Good News! Your Raise Is Effective As Soon As YOU Are.
No Brown-Nosing, glass ceilings, boot licking, politics, nepotism, seniority, annual performance reviews or begging for a raise.
In our real estate world, YOU are your own boss. That’s good news for hard persistent faithful smart committed motivated workers, bad news for slackers.
Why?
Because the real estate business is pure pay-for-performance. Want a raise?
“Your raise is effective as soon as you are.” Marilyn Eiland
3 Questions You Have To Ask Yourself:
- When do you want it?
- What do you need to do differently? Doing nothing is not an option.
- When will you start? Today?
Stuck In Stupid
Intellectually, it’s seems simple. If we’ve created success in the past, in the present, if we do what we’ve always done, won’t we always get what we’ve always gotten? Nope!
Why?
Because in my world, and maybe yours, everything that surrounds me is changing. ReInvention, obsolesce, options, upgrades, choices, knowledge, value, creation, young-guns, expectations, cannibalism and Black Swans — boom, echo and ricochet — hourly. If I stand still and things around me are vibrating with change, my comfortable position will wobble out of orbit and any success I’m currently enjoying will inevitably vanish. It’s real estate entropy in action.
To create break away impact, the first thing I need to do is make sure I’m not “Stuck In Stupid”. In reality, if I always do what I’ve always done, I’ll get less and less and eventually nothing.
What To Do Now
There’s a constellation of small and large changes you can make and actions you take. The main thing is action. We have to start…TODAY.
Behold, 15 Anti-Stuck-In Stupid, simple and mostly free or inexpensive things you can immediately do to create the raise you deserve.
- When someone asks you, “How’s the market?”, for the love of God, don’t go flaccid with your answer. Consider this sort of approach.
- It sounds lame, it’s not, it’s profitable. Wear your name badge while you work. Don’t keep what you do a secret, a name badge is a visual reminder to your friends and attracts Q&A opportunities from strangers. Do it. Don’t have one, order now.
- Wear car-signs, not literally, but on your car. Many think this is seriously lame too. Those that religiously do, report serendipitous listing and selling opportunities. Ummmm….don’t speed. Oh, don’t wear them on a listing appointment, it’s like sending a “here’s a listing opportunity Bat Signal” to the neighborhood. When on listing appointments, go stealth mode. Don’t have a set, no problem, order now.
- Take your friends to a super-cool movie. It’s less expensive than running a dumb print ad, it’s personal, it’s relevant, it’s generous and it’s a fun way to create on-purpose and in-person conversation and contact. You wanna have fun don’t cha? Here’s how.
- Start wagging your tail. Log into your Facebook account between appointments, during the lull at Open House, between opportunity calls on floor duty (if you have this and it’s productive), before you go beddy-bye and at least once a working day. See what your friends are doing, make comments, wisely status update, post photos and links.
- Add a dash of ” WOW, how’d you do that?”, when sending emails. Here’s how.
- Stop bashing your head against cement! Join a club, a tribe, a team, a cause or a mob of people who are passionate about the things you are passionate about. Psychographics is the future of your future. Get started.
- Clean house, Fix or Fire and kick ass. Don’t take an over priced listing. Counsel with all your sellers this week, reduce or raise the listing price if needed, merchandise, stage, declutter and freshen as needed, double check your property marketing (broadcast, pictures, promotional copy, etc.) and fix what’s lame or fire . This will free up your time, money and emotion and position your current inventory of the spring rush. Do it. If you can’t Fix It, Fire It.
- Stop asking your current clients for referrals after the transaction closes. Start earning and asking for referral recommendations during the transaction. Use the Daisy Chain Reaction Technique.
- Stop avoiding personal contact. Seriously, set a goal to engage in at least 5 in-person and on-purpose conversations a day (phone or live, not text, email, status update) Think Pinball Principle.
- Stop shouting about YOU and start focusing on THEM. Nobody cares if you’re #1, they care that YOU treat THEM like they are #1. How to keep people from thinking your full of crap – a few ideas.
- Always remember, There Are Only 3 Reasons you don’t have more listings and sales. Do something on this list today.
- Stop treating people the way YOU want to be treated. Start treating people they way THEY want to be treated. The Golden Rule is broken.
- Your old leads are your best leads. Call them all today. Yes. Call them all today. Talking to people is what you do for a living. Do it now.
- Fail faster, succeed sooner. Russell Shaw shares the secret to becoming a Top Listing Agent.
Will You Give Yourself A Raise?
Don’t count on others to give you a raise. You’re the boss, act like one….take action today.
Cheers and thanks for reading and if you think this article is worth a crap, forward to a friend;-)
Loading ...
Consumerism, Geo-mapping columnist
Marketing columnist
Great article Ken. Agents can over-complicate things & waste so much time procrastinating over what to say or what to do. And, many waste so much time working with overpriced-unmotivated sellers or don’t connect with the seller to find the real motivation before they lose the listing to an agent who does find the seller’s right motivation button.
Tip #15 says it all. “Fail faster, succeed sooner”…. Have a go. It’s the best way to get that pay rise.
Thanks Greg. You’re right, “Fail Faster – Succeed Sooner” is what works. Doing nothing doesn’t. Cheers and thanks for the comment.
great great post Ken – today i was planning on getting out my work/goal journal and doing my February to do list, and look – you did it for me!!
Thanks for the feedback Nanette, love all serve all. Cheers.
Flickr | Facebook | Linked-in | Twitter
Ken, I love that you bridge the gap between old school and new school and I know your clients appreciate you for that. These are all actionable tips, maybe some of our readers will have a better 2010 than they did 2009?
Thanks!
I’m slow but steady. I’m not a smart man, but I know what works when I see it and when I see it, I try to share it. Words of encouragement are always appreciated. 2010 exciting times, eh? Cheers to you and Benn and all hardworking humands:-)
I’m slow but steady. I’m not a smart man, but I know what works when I see it and when I see it, I try to share it. Words of encouragement are always appreciated. 2010 exciting times, eh? Cheers to you and Benn and all hardworking humans:-)
Ken, you can’t make it any clearer then that, it’s all about ding the business every day whit out doing the business. Be yourself talk to people, let people know what you do.
“It’s all about doing business everyday, without doing the business…”, Corona Homes, you’ve summed it – Boom. Thanks.
great stuff!
Thanks Benjamin. Cheers.
Ken -
Always the voice of practical wisdom; putting into practice your years of experience and sharing with all. I know there are a few things here I can use to ramp up my 2010. Thanks!
Thanks Paula, hope some of these ideas, which are not original, but as you’ve shard, “practical” and proven, help you have enjoy a fun and prosperous 2010. Cheers and thanks for your comments:-)
One thing I’ve been trying to study more is whether or not someone should have a Facebook Fan Page. From what I can tell it really isn’t necessary. Judging by this post and countless others it seems to make more sense to have everyone you know on your friend list and send them a Facebook message once in a while, much like you would email or call as well as comment on status, etc. One thing I have done. Instead of creating a Fan Page for my business I’ve created a few fan pages of local areas I like and have invited others to join and in turn that has gotten the attention of others on Facebook. This might be a good way for me to reach others that I may not otherwise meet. But I think I’ll have to be a little cautious of what I do since I don’t want alienate someone from a Fan Page I created since the page is really meant for that particular local place of interest.