State of Your Business

Last week, President Obama filled us in on the State of the Union.  What's going well, where we need to improve, and his plan for action in the next year were all part of that speech.   Countries, states, and even businesses can all benefit from taking an annual look at the big picture.

This week consider the state of your business, write down your thoughts, plan new action, and make a public address by sharing it with colleagues and key contacts.  You extra-effort people can put on a suit and even give the address by video.  Might be hard to get "Hail to the Chief" ratings, but you never know.  Here's a few questions to get you started:

• What did you do well in the past year?  Be specific.
• If your sales results continue on their current path, what will result for you this year? 
• What is the condition of your prospecting? presentations? transaction checklists? 
• What are three areas that could most improve your efforts? 
• What would you like to improve with education? 
• What do the past year of expenses indicate?  What's the budget focus and detail for the upcoming year?  Where do you need to invest? 
• What is your vision of success? What will take you to make significant progress this year? How will you know you are successful? 

I would love to read or see the message you create.  Most importantly, let it inspire you to achieve new heights.  My fellow Americans, let's see what we can do.

Getting Important Stuff Done This Week

Ever struggle with getting the RIGHT things done?  Here's a quick coaching point to help you make sure you complete your most important tasks this week.  

Now let's review: 

• Have a planning time late on Sunday or FIRST thing Monday morning
• Determine what's important
• Schedule these activities on your calendar:

                 When you won't be interrupted
                 When your energy flow will match the work
                 When you have the tools at hand to complete the task


Hope you will share what results!

Time for an Edit?

Okay, so we have almost 70% of the selling year behind us. Let me ask you a painful question:  How are you doing with the goals that you set in January?   "Hmmmm," "ouch," and "let me get back to you on that one" - common answers in July.   Most of us have experienced some movement away from our intentions for the year.  I call that movement "drift".  Inspections, headaches, personal issues, and blown up deals all contribute to drift.  Drift can't be avoided, but we don't have to follow the riptide pull that can yank us away from achievement   

A few ideas to get you back on track and energized (not terrorized) about those written goals:

• Read your goals.  Instead of hiding your written goals (they MUST be written, otherwise you just have fluffy daydreams) at the bottom of your desk pile or in the back of the drawer, get them out and read them.  Think about why you set them, what has gone right and wrong, and where you are in relation to them.
• Determine what's possible from this point.   Make an honest assessment of which ones you can hit and which ones are unrealistic.  No blame necessary, just be honest with yourself. 
• Make a re-write. It happens all the time in Hollywood, why not on your MacBook?  You can change your goals for the year during the year.  You're not breaking any rules of sacred salesmanship.  Re-write so that you have goals that motivate rather that annoy.  The objective is to get moving again in the direction that YOU want to go.  
• Tell someone. Talk to your BIC, your coach, your spouse and a colleague in the office and let them know about your new goals and mid-year revisions. You will gain new insights and more energy from these discussions.  Accountability and reporting are powerful forces for getting things done.   The old management mantra rings true, "What gets measured, gets done."  

Who's Your Coach?

As you can see from this video, coaches can have a tremendous impact. In case you're not a sports fan, just search for John Wooden on the Internet if you want to know more about one of the greatest coaches of all time. It is a challenge to find a coach with whom you can work successfully, but it is critical to your success. Here are a few qualities to consider as you think about a business coach:

Experience: Have they been where I want to go?

Focus: It is hard to do, but a great coach will make the process totally about you. They are not trying to prove their ability as an instructor, but instead improving your ability as an agent.

Integrate the Whole: wise coaches understand that performance is not just connected to professional skills. Helping you identify the outside forces that limit and impact you is critical.

Intelligence: getting better is not always about working harder or even differently. Often the most limiting obstacles to sales people are in their minds.  Helping you identify and change thought patterns is essential.

Kareem's life was changed dramatically by his coach.  I hope you will both enjoy the same benefit and play the same role in the life of another. It can make all the difference in reaching a higher level of performance.

It Takes Two

Okay quick trivia, can you remember all these partnerships?:

• Bert & Ernie
• Sculley & Mulder
• Crockett & Tubbs
• Lucy and Ethel
• Frasier & Niles (my favorite)
• Andy & Barney
• Pinky & the Brain

They were all partnerships that succeeded in a variety of ways and formats.  Solving crime, surviving the ordeals of housewives, the complexities of brotherhood, and of course to rule the world - these are some of the issues that these couples explore on American television.
Like C&C Music Factory, I have come to believe that "it takes two to make a thing go right."  In real estate sales, we can benefit from a partnership, particularly one that involves accountability for goal performance.  Initiate and measure an accountability partner with these criteria:

• Intention - you both want the relationship in order to perform your prospecting activities and increase performance.
• Encouragement - who wants a grumpy partner? Make sure she is someone inspiring.
• Tough- they don't accept those lame excuses; we don't need another person to let us off the hook.
• Clarity - your goals are written, shared, and you both have deadlines for performance.
• Check in - you both agree on how and when you will monitor performance.
• Reward - what's all that hard work without some celebration?  Have a beer, enjoy some coffee, get your nails done, or go to the game. 

The great real estate partnership has yet to break through on a television series, but in the mean time, make sure you are part of a memorable one in your office.  I know I wouldn't have completed this post without the nudge of my own partner who kept me from loafing too much on the weekend.  Thanks, Bonnie ;)

The Best Time Zone

I did some recent reading that brought my attention to the three basic time zones.  Nope,  it's not eastern, central, and mountain.  We all share these three time zones: past, present, and future.  We are enormously influenced by each perspective, but we only control one: the present. 

You have probably heard that old expression, "be present".  It's a reminder to engage where you are, focus attention, and don't let the opportunity in front of you slip away.  Compare that with "be past" - thinking about mistakes, what could have been, or what could have gone differently.  Or consider "be future" - what I will be able to do when...., I intend to ..... , when I have this relationship I will .... .

Note the difference in the three time zones.  Its importnat to spend time in each of them, but make sure you are heavily invested in the present.  Today is what counts.  Now is when you really can make a difference.  This is the moment you control.  Here are a few questions you may want to consider to improve your presence in the present:

• What is my best opportunity of the current sixty minute block of time? 
• What can I do to have the greatest impact on the person or people in front of me right now?
• Am I investing my available energy in the current project in front of me?
• Is this where I truly need to be a right now?
• What do I need to do to perform with passion and excellence in this moment? 

Bringing your best to each activity generates success.  Success builds positive momentum.  Positive momentum leads to consistent achievements, and those achievements create the lifestyle of excellence.  Hope your engaged in it .... right now.  

That Guy's Good!

A few days ago I ran into one of the best salespeople I know.  I have worked with him for several years, know him personally, and I'm a client.  He doesn't sell real estate.  He sells a product and service that are much more difficult to move in a down market: custom clothing.  


You might think anyone in that industry would be moping, whining, and looking for different work in 2010.  Not this guy.  After a short conversation with a lot of questions on his techniques, he shared that his business is up 38% this year.  He optimistically, energetically, and positively told me, "But my goal is 41% and I'm going to get there."  In addition he knew exactly how many appointments he had this year (I believe it was 144), and he knows that he makes a sale on 85% of those appointments.   As you might expect, he is strong on service, knows his product upside down (literally), and makes everything easy for the client. 


I asked him how he performed so well.  His answer: "Stale water stinks."  That's what his  former boss taught him when he was starting.  Its a metaphor to teach us that we must always keep moving, making appointments, and adding people to our network.  We can't grow stale; we must learn, churn, and earn. 


What's the take away from this seasoned pro?

• The market doesn't define me or my ability to succeed.  I do.
• Know your numbers
• Meet everyone you can.  Concentrate on meeting the right people for your service. 
• Expect to succeed. 

His name is Greg Pittman.  I appreciate the visit and his inspiration.  By the way, he made another sale. 

Un-Stuck

Sometimes we have energetic intentions, but sluggish action.  Take for example those three key phone calls you have been sitting on for the past week :)  What can you do to get unstuck and back on the track of smooth progress.  Here's a few ideas to scrape the gum off your work shoes:
* Work in a different location: Park your car in front of favorite food place; when you've made ten calls, you get the reward.  If you're watching the calories, makes some calls from the park or another relaxing place.  Take your laptop to a different coffee shop. If you belong to a multi-office company, try one of the other sites.   Take that project that requires un-interrupted time to the nearest library branch.  
* Have a contest: get an office mate to share their own challenge.  Whoever completes the task first on a given day gets a free coffee, sandwich, or beer sponsored by the other dude. 
* Do it now: Just throw the calendar out, and decide to do it now.  Right now.  Everything stops until I get this one project done.  Sorry, junior, I will be late picking you up at school today OR I am going to work really quickly. Don't even read the rest of this post.
* Tell your manager, spouse, parent, or kids:  "Please contact me at 5 p.m. today and ask me if I completed this task."  Accountability does wonders. 


Now get busy. 

Laser Power

Real estate practice sometimes reminds me of a bunch of paper clips that enthusiastically escape their box. These clips scatter all across the table in random directions and patterns.  Chasing our activities as agents is a lot like collecting those scattered paper clips.  Every day our careful preparation gets scattered across our planners with the new leads, current demands, and last-minute details.  What we plan to get done, often goes undone. 

Rick Warren reminded me of the power of light this week (Day 3 of PDL).  It can be soft, diffused, and undetected.  But channel it to a polished glass, and we suddenly have laser power.  Same light but very different results.  Lasers cut steel, accurately target objects on earth from outer space, and make precise cuts in the human eye to restore sight.  Channeled light is extremely powerful.

Yesterday at our office meeting, we were discussing the influence of working together vs. flying solo.  We were reviewing our performance so far in 2010, and I brought out some discussion on what we could target for achievement by year's end.  The following conversation and contributions from each of our agents created a demonstrable and increased level of energy.  I left that meeting feeling very excited and enabled to achieve new things.  The cause?  We channeled our thoughts and commitments into a common goal.  We created a laser for our team.  It is absolutely clear what we need to do and what contribution each of us can make.

It's not quite a commercial grade laser, but let's consider the magnifying glass for getting our own light  harnessed this week.  Here are a few points to execute:

• Hold it Steady:  you have to know the target and keep your focus on it.  What's your goal?  Can you clearly and simply state it in a few words?  Take a few moments to write it down and put it in a place you often look.
•  Polish the Glass: every day there will be challenges that cloud the clarity of your vision.  Revisit the vision often.  I suggest three times a day reading the goal that you plan to achieve.  Bringing it to conscious level channels the energy you will need to achieve it. 
• Intensify the Goal: one way to accomplish this is by sharing your goal with other people.  Discuss it with your spouse, review it with your manager, and let some of your colleagues know.  It may feel awkward, but that extra attention draws more light to fire through your glass.  

Look Ahead

The other morning I awoke to distant grumbling and the feel of vibrations in the framing of our home.  Thankfully it wasn't large termites, but it was the sound of construction on I540 in SW Apex.  When the D.O.T. comes through, they come through.  The site near my home looks a lot like the first picture in this blog.  As I was reflecting, I thought this was a pretty good metaphor of an agent's typical work day.  Activity going in every direction.  Return the calls, read the e-mails, catch the inspector, and get out some marketing. Scramble, scramble, scramble.  

However, there is another view of the work.  I symbolize it in the second image here.  It is the map of the same road in western Wake County.  Maps help us see a perspective that is beyond our immediate vista.  They give us the big picture.  Here's the application:  Make sure you consider both the ground work and the aerial view. As we enter the second half of 2010, take a some time this week to consider where you are now and what you want accomplished by December 31st.  Carve out an hour to ask yourself what's working, what needs adjusting, and how to move from the demands of today to the primary objectives you set for this year.  Write your answers on paper, and consider three activities you can do to adjust your course. Write those down, too.  If you do, you will build a much better road to your achievements. 

Sink

Yoga continues to be a great exercise for me and a source of laughter. I really am not that good at it. I struggle with the poses, I struggle with staying in synch with my classmates, and I really struggle with keeping my balance. Yes, I have managed to fall off my floor level mat a few times. Regardless, I find that I love yoga. I am sore and tired after class, but it is the good fatigue that comes from making a genuine effort. I never knew you could work your muscles so hard from a series of a poses. I am doing something very different from my previous routines, and so my body reacts.

One of my current lessons from yoga is the word "practice." Yoga is not a sport at which we compete against others or the clock. It is a journey, a discovery, and a process. Therefore, we practice. Each session is a lesson with my body, and often the biggest challenge is the cerebral "muscle." For example, the lizard pose. When my instructor, David, first introduced me to this position, my initial reaction was "Huh?" followed by a sarcastic, "Yeah, right!" While most of my classmates could drop their forearms and their foreheads to the mat, I was struggling to just get balance with my arms extended and hands placed on the floor. But then a great insight came from my instructor, "With each exhale, let your body sink into the pose." Those words became my door from a trapped room. I began to make progress by sinking into the pose. When I find a difficult posture, I remain where I am and wait for my breathing to relax my body. Each breath allows me to sink into the pose a little bit farther. I have a long way to go to imitate the Lizard, but I continue to sink into it.

As we make your way into January, and find a bit of the new year's trail already behind us, it's easy to start releasing all the goals we set just a few weeks ago. Maybe we have missed a deadline or two already ( I know I have) and some frustration is beginning to irritate the spirit. Here's a suggestion, find a way to reset your intentions on that goal. Sink into it. Each day give your self a few minutes to address how you can ACT toward that achievement.  

• What can I do today to make sure that I protect my prospecting time?
• How can I make sure that I am on time for my family commitments?
• What steps can I take toward engaging my prospect to make a decision this afternoon?  

These are questions that help us settle into the goals that really matter in building the business. Changes are difficult. They stretch us, often like a yoga pose. When you meet the resistance, realize it is a sign of progress and allow yourself a few moments to sink deeper into the position of success. Practice.