It’s Time to Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - Episode #223
You read that right—you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable. I recently heard this phrase listening to Jen Sincero’s book “You Are a Badass at Making Money” and found it inspiring. What are you doing in your business that is preventing you from breaking through because you aren’t moving outside of your comfort zone? Listen to this episode of Agent Rise as I break down how to break through your discomfort.
I often talk about how you need to be playing to your strengths in your business. But always playing to your strengths doesn’t help you grow. Doing things that push you out of your comfort zone will. For many agents, following up with leads is something they hate.
Throwing an open house and meeting with people is easy. The conversation is easy.
But following up on the lead leaves many agents uncomfortable because it’s awkward. They don’t connect with them the next day and feel like they’ve missed their moment. I don’t want you to let embarrassment or discomfort get in the way of doing what you’re good at. So how do you remove the discomfort?
There are two things you need to consider about a potential client:
Stop overthinking things! Make the uncomfortable comfortable by removing the parameters you have set. There is no magical timeline that you HAVE to follow.
Another common thing agents find uncomfortable is calling their sphere of influence. The friends, family, business owners, clients, etc. that are important to you. You may feel you have nothing to say, so it’s uncomfortable making that call. There are a couple of ways to remedy that.
Firstly, you can follow an “A-Z” method. The first week, you call everyone on your contact list under the A’s, then call the B’s the following week and so forth. In this way, you’ll call everyone in your sphere of influence twice in one year.
My favorite method is to call your sphere of influence when you put on an event. For example, I enjoy hosting “I love Madison” events. I’ll call up my sphere of influence and invite them. If you host an appreciation event a couple of times a year and invite your sphere of influence, you knock out something that makes you uncomfortable!
Keep listening to hear my advice on some other scenarios that make you uncomfortable, and how to overcome them.
I believe you won’t truly find abundance until you start doing things that make you uncomfortable. Some part of what you excel at will always be a little uncomfortable, right? I want you to make it part of your goals in 2020—
What is making you uncomfortable? What can you do to get comfortable being uncomfortable?
Is it something you can let go of? Is it something that makes you nervous, such as launching a YouTube channel or a podcast? I want you to think about what is preventing you from having a breakthrough moment in your business.
Then head on over to the Agent Rise Facebook group and let me know—what is making you uncomfortable? Let’s talk about it.
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If you don’t set boundaries in your business, your clients will walk all over you. It’s a simple truth and one that I’ve learned all too well. If you begin to implement boundaries, your clients will start to respect you. They’ll sing your praises and you’ll start to get referrals. So how do you begin to set boundaries with clients if you haven’t from day one? Listen to this episode of Agent Rise and I’ll give you some strategic ways you can set boundaries with your clients.
I had been taking some Sundays off here and there, but I wasn’t being consistent. If something came up with a client I would go running. One Sunday I was tucking my daughter into bed and she thanked me and said we had such a great day together.
When I said goodnight, she said: “See you next Sunday”.
The weight of her words sunk in like a punch to the stomach. I had become so immersed in work that I had neglected my family. My daughter only expected to see me one day a week. I knew at that moment something needed to change.
I started implementing boundaries in 2011 and it changed everything for me. I’d meet with a potential client and at the end of the conversation I’d phrase it like this:
My family is very important to me and to spend time with them I will not be able to show homes on Sundays and most weekday evenings. I want to make sure that will work for you?
I’ve only had one instance in the last nine years where a client said he only had availability on Sunday to see homes. So I referred him to another agent I knew worked weekends.
Unfortunately, she said he was the worst client she’s worked with. He was demanding and disrespectful of her time—because she didn’t set boundaries. He had zero reason to respect her.
So what do you do if you’re already working with a chunk of clients? How do you break the news that you need to begin focusing on what’s important—your family? Call every single one of your clients, now.
Let them know that in 2020, you’ll only be available at specific times, and that evenings and weekends will be devoted to your family. The majority of your clients will respect your decision and think more highly of you.
Keep listening for some other tips to set boundaries with people who aren’t even your clients yet.
People are often worried that setting boundaries in their business means they will lose clients. They worry about what people will think of them. Guys—let go of the disease to please. Focus on your family and what matters most.
When you do, I firmly believe that you will get busier. People respect men and women who set boundaries and know where their priorities lie. It builds respect and trust, and those people will send you referrals. And the referrals will send you referrals.
You’ll gain a reputation as someone who is trustworthy and stands by their beliefs. It won’t be easy at first, but it is 100% worth it.
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What matters most in your business? How do you regain focus? As we are nearing the end of the year and entrenched in “shiny object season” it’s easy to lose sight of where you’re supposed to be. In this episode of Agent Rise, I lay out 3 strategies to help you focus on what matters most.
Are you so worried about what everyone else thinks that it leaves you paralyzed? Are you operating every day out of fear? If you can’t function because you’re afraid of what other people are thinking, stop now.
The enemy is trying to rob you of joy. Fight it!
Eliminate the disease to please. What matters most is the ability to push through and let go of the fear. Change your mindset from one of fear to one of freedom. I used to worry about every little thing, but I’ve learned how beautiful freedom is.
Claim it: I will no longer be held captive by the disease to please.
Your vision is your clear plan. Where are you going? How are you going to get there? When you start working towards your vision, your needs will be met. It’s a little scary, right?
On the flip side, if you’re working according to your needs, you begin to spiral. You start doing things you shouldn’t be doing and experience switch cost.
Ditch your needs. They will be met as you stay focused on your vision.
A clear and simple plan always begins by focusing on the basics of your business. Make three calls a day to new leads, your sphere of influence, and more. Focus on your attraction, chase, and sphere of influence pillars and what you’re doing for each. If you don’t have a plan, you won’t know what to say ‘no’ to. Remove shiny object syndrome—make it a thing of the past!
We have let so many things matter more than what matters most. Gaining clarity on that can be difficult. Are you ready to narrow down what truly matters? If you don’t have a clear plan or vision for your business, head on over to AgentOnTheRise.com and check out my masterclass. My goal is to help you simplify your business to amplify your results!
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Selling homes in the winter is a difficult beast to overcome. It’s typically cold, and no one wants to move when there is snow on the ground. So how should you utilize the slow season? How do you combat shiny object syndrome? This episode of Agent Rise is all about answering YOUR questions about the slow season in Real Estate.
What do you do when everyone wants to start looking for a home in the Spring? Here’s my three-step plan to reel in the hesitant home-buyer:
You need to respect their schedule and timeline while providing value. But if you can show them the house of their dreams, odds are they will move up their timeline.
Preparing for the holidays can leave you completely distracted. I get it. So what can you do to combat the seasons? Get back to the basics (which I talk about in detail in this episode). Keep it simple and make three calls a day. If it’s three calls more than you’re already making, then it’s a win.
Make Match-making calls. Call someone in your sphere of influence and wish them happy holidays! Call someone and let them know you’re thankful for them in this season. These conversations may drum up some referrals. But more than that, it keeps you moving forward.
Don’t let winter drag you down!
I cannot emphasize this enough: stay the course. If your chase pillar is open-houses, don’t change your strategy because you’re in a slow season. You may not get a lot of visitors to your open houses, but you may get some unrepresented buyers. Perhaps the neighbors will come by and you can get to know them.
It also allows you to have better conversations with the people that do come by. Take advantage of the time you wouldn’t normally get and connect with buyers. Even if the house you’re selling isn’t their perfect match, maybe you can help them find the right one!
Don’t be discouraged. Seasons come and go. Take the slow season to get back to the basics, and prepare for the busy spring season to come.
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We’ve been talking about trimming distractions from your business and getting back to the basics. But what does that mean? How can you move from spinning your wheels to moving forward? If you find yourself doing things that aren’t moving your business in the right direction, it’s time to take a step back, re-evaluate, and get back to the basics.
During the off-season, most sports implement a sort of spring training (or training camp). It’s all about getting back to the core of the game and practicing the basics.
In baseball, they have batting practice as well as working on stopping ground balls, fly balls, etc. In football, they run plays, focus on weight-lifting and conditioning, and prepare for the next season.
So why shouldn’t it be the same for agents? It’s important to take a step back, look at the big picture, and focus on perfecting the basics of the game. So what does that look like? Keep listening!
Making three calls a day is a simple way to begin building promise momentum. You make a simple promise to yourself, then keep that promise to yourself. If you’re spinning your wheels and you feel like your dignity has taken a nose-dive this is a great way to get back on track.
Make 3 phone calls 5 days a week.
It can be as simple as calling a friend to catch up. Call a potential client with a lead. Work on match-making and call someone with a home that fits the criteria they were looking for. You can even call an influencer in your community and make a connection.
Do you have a back-log of leads that have piled up that you haven’t had the time to follow-up on? So often, agents lose sight of what’s already in front of them. Reach out to the leads that you haven’t touched, or didn’t devote enough time to.
If you have 100 leads, send them an email simply asking if they’re interested in buying a house in the new year. Even if you get a 5% response rate, and only 3 of those people are interested—those are 3 cold leads that are now promising!
Keep listening as I talk about a few other ways you can connect with old leads and create new ones!
80% of your business will come from your sphere of influence, so it is imperative you stay connected with them. Send a mailer to them once a month. Call them at least twice a year. Invite them to happy hours or appreciation events. Continue to cultivate the relationships you have.
If you’re stuck, focus on choosing a chase pillar: open houses, running Facebook ads, hunting down FSBO’s, and more. Doing all of the above will work, but I advocate choosing one as your main focus. Then you can begin to perfect your craft and move towards excellence in that pillar. You don’t want to be a jack of all trades, but master of none.
To hear my thoughts on the attraction pillar and why it doesn’t need to be your focus, listen to the whole episode now!
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Strategic decision making means taking an objective look at your business and making cuts where necessary. Are you spread too thin? Did you branch out and try too many new ideas in 2019? I want to challenge you to take a deep look at your business and make the decision to cut something that keeping you from reaching your goals!
It feels really strange to take a step back and stop making things about the hustle. We are always looking to add more, do more, achieve more. But at what point is the hustle distracting you from your goals? Are you spending time focusing on things that you really hate in the name of “hustling”?
If you’re building four different bridges and none of them are reaching the other side, you are scattered and losing focus. It’s more powerful to simplify, build and complete one bridge. You’ll meet your goals faster and more efficiently.
How do you eliminate a process/procedure/task from your business? A friend of mine used the illustration that when you’re in the business, it’s like you’re stuck in a bottle trying to read the label that’s on the outside. You need to remove yourself from that bottle and read the label from the outside to understand what’s going on. Take a step back and look at your business objectively. It allows you to see things in a whole new light and gives you a high-level view of what’s working—and what’s not.
Are you doing things because you believe you have to? But instead of pushing you towards success those things are just distracting you?
Are you trying to use Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube because everyone else is doing it?
There are so many ways to find success, but you need to focus on what is working for you—and eliminate what’s not. It’s fine to test the waters here and there, but you need to be sure your attraction pillar isn’t detracting from your chase. Put your energy towards what is working, cut what isn’t, and move forward.
We are smack in the middle of what I like to call shiny object season. It’s a slower season and you find yourself with more down-time. Usually, that’s invested into conferences, training, business meetings, and day-dreaming about what else you can do. AKA, getting distracted.
But I believe you should also spend this time getting back to the basics.
What does that mean? Call people just to say thank you for buying a house through you. Send thank you cards. Cultivate leads, focus on matchmaking, work on conversions. Get back to the basics of what does work and make the strategic decision to simplify and eliminate distractions.
Now, go to the Facebook group and let me know what you’ve decided to cut in 2020!
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It is so easy to overcomplicate this business and lose focus on what is really important. It’s quite simple: you need to understand what consumers want and give it to them. You can simplify and structure your business in a way that does just that. If you want to learn my key tips, listen to this episode of the Agent Rise Podcast!
It is as simple as buyers wanna buy, sellers wanna sell. One of my biggest pet peeves is when agents call buyers with nothing of value to offer. They just want to “stay in the loop”. What a waste of the buyers’ time! They don’t want to see your phone call and be let down because you just wanted to check-in.
They want to pick up the phone and hear you say “I’ve found what you’ve been looking for”.
Do you know what you need to do that? Their search criteria. If you take the time to connect with them about what they’re looking for and listen, you can deliver what they actually want. You do not want to fall into the category of wasted time.
The basics of StoryBrand marketing is this: Your client is the hero of the epic. They are the most important part of their story. Many agents are too focused on touting their abilities. “I’m the best at _______” OR “No other agency can offer you ______”.
Stop making this about you!
You're not the hero—you are the guide. You are the person they’re hiring to guide them through the process and help them find their dream home. Learn to position yourself correctly, or you’ll continue to find potential clients choosing someone else over you.
Guess what? The buying process can be scary. As an agent, you need to learn to be empathetic to a buyer’s feelings. Some of the questions that could be going through a buyers mind include:
What if I don’t get this house?
What if I don’t get approved for a loan or mortgage?
What if something is found in the inspection that’s a deal-breaker?
You need to ask more questions, understand where their concerns lie and empathize with them. Recommend a great lender who will make the process easy. Let them know what the inspection process looks like. Find ways to ease their fear.
If something goes terribly wrong, remind them that you’ll work through it with them.
I’m sure you’ve heard this principle before. It’s all about simplifying the process, not overcomplicating it. Remember that it’s not all about you. Unfortunately,I see this a lot in agent presentations. Instead of finding out what a seller is looking for, they brag about their services.
“WE have the best high-end photography. WE will provide impeccable drone video. WE throw the best open houses”
Guess what? Your seller may not want anything you have to offer. Stop assuming what they want—and ask! My favorite question is “Have you seen marketing on another listing that you really appreciated?” Simple, easy, and client-focused.
Want to learn more? Listen to this episode of the Agent Rise Podcast now!
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Creating a vivid vision statement is a practice I believe is necessary both personally and professionally. What do you want your future to look like? What will it take to get you there? Dreaming about your future is powerful. I walk through the steps to take in this episode of Agent Rise. Don’t miss it!
I define a vision statement as what it’s going to look like when you arrive where you want to go. This is where you get to dream big. Sit down in a quiet place and write down what you want your future to look like. Do you want to travel? Pay off debt? What do you want your business to look like?
I have a dream of publishing a book and buying an RV to travel the country with my family doing book signings. Note that I said these are dreams—but dreams that I believe will become reality. If you find yourself doubting that your dreams will come true, note it, and move on. You’re going to overcome those limiting beliefs.
Once you have a dream in place, write out step-by-step goals you can work towards and a timeline to complete them by. As you reach these goals, you are moving one step closer to the vision you’ve set for your future. I have a clear vision with a clear date in sight: By July 15th, 2020 my family and I will be traveling the country in an RV.
Once you have clear goals in place to reach your vision, you must focus on simplifying. What does that mean? Learn how to say no to the things that don’t help you achieve those goals. It will allow you to march towards milestones.
Once you’ve simplified, it allows you to amplify the things that will propel you forward. What do you excel at? Put your time into your sphere of influence, and chase and attraction pillars. You need to clarify the “do’s and don’ts” to find direction.
Get systems in place, delegate where you can, and find accountability with a coach. Build one bridge—don’t split your focus into multiple areas. You don’t want a bunch of half-built bridges and never reach where you’re trying to get.
What is your vivid vision statement for 2020?
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I just wrapped up the Agent Rise Summit and my goal was to help agents find clarity—simplify your business to amplify your results. I wanted to give you a short overview of how the summit went, what we unpacked, and give you some key takeaways.
Lisa Robb, of Raining Glitter Coaching, was the first guest speaker we had the opportunity to hear from. She spoke on the topic of confidence. So many agents leave the business because they lack confidence in themselves and their ability to do their job. So many of us strive to be the best at everything we do, and when we fall short, it can break us.
Lisa poignantly stated, “You don’t have to be the strongest and the fastest, you just have to be strong and fast”.
Confidence is a muscle, and just like weight training, it takes consistency and training to grow that muscle. You aren’t born with it. You are capable of building up your confidence. By focusing on the abilities that you can grow you can become strong and fast. You don’t have to be the best at everything to succeed.
This conference was meant to bring clarity to agents. To help you clarify what goals you want to reach, learn to simplify the process to amplify your success as well as to just have fun and grow with each other. My buddy Dustin Brohm—after delivering a great talk retargeting ads—brought us some comedic relief.
For his Q & A slide, he meant to imply that there are no dumb questions. But he wrote, “there are no wrong answers”. Let’s just say no one is letting that go soon, and it sparked a hashtag movement—#NoWrongAnswers. But wait, there’s more! There may even be some apparel coming out soon. Stay tuned.
Jerry Potter spoke on the topic of engagement and social media. He said something that left us all questioning if we had heard correctly: focus on one social media platform to master. He truly believes that if you focus your time and energy on mastering one platform you’ll see results.
Think about it. What would it look like if you did just focus on one platform?
I get the most traffic and engagement from LinkedIn. If I solely focused on that, how would it impact my business? He gave us all some food for thought, especially because it’s so easy to over diversify instead of simplifying.
I formed a panel that consisted of Chantel Soumis, Jared Wiese, and Carrie Bohlig to speak about LinkedIn. When you think of social media, your mind probably doesn’t jump to LinkedIn. It hasn’t always been viewed as the powerhouse that is. But when you Google a name or person, what do you usually get at the top of the search results? LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is well optimized so that it comes up in the search results.
So it’s time to start taking advantage of that. Beef up your LinkedIn profile to make it pop. Pour into the community with videos and resources. Make it speak to people so that they will go check out your website or reach out to you. Don’t miss out on the opportunity that it gives you!
Go to AgentRiseSummit.com to purchase access to the recordings of the summit! They’ll be available for a limited amount of time—don’t miss out!
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And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Are you ready to eliminate distractions that are negatively affecting your productivity? Are you bogged down and feeling defeated? Unable to focus? In this episode of Agent Rise, I’m going to give you simple tools to help increase your efficiency and eliminate distractions.
Kelly Shipp, one of my ‘Risers of the Month’, introduced me to this analogy. She said she felt like she was a phone, and had all of these apps running in the background that were bogging her down and distracting her, leaving her feeling defeated.
You don’t have to feel like this.
Feeling defeated and overwhelmed will keep you from performing at your best. You need to begin to eliminate the things that are distracting you—so what does that look like?
One of the easiest things you can do to delegate distractions? Hire a transaction coordinator. I’m not advocating hiring a friend, family member, or someone inexperienced. Hire up. Hire someone who knows the field, has systems and processes in place and does the job better than you.
It’s much easier to hand off the work to someone who knows what they’re doing.
The right person for the job will help ease your stress and workload and improve efficiency. It is an investment for your clients and will make a night and day difference. Keep listening as I talk about my personal experience hiring a transaction coordinator and the other things you can begin to delegate.
Do you deal with stress and anxiety related to performance? Are you constantly feeling like a failure if you can’t deliver what a client is looking for? If you worry that a client will never use you again or won’t refer people to you—let it go. You’ve done your best and you need to be confident in that.
You can’t let other people dictate the way you feel about yourself.
I had a client who made it his personal business to make my life a living hell. I worked my tail off for him—I even sold their house for more than they asked for. I could never figure out why he decided to attack me. But it deeply hurt me and I felt so defeated.
What did I do to overcome the anxiety and feeling of defeat that the client dredged up? Listen to find out!
Sometimes, the issue that is running in the background goes deeper than distracting tasks. Have you been deeply wounded? Is there something in your past that you need to overcome? Past hurt that you’ve buried doesn’t stay buried, and it will affect your life.
Is something in your life preventing you from being the person God designed you to be?
I would love to chat with you. You are capable of so much more when you let go of your struggles. It’s time to overcome the lies you’re letting yourself believe. Get down to the root of your distractions and focus.
What apps are running in your background? What do you need to do to turn them off?
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To become a successful real estate agent you have to put in some hard work. There’s no working around that fact. I’m going to share 5 steps in this episode of Agent Rise that will help you overcome the “I will do it eventually” mentality and move to the “I did it” category. This is for anyone who feels stuck, need to face some hard truths, or simply don’t have a starting place.
You need to build a list of people (your sphere of influence) that you send mail to every month. Who makes up your sphere of influence? The type of people that you would invite to your wedding. Most agents set up a drip campaign, which is fine—but anyone can do it.
So why snail mail?
Any given individual’s email inbox is inundated with emails. Your email will likely get lost in the shuffle, ignored and unopened. For example, I am the proud owner of 58,073 unopened emails. Anyone getting a personalized envelope in their mailbox is going to open it, most likely read it, and even share it with their spouse. Email can’t get you that conversion rate.
There are a lot of options out there for your chase pillar. Open houses, Facebook ads, online leads (such as Zillow), FSBO’s and expired leads. 90% of my students choose to do open houses. Why? Because you automatically get a face-to-face with buyers.
There’s a lot of power behind that first meeting. Being face-to-face gives you opportunities that a phone call or an email doesn’t. It’s much harder to get to know someone over email. You can’t gauge body language over the phone.
But In-person, you can chat about the latest football game because you saw them wearing fan apparel. You can have a conversation about the house you’re showing, and find out what their search criteria is. It’s a much easier opening for a follow-up conversation.
Most agents KNOW they need to be doing this daily. Most know how to do it. And most don’t. You can make all of the excuses in the world. It’s time-consuming, sure. But you need to do it because it is the #1 way to compel buyers to work with you.
But why don’t you take it to the next level?
I’ll be honest, those who are crushing it with matchmaking are doing more than my minimum suggestion of one hour a day. To find success, you need to start keeping promises to yourself and step up your game.
Obviously, I’m a real estate coach. I don’t care if you hire someone else, but you need a coach. You may have all of the information in front of you. You know what you need to do and are probably doing it to some extent—but a coach is valuable in so many ways:
A good coach will keep you accountable.
A good coach will correct you along the way.
A good coach will find your blind spots and help you find a way out.
A great coach will get you a return on your investment. Having someone to answer to and keep you accountable will help bring you to the next level. Even when you run into problems or reach a moment of complete breakdown, it means your breakthrough is around the corner.
For in-depth details on my 5 steps and some great resources, listen to the whole episode of Agent Rise!
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And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
If you’re doing everything right you should be getting plenty of leads—lead-conversion is a far more difficult process. Nobody likes following up on leads, leaving voicemails, and endlessly getting no return phone-call. This episode of Agent Rise is all about helping you reframe the way you look at lead conversion while giving you practical strategies to utilize.
Everyone—buyers and agents alike—hate follow up calls. You end up leaving a voicemail saying “Hey, just following up on such-and-such, please call me back and keep me in the loop about where you’re at in the process”. Click. Usually, you’re left with no response. It’s frustrating and seems like a waste of time.
But what if you stopped leaving the world’s lamest message and offered them something of value?
Wouldn’t that call be so much better if you took the time to research houses and left them a message saying “Hey, after we talked at the open house last week, I’ve kept my eyes open and I think I found your perfect house! Call me back and we will schedule a time to see it!”.
All-of-the-sudden, you start getting calls back. Why? Because you gave them what they were looking for. You’re starting to speak their language. With a little effort on your part, you’re one step closer to converting a lead.
Many buyers go through a dreaming process. They’re looking at available homes, daydreaming about what they want, and just barely dipping their toes in the water. You could connect with them and find out they’re not ready to buy until next year. Don’t simply shrug and move on! A real estate purchase is probably the one thing in their life that they dream about the longest.
They can take months or years to make a decision. That’s just life.
Even if they’re simply dreaming, you can still get the process rolling. Offer to meet with them and talk about what they’re looking for. Connect them with a lender to make sure financing is in place. Reassure them that you know they’re not ready, but that you’re available when they are. Just being available and giving keeps you at the forefront of their mind—and sometimes can speed up their timeline, too.
The #1 thing you can do to make sure you’re not letting leads slip through your fingers is to get a system in place. It doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, my system consists of two phone calls.
You are consistently offering them something of value. You aren’t working to convince them to work with you. Eventually, with the effort that you’re putting in, you will compel them to work with you.
If you’ve listened to the last two episodes you know we’ve been talking about keeping the promises you make to yourself and the impact it has. Consistency in keeping those promises builds integrity and brings you dignity. Too many agents I’ve worked with have the systems they need and I have provided. They know the system works—and works well.
But for some reason, they’re not implementing the system. Those agents are lacking personal integrity.
It’s blunt, but it’s true. You need to claim that you’ll implement a system and then do it. Keep making those follow-up phone calls. You will eventually get your call back—even if it’s to tell you to stop calling. You have to try if you want to get any results. Even if the results are lessons. Remember that consistency leads to mastery and that you can do anything.
So practice being consistent. Get a lead-conversion system in place, start following-up, and start offering something of value. Then connect with me and let me know how it’s going!
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
“Every time you say you’re gonna do something and don’t, you lose more belief in yourself” — Chris and Heidi Powell
Let’s be real here. The promises you make to yourself are just as important as the promises you make to others. It’s easy to embody integrity when you’re doing something for a client—but then you let the ball drop in your own life.
If you’re ready to stop breaking the promises you make to yourself, you need to start building promise momentum. So what does that look like? Start with one simple promise—one itty bitty little thing you can do every single day—and complete it.
Little-by-little the promises you keep to yourself begin to snowball and your belief in yourself will skyrocket. Trust me.
I’ve been sticking to the same morning routine for almost 11 years now. I wake up every day and listen to a podcast, pray, and meditate. Is there a morning routine that sets your day up for success? When I stray from my routine it affects every part of my day negatively.
If you’ve never stuck to a morning routine, implement one now! There is power in consistency. Not only that, but what you do can greatly impact your personal development as well!
Wake up and make your bed (power promise), brush your teeth (another power promise) and starting reading, praying, meditating—whatever fills you up and propels you into the day. Keep listening as I share a story about the power of routine.
Maybe you already understand and/or utilize power promises. Maybe you have a morning routine that you stick to. But do you know how to take these concepts and implement them into your business?
It’s time to start to follow-through on these practices in your business, too!
Match-make every single day.
Start a video series or podcast you’ve been thinking about.
Engage fully in the coaching process.
I work with a part-time realtor who has promised to set aside time every single day so she can quit her full-time job and focus all her efforts into the business. What can you do every day to invest in power promises for your business?
As part of my boot camp and coaching process, I work with you to develop a custom day-block system for your business. What could that look like?
As your power promise momentum spills over from your personal life and into your business it will make an impact. On the flip-side, if you don’t keep your promises, everything will unravel.
Jump into the Facebook group and share with me the promises you will commit to! I want to hear what you’re doing. Listen to the whole episode to hear how I’m building power promises into my everyday life.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Did you know that transformation in your personal life and your business begins with personal integrity? Do you understand that keeping the promises you make to yourself is just as important as the promises you make to others? In this episode of Agent Rise, I talk about a video I saw recently featuring Ed Mylett and Chris and Heidi Powell. It is transformational—don’t miss it!
I’ve been pretty open with you guys about my weight-loss journey. I’ve talked about how I lost 120 pounds simply to gain it all back, and more. I’m finally back on a path I believe will lead to lasting change, and I’ve lost 26 pounds. But something said in this interview shook me:
“You are all here because you do not have integrity”.
What do you mean, I don’t have integrity?!
Chris defines integrity as “keeping the promises you make to yourself when no one else is watching”. Ouch. In truth, many of us excel at keeping the promises we make to others. But when it comes to keeping promises to ourselves we fall short. I know I have. Want to know what to do about it? Keep listening.
Somewhere along the way, as you’ve spent your life making and breaking promises to yourself, you’ve lost self-confidence. With every broken promise, your dignity takes a hit. You may find yourself only making silent promises. A build-up of broken promises is what leads to obesity, alcoholism, and addiction.
Building your personal integrity and self-confidence back up begins with the practice of keeping your promises—to yourself. Chris and Heidi talk about starting small with literally anything:
Promise that you’ll brush your teeth every day.
Make your bed every day.
Track your macros every day.
As a coach, it is our job to remind you to learn to love yourself again. That begins with making and keeping promises.
That phrase is simple yet profound. Your word has to be more powerful than your excuses. Start keeping whatever promise you make to yourself. You have to start overcoming those excuses and keep yourself winning.
As you keep building wins on wins you begin to learn that your word holds value. Chris and Heidi refer to it as integrity momentum. As you’re fulfilling promises to yourself, your belief in yourself begins to rebuild itself. It is powerful.
I’m a huge advocate of just getting started. It’s time to stop talking and start doing. So my challenge to you this week is two-fold:
Don’t worry—I’m not going to just preach to you and not walk-the-walk myself. My promise is to track my macros every single day. I know this keeps me on track and keeps me accountable with my coach.
Listen to the whole episode of Agent Rise as I touch on how these principles for weight loss affect your business. Comment and let me know what you’re going to do this week to begin your personal integrity journey.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
The lifetime value of relationships that you build is far more important than the lifetime value of a ‘transaction’ or a ‘customer’. In today’s episode of Agent Rise, I want to share with you the importance of building lifetime relationships with people that are NOT transactional or contingent on a sale.
I have a friend who had been working with a client for about a year. She invested her time into showing them houses and in the end, they bought from a close family friend. She was devastated and couldn’t understand what went wrong and why she lost the sale. Should she have had them sign a buyer agency agreement?
I reminded her that she can’t be ashamed or place shame on them.
People make many transactions throughout their lives. They may not have gone through you this time, but if you continue to cultivate that relationship—they may go through you next time. I encourage you to treat these people well. They may not have bought through you, but you can continue to serve them, be there for whatever they need, and make sure they know you just want to see them happy.
You never know what referrals they may be able to send your way because of how well you treat them.
You may come across people who are looking for their future home but are very clear that it will be quite some time before they’re ready to make a purchase. Don’t simply put them on an email list and make a note to check back on them in a year. Place value on the relationships you can build with the potential clients.
So what can you do?
Get there search criteria and get them into a matchmaker system. Every time you come across something that you think they’d like—give them a call and let them know about it. It’s far more personal than an email and you can remind them that you know they aren’t ready, but that they are constantly on your radar.
Build into that relationship.
Listen, I truly care. I want them to be happy and I want to offer them the best service I can. People take note of that. They may not be primed and ready to take the leap—but perhaps the coworker that sits next to them is. Or a family friend is ready to buy. You never know what opportunities may come your way if you focus on the relationship, NOT the transaction.
I’ve threaded this through the entire episode and I will reiterate it here. The value is in the relationships you build.
I had done something in the community of the Village of DeForest and the president at the time took note. He knows my Dad and knows many clients that I’ve worked with and he was a raving fan of mine. Though he never bought a house with me, he referred person after person to me.
I called and thanked him personally for every person he sent my way.
What can you do to make clients feel appreciated?
How can you show them you value their relationship?
What is one step you can take to move away from a transactional relationship and towards a friendship?
Never lose sight of the lifetime value of relationships.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Do you struggle with overthinking every decision you want or need to make? Have you thought about launching something for a while and just can’t seem to make it happen? In this episode of Agent Rise, I talk all about the problem of overthinking—and how you can overcome what’s holding you back.
As humans, we tend to want everything to be perfect. We mull ideas over in our heads and let anxiety run its course—and remain at the starting line. We tell ourselves:
“When everything falls into place, then I’ll launch _____.”
“I’ll finally do _____ when the timing is right.”
“Once I get to _____ then I will do _____.”
Let’s be honest with ourselves—nothing will ever be perfect and you will never be 100% ready. That’s just how it is. Maybe you have an idea for a YouTube channel, a blog, or even a podcast that you’ve been wanting to launch. I’m here to tell you to just do it.
Don’t let lies and limiting beliefs hold you back.
Failure only happens when you quit, right? So sit down and work through the limiting beliefs that are holding you back. Take your idea, bring it into the light, and learn lessons as you go. You will never find a better time than now. Life will always get in the way. Roadblocks always arise. Take those roadblocks and challenges and allow yourself to learn and grow from them.
I know you’ve heard me say “How you do something is how you do everything”, right? Procrastination in one area of your life will feed over into everything else. Don’t spend your life holding yourself back from the great things you are capable of doing. Take your idea, run with it, and see where it takes you.
My challenge to you today:
What is it that you want to start that you haven’t started?
What is holding you back?
Do something today to overcome overthinking and finally move forward.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Have you ever been so invested in business growth that you’re left eating 69 cent crackers from the gas station? Ally—one of this month’s risers—was so broke trying to launch her real estate business that she would go to broker open houses for the free meals. This episode of Agent Rise focuses on the tenacity she and her husband Zach have. They prove that you can build a business from absolutely nothing but drive and resolve.
Zach and Ally were always stressed and anxiously awaiting for inspections to go through and sales to happen. There were many times where our coaching meetings started with the phrase “we’re going to quit”. There were many things they hated about the business and they were struggling to stay above water.
But I wouldn’t let them quit.
Real Estate agents are trained to knock on doors, cold-call people, and chase down family and friends. They thought it was the way things had to be. When they realized they could do things differently their eyes were opened. Fear no longer had to rule them. Keep listening as we talk about the things they got clarity on.
Zach & Ally have a sense of humor that I love. They are open and vulnerable and the same online as they are in person. When they first started they thought they had to keep up a persona—polished, proper and professional. While these things can be important, it’s more important to be yourself.
People know when you aren’t being authentic.
So don’t be something you’re not! They learned that being real and sharing stories from their life draws people in like nothing else can. It allows them to relax and open up. You want to allow people to take a journey with you—and in the process, you begin to build a community that trusts you.
Zach and Ally put have done cold-calling and open houses, but what they’ve found most successful for them is just being present in their community. They began investing their time and money into a Facebook group. Ally writes a “letter from the heart” every month—even when people move they ask her to continue sending it.
They connect with and truly care about the community that they’ve built.
And you know what? They love what they’re doing. They send out personalized monthly emails to clients. They do giveaways on their Facebook page. Zach and Ally even launched a real estate YouTube channel to give value to clients. If any of these things are strategies you’ve considered implementing—give it a shot. You never know if it will transform your business.
Zach and Ally give some simple advice that I recommend as well: Do not give up—find a way to push through. Get a clear plan for your business in place. As you continue to grow, consider hiring a transaction coordinator. They made the leap to hire a coordinator and it’s transformed their business. Their transactions are in her capable hands and it’s a weight off their shoulders.
The #1 thing they recommend?
Reach out to agents that you look up to for encouragement. It’s a difficult business to be in, and sometimes you need someone to remind you that there is light on the other side. Focus on what you can control, and let go of everything else. When you get to a place when you’re finding success remember to encourage others who are struggling. Because you’ve been there—and have come out on the other side stronger and full of hope.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
If you’re looking for podcast marketing strategies to draw in and grow your audience this is the place to start. Over the years of podcasting, I’ve learned what does and doesn’t work. So today I’m going to share with you 6 things that will make your podcast a raving success. Are you ready to dive in?
You want to promote your podcast on every social media channel possible: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter—whatever platform will work for you. Headliner is one of my favorite tools to promote on social media. You input your audio or video, add photos and captions, and in the end, you have a GREAT video to share on social media. Another great way to promote your podcast is to be a guest on other podcasts. It allows you to speak to a broader audience. In turn, you can host guests as well. Keep listening as I talk about search engine optimization with my friends at Podcast FastTrack.
When I did the “I Love Madison” podcast it wasn’t as successful as I hoped it would be. Looking back, I realized the content was too informational. We talked about cool things like places to see and upcoming events but it wasn’t enough to make it binge-worthy.
Your podcast needs to be entertaining, inspirational, and educational.
I believe if it’s missing those key things it will be a lot harder for you to succeed. A podcast that is FULL of meaningful content that generates a lot of buzz is a marketing strategy unto itself. So if you’re looking at launching a podcast brainstorm what you can do to make it binge-worthy.
You want to educate your listeners, help them feel empowered, and keep them engaged. I didn’t realize the importance of this concept in the beginning and it was a mistake. Your listeners NEED somewhere to talk about your content, ask questions, and interact with each other. One of the easiest ways to implement that? Start a Facebook group for your podcast. Something I love to do is host meetups like my Agent Rise Summit. There’s something powerful about meeting and interacting face-to-face with your tribe.
Consistency is key. Decide on a schedule for your show, and stick to it 100%. Your listeners must know that without fail you will have an episode ready for them. I commit to a weekly show and recommend you do the same. Do not let it be daunting. It will be challenging in the beginning but there are so many ways you can generate content. You do not want your show to have dead air. Listen to the rest of this episode of Agent Rise for some of the easiest ways I come up with weekly content.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Are there limiting beliefs you’re embracing that are keeping you from reaching your goals?
“I’m too overweight so if I work out I’ll likely hurt myself.”
“I don’t have enough experience to be successful at…”
“If I do this I will embarrass myself and there’s no coming back from that.”
Whatever it is that is holding you back, I’m here today to tell you that it is time to break through those limiting beliefs. This episode isn’t directly about real estate but I hope you find it an inspiration—that you CAN and WILL succeed.
I’ve been overweight most of my life and have lived the weight loss roller-coaster. I once lost a whopping 140 pounds—then gained it all back. After 10 years of doing nothing fitness-oriented, I’ve decided It’s finally time for me to face obesity head-on. I’ve had a breakthrough moment where I am finally ready to be well. I’m not going to make any more excuses. No more “giving myself grace” when a mistake is made. Too much grace allows you to lose focus and you tumble out of control. You know what I’m talking about!
Fear can be the biggest reason we don’t reach success. The fear that we will fail can stop us in our tracks. It limits potential. We’d rather avoid the embarrassment that comes with public failure so we don’t act. Will I look dumb? Maybe. Will there be moments that I’m embarrassed? Of course. But I will overcome any fear that’s holding me back if it allows me to reach my goal. In the last episode, I talked about failure—and that failure only exists if you give up. If you don’t give up, you’re simply learning lessons and those become challenges to overcome. Only then will you find results.
My coach once weighed over 500 pounds. Today, he is 200 pounds. He’s put in the blood, sweat, and tears and has the experience to be able to coach me at a high level. He has me tracking my macronutrients (macros) and micronutrients (micros), weighing my food, and eating healthy balanced meals. GONE are the days of snacking endlessly. GONE are unnecessary sugars and starches. I finally feel that I have a clear goal that’s congruent to me, and I’m doing something I’ve never tried before to reach my end goal of 225 pounds. And you know what? In the last week alone I have already lost 10 pounds!
One of my strongest limiting beliefs was “I can’t work out because I’m too heavy and will hurt myself”. I figured I would just start with healthy eating, lose a decent amount of weight and then I would incorporate the gym. Nope. My coach called me out and put me to work in the gym immediately. He knows what I can do to protect my body so I won’t get hurt—and I completely trust him. You cannot allow yourself to be afraid of the unknown and you need to be confident that you will break through. His coaching is helping me smash through my limiting beliefs—and it is powerful. These are just a few of the things I’m learning as I’m on this side of coaching. I hope that you find it empowering and I can be a positive example of change.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Are you hungry for growth and ready to take your business to the next level? Is something holding you back? If you’ve already found success it’s easy to continue along the path you’ve already taken. It worked before, it can work again, right? NO. I’m here to tell you that whatever got you where you are now, will not get you where you want to be. This episode is all about stepping up your game, changing and adapting, and doing what it takes to continue succeeding.
We’ve all heard the phrase “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” You’re crazy if you think you can continue utilizing the same strategies endlessly and expect the results you want! The marketplace is ever-changing and if you want to stay in the game you MUST adapt with it. You need to grow with your business—often, that means implementing significant change. Are you up for the challenge?
If you plant a tree, you usually begin growing it in a small pot, right? As you water the plant and provide nutrients, it continues to grow. Perhaps you move it to a larger pot so the roots have more room to stretch. Eventually, your small sapling will be ready to be planted in your yard as its roots continue to deepen and grow. So what do you need to do? Move to a bigger pot.
Surround yourself with people who are more successful than you—even if it’s intimidating.
The only way to grow is to move out of your comfort zone. Join a mastermind group. Seek out a coach that can push you to be innovative and reach the goals you set for yourself. Is it scary? Of course! But if you don’t want your business to be stagnant, it’s time to make a move. Talk to someone who knows what they’re doing. Don’t be afraid to take the plunge.
If the fear of failure is holding you back, remember this: you only fail when you stop or quit. If you’re constantly putting in effort, you either get your desired result or a lesson. If something doesn’t turn out how you expect, what can you learn from the situation? The more lessons you learn and begin to stack up, the closer you get to your desired outcome. You need to reframe how you think about failure and choose to never stop chasing your goals.
The clearest path to success is keeping your strategy simple and clear. There is ZERO need to be spreading yourself thin and implementing too many strategies to grow your business. Identify a simple and straightforward plan and follow through with it. Limiting yourself in this way allows you to focus on what you’re doing—and allows you to learn. And you know what? When you focus, things begin to expand. If you want to take your business to the next level, listen to this episode your steps for success.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
We all have roadblocks that we struggle to overcome, leaving us unable to reach success in things we want to accomplish. As I go through my daily routine, I keep track and write every idea that pops into my head in a journal. Those deep thoughts don’t always become full podcasts, but today I’m taking the things that have been mulling around in my head and sharing them with you. I know you’ll find some hard truths to face and hopefully some great ideas to kick you out of complacency.
Look, we all tend to come into this job believing we need to be a powerhouse. I’ve been in the industry for 17 years and felt that I needed to know all the answers. I’m here to tell you that no matter how long you’ve been in the business, you can always learn. Don’t be ashamed when you don’t know something. Instead, swallow your pride, overcome your fear, and ask for help when you need it. Stop believing the lie that asking for help is a weakness and reach out for help.
Forming healthy habits can be a gamechanger—and potentially one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. It requires consistency and taking responsibility for the little things so you can be trusted with the big things. Everyone has a different spin on how long it takes to form a habit, right? Some stand by the old adage that you can learn to be consistent with a habit in 21 days. I believe it takes closer to 90 days to really form a lifelong habit. But if you can be consistent with something as small as making your be, what other things will you be able to accomplish?
Nobody likes to say no. We are so driven to fill our schedules and do as much as possible that we start saying yes to things that we just shouldn’t prioritize. Are you on the same wavelength as a seller? Are they willing to follow your way of doing things? If not, let them go. You’ll waste your time and energy if you have to veer from what you do and it could prevent you from other transactions where your time is better spent. Set boundaries and guidelines, and say no when you need to.
Fear can be paralyzing. We have such an innate fear of ‘being wrong’ that we often don’t implement new ideas. When I started the Onion Juice podcast I wanted to teach people something to attract business—not chase it. After I gained more experience coaching, I realized this tactic can take 18-24 months for you to see steady business. For most people this is not a sustainable business model. I had to pivot, embrace that I was wrong, and retract some of what I had taught. I hope I can be an example for you that you can adapt and learn as you go. So just go out there and get started and don’t be afraid to make changes.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Naturally, I believe that if you’re going to get real estate coaching, results are what matters. You’ll be wasting your money if you enter into a coaching relationship that doesn’t work for you. That’s why it’s so important to do your homework if you’re looking for a coach. The person you hire has to fit your personality have the insight to understand what motivates you, and feel confident that they can speak to you in a way that you can actually hear and be moved by.
This episode is a demonstration of how all of that could play out. I talk with Kelly Shipp, the first-ever “Riser of the Month.” Riser of the Month is an award I’m handing out to one of my coaching students each month, highlighting the progress they’ve made in following the steps we’ve laid out for them in our coaching sessions. Kelly talks about her coaching experience, how her business has transformed, the difference it makes for her when she builds her business according to a vision rather than according to her needs, and a whole lot more.
Kelly’s story is pretty typical. She found herself in a place where she was frantically working, scrambling to keep up with all the things required to acquire clients, list homes, do the paperwork, attend closings, etc. - and it was exhausting. More importantly, she didn’t feel like she was getting anywhere. She tried to do things to help her manage things better, but all the podcasts and programs she tried didn’t seem to help.
As she listened to Agent Rise, Kelly felt that she and I were wired similarly and that something about the way I went about things resonated with her. So she decided to reach out to me. An important thing to note is that Kelly decided to get coaching before she had a team of her own. She was working as an agent in another broker’s office. That shows the initiative and drive this fiery woman has. Listen to hear how our coaching relationship took off, what she’s been able to accomplish as a result, and how she recommends you go about finding a coach who fits you!
One of the key points Kelly made during our conversation is that you need an objective person to speak to you about what’s going on in your business. It’s important because you are not able to see yourself (or your business) clearly. You’ll get distracted, bogged down in details you shouldn’t be handling, and much more if you try to go it alone.
But it’s just as important that the person you select to coach you has the experience and knowledge required to help you move in the right direction. If they don't it's like expecting your grandmother or your cousin Joe to help you when they’ve never run a business or worked in the real estate industry before. Stop spinning your wheels and trying random program after random program. It’s time to get the personalized help you need by tapping into the wisdom and insight of a good coach.
Kelly was consuming everything she could find to help her manage and improve the workflows and strategies in her real estate business. But she wasn’t getting anywhere. She says that she’d hear great advice one day, try to implement it, then hear more great advice the next day - and wind up being distracted from the first thing she heard. Have you ever been in those shoes?
It wasn’t that Kelly was getting bad information, she simply wasn’t sure how to keep it all sorted out and prioritized, or how to create a plan to implement it. That is one of the greatest results of coaching, helping you objectively assess strategies, opportunities, and plans so that you can intentionally do the very best, most important things that will move your business forward.
Most of us have lived out the following scenario at one time or another - we strive and work in our real estate business in an effort to pay the bills - and that’s it. It’s a job, and we don’t have much more reason for what we’re doing than that. Kelly was in that same boat. Of course, she had dreams of where she wanted to go in life but wasn’t organizing and working her business in a way that could fuel those dreams.
That is how it was for her until she and I began coaching. One of the primary coaching results that Kelly has received so far is that she’s now crystal clear on her vision and is building her business to make it happen. She and her husband want to live full time in an RV in the coming years so they can travel the country together. It’s an incredible dream, but it can’t happen if she’s tied to a desk in a real estate office, can it? So how’s she going to accomplish it? Listen to find out.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
Schedule a free 30 minute breakthrough call with Neil, schedule your call at neilmathwegcoaching.youcanbook.me
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Most of us know what it's like to feel that our weaknesses are dragging us down - so I’ve recorded this episode to help you counteract that feeling by learning to build on your strengths. I’ve been there, I know what it’s like to be discouraged or to feel that certain limitations are holding me back from the success I want. But friends, we can’t let weaknesses or limitations knock us down. We can’t let your perception of our weaknesses dictate what we can and can’t do. We are Risers - we take responsibility for things and make things happen. This episode is going to describe a perspective we all need to have, on that leads us to identify our weaknesses, know our strengths, and address the weaknesses by building our strengths.
Oftentimes, the limitations we face in life or business loom up before us, seeming like giants we can’t take down. I get it, feeling a limitation is no fun and definitely demoralizing. But what I’m discovering is that every limitation can be reframed, redefined so that I can look at it in a new way that enables me to build on my strengths because of it.
Here’s an example - I have always wanted to write a book. I’ve always felt like I should write a book. But I can’t ever seem to get started. What I’ve discovered is that my strength is in shorter, creative projects, not longer, research-ish projects (like a book). So a typical book is hard for me to get done. But a friend mentioned that there are lots of shorter books out today, so I’m starting work on a short book - it fits right into my strengths rather than going against my weaknesses. What reframing can you do about the limitations you feel?
If we are going to overcome our limitations, we start by being aware of our genuine weaknesses. For example, If you know you are not good at technology, you should NOT beat yourself up for it OR try to learn the gadgets and gizmos because you believe you should. Instead, give yourself permission to go low-tech. Concentrate more on what you do to create value rather than being online. AND - find others on your team who can handle the tech for you!
Once you know what your weaknesses are (and most of us don’t need a lot of help in figuring out that part) then you need to figure out the strengths you have that can help you reframe or offset that weakness. This can be a bit tougher because we don’t see ourselves objectively. You may need a close friend or coach to help you assess your strengths realistically and then identify how they can be used to counteract your areas of weakness. But once you do and begin operating in that strength instead of obsessing over your weaknesses, watch out!
Everything I’m talking about in this episode could sound theoretical - and that’s the last thing I want. So let’s lay out some quick examples of what it might look like to build on your strengths instead of obsessing over your weaknesses…
What are YOUR weaknesses - and what are the strengths that can help you offset them? Listen to this episode of Agent Rise to learn how to reframe and overcome your limitations by building on your strengths intentionally.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
Schedule a free 30 minute breakthrough call with Neil, schedule your call at neilmathwegcoaching.youcanbook.me
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Wow! It’s amazing to think that this podcast has actually reached 200 episodes. I remember way back when I started the Onion Juice Podcast - which was the first 171 episodes AND the craziest name for a podcast EVER - that I was somewhere around episode #9 and thought, “I think I’ve said everything I know to say!” At that moment, I panicked. I thought I was done. But I kept trying and figured out that there is a lot of my story that resonates with others and that I could share what I was learning as I kept iterating and building my own business. So that’s what I did. This episode recounts the story briefly - but more importantly, it clearly defines what I mean when I call you a “Riser” and where we are headed with this podcast.
If you feel like you’re learning on the job as an agent, welcome to the club! It’s a tough industry and has a lot of moving parts that successful agents need to keep track of. But if my story proves anything, it proves that it can be done if you are willing to stick with it. I’ve tried just about everything and if you’ve been listening to the show for any length of time you know about many of my successes, but also the failures and false starts. Along the way, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that successful agents need to be “Risers” - which is what I believe YOU are. Here’s what I mean...
I hope it doesn’t come across as sappy, but I wrote a poem - well, sort of a poem. Not really - it’s more of a manifesto, a call to action, a battle cry for all of us who want to succeed in real estate and are willing to work according to our unique individual strengths to make it happen.
Here’s To The Risers
Here’s to the Risers.
To the fighters
the survivors,
the stay up all-nighters.
The ones with desire,
with fire,
who want to inspire.
You can’t ignore them.
They won’t back down.
They won’t give up.
They are a Riser.
They know what they need to do.
They have a clear plan.
They work according to a vision.
They avoid shiny objects.
They are consistent.
They are 100% responsible,
failure isn’t possible.
They are a Riser.
They know the door is revolving.
That won’t stop them.
They know the odds are against them.
They don’t care.
They follow the steps.
They work with confidence.
And at the end of the day,
They know they are well on their way.
They are a Riser.
Is that you? Since you are listening to this podcast, I suspect it is. Listen to this episode to learn how you can join with other Risers who are taking their real estate business to the next level.
Next week’s episode is all about this - but I want to introduce you to the topic now. There are really only two things we need to do in order to get our business going toward the next level: Simplify and Amplify.
SIMPLIFY means that you break your business down into its simplest components. It means getting rid of shiny objects, turning off the noise, and dialing-in the processes and approaches that work for your unique personality. Once you do that, you’re able to put a plan in place that works for YOU consistently and effectively.
AMPLIFY means that you take what you’ve simplified and make it known, increase it, and scale it to the point your business is rocking right along. And you keep doing it.
More on these next week, so be sure you subscribe so you won’t miss it.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
Schedule a free 30 minute breakthrough call with Neil, schedule your call at neilmathwegcoaching.youcanbook.me
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
I know you want to become a breakthrough agent - the gal or guy in your office who has pushed beyond the barriers that previously held you back and is an amazing success. How do I know? You wouldn’t be listening to this show if you weren’t. But there are a few things in the way of you accomplishing that breakthrough - and the truth is that most agents in your shoes simply don’t know what they don’t know. That is what is holding them back.
On this episode, I want to tell you what’s holding you back and more importantly, outline the one thing you need to do in order to push past the barriers in your real estate business. Please, listen to this episode with an open mind - and with the same commitment you’ve always had to make your business great. If you do that and are willing to invest in yourself and your business, you could be on the cusp of something great!
I’ve come to see that part of the problem with new or stuck agents is that they are experiencing information overload and they don’t even realize it. There is a LOT Of content you can consume - this podcast included. And the sad thing is that in most cases, that content is not really helping you achieve the breakthroughs you’re seeking. Why? Because you’re not taking action on it in a context that will hold your feet to the fire, that will push you beyond the barriers you’re facing.
I don’t want to be guilty of adding to the noise that holds you back - so I almost decided to stop podcasting. But I didn’t. Please listen to hear how I processed that decision, but more importantly to hear how you can become the breakthrough agent you truly want to be.
Sometimes we need to hear things that are hard to accept but are true. And sometimes the person saying it takes a risk by being bold enough to say it. That’s how I feel about this episode. I want you to hear how you can breakthrough - and I decided to be bold enough to say it. If you continue to consume content like this podcast but are not seeing the breakthrough you seek - it’s because you need to invest in yourself. You need coaching.
Hear me out. Even the most talented and amazing sports figures have personal coaches, people who can help them see their weaknesses, understand their strengths, and maximize their game according to those things. Why is it necessary for such a naturally talented individual? Because they don’t see objectively - they don’t know what they don’t know. So the smart ones get a coach to help them see and overcome those things.
On this episode, I say it straight up - you need my coaching. Please, don’t hear me trying to sell you something you don’t need. I want you to be successful and I know that this is what will make it happen.
I know that there are rare individuals out there who are able to soak up lots of information, sort it out themselves, and apply it effectively to their lives and businesses. Those are amazing individuals who are not very common. You may be one of those people - but I want to caution you about assuming it’s the case. None of us sees ourselves entirely clearly. None of us recognizes all the places where we need help from the outside. So be careful about thinking you don’t really need coaching. That could be one of your largest obstacles to becoming a breakthrough agent.
The first and perhaps the most important benefit of coaching is that you gain clarity - about your strengths, your weaknesses, your opportunities, and so much more. When you have clarity, you are able to create a customized plan that puts you in your sweet spot - and that enables greater success in your real estate business.
Once you have clarity, you are able to amplify your strengths, putting them to work in ways you never even knew to dream of. This is where breakthroughs happen - where amazing results come about. Listen to learn how it happens - and why coaching is the main way you can achieve them in record time. I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but it’s not. It’s me speaking truthfully about what I’ve learned watching and coaching agent after agent. I hope you’ll take the time to consider it.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
Schedule a free 30 minute breakthrough call with Neil, schedule your call at neilmathwegcoaching.youcanbook.me
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)