Realtors©… Eliminate Stress And Maximize Production

Wade Webb on October 6, 2021

realtors eliminate stress maximize productionHere’s a quick recap of the last 20 months… Start. Stop. Start again. Go. Go. Go! Never slow down! 2020 started with a bang, the real estate market was hot, then Covid introduced tons of tragedy, fear and uncertainty… and pretty much brought real estate to a standstill. Then a few months later, things opened back up and have been rocketing full speed ahead ever since. Put simply… it’s been a stressful period for real estate agents everywhere and including myself. I just want to check in and make sure you’re doing okay. I’m not a medical professional. But I genuinely care about your well-being, as I do for all of my own agents in my brokerage. So let’s jump into some ways to maximize your productivity while maintaining sanity, eliminating stress and avoiding burnout…

1. How Are Your Routines? – If you let it, this business will pull you in a million different directions all at once. So what’s the solution? Routines! Even if challenges are popping up left and right, routines keep you on track by telling you what to do and when to do it. With the discipline to stick to your routines, the most important aspects of your business never get ignored. (Lacking that discipline? We can help.) Ultimately, routines put you in control. If you’re feeling frazzled and lacking structure, check your routines. And if you haven’t established any routines, it’s time to take a step back and do so. (We can help with that, too.)

2. Self-Care: Take Your M.E.D.S. Daily – The acronym “M.E.D.S.” is an easy way to remember four essential components of daily life: Meditation, exercise, diet and sleep. If you’re not doing these things consistently and healthfully, it’s time to start. Meditation – Everybody needs some “me time” to decompress, look inward, breathe deeply and recharge your batteries. Whether or not you engage in traditional meditation is up to you, but I’d suggest you set aside time to clear your mind on a daily basis. Exercise – Ask yourself the questions like “What did you do this week to get your heartbeat up?” or “How many times did you walk your dog since we last talked?” to the people he coaches. It’s a great reminder that you can’t simply work 24/7 and expect to achieve a healthy lifestyle. If you’re a morning person, I strongly suggest you add a workout to your morning routine. If you’re a night person, make a habit of going straight to the gym after work. If you’re not a “gym person” at all, find something that gets your body moving on a regular basis. Diet – When your schedule gets busy and time gets scarce, it’s easy to neglect eating the right things. Don’t let yourself lean on that flimsy excuse. Put in a little more effort and make eating right a priority. Sleep – Working long hours and late nights leads directly to not getting enough sleep. Make sure your body is getting the rest it requires to keep you at your best.

3. When’s Your Day Off? – If I asked to look at your calendar, would I see at least one full day off every week? If you’re working 24/7 and never giving yourself time off, you’re headed to a dark place. To maintain your energy and maximize your productivity, make sure you’re taking at least one day off every week. You also need to schedule a vacation or two. Get away from the business and go do something you love. You’ll definitely be better for it in the long run. (And if you have the right systems in place, you should be able to do this without sacrificing productivity anyway.)

4. Get Help When You Need It. – After taking some time off to recharge your batteries, you should feel rejuvenated and excited about the business again. If you’re doing the things I’ve talked about above… Relying on your routines, Getting exercise, eating right and sleeping well. Taking time off and getting away from the business …and you’re still not clicking into high gear, your issue may go beyond burnout into depression. If that sounds like a possibility, don’t keep it bottled up inside you! You’ve been through a lot. Don’t carry that stress further than you need to. Talk to someone. Seek out therapy and/or appropriate mental health assistance. Here’s to a strong finish to 2021 and a healthy and prosperous 2022!

Strength and courage,
Wade

A Scary Trend In The Real Estate Industry

Wade Webb on June 23, 2021

scary trend real estate industryThe way our industry is progressing today we can expect a large portion of sales possibly 40-50% generated by agents in the business will have been paid for either by a fee for service, subscription or referral fee % charged to the agents’ commissions.

Why?

How can that be possible Wade? Because everywhere you look, people and companies are trying to wedge their way into our industry… to become that “go to” resource as the first step in the buying or selling process – all so they can sell you a lead… …A lead that should have come directly to you in the first place! A lead that they used your inventory that they scraped and placed on their own platform and charged back their fee for you to have it.

When you’re suddenly paying 25-42 percent on a transaction, that will mean just one thing – you’ll need to work much harder to maintain the same income you’re earning now.

Sound good to you? No, it doesn’t. Of course not.

So let’s do something about it. Here’s the thing – this isn’t a simple fix. Those Big Tech entities pursuing your pocketbook already have deep pockets of their own. They’ll out-fox you, out-spend you and out-market you – if you let them. This dilemma requires you to get really serious about your business and do the work. I don’t say that to imply you’re not serious or you’re not doing the work already. Some agents are. Some aren’t.

The strong will emerge victorious from this battle because they built their moat and protected their castle by doing the right things. The way I see it, it boils down to three big-picture actions you need to take. Let’s look at those action steps.

Step One: Establish Trust Through a Powerful Personal Brand – Who do you want to work with? People you know, like, and trust. Right? Now ask yourself… does your current marketing allow people to know you, like you and trust you? If not, it’s time to finally build your own brand. If you don’t have the creativity or inclination to do it yourself, hire a professional marketer or an agency to do it for you. Without a strong brand, you simply can’t compete with the Zillows and Redfins of the world, even in your local market. Which means you’d better get used to paying those referral fees and working extra hard to make the same money.

Step Two: Proactively Educate and Inform Consumers – How do I? How can I? Should I? Answer the consumers questions. Once you’ve established a brand identity, one of the quickest ways to elevate it is by consistently providing consumers in your market with relevant, useful real estate information. Whether it’s a direct mail campaign, email/BombBomb campaign, social media – you need to establish yourself as the definitive source of real estate information inside your marketplace. (Think “video first” to accelerate your ascent.) Send them an unsolicited CMA. Keep them informed of local sales, market trends, tips and tricks. Don’t be afraid to have some fun, too, to inject some of your personality. Be the knowledge broker for these people so when that day comes, YOU are top of mind.

Step Three: Make Your Calls and Stay in Touch – Branding and education will protect you from Big Tech to an extent, but to completely encircle your business with a protective moat…You’ve got to pick up the phone and make your calls! Put simply, you can’t rely on the consumer to make the call – unless you love the sight of competitors’ yard signs sprinkled throughout the neighborhoods you (supposedly) serve. Call them, build rapport, get to know these people. They’re your lifeblood. You don’t have to be “salesy.” You can be yourself, reach out, ask how they’re doing, see if they have any real estate questions, and move on. But you’ve got to make the effort. This is a full contact sport and a relationship business and keeping in touch and checking in on people is key to our relationship with our clients. Now that you know these three “big picture” steps, the question becomes – Are you willing to do the work? Protecting your business from Big Tech will be a big part of your future. I hope you’re as concerned about this trend as I am and let’s reverse the trend!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Taking Control Of Our Thoughts

Wade Webb on May 19, 2021

realtor taking control thoughtsThe human mind cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is not real. Think about the fact that Fear starts within your own mind, which means that your mind can help you overcome them if you give it a chance. If you want to move beyond your fear, you have to learn to discipline your mind. Whether in your personal life or in your real estate business your mind can be your biggest enemy or your biggest asset—it’s truly up to you. If you want your mind to be your friend, you’ll have to take control of the way you think. Many people aren’t intentional with their thinking; they allow whatever thoughts bubble up into their minds to have priority, as if they have no control over what they think about. I fully believe that your mind is something you must protect and take charge of; in the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippian church that we must take control over what we think.

 

Paul put it this way: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things” (Phil. 4:8).

 

Notice what Paul says we should think about: things that are good, noble, right, pure, lovely— it’s essentially the original call to the power of positive thinking! The content we think about has the power to transform our minds, something that Paul wrote about in his letter to the Romans when he said, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). If you’re tired of thinking negative, self- defeating thoughts that are darkened by fear, then you have to turn your thoughts to good, noble, and right things in order to renew your mind. It’s a challenge, because for some people, the power of positive thinking is really just the power of denial of negative thoughts. But denial doesn’t help you grow; denial doesn’t renew your mind. Only turning your thoughts to things that are good and healthy can do that.

 

Learning to renew your mind this way is crucial because, in my experience, there are plenty of people who will go out of their way to challenge your thinking and make you doubt. This has happened to me before some of my walks. People always focus on the potential negative outcomes, the possibilities of my failing and falling. I understand why they ask—they simply cannot imagine doing what I do because they cannot imagine overcoming what I’ve overcome. Their minds go only to the dark and negative places, and that’s where they expect me to go when they ask questions. But negativity is a vacuum—it will suck you in and hold you there, a trap that will disengage you from your visions and goals. That’s why I always encourage people to remove anyone and anything negative from their lives. You can’t live in the negative realm and overcome your fears, which means you can’t be around people who live there. Negative people will always want you to be negative.

 

Disciplining your mind will require sacrifices, but it will give you freedom. Start by writing down your thoughts so you can examine them. Take an hour and write down everything that comes into your head, without filtering it. Then, after the hour is up, take a look at what you’ve written down. Is it mostly positive or mostly negative? Full of doubt or full of faith? Look at the pattern because you’ll either need to break it or encourage it, depending on whether or not it’s building you up toward what’s good.

 

When you discipline your thoughts and where you allow them to go, you begin to move in the direction of your dreams. This discipline is crucial because it is the foundation for your future, and when you have a firm foundation, even if you fall, you get back up that much quicker. Build a firm foundation by surrounding yourself with positive people and positive things. Fill your mind with positive music and messages, positive words and images. Avoid putting destructive or hurtful junk into your brain, because what you put in you’ll inevitably get out.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Dealing With Uncertainty as a REALTOR©

Wade Webb on May 5, 2021

dealing with uncertainty as a realtorIf this year has taught us anything, it’s uncertainty. Although we may see the light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine accessible to most, it’s going to take a while to shake off the trauma 2020 delivered. Uncertainty flooded our everyday lives—between not knowing when our health and safety wouldn’t be under threat, to not understanding the different restrictions state to state, to simply not knowing when our daily lives would resume to normal. It was tough to swallow. But this is not the only time in our lives that we will face uncertainty. 2020 was unique because uncertainty plagued all of our lives. Typically, uncertainty strikes different people at different times. Ideally, the following tips will help aid you through this year, but also in years to come. Here are some best practices on how to cope when uncertainty strikes:

  1. Uncertainty is never permanent. Or better put, uncertainty is always temporary. No matter what you’re going through, this period of crisis will pass. No matter how long ago March 2020 feels, we all know that at some point our lives will return to normal. Although we don’t know when that will happen, it’s comforting to know that every stressful season of uncertainty is temporary. Hold on to the knowledge that the stress and anxiety has an expiration date, regardless of how acute it feels today.
  1. Predictability = safety + security. In order to feel like we are in control, we need two things: safety and security. Without either, our lives tend to feel like they’re spiraling. That’s why 2020 felt so chaotic and traumatic for so many; our daily routines and coping mechanisms were stripped away because of safety concerns. Without our typical fallbacks, we felt insecure. And for obvious reasons, many of us did not feel safe all year. So whenever you feel out of control with no method to predict what’s coming next, try to ground yourself through safety and security. Create a routine and stick to it. Focus on things that are inside of your control instead of depending on others to follow through (cc: mask etiquette). Together, these aspects can give you a sense of predictability and control in your life.
  1. Hold space for negative emotions. PSA: It is absolutely OK to not be OK. Sometimes, it’s absolutely necessary to not feel OK. We as a culture have a problem with toxic positivity. We love to airbrush over troubled times and pretend that everything is peachy keen, even as the world as we know it is crumbling around us. Thanks, Instagram! Combat this urge to gloss over the ugly emotions by embracing them. Give them a name. Understand them. Ask them to come inside and offer them a warm beverage and a salty snack. Welcome them with curiosity and compassion. And once you get to know them, release them back to where they came from. Trying to sweep negative emotions under the rug only gives them more power. They exist. And they’re not going anywhere until you give them acknowledgement, and sometimes, a voice. This doesn’t mean you have to be consumed by them. In fact, holding space for negative emotions does just the opposite. It gives them a time and a place to be heard so they can leave in a timely manner and not wreak havoc on the rest of your day. This is why so many people tend to bounce back. They acknowledge their emotions and therefore make room for other positive emotions soon after.So don’t be afraid to get comfortable with the icky feelings you’re actively trying to push away. The sooner you make space for them, the sooner they’ll pass.
  1. Accept your reality. During times of acute uncertainty, it’s almost instinctual to wish for easier times. We love to recreate reality in our imagination in order to cope. But we can’t change our reality. And when the dissonance between what we wish was reality and what is actually reality comes to a head, it’s easy to feel despondent and depressed. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Instead, accept the reality of whatever situation you’re in and work to adapt to that. If you continue to force a false narrative on yourself, you’ll spin your wheels until you are forced to surrender. Instead, get creative within your reality.  For example, plenty of 2020 brides eloped instead of having the 200-person gala, and ended up loving their intimate moments. Zoom happy hours replaced restaurant happy hours. Romantic restaurants with all of the fixings popped up in living rooms everywhere. Those who made the best of what they could were also the ones who quickly accepted the new norm and adjusted in suit. The quicker you can accept your reality and abandon your fantasies, the easier dealing with the real world will be.
  1. Simplify your life. “K-I-S-S. Keep it simple, stupid” If you try to overwhelm yourself with the complexities of life during any time of uncertainty, you’re just piling it on yourself for absolutely no reason. Go back to the basics. What do you need to accomplish today? You probably need to get out of bed, feed yourself, clean yourself, clothe yourself, do your job (whatever that entails), take time for yourself, connect with others and sleep. So please don’t try to make it any more difficult for yourself than it already is. When in survival mode, we need the basics to anchor us. The things that we know we need to do, and that we even like to do, during times of crisis. The rest can fall off until things stabilize. So if you are pressuring yourself to do more than necessary, you’re only adding additional chaos to an already delicate situation. Go easy on yourself. Keep it simple. There will be a time in the future when things will go back to normal, and you can be your complicated, over-achieving, hard-worker self. I promise.
  1. Set yourself up for success. Humans love progression. We like feeling in control of our situations, and we like seeing growth happening right before our eyes. So one of the easiest ways to feel better about yourself during times of acute uncertainty, is to create small actionable goals for yourself to cross off a list. Seriously, the smaller the better. Think: taking your supplements; drinking a certain amount of water per day; walking X amount of steps; cleaning your room… Hell, taking a shower can even count on some days. And, each and every time you achieve one of your small goals, celebrate. Give yourself a pat on the back for surviving during one of the harder times of your life. We don’t give ourselves enough credit most days – and in times like this – we could use all of the self-confidence we can get. So be sure to show up for yourself by keeping the small promises you’re making, and by celebrating when you’ve followed through with them.
  1. Practice self-care. Self-care can be defined as anything you do to rest, reset or reflect. At its best, self-care is used to refill your cup. We all need to nourish ourselves and our energy, and the best and fastest way to do this is to engage in self-care. However, self-care is typically the first thing that goes out the window during times of crisis. We decide we have to focus on everything else—our jobs, our finances, our families, and our friends. But without caring for ourselves first, the rest of these will inevitably suffer. Even though it feels impossible, carve out time for yourself.  If you neglect yourself, you won’t be able to show up as your full self whenever times are tough. Replenish your energy and invest in your own happiness and relaxation. You’ll see the benefits rather quickly if you stay consistent. To everyone feeling hyper-stressed out thanks to a grueling year, I’m with you. I hope these tips bring you some comfort, solace and relief from the chronic pressure you’ve been experiencing. And remember, uncertainty is never permanent. This will pass. But in the meantime, these tips will help you cope until we are back into our natural routines and rhythms.

Strength and courage,
Wade

The Magic Words Of Influence & Impact for Realtors©

Wade Webb on March 24, 2021

words influence power realtorsOne of my personal favorite books of all time is Phil M Jones’s book “Exactly What To Say” and he shares some of the most powerful words for agents to know and understand in their sales careers and this week we want to share some of these fantastic insights and phrases with all our readers and a shout out to Phil Jones and his book as well. The forgotten art of spoken communication and the power of choosing the right words at the right time and how to say them will mean you getting chosen between others in the industry. The agents that continue to get the business is purely based on their ability with their word choices. These magic words speak directly to the humans subconscious brain and the part of the brain that makes yes or no decisions and avoids the maybes.

 

1. I’m not sure this is for you, but ……

The customer hears I’m not sure this is for you and gets a sense that there’s no pressure and also increases their intrigue what it is that may not be for them and fires an internal decision needs to be made.

The real magic is in the 3 letter word BUT and should be avoided in all conversations. This magic word negates anything prior to it and is forgotten by the other persons. So when using these set of words be certain to speak in rejection free manner.

I am not sure this is for you but do you happen to know someone that would be?!
I am not sure this is for you but this property could generate a positive monthly cash flow of $450  (share the benefits to them)
I am not sure this is for you but this property will most likely not last long on the market.

Two things will happen… they will lean in and ask for more details or the will say they will give it some thoughts. Rejection to you averted! No negation on words that you spoke by them!

 

2. Open Minded. How Open Minded Are You…..

If you ask a large number of people if they are open minded I am sure they would say yes. The reason is nobody wants to seem themselves as closed minded.

When introducing a brand new idea to someone open with How Open Minded Are You and then follow up that with the scenario you want them to opt into. Odds increase from 50/50 to more like 90/10

Natural attracts people to the ideas you want them to buy into.

-How open minded would you be
Giving this a chance?

-Increasing your living space and having more room for the family?
Seeing if we could work together?

This set of words makes someone feel obligated to explore the opportunity or uncomfortable rejecting you. It seems like you are giving them a choice but your actually heavily weighting the one option to them. Everybody wants to be open minded.

 

3. What Do You Know About…

How often do we find ourselves speaking with someone that leads to a debate of someone that knows more than us. To be a person of influence we need to be able to move someone’s position of certainty to one of doubt. Don’t do this by challenging them…. not creating an argument or walk away. Just question their knowledge and allow them to save face.

What do you know about the Sales per square foot in the building?! Share what you know after you question their knowledge. Arguments always end with losers regardless who the loser is. Don’t go there.

 

4. How would you feel if ….

Motivation – a reason to move or a reason to do. Avoidance of pain or loss or to the move to pleasure or gain. People will work far harder to avoid pain or loss

People base decisions on emotion and logic. Decisions are made on emotion first therefore make their decision feel right first so it makes sense to them and then they will take action.

If the reason is big enough then you can get anyone to do anything. Create a truth for them worth changing for.

How would you feel if…. helping them travelling into the future and get them excited. Greater the contrast the greater the response.

How would you feel if….

you had that $2,200 suite income helping with paying down your personal debt?

You were able you have the space to care for your struggling mother in your home?

 

5. Just Imagine…

Every decision that a human makes is made at least twice. First in your mind hypothetically then second in reality.

If you can’t see yourself doing something then it doesn’t get done. Being able to place pictures in peoples minds will all then to see them doing something first and then act on it. TELL STORIES!

When you hear the words Just Imagine….. sets the stage for them to picture and drive them to act

Just imagine how things will be in six months time when you are moved in here. The smiles on your mothers face.

 

6. When Would Be A Good Time?

Overcome the biggest challenge someone telling us they just don’t have the time……

These set of words also preps someone the preface that their will be a good time for them in the future now. That no is not an option and it is just confirming that point in time.

When would be a good time to take proper look at this?
When would be a good time to get this started?
When would be a good time to speak next?

 

7. I Am Guessing That You Haven’t Got Around To?

Perfect set of words for following up with people. When following up allow the other person to save face and prevent them from using any excuses they might have which these words already elude to and take it away from them. Prefacing the question

I am guessing you haven’t got around to speaking with your partner about listing your home?
I am guessing you haven’t got around to looking at the documents yet?
I am guessing your haven’t made a decision on this yet? Opens you up to the negotiation again.

By pushing them to the negative scenario your get them to rush to the positive scenario quickly or tell you how they are going to fix the thing they said they haven’t got around to yet.

 

8. Simple Swaps (swap what you say and how you say it)

Simple psychological technique turning an open question into a closed question. Swap the outcome out of your control to into your control.

Do you have any questions? versus

What questions do you have for me?

The biggest mistake where we suggest that they should have questions for us and making them feel stupid they don’t so to save face they ask for more time to think about it and move you away from the decision.

Easy for them to respond I don’t have any questions and avoid the dreaded response I need to think about it.

When we want to get a little more information from someone.

Can I have your phone number?

Stop using “can I have your?” Feels like an invasion of privacy and creates an awkward permission base response. Versus

“what’s the best number I can reach you at?” “What’s the best address I can send this to?”

Makes a huge difference.

 

9. The Way I See It you Have Three Options…

When someone wants to feel like they have the final decision and not be manipulated. Make it easy for them to pick and keep them empowered.

You are not sure what to do…. as I see it you have three options.

1.
2.
3.

of those three options what’s going to be easier for you?!

The only option is the easy one which is the one that you wanted them to choose.

 

10. Two Types Of People

Be decision catalysts and professional mind maker upper. The final moment to decide and take action is the hardest task. Help people to choose by removing options and making the decision easy. Make statement that gives them a choice. There are two types of people in this world….. Instantly wonder which one they’re are…… options are stacked in favor of what you want them to choose. Those who learn and do nothing and those that learn change and take action.

I trust you found these magic words as helpful and insightful as I did. Check out his book and learn the 14 more magical words he shares and then really take the time to internalize these words and see the impact on your business. Let me know which one’s you like the best. Would love to hear from you all!

 

Strength and courage,
Wade

Realtor© Secrets To Not Burning Out & Hitting The Wall

Wade Webb on February 3, 2021

realtor hit wall burn out2020 was an unprecedented year that challenged us all to be resourceful and work harder and smarter than we ever have before and some of you might be experiencing the dreaded “B word” – burnout and hit a wall? Or others have been so focused on keeping their real estate business afloat that they’ve ignored everything else – and are starting to pay the price. That’s why I thought it was a good time for a reminder that being successful means more than your income goals. It’s about the total picture, and your health plays a huge part in that. I for one can share that 2020 hit me with some covid cushion that I really don’t need. I am a huge believer that energy management is far more important than time management and without energy and vitality you cannot navigate any stormy sea like we had in 2020. Let me share with you some ideas on health and vitality so you can avoid burnout and kick start your 2021 full of the energy you need.

Health & Happiness Tip 1: Schedule Some “Phone Free” Time Off. There’s certainly the “grit” and “hustle” side of this business some people are attracted to. Some agents seem to relish it… touting how they’re available 24/7/365. I’d contend that’s not healthy (nor all that desirable), and you can’t keep it up forever. Sure… go hard while you’re working and give it all you’ve got. But make sure to take some breaks, too. One of the hardest things for any real estate professional to do is to turn off their phone, but it’s essential to your long-term success. The key is to plan some time off so you can inform the people you’re working with and delegate tasks that might need to be handled while you’re “off.” Reasonable clients will understand if your outgoing VM message explains that you’re taking a personal day and have a contingency plan in place for them. Will you do this? Can you put down your phone for a day? Let me know in the comments below.

Health & Happiness Tip 2: Get Outta Town. A change in scenery can be extremely rejuvenating. And it doesn’t have to be a big vacation. If you work in a city, you might need a quick escape to get out in the country, or to the ocean or a lake. Maybe a day in the local mountains, if you’ve got that opportunity. Breathe some fresh air and let nature’s healing effect revitalize you.

Health & Happiness Tip 3: Schedule Mini Breaks Through 2021. Like I said above, working 24/7/365 is not a prescription for good health. But if you’re not careful, this industry will force you into a hectic schedule where you’re always flying by the seat of your pants. Work expands to fill the time we allow for its completion, so the key is to set boundaries for yourself. Schedule a half day off on your calendar and then honor that. Or maybe it’s just a couple hours. The key is to build those “breaks” into your calendar ahead of time, because if you wait until you’re all caught up and it finally feels like you can take a break, well… you know. It’ll never happen. So put some “mini breaks” in your calendar today!

Health & Happiness Tip 4: Commit to a More Disciplined Health Routine. Are you working out? Are you eating healthy? Are you even thinking of these things, or do they take a back seat because you’re “too busy” to deal with them? Good health doesn’t happen without planning, effort, and discipline. I know you’re busy. I know it’s hard to fit workouts and healthy meal prep into your crazy schedule. But those things are essential to your long-term wellbeing. Make the commitment. If you’re struggling with this and just can’t seem to figure it out ask someone to be your accountability partner.

Health & Happiness Tip 5: Get More Rest. I know, I know… you’re probably laughing at the idea of getting more sleep because you’re burning the candle at both ends and can still barely keep up. But that approach can only take you so far. Without eight hours of sleep per night, you’re eventually going to start breaking down. So maybe it takes more steps than just going to bed earlier… maybe it’s time to hire an assistant and delegate some tasks… because your future health depends on it! Or maybe it’s time to introduce more systems and automation to your business, so you’re not hand-crafting every last element of a transaction when you don’t need to be. Whatever the case, make a point of getting the sleep you need – or know that you’ll pay for it later.

Health & Happiness Tip 6: Avoid the Energy-Sucking Vampires. Putting yourself in a toxic environment isn’t healthy. You know this. But it’s difficult sometimes. We all have those things or people in our lives that seem to inject constant negativity. I believe it’s up to you to protect your energy and not subject yourself to the energy-sucking vampires. Minimize your time in these environments as much as possible, and you’ll not only be happier, but more productive, too. Brian Tracy once said “Change your income by just changing your friends.”

Health & Happiness Tip 7: Be Intentional. What are you watching? What are you reading? What are you listening to? What is going in and what are you focusing on the majority of the time? I don’t know who said this but “Garbage in you get garbage out. Good stuff in you get good stuff out.” Watch, read, listen to the good content and be intentional about it at least 15 minutes a day and best time of the day is right at the beginning to set the day off right! I found that my ability to cope with the 2020 pandemic is purely based on this practice and know it will do the same for you in 2021!!

So excited and grateful to put 2020 behind and move to a healthy and happy 2021 and for us all to have the lives that we desire to live. Feel free to reach out to me about the strategies that you find have an amazing impact on your health and happiness in 2021.

 

Strength and courage,
Wade

Sharing A Covid Miracle For Small Business

Wade Webb on January 13, 2021

Dave Portnoy For so many years now I have shared what I feel is such an untapped market for real estate agents, the small business owners and service providers in our communities. Almost every agent focuses the majority of their time on P2P ( person to person ) marketing and never seem to tap into the B2B ( business to business ) marketing and build relationships and become their communities real estate professional of choice. Since the pandemic hit the world the need for supporting and serving the small business owner and service provider has gone to a new level. Think about it real estate agents are independent business owners and could do what we can to help them survive and develop relationships that may lead to business in the future and gain new relationship share and save the business community in our trading areas. I am not saying it is about personal gain, I am talking about stepping up and helping fellow business owners in need and let the universal principle of reciprocity take care of the rest. For more than a year now I have been watching social media celebrity and founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy. This wild and crazy, outspoken guy does the most hilarious pizza review, sports talk show and political rants that you will ever listen too. I am not sharing this with you to get agents to start watching Dave and his offside content but to share a story that just hit home with me over the holidays and feel it needs to be told.

Dave Portnoy managed to build an empire worth 120 million over the last few years with his social media influences and has been calling out the government and their lack of ability to support the business community all over the N. America. On December 20, 2020 one of Portnoy’s good friends calls him out and says to him “Why doesn’t he put his money where his mouth is?” In true Portnoy competitive fashion he does exactly that and creates a legitimate charitable fund called Barstool Sports Fund with $500,000 of his own money. The fund will assist business owners across the nation. All the business owner needs to do is prove their were a viable business prior to Covid, must still be paying all their employees and why they need the money for assistance and email, video or send a letter to Portnoy to be considered for the assistance. Now the best part of the story is in only three weeks this fund has grown to more than 20 million dollars and climbing from more than 140,000 donors and has already provided more than a 100 businesses with the funds they need to make it in 2021!! Watching the Barstool Sports Facebook page video posts, being updated every day by the way, when Portnoy facetimes the business owners and lets them know they will be receiving the funding is something so inspiring it can’t help but warm your heart and restore your faith in humanity.

I don’t share this story to ask you to dig into your own pockets and start a fund like Portnoy has. I wanted to give you all hope and encouragement to start 2021 and hope that you will find some way to make a difference in your business communities and grow your relationship share in your business in an untouched market for real estate agents and give yourself the greatest gift of making a difference in others lives when they are in the greatest need of their lives.

 

Strength and courage,
Wade

Realtors© Secrets To Making Your Calls

Wade Webb on November 25, 2020

When you think about it, there’s nothing difficult about picking up the phone and calling a few people. Right? It’s easy to do… and also easier not to do. And that’s the danger. So why do we have this reluctancy to picking up the phone and making a call? Why is it so easy for us to not make those calls? I talk with a lot of successful agents on a regular basis. And if I had to boil down what makes those people so successful, it’s not that they’re all insanely innovative and breaking new ground. It’s not that they figured out some marketing “hack” no one else knows. It’s not dumb luck. It’s one simple, common trait – they’re doing the work. They make the calls and contact the people and have the discipline to do it over and over and over even though it is not what they want to do nor is it glamorous but it is the key to their success. It goes back to one of my favorite quotes: “Do the thing, have the power.” –Emerson. Having the discipline to take consistent action is really what separates the winners from the also-rans in this business.

Today I’m sharing three ways to overcome that resistance to making your calls so you can start booking more appointments… consistently!

1. Get Prepared In Advance – I’m sure you’ve had this happen… You wake up with the best of intentions to make your calls. But before you actually begin, something comes up. Or you “remember” a more urgent task you should be doing (which, in reality, is just an excuse). Or you simply avoid it because you don’t feel like it. And over time, this failure to make your calls is absolutely killing your productivity. It undercuts your potential. It’s the biggest reason why agents ride that rich/poor rollercoaster and fail to create any predictability in their businesses. This often happens because you didn’t prepare ahead of time. A productive prospecting session begins the night before. You need to get everything prepared so there can be no distractions and no excuses to get started the next morning. The night before, be sure to gain clarity on things like: Who am I going to call? What’s the outcome I want to achieve? What scripts do I need to achieve those objectives? Answer these three questions at the end of each day, get everything ready, and you’re much more likely to follow through on your appointment setting calls the next day.

2. Get Yourself Charged Up – Half-hearted prospecting is not successful prospecting. Even if you’re not “feelin’ it” when the time comes to start making your calls, you need to know how to get yourself to a peak state. And it’s more than just mental. In fact, I think it starts with physicality. A great way to get that energy up is to move your body. Jump on a mini trampoline, do some jumping jacks or whatever it takes to get your blood flowing. Then comes the mental part of it… your affirmations and strategic questions to put yourself in a winning mindset. “I’m a lean, mean, appointment-setting machine!” “What do I love about my clients?” “What do I love about setting appointments?” Do this regularly and I guarantee you’ll have more productive call sessions and build some serious “appointment setting” momentum.

3. Share Your Results? – What’s your first response to the suggestion that you should actually publish the results of your prospecting sessions to the public? I suspect many agents will feel like, “I don’t want to do that. It makes me look desperate or like I’m a telemarketer.” Do you feel that way? Because if so, here’s my response: You’re looking at it all wrong, and your whole mindset around prospecting might be off base. Remember this: You’re not calling people to “sell” them something. You’re calling to check in, catch up, build rapport, answer questions, and inform people of market happenings. You’re calling because you care, and because that’s what trusted advisors do. Once you start thinking about it from that perspective, it becomes a no-brainer to follow up each session by sharing what you achieved on social media.

Imagine a post that says something along these lines in your Instagram Stories: “Just had 10 conversations with past clients and sphere… Keeping them informed on what’s going on in the market. Every day I do this to keep my clients informed. That’s what it’s all about!” Maybe you even sprinkle in some stats, like this: “70 calls made, 6 great conversations, 2 potential buyers and one homeowner considering putting their home on the market. Can’t wait to help them move on to the next exciting stage of their lives!” Not only does that show people that you care, but it informs people that you’re active and you have a system for finding buyers and getting first jump on listings… basically establishing that you’re the go-to “knowledge broker” for your market. A consumer who sees that every day in your Stories will definitely be impressed, and you’ll gain top-of-mind awareness in the process. So start doing it!

I am hoping these help build in some accountability for your prospecting sessions and make it easier for you to pick up that phone consistently and book more appointments! Let me know which one(s) you’ll start doing in the comments below!

 

Strength and courage,
Wade

The Power Of Leverage for REALTORS©

Wade Webb on October 28, 2020

power of leverage for realtorsDo you own a job or do you own a business? When you stop does your income stop? Then you own a job.

If you are generating business and income while you are away from real estate, then you own a business. One of the greatest challenges for most agents is leverage, automation, systemization and delegation.

This week we look at the question that all agents are seeking the answer to, “When and how do I hire a real estate assistant?” Some even go years contemplating whether or not it is the right time. Many people ask the same questions such as, “should I hire someone now?” and “can I even afford to hire someone?”

Now we know it can be scary to let someone into your business like that but in actuality, it needs to be done sooner than later. If you are constantly asking yourself if you should hire an assistant, then that alone should tell you that you need to hire someone. When it comes to affording one, if they are really doing their job, they will be making you a significant amount of money. Here we are going to break down when and how to hire an assistant through 3 different phases. Each phase comes with 4-5 questions and steps into ensuring you are using the right solution.

PHASE 1

In Phase 1 begin to ask yourself, “How do I know it is time to hire an assistant?” Like mentioned earlier, if you are asking this question, then it probably is necessary. You are clearly starting to become overwhelmed once you start even thinking about having someone to help.

Question 2, Do you stay up late doing non best use of time tasks, also known as “BUT’s”? These include very simple tasks that are more tedious than they are difficult. After a long day of meetings, going to open houses and meeting new clients, the last thing you are going to want to do is work yourself up on those simple everyday tasks you had to keep pushing aside because they weren’t a priority at the time.

Question 3, Do you have aspirations to grow beyond where you are now? If you have aspirations to grow financially or even from a team standpoint, you are never going to get there alone. The only way you are going to grow and get the most out of your potential is to have help. Asking for help can sometimes seem as a belittling standpoint but it shouldn’t be. Everyone at some point or another asks for a helping hand and so should you.

Question 4, Do you live in the clouds? Meaning, are you not able to implement in the way you need to? People who are in real estate, especially self-starters and entrepreneurs live in the clouds and you need to take this in account for needing the help with your brain storming.

Question 5, Do you know that you are losing business? The more you wait for help, the more projects you are going to have to shy away from because of how busy your schedule is. The longer you wait, the more money you are going to lose, period. Their job is not just to do the tedious and hard work, it is also to make you money. As they say, you don’t remember what you’ve forgotten.

PHASE 2

Now that you have finally agreed to yourself you need an assistant, it is time for phase 2. What are you supposed to look for when you start looking to hire?

The first thing you should be looking for is if they are detail and system oriented. In order to find someone who is, the best way is to make them follow multiple steps in the hiring process on the application. These can include: using a specific font size, only sending the application through a PDF, use a specific format, include this header and more. Now if they don’t follow the steps correctly you instantly know they are not good with following directions and are not detail oriented. In all, you are looking for a person who can get annoyed with a lack of order rather than too much detail or instruction.

The second thing you should be looking for is a naturally positive person. Now, this can be a little more difficult because in actuality, everyone is “nice” during their first interview. This is why you need to take it further and have multiple interviews in multiple settings. It is known miserable people can only act happy for so long until it takes one thing to take them over the edge. You need to be able to see how they act with more than one or two interactions with them to get their full personality and potential.

The third thing you should be looking for in a potential candidate is if they are self-driven. This person should be looking for ways to make your life easier. You want someone to anticipate everything so they can adapt to what is needed and what isn’t.

The fourth and final thing you should be looking for is someone that must be tech savvy and able to type. Now we’ve all seen how our grandparents and even sometimes our parents use a computer which is funny to us of course, but when it comes to hiring an assistant, it won’t be funny down the line when you are on a time crunch and they are still working on that first email. There are plenty of people in the world, especially nowadays with technology being as advanced as it is, that know how to use specific software and can adapt fast to new software.

PHASE 3

Moving on to the 3rd and final phase, you should now have hired someone but you don’t exactly know what to do next…

The first thing you should do is either take the time to properly train them or take the time to redo their work. You need to set aside time to be able to train them respectively because the quicker you train them, the quicker you will improve your business and make money.

Secondly, you need to give them clear expectations of what you want from them. You only have one chance to create expectation so think carefully. You want to set expectations such as what time they need to be there, the kinds of activities you expect them to do, what they should be able to do in a specific amount of time, etc. Be very clear in what you want out of them so then everyone is on the same page.

Next thing you want to do is teach them a marketing strategy to implement immediately. This is because it will shortly after bring your business making not only you feel good, but making them feel good as well. Try to teach them how to do things such as saving a search in a MLS, emailing listings, saving listings and similar tasks. All in all, they are adding to your business this way and it can only lead to great things.

Lastly, do NOT micromanage them! Many agents respond to this by saying, “but what if they don’t do it right?” Well, it is not that they won’t do it “right” it is that they won’t do it YOUR way. You need to let go of what you’ve been doing in the past to make room for the new because clearly something needs to change. Additionally, in most cases, they often do it better than you which may catch you off guard at first but you need to remember it is only making you and your business greater. You need to give them the freedom to be the person you hired them to be and let them do their thing.

If you haven’t already realized, there are only positive outcomes that will happen if you were to hire an assistant. After going through these 3 phases, you should see a massive positive change in not only the business but with you as a realtor. Now start looking for that assistant before all the good ones are taken!

Click to download your Free Guide To Hiring An Unlicensed Assistant –>> Agentsboost – Hiring An Unlicensed Assistant

Strength and courage,
Wade

Why Real Estate Agents Fail In This Business…

Wade Webb on October 7, 2020

why realtors failWhy do nearly nine out of every 10 agents fail and quit the real estate business? I’ve worked with and studied real estate professionals for 3 decades, and this week I am sharing some of the biggest reasons why agents fail. Avoiding these pitfalls will help you join that elusive “Club 13” — the 13 percent of agents who actually survive and truly succeed in this business.

  1. Being Interested vs. Committed. Just being interested in your real estate career isn’t enough. Liking houses and liking people isn’t enough. When you’re interested, you do things when they’re convenient. Success in real estate is all about being fully committed, which means doing whatever it takes as long as it takes to achieve your goals. Are you all in? If you’re not fully committed, it’s time to reassess your career choice. It is too easy to get in and even easier to get out.
  2. Being Strategic. Can you explain your market trends easily? Do you truly know your market? What’s selling? What’s not? To survive in real estate, you need to look at your marketplace from a strategic standpoint. You must look at the hot sheets every day, the stats every month and know what is trending every quarter. You have to own that knowledge and become the knowledge broker in your market. It’s not enough to simply like houses and enjoy working with people. Take a step back, analyze your market and make sure you know it, and you know your place in it. Now the numbers, trends and truth about your local market and share it!
  3. Fear of Making Mistakes & Desire to Look Good. There’s a lot of vanity in real estate, which can lead to people shying away from anything that might paint them in unflattering light. But you can’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are how wisdom is gained. Mistakes are how we learn and grow. Accept it’s okay to make mistakes or not know the answers to everything. Try new things, see what works, learn from what doesn’t, and always keep moving forward. The more mistakes you make, the more you’ll bridge the gap between knowing and not knowing.
  4. No (or Wrong) Role Model. Having someone to look up to, to aspire to, to model your behaviors on is a hugely critical step to help you reach that “next level” in real estate. Far too many agents have no role model for their business. Or they have the wrong one. To accelerate your ascent in this business, find someone who is successful in both life and business and model your behaviors on theirs. We all smell like those we rub up against.
  5. Your Gas Station is Only Open One Day a Week for an Hour. Once a week you try something once and can’t figure out why nothing is working. As a real estate agent, your No. 1 priority is attracting customers. It’s not a part-time pursuit. Don’t get me wrong it is not 7 days a week 24 hours a day. Far too many agents do just a little bit of marketing once a week and hope for the best. Lead generation and lead conversion need to be your primary focus. If there was a way to teach every new agent this philosophy and force them to live up to it, that 87% failure rate would decrease dramatically. Focus on the “Core 4″… Database. Open Houses. Geographic Farming. Online Presence.
  6. Job vs. Business Owner. Monday-Friday, 9:00-6:00 Mentality. Being a real estate agent isn’t a job. It’s a business. It’s YOUR business. You need to become and act like a business owner. You’ll get out of it what you put into it. Especially if you’re new, you absolutely must put in the time and effort. All the money is made before 9:00am and after 6:00pm. If that doesn’t work for you, you might be in the wrong business.
  7. No Sales Swagger. Long ago NAR released a report that said the vast majority of new agents come into real estate with no sales experience, no marketing experience and no negotiation experience. What are the essential skills of succeeding in real estate? Sales. Marketing. Negotiations. Hmmm. If you haven’t mastered these three skills, you need to be working on them constantly. Put yourself in situations where you learn the objections, get hung up on and gain that experience. Putting yourself in those situations repeatedly will break down those fears of calling FSBOs, expired and the like. I often encourage brand new agents to work with FSBOs and expired to break them in with “the most challenging” clients. When you know what to say, everything becomes easier.
  8. It’s Math. No Goals Broken Into Numbers That Get Measured. When you know your numbers, you put yourself in control. On average, how many leads does it take you to convert one sale? 30? Great! 162? Great! “I dunno.” Not great! As long as you know your numbers, you know what you have to do. If you don’t know your numbers, you’re just hoping for that winning lottery ticket. Knowing your numbers makes your business predictable. Being predictable leads to success. Know your numbers!
  9. No Schedule, Weak Habits and Routines. If you’ve followed me for a long time, you’ve heard me say it a million times: “Show me your routines and I can predict your future.” If your schedule isn’t aligned with your goals, instead of achieving your goals, you’ll end up wherever your schedule takes you. The key is figuring out the specific activities that will lead to the achievement of your goals. Then you schedule those activities. The role of discipline in your success cannot be underestimated. Schedule everything and find a way to hold yourself accountable.
  10. Lack of Financial Management. Lots of people get into real estate thinking it’s a low overhead business with an opportunity to make big, giant paychecks. Those days are long gone. This business is so competitive, you need a funding plan not only to survive, but to invest in your business and build it in an efficient way. Make sure you’re managing your money smartly in order to avoid that 87% failure rate. Profit is not a bad word.

Now that you have a better idea of the causes for failure the next decision is what are you going to do with this information? What action are you going to take? Feel free to comment below what you plan on doing next to ensure you’re a member of the 13% Club!

 

Strength and courage,
Wade