Adversity Leads to Growth
by, Corey Wells

We are all human beings that share a common disturbing reality. At some point in our lives we will experience adversity and the resulting pain it causes. Try as we might to hide it, no human being is exempt from this reality. We all must face daily failings and disappointments, and deal with unforeseen circumstances. Everyone has made their fair share of errors and mistakes, but we don’t have to surrender to life’s hardships. It’s not the adversity that matters, but rather, how we deal with it.

Keep in mind that adversity has no life of its own. It only has the energy we give it. The key to dealing with our problems is to first bring them into perspective. Do our adversities really matter in the grand scheme of our lives? When we are in the midst of our own adversities, we tend believe that our problems are the most important problems in the world. Even though our adversities may be important to us, there will always be someone who is dealing with an even worse problem. Once we begin to achieve this realization, we can start to deal with, learn from, and grow through our adversity.

Since problems will always continue to arise now and then, we must not forget that there is something we can learn from every difficult situation. This can’t be over emphasized. If you’re unhappy with where you find yourself in life, then think about what lesson can be learned from this experience. Are you unhappy with your current financial situation, then what needs to be done to improve it? This is the secret for growing through your adversity. When you began to look at it as a true learning opportunity, you can begin to turn adversity into an advantage. Adversity is not an easy thing to deal with, but by doing so, you’ll be able to grow the virtuous qualities within yourself, and develop the inner strength to deal with any future problems.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More. Visit: Leading Example Coaching This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

The Value of Prospecting
by, Corey Wells

There are a tremendous number of homes waiting to be listed. All you have to do is make the effort to go out and get them. Just put down the coffee and start making those prospecting calls.

Most agents know how important it is to consistently prospect, but they just seem to have a built in resistance to doing it, especially when they feel they already have plenty of leads. But that’s the ideal time to prospect. Because prospecting when you’re desperate for leads makes it all that much more stressful.

The reason so many agent are so resistant is because they always associate prospecting with cold calling, a process which they find somewhat distasteful. They don’t like it because many feel it imposes on prospects, or they have a fear of rejection. In truth, prospecting calls can be directed at several other types of prospects like, expired listings, FSBOs and other warm calls, in addition to cold calling.

Most top selling agents are able to convince themselves that every call, even the ones that don’t get appointments or lead to listings has value. If it takes 100 calls to get a single listing that eventually earns $3000, then every call you made is worth $30. If you only make 5 calls an hour, that’s $150 hour. If someone offered you $150 and hour to sit at your desk and dial the phone, would you take that job? Of course you would. So why is it any different when you’re paying yourself.

There are 5 things that can possibly happen during every prospecting call and they all have some value.

• You can get a listing
• You can schedule an appointment
• You can get a referral
• You can prefect your technique
• You can get a “no” or no answer

Prospecting is the most powerful tool agents have at their disposal for acquiring new business. All you have to do is schedule a time to do it and be consistent. The secret to being consistent with your prospecting is to do it first thing the morning. This is when you have more energy and are most ready to take on the day!

Typically, there are more people home between 8 am to 12 pm than any other time of the day. Also, prospects will be more open to talking to you in the morning. To start the day, you should block off a period of time and eliminate interruptions. Make sure your clients and colleagues know you are unavailable during this period. Don’t take or return any calls. Put down the coffee and take advantage of your morning to prospect. You’ll be surprised how easy and profitable it can be!

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More. Visit: Leading Example Coaching This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

Practice Makes Perfect
by, Corey Wells

Once you have learned all the scripts and persuasion techniques and committed them to memory, you still have one more thing to do. That’s practice! You need to practice your prospecting techniques over and over again until you know the material backwards and forwards. It’s best to practice by sitting in front of a mirror so you can watch yourself. Do you hesitate, do you move around a lot, are your confident and so on? When you feel confident that you know the material and how you are going to present it, practice on a spouse or friend and ask for feedback.

Remember, when you make a call or presentation to a potential seller, you are basically performing and will be judged based upon that performance. The old saying that “practice makes perfect” is especially applicable to the real estate business. The more you practice, the better you’ll be. The better you are, the less scripted you will appear.

When preparing and practicing you need to work on anticipating what a prospect or seller might say. When you prepare for questions ahead of time they’re much easier to answer. Keep in mind that you’ll need to be able to handle objections in a way that doesn’t offend and still gets your point across. When you’ve practiced what to say you’ll be in a better position to respond without hesitating. Try writing down how you would respond to questions that you’ve heard often in the past and use those to practice your responses.

When making a call or presentation you’re likely to face many different types of objections. One way to prepare a persuasive response is to practice your scripts. Using scripts will help you overcome objections, but you shouldn’t totally rely on them. Sometimes you must be able to think on your feet. When practicing your scripts with family or friends, ask them to interject their own questions into the mix so you have a chance to ad-lib your responses.

Practice is good, but you need to remember that during your actual discussions with potential clients you need to concentrate on what they’re feeling and saying. Don’t start your scripted answer when the prospect is mid-way through their question. You practice scripts so the conversation will flow naturally, not because you need to memorize “exactly” what to say.

Every day you must practice your scripts and persuasion skills to get better. Practice perfecting your scripts with the proper tone of speech while incorporating your mirroring and matching skills along with pacing and leading questions. By practicing you can gradually build on all these skills, making you unstoppable. Practicing will give you the confidence and the skills necessary to handle any situation.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More. Visit: Leading Example Coaching This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

Neglecting Success
by, Corey Wells
Why do some people become extremely successful and others do not? Mainly because successful people found it easy to do the things that were needed to make them successful, while the others found it easier not to do those things. Those achieving unlimited success found it easy to attend seminars, read books, attend classes and associate themselves with successful people. But the unsuccessful found it much easier not to do these things, or any other of the things necessary to ensure their own success.

While some become rich and successful, other sit around and blame their parents, the government, the economy or someone else, even though they were the ones that neglected to do the basic things needed to achieve success. The primary reason some never achieve their desired level of accomplishment can be summed up with one simple word….neglect!

Some people just seem to neglect the fact that everything they could ever need to become successful was well within their reach. Neglect is like a cancer that if left unchecked will circulate throughout the body and mind leading to a loss of life just as with any other malignant tumor. A loss of the life they could have had if they had only done the things they knew they should have. As a result, they began to feel guilty and guilt always erodes self-confidence. As self-confidence declines, so does attitude which ultimately results in complacency and mediocrity.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More. Visit: Leading Example Coaching This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

Choosing Friendships
by, Corey Wells

Most of us seek to achieve positive outcomes in our lives. However, many of us attempt to achieve this without having a specific plan to do so. There are several factors that influence how we reach our positive goals and our friendships are one of the most influential factors of all. Because friends tend to have access to our innermost thoughts and desires, this gives them the ability to exert undue influence on our actions.

Since our friends can have substantial influence over our actions, it might be a good idea to consider exactly who your friends are. It’s often said that if you wish to be happy, you should hang around with happy people. The opposite is also true! If your friends are always complaining and hold a pessimistic view of life, you may want to re-evaluate these friendships. Take a good look at each of those you regularly associate with. Are they the positive and encouraging types, or do they spend a lot of time blaming others for adversity? If you look around and don’t like what you see, it may be time to find some new friends.

Happy people with positive attitudes are not that hard to find. You can recognize them as the ones who always handle pressure and stress well. These are the same people who are always willing to help and can brush off adversity with a smile. It’s no secret…if you want to be successful and content, then hang around with people who are happy and positive. Since your friends can have a significant influence on your actions, choose those who will provide the positive support you need. Remember, others can tell a lot about you by looking at the friends you choose to associate with.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More. Visit: Leading Example Coaching This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

No matter what your circumstances in life, you probably still have unfulfilled dreams. You sometimes get a nagging feeling that you haven’t accomplished all your goals, and that satisfaction and true fulfillment are continually slipping through your grasp. Why do you think you feel this way?

The problem stems from the reality that many of us are trapped in a game where we view the true meaning of life as the daily survival struggle instead of the ultimate goal of true self-fulfillment. But life should be about more than surviving, it should be about living! There’s much more to life than just living up to the expectations created by society or the ideals that others have set for you.

Isn’t it time to find out what YOU wish for, what standards YOU think are important, what passions YOU have and what dreams YOU see for yourself? Whether you realize it or not, we all have unlimited power inside ourselves that is waiting to be expressed. Not using this power makes us feel a sense of unrest and regret. We all knew how to use this power when we were children. Take a look at some kids today and watch how passionate they are about everything they do. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could reclaim the same zeal for life we used to possess?

If you reclaim your power, you’ll start to regain your passion. When you begin to live your passion, you’ll open yourself up to infinite choices. Most of the limitations we face today are self-imposed. Choose to play the game of life again and a world of new possibilities await.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More. Visit: Leading Example Coaching This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

Can You Handle Success
by, Corey Wells

Every time you get close to achieving your goal and ultimate success, something pops up to ruin your focus, kill your motivation or sabotage your confidence. Something always stops you from taking that one last step and suddenly you have to start all over. Of course this something has a name; “Fear of Success.” Fear of Success is often even more dangerous than the fear of failure. More dangerous because it hides in the subconscious. Since we’re not fully aware of it, it keeps sneaking up on us. And as time passes, it becomes increasingly more difficult to take action and get motivated.

So what’s causing you subconscious to behave this way? It could be that you are associating success with a negative result. You subconscious may be thinking “Once I become successful I’ll have to put in 15 hours a day, seven days a week.” Or maybe “I’m not really ready to handle the responsibility of managing a huge successful business.” Deep down inside your subconscious is protecting you by pointing out possible results you don’t find desirable. But it doesn’t have to be like that. You are capable of creating your own reality and the subsequent outcomes. So what can be done to defeat these fears?

The first step is to acknowledge the fear. Ask yourself, what are the negative thoughts you fear will ruin your dream. Make a list. Now develop 2 or 3 positive affirmations you are ready to embrace. Every time you feel the negative beliefs stirring, recite your affirmations until the feeling goes away. Eventually the negative beliefs will be replaced by the positive. Remember, what ever you want you can have, as soon as you conquer your fear of success.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More.
Visit: Leading Example Coaching
This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

Turn Your Work Into a Game
By, Corey Wells

The most successful people in life and in the real estate business see it all as a game. Does that mean they don’t work? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact they probably work twice as hard as the person that sees selling real estate as a job because it’s fun and they love to do it.

How can you start to see your job as a game? The best way is to make your day full of play. Challenge yourself to make more calls than last week. When calling have fun with rude prospects. Instead of being rude back, be extraordinarily polite. Laugh at everything. Try different things and measure their results. Challenge yourself to close more business than you did last week, month or year. Find ways you can turn your day into a game and you’ll find your work becoming a passion.

Every day give yourself a fun and challenging job related task. See if you can get it done faster than you did yesterday. Challenge yourself to find a different way to do the same task. Try new ways to grow your productivity. Give yourself some points for completing certain tasks and see how high you can get the score by the end of the day. When you complete a real estate related task, give yourself a reward and congratulate yourself for doing a great job.

Any work can be turned into a game. Here are a few ideas to help you find the fun in real estate sales:

Make your work a competition – If you’re working in an office with other agents, make it a game to see who can get the most listings or make the most prospecting calls for a given week. Loser buys lunch.

Keep score – If your make prospecting calls all day, break it down by how many you make each hour and how many you make that day. See if you can beat those numbers on subsequent days. This creates a built-in challenge to the job. Don’t forget to reward yourself if you win.

Make it a team effort – Team up with a fellow agent and challenge two other agents to a listing contest. Losers buy the winners a nice steak dinner at a fancy restaurant. Companionship can make work more enjoyable and will serve as a support system for getting the job done.

Take breaks – Set a tough prospecting or selling goal for the month and when you reach it, reward yourself with a 3 day weekend.

Change the setting – Can you take it outside? Occasionally do your prospecting calls on the back deck of you home or in the local park. Try spending the day at a Starbuck’s answering your emails or adding listings and comments to your website.

In the end, work is what you make it. Few real estate tasks are as hard or boring as we sometimes make them out to be. When you turn work into a game, your entire life becomes much more enjoyable.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More.
Visit: Leading Example Coaching
This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

Remember Your Past Successes
By, Corey Wells

It can be somewhat discouraging when you miss a sales goal. Some agents start to doubt their abilities as a salesperson. This often leads to negative thoughts like, “I just don’t have what it takes” or, “I’m not good enough.” However, you do have a choice when this happens. If you start feeling sorry for yourself and begin to doubt your sales ability, then your headed to a dark place that leads eventually to failure and self-destruction.

Self-confidence is built upon success. When you first begin to do any task, you are likely to have very little self-confidence in your ability. This happens because we haven’t yet learned from experience that we will be successful. This is true no matter what the task. Whether it’s riding a bicycle or performing open heart surgery. When you consider that success breeds more success, even a little success can be used as a step ladder to greater confidence.

Reflecting on past success will serve to avoid a negative self-image. Positive thoughts like, “I’ve been successful before and I can do it again”, will go a long way toward building your self-confidence. Once you learn to associate your past successes with your current circumstances, you are on the road to building a very positive self-image.

Past successes can even build self-confidence in your ability to successfully perform a completely new task. Just recall the previous success you had when you tried something new in the past. Even if it’s in a completely separate part of your life.

We as real estate agents far too often seem to forget our past sales success. The next time this happens, try making a “success record” of all the good things that happened in your career and your life. A success record can be any source of strength that you can draw upon. Try to remember times where you have faced adversity and achieved. So examples might be:

1. A certificate for a difficult course or achievement you successfully completed
2. A picture of you completing a marathon
3. A thank-you card from a seller that was overjoyed with your service
4. A report card from one of your children
5. A list of all the FSBOs you have listed and sold
6. A list of all the Expired Listings you have listed and sold
7. A list of all the cold calls you have converted into appointments

So use slumps, errors or mistakes as a means of learning and then purge them from your mind. Make a deliberate effort to recall and picture your past successes. Everybody has been successful at doing something at sometime. Especially when starting a new job. Use your success record as a way to reinforce these memories of these past successes. No matter how insignificant they may seem.

The ultimate prescription for getting rid of your feelings of self-doubt and lack of self-confidence is to dismiss your mistakes in favor of remembering your successes.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More.
Visit: Leading Example Coaching
This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog

Pipeline Management
By, Corey Wells

Why do you need a pipeline? A pipeline allows you to get an accurate view of your future income potential and permits you to adjust your activities based on your expected results. Effective pipeline management will provide answers to the following questions:

• Do I need to increase my prospecting to reach my goals?
• Do I need to budget my income now, because of a few slower months coming up?
• Do I need to adjust my advertising and marketing budgets?
• Where am I in my business plan right now?

With real estate sales we are always being driven by performance goals. Unfortunately, many agents tend to hoard leads that clutter up their sales pipelines with marginally motivated prospects at the expense of real opportunities for sales. This makes for an ineffective and hard to manage pipeline.

Effective pipeline management consists of 3 main components:

1. A proactive prospecting plan
2. Effective lead follow-up procedures
3. An accurate tracking system

The first thing you need to do is dismiss the temptation to hoard marginal prospects. Move these to a hold area and maybe give them a courtesy call once a month to follow up. This requires careful and honest evaluation of prospect motivation on a daily basis which will be easier if you have a good tracking system.

Many agents manage between a 100-150 prospects at any given time. If you do not have a good pipeline management system in place, it’s nearly impossible to know where you stand with any one lead. That’s why it’s so important to add notes to every lead concerning what your next action needs to be. What you will do the next time you contact them and how will you do it. If your notes indicate that a lead is not advancing toward a listing in an expected manner, don’t hesitate to pull it out of the pipeline and move it to the hold file.

Build a daily prospecting and lead follow-up rhythm. Start early, review the information on prospects or follow-ups, get your presentation ready, clear your desk, start dialing. Take a break halfway through to review any objections you encountered and how you successfully or unsuccessfully dealt with them. Adjust your strategy as needed and close the day strong.

Building your pipeline of leads is like buying an annuity. If you continue to invest in your prospecting on a daily basis, you will eventually be able to cash this in with interest (sales). The more time and effort you invest in your prospecting account, the greater will be the accumulated value.

Prospecting is a proactive activity with the sole purpose of keeping your pipeline filled with potential leads. Of course, a pipeline full of leads is of no use unless you follow-up. Lead follow-up is the key to successful sales. Unfortunately, many agents are guilty of not following-up. The reason, most agents don’t want to bother their leads. However, leads will quickly forget about you if you do not consistently contact them. So strong lead follow-up procedures are essential to effect pipeline management.

(c) 2008 Leading Example Enterprises Inc.

Corey Wells, is the founder of Leading Example Coaching which offers Real Estate Agent Coaching, Books, Audio, Scripts, Packages, Software & More.
Visit: Leading Example Coaching
This article was originally posted on LeadingExample.com/Blog