Chris' Blog

How do you talk to yourself?  No really, when no one else is around how do you find yourself communicating with the person in the mirror?  Do you wake up and great yourself with a celebratory round of applause or do you stumble into the bathroom rub your eyes and bemoan how the scale is not cooperating and it "looks like it's going to be ‘one of those' days?"

I won't try and impress you with my extensive knowledge of Neuro-Linguistic Programming or the importance of the root word of "Logos" in the Original Greek Manuscripts of the New Testament.   What I will say, is that despite my understanding of how it works, I know that what we say and how we say it are really important. 

I don't pretend to understand the intricacies of the internal combustible engine of my car, but I have become fairly proficient at turning it on and getting to where I need to go.  Words and how we use them are just as important.  Now, please don't hear me say you need to lie to yourself, that is delusional and they have medication for people who live in fantasy worlds.  But do hear me say that you need to really watch the negativity that is not constructive and productive.  Do hear me say that you need to see yourself in a better light.  Do hear me say that you, despite your faults, should be celebrated because, if nothing else, you bear the fingerprint of God. 

Tomorrow set the alarm to go off with a CD full of applause, welcome yourself in the mirror and be thankful for another day, and relish every moment that you are alive.  Walk out your front door ready to Seize the Day and watch how your world will change for the better.

Carpe diem,

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People often ask me "what are the secrets to success in the real estate game?"  While the answer can be very long if we get into the details, there is a simple and short answer that applies to the cross section of the American entrepreneurial business landscape.  All of the secrets that we can control can be boiled down into one simple triad. 

The first is to develop a great attitude.  Not one that is born out of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) delusion, but an attitude that is born out of true and real gratitude.  Remember, things can always be worse and although we cannot always dictate what happens in our life, we can control our response to it.  Without a perspective that can see opportunity within challenges and remain humble in our successes we will miss 90% of what life has to offer.

The second is to develop a vision that is bigger than you are.  Success follows leadership and a leader needs a vision or dream to inspire others to follow.  The "others" may be your team, your clients or your family.   You will need to be able to draw your strength from somewhere during the darker days.  Your vision or dream has to be big enough to drive you to do the most difficult of tasks - discipline yourself.

The third is to develop a tremendous work effort.  The greatest laid plans are worthless if not executed on.  Great ideas without implementation are the fodder of those who die with regret.  Work hard, work well, work smart and even an average skill set will make it.  Combine a great work ethic with your natural strengths and you will be unstoppable.

Carpe diem,

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I believe a lot in the "Integrity, Needs, Wants" Model which goes something like: "Put your Integrity first, then your Needs, then go do whatever you Want!" And I say that most Integrity problems start with details/early warning signals that we simply ignore until they become a problem. There's another Model I like called the Opportunity Model: Occurrence > Message > Lesson >Problem > Crisis. The idea is that if you immediately respond to things (positive and negative; wanted and unwanted) AS they come to you, almost all of these can immediately become opportunities. But many of us wait for what comes at us (Occurrence) to turn into a noticeable Message. Not bad, but you've missed the opportunity already! And, of course, most of us wait until the ignored/unseen Message becomes a Lesson or Problem before we respond appropriately. The key point here is that by focusing on responding to all Details immediately, that we can avoid the Message>Lesson>Problem>Crisis progression and instead just enjoy opportunities AS things occur.

Carpe diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have my daily blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate's elite delivered to your computer -

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You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at http://www.mastery-coaching.com/

Customers are demanding a perfect fit between what they need and what you offer. It didn't used to be this tough to please customers, but it is now. Good enough isn't good enough. The point here is that you want the details of what you offer to fit 100% with the exact needs (details) of the person buying. They want a perfect mix, hookup, and connection. It's similar to the fact that your computer DEMANDS perfect software codes or modem connections in order to work. Even one digit messes up the system. The same is true in coaching; clients don't just want good, competent coaches. They want a coach with some relating expertise to solve their exact problem in record time.

Capre diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have my daily blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate's elite delivered to your computer -

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You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at http://www.mastery-coaching.com/

Building a PIPELINE of potential clients these days requires more than just post card that says "I'm Number One!" - you need to establish a personal brand to set yourself apart from the crowded marketplace of other REALTORS® who have the same or similar qualifications.

What is personal branding?  Personal branding is the way you clarify and communicate what is special about you, so that you don't have to talk so hard (or hope for the right question) to explain exactly why you're the best choice a buyer or seller could make in choosing a REALTOR®. With branding, you are communicating more information on more than simply a verbal level.

"A BRAND takes the place of an actual personal relationship by making it seem that there is a relationship when in fact, there is none!"  The BRAND is ‘what' we are remembered for.

Your personal brand is communicated through all visual and verbal communication, voice mail greeting, letters, listing presentations, personal web site, wardrobe choices used in meetings, handshake, contact card, and even your personal interests and behavior.  If any of these are inconsistent with the image you wish to project, your brand is compromised or at least weakened.

When developing your personal brand, ask yourself these questions:

• What do you want people to understand, think, and know when they see you/your marketing/your email?
• What is the essence of your value to an organization?  
• What makes you stand out? Your accomplishments, strengths, personal qualities, or just your hair color, the hat you wear ‘glamour shot'?

There is the story of the character actor who was wrestling with his personal brand because his primary value to directors was that he had a forgettable face.  He is neither handsome nor ugly, tall nor short, and even his hair was a nondescript color.  Although his credits are impressive, new casting directors never remembered him enough to call him back, even when they have been very enthusiastic about his auditions. 

After we did some work with the questions listed above, we decided to brand him as the "red sweater guy."  Why red?  Because red communicates passion, which is how he feels about acting, and the color stands out and is memorable, even though his face is not.

To every audition, he wore a red sweater.  On his resume attached to his black-and-white head shot, he wrote in red ink under his name, "the guy in the red sweater."  He began introducing himself as "Chris, the guy in the red sweater," as well as identifying himself on his phone messages and voice mail as "the guy in the red sweater." 

The result? The guy with the forgettable face became memorable, and effectively communicated his passion for acting by building a brand around a red sweater.

Correctly branding yourself will make you easier to remember, and will communicate much more than you can ever say in a cover letter or even an interview.

If you'd like to learn more about how to effectively brand yourself in ways that the consumer will respect and celebrate check out http://www.parentrelocationcouncil.org/

So, you had a ‘blinding flash' of entrepreneurialism and left the big company to own business? And, now, you are not sure you made the best decision?

Even if your best friends won't tell you what they really think, I will.

I will tell you what I think about your state of readiness for self-employment, but be warned: I am not going to mince words. I will call it exactly as I see it, so please be prepared for either encouragement or discouragement, as the case may be.

Answer the following truthfully -

1. I can and do work for myself even if it challenges my family's or my friends' perceptions of me and/or causes conflict.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

2. I can and do stop activities during my work day that are not part of my own marketing plan, including playing computer games, checking my e-mail more than once an hour, having the TV on while I work, and making personal phone calls, among other things.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

3. I can and do temporarily stop talking to or hanging around friends and family members who are not supportive of my business, and who may wish to sabotage my efforts to be self-employed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

4. I am ready to own my own business, take responsibility for its success, and willing to do what it takes to make it succeed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

5. I understand that I may need to change myself, my beliefs, and my behavior to succeed, and am willing to do the work and commit to my action plan in order to make my business succeed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

6. I have a written business plan for my business.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

7. I am willing to create and follow a marketing plan for growing my business.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

8. I am willing to redefine my business if that's what it takes to succeed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

9. I am willing to commit both an action plan and a timeline to succeed at my business.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

10. I am willing to devote at least 50% of my working hours to marketing my business or prospecting until I have reached my initial goals.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

11. I am willing to make succeeding at my business a top priority in my life.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

12. I am willing to review my goals and action plan every working day.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

13. I am willing to memorize positive affirmations and/or success statements that ring true for me.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

14. I am willing to learn to speak clearly and concisely about my business and what I offer without embarrassment or apologies.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

15. I understand that marketing and getting clients is my sole responsibility, and that nobody else can do it for me.

Yes___ No___ Maybe____

16. I will stop lying to myself about how I spend my time.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

17. I am willing to commit to following my action plan and to do everything I say I will do, when I say I will do it, even if I don't feel like it at the time.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

18. I am willing to admit that I may have some fears, doubts, deficits, and challenges, but I will not allow any of them to get in the way of my success.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

19. I understand that I alone am responsible for my success, not my clients, friends, colleagues, or partners, and am committed to doing what it takes to succeed.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

20. I understand that the process of marketing my business may feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but I know that I can do it with integrity and even with ease as I learn to understand how to use my talents and resources effectively.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

21. I am willing to say aloud that I will succeed, despite any challenges, even if it is hard and I get discouraged from time to time, because no matter how tough it is to work for myself, it is better than working for rat-soup eating, knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, credit-stealing, cheap-assed heel of a boss who told me he'd hold my job so when I failed I could go back to letting him make my life miserable for too little money and no possibility of advancement.

Yes___ No___ Maybe___

Total all your Yes answers. Forget the others, they will never count in the self employment world.

0 to 3: You're In the Zone (but not the right one)

You are clearly not ready to be self-employed and it's time to go back to the world of the cubicle, because you appear to have taken up residence in your comfort zone (and maybe not even because it is comfortable, but because it is familiar). You can pretend you "want" to have your own business, but at this point you are better off getting a paycheck form somebody else, because you are not willing to risk anything, or even accept responsibility for your own actions. You prefer having someone else figure out what you should be doing, then tell you to do it, and pay you for it. You might grumble if your actions result in good business for your employer, especially if you are not personally enriched by your efforts, but since you aren't risking anything, you don't deserve to share in the rewards.

4 to 10: You're on the Fence (and that's not comfortable, is it?)

You're actually thinking about being successful, but that's really all you're toward your success. You may want your own business to succeed, but not enough commit to the level of effort that entrepreneurship requires. Your biggest obstacle here is fear, such as fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, fear of appearing too needy, fear of cockroaches, or whatever. Who knows what you're afraid of? But it does not matter, and you are stuck in that fearful place. Some advice from me to you: The only way you to overcome those fears is to do it anyway. You will discover that you can do things you never though you could do, or decide that you'd rather scuttle back to the security of a nine-to-five somewhere rather than live out your heart's desire.

You are serious about success, and you may have a great action plan, but you're not making the progress you want, right? You've got great ideas, great intentions, and high hopes, but it just isn't working at the moment. Believe me, you are almost there. You just need to get moving and doing. You've got the "being" down, so now get the "doing" happening, and sooner than you think, you'll achieve the having" part that you want so much.

This is it; your time is now. You understand what you need to do, and you are prepared to take that leap of faith. You realize that the only thing in the lay of your success is you, and the question is not "can you do it?" but "are you reading and willing to do it?" It doesn't take a crystal ball to see your future: You are going to do it. If you've made up your mind that you really want this business to succeed, that you will deny yourself success no longer, and you are willing to put up with the discomfort of change (even change for the better), then you are ready to do it AND make your business work.

The point here is that it is EXTREMELY expensive these days to make mistakes. And the other point is that customers are MUCH less tolerant of mistakes. Consumers want the best for the buck and loyalty is an anachronism, as perhaps it should be. In other words, having what you offer to customers work 100% consistently is extremely valuable, given reliability and trust are key to consumers today. Innovation is great, but reliability is becoming even more important to them given the number of products that don't work as advertised. But this puts the onus on you to make sure that what you're offering works 100% of the time, not 99% of the time. The problem with many entrepreneurs is that they enjoy starting the next project before the current one has been perfected. The market won't tolerate this casual attention to the details. AND as you know, the last 10% of a project often takes the same amount of time as the first 90% does -- perfection is an investment, it's rarely simple or automatic.

Capre diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have my daily blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate's elite delivered to your computer -

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You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at http://www.mastery-coaching.com/

Promise Little, But Deliver Everything

When you promise less than clients or recipients are asking for and reduce their expectations, you have room to maneuver and the freedom to deliver something different (not just more) than perhaps either you or the client was expecting. You can create and invent. This may serve clients better than what they had even considered possible at the beginning of your association. Remember, clients don't usually know what they really want, so don't let yourself get too tightly boxed in.

Be sure to give clients what they paid you for, but don't stop there. You need to build a reserve or a gap, between what you promise and what you ultimately deliver. The wider the gap, the more vacuum you'll create and the more people will be affected or surprised by you. The more pleasantly surprised people are, the more their voices will sing your praises.

Why Do You Make Promises?

Are you constantly in a promise and deliver mode? Some people feel that if they don't or can't promise, they won't have the motivation or structure to deliver consistently. This turns promises into deadlines so that keeping your word becomes necessary. Of course, you should keep your word, but most people give it too readily. Some of the people you know might think they need you to make promises, creating a dependency. This type of promise and deliver system will cause you grief. You've got to stop promising anything at all and end your performance anxiety. Promising less provides freedom and begins progress.

Promise For Pleasure

Some people are so relieved when they deliver something that most of their joy comes from the delivery instead of the creation of what they delivered. Some people can enjoy both the doing and the delivery. You need to discover both what's motivating you after you made the initial promise and how you feel throughout the project.

You may produce greatly under the pressure of deadlines, but you may come to the realization that the personal and opportunity cost of doing so is far higher than the rewards or results generated.

Don't Promise, Just Deliver

Rather than telling people what you can do for them, rather than getting people interested enough to say yes, just be spontaneous and do something for them, without even offering to do it first. Most people enjoy surprises and there's no delay or performance anxiety because there was no promise, just delivery.

Deliver Something Different

Add a twist or an additional component to what the client expected. Don't just deliver 11 apples instead of 10, but toss in an orange too. The orange is something to surprise them with, but you haven't given them less apples. Perhaps the client will be fascinated by the orange and that can lead to your next piece of work.

Deliver All That Occurs

While you deliver the product or service, you may stumble upon something surprising about either the client, the product or service, or the situation the client is in. It may be totally unrelated to what you're being paid to deliver, but usually it makes sense to advise clients what you discovered so they become fully informed. These "chance" discoveries can lead to additional work or end up being worth more to the client than the project they paid you to deliver. Don't push what you discover; just casually advise clients of it.

Deliver Everything

Everything means you can create a bigger solution or product instead of just delivering what the client asked for. When you focus on delivering everything, you create more, and evolve both your skill set and the client. In this way, both of you progress instead of just getting current needs met. Make sure to always deliver what the client asked for, but orient what you're working on for clients so that it brings them (and you) to the next level.

Promise Nothing

Have enough reserve to do all of these things, but do them with such grace and style that your grace and style become as much a part of your service or product as what you're delivering. When you focus on delivering because you enjoy it, instead of delivering because you promised to, you are fed by joy instead of fear. You're working from reserve, instead of striving to meet targets.

Can you realistically promise nothing and still be successful? Yes, but you may need to start by underpromising and over-delivering. The gap between these two is pure profit - not just financially, but also in good reputation and self-esteem. People think more of you when you deliver far more (of what they want) than they were expecting. That gap starts people talking. If you delivered even the same amount, but had promised or over-promised it at the outset, the recipients would equally benefit, but they wouldn't be as impressed and they wouldn't talk about you. This is a key distinction for anyone in business who wants to build a strong reputation quickly.

Promise almost nothing to your clients (just enough to close the sale), but then begin the engine of over-delivering. Every time you over-deliver, you build up a reserve, of self-confidence, self-esteem, and referrals.

Capre diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have my daily blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate's elite delivered to your computer -

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You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at www.mastery-coaching.com

Just because something is inconsequential or even irrelevant, doesn't mean that it will always be that way. Think of Detroit and how they ignored the Japanese car manufacturers importing to the U.S. in the 60s. Or how CBS's former owner Tisch ignored the synergy of having a cable or Internet affiliation because he couldn't justify the investment on an immediate return-on-investment basis. Or how Hollywood is just now getting that the Internet may well take over a lot of their customers. Perhaps the details are precursors or early warning signals -- they are telling you something about the future (positive or negative). Until recently, you'd have had the luxury of waiting for real evidence of an emerging trend, but now, given how fast things are changing AND how savvy others are (who ARE paying attention to nuances and details), you cannot afford to wait. You just can't. Details are GOLD. Treat them that way.

Capre diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have my daily blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate's elite delivered to your computer -

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You can instantly improve something if it's a detail -- straightening a picture, helping a customer service agent deal better with an individual caller, helping a client solve a small problem. These ARE things you can do, and do fairly easily. Most clients may not see the value in the details, but you can. An example of this is NY City, where the police department decided to focus a LOT on petty crime/small infractions such as vagrancy, public urination (sorry, but it's true), and other non-murder type stuff. Peeing seems a lot less important than reducing the murder rate, right? True, but as a result of a focus on the micro, the police department has shown a 50% drop in macro problems like murder, rape, etc. The moral is to focus on what you can instantly fix and it's a good bet that, to a large extent, the bigger goals/problems will start taking care of themselves. 

Capre diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have my daily blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate's elite delivered to your computer -

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