Just Five More Minutes - Author Unknown
While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.
"That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.
"He's a fine looking boy" the man said. "That's my daughter on the bike in the white dress."
Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. "What do you say we go, Melissa?"
Melissa pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes."
The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart's content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. "Time to go now?"
Again Melissa pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes."
The man smiled and said, "OK."
"My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.
The man smiled and then said, "Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.
She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get five more minutes to watch her play."
Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?
Give someone you love five more minutes of your time today!
SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW.....
We all have things to do but aren't your kids more important? Spend 5 more minutes with them when you can.
Your referrals are what create and maintain my business. I want to be your realtor and hope to grow our relationship into a long standing friendship. I am your guide to many useful resources so don't hesitate to call me today!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Building a Personal Brand
Chances are, you already have a brand, whether you've made a conscious effort to create one or not. The question is: Is it the one you want?
Many professions market themselves as having “integrity” or being “the best.” But those qualities — while important — don’t necessarily differentiate them. What specific skills and knowledge do you offer, and how should you promote these characteristics?
What Is a Brand?
A brand is the sum total of the impressions that clients and prospects have of your business. These impressions are made through the words you say, the images and colors you use, and the ways in which you interact (or fail to interact) with your target market. Corporations spend billions of dollars each year on improving their brand images because they know that those images directly affect whether or not people buy from them.
Good Brands vs. Bad Brand
A good brand is something that inspires a positive emotional response. Either your prospects and clients can feel a sense of camaraderie and connection to it or they can feel safe and secure putting themselves in your hands. A bad brand is something that's entirely in your head — an intellectual exercise using words that sound good but don't make an emotional impact.
Classic Bad Brands
Here are a few of the classic bad brands that you see everywhere across the country:
•Honesty, integrity, and trust
•Because I know the market
•I'm a professional
The first one isn't something that you can advertise; it's something you have to demonstrate. Can this be your brand? Yes, but you have to demonstrate it through client testimonials and the ways in which you speak to your prospects and clients. You can never say it out loud or you diminish it. The last two are bad brands because either they are a given.
Good Brands
A good brand for your business will show how you differ from the competition. If you don't know how you differ, then you should look closer. Your personality alone is a differentiator. Your knowledge of transactions and how they work; your experience dealing with people; the types of people you like to work with; the number and extent of the testimonials you've received; how much of your business is by referral; what systems you have in place to market, promote, and close deals — all of these things make you unique. From there, it's a matter of turning your unique qualities into a workable brand.
A Personal Example
My own strengths were educating my clients, having a deep understanding of them and their needs, and being a true advocate for them. This included having a strong hand at guiding them through the transaction, a high level of integrity, and systems, and being a professional in the marketplace. I was also a top producer, but I chose not to call attention to it because I wanted my brand to be about the client, not about me.
A part of any presentation I gave was the phrase, "I won't always tell you what you want to hear, but I'll always tell you what you need to know." It said that I would tell the hard truths and also implied that I would put the clients' needs before my own. If I'm willing to tell someone the unvarnished truth, it says I'm also willing to take the risk that I'll upset them and lose them as a client. That's a risk of a loss to me in order to serve my client. That's one way of saying that you have integrity without speaking it out loud.
Consistency of Message and Experience
Your brand image isn't just what you market, it's also every experience a client or prospect has with you. Once you settle on a brand image that really reflects who you are, make sure that your client experience always reflects that. If you're going on high integrity, then make sure you follow through on promises. If you're emphasizing that you have systems, make sure you have them for every part of the process. If it's all about the clients, then be certain that you slow down enough to be fully present with your prospects and clients whether they are in front of you or on the phone, and don't take calls from other people when you are with someone. It's all about the consistency of the experience.
No Matter What, You Will Brand Yourself
The fact is that everything you're doing right now is creating a brand for you. Whether you are conscious of your choices or not, you'll create an image in the eyes of the public, your clients, and other practitioners. Wouldn't it be better if that image were consciously created rather than the result of a bunch of random choices that may or may not be consistent?
Kelle Sparta is the author of Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales(AMACOM, 2005). She is also the founder of Sparta Success Systems.
Many professions market themselves as having “integrity” or being “the best.” But those qualities — while important — don’t necessarily differentiate them. What specific skills and knowledge do you offer, and how should you promote these characteristics?
What Is a Brand?
A brand is the sum total of the impressions that clients and prospects have of your business. These impressions are made through the words you say, the images and colors you use, and the ways in which you interact (or fail to interact) with your target market. Corporations spend billions of dollars each year on improving their brand images because they know that those images directly affect whether or not people buy from them.
Good Brands vs. Bad Brand
A good brand is something that inspires a positive emotional response. Either your prospects and clients can feel a sense of camaraderie and connection to it or they can feel safe and secure putting themselves in your hands. A bad brand is something that's entirely in your head — an intellectual exercise using words that sound good but don't make an emotional impact.
Classic Bad Brands
Here are a few of the classic bad brands that you see everywhere across the country:
•Honesty, integrity, and trust
•Because I know the market
•I'm a professional
The first one isn't something that you can advertise; it's something you have to demonstrate. Can this be your brand? Yes, but you have to demonstrate it through client testimonials and the ways in which you speak to your prospects and clients. You can never say it out loud or you diminish it. The last two are bad brands because either they are a given.
Good Brands
A good brand for your business will show how you differ from the competition. If you don't know how you differ, then you should look closer. Your personality alone is a differentiator. Your knowledge of transactions and how they work; your experience dealing with people; the types of people you like to work with; the number and extent of the testimonials you've received; how much of your business is by referral; what systems you have in place to market, promote, and close deals — all of these things make you unique. From there, it's a matter of turning your unique qualities into a workable brand.
A Personal Example
My own strengths were educating my clients, having a deep understanding of them and their needs, and being a true advocate for them. This included having a strong hand at guiding them through the transaction, a high level of integrity, and systems, and being a professional in the marketplace. I was also a top producer, but I chose not to call attention to it because I wanted my brand to be about the client, not about me.
A part of any presentation I gave was the phrase, "I won't always tell you what you want to hear, but I'll always tell you what you need to know." It said that I would tell the hard truths and also implied that I would put the clients' needs before my own. If I'm willing to tell someone the unvarnished truth, it says I'm also willing to take the risk that I'll upset them and lose them as a client. That's a risk of a loss to me in order to serve my client. That's one way of saying that you have integrity without speaking it out loud.
Consistency of Message and Experience
Your brand image isn't just what you market, it's also every experience a client or prospect has with you. Once you settle on a brand image that really reflects who you are, make sure that your client experience always reflects that. If you're going on high integrity, then make sure you follow through on promises. If you're emphasizing that you have systems, make sure you have them for every part of the process. If it's all about the clients, then be certain that you slow down enough to be fully present with your prospects and clients whether they are in front of you or on the phone, and don't take calls from other people when you are with someone. It's all about the consistency of the experience.
No Matter What, You Will Brand Yourself
The fact is that everything you're doing right now is creating a brand for you. Whether you are conscious of your choices or not, you'll create an image in the eyes of the public, your clients, and other practitioners. Wouldn't it be better if that image were consciously created rather than the result of a bunch of random choices that may or may not be consistent?
Kelle Sparta is the author of Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales(AMACOM, 2005). She is also the founder of Sparta Success Systems.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
12 Questions to Ask When Choosing Your REALTOR®
Make sure you choose a REALTOR® who will provide top-notch service and meet your unique needs.
1. How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job? While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate — like many other professions — is mostly learned on the job.
2. What designations do you hold? Designations such as GRI and CRS®, which require that agents take additional, specialized real estate training, are held only by about one-quarter of real estate practitioners.
3. How many homes did you and your real estate brokerage sell last year? By asking this question, you’ll get a good idea of how much experience the practitioner has.
4. How many days did it take you to sell the average home? How did that compare to the overall market? The REALTOR® you interview should have these facts on hand, and be able to present market statistics from the local MLS to provide a comparison.
5. How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final sale prices? This is one indication of how skilled the REALTOR® is at pricing homes and marketing to suitable buyers. Of course, other factors also may be at play, including an exceptionally hot or cool real estate market.
6. What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my home? You don’t want someone who’s going to put a For Sale sign in the yard and hope for the best. Look for someone who has aggressive and innovative approaches, and knows how to market your property competitively on the Internet. Buyers today want information fast, so it’s important that your REALTOR® is responsive.
7. Will you represent me exclusively, or will you represent both the buyer and the seller in the transaction? While it’s usually legal to represent both parties in a transaction, it’s important to understand where the practitioner’s obligations lie. Your REALTOR® should explain his or her agency relationship to you and describe the rights of each party.
8. Can you recommend service providers who can help me obtain a mortgage, make home repairs, and help with other things I need done? Because REALTORS® are immersed in the industry, they’re wonderful resources as you seek lenders, home improvement companies, and other home service providers. Practitioners should generally recommend more than one provider and let you know if they have any special relationship with or receive compensation from any of the providers.
9. What type of support and supervision does your brokerage office provide to you? Having resources such as in-house support staff, access to a real estate attorney, and assistance with technology can help an agent sell your home.
10. What’s your business philosophy? While there’s no right answer to this question, the response will help you assess what’s important to the agent and determine how closely the agent’s goals and business emphasis mesh with your own.
11. How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently? Again, this is not a question with a correct answer, but how you judge the response will reflect your own desires. Do you want updates twice a week or do you prefer not to be bothered unless there’s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or a personal visit?
12. Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most recent clients? Ask recent clients if they would work with this REALTOR® again. Find out whether they were pleased with the communication style, follow-up, and work ethic of the REALTOR®.
1. How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job? While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate — like many other professions — is mostly learned on the job.
2. What designations do you hold? Designations such as GRI and CRS®, which require that agents take additional, specialized real estate training, are held only by about one-quarter of real estate practitioners.
3. How many homes did you and your real estate brokerage sell last year? By asking this question, you’ll get a good idea of how much experience the practitioner has.
4. How many days did it take you to sell the average home? How did that compare to the overall market? The REALTOR® you interview should have these facts on hand, and be able to present market statistics from the local MLS to provide a comparison.
5. How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final sale prices? This is one indication of how skilled the REALTOR® is at pricing homes and marketing to suitable buyers. Of course, other factors also may be at play, including an exceptionally hot or cool real estate market.
6. What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my home? You don’t want someone who’s going to put a For Sale sign in the yard and hope for the best. Look for someone who has aggressive and innovative approaches, and knows how to market your property competitively on the Internet. Buyers today want information fast, so it’s important that your REALTOR® is responsive.
7. Will you represent me exclusively, or will you represent both the buyer and the seller in the transaction? While it’s usually legal to represent both parties in a transaction, it’s important to understand where the practitioner’s obligations lie. Your REALTOR® should explain his or her agency relationship to you and describe the rights of each party.
8. Can you recommend service providers who can help me obtain a mortgage, make home repairs, and help with other things I need done? Because REALTORS® are immersed in the industry, they’re wonderful resources as you seek lenders, home improvement companies, and other home service providers. Practitioners should generally recommend more than one provider and let you know if they have any special relationship with or receive compensation from any of the providers.
9. What type of support and supervision does your brokerage office provide to you? Having resources such as in-house support staff, access to a real estate attorney, and assistance with technology can help an agent sell your home.
10. What’s your business philosophy? While there’s no right answer to this question, the response will help you assess what’s important to the agent and determine how closely the agent’s goals and business emphasis mesh with your own.
11. How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently? Again, this is not a question with a correct answer, but how you judge the response will reflect your own desires. Do you want updates twice a week or do you prefer not to be bothered unless there’s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or a personal visit?
12. Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most recent clients? Ask recent clients if they would work with this REALTOR® again. Find out whether they were pleased with the communication style, follow-up, and work ethic of the REALTOR®.
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