Global Success Coach

Now is the ‘Time to Strike’

Now is the time to strike while all those around you may be giving up – as your competitors spend precious Dollar Productive time preaching the sky is falling and the market is tough?

They are so busy destroying their own reality while becoming convinced it’s just all too hard at the moment. They just can’t see the massive opportunity we are all given right here, right now!

So now is the time to take real advantage of your competitor’s inattention to the huge amount of opportunities that are right there for the taking. The beauty of the current climate is that it filters out the real performers from the people that just cruise through the day soaking up their ‘natural market share’ without really doing the business. When the going gets tough these people just go – right out the back door.

Yes, we will see lots of casualties in the next few months but for the serious people out there that’s not a bad thing. Even if the pie is shrinking, it just gives the rest of us the chance to grab a great big slice of a slightly smaller pie. That in its self can be a big piece of action.

What’s the strategy?

Right now, more than in any moment in time, there is a need to strike a decisive blow to gain a big slice of market share off your competition.

As a winner of that new found market share you will be strengthening up your foundations and scaffolding for even greater momentum when the market returns to ‘normal’. Gaining critical mass now will pay huge dividends in the future.

Now is not the time to falter but to surge ahead and dominate the business segment you are in. In tough times clients will gravitate to positive, enthusiastic people who can provide answers and solve problems. If you supply a product or service you need to become the ‘paramedic’ salesman- it's time to stop selling pretty products and start selling ugly situations. Speaking the truth to your clients about the realities of their situation is a hard task, but your clients expect it and they will certainly respect it.  And if you have the positive solution to cure the illness - you will start to be the one to make all the house calls.

It's time to Zig when everyone else Zags

Don’t follow the herd; in most markets the minority of the business people do the majority of business, so why follow the pack? The greatest profit is made when you supply something, or do something, or solve something no one else can. Being unique is a powerful position not a weakness. And courage is needed to take the other road. 

Charles Darwin said ‘It’s not the most intelligent nor the strongest that survives, but the most adaptive to change’.  What worked before might not now, the system we used before might now be redundant, the advice we received could be a generation out of context. Review your information and make a firm decision about what, where and from whom you will now source your advice.

The Secret Weapon

I was asked the other day how my coaching clients were fairing up in the current client. Without exception they are having record months, gaining market share and increasing their income many times over. That’s because our work together moves them against the natural flow, to gain when others can’t and to join that exclusive club; the minority that earns the majority of business within their chosen field. They choose to tap into a ‘tall poppy’ group of winners and work with a business coach and mentor  to stretch their thinking, their beliefs and their knowledge to attain higher incomes, more time off and a far greater quality of life.

But they won’t want me telling you this; it really is their secret weapon.

Written by Grant Thorpe

Grant Thorpe is an internationally recognized Business Coach, Mentor and Professional Speaker with ‘tall poppy’ clients throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia the United Kingdom and in the United States. His successful work in this field coupled with his incredible energy and enthusiasm makes him a highly sought after speaker. 

Grant entrepreneurial background was founded in the Real Estate Industry. He is known for being one of the best Real Estate marketers in the world, and has become one of the most awarded and respected top performers in the industry.

He has now developed a unique program for coaching top achievers, which has rapidly expanded beyond Real Estate into a wide variety of industries and marketplaces. www.grantthorpe.com

 

 

 

 

 

Going for Gold!

Coaching and mentoring is the growth industry of the century. More and more people are recognising the value of having someone to guide them through both the tough times and the good times – to maximise the advantages each situation offers.

 

There are a number of benefits in having a coach or mentor to guide you through the various stages of your career development. Average performance should not be acceptable. Assistance may be required to achieve above average performance.

 

It’s important to be able to have someone to bounce ideas off – especially in a business environment. It is not always possible to be open and honest with a colleague about what you are thinking – the things that you would like to try, but aren’t sure whether they’d work; your reasoning for whether they might be successful or not. To have an ‘independent’ sounding board whom you trust and who will be honest with you, can be the difference between a good idea and an amazing business activity/strategy.

If it’s good enough for athletes to have coaches (even “specialist high performance coaches”), then it should be good enough for people in a real estate business to have a coach or mentor to ensure performance levels are high.

Business coaching is an effective way to surpass current levels of performance and productivity.

The challenges faced by real estate businesses in terms of operating effectively in an increasingly competitive environment means there is an opportunity for some agents to step “up to the next level” and achieve much better results than their competitors.

For the proper growth and development of any organisation, it is necessary to have a management team that is up-to-date with recent trends and who have beliefs, values, attitudes, motivation and thoughts that drive them to excel and, more importantly, enables them to inspire their teams to excel.

Business coaching & mentoring provides the perfect platform for developing personal skills and behaviors that are necessary for implementing organisational changes and initiating the learning process.

If you always do, what you’ve always done – your results should be easy to predict.

Business coaching or mentoring should be available at all levels of any organisation. Sometimes it is an informal process, but it is most effective if it is managed and controlled, monitored and supported by management.

The purpose is to improve the performance of those being coached/mentored. The challenge is achieving this outcome with minimal disruption to the business operations. However, if the result is an increase in the business profitability (through more listings, sales & managements) then it should be seen as a worthwhile use of time to develop the team members to achieve these goals.

Grand finals and championships are not won without time devoted to the training & development of all members of the team.

Real estate agents are not the best at sharing their “secrets of success” with their colleagues. They operate in a competitive marketplace. They have set targets, and sometimes these targets over-ride all other purpose in their lives. The need to achieve those targets is often at the expense of quality time with family & friends, or involvement in sport or leisure activities. Their life balance is “out of whack”, in pursuit of their work related targets and goals.

What is required at all levels of any business operation is an understanding of the organisation’s current position and its future growth patterns. Apart from effecting educational development and experience, coaching also provides objective feedback and acts as a critical tool for successfully engineering organisational change.

In adapting to the rapidly shifting marketplace, businesses often need to modify or change their approach to capture a larger slice of the market in which they operate. However, this is often difficult to implement as people and organisations are naturally resistant to change. Business coaching has become a very effective tool for initiating productive changes in individuals, teams, and systems by enabling leaders, managers, and employees to uncover potential that might otherwise go untapped.

To be able to do this is not an easy thing to do in the beginning. The value of the changes need to be recognised first, and then “buy-in” will occur. This shift in attitude and approach can be quite infectious and profitable for all concerned.

“Steady as she goes” is not a good approach in today’s rapidly moving and technologically advancing business environment.

There is a growing recognition that profits, productivity, and customer satisfaction are the outcomes of performance rather than the cause. Coaching programs can focus on leadership issues, cultural factors and the learning and development practices that drive performance. Performance will drive productivity and customer satisfaction, which then permits repeat business and profitability levels to increase.

Everyone’s a winner!

The goal of coaching is not to be an alternative vehicle of managerial control. It should concentrate on empowering and delegating to create a culture of responsibility and self-generated, commitment-based actions.

Coaching is certainly more than just a technique. It involves viewing the business from a different perspective, working through relationships, dialogue and feedback to harness future potential and growth. It provides businesses with the ability to modify current work practices and communications. Coaching has become an important differentiation mechanism for modifying or creating an effective work environment that is more adaptable to change and growth.

Coaching allows managers to more effectively confront challenges and motivate others to achieve the business and personal goals. It creates awareness among managers that they can transform or create a culture that is more receptive to change and open to new possibilities.

Managers (as coaches/mentors) learn to increase their own self-awareness to

• decide when and how to take action

• find creative solutions
• consider opinions and feedback from fellow employees
• set targets
• make appropriate requests
• decrease hostility
• reduce stress and negative emotions in the workplace

Managers who are involved in the coaching process get a clear idea about their own commitments, as well as those of the organisation. They learn how to generate and maintain effective relationships, which in turn increases the levels of trust and accountability in the organisation.

A coached manager’s understanding of organisational and interpersonal dynamics is increased considerably, which in turn empowers them (and others) to achieve the identified business objectives. They learn how to take calculated risks for producing results aligned with the business vision. They learn to develop the right kind of unity and team spirit that will allow powerful work relationships to develop and that, in turn, will help achieve extraordinary results.

There can be no real justification for a business not wanting to improve the performance of the team members – from receptionist to accounts/admin staff to property & sales teams to principals. The level of training and development that occurs is a reflection of the commitment of that business to being the best they can be – and better than their competition.

Go for Gold in an Olympic year!

Tony Rowe is General Manager of Corum Training, a specialist provider of training to the property sector in NSW. Corum Training has fully qualified trainers with extensive knowledge, expertise & experience in the delivery of assessment & training services in real estate across Australia and New Zealand.

Tony can be contacted on 1300 793 723 or

www.corumtraining.com.au

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.

The Fine Art Of The Handshake

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michael_D._Johnson]Michael D. Johnson

Your handshake says a lot about you. It can convey confidence, warmth, and honesty, or it can signal weakness, uncertainty, and disinterest. Either way, it sends a subtle yet powerful message about who you are, that is not lost on prospective buyers. Use these pointers to make sure your handshake sends the right signals, and creates a good impression with prospects and customers.

• Avoid the power grip. A handshake should be firm, but not overly forceful. Beware of the unconscious tendency to pull the other person toward you as you shake. This can be interpreted as aggressive, and the prospect's resistance to you will go up a notch or two.

• Nothing wimpy. It may seem painfully obvious, but it's amazing how many salespeople offer weak, perfunctory handshakes. This is a major turnoff to many customers. Firm and friendly always wins the day.

• Look 'em in the eye. As you extend your hand, establish eye contact and smile. Show some teeth! A warm and sincere greeting can make you an instant friend - and all things being equal, people prefer to buy from friends.

• Get a grip. Never grasp the other person's fingers. Take their entire hand completely in yours, and gently pump it two or three times.

• Turn on the charm. You've been talking with a customer on the phone for several months, and meet them in person for the first time at a trade show. To express your pleasure at finally meeting face to face, you may want to cover his extended hand with your left hand briefly during the handshake. This increases the familiarity and warmth of the handshake. Do not attempt this with someone you don't know. However, it is often a pleasant gesture when you are shaking hands with someone you've met previously. It simply says, "I'm very glad to see you again."

• What to say? No handshake is complete without a spoken greeting. You can't go wrong with, "It's a pleasure to meet you." When meeting someone of high rank, such as the chairman of the board or founder of a company, you may want to up the ante with, "It's a great pleasure to meet you." After the initial greeting, your conversation should begin while you are still shaking hands, for example, "John tells me you've made some significant additions to your product line." Your hand should be slowly and somewhat reluctantly withdrawn as the person begins to speak. This slow withdrawal indicates your keen interest in the person and what he is saying.

• What's your body language saying? Posture is important, so stand erect, about three feet (one pace) away from the client, with your hands out of your pockets. Face the client squarely; never approach from an angle, or when the subject is engaged in conversation or otherwise distracted. Wait until you have his full attention before extending your hand.

• Saying goodbye. When the meeting is over, it's time to shake hands again. You now have the opportunity to leave a lasting impression. If you've established rapport with the buyer, it's a good idea to gently grasp his right forearm with your left hand during the handshake, and restate any promises you may have made during the meeting, for example, "I'll put the technical report you requested in the mail to you today, and give you a call next Wednesday. I enjoyed meeting you." This two-handed shake signals your interest and commitment to your customer.

• Practice makes perfect. Much like dancing, the fine art of the handshake takes practice. Stand before a mirror and extend your hand. Check to see if you're projecting an image of confidence, warmth, and enthusiasm. Keep in mind that your handshake reflects your personality, and should be a spontaneous gesture of friendly greeting that comes naturally from within. With a little rehearsal, you will develop the ability to tailor your handshake to every situation you face, and each individual you meet.

Your handshake is a powerful business asset that can help you close more sales, and build lasting and profitable relationships. The time you spend working on it will be time well spent.

Michael Dalton Johnson is the Editor & Publisher of  "Top Dog Sales Secrets", the best-selling sales book featuring advice from 50 renowned sales experts. He is the Founder and Publisher of SalesDog.com, an education resource for sales professionals. Johnson is a successful entrepreneur with over 30 years of business leadership. For a free subscription to his weekly sales tips newsletter, visit his website at http://www.SalesDog.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_D._Johnson http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Fine-Art-Of-The-Handshake&id=898966

How to Recover from a Sales Slump

How to Recover from a Sales Slump
By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Robert_Seviour    Robert Seviour

Have you experienced a period when you simply couldn’t sell? If your answer is no, then you are either one of the world’s best salespeople or you haven’t been doing the job very long.

Here are the symptoms: it generally starts when a deal that you really need fails to materialise, that sets off a negative loop. You feel a bit down, so you don’t try very hard, consequentially, your sales performance drops. And this of course, repeats.

It seems to be part of the character of some sales people that they have a 'bi-polar’ type of behaviour. When things are going well, they are big-spenders, party animals. When the going is tough, they get depressed and enter the downward spiral.

Here’s what I have found to fix the problem. Do some energetic prospecting, even if you don’t feel like it. Taking action is the key. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t help and it seems to have no time-limit either. Doing something constructive changes your perspective and with sufficient energy input, you can be sure of getting a sale or two. Success breeds success. Even small orders make you feel better, then you can build from there.

I’ve found myself in a sales desert a number of times and been tempted to quit selling and try something else. My advice to you if you think the same way is don’t do it if making good money is important to you. Over a couple of decades, I have observed that people who have in sales jobs are likely to progress to higher levels in their organisation and make a great deal of money along the way. The problem with changing careers is that the knowledge and skills that you have accumulated in a prior occupation may give you little advantage in a different job.

To keep myself motivated to sell, I need only think of one day about 10 years ago. I’d taken 3 months off from my regular work to do some renovations to my elderly father’s house. It was great to be doing something different, but I was living on savings for the period. When I got back to my sales job, I had no money in the bank and all my old leads were either sold or had gone cold. Fortunately my wife had the right instinct, she told me to, ‘Get out there and knock on some doors’. And I did, literally.

A couple of miles from my home there is a science / business park. I began prospecting door-to-door. The first place I called on told me, ‘We tried sales-training, it doesn’t work’. The next company was full of white-coated lab technicians who looked at me as though I had just arrived from outer space. We certainly didn’t establish communication. On attempt three, the branch office of a major insurance company, the Sales-Manager said, I’m busy right now, come back in an hour. When I returned these were his exact words, ‘I’ve got thirty people and I want to give them two sessions starting in week’s time’.

I gave no presentation whatsoever. And amazingly, he went on to say, ‘Send me your invoice now. I need to pay it before our financial year ends’. So I sent in my bill, received a cheque, and then he postponed the job three times before I finally did it.

My stats for that day of prospecting: I called on 11 companies in about 4 hours of door-knocking. Three organisations had some interest and one of them gave me a series of work worth over $10,000. Including the insurance company, the total value of jobs obtained that day was $14,000.

A taste of success gave me back my motivation and this experience taught me a lesson about how to deal with sales slumps.

‘Energetic action’ worked for me and I think it will for you too. http://www.robertseviour.com/7-deadly-closes.htm  Free Sales Masterclass  http://www.seviourbooks.com/  Selling for Engineers manual and Seminar

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Seviour http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Recover-from-a-Sales-Slump&id=645720

Creating a Help Squad

Creating a help squad is the answer to the big mistake that sales people make, that is trying to build a successful sales career on their own, without an help from their Sphere of Influence A Sphere of Influence data base is all the people you know and consequently all the people that they know.

So some easy numbers : if you know 100 people and they each know 100 people than you have the ability to make contact with 10,000 people it’s just that 9900 of them you haven’t met yet. By tapping into this database, you have so many more times the opportunity to do business. Your sphere of influence will consist of all your friends, family members as well as everyone you have ever met. Trades people, professional people, sporting clubs, hobby and school contacts too As a rule, everyone you meet should go into your database; you never know when that contact will be useful to you, or when you can be helpful to them. A mistake many sales people make is to try to get their immediate database to do business with them, right now.

For a start, as in the example we just talked about, this limits you to just 100 people. But if you take a strategy of using the 100 people you know to reach the other 9900 people then the game changes dramatically.

Your personal data base wants you to be successful, they just don’t know how to help you yet? So you need to start to train your database to help find you business. One of the easiest ways to start this process is to make sure that every time you meet anyone, anyone at all, that you ask them this, Do you know anyone who might be thinking of buying or selling ( your product)?? in the near future?’ Don’t try to sell them something today, ask them to refer you to someone they know who needs your service. By the way if they want to do business with you, they will say so. Give them your card, and swap it for theirs. In fact give them 6 cards that they can hand out to other people for you.

One trick I like to use is to prompt them to put your cards in the glove box of their car. We all know that the glove box is rarely emptied out, and sure enough, at some much later date when they are asked, if they can nominate the best person for the job, they will remember they have your card in their car and they will surely pass it on for you.

Give and you shall receive is the other important strategy. So often we are going for the sale, instead of offering to help someone else become successful, and by way of doing this we train them to see the value in referrals. Giving out a referral to your Sphere of Influence is like throwing pebbles into the pond. Each time you through one in, a ripple runs out across the water, soon or later it will bounce off something and the ripple will return to you. The more pebbles you throw in the pond the more come back your way.

Start today to make your database your most powerful marketing tool. Meet with them as often as you can, even form a regular meeting arrangements like a breakfast meeting or a monthly lunch, use this time to share ideas and refer business between each other. You will soon become the sales person for the whole group, just start throwing pebbles in the pond!

So you see, creating a help squad has a far wider effect than just a quick sale for today - to the people you know.

Grant Thorpe is an internationally recognized achievement based Business Coach, Mentor and Professional Speaker. His specialty as a coach is working with high performing entrepreneurs, business owners, CEOs, corporations and salespeople from around the world. With a business coach, you will heap success on success until you gain the balanced and rewarding life you desire and know you deserve. Read more about the results Grant Thorpe can achieve for you on his website at http://www.grantthorpe.com “He can give you the how, enable you to sidestep the distractions and define, focus on and achieve the things that really matter to you".