Session 1: Allen KW
'Rev Up'
9:00am-12:00pm
Session 2: Allen KW
'Your Database'
9:00am-12:00pm
Session 3: Allen KW
'Open Houses'
12:00pm-3:00pm
Session 4: Allen KW
'Prospecting'
9:00am-12:00pm
Session 5: Rockwall KW
'Your Goals & Big Why'
9:00am-12:00pm
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Real Estate Marketing Strategies: Hate to Make Cold Calls? 5 Tips to Make it Easier
Provided By Realty Times
Have you often avoided making those "dreaded cold calls?"
Do you dream of how much better your business could be but just can't bring yourself to pick up the phone?
You're not alone. In the 15+ years that I have specialized in coaching real estate agents, I have noticed the same avoidant patterns in each of my clients. This article gives you 5 tips to make it easier.
Tip 1: Change the name
I'm not kidding. Do the words "cold calls" send a chill up your spine? It's no wonder. Whoever created that term didn't know what they were doing. So, change the term, because it's inaccurate. First of all, many of the people you'll be calling are leads. Second, why would you think cold? Are you cold? Is the receiver of the call cold? Not likely if you're living in a human body.
So maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but the point is, call it something different, call it what it is, "direct response calls". My clients do much better when they realize they are making direct response calls.
Tip 2: Be in the right mindset
Are you calling to sell something? If so, put down the phone and start again. No, you are actually calling to give something and that is your time and expertise. Would you be scared if you had a gift you wanted to give someone? That would be unlikely. Be in the mindset that you have a gift and you are offering to share it.
Why is this so? Well, think about the fact that you have something to offer. You know much more about real estate than Ms. Jane Doe. So if you call to let her know what properties have sold in her area; that is valuable information. If you want to offer her a Free Comparative Market Analysis, that's a gift of your time, energy and expertise. You should be proud to offer that. Guess what? If you are proud to offer that, she'll most likely feel appreciative of the offer. Your energy and mindset is transferred to your prospective clients.
Tip 3: Use a permission based approach
For example, when I do direct response calls, the conversation goes something like this, "My name is Maya Bailey and I work with real estate agents who want to double their income. If you'd like to take 30 seconds, I'll be happy to tell you what I do." Notice that I didn't barrel my way through. I said as little as possible until I got their permission to continue.
Use this script as a template to make your own direct response calls. For example," My name is ____________ and I'm your local real estate consultant. I have some news about the value of properties in our neighborhood. If you'd like to take 30 seconds, I'll be happy to….." Is this getting clearer? The latest trend in marketing is permission based marketing.
Tip 4: Get excited about the relationships you'll make
If you approach this in a permission based way, people will be much more open and friendly to you. Instead of focusing on the occasional rude person at the other end of the line, focus instead on what you want. Most likely what you want is to make some connections with a person, in which you can follow up, convert them in prospective clients and then convert them into transactions. Let yourself feel how good it's going to feel to close those deals. Pat yourself on the back because it all started with the courage it took to make direct response calls.
Tip 5: Remember to reframe a "no" into a "yes"
What do I mean? First of all a "no" does not mean that you are being rejected. Neither does it mean that your service is being rejected. What it means is "No, not now."
Secondly, do you realize that every "no" brings you one step closer to your "yes"? It's a numbers game and you need a certain number of "no's" to get a "yes". Just remember to have thick skin and not take it personally.
My experience as a coach to real estate agents has shown me that it's all about attitude. If you are sold on yourself and your service and you convey that with pride and enthusiasm, the other person will be glad you called. They may even become a client. It pays to know that you are valuable and what you have to offer is equally valuable.
Have you often avoided making those "dreaded cold calls?"
Do you dream of how much better your business could be but just can't bring yourself to pick up the phone?
You're not alone. In the 15+ years that I have specialized in coaching real estate agents, I have noticed the same avoidant patterns in each of my clients. This article gives you 5 tips to make it easier.
Tip 1: Change the name
I'm not kidding. Do the words "cold calls" send a chill up your spine? It's no wonder. Whoever created that term didn't know what they were doing. So, change the term, because it's inaccurate. First of all, many of the people you'll be calling are leads. Second, why would you think cold? Are you cold? Is the receiver of the call cold? Not likely if you're living in a human body.
So maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but the point is, call it something different, call it what it is, "direct response calls". My clients do much better when they realize they are making direct response calls.
Tip 2: Be in the right mindset
Are you calling to sell something? If so, put down the phone and start again. No, you are actually calling to give something and that is your time and expertise. Would you be scared if you had a gift you wanted to give someone? That would be unlikely. Be in the mindset that you have a gift and you are offering to share it.
Why is this so? Well, think about the fact that you have something to offer. You know much more about real estate than Ms. Jane Doe. So if you call to let her know what properties have sold in her area; that is valuable information. If you want to offer her a Free Comparative Market Analysis, that's a gift of your time, energy and expertise. You should be proud to offer that. Guess what? If you are proud to offer that, she'll most likely feel appreciative of the offer. Your energy and mindset is transferred to your prospective clients.
Tip 3: Use a permission based approach
For example, when I do direct response calls, the conversation goes something like this, "My name is Maya Bailey and I work with real estate agents who want to double their income. If you'd like to take 30 seconds, I'll be happy to tell you what I do." Notice that I didn't barrel my way through. I said as little as possible until I got their permission to continue.
Use this script as a template to make your own direct response calls. For example," My name is ____________ and I'm your local real estate consultant. I have some news about the value of properties in our neighborhood. If you'd like to take 30 seconds, I'll be happy to….." Is this getting clearer? The latest trend in marketing is permission based marketing.
Tip 4: Get excited about the relationships you'll make
If you approach this in a permission based way, people will be much more open and friendly to you. Instead of focusing on the occasional rude person at the other end of the line, focus instead on what you want. Most likely what you want is to make some connections with a person, in which you can follow up, convert them in prospective clients and then convert them into transactions. Let yourself feel how good it's going to feel to close those deals. Pat yourself on the back because it all started with the courage it took to make direct response calls.
Tip 5: Remember to reframe a "no" into a "yes"
What do I mean? First of all a "no" does not mean that you are being rejected. Neither does it mean that your service is being rejected. What it means is "No, not now."
Secondly, do you realize that every "no" brings you one step closer to your "yes"? It's a numbers game and you need a certain number of "no's" to get a "yes". Just remember to have thick skin and not take it personally.
My experience as a coach to real estate agents has shown me that it's all about attitude. If you are sold on yourself and your service and you convey that with pride and enthusiasm, the other person will be glad you called. They may even become a client. It pays to know that you are valuable and what you have to offer is equally valuable.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Upgrading Your Referral
Provided By Realty Times
Implementing a strategy to upgrade your referrals can really explode your referral business. Most salespeople get the name and contact information and try to get off the phone immediately to call the prospect. That is a significant mistake. Follow these steps to increase the odds of your success.
1. You must immediately thank the referral source.
Assure them of the quality service their referral will receive. You are giving them your personal guarantee. Before close of business, today, write out a handwritten thank you note at a minimum. You can use gifts or other inducements as well, but the handwritten note doesn’t necessarily need them.
2. Determine the quality or level of the referral.
We are trying to increase the probability of the referral for us. The first step is to secure more information before we make the first call. The first call is the point at which you will win these people over or not. Determine which of these four categories their referral will be.
C Level – This referral is the coldest variety. The conversion rate is at the lowest level. Your referral source has only given the name and phone number of a potential prospect. They have not allowed you to use their name to create an opening or connection.
B Level – I would describe this referral as lukewarm. The odds are improving, but still probably less than 50/50 conversion. The referral has given you the prospect’s name and phone number. They have given you one thing the C level did not, permission to use their name as the referral source to open the door. That certainly helps the connection on the first call.
A Level – We are getting warmer with this referral. Again, you have the prospect’s name and number, but you have also been granted permission to use the name of your referral source to open the dialogue door. The best part is the source has given you time to ask questions. They are willing to give you five or ten minutes to explore the referred individual to probe and help increase the odds of connecting with the prospect.
AA Level – This should be the level we all shoot for. It’s the Cadillac of referrals. It’s all that the A level has with one huge difference. You have all the information that you have with an A, but the referral source is willing to open the door for you himself. They are willing to make an introduction call personally for you. This call doesn’t replace your call. It only makes it easier to call and raise the chance of a positive result quicker. You might find that a really effective referral source can set up lunch or breakfast meeting with everyone involved.
To increase your conversion odds of connecting with the referred individual invest the time with the referral source, explore these questions. This will only take you five to ten minutes but will be well worth the time.
•How would you describe your relationship? •How do you know this person? •Is there anything that you can see that we have in common? •What type of a personality will I encounter? •What organizations does this person belong to? •What are a few of this person’s personal interests?
3. Thank your referral source again.
Once you have secured as much information as possible, again, offer your assurance that you’ll provide the same level of quality service that your referral source has received from you in the past.
Don’t make referrals complicated. Success is simple, it’s not complicated. Referrals aren’t a complex system or strategy. Success in referrals is achieved through consistency of the fundamental process of client connection and client service. You may already know some of the things I have shared with you here. The truth about success is that sometimes it’s better to hear something you have heard before but are not doing than to hear something new. Make the commitment to execute the fundamentals in your referral section of your business. That objective will create the growth you desire.
Implementing a strategy to upgrade your referrals can really explode your referral business. Most salespeople get the name and contact information and try to get off the phone immediately to call the prospect. That is a significant mistake. Follow these steps to increase the odds of your success.
1. You must immediately thank the referral source.
Assure them of the quality service their referral will receive. You are giving them your personal guarantee. Before close of business, today, write out a handwritten thank you note at a minimum. You can use gifts or other inducements as well, but the handwritten note doesn’t necessarily need them.
2. Determine the quality or level of the referral.
We are trying to increase the probability of the referral for us. The first step is to secure more information before we make the first call. The first call is the point at which you will win these people over or not. Determine which of these four categories their referral will be.
C Level – This referral is the coldest variety. The conversion rate is at the lowest level. Your referral source has only given the name and phone number of a potential prospect. They have not allowed you to use their name to create an opening or connection.
B Level – I would describe this referral as lukewarm. The odds are improving, but still probably less than 50/50 conversion. The referral has given you the prospect’s name and phone number. They have given you one thing the C level did not, permission to use their name as the referral source to open the door. That certainly helps the connection on the first call.
A Level – We are getting warmer with this referral. Again, you have the prospect’s name and number, but you have also been granted permission to use the name of your referral source to open the dialogue door. The best part is the source has given you time to ask questions. They are willing to give you five or ten minutes to explore the referred individual to probe and help increase the odds of connecting with the prospect.
AA Level – This should be the level we all shoot for. It’s the Cadillac of referrals. It’s all that the A level has with one huge difference. You have all the information that you have with an A, but the referral source is willing to open the door for you himself. They are willing to make an introduction call personally for you. This call doesn’t replace your call. It only makes it easier to call and raise the chance of a positive result quicker. You might find that a really effective referral source can set up lunch or breakfast meeting with everyone involved.
To increase your conversion odds of connecting with the referred individual invest the time with the referral source, explore these questions. This will only take you five to ten minutes but will be well worth the time.
•How would you describe your relationship? •How do you know this person? •Is there anything that you can see that we have in common? •What type of a personality will I encounter? •What organizations does this person belong to? •What are a few of this person’s personal interests?
3. Thank your referral source again.
Once you have secured as much information as possible, again, offer your assurance that you’ll provide the same level of quality service that your referral source has received from you in the past.
Don’t make referrals complicated. Success is simple, it’s not complicated. Referrals aren’t a complex system or strategy. Success in referrals is achieved through consistency of the fundamental process of client connection and client service. You may already know some of the things I have shared with you here. The truth about success is that sometimes it’s better to hear something you have heard before but are not doing than to hear something new. Make the commitment to execute the fundamentals in your referral section of your business. That objective will create the growth you desire.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Create Your 2012 Success Blueprint
Provided By Realty Times
Many people who want to create success for the New Year don't realize that in order to do that, they need to have a blueprint for success. What does that mean specifically? It takes two things to create a blueprint for success. The first thing you have to have is a clear vision of what it is you want to create. The more powerful your vision and the more you can feel your vision, the stronger it is.
So for example, if you want to make $500,000.00 in real estate in the year 2012, and you'd like to work maybe 30 hours a week or less, and you'd like to work with your ideal clients, then create a mission statement to that effect. I would recommend start off with the words, "I am so happy and grateful that I am making $500,000.00 or more in 2012, and I'm working 30 hours a week or less, and I am working with my ideal clients doing work I love." Once you say that and you state it and you put it on paper, you should put it on an index card where you can read it out loud every day.
The next thing you do is to step into the visualization and really feel what it feels like. So for example, you step into it and feel what it feels like to be making $500,000.00 a year. You can imagine what you would do with that added income. Perhaps you could visualize yourself spending part of it and saving part of it, or giving part of it to charity.
Make your vision very vivid and make it like a moving picture, not like a snapshot, but like a just a moving picture of seeing yourself doing all of these things you want to do with this added income. Perhaps you're already making $500,000.00, so for you perhaps in 2012 the big stretch would be $800,000.00, $900,000.00 or beyond; whatever is a stretch for you. Pick a figure that's realistic and yet optimistic at the same time.
Once you've got that vision statement, you simply need to feel it. You need to feel what it feels like to have that income. Feel what it's like to be working your ideal number of hours per week. Feel what it feels like to be working with your ideal clients. Experience the joy and the fun of being of service to these clients. The more you breathe into the vision, the more you'll be able to feel it.
The key is to do this frequently.
Every morning look at your vision statement, read it out loud with feeling. Take a few extra moments to really feel it before going to sleep. Your subconscious mind is very receptive. Put it by your nightstand and right before you go to sleep look at it, read it, and feel it. Let this sink into your subconscious mind that this is your vision. This is your intention for the New Year. It's very powerful to have a vision statement.
The second thing to do to create a success blueprint is you need to be sure that you've cleared your self-limiting beliefs.
Here's the process that I recommend to do that: Get out a piece of paper and create a T diagram. Draw a horizontal line across the page and draw a vertical line down the page so you have two columns. The left hand column is called Your Self Limiting Beliefs. The right hand column is called Your Empowered Beliefs. This next part requires that you become like a loving detective and search inside yourself as to what self-limiting beliefs you would need to reprogram in order to reach your goal, in order to really manifest that vision statement.
Some examples of self-limiting beliefs that stop people, (and the biggest one right now) is "I can't reach my financial goals because of the economy." So that statement is a self-limiting belief that belongs in your left hand column. Another one that's very common that people have is "I'm not good enough" or "I don't have what it takes to succeed." Over the years of coaching clients, real estate agents in particular, I've heard many self-limiting beliefs that create an anti-success blueprint. "I'm not good enough." "I'm not smart enough." "I'm not experienced enough."
I had a client named JoAnn who, when she first came to me, was broke and scared. She was in debt. She had been a real estate agent for a while and she was feeling stuck. She was at a low point in her life. After I helped her create her vision statement, we went to work to find out what self-limiting beliefs she was carrying on the subconscious level that were stopping her from success. And we found out that she had several. If any of these are true for you, put them in your left hand column. For example, "I'm not good enough" goes in the left hand column.
Her parents did not encourage her to succeed. Her parents did not instill a success blueprint in her, rather they gave her the impression that she should just get married and that a man would take care of her. So she did not have the support she needed to say, "I will be successful."
In addition, as a child, she was told over and over again, "don't bother people." "Don't talk to strangers." "If you call somebody up you're bothering them." And of course as a real estate professional, one of your jobs is to call people up. Sometimes you're calling people you don't even know. She wasn't aware of it, but these beliefs were blocking her from her success.
She had tried many different kinds of coaching. She had tried accountability coaching. She even knew about the Law of Attraction, but couldn't implement the Law of Attraction because of her self-limiting beliefs. In the 24 sessions that we worked together, she was able to change those self-limiting beliefs.
So in the left hand column she had written "I'm not good enough". In the right hand column she wrote, "I am more than good enough". In the left hand column, "Women aren't as valuable as men", right hand column, "Women are just as valuable as men", left hand column, "Don't talk to strangers", right hand column - what was the right hand column for that one? "People are happy to hear from me".
What happened after Joanne cleared her self-limited beliefs, and put her empowered beliefs in place? She created her ideal professional life. Currently she's making $35,000.00 a month and only works five hours a day working with her ideal clients. I give you this example to illustrate the dramatic importance of knowing what your self-limiting beliefs are and clearing them out of the way.
Realize that self-limiting beliefs are not facts, they're just beliefs. You're not stuck with them. Do not judge yourself for having them, because at one point in your life these beliefs were survival strategies. Get as many down in the left hand column as you can. Take some guesses.
Once you've done that, go to the right hand column and for every self-limiting belief you've written, write down your empowered belief. So if your self-limiting belief says, "I can't be visible" then write down "It's now safe to be visible." If your self-limiting belief is "I'm not supposed to succeed" then write down "I am highly worthy of success and I'm supposed to succeed." "I'm supposed to live my dreams."
What you do after that is you want to totally release the left hand column, and one of the best methods to do that is called the Burn Technique. Simply cut the paper in half, burn the left hand column. Let it go in a ritual, and as it's burning just say good-bye to all of the self-limiting beliefs that you no longer need.
In the right hand column, I would recommend taking each of those empowering beliefs and putting each of them on an index card and then saying those empowered beliefs every day out loud with feeling to reprogram your self-conscious mind. If the negative beliefs start to creep up again, simply use the power of your mind to interrupt those beliefs. Just say, "Stop". Take a deep breath and put in an empowered belief. In this way you are maximizing your possibility of a Success Blueprint for the year 2012.
Just to summarize, be sure to create your vision statement with feeling and be sure after that that you dig down and bring to the surface any possible self-limiting beliefs that could be getting in your way. Be sure you burn those, and then implant or install your new positive Empowered Beliefs and enjoy creating your Success Blueprint for the year 2012.
Many people who want to create success for the New Year don't realize that in order to do that, they need to have a blueprint for success. What does that mean specifically? It takes two things to create a blueprint for success. The first thing you have to have is a clear vision of what it is you want to create. The more powerful your vision and the more you can feel your vision, the stronger it is.
So for example, if you want to make $500,000.00 in real estate in the year 2012, and you'd like to work maybe 30 hours a week or less, and you'd like to work with your ideal clients, then create a mission statement to that effect. I would recommend start off with the words, "I am so happy and grateful that I am making $500,000.00 or more in 2012, and I'm working 30 hours a week or less, and I am working with my ideal clients doing work I love." Once you say that and you state it and you put it on paper, you should put it on an index card where you can read it out loud every day.
The next thing you do is to step into the visualization and really feel what it feels like. So for example, you step into it and feel what it feels like to be making $500,000.00 a year. You can imagine what you would do with that added income. Perhaps you could visualize yourself spending part of it and saving part of it, or giving part of it to charity.
Make your vision very vivid and make it like a moving picture, not like a snapshot, but like a just a moving picture of seeing yourself doing all of these things you want to do with this added income. Perhaps you're already making $500,000.00, so for you perhaps in 2012 the big stretch would be $800,000.00, $900,000.00 or beyond; whatever is a stretch for you. Pick a figure that's realistic and yet optimistic at the same time.
Once you've got that vision statement, you simply need to feel it. You need to feel what it feels like to have that income. Feel what it's like to be working your ideal number of hours per week. Feel what it feels like to be working with your ideal clients. Experience the joy and the fun of being of service to these clients. The more you breathe into the vision, the more you'll be able to feel it.
The key is to do this frequently.
Every morning look at your vision statement, read it out loud with feeling. Take a few extra moments to really feel it before going to sleep. Your subconscious mind is very receptive. Put it by your nightstand and right before you go to sleep look at it, read it, and feel it. Let this sink into your subconscious mind that this is your vision. This is your intention for the New Year. It's very powerful to have a vision statement.
The second thing to do to create a success blueprint is you need to be sure that you've cleared your self-limiting beliefs.
Here's the process that I recommend to do that: Get out a piece of paper and create a T diagram. Draw a horizontal line across the page and draw a vertical line down the page so you have two columns. The left hand column is called Your Self Limiting Beliefs. The right hand column is called Your Empowered Beliefs. This next part requires that you become like a loving detective and search inside yourself as to what self-limiting beliefs you would need to reprogram in order to reach your goal, in order to really manifest that vision statement.
Some examples of self-limiting beliefs that stop people, (and the biggest one right now) is "I can't reach my financial goals because of the economy." So that statement is a self-limiting belief that belongs in your left hand column. Another one that's very common that people have is "I'm not good enough" or "I don't have what it takes to succeed." Over the years of coaching clients, real estate agents in particular, I've heard many self-limiting beliefs that create an anti-success blueprint. "I'm not good enough." "I'm not smart enough." "I'm not experienced enough."
I had a client named JoAnn who, when she first came to me, was broke and scared. She was in debt. She had been a real estate agent for a while and she was feeling stuck. She was at a low point in her life. After I helped her create her vision statement, we went to work to find out what self-limiting beliefs she was carrying on the subconscious level that were stopping her from success. And we found out that she had several. If any of these are true for you, put them in your left hand column. For example, "I'm not good enough" goes in the left hand column.
Her parents did not encourage her to succeed. Her parents did not instill a success blueprint in her, rather they gave her the impression that she should just get married and that a man would take care of her. So she did not have the support she needed to say, "I will be successful."
In addition, as a child, she was told over and over again, "don't bother people." "Don't talk to strangers." "If you call somebody up you're bothering them." And of course as a real estate professional, one of your jobs is to call people up. Sometimes you're calling people you don't even know. She wasn't aware of it, but these beliefs were blocking her from her success.
She had tried many different kinds of coaching. She had tried accountability coaching. She even knew about the Law of Attraction, but couldn't implement the Law of Attraction because of her self-limiting beliefs. In the 24 sessions that we worked together, she was able to change those self-limiting beliefs.
So in the left hand column she had written "I'm not good enough". In the right hand column she wrote, "I am more than good enough". In the left hand column, "Women aren't as valuable as men", right hand column, "Women are just as valuable as men", left hand column, "Don't talk to strangers", right hand column - what was the right hand column for that one? "People are happy to hear from me".
What happened after Joanne cleared her self-limited beliefs, and put her empowered beliefs in place? She created her ideal professional life. Currently she's making $35,000.00 a month and only works five hours a day working with her ideal clients. I give you this example to illustrate the dramatic importance of knowing what your self-limiting beliefs are and clearing them out of the way.
Realize that self-limiting beliefs are not facts, they're just beliefs. You're not stuck with them. Do not judge yourself for having them, because at one point in your life these beliefs were survival strategies. Get as many down in the left hand column as you can. Take some guesses.
Once you've done that, go to the right hand column and for every self-limiting belief you've written, write down your empowered belief. So if your self-limiting belief says, "I can't be visible" then write down "It's now safe to be visible." If your self-limiting belief is "I'm not supposed to succeed" then write down "I am highly worthy of success and I'm supposed to succeed." "I'm supposed to live my dreams."
What you do after that is you want to totally release the left hand column, and one of the best methods to do that is called the Burn Technique. Simply cut the paper in half, burn the left hand column. Let it go in a ritual, and as it's burning just say good-bye to all of the self-limiting beliefs that you no longer need.
In the right hand column, I would recommend taking each of those empowering beliefs and putting each of them on an index card and then saying those empowered beliefs every day out loud with feeling to reprogram your self-conscious mind. If the negative beliefs start to creep up again, simply use the power of your mind to interrupt those beliefs. Just say, "Stop". Take a deep breath and put in an empowered belief. In this way you are maximizing your possibility of a Success Blueprint for the year 2012.
Just to summarize, be sure to create your vision statement with feeling and be sure after that that you dig down and bring to the surface any possible self-limiting beliefs that could be getting in your way. Be sure you burn those, and then implant or install your new positive Empowered Beliefs and enjoy creating your Success Blueprint for the year 2012.
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