Be In It To Win It

The news is full of reports on how the bubble has burst. Despite this, you can still succeed in real estate. Here's how:

• Envision success. Act, dress and speak like the respected professional that you want to be.
  
• Talk success. Replace negative statements with positive phrases. Instead of saying "I can't," declare "I will."
  
• Take responsibility. Never blame someone or something for your setbacks. You can't regulate the market, but you can control your reaction to it.
  
• Take risks. Real estate is changing. To be successful long-term requires that you try some new challenges. Don't try to duplicate past performances; aim to improve your best by attempting new things.
  
• Stay true to yourself. If you love working with residential buyers, don't focus on selling commercial properties. Even though you may make more sales, you won't feel the same satisfaction. Strive to be the best you can be by doing what you love.
  

You Can Say That Again

Real estate is a personal business. You are helping people with a very important part of their lives - their homes. That's why, in order to be successful in real estate, you need to be a proficient communicator.

To improve these skills, you need to focus on two components of effective communication - factual and emotional. Since people interpret and react to information in different ways, it's best to speak so that you include both of these forms. Here's how:

Factual information - like Sergeant Joe Friday on the classic television show Dragnet, some people require "just the facts, Ma'am." They want to know such tangible facts as square footage, number of bathrooms and closing costs.

When speaking with someone who responds to this type of information, it's best to interpret the data, not simply recite it. For example, rather than giving potential buyers the address of a home you believe they may be interested in, you could explain how the home's location relates to stores, schools or other attractions in the area.

Emotional impact - other people respond more to the "feel" of what you are saying than to a laundry list of data. They want to be able to picture their children playing in the yard or preparing meals in a sunny kitchen.

When speaking with this type of communicator, be aware of the weight your words carry and the effect your body language may have. Focus on positive features of the home you are showing and be expressive in your gestures.

Although there may be a preference for one, most people speak and react to both of these forms of communication. In order to tell which form your client is most comfortable with, listen to how he or she speaks to you.

Listening is perhaps the most important part of communicating. When a client is talking, give your full attention, make eye contact, and don't interrupt. Then, mirror his or her body language and summarize what you've heard in your own words. This lets your client know that you are really listening and understand his or her needs.

Market Yourself

Need a marketing plan? Sit down with our FREE Marketing Plan Guide and answer some easy questions in the workbook about what you want from your real estate business and with whom you like to do business.

When you've got it done, we'll take it from there. We'll develop a detailed 12-month marketing plan to help you create that business you want. You'll be getting the benefit of putting a marketing expert to work for you.

You'll learn how to systematically approach your marketing in every area of your real estate business:

    * How to stand out from the other agents in your market.

    * The who, where, when, how many, and how often of prospecting.

    * How to get referrals and what to do with them when you get them.

    * Keeping your past clients thinking of you and calling you.

    * Attacking FSBOs and Expireds (it's easy if you know what to do).

Best of all, we'll show you how to put systems in place for managing all of your marketing efforts in less than 10 minutes a day. Together we can create a plan for your business. We'll handle the details of making sure your marketing is going just like you planned it.

When It Isn't You

When you don't close that big sale or a prospect chooses someone else, it's natural to feel disappointed, but don't let small setbacks get you down. Here are some ways to bounce back with your confidence intact:

Don't take it personally. A lost sale isn't necessarily a rejection of you. Who knows why they chose to work with someone else?

Even if a prospect gives you a reason (and they often don't) it may not be the real reason for their choice. Maybe they got a recommendation from a friend, or another agent agreed to a lower commission, or a hundred other reasons. Don't let your self-worth be too closely tied to a single transaction.

Being too emotionally invested in a transaction can make you seem needy or pushy. And neither of these is appealing to a prospect.

Adopt an attitude that conveys the message that you would love to work with each prospect but if not this time, maybe another time. And don't forget to follow up.

Maintain Sales Momentum

Now is an ideal time for agents who are serious about succeeding to gain momentum over their competitors.

While others are trimming their marketing budgets and worrying about finding the next client, you can rise to the top with the following advice:

      Increase your prospecting. As other agents cut back and mail fewer postcards and newsletters, your professional prospecting campaign is sure to gain more attention from people who are thinking of buying or selling a home.

      Build your image. Make sure that every aspect of your business is represented in a professional manner.

      Focus on your strengths. If you don't already have a particular niche, develop one. What sets you apart from other agents?

      Be optimistic. Buyers and sellers both want an agent who is confident that their goals can be achieved.

      Don't overlook your past clients. Repeat business and referrals are extremely valuable. Let past clients know how much their trust and business mean to you.

Go Green and Save

Want your clients to remember you fondly year-round? An appealing calendar personalized with your photo and information is the perfect solution.

Our Green Living calendar offers simple tips that help homeowners reduce waste and conserve energy. In a handy 6x6-inch size, this full-color, 12-month calendar will be greatly appreciated by your clients. And since your photo and information appear on each page, they will be sure to think of you when they need a real estate professional.

Build relationships and increase your business while doing your part to care for the planet by using high-impact, environmentally-responsible marketing. Our Green Living calendar is printed on paper containing post-consumer recycled content and is certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council^® and in full compliance with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative^SM.

Call today or visit our Web site at www.tpmco.com to order.

The Power of Planning

In 1952, three percent of the graduating class of Yale University responded "yes" to a survey asking if they had written goals. Twenty years later, the net worth of those three percent was greater than the combined net worth of the other 97 percent of their class. This illustrates the point that the first step in achieving success is having a written plan.

Begin your business plan by writing out your objectives for the coming year. Include your goals (how much do you want to make in 2009?), any foreseeable obstacles to those goals (a cooling real estate market) and possible solutions (increase your visibility in your community).

Mapping this out will help you focus on achieving your goals and help you to be more prepared for any setbacks.

For the plan to be effective, your daily actions need to reflect what is written in your plan, which in turn reflects your goals. In the daily competition for market share, the successful professional is the one who knows his or her goals and exactly how to achieve them.

Don't just hope this year will be different, plan for it.