Do you have the desire to receive recognition from your peers; to be recognized as one of the top Agents in the country?  If you do, you need to start by taking dead aim daily.  It is the disciplines we do each day that mean the difference between being on top or being part of the crowd.   
Start each day focused on the success of your business.  You want to begin each day by reviewing your business plan.  Focus in on the activities that will lead you to the successful result …

There are three main reasons most people don’t refer to an agent (or any sales person) they used in the past to represent them in future transactions. The agent didn’t do a good job, the agent didn’t stay in contact or the home buyer or seller knows WAY too much about the agent’s personal life.  One of the biggest mistakes an agent can make when cultivating a relationship with a client or potential client is to share their dirty laundry and present themselves in a less than professional manner.  By the way, you …

I started writing this article a couple days ago when I was on a tangent regarding the blatant, in-office solicitation of our agents (and myself) to join network marketing companies. I decided to sit on it to see if my feelings simmered… they haven’t and since today is the day we launch our 2009 Business Planning Coaching Course, I feel it is a very good time to let everyone know just what business we are in.
What business are we in?  I don’t know about you, but I am in Real …

Many of you are a lot like me.  Entrepreneurial.  We’re constantly looking for opportunity, and when we see it, we often just naturally go for it.  Some of us more than others, depending on our place in life, our risk tolerance, financial ability, and the other things on our plate, but all of us, to some degree, learn to spot opportunity and react.  Such is the life of an entrepreneur.
I thought that some of you might find it enjoyable or even possibly instructive, if I were to walk you through …

Prospecting is one of the easiest but most misunderstood concepts in the field of sales.   Sales trainers are always trying to sell their “prospecting-free systems” on worldwide speaking circuits by saying, basically, “You will never have to prospect again if you use my system.” And, because salespeople secretly don’t want to prospect, they readily buy into the too-good-to-be-true, no-prospecting philosophy. 
Our readiness to take the easy bait makes us like the wolves that are hunted above the Arctic Circle. The wolf hunter dips a sharp knife in blood and freezes it.  …

Once a real estate agent has a property listed “for sale,” it is vital to create and utilize the three components of the Inventory System.  The service component focuses on feedback, communication and providing proof of your worth/value to the property owners.  The pricing component categorizes your inventory as homes “priced to sell” and homes “priced to produce leads.”  This may be helpful in determining which homes receive a greater number of resources (ads, open houses, mailings.)  And the lead capture component highlights your exposure and response strategies (a new …

No matter how talented or how much natural ability an individual real estate agent possesses, his/her natural talents can and will only take him/her so far.  No matter how gifted an individual may be, everyone will eventually hit a ceiling or, for most of us, a plateau of production.  There is no “if” in this statement but rather “when” it will happen.  
So the real issue is: how will you climb beyond the plateau or break through your ceiling of production?  For the seasoned Realtor, the answer lies within the …

As someone who spends a large part of my life training agents to succeed in this new age of real estate, I’m often amazed at the general lack of understanding on the topic of advertising in our industry.  I’m not talking about understanding the nuances of Madison Avenue or even being a student of David Ogilvy, Al Ries, or Jack Trout (some of the giants in the advertising industry).  I’m simply talking about having a good working understanding of the fundamentals of advertising, since as working agents, advertising is our …

You might remember Seth Godin was one of the speakers at the NAR convention last year in Las Vegas.  I was reminded of that fact this past weekend as I was listening to my (free) audio copy of his latest book, Tribes.  (How did I get a free copy you might ask?)

Everywhere you look the news is grim.  Today there are record numbers of foreclosures.  Huge inventories of new and existing homes are being reported by nearly every media outlet.  The mortgage industry is in a state of chaos.  Many real estate agents are experiencing their toughest times ever in the business.  It is a very difficult time, and it is hard not to be discouraged.

I realize that this goes against what everyone is saying, but there IS good news!  Lots of good news!  First let me give you some numbers: