Provided By Old Republic Home Protection
A client recently asked me how I would define confidence. I paused for a moment and replied, “Confidence is the inner knowing that you can achieve whatever you want.” What is your definition of confidence? In my 30 years of coaching people to be successful, I have found that at the core of everything is confidence. Call it a belief in yourself or whatever you want; there is no sense in creating a marketing plan without it. Confidence is not necessarily something you are born with; rather, like a muscle, it is developed over time with practice.
Here are seven tips to help you gain more confidence.
Tip 1: Focus on what you want. Where do you put your focus most of the time? Here's a hint: if you feel happy, grateful and hopeful, then you're probably putting your attention on what you want. If you're feeling discouraged, depressed or anxious, then you're focusing on what you don't want. One of my clients recently discussed her increasing feelings of anxiety as she was working with her clients in selling their house. When I asked her what she was focusing on, she admitted that she had been thinking about the possible failure of the transaction. When she changed her perspective and focused on the transaction closing, her feelings immediately changed into hope.
Whenever you find yourself focusing on what you don't want, ask yourself, “What do I want?” Most likely you'll choose positive thoughts, images and feelings as you focus on your desired outcome. Not only will this brighten your mood and give you more confidence, but also, it will increase the likelihood that the deal will close.
Tip 2: Tame your inner gremlin. Have you ever noticed that there is a part of you that picks on you, beats you up, expects you to be perfect and is very hard on you if you make a mistake? That voice is called your inner gremlin, also known as your inner critic, or inner judge.
We all have one. The question is whether it's running you or whether you are running it. Does it have power over you? Your inner gremlin only has the power that you give it. Stop listening to it and over time, it will be tamed.
Here's a simple technique to tame your inner gremlin: Interrupt the pattern of negative thoughts by saying to yourself, “stop.” Next, take a deep breath. Finally, use this opportunity to put in a positive new thought. For example, if your old thought was, “I don't have what it takes to succeed,” stop it, breathe, and put in your new thought, “I have all the resources I need to succeed.”
Tip 3: Clear your inner conflicts. Most of my clients often don't recognize their inner conflicts, but conflicts become revealed by recognizing resistance. How many times have you told yourself, “I need to get on the phone and call my sphere of influence,” and then you don't do it? That's a typical example of an inner conflict. In this example, one part of you is saying, “Make the calls,” and the other part of you is saying, “I don't want to intrude. I don't want them to think I am soliciting.” The reasons for the conflict could go on and on.
Whenever you find yourself in resistance and you can't force yourself to do something about it, try a little introspection to identify the voices in your head that are in conflict, then assume the role of the mediator. Just as you mediate in your business between two or more people, do the same within yourself and find a solution that pleases both sides of the conflict.
Tip 4: Create a successful future self. Often when I work with a client who needs more confidence, I help her create a successful “future self.” She visualizes what she is going to look like in the future, having accomplished her goals. Then she practices what it feels like to be that future self. As she sinks deeply into the feelings of accomplishment, contentment and confidence, she is creating an inspiring vision.
You can be in business either pushing yourself to succeed, which creates “burnout,” or you can allow yourself to be pulled toward success by a vision. Creating your future self is one way to have a vision. Perhaps you can picture your future self on your dream vacation.
To reinforce this idea of a successful future self, make a collage. Get several magazines and take out photos that inspire you, photos that you'd like to see happen in your future. See yourself having outlets for all the money you'll be making.
Tip 5: Only engage in interactions that are win/win. How many times have you gone into a situation with a prospective client while a voice in your head was saying something like, “Don't do it; this doesn't feel right.”
Trust your hunches. If you have doubts about a client or a situation, most likely you're right. I've had dozens of clients who are recovering from burnout because they forgot to ask themselves one thing, “Is this going to be a win/win?” According to Dr. Steven Covey, it's either win/win or no deal. The next time your gut feelings are telling you to back out, listen to them. It's better to back out in the beginning than to get involved in a situation from which you can't back out later.
Tip 6: Practice extreme self care and self maintenance. Think about it for a moment. What is your most valuable asset? Is it your home or your car? No, it's your health. Yet I see so many people who try to be successful but then neglect their basic physical needs for rest, sleep and healthy foods. Remember, you are your business. Your most important asset is you, your health and your personal production capacity. The healthier you are, the more energy you'll have and the more you'll produce. What are the areas you need to improve in self maintenance?
Dr. Steven Covey talks about “sharpening the saw.” He recommends taking an hour a day for making sure your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs are met. Maybe taking an hour a day is beyond your reach at the moment. What small steps can you take to improve your energy level and vitality?
Tip 7: Know that what you have to offer is valuable. Effective marketing is based on the idea that you know your services are valuable and you are willing to communicate that in the marketplace on a consistent basis. How valuable are your services? What is your unique selling point? What do people get when they work with you that they can't get anywhere else?
When someone asks you what you do, what do you say? Let me demonstrate a “so-so” response compared to a response that will get someone's attention. Suppose you're a real estate agent and someone says, “So, what do you do?” A “so-so” answer would be, “I am a real estate agent with __________ company.”
Compare that to this. Someone asks you what you do and you say, “Well, you know how people get stressed out when they are buying or selling a home? Well, I take care of all the details and make sure the process goes smoothly so that my clients can relax. I am a real estate agent with __________ company.” Which real estate agent would you like to work with?
Remember, this kind of answer will only work if you totally believe in yourself and know your services are valuable.
There are many aspects to becoming more successful. These seven powerful tips are just the beginning. Before you create your next marketing plan, check inside and take a reading of your confidence level. If it needs a boost, be sure to take care of that before you do anything else. When you are overflowing with confidence, that's the time to get out there and start marketing.
Showing posts with label old republic home protection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label old republic home protection. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Attitude and Expectations
Written By Dirk Zeller
Provided By Becca Rivera with Old Republic
There are two key words that lead to success in life. These words control the successful outcome of your business, marriage, and many other areas of life. Although you may have incredible talent and skill in life, you will fail if you do not master these two words - and vice versa. Even if you have only limited talent and skill, you will win if you live by them. These two words determine your future. They are attitude and expectation.
If you have a positive, forward-looking attitude, you will accomplish great things. How is your attitude? Does it need an improvement? Are you positive and upbeat? If you have the attitude that every challenge or obstacle leads to new opportunity, success is all but guaranteed. Thomas Edison was said to have worked on creating the electric light bulb because darkness interfered with his ability to conduct further experiments. He wanted to be able to work long into the night. Edison could have moaned about the darkness - though that would not have done any good. He used his attitude and solved the problem of darkness. There are thousands of examples in life of how some people took lemons and, with a great attitude, made lemonade.
Start building your attitude today. Convince yourself that you are the best Real Estate Agent anyone could hire. You have to be convinced of this yourself before anyone else will be convinced. The attitude you bring when faced with objections will help you handle them and get the contract signed. The attitude that you take when you have a problem transaction will make the difference between a closing and a deal falling by the wayside.
One technique that can improve your attitude is using affirmations. Affirmations drive positive mental pictures into your subconscious mind. Create affirmations like:
I am a great Salesperson.
I am skilled at handling objections and getting the contract signed.
People do business with me because I am positive, knowledgeable, and professional.
I earn ________ (you fill the blank) each year.
I am a great spouse.
Use these affirmations each day (or create your own) to improve your mental attitude.
The second power word is expectation. If you don't expect to win, you will not win. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.” If you go on a listing appointment and expect to take it at your price and commission, you will. If you go expecting a fight on commission and price, you will receive that instead. Set the positive expectation of success before an appointment and before every call you make. Expectation is the gateway to confidence. The first step to having unshakeable confidence is to believe that you are the Real Estate Agent for the job. If your expectation is strong enough, people will come around to your way of thinking. You just need to have a stronger will and mental focus than your clients, prospects, and other Agents. A perfect example is Henry Ford.
Many years ago, Ford went to his engineers and told them to build a V-8 engine. They said it could not be done. Ford plainly told them to go do it and report back in 90 days. When the 90 days were up, they reported back to Ford. They had spent the whole 90 days figuring out why building a V-8 engine was impossible. In the meeting with Ford, they spent their time trying to convince him it could not be done; a V-8 engine was impossible and could never be created. Ford's attitude and expectation of a V-8 engine was stronger than the engineers' attitude and expectation that it could not be done. We all know who won in the end.
Your expectation will create your reality. You have to expect before you can receive. You need to expect the people and situations that will enable you to create the future you desire. Expectation does not mean you don't have to work. You will work harder than before to develop the outcome you desire. The expectation takes away the fear of failure. Don't be paralyzed by the fear of failure. Failure is a natural part of success. You cannot have success without failure. It's truly a masterful design. The exhilaration of success would be lost without the frustration of failure. Most people forget their failures over time and only remember their victories. Take Babe Ruth as an example; he hit the most home runs of his time. He also had the most strikeouts. No one remembers that...only the home runs...the successes.
Set your attitude to “positive.” Look for the opportunities in every situation. Expect to win...every time.
Vince Lombardi had a famous saying:
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in awhile, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”
Lombardi had the right attitude and the right expectation. He believed they would win...every time.
Provided By Becca Rivera with Old Republic
There are two key words that lead to success in life. These words control the successful outcome of your business, marriage, and many other areas of life. Although you may have incredible talent and skill in life, you will fail if you do not master these two words - and vice versa. Even if you have only limited talent and skill, you will win if you live by them. These two words determine your future. They are attitude and expectation.
If you have a positive, forward-looking attitude, you will accomplish great things. How is your attitude? Does it need an improvement? Are you positive and upbeat? If you have the attitude that every challenge or obstacle leads to new opportunity, success is all but guaranteed. Thomas Edison was said to have worked on creating the electric light bulb because darkness interfered with his ability to conduct further experiments. He wanted to be able to work long into the night. Edison could have moaned about the darkness - though that would not have done any good. He used his attitude and solved the problem of darkness. There are thousands of examples in life of how some people took lemons and, with a great attitude, made lemonade.
Start building your attitude today. Convince yourself that you are the best Real Estate Agent anyone could hire. You have to be convinced of this yourself before anyone else will be convinced. The attitude you bring when faced with objections will help you handle them and get the contract signed. The attitude that you take when you have a problem transaction will make the difference between a closing and a deal falling by the wayside.
One technique that can improve your attitude is using affirmations. Affirmations drive positive mental pictures into your subconscious mind. Create affirmations like:
I am a great Salesperson.
I am skilled at handling objections and getting the contract signed.
People do business with me because I am positive, knowledgeable, and professional.
I earn ________ (you fill the blank) each year.
I am a great spouse.
Use these affirmations each day (or create your own) to improve your mental attitude.
The second power word is expectation. If you don't expect to win, you will not win. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.” If you go on a listing appointment and expect to take it at your price and commission, you will. If you go expecting a fight on commission and price, you will receive that instead. Set the positive expectation of success before an appointment and before every call you make. Expectation is the gateway to confidence. The first step to having unshakeable confidence is to believe that you are the Real Estate Agent for the job. If your expectation is strong enough, people will come around to your way of thinking. You just need to have a stronger will and mental focus than your clients, prospects, and other Agents. A perfect example is Henry Ford.
Many years ago, Ford went to his engineers and told them to build a V-8 engine. They said it could not be done. Ford plainly told them to go do it and report back in 90 days. When the 90 days were up, they reported back to Ford. They had spent the whole 90 days figuring out why building a V-8 engine was impossible. In the meeting with Ford, they spent their time trying to convince him it could not be done; a V-8 engine was impossible and could never be created. Ford's attitude and expectation of a V-8 engine was stronger than the engineers' attitude and expectation that it could not be done. We all know who won in the end.
Your expectation will create your reality. You have to expect before you can receive. You need to expect the people and situations that will enable you to create the future you desire. Expectation does not mean you don't have to work. You will work harder than before to develop the outcome you desire. The expectation takes away the fear of failure. Don't be paralyzed by the fear of failure. Failure is a natural part of success. You cannot have success without failure. It's truly a masterful design. The exhilaration of success would be lost without the frustration of failure. Most people forget their failures over time and only remember their victories. Take Babe Ruth as an example; he hit the most home runs of his time. He also had the most strikeouts. No one remembers that...only the home runs...the successes.
Set your attitude to “positive.” Look for the opportunities in every situation. Expect to win...every time.
Vince Lombardi had a famous saying:
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in awhile, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”
Lombardi had the right attitude and the right expectation. He believed they would win...every time.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Automating Your Updates
Written By Joseph Bridges
Provided By Susan Holt, Old Republic Home Protection
Consistently updating your social networking with interest-piquing posts is a sure-fire way to grow your network with motivated clients who want to do business.
Far too often, as we get busy with daily activities from meeting new customers to putting out fires, it can be a challenge to consistently update your network with valuable information.
Keeping your social network growing and craving information is essential to success. The best way to do this is by automating your updates.
With automation you can stay in the conversation even while you are at an office meeting, broker tour, or at a listing appointment. One of the most powerful tools for automating your status updates is the free tool of FutureTweets (http://www.futuretweets.com/). With this program you can schedule out all of your updates for the month in minutes.
We invite you to consider the following key methods when automating your updates to get the most value from FutureTweets.
Time of Updates - Don't schedule all of your updates to be released at the same time. Put some variety in place by having some be released at 8:32 a.m., 8:15 a.m., etc., as the point is for it to appear that you are doing the updates yourself.
Ask Questions in Your Updates - When you ask questions in your updates your network will feel compelled to respond. Questions will get the most active people in your network to engage in conversation.
Schedule out at least a week - The point of automating your updates is to give you leverage. Scheduling out a minimum of one week at a time will free your time up from daily updates and let you see your network grow.
Automating your network is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to get more from your social networking activities.
Provided By Susan Holt, Old Republic Home Protection
Consistently updating your social networking with interest-piquing posts is a sure-fire way to grow your network with motivated clients who want to do business.
Far too often, as we get busy with daily activities from meeting new customers to putting out fires, it can be a challenge to consistently update your network with valuable information.
Keeping your social network growing and craving information is essential to success. The best way to do this is by automating your updates.
With automation you can stay in the conversation even while you are at an office meeting, broker tour, or at a listing appointment. One of the most powerful tools for automating your status updates is the free tool of FutureTweets (http://www.futuretweets.com/). With this program you can schedule out all of your updates for the month in minutes.
We invite you to consider the following key methods when automating your updates to get the most value from FutureTweets.
Time of Updates - Don't schedule all of your updates to be released at the same time. Put some variety in place by having some be released at 8:32 a.m., 8:15 a.m., etc., as the point is for it to appear that you are doing the updates yourself.
Ask Questions in Your Updates - When you ask questions in your updates your network will feel compelled to respond. Questions will get the most active people in your network to engage in conversation.
Schedule out at least a week - The point of automating your updates is to give you leverage. Scheduling out a minimum of one week at a time will free your time up from daily updates and let you see your network grow.
Automating your network is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to get more from your social networking activities.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
How to Choose the Right Real Estate Coach
Written By: Dana Lerner
Provided By: Old Republic Home Protection Co. Inc.
“Coaching Agents Through Today's Market”
Want to have a profitable 2010? Choose the right real estate coach! An effective coach guides, inspires, trains and empowers you in a way that gets results!
Today's real estate market is different and to succeed profitably in this sales business, you are going to need something more than a 1970's approach to training; more than learning how to prospect, how to generate leads, how to memorize scripts, how to compile a mailing list for direct-mail postcards and “forget-me-not” seeds.
What kind of real estate training do you need? When evaluating a coaching program, consider the following issues:
Amount of Time per Week - Is 30 minutes a week enough? Perhaps I need more time.
Real World Solutions - Skills that are effective for today's clients vs. traditional sales techniques.
Practice Time - How much situational role-playing can I do with the coach instead of a peer?
Personalized Interest and Attention - Can we follow MY agenda or must I follow the coach's prescribed agenda?
Empowering and Effective Skills - Ones that make a difference in the outcome - so I can turn a “lead” into a paycheck.
Interest in Me - I want the coach to have a vested interest in me; I don't want to just be another call to fill a coaching schedule.
Business Systems that Work - To truly make my use of time efficient and my business run smoothly.
Mindset Effectiveness - More than just affirmations and an “atta boy” pat on the back.
Market Knowledge - To help me interpret my local market and understand what that means for my Sellers and Buyers so I can help them make the best financial decision to stay ahead of the trend.
Environment of Success - The opportunity to interact and brainstorm with others under the guidance of my coach.
No Long Term Contract - Month-to-month option - the content and results should keep you involved, rather than being ensnared in an expensive long-term contract.
Find a coaching system that works and shows you exactly how to make more sales in this challenging real estate market. The right real estate coach will train and empower you to generate income and help others competently and confidently. You can actually have the life you got into this real estate profession to have!
Provided By: Old Republic Home Protection Co. Inc.
“Coaching Agents Through Today's Market”
Want to have a profitable 2010? Choose the right real estate coach! An effective coach guides, inspires, trains and empowers you in a way that gets results!
Today's real estate market is different and to succeed profitably in this sales business, you are going to need something more than a 1970's approach to training; more than learning how to prospect, how to generate leads, how to memorize scripts, how to compile a mailing list for direct-mail postcards and “forget-me-not” seeds.
What kind of real estate training do you need? When evaluating a coaching program, consider the following issues:
Amount of Time per Week - Is 30 minutes a week enough? Perhaps I need more time.
Real World Solutions - Skills that are effective for today's clients vs. traditional sales techniques.
Practice Time - How much situational role-playing can I do with the coach instead of a peer?
Personalized Interest and Attention - Can we follow MY agenda or must I follow the coach's prescribed agenda?
Empowering and Effective Skills - Ones that make a difference in the outcome - so I can turn a “lead” into a paycheck.
Interest in Me - I want the coach to have a vested interest in me; I don't want to just be another call to fill a coaching schedule.
Business Systems that Work - To truly make my use of time efficient and my business run smoothly.
Mindset Effectiveness - More than just affirmations and an “atta boy” pat on the back.
Market Knowledge - To help me interpret my local market and understand what that means for my Sellers and Buyers so I can help them make the best financial decision to stay ahead of the trend.
Environment of Success - The opportunity to interact and brainstorm with others under the guidance of my coach.
No Long Term Contract - Month-to-month option - the content and results should keep you involved, rather than being ensnared in an expensive long-term contract.
Find a coaching system that works and shows you exactly how to make more sales in this challenging real estate market. The right real estate coach will train and empower you to generate income and help others competently and confidently. You can actually have the life you got into this real estate profession to have!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Seven Steps to Make It Easier for You to Be Resilient
Written By: Dr. Maya Bailey
Provided By: Old Republic Home Protection Co. Inc.
Did you know that every successful professional has one thing in common? They all possess a strong level of emotional resilience. Were they born with it? No, in most cases they learned it as a skill necessary for survival in business.
What is emotional resilience?:
It is the ability to quickly return to a state of poise, confidence and ease no matter what curves are thrown your way.
Here are seven steps to gaining emotional resilience:
1. Have a high level of belief in yourself:
Know that whatever happens, you are offering something to the marketplace that is extremely valuable. Know your uniqueness and communicate it clearly.
2. Have solid boundaries:
You don't need emotional walls in business but you do need to set and maintain solid boundaries. This especially includes the ability to say “no.”
3. Always go for a win/win:
Give yourself permission to know what you want and go for it. Make sure it is a win/win. Rule of thumb: If the interaction is not going to be a win/win, refuse to be involved in it.
4. Keep an attitude of high intentions and low attachment:
When you're in negotiation, you need to be strong and assertive with a high intention to succeed. It may sound paradoxical but you must be detached from the outcome, knowing that you did your best.
5. Remain focused on the task and keep your emotions in check:
In your personal life, live it up! Have a ball! Allow yourself to laugh, cry and get angry. It's good for your soul. In your business life, however, keep cool and keep your emotions in check. This will make it easier for you to attend to the task at hand.
6. Stop trying to make your clients into your friends:
If you really want to be emotionally resilient, don't create dual relationships. They tempt you to get emotionally involved and then take everything personally. To be resilient, you need to stay impersonal, centered and calm.
7. Create positive self-talk:
Don't let your Inner Critic run the show. Develop the voice of your Inner Ally so that you are always tuned into positive self-talk. You'll hear statements like: “Good Job” or “Don't sweat the small stuff.”
How good are you at keeping your Inner Critic at bay and filling your mind with positive self-talk like “I'm proud of myself for...?”
Provided By: Old Republic Home Protection Co. Inc.
Did you know that every successful professional has one thing in common? They all possess a strong level of emotional resilience. Were they born with it? No, in most cases they learned it as a skill necessary for survival in business.
What is emotional resilience?:
It is the ability to quickly return to a state of poise, confidence and ease no matter what curves are thrown your way.
Here are seven steps to gaining emotional resilience:
1. Have a high level of belief in yourself:
Know that whatever happens, you are offering something to the marketplace that is extremely valuable. Know your uniqueness and communicate it clearly.
2. Have solid boundaries:
You don't need emotional walls in business but you do need to set and maintain solid boundaries. This especially includes the ability to say “no.”
3. Always go for a win/win:
Give yourself permission to know what you want and go for it. Make sure it is a win/win. Rule of thumb: If the interaction is not going to be a win/win, refuse to be involved in it.
4. Keep an attitude of high intentions and low attachment:
When you're in negotiation, you need to be strong and assertive with a high intention to succeed. It may sound paradoxical but you must be detached from the outcome, knowing that you did your best.
5. Remain focused on the task and keep your emotions in check:
In your personal life, live it up! Have a ball! Allow yourself to laugh, cry and get angry. It's good for your soul. In your business life, however, keep cool and keep your emotions in check. This will make it easier for you to attend to the task at hand.
6. Stop trying to make your clients into your friends:
If you really want to be emotionally resilient, don't create dual relationships. They tempt you to get emotionally involved and then take everything personally. To be resilient, you need to stay impersonal, centered and calm.
7. Create positive self-talk:
Don't let your Inner Critic run the show. Develop the voice of your Inner Ally so that you are always tuned into positive self-talk. You'll hear statements like: “Good Job” or “Don't sweat the small stuff.”
How good are you at keeping your Inner Critic at bay and filling your mind with positive self-talk like “I'm proud of myself for...?”
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