Trust - Confidence - Reputation

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.