Words of Wisdom

R U Developing Your – Very Best?

R U Developing Your - Very Best?

Wanting to be your very best, preparing to be at your very best and committing to be at your very best are 3 completely different levels.

I believe that everyone wants to be their very best, but preparing and making a true commitment causes many to fall short.

Everyone that is receiving a service whether from a physician, mechanic, or sales professional wants to receive such service from the very best.

If that is what consumers are looking for, such as you and I, I ask why don’t we all strive to be our very best?

The answer is somewhat obvious; it takes more time, discipline, and developing of new habits to be the very best.

There is no selection process that subjectively decides who is going to be chosen to be the very best. That is decided by everyone individually who commits to be the best.

This is a fundamental lifetime choice to be or not to be. What you do is up to you. And what you decide to do today repeatedly each day will produce tomorrow’s opportunities and tomorrows results.

The reason there are fewer very best people than wannabe very best people is that consistent discipline is quite demanding and cannot be interpreted by inconsistent distractions that seem momentarily attractive.

Some very best thoughts:

• Do you have a plan each day?
• Do you have a plan each week?
• Do you have a desire and passion to be the very best?
• Do others who are their very best inspire you?
• Do you enjoy reading about the very best?
• Does seeing people perform at their very best make you feel good?
• Do you really want to be the very best?

These are simply questions to ask yourself and then you can determine, are you going to be the select few or the over abundant wanters?

Let’s majoritize the “Very Best.”

Be A “RUDY”

Just be a hero!

Several of you have most likely been a Hero one time or another. Some of you may still be and continue to be someone’s hero.

According to the dictionary “A Hero is a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model”.

A real hero sets themselves apart from others, giving them a certain edge through public opinion.

HEROS Have Everything Ready On time. They are prepared when a heroic opportunity presents itself. They are ready mentally to provide a solution to the challenging opportunity confronting them at that time.

Athletic Heros are those that stand out amongst the other players because of their character and ability to perform. Other Heros stand out in a group such as firemen and police forces that have rescued many victims in time of crisis.

Being prepared is exactly what we must do in Real Estate if we want to qualify as a heroic candidate.

Clients and Customers need help the same as a non swimmer bobbin in a lake shouting Help! Help! -Someone help me please! They need a swimmer and would really like one with lifesaving experience such as a lifeguard.

Prospects also call for help such as  I need help selling this building, leasing empty space, finding a new space, better base rate etc.

Clients and Customers also need help and they need help from qualified commercial brokers who are prepared to overcome the adversities of the opportunity by Having Everything Ready On time.

Several of you have most likely been a Hero one time or another. Some of you may still be and continue to be someone’s hero.

According to the dictionary “A Hero is a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model”.

A real hero sets themselves apart from others, giving them a certain edge through public opinion.

HEROS Have Everything Ready On time. They are prepared when a heroic opportunity presents itself. They are ready mentally to provide a solution to the challenging opportunity confronting them at that time.

Athletic Heros are those that stand out amongst the other players because of their character and ability to perform.

Other Heros stand out in a group such as firemen and police forces that have rescued many victims in time of crisis.

Being prepared is exactly what we must do in Real Estate if we want to qualify as a heroic candidate.

Clients and Customers need help the same as a non swimmer bobbin in a lake shouting Help! Help! -Someone help me please! They need a swimmer and would really like one with lifesaving experience such as a lifeguard.

Prospects also call for help such as  I need help selling this building, leasing empty space, finding a new space, better base rate etc.

Clients and Customers also need help and they need help from qualified commercial brokers who are prepared to overcome the adversities of the opportunity by Having Everything Ready On time.

Heros are not forgotten, but always in the minds of those of us that cherish their accomplishments.

You!

As you review and contemplate your business plan, always be aware of who you are, what you are doing, and how others are receiving what you are doing, and what you can do better.

Loosing sight of any of these milestones will cause you to fall short on your achievements.  We are all responsible for what we do and also what we do not do.  Knowing that it is important for us to effectively use our time, we will always spend more time not following our plan.

I have always said that the most difficult challenge in this business is to understand and master the personal discipline required in an unstructured profession.

Free time is idol or stationary time and it is very expensive.  Calculate it yourself if you are worth $100/hour.

A plan can be modified only if the change continues towards your destination of achievement.

Let people know what you do, show people what you can do, and do it better than anyone else can do.

Keep shaking hands.

Always be Thankful

Always be Thankful

Well its that time of the year when everything comes together and times are special. Turkey, cranberry sauce, dressing, mashed potatoes, and (in our family) sauerkraut, pumpkin pie and football all shared with friends, family and colleagues. Reminding us of the past months challenges, distractions, and accomplishments.

Each month represents a step at a time, similar to a game in a 12 game college footballseason.Eachgamesignificantonits own, but tallied at the end, registering the success of the year. All of this provides reflections of the many pieces stimulating our perception.
Meetings, appointments, contacts, showings, marketing, contracts not always provide successful results (as some football plays may result in a loss during a game), but these losses often provide opportunities for the winning touchdown. As we know persistence prevails when all else fails and distractions are only those things you see when you lose sight of your goals.

I have always believed that continued practice on the fundamentals will always provide an opportunity for successful
execution. This time of the year we do focus on the fundamentals, but sometimes only briefly. Thoughts of this time of the year need to be with you all year long, as we are measured annually the same as a team is measured on its season.

Catching people doing good things and giving Thanks to them provides all with a fundamental understanding of the process. GivingThankscontributestoopportunities in each game to step forward moving closer to your goal.

Like many of you, I have much to be thankful for such as my family, friends, pets, etc. I am also very thankful for my freedom (which provides me with opportunities and choices), my colleagues (who have provided me extra energy, challenges, knowledge, guidance and a thirst for more), and my country (the world leader providing leadership to other countries paving the way for a better world).

Lets always give thanks this time of the year and always give thanks throughout the year for we will just all Get Better

Groundwork for a Business Plan

Developing a business plan is like planning a road trip. We all know that there are many ways to display your travel directions: AAA, MapQuest, Yahoo!, GPS, etc.

But, everyone must have a starting point.† Knowing where you are today is vital in determining a direction for tomorrow.

So, I would say that in order to begin the business plan process, first you must know and evaluate where you are today.

If you are planning that road trip, one of the most important things you must do is to make sure your car is ready for the trip.† Being psychologically fit for the journey will provide you with all the opportunity to see what you need to do, how you need to do it, and when you are going to do it.

As I have said before, our business requires each of us to continually and consistently demonstrate a strong sense of self-discipline.

Developing a plan without enthusiasm and self-discipline will only provide difficulties in achieving positive results.

Writing a business plan without a development plan will confuse and misdirect your journey.† Following up and evaluating your results will always provide you with a sense of direction to proceed or make adjustments . See below some examples:

October

You make a significant difference

September

We seem to live in a world that continues to be more and more impersonal. We buy things as a number, we access information by an I.D. and password and we communicate electronically. I guess that is the sign of our times, but there is a lot we can learn from this, allowing us to understand that there is more, not just forgotten.

Being manipulated by all these impersonal trends tend to spread a feeling of insignificance, placing less value on the whole experience. Many times we lose sight of the whole transaction, because the process becomes mirrors of impersonal communication causing a numbness effect until completion.

Understanding the overall significance of your transaction will give you more of a personal perspective and the real value of what you do.

Most of the time we look at what we do through blinders, only seeing what is ahead and not seeing or understanding the significance of what is around us. We represent a client who buys a building and we go to closing, shake hands and say “Thank you”. But, what we do is much more significant and has much more impact through its long-term effect.

Your transaction affects people’s lives; it affects our economy and affects the infrastructure of mankind. Your significance goes way beyond finding and contracting a building.

The completion of your assignment increases the purchasing of goods and services, funds charities, buys homes, supports banks, and sponsors little league baseball.

These are all things and more that provide economic stability. By understanding your significance you will make a significant difference. Your mission is way too valuable to the “whole” than just another transaction. You are a significant piece in our overall economy and peace of mind providing an ongoing and prosperous future for all of us.

Are you adding total value?

August

We all have our value meter set at a certain mark. That mark can be regulated up and down depending on what we do.

Our value has been set by teachers, coaches, mentors, friends, relatives, books, colleagues, etc. Theses value setters have given us something special to hang onto and pass on, as they provided the seeds for our future value.

Your significance is not something to keep for yourself, but to pass on to others allowing them to carry on and build on their merits.

Failure to pass it on only diminishes your value.

Passing on your excellence to others is reinvesting your value so others along with you can reap the benefits of such an investment.

Working and teaching with others makes them better adding value for all. You have now added worth by way of your value resources that provide a legacy of increased worth.

Replanting your advantage seeds only continues the value for others to partake.

Don’t be a seedless watermelon, but one with big seeds that can continue to benefit others.

Just keep adding Total value and the value regulators for you and others will

always keep spiraling upward.

Today is the Tomorrow you prepared for yesterday

July

We have always heard that “Doing different things yields different results”. It also makes us better. Today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday.

Having an open mind to new and challenging directions provides for lots of growth and achievements. Many of us are great starters and many of us are great finishers, but without starting we can’t finish.

A day can really make a difference if we can accomplish our tasks in a better mode. Analyzing a market strategy and spending the time developing can make a difference in your presentation and delivery. Yes, it may take you more time, but your understanding of the assignment will become more clear and beneficial.

“If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves” –Thomas Edison

Understanding the whole picture of your assignment puts you above the crowd.

The feeling of accomplishment that one receives after starting, preparing, understanding, analyzing and finishing is exhilarating. And when you are exhilarated your enthusiasm will generate a confidence level for others to embrace. It only takes a day to start and what a difference it will make when you finish.

What can you do differently to make today different?

Don’t settle for mediocrity, but instead “Make – Today the tomorrow you prepared for yesterday.”

Not to win- But never Lose

lombardi

Having been a football coach, both in High School and College I had many idols such as Knute Rockne and Vince Lombardi. I read everything I could about each one and to this day I have prints of each one either in my home or office. During my coaching career quotes of “One for the Gipper” and “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” were engraved and embedded in my mind.

While my business career has far out-lasted my coaching career I have learned that the primary objective in the “business” game is to never lose. Whether you are negotiating a listing or representing a client in contract negotiations being fair, honest, and thorough prepares you for a “no lose” situation. Asking questions, listening, and knowing the market provides one with the data to implement or modify as the negotiations proceed. When negotiating on behalf of a client you should not ever accept victory by overwhelmingly defeating the opposition.

Contracts consist of Price, Terms and Conditions, which provide many options to compromise, benefitting everyone.

Winning at all cost provides a short and a very limited return. It ignores the

long-term relationship, which results when there is no loss.

Sometimes our eagerness and false enthusiasm over-shadows our true and fundamental licensed responsibility of which fairness is a Priority

Be prepared, Be thorough, Be fair, Be consistent, Be professional, and you will have many positive achievements providing for a long lasting and respectful professional career

The Price is Right

The price is Right

“The Price is Right” has been a long running T.V. game show for over 20 years. I am sure, at one time , you all have seen this show. After all the gaming has been com- pleted the two Top Contestants are challenged with the big prizes. If your guess for the total value goes over the market value you lose. This is true in our business.
Overpriced properties lose, the client loses and you lose. Pricing properties within the market range will allow for more winners. Listing the property as per your clients request is like listening to the audience yelling out the value with no statistical support.

We have the tools and formulas to provide our clients with the value for results. The availability of common properties is so numerous that prospects are looking at similar properties and comparing similar demographics but price rules.

An over priced property will be over looked by a significant number of prospects in the market place. We can determine how many prospects viewed our properties, but what we don’t know is how many we missed.
Some owners will want to list their property considerably over the market and want to reduce it later. Just how many missed opportunities caused a missed sale?

Anyone licensed can list properties. We are interested in selling properties for the market value over the least amount of time.