Behind
the scenes, probably unbeknownst to you, I have been shooting
quite a bit of video training addressing all the different aspects
of a Real Estate Agent's business. You'll hear more about the
video training in the near future.
I felt compelled this week to record a video
addressing some of the current challenges we are facing across
the country and give you some advice on how to succeed despite
the current market conditions.
You can watch the video
now by double clicking the screen below:
If you've enjoyed the video above and would like to participate
in my free weekly video traing program called the Champion's Minute
you can sign-up for FREE instant access by clicking the link
below:
P.S. The three areas that we'll focus our time on
today are Benefits of Coaching, Sales Volume, and The Price
of Leading Your Team.
Any of these articles could help you change your
life in 2007 if you'll read, absorb, and use the information.
I challenge you to take a few minutes of your time to read this
material. If you don't have time now, print them out and take
them with you to read between appointments.
"What Would Owning a Master Coach's Blueprint Help Your Team Become?"
The
Champion Real Estate Team™
Sequels to movies usually stink! Don't you agree?
They hardly ever live up to the original in
the series. Book sequels however, are often better than the
original. It seems that authors tend to evolve in their ability
to convey their strategies, ideas, and concepts such that
the reader tends to benefit more from each book in a series.
"This
Book Takes You to the
Next Level of Success"
Well, today I'm proud to announce The Champion
Real Estate Team™. It's the follow-up sequel to my greatest
work to-date, The Champion Real Estate Agent™.
The first in the Champion Book Series™ laid
the ground work of the advanced real estate agent tactics
that 20+ years of blood, sweat, and tears produced.
"Packed
with How-tos, Systems, Strategies...
That Will Transform Your
Business"
The Champion Real Estate Team™ takes you
to the next level in Real Estate Success - the one I believe
(as well as many other Real Estate Experts) is the key to
a successful future if you're in Real Estate Sales... the
Real Estate Team!
This book is really a step-by-step blueprint
of how to establish a well run team. It is packed with
how-tos, systems, strategies, processes, and ideas for implementation
that will transform your business. Having personally established
one of the first multi-assistant teams in my region, I have
seen the evolution of real estate teams for over fifteen years.
My experience in applying these strategies in the initial
stages of my business, along with the hundreds of other agents'
team practices I have coached in the last nearly ten years,
has created this book.
To your achievement of the next
level of success in life,
Dirk Zeller
CEO
Real Estate Champions, Inc
Benefits of Coaching - What's
In It For You?
Coaching for peak performers has been around for
years. The most successful athletes, for many decades,
have been coached to win the big event. Tiger Woods
would not be the golfer he is today without his golf coaches.
Michael Jordan, John Elway, and Michael Johnson have all had coaches.
Leaders in the business world, with some of the most successful
companies, have coaches. Behind each great milestone, or
accomplishment, stands two people — the one who executes
the task or carries out the game plan and the one who helps to
create the game plan and teaches the executor to improve his skills.
Maybe it is time to evaluate and consider the benefits of a coach.
A good coach has five basic traits. When these traits are used to help you move forward in your life, the results are amazing. A coach can help you increase your production and enjoyment in life and help you craft a life of long-term success.
The first trait of a great coach is the ability
to listen and help you clarify your goals and vision in all
areas of your life. Earl Nightingale, the famous speaker,
stated we are goal-seeking organisms. Our purpose is to
set and achieve goals in life. The difficulty for people
is not in achieving their goals, but setting them in the first
place. We can truly accomplish anything in life provided
we truly decide to do it.
The second trait of a successful coach is guiding
you to understand that all goals must have deadlines.
Deadlines get one’s juices and thoughts flowing to create
the desired result. Have you ever planned to go away for
vacation and two days before you are to go you get a flurry of
activity in your business? It is because of the deadline
that the activity increases and things begin to happen.
How would you like to have that kind of production ongoing?
Determine effective deadlines for all areas of your business.
A great coach will take the goals and vision
you set for yourself and teach you to achieve them.
He will help you create the step-by-step game plan to achieve
the envisioned future. Even the big projects that seem like
mountains can be broken down into bite size pieces, which are
called daily disciplines.
For example, I had a client in 1998 that wanted to earn over $250,000 for the year, when the year before he had only earned $130,000. We worked diligently to break down into bite-size pieces what he needed to accomplish in order to achieve his goal. Once the bite-size pieces were determined, we were able to determine the daily disciplines for him to undertake. Because he had to just focus on his daily disciplines, the task was not paralyzing. When he got behind in achieving his goal, it was always caused by his not doing his daily disciplines. As his coach I helped him create the game plan and target him to execute it daily. He achieved and broke his goal by earning over $265,000 for 1998, which was over a 100% increase in his business. Coaching really works in real estate sales, as in other fields.
A great coach will show clients the consequences
of not following through on their goals and commitments.
The coach will provide ongoing motivation and inspiration during
the storms of life. The storms of life will come.
We will experience all the storms in this world. We cannot
avoid them. Since we cannot avoid them, we must prepare
for them. It is not the storm that causes the problem; it
is how we react to the storm. A great coach will help you
brace for the storm that otherwise might overwhelm you.
Coaching provides the motivation and inspiration for our lives
to overcome those storms.
Lastly, a great coach provides accountability
and is available for you. A great coach will help you
evaluate your progress against your goals and vision. He
will hold you to the standard that you have set for yourself.
The truth is everyoneneeds
a coach. Hiring a coach is making an investment in yourself.
The benefits of coaching pay years of dividends. Where would
Michael Jordan be without his coaches? Great coaches enable
their clients to increase their abundance more rapidly without
experiencing the many mistakes and pitfalls of being on their
own. We have had coaches and teachers throughout our lives.
The most successful people never outgrew them. They work
with them today to achieve peak performance. Do not neglect
to make the investment in yourself for you and your family.
For more information on coaching programs
Real Estate Champions has to offer you click
here now.
If you're tired of fighting for every listing and would rather have a system that takes you completely through the entire Listing Process, so that you walk out with the listing contract signed, you've got to check out...
How to Create and Deliver a
Dynamic Listing Presentation™
Get the Listing Every Time
with these Step-By-Step Instructions, Forms, Handouts, and
Scripts.
The difference between getting the listing and
walking out with "We'll think it over and get back to you"
is all in your listing presentation. If you walk in with Dirk’s
time-tested & proven (by 1000's of Agents) listing
presentation, you’ll walk out with the listing.
What would your life be like if you had all
the winning scripts and dialogues to help you nail the listing
presentation every time? Even better than that, what if
you had the right seller handouts and scripts to help you
get the listing presentation appointment?
The
'How to Create and Deliver a Dynamic Listing Presentation™'
Series will teach you how to:
• Get Control of the Listing
Appointment from the Start
• Ask the 9 Critical Questions Every Listing
Agent Must Know
• Qualify Like a Master Listing Agent (Save
Tons of Time)
• Use a 5 Step (60 Day) Action Plan for a Perfect
Listing Presentation
• Use the Master Coach's Top-10 Presentation
Evaluation Questions
• Discover the Secrets Hidden in Your Prospect's
Objections that Will End Your Fear of Objections Forever
• Defeat Every Seller Objection in 6 Steps
• Use 10 Questions to Isolate the Seller's Objection
• Find the REAL Reason Behind a Seller's
Objection
• Plus much more, including 60 pages of tools,
handouts (the same ones Dirk uses), scripts, and dialogues
you can use as your own.
As brokers, managers, and Agents we become caught
up in the myth of sales volume. This myth does some
of the greatest damage in this industry. We glorify the
Agents with high sales volume and promote and encourage other
Agents to be more like them. We award Agents and offices
based on the sales volume with little regard to the other factors
that make up success in life. New Agents look on in reverence
thinking the person who has the most production in sales volume
is the example to follow. I would like to take an objective
look at the true value of sales volume and point out some other
factors to consider when evaluating your business and your Agents'
business.
Is sales volume the most important number to determine success in sales?
Is the better sales person the one with the higher sales
volume or the one with more sale units sold and closed?
Where does profitability enter the picture? Does it have any importance?
Should the amount of time actually worked be considered
to compare an Agent’s ability?
What is the true quality of life for the Agent, i.e. health, time worked vs. time off?
How does quality of service to clients factor in?
Are we taking the steps to achieve financial independence based on the individual definition?
Let’s take a look at the value of these questions; I believe you will have a different perspective of sales volume when you look clearly at these questions.
Is the better sales person the one with the higher sales volume or the one with more sale units sold and closed?
My position is they both possess merit for what
they do. The one with the highest sales volume has a tendency
to be placed on a pedestal, and the one with the most units sold
is about halfway up. In some cases, sales volume can reflect
the value of the market, not the value of the Agent. For
example, one Agent’s average price range is $100,000, so
his average commission check is $3,000. That Agent closes
65 deals a year and earns a gross commission of $195,000.
Across town there is another Agent whose average price is $300,000,
so the average commission check is $9,000. This Agent closes
25 transactions a year and earns a gross commission of $225,000.
Who has more options in his business and may be
a better salesperson? I think there are strengths to both.
Agent A who does 65 deals only needs to raise his sales price
because he already knows how to achieve 65 closed sales per year.
He has the skills to close 65 transactions. He understands
the process, and if he has set up his business properly, he only
needs to apply his philosophy and business in a higher sales price
range to earn more income. He also did almost three times
as many transactions. Usually Agent B, with the higher commission
earned, receives all the rewards from peers, brokers, owners,
and the company. Agent B is held in high esteem and reverence
because he was the high producer in the office. Agent B
has a good business but only sold two homes per month. (By
most sales standards this is not an earth shattering mark.)
Agent B will also need to learn to do more transactions to increase
his business, a far harder proposition. Which one really
has a business that is posed to go to the next level?
Where does profitability enter the picture? Does it have any importance?
In my career of selling real estate, coaching, and speaking, I have known many Agents who make a tremendous gross income but have little net income. They spend it all back into their business through gimmicks, marketing, gifts, mailings, advertising, overpaying staff, etc. They make decisions based on the idea that, “If I get one more transactions per month, it will pay for this new gimmick.” The unfortunate thing is that they evaluate many parts of their business that way. They have five to ten items they evaluate that way. Suddenly, they need about what they make monthly to cover those gimmicks. Every new idea must pay for itself plus generate a return or profit. I wanted at least ten times return for any investments, so if I spent $1,000 on a new idea, I wanted to receive $10,000 in return from it. Most Agents do not factor their time or the staff’s time into the cost of this new idea. That is a legitimate cost that must be added to the cost. For example, the cost to mail something is not just the cost of the stamp, like most Agents would factor. It’s the cost of the letterhead, envelope, stamp, label, and staff time to prepare it and your time to oversee the process. That’s the overall cost. Then you want a ten times return on the whole cost. This is the only way to evaluate to ensure you make a profit. We all work too hard to only earn wages and not profits.
Many Agents have bought themselves a job and
never make a profit. A wise man once
said, “Profits are better than wages.” Profits
continue on; they are the extra you have after you pay your wages
and all your bills. Profits, if invested, beget more profits,
which create financial independence. Wages merely cover
the monthly bills.
Agents need to view the whole picture, the gross and the net. If you want the true reality after all the hype and fluff of sales volume, gross commission earned, and all the other ego stroking we do, look at line 31 on your federal tax return. That is reality. That is what you truly made for your labor last year. Do not kid yourself! What you are taxed on is what you made.
Should the amount of time actually worked be considered to compare an Agents' ability?
I know many Agents who work six to seven days a week to produce their income. If they factored the actual time versus what they earned, they would be sick. Their actual per hour wage is nothing to get excited about. In fact, if you asked them if they would work and do what they do for that wage, they would say, “No.” If you want real truth, divide your time by line 31 on your federal income tax form. That is what you truly make per hour. That is after all your expenses to run the business and your personal employee taxes. That is what you would earn if you worked for an actual company. For some people, this exercise is too scary to even imagine.
I think we all can do more in less time. As a personal example, I switched over four years ago to a four-day workweek, Monday through Thursday. My production increased over 30% each year compared to the previous year. I reduced my time working by at least one full day, and I was rewarded with a financial increase. My skills improved exponentially, and my focus and concentration intensified. I also re-claimed my life for my family and myself. I was able to spend three days a week with my family. I also increased my time investment in personal development, which leads me to my next question:
What is the true quality of life for the Agent, i.e. health, time worked vs. time off?
You cannot be a seven days a week wonder forever. At some point, you need to reclaim your life. You have to control your clients and the other Agents. My philosophy is that earning large sums of money is the easiest area of your life to improve. Working to improve your spiritual, mental, physical, family, and financial areas are far more difficult.
When you schedule your time off and place the same value on it as you do your work time, you will have the opportunity to reclaim your life. Once you do that, your productivity will increase dramatically during your work time. The value of my time with my family is worth more than my work time. If you have that philosophy, you will focus on your family when away from work and focus on work when at work. It is clearly a philosophy you need to implant in your mind. While many Agents are at work, they think they should be at home. When they are at home, they are mentally reviewing their work rather than focusing on their spouse and children. Wherever you are, be there!
How does quality of service to clients factor in?
To create a sustainable business, you need to take care of your clients. The Agent who continually works with new clients and rarely gets referral or repeat business is lacking in service. We all need to spend some of our day finding new clients. Long-term success comes from repeat and referral business from clients who are already sold on our service. Are you doing the job you were hired to do? Do you provide the best service you can utilize in the market place?
Part of providing better customer service is improving your product. The product you are selling is you. If you are not spending significant amounts of time improving yourself, your competitors will eventually pass you. Jim Rohn says that you need to work as hard on yourself as you do on your job. I believe that doing so will lead you to greatness, both personally and professionally. If you are not investing at least half an hour daily in personal development, you will be left behind.
Are we taking the steps to achieve financial independence based on the individual definition?
Everyone has his own definition of what constitutes financial independence. Spend the time to clearly define yours. Invest the time to plan out how you are going to get from where you are today to where you want to be. Too many people fail to plan their future. It has occurred to me that, often, the Agents with the highest gross commission save and invest little or no money. They believe there is always tomorrow, and if they could earn more, they could save more. Develop the discipline to save right now, today. Saving does not get easier when the numbers or amounts get bigger. Instead, the want list gets longer because you think you deserve and can afford it. That is what your mind is telling you. Only you control the destiny of your money. You must create a savings plan today.
When other areas in our lives are out of balance, we spend to reward ourselves. We spend to make up for shortcomings in our unbalanced lives. We must create a savings and balance plan, so we can achieve financial independence. Our goal in life should be to be financially independent. We should all have the desire to amass enough assets to retire comfortably by living off the income or interest they generate. When we get the financial issue out of the way, we can really begin to live life to the fullest.
These are the true measures of success in
the real estate business. These are the measures of success
in any business. Why should we as REALTORS® be any different?
Do not be fooled by the sales volume myth. More Agents have
gone down in flames chasing their sales volume tail than from
any other myth in real estate.
Would you like help growing your sales volume?
Did you buy yourself a job and need help to get on the path to
true success as an Agent? We can help you! Invest the time today
in yourself and get more
information on our coaching programs.
Dirk Zeller
My NEW Book In Stores Now!
Customized Coaching Programs
to Fit YOUR Budget
& Production Goals
For
more information on how we can grow your business together
through coaching, fill out the form below:
The Price of Leading a Team - Are You Willing
To Pay It?
A Champion Lead Agent realizes there is a price
to be paid. Nothing comes to someone who has climbed
to a Champion level that hasn’t been earned or paid for.
The pathway to being a Champion isn’t a downhill path.
You know you are on the path to being a Champion because it’s
uphill all the way.
Once you are a Champion Agent, the opportunities
come more frequently and easily, because you have arrived at the
Champion level, and everyone (buyers and sellers) wants to
work for and work with a Champion Performer. Generally,
in the real estate market, it costs the same to work with a marginal
agent as it does a Champion Agent or Champion Team.
We all want to be successful. I have never
met anyone in my lifetime that didn’t want success.
The question is what are they willing to do to acquire it.
Success does not care who acquires her. Success is
available to all who are willing to pay the price that she requires.
There are some examples we can all draw from where the price was
a little less for some people than others. I admit my good
fortune of being the son of Norm and Becky Zeller who lowered
the price for me to achieve success because of the environment,
their philosophy, the work ethic they demonstrated, and the education
they afforded me. All of those factors, and others, advanced
me up the success ladder faster than others who didn’t have
such incredible model parents as me. Nevertheless, I still
had to pay a price for success. We all must come to grips
with the fact that there is a price to pay!
The price of being a Champion is in both time
and resources. You must be willing to invest time in
larger amounts than other agents in Direct Income Producing Activities
(DIPA): prospecting, lead follow-up, buyer interview appointments
and listing appointments, showing property, writing and negotiating
contracts, and personal development time.
The edge for a Champion is created through
the investment of personal development time. A Champion
has the passion and invests the time in improving their mindset,
skills, and business systems. They invest their time in
reading, seminars, training CDs, coaching, and any other form
of personal development. You will need to establish a culture
on your team of personal learning and development.
In 1996, when Joan and I completed our vacation home in Bend, my personal development time kicked into another gear. I had always read and studied success from my first day in real estate sales. I attended countless seminars and listened to countless tape series in the pursuit of success. I hit a new level of investment in personal development because I had a new found freedom and location away from the distractions of life and business to immerse myself in personal development time. There were many evenings spent in the library in that home in front of the fireplace with Joan – both in our leather wingback chairs devouring a good book . . . mine usually on business, sales, leadership, management, or finance.
Now, I must admit that, with young children, Wesley
and Annabelle, the challenge to carve out enough personal development
time to continue to grow and stay ahead of our clients and competition
is more challenging than ever. A Champion is willing
to stay up late or get up early when the house is quiet to
stay at the top of their game.
Because of the competitive nature of business, whatever
brought you to the level of success you are at today will not
be enough to keep you there. To maintain your level
of success, you must learn, advance, and grow. Your team
and your team members must have the same philosophy. The
competition will always get better. The marketplace will
always be adjusting. If you don’t have a passion to
learn and improve, you’d better get it fast! If you
have to study and learn just to keep pace, imagine what you must
do to grow, expand, and get ahead. To grow, you must spend
at least an hour a day on your personal development.
Most agents invest too little on their personal
development; that causes their team members to be deficient,
as well. Think of the books, CD series, tele-seminars, online
seminars, and coaching as buying or investing in new equipment for
your company. That new equipment will help you make sales in large
quantities, faster and more efficiently than ever before.
The investment in personal development will pay the largest dividend
in your business – larger than a new computer, marketing strategy,
new website, or anything else.
If you'd like more information on how you can build
your own real estate team, get your free copy of "The
Champion Real Estate Team™ Guide"... here.
Dirk Zeller
"The Champion Real Estate Team™ Guide"
To
get instant access to your FREE Real Estate Team
Building Guide "The Champion Real Estate Team™
Guide" [$49.00 Value],
and your FREE Team Coaching Session [$250.00
Value], visit the link below:
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have friends and colleagues who would enjoy the
Coaches Corner™
please forward it and invite them to subscribe.
We appreciate your help since your recommendation
is how we grow.
Real Estate
Champions is committed to partner with you to create
abundance in your business and life.
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