Would You Benefit From A Business Coach?

I wanted to share this great little article written by Carla Cross, CRB, M.A.
Carla Cross Seminars, Inc./Carla Cross Coaching in the USA as she talks about the need for a personal business coach in the real estate industry (or any other entrepreneurial business for that matter) - enjoy!

The real estate industry is cyclical. You've heard people say that. There are 'buyers' markets, and 'sellers' markets. There's another way the real estate industry is cyclical, too. It's cyclical in its approach to supporting its agents. When I started in real estate, (almost three decades ago!), there was no training.

Then, companies started training programs. When I went into management in the early 1980's, we were also taught to coach agents to higher productivity. But, as money got tight, and real estate companies became less profitable, they dumped their training programs. They asked managers to also sell. Just ask any selling manager today whether they have time to train and coach...you know the answer. It's 'no'.

Coaching is Big in the World of Business Today

However, in the world of business generally, coaching has become a big thing. It's even swept into the realm of real estate again in the form of paid, independent coaching programs. But, you may be one of those who says, "I don't need a coach. I'm a self-starter. I can reach my goals on my own." Having been in real estate for three decades, I've heard that comment a lot. But, my experience has shown me that almost everyone benefits from coaching.

Skills Come from Practice and Coaching Assistance

As a pianist since I was four years old, I know that peak performance comes only with practice-perfect practice. And, therein lies the rub. When you attempt to learn to play the piano by yourself, without a teacher, you can't hear yourself play. You can't make adjustments fast enough alone.

You need a great piano teacher who is helping you assess your performance, make adjustments, and challenges you to stretch to higher goals. The difference between one person's success in any field and another lies, in part, in their comparable skills.

All experienced pianists can put their hands on the keys. They can play the notes. But, most pianists haven't mastered playing the notes. They haven't mastered the interpretation. That takes practice and coaching.

Do You Need A Coach?

Yes, if you are:

• Not optimizing your talents
  
• Not attaining your goals
  
• Spending too much time spinning your wheels
  
• Spending too much money for little return
  
• Hitting ceilings of achievement

What Your Coach Can Do For You:

• Help you focus on our goals so we get there faster
  
• Motivate you to get into meaningful action
  
• Encourage you to keep on keeping on
  
• Offer resources for new ideas so we can take a different look
  
• Appreciate your efforts when no one else seems to!

Real Estate Salespeople and Managers-a Special Breed

Approximately ninety percent of all real estate salespeople and managers have behavioral styles that are highly aggressive and/or promotional. That's not like the normal population! In other words, we like people and we charge ahead (my motto is, when all else fails, read the directions...). Only fifty percent of the normal population exhibits those behavioral styles.

Other styles are more task focused and embrace procedure. Yes, we salespeople-types have special talents-and special challenges. Our biggest challenge is focus. We're great with people. We get into action fast.

Our problem is that people and actions pull us in various directions, and we lose the one thing that drives us toward our goals-focus. The first and biggest benefit a coach can give us is to keep us focused.

Coaches Provide Much-Needed Models and Systems

Models and systems are woefully lacking in our real estate industry. After all, we're the people who've always said, "Fake it until you make it." What if your surgeon said that? Or your accountant? Historically, we real estate professionals have had an aversion to following procedures.

Yet, in the world of business, systems are the basis of all business growth. For us too, systematizing is the best way we can build big, profitable businesses. A competent coach uses proven models and systems and processes that do more than stop our crisis management. They teach us how to think about our business.

A Coach Helps You Move Faster and With More Confidence

Armed with great models and systems, you and your coach have a common language from which to work. You will benefit from gaining focus. You will accomplish more faster, gain greater confidence, and be able to set higher goals as a result of your coaching experience and relationship.

Comments

[myspace design]

Interesting article. Glad to have stumbled in your blog. :)

[Marv]

It's true. Mentors and coaches help you get where you need or desire to be faster and better.

[Bill Dueease]

I fully endorse your premise that real estate agents and managers will greatly benefit from being coached. But coaching only works under the right conditions. Being a real estate agent is a lonely competitive and self-reliant profession. Agents only get paid for the transactions they are part of. The key to becoming a very successful and productive agent is to discover all you can about yourself and then custom-make your entire real estate career around you to suit you. True coaches assist agents to discover themselves so they become the world’s leading experts on themselves, and change the conditions around them to suit them. True coaches rarely, if ever, advise, instruct, or train agents. Doing so virtually eliminates the coaching relationship. Unfortunately, there are far too many trainers, and consultants posing as coaches who SELL their “World Class” systems, procedures, programs and the like as the one method that works. These are not coaches. And coaches sell nothing, including programs. When in fact the only one method that works for any agent is their own uniquely designed program that suits only them. We have assisted many agents to discover and create their own, many times very unusual, agency programs to great successes. It’s fun to see what they eventually develop, and to feel their success.

Thanks for educating the public on coaching.