Awkward Conversations Day 59 Your Million Dollar Year. I heard one national speaker say that successful people have more awkward conversations in a day than unsuccessful people. This reminds me that successful people fail more than unsuccessful people following the same pattern. The more you practice at getting better and staying in control and focused on your end goal the better. It all makes sense. In our daily days of measurement and analysis of our real estate careers this could be one avenue to pursue in a day to keep it fresh.
The grind of real estate is like a baseball season. It is an interminable daily grind through hot situations and performances built on action. Awkward conversations is an action. Examples of awkward conversations during prospecting are ways to get in the door and meet the seller to have a conversation. The Seller will put up all kinds of personal road blocks to keep you away. You are an agent to them and not yet a person. You need to stay in that awkward conversation by asking more questions until you find a way to become a person of value to them. Once you get to that point you should get in the door.
While you finish that first encounter on the phone just starting to turn good, you got in the door, you don’t need to waste any more time. Your goal for that awkward conversation is to get in the door. At that point you prepare for more awkwardness when you get in. Creating trust and likability is that goal and that will be based on what value you bring to them when you arrive. To get to what they want be prepared broadly and be ready for that awkward question you can’t answer. It is in that moment you can cross the threshold. Answer honestly with authority and be prepared to deliver future value with an answer you will get for them. Have fun, you are in charge when you are prepared knowing where you want to go. Awkward Conversations Day 59 Your Million Dollar Year
Grasping at Straws Day 58 Your Million Dollar Years is probably the worst thing you can do if you are starting out in real estate. You don’t want to grab at straws, you want to build a business that produces your living. Starting your career with small goals only gets you small results. Starting your real estate career with goals that are unattainable, or unattainable by you is also foolish. To succeed in the real estate industry you must adhere to a live long pursuit of knowledge. Don’t worry, along the way you will 
gather a life time of experience. Each experience with each new client is both the same and different.
Today I was looking through new listings and a FSBO for a 2 million dollar home had no interior pictures of the house, 6 exterior pictures of the land and house and an ALL CAPS demand that no phone calls only serious people send him an email. Oh, and there was no email attached. This process is broken and the FSBO has no clue. People like this are not impossible to educate and it will take time. Yesterday I had a FSBO tell me yesterday he won’t work with a Buyer’s agent even if the commission is paid by the Buyers.So me with a buyer who will not buy without an agent is being told they can’t see the house. You just can’t make us these stories. Grasping at Straws Day 58 Your Million Dollar Years
How Many No’s to get to Yes Day 57 Million Dollar Year. We all want the “yes” as quickly as possible. What we are doing here is trying to quantify how many times you will hear “no”, on average, to get to that “yes”. Over the years the number of times you are likely to hear “no” until you hear “yes” has grown.The questions you ask along the way determine if you will ever get to “yes”. If the person is still engaged with you as you go from question to question, that is good, but never keep asking the same question.
To get to “yes” you need to ask the right questions. You need to drive as quickly as possible to their core driving emotion. What do they really want? What is their time frame? Where are they going next? What excites them about the process and what do they dred? When you ask the right questions and what I mean by that is asking questions that go to their driving emotion the better off you are. You are closer to “yes” when you ask good questions.
Most recently I heard 9 “no’s” to get to yes is the average. The point is you keep asking questions until you get to “yes” or a definite “no”. Make sure you understand their core driving emotion as you are asking. Why someone wants to do something is integral to what they are most likely to do. When you understand core driving emotion you can provide your insight, intelligence and experience to the conversation to get to “yes”. The person asking the questions is the person controlling the conversation. People want to talk about themselves and in an emotional situation, this is more true. How Many No’s to get to Yes Day 57 Million Dollar Year
Starting Out Real Estate Day 56 Your Million Dollar Year. When you have been an agent for some time you often forget what it is like to be an agent the first week you get your license. It is true that the barrier to entry into this business is small. In MA where I have a license it only takes 40 hours of study and passing the test to get licensed. These newbies are afforded the same credence as an agent who has many years of experience. Why wouldn’t the unlicensed public believe they know as much as some of these people? Going from the moment you get your license it is essential that if you want to be successful you need to keep learning.
Learning in this profession is a daily opportunity. Experience is often what drives this learning. If you are asked about specifics regarding a property, the paperwork, the legal process, the lending process and you don’t yet know the answer it is imperative you reach out to someone who does. Not just saying what you think, but finding out what is correct is how successful agents work.
successful agents will give you time if you are sincere and focused on what you want to learn. Steer clear of the agents who tell you they are too busy to talk. One of two things is going on here, either they truly don’t have time and will make time later, they will tell you that. Or, they don’t have time because they are overwhelmed themselves and can’t find their own way out of the routines of this business. If you have questions I am happy to help. Starting Out Real Estate Day 56 Your Million Dollar Year
The Power of Mother Day 55 Your Million Dollar Year.When working with the public an experienced agent knows all to well that it is the woman who will ultimately make the decision about their living space, not the man. This is true in most cases and it remains true even in cultures where the man takes the lead on financial issues. When working with couples and the man/husband/partner asks a question, or makes a comment directly to me I always look at the woman for her reaction to the question. I usually respond with, “I hear what you are saying, I am listening to her.” Invariably the woman understands completely what I am saying and usually the man misses my point.
This is not to say the man has no role in the process of buying or selling their property it is just that it is of less importance to their final decision. I have worked with several couples where the male was the stay at home and the female was the breadwinner. I have found my belief that it is still the woman who made the decision.With good couples it is a joint decision, lead by the woman.
A woman looks not just at the property and it’s features but will consider the neighborhood, the schools, how far to shopping, etc. Not to pick on my gender but the man often wonders where to put the big tv, or how big the lawn is. All aspects of a purchase or sale of a property are important, what I am saying is the woman has a better handle on what ALL is. A professional agent not only understands the house, the neighborhood, the community but also understands the dynamic between the couples they work with. The Power of Mother Day 55 Your Million Dollar Year
While Boston is diverse in many ways, so too are the neighborhoods. Chinatown and the North End are popular sections of the city but no less so then the Fenway area where the Red Sox play, or Heartbreak Hill where the Boston Marathon goes by Boston College. This was an agricultural area for centuries. During those years and as the population spread out from Boston Common it took the farm lands that were it’s outer boundaries surrounding the city.They are now part of the inner city that is served by public transportation, The MBTA, the “T” as it is known. It is one of the oldest public transportation systems in the country. It connects the town. This connects the people to their spaces and places. Places and Spaces and People Day 54 Your Million Dollar Year
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