I love January! It celebrates the beginning of a New Year and can also be a new beginning or a restart for those who need it. We all need it from time to time, but I seem to need it more often than others. It just seems easier to start something new in January than at any other time of year—I think the “voice” in my brain that some may call my subconscious mind is easier to work with in January. This blog is written with the hope that it will stir up your “voice” with some activities to ensure that 2012 is one of your BEST YEARS EVER!
1. Goal List. Don’t make it complicated; just make a list. Here are seven categories to think about: Health, Family, Professional, Personal, Yearly Income, Monthly Sales, and Listings—and since it’s your list, you can include anything and everything, from walking for 20 minutes a day to going to Australia! They are your goals; do them any way you want, but put them in writing so you are inspired to just DO IT.
2. Have a Planning Instrument. I use three planning instruments, and none of them are Read the rest of this entry »
The Wisdom
All of us have talent, but none of us have sufficient innate talent to continuously perform at the top level, in real estate or any field. The top salespeople in an office, a state, or a large real estate company all had a certain amount of talent on Day 1, but the talent that took them to the top was developed after they arrived. This blog was written to draw attention to the fact that “Be Prepared” is more that just a Boy Scout motto; it’s the motto of all Top Achievers in any field of endeavor.
The term Top Achiever does not necessarily refer to those people who get the most recognition or have the most designations or awards. It refers to those people who do the right thing and do it well most of the time. These are the people who, regardless of the market or the conditions they face, always seem to find a way be at or near the top. The reason for this performance? They spend time practicing their skills and learning new techniques.
I’ll never forget the time when I was a young, aspiring CRS instructor teaching a CRS class with an excellent senior instructor from California. I was doing a Read the rest of this entry »
The good thing about December 31, 2011 is that it marks the end of this year—for better or worse. There are some things about this year I’m ready to leave behind and some things I want to move forward with me. The genesis of this blog, “Money Making Possibilities for 2012,” was the recurring question I have many times a day: “What am I going to do new in 2012, and what am I going to quit doing?” The answer becomes the essence of a workable, doable business plan.
Almost every major accomplishment in your business or in your life begins with a thought in your mind. We all know that a key to thinking is knowing, so by putting yourself in a perpetual “learning mode” it’s possible to be in a perpetual thinking mode. As I have said far too many times in previous posts, “In order to do something new, it’s necessary to first learn something new.” In order to get that business plan up and running, you need to start thinking, which means you need to start learning. Therefore, this blog is written to give you something new to think about, with the hope that 2012 will be a PHENOMENAL year for you and your business. Remember, it all starts with a thought!!!
2012: “The Year of Possibilities”
Possibility #1: First Time Homebuyers. NAR research reports that 50% of homes sold in the past 12 months were purchased by first-time buyers. How would it be possible to ignore this as a main source of new sales?!? Most of these buyers are renters who, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, spend 53% of their gross income on rent. A proactive program to find, inform, and sell these prospects could be the pathway to more sales, higher profits, less worry, and PHENOMENAL POSSIBILITIES!
Possibility #2: Distressed Properties. Finally, some lenders and government agencies are coming to the realization that selling houses “short” may be the key to reducing the number of foreclosures. Every indication is that these types of offerings will continue to be a significant segment of SOLD properties; in fact, it’s forecasted that Read the rest of this entry »