GEORGIA MORTGAGE EDITION
5 Simple Mindset Shifts That Will Help You ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS HOW TO BUILD A TEAM THAT WILL WIN BIG No Matter its Size COVER STORY
JERRY SMITH
Try vs. DO BODY LANGUAGE: How to Read Your Prospect Like a Book!
GEORGIA MORTGAGE EDITION
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JERRY SMITH
CONTENTS 4) TRY VS. DO 13) BODY LANGUAGE: HOW TO READ YOUR PROSPECT LIKE A BOOK! 18) HOW TO BUILD A TEAM THAT WILL WIN BIG NO MATTER ITS SIZE
21) HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR WORKPLACE FEARS 22) 5 SIMPLE MINDSET SHIFTS THAT WILL HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS
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Try vs Do By Barry Eisen
“Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda (1977) The day is done. It seems you’ve done a million things. Everything went well. You had loads of energy and you’re stoked. Clients listened to you and acknowledged the clarity and wisdom of your suggestions. Your kids paid attention. Even the dog obeyed. Great feelings! Dawns a new day... You wake up groggy, you become a magnet for clients’ frustrations, you feel invisible, the dog spits up on the thick white rug, an associate points out a huge stain on your shirt, a selling appointment cancels and it’s not even 10:00 AM. Know what you are? Normal. Look around and you will find a lot of normal. Stuff happens to us all. To some, who seem to attract more stuff than the rest (something to be said about selffulfilling prophecies) the distractions feel overwhelming and continuous. Some try their best to turn the tide. Trying doesn’t work. Doing does. Effort is appreciated, but accomplishment creates the lifestyle and is a lot more satisfying. 4
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We use the word often and teach our kids to try hard. Think of what the concept of “trying” implies. We are telling ourselves to make the effort. But how often do we confuse effort and activity with accomplishment? Is it not our egos protecting ourselves from the perceived agony of failure by saying...you don’t have to do what it takes, just appreciate the effort. It’s kinda like the controversy raging on today about all kids getting trophies for participating in a competition, even if they came in last place. Maybe rewards for the little ones keep them engaged, but the reality of life for most adults is about accomplishing, not efforting.
Some try their best to turn the tide. One of the surest ways to become a victim is to try. Trying doesn’t When we commit to trying something and fall short work. Doing oftoadosuccess, we can always claim “ I tried.” Even in failure does. we can claim victory as we achieved what we committed to... I tried! Be careful of the words you use as they become converted into action. As in sports, good effort is appreciated, but the ones who want it more generally prevail. They call it Scoreboard.
The “doer” is the person who takes the bigger risk of making the extra effort. Without the risk to continue and create a victory, you create “normal.” It’s safe but unsatisfying. And worse yet, this settling for the lazy way out develops into whining, excuse making, low energy, irritability and much more. Do what’s right, not what’s easy. The best of your intentions won’t create a better relationship, clean up the planet or make you more money. Top Agent Magazine
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7 DO’s to make a difference:
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Leave every part of your day with a positive accomplishment (even a small one).
In every endeavor, act AS IF you were already successful and capable. Show yourself what you CAN DO.
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Do what’s right, not what’s easy.
Read or listen to positive books or recordings at least 30 minutes each day-spend as much time with personal development as you do growing your business. Look for and apply the lessons that feel right.
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Write out your to-do list every night before you go to sleep, whether you feel like it or not and prioritize it. Let it guide you to better decisions during your day.
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Create a Value Added mindset that allows you to under promise and over deliver. That unexpected extra personal touch, that personalized attention, that piece of humanity, the extra door you knock, the thank you, please, your welcome can put you over the top. It is usually the little things that make a difference.
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Develop strong enough “whys” and the “hows” answer themselves. Dig deeper than just an amount of money. Money doesn’t motivate. Figure out what moves you and your focus will become laser-like.
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Follow through and do it not because you “have to,” but because you “get to.” Play, have fun, lighten up and shine. 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 Copyright©, 2016 Barry Eisen. All rights reserved. 818-769-4300
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JERRY SMITH Top Agent Magazine
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JERRY SMITH During his decade of experience in the world of finance, Jerry Smith often worked alongside builders on new construction and land development projects—an aspect of his work that he enjoyed greatly. However, Jerry ultimately decided that a more direct relationship with clients suited him best, and so he made the natural transition to the mortgage industry, where he could pair his prior professional experience with his spirit of service on behalf of clients. Today, Jerry is at the helm of a thriving career, blending Copyright Top Agent Magazine 8
the best of both worlds as Producing Branch Manager at InterLinc Mortgage Services in Columbus, Georgia. Jerry grew up in LaGrange, GA and now lives in Harris County. He works in the surrounding area to foster deep local ties that not only serve his business well, but afford him an expert’s insight into the area’s housing market. With his loan partner located just twenty miles away, over the border in Auburn, Alabama, Jerry’s outfit is able to serve residents Top Agent Magazine
in both states. As the Branch Manager at InterLinc, Jerry heads a team of three loan officers. There, they offer direct lending options through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae in order to assist a variety of homebuyers. Because all aspects of a loan are completed in-house, Jerry and his team are able to set reasonable, forthright expectations and then consistently deliver. Jerry’s branch abides by an expectation calendar, which allowed his team to achieve an impressive average closing time of twenty-two days during 2016. In a market that is as competitive as ever, this timely turnaround is an asset realtors and customers he works with. Top Agent Magazine
Another hallmark of Jerry’s style of client care is the proactive, personalized approach he takes. Alongside realtors, Jerry makes it a point to meet with clients and learn their needs, discuss financing options clearly and up front, and get a sense of their short term and long term goals. An early lesson learned that Jerry takes to heart today is that communication is key to a successful transaction, to acquiring referrals, and to keeping clients coming back in the future. At a minimum, Jerry updates realtors and customers weekly about the status of their file. Never forgetting the family or individual at the heart of every transaction, Jerry puts himself in his Copyright Top Agent Magazine 9
“Our clients—either agents or homebuyers— are relying on us to close, and by maintaining communication, we make sure there are no surprises along the way.” clients’ shoes and delivers the clear communication he himself would expect. “I always remind my trainees and my team that clients are packing up boxes in their house, they’re going through a major life change. The more we communicate, the more confident and at ease our clients will feel throughout the Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10Copyright
process,” he explains. “Our clients—either agents or homebuyers—are relying on us to close, and by maintaining communication, we make sure there are no surprises along the way.” In that vein, one of the most cherished aspects of Jerry’s job is his work with first-time homebuyers and new construction Top Agent Magazine
homes, because he’s able to help an individual or family achieve something they had never accomplished before. Positioning his service toward his local community, Jerry partakes in a variety of charitable and civic engagements. He volunteers his time and knowledge to teach Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University to the local community, empowering area residents on the subjects of money management, credit building, and financial goal-setting. Additionally, Jerry serves on the weekly worship team of his church as a guitarist and singer. Outside of work, Jerry fosters a deep appreciation for the outdoors and Top Agent Magazine
maintains an active lifestyle, hunting, fishing, and bike riding with his family. As for the future, Jerry has aspirations to continue his business’s upward trajectory, strengthening ties to his community and driving more volume through his office. He also has plans to further expand his team of professionals, with hopes to bring on a junior loan officer and an additional loan partner in the time ahead. With multifaceted experience that spans the finance industry to the mortgage world— along with an ethos centered on client-centric service—the years ahead are sure to yield continued success for Jerry Smith and his team. Copyright Top Agent Magazine11
To learn more about Jerry Smith, visit JerrySmithLoans.com, email JSmith@lincloan.com, or call (706) 594-1306 www.
Jerry Smith NMLS#http://www.justingrable.com 649483 InterLinc Mortgage Services, LLC. NMLS ID: 205696. Alabama Consumer Credit License #21702. InterLinc is an Equal Housing Lender. 12Copyright Top Agent Magazine
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Body Language: How to Read Your Prospect Like a Book!
By John Boe Are you aware that your body language gestures reveal your deepest feelings and hidden thoughts to total strangers? The very first sale you must make with each new prospect is to “sell yourself”. If your prospect doesn’t like or trust you, he or she will never even remotely consider buying your product or service. Understanding body language gestures will help you build trust and rapport quickly with your prospects and customers... face-to-face or over the phone. Top Agent Magazine
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Body language is a mixture of movement, posture, and tone of voice. Top sales reps and the most successful managers recognize the importance of nonverbal “buy signals” in the selling process and have learned to “listen with their eyes”. They understand the power of body language and know how to use their gestures and voice tone to establish trust and build rapport quickly. Body language research shows that nonverbal communication has a much greater impact and reliability than the spoken word. Therefore, if your prospect’s words are not congruent with his or her body language gestures, you would be wise to rely on the body language as a more accurate reflection of true feelings. The good news about body language is that you were born knowing the information. This explains why people from different cultures can communicate effectively without having to speak a single word. In the animal kingdom, every cat, dog, bear, horse, etc. on the planet will use the same body language gestures to communicate with each other. For example, when an animal is angry, they will pin their ears back flat against their head. Even though people understand body language instinctively, the meaning of “finger gestures” may change from one culture to another. Finger gestures, such as the V for victory sign or the okay gesture are “learned gestures” created by the culture and the meaning often varies from country to country. For example, on January 23, 1968, the USS Pueblo, a Navy intelligence ship, was engaged in a routine surveillance mission off the North Korean coast when it was intercepted by North Korean patrol boats. The 83-man crew were captured and imprisoned in Pyongyang, where they were interrogated and beaten. In an attempt to gain propaganda value from the crew, the North Koreans conducted a news conference. When photographed during the press conference, some of the ship’s crew expressed their disdain for their captors by sticking out their middle finger. While this finger gesture was noticed by the North Koreans they didn’t understand the disrespectful meaning that the gesture implied. After the photos were released worldwide and the meaning 14
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of the finger gesture was revealed, the North Koreans were politically embarrassed and severely beat the crew. During your sales presentation, it’s critically important to get started on the right foot. Research shows that we decide in the first few moments whether we like someone or not. Yes, we also judge a book by its cover too. There’s absolutely no substitute for a positive first impression. Create a favorable first impression and build rapport quickly by using open body language. In addition to smiling and making good eye contact, you should show the palms of your hands, keep your arms unfolded, and your legs uncrossed. Body language is
a mixture of movement, posture, and tone of voice.
You can build trust and rapport by deliberately, but subtly, “matching and mirroring” your prospect’s body language in the first few minutes of the appointment. For example, if you notice that your prospect starts off the appointment by crossing his or her legs and sitting back in the chair, you should match them by crossing your legs and sitting back in your chair as well. After you believe you have developed trust and rapport, you can verify it by seeing if your prospect will begin matching your gestures. Try leading your prospect into a more open and receptive body language posture by uncrossing your legs and leaning towards the table. If you notice your prospect subconsciously begins matching your body language gestures, congratulations, this indicates that you have laid the foundation of trust and rapport. Conversely, if you notice that your prospect is mismatching your body language gestures, you know trust and rapport has not been established and you need to continue the “matching and mirroring” process. Be mindful to evaluate the flow of “gesture clusters” rather than isolated gestures taken out of context. Listed below are some important body language gestures that you need to become familiar with. There are two basic categories of body postures; Open/Closed and Forward/Back. In an open and receptive body posture, arms are unfolded, legs uncrossed, and palms are exposed. In a closed body posture, arms are folded, legs are crossed and the entire body is usually turned away.
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Body Movement Gestures • Leaning back and closed = Lack of interest • Leaning back and open = Contemplation and cautious interest • Leaning forward and closed = Potential aggressive behavior • Leaning forward and open = Interest and agreement Head Movement Gestures • Head neutral = Neutral and open attitude • Tilted back = Superior attitude “looking down your nose” • Tilted down = Negative and judgmental attitude • Tilted to one side = Interest Facial Gestures • Eye rub = Deceit, “see no evil” • Looking over top of glasses = Scrutiny • Nose rub = Dislike of the subject • Hand or fingers blocking mouth = Deceit, “speak no evil” • Chin stroking = Making a decision • Thumb under chin with index finger pointing vertically along the cheek = Critical judgment Are you missing your prospect’s buy signals? As a professional salesperson you must continuously monitor your prospect’s body language and adjust your presentation accordingly. By understanding your prospect’s body language gestures you will minimize perceived sales pressure and know when it’s appropriate to close the sale! “As the tongue speaketh to the ear, so the gesture speaketh to the eye.” – King James the First (1605) Copyright ©, 2016 John Boe. All rights reserved.
John Boe presents a wide variety of motivational and sales-oriented keynotes and seminar programs for sales meetings and conventions. John is a nationally recognized sales trainer and business motivational speaker with an impeccable track record in the meeting industry. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call 937-299-9001. Free Newsletter available on website. 16
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How to Build a Team That Will Win Big No Matter its Size In the real estate world building a team is a goal almost every agent strives towards achieving. Doing business with a team as opposed to solo has numerous advantages. With more agents handling clients as well as other employees specialized in areas such as marketing and administrative support there to assist you; you can greatly increase your business and sales. 18
So, when creating a team, logic would tell us that the bigger it is, the better, right? Wrong. When it comes to real estate teams, size doesn’t matter so much as the players you bring onto that team to work with you. A team doesn’t have to be big to win big, and here are the secrets to building a team that wins big no matter its size.
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Hire the Right Team Members
Put Your Team Members in the Right Positions to Win
You’ve probably heard the saying, “you’re only as strong as you’re weakest link.” That idea holds true for any kind of team, including those in real estate. If you have weak members on your team, then it’s not possible to have a strong team. Drawing strong team members to your business is essential.
Finding strong team members is just one part of the equation. As the leader of your team, you now have to assess each member’s strengths and weaknesses and position them appropriately. You want the best player for each role playing that part and catering to their strengths. Choose your team member’s roles wisely, and place each individual in the position where their strengths can shine and they can best contribute to a win for the entire team. Every role is important to the team working smoothly and winning as a whole, so it is important to place each team member in the role most suited to his or her skills.
To better understand what kind of person would make a strong addition to your team, you need to ask yourself what skills and characteristics you want your team members to possess. The strongest members are often ones that share their leader’s values. When you share values with your teammates, you are all running along the same course towards the same goal as one. Your definition of a victory in this case is also your teammates’ definition of it. This helps strengthen even the smallest of numbers because you are all working together toward a common goal. Another characteristic too look out for in potential team members is a positive attitude. You can teach someone the skills needed in real estate, but you can’t teach someone how to have a positive attitude. Positive members tend to achieve more due to their optimistic nature, but more importantly, they spread that positive attitude to the rest of the team, which improves every members’ performance. Top Agent Magazine
Communicating Your Vision to Your Team
Your team members are the key ingredients to ultimate victory, but what recipe do you follow now to lead them to victory? That is what communication is for a winning team; the recipe you will use to
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help best utilize each team member and instruct them on how they need to work together to fulfill the recipe that will lead them to be a winning team. Your team members need to know the plan and you must give them the tools to successfully execute it. It is up to the leader of a team to help your players see your vision and help them understand what a victory looks like. The goal may seem simple and obvious to you, but you must communicate it over and over again to your team members, so they understand it as well as you do. With different personalities coming together to form a unit, you are going to be dealing with numerous challenges such as competing agendas. You will find this on any team. You must keep the goal and at the forefront of your player’s minds in order to encourage them to put aside their own personal desires in order to come together as one cohesive, single-minded unit and push towards the team’s goal.
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Give Your Team Members the Tools to Help Them Perform at Their Best The final thing all great leaders do is equip their team members with the proper tools and training needed for them to succeed. You have to show them how they can each come together with their different strengths to work as a team towards one unified goal. This involves more than simple skills training, but also endurance, so they can last as a team and win even those matches that seem unending and impossible. Think of all the challenges that they could possibly face ahead, and clear their path to victory by giving them the necessary training and tools they will need to get past any obstacle. As the leader, you must be prepared to continually communicate the team’s goal and your vision. Use that vision to motivate your team members throughout the journey towards victory.
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How To Overcome Your Workplace Fears Fear is something that can help protect us from danger, but it is also something that can be a hindrance to us in our lives, especially when it keeps us from potentially thriving and growing as a person. This is especially true in the workplace. Here’ a look at some proven ways to overcome common workplace fears.
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ASSESS THE FEELINGS BEHIND THE FEAR
Really owning the emotions that are putting you in a place of fear, is the first step. By just naming it and then talking it out in your head, what exactly you’re feeling and why, it can help deflate the fear. Think of it as releasing some of the fear into the ether. Yes, you’ll still be nervous about your presentation, but a lot of what was holding you back is gone. You’ll feel lighter, and hopefully have just enough butterflies to make your soar.
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TALK ABOUT YOUR FEARS WITH A TRUSTED CO-WORKER
Nothing can make you feel more isolated than going down the path of “This is something that only happens to me.” Trust me, it doesn’t, and you might be surprised to find out that some people have had it even worse. Talking to someone you trust and admire, hearing their own fear horror stories and how they overcame them, will help normalize what you’re feeling. Releasing yourself from the idea that it’s something about you, will be an enormous relief.
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THINK OF THE WORST CASE SCENARIO
Although it might seem counter-productive, truly assessing what the worse outcome of the situation you’re afraid of serves two purposes. It might lead you to realize the worst case scenario isn’t that bad Top Agent Magazine
after all. Of course it could also lead you to a really uncomfortable thought, you could lose your job. As bad as that is, it also gives you an opportunity to start focusing on what really matters, and how you might grow from the experience and possibly end up better off. Countless people in their dream jobs now, were once fired and thought it was the end of the world. Hopefully, that won’t happen to you, but learning to have confidence in your abilities to always find a way, will be a great tool in overcoming fears.
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COMPARTMENTALIZE
If you’re a super-organized type, you might try actually setting aside time in your day to focus on your fears. It might seem odd, but it will let you NOT focus on your fears during the other hours of your day. Think of it as a task, you aren’t just sitting there worrying, you’re taking in your fears and figuring out ways to overcome them.
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START THINKING OF YOUR FEARS AS OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH
Start thinking of fears as challenges. As scary as it might seem to face them, for the most part they are things that can be fixed. A lot of fear is based on inexperience which leads to a lack of confidence. A common fear is workplace evaluations. Instead of looking at it as hearing everything that is wrong about you, think of it as an opportunity to see where you can improve. Going into it with a positive attitude rather than a defensive posture, will make the whole thing better for both parties. Overcoming fears is oftentimes about a simple attitude adjustment. Like anything it takes practice, but the results of that practice will lead to a life that you’re able to thrive in both personally and professionally.
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5 Simple Mindset Shifts That Will Help You Achieve Your Goals
Everyone knows that a positive attitude is one of the key steps to achieving success. It’s very easy to let negativity bring you down and oftentimes, people end up quitting at the first set back. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a negative person, you’re probably doing numerous things you don’t even realize are holding you back. Recognizing these negative mindsets, and then implementing simple mindset shifts, are sure to help you not only create a more positive outlook, but a more successful outcome to whatever goal you’re trying to achieve. 22
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Turn jealousy into admiration
It’s very easy to look at someone who has what you want, and feel envious, which quickly turns into criticism and excuses about why you weren’t able to get what they seemed to get with ease. This is something successful people never do. Instead, they recognize that the only thing keeping them from success is themselves. If you want what someone else has, you should look to them as a role model. What
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are they doing that you aren’t? There’s probably more to their story than you’re giving them credit for. Someone else’s success doesn’t hinder your ability to do the same, but constantly having a ‘life’s not fair’ attitude definitely will.
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Tackle the things you dread doing first
We all procrastinate to some extent. Usually it’s things we don’t want to do. But when you put something like that off, it creates a serious cloud over your whole day. Experts recommend getting those things out of the way first. Not only do get it crossed off your list, but you will feel energized by your accomplishments and tackle the day with even more force.
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Don’t make decisions based on emotion
Reaching goals, especially long term ones, can have a lot of ups and downs. The key to achieving them is to stay level-headed during setbacks, really focusing on your plan and how the setback fits into your long term vision. If you have a solid plan in place, you could be destroying months of hard work with one rash emotional decision, that is probably coming from a place of panic. When you’re feeling emotional...wait. It really is that simple. Wait it out until Top Agent Magazine
you’re back in a rational state of mind and take it from there.
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Learn to love feedback
It’s very easy to be thrown off by negative feedback or constructive criticism. No one likes it. But when it comes to achieving your goals, you need to be able to hear it, assess it and then make an unemotional decision about what it means to you and your success. In fact the business world’s most successful leaders are there because they not only take in that feedback, they actually constantly ask for it. Fresh perspectives on what you’re doing are always valuable. When you’re in the thick of it, it can be hard to see what needs improvement. Asking a trusted peer or advisor can be instrumental in keeping the momentum on reaching your goal going.
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Replace a fixed mindset with a growth mindset
You might be wondering what the difference between the two are. A fixed mindset thinks that growing intelligence or skills is impossible, while a growth mindset thinks those things can be developed. People with a growth mindset are more likely to expand beyond their comfort zone, since they really believe almost anything is possible with hard work. And if it isn’t? They’re willing to give it a try. Being willing to try and fail, is a key element to reaching even the most lofty goals.
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