DAY 2—JULY 2, 2009—CREATING CHANGE / 365

Ann asks Coach Linda for Help:
“I am so tired of running around for demanding and unqualified buyers! I need to run my business instead of letting it run me!” –Ann

Ann was brand new to the real estate sales business, and as with many new agents who fall victim to pitfalls, she was jumping whenever and wherever the next call led her. As we all know, as experienced agents, that rocky road is one that ends in crash and burn. An agent’s energy and career can end up in a heap, without a bit of intervention.

So Ann was told to call Coach Linda to learn “how to run a business” instead of “letting the business run her”.
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Linda’s Response to Ann:

SITUATION
Working a business without a plan was Ann’s problem. As a new agent Ann had everything to learn and was already overwhelmed at the thought of not knowing where to start. She already had a steady flow of calls and was creating leads by doing open houses for other agents.

She needed some basic systems to follow to protect herself from burnout at such an early stage of her budding real estate career.

OBJECTIVES / GOALS
The first thing Coach Linda suggested was to determine a schedule with a minimum of scheduled time for four showing times per week, two open houses, time to build systems, lead generation and lead follow-up.

SOLUTIONS
Ann went through her date book and started coloring in time slots for scheduling appointments for showings - mornings, afternoons, evenings and on the weekend. She also decided she could do a weekday and a weekend open house.

She learned to block office time in to do all of her follow up and lead generation. She set aside time for building buyer systems since that was the bulk of her new leads. Ann started where she was and would build a strong foundation from there.

TASKS AND SYSTEMS TO REACH SOLUTIONS
Ann already had leads but did not have a system to qualify them. She created a buyers packet with all of the paperwork she would need and a few extras just in case. She set up a checklist for working with the buyers that she could follow and would no longer have to worry about whether or not she forgot something. She was making mind space by organizing. This gave her a sense of confidence and peace.

Ann also realized she was loosing leads by not following up right away, just because she would misplace the contact information. Another system was created with a day and time for follow up and a checklist of questions to ask and procedures to follow.

AH HA BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS
Ann’s ah ha moment came when she realized she could actually create the ‘rules of the road’ on how she wanted to run her business. These healthy guidelines supported the well being of her life and business. The big surprise was that her clients ‘would’ agree to them in working with her.

RELEASING AN EMOTIONAL BLOCK
Ann felt a lot of apprehension in setting up the guidelines for her clients. She felt if they wouldn’t work within her business guidelines she would have to let them go and no more clients would follow. This is a fear that many new agents have, but her confidence came from the value proposition that her clients receive when working with Ann. That is what she would sell them, and not guidelines.

BREAKTHROUGH RESULTS
Once Ann realized that this really is her business, and like her doctor or dentist, she understood that her clients would adjust because they know the value that they receive by working with Ann, it became easier for her to have strong guidelines but to be flexible so her business would grow instead of creating realtor burnout.

Ann had to adjust, and be aware of, her own sense of self and her value in order for her clients to recognize it. She knew this was a start…a great start.

She realized that she could make up time blocked schedules and systems but she wouldn’t (and couldn’t) follow them in earnest if she really didn’t work on her sense of self and the value that she imparts to her clients. That value is: That Ann is the very best agent for them. She would have to work on selling her value proposition to herself first and then the client would be a piece of cake!