Dave Jenks shared with us at the Shift Tour that the secret to accomplishing anything is to time block for it.  Schedule it on your calendar, dedicate 2-3 hours a week to a project and you will make significant progress.  Dave Jenks built Keller Williams University by spending Tuesday afternoons working with Gary Keller.  Just a half a day a week built the best real estate training university!

The key to a successful real estate sales business is a powerful contact management database.  You must stay in touch with people in order to receive repeat and referral business from them.  Imagine if you spent just 2-3 hours a week creating and improving your contact management database!

A system like Top Producer 8i helps you leverage your time and automate your lead generation.  The newly upgraded 8i acts as a database system, a mass email system, a flyer program, a CMA program, a direct mail program, a 33 Touch, an 8×8 and a 12-Direct program, an electronic calendar and contains “MOFIR” content (make offer for immediate response)!  Talk about leverage and expense management.  Furthermore, as a member of KW, all of the content is preloaded into the system…you don’t have to recreate the wheel!  You get all of that for $34.95 per month.

Most agents are intimidated by the power and complexity of this system, so they will not risk that expense and learn to use the program.  

Now is your chance.  Because Top Producer was a sponsor of the SHIFT Tour, they have made a deal with KW that’s hard to ignore.  It’s called the 8 Week No-Brainer Challenge.  You can try any Top Producer product at no financial risk for 60 days.  During that time, KW is offering FREE MAPS coaching to help you get your system set up!  Also, there is an 8-week program that I will be leading in the office beginning in December.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Here’s what you need to do:

#1  Sign up for Top Producer 8i with our local rep, Bruce Craig.  Contact him directly at bruce.craig@topproducer.com.

#2  Sign up for 30 days of FREE coaching with MAPS at www.ShiftWithTP.com.  The last 30 day FREE coaching webinars begin December 2nd.  Do not wait!

#3   Let me know that you are interested in the 8 week No-Brainer class at the office.  I will be posting the training days and times shortly.  (By the way, you can do this on your own at home.  The training guide is on the KW intranet.  Ask me how to get to it!)  The in-office classes will be a great opportunity to share and learn from eachother.

#4  Make the commitment for 8 weeks to get your database set up once and for all.  Imaging starting the New Year with a functional database!  

#5  Finally, if you don’t love Top Producer 8i and see the power in 59 days, simply cancel your subscription and receive a FULL refund!

One last thing….even if you do not wish to try Top Producer 8i risk free, commit to creating some database system of your choice and time blocking a few hours each week to maximize that system.  This is the perfect time for refine your systems!

Hey Team,

Here’s a 20 minute video that was passed onto me and I have to share it!

http://www.zsynergyteam.com/art-williams-just-do-it-video.htm

If this doesn’t get you fired up, you might want to check your pulse.

It’s well worth the 20 minute investment.   As I was cleaning and organizing my office on Friday, I began playing the video in the background.  I found myself a short time later with all of my attention focused on this awesome speaker!

Make it a great week and just do it!

Dear Partners,

Don’t forget!  The 2009 Business Planning Clinic is Monday morning at 10am.  It’s only 52 days until 2009!  Are you ready?

It only takes a couple of hours in this workshop to create your business plan for 2009.  When you leave, you will have a rough draft of:

• Your Economic Model; know your numbers!  Learn how many many appointments, how many listings, how many buyers, conversion rates to make your plan a reality next year!
• Your Lead Generation Model; where will your leads come from next year?  Will you focus on prospecting or marketing?  How much will it costs?
• Your Budget Model; learn to lead with revenue and hold your expenses accountable!  
• Your Organization Model; is it time to hire your first administrative assistant?  Another buyer’s agent? Will your systems support your goals?

You wouldn’t go on a vacation without weeks of planning; where you’ll go, how you’ll get there, how much it will costs, what you’ll do when you get there.  Invest at least a couple of hours planning your career.  If you don’t put your goals in writing, there’s a slim chance you’ll achieve them.  

If you need one-on-one consulting on your business plan, don’t hesitate to call me for an appointment.

Don’t forget to bring a calculator!  

No Fear in ‘09!

Gary Keller to SHIFT into NAR on Nov. 8

The nation’s best sellers to learn from the newest best seller

Gary Keller, who authored the real estate industry’s latest ground-breaking book,  SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times, will lead a breakout session on the book at 9 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 8 at the upcoming National Association of REALTORS® Conference and Expo in Orlando, Fla.

SHIFT explores 12 proven strategies for achieving success in any real estate market including:

• Master the Market of the Moment: Short Sales, Foreclosures and REOs
• Create Urgency: Overcoming Buyer Reluctance
• Re-margin Your Business: Expense Management
• Find the Motivated: Effective Lead Generation
• Expand the Options: Creative Financing

Keller, who also authored the nationally best-selling book, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, will outline the 12 tactics that all real estate agents must implement NOW to thrive in today’s real estate market.

More than 22,000 members of NAR are expected to attend the conference. To learn more about Keller ’s presentation at NAR, click here.

Just when I think I know everything….

Yesterday was Move Your Listings with Linda McKissack at the Cobb Galleria.  I have almost been in the real estate business for 10 years.  I know how to study my market, price property and find motivated sellers.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to learn anything new and then when I woke up to the sound of a rainy fall morning, I really didn’t want to get out of bed early to drive all the way to the Galleria for a class I wasn’t sure I was going to get anything out of!

Thank goodness I did!  The room was packed with real estate professionals ready to take their business to the next level and power through the shift!  Then came Linda McKissack.  I had heard the name before had never had a chance to meet her.  She was a fireball full of energy, enthusiasm, passion for her industry and craft and 21 years of experience to share. 

Linda and her team consistently sell over 350 homes a year!  She got into real estate in Dallas, Texas in the 80’s during the oil crash, banking crash and real estate crash.  She knows a thing a two about this market we’re experiencing. 

Here’s what’s even more impressive.  Linda runs a 7th level team; she simply owns the real estate practice and employs a team of experieced agents that run her sales business while she does other things.  What other things?  Well, Linda saw early on that real estate created opportunities and opened doors for her that she never dreamed possible  “Real estate is too exhausting to do for 20-30 years, but its a great vehicle to help you create the life you want.”  Linda has created NINE streams of income.  She not only makes money as the owner of a 7th level real estate sales business, she is # 3 in the country in profit share earnings for Keller Williams, she purchases 2-4 foreclosures per month as investment properties and she is the master of wealth building!

Linda is learning based.  She has spent 60-70 days per year in training and coaching.  If someone succeeding at her level spends that much time learning and growing that tells me that with only 10 measly years in the business and a fraction of the production, I might still have a thing or two to learn and better get out of the bed on rainy days and get after it.

I learned more before lunch from this event than I have learned in  multiple day classes before.  I will be sharing with you over the next few posts some of my favorite notes from the class.

As a side note, I was having lunch with an agent from the Athens office.  An agent from the west side of Atlanta approached us and introduced herself.  Before the conversation ended, she had referred some friends of hers that need to sell their home in Winder and purchase a home in Athens, to this Athens agent!  Two potential closings as gravy to a fantastic day of learning.  Good thing she didn’t stay in bed and listen to the rain, either!

The point is… put yourself out there!  Andy Andrews says, “our lives are fashioned by choice.  First, we make choices.  Then our choices make us.”  Make a choice to get out there “in the way” of business and learn something new.  Commit to being a better real estate professional than ever before.  Ironically, this market won’t give you much choice.  By choosing not to do what it takes, you really are making a choice, right?

All of my notes and Aha’s from Move Your Listings have been posted to the KW Braselton intranet under group documents.  Feel free to contact me for a personal coaching session on this topic.

As you already know, seller funded downpayment assistance is gone!  For many of you this means less opportunites to get your buyers 100% mortgage financing.  

Tony Woodall, with Home Star Financial, explains there is an attractive alternative that is ideal for our rural market areas in Barrow and Jackson couties.  “The United States Department of Agriculture, yes, the same folks that define what is PRIME Beef or just hamburger, has one PRIME loan program.  USDA is committed to supporting Rural Communities.  What does that have to do with Jackson and  Barrow Counties?  Well, they are still considered “Rural Areas”.  That is a great thing for you in this market.  With the end of Seller Assisted Down Payment Assistance and increased FHA down payments (3.5%), The Guaranteed Rural Development Loan is your PRIME opportunity for your buyers that would usually need FHA loans to qualify for their home, but have no money for a down payment. ”

If you’d like to learn more about the Rural Development loan and how to get your buyer clients qualified, please come the Coffee Talk event at the Braselton office on Tuesday morning, 9am before the team meeting.  Also, Tony is throwing a party to celebrate and alternative to DPA.  The RD Party will also be at the Braselton office in October.

Finally, Tony has created a customizable flyer that you can use to educate your buyers about the Rural Development loan.  I’ve posted it on the office intranet.  Log-in, download and add your personal contact info.  Print it out and mail it or email it to your buyer clients and anyone who may know someone interested in buying a home.

If you’d like to speak with Tony directly about the Rural Develpment loan, call him at 770-530-5525 or email him at tony.woodall@gmail.com.

REALTOR^® Safety Week is Sept. 14-20 and during this week, GAR and NAR urge members to review safety procedures that can prevent unwanted situations at the office, on the road or at home.

Please visit http://www.garealtor.com/MemberCenter/REALTORSafety/2008REALTORSafetyWeek/tabid/362/Default.aspx for some great resources on how to protect yourself.  One such resource is a prospect information form.  This is a form that helps you get to know your client before you get in the car with them and put yourself in harm’s way.  Legitimate clients should have no problem sharing information with you, if they understand its part of your security policy.

There is also a good safety video provided by NAR that I have posted on on our office intranet under “Public Links” and “NAR Resources”.  Please take just a few moments this week to review your own personal security procedures and refresh yourself with some new ones from these NAR resources.  An ounce of prevention….

Stay safe Realtor partners!  Life is sweet.

Monday’s are full of mega-opportunities at KW Braselton! 

Start your week off right at 9am with Power Hour!  Spend just one solid hour making prospecting calls and kick off your week with leads and appointments. 

At 10am, our productivity coach, Vicki Delaney, leads a powerful Rising Stars Mastermind for launching agents.  Synergize with other agents and let Vicki help keep you on track.

Also, at 10am, there is a new productivity group working on their databases together!  Bring your laptop and log-in to Top Producer and spend some time getting your database functioning at a high level.  If you have a question, ask it.  If you have an answer share it!

At 11am, Lead Generation 36-12-3 continues with Power Session 5:  Working with Mets.  If you set up your database and effectively prospect and market to just 216 “Mets” in that database, you are on your way to closing 36 transactions in 12 months. 

Your “Mets” can get you off the real estate roller coaster.  By leveraging your Mets database, you will be able to generate a steady flow of leads and stop going back to square one in your business over and over.  You will leave class Monday afternoon with an action plan for systematically touching your Met database!

See you in the office!

Gary Keller says, “In up markets we tend to acquire habits and patterns of doing things that don’t stop us in good times, but grind us to a halt in bad.”  In other words, the shift in the market will expose mistakes we may not have even known we were making.

The number one determinant of thriving is lead generation, but the number one determinant of surviving is expense management.  This is the foundation of Tactic #2 from Gary’s new book, SHIFT and it was the topic of our SHIFT power session last Tuesday after the team meeting.

Finding your margin and focusing on getting your business there not only protects your profit, but keeps you competitive.  The consequences are high for not operating with a profit.  No profit and no competitiveness means no business.  There are four steps to finding your margin and protecting your profit.

#1  Measure Your Market.  You have to know your numbers.  What’s happening in your market?  How many closings do you have in the pipeline for the next 60 days?  What is your projected income from those closings?  What is your average monthly income for the next 60-90 days? If the answer is none, go straight to your SHIFT book and read Tactic #4  Lead Generation!

#2  Size your business.  Analyze your personal AND your business expenses.  You have to know how much money you are making and how much money you are spending before you can even tell, if you are operating at a profit.  Look at your personal expenses first.   How much money do you need to maintain your current lifestyle?  How much are you spending on your mortgage or rent, utilities, groceries, gas, childcare, wardrobe, etc?  Next, look at your business expenses.  Many agents have no idea how much money they are spending on their business.   Use the Millionaire Real Estate Agent Chart of Accounts at www.MillionaireSystems.com  to get a grip on how much you are spending from advertising to cell phones to supplies. 

Now, you should know not only how much income you are expecing in the next 60 days, but you also know how much you are spending.  So the big question is…which number is greater?  If what your are spending is bigger than what you plan on making, its time to make some changes.  

#3  Cut the Fat!  Scrutinize every last check stub and credit card line item and ask yourself this question:  “How does this expense help produce a buyer or seller lead or get a transaction closed?”  Some ideas that came from the power session on Tuesday were:  using IVR/call capture instead of expensive color flyers for listings, using basic printer paper instead of cardstock for advertising and presentations, eliminate print advertising that is not generating leads, analyze cell phone bill and see if another plan is more economical, go “green”/paperless by replacing snailmail and direct mail with email.  I recently reduced my Windstream telephone and internet services at home by $40/month.  This adds up to almost $500 per year!  In June, we followed this budget cut procedure at the office and eliminated over $4500 a month from our office budget! Be a budget bully!  Find it and cut it!  “Nothing should be untouchable and all expenses should feel the heat of your scrutiny!  It’s tough, but you can do it, too! Chris Cormack of Ashburn, Virginia says to “cut your expenses by 50 percent and you will see how business still goes on.  It will shock you when you see how little you really need to spend.” 

Two things NOT to cut: 

• Customer Service!  Your clients will demand better service than ever to navigate the challenges of this market and if you don’t deliver what you promise, they will find someone else who will and this market share will be lost forever.
• Education and Coaching!  This market will force you to hone your skills.  Good coaching can help you master these skills and keep you focused on the 20%   You must keep yourself informed and motivated to survive. 

#4  Make the most of what you have.  Get back to prospecting and spending valuable face-time with your sphere of influence, past clients, allied resources and preferred vendor partners.  Always be strengthening these relationships for referral business.  Maximize your tools; add a call to action to your marketing efforts and use your market center services like data entry of your listings and low-cost copies.  Use your technology tools provided to you by KW like your websites and IDX internet lead capture provided by Wolfnet!  Add your listings to the Keller Williams Listing Service for free feeds to Google, Trulia, Yahoo, AOL Homes and others!

I have posted the worksheet from Tuesday’s power session on our office intranet, www.LanierPartnersBarrowJackson.com .  Look under “Group Documents” and “Shift Tactics”.  If you’d like one-on-one help with re-margining your real estate business, please call me for an appointment!  When you lead from a position of profit your world is full of possiblities!

“Need help weathering the storm in today’s real estate market? If so, reach for Gary Keller’s new book, SHIFT— it’s the lifesaver you need today to thrive tomorrow,” stated Inman News columnist Bernice Ross.

In her weekly column on Friday, Sept. 12, Ross featured SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times. The article reviews the 12 tactics outlined in the book and states that SHIFT is “rich in easy-to-understand strategies, charts, and illustrations that show you exactly what you need to do to thrive in today’s very challenging and ’shifted’ real estate market.” Click here to read the full article.

Click here to buy a copy of this timeless career-building tool!