Anand Patel
By Anand Patel
I received several emails from my last post on using a vision board to help engrain your personal and professional goals, which reminded me of a very important point I did not discuss – “the buy-in.” Many asked if your vision board should be kept private or shared with others. Well, that is entirely up to you.
What I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing like having the support and encouragement of your loved ones in the pursuit of your goals, dreams, and aspirations. For that reason, I recommend sharing your board with your spouse, parent, children, best friend… whoever you confide in and rely on for support and strength. More than likely your goals involve them anyway so the sooner you get them to see how they are a part of your “big picture,” the sooner you will have their encouragement in achieving your goals.
Santorini, Greece
I shared my vision board with my wife and it didn’t hurt that I included a picture of Santorini, Greece (My wife and I have been wanting to visit Greece for some time now). I also incorporated the phrase “Family First” as a reminder to keep everything in perspective and how to allocate my time. That, among several other phrases and pictures on my board, helped her understand my “why.” There is a big difference between TELLING someone your goals versus having them SEE your goals first hand. The same effect it has on you, it will have on them.
So, it is entirely up to you if you want to keep your board private, but getting your support team to “buy-in” on it will definitely help you along your journey.
Good luck and Happy New Year!
Anand Patel is a broker licensed in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi with Elite REO Services and Elite Premier Properties. You can connect with Anand on Twitter: @anand_tampa; Facebook: www.facebook.com/livingelite; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anandpatel1 or on the Web at www.anandsblog.com.
Jared James
By Jared James
Hi Ypn’ers! If you are like most people, you are planning to do one of two things for the New Year:
1.) Get motivated and try once again to set a new goal for the New Year, or…
2.) Don’t even attempt it because you have been there, done that, and are tired of setting goals every year only to disappoint yourself by not achieving them.
There are many things that I am not very good at. For example, I have good form but swim at the speed of a sloth in the water. I am also probably the most directionally dysfunctional person you will ever meet. Don’t challenge me on this. I have come to terms with this fact and I accept it. But one thing I have always been very good at is to understand WHY people do what they do, or don’t do what they do. In every circumstance there are specific reasons why we are successful or not, shy or outgoing, look up or look down, speak high or low and so on.
In an effort to not bore you with the psychology of it all, I will just say this: There are very specific reasons why you have or have not hit your goals in the past or why you will or will not going forward. I have the fortune of keynoting conventions for groups all over North America and recently I covered this very topic. If you want to figure out how to set your goals for 2012 and actually achieve them… then enjoy this short clip!
Jared James is the CEO and founder of Jared James Enterprises (JJE) and travels around North America speaking to and coaching REALTORS®. Connect with Jared at www.jaredjamestoday.com, on facebook.com/jaredjamestoday, or follow him on Twitter @jaredjamestoday.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
This year was truly amazing for my fellow YPN’ers. I don’t think I have ever been so proud to be a part of YPN. The Young Professionals Network has grown so much and our presence has become very well known. Nobody can deny the fact that we are leaders in the real estate world.
I remember when I first got involved with YPN and having to explain to people what it was all about. Well, that’s no longer the case. Now anytime I mention YPN, I get this sort of celebrity-like feeling. People get excited about it. It’s inspiring what we have become.
We are actively involved in our industry. We’re rounding out the year with 227 YPN networks nationwide – that includes nearly 100 new groups formed in 2011. There are more YPN’ers involved in their local and national associations than ever. The leadership is amazing. We have this influence in the world and we are recognized for being able to share, mentor, and motivate people. We are the definition of what leaders should be.
I can honestly say that in 2012, we will be unstoppable. We have a lot of potential. Not to sound cliché but the sky is the limit. We are the elite. Congrats to all on another fantastic year! Cheers and let’s rock 2012!
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
Stefanie Hahn
By Stefanie Hahn
Make a New Year’s resolution to better manage your name and online reputation. The first step is to figure out which social media platforms work best for you and your business. Check out my video to learn more.
Stefanie Hahn is the education director for Coldwell Banker Hearthside, REALTORS® in Collegeville, Pa. Visit her Web site: www.StefanieHahn.com.
Rob Reuter
By Rob Reuter, YPN Manager
Beginning January 1, 2012, YPN will be shutting down its online community feature narypn.memberfuse.com due to a lack of activity, competition with a successful YPN group on Facebook, and the cost to maintain the site.
As a result, we have been looking at a product known as the REALTORS® Association Management Cooperative (RAMCO). The primary purpose of this program is to help association staff track membership, but it has a number of other features that makes it appealing to YPN. Along with having a personal profile, a portal feature would provide YPN members with access to a directory of other YPN members for referral purposes. It will also be synced with the NRDS database, so it won’t require a lot of maintenance and consistent logging-in to be effective.
Once the program is ready, hopefully early in 2012, we will provide further details and instruction both here on the YPN Lounge and directly to state and local associations. Until that time, we encourage you to join the Facebook group “National Association of REALTORS® YPN” and continue to communicate with each other there.
Anand Patel
By Anand Patel
With 2011 coming to a close it seems everyone is talking, blogging, and tweeting about setting new goals for 2012.
Well, let’s not jump the gun! What about the goals you already set for yourself that you haven’t accomplished? Whatever you do, if they are worthy goals you truly wish to achieve, don’t abandon them just yet!
Before giving up and setting new goals, why not seriously look at what you have already set for yourself. Do you know what these goals of yours look like? I mean, deep down inside, can you visualize, feel, smell, and even taste these goals? If not, maybe your vision is getting bored, and it’s time to get your goals down on a VISION BOARD.
A vision board is just that — a board that helps you visualize your goals. I put my first vision board together this past August to help me really ingrain some of my short-term and long-term goals. If you’re a visual person like me, there is something very powerful and moving about having real pictures of what you hope to achieve laid out right in front of you to look at every day.
If this sounds like something you want to give a shot as we prepare for 2012, it’s very simple to get started:
- Get a poster board. I went to Staples and purchased a 20″ x 30″ sturdy board. Get whatever size you think will work best for you.
- Get away from any distractions. Find some quiet time, either late in the evening or early morning with a notepad and “brain dump” your current goals and all that you want to have, do, become over the next three, five, 10 or even 20 years. Think BIG and don’t hold yourself back. Don’t let your mind tell you that it’s too crazy if it’s something you REALLY want to achieve.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help get the juices flowing:
- How much money do I want to make per year? $250,000? $800,000? $2 million? (Why Not! Think BIG!)
- What kind of clients do I want to work with? First-time home buyers? Investors? Retirees? Celebrities? Continue reading »
Toby Boyce
By Toby Boyce
The question on my local NPR station was simple enough: “Why do symphonies sound different when they are made up of the same parts?” The response was very eloquent and educated — I assume. It made as much sense as Pig Latin to me. “Well each one focuses on different things…”
I’m sure that musicians in the audience totally understood what the conductor was describing. But the “common person” was lost and tuned him out.
Are you doing that to your real estate clients?
How about that letter soup? Or the intricacies of how your company differs from the next?
Make sure you’re explaining things without their eyes’ glassing over. All they want to know is that you are a great agent who will handle their transaction like it is the only one you have.
However, you have to continually read your clients and provide them the information they need to make a decision without overwhelming them. How do we do it? Well, it can be quite natural — just shut up. Yes, I just told a group of REALTORS® to shut up, and know that is almost impossible for any of us to do so. But we need to just stay quiet and let the clients talk.
Before you start rattling off the details on an FHA 203K loan, how about finding out if they need to know about the 203K loan. Kind of embarrassing when you explain it for about five minutes and she says, “I know, I created them for years as a loan officer.” Did I build any rapport with them during that five minute session? Probably not, as they already knew and were debating whether to use satin or silk in the living room.
The point is, if you listen to your customers and provide knowledge where the gap is present, then you have done exactly what they’ve hired you to do: You are adding value to the transaction. And the next time they hear a real estate agent going on about “blah, blah, blah,” they’ll just tune him/her right out because they’ll know — you’ll provide the answer they need.
Toby Boyce, MBA, is a real estate practitioner with Keller Williams Consultants Realty in Westerville, Ohio. Visit his Web site: www.delawareohrealestate.com.
Shannon Williams King
By Shannon Williams King
Looking for affordable, unique gifts for your loved ones or yourself? Here are five must-have tech gadgets all road warriors need, and a few more gift ideas I thought sounded cool! What’s on your list this year?
1.) Kindle Fire – At $199 who can’t resist finding out what all the fuss is about? I love Amazon, so I think I’ll like it. They say it’s the iPad2′s closest competition… I want to find out! Is this on your list?
2.) Mophie Juice Pack – True road warriors are always on the phone. Don’t find yourself without battery power for the ever so important phone call. These small cases double your phones’ battery life. Only $79 online!
3.) Motorola t505 – A must have if your car doesn’t come equipped with built-in Bluetooth. You will love the way this little device integrates with your car’s radio. Buy it online at Amazon for the best deals – about $60.
4.) Drivesafe.ly App – You can now text and drive safely! This is the perfect FREE gift to “give” your friends, clients and kids. Who knows, you might even save a life.
5.) Wide Angle Lens Kit – For your iPhone or video camera – all of us who shoot photos with our smartphones you can now use this wide angle attachment to get the best photos possible. $50 on HDhat.com
And now for some other fun ideas!!!
6.) Square up – Think PayPal for your smartphone. It’s perfect if you sell products, have a fundraiser, or a garage sale. Or someone just owes you money. You can now accept credit cards for ANYTHING with just your phone! And it’s FREE… what a great gift for those you know who are in any service industry.
7.) The Flip – OK, so they are going out of business — but I just LOVE this camera. So while supplies last you can still manage to get a 1-hour model for $80! Continue reading »
Crystal Webster
By Crystal Webster
*OK, I was at the midnight premiere of the Muppet Movie—alone—because no one else would go with me. But the movie did serve as inspiration for the title of this post.
I am not a hemp-wearing tree hugger, but I do care for the environment. I’m not environmentally-friendly for business reasons, I do it for myself. It’s like a game to see how much “trash” I can keep out of the garage can or how I can reduce my monthly expenses.
Here are some of my tips to help make you green and save you green:
Print your showing information to PDF and use PDF Expert to view it (and write on it) on your iPad while showing buyers. You can even go a step further — do the same for your clients; hand them an iPad with all the MLS printouts, allow them to take notes and then email the document to them after showings.
Quit buying bottled water. Invest the $5 in a water bottle (without the straw please, that’s yucky) and fill it with water from your Brita Pitcher. Wash it and use it again! I bought some BPA-free, recycled, compostable water bottles with my logo. I fill them with distilled water (that I “brew” myself, I don’t buy it) and let them take the bottle at the end of our first showing. The second showing I have another set of bottles there, but I ask they leave the bottle so I can reuse it the next time. When they close on their home they get their bottles, and a Brita pitcher, as part of their closing gift.
Buy recycled, compostable, or reused promotional products. Continue reading »
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