“Strategy” Spits In The Left-Eye of “Superstition”. 11 Times.

Superstition

It has it’s place.  It’s a comfort and a crutch.

Superstitions can twist entire careers into endless loops of Friday the 13th’s.

I’m not talking about the good ones, like burying St Joseph.

I’m talking about the Black Cat Bad ones.

Here’s how Wikipedia.org defines it:

Superstition (Latin superstitio, literally “standing over”; derived perhaps from standing in awe;^[1] used in Latin as an unreasonable or excessive belief in fear or magic, especially foreign or fantastical ideas, and thus came to mean a “cult” in the Roman empire)^[2][3] is a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge.  It is also commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, prophecy and spiritual beings, particularly the irrational belief that future events can be influenced or foretold by specific unrelated prior events.

Is This You or Someone You Know?

Yesterday I was chatting with one of our Top Performers.  She’s busy as hell, has 3 salable listings, 4 sales in escrow and a brow raising track record.   But, she’s feels her wheels spinning and she’s anxious about where the next surge of business will come from.

We talked about how she could create a sense of control, amplify her energies and streamline her efforts.

We talked about the origin of her business, where’d it come from?  We discovered that 90% of it was referrals and recommendations from her sphere of 247.

We talked about which activities and actions created her referrals and recommendations.  What activities, actions and marketing methods she’s embracing NOW.  And we talked about what was feeling right, but wasn’t yielding right?

We figured out that she was feeling overly stressed because her plan was to be fluid, flexible and loosey-goosey,  which is code for CHAOS.   She was engaged in activities that blood-sucked her joy, time, cash and attention.

We concluded she was doing plenty right, but she was blunting her potential and essential structure with superstitious misdirections.  I blurted, “Strategy is more important than superstition!”.

She said, “You should write that down and blog about it.”  So I did.

But first, I thought the title “Strategy Is More Important Than Superstition” was as sexy as grandma’s underpants.  So, I Go-Commando’d it and word played it a new title, “Strategery Spits In The Left-Eye Of Superstition.  11 Times”.

Here’s a polariod of our conversation.

Strategery Spits In The Eye Of Superstition. 11 Times

SUPERSTITION =  To feel successful, get up every day, work hard, skip briskly from task to task to next – until you collapse.  AKA – Chaos.
STRATEGERY = Know specifically what success is for YOU.  If it’s production related,  know how many sales and listings you need per month to reach your personal success goal.  Don’t compare yourself to others.  You won’t know when you’ve arrived if you don’t know where you’re going. Cliche’ but true, that’s why it’s a cliche’. Snap.  AKA – Strategic Chaos.

SUPERSTITION = When my listing sells, I don’t put up a pending or sold sign until I know the deal is solid or shortly before closing.
STRATEGERY = In this market, sold listings are remarkable.  Put the pending/sold sign up immediately upon contract execution. Neighbors thinking of selling are attracted to SOLD listings and their agents, they are bored by UN-SOLD listings and unimpressed with their agents.  Shine your success high-beams!

SUPERSTITION = Direct mail to my sphere doesn’t seem to work and it kills trees, so I cut back to once a quarter.
STRATEGERY =  Savvy agents are hustling to seduce and impress your clients.  Top Of Mind Awareness is created by the 3 R’s.  Repetition, Relevance and Remarkability.  Sending a monthly personalized and interesting direct mail piece, plus an evocative eMail, are important element in a well rounded marketing campaign.  I know.  Don’t SPAM.  After sending whatever you send, follow-up with a personal phone call to confirm they got it and if it’s OK to continue – that’s permission marketing + On-Purpose and In-Person contact.

SUPERSTITION =  I’m on Facebook, but I mostly look and lurk.  I don’t think I have anything interesting to say or post, so I usually don’t.
STRATEGERY = A Sense Of Significance is a powerful human need.  Put your real core/important friends in a list for easy viewing.  Status Update daily!  If you can’t think of clever things to say, so what, say something unclever.  You’ll find that some of the most inane things are wildly popular – go figure, don’t slug it out, hug it out.  It’s considered good form and generous to share other peoples links, do it.  It’s OK and appreciated to simply click the LIKE button on comments.  Sharing and status updates and clicking the “LIKE” link is like smiling online, do it daily.

SUPERSTITION =  I have a humid hot-house of budding suspects and prospects.  I tend/call them occasionally.  Because they aren’t foaming at the mouth to buy or sell, I’m not certain their urgency, their hot buttons or qualifications.
STRATEGERY = Compress time, vaporize stress and deliver more by uncovering their urgencies; timing, needs, desires, finances, etc., by asking key conversational questions.  Figure out a strategic service strategy for each.  Move the motivated and qualified into your personal direct-sunlight. Make things happen, do good work.

SUPERSTITION = I do make a lot of phone calls, I don’t follow up with a handwritten note cards because I just talked to them.  It seems redundant and takes too much time.
STRATEGERY =  Keeping the 3R’s in mind.  Sending a handwritten note with 2 business cards amps your frequency and is remarkable. Do it.

SUPERSTITION =  I know I have to make time to prospect, but the day fills up with other important stuff and I have to be ready to help someone on a moments notice.  I have to stay flexible and fluid. (AKA: Chaos)
STRATEGERY =  If you don’t sleep you’ll go insane.  If you don’t eat you’ll starve to death.  If you don’t drink water you’ll spaz out.  Same thing with prospecting (In-Person and On-Purpose contact).  You MUST block out scheduled time to perform these life-essential and important tasks.

SUPERSTITION =  I can never take a full day off.  My phone rings constantly.  I can’t trust anyone to handle my business.
STRATEGERY =  Get over it.  Pick a working partner you can trust.  When you take a day(s) off, bring your working partner completely up to speed.  Trust and release.  Enjoy your time off, it essential to a healthy mind, body, soul, business and relationships.

SUPERSTITION = I don’t seem to have time to workout, play with the kids, go cow tipping, bar hopping or get into trouble.
STRATEGERY =  Yes you do.  Book your personal time like you would a listing or showing appointment, you’d never cancel one of those. Treat yourself and the people you love at least as importatnly as your clients. Do it.  Book it.  Besides, social activites are On-Purpose and In-Person.

SUPERSTITION =  I’m spending money on newspaper, magazine and print because the sellers like it and I see other Top Producers do it.
STRATEGERY =  Don’t burn your money. Invest in your cheerleader friends who refer and recommend you.

SUPERSTITION =  I’m busier than a one legged woman in an ass-kicking contest, but I’m not getting anywhere except sore-feed.
STRATEGERY = Streamline and redirect time.  There’s a chasm between busy and productive.  Lose the superstitions, plan your work, work your strategic plan.   Then go do other fun things that are personally rewarding and refreshing.

Begin Butt Kicking Now

My friends, in conclusion, Strategery Kicks Superstition’s Buttocks.

I bet you have a few a handful of butt kicking strategeries you could share.  Leave’m in the comments and I’ll rub my “rare” lucky rabbit’s foot in your honor, it’ll bring you good luck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading.  Clink-Cheers.