How Big Is Your TV?

I may be able to tell if you're financially secure by the size of your TV vs. the size of your library.

Are you where you want to be financially?

Do you sometimes wonder how the agent in the next office earns more than you, but you can't figure out how they do it?

One question to ask is: "How big is their TV?"

Now, you're probably thinking to yourself, what in the world is Dan talking about?

Has he gone off the deep end?

What does the size of a TV have to do with whether or not you're wealthy?

Well, let me ask you this: "Do you have a library in your home or office?"

A library can be a single book between two bookends on a shelf or it could be an entire wall of bookcases filled with hundreds of books on it.

Now, one way to tell how well you're doing in your real estate business is by comparing the size of your TV to the size of your library.

I'm not judging you here.

If you have a big screen TV or have many TVs throughout your home and a very small library or none at all, the assumption will be that you spend a lotof time watching TV and little time reading.

There's nothing wrong with that.

TV executives are very smart about what types of shows people will watch and how addictive they can be when they're on week after week.

Am I right?

I have 2 favorite shows that I tape each week, but I don't watch hour after hour of shows.

But if you're not where you want to be, it's because of the choices you make in everyday life.

Over time, those choices compound.

If I chose to drink more water every day instead of drinking diet Mountain Dew, I'm sure I'd be a few pounds lighter than I am.

If you want to be more financially secure,spend more studying books than watching TV.

I didn't say "reading books". I said "studying books" - finding the success action steps in different books and then acting on them.

Anyone can "read" a book. But taking actionon what you read is what will help you be on your way to less stress in your business andmore joy in your life.

To your success,

Dan
dan@AgentSuccessCoach.com

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What A Billionaire Says About Time!

source:

Nicolas Hayek, Cofounder & CEO of the Swatch Group, Biel-Benne, Switzerland

I read this quote a while back and thought it was insightful!

"Time is both wonderful and horrible. It's wonderful, because it holds so much fantastic possibilities. It is my work and my life. I creat beautiful objects that measure time. If time didn't exist, then my profession wouldn't exist. I wouldn't have 42 watch plants. I wouldn't have built a company with $3 billion in sales. I wouldn't be a billionaire. And I wouldn't have given pleasure to the many people who have bought my watches."

"Yet I hate time. Why? Because you cannot keep it. You cannot catch it. You cannot stop it. You cannot possess it. It's always present, but if you try to hold it, it disappears."

"We all feel important. I certainly do. I walk around the streets of Switzerland and people recognize me. I saved the Swiss-watch industry. What does time do? It turns me to dust. I am a tiny particle on a tiny planet in a vast universe. In the end, I am even less than that."

"So never try to manage time. It will beat you at every turn. Never try to plan your days and nights minute by minute. Do schedule your time, but never schedule 100% of it. You'll kill your creative impulse if you do. Never try to organize every time of your time weeks in advance, or you'll be bored to death. Instead, let time renew itself around you. Let it divert you. Let it do something unexpected, something new. Let it bring nice things, and let it bring bad things over which you have no control. And don't try to use personal tricks to fool time. It will always catch up with you."

Schedule An Open House...When?

Most real estate agents hold Open Houses on Saturdays or Sundays.

Why?

Because that's how everyone does it.

I think it really depends on when prospective buyers look in your local market. I've heard that in Florida, many agents hold open houses on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but in most areas, Sunday is the customary open house day.

How about holding an open house on a Thursday evening?

Dan, are you crazy?

An open house on a Thursday? Why then?

Well, here's a strategy to take an action on:

Hold a 60, 75 or 90 minute open house. Wouldn't you rather have more people come in a shorter time frame, so that it has more of an 'auction' atmosphere? Why would an agent want to hold a 3 or 4 hour open house? It's a waste of everyone's time. If prospective home buyers are interested in seeing your listing, they will come at the advertised time.

I did an experiment once where I listed a home on a Monday. I then put up directional open house signs on a busy corner for a Thursday evening open house from 5:00pm - 6:00pm. No internet or classified advertising. Nothing else!

When I arrived at the home, there were 8 couples waiting for me. Now this house was nothing special. It was a nice, brick, cape cod, starter home. In that hour, I had 13 couples - 2 of whom had their agents with them and the rest were nosy neighbors.

Guess what happened next! The next day I received 2 offers from the people with agents. They didn't want to lose the home. They didn't know that most of the people were just nosy neighbors. There was a buzz in the house!

Now if I had spread the open house out for 3 hours, I'd probably only have one or two people in the house at any one time, but nothing like the flurry of activity that I had. There would have been urgency or motivation for the prospects to take action. They wouldn't know if anyone else came through the open house and they would probably take more time to 'think about it'.

Another way to increase attendance at your week day open house is to promote it to the neighbors...by sending a postcard, door hanger or calling to invite them. It shows you being proactive and you may get future sellers this way.

If your listing is way back deep in a subdivision, it may be harder to pull this off, but if you have any decent road exposure, I challenge you to try it and tell me what happens.

Your seller will be out of their home for less time, you can do more open houses that day if you want to and you'll hopefully have more people attend with more prospects to follow up on.

I hope this helps you. Let me know if it works for you.

To your success,

Dan

dan@AgentSuccessCoach.com

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How Effective Is Your Magazine Advertising?

Are you getting as many calls as you'd like or do you want more? Here's a couple of tips to get your phone ringing:

Tip #1: When putting the price in your ad, instead of listing "$194,900", why not put "in the $190s". Then if they want to know the exact price, they can contact you.

Tip #2: Use a hotline recording that says "Free Recorded Message" and then give each listing an ID#. Don't most buyers hate talking to agents before they're ready?

Tip #3: Advertising your personal web site is good, but remember, if prospects go to your site instead of calling you directly or on a free recording, you will lose them if you don't give them a reason on the site to contact you. Prospects go to web site to see photos or get more info about a property, and if there's no reason to call you, they won't.

Tip #4: Don't give prospects more than one number in an ad to be able to reach you. More than one phone number may confuse them. If you have a cell number, that may be ideal.

Tip #5: Always list the community or neighborhood that the property is in. Otherwise, you're just wasting your money. They will skip right over it. Be as specific as possible. A quality lead is what you should be looking for.

Tip #6: If you use a box to offer a special service, etc., also set up a "FREE Recorded Message" and do the recording yourself and speak slowly, so that the prospect can feel that you are geniune and a professional, who can help them.

Tip #7: Always write out and practice your hotline script a few times until you are comfortable with it.

Tip #8: Review your listing photos in all of your advertising and if necessary, retake the photos to put into MLS.

I hope at least one of these tips helps you out.

To your success,

Dan
dan@AgentSuccessCoach.com

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Getting Sellers To Make Needed Repairs!

Last week, I had an active client refer me to his sister and husband, who've lived in their home for 16+ years. You might expect that some updating may have been needed. (Actually, they did an excellent job in remodeling the kitchen and except for renting a storage unit for excess items and stuff, it's in pretty good condition.)

Well, here's what I did: I have a qualified contractor, who does jobs from minor repairs to major home remodeling come over to the property with me on the first of a possible two-step listing appt. Now, he's very friendly, professional, reliable, fair-priced and he's done a lot of work for me and my clients, so I'm comfortable recommending him. So, we do introductions and let the seller show us their home, while pointing out items that need to be addressed. The contractor takes the lead and will point out other needed repairs or updates and makes notes, so that he can provide the seller with a proposal of the various repairs/improvements needed to make the home "shine" on the market.

This takes the pressure off of me and onto him. I'm not the bad guy. This is his expertise and they can decide what they want to do. If they aren't willing to take his advice and I think the home would then be too hard to sell or would have to greatly lower the price, then I can decline the listing or refer them to someone else. Who needs the headache? Our job is to market properties, negotiate them and handle the transaction to its conclusion. Having an outside expert, I think, in many cases, can be a win-win for everyone involved. The seller makes the necessary repairs/updates, gets a quicker sale for more money than if it were in "as-is" condition and we've removed a lot of potential stress.

I do sometimes agree with other agents, who talk about waiting until you have the listing before sharing what you think needs to be repaired, but in today's market, I believe it's your responsibility to ask as many questions as possible of the sellers and be as direct as possible. I interview sellers over the phone before I meet with them in person. Yes, there will still be some sellers, who will use you for information, but I believe that more sellers will respect you and your professionalism for having the guts to tell them what they need to hear. You need to have enough skills and marketing strategies, so that any seller would be crazy to hire a friend or relative, who may just 'dabble' in real estate.

To your success,

Dan
dan@AgentSuccessCoach.com

Learn how to earn $100,000+ selling real estate.

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Are Paid-For Leads Worth The Cost?

With real estate markets softer (or maybe just back to normal) in many parts of the country, newer and experienced agents alike are finding it tougher to generate leads on their own.

That's one reason why it's so important to keep in contact with your client base as well as sphere of influence and prospects on a consistent basis.

While more consumers are plugging into the Internet to do their home searches, real estate agents are finding that some traditional forms of marketing, such as newspaper and magazine advertising, that in the past typically had consumers calling an agent for more information, are now significantly decreasing.

Now, into the picture comes lead-generating companies that offer to provide agents with home buyer and seller leads for a fee. Some companies charge per lead while other charge by subscription (often for 12 months).

I'm not here to judge the lead-generation companies or to talk about any specific ones. My point is that you need to research the various companies, their services and cancellation policies. Get everything in writing before you pay out your hard-earned money.

Also, you need to find out if only you are getting access to a particular lead or are many agents being sold the same lead. In addition, how fresh is the lead? How much contact information do you get with the lead? Ideally, you should be able to get their name, address, phone number, and e-mail address.

There is a lot of talk on many real estate forums out there about lead-generating companies. It appears that more of the talk is about how bad they are vs. how good.

I must insert here though that there are agents who sign up for these services and then don't follow up like they're supposed to and, of course, then they won't get the results that they were promised.

I would treat these leads like any other COLD lead, where the consumer doesn't know you or trust you. If you have the expertise to convert them to a loyal customer, then you'll be doing better than most with these leads.

You also need to remember that many of these leads may be months or years from doing anything (or will never do anything), so it's important to reach them ASAP to find out how serious they are and to let them know that you're available to serve them whenever they are ready. They should also consider you to be their resource and to not be afraid to contact you with questions.

Ask them if you can send them real estate market trends, statistics, and other information by e-mail or have them subscribe to your real estate e-zine or blog. That way you'll be able to show them that you are a real estate professional, who can help them when they're ready to make their move.

To your success,

Dan

dan@AgentSuccessCoach.com

Learn how to earn $100,000+ selling real estate.
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Are You Afraid Of FAILING?

Are you afraid of FAILING?

Don't be afraid of failure! Embrace it!

In the past (and still some times today), I've been afraid of failure.

But I recently read about a new way to look at SUCCESS and FAILURE.

We all know it took 10,000 times before Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. But what if he had quit trying after 9,999? Would we be in the dark? ;)

He learned 2 valuable lessons: 1) what not to do again and 2) he was getting closer to his goal.

Failure tells us what won't work, so we can find another way to do something right. Have you ever heard marketing experts say that success in marketing comes down to 'Test, test, test'?

How many times have you written a real estate ad and not have anyone call you, while other times, your phone just rings off the hook?

If an ad is not working right, keep tweaking it to make it a little better each time and then one day you'll hit the jackpot.

Motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, says "Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better."

What he meant by that was - the more skills we acquire through practice and repetition, the easier it will be for us to achieve our objectives.

Success is measured by the amount of failure you endure. Double your rate of failure and you'll increase your success.

So keep failing your way to success!

To your success,

Dan

Learn how to earn $100,000+ selling real estate.

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Do You Drag, Roll or JUMP Out of Bed In The Morning?

Have you ever found yourself waking up and just wanting to roll over for a few more minutes?......or hours?

I know I have once or twice. :) We all have done it.

But it's important to have a reason to wake up in the morning.

Why do YOU wake up in the morning?

What's your WHY?

Why deal with certain clients?
Why prospect every day/week?
Why negotiate contracts?
Why work late and on weekends?
What result do you want to achieve from doing these activities?

Don't just do them to get a paycheck to pay your bills. What is it that you want out of life?

I recently read about a simple, yet powerful habit that, when consistently acted upon, can take your life into the direction you want it to go. You will begin to see yourself handling your challenges a little differently. You will be excited to wake up in the morning and jump out of bed, knowing that you're working towards a goal that YOU want to achieve.

Think back to a time when you were going on a dream vacation and as the day approached, you got more and more excited. On the day your trip started, you couldn't wait to get out of bed once the alarm went off (as though you needed an alarm to wake you up).

Why can't every day be that way? I know it's hard, but you can. You just have to know what your WHY is and you're on your way. You must be crystal clear about your goal and be disciplined in the pursuit of your WHY.

Now, a simple tool to help you achieve your WHY is to make a "WHY Card". It's a 3 x 5 card that you can laser-print, if you're into high-tech, or put it in your own handwriting.

An example of a "WHY card" is: I am dealing with all the challenges of today, because my WHY is to spend more time with my family, provide for my children's education, have the finances needed to take regular family vacations and be a mentor to my kids. I donate a percentage of my earnings to my church (or favorite charity). I am making a difference today in the lives of others.

I challenge you to re-evaluate where you are today, where you want to be 5 years from now and decide to take action! Write your personal WHY card and begin reading it out loud every day: for 7 minutes when you wake up and for 7 minutes before you go to sleep. The first day will seem silly, but keep doing it. After a few days, to make it more real, visualize the goal.

(Imagine taking a deep breath of an ocean breeze at the beach or running your toes through the sand or blowing wind across your face on a cruise ship or walking across the stage receiving an award or whatever your dream is....make it real.)

This is critical! Do this every day for the next 30 days!

This should be something that you do by yourself for yourself. You don't need to share this with others. Then 30 days from now, I want you to contact me and tell me if your WHY card has made a difference in your life. I don't need to know what your goals are, just that you took the first step in achieving your dreams.

To your success,

Dan

Learn how to earn $100,000+ selling real estate.

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Join The ActiveRain Real Estate Network...I Did!

The "ActiveRain Real Estate Network" is a free online community for real estate professionals run on behalf of its members. Their goal is to create a valuable resource of information and ideas for real estate professionals and their clients. They aim to help empower people by providing tools to help promote business and connect with peers all over the country.

• It's a great (FREE) way to expand your visibility in the real estate referrals network. It's more important than ever to get your name out there, so that you have a better opportunity to receive quality referrals. Since the network includes Realtors, mortgage lenders, and other real estate-related professionals, your name will be in front of more people, who can refer business to you.
  
  Who is ActiveRain?
  
  They are a leading innovator in the real estate technology space based in Bellevue, Washington. Their core business is supplying the lead management technology used by many of the top real estate brokerages in North America. The ActiveRain Real Estate Network represents a new path to our business.
  
  What are the benefits of joining?
  
• Create an instant Internet presence that's very rapidly indexed and ranked by search engines.
• Network and share ideas with other real estate professionals throughout the US and Canada.
• Gain access to a great referral network for out of area referrals.
• Take advantage of many free communication tools such as a personalized blog and forums.
• Increase your visibility to home buyers and sellers.
  
  How do I join?
  
  Joining the ActiveRain Real Estate Network is simple and free. Just create your Profile by clicking the "Join the Network" link and following the easy steps to making your account. We will keep you informed as we launch new and exciting tools to enhance your web presence.
  
  What does it cost to join?
  
  Joining is free.
  
  The network is free, how do you plan to make money?
  
  They plan on keeping the network a free resource for both real estate professionals and consumers. In the future, they'll provide additional value added services for their members. But in the near term, their focus is on building great a resource for the real estate industry.
  
  Are you a lead generator?
  
  No, they are not a lead generation company in the traditional sense. They do not and will not generate leads to be sold back to their members. They believe in helping real estate professionals succeed rather than putting up additional barriers between the consumer and the agent.
  
  I already have my own web site, why should I create a Real Estate Profile?
  
  Your Real Estate Profile on the network can be used to augment and direct traffic to your existing web site. By incorporating a link back to your full web site in your profile, it will help enhance your search engine rankings as well as directly drive buyers and sellers to your site.

Join the ActiveRain Real Estate Network today: Click here!

I hope to see you on the network!

To your success,

Dan

Learn how to earn $100,000+ selling real estate.
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Focus On Your "WHY" In 90-Day Segments!

As I continue to evolve as a real estate business coach, the more I realize it's not so much about teaching someone how to set a listing presentation or designing a follow-up program, etc....

It goes deeper than that!

It's about helping you find out what you want to be, do and have in your life. It's about you having a burning desire (your 'WHY') to do what you need to do to get it. It's about having the discipline to do what needs to be done every day.

I'm learning that many people wake up every morning without a plan for the day and that's causing a lot of stress in their life.

What causes you to want to jump out of bed in the morning and get your day started fast without a minute to waste?

If you could do anything and not fail, what would you do?

As we're moving through the 1st quarter of 2007, now is the time to look ahead and set a road map for where you want to go and start it now. Don't wait until it's too late. Whenever you start, it's the RIGHT TIME!

Take 3 hours off and go somewhere quiet (turn off your cell phone) and write down what's important to you in your life at this moment. It only matters if it's important to you, because if it's what YOU want to happen, you'll be more likely to 'go after it'.

Next, how many closings or what dollar volume do you need to achieve to accomplish your goals for the next 90 days?

Why is that number important to you? What will you accomplish by hitting your goals? How will you feel when you achieve it?

If you have a problem focusing on goals for an entire year or really haven't set goals before, then only work in 90 day segments. Review your goals after 90 days and set a new standard for the following 90 days. If you do this 4 times over the year, I would bet that you'll be ahead of where you would have ended up if you just set an annual goal.

Quote: "Live each day as though it were your last!" - by Og Mandino

To your success,

Dan

Learn how to earn $100,000+ selling real estate.

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