Make Your Own Market! - Mike Rigley Teaches Short Sale Lead Gen Today at 2pm!!

Well... today is the day!  It'll be packed today in the bar at Nu Generation Lanes!  Packed with forward thinking, learning based real estate professionals.  All of the there to learn how Mike Rigley listed and closed 40 short sale sides in 2011.

Mike will be there from 2pm to 4pm and he'll be sharing the exact market pieces, delivery methods, follow-up systems, scripts and dialogues that generated the leads, that converted the leads to listings, that got the bank approvals, that closed the deals, that SAVED 40 HOMEOWNERS FROM THE NIGHTMARE OF FORECLOSURE!

If you want to list and sell more property in 2012, you'll be there.  Here is the registration link: http://shortsalepro-repro.eventbrite.com.

Personal responsibility - at first it's bitter... But if you chew on it long enough, it's yummy!

People use the same lame excuses for mediocrity in fitness, relationships, and business. It's easy to think of plausible reasons why you "can't" because these reasons make you a victim of circumstance rather than a victim of your own lack of action or initiative. Your excuses move everything out of the realm of your own control and personal accountability, and therefore the inadequacy of your current situation is not your fault.


Successful people fail just like the rest of us. The difference is that, when they fail, they realize it's their own fault. Then they analyze the failure, figure out the reason they failed, get up, dust themselves off, and try again with a new strategy. In order to do this, you must first accept responsibility for the failure.


Personal responsibility - at first it's bitter... But if you chew on it long enough, it's yummy!

Get With the Program! - B2B Referrals Mean Big Business!

We all seen the stickers. Maybe we've even used them ourselves... "We Love Referrals", "... Referral Only...", etc.  All that is great.  And if you read our previous blog on "Current Client Referrals", you'll see how powerful it is to actually go from a passive referral remainder-type campaign to a purposeful system for asking for and getting referrals.  But even after all that, there is a HUGE source of referrals that are even easier to get that most Realtors leave completely untapped -- "The Business to Business Reciprocal Referral".

My team got 10 Short Sale Listings in 8 months just from one relationship with a CPA.  How many times have you said to a client, "... please check with a CPA about the consequences of this transaction and how it may or may not affect your tax picture..." or something like that?  Now imagine being the trusted advisor in the relationship with that client.  The dialogue changes to something like, "... so John & Jane, while my team is preparing the package for submission to your bank, I want you to have a talk with Paul.  He's a world-class CPA and he deals with the intricacies of Short Sale situations all the time.  He'll call you guys in the next 48 hours to go over the details."  Sound good?

The key here is that, if you do it right, if YOU are the one who calls your referral partner with the contact information for the lead, if YOU get the leads permission for your referral partner to call, then YOU are the connector.  YOU are the one bringing the value.  It's not some unseemly quid pro quo relationship where you each keep track of how many referrals you get from one another.  But it absolutely results in TONS of business from your referral partner.  They WANT to send the business to you because they see the value in it.

Check out the upcoming FREE class at Nu Generation Lanes called "Double Your Business on 30 Days with Reciprocal Referrals" taught by Don Yoakum.  Click here for free registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2830599399/REProResource

See ya there!

Current Client Referrals - If you're not getting them, you're missing the boat!

You work hard for your clients.  On your listings, you worry about them more than the Seller does.  For your buyers, you run around and tour property, set up tours, research comps and more.  You spend tons of time on your buyers.

Did you know that a Seller or Buyer is most likely to encounter someone who is buying or selling real estate DURING rather than after their experience with you? That's right!  Do you know why that is?  It's a psychological concept called the reticular activator.  Follow the link for a detailed explanation.  For our purposes it just means that your client is more tuned in to real estate in general during the time that they are working with you.

But few of you ask for referrals and many of those who do are ineffective in the way that they ask.

Your clients want to refer you but there are two issues that need to be addressed before they will:

1. They don't know how. - In The Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell suggests that you need to find the "connectors".  I call these your "Advocates".  They are the people who will go out of their way to make sure everyone knows that it is foolish to do business with anyone else but you. But even these people do not know how to effectively refer you.  You MUST teach them.  Handing our your business cards won't cut it (see "Two Big Reasons Never to Hand Out Your Business Card" by yours truly).
2. They don't want to share you. - Even when you blow them away with your service, they will wait until after their experience with you is complete to refer you because they mistakenly believe that their business needs your full 24/7 attention.  So they will not refer you until after the deal.  But the benefit of the reticular activator is over by then.  So the likelihood that they will even notice when they encounter someone who needs your service is virtually non-existent.

So you need to implement two things in your business right now.  Not next week, not tomorrow, not when you have time... right now.  Think about it...  What better way to grow your business than to get two deals for every one you're doing right now?!?!?  You need a script that communicates both why it's in their best interest to refer you right now and how to refer you so that you get the referred prospect's contact information.

Kick your business up a notch.  Use our super-special, super-secret (shhhhhh, don't tell anyone), special sauce -- "The CCR (current client referral) Dialogue"!  Download the Google doc here for free.

BTW... Just like Clark Kent, with just a few tweaks this CCR dialogue becomes... wait for it.... "The PCR Dialogue" (past client referral dialogue).  AND it's a great reason to call through your database!

Happy hunting!

We Attack at Dawn! - or - Why Morning Lead Generation Wins Every Time

So, Tina and I were making our ritual morning feast and talking about our workout this morning when she forcefully blurted out, "We attack at dawn!"  By forcefully, I mean her words came from the diaphragm with all the resolve of a military leader committing her troops to battle.

When we first began our regular P90X routine we quickly noticed a trend.  When we planned our workouts for the morning, we consistently completed them.  The rest of our day was full of the energy we created in the successful completion of the workout.  But, when we planned our workouts for evenings after a day at the office, not only was the likelihood of completion much lower, but we seemed to lack that extra spark of energy throughout the day.  Which got me thinking even before my second cup of coffee (no small feat).  [Ok... those of you who know me and coach with me can probably stop reading here and finish this blog yourself.  The rest should read on.]

"WE ATTACK AT DAWN!!"  - That should be your lead generation mantra.  In the morning when you're putting on your makeup or shaving, look yourself in the eyes and say it.  Yell at yourself if you have to.  "WE ATTACK AT DAWN!!"  Get yourself psyched.

Owning your own business is a high-stakes game.  It's yours to win or lose.  If you win the prize is financial security and the means to achieve your BIG WHY!  If you lose you go broke.  There is no second place, no, "thanks for playin'", no wonderful parting gifts.  Business is war.  Everyday is a new battle.  In "The Art of War" Sun Tsu said, "...though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays."  Once you have a winning plan, implement it... ATTACK!

• Get up in time to get your workout and breakfast done and be at work by 7:30am at the latest.
• Clear and return email and voice mail from 7:30am to 7:55am.  Then follow your battle plan and...
• ATTACK!!!! - Hit the freakin' phones at 8am.  Make those calls!  Schedule with scarcity. Set those appointments with prospects, referral partners, and the people-connectors in your sphere.  Make those apology calls to the people in your database who haven't heard from you in a while.  Make those calls to your current clients and ask them who they know right now that should be talking to you about buying or selling.  Set your sights on how many times you need to hear "No" to get the right number of "yes's" (see ...No Goals).

The final benefit is this, When you "Attack at Dawn" you create fierce momentum that carries you through your day.  Your phone rings with call-backs after lunch from your morning lead generation activities.   Combine this with effective time blocking, hold this lead generation time sacred, and your strategy is unstoppable, your army invincible, your victory assured.  I don't know about you, but I have no remorse in the savagery of conflict.  Win!  Prevail!  Survive!...

WE ATTACK AT DAWN!!

Coaching?

Why should you consider business coaching? George Bernard Shaw said,

"No question is so difficult to answer as that to which the answer is obvious."

In our busy day-to-day lives, we often fail to see the solution to an issue when it's right in front of us. An experienced business coach can be the extra set of eyes, the separate mind that can bring the clarity and focus that leads to a solution and ultimate success.

Get a coach!

Schedule with Scarcity

So how do you schedule yourself?  I don't mean "which contact management program do you use" or "do you make 45 minute appointments or 1 hour appointment".  I mean... what do you say to someone when you have agreed to meet and you are making the appointment?

I know that many of us are tempted to just do whatever it takes to make the appointment happen as soon as possible no matter what.  The call goes like this:

Bob Agent - let's get together at your home for about 30 minutes.  You can give me the tour and we'll talk about your options.
Betty Lead - Ok.  Sounds good.
Bob Agent - Great!  When can you meet?

Great!  Bob got the appointment right?  That's right.  But he had the appointment when the Betty said, "Ok. Sounds good.".  After that Bob screwed up.  There are at least two things wrong with saying, "Great. When can you meet.":

1. Once you ask when the lead can meet, you are not scheduling the appointment... the lead is.  What if Betty had said, "Well... I'll be home for the next 30 minutes..."?  Would you rush to the appointment unprepared?  Or, worse yet, what if Betty had said, "Well... let me ask my husband when he can meet and I'll get back to you."  Since Bob has now abdicated the job of scheduling the appointment to Betty, she is in control and it will be much harder to turn that situation around.
2. "When can you meet..." basically says to the lead, "I am not busy because my time is not in demand.  Since my time is not in demand, it must not be very valuable.  So it follows that meeting with me is not very valuable and it should not be a very high priority for you.  Oh... and I'm desperate."  Betty is much more likely to cancel the appointment or possibly not ever even fully commit to an appointment.

The solution to this scenario is to do what I call, "Scheduling with Scarcity".  If you do this, it completely changes the way the appointment gets made and it dramatically increases the odds of the appointment actually taking place.  Here is the new scenario:

Bob Agent - let's get together at your home for about 30 minutes.  You can give me a tour and we'll talk about your options.

Betty Lead - Ok.  Sounds good.

Bob Agent - Great!  I have some time this evening between 5:30 and 6:30 or tomorrow at 3:15.  Which one would work best for you?

Betty Lead - Oh... I don't think that will work.  My husband can't be home from work until around 7pm.

Bob Agent - I see.  I really want to meet with you as soon as possible.  Can you hang on for just a sec?  Let me see what I can do.

Betty Lead - Sure...

Bob Agent - [mute phone for 10 seconds]  Ok... I was able to move my other appointment so I can be there tonight at 7pm.  So, we'll see you then.

Betty Lead - Uh... ok.  See you then.

Now, Bob is in control the whole time. Additionally, not only his time is in demand and valuable, he values the opportunity to meet with the client.  In fact, he values it so much that he went out of his way to move another appointment to make this one happen.  Betty is now far less likely to cancel or re-schedule the appointment and there is no danger of Bob not having time to prepare.

When you "Schedule with Scarcity" you maintain control, you communicate the value of your time and your expertise, and you present to the lead in a far more professional manner.