Influencing Others What Everyone Should Know Dale Carnegie's classic book, How to Win Friends & Influence People*, was first published in 1936 and has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. Carnegie's book is a primer for how to be truly likable, genuinely kind, and lovingly followed. Somewhat sadly, kindness and sincerity don't make for good drama, and most of the entertainment out there shows people at their most base, most selfish, and most cunning. It's easy to forget how a real leader should behave in light of the bad examples that have been set in recent years. With that in mind, I'd like to expound on some of the tips from Carnegie's section on How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking. I highly recommend the whole book, as Carnegie's examples and stories are both entertaining and inspiring. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. This is not to say that you should be non-confrontational. When you know that a subject is likely to get tempers hot, be the first to cool down. Never approach a subject with hostility or anger. Trying to "win an argument" is a true exercise in futility. Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately. Begin on common ground, and appeal to points you know the other person will agree with. "Would you agree that..." is a great way to make certain you are on common ground. Keep that positive momentum as you segue into discussing what you want. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers. What's more important - the credit for the idea, or the idea's success? If you can plant your ideas into the minds of others, and let them take credit for them on their own, you will be well on your way to achieving all that you desire. Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires. Managers know that the best way to defuse an angry customer is to show empathy. Say things like, "I can imagine how upsetting this must be for you. I'd feel the same way." From there they are ready to believe you're on their side, and much more apt to listen to what you have to say. Remember, though, that the key is sincerity. If your attempts at being conciliatory are insincere, you'll find resistance to your ideas even stronger than before. Call me when you have a client who needs special assistance with their loan program!

Websites All Realtors Should Know!!!!!!!

Get Inside the Mind of the Consumer:
Websites Every REALTOR® Needs to Know

Studies indicate that over 80% of today's home buyers visit the Internet long before seeking the professional assistance of a REALTOR®. This means that, thanks to popular realty-themed websites that compete for your business, your clients are already armed with more information than ever before.

That's why today's savviest real estate agents must change their perspective and fight back. And the best way to do this is to visit and become familiar with these kinds of sites and the features they offer. This data will not only prepare you to answer any questions your clients might have, it will allow you to provide a more complete service that your clients will want to recommend to all of their friends and family members.

Some websites you should visit include:
1) Redfin.com
2) Trulia.com
3) Maps.Google.com and Bing.com/maps
4) Walkscore.com
5) GreatSchools.net

Government Websites: Government loan programs offer great opportunities for many consumers in many regions across the country, especially first-time buyers and veterans. The following websites are likely one of the first of many sites potential home buyers visit during this process:

1) HUD.Gov is the official website for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) This site lists HUD homes and provides information for home buyers, including financing options and home buying programs available through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
2) Homeloans.va.gov: This site houses information about government home loan programs specifically for veterans.

Give me a call if you think of any more sites I should add to my list. I look forward to developing ways that we can grow our business together.

The Perfect Purchase Transaction

The Perfect Purchase Transaction It All Starts with a System Have you ever wondered what the Perfect Purchase Transaction would look like? Close your eyes and dream about it for a minute: Few inbound phone calls. Your cell phone never rings. Clients leave so ecstatic with your service that they hand you three names of people they know who are ready to sell their homes or want to buy in your area. You enjoy shorter workdays during the process because everything clicks. Okay, WAKE UP! The dream has ended. Yet, that dream is possible. Although you work in an innately reactive business, it is possible to be proactive and stave off the reactive nature of day-to-day dealings. But, you must create a system. Think through each step of the process and ask yourself, "How can I make this better?" or "How can I take this reactive activity and be proactive to curtail it?" Here's the key: Create the Perfect Purchase Transaction. The drill: Sit down with all of your team members, those individuals on your immediate staff as well as your extended team - your lender, escrow officer, title representative, home inspector, handy man, home warranty representative, etc. Then on blank index cards note the steps that take place pertaining to any purchase. The first card would document the initial phone call or touch point The last card could describe the note you send on the one-year anniversary since the transaction closed, congratulating your buyers on that memorable date. Each of the middle cards should highlight and detail every contact required throughout the process to ensure the Perfect Purchase Transaction. In the lower, right-hand corner of each index card, jot down the initials of the individual tasked with executing the particular activity. It would be helpful to conduct this meeting in a conference room with a table long enough to spread out the index cards for easy viewing. Create a snake of index cards, beginning with the first point of contact. As you sift through this snake and examine each index card, determine where any snags or breakdowns occur. Contemplate any ways to improve each interaction. From there, separate the index cards into stacks, sorted by initials. Are any of the stacks top heavy? Do any of the stacks contain more activities than it's humanly possible to service at the level of professionalism needed to "WOW" a customer? Do any cards in these stacks need to be redistributed? Can any cards be discarded? This will help you visualize every point of contact and critical element of your Perfect Purchase Transaction process. I'd love an opportunity to discuss the systems I use to consistently WOW my clients!

3 Tips for a More Productive Day  

Do you start each day with a plan for action?
Most people do. Whether they make a to do list or leave emails in their inbox to work on throughout the day, they have some way to manage their tasks and projects. Each day, however, we manage more than just time. We manage conversations, meetings and interruptions.

Have you ever noticed your productivity actually goes up the fewer times you're interrupted during the day? This is the reason some people block time on their calendar; it is a way to specify the hours (or minutes) of the day that will go toward a specific task or project. For many people, however, they don't have that much control over their schedule or calendar. If that is the case, here are three habits to practice to have a more productive year:

1. Arrive early. To meetings, airports, appointments, to the office, etc. When you arrive early, you are refreshed and relaxed. Instead of scrambling at the last minute and being stressed out from traffic, delays or other "unscheduled" surprises, you will be able to find a place to sit down and perhaps even review the meeting materials, or read something you have been waiting until you had time to read. This sets you up for success. You have a cushion of time if there is a delay or if you arrive early and can get something done (see tips below).
   
2. Make fewer agreements. For the next 5 business days, be sure to write down each and every thing you say you are going to do...and what others say they will do for you. Once you have this complete inventory, prioritize the ones that are the most important and start to renegotiate (or eliminate) the rest. One way to manage your agreements most effectively is to use some kind of Promise Guide (http://www.thepromiseguide.com) so you can visually see all you have to do and track your progress over time. The more items you complete, the better able you will be to manage all your actions and tasks. Then, slowly and over time, make fewer agreements, but make sure they are the most important ones!
   
3. Ask for assistance. Sure, at one time (in university, especially) it was very important to be able to work by ourselves, and demonstrate our capacity for productivity. However, now in an era of uber-connectivity it's very important that we recognize the experts in the world and reach out to them for assistance. Often, these people are just an email (or even a phone call!) away. Reaching out to ask someone for assistance will save us time, and expand our community and network. As we head into another decade of a considerably flattening world, it's going to be more and more important that we know WHO we need to know so that we can do WHAT we do better.

For the next few days, consider testing these new habits. They probably won't form themselves overnight, but practicing with them will give you some ways to improve your productivity, one day at a time.