Last month I was really lucky to be invited to attend the NAR (National Association of Realtors) Conference & Expo (UK = Exhibition) along with approx. 22,000 other ‘realtors’ or ‘estate agents’ (over 6,000 of whom were International Delegates like myself) and the event, entitled “Rise to New Heights” was held at The Moscone Centre in San Francisco.
One of my favourite seminars was held by a very successful realtor called Bob Wolff from Southern California, and I would like to share his insights with you in this blog today.
Bob Wolff of Harcourts Prime Properties, is globally regarded as a ‘top producer’ in the industry of residential real estate, a reputation he has responsibly crafted through 36 years of hard work & experience, with a record of over $1 billion completed residential transactions. As an area expert in Southern Orange County, California, Bob’s breadth of experience spans every property type from beach condos to luxury coastal estates. Most importantly it is Bob’s integrity, steadfast positive attitude and drive that supersedes customer expectations and makes him one of the most personable and effective Real Estate Agents in the USA.
I hope that Mr Wolff will not mind me sharing his ‘superstar’ habits with you all, especially as he started his seminar by telling us that stealing one person’s idea is call plagiarism, but stealing more than one is called research…! So I have ‘stolen’ all seven of his ‘Highly Effective Habits’, but I genuinely agree with Bob that there are NO secrets written here, this is all easy stuff, simple, logical, common sense that is FREE to do. SO, here goes…
1. Expect to be the best. If you don’t expect to be the best then you are very unlikely to be the best! Don’t go out to ‘show a house’ … go out to ‘sell a house’. Have a positive attitude and assume that you are going to achieve what you have set out to achieve.
2. Have a dream, a purpose, a WHY.
Take out a piece of paper and write down what YOU WANT, decide what drives you to get up in the morning. Put the list on your wall, or by your bed, or under your sun visor in the car, but make sure it is easy to see and read it OFTEN. Keep aspiring for the goals you have written down and tick off the goals as you achieve them. Add on new things that you want to do, keep the list going, keep it fresh & current, always have a WHY for everything that you do.
Ask yourself… If you don’t have goals, how will you know when you achieve them?
3. Place the BET ON YOURSELF. How do YOU feel about YOU? That is the most important thing in life. Your mind can only think one thought at a time, it can either be positive or negative, and if you start with a negative thought then that is not going to make you a success. It is important to always believe in yourself, remember that life really is worth living and there is always something to be grateful for.
Bob’s Daily Affirmations: Bob wakes up every morning and recites these. Why not have a go?
- I have attitude and gratitude
- I am always moving forward
- I am fit, trim, strong & healthy
- I spend my money well, my savings grow, money flows freely and abundantly into my life
- Self confidence is evident in my walk, my posture, my smile and all that I do
- In adversity I look for an equivalent benefit, always being thankful for the lessons that I’m learning
- I am always on time
Everyone has days that are awful, there will always be days when you should never have gotten out of bed, but you need to learn to let disappointment wash over you, smile and move on. Music is great, if you have a favourite tune you should play it before you are about to do something that you may find stressful, turn up the volume, sing at the top of your voice, it will lift your spirits. Leave nothing to chance, wear your favourite dress, your favourite tie, your favourite shoes – you only have one go, one chance, so make the most of it.
4. Acknowledge and understand that you are in business AND the point is to make a profit. It is by design that your business is the way that it is. Decide if you like what you do and if not, try doing something else that you do enjoy doing, it is never too late to change! Write down your goals, what are you going to do to be a success. Remember that it isn’t about spending money, it is about keeping it. If you want to earn £100,000 a year, how many units do you have to sell in order to do that. Be specific, write it down, make sure it is measurable and that you are accountable to someone. You either have numbers or a story, and nobody want to hear the story. Start every day at zero and structure your ideal day; Look at your plan, what are your goals, work to your schedule, don’t get distracted, if you are busy put a ‘busy sign’ outside your door and keep it shut. Do work that is going to PAY YOU, if you want to have fun schedule that as FUN but never be distracted whilst you are WORKING..
5. Focus on ‘dollar productive behaviour’. Do not waste time on business that is not going to make you money now. List, sell, negotiate or prospect, there is NO TIME to waste on activities which will not make you money.
- Look the part = Act the part = Become the part.
- Smile. People do business with people that they like.
- Give out 5 business cards a day! If you give our 1200 business cards in a year then your business will change (in spite of you).
- Return all your phone calls the same day.
- Write thank you notes.
- Learn to ask for the business. He who speaks first loses! 10 seconds of quietness is deafening.
- Never be scared to ask questions.
- Wear a name tag. (You have nothing to lose). People outside of your business may want to do business with you, let them know who you are and who you work for.
- Eliminate negativity, get it out of your life, it is not going to help you. Pick up the phone and start talking if you think someone NEGATIVE is coming your way. Do not be distracted by negative people, do not listen to negative comments.
- Have 20 seconds of courage every day.
- Never forget the words ‘Thank You’.
- Do the right thing.
Colorado High School Special Needs Student hits the shot of a lifetime
6. Never forget the basics. If you are in a service business, and you want the market to change… YOU need to change. If you want the marketplace to get better… YOU need to get better. When you go into a slump, ask yourself, what basics have you forgotten? It is a ripple effect and if you forget one element of the basic job then it will only get worse. Nip it in the bud as quickly at possible and go back to the basics.
- Follow up
- Stay in touch
- Be yourself
- Never forget thank you notes
- Do what you said you were going to do – when you said you were going to do it and how you said you were going to do it
- Avoid negativity
- Return phone calls
- Answer your phone
- Clean your shoes
- Have a firm handshake
- Look people in the eye
- Smile (even when you don’t want to)
- If you need a haircut, get a haircut (I add… If you need to re-paint your nails, re-paint your nails)
- Work on your posture
- Have fun
- Have energy
7. Write down the words TIME MANAGEMENT.
The best time management day of your life is the day before you take a holiday… If you could just work every day in the same productive manner as the day before you go on holiday then that would be the best time management every day!
- Write a list, cross things out, it makes you feel good and accomplished
- When you order food, order your bill at the same time
- Avoid negative people
- Throw things away
- Have other people do the jobs you find difficult or time consuming
- Learn to say NO
- Do the most difficult tasks first
And Bob’s Final thought:
Always remember BALANCE: Everyone needs balance in their life, if you work hard, you need to play hard. It is ok to fill your day with hard work, but when you stop work you need to enjoy yourself, relax, laugh and have fun.
The secret of life by WALT DISNEY summed up in 4 words:
THINK about the values you wish to live your life by
BELIEVE in yourself based upon the thinking you have done about the values you wish to live your life by
DREAM about the things that can be, based upon your belief in yourself and the values you are going to live your life by
DARE to make your dreams become reality, based upon your belief in yourself and your values
Whilst I know that Bob’s talk was to a room of estate agents or realtors, I think that a lot of his messages are very relevant for all types of people in all types of business, and I, for one know that I have taken a lot of inspiration from his positive attitude and, I hope, that I can pass some of it on to you.
Thank you for reading my blog.
Jane Gardner, Director