Monday, September 30, 2013

Sales Meeting/Speaker

Hello all,

"Sales Meeting/Speaker"

We had an opportunity fall into our lap last week to have a national speaker come in and speak to us at a reasonable rate (thanks Gary Macdonald in Aspen Hill). I saw Rick DeLuca speak at a Turning Point conference in 2008, it was a breakout session for Brokers and Managers. I learned more in that hour about being a manager then I can tell you. Rick's specialty however is working with agents, his company is the Real Estate Idea Club. This will help everyone with their business.   



I am finalizing a date, time and place for the end of the month for this event. It will be free to all and in lieu of the sales meeting. So the sales meeting on 10/7 is cancelled. More details for the event to come soon.

Enjoy the coffee,
Joe 

Monday Morning Coffee
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
 
"Lost, yesterday, somewhere between Sunrise and Sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever." ~ Horace Mann 
 
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~ Annie Dillard 
 
LOSING YOUR MARBLES? 
 
It’s Monday morning, and we’re back at the office or factory or wherever we work for a living. How was your weekend? Did you do anything important, or fun, or that you’ll remember for some time to come? Were you away from family because you needed to work? You need to remind yourself that you’re losing your marbles. 
 
No, no, you’re not going crazy. Just consider this story of a very perceptive gentleman: He sat down one day and did some arithmetic. Figuring the average person lives seventy-five years, he multiplied 75 times 52 and came up with 3,900. That would be the number of Saturdays the average person would have to experience during their lifetime. 
 
He was already fifty-five years old when he first figured this out, so by that time he had already spent over 2,800 Saturdays. Doing the math, he realized he had only a little over 1,000 Saturdays left if he lived to seventy-five. 
 
He went to every toy store in town, buying out all the marbles they had in stock, and he managed to collect 1,000 marbles. Taking them home, he placed them in a large clear container positioned in plain view. Every Saturday since that day, he removed one marble and threw it away. 
 
If you start now, no matter how many marbles you have, watching those marbles diminish week after week will, without doubt, inspire and motivate you to focus on what’s really important in your life. There is nothing like having a physical manifestation of your remaining time on Earth to get your priorities straight. 
 
In his seventy-fifth year, that gentleman took the last marble out of the jar. He figured if he made it to the next Saturday, he’d been given a little extra time. And isn’t that one thing we could all use a little more of? 

Monday, September 23, 2013

Challenge

Hello all,

"Challenge"

One of my favorite sayings in this business is "The money you are making today is reflective of the work you put into it six months ago" The top agents in this business have consistent cash flow because they have the proper systems and marketing in place. In other words, the work never stops. So the time to start preparing for 2014 is today. There are 14 weeks left in the year and I challenge each of you to do 2-3 money making activities each week for a total of 28-42. I will send a follow up email at the end of each month asking you to report your numbers and activities to me. I will let you decide what is a money making activity because everyone's business model varies. Floor duty, open houses, networking group, business lunch, marketing campaign, personal notes, door knocking... Your call for whatever else you would like to add. For whoever accepts the challenge and sees it through we will have a special fun gathering involving grown up beverages and food the first week of January. It will be a wonderful way to kick off the new year because it will be a great 2014 for those who join in. If you would like to participate please respond just to me with a simple "In".

Enjoy the coffee,
Joe  


Monday Morning Coffee
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
 
"Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." ~ Edmund Burke
 
"Inches make a champion." ~ Vince Lombardi
 
LESS IS MORE! 
 
During an NFL matchup, one of the announcers observed that the favored team’s quarterback had been guilty of trying to do too much on the field. Apparently linemen, receivers, and running backs had not been pulling their weight last season, and the quarterback was feeling all of the pressure to produce a winning performance for the team. 
 
What changes did the coaching staff make? For one, they brought in players who could run the ball better and more often, relieving their offensive leader of having to throw so many passes. With other players stepping up their performances, the quarterback didn’t feel so much pressure, and his completion percentage went way up. 
 
It’s a classic case of “less is more.” When the pressure is released and we feel that we don’t have to do so much, we actually feel free to do more! We learn to share the responsibility with those who are there to support us when we let go of our “universe will end if I don’t make this work” mentality. 
 
By asking others to step up and share responsibility, we become more successful. It should never be up to one person to make the project work, although having a leader helps keep everything organized and focused. 
 
The leader understands that success is not all about leaps and bounds. It’s about each individual taking the right small steps that will carry everyone forward. Louis L’Amour wrote that "victory is won not in miles, but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later win a little more." 
 
Don’t make the mistake of doing nothing because you think you can only do a little. On the flip side, don’t try to do everything because you feel you must. Sometimes doing less will allow you to do even more.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Assumptions

Hello all,

"Assumptions"

An agent in the office suggested that I should talk about this. I thought it was a great idea because it is something I have been guilty of. Have you ever had a seller you could not control? A buyer who thought they could lowball everything? Clients who were unreasonable about home inspection items? Parents of clients who stuck their heads into everything? The thing is agents on the other side of deals are dealing with these issues as well. Many times when things don't go as well as we would like with a transaction we "Assume" it is the fault of the agent. What I would ask of you and me (have a drink with Lisa and she will tell you how patient I am...) is to keep in mind our past experiences with our own clients and not to blame the other agent so quickly. As I have talked about before this business is difficult enough, maintaining a good relationship with the agent on the other side will always help. Keeping the peace is also the right thing to do for our clients.

Sales meeting today, 11:30 at That's Amore. Hope to see you there.

Enjoy the coffee,
Joe

Monday Morning Coffee
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
 
"Learning is the fountain of youth.
No matter how old you are,
You mustn't stop growing." 
 
- Taoist Meditation, Deng Ming-Dao
 
KEEP A YOUNG MIND!
 
Don't believe the phrase "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Creativity isn't only for artists, writers, or musicians. Creativity isn't just what is represented by a canvas or a novel or a song. We can all be creative in our own way, and the most common way that we can all do this is through learning.
 
As long as we continue to learn and to try new things, we keep our minds fresh and young, and we engage in the act of "creating ourselves" continually. Today's world presents plenty of opportunities for learning, especially about the environment, other cultures, and technology. Technology itself provides ever-easier ways of accessing knowledge through computers and the Internet. And no one is too young or too old to start!
 
Look around you at the most vital and energetic seniors you know. What do they have in common? A continuing interest in learning and sharing their knowledge and experience with others - so they are engaged constantly in the process. They keep their minds challenged and young, and in so doing, feel younger in body and spirit. They are certainly different than in their youth, but they continue the learning that began there.
 
Each new phase of our lives brings us new challenges and opportunities for growth. Growing older necessarily means learning new things. We are constantly creating ourselves in this way, and we can adapt ourselves to any situation by that continuing act of creativity that keeps us young.

Monday, September 9, 2013

How you fix the problem

Hello all,

"How you fix the problem"

I do not think a day or two goes by where I do not hear of an agent struggling with getting a deal to the table. The reality of our world is we are imperfect people in an imperfect business. Most times the problems are caused by circumstances out of our control, agent on the other side, bad appraiser, difficult clients... As we struggle with these issues it is important to keep in the back of our minds that when everything's said and done the client is mostly going to remember how you fixed the problem, not the problem itself. Because in the end the client has either purchased or sold their home and you are the one who made it happen.

Part two of how you fix the problem is making sure you surround yourself with like minded people who know how to fix the problem as well. Mortgage, Title, Insurance, Home Warranty, Broker (shameless plug)... We all need to work together to get the deal done. I am very grateful for and confident of the agents and affiliates in our offices.

Enjoy the coffee,
Joe          
                                   
Every so often the writer takes a weel off so I believe it is a repeat from last week...


Monday Morning Coffee
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
 
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
 
- Theodore Roosevelt
 
TOUGH LESSONS!
 
In an old "Peanuts" cartoon, Sally is making a list while Charlie Brown looks on. Sally says, "I'm making a list of all the things I've learned in life . . ." In the next panel she continues with, "Well, actually, I'm making two lists." Charlie questions, "Why is one list longer than the other?" Holding up the much longer list, Sally explains, "These are the things I've learned the hard way!"
 
It's easy to chuckle a little at the part about "learning things the hard way," isn't it? We've all done that. There's really a more revealing message in this simple cartoon.
 
The short list of things we've learned generally contains lessons that required no effort, or lessons we learned passively, while just listening or observing. For instance, we learned simple courtesies from our first grade teacher. We learned historical names and dates from our history teacher. We learned to tie knots from our scout leader. Our parents taught us to share. The list goes on.
 
The important list, the one that's much longer, contains the things we've learned from experience. These lessons are endless, and no matter how trifling the lesson, we learned one every time we took action. We dared to try a two-wheel bicycle and crashed - several times. We tried out for the school play - and made fools of ourselves in front of friends.
 
By attempting - at the possible expense of our pride, our self-esteem, or our physical well-being - we either succeeded or failed (and learned a lesson). It is our actions that produce results and teach us those valuable lessons. Teddy Roosevelt said it right: "Far better to dare mighty things . . ."

Monday, September 2, 2013

Labor Day

Hello all,

"Labor Day"

In the United States, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.

Stealing a line from above I wanted to say thank you for the contributions you have all made to the strength, prosperity, and well being of our company. 

Enjoy the coffee,
Joe

Monday Morning Coffee
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
 
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
 
- Theodore Roosevelt
 
TOUGH LESSONS!
 
In an old "Peanuts" cartoon, Sally is making a list while Charlie Brown looks on. Sally says, "I'm making a list of all the things I've learned in life . . ." In the next panel she continues with, "Well, actually, I'm making two lists." Charlie questions, "Why is one list longer than the other?" Holding up the much longer list, Sally explains, "These are the things I've learned the hard way!"
 
It's easy to chuckle a little at the part about "learning things the hard way," isn't it? We've all done that. There's really a more revealing message in this simple cartoon.
 
The short list of things we've learned generally contains lessons that required no effort, or lessons we learned passively, while just listening or observing. For instance, we learned simple courtesies from our first grade teacher. We learned historical names and dates from our history teacher. We learned to tie knots from our scout leader. Our parents taught us to share. The list goes on.
 
The important list, the one that's much longer, contains the things we've learned from experience. These lessons are endless, and no matter how trifling the lesson, we learned one every time we took action. We dared to try a two-wheel bicycle and crashed - several times. We tried out for the school play - and made fools of ourselves in front of friends.
 
By attempting - at the possible expense of our pride, our self-esteem, or our physical well-being - we either succeeded or failed (and learned a lesson). It is our actions that produce results and teach us those valuable lessons. Teddy Roosevelt said it right: "Far better to dare mighty things . . ."