Coach Patti's Blog

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Catching Up with Yourself

Writing in calendar

It's time for that appointment you made with yourself – that time when you are going to look at how you did during the first half of the year, and figure out what you can do to make the second half better.

First, hold your calls and step away from the e-mail. This is protected time for you and your business. Next, pull out that file you created – the one with your financial information and a copy of your plan for the year – and start reviewing it. Compare how you did to your plan:

  • calculator keysAre you on track in the important areas?
    • Gross production
    • Net proceeds
    • Listings taken and buyers sold
    • Where your business is coming from
    • Advertising expenditures
  • What is working? What can you do to take more advantage of a trend?
  • What is not working as planned? Why is it not working? And most important, what can you do to get it back in line with your plan?
  • From where you are at the end of June, what will it take to be back on track by the end of September so that you can hit your goal for the year at the end of December? (Note: "A miracle" is not an answer! There is a real answer that will work for you. Find it.)
  • Where has your business come from this year? Is your marketing plan aligned so that you are spending money where your business is coming from?

Here's a great goal – meet your financial objectives for the year by the end of October. Then, you can relax if you want to, or go for a record year, or just get really picky about working with the perfect clients instead of the high maintenance kind!

Woman Working at ComputerNext: strategizing for the future. Regardless of how you've done so far, perhaps the most important action you can take from this business planning session is to look for trends.

  • Are the niches you are focusing on the ones with activity? Look at the MLS data to see what trends emerge. If you do geographical farming, review last year’s numbers vs. this year's.
  • What new areas are emerging? A young new home subdivision (3-5 years old) is a great place to establish a foothold as a guru before anyone else does.
  • It is now possible to have real estate in an IRA, and this could be a great opportunity to generate sales that weren’t going to happen otherwise by contacting your clients to share this opportunity with them.
  • With the low interest rates and refinancing frenzy, if prices do soften in some areas, we may see more repossessions. Building some alliances with lenders and banks now could yield new business in the coming months and years.

Sold signWayne Gretsky said, "You'll always miss 100 percent of the shots you do not take." And "The fundamentals of the game are never going to change, but the things you're going to do, that changes."

Every marketplace offers individual and unique opportunities. The agents that are aware and awake to shifting before others see the trends will have an edge! Will you be there?

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Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent.  Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks." - Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

 

2 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • June 29 2009 02:38PM

It's Mid-year…Are You Mid-way to Your Yearly Goals?

JuneMan looking in mirror in JuneI can hear you because I say it too; "Where did the year go? How did it get to be almost the end of June??"

But it IS mid-year, and time to focus on where we are and where we are going with the intention of closing that gap. No matter if you are on track or not, we still have six more months in 2009, and anything can happen. Let’s use this time to plan to win! 

So much goes on each day that can distract us from what is really important. We all know this, but it still happens. We take our eye off the ball – our goal – because we're looking at something that popped up to distract us. But if you take eye off the ball, you can’t hit it. 

Are you having trouble staying focused and on task during the summer months? If I asked, “What did you do last week that brought you closer to your goals for the year?” would you be satisfied with your answer? Were you busy, but didn’t accomplish what you wanted, because you were doing the wrong things? Or did you accomplish what you wanted? GREAT! What did you do to make that happen?

January A break and current assessment can refocus you on the most important actions to take to end 2009 as a winner.

As the first half of the year is behind us it’s a good time to do a reality check with your business plan. Are you on target? Are you ahead? Are you behind? What will it take to catch up or stay on track?

DecemberLet’s take this time to see what is working and what isn’t working and to create a strategy for the second half of the game that will lead you to the win.

Right now, get your schedule out and block an appointment with yourself for a couple of hours within the next week. This check-in at mid-year, when done right, will be almost as extensive and as important as your yearly planning session. It will allow you to make course corrections and be more powerful in achieving your goals.

Woman with planTo get ready for this session with yourself, review the numbers from the first half of the year. If you’ll take the time to do an in depth view of this, you’ll discover information to make and keep you profitable.

The numbers you want to track are:

  • Your gross production
  • Your net proceeds
  • The number of listings taken
  • The number of buyers sold
  • Average list price and average sales price
  • Where each transaction came from
  • Where your advertising dollars were spent

Put all this in a file and have it ready for your appointment with yourself. Pull out a copy of your plan for the year and add it to the file.

Next time – we'll go through what you do in that appointment with yourself, your business, and your future!

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Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent.  Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks." - Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

12 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • June 18 2009 07:57PM

A Different Kind of Bucket List

We all know that there is no financial security in the real estate industry. We are independent contractors; we own our own businesses. There are no 401(k) plans or pensions, and there is no one who will look after us but us. So like many others today we are being more careful with spending.

That's a good thing, but it's not the way to build wealth. For that, you need a plan that goes beyond cooking at home instead of going out to eat. It doesn't have to be a fancy or difficult plan; all you need are three buckets. Using those three buckets (or pots or any other container you want to visualize) will help you build wealth and a future for yourself and your business.  Rainy Day

Bucket #1The first bucket (no, not a real bucket!) is for your living expenses. You need 3 to 6 months of living expenses somewhere for emergencies. It can be cash in the bank or a line of credit, though if you are tapping that reserve you probably don't want to take on new debt if possible. Whatever form it is in, you need to have quick access in the event of an emergency.

Bucket #2Once Bucket #1 is full, only then can you start filling Bucket #2. This is your retirement bucket. This is where you are getting a good annual return on mutual funds, stocks, bonds, or real estate. You diversify your holdings so that you don't risk great losses in one market segment. When your are ready to fill the second bucket, you should be budgeting a percentage of your income to go directly into this.Nest Egg

How much? Start where you are and look ahead. If you are 40 years old now, you want to retire at 55, and you need $1.5 million to do that, they you can figure out how much you need to put in Bucket #2 every week or month to reach that goal. There are many places online that offer such retirement calculators. As long as you are putting that money away regularly, then you are on track with that bucket.

Bucket #3Now you can think about a third bucket. This is your high-risk bucket. If you have Bucket #1 full and you are on track with bucket number 2, then anything left over goes into the high-risk bucket. In that case, if you had $10,000 left over Dice on aceat the end of the year, maybe you take that trip to Vegas, or go buy those clothes, or my style is to put that money into a high-risk market. You might get into a business opportunity, a risky stock, or something else that has potential for a big return, but also carries a risk of loss. The only bucket you can touch for that kind of gamble is #3. You might invest in a high-risk venture that pays off and find you have filled Bucket #2 early. But you might also lose that investment. Either way, you still have Bucket #1 full and Bucket #2 on track.

No, I'm not an investment adviser or financial planner. But I believe common sense and responsible planning will take you far toward your goals. Just by following a simple plan like this you’ll start building wealth, you'll be monitoring your finances, and be in more control. And that leads to flexibility for your business, with money to put into marketing, which generates the leads, and turns leads into sales. You are building wealth, building a business that is worth something whether you pass it on to the next generation or sell it. You are building the future you want with peace, balance, and security.

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Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent.  Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks." - Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

 

3 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • June 05 2009 04:10PM

Do Raindrops Keep Fallin' on Your Head?

RainingYou've heard about "scarcity thinking," haven't you? And by now you know that what you believe and hold in your mind does influence what happens in your life. If you don't think you have enough (money, time, energy, etc.), then you probably are right. That can make you pull back from opportunities and afraid to take a chance even when there's a good possibility the outcome would be in your favor.

Then comes a time like now when business may have slowed down, money isn't flowing as easily as before, and that "rainy day" you were told to save for has arrived. Did you save? Or do you now find yourself in more debt than you planned and struggling to keep up? Are you even toying with the idea of filing for bankruptcy?

Debt burdenWhen the raindrops keep falling on your head, you need to get out of that debt that has you thinking in scarcity mode and holding you back. Before you go to an attorney there is a lot you can do for yourself that can help you avoid the destruction of your credit and the legal, financial, and emotional burden of bankruptcy.

  1. Admit it. You have got to admit you are in debt. Don't just think to yourself, "Yeah, I know I'm in debt." Stand up. Say it out loud. "I'm way over my head in debt. I lost control of my money and owe so much to other people that my life is not my own any more. I am going to change this."
  2. Total it. Now that you have admitted it, accepted the reality, and gone through the depression of where you are, now you need to sit down and total up everything you owe. You need to know the number, no matter how horrible it is. Is it $5,000? $50,000? What is the number?
  3. BudgetingStop it. Stop doing what is getting you in debt. Stop the spending, don’t buy the car, don’t buy the clothes, don’t go on the vacation, stop what you are doing. You have to stop the bleeding completely and immediately.
  4. Formulate it. Take your total debt - let’s pretend it is $20,000 – and list everything in order based on interest rate. Include all the credit cards, car loans, Mom and Dad, whatever. Now take the high interest items (often credit cards) and start throwing as much money as you can at those items first. Put off any you can; Mom and Dad will wait. Knock off high interest things first and then work down the list to the low interest last. In other words, make the minimum payments on the lower interest debts and pay as much as possible on the high interest stuff.
  5. Budget it. To make this work you need to have at least a general budget so you know how much you can use to pay down debt. If you bring in $100,000 this year, and have $90,000 in regular expenses and taxes, then you have $10,000 that you can put towards debt. Not vacation, not a new TV, no big parties. You are on a money diet, and the debt comes first. And since you've done step 4, you know that $10,000 goes more toward the high interest debts first.
  6. Stretch a dollarControl it. In some cases you need to call some creditors. If you talk to them, they will often wait and/or work with you on a payment schedule. Just pick up the phone and initiate the call, hard as that can be. Most creditors would prefer to know there's a problem and work with you – they don't want to turn it over to a collection agency either. Let people know the story. Say something like, "Listen, this is what I have each month to pay my debt, and I'm allocating $200 a month to you. It will be paid off by this date…" and make a commitment to a date you will pay them in full. And keep it.
  7. Get after it. You have a plan. You have control. Now get back to work and work your way out of debt. Stick to your plan, make sure to keep the payment commitments you made, and control your spending as you do. The only way out of debt is to work your way out of debt.

Sun and rainRainy days are a fact of life. With planning, perseverance, and follow-through, you can survive the storm. 

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Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent.  Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks." - Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

3 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • May 22 2009 03:29PM

Work ON, Not IN Your Business

Are you busy? Everyone’s busy! Ask anyone and they’ll tell you how busy they are. But how many people are seeing real results?

Plan checklistAs a real estate agent, it is important to realize that you are not just a sales person - you are first and foremost an entrepreneur. That means you are a business owner with all sorts or responsibilities, and those duties can sometimes seem to overwhelm you. Most of all, you are a leader who has the vision that propels you, your team, and your business forward.

It’s easy to feel buried by the myriad activities that demand your attention each day. That's the time to remember and apply the 80/20 RULE:  Spend 80% of your time, money, and effort on income-producing activities, and no more than 20% on income-servicing activities. What are "income-servicing activities"? You might remember I talked about this a couple of months ago. Be aware of the activities that steal your time, and focus on action.Calendar Page

How do you do this? How Put aside a block of time each week to work ON your business by focusing on your vision. Ask yourself:

  • Where are you in relation to where you need to be?
  • What needs to be done, and who is going to do it?
  • What changes are going on in your market?
  • Where do you need to tweak your plan?

Once you have identified what your goals for your business in the 60-90 days, take steps to accomplish your goals:

  1. Climb to goalSet aside two hours, one day a week, to work ON your business.
  2. Break your business down into the six most critical areas.
  3. Decide what your goal is for each area in the next 60-90 days.
  4. Evaluate on a scale of 1 to10 where you are in each area.
  5. Create a plan to get to a 10 in each area, and give it a deadline.
  6. Put the action steps of your plan in your schedule.
  7. Delegate or outsource the activities that are taking your time away from reaching your goals.

Make working ON your business a regular, weekly habit, and you'll see that your business goals will become realities.

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Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent. Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks." - Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

4 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • May 15 2009 07:20PM

Moments of Truth

That moment of truth – that instant that you make a decision, you change direction, you see clearly, and you know where you are going. We all have them, and so do our clients. For clients, the moment of truth is that time when they:

  • coaching groupChoose your services above others,
  • Choose to continue using your services after having worked with you, or
  • Choose to use your services again, and recommend you to their friends.

That sounds like getting to a moment of truth is a good thing, so how do you make it happen? Obviously, you can't impose a moment of truth on your prospects or clients, but you can create an environment in which those moments happen. For example, each of these could be a moment of truth:

  • When someone hears another person praise you and your work
  • When how you present yourself  - your appearance, handshake, voice, smile, etc. – strikes a pleasant chord with another person
  • When a person is touched intellectually and emotionally by what you say
  • When a person recognizes you as a model of who or what they would like to become, personally or professionally
  • Man studyingwoman with small giftWhen a person knows that you care
  • When a person feels that they are safe with you
  • When a person trusts your professional credentials
  • When a person believes they will be challenged and get what they need from you, such as in a coaching situation where you can provide the specific help they need.
  • When a person looks forward to small gifts and thoughtful messages from you because you are an important part of their life
  • When a person knows that you will make it right for them if they have a complaint about a product or service
  • When a person recognizes that your fee is slightly above the industry standard, and believes that you are worth it
  • When a person is sure that their success and well-being are your priorities
  • When a person knows that you never stop growing professionally because you want to give your clients the best
  • When a person is able to reach you effortlessly, if you can't answer the phone in person, you have a secretary, voice mail, or cell phone, and you respond.
  • When a person can count on you to treat them as a unique individual with unique needs

man on cell phonewoman on cell phoneI'm sure you see the single thread that runs through all of these…genuine caring. You care about the convenience and comfort of your clients, you care about your own ethical standing, you care about how your interact with people and the impression you create. Your style of doing business is focused outward, on others and their needs, because you know that when you make a difference in someone else's life, it circles around and adds to your life as well.

When you have that positive cycle working in your life, those moments of truth happen more often for you and for your clients.

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Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent.  Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks." - Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

3 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • May 06 2009 01:06PM

When It Comes to Sales, What is Reality…Really?

milkNew carOne answer might be that selling is all about saying the right things that will convince people to buy, whether it's a house, a car, or a carton of milk. Others might say that selling is about being in the right place at the right time to connect with people who are ready to buy. And some will add that selling means following tried and true methods of reaching people, knowing that a certain percentage of those contacts will turn into sales.

HouseAnything wrong with all that? Not really, except that there's one very important point missing. In sales, and in life, what you think becomes your reality. Now expand that thought, and you'll see that at the same time, your seller's thoughts create their reality. I'm not saying that thoughts are reality, only that these accumulations of beliefs and attitudes about what reality is are what we need to recognize when working with people to complete any transaction.

Let's look at the players in a home sale: You (the sellers' agent), your sellers, the buyers, and the buyers' agent.

  • You understand that the real estate market has changed in the last couple of years. The houses on your seller's street used to sell for $600,000, but now they are in the $475,000 to $550,000 range. That's your reality about price.
  • Your sellers have lived in their house for many years. They bought it for $215,000 and saw the market value rise to over $600,000. Now that they are ready to sell, they expect to get at least $600,000 for it. That's their price reality.
  • The buyers have done their homework and know the going price range for this house. They admit it's nicer than most, but still don't think it's worth more than $525,000. Their reality.
  • The buyers' agent sold a similar house in the neighborhood for $540,000 a few months ago, so that is her reality.

Now…what's the "real" price of this house?

Man and woman with chartClearly, if there is to be a meeting of all these minds, somehow they need to come together. If no one budges, there's no deal at all. But you have an advantage – you know that each party has a different "reality," and so you can recognize the basis of their differences.

agreementIf your thoughts and their thoughts are not in sync, you won't be seeing things the same way, and that's the root of problems. But knowing their points of view, you are in a position to influence them. You will have to expand your "reality" to recognize and include all the others. Then you have the complete picture and can bring those different realities into alignment. That's where the real selling starts.

You have about 80,000 thoughts a day, and many of them are negative. If you want to change your reality, change your thinking. You have a choice of how and what you think; think negative and you will create a negative environment, think positive and you create an environment of positive possibilities. From that positive position you become known as a person who makes deals come together in a way that everyone wins. That's a reality that everyone can appreciate.

signature

 

 

Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent.  Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks." - Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

 

7 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • April 29 2009 08:08PM

Take the Big View

Frog on lily padThere's a small frog at the bottom of a well. He looks up and sees a circle of sky. Because it's all he can see, he believes the sky is only as big as that small circle. Then it rains, the well fills, and floats him to the top. How big is the sky now for that frog? Frog at top

When we think about it, we realize that our view of the sky – or of our market  or our possibilities – is defined by how we think. We don't have to be in a deep well to know that there's more sky than we can see. But we do have to remember that, and think bigger!

Woman on phoneWhat does this have to do with production for a real estate agent? Just about everything. If increasing your production is important to you, remember that you are the only one  to decide if a real estate market is good or bad.  Not your customers, not the economy, and not other agents; YOU decide how big your sky is. In fact, it really doesn't matter what cycle the real estate economy is in, because 15 or 20 good listing appointments a month will cure all of your production problems.

Man at desk on phoneIf you want to increase your production, first you need to know how you are doing. Track the number of hours you prospect daily for 90 days, and whom you call or get face to face with. While you are prospecting, check your energy and intensity  - are you bringing that positive mindset and approach that will make your prospecting effective?

Then every week, take some time to sit back and look at your listings as if they were products on a store shelf. Consider whether they are the right "products" for your "store," and answer these three questions:

  1. Should I be giving some of my listings back?
  2. What emotional price am I paying for some of the listings that I have?
  3. What will it cost to keep a listing for 6 months that will not sell?

SunriseYour answers to these questions will tell you where you are spending your time and effort well, and what you could change to do even better.

And at the end of the day, settle back and do a little self-analysis. Ask:

  • What did I do right today?
  • Did I get off track, and if I did, where?
  • What do I need to focus on tomorrow?

From where I am, tomorrow's sky is big and broad and full of possibilities. What's your piece of the sky like today?

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Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent.  Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks." - Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

9 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • April 20 2009 01:51PM

The Winning Formula

FormulaThese days you can find a formula or "best way" for just about anything – the best words to use in a listing, the best kind of sign to put in the ground, the best way to save money at the grocery store, or the best barbecue sauce. You could get the idea that you don't have to think much at all, just follow a formula.

BarbecueWhich, of course, is not true at all. A formula is like a recipe – ingredients that you combine in different ways and different proportions to make exactly the right combination for you. Not only do you think, you get to create and see the results of your work.

So are formulas useless? Of course not. They give you a starting point and then you add your own combination of style, substance, and pizzazz to make your signature sauce or your own version of success.

All formulas start with constants – those things that you need to have in order to create your success. For barbecue sauce you might have molasses, ketchup, and cayenne as your constants, and other ingredients based on the flavor you are aiming at. There's your unique combination.

In real estate, the constants are attitude, strategy, and focus. These basics, plus your self-image, your specific plan, and consistent application, lead to sure success.

Start with the constants. Your attitude will determine whether the rest of it works or not, so your first task is to get rid of scarcity thinking and replace it with an attitude of abundance.

Game PlanNext is strategy. It must be your strategy, not someone else's. As Vince Lombardi said, “In all my years of coaching, I have never been successful in using someone else’s plays.” Make the strategy uniquely yours and build it on networking, marketing, and prospecting.

And now the focus. Focus is what keeps all the parts working together and going in the direction you want. You are the driver of this vehicle – there's no autopilot or cruise control, so you have to pay attention.

What about the rest of the formula – the variables? Your self-image, your concept of yourself and how you fit in your world, needs to be expanding as you grow and your business grows. Don't waste time comparing yourself to others. Comparing drains energy; connect instead with your own strengths and gifts.

Plan checklistAnd your plan – that all-important piece that identifies the specifics about how you will put your strategy into action. You've heard it many times before: Plan your work and work your plan. It's that simple, and that powerful.

Coach with stopwatchAnd the final ingredient – consistency. Without consistency and perseverance, you can plan for success forever and never have it. It's not difficult, just match your skills to your personality, apply them to your plan, and do it all the time. Simple as it sounds, consistency is one of the hardest parts for many people. If it's a challenge for you, get a coach to support you in focusing on your formula and creating consistency.

Each person's success formula will be different; adopting your own winning formula is crucial to your success. So here's the formula again:

Attitude of abundance + Expanding self-image + Strategy + Plan + Focus + Consistency = SUCCESS

What will you create with your success formula?

Signature

 

 

Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income? Here's what one student said:

"In 2006 I left REMAX and went to Prudential in West Chester OH. I was in a slump and Bob Daniel handed me $100 and told me to sign up for some Real Estate Game that Patti Kouri was conducting. It was the best money spent.  Last year (2008) I did 100 transactions. It all began with you, Ms. Patti. My thanks."

- Pamela Bensen

Play The Real Estate Game®

Want to follow me on Twitter? www.twitter.com/coachpattikouri
I'm also on www.Facebook.com - Search Patti Kouri

 

2 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • April 10 2009 02:22PM

How Are You Doing So Far?

Calendar page 31Making ResolutionsCheck the calendar; we're already three months in to the year. How are you doing with your plans and goals for 2009? If you made resolutions at the end of 2008, have you been able to keep them? If you’re like most people, those easier goals are probably either accomplished or in reach. The ones that were more like wishes, well, they probably haven't happened yet. In other words, you are quite normal!

But is that enough? If part of your plan for 2009 is to not just to survive but to actually thrive and grow your business, then take a few moments to do a quarterly checkup with these five questions.

  1. Did you really leave 2008 behind, or did you hang on to the negatives that were swirling around the end of the year? That year is gone! Let it go and look ahead. Remember one of my favorite quotes from Henry Ford: "If you think you can do a thing, or think you Man admiring self in mirrorcan't do a thing, you're right." Think you can, and you will.
  2. Do you start the day with a balanced, positive frame of mind? We don't do our best when we are very excited or very depressed, so work on staying on an even keel. Drastic ups and downs lead to poor decision-making, and that costs money.
  3. Are you using your time effectively? We all get the same number of hours each day to work with. Spend most of your time on activities that produce income, and no more than 20% on activities that are income servicing.
  4. Are you too fond of your own wonderfulness? Keep your ego in check. When the ego gets in your way, it's also getting in the way of increased sales and profits. People will tell you when you are wonderful – let the compliments come from others.
  5. How long has it been since you changed anything about how you do business? Remain flexible and open to new ideas, new ways of doing things. If we have learned anything in the last couple of years in real estate, it is that the people who can adjust to changes quickly and effectively are the ones who grow their businesses in any market.

man moving upWoman moving upAnd a final question: Are you learning and having fun? The Real Estate Game players know that those are two very important parts of a successful business. Now is a good time to step back and take a good look at your business. There's still time to refocus and achieve those goals you saw so clearly just three months ago.

Let me know how you do?

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Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations! 

Will you Take My Challenge and increase your income?
Play The Real Estate Game®

 

 

 

5 commentsCoach Patti Kouri • March 31 2009 08:38PM