There are four foundations to self-presentation, that is, “sales.”   These areas are: Communication, Mindset – The Inner Game, Success Systems and The Arena of Play.

1. Communication:   The meaning of your communication is the message that is received regardless of what  you intended to convey!   It is paramount to utilize powerful “words that work”  and influential word patterns (i.e. level shifts, double binds, single binds, future pacing, direct cause and effect, etc.) in order to convey meaning to create shared understanding.   When you are presenting yourself, it is imperative to persuade your listener and direct the stream of thoughts, feelings and ideas  to those  of your choosing.

The  influential direction of  communication is achieved through the  power of questions.   By asking questions, you can guide the conversation towards the topics that you choose to discuss.     There are five types of questions (tie-downs, “why,” open-ended, selling and permission questions) which when used appropriately, will enable you to out-perform your competition whenever you want… and isn’t that your ultimate goal in a competitive situation?

Another critical skill to master is your own self-talk - what you say to yourself.   Have you noticed all the chatter that continually rattles around in your head?   Is most of that positive, performance-enhancing ideas or  detracting and negative babble?   The skill of controlling and directing  that self-talk at best and learning how to ignore it at least is critical to your confidence when performing and selling yourself to others and to yourself!

There are many other skills (how to elicit criteria motivation, closing theory,  conversational selling and story-selling to name a few)  in the area of communication which comprise this quarter of your performance foundation.   The stronger and deeper your communication skills, the more powerfully you will be able to present yourself and sell yourself, your ideas, your products or your services.

2. Mindset- The Inner Game:   With a Ph.D. in sport psychology, I could expound endlessly on the role  your mind plays in  any performance.   When you ask any athlete what percentage of their performance can be attributed to their mindset, you will get answers upwards of 85%.   Now, ask those same athletes what percent of their practice time they put into preparing for that inner game, and the discrepancy in that percentage will be astounding!   When it is “show time,” most  people will prepare  their minds and get “psyched up” immediately before the game, the sales call, the presentation, the interview, etc..   Imagine the positive effect on your salesmanship and on your stress-level when you have put as much time and effort into systematically preparing your inner game as you have your outer game!

Confidence-building comprises an enormous part of your psychology when presenting yourself to others and in front of others.   Your tenacity and determination and assurance go a long way in determining the outcome on and off the field that you wish to achieve.

Your sense of value is another key element in this aspect of the psychology of performance.   Do you know your own value, the unique value that you bring to the situation?   How are you able to differentiate yourself among your competitors?   Are you able to convincingly convey your value and this differentiation to those whom you are trying to influence?   This value canvas is a skill which can readily be learned, practiced and honed!

Focus and Trust are two areas which can keep an expected champion performing at the top of his game or prod an underdog to beat all the apparent odds and come from behind to win it all!   Where is your focus when you are having to perform at an elite level?   Have you practiced the skill of being able to control your focus and pull it back on task when your mind wanders?   When you are at work are you truly working?   When you are at play are you truly in the moment?   Do you trust yourself at that critical moment when it is now or never?

There are many additional components relating to the psychology of sport and performance:   rebounding from a loss or from an injury or from the unexpected, blueprinting your intentions for success and high performance results, visualization, identity and psychological rehabilitation following injury, attitude and faith, motivation, energy, commitment and determination, to name a few!

3. Success Systems: When you create systems in which to streamline your skills, your chances of winning greatly increase.   All systems for success should possess an element of accountability and discipline.   You should create systems around every element of your practice and preparation time as well as your time in front of others.   Some of these areas include: pre-”game” routines, superstitions, core schedules for all the areas of your life, injury schedule, practice time, momentum technology, work-outs, health and diet, re-purposing the stress you encounter in the myriad areas of your life and responding to competitive pressure!

4. The Arena of Action: It’s showtime!   You must bring it to action!   You can prepare and practice and hone your skills, yet the true test comes on the field of play!   This is where the excitement begins!   This is where the elements intermingle and the performance becomes the “thing!”   You perform and are “on the field” in many many areas daily!   You must perform in athletics, academics, in your career, in your community,  in your social environment and  in your personal life!  Most people do not give themselves credit for the qualities and values they already possess!   Skill-transfer and the flexibility to change are vital to your ongoing success in achieving the results you want!

In conclusion, there most definitely is an art and science of performance and sales.   At the very least, you must sell yourself on yourself daily; and so often you must sell yourself to others in terms of ideas and thoughts and products and services.   Without sales, nothing around you would be in your environment!   The computer with which you are reading this blog was sold to you by someone (as was the chair on which your sitting and the clothes you are wearing!)   Sales and performance are, in essence, one in the same!   The stronger your skills in these four foundations, the greater  and more plentiful the results you will achieve in your life!

For more information on these topics or on speaking engagements, please contact Dr. Dana Lerner at Dana@CrystalClearCoaching.net.

© 2009 Dana Lerner. All rights reserved.

The majority of  sales people operate from a “to do” list and find themselves constantly exhausted, stopping to grab a quick bite at a fast food place, working late hours and  every weekend, and miss a lot of their social time.   Understand that there are always things to be done and I believe lists are a wonderful tool… just not necessarily the most efficient way to manage your time if you want to be as  productive as you can be.   How is it that some people manage to get so much done while others are constantly running around and rarely seem to get the same business results; we all have the same 24 hours each day with which to operate?   Let us examine the features and benefits of the “to do” list versus the core schedule.

The “To Do” List:  How many lists do you have?   How many categories (professional, personal, family, friends, to do, to go, to call, etc.?)   Do you have one specific notebook or place that you write your list or do you have hundreds of sticky notes all over?   When creating a new list, do you consistently re-write items from previous lists that never seem to   get accomplished?   Do you get satisfaction from crossing something OFF your “to do” list or even better…. when you complete an activity, do you WRITE it on your list merely so you can scratch through it!?!   If you find yourself nodding your head in the affirmative to any of these questions, you are an “A-Lister!”

There are many ways to effectively create and manage a “to-do” list.   Books have been written, and many blogs and articles write to the many pros & cons, right ways and wrong ways, features and benefits of the  everpresent “to do” list!    There are also several electronic applications for your computer, smart phone and even online on how to make your list even easier to manage and complete.

The Schedule:   Calendars, daytimers, Filofaxes, smart phones, PDA’s computer programs, notebooks, organizers, and on and on…. there are several methods on paper and electronically  to create and keep a schedule.   Many of us will schedule an appointment in  our cell phones and ALSO write it on our paper calendar… just in case!

Many even color code the items in their schedule to reflect into what category an event fits: Orange for personal, green for closings, hot pink for coaching appointments, yellow for listing appointments, etc..   If you use a schedule are you using it as a method of scheduling your “to do” list, or are you using it as a productivity tool?

By creating a core schedule, you will become more productive in your sales business.   Pareto’s principle (The 80/20 Rule) states that 80% of one’s results are achieved by 20% of one’s effort; do you have a core business schedule that accounts for the 20% of your most productive activities to make money in your chosen profession? Rather than scheduling your entire business day, why don’t you schedule your morning until noon and then a couple hours in the afternoon leaving lots of flexibility throughout the rest of the day for whatever presents itself?

For consistent sales business and consistent commission checks, the morning is an excellent time to generate new business and follow-up on potential business whereas the afternoon is the ideal time to go on listing appointments, conduct buyer presentations, contact sellers for price reductions, and negotiate contracts.   All of the other “busyness” our the real estate sales business can be done in the non-scheduled times (calling other agents, returning phone calls, servicing clients, entering listings into the listing service, being on the phone with banks for short sale business, etc..)   Consider creating a “rainy day” core schedule as well for those days when you cannot work your regular business day (kids home from school, car breaks down, scheduled delivery, etc.)

When you create a core schedule that includes consistent business generation, when you have the discipline to stick to that schedule, when you have a coach to hold you accountable to that schedule, when you act on the 20% of your work responsible for 80% of your results, you WILL see an increase in your sales results and in your wallet!

Comparing The “To-Do” List  with The Schedule:   Most people manage their time with a combination of both of these methods:   schedule the things to do within a specified time created by your core schedule.   Probably the biggest difference in these two methods, at least in terms of your productivity, lies in the effect they have on your  energy.   A “to-do”  list has the tendency to feel like a “push” or a burden hanging over your head.   A schedule has the effect of feeling like  a “pull” pulling you into action!   Once you stick to your schedule for any length of time, if you miss a morning of generating new business, throughout the day, you will constantly feel like something is “missing.”   Your core schedule “pulls” you into action… productive action!

Give it a try!   Be strict on your schedule in the morning and then flexible and open the rest of the afternoon, write it down, try it out,  have your coach hold you accountable, and track your results!   Now all you have to do is add another “to-do:” create a core schedule!

For more information on coaching and  other productivity ideas, contact Dana Lerner at Dana@RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com or 678-369-8400.

© 2009 Dana Lerner. All rights reserved.

Image Source of Clocks: Flickr – Squared Circles-Clocks – Leo Reynolds

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The Necessary Parts:

• The Vehicle & its Parts- Your Sales Skills
• The Fuel – Your Mindset and Sense of Professional Value
• The Tune-Up – Business Success Systems
• The Map – Market Cycles  and Market  Trends

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The Vehicle = Sales Skills

• Powerful & persuasive communication techniques
• Understanding the sales process
• Eliciting the client’s motivation criteria for helping them get what they most want
• The power of asking questions
• Conversational selling vs. confrontational selling
• Knowing what to say before you approach a customer
• Well thought-out  and understood presentations explaining the advantages in today’s market

The Fuel = Mindset  - “The Inner Game of Real Estate”â„¢  

• The value you bring to others through the sales process
• Seeing through the perception that the media creates
• Looking for HOW to help people vs. wringing your hands over this market
• Looking for advantages in real estate sales
• Being the leader that your clients and prospects need and desire

The Tune-Up = Business/Success Systems

• Systems to automate your business
• To avoid having a “roller coaster” business
• Regular and consistent practice and research and study
• Effective training and coaching based on the current  market cycle where you sell
• Constant business generation
• Consistent prospect and client interaction

The Map = Market Cycles

• To know where your market has been
• To evaluate where your market is now
• To determine where your real estate market is going
• Learning how to read your listing service statistics for trends and predictions
• Real estate sales follows a cycle based on supply and demand
• Due to the escrow period, the real estate market predicts itself when you learn and understand how to read  those statistics

As a real estate sales  agent working in today’s market, you know you need to bridge the gap between where you are, where your clients are and where you want to go.   Others including your broker, more experienced agents, books, even many other coaching companies will tell you, “Here is where we are.   This is a tight market.   You need to sell more real estate.   You need to prospect more hours.   You need to take listings at a lower price.   You need to help buyers understand they need to pay more for the home.” The problem is that these other resources do not provide the skills necessary to accomplish these actions.   We are on one side of the  river and many will tell you that you need to get to the other side.   “Great!” you  think to yourself, “but how do I get there?!?!”  

The way to get there is through the vehicle of skills and having all of those “parts” working together through understanding the sales process.  Then it is necessary to have the proper type of fuel and enough fuel to get you there.   Have you noticed that the pervasive “negative” fuel will not move your vehicle forward?   Have you noticed there are so many abandoned cars on the side of the road because they ran out of gas?   The business systems are what keep you moving smoothly and efficiently and consistently.   Keeping your car tuned-up will keep you moving forward on  cruise control  when fueled with the  right mindset.   Move ahead consistently and  point yourself in the right direction, with the requisite map provided by a thorough understanding of market cycles.  

When you are navigating the course of your real estate sales journey,  all of these  facets must work in concert.   You can build a business by helping people with their real estate needs AND get the results that you are looking for only when you have the right vehicle that is tuned up and fueled up and headed in the right direction!   When leaving  one location  on your exciting and fulfilling journey,  remember that just because you cannot see your eventual destination does not mean that it is not there.    Happy trails!

Real Estate Coaching is the best way to learn more about the “HOWS” of what to do and say AFTER you say “hello” to a prospect.    For more information on real estate coaching thorough Real Estate Made Crystal Clear, please contact Dana Lerner at 678-369-8400 or Dana@RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com.

Image Sources In Order of Posting: Flickr – SEMA Show Mercedes Bling Bling Cool- Airgap. Exploded Car – Moving Graphics. Map Project  - Teepoole

© 2009 Dana Lerner. All rights reserved.

As a professional real estate agent,  there are three  key elements to consider for your successful career in sales:

1. The Opportunity in Today’s Market
2. Looming  Inflation
3. The  Professional Value You Bring to Your Prospects/Clients

1.   Why Buy/Sell Now:   There are a  myriad of  variables  in place indicating that NOW is the time to transfer property:

• Prices are low
• Selection is abundant
• Interest rates are low
• Sellers are making many concessions
• The government currently provides many tax incentives for purchasing property (which may disappear)
• Currently there are favorable tax treatments for home ownership (which may not be as favorable as the economy changes)

Agents… help your clients BUY and SELL NOW!!!   Learn what is happening in the economy as well as in your own marketplace and then go talk to people!   LOTS of them! (wink wink!)    If you, as an agent and as a Seller,  are having trouble selling property in a sub-5% interest market, what on earth are you going to do when inflation hits and interest rates begin their rapid climb by the end of Summer/early Fall?

2.   Looming Inflation Brings Higher Interest Rates: The economic indicators are present and hiding right out in the open!

• U.S. Long Term Treasury Bills
  • The Chinese government (and other foreign governments) NO LONGER want to  invest in U.S. Treasury Bills
  • The U.S. Government has STARTED investing in our own T-Bills for the first time
• Government Deficit Spending = Inflation
  • When a government spends more than it takes in, the result is inflation
  • The result of inflation is higher interest rates
  • Mortgage interest rates typically remain 2% – 2.5% above rate of inflation
  • The government will probably look to collect more in taxes as well (watch for decreases in tax write-offs for property taxes and mortgage interest rates as well as changes in capital gains exclusions and capital gains tax rates)
  • The government has a blank check to continue to de-value the money supply since we have been off the gold standard (since 1971)
• The Chairman of the Federal Reserve told Congress he will raise interest rates
  • Ben Bernanke said he will raise interest rates as “economic recovery begins” to try and fight pending inflation
• “Smart money” from overseas is buying U.S. real estate now

All one needs to do is take an historical perspective (think 1973 – 1982 = “stagflation” and the “misery index”) to understand what is going on economically today.   When one prints more money (i.e. trillions of dollars) one “waters down” the value of that money supply.   The value of the dollar is rapidly being diluted – it is NOT a “wait and see” game!   It takes more money to buy the same amount of goods and services; prices of commodities go up including the price of money as evidenced in interest rates.   The eventual “good news” (if you are a Seller) is that the price of houses will go up as well however, there will be a lag in this pricing increase due to the surplus of inventory relative to the demand and the pending rise in interest rates.

3.   How  You Can Best Help Sellers and Buyers Today: Know your value as a real estate professional and bring your expertise to the public! Find a great brokerage and a great real estate coach to get you and keep you the skillful authority you should be.

• Know Your Industry
  • Inventory, local market trends, mortgage rates, tax incentives, tax treatments  available with  home ownership
  • Do some historical research on your own: economic indicators and real estate prices and interest rates, the media’s prediction of market cycles and the actual changes in the housing market
• Be the Expert
  • How the economy affects your real estate market for buyers and sellers
  • YOU are involved with property and prices and rates  every day, not a reporter who is trained in journalism and broadcasting!
  • Learn how to help Buyers with non-traditional financing (contact our coaching services for more information)
• Sell Against the Perception that the Media Creates
  • Historically, the media has not correctly predicted a tend in the housing market yet!
  • Those people who rely on the media for their primary stock market investment advice lose LOTS of money
  • Can you imagine the results if you relied on the media for your primary health advice or   primary nutritional advice?

How do people buy real estate?   People buy based on terms rather than price!   Most people buy a certain priced house based on how much their monthly payment will be rather than the ultimate sale price of the home.   The biggest factor that determines their payment is the interest rate on their loan!    To paraphrase  Warren Buffet (the world’s “richest man” in 2008 and 2nd richest man  in 2009) “Give me my terms and I’ll give you your price!”      Someone’s “personal affordability” combined with their motivation and criteria  to move determines  their decision to buy and sell real estate.

“Is it more important that you pay less for your house or that your monthly payments are less?”

What happens when mortgage interest rates rise?   As a Seller, there are fewer people available to buy your house; as a Buyer, your purchasing power decreases and you will have to settle  for  a less expensive house than you can afford today.   Today’s advantages  in real estate are obvious  on the purchasing side (so  Sellers should use their house as a tool to  put themselves in the position to buy  right now.)   If a prospect wants to wait until “housing prices decrease,” ask them, “What happens if interest rates go up faster than list prices go down?”

For example, if the interest rate on your loan likely rises from 5% to 7% (or higher) your  monthly payment will rise by almost 25%!   How will THIS affect your decision versus waiting for a potential 2-4% decrease in sale price?

To illustrate with prices:

• Sale Price:     $300,000
• Loan Amount (10% down payment): $270,000 at 5% interest rate
• Monthly Payment (Principal & Interest:) $1,450
• Monthly Payment at 7% interest rate: $1,796 (24% increase in monthly payment for a 2% increase in interest rate)

Versus:

• Sale Price: $288,000 (4% decrease in price)
• Loan Amount (10% down payment): $259,200 at 7% interest rate
• Monthly Payment: $1,724  (19% increase in payment vs. 5% interest rate at the higher sale price)

People buy with favorable terms especially based on  how much their monthly payment will be!  What if waiting costs you more?

Conclusion:   This is the real estate market that your clients cannot afford to miss if they want to make a smart financial investment!   As a professional and well-coached real estate agent, the ultimate key to your success is first and foremost to discover what is best for your clients today.   If they are even considering making a move in the next 18 months, at least set an appointment to evaluate their options now.   No agent can talk  someone into making a move if they are not ready.    Your value as a professional lies in your expertise in helping your prospects evaluate what is  in their best interest from an overall financial perspective regarding their largest investment! With knowledge and coaching, you can easily create a marketable distinction between you and other real estate agents  for the benefit of your prospects, clients, their referrals and your productive and lucrative sales career! Truly, these ARE the “Good Ole Days!”

Contact Dana Lerner of Real Estate Made Crystal Clear for coaching services regarding  how to help your clients make  smart financial decisions regarding their real estate transactions!   678-369-8400 or Dana@RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com

The real estate market has shifted… have your selling skills?

© 2009 Dana Lerner.   All rights reserved.

By attending “RETech South,”   (thank you to Brad Nix and Matt Fagioli) one of the largest conferences for social media technology for real estate,  I learned that it is  essential to engage some form of social media to enhance your relationships and hence real estate business.   As an added bonus…. you will have a lot of fun along the way!

The more relationships you have and can cultivate, the more successful your real estate career will be!   It was not all that long ago that an agent would have paid a lot of money to be able to access several thousand people  inexpensively… and now there are many social media venues which allow you to do that for FREE, easily, effectively and enjoyably!   What an easy way to get back to enjoying your real estate career and creating opportunities to help many people buy and sell real estate and receive many commission checks!

Although there are many “social networking media” marketing avenues, the primary ones discussed were:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Blogging
• LinkedIn
• Flickr
• Active Rain

So where do you start and what should you do?   (If you wish to check the availability of a specific social networking “username” go to: www.Checkusernames.com.)

Facebook: Facebook is the easiest program to begin your adventure!   Simply go to www.facebook.com, enter your email address, password, basic information and that is all there is to it! There are many tutorials and blog sites regarding all of the specifics regarding how to navigate your way through.   Facebook  is designed to “help you connect and share with the people in your life!”   The overview is this:   find “friends” (from real estate, schools, clients, family, neighborhoods, past places you have lived, etc..)   Write in your “status update” what you are doing in terms of your life and your real estate business (i.e. selling in specific geographic areas,  specific price range, helping Sellers use their house as a tool, finding dream homes for Buyers, helping people prevent foreclosure, etc..)   Your information will be broadcast-ed on your friends’ walls and news feeds and all of their friends will see that you are a productive, professional (and such a technologically savvy wink wink!) real estate agent!   Remember that you are a well-rounded person and “talk” about more than just business!   This is networking on steroids! For added business tips, read “10 Facebook Strategies Your Competitors Don’t Want You to Know” coutesy of Reggie Nicolay (@Cyberhomes) of www.cyberhomes.com. One caveat to Facebook: it can be addicting!

Twitter: The fastest growing networking site online today for making an impact on your local real estate sales market!   Go to www.twitter.com and enter your name and twitter identification and password.   Then you will “follow” people and others will “follow” you.   You can follow me: @RealtorResults.   Twitter is considered a “micro-blogging” site in that you broadcast your activities, ideas, resources, informative web sites, your blog site, tips and tricks for selling houses, and anything you care to share.   However, you are limited to 140 characters per tweet!   This is the fastest and most fun way to discover who wants to buy or sell a home in your neighborhood.   You engage in conversations with others regarding your business and interests and activities.   If you are interested in the latest breaking news, you will find it on twitter before you will anywhere else! There are many ancillary programs on the web to enhance your twitter experience:   Tweet Deck, Twitter Local, Twitter Search, and the list continues! For a fabulous tutorial on how to grow your network on Twitter, download (www.mytechopinion.com) Nicole Nicolay’s (@Nik_Nik) free e-book: Twitter for Real Estate Twits.

Blogging: Blogging is considered the most intensive method for enhancing your online real estate presence.   There are many resources for establishing a  blog site: www.featuredblog.com, www.wordpress.com, www.activerain.com, www.realestatetomato.com, and many others.   You can blog on anything: real estate in your area, mortgage information (www.thexbroker.com,) specific neighborhoods, market reports, distressed properties, real estate technology, luxury markets, home inspectors, the closing process, events in your area, school information and test scores, real estate training and coaching (www.RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com  wink wink!) etc.. Blogging is an extremely effective way to showcase your real estate expertise and passion.   Please note that blogging effectively to establish an audience and to organically rise to the top of a  Google search takes time and commitment.   You can utilize your blog to interact with the buying and selling public, to your past clients, to specific geographic or sociographic farm areas or to other real estate agents.   If your intended audience is other real estate agents or if you desire to be informed as to what is happening in  real estate throughout the world, Active Rain  is the preeminent site for this goal.   Thank you Jeff Corbett for sharing such  compelling information as to how to expertly use Active Rain to  augment and intensify  your real estate career!

LinkedIn: LinkedIn initially began as an online resume service.   It has now expanded into an important online networking site and functions very similarly to Facebook.   Many of your past and future clients may be on LinkedIn (or Plaxo – initially an online business card site)  solely or in addition to Facebook and Twitter.   One of the beauties of  www.linkedin.com is that you can have other  colleagues  and clients “recommend” your services.    These online testimonials can go a long way to enhancing your professional credibility to your prospects who do not yet know you.

Others: www.flickr.com (photo sharing) www.trulia.com, www.delicious.com (social bookmarking), www.digg.com (social bookmarking) www.YouTube.com  (video sharing)  and many more!

There are several keys to the effective use of your online networking and marketing strategy.   Primarily remember that your ultimate goal is to connect with people in order to establish a relationship and help them with their real estate needs and get paid for the value you bring to the situation!

Technically-speaking, make sure that you completely fill out your “profile” on all of these various sites.   Include  professional and personal aspects (items that make you an interesting person) of your life:

• Business information
• Professional associations
• Professional  accolades
• Your various online presences
• Hobbies (knitting)  
• Likes (Hairless Chinese Crested dogs, traveling, & writing)
• Passions (helping real estate agents and others in  sales  get the professional and financial results they seek)
• Activities (knitting, reading, running, working out, & blogging)
• Types of music you like (oldies, 80′s, disco, World War II songs, Barry Manilow, & country)
• Movies you prefer (old musicals & romantic comedies)
• Academic interests (NLP & communication skills, mental toughness training, local market velocityâ„¢ research, & creating inventions)
• Athletic interests (football – watching NOT playing!)
• Etc.    

Portray yourself as the interesting and well-rounded person that you are so that others will be attracted to do business with you! As Jeff Turner   (@respres) (active real estate techology  blogger on Active Rain and founder of www.realestateshows.com) so adamantly pointed out in the RETech seminar in his presentation on social networking: the tools you use are not as important as the relationship skills you bring to the situation: awareness, conversation and engagement!

Regardless of the method you utilize to meet new customers, you are simply required to cultivate and hone the communication and relationship skills necessary to turn that prospect into a paycheck!   They  desire the real estate knowledge and expertise you possess and will gladly pay you for that value you uniquely bring to help them move forward with their needs.   The  fundamental principal of any and all of your marketing efforts  is to be able to convey your value to them and to their network in a compelling and provocative way to turn those prospects into  clients!  

Please “Connect with me” on Linked In and/or Plaxo (Dana Lerner,) “Friend me” on Facebook (Dana Lerner,) and “Follow me” on Twitter (@RealtorResults,) and find me on Active Rain (CoachingGoddess.)

For specific coaching information on  the necessary communication skills,  relationship-building skills and scheduling requirements  for your business and for more information on social media  networking, please contact Dana Lerner of Real Estate Made Crystal Clear at 678-369-8400 or Dana@RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com.

© 2009 Dana Lerner. All rights reserved.

We all have the same number of hours available to us daily; in fact you even have the same number of hours available to you before going on vacation as you do not going anywhere.   One of my mentors taught me the secret to accomplishing more prior to a deadline:  “work expands to the time allotted.”   When you are leaving town, you give yourself an extreme deadline with no option other than to complete your tasks.

Apply this secret to your business day and your level of productivity will soar.   There are  four elements required: priorities, goals, a core schedule and focus.

Priorities: What are the priorities in your life?   How does your work in real estate fit in with these priorities?   For example, if you say that your family is your number one priority, do you put clients on hold when you are with your family or vice versa?   How many times are you on your cell phone “putting out a fire” rather than watching your child “putting out a runner” at second base?  

If you say your priority is to help people move and get paid in commissions for the value you bring to your clients, then are you doing what it takes in today’s real estate market to get those results?   You do not necessarily need to learn a new aspect of the business (i.e. short sales, REO’s, foreclosures) you DO need to know how to read market cycles, use conversational selling and the power of asking questions to help move people forward to take advantage  of the opportunity in today’s real estate market.   There are typically many aspects of our lives that are important to us.   Naturally,  acquiring more money makes it easier to  satisfy most of the other  important prerogatives  in your life!    It does not matter what your priorities are to anyone else, simply decide what is important to you and then design your business and your life around those priorities.

Goals: These are simply the activities necessary to achieve the life you say you want based on your priorities. For example, if your goal is to get out of debt or save money for something specific, you must figure out on your own or with the help of a coach, how to achieve those goals!   There are several questions to ask yourself:

• Are my goals aligned with my priorities?
• How important is it for me to achieve them?
• What gets in the way of my achieving my goals and making the income I desire?
• At my current level of background, knowledge and training can I accomplish my goals?
• Is there something I need to learn, re-learn, or practice to get results and achieve my business objectives?
• What do I have to do, what am I willing to do to create the life I want now?
• Am I willing to take control and keep up with the changing market through training and coaching or am I satisfied to feel victimized by the changing times while other agents move ahead?
• Am I willing to develop the appropriate mindset to succeed in today’s real estate market?

Core Schedule: Now that you know your priorities and goals, schedule those times necessary to live your life by design with ease and peace!   Schedule  all of your “family time” and vacation time in advance.   (At least we know you will be extremely productive these couple of day before you leave! wink wink!)   Next create a basic core schedule  to assist your productivity in your real estate sales business.  

Allocate a specific time frame for the actions necessary to make more sales:

• Generating business
• Researching and studying  your market
• Learning and practicing  your skills
• Maintaining your  confident and constructive  mindset
• Presenting your value to customers and clients in order to get contracts signed

Decide if you are going to perform all of these actions every day or if perhaps you are going to designate certain days of the week for various endeavors.    Schedule your activities and manage your time accordingly and you will be more productive. For example, for two hours every morning, find new business  (on the phone, through Facebook, through Twitter,  by knocking on doors, etc..)  Next schedule an hour to  examine your personal value curve – the distinguishing knowledge and expertise that  your  clients will pay you for to help them with their purchase and sale, practice conversational selling, learn three ways to answer the top five objections you get on listing presentations, etc..   In other words “time block” your day based on your goals.

Do not let yourself fall in to the trap of skipping something  (like  talking to new customers)  with the false promise to yourself of “I’ll do it later this afternoon!” When you go on vacation, you do not skip  these activities because you have no “later this afternoon!”

Consider creating an additional  “rainy day schedule”  (thanks to Coach Dave Kohler of Powered by (a) ².)  A rainy day schedule is a modified schedule that will allow you to perhaps get in a couple of hours of phone work when you cannot follow through with your regular daily activities (i.e. when your children are home from school.)  

Focus: When you are generating business, then focus on the people with whom you speak; when you are researching your market, then really understand what the numbers are telling you; when you are re-learning or practicing new skills truly internalize them; when you are with your friends or family, be with them!   Since work expands to the time allotted, limit the amount of time for the work and you will be focused to get more of it done!  

We all have the same number of hours in the day… why do some people seem to have such fulfilling professional and personal lives?   It comes down to their ability to focus on the “task at hand” and the people with whom they are interacting at the time!  The secret is to stay in the present and commit to the process of whatever you are engaged in at the time! This “now” frame of mind is absolutely critical to your sales performance!

With these success systems in place, a core schedule, a  periodic tweaking of your calendar, a “rainy day schedule”  planned, and the assistance from your coach to remind you of your focus, value, priorities and goals, you will be taking a lot more vacations!   Bon Voyage!

For information about the programs and prices for coaching results services, contact Dana Lerner at 678-369-8400 or Dana@RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com

© 2009 Dana Lerner. All rights reserved.

When you go to have your oil changed, the first thing the mechanics do is empty the old dirty oil out of the engine. Every so often, it is imperative that you  evaluate your mindset in terms of  what is serving you and what is holding you back!    Discard that which is unproductive (empty the dirty oil!)

• Affirmations that are no longer inspiring
• Treasure maps laden with goals you no longer desire or have already obtained
• Dialogs that sound trite and scripted
• Routines that are boring and tedious

The next key step in your oil change is to change your filters!   Your experience of your real estate career is filtered through your mindset!   Notice when you watch the news and read the paper replete with negative  accounts of the housing industry and real estate sales, your market suddenly seems impregnated with nothing but foreclosures, short sales and REO’s!   Aren’t there any homeowners with equity who want to take advantage of the buy-side of today’s real estate market? Where are the buyers and investors  who qualify for a mortgage loan or who have cash?   Have you ever noticed that when something does not go as planned… nothing seems to go well? And on top of that, all you see on television are commercials about depression and negative stories about unemployment and crime!

Stop! Take a deep breath and look around!   There are homes selling EVERY DAY!   Not every house for sale is a distressed property!   There are real estate agents in your market who always seem to have clients – cooperative sellers and willing buyers!   Maybe you should check under their hood! (wink wink!) When you change the filter of how you choose to experience your real estate career, what you  see will change as well!   A seller will list their house at a competitive price!   A qualified buyer will make an  acceptable offer!   You get properties under contract and schedule closings!   People move!   You collect commissions for the value you bring to your clients!   You even notice lighter, happier stories on the news and in the paper!   It is time to change your filter!

• Meet with agents who are doing well
• Look through your market statistics for the number of homes selling each day
• Notice there is an abundant supply of inventory and extremely low interest rates
• Get  information and  support from your broker and your office statistics
• Find a real estate coach
• Learn the required new skills for today’s market

You are almost  geared to hit the track!   Next you must add new high performance oil, top off all the fluids and lubricate all the parts!

• Discover and repeat inspiring affirmations!
• Role play with supportive partners!
• Prospect in a neighborhood with a fast market velocityâ„¢ relative to the rest of the area!
• Contact  your sphere of influence and your past clients  to discover who they know who needs your services!
• Stop watching the news!
• Surround yourself with other professionals with similar “filters!”
• Continue sharpening  your effective skills that are achieving results!
• Instill business systems to automate your business and give you time to enjoy your life!
• Blueprint your intentions so as to not be deterred by an objection or two!
• Relish in your gratitude of your chosen sales business and your complete control over your success!

You took the time to obtain your real estate license; you anticipated a lucrative career helping people buy and sell property; you could not wait to get started; you  obtained some business sales coaching and training to achieve some success!   You procured your high performance vehicle for contributing to  others, making a wealth of money, delighting in the flexibility of time that a real estate career affords!   All the parts are still there!   The warranty does not expire!   You must simply keep your machine fueled,  lubricated and add a little spark!

Get your motor running… rev your engine… go for that checkered flag!

Contact Dana Lerner for more information on performance strategies to get you results in today’s real estate market: 678-369-8400 or Dana@RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com.

Image Source: Flickr – Speed Racer!- Califrayray

© 2009 Dana Lerner.   All rights reserved.

“Cna yuo raed tihs?

I  cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!”*

Pretty cool, huh?   There are a variety of ways  to use the lesson from this fun illustration to make more money in your real estate career!    One of the primary insights to be gleaned is that you do not have to wait until you feel you “know it all” before you allow yourself to jump in  this market and  help sellers and buyers!    Real estate follows a market cycle and will always be changing in and of itself; add the prevailing economy and know there are more changes ahead!   So, just when you DO have everything “perfect” and “know it all,” the playing field  will have  changed! People need your professional real estate services now and with the assistance of your own research, your ongoing training, your office, your broker and  your real estate coach, you will be able to  make sense of what is presented (just like your mind makes sense of the jumbled words above) to sell property and make money!

Let the way  the brain naturally works enhance your mindset, your real estate skills and ultimately procure signed agreements with your prospects!   Your mind automatically fills in the blanks to make sense of the information you provide; sort of like the games, hangman and Wheel of Fortune!

Mindset- The Inner Game of Real Estateâ„¢:   When you focus on your positive  mindset in business, you create thoughts, ideas, emotions and images designed to lead you to the actions necessary to achieve the results you seek.   Whether you use meditation, visualization, mental rehearsal, or affirmations you are forcing your mind to expand upon the ideas you present.

For example, let’s say you affirm: “I am uniquely qualified to help people move forward!”   Those are the words.   Your brain automatically fills in the images and emotions to prompt you towards action:

• I bring value that other do not have!
• I am professional and have the ability clients need in this real estate market!
• I know my market!
• I come from contribution!
• Buyers and Sellers want my services!
• Clients get what they want when they hire me!
• Clients move on with their lives (literally & figuratively!)
• They need me now!
• I am excited to bring valuable information to help someone sell or buy!

Real Estate Skills: You learn many skills  to successfully help the public buy and sell property.   For instance, when you learn a script or  a dialog structure/format you eventually hear one or two words and you simply make sense of the situation and automatically respond with the appropriate skill set.   You are on a listing appointment with an expired  seller; the seller  gives you an objection: “I only want to list with someone that showed my house.”   Since you  are a  skilled professional interested in helping this person actually sell the house (and get a commission in return,)  you  reply in a skill-based manner in a way that makes sense to your mind based on your intent: “Interesting!   And what is the advantage to you to list with an agent who  proved to you that they cannot sell your house?”

Signed Agreements with Prospects:   Remember that your prospect’s brain works to fill in blanks the same way yours does!    Directly sell to your client’s motivation and use the power of questions to turn those prospects into clients and clients into paychecks!  There is a lot of confusion around today’s real estate market.   The public looks to you, the real estate professional, to bring clarity to lead them through it so they can buy and sell.   The one who asks questions leads the way towards appropriate action.   Do you know how to ask selling questions in a way to move people forward faster; to ask them in such a way to lead someone towards clarity to  ”fill in their own blanks?”

For example, “If I could show you how to use your house as a tool in order to take advantage of this market on the buying side, would you be open to that?”   The seller will go into his own mind, make sense of what you said in terms of being able to move and yes, would be open to that!   How about, “Aren’t you concerned by how much money you are leaving on the table by waiting?” This question has power with a seller or buyer!   You professionally persuade them to sign an agreement (which is in their best interest) to make the most of the real estate market today!

On a sales appointment, due to how the brain works, the prospect will fill in his own blanks!   There are lots of agents who can technically  complete paperwork and enter data on a computer.   What are  customers choosing when they choose to hire you…. they are choosing the blanks!   Like the Impressionist style of painting, your impact is created in the mind of the audience.   The client is buying in their  mind what they perceive of your leadership, confidence, competence, integrity and ability to get them results!   If you jumble your words or  have to learn along the way, it is okay… there are people who need your services today and will gladly pay you for the results you can bring!   A lot like “Wheel of Fortune!”

For more information about mindset, skills, selling directly to  a client’s motivation, or more powerful selling questions, please call Dana at 678-369-8400 or email Dana@RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com.

* The opening paragraph with the letters in normal order:

“Can you read this?

I couldn™t believe that I could actually understand what I was reading. The phenomenal power of the human mind, according to a research at Cambridge University, it doesn™t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole. Amazing huh? Yeah and I always thought spelling was important!”

* The paragraph is from an e-mail I received from a friend. You probably received it too!   Original source is unknown.

© 2009 Dana Lerner. All rights reserved.

• Would you get more listings?
• Would you get more of those listings sold?
• Would you have more buyers?
• Would you convert more inquiries into clients?
• Would you close more transactions?
• Would you have more time?
• Would you enjoy the business more?
• Would you make more money?

If this sounds like the ideal real estate practice, remember it’s yours for the taking!   Simply craft the image of this “ideal client” and then design your business around that model.   So where do you begin?

A good starting point is to begin listing qualities you do NOT want in a business client:

• I don’t want to work with someone who is always seeking a discount.
• I don’t want to work with someone who does not respect my professional advice.
• I don’t want to work with someone who will not exclusively work with me.
• I don’t want to work with someone who is not qualified to buy or sell property.
• I don’t want to work with someone who lives over 20 miles away from my office.

Now you can get a clearer portrait of your ideal client:

• My ideal client treats me as a professional.
• My ideal client trusts my professional research and advice.
• My ideal client is easy to get in touch with and promptly returns my calls and emails.
• My ideal client is enjoyable to be around.
• My ideal  buyer is totally pre-qualified before we go out to look at any houses.
• My ideal  buyer writes an offer on one of the first five houses we see.
• My ideal seller has equity in their home.
• My ideal seller  understand the selling advantage of  offering their house for sale with a high commission rate.
• My ideal seller realizes all the buying opportunities in today’s real estate market.
• My ideal seller is willing to use their house as a tool to take advantage of this market.
• My ideal investor buys 2 to 4 houses a month in this real estate market.
• My ideal seller will improve their positioning in the market by reducing their price when asked.
• My ideal lender promptly calls my clients and follows up with me.
• My ideal lender stays in continual contact with me as to the status of the loan package as we go under contract.
• My ideal closing attorney contacts me when the title search has been completed.
• My ideal closing attorney happily squeezes me at the end of the month when I get a property under-contract late in that month.
• My ideal client send me 6 to 10 referrals each year.
• My ideal coach keeps me moving forward and gets me the results I want!

Getting the idea?   What you focus on expands!   With this  seller, with this buyer, with these affiliated business partners, with this coach, are you beginning to envision a career that adds more joy, time and income to your life!

Now, how do you find these ideal clients?   You must be willing to give your best service to those that meet your qualifications.   It all begins with your value that you bring to the sale situation and why someone would buy from you versus any other agent.   (Are you clear on that yourself?)   Next, you must discover their criteria; determine exactly what it is that they are looking for in a real estate transaction and what they are looking for in an agent.   You can easily discover this through the power of questions.   Ask them what buying or selling that house means to them and how it will effect their life.   Dig deep!

Continue this process  by delineating expectations.   Articulate to your clients what you expect of them and what they may expect of you in return.   If a potential customer will not agree to your business standards or is not able to, then simply thank them for their time and refer them to another agent with whom they will be more comfortable.

Convey your standards of service and the description of your ideal client in all of your marketing,  networking and prospecting you do for business. For example, you can ask your sphere of influence, “Who do you know that has equity in their home and wants to buy in this market of high selection, fantastic terms  and low interest rates?”    Regarding professional  service-providers, people tend to respect high standards and professional boundaries!

The sellers, buyers and investors with whom you  do choose to work, will be happily satisfied and will tell the people they know (whom, by the way, are probably similar to them and will appreciate the way you work as well!)

Another idea is to determine an area’s market velocityâ„¢and prospect for listings in a subdivsion or area with a fast sales rate.   Sure there are many expireds or “For Sale By Owners” in other areas, but if there  are 24 months of inventory there and only 9 months of inventory in another neighborhood, perhaps your “ideal client” is an area rather than a person? Hmmm?   Now there’s an idea! (wink wink!)

When the average days on market is 180 or 240 days and  you continually sell listings in 30 or 60 days (due to your “ideal area” or “ideal price range” or “ideally motived  seller”) do you think you will naturally attract more business?   Would that be a statistic you should highlight in your marketing materials? Use the market trends to determine how to work an area in your favor as well as to the benefit of your clients!

At Real Estate Made Crystal Clear, we are focused on getting you results in today’s real estate market!   For more ideas and specific techniques on how to determine and attract your ideal client, calculate the market velocityâ„¢  and cash more commission checks this year, contact us at 678-369-8400 or Dana@TheHouseSOLDName.net.

© 2009 Dana Lerner.   All rights reserved.

These four components of success are synergistic and must all be addressed in concert.   How many times in sports have you witnessed this fact?   The most talented do not always win; the most mentally tough do not always win; the most prepared do not always win; those with the best strategies do not always win. There are countless stories of extremely talented athletes who do not win championships just as there are many “Cinderella teams” who do win championships against teams with more skills.   None of these elements in and of themselves are enough for sustained success; “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” So how does this apply to achieving a successful and profitable real estate sales business?

Skills: Your basic skills provide the foundation for your business.

In sports, we often refer to this variable as “talent.” Talent can come naturally and can be learned and honed.   In business, sales skills can definitely be learned, practiced and refined.   It is not about one’s background or one’s personality, success in establishing a profitable and productive business relies on getting good real estate training and having a good real estate coach to keep you moving forward! Some skills in real estate include:

• The Sales Contract – terms, time frames, consequences – protecting contacts
• Lead Generation – you must identify those who need your services – finding contacts
• Communication Skills – what to say to engage them in conversation – speaking with contacts
• Client Conversion – you don’t really “have them at hello!” – persuading contacts
• Your Value Curve – what you have to serve your clients to get them what they want – exceeding contacts’ expectations
• Market Analysis – how to price a listing to properly position a clients home to sell and how to guide a buyer towards an equitable contract price for a home – being responsible to contacts

Mental Toughness: Your positive mindset is vital to your career.

Ask any athlete how important their mental game is to their physical game and you will get answers of “90% of my game” and up!   With a Ph.D. in Sport Psychology, I devoted seven years to the study of performance enhancement through one’s mindset!   This area permeates all areas of your life.   William James, 19th century psychologist and philosopher, summed it up well, “People by and large become what they think about themselves.” A real estate coach who is focused on achieving results in your performance can definitely help you continually develop and refine your “Inner Game of Real Estateâ„¢!”

• Knowing and Trusting yourself to serve your clients better than anyone else in the industry
• Focusing on what you need to do in your business when you need to do it to move forward vs. focusing on the negative “what-if’s”
• Blueprinting Your Intentions so the inevitable “bumps in the road” do not take you off course from your destination
• Visualizing your goals as if you have already accomplished them
• Mentally “Staying In The Game” so you will do what it takes to move yourself and others forward regarding their real estate investments and your real estate career
• Developing and maintaining that sense of Personal Confidence and Professional Competence
• Exuding the Attitude and Energy of the Leader your clients and colleagues so desperately seek

Preparation: Effective Business Systems will keep your business running smoothly and profitably.

Have you considered that athletes spend more of their time preparing than they do actually performing?   To win at sports, athletes spend an inordinate amount of time on the practice field, in the training room, in the weight room, reviewing game films of past and upcoming games, memorizing playbook, polishing pre-shot routines, developing pre-game superstitions.   AND… to assure their victory, many athletes have coaches for every aspect of their preparation and their game-day performance! How much time do you devote to not only preparing for an appointment but to learning and practicing your skills?   Do you have at least one coach?

• Lead Generation – do you have a systematic approach for who are you going to contact and how are you going to reach them
• Inventory Management – your clients hire you to do a job therefore you must stay apprised of the market in order to fulfill on your employment
• Consistent Client Contact – they just want to know what is going on – good new or bad
• After-The-Sale Follow Up – as a real estate agent, you play a major role in people’s lives; if you are not staying in touch with your past clients, someone else is!
• Past Client and Sphere of Influence (SOI) Servicing – your past clients and SOI will continually welcome your calls when you provide them with information about the market rather than simply asking them for a referral without providing them with something of value (not simply a recipe or forget-me-not flower seeds)
• Effective Communication Skills – you make a living through your words, how persuasive are they? Are you role-playing with peers?   With your broker? With a coach?
• Informative Presentations – do you know your customer’s motivation and criteria for making a move?   Do you present to their needs or do you have the same listing/buying presentation for everyone?

Strategy: Being able to navigate the real estate market of today

Upon entering any competition, a good athlete has a game-plan, a strategy to direct them towards winning!   Athletes know their competition’s strengths and weaknesses, they know what plays their opponents perform in specific situations.   Individual athletes, like golfers, know the course, the greens, the weather conditions.   As a professional real estate agent, how well do you know your strategy for successfully selling in today’s market? Even if you are not a “numbers person,” you must know what is truly going on in today’s market to form your strategy!

• Market Management – thorough analysis of the activity in your local area
• Market Velocityâ„¢ – the speed of the real estate activity where you work: what this means and how to calculate the velocity
• Trend Prediction – it is all “hidden” right out there in the open! Real estate cycles follow a predictable cycle and forecast these cycles in advance so you can keep your clients ahead of the market rather than “chasing” the market
• Economic Variables – the overall financial impact on one’s decision to buy or sell today
• Tax Consequences of selling and buying property – now and with expected tax changes
• Act Now or Wait – financial analysis to compare the overall monetary effect to a client given changes in interest rates, house prices, amount of inventory, etc.
• Public Perception as propagated by the Media and “Professional Experts” – perception versus the statistics of your market
• Distressed Properties – past the tipping point to create pricing pressure on your market or not?
• Agent Competition – the agents that are doing business in your marketplace – do you know their track record, strengths, weaknesses – “full contact” indeed!   (wink wink!)

Real estate truly is about results: if you do not perform at your highest and best, you will be sidelined! There are people who need to buy and sell houses.. There are investors who will ammass inventory for their business.   Regardless of the economy, people will continue to get married, get divorced, have babies, have grown children move out, get transferred, take in an elderly parent, take in grandchildren, etc..   “Shelter” is a fundamental need truly making your job economic-proof!

The current economy (any economy for that matter) merely effects your approach and skill-set to your job regarding the four areas of this article.   Are you performing in a way to get the results you want?   If you want to re-establish, create or continue a profitable and fulfilling real estate business, find a supportive and instructional brokerage, good real estate training (within or outside your office) and a real estate coach who will coach you through all four categories: skills, mental toughness, preparation & strategy and you are sure to score a “touchdown” … even in THIS market!

For information about our results services which are Powered by (a)2, call 678-369-8400 or email Dana@RealEstateMadeCrystalClear.com.

Image Source – Flickr – Dominick Martorelli – LZ Creations

© 2009 Dana Lerner. All rights reserved