Roland's Blog: September 2009

"The trouble with the Vietnam War it killed so many that survived"
That's all I have to say about that."(Forrest Gump)


When a Veteran leaves the 'job' and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased, and others, who may have already retired, wonder if he knows what he is leaving behind, because we already know.

1. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times.

2. We know in the Military life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet.

3. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.

These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the Military world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing.


Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life. You are only escaping the 'job' and merely being allowed to leave 'active' duty.  So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.


NOW! Civilian Friends vs. Veteran Friends Comparisons

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on
the same conversation you were having the last time you met..
________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have cried with you.
________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS:  Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS:  Know a few things about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS:  Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will kick the crowd's ass that left you behind.

________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS:  Are for a while.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are for life.
________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS:  Have shared a few experiences. ..
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no citizen could ever
dream of..
________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS:  Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, 'You
better drink the rest of that before you spill it!' Then carry you home
safely and put you to bed...
________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS:  Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out OF THEM...for using your name in
vain.
________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN FRIENDS:  Will ignore this.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will forward this.
_______________________________________________________________________

A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or reserve- is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The Government of the United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life'. .. and military wives are as much veterans as their spouses.

From one Veteran to another, it's an honor to be in your company. Thank you

God Bless our Country and our Soldiers



"Political correctness is tyranny with a happy face."
Charleton Heston, 1923-2008

Regards

Tim and Pam Cash
Crye-Leike Realtors
931-338-1375 or 931-436-7617


The Cash Team - Making dreams come true one home at a time. Proudly serving the citizens of Clarksville and the Soldiers of Fort Campbell. To view available Clarksville properties, please visit our website at www.cashsofclarksville.com or email us at thecashteam@cashsofclarksville.comand we will run a custom search for you. Finding you and yours the perfect property in Clarksville Tennessee and surrounding areas is our goal.

Anyone with any form of connective brain tissue has seen that the way real estate used to be is over.  “Times”, as they say, they are a-changin’.

Correction: Times have changed!!

And, if you have any hope of moving forward and being a viable part of this ‘new’ version of real estate, then it is time to reinvent yourself.

Sure, you can cut expenses in order to help survive.  But, cutting expenses wont generate more leads.  It surely wont help you attract the right agents to your team or brokerage.  And, it definitly wont help you or your existing agents be more productive in the future. 

So, in this brave new world of existing agents trying to figure out how to survive, less people buying homes, and damage control happening at just about every level, you must figure out a way to generate more leads, become more productive, and attract the right people to help you along your journey.  Without these three key pieces of being successful, you will ultimately fail regardless of how thin you shave your budget.

With that in mind, there are several things you can consider in the process of re-inventing yourself or your brokerage to make it stronger in the future:

1.    Office size – In this world of wireless internet at just about every corner store and bistro that has a coffee maker, the size of your office really isnt that important.  Most agents are mobile anyway.  There is really no need for the huge lavish offices that agents have maintained in the past.  Sure, you might be committed to a lease, but have you thought about what you are going to do when that lease runs out?

2.    The average age in your office – Take a good look around.  If you are surrounded by a bunch of people that grew up watching “Leave it to Beaver”, you might be in trouble.  The real key to your success would be in being able to pull off a balancing act worthy of a spotlight and a Master of Ceremonies: How do you keep your seasoned professionals and top producers successful while simultaniously attracting the younger agents you will need for your future success?

3.    Speaking of “Top Producers” – Top producers are usually the ones that are more resistant to change than others.  (Why fix what has worked so well in the past, right?)  The key to that question is this: IN THE PAST!  Just because it worked well 10 years ago doesn’t mean it will work well in 10 years.  10 years ago accessing the internet with a phone was Star Trek-esque.  Now it is so common-place that we have Facebook and Twitter apps for our smartphones.  Who knows… in 10 years we will probably be able to pull up the internet in a holographic form right in front of us at any given point in time.  Give your top producers a reason to change and help them make that transition as positive as possible.  Help them get started in social media.  Show them the advantages to expanding their sphere.  After all, the future holds good things…if youre prepared for it.

4.    Where to find younger agents – Simple: Social Media!  What is your plan for using social media?  Do you have a plan for your social media marketing?  If not, you should.  And, part of that plan should be using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to help you attract those younger agents that you need…that and expanding your sphere and getting more clients.

5.    Make it all work together – Make sure your website is fully functional, optimized (including your social media outlets), and set up to track your internet inquiries.  Doing this right will also help you with your office space issues as you will need less and less space to get your job done.

6.    Online follow-up – Speaking of online inquiries, you absolutely have to have a system in place for following up with your internet-generated leads.  NAR says that about 50% of all online inquiries are not answered.  50%!!  That is business that you are just letting go of……Can you afford to do that??  Make it a goal to follow up on your internet leads 100%.  If you can’t do that, perhaps it would be best for you to hire a virtual assistant to help you reach that goal.  Because, if you cant follow up on your internet leads, they will find someone that will.  How much money have you left on the table?? 

Im not going to sugar coat this point – Some of these are going to require an investment.  Whether that be monetary or mental, you must be willing to invest in yourself and your business if you want to survive in the future.  Either way, this investment should be viewed as such, not just an “expense”.  If you truly want to be a player in the future game of real estate, you must have these things handled.  And, you best get on it quick before someone else hungrier than you passes you by…

 

If you would like information on Real Estate Client Referrals, please give Clint a call at 800-977-7058.  Or, feel free to follow him on Twitter.

The three basic levels of maturity, the motivation behind why we do what we do, determines how we live and how we conduct our business.

¤  The lowest level of motivation is fear. 

Do you do things because you are afraid of something…

 

 

• Fear of failure

 

• Fear of looking stupid

 

• Fear of not fitting in

 

• Fear of getting caught while doing something wrong.

 

¤ The next level of motivation is reward.  Do you do things because you will receive a reward?

 

 

• The Reward can be money.

 

• The Reward can be other material objects.

 

• The Reward can be love or friendship.

 

• The Reward can be admiration.

 

• The Reward can be respect.

 

• The Reward can be anything gained in return for your actions.

 

¤ The highest level of motivation is “you do it because it’s the right thing to do”. 

 

 

• You do it even though there may be reprisal.

 

• You do it without regard of whether there will be a reward or not.

 

• You just do it because it’s the right thing to do.

 

• Sometimes it means 'fessing up when when we did something wrong, because 'fessing' is the right thing to do.  Just like our friend here that chewed a hole in the ball. He's 'fessing up. He knows it was the wrong thing to do when he deflated the ball and now he's coming clean.
  

¤ We can rise to a higher level.  It begins by admitting which level we are operating at right now and consciously making a decision to operate at the higher level and then concentrate on keeping our actions at that higher level.

¤ Each of us should examine ourselves and determine which level we are operating at.  We operate on more than one level, depending upon the situation.  But we should strive to always operate at the highest level.. doing things because it’s the right thing to do.