Category Archives: Communication

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, Team work

Every problem has am opportunity

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Inside of every problem lies an opportunity. “Robert Kiyosaki”

 

Many focus on the “but I can’t” rather looking at an issue or challenge as an opportunity to stretch their wings and taking a new path maybe one less traveled. We should see the issue as a new challenge that needs to be concord to see what is on the other side and not view it as a road block to where we want to go.

 

When we cannot climb over it let’s find a way around it.

 

A simple example is when I see a vacant home in the area. This vacant home begs to be listed and when I would just focus on the “but I can’t” side of my brain I would just give up finding the homeowner after a few tries.

 

My more adventurous side of the brain will not give up that easy and many times I do track down the homeowner who left their property vacant and I do get to list and sell the home.

 

When I would have listen to my “I can’t do it” side of me I never would have found the homeowner and never either listed and sold the home but also would have never met this homeowner who can be a great referral source for me in the future too.

 

So …quit listed to your “I can’t do it” side of the brain and get your more adventurous side of the brain in gear and moving forward. You never know what you will find at the end.

Communication, education, Inspiration, Team work, tips

“Do you have workers or believers?”

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Stood out to me as I read an article in the IBJ under the Small Business Matters blog titled Preaching to the choir could be good strategy.

 

Is our internal and external staff truly satisfied? It is not the leadership it is a satisfied staff that will be the crucial part of a business success. No matter how many money rain dances the leadership does when the Indians are not happy noting will be accomplished.

 

Is the business as healthy from the inside as you make it appear on the outside or does it have bald spot under all the hair? Is everybody in the same board rowing into the same direction or do you have some who do not understand the your goal and vision and do you have an internal tug-of war going on.

 

Did you clearly communicate your vision your culture to your organization? Did you include others but the normal decision maker to create your goal and vision or did you just use the “normal” handful to help with the decision making.

 

When we don’t market our vision to our internal and external staffs who can you expect them to sell it for you?

commitment, Communication, education, Team work, tips

I am an EXPERT in ….

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I see this line on so many things from blogs, business cards, emails signatures and I am wondering if the person who added the line truly is an EXPERT.

 

An EXPERT is having, involving, or displaying special skill or knowledge derived from training or experience and EXPERT’S have a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field.

 

Reading this I wonder how many of the EXPERTS out there have the prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in the field they are claiming to be an EXPERT in.

 

I will use myself as an example.

 

I have been selling real state now for over 15 years including short sales. I am by no means an EXPERT in short sales or real estate. I have experience in selling real estate of any kind, but by no means do I consider myself an EXPERT.

 

Every day I am learning more and more about my field and I still have a lot to learn.

 

I am daily doing research in this area to attempt to understand the relation between cognitive structures and processes of real estate in any form. I have gotten better but still not considering myself as an EXPERT.

 

When I hear anyone call themselves an EXPERT this quote comes in mind:

 

Experts always know everything but the fine points. When I took my citizenship exams, no one there knew how the White House came to be called the White House. “ Hedy Lamarr “

commitment, Communication, Team work, tips

Your past performance might come to haunt you in the future.

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How many time have we heard from parents, teachers, friends and others never to burn your bridges.

I am sure you had you fair share like we all do. I know I did.

 

Have you ever thought about your past work performance?

 

This becomes important when you decide to part ways but maybe later you decided to return due to a change of your personal situation or the company is now offering more of what you are looking for.

 

It is very interesting to see how surprised some individuals are when they are not asked to return due to their past performance when they inquiring and asking to return. Some of them did not think that a record is kept of their performance especially when they where hired as independent contractors.

 

They did not think that when no one was able to get in touch with them via phone or email for a longer period of time or when work was not completed with in the allotted time and no communication was received from them about the holdup of delay of work was important.

 

Your bad performance now and in the past, might burn you some bridges you might need to use in the future.

 

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work

Hello REALTORS…where are you…

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….came to mind as I was looking for REALTORS in a certain area of the US.

 

It has been interesting to say the least.

 

I am one of the people who does not give up that easy when it comes to finding someone for areas but what is with the potential client who will give up after a while or a few tries.

 

Just for giggles I did a small study of the area I am looking to hire an agent in for investment properties and found out some interesting stats.

 

  • 60% of the active practicing real estate agents in this area are part of the Local and National Association of REALOTRS
  • The local Association has no website.
  • 70% of the REALTORS Brokerage firms have a website
  • less than 3% of the local REALTORS are members of the local Chamber of Commerce or otherwise active in their community.
  • 1% of the REALTORS in this area have a web address in their own name and 99% of them have their website redirected to the company website who they work for and do not have their own website.
  • 95% of the websites do not have a clear to identify office location/address without having to click on several links to find the info
  • 80% of the REALTORS in this area do not have a company email they advertise the free email providers like AOL, GOOGLE, MSN…..
  • 1% of them will return phone calls and emails.

 

This is just a few things I found.

 

I am not a marketing person but common scene tells me when I am a Real Estate Entrepreneur I need to been one thought and through and my future clients need to find me on the web.

 

Here are some basic tips;

 

  • Have an email address with your own web address or with the company you work for. Don’t advertise google, aol or the others free services unless they pay you.
  • Have a website and a place on the web in your own name and don’t redirect it to the company you work for. Just have a link to them.
  • Return all phone calls and emails within less than 48 hours
  • Get active and involved within your community through the Chamber of Commerce and not only through your local church, find another non for profit you can volunteer for.
  • When you are not a REALTOR make sure you have a website and it can be found quickly and easily
  • Make social media and blogging part of your routine.
Communication, Team work

Are you truly being represented by your real estate agent?

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Over the last few months I quietly and without the knowledge of the listings agents had a test running and the result truly has not surprised me. I did not do this by myself.I had a lot of help

In total about 20,000 listing agents where contacted in different areas of the country and all of them had, per their MLS, had an active listing. There was no differential made between Franchise agents or non-franchise agents. When they had an active listing in their MLS they were contacted.

Contact attempt was made via email through their listing or calls to the phone number listed on their listing. Different messages and questions were asked about the house or requests for a showing appointment was made.

Phone:

Communicated back within 48 hours : 0 .5%

Communicated back within 1 week : 2%

Communicated back within 2 weeks: 3%

Never communicated: 79.5%

Phone was busy or voice mail box full or not existing: 4%

Phone was disconnected: 2%

Email:

Communicated back within 48 hours: 0.8%

Communicated back within 1 week: 5%

Communicated back within 2 week: 8%

Never communicated: 80%

Email bounced back as no longer existing or inbox full: 15%

 

This was just a small test with a small number of listings but it is still very scary when looking at them numbers in average.

Communication, education, Team work, tips

Do you know who your customers are?

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When I ask this questions I normally receive the same answer.

A lot of the business owners will tell me that their clients are the once who given them the jobs that keeps a company in money.

Who are your customers?

Now truly think about this one more time in a broader sense and spectrum.

Businesses have direct customers, consumers and the most forgotten once, Internal customers.

The consumers are the once who are using the product and services that are offered. This holds true for any type of company. Wholesaler or distributors.

The direct customer are the once who are directly buy or subscribe to your service’s and make the decision to may invest in your services or your company.

The internal consumer is the one that is mostly overlooked. They are the once who make the wheels run and make it happen for the external consumers. Sure it does take a management team to run everything on the inside but when we loose sight and don’t pay attention to all of the consumers, external and internal we might run into a “Herby” and might loose good external but also internal consumers.

When you have not looked at your total consumers structure, internal and external, and examined how all of them are interacting and connecting you should some time to do so. It might take you a lot longer than you thought and be honest.

commitment, Communication, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

I have the REO training but why do I not receive REO listings?

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This question is asked every day, or posted online.

I am working with orders from servicers and agents thought out the country every day and I can see why REO servicers do not call on certain agents or brokerage firms.

It has absolutely nothing to do with who they like and who is the most popular or bestselling Agent in the area. It has all to do with timely communication, knowledge about your listing inventory and their current status, and timely completion of task timelines given by the REO servicers to the agents or their brokerage firms.

Many REO servicers already have a clear idea about an individual agent and brokerage firm before they even call on them to list their REO portfolio.

Many of the agents are completing BPO’s, are part of Homeowner outreach programs or other services for third party companies.

Guess what???  All the orders the agents are working on coming from the servicers who also have REO’s to give to agents.

When you are late and not meeting the timelines on the orders that you were  give, or not communicating with the third party companies, it is communicated to the servicers with the agents name and brokerage information when an order is submitted to that servicer.

With that a picture of the work and communication habit of each and every agent is created. This info can be accessed and viewed by a servicer who might is looking for an REO listing agent.

Bottom line is……

…be on time

..Communicate timely

…do this on a consistent base, every day…no matter what. No amount of REO training will give you a listing when that is not done.

Communication, education, planning, Short sale, Team work, tips

Are you losing business…..

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….and you might not even realize you do….

 

In today’s market personal and business continues education and fulfillment is much easier than it was in the past.

 

With many companies having many of their educational material, free or for pay, online available it is truly heartbreaking when I see and talk with prospects for a position and they have not a clue what is going on the field they have chosen to practice in.

 

Today phone call was a great example of this again.

 

I had contacted a very well know business person I need for a task in an area he considers himself an expert in this field (at least what his website said). During the conversation I found out that he was not aware of” recent” changes in his field that happened in 2009 and today is 2012.

 

What I did not tell him during this conversation was that I have several referrals for him in his area of “expertise” but due to him not willing to keep up with his personal and business continues education in his chosen filed I am moving on to the next potential business in the area.

Communication, planning, Team work, tips

Assumptions we all make them…..

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The little action of assuming something sometimes gets us in trouble, gives us the wrong feeling of confidence or the total wrong impression about a situation we do not have the full information on.

 

Just the other day I was sitting in awe, listening in on an assumption someone made about a situation that they were not privy to or given the full information on but still made their personal opinion known to everybody in the room.

 

Immediately my thought turned to myself and wondered how many times I made an assumption about a situation without being privy too or given the full information on. Or had not researched or talked with both parties who might be part of the situation and could give me the needed information for me to be able to form an informed option to make a decision on the situation.

 

I found myself doing just this in my mind the other day. Just yesterday I had received a call about a situation and I immediately was upset about what has happened without having the other person’s story. I stepped back, put my personal opinion aside and talked with the other person that was involved in the situation. To my horror I found out that there was a missing training piece that was not covert and might not been found out about unless this situation occurred.

 

We pulled both parties together and together we took their situation and wrote a training piece about this and used their situation as an example and added talking points and tips on how to avoid being in the same situation.

 

My thought…you never know what you are missing until you ask and when you ask you might find that you have missing pieces in your training or communication you have never thought off.