If you're going to eat it, don't nibble

At some point, you're going to have to jump in. Business is tough. It's tougher when you're not committed to success. What's holding you back? Fear? Lack of plan?

As a trainer I get to meet a lot of people. They're all different with different learning styles. Beside how they learn, they're all the same. All people come to training with their own dreams and desires. Some people, however, go beyond dreaming. They have their dreams and desires organized as specific goals and some don't. It sounds tedious to the dreamer but it's essential. Taking defined goals and creating steps and action plans to achieve dreams is critical to success.

It's funny though, successful people not only know what they want and have a plan to get it they all have pulled the trigger. They're living the dream. They're doing what it takes to achieve their goals by implementing their plans.

Do you have your goals and plans? It sounds like you're ready. Quit nibbling and take a big bite! You'll be glad you did.

Real Estate Reading List for 2012

With a new year comes a challenge and an endeavor to improve both in knowledge and in skill. My reading list never seems to shrink. As i finish one book I seem to add another two to the pile. What is on your list for 2012?

• Linchpin Seth Godin
• Raving Fans Ken Blanchard
• Trust Agents Chris Brogan
• Tribes Seth Godin
• The Real Book of Real Estate Robert Kiyosaki
• The Millionaire Real Estate Agent Gary Keller
• Unselling: Sell Less to Win More Peter Bourke
• The Law of Success Napoleon Hill
• Google + for Business Chris Brogan
• The Thank You Economy Gary Vaynerchuk

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Ready, Set, JUMP!

Being cautious and looking at a problem from all sides is a great business practice. Business plans should include intricate details about marketing and product development. After careful analysis, however, sometimes you just have to take a running start and jump in! Don't forget to make as big of a splash as you can!

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That's not my mountain. Mine's over here!

My Big Ah Ha: I can't measure my life unless I use my measuring stick.

Social media and the internet in general has made it much easier to see what our friends are doing literally all the time. Mine, just so you know, are doing some pretty incredible things. Two are on cruises, while a couple more are in Florida on vacation. I'm here at home. For Christmas I put in a new cooktop. It took me two days. I spent Christmas at home like always trying to keep my kids in bed until it got light out (like always). My mom and dad, sister and brother in law came over. Jerry brought coffee and my mom made french toast. Lisa and I supplied the early rising kids and the pozole on Christmas Eve. Christmas dinner was at my sister's house like it always is. Her dinner surpassed the feast she prepared last year which was the best ever. The wine we chose on our annual pre-Christmas Spec's run was perfect. We played dominoes. As perfect as that all sounds, I have felt more than a little unsatisfied of late. We didn't spend Christmas in a beautiful cabin in the mountains, we weren't on the beach some place sunny and warm. No exotic backpack trips!

Then something dawned on me, those weren't my goals. I hadn't aimed at those peaks and I definitely hadn't reached them! Instead, I had plotted a different course this year. My mountains had other names: Mt. Training Job, Merit Badge Counselor Summit, Hill Country Peak. I bagged all of those and more this year. Sitting in my alpine meadow, the view below looks pretty good. I can see part of the route I took to get here. Some of it I hope I never have to cross again. Some areas I hope to visit frequently or plan to visit similar places. Turning back around, I can see the new summits ahead. some I'll never ascend and I'm ok with that. They aren't my mountains. Mine have names like Davis Mountains.

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20 Stress Management Tips for Peak Performance

The long-term affects of prolonged stress are accumulative and can be physically and mentally damaging over time. Stress manifests in the body as TMJ / teeth grinding, tension headaches, neck / shoulder pain and lower back pain. Here are several practical ideas that you can use to help you dramatically reduce your stress level and live a much more productive life. Remember, take care of yourself so you can be the best for your clients.

1. Get plenty of sleep.
2. Eat balanced meals and avoid eating junk food.
3. Drink plenty of water and avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine and other stimulants.
4. Avoid drinking alcohol in excess.
5. Learn to make decisions quickly and let go of the need to over-analyze everything.
6. Express your feelings appropriately and don’t bottle up your emotions.
7. Avoid trying for perfection and don’t sweat the small stuff.
8. Maintain a positive mental attitude by utilizing affirmative “self-talk.”
9. Stop worrying so much and look at situations more optimistically.
10. Smile and laugh frequently throughout the day, don’t take yourself so seriously.
11. Mix leisure with work: take breaks and get away when you can.
12. Make a point to spend quality time with your friends and family.
13. Become more tolerant and don’t be overly critical of yourself or others.
14. Always be kind and gentle with yourself.
15. Listen to upbeat music or watch your favorite movie.
16. Exercise for cardiovascular fitness three to four times a week.
17. Set written goals, plan your time and prioritize your activates.
18. Keep list of “things to do” and stay focused on short-term accomplishments.
19. Get a massage or take a warm bath.
20. Do something nice for someone else.

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Setting goals gives you a roadmap to success

The second part of Jim Rohn's discussion with Vic Johnson of Goals 2 Go about goal setting is below. Jim hits home with explaining why listing goals, both short term and long term, is necessary. Simply put, crossing something off your list everyday makes you feel good.

Having daily goals and clearly understanding what you will do each day helps you become effective in both your business and personal life. Don't go to bed without tomorrow's list done!

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You can't hit a your target if you don't know what it is

Setting goals is like going to the dentist. Everyone has to do it but most people don't like it. So, we put it off as long as we can....sometimes years. If you can afford to do that, I guess it's ok. If your career and financial stabilty is dependent on your goals, then it's not!

Jim Rohn, on more than one occassion had a few things to say about goals. Watch part one of Mr.Rohn's interview with Vic Johnson of Goals 2 Go entitled, "Becoming the person you need to be to achieve your goals."

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How you succeed depends on what you're willing to learn

Jim Rohn called Self Development "Working harder on yourself than you do on your job."

Mr. Rohn shared a story told to him by Earl Schoaff: "To be successful you must have an appetite for learning. Pursue learning in a manner in which it will help you to grow and change. Become a real searcher for knowledge. What you think about is like the sail on the sailboat. No matter how the wind blows, if you’ve got a place you want to go, you can’t arrive there by cursing the contrary wind. You arrive there by adjusting your sail. That’s your thinking, your ideas, and information. If you are short on that, it will cause you difficulty in the future."

When setting goals, more often than not, you'll have to overcome a obstacle in order to achieve your goal. Usually that requires meeting new people or learning new information. Embrace this challenge enthusiastically by listing the hurdles you'll need to overcome to be successful in reaching your desired outcome. These smaller successes will lead you toward your ultimate goal.

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Her Only Bad Habit is Me

So the song by England Tyler goes.
Habits are hard to start, or stop. I'm really bad about them, ask my wife. But I have started the evening habit of watching less TV and reading more. I am continuing my education and talking with my wife more.

After staying in her room, doing nothing, feeling depressed, a teenager shares her story of developing a good habit in an article in Success Magazine, David Lee, August, 2010.

"Complaining the entire walk, Emily reluctantly followed her mom through the neighborhood. But by the time they got home, she was actually starting to feel better. “I felt as if a ton of bricks had been lifted from my heart,” Emily said. “I didn’t know how to handle it.”

Emily had been depressed for so long she didn’t know how to be happy. The bad habit of isolating herself from others was hard to shake. Still, that walk made her life almost feel right again. Soon she started walking her dog every week. As spring bloomed, she discovered different fields and paths to follow on her walks that were filled with flowers. Before she knew it, Emily had developed a healthy habit of walking. And she loved it."

What Happy Habit are you doing?
What can you start or stop doing? It's easier to replace a habit, than just stop it. Are you blogging for 20 minutes in the evening? How much TV do you watch? Are you reading a book every evening to learn about your industry? Are YOU walking every day in the sunshine?

What Happy Habit are you going to start tomorrow?

What’s your Social Marketing Plan?

I’ve got a Facebook account with two different business pages, a Twitter account that I use every day, a LinkedIn account that with a network that is growing in size literally every day, my own Youtube channel, two blogs, and a Flick’r account. How am I using this amass of social media sites to make money? Does any of this sound familiar?

I talk to a lot of people who were told they could generate income for their business if they had a Facebook account. Now, granted they have had a bunch of fun playing games and getting caught up with people they have talked to since college but the only thing they really have to show for it is a lot of nostalgia. Friends are great, don’t get me wrong, but most of the people I’ve talked to about this say the same thing, “I haven’t gained any business from all this. In fact, I’ve used a lot of time with nothing to show for it.”

Emily Soares Proctor in Social Media Examiner gives 5 easy steps to a winning social media plan including Find your Audience. Let's look at how to create a social media marketing plan strating with finding our audience.

Find Your Target Audience
Before venturing any further into social media marketing, you’ll have to identify your brand. Jeremiah Owyang details two types of brand: personal brand and career brand. Emily Soares Proctor asks, in personal branding, “what unique aspect of your product or service attracts your target population?” She follows up with a great career branding question too. “What do your readers want from you?” Emily recommends writing out a basic profile of your most common customer.
Specifically, look at the geographic or spherical group from which you want to draw business. What are the characteristics of that group? Include income level, education, hobbies, and even their ability to navigate the internet.

Become a Trusted Advisor
Use your social media sites to help people learn about their shared concerns. For example, one of my blogs is titled Quail Valley Real Estate. I have recently written several articles about the Quail Valley Golf Course. In the past year I have included reports on the Turtle Creek Drive construction project. Currently I am reporting on the road construction project on FM 1092. These are items that concern all the residents I Quail Valley. Brainstorm a list of topics that are of interest to all your readers. Research the topics and start writing. By writing on shared concerns and providing current information, your readers will begin to rely on your site for the information they need. You’ll become their “go to” person.

Mix it Up
Write on a variety of topics and in a variety of forms. Do lists, post videos, interview local experts, write personal interest stories, and include controversial topics. Don’t forget to have fun and let your personality to shine through. To get someone to reach out to you first you have to get them to know, like, and trust you.
Post Consistently
To me, this point is the toughest part, consistently providing information so the reader will know when to expect information from you. I know, for example, if I turn the television on at 7:00 in the morning on weekdays I can watch Good Morning America on ABC. It’s always there. I can count on it. Get the point?
In order to have that consistency I have to schedule a lot of my posts to go out at times different than when I write them. I can’t seem to write everyday and produce quality information. Instead, I write a lot on the weekends or at night. I can then break my articles into smaller pieces to be posted at regularly scheduled times. Some blogs allow for posts to be published at scheduled times. There are also sites that can automatically publish posts at scheduled times. Check out SocialOomph, HootSuite, and even to some extent TweetDeck. There are others as well.

All this writing, researching, planning, and posting takes time. It's just like any active marketing activity. You've got to schedule the time and do the work. The greatest reason I can see for including a good dose of social media in my marketing plan is that most real estate customers are beginning their buying and selling experience online. If they have already made a connection with a real estate, their trusted advisor, they will turn to that agent for help.

Action Plans: Five Steps to Success

Setting goals is a great activity for not only business but in all areas of life. Many people set very realistic, measureable and achievable goals but fail to achieve the goals they set. Some of the difficulty arises from not having a plan to achieve the goals set. Use these five simple steps to create an action plan to help ensure a positive outcome in reaching goals.
1. Remember the benefits. Frank Leahy taught us, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” This particularly pertains to goals because we tend to forget that reaching a desired outcome may be hard work. If that is the case then remind yourself when it is tough what are the benefits from achieving your goal? Visualize the outcome; mentally see yourself when you have succeeded. Remember why you desire the goal you chose.
2. Plan for obstacles. Not surprisingly, if you set goals that really cause you to work hard, there may be obstacles to overcome along the way. Plan for the obstacles and possible solutions so you will be prepared when these problems arise.
3. Consider also what new knowledge or skills needed to reach your goals. Are there people or groups that can help you in your pursuit?
4. Make action steps. Planning the steps necessary to achieve your goals will help your clearly see what is necessary to reach your goals.
5. Completion Date. When will you complete your goal? Setting a date is necessary. It creates urgency and a target.
Setting goals and working towards those goals can help in many different facets of life. Whether just helping organization or pushing to strive further than ever possible, goals may be more attainable when a plan is created. Planning allows a systematic approach to achievement. It enables us to work towards success.

What are your goals?

Every year this time someone, through articles or conversation, brings up this very question. Sometimes I can excitedly share my goals and vision for the upcoming year. Other years I skulk into a dark corner and hope that nobody notices that I didn’t answer the personal and prying question.
So, are you skulking, shrinking into the corner or are you ready to share? Huh, are you?
Is the structure of writing the goals the block? For me it has been. Chocolate Orchid blogged a fun alternative to the tedious chore of writing goals, suggesting creating a Vision Board to organize your goals. The Vision Board gives you the opportunity to think through your wants and desires and places them in front of you in a visual manor through pictures.
No writing necessary! Sit quietly allowing yourself to visualize your dreams. Use magazine photos, titles, and phrases to visually represent your dreams. Tear or cut out more items than you could possible use. Organize on a poster board the items into a visual statement. It’s ok to let the board sit for a while and then come back to determine if the board does actually represent your goals and dreams. Post the board in a prominent place so that you may continue to refocus your actions and thoughts toward becoming the goals and dreams you have set. Have fun!

Goal Setting to Create SUCCESS

Success is an individual determination based on personal defintion of the attributes that make up a person's wants and needs. In order to achieve the results desired a system of goals and activities to reach the goals needs to be determined.

Huh?


1. What have you done lately?
2. What do you like?
3. What do you want?
4. What do you need to get there?

Let's first look at what you've done previously. Know your sales results for 2009 and 2008 if you can. Past results will help determine the source of your business. Realizing what your successes already are will help you see what already works and at what frequency. For example, if you pull a lever and every three times a treat comes down a chute then you can begin to expect a 1 in 3 success rate. Whereas if you pull a different lever and you get a treat 1 in 10 times, you either need to pull that lever at a faster rate to keep up with the success rate of the first lever, change the machine to increase the rate of return for that lever, expect a lower rate of return, or leave it alone and focus on the other lever. Knowing success rates is important to understanding your business.

Just TALK About It

If you talk about something enough it will become the focus not only of your attention but subconscious. This holds true whether you are thinking about purchasing a new car, television, or even a new set of tires. All of a sudden you begin to notice every sale, all the different prices; you can even begin to talk specifications with people. Before too much time passes you become a real expert on the item. If you wait long enough you will get the best deal possible and exactly the right item.
This is true! Recently I watched my wife transform from a person needing a new laptop to a full computer expert. She doesn’t just talk brand names and price anymore. She talks about technical stuff that I don’t care or need to know. Last night I fell asleep while trying to understand why Dynamic Video Memory was insufficient when Hyper Memory was available at the same price. Unfortunately I have no idea what she was talking about. I wasn’t listening because I don’t need to know that information.
Recently, I have been studying the culture of successful real estate offices. At first I was shocked when I noticed that the agents in those offices don’t focus on sales. I thought it was an anomaly. But I was mistaken. The more I observed other successful offices the more I realized that this was the norm in all of these highly productive offices. Instead of focusing on solds, the agents in these offices always seem to focus on prospecting activities. They talk about it with each other. They bring it up in meetings. They have discussion groups and action groups about it. In other words, by focusing on prospecting activities these agents have become prospecting experts. They know the ins and outs of how prospecting affects their business.
What happened to my wife and her computer buying adventure is the same that has happened with productive agents. They have become experts on a subject. They know what level of activity is necessary to produce the results they desire.