Sep. 28, 2005 - success

ASPIRE to be Great!

Ideas for building your Database/Contact Manager.

Who should be in your database?  A – B – C Prospects

A-   People who want to buy or sell now.  Someone calls and asks for a Right Price Analysis?  Theyre in and in forever.  When they sell, add the new buyers (yours or not) to your contact manager.  When they move, change their address.  You meet someone who is moving from Chicago at an open house, add them to your contact manager.  You get an email from a lady who saw your listing on REALTOR.com and will be moving here from Chicago, add her to your contact manager.  Everyone is good at working with NOW buyers or sellers.  You simply get their email address and attach yourself to them until they buy or sell.  Its a must.  Having them in you contact manager makes this easy.

B-    People who want to buy or sell later.  You meet Tim and Joan Johnson at a friends party.  Joan says, When our son Timmy graduates from high school, well want to move to a smaller house.  Wonderful, you say, I can help you do that, what year is Timmy in now?  Second grade, Joan exclaims gleefully.  Thats a B prospect.  Asking for their email address, you add the Johnsons to your contact manager and keep them in your loop.

C-    Everyone else!  Yes, everyone you know, have met, think you know, dont know, live around you, your listings, your sales, go to your church, your kids schools, your old school, where your spouse works, where you used to work, shop, play, and walk.  Its all about the rule of 200.  That is, that everyone has 200 people in their sphere.  So the 200 people in your conservative inner sphere know you are the best at real estate service, knowledge, personal attention, communication, overall quality, and integrity.  And they convey this fact to the 200 people in their sphere which gives you a contact sphere of 40,000 people.

But first, THEY have to know youre serious about what you do for a living!  Contact, contact, contact!  Every day, set aside time to telephone at least 10 people you know just to touch base.  Thats 200 in 20 days.  The simple rules of phone contact are:

·        Get your energy up. 

·        Speak a little faster than usual.  This lets the caller know youre in a hurry.  After a brief greeting, make a statement about real estate, something like, It seems like everyone has some interest in the real estate market today.  Its been very busy and there are lots of people on the move.  How are things with you?  Or, As you know (doesnt matter if they do or dont, theyll tell you) Ive chosen real estate as my career.  Im working for Mel Foster, a great company and things are very exciting.  How are things with you?  What ever you say, its high energy and you talk real estate first, then personal or small talk later.  If you talk real estate last, they think the only reason you called is to prospect.  Talking about them last makes them understand that you are truly interested in them.  If they inquire more about your real estate decision, tell them, I would really appreciate your help.  If you know anyone interested in buying or selling real estate, please give them my name and call or email me immediately.  By the way, what is your email address?  After you put their email in your contact manager, send them an email thanking them in advance for any referrals that they send and reiterate, Your referral would be the highest professional complement I could receive.

·        If they dont inquire further about your real estate career, dont push.  Do get their email address however.  Then simply send them a thank you note immediately after the call that says, Nice talking with you today.  You… (mention something that they talked about).  If they know of anyone interested in buying or selling, please give them my name and call or email me immediately.  Your referral would be the highest professional complement I could receive. 

·        If they ask how youre doing in real estate and youre doing great, tell them.  If you are just starting or havent hit your mark yet, say, Unbelievable!  Thats not a lie.  Never complain or tell others your problems.  Most people dont care, the rest are happy you gotem.

As you can see, its real important that you get email addresses.  Over the next couple of months, were going to develop an email marketing campaign.  Its cheap, easy, fast, and very effective.  But, if you only have a handful of email addresses, it will be of little or no value.

Other methods to get email addresses:

1. Make the 10 calls a day as suggested above.
2. Return postcard asking for birthdays and email addresses.
3. Offer specific area real estate market information only by email.
4. Have your assistant (or spouse or teen) call a list of people asking for their email address.
5. Solicit local dry cleaners, markets, bookstores, flower shops for coupons and send mailing offering coupons to all who email you at your address.
6. Free offers on your website by e-mail only
1. Home Buying First to Last
2. Home Selling 101
3. Relocation Activities Check List
4. Right Price Analysis
5. Public and Private School Information
6. Special Reports
7. Real Estate Buyers and Sellers Checklists.
7. Ask everyone you talk to for their email address.
8. If you have a PalmPilot, you can beam others with a PalmPilot and get their email address.  Its a social affair.

Sep. 24, 2005 - The Multiplistic Simplisity of Omni Tasking

The Multiplistic Simplisity of Omni Tasking

Everything is possible if you are given the Freedom to think about it.

In charge of maintaining our Nuclear Stock Pile, Some of our nuclear arsenal are 40 years old, we dont just keep them in repair, we constantly rebuild them with technology that others have yet to uncover.  We dont have the used Chevrolet of nuclear weapons we have the Ferraris.  We are constantly creating defense against threats at a faster rate than THEY can manufacture them.  Were America, were smart and strong, dont ever underestimate use.

Rossis rules of rehab. 

1/Dont let anyone dictate what you hear, feel, or see without accepting that you are the one who permitted it.

2/Pain is real.  Spontaneous pain.  Feeding the Pain Wolf.  Know who you are comprised of.  Pain has memory.  Pain can be inflected by others, both physical and mental. 

3/Pain cant be sloughed off.  If it could Rule 2 wouldnt apply and rule 4 would be untrue.

4/Perception is Reality, not vs/vs, unless thats your perception.  The information age dictated that knowledge was power.  Thats no longer true.  It further dictated that your individual knowledge was unique and patentable, thats untrue as well.  You individual knowledge is more important than that, its what you use to create your own perception, hence your reality.  Your main importance to the team is in the understanding of rule 4.

5/Understand the power of intention and READ Dr. Wayne Dyers book Power of Intention The single best read since Da Vinci Code.  Feed the one who wins.

6/There is instant proof of the existence of karma – Parking Karma – the gift goes to the giver

7/Accept the Law of Reality

Life is great.

Sep. 24, 2005 - Diary Of A Real Estate Mother

Diary Of A Real Estate Mother

By Rossi

Since publishing Rich Agent, Poor Agent in Realty Times last year where I outlined the three reasons that people get into real estate as Money, Freedom and ILHILP (I Love Houses and I Love People), Ive had several agents and brokers approach me with different reasons for getting into real estate.  One man even said that he went through two rounds of the Dot Bomb and decided to apply his technology skills where they could give him real freedom, real estate.  Several have told me that they had such a horrible experience buying or selling that they just knew that they could do a better job.  But the one that took me back was from a very pleasant and fun Broker in Nashville, TN, Karen Hoff.  Karen enrolled herself and three of her buyers agents in ASPIRE, my personal coaching program.  At the end of a long day of strategic planning, Karen stayed to return phone calls while I packed up my gear.  Along with the usual real estate calls, I overheard her talking to one of her children.  When she hung up I commented on how calm and non-judgmental she was speaking to her child and how I admired the adult way she was conversing with him.  Im sure, subconsciously, I was reflecting on phone conversations with my kids of, Youre not going anywhere until you clean your room! or I dont care if Paige pierces her forehead with a railroad spike, youre not getting a navel ring!  But not Karen, she was softly talking about after school activities, some work the child was doing at her office, and then about dinner.  Upon further inquiry she told me, I got into real estate to have children.  My jaw dropped, as a past manager I had heard numerous times that they couldnt get into real estate because their kids were too young, too old, or not dead yet.  Children were always the reason not to and now Im hearing from Karen that the reason she got into real estate was to have children.  I had to know more. 

The story, as Karen tells it.  She and her husband, Robert, in their first year of marriage were planning a family and looking for a house.  Karen hasnt changed much, she still plans and gets more done in a shorter amount of time than most people I know.  Robert was a video tape editor at channel 8 TV and she worked at a credit union as a member services representative.  They were the typical 80s couple, lots of credit card debit, two new cars and no down payment.  She pre-qualified herself at the Credit Union for $40,000-$45,000 and proceeded to call agents to look at homes.  She said upon giving her financial qualifications they (real estate agents) laughed, told her to save money and call back in a year.  Finally she found an agent who ran ads for foreclosures and made an appointment to meet.  The agent who showed up was expecting and had another one strapped in a child seat in the back of her car.  She showed us the house holding her childs hand and telling us how easy this home would be to redo and live in. Karen said.  We ended up buying a HUD home from her.  She was very good at here job and I was impressed that she could include her family as she sold.

She further explained how she and Robert talked about the restrictions a 9 to 5 job held for parents.  How when they had kids they wanted to participate in every activity with them and it looked like real estate was the place to make that happen.  Karen got her license and took off on a career of helping first time buyers like her and Robert.  She said, There are plenty of homes out there that need a little love and attention, and Im the one to find them and their new owners.

Now, almost 20 years and three children later, Katrina, 16, Bob, 14, & Forrest, 12, they have achieved their goal of having a successful real estate career and a happy family life.  Karen says, It is with great joy that I can  say I spent a lot of time watching my children grow.  After all, when we are gone, our kids are what we hopefully leave as the best of ourselves in this world.  Not the biggest building, the next sale, or the most transactions.  It is important to be the best in our work, to excel to meet our goals, but we must remember to spend time with our families, the people who are there for us when we need them, the ones who depend on our love and attention as much as we do theirs.

Karen is a highly productive Nashville real estate broker who will close over 350 houses in 2005.  She and her husband own ERA Historic and Distinctive Homes, 1105 Holly St. Nashville, TN 37206 615-228-3723 http://KarenHoff.com email Karen@KarenHoff.com

Sep. 16, 2005 - ARE YOU SUCCESSFUL, ‘THAT DEPENDS’

ARE YOU SUCCESSFUL, THAT DEPENDS
By Jerry Rossi

Main Entry: de•pend 
Pronunciation: di-'pend
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French dependre, modification of Latin dependEre, from de- + pendEre to hang -- more at PENDANT
Date: 15th century

1 : to be determined, based, or contingent
2 : to be pending or undecided
3 a : to place reliance or trust b : to be dependent especially for financial support
4 : to hang down

Interestingly, after September 11th, 2001, an overwhelming number of people who completed the Values Prioritization list placed Family Happiness as the top priority.  In fact, 95% of ASPIREâ„¢ (personal strategic planning curriculum offered by ROSSI Speaks, inc. www.rossispeaks.com ) participants did so.  This being true, why is it that even they fill in the above blank as money instead of Family Happiness?  I believe the answer to that question is Habit.  From an early age, the importance of Money is ingrained within us.  Our government, churches, teachers, and parents fret, even argue, over money.  Entertainment, television, and print media all bombard us with messages that imply money is everything.  The so-called Golden Rule turns green, He who controls the gold makes the rules.  Its easy to control a work to eat world by controlling the money.  The goal of many corporations is to do just that.  Not get your money in big chunks, thats too difficult, but to get your money a little at a time on a continuum.  Its obvious that Three easy payments of $29.95 is easier to make than one payment of Ninety Bucks.  Why do you think we are mailed credit cards by the hundreds and encouraged to freely use them.  Corporate America wants us to all join in and sing, I owe, I owe, its off to work I go.  Like cigarettes, credit becomes a habit, then a fear, fear of 'not having enough money.'  Business uses the fact that, people are more motivated by their fear of loss than they are their desire for gain and creates dependency through credit.
Do I want to work harder so I can charge more?  That depends.  Websters #2 definition of depends states; to be pending or undecided, which means I must not be decided.  In the past, at the end of the calendar year, I would often get a queasy feeling, an unidentified feeling of dread that physically affected my attitude.  It wasnt until I began to write clearly defined goals, congruent with my values, that I understood what caused that feeling.  It was my indecision.  Not having a plan of where I was going, and why, made my stomach jump.  Similar to getting in the car to take a trip and asking, Where are we going?  Or, in Bettys case, Ill work 60 hours a week knowing good and well she didnt have 40 extra hours a week too work!