Performance Management and Challenging Our Comfort Zone

How is the Real Estate Market? The Answer in 60 Seconds.

I believe when talking about this topic of stretching beyond your comfort zone often times we mistakenly assume it is a bad thing; that we aren’t realizing our full potential because we are playing it safe or conservative. It isn’t a good or bad thing….it just is. It is reality; it is normal.

Let me give you an example, think of the first time that you ever met face to face with a client. Think about the anxiety you had preparing for the meeting and the butterflies as you drove to the appointment and knocked on that door….all very normal. But with practice and repetition you reached a place of ease and familiarity. When we choose to move beyond our comfort zone we are choosing growth over our current circumstances.

Why push ourselves beyond our comfort zone?  

1. Personal and professional growth
2. A breakthrough
3. Speed up the opportunity of success

Pushing beyond our comfort zone does raise our anxiety level. That is ok, because research shows performance can be enhanced by some amount of stress. Anxiety improves performance until a certain optimum level has been reached. That optimum level is called your Optimal Performance Zone. The opportunity for peak performance is to find that space – your optimal performance zone - beyond where you are comfortable without taking on undue stress or anxiety.
 

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Your #1 tool is Bravery….Be brave enough to try because truthfully it just isn’t that bad.

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If you’d like to discuss this topic further, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

13 Behaviors of High Trust

How is the Real Estate Market? The Answer in 60 Seconds.

We’re back today with my first video of the second quarter! Today, I’ll be discussing trust.

It came up several times during the Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Sales Convention in Dallas last month. During a seminar, Tom Ferry shared survey results from the question, “What are you looking for in hiring a real estate agent?” 49% said trust. Experience came in at a distant second with 15%. That means half of real estate consumers look to trust an agent before anything else. In our industry, people hire those they trust.

I was also fortunate enough to attend a presentation by Stephen M. R. Covey. You might recognize his name from his father, who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but his son is also incredibly established as an author and speaker. His most recent book is called The Speed of Trust, which I highly recommend. His presentation focused on the 13 behaviors of high trust and how it applies to real estate agents. I'd like to share those takeaways with you today. Here they are:

1. Talk straight. Be honest and tell the truth. Use simple language.
2. Demonstrate respect. Genuinely care for others.
3. Create transparency. Declare your intent. Be open and authentic.
4. Right wrongs. Make things right when you're wrong. Apologize quickly. Demonstrate humility.
5. Show loyalty. Give credit to others. Speak about people as if they were present.
6. Deliver results. Establish a track record of results. Get the right things done.
7. Get better. Commit yourself to becoming a continuous learner. Increase your capabilities.
8. Confront reality. Take issues head on and early. Acknowledge the unsaid. Address the tough stuff directly.
9. Clarify expectations. Disclose and reveal expectations. Don't assume that expectations are clear or shared.
10. Practice accountability. Hold yourself accountable first over others. Take responsibility for results, good or bad.
11. Listen first. Listen before you speak.
12. Keep commitments.  Say what you're going to do, then do what you say you're going to do.
13. Extend trust. Learn how to appropriately extend "Smart Trust" to others.
    

Trust is the number one competency of a successful leader today. We are the leaders of our businesses. Anyone that runs a business successfully nurtures trust in everything they do. Use these tips to ensure you’re fulfilling trust with your clients.

The Two R’s to Sustained Success in Real Estate

How is the Real Estate Market? The Answer in 60 Seconds.

Today I’d like to talk about something that I call, The Two R’s to Success in Real Estate. I’ve heard time and time again that our business is simple, yet hard. The hard part is doing simple things over and over again.

1. Relationships:We're not selling a commodity, we're selling service and expertise. As a result the key to success is maintaining strong relationships. All too often I see in the whirlwind of our day time spent on searching for new relationships while neglecting the people that we already know who trust us and like us. I highly recommend a book titled The Power of Who by Bob Beaudine. The author's position is simple: we already know everyone we need to know to be successful.


2. Routine: Following a routine provides familiarity and focus to our activities. It brings organization and productivity into our lives. A good routine will help you achieve more balance between your personal and professional lives. If you do not have a daily routine, you need to create one today.
   

In review, you need to feed your relationships consistently, and you need to build a daily routine of activities that will ensure your success.