The Christmas Holiday has come and gone...a little too soon for some and not fast enough for others! I myself took a few days off and did NOTHING Real Estate related...including posting the last day of Real Estate! So, in order to finish the year off right I am putting on my thinking cap, and going to finish the 12 days and then recap...and hopefully they rhyme when I'm done!
On the 12th day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to you......PERSEVERANCE!
We started off with Einstein and it is only fitting that we complete our reading with an Einstein quote:
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
Why? Because that's how they became problems in the first place!
If you are serious about a Real Estate Career and yet you find that your momentum is a little slow these days, what will you intend to do to solve the problem?
Notice I didn't say "fix the situation". The reason for that is because to "fix" something is only a temporary solution...and then eventually time or circumstance moves us forward and we "think" we've fixed it without looking at what created the problem to begin with. We have set up our future to have the same problem, over and over and over again...
So, what kind of problems are you having and how did they start? Do you have an idea of when, where, how and why it started?
For example:
PROBLEM: "All of my buyers are waiting to see what happens next year".
SOLUTION: Find new buyers!
If this is where you are at, you must look at the activities you focus on daily and see if somewhere along the way, you dropped prospecting.
This is HUGE!
Most agents will look and make excuses that it's the Holiday's (or the economy, or the aliens that landed in Yucaipa) and then wonder why their well has run dry...the truth is BUYERS ARE OUT THERE, but you're focusing on a PROBLEM and not a solution, and then become frustrated when people don't respond the way YOU want them to!
Perseverance in life is noble...perseverance in Real Estate is CRUCIAL... if you are to remain in Real Estate!
So! Take a deep breath and sing with me:
On the 12th day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me:
12 Thoughts of Perseverance
11 Thankful Tiding's (Be Thankful)
10 Lords of Language
9 Ladies Looking (Clear Vision)
8 Gears Reversing
7 Engaging Conversations
6 Geese a Squawking (Effective Communication)
5 Perspectives!
4 Breakdowns
3 French portions (Portion Control)
2 Assumptions
And some thoughts on Albert Einstein!
Hoping your 2008 was FABULOUS and your 2009 will be PHENOMENAL!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753 amandaw@sevengables.com
Monday, December 29, 2008
12 Days of Real Estate....Day Eleven!
On the Eleventh Day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to me....Reasons to be Thankful....
The world is what it is...it isn't good or bad or wrong....it just is!
We are often quick to judge when things don't go according to OUR plan.
We always have a"reason" why things didn't pan out.
Here are a few things to be Thankful for:
A company that cares about YOU
A staff that is there to make sure that you supported in every facet of your Real Estate Career.
Clients who refer business to you.
The ability to make your own hours so that you can be there for school pageants and soccer games.
A career that isn't stagnant but always challenging.
Friends
Family
Health
A roof over your head and food in your tummy.
So despite all the negative press out there...and I know that it is definitly a challenge right now, there are so many things that we lose sight of...and I just wanted to take a minute to remind you!
So on the Eleventh Day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....A reason to be Thankful!
Cherry Merry, Happy Hannah, and Happy Kwanza~
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
amandaw@sevengables.com
714-837-7753
The world is what it is...it isn't good or bad or wrong....it just is!
We are often quick to judge when things don't go according to OUR plan.
We always have a"reason" why things didn't pan out.
Here are a few things to be Thankful for:
A company that cares about YOU
A staff that is there to make sure that you supported in every facet of your Real Estate Career.
Clients who refer business to you.
The ability to make your own hours so that you can be there for school pageants and soccer games.
A career that isn't stagnant but always challenging.
Friends
Family
Health
A roof over your head and food in your tummy.
So despite all the negative press out there...and I know that it is definitly a challenge right now, there are so many things that we lose sight of...and I just wanted to take a minute to remind you!
So on the Eleventh Day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....A reason to be Thankful!
Cherry Merry, Happy Hannah, and Happy Kwanza~
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
amandaw@sevengables.com
714-837-7753
12 Days of Real Estate....Day Eleven!
On the Eleventh Day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to me....Reasons to be Thankful....
The world is what it is...it isn't good or bad or wrong....it just is!
We are often quick to judge when things don't go according to OUR plan.
We always have a"reason" why things didn't pan out.
Here are a few things to be Thankful for:
A company that cares about YOU
A staff that is there to make sure that you supported in every facet of your Real Estate Career.
Clients who refer business to you.
The ability to make your own hours so that you can be there for school pageants and soccer games.
A career that isn't stagnant but always challenging.
Friends
Family
Health
A roof over your head and food in your tummy.
So despite all the negative press out there...and I know that it is definitly a challenge right now, there are so many things that we lose sight of...and I just wanted to take a minute to remind you!
So on the Eleventh Day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....A reason to be Thankful!
Cherry Merry, Happy Hannah, and Happy Kwanza~
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
amandaw@sevengables.com
714-837-7753
The world is what it is...it isn't good or bad or wrong....it just is!
We are often quick to judge when things don't go according to OUR plan.
We always have a"reason" why things didn't pan out.
Here are a few things to be Thankful for:
A company that cares about YOU
A staff that is there to make sure that you supported in every facet of your Real Estate Career.
Clients who refer business to you.
The ability to make your own hours so that you can be there for school pageants and soccer games.
A career that isn't stagnant but always challenging.
Friends
Family
Health
A roof over your head and food in your tummy.
So despite all the negative press out there...and I know that it is definitly a challenge right now, there are so many things that we lose sight of...and I just wanted to take a minute to remind you!
So on the Eleventh Day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....A reason to be Thankful!
Cherry Merry, Happy Hannah, and Happy Kwanza~
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
amandaw@sevengables.com
714-837-7753
12 Days of Real Estate....Day Ten
On the Tenth day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to me....LANGUAGE!
My son is a GAMER...
(That's not my son, just in case you were wondering)
This weekend there was a HUGE gamers convention in San Fransisco and of course he went. I picked him up afterwards with a few of his friends and as we were driving home I heard this:
"Dude, Did you....T-Sticking...and then....blast line...and when he....Ping...it was like WHOA! And then when that girl....Shine spike...."
On and on it went. I turned off my radio thinking to myself, "Are they speaking english? What are they saying? What does THAT mean?". I consider myself a pretty hip mom, but to be in the car with 3 teenage boys SPEAKING A LANGUAGE I couldn't understand was beyond me!
And then of course it hits me! How often as Realtors do we have a conversation with a Client and speak "Realtor-ese". You know what I mean..."Drawing Docs, Appraisal Review, DOM, and CDOM....Easements etc..."
We've all been guilty of it. We THINK we're having a conversation, when in reality we're confusing the heck out of our cllients!
So, what to do? Easy! ALWAYS let them know that we sometimes get carried away with Realtor speak and rather than have them not understand what the terms are, you encourage them to ask you questions!
Create a glossary that you can hand your clients so that they can have something to go back to after you leave....Yes,, our contracts have terms at the end that our Clients can read on their own time...BUT to have something from YOU, their Trusted Advisor will mean more to them!
It will relay to them that YOU have been asked these questions before and that YOU know how to explain them to ALL of your clients. It also let's them know that they are NOT alone.
So on the 10th day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....language for the masses!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manger
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
My son is a GAMER...
(That's not my son, just in case you were wondering)
This weekend there was a HUGE gamers convention in San Fransisco and of course he went. I picked him up afterwards with a few of his friends and as we were driving home I heard this:
"Dude, Did you....T-Sticking...and then....blast line...and when he....Ping...it was like WHOA! And then when that girl....Shine spike...."
On and on it went. I turned off my radio thinking to myself, "Are they speaking english? What are they saying? What does THAT mean?". I consider myself a pretty hip mom, but to be in the car with 3 teenage boys SPEAKING A LANGUAGE I couldn't understand was beyond me!
And then of course it hits me! How often as Realtors do we have a conversation with a Client and speak "Realtor-ese". You know what I mean..."Drawing Docs, Appraisal Review, DOM, and CDOM....Easements etc..."
We've all been guilty of it. We THINK we're having a conversation, when in reality we're confusing the heck out of our cllients!
So, what to do? Easy! ALWAYS let them know that we sometimes get carried away with Realtor speak and rather than have them not understand what the terms are, you encourage them to ask you questions!
Create a glossary that you can hand your clients so that they can have something to go back to after you leave....Yes,, our contracts have terms at the end that our Clients can read on their own time...BUT to have something from YOU, their Trusted Advisor will mean more to them!
It will relay to them that YOU have been asked these questions before and that YOU know how to explain them to ALL of your clients. It also let's them know that they are NOT alone.
So on the 10th day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....language for the masses!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manger
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
12 Days of Real Estate....Day Nine!
On the 9th day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to me....A Clear Vision
Life in Real Estate sometimes seems as if we're riding a roller coaster.
Life (or escrow) throws us a curve ball...before you panic:
Gather Facts. Investigate causes and circumstances of the problem. Probe details about it - such as its origins and causes, especially if you have a problem that's too vague. Investigating facts is usually more productive than trying to solve it right away.
If, for example, the problem stated by your spouse is "You never listen to me",
the solution is not obvious.
However, if the statement is "You don't make enough eye contact when I'm talking to you," then the solution is obvious and you can skip brainstorming altogether. (You'll still need to work on the implementation, though!)
Ask yourself questions about the problem. What is not known about it? Can you draw a diagram of the problem? What are the problem boundaries? Be curious. Ask questions and gather facts. It is said that a well-defined problem is halfway to being solved: you could add that a perfectly-defined problem is not even a problem anymore!
So on the 9th day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me, 20/20 vision!
Call or email me with any Real Estate related questions! If I don't know the answer, I'll be sure to connect you with the person you need to speak with!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
Life in Real Estate sometimes seems as if we're riding a roller coaster.
Life (or escrow) throws us a curve ball...before you panic:
Gather Facts. Investigate causes and circumstances of the problem. Probe details about it - such as its origins and causes, especially if you have a problem that's too vague. Investigating facts is usually more productive than trying to solve it right away.
If, for example, the problem stated by your spouse is "You never listen to me",
the solution is not obvious.
However, if the statement is "You don't make enough eye contact when I'm talking to you," then the solution is obvious and you can skip brainstorming altogether. (You'll still need to work on the implementation, though!)
Ask yourself questions about the problem. What is not known about it? Can you draw a diagram of the problem? What are the problem boundaries? Be curious. Ask questions and gather facts. It is said that a well-defined problem is halfway to being solved: you could add that a perfectly-defined problem is not even a problem anymore!
So on the 9th day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me, 20/20 vision!
Call or email me with any Real Estate related questions! If I don't know the answer, I'll be sure to connect you with the person you need to speak with!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
12 Days of Real Estate....Day Eight!
On the 8th Day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to me...The ability to "Put it in Reverse!"
(And not by saying "I know you are but what am I?" either!)
When you need to figure something out, there are steps that you can take to ensure you get the best results.
One of the things you can do is to find experts in the field. Thank Gore for the Internet! :-)
You log on, do online searches. Of course this doesn't replace going to your management team or mentor to assist you, but it's a great second choice!
One of the things that I find is REALLY effective, before going to my management team is to throw it in reverse!
One trick that usually helps when you’re stuck with a problem is turning it on its head. If you want to win, find out what would make you lose. If you are struggling finding ways to ‘increase sales’, find ways to decrease them instead. Then, all you need to do is reverse your answers.
Make more sales calls’ may seem an evident way of increasing sales, but sometimes we only see these ‘obvious’ answers when we look at the problem from an opposite direction.
This seemingly convoluted method may not seem intuitive at first, but turning a problem on its head can uncover rather obvious solutions to the original problem.
So, on the Eighth day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....reverse the situation
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
(And not by saying "I know you are but what am I?" either!)
When you need to figure something out, there are steps that you can take to ensure you get the best results.
One of the things you can do is to find experts in the field. Thank Gore for the Internet! :-)
You log on, do online searches. Of course this doesn't replace going to your management team or mentor to assist you, but it's a great second choice!
One of the things that I find is REALLY effective, before going to my management team is to throw it in reverse!
One trick that usually helps when you’re stuck with a problem is turning it on its head. If you want to win, find out what would make you lose. If you are struggling finding ways to ‘increase sales’, find ways to decrease them instead. Then, all you need to do is reverse your answers.
Make more sales calls’ may seem an evident way of increasing sales, but sometimes we only see these ‘obvious’ answers when we look at the problem from an opposite direction.
This seemingly convoluted method may not seem intuitive at first, but turning a problem on its head can uncover rather obvious solutions to the original problem.
So, on the Eighth day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....reverse the situation
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
12 Days of Real Estate....Day Seven!
On the Seventh Day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to me.....AN ENGAGEMENT RING!
Well, maybe not! But stop and think about this:
Honey, I love you! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you! I look forward to growing old with you, raising a family and taking my last breath with you at my side.
Now how about this:
Hey! How's it going? I was just thinking, I'm getting old and your time clock is ticking. You're no spring chicken you know. Wanna get hitched?
Basically the same question, right? What do you think the outcome is?
Real Estate is no different. WHAT!? Really???
Yes, really!
Did you ever stop to think that the intials in Real Estate, are R.E, and if you're quick, you'll catch this: Real Estate is about RE-lationships!
Get it? Haha! I crack myself up!
Here are some tips for you in your Real Estate Career:
Make It Engaging.
In addition to using effective language constructs, it’s important to come up with a problem statement that truly excites you so you’re in the best frame of mind for creatively tackling the problem.
If the problem looks too dull for you, invest the time adding vigor to it while still keeping it genuine. Make it enticing. Your brain will thank (and reward) you later.
One thing is to ‘increase sales’ (boring), another one is ‘WOW your customers’.
It's also one thing ‘to create a personal development blog’, another completely different thing is to ‘empower readers to live fully’.
See what I mean? So, for the seventh day, sing with me....
On the Seventh Day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....Words that are engaging...
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
Well, maybe not! But stop and think about this:
Honey, I love you! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you! I look forward to growing old with you, raising a family and taking my last breath with you at my side.
Now how about this:
Hey! How's it going? I was just thinking, I'm getting old and your time clock is ticking. You're no spring chicken you know. Wanna get hitched?
Basically the same question, right? What do you think the outcome is?
Real Estate is no different. WHAT!? Really???
Yes, really!
Did you ever stop to think that the intials in Real Estate, are R.E, and if you're quick, you'll catch this: Real Estate is about RE-lationships!
Get it? Haha! I crack myself up!
Here are some tips for you in your Real Estate Career:
Make It Engaging.
In addition to using effective language constructs, it’s important to come up with a problem statement that truly excites you so you’re in the best frame of mind for creatively tackling the problem.
If the problem looks too dull for you, invest the time adding vigor to it while still keeping it genuine. Make it enticing. Your brain will thank (and reward) you later.
One thing is to ‘increase sales’ (boring), another one is ‘WOW your customers’.
It's also one thing ‘to create a personal development blog’, another completely different thing is to ‘empower readers to live fully’.
See what I mean? So, for the seventh day, sing with me....
On the Seventh Day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me....Words that are engaging...
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
Seven Gables Christmas Donation...
Several weeks back, we looked to see what we as a company could do to contribute to the Community.
We decided to pick a charity that was knowledgeable and skilled at making the most of donations.
It was not an easy decision, to be sure.
We chose the Salvation Army.
Over the last few weeks, we have been collecting donations from our agents and staff so that we could sponsor at least one family. Due to the generous nature of the WONDERFUL people we work with, we are able to sponsor TWO FAMILIES. Gina, Kristin and Sandy from our talented marketing department have been working NON-STOP on collecting the monies and then shopping for the intended families.
Below you will read Gina's account. I was feeling a little chilly today with the weather being what it is, but this warmed me to my bones!
"Today, we delivered four tubs filled with non-perishable food items, wrapped clothing/toys and other essentials to the Salvation Army Distribution Warehouse on behalf of the Diaz and Maximo families whom we adopted for Christmas. Thank you Eric Duncan and Steve Hetzel for helping us out with the delivery. We could not have done it without you.
I must say that this has been both a humbling and heartwarming experience for us. To take a $1500 budget, divide it in two; loosely follow a recommended food and gift list for these families and then see how far we could stretch that budget by walking the aisles at WalMart was both eye-opening and gratifying. Attached is a photo of couple of the tubs that we filled to give you a sense of what your contributions allowed us to provide for these families.
Though I received very little background information of the two families I can at least tell you this much:
The Diaz family is comprised of Mom, Dad, 3 year old son and 2 year old daughter. They had no specifics requests so we bought them items such as jackets, pajamas, pants, shirts and shoes along with various age appropriate surprise gifts.
The Maximo family is comprised of Mom, Dad, 8 year old son and 2 year old daughter. Son wanted a remote control car; Daughter wanted anything relating to Dora the Explorer.
We bought clothing, shoes and jackets for them as well, plus some other great surprise gifts.
We bought inexpensive DVD players for each family, a collection of popular DVDs, robes and sweaters for the moms, electric razors and tool boxes for the dads, along with a plethora of household necessities, grooming products and various food essentials. We also purchased a $75.00 gift card to Vons for each family, so that they can either order a hot Christmas meal or purchase fresh foods to make on their own. They will certainly be thrilled with all that is being delivered to them next week.
Thank you Kristen and Sandy for your commitment to making this such a wonderful experience for me (albeit an exhausting one).
You two are absolute angels.
Lastly, I would like to say “thank you agents and staff” for your incredible generosity towards making this endeavor a reality.
When I looked around that warehouse today seeing row upon row of other donations, it made me realize how important it is to always remember that “Giving” is the true Reason for the Season.
More importantly, it warmed my heart knowing that the spirit of giving shined ever so brightly this year at Seven Gables!
Happy Holidays to you All!
Warmest regards,
Gina Santanello
Seven Gables Real Estate - Marketing Department
Now then, Tell me you don't want to be a part of a company with such heart! I dare ya! :-)
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
We decided to pick a charity that was knowledgeable and skilled at making the most of donations.
It was not an easy decision, to be sure.
We chose the Salvation Army.
Over the last few weeks, we have been collecting donations from our agents and staff so that we could sponsor at least one family. Due to the generous nature of the WONDERFUL people we work with, we are able to sponsor TWO FAMILIES. Gina, Kristin and Sandy from our talented marketing department have been working NON-STOP on collecting the monies and then shopping for the intended families.
Below you will read Gina's account. I was feeling a little chilly today with the weather being what it is, but this warmed me to my bones!
"Today, we delivered four tubs filled with non-perishable food items, wrapped clothing/toys and other essentials to the Salvation Army Distribution Warehouse on behalf of the Diaz and Maximo families whom we adopted for Christmas. Thank you Eric Duncan and Steve Hetzel for helping us out with the delivery. We could not have done it without you.
I must say that this has been both a humbling and heartwarming experience for us. To take a $1500 budget, divide it in two; loosely follow a recommended food and gift list for these families and then see how far we could stretch that budget by walking the aisles at WalMart was both eye-opening and gratifying. Attached is a photo of couple of the tubs that we filled to give you a sense of what your contributions allowed us to provide for these families.
Though I received very little background information of the two families I can at least tell you this much:
The Diaz family is comprised of Mom, Dad, 3 year old son and 2 year old daughter. They had no specifics requests so we bought them items such as jackets, pajamas, pants, shirts and shoes along with various age appropriate surprise gifts.
The Maximo family is comprised of Mom, Dad, 8 year old son and 2 year old daughter. Son wanted a remote control car; Daughter wanted anything relating to Dora the Explorer.
We bought clothing, shoes and jackets for them as well, plus some other great surprise gifts.
We bought inexpensive DVD players for each family, a collection of popular DVDs, robes and sweaters for the moms, electric razors and tool boxes for the dads, along with a plethora of household necessities, grooming products and various food essentials. We also purchased a $75.00 gift card to Vons for each family, so that they can either order a hot Christmas meal or purchase fresh foods to make on their own. They will certainly be thrilled with all that is being delivered to them next week.
Thank you Kristen and Sandy for your commitment to making this such a wonderful experience for me (albeit an exhausting one).
You two are absolute angels.
Lastly, I would like to say “thank you agents and staff” for your incredible generosity towards making this endeavor a reality.
When I looked around that warehouse today seeing row upon row of other donations, it made me realize how important it is to always remember that “Giving” is the true Reason for the Season.
More importantly, it warmed my heart knowing that the spirit of giving shined ever so brightly this year at Seven Gables!
Happy Holidays to you All!
Warmest regards,
Gina Santanello
Seven Gables Real Estate - Marketing Department
Now then, Tell me you don't want to be a part of a company with such heart! I dare ya! :-)
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
12 Days of Real Estate....Day Six!
On the Sixth day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to me....Effective Communication!
What does this mean? Let's look at a married couple:
Wife says "Honey, it'd be nice if you took out the trash"...in her mind she has just told her husband he needs to take out the trash.
Husband hears "Honey, it'd be nice if you took out the trash..."
...in his mind he thinks, yeah it would be nice and I'll get to it as soon as I'm done doing (insert activity here). What he says is "Okay".
What you end up with is this:
So, where is the breakdown in communication here? In HER words or in HIS listening? The truth is, neither one is paying attention to the message they are communicating, but each thinks they are being clear! How many times has this happened to you as a Realtor...what YOUR CLIENT said and what YOU heard. How about in your communication with your manager, or with the other agent you are negotiating with?
Use Effective Language Constructs.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for properly crafting the perfect problem statement, but there are some language constructs that always help making it more effective:
Assume a myriad of solutions. An excellent way to start a problem statement is: “In what ways might I…”. This expression is much superior to “How can I…” as it hints that there’s a multitude of solutions, and not just one — or maybe none.
As simple as this sounds, the feeling of expectancy helps your brain find solutions.
Make it positive.
Negative sentences require a lot more cognitive power to process and may slow you down — or even derail your train of thought.
Positive statements also help you find the real goal behind the problem and, as such, are much more motivating.
For example: instead of finding ways to ‘quit smoking’, you may find that ‘increase your energy’, ‘live longer’ and others are much more worthwhile goals.
Frame your problem in the form of a question.
Our brain loves questions. If the question is powerful and engaging, our brains will do everything within their reach to answer it.
We just can’t help it: Our brains will start working on the problem immediately and keep working in the background, even when we’re not aware of it.
If you’re still stuck, consider using the following formula for phrasing your problem statement: “In what ways (action) (object) (qualifier) (end result)?” Example: In what ways might I package (action) my book (object) more attractively (qualifier) so people will buy more of it (end result)?
So sing it with me now...On the sixth day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me...Communicate Effectively!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
What does this mean? Let's look at a married couple:
Wife says "Honey, it'd be nice if you took out the trash"...in her mind she has just told her husband he needs to take out the trash.
Husband hears "Honey, it'd be nice if you took out the trash..."
...in his mind he thinks, yeah it would be nice and I'll get to it as soon as I'm done doing (insert activity here). What he says is "Okay".
What you end up with is this:
So, where is the breakdown in communication here? In HER words or in HIS listening? The truth is, neither one is paying attention to the message they are communicating, but each thinks they are being clear! How many times has this happened to you as a Realtor...what YOUR CLIENT said and what YOU heard. How about in your communication with your manager, or with the other agent you are negotiating with?
Use Effective Language Constructs.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for properly crafting the perfect problem statement, but there are some language constructs that always help making it more effective:
Assume a myriad of solutions. An excellent way to start a problem statement is: “In what ways might I…”. This expression is much superior to “How can I…” as it hints that there’s a multitude of solutions, and not just one — or maybe none.
As simple as this sounds, the feeling of expectancy helps your brain find solutions.
Make it positive.
Negative sentences require a lot more cognitive power to process and may slow you down — or even derail your train of thought.
Positive statements also help you find the real goal behind the problem and, as such, are much more motivating.
For example: instead of finding ways to ‘quit smoking’, you may find that ‘increase your energy’, ‘live longer’ and others are much more worthwhile goals.
Frame your problem in the form of a question.
Our brain loves questions. If the question is powerful and engaging, our brains will do everything within their reach to answer it.
We just can’t help it: Our brains will start working on the problem immediately and keep working in the background, even when we’re not aware of it.
If you’re still stuck, consider using the following formula for phrasing your problem statement: “In what ways (action) (object) (qualifier) (end result)?” Example: In what ways might I package (action) my book (object) more attractively (qualifier) so people will buy more of it (end result)?
So sing it with me now...On the sixth day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me...Communicate Effectively!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
12 Days of Real Estate...day 5
On the 5th day of Real Estate Seven Gables gave to me.....CHANGED PERS-PEC-TIVE.....
What does this look like to you?
Is it a page full of birds or fish...or BOTH?
At first glance it looks like one or the other...but upon closer examination, you see two different things. You can even begin to distinguish when and where the change takes place.
That's PERSPECTIVE!
Find Multiple Perspectives. Before rushing to solve a problem, always make sure you look at it from different perspectives. Looking at it with different eyes is a great way to have instant insight on new, overlooked directions.
For example, if you own a business and are trying to ‘increase sales’, try to view this problem from the point of view of, say, a customer.
From the customer’s viewpoint, this may be a matter of adding features to your product that one would be willing to pay more for.
Rewrite your problem statement many times, each time using one of these different perspectives.
How would your competition see this problem? Your employees? Your mom?
Also, imagine how people in various roles would frame the problem. How would a politician see it? A college professor? A nun? Try to find the differences and similarities on how the different roles would deal with your problem.
Is it a bad market or a market full of opportunity?
Really, it's what YOU say it is! Wouldn't you rather live in a world of opportunity than one where everything is out of your control (buying into "it's a bad market", for example)?
Tell me that people like Warren Buffet aren't looking at all of the opportunity out there right now!
So! On the 5th day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me.....Change in Perspective.....
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
What does this look like to you?
Is it a page full of birds or fish...or BOTH?
At first glance it looks like one or the other...but upon closer examination, you see two different things. You can even begin to distinguish when and where the change takes place.
That's PERSPECTIVE!
Find Multiple Perspectives. Before rushing to solve a problem, always make sure you look at it from different perspectives. Looking at it with different eyes is a great way to have instant insight on new, overlooked directions.
For example, if you own a business and are trying to ‘increase sales’, try to view this problem from the point of view of, say, a customer.
From the customer’s viewpoint, this may be a matter of adding features to your product that one would be willing to pay more for.
Rewrite your problem statement many times, each time using one of these different perspectives.
How would your competition see this problem? Your employees? Your mom?
Also, imagine how people in various roles would frame the problem. How would a politician see it? A college professor? A nun? Try to find the differences and similarities on how the different roles would deal with your problem.
Is it a bad market or a market full of opportunity?
Really, it's what YOU say it is! Wouldn't you rather live in a world of opportunity than one where everything is out of your control (buying into "it's a bad market", for example)?
Tell me that people like Warren Buffet aren't looking at all of the opportunity out there right now!
So! On the 5th day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me.....Change in Perspective.....
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
It's the end of the World!
Ok, not really! But it is nearing the end of the year. Right now, we are working with our Agents, creating a business plan that will work for them.
It's set up to move with them. To be tweaked as they move from month to month so as to focus on WHAT'S WORKING and drop what's not!
>This means looking at what we've been doing, keeping track of numbers so that we can focus on what's working for us, and then telling the truth and dropping all the stuff that isn't working.
Sometimes, we do all the wrong things for all the right reasons. We've heard in our industry that farming, marketing and cold calling is what it's going to take to make you successful in Real Estate.
These same self proclaimed RE Guru's neglect one important thing. Mail goes to HOUSES, not people. Does that make sense to you?
You mass mail total strangers.
They don't know you from the UPS guy!
We spend (guestimation here, folks) a GAZILLION DOLLARS creating fancy websites that don't relay who YOU are.
You hope that people will read your blogs, and be impressed with all of the widgets, etc. on your site and they will call you first to represent them!
WE SPEND MONEY TO AVOID HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS!
And then, to add insult to injury, we PAY MONEY to buy leads, only to fail to connect with the person on the other end of the phone.
What does this mean? In Real Estate, the only way to succeed is to have RE-lationships!
To meet people, TALK to them about what's happening with them and then sharing with them what's going on in the Real Estate industry!
"What?! Wait! I don't know what to say!" "That's too hard!" "If I do THIS instead, I'll be successful in Real Estate".
The truth is, no matter how great that billboard of a roast turkey dinner looks, it's not the same as having the REAL thing. There is NO substitute for face to face contact.
The next element that is missing is FOLLOW UP!
I'm not talking about stalking here, though that might be fun.....hmm....better leave that for another day!
We FINALLY make a connection with someone that WANTS to listen to us, and then we don't bother to call them, or stop by and see them!
We're too busy keeping track of how many "unique visitors" have come to our website!
Is Real Estate hard? Not if you compare it with the people that built the pyramids! NOW THAT WAS HARD! Real Estate is challenging...but it's challenging because we're HUMAN. We're prone to make mistakes. We forget things. We doubt ourselves. Sometimes, we even hold ourselves back from being successful!
I am proud to say that here at Seven Gables, we don't look only at your production. We look at YOU! What do YOU need? What are YOU willing to commit to? Are YOU coachable? What can we do to assist YOU in growing your career?
So what challenges do you face as an agent? I would love the opportunity to speak with you, FACE TO FACE!
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
It's set up to move with them. To be tweaked as they move from month to month so as to focus on WHAT'S WORKING and drop what's not!
>This means looking at what we've been doing, keeping track of numbers so that we can focus on what's working for us, and then telling the truth and dropping all the stuff that isn't working.
Sometimes, we do all the wrong things for all the right reasons. We've heard in our industry that farming, marketing and cold calling is what it's going to take to make you successful in Real Estate.
These same self proclaimed RE Guru's neglect one important thing. Mail goes to HOUSES, not people. Does that make sense to you?
You mass mail total strangers.
They don't know you from the UPS guy!
We spend (guestimation here, folks) a GAZILLION DOLLARS creating fancy websites that don't relay who YOU are.
You hope that people will read your blogs, and be impressed with all of the widgets, etc. on your site and they will call you first to represent them!
WE SPEND MONEY TO AVOID HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS!
And then, to add insult to injury, we PAY MONEY to buy leads, only to fail to connect with the person on the other end of the phone.
What does this mean? In Real Estate, the only way to succeed is to have RE-lationships!
To meet people, TALK to them about what's happening with them and then sharing with them what's going on in the Real Estate industry!
"What?! Wait! I don't know what to say!" "That's too hard!" "If I do THIS instead, I'll be successful in Real Estate".
The truth is, no matter how great that billboard of a roast turkey dinner looks, it's not the same as having the REAL thing. There is NO substitute for face to face contact.
The next element that is missing is FOLLOW UP!
I'm not talking about stalking here, though that might be fun.....hmm....better leave that for another day!
We FINALLY make a connection with someone that WANTS to listen to us, and then we don't bother to call them, or stop by and see them!
We're too busy keeping track of how many "unique visitors" have come to our website!
Is Real Estate hard? Not if you compare it with the people that built the pyramids! NOW THAT WAS HARD! Real Estate is challenging...but it's challenging because we're HUMAN. We're prone to make mistakes. We forget things. We doubt ourselves. Sometimes, we even hold ourselves back from being successful!
I am proud to say that here at Seven Gables, we don't look only at your production. We look at YOU! What do YOU need? What are YOU willing to commit to? Are YOU coachable? What can we do to assist YOU in growing your career?
So what challenges do you face as an agent? I would love the opportunity to speak with you, FACE TO FACE!
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
12 Days of Real Estate...day 4
On the Fourth Day of Real Estate, Seven Gables gave to me....Break Down!
If each problem is part of a greater problem, it also means that each problem is composed of many smaller problems. It turns out that decomposing a problem in many smaller problems — each of them more specific than the original — can also provide greater insights about it.
Breaking the problem down, (making it more specific) is especially useful if you find the problem overwhelming or daunting.
Some of the typical questions you can ask to make a problem more specific are: “What are parts of this?” or “What are examples of this?”.
Just as in ‘chunking up’, word substitution can also come to great use here. The class of words that are useful here are hyponyms: words that are stricter in meaning than the given one. (E.g. two hyponyms of ‘car’ are ‘minivan’ and ‘limousine’). WordNet can also help you finding hyponyms.
Another avenue to explore is your management team!
When you are at the point that looking at the problem is just making it worse, do you have someone that you can go to for help?
In Real Estate CONSTANT support is almost MANDATORY!
How will you move yourself into production if there is no one there that can give you the tools, guidance and motivation?
I'm not talking "Rah-Rah-Rah, everything's great now go get'em!" kind of stuff. But real, provable, duplicateable systems and programs that WORK!
So, on the fourth day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me...A break down of what will work for me!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
If each problem is part of a greater problem, it also means that each problem is composed of many smaller problems. It turns out that decomposing a problem in many smaller problems — each of them more specific than the original — can also provide greater insights about it.
Breaking the problem down, (making it more specific) is especially useful if you find the problem overwhelming or daunting.
Some of the typical questions you can ask to make a problem more specific are: “What are parts of this?” or “What are examples of this?”.
Just as in ‘chunking up’, word substitution can also come to great use here. The class of words that are useful here are hyponyms: words that are stricter in meaning than the given one. (E.g. two hyponyms of ‘car’ are ‘minivan’ and ‘limousine’). WordNet can also help you finding hyponyms.
Another avenue to explore is your management team!
When you are at the point that looking at the problem is just making it worse, do you have someone that you can go to for help?
In Real Estate CONSTANT support is almost MANDATORY!
How will you move yourself into production if there is no one there that can give you the tools, guidance and motivation?
I'm not talking "Rah-Rah-Rah, everything's great now go get'em!" kind of stuff. But real, provable, duplicateable systems and programs that WORK!
So, on the fourth day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me...A break down of what will work for me!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
12 Days of Real Estate...day 3
On the third day of Real Estate, Seven Gables brings to you.....Portion Control!
Okay! Not THAT kind of portion control, but I did want to emphasize something. So many times we get overwhelmed because we don't know that we can break things down into smaller portions, and then tackle each one individually. This in and of itself will save you HOURS of stress!
In an effort to relieve you of some added stress, I'm going to give you two words to live by: Chunk Up.
Each problem is a small piece of a greater problem. In the same way that you can explore a problem laterally — such as by playing with words or challenging assumptions — you can also explore it at different “altitudes”.
If you feel you’re overwhelmed with details or looking at a problem too narrowly, look at it from a more general perspective. In order to make your problem more general, ask questions such as: “What’s this a part of?”, “What’s this an example of?” or “What’s the intention behind this?”.
Another approach that helps a lot in getting a more general view of a problem is replacing words in the problem statement with hypernyms. Hypernyms are words that have a broader meaning than the given word. (For example, a hypernym of ‘car’ is ‘vehicle’). A great, free tool for finding hypernyms for a given word is WordNet (just search for a word and click on the ‘S:’ label before the word definitions).
A good question worth asking is whether the "problem" you're defining is really just a symptom of a deeper problem.
For example, a high heating bill might be the "problem" and an obvious solution would be to check to see if your heating system is broken, or needs updating for better efficiency.
But maybe the bigger problem is that the people in your house use heat wastefully, and why's that?
Because they don't perceive the negative consequences; they don't have to pay the bill themselves, perhaps, so they're not conscious of how wasting heat will affect them.
Breaking things down to where they are manageable takes time and a desire to move BEYOND the current issue. Sometimes, we stay focused on a PROBLEM because to focus on a SOLUTION would require making an acknowledgement that something needs to change...but that's a story for another time....SO! HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT???
ONE BITE AT A TIME!
OR you can call me, and we can work on it together!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
714-837-7753
Okay! Not THAT kind of portion control, but I did want to emphasize something. So many times we get overwhelmed because we don't know that we can break things down into smaller portions, and then tackle each one individually. This in and of itself will save you HOURS of stress!
In an effort to relieve you of some added stress, I'm going to give you two words to live by: Chunk Up.
Each problem is a small piece of a greater problem. In the same way that you can explore a problem laterally — such as by playing with words or challenging assumptions — you can also explore it at different “altitudes”.
If you feel you’re overwhelmed with details or looking at a problem too narrowly, look at it from a more general perspective. In order to make your problem more general, ask questions such as: “What’s this a part of?”, “What’s this an example of?” or “What’s the intention behind this?”.
Another approach that helps a lot in getting a more general view of a problem is replacing words in the problem statement with hypernyms. Hypernyms are words that have a broader meaning than the given word. (For example, a hypernym of ‘car’ is ‘vehicle’). A great, free tool for finding hypernyms for a given word is WordNet (just search for a word and click on the ‘S:’ label before the word definitions).
A good question worth asking is whether the "problem" you're defining is really just a symptom of a deeper problem.
For example, a high heating bill might be the "problem" and an obvious solution would be to check to see if your heating system is broken, or needs updating for better efficiency.
But maybe the bigger problem is that the people in your house use heat wastefully, and why's that?
Because they don't perceive the negative consequences; they don't have to pay the bill themselves, perhaps, so they're not conscious of how wasting heat will affect them.
Breaking things down to where they are manageable takes time and a desire to move BEYOND the current issue. Sometimes, we stay focused on a PROBLEM because to focus on a SOLUTION would require making an acknowledgement that something needs to change...but that's a story for another time....SO! HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT???
ONE BITE AT A TIME! OR you can call me, and we can work on it together!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manager
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
714-837-7753
12 Days of Real Estate...day 2
On the Second day of Real Estate Seven Gables brings to you....Your ASSUMPTIONS!
Yup! You know what those are!
They are the only way some of us get through life sometimes!
We have a skewed sense of reality because of something that happened years ago.
We didn't get picked for dodgeball or we were called on to answer a question that we did not know the answer to.
We shelve that feeling, and when we are faced with a situation that stirs that emotion, we go right back to feeling inadequate. What I find worse still is being afraid to ask questions to work through the "why".
For example:
In Real Estate: "I wasn't prepared for the listing presentation. Next time, I had better get my ducks in a row", becomes "I didn't get the listing because I'm too tall" (or too short, or too old or too whatever).
Want to know how to work through that? It's going to take some ACTIVE PARTICIPATION on your part!
1. Expose and Challenge Assumptions. Every problem — no matter how apparently simple it may be — comes with a long list of assumptions attached. Many of these assumptions may be inaccurate and could make your problem statement inadequate or even misguided.
o The first step to get rid of bad assumptions is to make them explicit.
Write a list and expose as many assumptions as you can — especially those that may seem the most obvious and ‘untouchable’. That, in itself, brings more clarity to the problem at hand. Essentially, you need to learn how to think like a philosopher.
o But go further and test each assumption for validity: think in ways that they might not be valid and their consequences. What you will find may surprise you: that many of those bad assumptions are self-imposed — with just a bit of scrutiny you are able to safely drop them. Read up on How to Be a Skeptic. http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Skeptic
o For example, suppose you’re about to enter the restaurant business. One of your assumptions might be ‘restaurants have a menu’. While such an assumption may seem true at first, try challenging it and maybe you’ll find some very interesting business models (such as one restaurant in which customers bring dish ideas for the chef to cook, for example).
Thought it was going to be easy?
Nope! Not here!
Changing patterns is a full time job! But with CONSISTANCY, you can conquer the world!
Would you like to learn HOW Seven Gables can assist you in working forward with a new mindset?
Call me!
Sing with me now!
On the Second day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me...the abililty to live assumption free!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manger
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
Yup! You know what those are!
They are the only way some of us get through life sometimes!
We have a skewed sense of reality because of something that happened years ago.
We didn't get picked for dodgeball or we were called on to answer a question that we did not know the answer to.
We shelve that feeling, and when we are faced with a situation that stirs that emotion, we go right back to feeling inadequate. What I find worse still is being afraid to ask questions to work through the "why".
For example:
In Real Estate: "I wasn't prepared for the listing presentation. Next time, I had better get my ducks in a row", becomes "I didn't get the listing because I'm too tall" (or too short, or too old or too whatever).
Want to know how to work through that? It's going to take some ACTIVE PARTICIPATION on your part!
1. Expose and Challenge Assumptions. Every problem — no matter how apparently simple it may be — comes with a long list of assumptions attached. Many of these assumptions may be inaccurate and could make your problem statement inadequate or even misguided.
o The first step to get rid of bad assumptions is to make them explicit.
Write a list and expose as many assumptions as you can — especially those that may seem the most obvious and ‘untouchable’. That, in itself, brings more clarity to the problem at hand. Essentially, you need to learn how to think like a philosopher.
o But go further and test each assumption for validity: think in ways that they might not be valid and their consequences. What you will find may surprise you: that many of those bad assumptions are self-imposed — with just a bit of scrutiny you are able to safely drop them. Read up on How to Be a Skeptic. http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Skeptic
o For example, suppose you’re about to enter the restaurant business. One of your assumptions might be ‘restaurants have a menu’. While such an assumption may seem true at first, try challenging it and maybe you’ll find some very interesting business models (such as one restaurant in which customers bring dish ideas for the chef to cook, for example).
Thought it was going to be easy?
Nope! Not here!
Changing patterns is a full time job! But with CONSISTANCY, you can conquer the world!
Would you like to learn HOW Seven Gables can assist you in working forward with a new mindset?
Call me!
Sing with me now!
On the Second day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me...the abililty to live assumption free!
Amanda Wernick
Career Development Manger
Seven Gables Real Estate
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
12 Days of Real Estate...
For the next 12 days, I will be posting MY version of the 12 days of Christmas as it relates to Real Estate...I don't think I can get it to rhyme at the end, but believe you me, I'm going to try!
On the first day of Real Estate, I will give to you: EINSTEIN!
Einstein is quoted as having said that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution.
This quote does illustrate an important point:
Before jumping right into solving a problem, we should step back and invest time and effort to improve our understanding of it. Here are strategies you can use to see problems from many different perspectives and master what is the most important step in problem solving: clearly defining the problem in the first place!
•1. Rephrase the Problem. When a Toyota executive asked employees to brainstorm "ways to increase their productivity", all he got back were blank stares. When he rephrased his request as "ways to make their jobs easier", he could barely keep up with the amount of suggestions. Words carry strong implicit meaning and, as such, play a major role in how we perceive a problem.
In the example above, ‘be productive' might seem like a sacrifice you're doing for the company, while ‘make your job easier' may be more like something you're doing for your own benefit, but from which the company also benefits.
In the end, the problem is still the same, but the feelings - and the points of view - associated with each of them are vastly different.
•o Play freely with the problem statement, rewording it several times. For a methodical approach, take single words and substitute variations.
•o ‘Increase sales'? Try replacing ‘increase' with ‘attract', ‘develop', ‘extend', ‘repeat' and see how your perception of the problem changes. A rich vocabulary plays an important role here, so you may want to use a thesaurus or develop your vocabulary.
Sing along with me now...On the first day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me...the ablility to think differently.....
Amanda Wernick
Seven Gables Real Estate
Career Development Manager
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
Special thanks to Shelly Cofini for her continuous support and inspiration!
On the first day of Real Estate, I will give to you: EINSTEIN!
Einstein is quoted as having said that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution.
This quote does illustrate an important point:
Before jumping right into solving a problem, we should step back and invest time and effort to improve our understanding of it. Here are strategies you can use to see problems from many different perspectives and master what is the most important step in problem solving: clearly defining the problem in the first place!
•1. Rephrase the Problem. When a Toyota executive asked employees to brainstorm "ways to increase their productivity", all he got back were blank stares. When he rephrased his request as "ways to make their jobs easier", he could barely keep up with the amount of suggestions. Words carry strong implicit meaning and, as such, play a major role in how we perceive a problem.
In the example above, ‘be productive' might seem like a sacrifice you're doing for the company, while ‘make your job easier' may be more like something you're doing for your own benefit, but from which the company also benefits.
In the end, the problem is still the same, but the feelings - and the points of view - associated with each of them are vastly different.
•o Play freely with the problem statement, rewording it several times. For a methodical approach, take single words and substitute variations.
•o ‘Increase sales'? Try replacing ‘increase' with ‘attract', ‘develop', ‘extend', ‘repeat' and see how your perception of the problem changes. A rich vocabulary plays an important role here, so you may want to use a thesaurus or develop your vocabulary.
Sing along with me now...On the first day of Real Estate, Amanda gave to me...the ablility to think differently.....
Amanda Wernick
Seven Gables Real Estate
Career Development Manager
714-837-7753
amandaw@sevengables.com
Special thanks to Shelly Cofini for her continuous support and inspiration!
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