Sales Strategies

Archive for Sales Strategies

New Agents Speak Out: What Works–What to Avoid

September 12th, 2019

Want the ‘real skinny’ on succeeding in real estate? Read what successful newer agents say to do–and what to avoid.

In the latest edition of Up and Running in 30 Days, the new agent’s business start-up plan, I’ve put lots of updates including advice from successful newer agents. Rather than my trying to convince you of these principles myself, here’s what they’ve said:

On Training

Here’s a quote from Kyle Kovats, who was chosen as one of the finalists for the “30 under 30” honors from the National Association of Realtors. These select nominations are agents chosen because they are under 30 and very successful in the business.

Kyle advises: “Find a broker who has a comprehensive training program. Ask if you can speak with agents who have gone through it to get the agents’ perspective on whether it was helpful.”

{Note: Up and Running in 30 Days has tips for you new agents in choosing the right training program—a training program that actually assures you launch a great career).

The Importance of Coaches and Mentors

There’s a lot more to success than just attending even a great training program. Read this from Merrilee Prochaska, “I wish I had understood the importance of a mentor/coach before I began.”

{Up and Running in 30 Days discusses the trend toward coaches, and provides guidance in choosing the right coach for you.}

On What They Wish They’d Done Differently

It’s not all a smooth ride to success! Here are some comments successful agents on what they wish they had done differently

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. From Cerise Paton: “Followed up more and more consistently; understood the time and discipline and numbers needed for lead generation and lead conversion; recognizing the time it took to build trust; going on more appointments, failing more often, and getting better, practicing presentations with friends”.

Gary Richter’s comment on what he would do differently could apply to most new agents: “Contact all of my sphere and ask for business.” Gary admits he was reticent to ask them all for business.

On Prioritizing Your Activities and Lead Generation Sources

Don’t take my word for it that clearly prioritizing your activities as business-producing or business-supporting is key to success. Hear it from Gary Richter, who used Up and Running in 30 Days to start his career. He says his priorities are big reasons he’s succeeding now: “I am cognizant of my daily activities and recognized them as either business producing or business supporting. I spend the majority of my time on business-producing activities.”

And, Diane Honeycutt states, “Take the advice in this plan and be sure you’re not a ‘secret agent’! Develop a work plan and stick to it”.

Here’s what Kyle Kovats, that great ’30 under 30’ nominee, said: “Get out there and just do it. Try different forms of prospecting and see what works. An ounce of action is more powerful than a ton of planning.”

Gary Richter advises: “Get off your computer and go out into the areas. Focus on business-producing activities.”

More great advice from Kyle Kovats: “Be relentless. Follow up with handwritten letters rather than the generic form letters/cards most agents send people. Be unique.”

On the Importance of Client Relationship Management Technology

When I asked those agent and manager contributors the technology new agents should incorporate, here’s what they said:

“CRM and lead management tools”—Diane Honeycutt

“A really good and easy-to-use CRM”—Cerise Paton

“A good CRM”—Chris Cross

So, don’t be like the majority of new agents (and even seasoned agents who put off capturing all those leads in a database and then, even better a CRM!) Start using a database, or better yet, a CRM your first week in the business.

On Spending Money for Leads

Here’s some advice from one of those Top 30 Under 30 finalists, James Pierce: “Don’t pay a dime to sites like Zillow, etc.”

From Cerise Paton: “You will get a lot of calls to sell you leads, google placement, banner ads, shopping carts, you name it. Don’t do it. It either has no value, or you’re not ready for it, or you can’t afford it”

Tip for managers: As you read these comments, ask yourself, “How is my training, coaching, and business start-up plan keeping my new agents on track?” What needs to be changed or refined so I get better results?”

How about YOU?

Are you following these principles? How many have you rejected or violated in your first few months in the business? Why? Success isn’t always easy, but it always has patterns and leaves clues! Don’t try and re-invent the wheel. Follow a proven plan with assured results and you will be wildly successful!

Take a look at what’s in Up and Running in 30 Days: updates in 5th edition. If you’re not reaching your goals as a newer agent (or want to re-start your career), you NEED this detailed start-up plan–chock full of advice that’s up-to-date. only $32.95 plus shipping–and invaluable to your career success. Click here for more information and to order.

I’ve got a bonus, too, for you this month: You’ll also receive my ‘little book of Big Ideas--inspiration and motivation to keep going to success!

Do You Know the 10 Dumbest Things New Agents Do? Here’s My List….

by Carla Cross

August 22nd, 2019

Do you know the 10 dumbest things new agents do? Here’s my first five. What are yours?

We all want success easily. We all want to ‘do it our way’. And, if we’re honest, in our quest for easy success, we’ll all done dumb things. That is, we realized they were dumb–after the fact. So, just because I’m picking on new agents here doesn’t mean I haven’t done many more than just ten dumb things! I’m listing these here, though, to help you avoid the mistakes I made as a new agent, and the mistakes I’ve observed thousands of new agents make over the years I’ve managed, trained and coached.

Some Mistakes Cost More than Others

Some dumb actions don’t cost us much, but, when an agent fails, it costs money to everyone–agents, offices, and consumers. It’s estimated that it costs a manager $15,000-30,000 for every agent hired who fails! So, that agent isn’t a profit-center, she’s a cost center! In addition, an agent who fails spends at least $5000-15,000 just in ‘subsidized living’ and real estate expenses the first three months in the business. Finally, the consumer loses, because the agent is out of the business before serving the consumer (or in the midst of trying to serve the consumer).

Heads Up

New agents don’t come into the business to fail. But, they don’t realize the effort and skill it takes to succeed. In addition, there are increasingly difficult challenges for new agents:

1. The gap between consumer expectations and agent performance is widening quickly and dramatically. New agents must have better training, coaching, and commitment from their brokers.
2. The market is softening, so agents can’t get those ‘dumb luck’ first easy sales.
3. The committed, career-oriented agent is taking much more of the market share.
It’s estimated that 50% of new agents fail and get out of the business in their first year, and 75% are out in two years. That seems to me a huge waste of resources-and a huge contributor to that expectations gap I listed above. We need to stop that attrition now.

So, new agents, I’ve created a list of the ten dumbest things I’ve seen thousands do to fail themselves right out of the business. In this blog, we’ll investigate the first five:

The First Five ‘Dumbest’

1. Thinking that there are lots of ways to start the business. There aren’t. Real estate sales is sales, and sales is a numbers game. (Up and Running in Real Estate shows you exactly how to work those numbers to your benefit).
2. Thinking they don’t have to lead generate, because they’ll “do it differently.” Rejecting proactive lead generation (talking to people consistently and in great numbers) and you’ll be flipping burgers before you know it! (Not that there is anything wrong in flipping burgers, but you won’t be “selling real estate”.)
3. Thinking that their manager or office or the Internet will supply them leads. If that were the case, your commissions would be much smaller.
4. Thinking that this business is about tasks and technology. It’s not. It’s about people relationships. Technology is there to support relationships.
5. Treating the business like a ‘next’ business. It’s not about finding and selling a customer. It’s about finding and keeping the customer for long-term referral business.

How many of these dumb things have you done? In truth, we learn from our mistakes. It’s not what we do wrong. It’s what we continue doing wrong. I created Up and Running in Real Estate to cut your ‘mistake time’!

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, action plan, attitude, Business Plan, Coaching, CRM, database, new agent business plan, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Sales Strategies, Up and Running in 30 Days, Up and Running in Real Estate
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Has Your Manager Shared His/Her Expectations with You?

by Carla Cross

July 3rd, 2019

Has your manager shared his/her expectations with you?

A survey I did a few years ago of 155 new agents revealed some compelling facts. For example, most agents coming into the business today as ‘full-time’ careerists have high expectations. 92% of the new agents surveyed expected to make more than the median income of all Realtors. The most stunning statistic, though, from these new agents, was that 65% expected incomes in the $31,000 to 75,000 range–their first year in the business! This survey of new agents was done to gather research for Carla Cross’s book, What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School.

New agents need to be focused on business development—not training

Another stunning finding from the research was that 62% of the new agents expected to get a check in their first sixty days in the business! They expect to hit the ground running.

To do this, the new agent’s focus needs to be on business development, not on training. Normally, companies put the new agent into a ‘curriculum based’ program to tell them everything they’ll ever need to know about real estate. Unfortunately, the new agent thinks that all that knowledge equals success in real estate. That’s wrong.

Creating Success, not Useless Knowledge

New agents create early success when they focus on a business start-up plan that contained heavy business-producing activities. If you’re a new agent, you have to develop the mental toughness to ignore information that’s not critical to your business production. If you don’t, your money will run out before you learn everything! (Give it up; you’ll never know everything!)

Your expectations may vary from your manager’s expectations of you.

If the new agent expects high earnings fast, what did his manager expect from him? Most of the new agent respondents from the survey didn’t know. They hadn’t asked, and the manager, in the interview, had not volunteered to share any management expectations.

No News is Good News?

71% of the respondents didn’t know even the minimum expectations of their managers–the minimum production standards they would have to meet to have their contracts renewed the second year (or to be retained during any start-up period). To assure that the new agent and manager see ‘eye to eye’, both parties need to agree on mutual expectations in writing prior to hiring on.

Not only getting the ‘what’ in writing, but the ‘how’. Even agreeing on minimum activity and production standards doesn’t assure that the new agent will meet his goals with the full support of his/her manager. The new agent needs to see the ‘how’—exactly how that manager will coach the new agent to quick success. If you’re a new agent, you need to see the exact business activity plan* that you will be coached to. You also need proof that the plan has worked with others in the past to deliver the results you expect of yourself your first month, quarter, and year in the business.

Matching expectations assures no surprises and gets planned results. Take the wishing out of business expectations. Both new agent and manager need to get expectations in writing, agree on a business start-up plan, and start working together with mutual accountability to partner in great results. Your manager must be accountable to coaching you on a regular basis with a proven business start-up plan. You, the new agent, must be accountable to do the activities in the plan. Together, you will achieve your mutual goals.

Here’s the right combination of knowledge, skill and ACTION to get a sale in eight weeks–or get really close! If you’re not experiencing the success you expected, why not give yourself the gift of this proven business start-up plan? You’ll reach those goals and establish life-long business habits to ever greater success! Check it out **here!**

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, accountability, action plan, Business Plan, Coaching, creative training methods, lead generation, new agent business plan, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Sales Strategies, Training, Up and Running in Real Estate, What They Don't Teach You in PreLicense School
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Your Goldmine: Are You Cultivating a Database that Rocks?

by Carla Cross

June 28th, 2019

Your goldmine: Are you cultivating a database that rocks? Do you even have one yet? Most new agents are certainly not ‘database freaks’. In fact, I estimate less than 5% of agents under a year in the business even have a ‘purged’ (up to date) database! And, I estimate less than 25% have even any sort of populated database. How are they gathering and managing all those contacts they are getting from their lead generation? They aren’t–or they aren’t lead generating.

Social Networking has Taken the Place of Databases, Carla–You old Fuddy-Duddy…..

I know. You just love social networking. You could spend hours on it (in fact, you do). You go to all those classes on social networking, and, by golly, you know more about it than your manager. Don’t get too cocky yet.

There are two problems you’re creating for yourself by relying on social networking to keep track of your contacts:

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1. You are probably spending too much time at your computer and not enough time meeting real people and forming relationships. Remember, buying a home is not like buying a set of knives. You’ll have to work hard to establish a trusting relationship. Most of us aren’t good enough at writing to do that without finally meeting someone.

2. You are not gathering your future goldmine–your database full of people who are going to love you and what you do.

Who do you ‘Own’?

Here’s the problem with relying on the social networking sites to keep track of your potential clients. You don’t own them. The social networking site could go out of business. It could start charging you. It could sell your contacts. That’s why you need to ‘own’ those contacts in your own database. Now, you can create a marketing plan. You can communicate with those people on a schedule.

Also: You want to be able to put in notes about those you meet: Their birthdays, their anniversaries, their addresses, their kids’ names, their dogs/cats’ names…..those things that signal to them that you care more about them than just a commission!

Start and Populate your Database Intensely

You’re a newer agent. You want to make money fast. You want to establish a solid long-term career. Become a ‘database freak’ so that you can remember all those wonderful people you met. Lead generation is the most important part of the sales business. Doing a lot of it assures high income. That means tracking all those people you meet. It takes more than one communication to create a loyal client.

New Agent Key to Success: Right Priorities

Those of you who have used Up and Running in 30 Days to start your careers know that I have worked hard to prioritize your business for you so that you are successful quickly, and gain business management habits for life. I’ve prioritized types of business, best sources of leads, and all the activities you’ll do to get started quickly. I want you to prioritize your technology activities, too. Remember, you’re a salesperson.

Become that database freak and see your business develop quickly.

The Easy Way to Launch Your Business to Success

**Up and Running in Real Estate** is like Up and Running in 30 Days ‘on steroids’. Get a proven system to follow. Get the training you need in 25 short videos. Why not struggle? Start fast! ***Check it out here.***

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, customer loyalty, customer service, lead generation, Marketing, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Real estate systems, Sales Strategies
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Do You Have a Great Start-Up Plan?

by Carla Cross

May 9th, 2019

Do you have a great start-up plan?

May is my designated Training Month. So, I’m writing blogs on training for both this blog and my blog for managers and trainers, Management in a Minute. (Help your manager with training!)

You know what your training will do for you. So I hope you are convinced you also need to implement a business start-up plan to put all that information in perspective. But watch out—

there are more poor business start-up plans than good ones than good ones out there

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. As a CRB (Certified Real Estate Broker) instructor for 12 years, I taught thousands of owners and managers nationally. I saw plenty of poor plans managers shared with me. (These were the plans they were giving their agents, too.)

Some commonalities of those bad plans:

No priorities: They are laundry lists of busywork activities interspersed with activities that actually make you money, so the agent doesn’t get any evaluative perspective to create an effective business
Activities not spotlighted: They do not prioritize lead-generating activities, so the agent thinks all types of lead generation have equal payoffs.
No Tracking: They do not have methods of setting goals, keeping track of results, and analyzing results to make changes quickly. (Up and Running provides sales ratios so you learn how many specific actions it takes to get the results you want.)
Priorities lead to defeat: They do incorrectly prioritize actions. For example, as a high priority, they direct the new agent to “see all the inventory” before doing anything else. The rationale is that it’s very important to see all the inventory to build a knowledge base. It is important, but only as it relates to working with buyers and sellers. (It’s the means, not the end.) But new agents don’t want to do the high-rejection, high-risk activities such as talking to people. So they gladly see all the inventory until it becomes their job descriptions
Busywork is accentuated: They do include plenty of “busywork” as equal priority to lead generating—such as a broker having an agent visit a title company to learn how it operates. This keeps the agent busy and out of the broker’s hair! Also, the new agent loves the broker for a while, because the broker isn’t asking the new agent to do those high- rejection activities—those activities that lead to a sale!

Be very critical before you commit to any start-up plan. It is prioritizing your mind! The start-up plan you may love because it keeps you out of sales activities isn’t the plan that is going to love you back (get you the sales you want). What you do every day becomes your job description.

Let me know your evaluation of your start-up plan with the above points.

(This blog is excerpted from Up and Running in 30 Days.)

Up and Running in Real Estate 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 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!).

Take a look and launch or re-launch your career right!

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, action plan, Business Plan, lead generation, new agent business plan, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Sales Strategies, Training
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Are You ‘Real’ to Your Clients?

by Carla Cross

January 17th, 2019

Are you really being ‘real’ to your clients?

This month, I’m taking what I’ve learned as a musical performer from age 4 to the world of leadership and sales. (And, read my musical quotes at the end of each blog. I hope you’ll get a chuckle!)

Are You Just Following a ‘Template’?

As a musical performer, I know you first have to learn the music (the ‘template’). But then, you have to add YOU. That is, you have to add the interpretation that ‘speaks’ to you personally. Otherwise, it’s just notes on a page. So many times, I’ve seen leadership and salespeople merely follow the template. That’s great for a beginning, but it doesn’t create a connection to others. In fact, it creates a dissonance. You know what I mean. You’ve heard a salesperson say, “Does 1 PM or 2 PM Tuesday work for you?” You probably want to scream (as I do), “Be human, you’re not an automaton.” Now, it’s fine to give people choices, but, if you sound as though you just memorized those words, and are not actually interacting with another human being, you’re creating distrust, not rust!

Adding YOU, the Personal Benefit

Get past the templates. As a salesperson, you bring to your clients some very unique and valued attributes. However, many times salespeople do not use these attributes to commnicate and gain trust. Instead, they rely on the old ‘templates’–those cliches and sayings that we just don’t find ‘ring true’. For example: You have a background in art. Are you using that background to communicate and ‘share’ YOU with your clients? Are you using that skill visually in your presentations? If not, you’re missing an opportunity to relate. And, in this day in age, relationships are what hold a client to the agent over time.

Here’s a great quote that expresses what I’m suggesting:

Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering. ― Steve Maraboli

What’s YOUR Music?

What life experiences have added to your success? What skills do you bring to what you do today? How can you communicate those as a benefit to those you serve?

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Translation: I don’t want them to memorize each word. Instead, I want them to feel the rhythm of the process and follow that. The outcomes: Great presentations with relaxed presenters! You’re adding YOU to the template, which makes you believable.

Your Turn

Look back on your life.

Want guidance in how to teach with verve and confidence? Check out all my training guides at my website, carlacross.com.

Just for Fun

Last night at Carnegie Hall, Jack Benny played Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn lost.

Harold C. Schonberg

When she started to play, Steinway himself came down personally and rubbed his name off the piano.

Bob Hope, on Phyllis Diller

Remember Jack Benny and Phyllis Diller? They may not have been concert artists, but they used their musical talent to differentiate themselv

Categories Buyers, client referrals, client trust, communication, customer loyalty, New Real Estate Agents, Personal promotion, Real Estate Sales, Sales Strategies, value-added
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Is Your Business Plan Making–or Costing–You Business?

by Carla Cross

January 10th, 2019

Through December and early January, I’m featuring business planning in my blogs.

Everyone knows they need business plans. Yet, most people attempt to write a plan without a system–a guide–a map. Here are some aspects to look for in your planning system.

Is it a System, or is It Just a Piece of Paper?

Be sure your business plan is a comprehensive, proven system, designed to take you through the necessary planning steps. Here are three areas you need to evaluate about a planning system before you start using it for your plan:

1. Customization. Is the plan customized and proven for your business? You need a system that is proven for real estate salespeople. See the end of this blog for a ‘flow chart’ of a complete listing system.

2. Specific analysis of your past selling history. Does your planning system give you direction in analyzing the most critical parts of your business in the past year? This is one area that most planning systems gloss over. Yet, it is the most important area for real estate professionals to assess. Knowing exactly what your business habits were–and the results of those habits–will lead you to make changes in your business, both in business habits and in budgeting.

For example: Do you know the ratio of your listings taken last year–to your listings sold–in normal market time? Most agents don’t. Why? Because they weren’t asked that question in their business planning systems.

3. Separates the “dollar-productive” activity portions of your business from the support portions. Many agents fail because they don’t do enough “dollar productive” activities, those activities that directly lead to sales and listings sold. That’s because the business plan system they’re using doesn’t differentiate between those activities and “support” activities. In her work nationally with real estate companies and agents, Carla Cross has analyzed hundreds’ of agents’ plans. She has found that the planning system itself, if it’s deficient, will lead the agent off-track.

All Activities are NOT Equal. Poor business planning systems are structured in a way that leads the agents to believe that all activities are equal in outcome. Not true. It all needs to start when the agent first starts the business. Up and Running in Real Estate, Cross’s online business start-up plan, has clearly prioritized activities, numbers, strategies, and dialogue. Agents shouldn’t ‘graduate’ to a long-term plan until they’ve mastered short-term planning.

Being critical of your planning system is really the first step in planning a successful year. You’ve made sure the system you’re using is going to lead you through a thought process that automatically creates a good business plan. Now, the only thing left to do is the implement your plan!

Grab My Online Business Planning Program

Thought you’d get it done but it’s still on your ‘to do’ list? I want to help!

Managers: Frustrated because you can’t get your agents to plan? Problems solved! I’ve put my exclusive planning pages online–plus webinars to help you get through that plan fast. Don’t wait another year for business success. See more here.

Managers: I’ll teach your agents how to plan, too! Included in your Manager’s Package!

Ready to order? Click below:

Beyond the Basics of Business planning for Managers — $249

Beyond the Basics of Business Planning for Agents — $99

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, action plan, Business Plan, Experienced agent, goals, lead generation, Marketing, New Real Estate Agents, objectives, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Real estate systems, Sales Strategies, vision
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Business Planning: Where’s Your ‘Review’?

by Carla Cross

December 6th, 2018

During December and early January, I’m featuring business planning in my blogs.

If you’ve been in the business any length of time, you know how much more challenging this business is than it used to be! Yet, most of the information we are still getting is about day-to-day selling and managing. However, we’ve learned that we can’t just keep completing tasks and get ahead.

We know that, after we’ve conquered sales and management basic skills, we still have a whole group of skills to master. Those are called ‘business skills’, and they require as much dedication to master as do those sales and managing skills. One business skill is analyzing your business.

Why Business Analysis?

If we don’t know where we’ve been, how can we decide on best strategies for the next year?

Here are the tools you’ll need in your business planning toolkit:

Time analysis (watch my next blog for a questionnaire to analyze your time management)
Business plan activity review
Expense/budget review
Profit and loss statement review

1. Your time analysis. Do you have the analysis tools to see where your business is, and where you want to take it? With a time analysis tool, you can see what your priorities are. It’s amazing how many agents and managers have no idea where they spend the bulk of their time. Look at your schedule for the last week. Did you spend time in the areas that are most productive for you? If not, why not?

2. Business plan activity review tool. This allows you to capture the history of your business in a way that clarifies your direction. For example, does the tool you use ask you where you got your business last year? Does it ask you the percent of your listings you sold in normal market time? Find the tools that ask you the right questions.

3. The expense and budget review. How many agents have a budget? How many managers and owners? All businesspeople set budgets and review them. After all, it’s about profitability in a business, not productivity! At best, you want to use tools that are similar to the ones used by others at the same business level as you, so you can analyze like problems and solutions.

4. The profit and loss statement review. How many agents do you think have a profit and loss statement—and review it? I believe, less than 5%. Yet, if you don’t know where your money went, you can’t analyze its effectiveness. Use Quicken or Quickbooks to get a handle on your money.

Analyzing your business in these four areas gives you a great ‘handle’ on your business habits, your strengths, your challenges–and the areas you want to change for a more successful year next year.

Grab My Online Business Planning Program–at Discounts!

Thought you’d get it done but it’s still on your ‘to do’ list? I want to help! So, I’ve adding a discount on my online business planning resources through Dec. 31.

Special discounts through Dec. 31: Purchase the agent’s planning resource, Beyond the Basics of Business Planning for agents, and save $20 (regularly $99). Use coupon code agent bus plan.

Managers: I’ll teach your agents how to plan, too! Included in your Manager’s Package!

Purchase the manager’s planning resource, Beyond the Basics of Business Planning for Managers, with all office/company planning documents and save $50. Use coupon code manager bus plan.

Offer ends Dec. 31: Big discounts on these programs–use the coupon codes below to order.

Ready to order? Click below:

Beyond the Basics of Business planning for Managers — regularly $249, now $199 with coupon code manager bus plan

Beyond the Basics of Business Planning for Agents –regularly $99, now $79 with coupon code agent bus plan

Remember, this special offer expires Dec. 31, so, order now and get your business plan ready for 2019.

Categories Business Plan, Experienced agent, New Real Estate Agents, real estate history, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Sales Strategies
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If You Want or Have a Team: 4 Hiring Tips

by Carla Cross

September 27th, 2018

Here’s how to avoid hiring the agent or staff from hell!

Let’s be honest. Have you ever hired someone and found out it was the ‘hire from hell’? If you haven’t, you just haven’t hired enough agents or staff! Many leaders of teams tell me that the hardest thing they have to do is to hire staff. I think that’s because most of us never had any training in how to hire staff (or hire agents, for that matter).

During a 3-day management symposium I taught in South Carolina, and one of the attendees emailed me: “Can you give me some tips to assure I don’t make a hiring mistake with staff? If any of us hasn’t made mistakes hiring staff, please comment! I know I’ve made many–and that’s why I’ve developed the tips here. This tips work for hiring agents or staff.

And, they work for agents hiring team members. (Managers: forward this to your agents who want or have teams).

So, here are four surefire tips for you.

1. Create the right kind of questions from your job description

Using that job description you created (you did create one, didn’t you?) for your agent or staff position, create past-based questions that tell you if the candidate has the skills and qualities you need. For example. You’re looking for someone who cares about the company. Here’s the question: “In your past jobs, give me 3 examples of how you watched out for the company’s best interests.” Listen and probe. Here’s an example for hiring agents. Let’s say you want an agent who is a ‘self-starter. The question: “Was there a time in your past when you wanted something badly, and you went out and got some kind of job to earn it?” Listen and probe.

For more information on behavioral predictors, see The Complete Recruiter and my eBook on interviewing, Your Blueprint for Selecting Winners.

2. Follow a planned, proven interview process to assure you get all the information you need

Most of us don’t interview; we, just sell. We don’t find out the ‘secrets’ about the candidate, but, the candidate sure finds out about us! If you need a proven process, see Your Blueprint for Selecting Winners. I created 8 steps to use each time for a smooth, professional interview.

3. Use a Behavioral Profile

I’d also suggest you use a behavioral profile, for those who pass your first interview. Use it to gather information prior to your second interview. In our coaching company, we use Michael Abelson’s: www.abelson.net. It’s well worth it because you find out things that are very hard to discover in the ‘live’ interview. Then, you go back and ask more past-based questions about those areas. That’s called ‘validating’.

P. S.

To be legal: Be sure to follow the same interview process for each ‘candidate’.

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4. Check references “3 deep”

Be sure to check references–not just the ones the candidate gives you, but go ‘3 deep’. That means to ask the people the candidate gives you, ‘Who else could I contact about this candidate’? Go 2 people deep from each of the names the candidate gives you. That way, you’re sure to get a better, less biased picture of the candidate. You’ll find you learn a lot from people who weren’t ‘direct references’!

Now, you have those four surefire tips to avoid staff hiring mistakes. Let me know how they work for you!

You work so hard to gain those interviews. But, do you have planned interview process that assures you pick winners? (And assures the candidates are impressed with you….) Your Blueprint for Selecting Winners, with new information about what desired agents of today are looking for, is a guide to create your unique attractors, how to put together a powerful presentation, and a completely new video showing exactly how to craft the best ‘crystal ball’ type of questions. Learn more here.

Categories building team, Experienced agent, Interviewing, manager, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Real estate systems, real estate team, retention, sales organization, Sales Strategies, selecting team member, team
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When The Going Gets Tough, You……

by Carla Cross

September 14th, 2018

When the going gets tough, you…….how did you fill in the blank?

Did your motivation leave when the going got tough? Has your inspiration gone into hiding?There are lots of obstacles for real estate salespeople. For you newer agents, you’ve really had to master the basics (which is a good thing). It’s been never more important, too, to get your ‘inspiration props’ in place to shore up your attitude when things don’t go just right.

Inspiration can come from unlikely places. Recently, I attended a reunion with my sorority sisters….no, don’t ask the number of years since I graduated from college. Let’s just say it’s more than a few! I thought it then and I think it now: I was really lucky to pledge the DG (Delta Gamma) sorority at the University of Oregon. (Especially because I told the college alumni magazine shortly before I started college that I didn’t intend to join a sorority–and threw in several outspoken comments about it, too! Any of you that know me know that I’ve never been afraid to express my opinion……). The girls I knew and regarded as accomplished so many years ago have attained wonderful things in a wide variety of areas. One, though, stands out to me.

It’s What You Become When You Weren’t Looking

How many of you reading this intended to do exactly what you’re doing as a little child or teenager? Probably not many. The woman I’m going to introduce you to started as a music major, as did I. She graduated to a teaching career, and took the opportunity to work with educating children through a religious organization all over the world. As I listened to her tell of her trials, tribulations, and adventures, I thought, how inspiring, how gifting, how critical her contributions are to the less fortunate. She truly inspired me, and started me asking myself, “What inspires others?” What do you use to ‘get you up’ when the going gets tough?

Your ‘Inspiration Props’

Every one of us needs ‘props’–those things and people that provide impetus, motivation, and inspiration when the going gets tough. My observation is that, the more successful the person, the more apt that person is to have gained several ‘props’. Here they are:

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People they can count on that will remind them of their uniqueness (includes your manager, your family, your co-workers, your friends)
Inspirational quotes (keep a notebook with your favorites)
Inspirational books (re-read your favorites frequently)
Inspirational CDs and DVDs

Your Inspirational List

Do you have your arsenal of inspiration? Are you careful to read and put yourself around positive, inspirational people, people who encourage, not discourage you?

In Up and Running in Real Estate, I advise new agents to keep a journal of inspiring sayings and stories.

Where does your inspiration come from? Start building your ‘inspiration fortress’ now to help achieve your lofty goals. The bonus: You may become the one regarded ‘most inspirational’ by your peers–what an honor! (and, your inspiration won’t be hidden, it will be shared!).

First Ten to Request it: My New Book is YOURS–Free!

Have you had something on your mind for awhile but just weren’t motivated enough to take action? Well, I did. For years, I’ve loved those ‘little books’, and kept saying I would write one–someday. I got inspired at my speakers’ meeting and did just that. The ‘little book’ of Big Ideas is chock full of inspiration and guidance for your sales/management career.

How can you grab a free book? (it’s hard copy). Just email me to carla@carlacross.com with your contact information, including your physical address, email address and phone, so I can send it to you US mail. I need to receive your request by 9.20. 18. I hope you’ll get lots of inspiration, motivation, and energy from it!

(PS: Big Ideas is available in quantities of 5, at $25 plus shipping–great for motivational, thanks, and just plain gifts).

Categories action plan, attitude, inspiration, Motivation, New Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Sales, Sales Strategies
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