I doubt anyone would think a telephone call once every 3 months would be excessive by anyone’s standards. In most cases it would probably be at least 3 more times than you currently call your database.

It also costs you nothing to make an appointment to drop something off to each member of your database and when you think about it, you would have to make a call to set up the appointment (1 touch) and then meet the person (another touch) and then send a thank you note for the meeting (a third touch) and it only cost you the price of a post card type thank you note or you may even splurge and send a fold-over type card and envelope which would be my first choice. How much would that cost? 50 cents?

If you follow Gary Keller’s advice and have a desire to become the neighborhood economist, you must first become an expert in gathering information relative to the local economy and real estate. The next step is devising some method of getting the information into the hands of each member of your database in a repetitive manor that is easy to do and cost effective. How about FREE?

In most if not all of Jeffrey Gitomer’s books, he discusses the benefits of writing every day and more importantly getting what you write into the hands of your probable buyers and/or probable sellers. Note well (as Gitomer often states) that he did not call them prospects or database people or even clients or customers, he called them “Probable Buyers” and/or “Probable Sellers.” Words mean things and they mean things to your subconscious mind so begin now by training your mind and attitude that everyone you meet IS a PROBABLE buyer and/or seller.

What can you write about? You do not have to reinvent the wheel. Nor should you write about something you are not knowledgeable about. Nor should you confuse the probable buyer and/or seller by writing about something totally unrelated to what you do like sending along cooking tips. You sell real estate or at least you hopefully sell real estate. Write about real estate not brownies.

I can hear the questions now, what do I know about real estate? You had better know a great deal and you obviously know more than you think you know or you would not have asked the question. What can you write about?

Your latest listing
Your latest listing
Your latest sale
Your latest price reductions
What the mortgage interest rates are doing
What are the most recent trends in the local market (forget the national market, real estate is local)
Why would a seller want a home warranty on their home
Why would a buyer want a home warranty on their home
Why would a seller want a home inspected before it is put on the market
Why should a buyer always get a home inspection
What will an appraisal tell a buyer
What will an appraisal tell a seller
What is Owner’s Title Insurance
What is Lender’s Title Insurance
What is the closing process
What is the listing process
What is meant by absorption rate on homes listed as compared to sold
What is the latest on Lead Base Paint
What is the latest on Mold and Mildew Issues
What are some inexpensive ways to really dress up a home
What kind of return could a homeowner expect to receive for major renovations or additions
What is flood insurance all about
What does a homeowner need to know about homeowner’s insurance
Does a homeowner need separate liability insurance on their home and family
What items might not be covered by a homeowner’s insurance
When should a homeowner change or rekey locks
Is a home security system a good idea
Should self-activated lights be installed around the home
What is a tax millage
When is a good time to service an A/C unit
When is a good time to fertilize a yard
What are some of the best home safety tips
How can someone make their home more energy efficient
Why should a homeowner have a service contract on appliances, especially the A/C unit
Why should a homeowner have a service contract for termites
When should a home be re-treated for termites
How often should a well be tested
What one thing could a homeowner do today to increase the value of a home
Why should a homeowner consider a second home
How can a homeowner use real estate to help pay for their children’s college education
What does a homeowner need to know about income taxes and homeownership
What kind of records should a homeowner maintain
Should a homeowner of an older home install ground default electrical receptacles near plumbing
When should a hot water heater be drained and inspected
When should a roof be inspected
What can a homeowner do to make a home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer
What should a homeowner know about erecting outbuildings, installing pools, hot tubs, etc.
What’s on the upcoming local ballot
When is the next election
How does someone register to vote

You should never need search very far to find something to write about. More importantly, you do not have to be the expert on many of these subjects, work with a guest writer and then give them credit and contact information.

Now comes the good part – blogging. You can create a blog for FREE, at least you can at the time this Nugget was written by going to www.blogger.com. You can create one free blog for each email address you have and you can have as many email addresses as you can create.

Now comes the absolute BEST part – it can and should be free to distribute via email. The hard part would be getting email addresses and the only proven way to do that is to ask people for their email address. “Mr. & Mrs. __________ I write a blog that provides homeowners with valuable real estate information such as (and then insert whatever is timely, pertinent to the probable buyer and/or seller, or whatever you think would be appropriate) and it is FREE of charge. I send it out to your email address (enter how often you update your blog) or more frequently if it contains time sensitive information. I would love to include you so you would not miss out on anything that could save you money or have you miss a very important upcoming event. What is your email address?”

Gymbeaux’s logic, right or wrong, it doesn’t matter. Why would you spend any amount of money on a product that you can obtain free of charge if the free of charge product accomplishes the objective? I have seen people spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars for all the “bells and whistles” on web pages and blogs failing to understand that it is not the bells and whistles that get the customer TO the site. The customer only sees the bells and whistles once they are AT the site and more often than not, the bells and whistles slow the experience down once on the site. If you insist on spending money on your web sites, spend the money on promoting the site on the Internet not so much on the frills being offered.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR FREE BLOG:

Go to www.blogger.com (or another other free blog site)
Select CREATE A BLOG
Create an Account
Name your blog
Choose a template

BINGO – YOU HAVE A BLOG

Your blog address will be http://(the name you selected).blogspot.com.

If you want your blog more easily accessed, spend a few dollars to buy a domain name and forward the actual blog address to your new domain name. I have created two such blogs with related domain names:

http://readforachange.blogspot.com or www.ReadForAChange.com
http://nuggetsforthenoggin.blogspot.com or www.NuggetsForTheNoggin.com.

Which would be easier to remember without having to write it down?

You can use Microsoft Word to write your blog OFFLINE and then COPY AND PASTE your prepared blog onto your blog site, use the embolden and change the text as you wish, and then PUBLISH IT to the web. You can do all the work yourself in just minutes a month.

To distribute your blog, create an address group using your email account service. Then as you post new blogs, send out an email to your address group simply telling them a new blog has been posted at and then include your internet address such as I have above. It would be wise to “tease” your database by suggesting what they might find on your latest blog.

Include an opt-out so the customer can ask to be removed from your distribution at any time.

Hanging Pictures On Your "Dirt" Wall

2009-06-23T21:32:00.003-05:00

Nugget For The Noggin

By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown, June 22, 2009

“First law on holes - when you're in one, stop digging!”
Denis Healey

“Don’t get comfortable in the hole you have dug.. Don’t hang pictures on the walls!”
Gary Keller

“The Dip”, written by Seth Godin discusses how everyone eventually finds themselves in “dip.” Some mistakenly identify the “dip” as a “hole” and some the “hole” as a “dip.” According to Godin the objective is to first recognize that your business and/or your life are not what you want them to be at this time in your life. If you are in a “dip” as defined by Godin, it is only temporary and happens to everyone. It is a time to regroup, recalculate, redefine and then because of the “dip”, grow.

Denis Healey said, “First law on holes – when you’re in one, stop digging!” Gary Keller, co-founder of Keller Williams Realty said during a live presentation this past week, “Don’t get comfortable in the hole you have dug. Don’t hang pictures on the walls!”

Gary Keller also said the market (economy) is what the market is at this moment, neither good nor bad, it just is what it is. I like to think in terms of WWW; WII; ICOTM! What was – was! What is – is! I control only this moment! Sounds more like Yota of Star Wars fame.

There is no question that the economy is as few people have ever experienced it unless you are 80 years old or older. The problem, as I see it, is whether you consider your current situation as a hole that you keep digging or just a dip in the road and facing an uphill climb. Without the proper attitude, almost every “dip” will “feel” like a hole. Some people fail to adapt and keep digging making the hole they are in deeper and thus more difficult to climb out of; they are comfortable in their hole and are hanging pictures. Worst, they find others who they “co-miserate” with and share their thoughts on just how deep or bad their particular hole appears to be – misery loves company – so it has been said. If you are on the receiving end of the co-miserating hole-digger, it is not fun and more importantly, the misery disease can be spread by casual contact and therefore should avoided it at all costs.

Keller’s presentation had another huge Aha, at least for me, when he made the analogy or linked the metaphor of the professional musician. Musicians spend hours upon hours practicing and rehearsing what they do. The hours spent practicing and rehearsing are WORK; HARD WORK! Not what you would call fun time. The time spent on stage before an audience is PLAY! It is fun! It is rewarding!

Therefore, if you want quality “play-time”, you have to engage in quality “work-time”; that’s it! That’s the secret since everyone seems to love the word “secret” as if it contains the ultimate path to success. The problem with most of us, at least as I have seen it, is that there is a difference between HARD WORK and SMART WORK. There is a universal law that explains that only 20% of the people do 80% of the work. If you are wondering why there are so many “holes” in your neighborhood it is because 80% of the people do what 80% of the people continue to do and all expecting different results and the results they experience are just deeper holes. Even some of the best people who find themselves embedded in a hole they have dug continue to do what they have always done failing to recognize that times change. People change. Technology changes. People who fail to recognize the changing times simply continue doing what they have always done like most others in similar situations.

Even in the worst economic conditions imaginable, 20% of the people will still do 80% of the work or get 80% of the results from their work. These are the people who WORK SMART! They adapt. They have a learning-based attitude. They seek information. THEY CHANGE! They also seek out and learn from the other 20% to find out what is working for them.

Gary Keller also said, “You can only grow your business in a down market!” Why? Because the business that remains will not come to you; you must go to where the business is. Only a few people, like you, realize this and adapt their business practices to go after the business instead of waiting for it to come to them. They “work” at attracting people. They “work” at developing relationships with people they know, people they have just met, and people they have not as yet met but have a goal to meet. They “work” at developing the relationship of caring because as someone once said, “People don’t care about you until they know how much YOU care about THEM.” It is NOT about YOU! No one said it as good as Bob Burg, “People will do business with AND refer people to those people they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST!”

Jeffrey Gitomer said in his book, The Little Black Book of Connections, “All things being equal, ... And all things being NOT so equal, people STILL want to do business with their friends.”

THAT’S IT! You can’t make friends in a hole unless it is a HUGE hole. You can make friends in a “dip” in the market and should make as many new friends as possible. If the size of your market (the pie we oftentimes hear about) is no larger or maybe even smaller, you want your unfair share of the market (pie). Therefore, the solution to the hole and/or the dip is to WORK SMART by contacting the people you already know; meet new people everyday; learn more about the people you know and meet. Develop the relationships and make it about them rather than passing gobs of information about you and what you do because frankly, at this point THEY DON’T CARE about you or what you do. But the day WILL come as it does for everyone, that people who KNOW you, not to mention LIKE and TRUST you, WILL have a need for what you do. And when that day arrives, you want them to think about you or refer their friends who have a need for what you do to refer them to you.

So here you are folks, the secret! It IS that simple! If it is that simple why do not more people think and act in the very “certain way” (Wallace D. Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich) that is required to generate more business? Now that is a question for the ages. Why do real estate agents have round shoulders and flat foreheads? Because when you ask them a question, they shrug their shoulders and when you tell them the answer, they slap their foreheads! My guess is the noise you just heard is the result of the palm of your hand slapping your forehead.

To get out of the hole you’ve dug:

STOP DIGGING!
Take down the pictures from the wall!
Work on developing a positive attitude – at all times – forever!
Learn and MASTER the concept and difference between WORK & PLAY (PERFORM) TIMES! When you WORK, work smart; when you PLAY, play with passion!
Contact the people you already know!
Get them talking about them; not you talking about you!
Meet more people and get them talking about them; not you talking about you!
Ask, “Do you or someone you know want to buy (or sell) what I am selling (or buying)?”
Ask, “Who do you know that I should be talking to?”
Ask, “What can I do to make your day/life better?”
Tell them, “Oh, by the way, whenever you or the people you talk to think of (whatever you are selling, offering or buying), think (insert your name)!”
Send HAND WRITTEN Thank You Notes as often as possible and then some!
Read “The Dip!” by Seth Godin
Read “Endless Referrals” by Bob Burg
Read “The Shift” by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, Jay Papasan
Read “The Little Black Book of Connections” by Jeffrey Gitomer
Read “The Little Gold Book of YES!Attitude” by Jeffrey Gitomer
Read “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles

Income Insurance; Or Not

2009-06-10T07:21:00.003-05:00

Nugget For The Noggin
By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown, June 9, 2009

What is the first question you ask yourself or a coach might as you when establishing goals; you do have goals, don’t you? “How much money do you need to make?” The emphasis is on the word “need”, meaning you have a number in mind that you MUST make in order to pay the bills you have and maybe put a little aside for that “rainy day” we hear so much about.

Well Breaux, the rain hasn’t stopped in several months – or put another way – the rainy day has become what one might call a “normal” day. Look at these example numbers:

Economy drops 20% (that is just a number it does not represent a factual number).
Agent A’s income for the previous year was $68,000 and that was Agent’s A break even point where Agent A had sufficient income to pay all of her business expenses, pay all of the living expenses and as stated above maybe put a small amount aside for the rainy days.

Along comes the rain. Now Agent A’s income, keeping in line with the economy, has also dropped 20%. 20% of $68,000 is $13,600 for a net income of $54,400. If Agent A was not saving at least $13,600 a year for rainy days, there is a deficit and Agent A is spending more than Agent A is making.

Now look at Agent B who the previous year earned $250,000. Agent’s B’s income also dropped 20% over the same period in time maintaining pace with the economy or $50,000 for a net of $200,000. The question then becomes was Agent B saving $50,000 a year for rainy days?

Here is another very serious thought to consider. If Agent B’s average sales price was $400,000 and the average Board’s sale price is $200,000, do you think that Agent’s B’s income might be affected a bit more than the economic average? Hmmmmmmm?

I hate to tell you the answer. In most cases certainly not yours, neither Agent A nor Agent B were saving $13,600 or $50,000 respectively. Income can best be compared to the storage space in our homes. The more storage space you have, the more stuff you collect to fill it. Purchase more storage space like a shed or off-site storage and you guessed it, you collect more stuff. Being in the Military for 20 years had one very definite advantage over most folks. Every 2 or 3 years we moved and when we move you guessed it, we got rid of stuff. But if you don’t move, the stuff overwhelms you. Then one day, one or more of your children leave home. Wow, I have more room now that Johnny has moved out. Yes and you have more room for more stuff. The unplanned cosequence is that Johnny does not have enough room in his new place so he still uses your home for some of his “stuff.” And this vicious circle seems to go on forever. “I can’t get rid of that; I might need it some day!”

Income and expenses are no different. The more money people make the more money they spend and I know this because……. We are in very odd economic times and while I am not an economist, I think I know enough about past economies that would lead me to believe that the world is in for a very rude awakening when future revenues fail to make up the difference between what was spent today and what comes in tomorrow as revenue or lack thereof. That is a formula for inflation. I can only hope I am wrong but I don’t think so. Financial planning becomes essential for survival.

A great many people do not control the amount of their income as people in sales have the ability to do. Need more money? Make more sales! The formula is that simple. There are other ways to make more money and they are, (1) cut your expenses to the bone – that effectively increases your disposable income. (2) Earn more money on the sales you make – that also effectively increases your disposable income. (3) Be more selective regarding the quality of probable buyers and probable sellers you work with meaning you work with fewer people but the ones you do work are ready to buy or sell and waste less of your time on those who are not. While that does not directly increase your income it does increase your dollars of income per hour worked and that is always good thing. (4) Become an expert on the Federal Income Tax Code or hire someone who is and take advantage of tax savings, especially for Independent Contractors. Saving more on taxes is effectively earning more to save or spend. (5) A combination of all four.

This is what I know. Correct that, this is what I positively know! The following is a plan and any plan is better than no plan just in case you do not have one:

Review your expenses for the past 12 months. Every expense, not just the car payment, house payment and utility bills – EVERY KNOWN EXPENSE! While you track them, try to identify if there are any seasonal increases/decreases like spending more on electricity and gas during the summer months. Here are some expenses that most people should think about:

Insurance premiums like annual Flood Insurance. Semi-annual, or quarterly payments like various insurance premiums. Health insurance or supplemental health insurance. E&O.
Christmas, birthday, anniversary, wedding and shower gifts, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day (this is typically a great deal more than you think it is)
Annual dues to trade organizations like the Board of Realtors, MLS, personal designations like CRS, or groups such as the Women’s Council of REALTORS®, etc.
Personal development like attending Family Reunion (convention for those not with Keller Williams), off-site training (travel, food and lodging), books, CDs, DVDs for your personal growth library (you do have one don’t you?)
Unscheduled repairs to our car(s), home, tools and equipment.
Personal loan payments
Student loan payments
Credit Card payments
Charitable donations and church donations
Political donations
State income taxes as applicable
Federal income taxes as applicable
Property taxes
Telephone service
Internet service
Cable Television
Co-pay medical payments
Gas for the car
Tuition for the kids
Emergencies (especially evacuations due to storms)
Unscheduled trips to visit relatives due to family emergencies
The cost of pets (much higher than you might think)
Date Nights (entertainment in general)
Cost of hobbies, golf, crafts, photography, etc.
Cost of smoking
Cost of drinking (and that does not mean milk and water Breaux!)
Expected or unexpected increases in any of these categories (requires planning)
Accounting expenses
Legal expenses
Advertising and marketing expenses
Customer gifts and entertainment
Tools and equipment required for work (or still needed for work)

IS WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SPEND MY HARD EARNED MONEY ON LEADING ME TOWARDS MY LIFE’S GOAL OR AWAY FROM IT?

Use the DDQ every time you contemplate spending a dime! The one category that should never be cut is education. Remember, “Education” is what you get when you read the fine print; “experience” is what you get when you don’t.” If you want to get better at what you do, create a self-education plan and stick to it!

One more suggestion from the book “Somebody’s Gotta To Say It” by Neal Boortz. Neal suggests that from this day forward, NEVER SPEND ANOTHER DOLLAR BILL. Spend only $5.00 bills and larger. When you receive your change, do what you will with the loose change but put the dollars in a jar on your dresser. These one-dollar bills collect in a hurry and it would be very easy to save $1,000 a year or more from your loose one-dollar bills. This is a great savings technique that provides you with emergency funds, date-night funds, etc. Try it, you’ll like it!

If the economy shifts for the better – you are in fabulous shape. If it turns further south, you should be okay. Remember, the market is what the market is and it never stays the same. You must reevaluate your financial goal every year based upon REAL numbers from the year(s) before. Now that you know, what are you going to do about it? Do they teach this stuff in our schools? I don’t think so.

Want More Sales? Have SEX With Your Customer!

2009-06-02T17:02:00.011-05:00

Nugget For The Noggin

Based on a concept created by Joe Tye, America’s Value Coach
This Nugget written by Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, June 2009

The following is an excerpt from an article by Joe Tye that got me thinking:

I was once having lunch with the CEO of the nation’s largest producer of corporate training videos. We were discussing the most effective communication techniques when he said, “Joe, if you really want to reach an audience, you have to have sex with them.” I almost choked on my noodles! “All of them?” He went on to explain that effective communication begins by creating a Significant Emotional eXperience.

Joe was talking primarily about speaking in front of an audience and is that any different than speaking in front of a probable buyer or probable seller of real estate or any other commodity for that matter? I think not!

Therefore, if you want to make more sales, have S.E.X. with your customers! It is that simple!
When was the last time you had a truly enjoyable or satisfying and emotional buying experience? I’ll wait…..

If you are like most people, you probably did not have a really enjoyable or satisfying and emotional buying experience but you bought anyway correct? Some people shop because they love to shop and they buy what they see as compared to what they want or need. Other people shop only to buy what they intended to buy before they started shopping. In both cases, people bought. Imagine how successful you could become as a salesperson if you made this process a Significant Emotional Experience (S.E.X.).

What was the last item you purchased that cost over $200? Can you remember the name of the person who sold it to you? As you think about that question, here’s another question for real estate agents: Who was the last person you sold a home to or for? Do you think they remember your name?

For example, think about someone who bought a home from you three years ago. Who would those folks say sold them their home? If you think they named you by name you may want to think again. But…you say…I send them a Christmas card every year. Probably with no hand written notes on it and maybe with a pre-printed name on it or worst, an advertisement for what you do on it.

I received six pieces of mail today and thankfully none were bills. There were six solicitations for me to buy something someone was selling. Two did not require opening, they were self-explanatory flyers but still, only 2 hours after receiving the mail, cannot tell you who they were from or what they were selling. The other four were in envelopes two of which where quite thick. For the record, all six pieces found the bottom of my trash can and the four in envelopes – not even opened. Sound familiar?

Question: Did I have a Significant Emotional Experience looking through my mail today? Nope! How much did it cost the sender to send the pieces? Who knows? Was it money well spent? Not in my case. You-know-who may have opened them and read them but not yours truly. Frankly, I am too busy to read about something I most likely have no need for and therefore just ignore them. How about you?

Before you send to or call one of the names in your database think outside the box. You can do what everyone else has done for years and you will probably get the same or similar results which is nothing. If that is true (and it is), then why do so many people keep doing what everyone else has done and still expect different or better results? There is only one answer – because everyone else is doing it. Whoa Breaux have you forgotten the Praetor Principle that 20% of the people do 80% of the work (or get 80% of the results)? If that is true, and it is, then why would you want to do what 80% of the people continually do and who receive 20% or less of the results? Again, I’ll wait for your answer...

Bob Burg said that people will do business with and refer business to those people they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. Jeffrey Gitomer said that all things being equal people will sill prefer to buy through people they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. Jeffrey Gitomer also said, “People (that probably includes you) love to buy but hate to be sold!” Now just how profound is that statement?

I cannot speak for sales other than real estate but in regards to real estate I know from my own personal experience that sellers have listed their home with a complete boob in the business – me! The first several homes I listed, I had no idea what I was doing and I dare say if you were to ask those sellers who their real estate agent was they would be unable to tell you (even thought I managed to sell their homes, go figure). How sad is that? Here is another statistic provided by several National Association of REALTOR® studies, when it comes to sellers, almost 80% of all sellers interview only one agent to list their homes.

A lot of folks in sales have and will make a lot of sales - more by accident than by design. More people who have bought and who will buy in the future will still be unable to name the person doing the selling given a lapse in time from the date of sale. Joe Tye had it right. If you want to make more sales, make absolutely certain that your probable buyers and probable sellers are having S.E.X with you and the result will be more sales by having your customers talk about their “S.E.Xual” experiences. To make that happen be certain that you care about the customer and the customer knows you care! Your thoughts and actions should be on SERVICE, not the commission!

This is true whether you are talking with them on the phone (that would be “phone SEX” for you-know-who), through the mail (that would be “mail SEX” not to be confused with “male SEX”) and most importantly IN PERSON (that would be face-to-face SEX; the best SEX by far!)

If you would like to know more about the works of Joe Tye, go to http://www.joetye.com/. He is a fabulous teacher, writer, speaker and friend.

If you would like to know more about the works of Bob Burg, go to http://www.burg.com/. He is a fabulous teacher, writer, speaker and friend.

If you would like to know more about the works of Jeffrey Gitomer, go to http://www.jeffreygitomer.com/. He too is a fabulous teacher, writer, speaker and friend.

Nugget For The Noggin

2009-05-26T19:59:00.003-05:00

The SECRET is in the BAG!
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, May 26, 2009

By now just about everyone has heard of the movie The Secret. The sad fact about The Secret is that it is not a Secret nor has it been a secret for quite a long time. In the 50’s Earl Nightingale said, “We become what we think about!” In 1910 Wallace D. Wattles wrote The Science of Getting Rich (among other great books) and he repeatedly said, “Think in a certain way!” Before Wattles it was written in the Bible, “Ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find...knock (on the door of abundance) and it shall be opened unto you!”

It has been said that Tiger Woods as a youngster had photos of professional golfer Jack Nicklaus on his wall along with the various records that Nicklaus had accomplished and was still achieving. It was also said that young Tiger Woods set his sites on surpassing all of Nicklaus’ records. Many of today’s youth probably never heard President John F. Kennedy say, “First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” I would encourage everyone, young and old, to read President’s Kennedy’s speech again and ask yourself if a national focus just might solve one or more of the major problems facing our Country today. For example, what if the President said that we as a nation will commit itself to replace the internal combustion engine within 3 years? You can read the speech at:
http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/kennedy_man_on_the_moon_speech.htm

What does this have to do with The Secret? The REAL secret is in the BAG! Everything, and I mean everything you want to achieve in your life or our country’s life is truly in the BAG! What do I mean by “The BAG?”

BIG ASS GOAL!
(Excuse my language but sometimes words should not be substituted in favor of political correctness.)

We have probably heard of a study of Harvard Graduates and how a few of them set written goals and of the few who did how they completely blew away their fellow grads in life achievements. We have heard of people who have set goals to lose weight, yours truly included (lost 40 pounds). We have all set income goals, advancement goals, purchasing a home goals, becoming debt free goals and you can add whatever goals you personally have set throughout your life. Such goals pale in comparison to putting a man (woman) on the moon in less than 10 years when you are starting from scratch. Or at the age of 6 or 7 seeing yourself winning at least 19 major golf tournaments. Or, finding a substitute for the internal combustion engine in less than 3 years. How many of your goals have you achieved? Did you ever write your goals down and look at them on a regular basis – like daily?

My friend and mentor Joe Tye pointed out that as good as the movie The Secret is it left out one very important detail. Just thinking about a goal may help you to achieve it but without taking some action towards the goal makes your goal(s) more of a “hope” than a goal. Dr. John Maxwell said, “Hope is not an effective strategy.” I do not want to presume to have more insight than legends such as Wattles or Nightingale, yet having said that, I am convinced that the REAL secret to achieving your goals is to first have a really BIG ASS GOAL!

What is YOUR BIG ASS GOAL? Do you know? I particularly like what Zig Ziglar had to say in regards to this: “Are you a meaningful specific or are you a wandering generality?” I think we can agree that someone like Tiger Woods is a “meaningful specific” can we not? It is very difficult to be a meaningful specific if your formal education and/or your parents or mentors failed to point out the value of establishing goals. Your success would be more by accident than by design. Sadly I can say that in my high school and college days none of my teachers or professors ever discussed the importance of goal setting – let me repeat that – NONE! The closest I can recall to setting a life goal occurred when someone would ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” In the 60’s if you said anything that did not require a college education, there had to be something wrong with you.

Dr. Morris Massey said, “What you are (is based) on where you were when you were ten.” I originally heard that in the early 70’s and it has stuck with me ever since. Dr. Massey’s theorized that your core values and your beliefs were firmly ingrained into your inner self before you reached the age of ten. Some may argue with that and now that I have been able to see life and lives for almost forty years, I absolutely believe that the majority of people fall into that category. For example, why can some people become doctors with an understanding of complex medical issues using words that I can not even pronounce? Why do other people become great woodworkers and others athletes? Does anyone really believe they were born with the talent to advance in one direction as compared to another?

I believe that if you want your child to excel in life, it is not so important to direct or steer them in a certain direction as it is to convince them in their formative years that they CAN be anything they want to be! The first step is to convince and personally demonstrate (be a role model) to them that education is the path to everything and setting a BIG ASS GOAL is the secret (key) to unlocking their future.

I have had over 60 years to think about this and the question has become, can someone of my age set a new BIG ASS GOAL? Absolutely! One of the prerequisites however is setting a REALISTIC BIG ASS GOAL! Please take note that “goal” is singular not plural. Just ONE REALISTIC BIG ASS GOAL is the secret. Everything else you do and every other goal helps build the foundation that eventually leads you to achieving your life’s BIG ASS GOAL! With that in mind, could I become an airline pilot? The Pope? Play in the Masters Golf Tournament? That is why the word “realistic” is so important. You may outwardly set your BIG ASS GOAL and you may think about it every day (Nightingale). You may also go about your life in a “certain way” (Wattles) and you may even knock on the door of abundance but no one is home. In this case, not only would my BIG ASS GOAL be unrealistic, it would also be impossible.

Someone is going to once again land on the moon, someone is going to be a doctor, an airline pilot, the Pope or play in the Masters and those someone’s are more than likely now under the age of ten and someone else is encouraging them that they can be anything they want to be regardless of their environment, their parents or lack of parents, their race, their sex or their nationality.

What is my BIG ASS GOAL you ask? As I grew up I did not have one; shame on me. I had small goals, most of which where within sight meaning they were short term goals. I remember in the late 80’s I had a goal of managing a large full service real estate office. Looking back it is now obvious that goal was minor in comparison to a BIG ASS GOAL. I also recall very vividly when my manager Wayne Songy asked me shortly after hiring me to manage a large full service real estate company, “What’s next; what are your goals now?” I had no answer for him. I was in my mid 40’s and had no goals beyond where I was at that time. As stated above, it was a little late to want to become the Pope. It was possible to play in the Masters but not very probable.

One telephone call between Jay Papasan, one of the authors of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent book and myself helped me to formulate my BIG ASS GOAL that I am still working towards. I have been writing Nuggets for the Noggin for over 5 years. I have written over 250 of them. It has been suggested by many that I put them into a book but that is not realistic because the book would be longer than War and Peace. Jay Papasan asked me why I wanted to write a book. Was it to make money? Was it because I could? Or, was it because I wanted to leave a legacy? I had never thought about it before. It became obvious when Jay asked the last question regarding leaving a legacy. First let me explain that I had long ago created the following personal mission statement:

Mission Statement: To help people do what they do to do it better.

I have discovered that one of the best means of achieving my mission statement was to educate myself through reading, listening, and attending training and then writing these short Nuggets for others to read. I realized that people are busy and reading a book, attending training, etc is oftentimes a choice between educating themselves and other seemingly more pressing activities. The Nuggets were short enough that they could be read in a matter of minutes and then over time the readers would have been exposed to those things I have learned and thought important over time. Therefore my BIG ASS GOAL is to leave a legacy by making a difference; one person at a time. A lot of different people have said, “To get everything you want, help someone else get what they want.” Jeffrey Gitomer put an exclamation mark on that by saying, “To get everything you want, help someone else get what they want, FIRST!” Maybe this Nugget or one of the other 250 will help someone get what they want – FIRST!

Hopefully somewhere someone, maybe you, is going to read this Nugget or one of the many other Nuggets. That same someone is going to take this Nugget to heart and begin helping their children and/or grandchildren (or someone else’s children) to understand that he or she can really become anything he or she wants to be. It might sound presumptuous or immodest to suggest that this Nugget (or others I have written) may be the catalyst for that youngster (and possibly others as well) to become a doctor, the Pope, or win a Masters but I don’t think so. I only wish that I had this Nugget in my hands when any of my four children were born. Would things have been different? Maybe not; probably so!

THE SECRET REALLY IS IN THE B.A.G!

Nuggets For The Noggin

Habits, Insanity, Are They The Same?

in millions

in thousands

in months

Source: National Association of Realtors

Brought to you by KW Research. For additional graphs and details, please see the This Month in Real Estate PowerPoint Report.

The Law of Attraction Re-Visited

GYMBEAUX'S BIG WHY - SORT OF

Passion - On Target or Misplaced

Trust - Confidence - Reputation

DODGING BULLETS!

The Oldest Secret to Success

Advancing The Pall

But It Did Not Happen!

USING SIMPLE LOGIC

Raising The Bar

The P.M.W.Y.T.I.W. Factor!

10 SECONDS TO MAKE A SALE

Thank God It's Monday!

Y2K

What Is Your Pre-Shot Routine?

Income Insurance; Or Not!

DID I REALLY SAY THAT?

I Do Sound Professional; Don't I?

Is It Just Me?

How To Make Conventioneering Work For You!

On Being On Time

Online Newsletter for the Week of October 2nd

SALES; ACCORDING TO GITOMER AND OTHERS

It Pays To Be Skeptical

Who Would You Be If You Hadn't Met...

Blogging To Success!

Hanging Pictures On Your "Dirt" Wall

Income Insurance; Or Not

Want More Sales? Have SEX With Your Customer!

Nugget For The Noggin