Landmark Education Newsletter: Stepping Outside the Swirl–The Courage to be Authentic by Joe DiMaggio, MD

“One afternoon, in the middle of a particularly boring grammar class, my English teacher set aside her book and took nominations for the best song on our local Top 40 radio station. For the first time that year, all hands were in the air. There was no ‘right answer’ to a question of personal taste, or so I thought until she eventually called on me, and I announced my choice and that it was not only the best song in the Top 40 but possibly the best song ever…. What I remember is not my recommendation so much as the silence that followed it, an absence of agreement I can only describe as deafening. “The first time I heard the song, I was hooked…. I bought it and played it over and over again. The song satisfied me on every level, but if nobody else liked it, I guessed that I didn’t, either.

That evening, alone in my room, I found that I was too ashamed to listen to my record, or even to look at it, really. It reminded me of my wretched eagerness to please. From this point on, whenever someone asked my opinion, I would turn the question around, and then proceed accordingly. If the person I was with loved game shows and Deep Purple, then so would I, and if I was caught contradicting myself—watching or listening to something I’d sworn to have hated—I would claim to be doing research, or to be enjoying the thing for its very badness. You could do this, I learned, and people would forgive you, consider you interesting, even.” Having spent my life trying to fit the will of others, I was unable to distinguish between what I enjoyed and what I thought I should enjoy.”1 We are all familiar with the old imperative “To thine own self be true,” and clear that much would be resolved if only we operated consistently with it, but the pull for getting approval from others and the need to fit in is a strong one.

Even when we’re fully aware that we’re being inauthentic, and know that we don’t really believe in what we’re doing or saying, we still act as if we do—because we’re afraid we might risk losing approval of some kind. Even though we know the standards we’ve set for ourselves are impossible to realize, we still keep trying—we hide our perceived shortcomings, or pretend they don’t exist. In doing so, we unwittingly add yet another layer of inauthenticity.  With our looking good it’s hard to be at ease when we have to keep up a pretense and not be true to ourselves in some way. Yet it’s not as if we woke up one morning and intentionally said, “Gee, I think I’m going to act inauthentically today. What my life’s going to be about is looking good and avoiding looking bad.”

This way of being is just kind of automatically there. Every time we opt for looking good or avoiding looking bad over what’s actually true for us, inauthenticity creeps in and we compromise who we are. We don’t much like thinking of ourselves as being inauthentic, but we live in societies today in which the name of the game is to “make it,” to “fit in,” to “look good,” so a great deal of what we think and do becomes shaped by a kind of cultural commitment to that. That pull or gravitational force is an ontological phenomenon, not a psychological one—it’s the already/always condition of being human (a term which kind of speaks for itself).

This condition is ubiquitous—it influences everything: How we see and respond to situations, what we’re concerned with, what’s important to us. While we might think we are responding in true, authentic ways, what is actually happening is that our responses are essentially just a fallout of that already/always condition. And it is against that pull—the enormous gravitational force of that condition—that we attempt to be authentic.

When we compromise, even in the tiniest of matters, it’s easier for those compromises to become more and more commonplace; we begin to feel as if doing that is a normal and O.K. way of behaving. Over time, bit by bit, this erodes our sense of self. It’s like stirring one drop of red paint into a can of white. The paint may turn only the palest shade of pink, and while that might seem barely noticeable—no matter what we say about it—the paint is no longer what it was. Similarly, when the wholeness and completeness of who we are is jeopardized in some way, albeit imperceptible at first, our sense of ourselves gets obscured, making it harder to return to who we are.

When that begins, there’s really no starting point to become ourselves—it’s all flailing around. To be authentic requires putting aspects of our present ways-of-being on the line—letting go of pretenses, letting things show themselves in new ways, and acknowledging whatever inauthenticity is at play.

The possibility of fully being ourselves occurs in proportion to our being authentic; said another way, it occurs in proportion to the degree we own our inauthentic ways of being. In not owning them, we essentially resign ourselves to inauthenticity staying around. Living with a pretense, or being afraid that some aspect of ourselves might be found out, precludes any real freedom. We live, rather, with a kind of fabricated freedom—a large price to pay.

Sartre said that facing one’s freedom can be terrifying and uncomfortable—because facing it makes one feel insecure, and inevitably produces some level of anguish. Hence, we are constantly tempted to live inauthentically, pretending to ourselves that we are not free. To maintain this pretense, we try to convince ourselves that our actions are determined—by our character, our circumstances, our nature, or whatever.

The last thing we want to admit is that our actions are determined only by our free, unconstrained choices.  Stepping outside of the swirl of the already/always condition—requires courage. Humorist Josh Billings said, “This undertaking is not only the most difficult thing to do, but the most inconvenient as well.” In being authentic, the already/always condition becomes stripped of its power and is no longer the determining force in shaping who we are. Here, the context for the question “who am I?” shifts from flailing about, trying to find ourselves somewhere out there, to a context of creation.

This is more difficult, because there is no zeitgeist to read, no template to follow, no known path to success. It’s a blank slate. It’s a matter of courage—a matter of creating possibility. It gets made up as we go along, and it is this shift that makes available to us the full possibility of being human.  Written by Joe DiMaggio, MD Landmark Forum Leader

If you are looking for a coach and mentor to help you achieve new levels of success and accountability in your life and in your business, I would like to apply for the job of supporting you through your journey.  Please contact me at christycrouch@aol.com.

1 David Sedaris, “Introduction,” Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, pp. 3-4. 2 Adapted from Raymond Martin and John Barresi, The Rise and Fall of Soul and Self, pp. 237-238.

Now I know there are many things that go into properly marketing a home and getting exposure to the buyers. There is print advertising, the internet, open houses, Realtor luncheons, flyers, postcards, calling people, staging it properly, and of course the sign, lockbox, and MLS.

It still boils down to price in the end.  The buyers are ultimately looking for the best value.  Price, condition, and location are what cause a home to sell.  A home could be advertised on the front page of USA Today with beautiful color photos and virtual tours on every website known to man, and if it’s not priced according to market value, it isn’t selling.

I have found in going on hundreds of listing appointments myself, and coaching and training agents, that taking the emphasis off you and your opinion. and putting it on the market is the best way to discuss price with a seller.  Instead of going in and recommending a certain price, take the time to go through the CMA and market stats in detail with the seller.  Have the seller help choose the price because the numbers speak for themselves.  In many cases once you and the seller look at them together, the sellers can see where they need to be and will likely surprise you with the price they choose.

After all, agents aren’t really the ones to determine the value of a home.  Buyers, the market, and the appraiser decide what a home is ultimately worth.  Our job is to educate the sellers of price in a way that has them understand and feel comfortable with the price they choose.

I’ve shared scripts and objection handlers in many of my previous articles on specifically how to communicate around price with sellers.  There is also an article geared toward working with sellers on price reductions after taking the listing and it not selling.  Please visit those articles if you feel they would support you.

When you list the home it’s a good idea to discuss the potential of needing to lower the price if the home isn’t sold within the first 30-45 days of being on the market.  Generally the interest and activity will slow after it’s no longer a brand new listing.  Adjusting the price to a new price breaking point will gain fresh exposure to a different group of buyers than you captured before.  Pricing and adjusting the price just under $5,000 to $10,000 price breaking points is a really good idea.  Most buyers are shopping online first and since most public sties require a certain price range whenever you are just under the $5,000 to $10,000 price breaking points you keep the home exposed to the buyers who plug in under that price range.

Throughout the listing period, update your sellers on a monthly basis of overall market conditions so they know where they stand on a consistent basis.  Update them with a market analysis of their specific location, and the market as a whole in your area.  Let them know the longer a home sits on the market, the harder it is to sell.  Provide them with the following statistics every 30 days:

• Total number of homes for sale

• Total number of homes sold YTD

• Average list price of the homes that have sold

• Average days on market of the homes that have sold

• Average list to sale price ratio of the homes that have sold

Give them these stats for their area and your entire market.  The more information you can provide the better off you and they will be in determining where you need to be on price.

One of the hardest things we have to do as agents is tell the sellers the truth about price.  It’s much easier to tell them what they want to hear and that our fancy flyers, ads, and open houses are going to get the home sold.  What we should actually tell them is that according to studies, less than 5% of homes are sold as a direct result of an ad or an open house.  We could actually be honest and tell them it’s really a means for us to pick up more leads for ourselves.

I mean let’s admit it guys, our brokers even tell new agents to borrow a listing to advertise from another agent to make their phone ring so they can pick up leads, or to borrow another agents listing to do an open house.   The purpose of this is not in hopes that the new agent will actually sell that listing, so why do we tell our sellers advertising or open houses  will sell their home? I mean yes, there is slight chance that either will be the single cause of selling but in most cases, homes don’t sell as a direct result of either.

Many of the agents I coach are really scared and uncomfortable with presenting and discussing price.  On our coaching calls we role play and pretend I’m the seller.  I guide them through exactly what to say and how to say it to have them gain confidence.  We role play all the biggest fears they have of what the seller might say or ask during their listing prsentation.  Together we create answers for those questions so they’re prepared and confident when talking with the seller.

We all know if you want to master anything it takes practice.  I recommend that you spend some time practicing presenting your listing presentation, pricing, and talking about price reductions.  You can do this with yourself alone or you can do it with a friend, a family member, or another agent in your office if you don’t have a coach to work with.

I hope this is helpful for you on your listing appointments and working with sellers on price.

If I can answer any questions or be of support to you in any way, please comment below or email me at christy@yourethedifference.com

I hope you are on track to Make 2012 YOUR Year!

“Christy Crouch is the co-founder of You’re The Difference Sales & Life Coaching, co-author of the highly acclaimed real estate objection handler book, Now What Do I Say? a collection of more than 400 answers to over 70 of the most common questions and objections faced in the real estate industry.  She is still an active agent in Virginia, has participated in closing thousands of transactions in her career, was inducted in the RE/MAX Hall of Fame for her production.  Christy is in the top 2.3% of her marketplace.  Her goal is to share what she’s learned with other agents to support them in having a highly successful real estate sales business while having a happy and balanced life.  To learn more about her coaching and products please email her at christy@yourethedifference.com or visit her website at www.yourethedifference.com”

Having been in the business for almost 20 years, and consistently selling an average of 110 homes year, coaching agents across the United States and co-writing the book, Now What Do I Say, a collection of over 425 answers to over 70 of the most common questions and objections that we face in real estate, I’ve learned many things.

I want to share some tips to powerfully handling objections with you now.  My intention is that these tips will help you to flow effortless through the objections and get more contracts signed while taking excellent care of your customers and clients.

Accept and acknowledge what your client has going on.  Tell them you understand, you would feel the same way, of course they would ask that.  THEN answer their question.  Getting on their side first and allowing for their objection tells the client that you actually care about how they feel.  Zig Ziglar said it best, “no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”.  Care for your client first and the paycheck comes as a result.

We all know there aren’t any NEW objections.  I mean lets face it, there are only so many that the consumer has.  The key to powerfully being able to handle the objection is to have scripted, well rehearsed answers.  If a client asks you a question and you are like a deer in headlights vs. confidently and smoothly answering their question, this can make the difference in a deal or not for you.

Professionals of all walks and kinds practice, role play, study, and internalize their profession.  As professional sales people handling most individual’s largest investment, don’t you think we should treat our business just as important as the doctors, lawyers, athletes, pilots, politicians, and performers?  I certainly do!

Practice being quiet after you handle the objection.  In so many cases we get nervous and feel we need to be talking to get the deal closed.  Sometimes silence is exactly what the client needs to make the decision to sign the contract.  The less talking you do in many cases the better off you’ll be.

Learn to read your client.  Are they someone who likes to have other’s opinions and to talk about things?  Or are they someone who likes statistics and numbers and information to make a decision.  Or, are they someone who likes to go inside themselves to make the right decision.

Honor how the client likes to make decisions and assist them in the way that works for them.  If you aren’t sure, consider asking them.  “So, when you have a big decision to make, do you like to get other’s opinion, do you like information to review, or do you prefer to take time to think it over?”  The more questions you ask and the more you learn what your client needs, the better you can assist them.

Take a moment sometimes before you respond.  Don’t give knee jerk reactions to their questions and objections.  A 15 second pause shows the client you are absorbing their concern and what they’ve asked.

Consider typing up a list of commonly asked questions about buying or selling a home with the answers, and give this to your client up front.  Tell them, here’s a list of some commonly asked questions about selling/buying with the answers, and I wanted to share this with you.  I give this to all my clients and have found that it automatically takes care of their objections in many cases, and after reading it they simply sign the contract.

Don’t allow the questions and objections to create fear and resistance.  This is simply a normal part of the process.  Notice yourself when you are making a purchase.  Do you ask questions and have objections even though you have the full intention to buy?  It’s human nature to objection and ask questions when we are in a sales situation.  Don’t overcomplicate the process.  Breathe deeply, accept and allow for them and handle them appropriately.

“Christy Crouch is the co-founder of You’re The Difference Sales & Life Coaching, co-author of the highly acclaimed real estate objection handler book, Now What Do I Say? a collection of more than 400 answers to over 70 of the most common questions and objections faced in the real estate industry.  She is still an active agent in Virginia, has participated in closing thousands of transactions in her career, was inducted in the RE/MAX Hall of Fame for her production.  Christy is in the top 2.3% of her marketplace.  Her goal is to share what she’s learned with other agents to support them in having a highly successful real estate sales business while having a happy and balanced life.  To learn more about her coaching and products please email her at christy@yourethedifference.com or visit her website at www.yourethedifference.com”

We are busily working on creating a few new courses and one hour teleseminars to bring you new and improved information.  We will soon have all our audio programs available as a download on our website and are working on recording my listing presentation and a new live role play program with the most recent objections we’re facing in the business today.

Scott and I are really excited to get reacquainted with you.  Please stay tuned as we begin to blog and write articles again.  If you haven’t already joined crackerjackagent.com check it out.  It’s the new Broker Agent Social site and brings a ton of information and is a great place for networking with other agents across the US.  I recently wrote an article for them about what to expect when selling a home in today’s market.  If you get a chance check that out.  It’s something that I’ve been providing to all potential sellers prior to the listing appointment to educate them up front with as much information as possible.  It has been extremely helpful to the clients and removes a lot of questions and objections before you walk in the front door!

Please let us know if there’s anything at all we can do to support you or questions we can answer at this time.  As always if you want wish to be removed from our list please click unsubscribe below.

We hope you are on track to making 2012 YOUR year!

We are busily working on creating a few new courses and one hour teleseminars to bring you new and improved information.  We will soon have all our audio programs available as a download on our website and are working on recording my listing presentation and a new live role play program with the most recent objections we’re facing in the business today.

Scott and I are really excited to get reacquainted with you.  Please stay tuned as we begin to blog and write articles again.  If you haven’t already joined crackerjackagent.com check it out.  It’s the new Broker Agent Social site and brings a ton of information and is a great place for networking with other agents across the US.  I recently wrote an article for them about what to expect when selling a home in today’s market.  If you get a chance check that out.  It’s something that I’ve been providing to all potential sellers prior to the listing appointment to educate them up front with as much information as possible.  It has been extremely helpful to the clients and removes a lot of questions and objections before you walk in the front door!

Please let us know if there’s anything at all we can do to support you or questions we can answer at this time.  As always if you want wish to be removed from our list please click unsubscribe below.

We hope you are on track to making 2012 YOUR year!

Spring is here and the housing market seems to be finally blooming or at least budding.

Having come through one of the toughest real estate markets in literally decades, first and foremost take a moment to congratulate and acknowledge your self. You’ve made it and you’re still here!

Now is the time to really take your business to new heights. It’s time to build your inventory. The more homes you have for sale the more business you’ll do. Even those of you who prefer to work with buyers, the more listings you have the more buyers will appear.

In coaching my agents I’ve discovered that many of them really want to take more listings and do more business but when it comes right down to it, they’re afraid. They come up with a million and one reasons as to why they can’t. This is only a choice.

It doesn’t matter where you are or where you’ve been in your life. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new agent or a highly successful seasoned agent. You can take your business to the next level at anytime you choose.

I want to share my story with you in hopes that it will inspire you, and help you see that you truly can have whatever you want.

From doing it myself and learning along the way what works, what doesn’t, what to do and not to do, I am convinced I can help any agent sell more homes.

Here’s my story.

My first job was at a real estate company in Richmond Virginia. I was the receptionist and worked there full time while attending college classes at night. I went to real estate school as well and became licensed while working. After About a year I left and went to another real estate company as their receptionist.

Shortly after starting with this company, the owner of the company promoted me to his personal assistant where I began to learn the ins and outs of listing and selling homes. Soon after he promoted me to the development and marketing manager for a new construction subdivision he was developing.

A few of the top agents in the company began hiring me as their assistant to handle their business while they were on vacation and out of town. They would pay me a flat fee for the week or weekend to handle their calls and whatever came up in their business.

I worked here for a total of about four years before I was exposed to my first real estate coach and training company. I was amazed at what I learned, the success the agents were having, and this whole new way of thinking. I was like a sponge and began listening, researching, reading, and learning everything I could about sales, mind set, success, and the road map to accomplishing one’s life dreams.

The agent and company I was working for didn’t really buy into this and was just your average agent. I saw him work hard, long hours, and noticed that he didn’t seem extremely happy, light, and joyous. I wondered if this was how all agents lived.

As an assistant I was making $70,000+ per year at this point. The agent / owner that I was working for sold about 50 homes a year. The agents I saw at this seminar were selling 100+ homes a year and I was intrigued and inspired. I wanted to know what they knew and what they were doing to sell so many more homes than the average agent.

One of the top agents that I met there placed an ad a few weeks later looking for an administrative assistant. Intrigued to just get to know the agent a little better, I called and talked with him. His disposition was so refreshing and different. He exuded success, happiness, and an overall feeling of someone people were just drawn to. Sadly, I found that he was only offering $25,000 a year, a far cry from what I was making.

We talked at length I asked him lots and lots of questions to learn about him and everything he did and was looking for in an assistant. As much and I liked him and the opportunity it presented, I was really hesitant to make the move for so much less money. He told me I would learn and be exposed to so much more by working with him and that it would be well worth the loss in money in the end. He said that eventually I’d have the potential to make much more.

After thinking about it for a few weeks, as crazy as it may seem, I accepted his offer of $25,000 and left the job that was paying me $70,000. I saw it as an investment in myself, my future, and a chance to learn and grow.

Choice, it’s such a powerful word and thought. Stop for a moment and look at your life. What choices are you making? Are they choices that will move you, your family, your life, and your business forward? If not, guess what? You can choose something different.

I worked with this agent for several years and was instrumental in helping him and another top agent, open their own company. Later I became their director of operations overseeing the company and all the staff. I managed the Buyers agents, the listing and closing managers, the relocation director, receptionist, and the accounting assistant. I assisted the two agents with listing presentations to potential sellers that came to the office to discuss listing their home, to see the office, and meet the team. I learned what seemed to be all the ins and outs of the real estate business.

My husband and I had been going through infertility for several years and finally in August I found out I was pregnant. We decided to move to a different city to be closer to family. We put our house on the market and my husband began his search for a new job. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to go back to the administrative side of real estate or go out on my own and sell. I continued working and giving this lots of thought while we waited for our house to sell.

That January my husband found a job, but our house hadn’t sold yet so we decided to move and live with family until it did. I made the decision to sell on my own. Yes, in a brand new town. As soon as we were settled in, I hit the ground running.

But, I was 5 months pregnant. But, I was in a brand new town where I didn’t know a soul, barely knew how to get to the grocery store and back. But, I was living with family. But, I didn’t have much money and our house hadn’t sold. But, I was tired all the time from being pregnant. But, it seemed overwhelming and impossible to do. I could go on and on with the “buts”.

I remember my coach once challenged me to remove the words “but” and “how” from my vocabulary for one week. Try taking that on, it’s incredible how many times those words will show up and they’re stopping you in your tracks.

In coaching my agents that’s the first thing we work on is removing their “buts”, their “hows”, and their fear. You can have everything you want in your life and in your business, it’s only a choice. I mentioned it earlier. What a powerful word and thought. It can make or break us. Are your choices serving you?

Take some time to write things down and actually plan your life and your business. Write down where you are now in all the areas of your life, and then write down where you want to be. Look at the choices you’re making and the choices you could be making and then take action on those.

It’s not difficult to succeed in life, in fact, it’s more difficult to not succeed. It’s a matter of choice. Our company name is You’re The Difference because YOU are the one that can make it all happen. Not me, not us, not any book, speaker, or seminar, YOU. Those are tools, YOU are the vehicle.

So, that first year I sold 39 homes. My son was born in May and that June I had 19 closings. From here my business continued to grow and I went from myself to a team. I consistently sold over 100 homes a year for several years. After selling 139 in my best year, I decided to scale back and focus on coaching, training, and writing.

Throughout my career I had always had a coach and still do. I wanted to be a coach and teach others what I had learned along the way. My passion is to share everything I’ve learned and support other agents in having a highly successful career while having a balanced life. This I learned the hard way. For the first few years in selling I grinded it out, I consumed myself with work and allowed the business to create an enormous amount of stress, anxiety, and keep me totally overwhelmed most of the time.

I wasn’t committed to living this way and soon hired an Ontological coach and was on my way to learning How to sell and how to live!

So, how did I sell 39 homes my first year in the business in a brand new town where I didn’t know a soul? I called people. It takes people to buy and sell and I searched for people that I could help.

I called expired’s and fsbo’s primarily. I also did some cold calling and actually took 18 listings from cold calling the following year. Imagine that, by just simply calling people in neighborhoods and asking if they were thinking of buying or selling I took 18 listings. You can too!

It’s so much easier than you think to be on the phone talking to potential clients. It’s all a mind set. But, I don’t like prospecting. But, I don’t want to be pushy. But, I’m afraid they’ll be rude or hang up on me. But, I don’t know what to say. But, I don’t like making calls, that’s not me. Remember, remove that word and the next word that’s
coming right up for you right now, how?

There are more expired listings right now than ever before due to market conditions. If you call them consistently and follow up with them, you’re almost guaranteed to do more business. The more inventory you have the more your phone rings and the more business you’ll do.

Over 70% of my business comes from working expireds and fsbos. I’m still in the business actively selling, I sell 50 to 75 homes a year now and primarily spend my time coaching. I’m with you out here and know what you’re facing and dealing with in this market. I can help you and want to help you.

Please go back and read some of my previous articles to discover all kinds of tips, ideas, structures, disciplines, scripts, and objection handling I’ve shared. I’ve talked about the listing presentation, servicing buyers and sellers, efficiency and organization, working on price reductions, negotiations, the mind set it takes, daily schedule, structure and disciplines, prospecting, lead follow, the system I use, and much more.

If you haven’t already purchased my book, Now What Do I Say?, I invite you to visit our website at www.yourethedifference.com to get a copy. This is a real estate objection handling book offering more than 400 answers to over 70 of the most common questions and objections we face in the business. It’s available in published format, an electronic version, as well as an audio program so you can learn not only what to say but how to say it as well.

I also have a scripts CD where I share the exact scripts I use for calling expireds, fsbos, just listed, just sold, past clients, ad and sign calls and prequalifying buyers and sellers.

Our coaching, products, and services are priced very fairly because our commitment is to really be a support system for agents right now as we all dig our way out of this challenging market we’ve dealt with for the last several years. We want to make a difference but more importantly, show you that You’re The Difference.

My clients often ask me, how do you do it all? I tell them one step at a time. Currently I am an active agent still selling an average of 93 homes a year, the co-founder of You’re The Difference Sales & Life Coaching, the mother of two, and the co-author of Now What Do I Say?, the Real Estate objection handling book. In fact, my partner and I are in the midst of creating Now What Do I Say, Too? which will be an audio program of about 20 new objection handlers with the most common questions I see us getting right now. If you’re interested in learning more about our products, please visit our website at www.yourethedifference.com.

So as I said to get it all done and still have sanity and a personal life, I take it one step at a time. Recently I was training for my first marathon and my coach told me not to ever think about the 26.2 miles. She said to think one step at a time, not even one mile at a time but one step at a time. At first I was mentally overwhelmed with the thought of running that many miles and often while training I felt defeated mentally. Once I shifted my thoughts from having to run so many miles to having to run one step at a time it made a huge difference in my training experience. That’s really all we can control, what we’re doing right now in the moment. As you’re growing your business don’t focus on going from 10 to 50 deals a year, focus on creating one more sale. Of course have a business plan and a goal for what you want to do but thinking about it each day can create defeat if you aren’t careful.

I have a question that I ask myself all day long and have my clients post at their desk, Is what I’m doing right now going to create income for me, make a difference in my life or the lives of others? If not, consider stopping and shifting what you’re doing to something that will. At the top of each hour take a moment to look at what you did for that hour. Was it productive? Are you spending time on the things that really matter to your life and to your business? Often times we waste way more valuable time than ever imagined once we actually track what we do all day long.

I follow a schedule where I do the same thing each week. The days are a bit different for diversity but each week is the same. I do certain things at certain times throughout the day. I work in blocks of time. This compels me to be most efficient with my time because I know it’s limited for each task. If I’m not finished when that time block is up I have to move on to the next task.

My coach once told me to be Olympic with my time. What a thought., Olympic with your time. What would that mean for you? No one is going to protect your time except for you. In fact, many will try to steal and waste your time. Be willing to say no when you need to. If you want to have a highly successful Real Estate business then you must be highly efficient with your time and schedule.

The systems I have in place for my business are very simple and manual. A few things that my clients have loved and found to really benefit their business are the following:

Have a lead follow system in place in stead of having your leads on stickies, napkins, the back of paperwork, on your calendar and all over the place. I have a seller lead sheet and a buyer lead sheet. Every lead gets one of these sheets which covers all their necessary information. The lead sheets go in my follow up system based on when I want to follow up with them. My follow up system consists of two sets of file folders. The first is labeled 1-31 which represents the days of each month. The second is labeled Jan-Dec which of course represents the months of the year. I throw the lead sheet in whatever date/month I want to call them again and don’t have to think about it until that date arrives.

Have Information Notebooks in place for each area of your business. These are simply three ring binders. I have one for my listings, pendings, buyers, past clients, and policies and procedures of my office.

In the listing book I have tabs a-z and the listings go based on the street name. I have an information sheet with all the sellers contact information, a copy of the MLS input, and an activity sheet to track the showings and feedback. I carry this with me everywhere so whenever I get an ad or sign call I have all the information. I am also able to speak with and update my sellers from this book at anytime.

In the pending book I also have tabs from a-z and the pendings go based on the property address. I have an information sheet with everyone’s contact information on it., the seller, the buyer, both agents & companies, the seller and buyer’s attorney and the lender information. I have a copy of the MLS input, a closing checklist with all the things that need to be done to get to closing, and a sheet for notes.

The buyer book simply has all my buyer lead sheets in it. The lead sheet contains all the buyers contact information, the criteria of what they’re looking for, a series of questions showing what their situation is. This allows me to follow up with my buyers on a daily basis and to easily keep them posted on new activity each day. The MLS of course offers automatic updates, however I like to be in more personal contact with my buyers and having them all together in one book makes that easy.

In the past client book I have a contact information sheet with all my past clients. It gives me all their contact information, what year they bought or sold with me, the property they bought or sold, special things to remember about them and a section for notes. They are also in a computer data base for mailing, emailing, etc. This notebook is at my desk and enables me to call them throughout the year and keep in touch with them easily.

The tracking book is how I track my business. This has tabs Jan-Dec and I track my business on a monthly basis. There are five sheets behind each month. One to track listings taken, one to track listings sold, one to track buyer sales, one to track closings, and then there is a sheet to record where each deal came from so I know what’s working in my business. It’s categorized based on the marketing I do. (prospecting, ads, signs, referrals, website, etc.) It’s important to know where your business comes from so you can adjust where you’re spending your time and money. So many agents don’t have a clue as to where their business comes from and are spending thousands of dollars on self promotion and advertising schemes that may not be making a profit for them at all. It’s beneficial to look at your profit and loss statement as a business so you can adjust accordingly.

It’s also important to know where you are in your production at all times so you can track and follow your business plan. Speaking of business plan, you will definitely want to have a simple, easy to read and follow business plan. I’ve talked about that in some of my previous articles and shared what my business plan consists of. The less complicated you make it the more likely you’ll actually follow it.

I have a daily and a weekly tracking form that I use to track what I do everyday. This holds me accountable to being the most efficient with my time as well because I actually have to record and report what I do each day and each week to myself. The daily sheet covers the following:

Total hours prospecting

Total contacts made

Total appointments set

Listing appointments

Buyer appointments

Sales made

Price reductions

Exercise I did

What I learned today

What I enjoyed today

How I contributed today

My biggest challenge and solution idea

The weekly tracking form reports the total numbers for the week.

We all know that large corporations have systems like this in place for their employees so they can track the efficiency of each employee. This is exactly the mentality I use in managing myself. Rather than think of myself as an independent contractor who can do whatever I want all day long, I think of myself as a large corporation running a highly productive business. I study what they do, what professional athletes do, how the Olympians spend their time and energy, and I pull from their resources to be the best I can be in my business and life.

Having simple systems in place will allow you to do much more business with a clear mind, much less stress and anxiety. Everything is neat, organized, in it’s place, and readily available. I do have the Blackberry and all the computer technology, this is simply what I’ve found to work best for me and for many of the agents I coach.

It’s a choice. When my agents ask me, how do you do it?, How do you get it all done in one day? How do you have a personal life and time for your family? How are you not totally stressed out and overwhelmed? One step at a time. Where you spend your time, thoughts, and energy is your choice. There are no gimmicks, no magic pills, it’s all up to you. That’s why our company name is You’re The Difference. You have to be the one to choose to make your life and business what you want it to be.

If Scott and I can support you in any way, please call or email us. We would love to connect with you personally on a free 30 minute coaching call to answer any questions you may have and to see if coaching with us may benefit your life and your business. If you haven’t already, I invite you to visit our website to see if the products and services we offer will support your business. We have a special sneak preview of our new audio program with 5 of the new objection handlers for only $5.99 right now and some packaged items on sale. Visit us at www.yourethedifference.com

As an agent myself for over twenty years, still actively selling in the midst of
this chaotic market, and coaching agents across the United States, I have
learned that most of us have the same challenges.

The top 10 I hear most often are:

1. How do I get more business?

2. How do I handle and present pricing to sellers so they list at a price that
will cause the home to sell?

3. How do I market my listings?

4. How do I handle all the objections buyers and sellers give?

5. How do I organize myself, my business, and my schedule?

6. How can I have a personal life and a successful business without
it being stressful and overwhelming?

7. How do I develop and maintain confidence and daily discipline?

8. How do I do an effective listing presentation?

9. How do I develope stronger negotiating skills?

10. How do I market myself?

The question is, how and what do we do to overcome these challenges?

I find that in most cases an agent has it together in one area, but not so much in the other. Ahhh, That balance thing.

It does take balance to have sales and life work together. In fact, it takes a lot of stuff to have it be even close to a life most would want.

I don’t have to tell you. You see it, hear it, and probably have experienced itfirst hand yourself.

With many highly productive salespeople they experience lots of money and
success but their health, diet, stress, sleep, relationships, kids, and overall well being is largely impacted.

Many salespeople find themselves divorced and married again several times, kids who they don’t even know, shallow show type friends, a fast food diet, many smoke and drink or pop pills to minimize the stress this sales business
presents.

They don’t have time for friends. They don’t have time for exercise or eating
right. They can’t spend quality time with their kids because they have SO much to do all the time. There’s never any time for them, many are totally exhausted at the end of the day.

Our society is so fast paced and so intense that it’s hard enough to keep it all in balance. Throw being a top producing salesperson in any business, and it proves even more difficult.

How do I know, Because I’ve lived it.

I went from being a drug addict working in an administrative position to a top producing agent selling over 100 homes a year, The co-founder of You’re The Difference Sales and Life Coaching. A coauthor of the highly acclaimed real estate objection handler book, Now What Do I Say?, A collection of over 400 answers to more than 70 of the most common questions and objections that Realtors face.

When I moved to a brand new town where I didn’t no anyone and was six months pregnant, I sold 39 homes my first year in the business.

I’ve raised my two kids in the midst of building my real estate business, creating our coaching company, and writing the book. I’ve been through the divorce because I didn’t have time to be a wife, didn’t have time to be in true relation with him.

I’ve been through the ER trips thinking I was having a heart attack or stroke
only to find it was anxiety and stress from trying to keep it all together.

I’ve participated in closing thousands of transactions and experienced all the different issues that can come up along with the pressures, stress and learning curve that come with it.

I’ve been the top agent that other agents don’t like and talk about because
they can’t stand the success.

I’ve experienced the good markets and the not so good markets in this business.

I’ve learned how to overcome all of the top ten challenges and many more along the way.

Over the course of the next few weeks as 2010 comes to an end, I’m going to
share articles with you addressing each of these challenges. I’ll share what
I’ve learned along the way not only from my own experience, but from coaching
with hundreds of agents across the United States and learning from their
experiences and challenges as well.

You can do this business, do it well, and have the life you want at the same
time, and so much more. If you’ll open your mind to the possibility that there is a way, that you don’t already know everything, and that you can actually learn something.

Yes, even if you’re a seasoned agent who’s been selling for a lifetime. You have to be willing to remove your ego, open your mind, and allow the space for growth in your business and in your life.

I still have a coach myself and have had a coach for over fifteen consecutive
years. I don’t claim to know everything or have it all together. I am human
and know I need to continue to learn, grow, be held accountable, be challenged and then give back what I’ve learned.

My intention is to teach others How To Sell, How To Live. This is also a year long course that my coach and I offer where we personally walk you through each step it takes to create a highly productive sales business and a healthy, well balanced life.

I invite you to read my upcoming articles as I share with the intention of
making a difference in your life and in your business. I don’t have the magic
pill or all the answers. In fact, that’s exactly why our company is called
You’re The Difference, because we believe You’re the one that makes the ultimate difference. No coach, company, book, seminar, audio program or anything else can do it, only you can.

Am I trying to sell you something? Of course I want you to take advantage of
the coaching, courses, and products that we offer because naturally, all of that will make a huge difference in your success. The more you immerse yourself, the faster and larger the results, I don’t have to tell you that.

I invite you to visit our website to see what we do offer, and if it’s a fit for you, great! I would love to personally lead you and teach you everything I know.

I will invite you to some free conference calls that my partners and I will be leading to support our clients in making 2011 a great year. I hope you will take advantage of this and not write it off as just another one of those sales calls.

I look forward to sharing with you in my upcoming articles.

Remember, what you do in your business right now will determine how the first
quarter of next year is. Don’t wait for New Years Resolutions… Begin now!

Start creating a plan for 2011. Ask yourself the following questions:

How many deals do you want to do?

How much money do you want to create?

How many vacations do you want to go on and where?

What areas of your business need improvement?

What do you need to clean up, clean out, and organize before the end of the year so next year can arrive with clarity?

How do you want to contribute and give back?

What areas of your health need your attention?

What relationships need improvement?

As you answer these questions begin to create a vision for what 2011 looks like for you and write it down. Less than 3% of the population takes the time to plan their life. They spend more time planning their weekends and vacations than they do their lives. Consider that if you plan your life and business it will automatically unfold just like your greatly planned vacations do!

Make 2011 Your Year!

If you haven’t already purchased our real estate objection handling book, Now What Do I Say?, a collection of over 400 answers to more than 70 of the most common questions and objections that we face in our business. I invite you to check it out on our website to see if this or any of our other products, services, and coaching may benefit you. We’re having a year end sale on everything right now in an effort to prepare our customers and clients for 2011. Please visit us at www.yourethedifference.com

“Christy Crouch is the co-founder of You’re The Difference Sales & Life Coaching, the co-author of Now What Do I Say?, and still an active agent in Virginia. She has participated in closing hundreds of transactions throughout her career and has been inducted into her company’s Hall Of Fame for her production. If you are interested in talking with Christy about coaching with her, email her at christy@yourethedifference.com.”

Since the emotions are taken out of communication with text and email, you have to be even more careful of how you word things. You have to take the extra moment that you’re saving by being able to text and email to really think about HOW you’re saying something.

It’s not WHAT we say that has the impact it’s HOW we say it.

Soften your communication, what does that mean? Well, I’ve found that if you preface a statement or a question with something that softens it a bit, you’re likely to get a much more pleasing response. It’s like with everything else, you get what you give.

Here are some examples of what you might be saying and what would be a softer approach and, even more powerful:

You need to reduce the price if you want to sell.

I know you don’t want to lose money or give it away, but unfortunately, I do think we ought to adjust the price if you want to sell in a reasonable time frame.

Keyword in that sentence is adjust instead of reduce. Try to stay away from the word reduce, whenever possible. No one wants to reduce anything when it comes to their money. Adjust is a much softer word with the same meaning.

You should accept this offer.

I realize this is a bit lower than what you wanted as a bottom line, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re losing money. However, I do feel this is a solid offer that we should consider accepting.

Always preface your statements and questions by aligning with the client. Say things that allow them to feel your care and concern for them and their best interests, and then lead them.

Use words and phrases like:

I understand
Unfortunately
I wish it were (not so low, a better market, etc)
I know
I realize

I understand you want to get the best deal possible and …

Unfortunately this is the first offer we’ve received in four months and…

I wish it were not so slow and there were enough buyers to support the inventory…

I know you are already losing money and…

I realize these inspection repairs are more than what you expected…

Seems very elementary however, small things can make a big difference in your business.

When handling questions and objections from the client do the same thing, for example if they say I want to list high to leave room to negotiate, you say…

I understand you want to get the most money possible and you don’t want to give it away, and I’d rather have us priced just under the $250,000 price breaking point to gain the most exposure possible. We can be firm at that price if we need to. We’ll never get a second chance to make the first impression on the market and being priced right the first time around will have a much stronger impact than adjusting the price later. The first 30 days of it being on the market is when we’ll get the most interest and activity and we don’t want to lose those buyers by being priced too high, just to come down later. Does that make sense?

Take some time to write out some statements, questions, and objection handlers to the most common issues that come up in your day to day business. Being prepared with confident answers that are said in the proper way will make you thousands of dollars in the end. In many cases your communication alone, can mean getting the contract signed or not.

If you don’t want to take the time to write your own or what a guide, check out our real estate objection handling book, Now What Do I Say?, a collection of over 400 answers to more than 70 of the most common questions and objections that we face in our business.

My partner Scott and I are having a year end sale on all our products and services. I’d like to invite you to visit our website to see if anything may benefit your business.

www.yourethedifference.com

Hope you are having a good year and ready to kick off 2011. What you do right now will determine how the first quarter of next year looks for you so go out strong!

Christy Crouch is the co-founder of You’re The Difference Sales & Life Coaching, the co-author of Now What Do I Say?, and still an active agent in Virginia. She has participated in closing hundreds of transactions throughout her career and has been inducted into her company’s Hall Of Fame for her production. If you are interested in talking with Christy about coaching with her, email her at christy@yourethedifference.com.

But, where will the prospects come from to write contracts for? How will you
get them? How do you become a top agent in your marketplace? How do you handle
the objections along the way?

These are questions that almost every new Realtor faces when beginning their
career. And due to lack of training, some agents are still asking
themselves the same very questions years into the business.

My first full year in real estate in a brand new town where I didn’t even know
how to get to the grocery store and back, I sold 39 homes. How? With a strong
desire, a strong commitment, an unwavering level of daily discipline, and a
coach.

When I began this business I didn’t ever think of myself as just a salesperson
or just a Realtor. I thought of myself as a business owner. I formed a
corporation for tax purposes which actually made it a business. Not telling you
to do this however calling myself a corporation vs just Realtor surely helped my mindset in addition to many tax savings.

I had no income at all at the time, and a baby on the way. I knew I was going to
do this real estate thing at all costs. My goal was to sell 100 homes a year.
I had this posted everywhere. I talked about to everyone. I had a detailed
business plan to follow and an amazing coach to teach and hold me accountable
along the way.

I got two credit cards, one with enough of a credit line to pay my coach for one
year and one to pay my living expenses for six months. I jumped in head
first without giving myself any options other than to make it.

I knew to truly be a top salesperson in any business, you can’t sit around
waiting and hoping for business. You have to get up, get out, and find the
business.

But how? Well it’s really fairly simple. As an agent our goal is to find buyers, find sellers, and put them together. It’s really much more simple than many agents think.

But how? We have to go out and talk to lots of people that we don’t already know. Sure, you can talk to
your family, friends, and associates. This will carrry your business for a
few months and hopefully help get you started, but after that you’ve got to find a way to create business.

But how? Prospect expired listings, FSBO’s, call around yours or your companie’s
listings and recent sales. Call neighborhoods that you would like to have
listings in. Call apartment complexes. You could also door knock but in most cases it’s
much more efficient to call.

Let me ask you, if you were just opening up a brand new business that gave you the potential to make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, how would you answer the following questions? Take the time to answer them to yourself and then take some actions as a result toward building the foundation for your business or growing your business to the next level.

Begin to think of and treat your real estate business as a real corporation and automatically your business will increase.

You just opened your brand new company…

How would that make you feel?
How would you spend your days?
How would you dress?
What would you think about most of the time? Remember Earl Nightengale’s quote “You become what you think about most of the time”
Would it be helpful to have someone who’s already accomplished what you’re trying to do, train and teach you how to do it most effectively and efficiently?
Would you trust and listen to them?
Would you have a detailed business plan to follow?
Would you have a daily schedule and/or routine to follow?
Would you practice the skills it would take to grow and maintain your new business?
Would you realize that you have to go out and create the revenue and business?
Would you tell everyone you come in contact with about your brand new business?
Would you consider writing a vision statement of what it will be like in your life when your company succeeds and you’re making hundreds of thousands of dollars?
Would you be enthusiastic and excited about your new business?
Would you realize that it will take some hard work, some long hours, and some levels of frustration to get there?
Would you try it for a few days or a few weeks and then give up and say it doesn’t work?
Do you believe you are or can be a successful business owner?

Guys, while some of this may seem simple and elementary, these ideas and exercises are a common denominator for the vast majority top corporations, athletes, salespeople, etc. across the country.

If we want the same level of success they have then surely we should follow the same basic principals they do, right?

If you are looking for the right coach to take you to the next level or to help you begin your business of selling real estate, I would love to support you. Please email me at christy@yourethedifference.com.

Christy Crouch is the co-owner of You’re The Difference, Inc, co-author of the real estate objection handling book, Now What Do I Say?, a collection of more than 400 answers to over 70 of the most common questions you’ll face throughout your real estate career. She is an active agent still selling in Virginia, the mother of two children and is dedicated to helping agents across the United States have successful real estate careers with a balanced life. To learn more about how they can support you, please visit their website at www.yourethedifference.com