Roeboater Thoughts

Today is the last day of 2018...it's never too late to finish strong I should have followed up with that last client a while ago...it's never too late to reconnect I wish I would have practiced my farming presentation more...it's never to late to start today I could have reached a higher level than I did...it's never too late to achieve it I hope we all get the picture here. It's NEVER too late to pursue, to achieve what you want. Yes, we could have done it differently, sooner or another way, but starting now and going for is always an option if we really want it. It may be tougher, but you are tough and can do it.  Know that it's NEVER TOO LATE to _____________ in your life professionally & personally. 

As we are wrapping up the end of the year it's important that we don't end it, but use it to keep building and moving forward. E.N.D. Effort Never Dies. Others may be slowing and that can be used as an excuse or we can look at it as a mere obstacle. We overcome obstacles everyday. You can do it. it may take longer, we may have to learn, stretch & grow along the way, but as long as you are willing and take steps you will achieve it. Keep pressing onward to connect with those you already know and also build connections with the people you don't. Growing you base is essential for growth. Doing this you'll hear more no's, don't let that get you down. N.O. Next Opportunity. Keep pursuing opportunity with perseverance and you can't be stopped.  per·se·ver·ance /ˌpərsəˈvirəns/ noun steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

What is the one thing that you absolutely crush it at? Think about it. Why do you think that is the thing that you own, you rock and is your go-to when you need to win? How did you get to be so great at that thing...is that something that you can replicate with something else so then you become absolutely excellent at another? Don't forget to own your strengths and put them to work daily. Yes, improving our weaknesses is a must as well, but don't forget your strengths and ROCK IT!!

Yesterday at church they talked about if we were "On Call" to step into a moment when it presented itself even if it wasn't convenient or it was the "right" time for us. It resonated with me on many levels. The one I wanted to share today was for work and business development.  We may be leaving a meeting and chatting on the way out making small talk with an agent. In that small talk they could mention a hurdle or a success in their business. We could respond with "It'll get better" or "Way to go on the success". OR we could step up and into the conversation and make it meaningful by having a thoughtful response like "What do you think is missing" OR "What actions do you attribute to that success". From there we can keep going, have a meaningful conversation and engage with them. From there we have the opportunity to bring value to them, and begin a relationship.  It's up to all of us to lean in and be "O

We get the meeting because they like us, have heard of us, was referred or many other reasons may be why.  How do we build trust to earn their business? More than that how to we continue that to keep their trust and become more than a 1 transaction relationship, but an actual business partner? Keep knocking on doors, getting creative (&compliant) in getting the meetings in order to build the trust, bring the value to earn the business.  YOU got this....it's in YOU

You(We) know how to win, it's simply a matter of applying what we know, on a consistent basis to the right people.  You have what it takes, it's a matter of believing in yourself, believing you will win and putting in the work to be prepared when it's time to shine.  Apply what you know, make the call, make the visit, put yourself out there today to win. If you don't go for the win by default you(we) lose. You(we) are built to win.

YOU are the only YOU...be YOU Each day I hope you wake up looking to be better and bring better everywhere you go. That means we are actively looking for ways to improve ourselves and by doing that we have the chance to improve those around us as well. Resist the wave to blend into the masses and be the one that stands out by being better, doing more & living a life to be proud of.  YOU got this!  

We know a lot. It's about connecting what we know to our clients & prospects though. Knowledge without connect is useless. It's up to us to ask great questions to find out the true needs/wants of who we are talking in order to connect them with the best of breed systems, concepts & resources that we have available to us.  When we connect & bring value we have earned the right to ask for the business. I think we don't ask sometimes because of simply fearing rejection. You know the value you and our teams can bring, have confidence in that and go for it. It's what we do. We hear no more than yes...that is our chosen business. We press on, grow & make our outcomes happen.  Some articles on connection: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-kerr/clients_b_6116122.html https://www.business.com/articles/stand-out-how-to-connect-with-your-clients/ (this one is my favorite) https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222374

I think we can all remember the times when a customer sang our praises and we grow within the sphere of their office or the group they ran with. Sometimes it happens organically which is great, but I want to think about the times that it didn't happen organically and we cultivated it ourselves.  We have a great response, we ask for a Reach 150 &/or "Who do you know that we should be working with to?" (I hope we are asking that question) Right now in Q-4 it's a great time to begin asking our clients how we have preformed for them as a business partner this year for them. I'm not just talking about our top 5% clients, but a solid mix to get a feel for how we are doing, where we can improve & where we are excelling as well.  Let's rock this market! YOU can do it with the support of your great TEAMS. 

Check out this link to a short 3 min video: https://www.facebook.com/coachtomferry/videos/10216321063481118/ Don't stop at 1 call.  Have discipline to drive your day, don't allow it to drive you.  Get out....the business isn't in your office; it's out in the marketplace. Be there.  These are simple reminders full of truth. If we are in the office it's to wrap up what we have accomplished in the field. Don't spend the day 'preparing to act' Get out there and ACT. Make it happen. 

I think we call can agree that we got a TON of great nuggets out of Fridays Divisional Sales Rally. The important part now is to reflect on what YOUR top nuggets were and then find a way to implement 1 of them into your business. I don't expect us to make huge changes and implement 5+ nuggets, but if each of us implemented just 1 that would have a tremendous ripple effect in our businesses.   What is the 1 that you are going to choose to A.C.T. on today & keep in your business to help you move forward?

Last week out in the field I came across this quote written on a whiteboard in an office. It caught my attention so I took a picture of it to come back to later which I did over the weekend and reflected on it.  Today is the 90th Motivational Monday that I've written and we have 90 days left in 2018. The previous 275 days we cannot change (the start), but we can start where we are (today) and change the ending. The really cool part is that we can focus on making great impact/change for the end of this year which will set the stage for our 2019 start. When we start with momentum in the right direction we can be an unstoppable force. That doesn't mean that there won't be obstacles along the way, that just means that you'll look at those obstacles as growth opportunities and not a  deterrent.  This week let's look at & act on the things/habits we can bring back or start that will help us change the ending. Our lives are not in silos so when we focus on impr

Some mornings we wake up feeling better or more motivated than others. It's important to look at how we set up our morning from the night before as well to see if we 'set it up' for success or not. Trying to control what we can, but knowing not all is in our control.  The quote above has been on my mind for a few weeks now so I wanted to share it with you all. ...how you act in spite of how you feel. That part really resonated with me. I feel like in sports it's much easier to suck it up and deliver, but in life not as much. Just because it's not as easy doesn't mean it's not beneficial. Choosing to 'win the day' isn't a feeling, but a decision. My encouragement for all of us today & each day is to choose to win & pursue it, regardless of how we feel. 

How we react As we are going though our days we cross tasks or situations that are stretching. These things can do 1 of 2 things to us, but never both. These situations can either Defeat us or Develop us. Our reaction, commitment & determination is what determines the outcome.    Remember that You can overcome and soar from any situation. A diamond only becomes one by being pressed hard on all sides. Gold is only refined by fire. We grow, develop and improve by overcoming obstacles both personally & professionally that are in front of us. Push through towards development and soar from there.   

We have some newer products that are available to us which sis great, but now it's time to learn them. I was talking to one of you last week about how FA 3.0 was such a simple presentation because it had been around for so long that I knew it inside and out. However, FA ONE is new and with that I have the basics down for a simple 101 presentation, but don't have the details down yet to really dive in. I was then driven to remember that the only reason I knew 3.0 so well was because I would play with it for a bout 15 min each day for a couple of week in the evening. That gave me the time to tinker around, find new enhancements and ways to connect it to clients.  I say all of this because 15 min isn't a lot of time isolated, but when compounded over a couple of weeks it makes a huge impact. If you need help with any of the tools Tom & I are just a call/email away.

Take Action! We act in many ways, but there are usually 1-2 key area of work/life where we hit the pause button and don't act. There could be a myriad of 'reasons' we don't act, some may even be valid but those don't get us closer to where we want to be. An inch of action forward towards your goal is better than mils and miles of intention to move forward.  Today if you feel the pull to hold back, not call, not walk in, whatever it may be push the fear to the side for 10 seconds and go for it. Each one of YOU is capable of achieving things beyond what you dream you can.  Keep striving, pushing & growing. 

How are you bringing more value to your customers than anyone else? Our goal is to always be in the lead in our industry, in our markets. We do that in many ways, but one way that we can guarantee we stay top of mind and in each of their contracts is to consistently be bringing them value on a consistent basis. This doesn't allow others to move in when we unintentionally drift away because they are "locked in" or "they don't need what we offer", etc... They may not use the products, but everyone likes to know that they were thought of. Use the CRM that we have to see your client list and then leverage that to make sure that no one is slipping through the cracks.  If you're unsure about calling someone, that is probably the person you NEED to call the most. Overcome any fear you may have and go for it with a positive attitude and smile. 

Everything we do and the environments that we put ourselves in has an effect on us weather we realize it or not. That goes for us to. We have an effect on our surroundings and the people we are around as well.  Weather we want to or not, we can't slide under the radar so it's important for us to think about what effect we want to have on meetings, events, in our offices, community, etc... We can have positive effects when we focus on the outcomes and prepare ourselves before we get there. It's in the preparation where victories are achieved. Always be preparing, and improving so your 'Ripple Effect' is the one that you want.  

Gaining 1 point of market share is a goal, learning to purposely prospect, convert & maintain client retention is a system AND systems always trump goals. It's the system that keeps us on track or at times get's us back on track from distraction. Think about the system(s) you have in place in order to achieve the goals we have.  What are they?  Are you sticking to them?    Are they working? Our company has provided many great tools to implement within a system to excel in our industry space, but it's up to us, daily to put them to work for us.  We can be successful for stints without a system, but it does not last. A system of success however cap be replicated therefore you can have continual success for a career....and that's what we are here for.  Go for it....Stick to it....Soar!

Activity does not always equal Productivity Think about when people ask you how you are doing. Do you ever say "Busy" ? It makes us feel good to be busy, but we need to step back and remember that busy isn't the goal. Productive is the goal. Make sure to review your daily, weekly, monthly activities to see which ones equate to productivity and which ones do not. Then take action to improve in those places to help get you closer to your best self. Your best in business growth, retention as well as in your personal life. 360 degrees of success is what we should all be striving for.  Let's get it done today!

This is one of my favorite articles so I wanted to share it with us all today....let's rock it! https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/because-4am-brett-hagler Because of 4AM Brett Hagler Kobe Bryant recently shared an all-time great mindset, manifested into a subtle quote that not many people noticed. It's been three weeks and I can't get it out of my head, so I wanted to share. You can take it literally or (mostly) metaphorically - both work and can be applied to the dream you're chasing.  The quote came from Kobe when he was on stage accepting the 'Icon Award' at the ESPYS.  He was addressing fellow athletes:  “We’re not on this stage just because of talent or ability,” Bryant said. “We’re up here because of 4 a.m . We’re up here because of two-a-days or five-a-days. We’re up here because we had a dream and let nothing stand in our way. If anything tried to bring us down, we used it to make us stronger.” There are thousands of athle

They have 'this', the market did 'that', if I had 'x', the list could go on and on with excuses we could make it we chose to. That's the great part is that it's OUR choice. We can focus on what we choose to.  We can look at the same circumstances with optimism or pessimism as illustrated above with the glasses. We have a ton of advantages in the market, but those only factor in if we are doing the basics great, connecting with people and showing value. Each of us has the skills to get it done at a high level without leveraging the products, tools and services we have. But when we leverage those along with our best attributes (you and our teams) we all win at a higher rate. It's important to remember that when we win our clients do as well. They are teamed up with the best in the business. Always a WIN-WIN.  Believe it. Live it. Repeat it. 

The greatest accomplishments we have are done with others. It is important to stay connected with your team/tribe, because great and long-term success is had by everyone working together towards that one goal. That is true within the company as well as outside of the company. Thing about who you are surrounding ourselves with. Are they pushing us forward or are they pulling us back? It's one or the other. Make sure we are in those that push us for growth to become the best version of ourselves.  Set our or continue the journey today of accomplishing GREAT things, not just things.  Make it a great one team!!

Which column are you in? Wanting it and wishing for it don't matter at all unless you take action to make it happen. The best time to take action in NOW.  Don't put off until tomorrow what you can get done today. What has been sliding back on your priority list that that you know is important? Close off distractions and get it done, take the step and go for it. 

What are our habits?  Write out what your habits are today...the good and the bad and review them.  What are the ones that are getting you closer to where you want to be and what are the ones that are keeping you from or moving you away from where you want to be? It's important the we look and see what's helping and what hurting (it's one or the other...there is no neutral). Cut what is detracting and grow what is working...stick with it and ROCK it!!

As we are meeting with new people and on-boarding them (hopefully systematically with a PEP and intro to their escrow team) it is vitally important to keep it up. Once they are on-boarded there isn't a 1 year contract they sign to stay with us. We need to be consistent in our approach and execution of our plans daily. That is how we sustain growth. That is how we sustain success. Persistence will get us to a level we like, but it WON'T keep us there at all. Only consistency with a high level of service and value will do that.  I want each of us to live in success, not just taste it.  A great measure of this is to look at our overall & branch REM's not just monthly but quarterly, semi-annually & annually and that will be a key indicator of true growth.      

Today is the day.... Competition is great! It's one of the things that drives us to success. When it comes to market share the only way we move it is by our clients growing & growing our clients. That means that we are taking other companies and reps clients by bringing value to them and connecting them with our escrow partners. We do this and we win.  The biggest competition should be with ourselves though. "Everyday is a chance to be better" ...if we can be just a little bit better today than the person we were yesterday we soar above the competition.  Today our goal is to best who we were last week; improvement is a constant in our lives nit just for us but for the people around us as well.  Have a great one team.  

We met with the prospective client....they agreed that we brought them value...did we ask them for their next transaction? If yes.....GREAT. If not, why not? They are in a commission sales position to and know how it is. When they go on a listing appointment and bring value to the prospective seller they ALWAYS ask if they would like to sign a listing agreement. They never walk out and say "I'm glad this brought you value and I look forward to hearing back from you." They let it be know what the end goal is for themselves and we should be doing the same....remember, they do expect us to ask.  The simple reminder for the day "If you never ask the answer is always no." So ASK Bring Value + Ask = Growth Bring Value + No Ask = No Growth for You or Your Escrow Partners

Is it a Wish or a Want for your Life/Business? Wishes are dreams in the air that aren't pursued actively. They just sit and are looked at from afar thinking that they can never be attained. Just a thought to move from a wish list to a want list or event a must list! What do you want? I mean really, really want? Think about it and write it down. Put it as your phone screen saver and on your computer. Activity pursue it DAILY! At the end of the quarter, year, decade & life it's more important to look at what has been achieved for yourself and for those around you then to just reflect on what you always wished you did. Pursue it....you have the skill, talent and resources to achieve it!! 

Just a thought as we get our days going in our minds to we tell ourselves what we "have to" do today -or- what we "Get to" do today? What about when we are talking to others? That one word switched out makes a HUGE difference on our outlook.  Think about it today and on a go-forward. We are blessed to work for a great company and with the resources we earn for doing a great job we "Get to" do and have some incredible things and create great memories. Those all come from what we "Get to" do on a daily basis in bringing value to the real estate space and in turn bringing in revenue through escrows and increasing our market share.   Let's make today a GREAT one!

Seemingly small acts can sometimes be the biggest things that catapult us and our growth. The details of follow up, promptness, checking in, not letting things fall through the cracks with our targets, clients & escrow partners is huge.  Today reflect on what details may have slipped by last week and get them done. For this week, each day look to end each day completed without roll over into the next day.  Let's make it a great one team!

As we move forward today focused on success and growth let's remember all of the ingredients that lead to success and growth. Some aren't always the most fun, but what we get out of it is beneficial for us.  Crush today with optimism going into each meeting and call knowing that you have what it takes to win the day.  

When was that last time you said: "Nice to meet you" That phrase usually follows meeting someone for the first time. Prospecting when at an office meeting, pop-by, industry event, etc... is a key in-person why to grow our businesses. Do we leave it at "Nice to meet you" or do we follow it up with booking an appointment? If we end with nice to meet you there is no risk/reward or chance of rejection, but if we ask for the appt there is a small chance of no. Is no that scary; it really isn't . I once had someone tell me that N.O. Stood for N ext O pportunity.  My challenge for us on a go-forward is to not end at "Nice to meet you" it's to follow through with the ASK. When we do we have a chance. If we don't ask the answer is always no. When they say YES, you & I both know that you can bring true value to them so don't hesitate or let fear creep in......go for it!

We always need to stay hungry for growth; that is a given in our industry. The commission sales person that looses his or her hunger is the one that ends up transitioning out. As we pursue our growth and achievements its important to be thankful for what we have achieved as well. Reflecting on those achievements can help us achieve our next one as well.  Today remember to be grateful for what we have, while we are pursuing what we want. The important is the wholeness of this statement and mindset. Gratefulness with pursuit of next.....crush it today!

Hey Team,  Today remember to be focused on what you MUST get done for your day to be a SUCCESS. Don't get distracted, but complete those high value tasks that yield the ROI not just for you but for your escrow partners and or operation as a whole. We grow by prospecting & on-boarding new clients.  Get office presentations to get appointments to get new clients. Make cold calls to get appointments to get new clients.  Attend an event to get appointments to get new clients.  What we do in the field must have the focus of getting new clients.  

As we are pursuing our goals for achievement this year remember to make sure that that are SMART goals. This way we can track our progress on the journey, make changes if needed and celebrate when achieved. Each one of us is capable of soo much more its a matter of focused pursuit of the goal daily with dedication to it. We only achieve full time BIG results by applying full time BIG actions consistently.  Crush it today!