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 have squandered our investment of time, money, and effort in the learning!

As we work through Buffini Peak Producers training in the Keystone, Fishers, and Lafayette offices this year, all of the brokers involved in the class recognize 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!

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 as we get ready for this year’s conference next week! 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 discipline to 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, to know and not do . . . !

David M. Hassler

VP, Director of Business Development

Gino's "Thoughts on Leadership" Vince Lombardi Style!

Each week, Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC, writes a great blog titled “Thoughts on Leadership." Since each of us is the leader of our own professional real estate brokerage business, Gino’s thoughts can be a great source of guidance and inspiration. His latest post—just before the Super Bowl last Sunday—is a wonderful look at what it means—and what it takes—to be a winner. (By the way, in case you missed, Peyton DID win!) Here are Gino’s thoughts:

This week my travels find me in Irvine, CA, where it seems as if the entire state is gearing up to host Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. And while my 49ers didn’t quite make it to the big game, it does take place right on my home turf, at Levi’s® Stadium in Santa Clara.

If you look at the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers roster, you’ll know Super Bowl 50 should be an interesting contest of the league’s two best defenses that pits prodigy quarterback Cam Newton of the Panthers against veteran quarterback, Peyton Manning of the Broncos. It’s also an intriguing matchup when you take into account the rumors circulating that this Super Bowl game might be Peyton’s last. In fact, browse any sports news website and you’ll be met with a hailstorm of headlines debating this very question. Will he or won’t he? Would a Broncos win on Sunday change everything?

Well, yes. Because if Peyton does decide to make this his final appearance on a professional football field, a Super Bowl win would cement his quarterback legacy in the history of the game. Win one Super Bowl and you’re good (OK, you’re really, really good) but win two Super Bowls and you ascend to football greatness. However, there’s an inherent flaw with this way of thinking, in diluting a years-long career into one single day battling to become a Super Bowl champion. Is it really fair to reduce decades of late-night game tape reviews and early morning practices, endless examples of stunning fourth-quarter wins and incredible, how-did-he-do-that passes into just a few hours of play?

Vince Lombardi, famed Green Bay Packers head coach during the 1960s, once perfectly summed up what it means to win. “Winning is not a sometime thing,” he explained. “It’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.”

In other words, of course a Super Bowl win is significant but if it does happen for Peyton, it would be symptomatic of the hard work and talent he’s put on display not only this Sunday but also since he first joined the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. Let me tell you this: One night does not a winner make. Winning, as Lombardi described it, is an “all-time thing.” You’re not a winner because you score more points than the other team during a single game; you’re a winner because you made winning a habit every time you stepped onto the field.

So, what’s the message? Whether Sunday’s game really is Peyton’s last, there’s a lesson on leadership to be learned in the attention this decision brings to the true spirit of a winner. As Lombardi once said, “The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.

Thanks, Gino—and Vince! “Winning is an all-time thing!”

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development

The “3P’s” Home Selling Process

Our friends at GoodLife Realty down in Austin Texas—the folks who specialize in working as those Paperless Agents—have put together a great and simple approach to presenting and differentiating themselves from the competition when it comes to winning listings in their market. They share with prospective clients a “3P’s” Home Selling Process that has a few neat wrinkles that can separate us from the crowd. The 3 “P’s” they focus on are Preparation, Pricing, and Promotion.

Preparation, of course, deals with the specifics of the individual home and getting it ready to compete in the marketplace with the goal being to position it to be the very next one to sell in that neighborhood. The three elements of preparation are Repairs, Staging, and Cleanliness.

Repairs may be needed to correct problems or deferred maintenance in order to compete for full market price against the competition. If repairs can’t be made, then the price will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Staging is also crucial for achieving a timely and full market sale. The goal is the have the buyer become so comfortable they feel like they could move right into the home—just as they might feel walking into a brand new, perfectly staged model home. Professional stagers can bring a high level of expertise to the process—at a relatively low investment to the agent—while also allowing us avoid having to say those things that a homeowner might find . . . well, a bit too direct! Yes, I loved that fluffy pink toilet seat cover your grandmother made, but I think the stager is right and it needs to go!

The final element of Preparation is Cleanliness. The seller will need to make sure their home is fully ready for its debut under the lights! No actor would step onto the stage without their makeup and costume being in perfect order, no matter how great their acting skills, nor how well they had memorized their lines. We can help our sellers by making sure they understand what this kind of Cleanliness really means to the value of their home: they won’t achieve top dollar if the house doesn’t look top dollar!

The second “P” is Pricing, and that will of course depend on how much the seller can do in terms of Preparation, since Pricing and Preparation go hand in hand. Homes that are in poor condition, or are poorly positioned, cannot command a full market price and are doomed to languish on the market and most likely sell ultimately for less than what they might achieve if they had been positioned correctly up front. On the other hand, homes that are positioned and staged perfectly, yet priced above the market—remember, market price demands perfect condition and preparation to begin with—will also languish and often sell for less them optimum. The concept of “Let’s see if anyone might make an offer at this (knowingly overinflated) price—we can always lower it” is usually a recipe for that disaster as the home sits in limbo. The key to pricing is to place the home at the correct market price—“in” the market— given its preparation, so it sells on a timely basis at the highest price for that context.

The final “P” is Promotion. This is where we can begin to get creative and include things like Facebook Ads, YouTube videos, and maximizing Search Engine Optimization so the home will be found by the increasing percentage of buyers who discover their new home online. Professional photography can be a huge plus—again, at a relatively low investment for the agent—given so many buyers are staring at their screens and making decisions based on those photos. The key is to get that surfer to click and save and ask for a showing on your new listing! And never forget: the very best marketing strategy is always to price the house right!

So, don’t forget, the best marketing strategy for any home is pricing it right to begin with so that it’s “IN” the market, not out there in overpriced or poorly prepared limbo! Remember those “3P’s” and set yourself apart—and help your client to the best price they can get.

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development

Five Keys to a Strongest 2016

Three years ago, we launched the Coach’s Playbook and our updated program with the Five Keys to Success in Real Estate system. Since then, we’ve added Peak Producers training and our Wednesday Wake Up and Tech Savvy Thursday training sessions live and via Go to Meeting to offer everyone the opportunity for that “kaizen” or continuous improvement in your business that Gino Blefari spoke about at our latest Business Conference.

So, now as the holiday season has started in earnest, it’s time to start thinking about 2016! Of course, it’s an undeniable truth in our business that transaction activity will be slowing down over the next couple of chilly months, so how do we continue to make the most productive use of our time to make our business profitable? So, it’s time to again remember those FIVE KEYS TO SUCCESS! Your management and coaching teams are available to help you do the planning and preparation you need to kick off 2016 at full speed.

First, you’ll want to MASTER YOUR STATS. You can use that information as the basis for planning your action for 2016; then hopefully you’ll find a stat that allows you to differentiate yourself in your market; and finally you may note an area you can focus on for improvement. We recommend looking not just at your sales volume or gross commissions, but digging into your average side price, your average days-on-market, and your average commission percentage rate, with a goal to average at least 3.0%!

Once you’ve captured your stats, you can CREATE YOUR ROADMAP, a detailed business plan with an updated mission statement, target market, cash flow budget, and marketing plan. The ideal plan will break things down to show you THE ACTIVITIES YOU NEED TO DO EACH WEEK to build your business for the long term based on repeat and referral business. Remember, people with written plans—and who track their progress regularly—in any endeavor, are many times more successful than those who have no plan or tap their head and say “It’s all up here!” Your management and coaching teams will be there to help you through this process.

Also, you can spend some of the cool season MASTERING YOUR PROCESS and making sure all your technology tools, your CRM lists, and your presentation, service delivery, and negotiation approach are all in fine tuned working order and up to date. Our regular training on systems and business skills—with 10 monthly sessions live and via webinar--are a great opportunity for you to add more arrows to your quiver!

And—most fun of all—you can PERSONALIZE YOUR TOUCHES by contacting all those friends, clients (remember, there’s no such thing as a “past” client, they’re either active or inactive!) and potential clients to spend some of that face to face time at the top of the pyramid of the 7 Levels of Communication to build your referral based business. Don’t forget that wonderful “What can I do to help you and your business” conversation opener!

Finally you can make the habit to PRACTICE ACCOUNTABILITY by completing your business plan and implementing an agenda to keep you on track DAILY so you can make 2016 your strongest year!

But for now, enjoy family and friends through the holidays and get ready to leap ahead in 2016!

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development