STOP IT! NOW!! RIGHT NOW!!!!!

Seriously, stop spending so much money. I bet, really, I bet that you are throwing away thousands of dollars every year in your business. Come on, look at yourself in the mirror, be honest with yourself (yes, I know this is hard for some of you, but do it anyway – your spouse will thank you later)

I’ve been thinking about the topic of this post a lot lately, and was inspired to write it by an email I just received that tells all about how some rockstar gets a couple of referrals every week from the mail he sends out, along with all these newsletters, thank you cards and everything else.

I’m sorry (not really) to contradict the ‘guru’ who promotes this methodology, but I know far too many agents who have bought into the hype and had to get a JOB because of it.

Now don’t get me wrong here – I do accept that referrals are a critical part of the business; that’s a no-brainer. What I cannot accept is that people get these email tips from all kinds of coaches, and they never mention the one critical component of any program. They just push their passive-business tools that line their pockets (while mostly emptying the pockets of the people they sign up).

Know why they do that

? Because they know that 75% of their target sucker group won’t do the real work, and they don’t want to scare them away from buying the system or the coaching they offer by telling them they have to do it to get results.

Some of these guys are incredibly lacking in integrity in the way they push their programs. You know, you get these emails that say ‘this special ends on Sunday at midnight!’ And then, Saturday, you get another email saying that the response is so great that the special has been extended until Wednesday because their staff can’t keep up with demand. And then Tuesday, you get another email saying that they are just blown away by the response being so great, they are finally going to cut off the special on Sunday at midnight. I get these emails all the time, as I’m sure you do too.

Well, I hope you look at those emails and dissect them into the different piles of codswallop they really are. Think about it for a second – if the product or service was so great, it wouldn’t be on sale, and if they were so busy filling orders that their staff couldn’t keep up, why would they encourage more orders? Could it be they are trying to trick you into buying stale inventory of a product? Or services that people don’t want? Just a thought thrown out there.

Here’s a newsflash for ya . . . .

There’s one sure way to get business . . . . .

Ready . . . . .

PICK UP THE PHONE!

Okay, you can drop by and visit with friends, acquaintances, former co-workers, etc., but that is such an inefficient use of your time. Besides, even if you do mail them stuff, you’ve still got to pick up the phone to finish the service you started offering to them by mailing them something in the first place.

If you’re the kind of agent who needs 5, 6, or 10 extra sales in the next 90 days, claim your free coaching call (it’s a $597 value!) by submitting the form over there to the right. I won’t lie to you, deceive you into thinking that this business is easy, and I certainly won’t tell you to spend your money. Invest it, yes; spend it, no.

What does it take? Are you committed, or are you interested? You’ve heard the line “For a chicken, it’s all in a day’s work, but for the pig, that’s complete commitment“, right?

So, are you a chicken or a pig?

Are you out to get your fair share of the business that’s out there, or your unfair share?

I spoke yesterday with a couple of agents who have been in the business for about a year. They’re working hard, building their sphere of influence, asking for referrals, doing some of the things that they need to do to make a great living in real estate. But they’re doing the wrong things at the wrong time. I told them that I believe that everything they were saying to me was just an excuse – remember the acronym TIME – This Is My Excuse? They blame a lack of time for not doing the things they readily admit that they need to do, yet they have plenty of time to do the other parts of their business.

So, let me get this straight: you have time to work at your business, yet you don’t have time to do the things you need to do? Hmmm. Something doesn’t jive there.

Let me jump to an approach from a different angle . . .

Have you been around the real estate business to remember when Flloyd Wickman’s Sweathogs program was the rage? Get out, meet strangers, and ask for business was the basic premise of the course, right? And it worked. Mostly. Where it fell down was that people were fine (there’s another great acronym – Frustrated, Insecure, Neurotic, Emotional) until they left the group environment and the personal pressure to perform was gone. And then they were safe to quit doing what they didn’t want to do!

Have things changed any? I don’t think so. People are still fine doing things in a highly-charged group environment, when personal exposure and accountability is at it’s highest, but what happens when they no longer have that environment? They quit, simple as that! They retreat to their comfort zone of avoiding the challenging things and compromise their goals, rather than face their fears.

I used to be terrified of picking up the phone to call past clients, never mind complete strangers – I’d break out in this gross sweat, my hands would shake, and I’d be more willing to jump in front of a speeding bullet than to lift that receiver. The ‘Your Call To Success‘ got me over that, once and for all. You can learn more from a free coaching call – just click the button to the right. I learned why I was afraid to pick up the phone, I learned how to easily overcome that fear, and now I get upset when something or someone tries to take my calling time away from me.

I made a commitment to myself recently – I was going to pick up the phone and start calling strangers and not stop for the day until I booked an appointment. 651 calls and 5 hours later, I needed to change things up, so I started making calls to my database. 7 hours and 776 calls later, I had spoken with 124 people (it was a bad day for reaching people; usually I speak with 30% of the people I dial), I had 6 people to call back to confirm appointments with!

I now have appointments booked with 5 of those 6, and the other one will confirm next week! Could I have done this before? Heck no! But, I learned what my fears were, I overcame my fears, and I have fun every day on the telephone.

No animals were harmed, no lives were lost, and not one single person was mean to me in all that time of calling! That week, I called over 1600 people I don’t know, and another 350 that I do know. I am committed!

I am committed to your success too. Many of you don’t ask your past clients for business; many don’t ask the lady in line behind you at the checkout stand who she knows that needs to buy or sell real estate; most of you wouldn’t dream of picking up the phone and investing an hour calling complete strangers to ask for the business.

I am here to help you do all those things naturally. The offer is out there; the call is free. It’s your move.

By the way, to take a 15-day free trial of the program I use to make all those calls (yes, I follow the Do Not Call laws), check out http://REAgentDialer.com

Almost all real estate professionals have some form of prospecting and lead generation call reluctance. The key to learning how to make calls fearlessly is in identifying what form(s) of reluctance is holding you back and then overcoming it.

In this 3-hour seminar, we will identify the 12 types of prospecting and lead generation reluctance, and you will learn how to become a Prospecting and Lead Generation Dynamo!

Look for seminars in your area this Winter & Spring, and if you don’t see one close by, let me know and I’ll see if we can bring one to you.

Would you like to book one for YOUR real estate office? Email me today to find out how.