COLORADO MORTGAGE EDITION
A COMPILATION OF GOALS FROM MY COACHING CLIENTS MANAGERS AND TEAM BUILDERS: FOUR PRINCIPLES TO DEVELOP A GREAT TEAM 3 TIPS FOR MASTERFUL TO-DO LISTS GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!
COVER STORY
MACK HUMPHREY
COLORADO MORTGAGE EDITION
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MACK HUMPHREY
CONTENTS 4) 3 TIPS FOR MASTERFUL TO-DO LISTS 13) MANAGERS AND TEAM BUILDERS: FOUR PRINCIPLES TO DEVELOP A GREAT TEAM
18) GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME! 22) A COMPILATION OF GOALS FROM MY COACHING CLIENTS
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3 Tips For Masterful To-Do Lists by Rob Flitton
Here are three masterful tips to easyto-prepare and easy-to-perform todo lists. 1-Important v. Urgent. Always prepare your lists based on what is important, not what is urgent. Why? Let’s define our terms. “Important” in this context is about what matters to you. “Urgent” in this context is about what matters to others. People have a tendency to not only assemble their lists based on the needs of other people, they get derailed by interruptions and distractions from the pressing needs of others—they get on phone calls, discussions, text-threads, or emailexchanges that take away their focus.
The corollary tricks here are to (i) negotiate for time and space in advance, and (ii) learn to say “no.” Since you want to focus on what’s important and not on what’s urgent, it causes you much less friction to negotiate ahead of time with those who matter to you for the time and space you need to be able to focus. This keeps you from worrying about family matters when at work, and work matters when enjoying your family or leisure time. When we are afraid in life to politely say “no” to the wrong thing, we makes ourselves unavailable to say “yes” to the right things. Those who appreciate and understand you will cooperate—those who do not will simply have to adjust.
2-Obey The Crow. Sometimes these urgency-intruders There should never be more than 7 can be close to you and hard to say items on your to-do list. No one no to—your spouse, boss, children, can concentrate on too many things at once. customers, or strangers.
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To be able to focus, a person needs to be able to discern which activities or ideas are most important to him at that moment, and at any given moment a person is only able to hold, focus on, or visualize perhaps somewhere between 4 and 7. This limitation was understood from an experiment observing a flock of crows gathered in a clearing. When various groups of men would cross the clearing and then enter the nearby woods, the crows would flee to the Top Agent Magazine
treetops only to return when the full number of men could be accounted for—i.e., when they felt safe. If one man went in and then came back they would return to the clearing. If three men went into the woods and only two returned, they wouldn’t. If five men went into the woods and only four returned, they felt safe to return to the clearing. This means that the crows could only hold 3 or 4 units of the men in their focus. 5
Focusing on where the money comes from strips away all of the non-essentials. For humans, the same is true but may be slightly higher. Look at a forest—you can perceive and focus on and count about 6 or 7 trees at one time, but you can never focus on or count an entire forest.
being the most important, and 1 dollar sign being the least important—like movie, book or restaurant ratings. At the end of the to-do list period— whether it is a daily, weekly, monthly or annual list—you need not have completed every item, but you need to have entirely completed or accomplished the 4- and 5-star items. You would rather fully complete three 5star items than partially complete all seven items on your list.
The powerful piece of knowledge here is that by using unit economy— by limiting your ideas and activities into manageable groups—you can greatly overcome these limitations and leverage your means to tackle more and more work. By breaking lists down into groups of 4 to 7 Money is a measuring stick for how units, you can accomplish hundreds, effective you are at conducting your if not thousands, of important jobs business—it is really the only objective means of measuring your and tasks annually. effectiveness. Yes, there are plenty of non-monetary goals and outcomes 3-Dollar Signs. The matter of deciding what should we all want to achieve, but I assert be at the top of your list should that being profitable matters the come down to the money. Money is most, and your to-do lists need to best barometer of what you should establish the mental attitude required spend your time on. Bookkeeping is to achieve maximum profitability. an important task in business, but Focusing on where the money comes closing sales is significantly more from strips away all of the nonimportant—no sales adds up to no essentials. need for bookkeeping. Rob Flitton is a Seattle Real Estate MarAssign everything on your to do list a number of dollar signs, 5 dollar signs 6
keting specialist helping independent agents to increase their income. Email Rob robflitton@gmail.com at any time or call/ text him at 206-612-2314.
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“I’m more of an educator than anything. If I can’t say ‘yes’ to someone right away, I get to show them what they need to do in order to get a loan. I’m open to giving advice to anyone.”
MACK HUMPHREY For more than 18 years, Mack Humphrey has embraced the value of good communication and service, which have led to success for his clients, himself and his team members. A Denver area Senior Loan Officer who joined Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation in 2015, Mack says the keys to success lie in ongoing communication not just with clients but with everyone who may be affected by each mortgage. “I’m constantly in contact with my client and their real estate agent, but I also initiate communication with the listing 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine
agent as soon as the buyer begins the loan process.” Those listing agents are often surprised, telling him they rarely hear from buyers’ loan officers, if ever. “I avidly follow up on the appraisal and give updates on every step during loan processing until the loan is approved,” says Mack, adding that he or one of the four other members of his team contact everyone involved in the transaction at least twice per week. “We call if there’s no news or bad news; everybody is Top Agent Magazine
always on the same page,” he says. Honesty and immediacy are paramount. “There’s no point hiding anything or waiting; everything is going to come out anyway.” Mack’s transparent, patient and consultative approach to client relationships has propelled him through multiple market scenarios and changes to the mortgage industry since he entered the profession in 1998. “I’ve had a lot of experience in credit repair and credit improvement,” he says. “And I’m more of an educator than anything. If I can’t say ‘yes’ to someone right away, I get to show them what they need to do in order to get a loan. I’m dedicated to customer service and I’m open to giving advice to anyone.” Taking his appreciation for education to new heights, Mack even hosts seminars for REALTORS® on how to improve their business and increase exposure for their listings. “I’ve been into video marketing for years and I like showing REALTORS® how they can use it to build their business. Most homes are marketed online, but the way the browsers are set up, if Top Agent Magazine
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“We don’t want people losing sleep. We built the team around customer service and making sure every client feels like they’re the only client we have.”
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a REALTOR® has video, their listings are going to pop up faster than others’,” he says, explaining that he schedules trainings quarterly through local REALTORS® associations. His dedication to other professionals is not only fulfilling personally but lends him a competitive edge. “Our marketing is all word of mouth,” he says. “We have a reputation for doing a really good job and caring about people.” Mack’s commitment to serving others extends to his community, where he avidly volunteers and donates to various causes. He is actively involved with a Douglas County charity, Secor, which helps meet the basic needs of more than 5,000 marginalized families in an otherwise well-off region. “You’d think we wouldn’t have to deal with poverty or a lack of food here, but it’s amazing what Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10Copyright
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we see. I’m passionate about what Secor does and I’m also actively involved with the Shriners, Rotary Club, and The Scottish Rite,” he says, adding that he takes advantage of opportunities to help the local schools and children’s causes. And as former football player who loves fitness, Mack volunteers to train youth for the Special Olympics. Networking, communication and devotion to service have helped Mack build a 95-100% referral-based business. “My team is passionate, responsive, hard-working and determined,” he says. “Everything keeps moving forward on each transaction because someone is always available to answer questions and take care of people.” No borrower or REALTOR® partner should ever have to wait for answers, he believes. “We don’t want people losing sleep. We built the team around customer service and making sure every client feels like they’re Top Agent Magazine
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the only client we have.” Going forward, Mack plans to continue expanding on his business model. “We want to dial it in further and grow, bringing in more loan officers and teaching them to have high standards.” In particular, Mack is
seeking opportunities to connect with the newer crop of professionals, tapping into their fresh perspectives while helping them cultivate fulfilling mortgage careers with the same devotion to service he maintains.
To learn more about Mack Humphrey, visit mackhumphreyhomeloans.com, email mackh@fairwaymc.com or call 720.771.1308 http://www.justingrable.com www.
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Managers and Team Builders: Four Principles to Develop a Great Team By Carla Cross “I work alone.” “I don’t need to be a member of a ‘team’”. We’re heard that for years in the real estate industry. Yet, the strongest, fastestgrowing real estate companies have team building as part of their cultures. Agents who want to expand their businesses create teams. So, TEAM is no longer a four-letter word. The importance and implementation of leadership through teamwork and synergy is back in style in the real estate industry. Top Agent Magazine
Why Building a Strong Team is Important to Agents AND Management
As with all industries, the real estate industry is evolving. We’ve gone through the ‘go it alone’ phase. Because we’ve gotten more sophisticated in business. We realize that no one succeeds alone. We understand now that people working together create something more substantial than the sum of the parts. In addition, 13
with the challenges in the business, we finally get that many minds focused on the same task can accomplish much more than each person working as his own little island. Supporting this trend, strong company cultures have emerged which encourage and reward teamwork instead of solely independent achievement.
Do you have a job description for each of your team positions? Do you provide it prior to hiring?
Talking About Team-Building is a Slam-Dunk
It’s much easier to talk about teamwork than to create a team. One of the reasons is that most of us have never worked as a team before. As an agent, I didn’t create a team. But, in my management career, I worked to create teams with common focus. How did I learn how to create great teams? An Unlikely Place to Learn Teamwork
My first experiences in great teams, and then leading teams--comes from the world of music. I’ve created and Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “People led teams as a jazz musician. I’ve acting together as a group can accom- played in exceptional orchestras plish things which no individual (I’m a flutist). I’ve seen conductors acting alone could ever hope to bring pull together one hundred disparate, temperamental, independent musicabout.” ians as an inspiring team. (It’s a lot If you’ve ever played on a sports like managing a real estate office!). team, you know the chaos that en- So, the four truisms here come from sues when every player tries to be the my experience in both worlds—the star—to go her own way. That’s not musical performance world and the a team. That’s a group. You may also world of real estate team-building. know the joy of playing on a team that shares a common focus and It’s Not Just About Developing commitment to excellence. What a YOU as a Leader difference! What if you could bring that into your real estate office or You may think that, as a leader, your your agent team? job is to find team members that 14
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Just because people accept a position doesn’t mean they know how to proceed with the job. They need to have clear direction, a job description and a firm understanding of the responsibilities--prioritized. Do you have a job description for each of your team positions? Do you provide it prior to hiring? Do you coach to One of the differences between lead- it? Do you help your team members ing a group and leading a team is that, get so good at it that they can start in a successful team, team members training new team members (move also become leaders, and think like into leadership)? leaders, looking out for the good of the team, not just for themselves, In “Teamwork is the primary other words, will work well together. That’s true, as far as it goes. But, your ultimate job is to train and coach those team members to start doing some of the leadership jobs you’ve done. That way, you can keep moving to higher levels of leadership. You can expand and sell your business.
ingredient of success.”
Leaders develop leadership on their team.
Otherwise, leaders are not really leading. They’re managing—or micromanaging. From developing leadership over a couple of decades, I’ve found four major truisms for developing your team with strong internal leadership. These principles apply whether you’re in management or in sales interested in building a team.
Principle #2: People don’t know WHAT to do to get the job done. Even if you hire someone who has real estate experience, it doesn’t work to leave it to them to figure what exactly needs to be done—from your point of view. They don’t know your priorities. They don’t know how you work. Do you have processes and systems in place to teach them exactly what needs to be done?
The Principles to Developing Team Leadership
Principle #3: It’s your job to teach them HOW.
Principle #1: People don’t know what’s expected of them.
Some people think “leaders” are the “idea people” and aren’t supposed to
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get into implementation. But if you want your team to excel, you must show them how. Having worked with assistants for over 15 years, I have found that assistants and team members need help in systemizing any process that you want done. They need help in developing dialogues to deal with affiliates and consumers in the way you expect. They are good at systemizing their own processes-but not good at all at systemizing ours! Help them.
regularly”. Hold your team members accountable for each step along the way to completion of a task as well as the end result. Do you have solid, measurable benchmarks from which to measure? How do you know you and they are succeeding?
All systems in place? Do you have foundational systems in place from which to improvise? Do you have a solid training program to bring a new team member on board? Do you a method to ‘clone’ yourself to develop someone who can take over your job?
Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest football coaches of all time, said of teamwork, “Teamwork is the primary ingredient of success.”
The pay-off for developing competency and leadership skills in all of your team members is a business that is ‘owned’ by all those involved, with empowerment assured.
Your goal is to develop processes, systems, and training for your team members—all which reflect your philosophy of how you do business. Principle #4: When accountability They reflect your values and your factors aren’t built in, things don’t culture. Bring them into a leadership get done. mentality with you, so you can delegate more responsibilities and There’s a great difference between finally replace yourself! “do it the way you want” and expecting results and “do it the way you Copyright©, 2015 Carla Cross. All want and let’s check how it’s going rights reserved. Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is an international speaker, writer, and coach, specializing in real estate management. Her Leadership Mastery Coaching program is unique in the industry. A National Realtor Educator of the Year, Carla was recently named one of the 50 most influential women in real estate. Join Carla’s Community and receive special offers and free resources. Contact Carla at 425-392-6914 or www.carlacross.com. 16
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Get Your Head in the Game! By Barry Eisen
Can you think of any top athlete in any sport who is inconsistent in prepara tion, has little focus, has no defined game plan, and has low confidence and self-esteem? If you can, you’re not thinking of a top athlete, you’re thinking of a wanna-be poser. There are lots of gifted and talented people in sports, but the world doesn’t care as much about the talent unless it shows up, demonstrates focus, shows a dedicated plan of action and acts like success is the natural by product of all the previous preparation. The same scenario is true about successful entrepreneurs. You’d be hard pressed to think of a winner who wasn’t prepared, focused, strategized and confident. 18
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The stories about Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Lionel Messi, Amanda Beard, and thousands of other sports greats share many When you hear negative basic success principles. Think of the Captains of Commerce in your business and chances are the success principles are much the same.
messages in your mind... take a deep breath and replace them with supportive words.
I’ve been privileged to have worked with some of the very best in sport and business over many years and this is some of what I’ve learned from them. 5 ideas for stepping up your game.
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Preparation is what creates confidence. Don’t work on confidence. Practice more. Whether it’s practicing getting out of the starting blocks quickly in the 100 meter dash, efficient flip turns in the pool, chipping onto the green from 30 yards away or rehearsing business presentation scripts, introducing yourself while knocking on doors, or closing assertively after a strong presentation...you can’t get around practice/preparation. Check out “the 10,000 Hour Rule,” in Gladwell’s, Outliers. Ya gotta do the work! Mental practice in a relaxed state of mind (self-hypnosis) can speed up the success process from 2-5 times. Read almost any autobiography of a successful athlete or business personality and recognize this common trait; almost all successful people saw and savored the end result in their quiet, meditative states first.
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The quality of Self-Talk is a big reason for the separation between superstars and the herd that follows. It’s easy to be positive and use positive words when things are going great and your attitude is up. One way of getting and keeping an “up” attitude is to silently tell yourself what the outcome of the next event will be...where the ball will land, your time for the 100 butterfly, the height of the high jump you’ll clear, the room you’ll mesmerize with your speech, the powerful listing presentation you’ll Top Agent Magazine
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give today, etc. The result of negative self-talk (self fulfilling prophesy) is obvious...poor posture, unfocused, procrastination, fear. Self sabotage! When you hear negative messages in your mind...take a deep breath and replace them with supportive words. This will get easier and more automatic with practice and so will your successes. (If you don’t achieve what you set out for...it doesn’t matter...keep doing this.) The difference in how the ultimately successful get to where they are and where everyone one else gets, is how soon you pull the plug and quit. Raise your game by staying in it. As you shift your mind your game will improve/your business will improve.
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Visualize the self-talk. Pictures make more and deeper neurological impressions. A picture IS worth a thousand words. The greats in every sport played the game, walked the course, saw the 100 mph fastball come in, saw the touch at the pool’s wall, broke the beam at the finish line well before their bodies were involved. Your actions are based on your thoughts. Don’t be random. Choose successful pictures that move you forward.
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Feel the satisfaction of success for just a moment. How would it feel hitting that perfect dive, making the 20 foot putt, running your personal best in a 10k, nailing that listing presentation, passing that test? Allowing the neurotransmitter dopamine to flash through the pleasure centers of your brain, reinforces the positive goal towhich you are moving. We do things to maximize pleasure or to minimize discomfort. As you associate the task or goal with a positive feeling, you’ll approach the task/ goal with a more open, “CAN DO,” attitude. It’s attitude not aptitude that usually matters more. Like a pep talk before a game, like a supportive hand on a child’s shoulder before a test in school, like a smile from a prospect that says, “I’m open to what you have to say,” feel good about what you’re here to do. You’ll make changes, not because you need to or want to, but because it feels good. Take the kicking and screaming out of your life to experience a more centered and focused energy.
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Relax before you compete/take care of that piece of business. Some use music, some meditate, some create physical rituals (eat a certain food, do push ups, clap hands, stretch, a couple of breathes (and a whole lot of other crazy things you’ve seen. It ain’t crazy if it works.) Create a small ritual that focuses you in the last moment before the event/business presentation/prospecting/public speaking... Some sport psychology is about emotional, social and or physical issues, more to be addressed by qualified coaches, counselors or therapists, trained to deal with psychological baggage and physical scars. Some business leaders sit in with therapists and coaches to sort out individual blocks. But after all the analysis is said and done, the smart ones go back to the basics. See the ball, hit the ball. Copyright©, 2016 Barry Eisen. All rights reserved.
Barry Eisen teaches personal development seminars and coaches Southern California top producing REALTORS®. “Your business will never grow more than you do” is the theme; self hypnosis and behavior modification are the tools for playing a bigger game. barryeisen.com, barryeisen@LA.twcbc.com 818-769-4300 Top Agent Magazine
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A Compilation of Goals from My Coaching Clients By Walter Sanford
Many times, new coaching clients don’t know what to ask for. They don’t get “turned on” until they hear what others are planning to get. Real estate sales is like a buffet – almost anything you can imagine. My clients tweak lead generation, answer objections with value, speed up the process, and don’t get involved in bad deals or with low/no profit individuals. They start seeing their needs met and then seed capital for the future. It is interesting that many of my second and third year coaching clients have very similar goals. I thought you might be interested in them as well. 1 Transfer 20% of every commission check to an online account like Fidelity.com at the same time as the deposit. 2 Obtain disability insurance. 3 Open a 5-2-9 account for my child’s college education. 4 Set up a plan to pay all non-real estate secured debt that has higher interest rates than the rate on my highest mortgage. 5 Buy one more break even or positive cash flow property with no balloons. 6 Start one in-house lead generation activity aimed at a hot demographic to have less reliance on paid consolidator lead generators. 7 Create a manual for all office activities so we do not forget profitable activities and find it easier to train an assistant. 22
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8 Break database solicitation down to a call session every working day. 9 Buy a good quality, used vehicle with low mileage. 10 Get up a half-hour earlier and read the Bible. 11 Eat all frogs (distasteful activities) in the first hour of office time. 12 Establish vacation and time off goals. 13 Plan capital improvements to rental properties. 14 Buy guns, ammo, dehydrated food, water, generator or other disaster preparedness items. 15 Create better habits including gym time, walking, running, cardio, weightlifting, less sugar, better food. 16 Determine net worth for comparison with future years. 17 Set friend goals – either increase the number or have deeper relationships. 18 Make a will or better yet, a trust. 19 Refinance into fixed rates. 20 Pay all estimated taxes and keep income taxes current. 21 Institute various plans to increase the “at bats” with sellers. 22 Reduce money on buyer generation and move it to seller generation. 23 Fund retirement accounts. 24 De-clutter using eBay and garage sales. 25 Plan fun activities to look forward to with family. These top twenty-five represent most of the ideas contained within my clients’ goals for 2016. I hope this will give you some ideas in finding your passion. Copyright©, 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
To obtain Walter’s training for your business in a seminar or personal coaching, call us at 800.792.5837 to create a plan that works for you. Walter Sanford has been designing and implementing real estate systems for 30 years. One of the most successful REALTORS® and now wealthy from his systems, Sanford teaches his systems and strategies through his products, seminars, and personal coaching producing the best results in the industry. Do what works, do what is proven. Hire Walter Sanford. Call our office at 800.792.5837, email walter@waltersanford.com, or chat with us online at www.waltersanford.com. Top Agent Magazine
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