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When ‘No’ Doesn’t Mean No

April 28th, 2021

Do you stop communicating after one ‘no’? Find out why that’s a failing strategy.

You don’t want to be a ‘pushy’ salesperson. It’s not pleasant when someone tells you they’re not interested, or ‘just looking’. Because you’re not pushy, you quit communicating with the potential client. The inclination is to go to the next person. Not so fast.

Watch the video and see why accepting that first ‘no’ is a mistake that will negatively affect your bottom line.

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Want sales training that actually makes a huge difference in the success of your career? Check out my innovative online program, Up and Running in Real Estate. You’ll get a proven business plan, training, and personal coaching with me weekly. You’ll know for certain what to do each day and, most importantly, why you’re doing it so you don’t waste time and money. Is it time for you to invest in yourself? Check it out here.

Categories Business Plan, communication, customer service, expectations, lead generation, new agent business plan, new agent online training, new agents make money, New Real Estate Agents, online training, presentation skills, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Sales Strategies, time management, Up and Running in Real Estate
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Making It Big: The Three Skills You Need

by Carla Cross

September 11th, 2020

Going into real estate because you love houses? You want to be independent? You can name your own hours? Probably the three worst reasons to become a real state salesperson!

Making it big: The three skills you need.

Perhaps you went into real estate because you wanted to be independent. You wanted to be your own boss–name your own hours–work at your own speed. You had heard real estate agents make lots of money. Maybe you thought this was a business were you just looked at pretty houses. Not so fast! Even though real estate is considered to be a career where ‘you’re in business for yourself”, taking that thought too far can result in failure.

Whether you’re new or in business for decades, read on. You may be deluding yourself about your path to success.

Selling Real Estate: Skills Needed

There are many skills required in this business that people new to it just don’t have. Too often, agents believe all they have to do is to start in this business and go to training. They will be successful. Then, when they start failing, they can’t figure out why. In this blog I’ll name 3 qualities and skills you need to develop fast. My question to you is: How are you going to develop or refine them?

Skill # 1: Time management

Most people go into real estate from a field that required them to show up on time, do specific work, and work for at least eight hours. If they didn’t fulfill the minimum requirements of the job, they were fired. Understandably, many people don’t like to work under those strictures. So, they go into real estate where they can name their own hours, work at their own speed, etc. etc. The problem is they don’t understand that working at their own speed many be working at a failure speed.

My question: How are you developing your time management skills? Did you bring them from your former business? (Most agents don’t). If you don’t have dynamic time management skills, how will you develop them?

Skill # 2; Being accountable to a plan

When I was regional director for a very large international franchise company, I screened people for leadership positions. I was stunned to find most potential owners and managers had never had anyone hold them accountable. In fact, there was a negative feeling about being held accountable. When you have a ‘boss’, you are accountable to that work plan and to your boss. In real estate, we’re so careful not to step over the boundaries of the independent contractor concept, we rarely hold anyone accountable to anything. The result: Most people never know what the job really is, and whether they are on track to attain their goals.

My question to you is: Who is helping you be accountable for your own success? Who is your coach? (And don’t tell me it is YOU…..) If you don’t have someone coaching you, how do you know you’re on the right track?

Skill #3: Implement a plan of action.

It is just amazing to me the kablooey plans of action out there. Most of the time, in fact, an agent isn’t provided a plan of action. He/she is just told suggestions or 50 ways to do something. The result: The agent has no idea how to prioritize activities and proceed. He has no idea whether what he is doing every day actually is leading him toward a goal. That’s like my musician friend who says every piece of music is the same: It all uses the same 88 keys–just in different arrangements. But, if you were to try to play a piece of music without knowing the sequencing of the melody, you couldn’t play it. It’s the same as picking out the best methods from those ” 50 ways to do something”.

My question to you is: Do you have a proven, prioritized plan of action and are you executing it? How do you know it is a plan that will get you exceptional results? (all plans aren’t the same!)

I’ve given you 3 skills agents need to succeed. What do you think? Is real estate an ‘independent’ or dependent business? I believe it needs to be a ‘dependent’ business at the beginning. That is, I coach the new agent as he/she starts his/her business. I am the leader. The new agent is the follower (or the struggling agent). There is the dependence. Once the agent ‘has it’, I step back, and become more of a consultant. Have you been a successful follower, so you can learn the business right? If not, why not? If you went to a piano teacher to learn to play the piano, you wouldn’t start your first lesson by telling the teacher how to play!

If you haven’t read the great book, Outliers, get it and read it now. One of the great lessons in the book is that no one succeeds alone.

Give me your feedback on the ‘independent’ or ‘dependent’ concept. What do you think?

Do you have a training plan that includes a proven plan of action? Why not get started (or re-started) right with my online program, Up and Running in Real Estate. Coaching is included!

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, Coaching, expectations, FREE real estate coaching, lead generation, new agent business plan, new agent online training, New Real Estate Agents, online training, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, time management, Training, Up and Running in 30 Days, Up and Running in Real Estate
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Giving Up is NOT an Option for You!

by Carla Cross

September 2nd, 2020

Boy, have things ever changed! Real estate sales is not for the faint of heart. You’re in it: Keep going!

Giving Up is NOT your option–I hope!

Did you think, when you went into real estate, that you’d sell a house the first month? Well, according to my survey in my eBook, What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School, the majority of real estate agents thought just that! However, you’ve found that’s probably not the case. So, what will you do now? Give up, or persevere?

If Giving Up is Not Your Option….

What if there’s a magic measurement of success? Would you be willing to meet that measurement? You know that the Beatles attained pop music mastery. You know Bill Gates did the same with technology. But, did you know what they have in common-and that you may have, too?

The Simple Answer

Before I tell you that, let me share something that happens to me often. I’m a pianist-and have been a musician since I was four years old. In my speaking, I often tickle the ivories-just a little, of course…..Invariably, someone comes up to me and says, “I’ve always wanted to play the piano.” I tell them, they certainly can. How? here’s the simple answer:

Practice one half hour a day for one year. You’ll be able to play well enough to play pop tunes at parties, lead those sing-alongs, and wow your friends.

You’ve heard the old chestnut, Practice Makes Perfect. I certainly know that as a musician. But, how well do we apply that principle to our business lives? Is this something that is a key to our attaining our goals? I think so. Read on.

The Commonality between the Beatles and Bill Gates

In his fascinating book, Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell studies performers–from Mozart and the Beatles to Bill Gates. The commonality he found was that high achievers spent an average of

Ten thousand hours practicing and honing their craft to get to mastery

In other words, it isn’t just talent, it isn’t just circumstance (although Gladwell points out being at the right place at the right time is important, too)–it is just slogging it out, practicing your craft, logging in ten thousand hours.

The Beatles: Having to Work Seven Days for Eight Hours a Night Was the Best Thing that Could Happen to Them

When I read that the Beatles played in Hamburg 8 hours a night, 7 days a week-for 2 years, I instantly felt tired! I know what it’s like to play piano bar for hours! But, the Beatles said that experience was key in making them the performers they became. In an interview, John Lennon said, “We got better and got more confidence. We couldn’t help it with all the experience playing all night long…..we really had to find a new way of playing.”

Bill Gates: Practically Living at the Computer Lab

Gates describes his early years: “It was my obsession….I skipped athletics. I went up there at night. We were programming on weekends.”

Isn’t There a Shortcut?

For those of you who have never attained high performance, you don’t–and can’t realize the importance of practice. You may think that it’s just a matter of talent or luck. But, haven’t you known extremely talented people who just extinguished themselves like a flaming rocket? Haven’t you known people with all the advantages who just didn’t attain what you thought they could-or should? Of course.

Are You Willing to Put in those Ten Thousand Hours to Excel?

From the many examples in Outliers, and from my own experiences as a pianist (I have a degree in piano performance and a master’s degree in music theory), I know that practicing your craft provides the only true competence and confidence.

You don’t gain mastery by talking about it. You don’t gain mastery by someone trying to motivate you. It’s practice.

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So, get out there, and practice and perform. Rack up those ten thousand hours, and you will achieve your goals. If the Beatles and Bill Gates didn’t take shortcuts, we shouldn’t try it that way, either. Isn’t devoting enough time to your goals important enough to you to feel the joy of attainment-of mastery?

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

Personal note to you: Be sure you’re practicing the right things the right way. You can put in 8-10 hours a day and get nowhere if you’re practicing the wrong way. To be sure you’re practicing right, use the right start-up plan. My online training/coaching program, Up and Running in Real Estate, will work for you!

What Your Manager Should Expect from You

by Carla Cross

August 20th, 2020

What should your real estate manager expect from you?

When you interviewed, I’m sure you had a list of what you wanted in a real estate manager. And, I bet you asked your manager what that manager and company were going to do for you. You were probably asked how much money you wanted to make, and had a discussion about that.

At the same time: Did you find out what the expectations were from you to the company? I’ll bet not. So, in these next two blogs, I’ll tell you what I think the agent should do for the company. Why? To get the best from your manager, you must give your best. It starts with expectation sharing, and sets the stage for a successful agent-manager relationship.

Bottom line: Matching expectations mean you’ll make more money because you’ll have the support you need to succeed at the level you desire.

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Good Managers: Always Working on Getting Better

Managers study how to attract and keep agents. They learn how to do recruiting presentations that they hope are mesmerizing to their candidates–so mesmerizing that they’ll say yes when offered a position in the company. They don’t rest on their laurels; they hone their skills so they’re better managers, trainers, and coaches. In other words, good managers are always working on how to be better resources, coaches, and trainers for their agents.

Here’s my job description of a real estate manager.

How does it compare to what you observe your manager doing? In my opinion, this is what the best real estate manager does to nurture the development of his team and make a profit.

What’s the Company Getting from You?

My eighth grade teacher, Mrs. Taylor, was truly memorable (in all ways….). She had wonderful sayings that she would drop on us at opportune times. These either kept us attentive or scared the you-know-what out of us! They included, “Time passes. Will you?” and “To each his own, as she kissed the cow.” (Well, some were better than others).

The saying I’m remembering now, though, was, “Turnabout’s fair play”. In other words, if you mess with Mrs. Taylor, you will get the appropriate treatment! And, if you cooperate and get your work done, you’ll get appropriate treatment, too. So, let’s apply that idea to the relationship and expectations of agents and managers.

Did You Exchange Mutual Expectations in the Interview?

The real estate industry is the only industry I know that hires with a “trust me” from both the manager and the agent. No mutual expectations here, just promises! It may have worked in the past, but it won’t work in the future. A pivoting market means we’ll have to do things differently. Managers should have a list of what the manager and company will do for the agent–and what is expected from an agent. This is the Mutual Expectations agreement. As a new agent, you should have gone over that agreement in the interview. (There is an example mutual expectations agreement in Up and Running in 30 Days, the new agent’s business start-up plan).

Consequences of the Mutual Expectations Agreement

Managers are constantly concerned about retention. Providing a mutual expectations dialogue and agreement is one of the best retention tools in the world–hiring agents who promise to go to work! Experienced agents love the fact that the manager is not hiring deadwood to just get in their way and pull down the reputation of the company.

What’s In It for the New Agent?

For my eBook What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School, I surveyed hundreds of agents in the business less than three months. I asked them, “What number of transactions do you have to complete in your first year to avoid being terminated?” 71% did not know! Now, would you take any job where you didn’t know the expectations? Yet, most managers avoid telling those expectations–if they have them. And, agents avoid asking because they don’t want to know.

However, if you don’t know what’s expected of you, how will you know if you’re achieving? How will you know if the start-up plan your manager is using with you (your manager is using a start-up plan, I hope….) will get you to your goals?

Lack of Expectations Is a Bad Thing…

If your manager didn’t discuss expectations with you, what does that mean? Probably that anything you do will be okay. That is, you can fail. You can fail to achieve your goals. You can avoid doing the work that needs to be done–and there are no consequences. You know that’s not a good thing. So, if you don’t know those expectations, go to your manager right now and get them. That’s a good thing!

Are you getting the guidance, support, and start-up plan you need to succeed? It takes much more than training and advice to be successful in real estate. Check out the program that’s proven to get results, because it’s a real business plan, supported with training: ***Up and Running in Real Estate.***

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, action plan, Business Plan, creative training methods, expectations, new agent business plan, new agent online training, New Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Up and Running in 30 Days, Up and Running in Real Estate, What They Don't Teach You in PreLicense School
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How to Make More Money in Real Estate in Less Time

by Carla Cross

August 12th, 2020

Here’s how to make more money in real estate in less time. When would-be agents investigate real estate as a career, they ask questions like:

Is a career in real estate worth it?

How much money can I make in real estate?

To answer those questions–and to sell books–you’ll find dozens of books titled ‘how to make a million in real estate’ or ‘how to be a real estate superstar your first year in the business’. You’re lead to believe anyone who goes into real estate is bound to make gazillions–fast. (Have you seen the myriad of TV shows where those beautifully dressed agents show $10,000,000 homes to adoring clients? It looks so glamorous and easy!)

Caveat: There’s one book for the seasoned real estate agent that really does lay out a concrete path to making, and then profiting a million dollars in real estate. By Gary Keller, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent is based on studies of successful agents and systems proven to produce those results. If you read it, you will discover that this means setting long-term goals and working like you owned a business (you do) for years!

The sad truth: Few agents make a million dollars. The really sad secret: Over 50% of new agents fail to make it through their first year in the business. There are a myriad of reasons. From interviewing and hiring hundreds of new agents, and seeing so many start-up plans, I believe the main reason new agents fail–and seasoned agents flounder–is that they are following an activity plan that just won’t work to make them money.

How Most New Agents Launch Their Careers

Most ‘activity plans’ new agents are given are activity plans for failure. (Agents who are floundering are also following these ‘failure-insured’ plans). The proof: According to the last National Association of Realtors’ survey of members, (2019), 54% of agents under two years in the business grossed less than $10,000 (that’s before expenses!). You don’t want to be one of those people.

What One of Those Failure Activity Plans Looks Like

The situation: You’re relatively new at sales. Your sales manager has suggested several activities for you to do:

Inspect listings
Organize your desk, files, books, etc.
Review forms
Attend orientation
Get your multiple keys; go to Realtor orientation; attend your multiple listing service orientation
Attend your office training

Following directions, you dive into all these activities, excited to start your sales career. You’re enjoying looking at pretty homes, and you don’t mind doing the rest of the activities. In fact, you find these activities rather easy to do, and you’re looking forward to the money just pouring in. If this is a successful real estate career, bring it on!

The Problem: Those Aren’t The Activities that Make You Money

But, the money doesn’t pour in. Look back at that list. Do any of these activities have to do with meeting and working with clients? (the only way you’ll ever make money!). Unfortunately, no. It’s all get ready. Now, there’s nothing wrong with organizing and educating yourself–if you only do it for a short period of time! The big mistake new salespeople make is that they keep doing those ‘first week activities’ as a priority for the remainder of their careers. Don’t do that! (Up and Running in Real Estate , my business start-up plan for future successful real estate agents, categories these activities as business support activities).

Why Would Your Manager Give You a Wimpy Activity List?

New agents have shared with me their ‘interview’ questions. They are not really interviews. They’re just sales jobs. The manager’s goal is to say whatever needs to be said to get that license on the wall. Then, the agent receives that wimpy activity list to underscore the thought that real estate is easy, everyone can do it, and you’ll do great without much effort (not all managers, of course, but, failure rates prove this is all too common.)

That List is Pre-Sale Stuff

In real estate, we call new homes that are sold prior to their being finished ‘pre-sales’. I want you to think of that list of six activities as ‘pre-sale’. You aren’t going to start making money until you get, as Up and Running in Real Estate states

on the sales path.

Here’s what that sales path looks like:

*In my Up and Running programs, these activities are called “business producing” activities.

When to Get on That Sales Path

Give yourself one week of ‘pre-sale’ activity. Then, start your Up and Running business start-up plan, so you’ll get a sale in 30 days. That doesn’t mean you will quit doing those six preparation activities. It just means they will take a lower priority to your actually working with and selling clients.

Staying On Track Isn’t Easy without a Great Coach

Assure your success by asking someone (either your manager or a professional coach) to coach you to your plan and hold you accountable. Why? Because it’s human nature for us to slip back into those easy-to-do, low-risk pre-sale or business-supporting activities, because they’re easy and risk-free. Armed with a proven business start-up plan and a coach, you have the right priorities, the right attitude, and the support you need to succeed.

Note to managers: Look at the activities you have the new agent doing in his/her first month. Do these activities include lead generating activities, or are they just keeping the agent busy? Be sure your activity list is a success list, focusing on finding, working with, and selling clients, not a busy-work list.

30 Things to Do While You’re in Pre-License School to Hit the Ground Running

If you’re in a pre-license school now, you know you are getting information to pass the test–not to succeed in real estate. You need an activity plan right now so you can do many of the things that will otherwise slow you down once you’re licensed. Grab my 30 things activity plan here.

New Agents: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself to Make More $$ Faster in Real Estate

by Carla Cross

August 6th, 2020

New real estate agents: Here are 10 questions to ask yourself to make money fast.

It’s estimated that over 50% of new agents fail their first year in the business! (I know. You thought everyone who got a license made $100,000 their first year in the business!).

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New agents blithely think they’re going into real estate as a career, and don’t realize they must treat as a business–their own business–just like you were starting your own clothing boutique or coffee shop. To succeed, you need a different kind of business start–not the kind of start most training programs provide.

From interviewing and training thousands of new agents throughout my managing and speaking career, I’ve observed why new agents’ reality doesn’t match their dreams. Take a look at the questions below. Stumbling agents can’t answer them. In addition, they may be getting no, or little guidance from their managers. Not having the combination of these two things almost assures their failure.

If you’re unsure whether you will reach your goals, (or even make enough money to stay in the business), ask yourself these 10 questions:

1. Do I have a ‘start-up’ plan—a plan that tells me what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and why to do it? (Or, do I just come to the office and ‘go with the flow’)? In your first 30 days in the business, did you have a prioritized action plan based on a successful agent’s day, week, month, and year in the business?

2. Am I waiting for someone to tell me what to do each day, or do I have focus and purpose with my plan? (it doesn’t work to ask your manager what to do each day, and, as a newer agent just told me, your manager answers, “Mail some postcards.” You wouldn’t expect a Starbucks franchise to ‘guide’ the new franchisee that way, and you’re not going to get a business start with that kind of piecemeal ‘advice’!)

3. Do I have a daily schedule that is prioritized with the business actions most important to me to assure I make money? (If you’re just relying on your office for its floor time and meeting schedule, you aren’t in the business!)

4. Do I know the best methods of lead generation—and how to implement them? (You can’t wait for ‘training’ that starts in 3 months to start your business! Well, not unless you have at least a year’s savings and you aren’t desperately depressed when you never make a sale…..

5. Do I know the numbers? (how many contacts does it take to get a lead, how many leads to get an appointment, how many appointments to get a listing, showing, how many showings to get a sale, how many marketable listings will sell) (If you don’t, you are destined to be an ‘on accident’ agent—only selling someone something when the stars are aligned).

6. Do I know how long it will take to get a sale? To get a listing? To get a listing sold? (so you can project your income) (New agents tend to wait, and wait, and wait, to get into the business ‘stream’, thinking that there is no time frame to buyers’ decisions—wrong!)

7. Do I have a method of setting goals and tracking accomplishments in the areas above—so I can analyze my specific strengths and challenges in this business? (Most agents never track what they do, so they don’t know what worked—or why what they’re doing isn’t working).

8. Do I have a budget so I know how much money I should be spending in marketing myself/marketing my listings? Do I know how much money it takes each month to pay my bills and to invest in my business?

9. Do I have someone to talk to regularly, to coach me, to keep me on track, and to help me if I fall off my start-up plan (to keep me from failing)?

10. Do I have a method to keep myself motivated and inspired to keep on keeping on (like a coach or your manager)?

If you can’t answer the questions above with authority and confidence, you need much more business direction than you’re getting now. It’s time for you to get serious about real estate as a business, and grasp a proven business start-up plan and the support you need to assure your success.

Managers: My survey of hundreds of agents under 3 months in the business showed that the majority expected a sale their first month in the business. Guess in what month they are mentally and emotionally out of the business? Month two. That means we must provide a start-up plan with actions and coaching that literally gets agents ‘up and running’, not slowly crawling….

No matter the market, it’s your job to provide them a comprehensive start-up plan and coach them to it, to assure your investment in them pays off—and their investments in themselves pay off, too.

Are You Ready to Drive your Business to Success with Purpose–Now?

Almost all agents get ‘training’. They learn lots of ‘good stuff’. Agents expect their training to launch their real estate careers. Yet, most either get out of the business their first year, or make only 1-2 sales. Obviously, their training didn’t work!

What’s different about Up and Running in Real Estate? Yes, it’s a training program. But, it’s organized as a business plan. You know why you’re doing those activities and you know the results you’ll get. In fact, the principles you learn during Up and Running will guide your business forever.

You get coaching from Carla Cross and you have an opportunity to enlist your manager as coach, too, so you have high support and encouragement.

The result: You make money fast AND prepare your business mind for a long-term, successful real estate career.

See the difference at Up and Running in Real Estate.

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, Business Plan, expectations, FREE real estate coaching, new agent business plan, new agent online training, New Real Estate Agents, online training, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Success, Up and Running in Real Estate
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Why Most New Agent Training Programs Don’t Get Results

by Carla Cross

July 22nd, 2020

New agents eagerly enter real estate training programs to succeed. Most of them don’t make it. What’s wrong? Here’s a defect in the new agent training programs–whether classroom or online.

Here’s why most new real estate agent training programs don’t get results for those anxious, enthusiastic, new real estate agents.

You’re a new real estate agent. I remember those days as though they were yesterday! Are you as excited to begin your career as I was? I’ll bet you are. So, how do you begin? Where do you get the direction, new agent training, and the support you need? I remember sitting at my desk, watching the agents, and trying to figure out what other agents were doing. Through my observations, I quickly found two things:

1. Most of the agents sitting in the office weren’t selling anything

2. Most of the activities those same agents were doing were not productive activities. (That’s why they weren’t making money). What were those activities? Looking at pretty houses, and attending brokers’ open that had food. Oh, and they were busy ‘getting ready to get ready’ (filing, which today would be playing with tech….).

Where were the successful agents? I soon discovered they usually weren’t in the office! They were out showing properties or listing homes.

What to Do?

By observing these two groups of agents, I decided I didn’t want to be in ‘stay in the office’ group one, because they weren’t selling real estate. I wanted to be in group two. However, I couldn’t figure out how to allocate time to activities, which activities to start with, and how to organize my day to create a successful career.

It’s Confusing

The most confusing thing about starting in the real estate business is that new agents get advice from every direction:

The tech to use
The tech and ‘gizmos’ you must buy
The ‘style’ of sales you must adhere to
The activities to do—and not to do

Unfortunately, most of this advice is probably not in your best interest. It comes from the personal experiences of ‘seasoned’ agents and their natural biases.

Most Real Estate Training Is Not Focused on Real Estate Productivity

You may think that any real estate training program is going to assure your success. All you have to do is learn everything in the program, and you’ll make money. Unfortunately, that’s not true. Why?

The failure of most new agent training programs is due to the fact that they are not organized on a proven new agent start-up business plan.

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There’s no plan for you to follow. There’s no prioritization of activities, no building on the plan, and no method to measure your lead generating, client engagement, and sales results.

Learning ‘Lots of Stuff’ Is Not the Answer

You will learn lots of neat stuff—facts and figures you may find fascinating. However, much of the information you’ll gain will not assure a successful career (look at all those ‘know-it-all’ agents who don’t sell a stick of real estate!). When you graduate from the program, you still don’t know what to do each day, the order in which to do it, why you should do it, and how to measure the results of what you do.

Agents Constantly Looking for the Magic Bullet

Because very few agents have the luxury of starting their business with a proven start-up business plan—designed for new agents—agents have no time management skills. They can’t organize their business and measure results. Instead, they’re always looking for

–what to say to make clients do what they want

–the one tech tool that will do the business for them

–the lead generating funnel (agents pay for those leads) that will assure them gold-plated leads, ready to buy

–the ‘system’ sold by seminar gurus for thousands of dollars, that guarantees them multi-million dollar incomes

What to Look for in a Training or Coaching Program

The magic ingredient is this:

The best new agent real estate training program is built around a business start-up plan.

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What do I mean? Week by week, the program introduces a lead generating source—prioritized just for new agents—gives you the numbers you need to work in that source, and helps you measure results. Now you know, as you proceed through the program, what works for you and how much of that work you need to do to succeed. In addition, the training program shows you how to do each activity. It helps you organize each of your presentations and systems so you have a professional system to follow.

The objective of that special training program is fast productivity, not just knowledge.

Look for the words “foundationed in a business plan for you.”

The training program you choose should not just offer you information. It should consist of a business plan, with specific action items you accomplish each week. Also, it should:

1. Consist of the 4-5 best lead generating activities,prioritized, which you accomplish implmenting during the program

2. Have the training scripts and processes to execute your lead generation and client interactions successfully

3. Always keep you on your business planning track, and help you see that plan clearly with focus on your business

4. Have a method so you can measure your successes, revise your plan, and build a foundation for long-term success.

How did the real estate training you took as a new agent stack up to the four criteria above? Do you need a training program now to get your business on track or back on track?

By the way, online and in classroom training should have the same organization.

Here’s the only training program for new real estate agents foundationed in a proven business start-up plan. This online training program is created for those serious new agents who are determined to get a fast start to success. See it at ***Up and Running in Real Estate.***

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, action plan, Business Plan, classroom to online training, lead generation, listing presentation, new agent business plan, new agent online training, New Real Estate Agents, online training, presentation skills, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Success, Training, Up and Running in 30 Days, Up and Running in Real Estate
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What Do You Wish You’d Been Told in your First Year in Real Estate Sales?

by Carla Cross

July 14th, 2020

How would you answer this question as a new real estate agent? If only I had known…..

What do you wish you’d been told in your first year in real estate sales? What income did you expect your first year in the business? How would that advice or strategy affected or changed your success?

Why am I asking? I’m the author of the best-selling start-up plan/book for new real estate agents, Up and Running in 30 Days. It’s now in its 5th printing. Through the years, I’ve been updating regularly, so it stays relevant. I want to know, from you, what would have made a positive difference in your career.

Advice Not Taken….

What advice were you given–that you didn’t take–and wish you had? From interviewing thousands of would-be agents,

I know many reject the truism that we must go out and proactively find business. They are looking for ‘a better way’. (They don’t really want to talk to people…..). Too many times, they are left on their own to grasp, believe, and ‘work’ a business plan they create–on their own–that guarantees failure.

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If you had to do it over again, what would you have done differently to get you better results?

Pivot Quickly Enough?

With the advent of the pandemic, our industry has had to pivot quickly. How have you pivoted? How do you need to pivot now? See my advice in my recent webinar, Throw Out Your Business Plan.

Helping Others Succeed

From my surveys of agents under three months in the business, and my many interviews, I know that new agents have much higher income expectations than the reality of the National Association of Realtors’ members’ survey shows. In fact the income for a Realtor under two years in the business was less than $10,000 in 54% of the respondents. (The latest report didn’t break it down further). What were your goals? What was your reality?

Please give me your experience and expertise as I update both my Up and Running in 30 Days program and my online version, Up and Running in Real Estate.

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, action plan, Business Plan, classroom to online training, creative training methods, expectations, free webinar, new agent business plan, new agent online training, New Real Estate Agents, online training, Pivot business plan, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Training, Up and Running in 30 Days, What They Don't Teach You in PreLicense School
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The Five Big Reasons New Agents Fail

by Carla Cross

July 8th, 2020

new agents don’t know how to start the business! (Who would?) So, they fill the time with what comes easily.

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Do you know the 5 biggest reasons new agents fail? Here they are.

New agents come into the business, excited because they are ‘in business now for themselves’. They don’t have a “boss”. They can organize their time. They look forward to lots of ‘free time’. They’ve also heard one can make lots of money working 20 hours a week. What a dream world! Worse yet, new agents don’t know how to start the business! (Who would?) So, they fill the time with what comes easily. Most of us are afraid of rejection, and fear what will happen if we talk to human beings and ask them to buy real estate from us. So, we stay away from those activities that invite rejection.

What Comes Easily to the New Agent?

We gravitate toward ‘safe’ activities, such as:

get organized–all day
attend classes–all day
preview properties–all week
observe others–all week
do research and follow-up
Play computer and social media

A friend of mine observes that they seem to be “getting ready to get ready”.

The very dangerous thing about agents creating a daily plan without good business-start-up principles, is that they create habits of failure. In effect, they created their own start-up plan—one that assures low production.

Those 5 Big Reasons

1. Wait too long to lead generate–this is the biggest reason of all. They end up with very few leads–and those few leads are poor ones who won’t buy or sell!

Question: When you started your career, in what month did you start lead generating in earnest?

2. Copy other losers–go preview pretty properties, drink coffee, gossip, etc.

Question: How much time did/do you spend in wasting time?

3. Look for someone to provide them ‘leads‘ (no good producer expects leads to be given to them!)

4. Don’t lead generate at all! (They’re waiting for ‘a better way’)

Question: Were you waiting for someone to provide you leads or did you reject lead generating methods for ‘a better way’?

5. Just hate people (these are those who say ‘I like houses; I just hate people’). These are people who shouldn’t be in sales. I surely don’t blame them. I blame whoever hired them for not screening properly. (I know we can’t be right all the time, but we should be using all the tools available to us, like behavioral profiles, to check our interview conclusions).

So, those are my 5 big reasons. What did I miss?

Up and Running in Real State Starts You Right to an Exceptional Career

If you’ve been in the business less than 2 years and you’re not getting the success you deserve, you need to give yourself the gift of this program. All the training, coaching, and supporting documents are online, so you can go at your own speed and go back as many times as you want.

How this program is different: It is foundationed with a business start-up plan, so you learn how to self-manage a successful business, not just do non-prioritized activities. And, there’s nothing else to buy–no extra cards that stay in your trunk! (And, there’s a coaching component for your manager so support you every step of the way!).

Check it out and see how you can reach your potential–and beyond!

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, action plan, attitude, Buyers, Coaching, expectations, goals, income, Internet leads, lead generation, new agent business plan, new agent online training, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Up and Running in 30 Days, Up and Running in Real Estate
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Going online with your Presentation or Training: Hold Your Audience’s Attention

by Carla Cross

June 4th, 2020

Are you challenged when you are speaking online instead of ‘live’?

Presenting online? Here’s a great way to keep audience attention.

Do you present or teach courses? Do you give listing or buyer presentations? You probably have done most of your presenting or teaching ‘live’–in the classroom or homes/office . Though sometimes it’s hard to keep your attendees’ attention in the ‘live’ setting, it’s much harder when you’re online.

Going from ‘Live’ to Online

In a few days (June 11), I’m doing a webinar on how to take your classroom online. In the pre-webinar survey, I asked attendees their biggest concerns. About 70% of the concerns were

how to hold the audience’s attention online.

No wonder. Because we’ve relied on instructor-focused training, we attempt to merely turn on the camera and talk as though our audience were with us in the classroom. We’ve found out that doesn’t work to keep an audience’s attention online. Instead, in these blogs, I’ll offer specific ways to meet that challenge.

One Great Method to Re-Focus Your Audience’s Attention

Think back through a ‘live’ course or presentation you gave recently. Remember a question you asked to launch a discussion? How could you get your audience’s attention and interest online with that question? Use the question as a poll.

How to Insert a Poll

Polls are a great way to gather information about your audience and use that information as a ‘bridge’ from one section of your course to another. It’s also a good way to capture an audience’s attention toward the beginning of the online session. (See my webinar for tips on constructing the opening of that webinar, too). You can even have some fun with it, if you’re presenting to 2 or more people (like a listing presentation). Ask each person to answer the poll question independently and then compare answers. You’ll get some stunning results!

Where to place your poll:

At the beginning. You can start your course with a poll that will let you and your audience know important facts or opinions about your subject.

As a bridge between sections of your course. Think of a section of your course where you could gather information. For example, when I’m doing the webinar I’ve mentioned here, I ask attendees the amount of time they can concentrate online. Then, I use those poll results to start the section on ‘how to hold attendees’ attention online’.

Important: Be sure to relate the poll results to the topic you’re exploring.

How Many Polls?

In a 45-minute webinar, you’ll want to use 3-5 polls. You’ll also want to use other attendee-involving strategies like

Questions
Chat
Games
Small groups
Activity plan

Translating your Classroom or Presentation to Online Success Takes Some Work

By answering my questions above concerning your course, you can prepare that course for online ‘translation’. You’ll gain audience participation, audience accountability, and great feedback on your presentation.

Free Webinar June 11

Going from 'live' to online requires new skills and techniques. — Going from ‘live’ to online requires new skills and techniques.

If you’re facing challenges of translating your ‘live’ classroom to online, join us for Masterclass: How to Go from Classroom to Online.

When: June 11 (Thursday) Time: 10-11 am PDT

Click here to register.

You’ll learn how to create a great course structure, how to hold your audience’s attention, how to add variety to your course, and tips to present your classroom course for a successful online event.

This webinar is created especially for those trainers presenting to real estate professionals–and valuable for anyone who wants to ‘translate’ their classroom course to a professional online experience. I’ve added a worksheet for you so you can instantly ‘translate’ the webinar information to your own online course.

As a three-decade trainer of real estate trainers, I’ve learned the special presentation methods needed to keep and hold real estate professionals’ attention. I’ll show you how to include these in your online course structure.

Bonus for attending: A 2-page detailed checklist to use to take your classroom course online with verve.)

Click here to register. (By the way, when you register, you’ll get a survey to let me know what you want me to address, so the webinar will be most valuable to you.)

Categories classroom to online training, free webinar, new agent online training, New Real Estate Agents, online training, presentations, webinar
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Those 5 Big Reasons

Up and Running in Real State Starts You Right to an Exceptional Career

Free Webinar June 11

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