GEORGIA MORTGAGE EDITION
ARE YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLS COSTING YOU MONEY? A COMPILATION OF GOALS FROM MY COACHING CLIENTS
I'LL TAKE 2 POUNDS OF CONFIDENCE AND 3 POUNDS OF SELF-ESTEEM! COVER STORY
DAWN KENDALL
GEORGIA MORTGAGE EDITION
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DAWN KENDALL
CONTENTS 4) ATTITUDE! 13) I'LL TAKE 2 POUNDS OF CONFIDENCE AND 3 POUNDS OF SELFESTEEM!
18) ARE YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLS COSTING YOU MONEY? 22) A COMPILATION OF GOALS FROM MY COACHING CLIENTS
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Attitude! By Verl Workman
My father was a former Marine and I learned as a small child that there is no such thing as an ex- Marine! He used to wake us up early in the morning by yelling “Reveille� and all seven of us children would march up the stairs to have a family breakfast together. As a high 4
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school history teacher, Dad was big on education and drove home the importance of being good in school and paying attention. One year he had a group of students from his AP (advanced placement) classes compete in a nationwide model United Nations project where the students would deal with world issues. His class from Skyline High School in Utah won the national award in Washington DC where they competed and received that great honor. Dad was very proud of his students and their accomplishment. He talked about that award for years. I suggested to my dad one time that he was lucky because he had all the smart kids from his AP classes and could pick the smartest students in the school to compete. He looked me in the eye and raised his left eyebrow and said this “Son, I work with some of the smartest kids, but I choose to work with the kids who have the best attitudes.” He went on to say that “it doesn’t matter how smart you are if you don’t have a good attitude”. That conversation made a deep impression on me and has been one of my favorite memories of my father. In this challenging real estate market many agents find themselves faced with some difficult choices—but the most important choice we can make today is to keep a positive attitude and take action when others are simply whining and looking for excuses for failure. There are enormous opportunities today in every market. The business out there may not be your favorite type of business and it may not be the most fun, but if you have the right attitude, you can not only make money, you can thrive today. Here are a few simple things you can do each day to keep moving in the right direction: • GET up • Get showered and dress for success Top Agent Magazine
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• Get into a productive work environment • Prospect 2-3 hours every day • Work your most profitable business (your database) • Look for real buyers and generate buyer leads from every source possible (buyers are paychecks) • Surround yourself with positive people that are goal focused and happy Hire a coach that can give you direction and guidance and hold you accountable to do the right things in your business We are blessed to live in this country where we can work for ourselves and enjoy all of the freedoms that make this such a wonderful place to live. We have our families, health, and skills that allow us to help people and we get paid very well for the service we provide. And we have technology and resources that allow us to do our jobs better. It is now up to each one of us to get going, stay positive and keep our attitudes in check. The first time I visited my Dad’s classroom I saw the sign above his desk that simply said this “Attitude is more important than Aptitude.” To this day, I believe that simple quote has made a great impact on my life and career. I love what I do! Verl Workman is a leading national speaker, coach and consultant. Despite his busy speaking schedule, and role as co-founder of Pinnacle Quest Consulting Group, he still sells real estate so that he can test and stay abreast of the latest tools and techniques that maximize results. He uses that knowledge to assist individuals and companies in building effective business strategies, implementing powerful technology solutions, and establishing strategic competitive advantages through coaching, seminars and private consultations. To contact Verl visit www.verlworkman.com. ©Verl Workman. All rights reserved. 6
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DAWN KENDALL 7
“I’m pretty laid back, but I get the job done and done well. My marketing slogan is “Keep Calm and Call Dawn’and that really says it all.”
DAWN KENDALL NMLS #450804 Dawn Kendall had never considered a career as a loan officer, but a chance encounter introduced her to the industry that has led to twelve years of remarkable success. “I was waiting tables at the time while I got my degree in IT, and a couple guys came in who were mortgage professionals, clearly doing really well. I looked into it after that and knew that if given the chance, with my strong work ethic and my customer service 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine
skills, I could really thrive as a loan officer. They got me my first industry job and here I am twelve years later loving (mostly) every minute of it.” Dawn is currently with Homestar Financial Corporation, a full-service mortgage banker controlling every aspect of the loan process with in-house processing, underwriting, closing and funding of each mortgage transaction. Although Top Agent Magazine
they excel at every type of loan, they specialize in 100 % no money down USDA Rural Development Loans and have closed more of those type of loans than any other company in Georgia for the last six years. Dawn is currently a branch manager with the company and is licensed in GA, FLA,SC and AL. Dawn has really built her reputation on not only providing a seamless experience for her clients, but by also making the sometimes stressful process fun. “The first step to having the process go smoothly is really with providing open, constant and honest communication. We Top Agent Magazine
answer the phone and we do what we say we’re going to do. There’s no fluff or nonsense with me and I’m very accountable. One of the biggest complaints in this business is lack of communication, so my whole team really prioritizes that aspect of our customer service, and we always communicate in our client’s preferred method. I’m available 7 days a week. Our customers text us, Facebook us. Whatever they prefer. That being said, I’m pretty laid back, but I get the job done and done well. My marketing slogan is “Keep Calm and Call Dawn’ and that really says it all. There’s no reason you can’t have fun throughout this process. I Copyright Top Agent Magazine 9
think one of the reasons we stand out is that we have a good time with it . You can be serious and knowledgeable and fun all at the same time. People know they can count on us. An active member of her community, Dawn can often be seen out and about, staying connected to her referral partners, through social visits or even going to their team meetings, anything she can do to stay in front of them and learn how to better serve them. Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10Copyright
She is also an active supporter of the charitable endeavors organized through the Keller Williams office she works closely with. “We really participate in whatever they have going on, including food drives and Toys for Tots, and one of my best referral partners is very active with the Veterans Center so we do all we can to help them as well.” When she isn’t working she enjoys spending time on the lake with her husband and her two young children. “Lake properties are also a huge part of what I do. I love homes on the water. They are all Top Agent Magazine
so unique. It was our dream to have a lake house of our own, and we got it! We named our first baby “Lake.” It is safe to say my husband and I have a bit of a lake obsession. He’s just amazing, and I wouldn’t be able to shine without his love and support. Huge shouts out to LANCE! He’s the best. Dawn couldn’t be more thrilled with how far she’s come and wants to keep growing at an organic rate, and continue providing her unique personable service to even more people. Top Agent Magazine
“Acquiring a home loan has a stigma of being a horrible process, but it can be fun. There’s nothing I love more than turning that opinion around for people. Our tagline is, “We turn no’s into yes’s”. When you start out, you take a lot of people’s turndowns and that’s what I cut my teeth on. I’m really good at figuring out hard cases and it’s turned into my favorite part of my job. When someone’s been turned down and feeling deflated, and you can turn that around for them, that’s a really good feeling.” Copyright Top Agent Magazine11
To learn more about DAWN KENDALL NMLS #450804 call 770-780-7368, email dawn@homestarfc.com or visit Keep Calm and Call Dawn-Home Loans on Facebook Branch NMLS #1361294 Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee #75824 Branch #33207 MLO AL #64404 FL #LO37262 SC #MLO-450804
http://www.justingrable.com 12Copyright Top Agent Magazine
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I’ll Take 2 Pounds of Confidence and 3 Pounds of Self-Esteem! By Barry Eisen
At least a few times per month I get emails and/or calls asking me to help develop confidence and a positive self-esteem. When you’re hot you’re hot and when you’re not, you’re not. Life has its ups and downs and occasionally everyone feels like they’ve run out of gas and nothing they seem to do works. When you’re in a slump the world can look overwhelming and against you. The more you think about you’re victimhood, the more out of control you feel.What you focus upon becomes larger. Confidence, positive self-esteem...these are just words and something experienced many moons ago. Talk it out with your spouse? Sure. See a therapist? Maybe. Get a coach? Good idea. Call a hypnotist...that’s where I come in, but maybe not in an obvious way. Top Agent Magazine
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Hypnosis can be of help in so many areas such as controlling weight, memory improvement, reading faster, stopping smoking, becoming a great public speaker, prospecting and growing a business, eliminating fears, becoming a better golfer/tennis player/baseball player etc., sleeping and energy, controlling pain control in dentistry and child birthing, improving wellness, passing tests and so much more. This is not an over statement. Hypnosis is a performance enhancer because it taps into the best parts of who we are to make the changes necessary to make the changes to evolve ourselves. But “programming” ones mind for confidence and positive self-esteem is not something I’ve seen done effectively. The subconscious says, “What does that mean?” “Give me a picture, what do you want?” Read any neuroscience to know (or simply use common sense) that the subconscious needs specific direction (words, pictures and supportive feelings) for these clear messages to be acted upon. A general business plan is usually a recipe for disaster. A poor teaching plan will confuse students. Mixed general messages given to a 3 year old will produce erratic behavior. A loose navigation plan will have ships traveling in circles. Just like many people. Instead of working on confidence and positive self-esteem, does it make sense to instead, work on a solid business target of success and develop a business plan that will get you there? If you’re planning for the future, is it not a better idea to set an end result and develop strategies that will make it happen? If you’re looking for better health, doesn’t it make sense to set a target for excellence and back it up with a realistic exercise and eating approach that will insure success? The confidence and self-esteem will come along automatically. Create the goal, take action, do the work, be consistent. Your business will never grow more than you do. Your health will never get better without you stretching out beyond who you now are. Your relationships will never be more secure and supportive than you are of yourself. Your confidence and self-esteem will never grow without a reason. 14
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Before you therapy or drug yourself into confidence and self-esteem, at least try (Oh! I hate that word) the 10 organic following ideas for 2-3 weeks.
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Set goals that stretch you out and force you to grow. You can’t be depressed when you’re learning something. Learning takes you out of your egocentric predicament.
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Create timelines/target dates for goal accomplishments. This establishes a sense of urgency. It puts a little “gitty up” in your step and mind.
List your actions of the day on your To-Do list and prioritize all items. Doing the A’s and crossing each off as done, will put a smile on your face and a jolt of small energy in your life. (Accomplishment feels good. Could you use some “feel good”/self-esteem?) You’ll start looking forward
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to these little positive jolts and do what is necessary to have them. If I was talking cocaine...that would be a bad thing, but since I’m talking non drug human motivation...that would be a good thing.
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If you’re just feeling flat for no obvious reason, take on an interest/ hobby/project that’s been on your mind in the past. Learning stimulates blood flow to different parts of the brain and increases endorphin flow. (E.g. Calligraphy, sailing, martial arts, reading sci-fi, etc.)
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Follow through like your hair’s on fire. Show yourself what you CAN DO! Create some appropriate reward for the accomplishment. Balance your life with goals in physical, financial, emotional, educational, family, social and spiritual areas. Sometimes more is better. Purposely smile more, laugh easier, hold eye contact a little more (obviously, not in a creepy way) and present a stronger posture.
Learn to relax to slow down, put things in perspective, ask yourself how you feel and how you’re doing 2 or 3 times during your day. Don’t let the day rule you. Be present. Pay attention.
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Act “AS IF” you were already doing things with confidence, making decisions with authority and living the life you want to live. You become what you think about. 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
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Are Your Presentation Skills Costing You Money?
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ometimes we’re so focused on technology and education that we forget this is a “people business”. And, a great deal of the money you make comes from your ‘point of contact’ skills. What do I mean by that? Lead generating dialogues and presentation dialogues. Yet, how much do we work on those verbal skills? Unfortunately, communication sales skills have gotten short shrift in the last decade. Why? I think it’s because many of us are so challenged by technological changes. But, slow down. Think about how you actually make money. It’s at point of contact. Getting better at point of contact skills translates into more money in less time.
We’re All Presenters Everyone in the real estate business presents: Agents present, when they are doing listing or buyer presentations. Managers present when they are recruiting, or doing their office meetings. Mortgage and title 18
By Carla Cross
When you’re doing a listing presentation, what do you want to happen? You want them to sign the listing agreement when you’re done. reps present when they are in front of a group of agents in an office, talking about their services. So, doesn’t it make sense to become ‘killer’ at those presentations? You’ll double your money and halve your time.
Bug Off: I Do Okay Just Like I Am Yeah. I know. As a musician, I’ve worked with literally hundreds of people who thought they ‘played good enough.’ Some people just get to a certain performance level and leave it there. Have you ever thought that, often, our presentation strategies (or lack of) work in spite of us, not because of us? As a musician, I know the thrill of performing at high levels. So, open your mind and consider
stepping up to a higher presentation level. Not only will you have personal satisfaction, you’ll make more money! Now, let’s tackle one set of presentation skills: Organizing that presentation effectively. Having heard listing presentations that wander all around the world, I know the importance of effective presentation organization.
Three Steps to Organize Your Presentation to Knock Their Socks Off Most of the time, we just get in front of people and say whatever we think of first. That leads to some big presentation mistakes, and costs us ‘sales.’ Instead of stumbling through a presentation, why not organize it to Copyright Top Top Agent Agent Magazine
grab their attention, persuade them to your way of thinking, and motivate them to action? You can. In my new resource, Knock Their Socks Off: Tips to Make Your Best Presentation Ever, I show a simple three-step format to create your persuasive presentation. No matter why you’re in front of people, we need to be persuasive Think about it. When you’re doing a listing presentation, what do you want to happen? You want them to sign the listing agreement when you’re done. So, it’s extremely important that you organize your listing presentation using a persuasive format, not just an information-heavy dialogue flow.
Grab Their Attention in the Opening Have you thought about your opening? Or, are you nervously standing at the sellers’ door, worried about what you’re going to say? Are you hiding in your office because you dread doing that sales meeting? When we haven’t organized our presentation, we come up with some really boring, off-putting openings, like: I won’t take much of your time, but... Copyright Agent Magazine Top Agent Top Magazine
We have a lot to cover today We won’t get through the outline I know you don’t want to listen, but... I’m not really prepared
You just open your presentation book, point to the pretty pages, and say, “here’s a keybox” (I’m not kidding. I’ve seen it….) Great openings, yes? Yet, we’ve heard them dozens of times. You don’t have to settle for whatever 19
If you’re doing a presentation to sellers, one of the major objectives of your presentation is to persuade them to your listing price point of view. comes ‘naturally.’ Instead, make your openings: Provocative Interesting Different Engaging I just attended a ‘Train the Trainer’ session (yes, I still learn great stuff every day!), where the trainer said it was important to engage the audience in a meaningful way in the first two minutes of your presentation. I think that’s a great rule to follow today, because people’s attention spans are the length of a gnat’s eyebrow. So, the next time you attend a presentation, see how much time elapses before the speaker/presenter/trainer gets the audience into meaningful action. I don’t mean to ask a rhetorical question, either!
A Middle That Educates Your ‘Audience’ to Your Point of View In the middle of your pres20
entation, add those stories, statistics, and visuals that support your point of view. By the way, as you create that presentation, jot down your point of view. If you’re doing a presentation to sellers, one of the major objectives of your presentation is to persuade them to your listing price point of view.
Retention is Key
Why Use Visuals?
Three days later:
There are two reasons to use visuals in your presentation:
We retain 10% of the information when we hear it
We believe what we see
We retain 65% of the information when we hear and see it
We retain the information much longer As you organize your presentation, ask yourself:
Have you ever met with sellers or buyers, given them lots of information—and then had them question you about it a few days later—as if they never heard you—or heard you backwards? That’s because people don’t hear and retain very well. Look at the statistics:
So, use visuals to prove your points, not to merely show pretty pictures of houses.
The Ending: What are the main, and fre- Back to the Beginning quently, unspoken objections my ‘audience’ will have? How do I educate them to show them the reasoning behind my point of view?
Have you thought about your wrap-up? Or, like many presenters, does your ending sound like this? Copyright Top Top Agent Agent Magazine Magazine
Well, that’s all. What do you think?
pop tunes are constructed with this format:
We’re out of time. Thank you. I hope you’ll list with me
theme—variation—theme
I don’t have time to close. I couldn’t get to much of the material, but you can read it In fact, even the most professional presenters frequently have trouble with their endings. One of the main reasons is that they run out of time. Another is that they haven’t thought the ending through.
How to Do a Stunning Ending Crafting an effecting ending is the second most important part of your presentation. (The first is the opening). To craft a great ending, Go back to your beginning opening theme Summarize the benefits of going ahead with you/take action Motivate your ‘audience’ to take action
A Great Presentation is Crafted Like a Pop Song As a musician, I know that all Top Agent Top Magazine Copyright Agent Magazine
This is known in the music business as the ABA format. Think of your favorite pop tune: Hum the beginning. Think of the end. They’re alike, right? It’s the middle— known as the ‘bridge’—that is the humdinger. It wanders all around. Your persuasive presentation should be crafted like that pop tune: A. A compelling start (think Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, etc.) B. An interesting, developed middle, with stories, statistics A. Back to that theme, with a motivating ending Now, you’re all set to craft a great listing or buyer presentation, great recruiting meeting or sales meeting, or awesome product/service presentation to any audience.
Carla Cross, CRB, MA, President of Carla Cross & Co., is an international speaker, coach, and resource provider specializing in real estate management. A former master level CRB instructor, and National REALTOR® Educator winner, Carla was recently named one of the 50 most influential women in real estate. For a free document on standards to establish, email Carla at Carla@carlacross. com and ask for standards document. Carla has written six internationally published books, and provides coaching programs for management, including her affordable inoffice coaching programs Up and Running in 30 Days and On Track to Success in 30 Days for Experienced Agents, which provide standards, focus, and accountability. Reach Carla at 425-392-6914 or www.carla cross.com.
P. S. Practice! Many more tips on presentations and presentation skills are in my new resource, Knock Their Socks Off: Tips to Make your Best Presentation Ever.
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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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