Dec
29
2009 in 12 Posts [Exploit These Ideas for a Great 2010!]
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Okay. It’s nearly the end of 2009. The recession is officially over. The market has at least stabilized in most areas. If not improved.
The only dark spot? Foreclosures will continue. Unfortunately that’s a loss for a homeowner or two. On the bright side, that’s a gold mine for short selling hungry agents.
With all this in mind, though, one thing is for certain: We can’t let up. We need to exploit every strategy, tool and tip we can to not only survive…but thrive. That’s why I present to you the best ideas of 2009.
My Unofficial Guide to Short Selling January
January was a good month to short sell. Heck, with the home market hitting it’s lowest point and all. 2010 isn’t thought to be any better. Bad news for home owners. Great news for lover’s of the short sell.
One of the Most Persuasive Formulas for Writing Persuasive IVR Ads February
Let’s face it: Pain and problems dominate us. Every day and every hour people are constantly looking for solutions to their pain and problems. Here’s how you can help them.
Five Proven Tips to Help You Negotiate in a Buyer’s Market March
Before the dismal collapse of the housing market, negotiation skills weren’t quite as important as they are now. In many cases, all you had to do was put the house on the market with a reasonable price and get out of the way. Things have changed.
Make Sure You Know the Answer to This Question Before Your Next Listing Presentation April
April wasn’t any better of a month. In fact, I knew too many people flailing. But I knew so many who weren’t. What gives? Sucky listing presentations.
Nine Dead-Simple Ways to Persuade People May
Jay Leno gave some great advice on relationship building, which, in the end, is all that matters–great market or not.
Eliminate This Behavior and Become More Effective June
We’re all guilty of trying to aggressively pin down buyers during desperate times. But that’s not always the best way to go about it. In fact, a sales approach where you create pressure-free conversations with buyers is more effective. Much more effective.
Six Effective Ways to Win More Negotiations July
When the funnel dries up…negotiation skills become all the more important. That’s why in July I tried to focus on sharing some basic negotiation secrets that once mastered will hopefully help you close more deals.
How to Stop Ridiculous Buyer Offers August
Lowball offers from buyers…you can’t avoid them when you’re in one of our nation’s deepest recessions. But you can control them. And keep buyers at the table even if they think they are in control.
Your Real Estate Career: How to Have a Happy Ending September
In the face of stress and potential tragedy, successful real estate agents have the power of being able to overcome the natural human tendency to react to things as they happen. Instead, they plan.
Need a Damn Good Referral System to Save Your Career? October
People like to work with wise, friendly people. And once you lock into the ebb and flow of your prospects and clients, you’re business will be on the fast track. That’s why a good referral system is essential.
Gimpy Website? 5 Techniques to Create a Killer One November
Odds are you have a website. The million dollar question, though: Is it a good one? If not, here are some ways to help that stumbling old coot develop into a strapping stud.
25 Year Veteran Explains Her Mouth-Watering Success December
This gal become one of the nations top 50 agents in a tiny market during a dismal market. How’d she do it? You’re going to love her story.
Like what you read? Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.
Apr
14
Recently during a conversation someone turned up their noses when I mentioned Cialdini’s book, Influence. It took me off guard. To make sure I read them correctly, I asked them if they read it.
“No” was their response.
Interesting. I asked why not. Their answer in a nutshell: Persuasion is for crooks.
Now, some people use influence or persuasion to take advantage of people. Yes, that’s true. So it puts the idea of selling, marketing and persuasion as evil into people’s mind. Puts a bad taste in their mouth.
And yes, of course, persuasion has been abused throughout history. And will continue to be abused.
But there are plenty of legitimate persuasion techniques. In fact, I think when you are chasing down the right things for people and working for their good and you have their best intentions in mind…you owe it to your client to be persuasive.
So building upon a previous post, I’d like to to share 5 essential persuasion tricks with you.
1. Authority Head Nod
Often all you really need to get somebody off the fence is to give them a suggestion from an authority figure. In your case, this could be the house inspector. A lawyer.
As Hogan and James say in their book Covert Persuasion, “A suggestion from an authority figure can often override a person’s visual memory to create a new and different memory.” In other words, people think differently, depending on who’s talking. Magic happens when you quote someone in power.
2. Agree with Their Point of View
People instantly resist what they don’t believe, so the moment you sense someone pulling back, affirm their point of view. You may have to find out first what it is that’s causing them to withdraw. So discover their belief and let them know you agree with them. They’ll be in a more flexible state of mind.
3. Avoid Verbal Commitments
Let me qualify this.
When I say “avoid verbal commitments” I mean commitments that you will want your client to change later. For example, avoid having your client state which home they want. If you do that, then you’re going to run into the problem of consistency, which basically says that people, aware that they’ve made a public stand, will hold tight to that stand so as to appear consistent.
Consistency in behavioris good, especially in difficult or tense times…and is the biggest part to influencing people. But don’t over do it. You may end up with a stubborn client when you don’t want them that way.
Granted, this may have happened to you before. It might happen in the future. The key is to learn from it. Keep your eyes open.
4. Limit Choices
This is an oldie, but goody, especially if you want to hear more “yes.”
Copy writing legend John Caples was one of the first advertisers of catalogs to point this out when he discovered that ads that limited choices massively out sold ads that offered too many choices.
The problem with too many choices is that the mind can go into overload. People get confused with too many choices and when they get confused–like me–they walk away. Not good.
So, define a very narrow number of choices. But don’t withhold relevant, important or urgent information. Stay way above the table on this. Your goal is to help your client buy a home. The smart thing for them is too limit their choices.
5. Justify Your Requests
According to popular research, the word because can get your copies made faster, get you through airport security without waiting in line, and get your children to behave.
Why is that? Human Factors suggests that we are patterned to accept requests when they are followed by a reason. But sometimes all we really hear because. We tune out after that.
My point is this: When asking your client do something, tell them why. I bet more than 93% more people will agree with you. How do I know? Because Human Factors said so. ;-)
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Apr
6
Follow Up: Why Targeted Repetition Works So Well
Filed Under Real Estate Prospecting Ideas, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
As every great agent knows, it’s your consistency that will make the difference in making any follow-up program work. Even if you borderline on obnoxious.
Understand, I don’t mean you have to be a jerk…but you may have to be that agent who refuses to ”take a hint”.
If someone calls you–whether via your 800 hotline call capture line or simply your office phone–they are indicating that they are interested. And if they are interested, its your duty to follow up with them to see whether they need more information.
Here are a couple ways of doing that.
1. Create a policy with yourself or your team to make hotline follow-up calls in less than thirty minutes.
2. Write, rehearse and memorize follow-up scripts. This alone will help you lower your call reluctance.
3. Capture every prospects’ home address over the phone. Even if they have all the information they need, ask them if it’s okay to get their home address so you can mail them a report or article.
4. Plug all prospects who are farther out in the buying or selling cycle into a monthly service newsletter like Service For Life.
5. Flat out just keep calling to get an appointment.
6. If you get their voice mail, leave a provocative message: “Hi Cal. Listen, I have a copy of your home listing from the MLS and have a question for you. Could you call me back at…” But be careful: your question better be honest. The last thing people want to be bothered with is a bait-and-switch question.
Without argument, the agent who is the most consistent with follow-up calls will be the winner. I don’t think anyone would disputte that.
And the best way to build consistent, targeted repetition into your individual program is to schedule it. Do this work the same time each day, everyday and you will find that the consistency becomes a habit and eventually that habit will reap massive rewards. You can bet the farm on that.
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Feb
9
Lead Generation Bonanza: 7 Ways to Turn an Ad Upside Down and Get More Responses
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Lead generation. It can be a real witch.
Likely, in the early days of your career as a real estate agent, you’ll invest heavy amounts of time and energy into crafting ads. Finding sources to place those ads. And emptying your wallet to pay for them.
Thus, it can be frustrating to do all this and find that no one is listening. Let alone responding.
It’s like being a slave. No, worse. It’s like being a crippled slave.
Yet, not advertising will leave your career deformed and lying in the dust…far behind your competition. What should you do?
The Most Clever Tactic to Generating a Bonanza of Calls
Well, what I want to share with you is one of the simplest tatics I’ve found to effecctively getting people to call you. It’s obvious and very basic. But so many real estate agents don’t do it.
The tactic is simiply to turn your ad upside down…and make the caller’s response the primary focus.
Here are a number of ways to do just that.
Start a Debate: Pick a controversial topic or one that you think people have strong opinions about. State the two sides of the argument. And let your callers go at it. Your voice mail will rack up with leads.
Ask for Advice: State a problem that you or your target consumer has and ask for help. Ask for a solution or advice. You could call this a community workshop and turn it into an event down the road.
Ask for Tips: Choose a topic that your target consumers might know something about and ask them for pratical help. You might then compile the tips and share them in a newsletter with those who called you.
Ask for Examples: Give callers an invitation to submit examples of a topic that’s important to you or them. Again, you can then turn around and share the results with them in a newsletter.
Ask for Experiences: Propose a question about “your worst buying nightmare” or “best listing experience you ever had.” This is another great opportunity to share the results at an event or newsletter.
Run a Poll: Pick a topic–say, the economic recession–and survey people. Ask them if they’ve been laid off, going to be laid off or super secure in their jobs. Then ask them to expand. Share the results as you like.
Here’s the thing to remember: You need to promise your caller’s that you’ll share the results. And then actually share the results at an event or newsletter. Or something. Just make sure you share.
This Is the Problem You Want to Have
As I’ve stated before, this approach works enormously well when you have an interactive voice response system tracking and capturing your leads. But it’s likely to swamp you with you with callers.
Don’t fear.
This is lead generation 101. All you really want to do is get people calling you. Who cares if you generate 1,000 leads in a month?
That’s not a bad problem to have. Because once they’ve called, then you can rapidly disqualify them.
Tell me what you think. And feel free to share other examples in the in comments!
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Jan
15
One of the Oldest Web Writing Guidelines
Filed Under SEO, Uncategorized, blogs | 1 Comment
The inverted pyramid. An age-old journalistic trick. And the blogger’s best friend.
Some think it’s worthless. Others alter it. Yet, anyone who writes online–including you–will find it’s the most effective formula in your arsenal.
In fact, it’s critical in any search engine optimization strategy you have.
What Is the Inverted Pyramid?
Essentially, the inverted pyramid style means that you give the most important or interesting details first, and then continue to dribble less important information throughout the body of the content.
Ideally, you’ll want to give the most important content in the first paragraph, and save the least important content for last.
The first sentence should answer the two most important questions about the subject of your content: Who and What.
The Who is who your page is about–be it a person, a resource or a place—and the What is what happened to that person, business or place.
The inverted pyramid can help your SEO copywriting endeavor in two ways:
1. The most important information is mentioned at the very start, thereby helping the readers understand the summary of our webpage.
2. Your most important keywords (which will necessarily correlate with the most important information) get displayed at the top. Thereby increasing the chances that the search engines take notice of our web page.
Why Is SEO Important?
This may seem like a strange characteristic of a real estate website, but it’s actually crucial: Search engines, in addition to page content, look at the number of links pointing into Web pages.
Often, the more inbound links a Website has, all other things being equal, the higher in the search rankings it will appear.
By providing creative, unique and regularly updated content on your website or blog, other people will want to link to your site.
But optimizing your website for both search engines and people needn’t be a trade-off.
Where’s the Balance Between SEO and People?
There’s significant overlap between the tasks required to reach these two objectives, and this overlap can be used to our advantage.
It shouldn’t be too challenging to create a Website that users can find easily via the search engines, and use once they reach it.
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Nov
20
Critics. You gotta love ‘em. They’ve got a warning or harsh comment for anything that doesn’t align with their worldview.
Perhaps I should call them naysayers. Or old school diehards. Maybe taskmasters. Gruffy, but lovable.
Whatever name I give them, however, one thing is true: the hair on the back of their neck stands on end at anything that sniffs of unprofessionalism.
Take blogging, for example. A real estate critic–if you can get him on a blog–will write articles on open houses, listings and the market. He sticks to the party line like Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins: “Precision and order/ That’s all I ask.”
He gasps at a misspelling. Shakes his head at grammatical mistakes. And soils his pants at the mention he should consider writing about his daughter’s first day of school.
I have to confess: Todd Carpenter’s great article People Really Do Want You to Tweet About Your Cat inspired this blog post. In particular what he said about his Twitter topics of discussion during Connect 08–namely antics at an after party, who he wanted to go to lunch with and tequila drinking etiquette:
“Unprofessional? Yes. Absolutely unprofessional. That’s the point really.”
So what’s unprofessional behavior got to do with real estate blogging supremacy? Quite a lot. Let me show you how through these 6 tips.
Tip 1: Get Personal
If you’ve been exposed to social media at all, you’ve definitely heard this concept: Let your hair hang down. But it’s more than that. It’s about personality. Breaking the mold. Letting your spirit come through.
If you like stallions, mention stallions in your blogs posts. Draw stories and metaphors from your loves and passions. Show people you love something more than real estate. And land. And the economy. And money.
2. Be Vulnerable
Last year I wrote about the heart attacks Jet Blue lawyers probably had when their CEO publically complained about his own company. That’s honesty. That’s vulnerability. And it’s credible.
Why is being credible and vulnerable important? Because of the soft stuff: Your reputation. What people think about you. That stuff compounds, even though we can’t track it. Stockpile whuffie and money will eventually arrive at your doorstep.
Tip 3: Display Passion
I love to see people who are enthusiastic. [Except maybe Anthony Robbins.] You can’t help to get hooked to their drive, their urgency, their energy. Look at Jay Sekulow or the guys at the Motley Fool. Their is no doubt they are alive. And love being alive.
The result? Their enthusiasim has drawn substantial followings.
Decide to be something more than a warm body in the blogosphere. Decide to be life. A light. Do it now.
Tip 4: Make Worry-Free Mistakes
At some point you are going to forget to dot an i or cross a t. Don’t worry. You may upset your English professor. You may drive Jim Cronin away. But like the late copywriter legend Gary Halbert [work safe video] said a long time ago, “You’re going to piss some people off no matter what. Ignore them. They’re not your audience.”
Tip 5: Fail Often
Jeremiah Owyang tells a story about his first presentation he gave for a client when he started working for Forrester Research. The presentation bombed. The client poo-pooed him. And his boss scolded him.
This would drive some people to want to live under their bed with a bottle of vodka and sleeping pills. Not Jeremiah. He failed. But he was okay with that. Why? He got over it and vowed never to do it again.
Moral of the story: Lunge out of your comfort zone. And learn. Growth will naturally follow.
Tip 6: Apologize Profusely
For the longest time I thought that people who apologized were sissies (what about you?). Apologies stank of weakness. Hmf. I thought it was enough I felt really bad on the inside. Problem is, no one can see your heart. Or hear your thoughts. You need to apologize. And loud.
Furthermore, when you do screw up, admitting you wronged someone will build magnificent bridges between you, that person, your base and their base…because your entire little affair will probably be blogged publically.
Nobody likes someone who stiff chins it and never admit he’s going the wrong path or said the wrong thing. So, get in the habit of asking for forgiveness. This is almost as productive and life-changing as the habit of gratefulness.
Conclusion
While this list isn’t exhaustive, I think it definitely sums up what four years of experience in blogging has taught me–sharing personal experiences on how to be a better professional will make you rise to the top.
The cascading formula is simple: Jakob Nielson wants you to write articles. Brian Clark wants you to add value. Todd Carpenter wants you to be personal. And I want you to be unprofessional.
Go on. Soar.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Nov
4
It’s hard enough to get a referral after a successful sale. Expired–forget it.
To make matters worse, the economy’s tanked and it’s an election year. (Is the election almost over?) So, selling a home can seem near impossible at times. And wrenching a referral out of it like pulling teeth.
And it doesn’t matter if you are a rookie or seasoned veteran. Some homes just won’t move and never produce a referral. Even if you use critical strategies like these.
But here’s the real kicker: if your signs stays up a long time in somebody’s yard, or someone else’s sign replaces yours, the neighbors will feel you did not do your job, and they won’t quite trust you. Even if it wasn’t your fault the home didn’t move.
And like the seven natural laws of real estate prospecting, this is just a natural law in real estate, too: Homes that are on the market longer than 60 days are earmarked as problem homes.
However, a home that stays on the market too long gets a bad rap, but unfortunately, so do you. It can turn into a referral nightmare.
It gets even worse if your picture is on the sign in the yard. And if you have two such homes at once, it could get really ugly for you.
So, the idea is to spot a potential problem home during the listing presentation. (There’s good reason you don’t want to win every listing presentation.)
What you want to know is if the home is something you want to add to your inventory. Or not. Here are the 13 questions you should ask yourself before taking a listing:
1. Is this a home you would not object to buying yourself?
2. Does the home show well?
3. If not what can be done to improve the salability (and is the seller ready to take those steps)?
4. Are the sellers’ expectations and timeframe reasonable?
5. Are the sellers motivated?
6. Is there a sense of urgency?
7. Is there a need to sell? (More space? Relocation?)
8. What are the positives of the home?
9. What are the negatives of the home?
10. Are there any structural issues that need to be addressed?
11. Will the sellers address the negatives prior to listing the home?
12. Will the sellers agree to price the home in-line with the neighborhood comps?
13. Will the sellers list with you, at your commission rate and terms?
If the answers to the above questions are mostly “No,” then why bother taking the listing? You are just setting yourself up for acquiring a bad reputation.
To do so will ensure an unhappy relationship with unreasonable demands until the term of the listing expires. And a dismal career to boot.
You don’t want a dismal career, do you?
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Sep
5
What Every Real Estate Agent Should Know about Writing Headlines
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Whether you are writing a sales letter, postcard or blog–you need to know how to make it stand out. This is critical to real estate marketing.
No bones about it: Writing is important. Everyone must do it.
Yet, you are competing in a ruthless and combative environment. You need every trick of the trade you can find so that you are not lost in the storm surge of advertisement.
That’s why it’s so important to test everything you do in real estate marketing. You need to experiment. Be bold. Rock your readers. Jilt them out of their slumber. Make them sit up and pay attention to you.
How do you do that? I thought you’d never ask. Here are a few headline writing techniques you may find helpful:
1. Ask a Question
Better yet, make sure it’s a question to which the reader wants to know the answer.
Before: “Do You Know What My Realty Company Accomplished Last Year?”
After: “What Do Successful Real Estate Agents Have That Failing Real Estate Agents Sometimes Lack?”
2. Use the Word “Why”
Adding the word “why” in front of a factual statement increases the reader’s curiosity.
Before: “95% of For Sale By Owners Fail.”
After: “Why 95% of For Sale By Owners Fail.”
3. Employ the Rule of 3
I’m not sure why this works, but it just does. Seems to do with our attraction to things that are bundled in 3. Father, mother and child. Judicial, legislative and executive branches of government. Body, soul and spirit.
How do you use it in a headline? Simply list three benefits.
Before: “Learn How to Work with More Clients and Make More Money.”
After: “Learn How to Work with More Clients, Sell More Homes and Make More Money.”
4. Write “Ignore It at Your Peril”
This works well when dealing with fear. Write “Ignore It at Your Peril” in a headline to emphasize its important.
Before: “The One Thing You Must Do to Avoid Foreclosure.
After: “The One Thing You Must Do to Avoid Foreclosure. Ignore It at Your Peril.”
5. Add a Question Mark to Your Headline
Making a statement that’s hard to believe? All you have to do to make it easier to swallow is question the claim yourself by adding a question mark to the end of the headline.
Before: 500% Profits from Selling Your Home
After: 500% Profits from Selling Your Home?
6. Mention Current Events and News
A news angle is especially effective when writing about the real estate market.
Why? Topics discussed on a daily basis typically affect the larger population. And people tend to be more in tune to these current events. So they’re receptive.
For example, say you’re searching for pre-foreclosures: “Stay One Step Ahead of Foreclosure Just Like Ed McMahon - But Without the Humiliation.”
7. Use the Words “New,” “Introducing,” or “Announcing”
Why does this work so well? It works because people are interested in what is new.
Example: “Introducing a Painless Way to Sell Your Home in a Weak Economy.”
8. Tell the Reader to Do Something
Example: “Call This Number to See How I Could Sell Your Home Fast.”
This is one of the ways we recommend clients use the 800 response hotline number.
When the reader follows the instructions in the headline–and called the number–they heard an audio tour of their very home.
Result? An instant on-the-spot demonstration proving the product works.
9. Promise the Reader Useful Information
Prospects are more likely to read your ad if they feel they can learn something useful by doing so.
Dale Carnegie sold more books when he said he could teach people “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
Eugene Schwartz sold more course when he promised parents “How to Turn Your Child into a Classroom Wizard.”
10. Ask a “Who Else Wants…?” Question
This is a classic social proof strategy. It implies that a lot of people out there are already on board.
- Who Else Wants a Bigger, Safer Home?”
- Who Else Wants More Fun and Less Stress in a Home?
11. Suggest a Fast and Easy Solution
People love quick and easy when it comes to solving a nagging problem.
- Here’s a Quick Way to Get Out of Debt
- Here’s a Fast and Easy Way to Avoid Foreclosure
12. Challenge the Reader Through Curiosity
Big curiosity draw with this type of headline, and it acts almost as a challenge to the reader to go ahead and see if they are missing something.
- What Everybody Ought to Know About Adjustable Rate Mortgages
- What Everybody Ought to Know About the Housing Market
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Aug
5
The Surprising Secret to Growing a Business Through Self-Control
Filed Under Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Prospecting Ideas, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Around 1970, psychologist Walter Mischel launched the ground-breaking “Marshmallow Experiment.”
Mischel left a group of preschoolers inside a room with a bell and one marshmallow on a plate. His instructions: Wait 20 minutes and you’ll get a second marshmallow. If the child couldn’t wait 20 minutes, ring the bell and he could eat the one marshmallow–but not get another one.
Videos of the preschoolers show children squirming in their seats, hiding their eyes and kicking their legs. Some children couldn’t wait one minute. Others bailed at 15 minutes. And some waited the 20 minutes and got a second marshmallow.
What Mischel Did Next
Then Mischel tracked these children as they grew up. What he found was astounding–and could have a big impact on your real estate business.
According to Mischel, those children who waited 20 minutes ended up getting higher SAT scores, entering better colleges, learning more, earning more money and having a better social life.
Those who couldn’t wait the 20 minutes ended up becoming bullies, failing parental and teacher evaluations and using drugs.
What does this tell us? It tells us that self-control is essential. And here’s how you can use self-control to grow your business.
The Curious Secret to Self-Control
Do you know what the most popular alternative medicine website is? It’s Mercola.
Several years ago Dr. Mercola started his website and did nothing but give away great, free content–on his website and in his e-newsletter.
Over a period of three years he built his subscriber base to 1.2 million people. So, when he started offering books and other information products, his subscribers bought them in droves.
The same thing happened to David DeAngelo.
DeAngelo is the founder of DoubleYourDating. It’s a website that helps men learn how to pick up beautiful women and get as many dates as they want. DeAngelo started the website in his basement six years ago. And in less than six years, he makes $20 million dollars a year.
How did he do it? The same way as Dr. Mercola. He gave away free, useful, unique, urgent and specific information. Information people could use. The moment he started offering products, his subscribers bought like mad.
Why Does This Work So Well?
I’ll tell you why. Reciprocity.
What is reciprocity? Reciprocity is the principle–noted by Dr. Cialdini–of returning a favor. In a nutshell, if I give you something, you have a sense to give something back to me.
Reciprocity was one of the reasons the Hari Krishnas were so successful back in the 80s. They gave flowers to people who then felt obligated to hand over a dollar or two.
What Does Self-Control Have to Do with Growing a Business?
Here’s the self-control part: Stop bulldozing people with requests for work, leads or money. Stop harassing people at parties, on the street or in church.
Instead, learn how to give–and give enormously–before you ask for anything in return
For example, give of your time. Volunteer your time at a soup line, homeless shelter or city hall.
Or, if you like to write, create substantial newsletters or articles. Give away free, useful information. Or pay someone to do it. Think valuable stuff that people can actually use–like breaking news on the mortgage crisis, secrets to avoiding foreclosure or insider tips on short selling.
Or, give up two hours of your week to consult with clients on a variety of issues like financial planning, gardening, do-it-yourself home repair or elderly care.
Find out what people want and enjoy–and give it to them.
Why You’ll Never Have to Ask for Business Again
Here’s the point: Avoid demanding people for work, leads or money before you give anything away. Delay your immediate gratification.
Like Dr. Bernie Siegal said, “If you spend two hours a week giving your time to people who aren’t your family, you’ll never run out of family.”
The same goes for your business.
If you invest just a small amount of time, money or effort–without strings attached–in other people you won’t have to ask for business. You can simply make an offer and people will respond immediately.
So, what are you giving away? Let me know in the comments. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Jul
31
It’s no secret: real estate is a hectic job. Paper work. Showings. Buyer drives. Presentations. Your tasks in one day can pull you in many different directions–and make your to-do list seem endless.
Furthermore, like Tony said the other day, “it’s really tough to focus sometimes.”
Is productivity one of your biggest challenges?
If so, let me introduce you to ten ideas that might help you tackle your to-do list in record time–and even leave time to spare so you can do the things you truly love.
1. Create a List
This is a no-brainer. But you’d be surprised at the number of people who don’t do it. They either keep it in their head or simply don’t think they have time to sit down.
If that’s you, you need to know this: starting your day without a list is the main reason you are so busy. Stop now and empty your brain of everything you need to do. Then go to the next idea.
2. Make it short.
Write down no more than 20 items on your daily to-do list. If you really want to challenge yourself, make it less than 10.
Why? When you focus on less you are pouring your energy into the tasks that are most important to your life goals. This is what it means to be ruthless. You’re going to have to make some tough calls. So just do it.
3. Time block.
Roping off certain hours in the day to do a certain task is a popular and successful trick to ruthlessly getting things done.
Imagine from 9 to 11 A.M. you prospect. 12 to 1 visit possible clients. And 2 to 4 P.M. you fill out paperwork. The key is to hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign while you are getting these things done.
4. Eliminate happy talk.
Shun the water cooler. Visit the bathroom at odd hours. Keep your door closed (if you have one). Shut off your email. The point is to avoid falling into idle, unproductive conversation.
5. Lump like tasks.
This is brilliant–and my favorite idea. If you have 3 large tasks and 7 small ones, after you finish your first large task, spend the next hour knocking out two or three of the smaller tasks.
For instance, small tasks could be checking email, walking to the mail box and asking your manager a question. Check out Leo’s fav procrastination hack for help.
Ruthlessly knocking out these small tasks has a secondary reward: they serve as small victories that may encourage you to keep pouring it on.
6. Get up early.
Not an early bird? I know how you feel. I felt the same way for a long time. What I’ve found is that I can regulate my sleeping patterns with a little work. Here’s how.
Let’s say you get out of bed at 8 A. M. But your goal is to be out of bed by 6 A.M. What you need to do is start slowly.
Each week set your alarm clock back 15 minutes. This allows your body to slowly adapt. And in just two months you’ll be an early riser.
And why even get up early you ask? Remember that old Army commercial: “We do more work before 8:30 A.M. than most people do all day.” Now that’s ruthless.
7. Rely less on technology.
Some of you claim that you can do more now than you could ever before because of technology. Agreed.
But let me ask you this? Are those things you are doing important? Do they add to the bottom line? Who maintains it? Upgrades it? Tinkers with it?
All I’m saying is this: simplify. If you can do something with paper and pen, go that route. Avoid feature creep.
8. Plan.
This bears repeating: Map out your days, weeks, months and years. Start from where you want to be in the next ten years. Then work backwards, describing the steps you need to get there.
9. Get your affairs in order.
No, don’t line up your mistresses. Simply schedule certain days or half days where you do nothing but maintenance.
Clean hard and soft files. Add gadgets to your software. Dust your office. Get your car’s oil changed. Anything that you’ve been putting off but needs to get done because it could break down the road.
10. Demand a stop time.
If you really want to be ruthless, you need to clearly define when you will stop.
Why? Imagine a football game that started at 8 A.M. and didn’t finish until midnight when the last player collapsed in exhaustion.
Football players on the gridiron are ruthless because they know this: the game is over in sixty minutes. That time restraint keeps them fiercely focused on their goals.
The same holds true for you. If you know you’ve got a fly fishing or shopping trip planned at 4 P.M., don’t you think you’d be ruthless? I do.
Conclusion
Here’s the deal: being ruthless is all about attitude. It’s a mindset. A determination to get things done.
But if you like flailing about your day, losing your hair, grinding your teeth, fighting ulcers, losing money and breaking up your family–then fine, ignore my advice.
My gut feeling is you’d rather not lose hair, money or family. So make the decision today to be ruthless. And then teach someone else to be ruthless. You’ll reap great rewards.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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