FEBRUARY 2016 INLAND EMPIRE by Executive Agent Magazine

EXECUTIVEAGENT MAGAZINE

Executive Agent of the Month

Inside Features: Sean Neuberger Realty ONE Group Christopher Ross imortgage

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ABOUT YOU

• In 2013, imortgage and loanDepot created a partnership that ranks them among the top– five private mortgage banking institutions in the United States*. Our servicing portfolio exceeds $15 billion.

• Competitive compensation plan for loan originators and operations employees.

• imortgage is a direct lender for conventional, FHA, VA and USDA and actively participates in hundreds of state and local government programs. • We’re a fully approved seller–servicer for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. • imortgage is one of the highest–rated lenders in the U.S. based on customer surveys by Eliant**.

Check out our branches in Rancho Cucamonga and Temecula today!

• Dedicated processing and underwriting teams for each branch office. • In–house marketing support, graphic–design services, co–branded marketing, personal websites and comprehensive customer– relationship management (CRM) solution powered by Salesforce. • Company–paid life insurance and disability. • Medical and dental insurance available. • 401K Plan and more.

RICHARD HEDRICK Branch Manager

Direct: .909.912.7835 Cell: 714.400.2753 NMLS ID: 1059650 richard.hedrick@imortgage.com

*Source: Mortgage Executive Magazine 2014 loanDepot.com LLC dba imortgage. **Eliant is an independent third party that measures, ranks and reports customer experiences for the homebuilding industry. imortgage 8686 Haven Ave., Suite 150, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 Rates, terms, and availability of programs are subject to change without notice. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act CRMLA 4131040. Corporate NMLS ID 174457. All rights reserved. 11302015.

contents

Southern California’s Publication for the Real Estate Professional

ExecutiveAgent

Magazine

February, 2016

Inland Empire

Editorials

Cover Story

14 - Anne Bachrach:

The ‘Key’ To What Really Motivates You To Achieve Your Dreams!

26 - Bill Brooks:

The Role of Positive Thinking on Your Sales Career and Life

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX City of Hope..................................35

10 - Barry Eisen:

Long Term Goal Setting

imortgage......................................2 i Photography Studio................23 - 31

06 - Jon Gordon:

PWAOR.........................................30

Great Service

24 - Mark Victor Hansen:

Decide What You Want To Do

Fred Arrias Executive Publisher PO Box 73384 San Clemente, CA 92673 Ph: (949) 366-3349 Fax: (949) 266-8757 Email: Info@eamag.net Web: www.EAMag.net

The Termite Guy................................9 TIGAR...................................35 Veterans United...............................36

28 - C.J. Hayden:

Marketing The REAL YOU

Lacy Williams

Executive Agent of the Month

Editorial Manager: Trudy Van Graphic Designer: Garon T. Arrias Photography: i Photography Studio, Ian Wiant, Rob Paino Writers: Lalaena Gonzalez–Figueroa, Shannon Hartsoe, Haley Freeman, Steven McReynolds

32 - Dirk Zeller:

Achieving Relationship Excellence

12 Sean Neuberger

Realty ONE Group

© Copyright 2016 Executive Agent Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Although every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of published materials, Executive Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

Christopher Ross

imortgage

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

E XECUTIVE AGENT

MAGAZINE

Written by Haley Freeman

hristopher Ross has always been a diligent worker. He grew up with his grandparents in National City, and at only 13 years old he went to work to help provide for the family. When he got his driver license, he began working for a car

dealership, where he spent over seven years in the service department. There, he put in long hours. “When a car was dropped off for service, I would work with somebody through the entire process. A lot of my income was tied to customer service scores. I didn’t want anybody to drop the ball on my customer, so I would stay until the end to make sure they were taken care of.” While his experience in the auto industry was a positive one, Christopher was eventually ready for a change. He was invited to interview at Wells Fargo Financial, and then hired to work in their subprime department, where he helped clients obtain first and second mortgages, as well as home equity loans. Christopher began his lending career in the fateful year of 2007, and he tenaciously continued into 2010. That’s when he decided to pursue his longtime dream of owning his own business. “I think being able to have your own business and provide for your family is one of the greatest things anybody can ever do. I had saved some money and put it away for the day when I had the opportunity. I had an idea and a business plan, and in 2010 I opened a company that partnered small businesses with non-profits. In four years, I learned a lot of lessons about how business works.”

Christopher Ross ExecutiveAgent Magazine

We have a loan for every home... simple as that.® Christopher loved the freedom of being a business owner, but he also remembered how much he enjoyed his experience in lending. He eventually wound down his business and decided to take all he had learned and apply it to the industry he loved.

am more than willing to put in work with an agency or individual Realtor®. I’m committed to helping with proactive solutions for growing their business, and I understand that time is everyone’s most valuable commodity.”

His search for a company with true integrity and accountability brought him to imortgage. “I couldn’t be more happy or thankful for the people I’m surrounded by here,” Christopher said. “As a subsidiary of Loan Depot, we have all the capability of a big box bank, but still have the agility of a smaller, direct lender. I am so impressed with the professionalism of the staff at both the branch and corporate levels. Workflow is as efficient as possible. Everybody is provided with a service level agreement that outlines processes and turn times, and everything is done in a streamlined manner.”

Christopher credits his wife, Jenny, with supporting him throughout his career. “I feel very fortunate to have the wife I do. She’s run the entire gamut with me, and I’m very thankful for her.” Christopher and Jenny have a 100-pound Malamute named Brutus and a cat named Saucy who round out their happy home.

Christopher derives special satisfaction from helping first-time homebuyers and business owners buy homes – two markets that are often underserved by the industry. He respects the vulnerability that people feel when they reveal everything about themselves in order to obtain a home loan, and he is committed to providing clients with direct, honest service in return. With his business partners, Christopher maintains the same transparency and accountability. “I only take on the number of clients I know I can take care of, and I give everyone open access to me for the duration of the transaction.”

From his earliest years, Christopher has proven that he has the character, tenacity and dedication to see through challenges and attain goals for himself and others. “It’s great to be around people who are interested in doing something better for themselves, and I love being a part of helping people achieve home ownership.” Christopher Ross imortgage 41607 Margarita Road, Suite 101 Temecula, CA 92591 Tel: 951-375-4803 – Cell: 619-518-9023 Email: Christopher.Ross@imortgage.com Web: www.imortgage.com/christopher.ross Twitter: @mortgage_ross NMLS ID 1298195

He is also generous with his time and expertise in helping his real estate partners with tech-based tasks and marketing. As a business owner, he became proficient in html coding and graphic design. “I believe there are two ways to demonstrate strength: you can either push somebody down, or pull somebody up. I

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Great Service I

had the opportunity to stand on the side lines as the Jacksonville Jaguars played the Atlanta Falcons last week. Before the game I envisioned myself saying something positive and profound that would ignite a player to make a winning play. Around the third quarter it was getting hot. Real hot. The sun was blazing and the players were getting tired. All of a sudden someone was running towards me and calling my name. “Are you Jon Gordon?” “Yes,” I said thinking to myself, “Have no fear, energy man is here. I’m ready to energize.” “We need your help” he said. “Anything,” I said, puffing my chest out getting ready to inspire.” “All the trainers are dealing with injures,” he said. “We need your help holding the green screens above the player’s heads to block out the sun so it doesn’t beat down on them and wear them out.” A minute later there I was, holding one side of a makeshift awning above the heads of six big and tired linemen, protecting them from the sun. My job was equivalent to that of a metal pole holding up an awning. It certainly wasn’t what I envisioned….. but great service never is. We often think that great service is about miraculous, heroic feats. We envision ourselves like superman or wonder woman swooping in and saving the day, wining the new client. saving the customer from a miserable experience or transforming someone’s life. And sometimes

this is the case, but more often than not, great service is about doing the every day little things that go unnoticed. It’s about losing yourself and your ego for the benefit of others and the team. When I think of great service I envision a parent that does whatever it takes to raise great kids without awards or recognition; or an unknown volunteer in Africa helping to provide clean drinking water; or a soldier in Iraq who saves lives every day and no one ever hears about it; or a sales executive that does a hundred little things to serve the best interest of their client; or a call center employee who actually calls the customer back after finding the right answer to their question; or the school, non-profit, or church volunteer that does all the menial tasks to support the mission; or the team member at work that does whatever it takes to help the team complete the project. Great service is not about rewards or accolades. Great service is the reward. I realized this as I served my role as the human metal pole protecting the players from the sun. It was certainly humbling and yet it was very rewarding. I remember holding the awning thinking, “Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to help the team win, I’ll do it.” And in that moment it was as if I lost my ego and self importance and gained every great feeling in the world. So, my new motto is “Whatever it takes,” and I hope it will become yours as well. Today let us do whatever it takes to provide great service and make our teams great. Jon Gordon’s best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. http://www. jongordon.com/about.html

Written By Jon Gordon 6

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Long Term Goal Setting Vision=Perspective=Better Decisions

ou’ve heard the saying, “The average person spends more time planning a vacation than planning the rest of their life.” It’s probably true because planning a pleasurable escape is easier and more comfortable than planning change, and whatever discomfort (fears?) may be associated with it. Most companies you’d consider investing in or working for have long term, short term and, in most cases, daily goals as benchmarks of performance. However, independent contractors associated with large focused corporations, usually don’t do the planning to create their own comfortable future. Most all independent contractors either sit down with the owner/broker/sale manager/boss at the beginning of the year or as solopreneurs, by themselves, and go over goals and business/game plans. But like New Year’s resolutions, by January 15th, they lose focus and end up playing a smaller and more chaotic game than anticipated. This is not just about the business of business, but it’s also about the personal areas of life, as well. And this is not just about business and personal lives, but ultimately about the way they see themselves (self image/self esteem) and create the lifestyle that matches that perception...self fulfilling prophesies. The “whys?” don’t matter. The back story may be very interesting and compelling, but does “why?” solve the problem of an erratic business or personal life? The question, “What DO you want instead?” is a good starting point. Not what you Don’t want. Describing what you DON’T want doesn’t give information as to actions to be taken to move forward. Goals are not just targets, they’re guidelines. There are so many ideas and systems about goal setting. Every speaker, sales manager and trainer has an approach. Know what? They all probably work, if the follow-through is committed to. Huge “IF” (I FEAR). Here’s my offering at setting long term personal and business goals. The best way to predict the future is to create it. 1) Select a target year by which your long term (more than 1 year) goals will be completed. Giving a target date, even 3-5 years down the road, creates at least a small, but real, sense of urgency. Just the act of writing goals down starts a level of thought and commitment beyond having good intentions. Write the target year across the top of a blank piece of paper.

self image areas that comprise all of our lives. In her book, Passages, Gail Sheehy lists Physical, Financial, Emotional, Educational, Family, Social and Spiritual. Unless you have something else---go with these. 3) On the right hand side of the page, opposite each of the categories, write down 2 or 3 goals for each category. If you choose to not set goals in all areas, great! Do what feels right for you. There are no rules. If you have difficulty looking ahead and projecting results, for a moment look back at your previous 3-5 years. What have you done in that time to move ahead in each of these 7 areas? “If you continue to do what you’ve been doing, you’ll continue to get what you’ve been getting.” The reality beyond that often used saying is that in the future, Mother Nature will smack us all around a little harder, gravity will tug on us all a little bit heavier, business slumps will become more pronounced, memory becomes more challenging and spiritual connections become even more distant, etc. What do you want instead? 4) Put this goals list in a place that makes sense to you... in a draw under your socks or underwear, taped to the back of a closet door etc. 5) Look at the list every once in a while (daily, weekly ???) and let it reinforce the actions that will bring you to those, down the road, purposes. Spaced repetition is how you learn most of what you do. 6) Update your list periodically to reflect new directions and adjustments. Accomplishing longer term goals not only gives the rewards of whatever the goals are about, but on a higher level creates the positive self esteem and confidence of accomplishment. Confidence comes from creating victories. Those in therapy, or should be in therapy, experience control issues (usually a lack of control). When you’re in control of your life you generally make better decisions, feel more alive and healthy and usually become a more compelling figure to those around you. Barry has taught classes and held seminars for thousands of people. He has given hundreds of private hypnosis sessions and authored many hypnosis and self-hypnosis CD/downloadable programs, all with great positive feedback. http://barryeisen.com/

2) Along the left hand column, going down the page, write the categories of your life that represents the balance and 10

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E XECUTIVE AGENT

MAGAZINE

Sean Neuberger

ean Neuberger looks upon his personal success as a contract with those around him, one that binds him to achieve their goals as well as his own. His business philosophy operates on three primary principles:

maintaining the highest possible level of integrity, showing genuine compassion and care for clients; and creating success in all phases of his life by bettering himself personally and professionally.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Obligated to Succeed Written by Haley Freeman

Sean followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by spending his early career in sales and marketing. His grandfather was also a real estate investor, and Sean acquired a passion for real estate investment, architecture and design that prompted him to earn his degree in marketing and real estate from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

properties. He is skilled at analyzing potential opportunities to create profit and negotiating favorable terms. “I enjoy the entire process from redesigning layouts to staging and reselling. It’s actually one of the parts of real estate I enjoy most. It’s fun to watch a house that is in very poor shape turn into a beautiful home. It helps the neighborhood values and gives the homebuyer a nice place to bring their family.”

He brought his solid Midwestern values with him to Southern California, and converted his decade of sales and marketing experience into the opportunity of his dreams. Today he is a Realtor® at Realty ONE Group, where he is rapidly developing a strong referral base of diverse clients and has quadrupled his business during the past year.

When Sean began in the business, he was fortunate to work with a mentor, Piere Pirnejad, who helped him establish his business on a firm foundation. Now, as a solo agent, Sean continues to invest in himself and his business by remaining at the forefront of all the cutting edge technology and marketing trends.

As a millennial, Sean places a high value on the technological tools that help him get better results for his clients. This was a big motivation behind his decision to join Realty ONE. “I interviewed with 10 different brokerages in different cities,” Sean says, “but the main factor in choosing Realty ONE was their tech-driven approach. I also think this is what most distinguishes me from other agents. I grew up with technology, and I use a wide variety of marketing platforms for my business. That’s how I gain a lot of my clients and how I do a lot of my marketing for listings.”

Among his interests outside of real estate, Sean plays in a Wednesday night basketball league and also enjoys golf and indoor rock climbing. He also coaches a flag football team for fifth and sixth grade boys, in the tradition of his own father who coached him in various sports throughout his childhood. Sean and his fiancé, Shana, are busy planning their upcoming wedding in March. “We’ll probably be starting a family soon and are looking forward to our future here in Orange County.”

After Sean recently helped a client purchase a home in the right school district, with many of the other “must haves” that were a priority for his family, the client had this to say about Sean’s use of technology: “Another big benefit was that all the paperwork was sent to us electronically and we could use digital signatures for everything - all paperless! There were a couple documents I had to sign the old fashioned way, but even those he was able to just email to me and then I printed it out and signed; and took a picture with my phone and sent back to him. Done! “This is way better than having to meet somewhere all the time to go over paper work and sign. We really like that we could read all the documents at our own pace and we were able to ask questions if we had any before signing.… I would recommend him to family and friends and already have!”

Sean says that by looking at success as an obligation, he is “daily trying to think of any way I can create more value for my clients. With all of the information now available online, a true professional is able to help make sense of it all for clients. I clearly communicate throughout the sales process, proactively addressing any potential challenges in an effort to make the transaction as seamless as possible. I look at these actions as an obligation to myself and to my family.” Sean Neuberger Realty ONE Group 4010 Barranca Pkwy., Ste. 120 Irvine, CA 92604 Tel: 949-698-2466 Email: sean.neuberger@gmail.com Web: www.liveyourdreamoc.com CalBRE # 01933239

“Technology means you always have access to information so quickly,” Sean says. “So I always try to make sure I’m super diligent and quick to respond. I’m always available when somebody has a question. It’s something that I expect and demand, so I give nothing less to my clients.” Sean is also highly competent in working with investors who are looking for unique transactions and off-market ExecutiveAgent Magazine

The ‘Key’ To What Really Motivates You To Achieve Your Dreams!

hat motivates you? What gets you fired up? What gets your ‘juices’ flowing? What vision of the future excites you? Being inspired momentarily is easy for many people, but staying motivated long-term can be challenging for some of us. You go through a process of being really motivated in the beginning to being completely unmotivated, which makes it easy for anyone to quit. What happens when you go from being so excited you can’t wait to get up in the morning, to being so tired you can’t wait to go to bed at night. Somewhere between the starting point and the quitting point, the very thing that was driving you was lost. Many of us set goals, but only some of us stay motivated long enough to keep going until we reach them. Where does the difference lie? The difference lies in the motivation. The motivation is driven by the ability to stay focused on your dreams and how you will feel when you have successfully achieved the vision you have of your future. How do some people hold onto their motivation, while others find it easier to let it go?

crave happiness. If we want to achieve a specific goal for someone else the same rule applies. We want to achieve a goal because it provides something for someone else - and again, whether it is money, freedom or some other aspect - it all comes down to the emotion of feeling happy. We want things for other people, because we want them to feel happy. And when they feel happiness, we feel happiness. In some cases, it may be vice versa; we crave to be happy for ourselves first - and that’s perfectly OK! You have dreams and goals, but when was the last time you felt them? Have you ever felt them? You might have the motivation to make more money, but there is any underlying reason below the surface. What is it? Get below the surface and connect with the feeling of what you want and why you want them. The underlying reason will help give you the motivation you need to keep going until you have achieved them. Here are some exercises to help you connect with the feeling of your dreams and goals.

Those that hang onto their motivation have found something that drives them and they stay connected to it. What is it? It’s the feeling of their goal. When you can put yourself in the moment of your goal achievement and feel what it feels like to be there - you have just experienced one of THE most powerful motivation tools. When you can connect to the feeling, and it’s something you really want - then you can hang on to what you have to do in order to achieve it.

Start with your Life Intention Statement. What are your goals? What do they mean to you? For your family? Friends? The rest of the world? If you could do anything in this lifetime what you most like to do? Maybe it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t think it was possible for you? This is really an open exercise - there are no limits – think about things only you really want. You can phrase them as goals, intentions, life purpose whatever you would like to call them.

Think about how a parent might be driven to do something for their child. Maybe they go back to school so they can get a better paying job so they can provide a better life for them. Why? Because they want their child to feel good when they have the things they want and need. When the child feels good, the parent feels really good too.

Write all your goals down on paper and detail when you would like to achieve each one (specifically the month, day, and year). To help get you started, go to http://AccountabilityCoach.com and complete the Wheel of Life exercise. You might also enjoy completing the Quality of Life Enhancer™ exercise on this same website.

The motivation to achieve our goals is driven by one of the deepest emotions - happiness. It is an important commonality among all goal seekers. Whether we want money, freedom, independence or health - it all comes down to the fact that we

When it’s all said and done… When this life is all said and done, what do you want people to say about you? How do you want to be remembered? Write down some statements

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line.”

you would like people to say about you. And does your Life Intention Statement big enough to accomplish what you want people to say about you? If it doesn’t - you need to be thinking even bigger! Tools for Staying Motivated Visualization The biggest key to staying motivated is to connect with the feeling of having already achieved your goal. Put yourself in the moment of living it. Feel the happiness, relief, joy, excitement - whatever good feeling you get from it and just hold on to for a moment. You can do this anywhere (except when you’re driving!). All you do is close your eyes and just visualize it; the sounds, the smells, the touch. For each goal, write down the emotions you imagine experiencing when you have achieved them. In moments when you need motivation, just review the emotions you noted with each goal. Reconnecting with the emotional side of your goals is a powerful way to stay motivated. Written Goals Writing your goals down and then reviewing them on a daily basis has a lot of impact. It actually works to focus your subconscious on the task at hand which reduces the amount of “wandering” the mind does when it doesn’t have a goal to focus on. This will also aid with manifesting your goals quicker, because the more focused your mind is the more focused your actions will be - whether you consciously realize it or not. Put time on your calendar each day to review what you really want. It only takes a few minutes. Set up Goal Milestones It can seem like a lifetime between the time you set your goal and the day you finally achieve it, but it really isn’t that long. To help make the gap between the starting point and the achievement point seem shorter, set up milestones where you reward yourself along the way. The reward can really be anything you wish it to be, as long as it’s something that makes you feel good.

is to eliminate $10,000 in debt and you do really well for 3 months and decide to reward yourself with a $3,000 shopping spree; that is not supporting your goals. However, if having a new pair of shoes or a new outfit is the one thing that would make you feel good - then spend $100, not $3,000. Maybe you’ve improved your eating habits to lose weight. You’ve been doing great, so you reward yourself with half a pizza and lots of beer. Again, the reward is vital, but it must support your goals. Get the point? It’s OK to reward yourself, just don’t compromise your goal and counter act the positive changes you’ve been making. Whether you want to achieve your goals for you or someone else, you are full of potential and have the power to achieve anything. You can live your dreams and goals, if you just grab hold of them. The motivation will come from connecting with the feeling of why you wanted them in the first place. Stay focused on how achieving your goals will make you feel and you will stay motivated. Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown. H. ROSS PEROT American billionaire and former U.S. presidential candidate Anne M. Bachrach is President of A.M. Enterprises in San Diego, CA. Anne has 23 years of experience training and coaching. The objective is to do more business in less time through maximizing people’s true potential, and ultimately leading them to an even better quality of life. For more information on our services and learning tools, and to take advantage of at least 9 FREE life quality resources, visit www.AccountabilityCoach.com or click this link (http://AccountabilityCoach.com/signupa). ©2008 Anne Bachrach. All rights reserved. For information contact FrogPond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email susie@FrogPond.com; http://www.FrogPond.com.

But be careful that your reward does not compromise your goal. As an example, if your goal

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I Nominate: Name_______________________________ Company___________________________ Address____________________________ _____________________________________ City, State, Zip_____________________ _____________________________________ Phone______________________________ Email_______________________________ Submitted By: Fax/Email nomination to: Executive Agent Magazine PO Box 73384 San Clemente, CA 92673 Fax: 949.266.8757 Email: Info@eamag.net Tel: 949.366.3349

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Cover Story

Executive Agent of the Month

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Written by Haley Freeman - Ian Wiant Photographer

espect is earned; honesty is appreciated; trust is gained; and loyalty is returned. These are the ideals upon which Lacy Williams has built her lasting and successful career in real estate. Through boom markets and down markets, she has not only survived but thrived, because her integrity, compassion and dedication

to helping others reach their goals are always at the forefront of every transaction. Lacy is a hometown professional who was born and raised in the Temecula Valley. She attended Mt. San Jacinto College where she studied graphic design, marketing and photography. Her professional experience includes teaching computer skills to adults and working as a cash operations manager for a local gaming establishment. In real estate, she has been able to combine her many skills to help people make the most beneficial choices about one of the most important financial decisions of their lifetime. After nearly 13 years in the industry, Lacy made the decision to build her business alongside the most powerful real estate brand in Southern California, First Team. “I was working with a great local company, but toward the end of 2014 I started seeing a change in the market, and with it I saw a need to give my clients more in order to get their homes sold quickly and for top dollar. As we come back to a more traditional market, there is a lot of inventory for my listings to compete against, and you have to find a way to stand apart from the competition in as many ways as possible.” She continues, “Usually when agents jump offices, it’s to get a higher commission split for themselves. I didn’t leave to get more for myself, but to get more for my clients. I researched for 6 months before I decided to take the leap, to make sure it would be the best move for my business. Forty percent of the buyers moving to our valley are coming in from Orange County, where First Team’s corporate office is located along with 26 additional sales offices. Because of First Team’s tools and technology, I can upload property data to the company’s intranet, generating buzz about a hot new listing coming up, to our network of over 2000 agents before it’s even on the MLS. I’ve found that by showing clients what we have to offer, it has pretty much secured new listings without questions. As soon as I show them the tools I have access to and the exposure their home will receive, they say ‘That sounds great! Let’s move forward.’”

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Lacy with Buyer’s Agent/Partner Robbi Posson

Armed with First Team’s cutting edge industry tools and her exceptional local expertise, Lacy is building a new team, Williams & Co., and they are leveraging their combined resources to meet and exceed client expectations. “I realize that more and more, people expect an instant response time, but as a solo agent it can be very hard to stay on top of everything and be immediately responsive. With the pace of business now and my goals for growth, I have begun working with a transaction coordinator and a buyer’s agent. It has made a difference in keeping me in touch with clients and able to respond in an acceptable time frame. I don’t like people going to voice mail.” Lacy’s buyer’s agent/partner, Robbi, is also a close friend with whom Lacy has been working for the past three years. The two support one another as professionals and as women, balancing Lacy’s needs as a single mom with teens, with Robbi’s needs as the mother of young children. The duo make a strong and effective team, with complementary traits that bridge the gaps with clients in varying circumstances. Lacy’s depth of experience make her a great problem solver and negotiator, while Robbi’s more laid

back personality is the right soother in other situations. “A big part of our job is managing our clients’ stress. There are times when a client needs to know what’s happening, and other times when they don’t, and we just work through it behind the scenes. We deal with a lot of issues during a sale, most of which we’ve dealt with previously. For us, it’s just something we have to take on, work through, and press forward to a successful closing. But for our clients, these little issues could cause additional stress and make it difficult for them to do their jobs. There usually isn’t anything they can do to resolve the issue, so why put that stress on their plate? We prefer to take that stress on ourselves as the professionals in the situation.” One client expressed his appreciation for Lacy’s proactive handling of a difficult transaction: “Even when we encountered unforeseen problems with escrow, she remained positive and helped push the sale through. She was knowledgeable and professional with a personal touch that we really appreciated. We highly recommend Lacy and value her expertise and friendship.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Helping Others Achieve Their Goals Clients become friends, and as a result, Lacy’s expert care goes far beyond the sale. Another client shared, “She is simply dedicated to her trade and it shows! I can recall four instances where Lacy was at our home after hours making sure we could work out the best possible deal. In addition, about one month into our new home we had a drainage leak on the second floor which I knew was going to be a nightmare. I called Lacy the next day and she took care of it all, dealing with the insurance company and even filed the claim for us!” Lacy’s empathy for the people she assists with buying or selling a home is borne of her own life experience. “I was married for 13 years, and I’ve been divorced for eight years. I’ve raised kids in a marriage and as a single parent. I’ve been through a divorce followed by a bankruptcy, and then a foreclosure and short sale. When I went through my divorce I moved out of my house and rented it out for a year while paying another $1,600 a month on

top of the rent I was collecting just to make the house payment. I couldn’t imagine walking away from a mortgage or not paying my bills. But after a year, I realized I couldn’t do it any longer. It took me a long time to reach that decision. I can relate to people who are buying and selling homes in so many different life circumstances. I know the pressures that are on their shoulders, and I want to ease the burden for them. I’m a problem solver, and I want to get to the solution.” Lacy has a particular passion for assisting military personnel and their families with their housing needs. She is a certified Military Relocation Professional (MRP) who will do whatever it takes to assist service people with the unique challenges their circumstances present. “Things need to happen in a certain order and time frames have to be met. When someone has orders to leave, the timing of getting a home on the market is huge. The chaos that ensues in trying to prepare family, kids, and pets for the move can be overwhelming. And many times it’s all placed on just one spouse while the other has already reported for duty. Being a single parent, I know what it’s like to be the only responsible person in the household, so I have special compassion for the parent who is here handling everything alone when their spouse is overseas.”

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Through technology and good communication, Lacy was even able to help a client stationed in Okinawa purchase a home sight unseen. “It is a scary thing to take on for another person, but also very rewarding to assist with something so important for someone who is sacrificing so much for our freedom.” One grateful service member said Lacy is, “hands down the best Realtor® in the state of California. I was stationed overseas during the opening and closing of the escrow process. However, Lacy made it very easy to understand. In addition, she was always available and accessible. If you are serious about making a purchase on property she is the best at what she does. I would highly recommend her services for any buyer/seller.” In 2015, Lacy became involved with the WAVES Project, a service organization whose mission is to “offer the unique opportunity of experiencing SCUBA Diving to our wounded American veterans.” In 2016, Lacy will be donating a portion of every transaction to the project.

Lacy is also very hands-on in supporting her children’s academic and athletic pursuits. Her son is a talented athlete in multiple sports, while her daughter plays club soccer with a championship team. The family also loves to travel together and spend time outdoors seeking adventure. They can often be found at the river in Arizona waterskiing and wakeboarding, riding quads and dirt bikes in Glamis in the winter months, or RVing to some exciting outdoor adventure. “I didn’t want them to miss out on anything because they grew up in a single parent household. My drive and motivation has come from wanting my children to experience life and being able to show them that the world is larger than their own backyard.” This positive, energetic woman is always on the go, and always eager to meet new friends in real estate. “I do this for a living,” she says, “but it’s not about the paycheck. I’m in this to help people reach their goals, and I love being a part of one of the biggest investments of anyone’s lifetime.”

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Lacy Williams First Team Real Estate 29121 Overland Drive Temecula, CA 92591 Tel: 951.634.4433 MyAgentLacy@gmail.com www.MyAgentLacy.com CalBRE # 01372582 ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Written By Mark Hansen

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Decide What You Want To Do

y friend, Tom Harken was born with both polio and tuberculosis. Tom spent the first six years of his life in an iron lung. The first day Tom started school, the teacher told him to go to the board and spell “cat”. He wrote k-a-t. The teacher told him – in front of the entire class – he would never become successful. Tom dropped out of school, humiliated and chagrined. Tom decided to prove them wrong. When he became old enough he went out and started selling vacuums. Tom sold 17 a day. Tom memorized all of the information each customer gave to him – because he never learned to read. Tom never told anyone he was illiterate until, at age 55, he announced it, with tears in his eyes to an astonished audience, while being honored at the Horatio Alger Awards. Within one year he had learned how to read. Tom crusades with me now to eradicate the slavery called “illiteracy”. You see, anything is possible. Just like Tom, the only thing standing in the way of your success is you – your beliefs about what’s possible, your attitude towards yourself, your desire to achieve what you really want. You are the only barrier that is keeping your dreams at bay. What’s Exciting About Using Our Mind Is that We Can Short Circuit All the Excuses Thrown Up by Our Fears THIS WEEK’S ACTION STEP Our minds determine our success or failure. Your mind is your ultimate strength and weakness. Everything begins and ends with your thinking. I came up with six ways to develop mental muscles. When practiced they can give you the power to accomplish your goals. 1. Read, Read, Read - Read something besides magazines and the daily newspaper. They’re mostly filled with negative images and information that creep into your brain mind continuum and fester negatively. Read books that motivate and inspire you. 2. Mastermind - Share your mind with someone, or a group, who are moving in the same positive direction as you are.

Two or more minds concentrating on the same goal is an extraordinarily powerful force. 3. Seek Out A Mentor - I recommend you get mentors in each area of your life for your entire life. Keep having your mentors challenge you. 4. Listen to CDs and Cassettes - This is one of the most important habits you can create for yourself. Continuously listen to motivational audio CDs and cassettes. Listen to them until you can practically repeat them verbatim. This process will recondition your mind to think only of abundance and positivity. 5. Attend Seminars - To reinforce a positive way of life, sign up for and attend motivational seminars. There you will meet inspirational people (and possible mastermind members) and learn new ways of achieving your goals. 6. Turn Off the Television - On average, the television set in an American home is on over 7.2 hours a day. Just like any bad habit, it needs to be broken. The television is filled with energy that is put out into the room. It becomes its own entity. That’s it! Just six easy steps. These six steps will help you to re-energize your spiritual batteries and clear the haze out of your mind to help motivate you to decide what you really want to do. “When we use our minds creatively and constructively, it doesn’t matter what we haven’t done, what we haven’t said or where we haven’t been. The only thing that matters is how we engage our mind by telling the conscious what we want to do.” - Mark Victor Hansen Mark Victor Hansen, “that Chicken Soup for the Soul guy®”, inspires NEW VISION that generates innovation, productivity and profitability. markvictorhansen.com. © 2008, Mark Victor Hansen. All rights reserved. For information about Mark’s Keynote Presentations, contact the FrogPond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email susie@FrogPond.com; http:// www.FrogPond.com

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

The Role of Positive Thinking on Your Sales Career and Life

ots of salespeople seem to have forgotten, or perhaps have never even learned, the many ways that they can improve not only their sales performance, but their life performance as well. The future of your sales career may very well rest on the frame of mind that you have in your daily life. Here are several tips that may help you to improve this frame of mind and your future. First of all, you should overcome any past negative impact. You need to forget your failures and mistakes. These failures and mistakes should be seen only as stepping-stones that you have been fortunate enough to experience and learn from. Salespeople can truly damage their mental state and their sales performance by dwelling on past mistakes. Such practices as continually viewing yourself in a negative light can only serve to put you in a downward spiral. A tip that reflects the opposite of the previous one is to build upon previous positive experiences. Concentrate primarily on your past successes, and this will help you feel far more important and positive. By concentrating primarily on your successes and the positive aspects of your past, you will surely feel extremely more confident, and confidence will give any salesperson a “leg up” in

any sales situation. Furthermore, this confidence can seep into all other facets of your life, leading to an all around improvement of the quality of life. Seeking out “coaches” and “team-members” will only serve to improve your chances for success in and out of the business realm. Coaches can help to build you up, as well as provide you with vital life experience and job experience that you otherwise would not be able to experience yourself. In regard to sales team-members, they can provide you with a support system as well as with a feeling of belonging. Their successes will be your successes, and your successes will be theirs’. Having a coach, as well as being a member of a team can certainly improve your job as well as your home life. Becoming obsessed with learning is another excellent tip for any salesperson who is aspiring to improve their future sales performance. “Knowledge is power” has become a cliché, but the validity of this statement still stands. Any serious salesperson should always be looking for that “edge,” and knowledge is always there. You should always be seeking new facts, information, and data, and knowing more of these than your competitor will provide you with so much more success. I can promise you that!

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By constantly improving your thinking processes, you will also sharpen your thinking and analytical skills, and in turn you will enjoy more success in the future. Improvement of your thinking skills involves the quick and efficient use of knowledge, which is addressed in the previous tip. If you become obsessed with learning and channel this constant flow of new information through quick and useful thought patterns, then once again you will enjoy a â&#x20AC;&#x153;one upâ&#x20AC;? over your competition. Top performing salespeople are always seeking new information, and are always able to use this information in the most effective manner in their pursuit of the sale. Therefore, if you follow the same strategies as these salespeople, then your future is as bright as theirs. The final tip, and perhaps the most important one, actually is to incorporate yourself mentally. This somewhat difficult tip means that you should never forget your own long-term goals and aspirations. You should certainly remain loyal and honorable to your current employer, but again, never forget your own longterm goals and aspirations! Those individuals who are the most successful are those who never forget their own goals. By striving for your goals long enough and hard enough, you will eventually reach them and become an envied and admired sales professional.

The bottom line? If you are truly seeking to improve your future either professionally, personally, or both, there are certain strategies that have proven to serve those who are seeking these goals very well. By overcoming any negative past impact, building upon any and all positive impact, utilizing coaches and team-members you may have in your life, becoming obsessed with learning, constantly improving your thinking processes, and incorporating yourself mentally, you are surely going to be able to improve any aspect of your sales career and life that you wish to improve. The secret to this plan is to work hard and remain committed. There is, unfortunately, no secret to that! Bill Brooks, CSP, CPAE, CMC, CPCM former CEO of a $300,000,000 corporation and two-time sales award winner from an international sales force of 8,000, Bill has real-world expertise. Bill has spoken or consulted in over 300 different industries while being engaged by at least 150 clients an astonishing six times each. CopyrightÂŠ 2004, Bill Brooks. All rights reserved. For information about how to bring Bill to your next meeting or convention, contact the Frog Pond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email susie@frogpond.com; www.frogpond.com

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Marketing The REAL YOU

often wonder how the practice began of pretending to be someone else in order to market your business. You know what I’m talking about -- it’s the marketing face, the selling voice, that you often put on in order to attend a networking event or make a sales call. Who taught you to do that? I have a suspicion where we learn this behavior. Most of us spend a lifetime observing showroom salespeople, product spokespersons in the media, and hucksters on street corners. What we see demonstrated there is artificial enthusiasm, manipulative use of language, feigned interest, and in some cases outright deception. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? So why copy any part of this distasteful way of selling? Psychologist Abraham Maslow said, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Perhaps we believe this is the only way we can sell because it’s the only way we know. I’m not accusing anyone of consciously deceiving prospective clients. What I’m suggesting is that what we do unconsciously and automatically is to behave inauthentically around them. Intuitively, many of us feel as if something is wrong with this way of operating. When we have to sell ourselves, we find it unpleasant, disagreeable, even repulsive. But what if all those negative feelings were simply because we hate the artificiality and manipulation we think must be a part of selling? Imagine what it would be like to go to a business networking event as yourself. No facade, no pretension, just plain you. When someone asks your reason for coming, you tell them the truth. You don’t have to claim you wanted to hear the speaker (if you didn’t). You can come right out and say, “I’m hoping to make some contacts that will lead to business for me.” You wouldn’t have to invent reasons to start a conversation. You can walk up to someone who looks interesting and say, “Hi, I haven’t met you yet.” If you’re shy around strangers, you can tell the first person you meet, “I’m sort of a wallflower and feel awkward at events like this. Could you introduce me to some folks?” Now imagine placing a follow-up call to a prospect where you are completely honest. You could say, “I

have some days open on my calendar soon and I’m wondering if this would be a good time for that project we’ve been discussing.” Or, “We haven’t talked in a while and I’d like to find out if you’re still planning to start the new training program this year.” I see so many professionals and consultants struggle with trying to find an “excuse” to call a prospect. You don’t need some manufactured excuse. You know the reason you’re calling. Most of the time THEY know the reason you’re calling. Just say what it is. Let’s extend this same principle to making a cold call. Instead of stumbling around awkwardly trying to make a polished -- but unnatural -- sales approach, imagine yourself saying, “I’m not much of a salesperson, but I’m really good at what I do. Can we have a conversation about what you need and see if I’m the right person for the job?” If you’ve been working from a cold-calling script that makes you flush and get a tight throat every time you read it, throw it out. Come up with one really good opening line that feels authentic and gets directly to the point. Then decide how you will answer -- honestly -some of the typical questions prospects ask you. My bet is that your calls will immediately get easier. In fact, the more you become honest, direct, and authentic in all of your marketing, the more appealing selling will be to you, the more effortless it will become, and the more success you will ultimately achieve. Because most business results from building relationships, and how can you develop a relationship with someone when you never reveal who you really are? C.J. Hayden, MCC, is a business coach and consultant who teaches people to make a better living doing what they love. Her company, Wings for Business, specializes in serving entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, and people in marketing and sales. C.J. is the author of Get Clients Now! (AMACOM, 2007), Get Hired Now! (Bay Tree, 2005) and The One-Person Marketing Plan Workbook, and a contributing author to Guerrilla Marketing on the Front Lines. © 2008, C.J. Hayden. All rights reserved. For information contact FrogPond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email susie@FrogPond.com; http://www.FrogPond.com.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Achieving Relationship Excellence

s a real estate agent, your success depends on the quality and durability of the relationships you build with your clients, and the one and only way to build solid, enduring relationships is to deliver excellent, unrivaled service. To be an outstanding agent you need to lavish your clients with service that exceeds their expectations -- from the get-go and throughout a long business relationship. The challenge is that not all clients expect or want the same kind of service. What constitutes excellent service to one client might seem inadequate or even like overkill to another. It seems hard to imagine, but an agent could sell a client’s home in less than a week, at full price, and still have a dissatisfied customer. This could be due to some action or oversight during the negotiation, inspection, or closing process that simply didn’t match with the client’s service expectations. To avoid service mismatches, learn each person’s service expectations by doing something that few agents take time to do: Ask. Then put your findings to work by following these steps: • Learn each person’s service expectations. Before you enter a new prospect presentation, make it a rule to learn everything you can about what your prospects are looking for in an agent and how they define their excellent service. • Customize and personalize your service delivery. In your initial presentation and in subsequent contacts -whether you’re working to make the sale, service the client, build an after-the-sale relationship, or request a referral -- refer to your initial research and highlight the service aspects that each client finds important. Weave in the words you heard them use to define great service. Highlight the communication points they described as essential service attributes. Let them know that you understand their needs and are focused on exceeding their expectations. 32

• Never get complacent. Don’t assume that, if your service falls a bit short, your best clients will simply turn a blind eye. And, by all means, don’t think that if your clients want more or better service they will say something to you. They won’t, because they don’t want the confrontation. They’d rather just go away quietly and never come back. I’ve met agents who are successful in spite of their “my way or the highway” approach to service delivery. Rather than focusing on customized service and long-term relationships, these agents prefer to serve a stream of “here today, gone tomorrow” clients that they acquire through relentless prospecting and high-volume lead development. These agents have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude about service. They practice what I call a fast-food hamburger joint philosophy: “We sell hamburgers and fries, and if you don’t like hamburgers and fries, pick another restaurant.” The difference, of course, is that the number of people who want hamburgers and fries is huge, and, if the fare is good, most customers automatically come back for more. The same is hardly true when it comes to homebuyers and sellers. As an agent, your prospect universe is limited, and your customers aren’t apt to become repeat customers unless they are treated with the kind of unparalleled, consistent, and customized service that turns them into clients for life. Dirk Zeller, President of Real Estate Champions, is recognized as the premier coach for the real estate industry. He has developed a system that takes “regular” agents and “regular” managers and transforms them into “top gun” agents and managers. Dirk’s coaching systems are built around his incredible success in the 90’s as one of the top agents in all of North America. He closed over 150 transactions annually while working Monday through Thursday and taking Friday, Saturday & Sunday off. Copyright© 2005, Dirk Zeller. All rights reserved. For information about Dirk’s Keynote presentations, contact the Frog Pond at 800.704.FROG (3764) or email susie@ frogpond.com; http://www.frogpond.com.

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Our bone marrow transplant reunion is now standing room only. Each year, City of Hope invites bone marrow transplant recipients and their families to attend the “Celebration of Life” event. It’s a joyous time during which survivors of blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma embrace their health, their life and each other. It began more than 35 years ago when City of Hope created what is now one of the largest and most successful bone marrow transplant programs in the world. In fact, we’ve completed over 11,000 transplants and, according to national reports, our outcomes are among the best in the nation. The goal of curing cancer isn’t just something we work at. It’s what we live for. If you have cancer, make us your first call. Or ask your doctor for a referral. We accept most insurance. 800-826-HOPE

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WE LIVE TO CURE CANCER. Science saving lives. cityofhope.org/bmt

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