Whirlwind!

People often ask how I travel, speak, volunteer, rarely miss church services and still have a successful real estate business. Number one is to put God first. Beyond that you have to know that you have a whirlwind that is the daily grind of your business.

In the book "The 4 Diciplines of Execution", the authors state that the whirlwind will consume every ounce of energy it can! You have to goal set and work your plan in the midst of the whirlwind. The moment you stop, the whirlwind will get you. You will start becoming reactive rather than proactive.

If you want to go to the gym, it should become an appointment in your day. Plan family time. Do not break the appointment just because the phone rings. Church is a "No Matter What!" for me. Don't let someone else's lack of preparation become your emergency! Sure, there are going to be times when you have no choice. If you will apply this principle, you will start to get your life back.

Only Eleven!

My son recently made the football team at Whitworth Buchanan Middle School. There are almost 50 kids on the team. At any given time there are 11 on the field and the rest line up along the side and watch the game. They are all waiting for their name to be called to enter the game.

Where are you? Are you one of the eleven or are you on the side lines. Do you know what it takes for one of those kids to transition from the sideline to a star on the field?

They have to catch the attention of the coach. They have to perform well enough in practice that the coach can no longer ignore them and has to find a way to work them in.

This doesn't happen accidentally. It usually doesn't happen in the game. It usually happens in practice. The coach starts to notice the work ethic, commitment and improvement.

You have to practice. You have to hone your skills. You need to constantly be reading, meeting with people smarter than you and copying what they do. Eventually people take notice and have no choice but to put you in their game.

Dream or Goal?

I was going through my affirmations and read one of my goals. I had not achieved this goal. I was not any closer to this goal than when I wrote it down.

You see, I had not been working toward this goal even though I have been reading it every morning for the past few months. I had taken no action toward this goal.

If there is something you want, but you are not willing to take any steps toward it, is it really a goal or is it a dream? A dream is something you would like to have.........one day. It would be nice, but you are probably not going to make a sacrifice in order to achieve it.

If you want to lose weight or reach a financial goal, you can't just wish for it. You have to start counting calories or saving your money. You have to get to the gym or forego that shopping spree. If you're not taking steps toward your goal, you're just dreaming!

Care

If you could start every transaction with this word in mind, you will have a business that is unstoppable. Too often salespeople focus on their commission check unstead of focusing on the best care for that client. This often results in a check at the end, but a less than pleasant experience for the client.

This is how salespeople get their bad name. If you are selling a product, you can try to force that product into people's lives regardless of their need. You make one sale and it ends there.

When you care, you ask questions. You look for a need and then fill it. Create a relationship with that client and focus on how the transaction is going to benefit them. 

In the end they get what they want and you still get paid. The difference is that person is going to tell other people about their good experience with you and you can't buy that kind of advertising! 

Selfless!

I recently completed a transaction where one party only cared about the outcome as it related to them. Every request was met with objection. Every negotiation turned into argument that led to that person saying "I'm done! I refuse to do anything else!"

When we focus only on ourselves and the outcome only as it relates to our success, we short side all those around us. We affect our families, clients, friends.

Google defines the word selfless as "concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own; unselfish."

When you apply this to your life, it will change forever! It's not always easy, but it's worth it. You may not always make the most money from every deal, but you will make the most out of every relationship!