Basic Questions To Ask

When selling there are basic questions that every sales person should ask, or already know the answer to:

1. What do you really want or need?
2. What goals and/or objectives are you trying to achieve?
3. What problems need resolution?
4. What other obstacles have stopped you from achieving your goal?

The Lastest In Marketing

We are all familiar with infographics, but how many of us actually are utilizing them?  Some people do not even know how to make an infographic...Well, here are a few free resources:

1. Visual.ly
2. Easel.ly
3. infogr.am
4. Wordle
5. StatSilk

Going Back To Basics

It is that time of the year again, when goals are made, and reflections to the year past are absorbed.  It is time to business plan for the coming year, and I have come across some of the tried and true basics for business planning.  They are found below:

1). Get an accountability partner.

Plan a 5 minute call for every day to see where each other are, and to see if each other did what the other said that they were going to do.   Ask, "What are you going to do today?"

2). Know your market and master your domain.

3). Focus on the top.

"Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you'll land in the stars."

4). It is YOUR job to ensure that YOUR clients do not forget you.

Hit It Out of the Park

How are you hitting it out of the park? What are your best opportunities?

"Buffett sometimes speaks of Ted Williams, known as the greatest hitter of all-time, when he talks about making decisions about what deals to pursue. Williams broke down the strike zone for a baseball hitter into 77 cells, each cell the size of a baseball. He calculated that there were only 9 cells in that zone that had his highest yield opportunities to hit if a pitch came into the strike zone.

Buffett uses the same type of thinking. He knows that even though he could make lots of deals, his best opportunities for real success are few in number. By knowing his own filter of characteristics for the perfect opportunity, he can be patient and not take every deal. He waits for the ones he can knock out of the park."

The Men Who Built America

Rockefeller, Carnegie, and JP Morgan, three great business men that shaped the foundation for the United States. These gentlemen laid the ground work for entrepreneurs to come. They may have been cut throat, and they may have been outrageous, but they were just what our country needed. Perhaps the same drive and desire is needed today to reshape the good ole USA.

Clarity

How clear is the vision of your future? What do the next 2, 5,& 10 years look like? What is the path that will lead you to your future?

We must have a clear understanding and picture of what we really want. What you really want should have an emotional tie.

The clearer the vision, the better the imprint in the unconscious mind. The greater the imprint, the greater the propensity to achieve.

Motive

What is your motive? Why are you doing what you're doing?

Good Advice

Taking a Successful Person To Lunch
For those of you in the early stages in your career, this article might be worth more than many of the classes you took in college -- if you follow my advice.

And, for those of you who are further along in your career ... frankly, the advice still applies. I can't tell you how many lunches (or coffees) I've been to with ill-prepared, meandering partners. And while some of the specifics of your questions might change, there simply isn't a better way to build relationships with someone who is busy and successful. After all ... they gotta eat!

Go somewhere easy -- and YOU pay.
Nobody has time to meet you for a fancy dinner in the middle of a busy work day. A cup of coffee works because you pay in advance. You don't want that awkward moment where you both wait for the bill to come, or to have the server interrupt you a dozen times.

And yes, you might be young and poor-ish. But if you've chosen your lunch partner properly, it's simply good manners to ante up the $20-$30 (or less) to pay for their meal. This signals your valuing of their time, and it will build up good will.

Ask questions the entire time.
You convened the meal -- so it is your turn to ask the questions, pick this person's brain, and get as much feedback as you possibly can on your topic. I highly suggest that you come loaded with questions, ready to fire out.

Oh and there's one thing about questions that you need to know...

Ask good questions.
Please don't ask for their "best tips or advice". That's insufferably lame and they won't know where to start. So make it a rule to not ask general questions, because you'll simply get vague responses that won't help you much.

So what are some good questions?
Well, that of course, does depend on your lunch mate, and your own goals for the time. But, for general-purpose networking, and learning the stories behind someone's success, here are some good places to start:

• What did you do right after high school? What did you do after college? [You want to see what a successful person has done right after completing their studies. This will usually surprise you.]
• What does an average day look like in your life? I wonder if there's time for video games?
• Who else do you work with? [This way, you can find out the other players involved in making their team work.]
• What would you do if...? Then you present a specific scenario -- hopefully one that you're experiencing yourself.

Don't talk about yourself, unless asked directly.
Or, as The Rock used to say: "Know your role and shut your mouth." This is your time to be all ears and become a sponge for information. Don't give your input on every single comment.

Do some research.
Don't walk in confused or clueless about what this person is all about. It's important that you take some time to do your research and figure out exactly what this person has been working on. This will score you some bonus points. It pays to be interested. People want to know that their work is being taken seriously.

I do hope this will save you some embarrassment, and, even, open some doors for you that will take your career to the next level. Feel free to forward along, of course!

We thrive based on your referrals, and are truly grateful for them. Thanks again.

Warmly,


Rowel Manasan, Esq.
Manasan Law Group PC
433 West Arrow Hwy
Claremont, CA 91711

Questions?

To be a good sales professional you must be good at asking questions.  You might chalk this up to being inquisitive, which may be the case for some, but not necessary for others.  The simple talent of asking great open-ended questions will be the true differentiator between sales people.

How do you ask good questions?

What constitutes good questions?

Good questions seek to understand a person's interests, passions, concerns, priorities and more.  The task is simple, prepare your questions ahead of time and take them with you.  This is a very novel idea...prepare ahead of time?  Research my customer ahead of time?  The task is simple, but it does not happen and it is not done by sales professionals.  I am one of those.  Therefore, this is my public declaration that I will prepare questions ahead of time!

Will you?

Scott

Winning the Day

The battle is win or lost before 9:00a.

Believe.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Verses...

"I'll see it when I believe it."

Which do you feel you follow? We are what we focus on. If we focus on the car of our dreams, that is the only car that we will see on the road. Has this vet accord to you? Have you ever had anything on your mind that you saw it everywhere?

Think about it.

Vision

"The SIZE of your vision will determine the SIZE of your actions, and the SIZE of your actions will dictate your schedule!

Your schedule is the roadmap to your vision...everything gets scheduled.

Do the Extra Work - Seth Godin

I had to repost...

Do the extra work not because you have to but because it's a privilege.

Get in early.

Sweep the floor without being asked.

Especially when it's not your turn.

Not because you want credit or reward. Because you can.

The industrialist wants to suck everything out of you. Doing extra work as a cog in an industrial system is a fool's errand.

For the rest of us, the artist and the freelancer and the creator, we know that the privilege of doing the extra work is the work itself.

The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be earned through practice. And the habit is priceless.

Scott

Top Ten Online Marketing Errors

1). Cluttering your website with too much information.

2). Thinking more is always better.

3). Casting too wide an advertising net.

4). Having a website that is all about you.

5). Forgetting the importance of links.

6). Neglecting your blog.

7). Overlooking professionalism.

8). Shying away from video.

9). Not utilizing an integrated CRM system.

10). Avoiding experimentation.

Choice

We all have choices, and the choices that we make have results. Whether those results are positive or negative is to be determined. Determined by what though? I believe the determining factor is the belief ones self. We must have confidence not in the choices that we make, but in our own personal ability to make the most of the decisions that we make. We must have faith that we have the experience, the determination, and the desire to WORK HARD in order to make any decision that we make the choice that we will not regret.

What Is Your Purpose?

What is your purpose for doing anything?  What are you trying to achieve?  Until a goal is decided, and a path outlined, then there is no direction and confusion.  Setting a goal is easy if you know what you want...what do you want?  Beneath your want/s lies your pusrpose.  The person that wants to be a doctor may feel that their purpose to be a doctor is to help people.  The want to be a cook may have a purpose tp provide delicious food in their local area, that may be lacking. 

What do you want, what is your purpose.  Decide, plan, and act.  Trust your instincts, trust God, and trust that hard work will most certainly be needed.  It is interesting though how hardwork doe not seem to be hard  work when you enjoy what you do.  Think about that.

The Price of Leveraging Price.

Every once in awhile customers tend to ask, "how much?"  Many times, the conversation trends to the sales person mentioning their price knowing very well where they stand to their competition.  Sometimes their price is lower, and other times their price is higher.  If you live based on price you will surely die on price.  There are always people, or entities that are willing to go lower to make a sale.  Do not compete at that level...

When the question of price arises then you know that you have not adequately conveyed the true value of your product or service.  Price comes and goes with the economy, but true value remains.

- Scott

The Voicemail Debate

Should you or should you not leave a voicemail when you’re prospecting? Among salespeople this is a hot debate, and I’m of the opinion that you definitely should.

Why would you take the time to call a prospect and then hang up when you reach voicemail?
The prospect will never know you called.
He won’t know that you’re interested in talking with him. He won’t hear that you have a valuable idea to share about a top business challenge he could be facing. He won’t hear your genuine interest in talking with him.

What a waste of your precious time and the opportunity to make an impact. Of course you want to leave a voicemail.

No, your prospect probably won’t return the first call. But that’s not your objective with voicemail.  Your objective with voicemail is to peak the prospect’s interest, build awareness, and entice him to pick up the phone the next time to hear what you have to say.

I recently asked our followers which are the worst voicemail mistakes you can make in prospecting and collected their top 10. See if you catch yourself doing any of these.

1. Pretending you have called before when you haven’t. Do some research so you have a grabber value proposition from the start.

2. Not having planned your message in advance. You hang up, or leave a rambling message that you’re later ashamed to have done.

3. Talking about your products, instead of a compelling challenge that matters to your prospect.

4. Not leaving your name and contact information at the end of the message. Here’s a tip: leave it at the beginning when the prospect is poised to take notes and at the end.

5. Giving up after only 2 or 3 attempts. Most prospects won’t return your call until you have tried to reach them more than nine times.

6. Leaving a message that’s so short it doesn’t give the prospect a compelling reason to call you back – or pick up the next time you call.

7. Failing to stick to one topic per voicemail message. You can’t mention every business issue or trigger event you could address. Choose one for this call. Save the others for future calls.

8. Passively waiting for a call back. Put a call back plan in place and continue to try to connect with the prospect.

9. Forgetting to mention a common colleague or someone who has referred you. You worked hard for the referral. Use it.

10. Speaking so quickly that you can’t be understood. Or worse, mumbling. Slow down. Drop the “ums” and “ahs.” Speak clearly and confidently. Be your natural, personable self.


Don’t waste your opportunity to make an impact on your prospects. They may just surprise you and call you back!

Change Is A 4 Letter Word

Change is synonymous with FEAR.  Whether we would like to admit it or not, fear is a driving force when we consider changing.  Thoughts of right or wrong, good or bad, insecurity or doubt certainly enter our minds. However, there is an old adage of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

To grow as an individual we need to change, we need to readjust our plans, and continue the push forward.  Fear needs to be leveraged. I can think of another 4 letter word that needs to me focused on in place of fear...we need to Grow, instead of wallow in fear.

Would You Be Successful?

How often do you attempt something new, and within a few days or weeks, you quit?  Abviously you saw potential, some opportunity, and you went at it with such verocity and excitement only to throw in the towel.  Why is that?  For many it is the constant pressure, or negative talk from those closest to you.  We value their opinions, and we feel that they know us the best.  Do you agree?  I feel that other people see things in me that I do not see, but in no way do I think that other people know me better than myself.  So why do we listen to other people?  Did we seek their advice, or is it just thrust upon us?  What if you did not listen to other people the next time that you felt that excitement of exploring a new venture?  Would you be successful?

How Do You Spark Creativity?

What gets your creative juices flowing?  

Would you agree that everyone is creative?

Everyone has creative potetntial within them.  The difference between one person over the other though, is the influence of those closest to them and the environment in which they are in.  Depending on those experiences, and the opportunities to exercise those creative traits, is just like any other developed chracteristic.  Practice, practice, practice.  

Let me ask my question in a different way, what activities are you taking to excerise your creative juices?  Where are you placing yourself to exercise your creativity? 

Vertical Response: 8 Blogging Tips

1). Be Patient
Nothing happens over night.

2). Be Persistent
Keep writing. Keep practicing. Keep at it.

3). Get Creative
Mix it up every once in a while.

4). No Excuses
Give yourself deadlines, and schedule time to write.

5). Be Consistent.
Post something regularly...no matter what.

6). Templatize Everything.
Take the guess work out of blogging by sticking with the same format for every post.

7). Use Social Media to Support Your Site.

8). Engage YOur Audience and Be Gracious.
Reply to every email and tweet.  Reply to every blog comment.

It Begins With You

All things begin with you, and yourself.

Whether you seek the advice of friends, family, professionals, literature, or some other source, you ultimately have the final say.  It is interesting to note, that though you may seek the advice from others, we tend to choose the advice that we want to hear.  Put another way, we seek advice from those that we know share our point/s of view.  Therefore, our conundrums are not challenged, but echoed or enforced.

Step outside the norm.  Seek advice from those with no preconceived notions.  Place yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable. Grow as an individual.

Happiness, When Shared, Is Doubled

The story goes like this…

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would describe to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young couples walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band, he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

One morning the nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window. He had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the beautiful park and lake outside. He strained and slowly turned to look out the window beside his bed.

It faced a blank wall.

When the nurse returned, the man asked the nurse why his deceased roommate had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said,

“Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Happiness when shared is doubled.

“Author unknown”

Korn/ Ferry's ProSpective Assessment

Managing Diverse Relationships:
"You seek out people with different points of view and different backgrounds. Even though you acknowledge that it takes a little more time and more deliberate communication, you see the value that a diversity of perspectives and experiences contributes. You are open and collaborative. You share and communicate well. You seek to understand, accommodate, and leverage differences...


Managing Diverse Relationships is significantly related to getting promoted at the manager and executive levels. The skill level for most people is high, and it is moderately difficult to develop. Relating well and collaborating with people who have different points of view and different backgrounds and experiences can enhance and sharpen your contribution at work."

Guidance To Live By

Before you speak:

T: is this True?
H: is this Helpful?
I: is this Inspiring?
N: is this Necessary?
K: is this Kind?

Building A Brand

How do you propose to build a brand?

I feel that this is one of the hardest questions to ask.  It is hard because everyone has their own views on what makes a good brand.  What makes a brand memorable? What sparks that desire and perceived quality?  How do you instill the values, mission, and culture of your brand, not only in your internal employees, but the customer base as well?  The ones on the top of the mind are consistency, and persistency.  You must persistently be consistent with your message. Simple right?  Wrong!  As a leader, one of the hardest obstacles is getting everyone on your team to believe in the company and the brand as a whole.  Employees are THE biggest advocates for a brand.  Second is the customers.  Can you believe that I just said that the customer is SECOND?  Think about it...if your employees are not passionate or do not believe in your brand, those emotions and lack of passion will transfer to the customer experience.  Pay attention to your employees and the internal culture of your company to effectively convey your brand to your customers.

-Scott

Great Advice!

Rowel Manasan's
"Straight Talk" Personal Strategy
Advice From My Dad

My Dad said a lot over the years, giving me some valuable lessons.

I'm attempting here to summarize his thoughts...so call this a paraphrase of Dad's Life Wisdom:

* The bank is not your financial security. The best credit line available is the one attached to your emergency savings fund. Remember, the borrower is slave to the lender, and you don't want to be a slave to big banks. Take my word for it!

* Don't depend on government for making your life easy. In an emergency, don't be too proud to accept help, but do not make it a way of life.

* You can't depend on schools to provide your full education. You must self-educate beyond the lessons taught in school. Challenge your educators, and challenge your own thoughts. Read books. Read books contrary to your own opinion, so that you may learn another point of view. Read books on subjects you don't think you care about and you just may discover your passion.

* Getting rich rarely comes quickly. Building wealth takes time, and a lot of hard work. If you want to be successful in anything, you must work at it for hours every day - sometimes late into the night, and early in the morning. If you are happy with mediocrity, punch the clock after 8 hours, plop down in front of a television and waste valuable time until you fall asleep. Repeat this process until the weekends when you can do even more of the same.

* Be skeptical. Don't believe everything you read, most things you hear, and even a few things you see with your own eyes. Question everything. Nothing in life is black and white.
I'm personally dedicated to the success of your family, Scott! Can other lawyers say that?
With affection,

Rowel Manasan

Brag About Yourself

How do you build credibility with your customers?  Do you tell illustrative stories describing the problem, the solution, and the outcome?  Do you provide customer recommendations?  How about third party written publications in books, magazines, newsletters, and other print media?  

Credibility can make or break a deal before it even gets started.  Whether we like it or not, people judge, people stereotype, and people like routine.  To break that routine and to make it past the stereotypes and pre-judgments, sales professionals need to instill credibility to comfort the customer.  Only then, can the closing process begin.  Yes, the closing process.  The sales process began when you stuck out your hand, said hello, and woke up this morning.  How you sell yourself is in attitude, appearance, and knowledge.  However, it is the outward attributes that people see first.  Therefore, people are very much visual creatures.  What this means, is that illustrative stories play to this idea of visualization, and are important to build credibility.  Be a story teller.

Scott

Scott Kueny
Ticor Title Company of California
820 N. Mountain Ave., Ste. 100
Upland, CA 91786

When To Say When

Until this day, I have always said that college is the one time in a persons' life where they can change who they are.  High school is often the time where a person needs to fit the mold set by their peers, or face ridicule and excile from their group of friends.  College is when an individual can more easily seperate from those ties, because it is socially acceptable,  anticipated, and known that connections will be lost.  Therefore, a person can reinvent themselves with little or no effort.  They are going into a new environment where there are new people, no preconceived notions, and a person can be someone new.  In my personal experience, that was taking my focus off of school sports, and focusing more on school involvement and academic clubs.  We all have opportunties for change, but the ease at which thoser changes occur changes as time progresses.

The reason I write this post is two fold, the first being that I spoke with someone this morning that has hit an occupoational plateau, and the second is that I witnessd the transformation of a 398 pound 49 yearold to a 198 pound 50 yearold.  The pofessional that has hit the plateau loved the real estate industry.  He has been active for nearly 20 years, but now dislikes the industry.  When you lose your passion, no amount of effort will produce the results that a person desires, or knows that they can acheive.  It seems that he has spent too much time doing one career, and with the current state of the economy, he has noticed his discomfort.  That is life knocking on his door to change. 

The second example was on television this last Sunday.  On Extreme Makeover, there was as gentleman that wished for his 50th birthday to be the normal weight for a 50 yearold man.  He was taken under the care of the television show, and dedicated a full year to his wish.  He exceeded his goal of weighing in at 199 pounds, and posted a 198 pound weight on his birthday.  The amazing thing above the and beyond his amazing weight loss, was the perciverance that was exuded throughout the course of the year.  He separated from his fiancee, he was homeless, he lost his son to medical complications, and still he triumphed.  This story that was played out over the 1 hour television show was the perfect illustration of how change becomes harded as life progresses, but is by no means impossible.

I share these two stories because nothing is impossible.  Change may be harder at certain times, but if you focus on it, then you become it.  Focus on what truly matters most to you and go for it.  You will make sacrafices, and it will be difficult, but the outcome/s will certainly be worth it.  There is a classic phrase, "The darkest hour is just before the dawn."  Things will be harder before they are better.  Keep your nose to the road, have faith and hope, and believe that anything is possible.  Go make it happen!

Scott

To Tell Or Not To Tell?

As a salesperson, our greatest asset is the value that we bring to our customers.  If a sales person positions themselves based on price, then they will always lose (someone is always coming in with a lower price...always).  I try to bring value through my knowledge of upcoming industry events and news.  It is this value that I bring which sparks this post.

I would like to put it out there for comment, the question of where do you draw the line?  How much do you give away before sacrificing your value?  Let me illustrate; The other day I sent out information regarding industry statistics and trends via text message.  I receive a reply back asking, "Where can I go to get that information?"  When I saw this text, I hesitated, and almost didn't want to respond.

Should I disclose my source?  Of course any good student, researcher, or person making claims needs to back those claims up, but this is how I positioned myself to bring value.  If I disclose my source, then what is to stop them from going to the source themselves, thereby making me useless, according to my value proposition.  To all of those wondering, I gave her my source, and now I am looking for another way of bringing this customer value.  What would you do?

The Market As We Know It.

Today's real estate market as we know it is certainly a unique one.  Mortgage rates are at all time lows, there are floods of people that would like to buy, but cannot, money is tight, and the inventory is fluctuating almost every week.  How are you suppose to run your business?  Why isn't your market like the one you hear about on the news?  Real estate is an extremely market specific, and segmented industry.  Two cities are not alike.  The people within those cities are different too, with different incomes, different values, and different beliefs.  Therefore, what one hears about in the news, many times, is inaccurate to the whole.  

The market will never be the same.  The need to be different and adaptable is ever increasing.  If you are sitting idle, then the boat has already taken off, and is not stopping.  Do not worry what your competitors are doing, but focus on your business model, focus on your SOI, and focus on your customers.  Focus is the key.  Drown out the media noise, and let's go to work!

Scott Kueny.

Professional Organizations: To Join or Not to Join.

Professional organizations are a wonderful thing.  In my opinion, they are a great platform to remain informed and meet your peers.  Not everyone views professional networks the same though.  Some view an organization as a business opportunity to meet customers, others an opportunity to learn and stay abreast to industry news and updates, and others for the pure social aspect of the group setting.  Which one are you?

A balance must be in place, and a goal must be in mind when deciding to sign up for an organization.  What does the organization mean to you? How are you going to be leveraging the organization?  The key is to remember, like most, you get the results from the amount of efforts that you put forth.  Get involved, be purposeful, and lead with your heart.

How Far Will You Go?

Part of rebuilding New Orleans caused residents often to be challenged with the task of tracing home titles back potentially hundreds of years. With a community rich with history stretching back over two centuries, houses have been passed along through generations of family, sometimes making it quite difficult to establish ownership. Here's a great letter an attorney wrote to the FHA on behalf of a client: You have to love this lawyer....... A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply. (Actual reply from FHA): "Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin." Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows: (Actual response): "Your letter regarding title in Case No.189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 206 years covered by the present application.

I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France, in 1803 the year of origin identified in our application. For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France, which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain. The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Queen Isabella.
The good Queen Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus's expedition...Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana. God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date back to before the beginning of time, the world as we know it, and the FHA. I hope you find God's original claim to be satisfactory. Now, may we have our loan?"

The loan was immediately approved!

Easier Said Than Done.

How many times have you been in conversation with a prospective customer; the conversation goes well and then you go your separate ways? What, you didn't ask for the order?  You know very well that you needed to ask, you are in sales after all.  You have been to all of the training's, you have read all of the books, you know the scripts, you've practiced the techniques, but for what ever reason you do not ask!  How can this be?

I chalk up the lapse of action to ask for the order as a mental stop that needs to be broken, and broken fast.  I once heard  a negotiation technique that I felt was interesting in multiple ways.  Bare with me as I make sense of this.  The technique was as follows:

To set the technique up, you are a NEW real estate investor, you have just found a property that you like, and you wish to make an offer.  The question now is where do you start, and how can you get yourself to make that first step?  Here is what was recommended...Make an absurdly low-ball offer.  Why?  The reasoning behind this is to get the conversation started.  This low offer not only shocks the other party, but helps release the fear that was built up within the NEW investor, and does not put the investor in a dangerous position, but merely helps break the ice. 

Another example was shared the other day on the radio.  All attendees were in a training beginners' class to learn how to juggle.  The instructor stands up in front of the room and instructs the attendees to hold all of their balls in their hands.  He then orders all of the students to drop all of the balls onto the floor.  What is the point of this?  The purpose of dropping the balls was to help release the tension that every single student had of dropping the balls.  The instructor wanted to get that anxiety out up front, and followed this lesson up by saying, "There, now there is only room for improvement." 

I think too often then not, fear and anxiety, for failure holds us back from attaining our true potential.  Sometimes you need to just confront the fear up front, and make the first move to get the ball rolling.  Trust that your knowledge, your personality, and your experineces will take care of the rest.  Take that first step, make your first move, and just pay attention to the reaction, it will give you hints on where to go from there.  Just get started. The worst thing that will happen is your prospective client says no, and there is only up from there.

- Scott

Valuing Your Social Capital

Social media is certainly here to stay.  In fact, if you are not involved with social media in some way shape or form, then you have just fallen behind elementary school children. Nowadays, kids far younger then my counter parts and colleagues, have mobile devices in their hands and are advancing into the mobile realm. They are posting videos, blogs, tweets, posts, and so much more that it is incredible.  With so much activity occurring within the social sphere, it has become extremely important to monitor social activities.

Monitoring social activities is important to ensure that your "social cred" is intact and accurate.  I just came across multiple companies that provide monitoring and analysis of influential socialites:

• Peek You
• Traackr
• MBlast
• PeerIndex
• Kred

All of these sites are geared to the identifying, and tracking, of social activity.  Can you see the need for these companies?  Can you see how the demand for such services has given rise to these companies?  Businesses have made it a point to monitor social media sites to scan for both positive and negative customer experiences.  Consumer opinions can escalate both positively and negatively on a viral scale given the right circumstances.  As a service provider, it is in our interests to respond promptly to this feedback and take action immediately.  Technology waits for no one, and with opinions at the fingertips of consumers, waiting at a seconds notice to flood social media channels, attention must be paid to social media. 

How would you rate your social cred? Better yet, what are your consumers saying about your social activity?  Are you even getting any social activity?

- Scott

The Obstacles We Create

I am in the business of sales.  I sell a unique product, what makes my product unique is not so much the product itself, but the way that it is sold.  I sell to Realtors, Mortgage, and Escrow professionals, but they are not the end users of my product..their customers are.  I try to sell in order for those professionals to recommend my product to their clients.  The more clients that they [professionals] have, the more potential sales that I could have.  Therefore, as in most sales positions, I am taking the position of a profit partner.  What is a profit partner?  As I define it, it is someone who helps drive business in some way, shape, or form in a manner of good faith that will result in an increase in sales.  I strive to add value through my connections to other professionals, tools that could instill efficiency, knowledge, and by acting as a bouncing board for ideas.

When taking the position of a profit partner, it is important to realize the importance of your time, energy, and expertise.  You must realize when your advice, tools, and other resources are not being utilized.  Sometimes the greatest obstacles are those created by your partners themselves.  Some obstacles cannot be helped, and overcome.  Cut your losses, move on, and spend your time with those that see value in your offering/s.  Only then can you succeed, and thrive.  We must note that the obstacles facing our customers are very much the same obstacles that we ourselves create and face on a daily basis. Use this fact as the platform resolve possible hurdles.

The Impact of Real Estate

Real estate has been in the headlines for the last several years.  The reason for all of the publicity is because of the jugernaut that is our industry.  For many years the N.A.R. has been one of the largest lobbyist groups in Washington D.C., and a "home" has been intertwined into the American Dream since America's inception.  Since real estate is such a focus in our country, there are many benefits that have been created for homeowners, two such benefits are the mortgage interest deduction and the property tax deduction.  Below are some recent facts regarding the property tax deduction from "Eye on Housing":

 A few facts about the deduction from 2010 data:

•    The property tax deduction benefitted 32.9 million homeowning households for a total savings of $23 billion

•   Almost 80% of  the tax benefit was collected by households earning less than $200,000 in economic income

◦                     Household income is the sum of all income earned by individuals filing on the same tax form; economic income includes items like employer-paid payroll tax and health insurance

•   For households earning between $100,000 and $200,000, the average tax savings was more than $800.

This deduction has become just that much more important in recent years, as home prices have plunged while property tax payments have remained about the same, leading to higher effective tax rates on homeowners.

House Resolution 557, sponsored by U.S. Representative Pascrell of New Jersey, expresses support for this important homeownership tax rule.

There are great benefits for homeowners, we need to broadcast these benefits to get more renters into homes.  Let's make it happen!

The Beginning Of Something Great!

I would like to begin by stating that from this point forward, this blog will not only serve as the platform to track and cite my experiences as I have entered the workforce, but this blog will also serve as the means by which I will be creating my first book.  It will be a peice-meal project, but through Jeffery Gitomer's guidance, I will complete a book by the end of 2012!

http://www.gitomer.com/articles/ViewGitbit.html?id=16110

It would do me a great service if you could please leave me comments.  Your comments will help expand my thoughts, and opinions, but also serve as building blocks for my book.

Thank you.



Scott

Representing Buyers

I was fortunate to sit in on a Keller Williams Buyer's Agent training, and I was able to compile the following pointers for Buyer's Agents:

1). Verify everything.  Double check all information, and follow up for yourself.  Assume nothing.

2).  Complete everything.  Be professional and submit/ deliver only completed items.

3).  Follow up...Weekly.

4).  Educate buyers up front (timeframes, expectations, CMA's, net sheets, etc.)
* Get all information before initiating the short sale.
** 3-Way calls are a great way to keep all parties informed.

5).  Personal letters to sellers as to why they should accept your offer could help.

I hope that these pointers can assist you and your buyers.

Kindly,


Scott

What Does Trust Mean?

Trust is one of the most important traits that a person and/ or a business can have.   Once upon a time, trust was conveyed with a firm handshake, and someone’s’ word.  As it was, verses what it is today, is that people actually followed through!

If a person gave their word that something was so, or that something would be done, then it would be known by all to be.   The repercussions that would come towards the person or business that did not act according to their word, were devastating to the person and business almost immediately.  For example, most historic towns were small, and each town probably had one or two professionals in any given field.  Further, within these towns, everyone knew everyone, and everything that went on within them.  Now, translate those points with a negative connotation attached to them; word would travel fast whether someone had the quality, integrity, or professionalism to warrant the towns’ business.  Trust builds a perceived quality, and a perceived consistency. 

Lets look at McDonalds for example.  If we visit a McDonalds in a foreign country, it is obvious that the food might be slightly different to appeal to the local tastes and cultures, but everyone trusts the quality, the cleanliness, and the service that they will receive from McDonalds.  McDonalds has built a trust within all of us, and we have all come to expect certain amenities.  Imagine if you went to a McDonalds and the décor of the establishment included the colors blue and gren, verses the normal color scheme of yellow and red?  Would you trust that McDonalds?  What are you doing to build trust within your customers?  What are the expectations of your customers? 

To build a thriving and sustainable nosiness, trust must be ingrained within the everyday business practices that we conduct.  Consistency really is the name of the game.  Above all, follow through.  The old adage of, “actions speak louder than words,” very impactful to building trust within customers and clients.   Imagine your favorite companies, or brands, and how they have built a trust within you.  How would you respond if that trust were broken?  Now imagine your customers and clients…

Trust, to me, means a consistency and expected value that my customers have come to love.

Scott

Experienced or Entry-Level

There is always a battle between those professionals that have been within an industry for years and years, and then there are those that are just getting started within an industry.  The experienced professional has built a career around a certian position, what ever that position may be, and has learned the ins and the outs.  The experienced professional has seen every type of client that their industry has to offer, and has experienced the positive and the negative side of each.  Perhaps though, that is where there is opportunity, and a chasm.

The you professional is often times, but not always, right out of school.  They have just graduated with their desired degree/s, and are ready to take on the world, often times with much naivety.  They are ambitious and eager to learn, but do not have the experience working with the customers, or the industry in which they are about to enter.  However, they have wonderful new ideas, text book understandings, and have an ear-to-the-ground for what is new and hip. Now this does not apply to everyone, but the majority seem to fall into the line of work that they will end up doing for years to come.  Therefore, many do not intern, or work within the industry during college to gain the exposure.  

It is this stark contrast between the experienced and entry-level that seem to compliment businesses, and help grow revenues.  However, there is always a quandary between hiring a recent graduate, and an experienced professional.  What are your thoughts?  Do you think that one is better than the other?  What are you, an experienced professional, or a recent graduate?  How do you decide between the two, especially when the job markets are tight, and revenues meager?


http://actvra.in/svS

Could Multi-Family Units Be the Next Buy

There was a recent article published by Corelogic within their new MarketPulse Newsletter., and republished by DS News Titled: Housing May Turn the Corner in 2012. Within both of these articles, the discussion is about the housing market and how the Spring buying season of real estate will signal either a positive or negative turn in the marketplace.  All predictions are that this Spring will be a hot buying season, and that the housing market will be trending upward thereafter.  What do you think?

After reading these articles, my mind was wandering...could this be the time to consider multi-family units?  The housing market is still depressed, and though single family residences may still be the right buy at the moment, I feel that as investors we should start considering multi-family units.  Let's think about this, as people begin to see the SFR marketplace heat up, they will want to sell their condos, or leave apartments and go into single family homes.  Therefore, the demand for housing will increase, and the demand for multi-family units will decrease, thereby lowing prices!  I will be looking into hot multi-family units, with the intent to purchase within the year, how about you?  Any thoughts?

Scott

How to Stay Positive and Keep Your Motivation

A Realty Times article recently came out and described some positive ways to keep and remain positive as the year progresses:

Real Estate Marketing Strategies: Stop Being so Hard on Yourself

by Dr. Maya Bailey

http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20120118_marketing.htm

"Here are some tips on how to change your motivational strategy.

1. Awareness - Start becoming aware of the words you say to yourself every day in order to get up to speed. Do they have a positive or negative tone? Do they build you up or tear you down?
2. Observe – Observe your energy when you hear these words. Does your energy increase or decrease? If you have an inner tyrant, do you also have an inner rebel?
3. Intervene - when you become aware of how often and you are being hard on yourself, it's time to intervene. The best way to break into your own thoughts is to use the "Stop Technique."'

So how are you staying positive, and how are you staying on track to make 2012 a wonderful and productive year?

Scott

A Quick Land Update From Meyers

California Market Watch, January 17, 2012

Major Land Deals in Northern California

Through the second half of 2011, residential land transactions totaling $165M occurred in the Northern California region. The land transactions were primarily for paper lots, with the majority of activity taking place in Santa Clara County.  As was the case for much of the past year, homebuilders remain attracted to core markets in or around employment nodes.  With strong employment opportunities focused on high-tech jobs, Santa Clara County will continue to be one of the core markets of interest for developers and homebuilders in the near term.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

·         Homebuilders’ purchase of residential land focused on paper lots in Santa Clara County.  As finished lots become increasingly scarce throughout the region, paper lots will be the norm for land deals.  California remains one of the toughest places to get lots mapped and entitled, leading to a competitive bidding process for lots with any entitlements.  Even paper lots in core markets have been trading at prices as high as $350,000/lot.  One such transaction occurred in the third quarter of 2011 with Tri-Pointe’s $13.5M purchase of the Cadwallader project in San Jose. 

·         Employment remains a key driver of land purchase decisions.  The Bay Area employment outlook is one of the best in California.  With Santa Clara County experiencing a sharp drop in unemployment over the past year, it will continue to attract a sizable portion of the land transaction market in the near term.  A variety of residential product types have transacted in the past couple of quarters, from mixed-use and attached products to traditional single family detached lots.

·         The multi-family market continues to be at the forefront of the real estate industry.  With homebuilders continuing to struggle against foreclosures and short sales, the multi-family segment now accounts for a larger portion of the market, representing about 60% of the permit activity in the region for 2011.  Renter demand continues to be fueled by the uneasy housing market conditions, tight homebuyer credit, as well as by the booming technology industry.  These factors, along with the preference of generation Y consumers to live in centrally-located areas, will continue to focus demand on the multi-family market.  As a result, existing rental properties and multi-family land will see competitive offers and high transaction values.

Further details on land transactions, as well as other economic and housing data, is available by subscribing to Real Estate Trends, a quarterly newsletter published by Meyers LLC and Elliot D. Pollack & Company covering Southern California, Bay Area and Phoenix.

Jeff Meyers, Principal

jmeyers@meyersllc.com

The New Year: 2012

The new year is officially underway and off to a great start.  It is common tradition to set new years' resolutions, but all to often they are broken by the first quarter, or earlier, into the new year!  So the challenge is always, how to maintain the promise that we make to ourselves.  So how will you keep your promise this year?

I find that having an accountability partner is one of the best ways.  The partner that you choose should have the following:

1). Similar goals to yourself,

2). Positive attitude,  &

3). Willingness to help.

Now, in order to find this type of accountability partner, and to retain them as well, You have to be the same.  So without further a-due, I am posting my new years resolution to increase my title insurance business.  I am asking for my followers to hold me accountable, because you are loyal, have a constant urge to better yourself, and you are reliable.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION:  TO PERFORM AT MY FULL POTENTIAL

Here are 3 tips to help you be at the top of your game:

1. Cultivate a positive mindset, no matter what:

Did you know that your success depends on your mindset, not on the economy? Here are some things you can do that make sure that you are thinking positively.

Focus on all the positive things in your life. Was your house warm when you woke up? Did your car start? Appreciating even the small things can change your entire outlook. Search for motivational resources that keep you uplifted.

Don't overwhelm yourself with the news. Remember, your clients don't care if you are well-informed about world affairs or even national affairs, but they do want to know that you are well-informed about real estate in your community -- so focus on that.

Avoid toxic people. What does that mean? Be on guard for people who want to share their negativity with you. Avoid them like the plague. If you are caught in an elevator with a toxic person you could always set up in boundary and say to yourself "that may be true to you, but it's not true for me."

2. Pump up your lead generation. This is a two-step process.

One, you need to release old self-limiting beliefs that stop you from picking up the phone, such as:

• "If I call people, I'm bothering them"
• "If I call people I might appear too salesy"
• "If I call people I might be rejected"

Two, you need to install updated empowered beliefs such as:

• "I have a valuable service to offer people and people are happy to hear from me"
• "There is no such thing as a rejection; it's either a match for it's not a match"

3. Clear your self-limiting beliefs:

The latest brain research shows that what you say consciously only accounts for 2% of your brain activity.

The other 98% is run by your subconscious mind, by beliefs that were installed in you at a younger age and may or may not be helping you now.

Here's how you can check whether your mind is helping you or hurting you:

• Do you get caught up in unproductive patterns?
• Do you procrastinate?
• Is your income inconsistent?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, then most likely you have counter intentions to your success.

Here are a few anti-success beliefs:

1. I have to be perfect to be okay.
2. I have to be hard on myself to succeed.
3. To succeed, I have to work long hard hours, struggle and sacrifice.

If any of these sound familiar to you, then you need to change them to pro-success beliefs, such as:

1. I am perfectly imperfect, just like everyone else.
2. I motivate myself in positive and encouraging way.
3. To succeed, I just need to work smarter not harder.

If you can focus on the positive, make lead generation a regular habit and clear away the beliefs that are holding you back, then nothing can stop you. Implement each of these tips into action and watch this year become your best year yet.

Realty Times
Published: January 12, 2012
by Dr. Maya Bailey