Do Your DISC!

It was great to see so many of you at our training rally this week with Debbie DeGrote of Excelleum Coaching and Training! Debbie shared some fabulous tips on business planning and winning listings and I hope everyone added a few tools to your toolkit.

One of the best elements was Debbie’s reminder of how important it is for us to understand our own and our clients’ personality style and to match and mirror—never mimic!!—their tone, pace, and even body language. Excelleum offers a wonderful tool for getting started with that knowledge: the widely used DISC evaluation! The DISC test will show you where your personality tendencies are—and of course there is no “good” or “bad” personality! The key, though, is how people of certain personality types interact or are “repelled” by other types. The more you know about yours and others’ personality, the better you can make sure you’re engaging in the best way to win customers and even negotiate better!

The DISC categories stand for:

D = Directive/Driver

I = Influencer/Expressive

S = Stabilizer/Amiable

C = Cautious/Analytical

Each personality has its strengths and potential challenges, so Do Your DISC and see how you can continue to improve in your business and your life!

Here’s the link to the DISC evaluation:

https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/3470a4ea/

The more you understand yourself, the better you can serve your clients!

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development

Tom Ferry's "Why Most Agents Suffer!"

One of Tom Ferry’s recent videos talked about a key ingredient in helping us become successful in nearly any situation—and avoiding being uncomfortable and “suffering!” Here’s what Tom had to say:

Many agents are suffering right now, but they don’t have to be…

They are suffering from a problem that they can solve, and it is actually a fairly simple solution. The problem? Agents who suffer don’t know which questions to ask!

They don’t know WHAT to say to win business…

An Important Study

Have you heard of Dr. Albert Mehrabian the psychology professor at UCLA? He did some very impressive work on how we communicate with others. He breaks down the messages we send in the following percentages:

7%: Words

Your words only play a small role in this process.

38% Tonality

The words can be the same, but the tonality is what shapes the message.

55%: Body Language

When you align your physiology with your words and your tone you are communicating a powerful message to your customers.

You can even use your physical body to help change your tonality when you are on the phone! For example if you have a tendency to end your sentences with an upward tone, driving your hand downward in a chopping motion will help you bring the tone back down so you sound more confident. That downswing in tonality creates trust and authority.

Actions

1. Memorize the Words

Get a script and make sure you KNOW it.

Our brains can really only focus on one thing at a time, so make sure you know the words so that you can focus on communicating and listening to your clients.

2. Practice Tonality and Pace

Sales is the ability to ask a series of questions that naturally and automatically lead you and the prospect to mutually desired end result.

The way you ask those questions absolutely matters!

You can even use your tonality to create doubt or certainty depending on the context.

3. Role Play with Peers

Follow the script.

Add more tonality and body language (practice the amplified version so that you can easily turn down when meeting with a customer).

4. Frequency = MRAS

You should be spending 20+ days per month Marketing, Role-playing, and Appointment Setting!

What a great concept! So grab some dialogues/scripts and put your own MRAS plan into effect!

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development

Gino's Time Management Tips

“To know and not to do is really not to know.” – Stephen R. Covey

Actually, to know and not to do is probably worse than not knowing, since if we choose not to do what we know—and that we know will improve our business—then we havesquandered our investment of time, money, and effort in the learning!

As we worked through Buffini Peak Producers training in the Keystone, Fishers, and Lafayette offices this year, all of the brokers involved in the classes recognized that Buffini’s methods and systems will absolutely, without a doubt, enhance anyone’s business when they’re implemented. We also all recognize that the real struggle is in the ongoing implementation of these great tools and systems—ie, to KNOW and DO!

So, it’s time for a refresher from Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates, and his 63 Points on Time Management he presented at our Annual Business Conference last year. Gino recognized this stumbling block that impacts nearly everyone and urged us to take control of our time and actions. Here are his first ten points:

1.  As you go through these points on time management, don’t think about whether you’ve heard them before. Think about whether you’re applying the disciplineto implement them. 
Wow, we all know how true this is!

2.  There are fundamental steps to great time management. Put these steps into daily practice and you won’t believe how much you can accomplish in a regular workday. 
We’ve all probably done this before and know how true it is . . . so the key is how to stick with it!

3.  Email is there for your convenience. If it’s not convenient, don’t answer it—or even look at it!! Guilty! I’ve just started closing my email server on my laptop when I’m working on something and only checking a few times a day. Not easy but I realize how much time I waste running through email, 98% of which is of no importance in my business.

4.  If you touch it, take action. 
Time management 101! If you can do this, you will immediately be more productive!

5.  If you spend just 15 minutes per day to revisit, readdress, or reread documents or emails, you will waste 97 hours per year where no action is taken. 
The consequence of not doing number 4—and more than 2 weeks of work!

6.  The key to great email management is to institute a policy where you use—and request—very descriptive subject lines for all emails. 
Wow, what a great idea! Let’s do it!

7.  When the subject of the email changes, the subject line on the email also changes. This is critical. Another fabulous idea! Come on, let’s do it!

8.  Concentration is like a muscle and it strengthens as you concentrate more. If you stop concentrating every time an email comes in or the phone rings, you actually lessen your ability to concentrate and you become less effective in any situation that requires concentration. This really means there is no such thing as productive “multi-tasking.”
Gino reminded us that if we try to catch 2 rabbits, we catch neither one! So true, and we all know it don’t we?

9.  If you don’t keep a list, you are most likely a very reactive person. 
Another time management 101 point! And Evernote is the perfect way to keep your list and never lose it plus have with you all the time!

10. Keeping a list will double your productivity right away. 
So true, so let’s give it a try!

So, are you ready to know AND and do?

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development

Debbie De Grote's Expired Listing Secrets

I hope everyone is taking advantage of the great webinars from Debbie De Grote (some with Gino Blefari) and adding new tools and skills to help grow your business. I wanted to share the follow up from one of Debbie’s recent webinars with some great insights into adding expireds as a lead source for your business:

I wonder if you have noticed more expired listings popping up.  It’s interesting that in some markets, even though inventory is a bit on the low side, listings are still expiring. I was talking with one of our great coaching clients yesterday and we were discussing the fact that even if you contacted only 5 expireds a day in any given market that would be at least 100 per month.

If you connected with even 10% of these, I would imagine you could add at least one listing a month, don’t you think?  One additional listing and listing sold per month is never a bad thing.

As you read this, maybe you are all over the expired listings. If so, good for you!

I thought I could share with you in this email a few of my expired scripts that may help you get an even better result from your calls and visits. If you are not working expired listings, I would like to encourage you to do so. Why?

Because we know that they wanted to sell, we know they were motivated enough to put it on the market, and we know what they were asking and how the market responded to it. This makes them a pretty hot target, don’t you think?

I know that they are not easy to get a hold of. I also know that sometimes they are mad and difficult to deal with. I know this because of all the conversations I have daily. I know this because my husband and daughters are in real estate and face the same challenges working expireds as you do.

I also know how valuable they are because when I was actively selling I worked them diligently!  One month I listed 30!  Okay, here is the disclaimer: fixed rates at the time were 18% and it was tough to sell them, so I think no one else wanted them. I did eventually get most of them sold.

What was my secret to success with expireds?  It actually is quite simple; I got in front of them.  It would be perfect if we could get them all on the phone and close them on the spot for a qualified listing appointment.  However, we know that often this just won’t happen.

Let me share what one great husband and wife team shared that they are doing to win the expireds they win in their higher-end east coast market; it’s classic! First of all, they have narrowed down their territory to the areas they really are excited about working and the areas where they can get to easily, that are right in their usual path of travel.

They pull the expireds from home early in the morning, and then call those that they can to attempt to book an appointment. They start calling at 7:30. Those that they could not reach, they split up the packets depending on who is going to be where that day.  And then they simply stop and knock on the door, and they go back until they catch the owner at home.

They try in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening on their way home. They try Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.  They hunt them down! Because they don’t have many in their market, and they have narrowed their territory, it makes it easy for them to focus on the few very hot ones that they really, really want.

Once they get in the door, they make it all about the seller’s motivation. They help the seller decide why the property didn’t sell and they present a powerful and positive plan to sell it and sign them up. You see, it’s not much different than what I did years ago as I worked them. They are just people, they need your help, and they are 50% nicer in person than on the phone.

Remember, your goal is to get in front of them, so stop trying to handle all the objections over the phone. And yes, you can mail them something, however I have noticed that in most markets too many agents mail, so your piece gets buried in the pile.  This doesn’t apply to every market, test it if you want, and yet that doesn’t make it any less important to get in front of them!

Great thoughts from a wonderful source of knowledge and skills to build your business! Be sure to check out the regular webinars from Debbie and her Excelleum  website: http://excelleum.com/

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development

Keep Those Cards Going Out!

As we start our 6th Peak Producers class, I wanted to again share some more of Brian Buffini’s approach to developing and maintaining a steady level of activity and revenue and avoiding the extreme peaks and valleys that come with the traditional approach to the business.

One of Brian’s keys to achieving that steady level of business is consistent, personal contact with our “database,” his term for that well maintained list including our clients, sphere of influence, contractors, friends, and family. He says, “Writing personal notes is the most powerful and least expensive way to grow your business!” Here are the Top 6 reasons for us to write personal notes:

1. Personal notes leave a positive, lasting impact.

2. They help you build a database of high quality relationships.

3. They deepen your personal and professional relationships.

4. Personal notes show you care enough to invest your time and make you a more likely candidate to receive referrals.

5. They can make someone’s day and they make you stand out from the competition.

And here are some tips for the Who and the When to write a note:

Write notes to:

•       Your clients—active and inactive (I don’t like to call any of them “past!”)

•       Family and friends

•       Your personal service providers; doctor, painter, landscaper, accountant

•       Lenders and title agents you do business with

•       Business owners you respect

•       Someone you’d like to meet

Write notes when:

•       To follow up a mailing, phone call, pop by, or a meeting

•       After you’ve received a referral (Remember to reward the behavior not the result!)

•       When someone does something that you appreciate or after you have received excellent service

•       Before, during, and after a transaction

•       To re-establish contact

•       To simply make someone’s day.

The bottom line is that personal, handwritten notes, with only a sentence or two, DO make us take notice when we receive them, so including writing personal notes as part of your daily rainmaking activities is sure to help you build and maintain relationships and earn more referrals on a proactive basis.

Now go fill up that trusty fountain pen and polish up your cursive!

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development