Ugh!! I was asked to address geographic farming –and it threw me.  How to be a farmer….great!  My first thought was I am not qualified to discuss an effective strategy of geographic farming,  as it always seemed daunting to me.   I am not a farmer—the end!

However, since I found value in the ‘geographic farming’ segment of my Launch training,  I had to stop and think about how I earned  local name recognition against the competition over my 5 years as an agent (April 2005 Executive Launch graduate) without farming.    Upon reflection, I  really never worked my geographic sphere the traditional way that we learned in Executive Launch.  

Then it occurred to me, I am a farmer!  I plant seeds wherever I go, and believe that each seed has value to me in my daily endeavors.  Dale Clayton (smile) made us launchers  always wear our name tag, and I confess I may not always do so now,  but I did so faithfully in my early novice days.  Upon reflection, it is amazing how many people do know me now at Coffee Bean, at Arrowhead Starbuck’s ,at Safeway, at Ad’s, where I bank, and local shops I frequent regularly.  They all know  my name.  They all know what I do with friendly regard  over time by just by wearing my name tag …and being in a daily joyful moment.  Thank you, Dale.  I get it!
 
Farming lesson # 2.  Branding…Executive Launch’s heart and soul may be its focus on branding yourself.  It is a thoughtful process that begins with a simple vision of yourself becoming the agent you would hire. Executive Launchers graduate empowered with a individualized brand concept, a mission statement, personalized business cards,  and armed with a pre-listing  presentation that emphasizes your value and your marketing might.   I made “Excellence is a Habit’ my brand, and by doing so I set my standards high and set me on a meaningful course I have to work and build on everyday.  I have a website I am never satisfied with but  it continues to evolve proudly and incrementally from the shell of my once unrealized dreams.  It showcases my testimonials, properties present and past,  and it farms me to the internet.  In summary, it is easier to farm yourself if you have something of value that demonstrates that you can perform with confidence and ability.

Farming lesson #3.   Take some risks, be creative, and do something!   Be courageous enough to risk failure! This market is so different than any other market on record.  What worked yesterday, may not work today. Be a pioneer!  Early on, I spent money on shopping carts , expensive and not measurable, or recommended, but who knows how many people subliminally remember me.  Door-knocking with post-card CMA’s targeted to an area I wanted a listing.  Again not measurable, but I knocked on doors in the dream neighborhoods I now list in. It  is not for everyone.   It helped me to build confidence, to overcome my fears.  If someone answered the door I was able to hand them something of value I created .  Never once did I get a door slammed on my face.  Also,  I have and attractive magnet on my truck, which did get name recognition  and I did get 2 listings from it. 
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Farming lesson #4.  Perhaps the most effective resource are good looking signs.   I spent money on good real estate signs and made sure I worked open houses in my geographic sphere around the Arrowhead area and made sure my signs were strategically placed with my name and telephone # in the pointing arrow. 

Farming lesson #5.  I still send out quality jumbo colorful ‘just listed’ or ‘just sold’ cards as nothing gets more attention than a neighboring property for sale or ’sold’ that shows off your merchandising and marketing.

Thank you Executive Launch for teaching me not to be a secret agent….I truly am a farmer!    So discover your true farmer self you never knew by sharpening your farming skills with Executive Launch!

Patti Wells, Launch Training Executives

Executive Launch Transaction Advisor

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Tom Bryant, Top Producing Realtor with Realty Executives since 1985 shared these tips with us:

When Working With Buyers:

1. Educate your buyers.  At the first meeting introduce the buyer to the contract; discuss the process in a non-stressful situation. Talk about home warranty, inspections, lbpd, pool and other documents.
2. Work with a preferred LENDER.  One with experience, track record. They will take good care of you and your buyers.
3. When scheduling showings:  Call the day before to schedule.  Be considerate of the seller’s time and the listing agent’s time as well. 
4. Submit a cover letter with your contract.  Introduce your buyer to the seller.  Humanize the buyer. Be available and prepared to answer questions about your buyer and their offer.

When Working With Sellers:

1. Provide LOTS of listing photos (24-40)
2. Prepare a “Dear Seller” checklist. 
3. Communicate with the Seller regularly.  Followup on all showings; give them information on realtor.com hits; schedule broker tours when possible
4. Put an upgraded sign & post on your listing; make it stand out.  AND, keep your flyer tube filled.
5. Be mindful how you  treat other agents…do the right thing; other realtors can be a wonderful source of referrals and information.

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Janet Mohr relocated from a suburb of Chicago and moved to Arizona in 1984. Real Estate became Janet’s career in 1985. In 2004, Janet (and Don Mohr) closed over $24.4 Million in Real Estate sales. The Mohrs’ built their business on honesty, integrity and knowledge. Repeat business and referrals are a direct result from this.

1. Have a business plan.
2. Follow the lead of other good Realtors
3. Use good time management skills
4. Contact 5 people per day from your data base
5. Work expired listings; do cold calls
6. Master your closing skills & critique yourself
7. Be consistent with marketing
8. Do what works & don’t do what doesn’t work
9. Have an exit strategy for your business.  Invest in your industry
10. Educate yourself; never stop learning and improving your knowledge

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1. BEING TRULY THANKFUL FOR ANOTHER DAY. IT’S A GOD GIVEN GIFT, DON’T TAKE IT LIGHTLY

2. KINDNESS – TO EVERYONE YOU COME INTO CONTACT WITH. Again everyone, you never know, it may be the only kind word that that person receives in a day. THAT ALSO INCLUDES OUR FELLOW COLLEAGUES.

3. COMMUNICATION – With clients and everyone that you are doing business with. Be known in the industry as someone who follows up with any business that pertains to them, including files that are in escrow.

4. LISTEN CLOSELY. Must be a great listener and actually hear what your clients are saying not what we want them to hear.

5. TREAT BUYERS OR SELLERS THE SAME WAY WHETHER YOUR TAKING A $100 THOUSAND CONDO LISTING OR $4 M HOME. This is so important.

6. CONTACT – STAY IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH PAST CLIENTS, PRERABLY MONTHLY OR AT LEAST SIX TIMES A YEAR.

7. OVERWHELM your clients with service way beyond their expectations. It will come back three-fold. Small things mean a lot.

8. MAKE SURE ALL PARTIES WIN IN A TRANSACTION. There doesn’t have to be a loser. Work overtime to accomplish this.

9. SURROUND yourself with good, positive and smarter people than yourselves. Also, remember a person who is negative practically all of the time can suck you dry. It doesn’t matter if your new in the business, find a veteran that you can team up with for certain occasions. That way when someone says you haven’t been in the business very long, you can respond by saying that’s the reason that I have a veteran partner.

10. DON’T OVERLOOK OUR SUPPORT STAFF, TITLE PEOPLE, MORTGAGE PEOPLE, ETC. Sometimes all they hear is negative rhetoric, usually from agents pointing fingers when escrows become tough. We need to support them well.

MOST OF ALL HAVE FUN & NEVER GIVE UP!

The best to you all.

 - Ken Clark, Realty Executives

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All signs indicate that 2009 was the turning point for the economy. No one really knows, but if you follow this advice to get ready for 2010 market you will be in position for what could be one of the longest sustaining real estate markets in our history.

1. What are your long term goals? In all areas of your life (Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Financial) where do you see yourself years 2012, 2015, 2020, and 2030? (Use the tables I have given you in your text book to help you with this task)
2. What are your 2010 goals in all areas of your life? Make sure they are Specific, Attainable, and Measurable and that the do not conflict with your long term goals. Under your financial goals you should have Personal and Business categories. Your business financial goals will help you attain your personal goals.
3. Break your business goals into monthly then weekly.
   1. Example:
      1. I will give 12 listing presentations per month.
      2. I will give 3 listing presentations per week .
4. Finally, what will you do daily to accomplish your weekly goals that will help you meet your monthly goals that will get you to your annual goals, which will help you attain your long term goals? (This is your guide to your life plan) Your daily goals should include:
   1. Contacting your sphere of influence
   2. In your geographic area.
      1. Previewing properties
      2. Hold open houses
      3. Look for expired listings & unrepresented sellers (FSBO’s)
5. Get involved in MLS and office tours….don’t be a secret Agent!
6. Take continuing education courses that are pertinent to our changing market.

If you follow this plan I will guarantee you success. You must review your 2010 goals daily and adjust them as they are achieved. Read your long term goals at least once a week and finally, welcome to the good life; believe in yourself and your ability to achieve all your life goals.

 - by Dale Clayton Associate Broker, CRS, GRI

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10.  STAY POSITIVE!  When the going gets rough, don’t isolate.  Stay positive and interact with others because many times we are all experiencing the same things.  Talking about current issues, what’s working and what’s not helps you move forward so that you are not paralyzed by negatives thoughts & negative vibes.  Along these lines, don’t be afraid to fire a client who is negative, doesn’t listen to your professional advice and who is extremely draining on you.  Move on to someone who appreciates your time & efforts and you will be much closer to that elusive sale.     

9.  VOLUNTEERISM HELPS EVERYONE!  Set out to make a difference in your life and in the lives of others.  There is something special about giving of your self without expecting anything in return.  It is good for the soul!  Besides, you know the saying, “What goes around, comes around.”  If you do good things for others, good things are bound to happen to you.  Depak Chopra actually says that people who are givers tend to live longer lives, too!  It is great networking, too!    

8.  TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES!  Many times we get so caught up in the day to day “hub bub” that we sometimes forget about what’s important- Our health, family & loved ones.  Balance if very important so take time off to live your life!  It doesn’t have to cost anything either.  It could be walking your dog, hiking in the preserve or getting lost in reading a book or seeing a movie.    Spoken from a true workaholic, “Work to live, don’t live to work.”  

7.  ORGANIZE & PLAN FOR SUCCESS!  Set lofty, but realistic goals for yourself (in writing) and refer to them on a regular basis!    These goals should be both short & long term so that you can track your progress each day, week, month and at year end.  Don’t limit your goal setting to just your business, either.  You should be setting personal goals as well (ie  # of vacations you’d like to take each year, buying a new car or new home, paying for your kid’s college tuition, etc)   

6.  TAKE ACTION!  Don’t be afraid to call your clients to say hello, to ask them for business and to keep you in mind for referrals!  If you don’t, someone else will!  Additionally, follow up with your seller clients as often as possible with regards to showing feedback and market analyses.  The #1 Seller complaint I have heard over the years is that their Realtor “never communicated with or called them with feedback.”  Set up both buyers & sellers on the MLS auto-notification system if you have not already done so that they are always informed.      

5.  SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE BETTER THAN YOU!  At the age of 12 my grandfather instilled this in me.  He said, “Dino, always surround yourself with friends who are better than you.”  Boy was he right! The times that I did not listen to him it bit me you know where.  It is great to want to help others who are inferior, but if it comes with a price where they negatively influence you more than you positively influence them, it is not worth it.  Get out of that relationship before it’s too late.  

4.  SET YOURSELF APART FROM OTHERS!  My Momma always told me to “Market yourself differently from the others.”  What’s special about you that will attract people to work with you.  Accentuate your positives through creative marketing.  Be original!

3.  PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF!  Work hard, but work smart, too!   Do the things that will be the most productive to make you money first!   Exaust a lead until they are absolutely unreasonable in what they want or they “just say no.”  If neither is true, you have just as good of a chance as anyone else to get the listing or to sell them a house.

2.  LISTEN TO YOUR CLIENTS, BUT DON’T ALWAYS BELIEVE THEM!  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Buyers are liers and Sellers are storytellers.”  Well, it’s true!  Just because a buyer gives you parameters for a house that they “must have” or a seller tells you “they won’t seller for anything less than $X,” don’t believe them.  I just had a client tell me she wanted a single level home with a south backyard and gas cooking.  Well, I just sold her a two story home (Master down) with a north backyard with an electric range.  She loves it because it is the right house for her in the neighborhood she loves.    

1. DON’T ASSUME ANYTHING! Nobody owns a client and/or a friend. Remember that you have to earn and continue to earn someone’s friendship and business. Once you assume otherwise, they will betray you. Continually nurture your relationships and you will always be on top of your game!

Good Luck out there and Happy Holidays!!

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What, are you kidding me?  How can that be when seasoned agents have the experience, the contacts and the know-how to leverage both?  I am here to tell you that many agents that have been in the business for years have hit the wall.  Sure they have big reputations and big followings, but that can be a weakness as much as a positive in our changing industry.  Many have become complacent, and more still have lost their enthusiasm.  They are accustomed to the easy  paychecks and never-ending streams of new business from the good ole days.  Unfortunately for them, a lot of the things that worked in the past just don’t work today.  The full page spreads in the Sunday paper, mass snail mailings, the non-stop flow of new, creampuff listings … the game has changed.  They don’t want to hear about short sales, foreclosures or social media.  They are too important and successful to hold open houses or knock on doors.  They are stuck, and at risk of being overrun by new, hard-charging, technologically savvy agents at their heels.

I have never seen a market where a skilled, ambitious newcomer can almost immediately outsell an old pro.  Not until today, that is.  Learn everything there is to know about short sales and foreclosures.  They are going to be around for a while.  FHA financing was dead for years thanks to the easy conventional loans that were available.  That is no longer the case.  For many buyers, FHA is the only way to go. Take a course on FHA mortgages and become an expert in this area.  A lot of veterans are still clueless on the subject. 

The old adage, “fake it to you make” has never been truer or easier thanks to the Internet.  Hire a professional to build a web page.  You may be broke and living in your car, but will appear to be the most successful Realtor on the planet with a professional website.  Since you don’t have a big reputation yet, lean on the reputation of your industry-leading brokerage.  Adopt the many successes of Realty Executives as your own until you have a personal track record to flaunt.  As you make sales (rentals, anything), be sure to solicit testimonials and post them on your site.  Also load it up with links for schools, chambers of commerce, referral partners (such as mortgage brokers, insurance agents, etc) and other value-added local information.  Like to write? Excellent!  A blog or online newsletter is a great way to let the public know who you are and what makes you unique.  Focus on a specific interest (Real Estate related or otherwise) that will help you build your own niche.  Bland, broad content that attempts to appeal to everybody or capture too large a market will get you lost amidst an ocean of similarly bland, broad content.

Apply all of the prospecting methods you have learned at Executive Launch to discover which work best for you.  Once you isolate the one or two techniques that you are most comfortable with, focus all of your energy into those pursuits.  You must commit fully as you are the only one accountable for both your successes and failures as an entrepreneur.  This is a job.  A hugely lucrative and exciting one, but a job nonetheless.  Only those who are willing to put in the daily work will reap the biggest rewards.  And above all else, be enthusiastic.  Yeah, I know I sound like a cheerleader, but it has never been more important than in these uncertain times.  Consumers need your confidence as much as your competence.

Back to the old pros.  I associate with them everyday, and many just don’t have the “love” anymore.  They are tired, and it shows.  Buyers and sellers will pick up on this right away.  If you are working an open house and are visibly bored, for instance, they will know.  You don’t have to juggle circus balls or set your pants on fire, just enjoy what you are doing.  The public will pick up on that, too, and want to work with you.

Agents that are willing to work hard today are going to be top producers in the very near future.  There has never been a better time to buy Real Estate, and the public is starting to come around to that fact.  You are doing clients and friends a favor by selling them a home or investment today before prices and interest rates start to creep up again. In a few years, these buyers will become happy sellers, and will call you to list their homes.  By entering the market now, you will learn skills right off the bat that many vets never did.  By the time the market fully heals, you will be more than equipped to make hay on the “easy” transactions, and well prepared for handling the next inevitable down cycle.

Another old saying is “old agents don’t die, they just become listless.”  Trust me, many are becoming listless in more ways than one.  Take advantage of these “doom and gloomers” and this great buyer’s market. 

As for me, I have been doing this for more years than I want to admit.  I am closing my eyes and imagining I am a new agent with all the enthusiasm and excitement a new career brings.  Let’s sell some houses!

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 You woke up today, answered your e-mail while gulping down the first of countless cups of coffee. You updated your webpage with new photos taken to replace the nearly perfect ones you already had - nearly perfect except that your seller left something out that was barely visible, yet they were sure it would have a negative influence on the quality of the photo. So you took time away from your family to re-shoot it last night, which inevitably involved reviewing your complete marketing plan with that same seller… Your kids are running late for school, miss the bus, and now need a ride, which you can do, if you just hustle and prepare the printouts for the buyers you are meeting at the office at 9AM… And they will likely be early, as they are retired snowbirds, and have plenty of time… Oh, wait - some of these homes are occupied, so you need to leave time to call the owners to arrange the showings… No problem, you can do that on the way to the office, after dropping off the kids at school… You have the latest Bluetooth headphone, so your driving will not be “distracted” driving… Yeah, right!!  As you arrive at the office, a call comes in from a neighbor to one of your listings. They have relatives visiting, and would you mind coming over to show the home? Yes, right now, because, after all, the relatives are leaving later today to go back east, and have only been here a week…  In fact, they smiled & waved at you the other day as you put out the open house signs! Grrrrrr….

All of this kind of “stuff” will happen to each of us in this crazy business. All of this before 9 AM…  Don’t you wish you’d followed your uncle’s advice, and gotten a nice safe job at the post office??  Hey, don’t go postal on me, I’m just pointing out the facts of life as a Realtor… It will happen!

So now what? As a Realtor, we are paid to say YES… but there are only so many hours in a day, and when the world is demanding more from you than two of you could deliver, something’s gotta give. You choose. Ulcers, heart problems, “stuff” slipping into the cracks, un-returned calls, what is it going to be?? How about staging your own intervention? Interrupt your own life for a little R & R. How? Well, let’s back up… Work with a partner… Loosely, or tightly, but have a back up. Two of you, working together, leaning on each other from time to time, sharing a part of each other’s successes, and failures. Doctors do it, and they truly DO work in life & death situations. At least no one dies if they can’t see a home today! Think about it, and see if this model, this arrangement, would work for you. It beats the alternative! And enjoy that vacation! - Patrick Harfst, Southeast Valley Office, Executive Launch Advisor

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 I am a proud alumni of class of April 2005 Executive Launch. 

I feel a kinship to my fellow ‘Launchers’ because we all know we walk common ground on individual paths that only we can create.  It was daunting for me every step of the way, and in the current market we must navigate it, I can’t imagine that it is any different for anyone that is starting out enthusiastically on that path armed and dangerous with fresh Executive Launch power yet that unsettling ‘okay, what next’ feeling. 

After almost five years I am thinking I should be able share something profound that can help you or clear a path for you since I have been doing this longer.  The truth is I am still learning, and I don’t feel I       possess anything but my belief in myself,  and my willingness to adapt to change, and the humility to   succeed small while thinking big, and growing my business one excellent transaction at a time.  You can’t be in this business and not be willing to work hard, stay positive, find joy in the process, and don’t be    invisible.  And when I don’t feel it, I don’t show it, and try not to share it, and I don’t let it paralyze me.  Courage is fear with a plan and audacious faith that you will get through it and get better in the process. Executive Launch emphasizes possibility thinking, and gives you the skills to compete and to perform with competence and confidence with ‘Transaction One’.

Appreciate, value, and tap into  the knowledge you gain from your Executive Launch training.  It will      forever empower you in your ‘what next’.  It has never failed me!  Take advantage of the support system that Realty Executives blesses every agent, perhaps  more so if you are a ‘Launcher’.  I feel my Executive Launch training  prepared me for anything.   I knew I had the ‘know how’, the ‘know who’, the ‘where to go’, the ‘guts to’ and that ‘magic square inch’ (a John Foltz pearl) of my own individuality that this special program, its teachers, Dale Clayton, Barbara Lang, Scott Clayton, Gerry Russell, and all the incredible Transaction Advisors, amazingly brings out in all their graduates!   Make sure you thank them, because they are dream makers as well as teachers! 

I am now honored to be a Transaction Advisor who is privileged to share, assist, and encourage–as I was you.   Executive Launch offers the evolving agent so many valuable resources on your road to better!   I pinch myself when I think of how far I have come from day one and shaking from my first listing          presentation!  In fact I am you!  I am a trained Executive Launch graduate!

PS….I am a proud member of the Premier Marketing Group since 2007!  I have made it into the ‘Executive Club’ (top 10%) in 2008 and the 100% Club 2006, 2007.   Thanks Executive Launch!  

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I’m a newly licensed Realtor, and a recent graduate of Executive launch in March of 2009. I was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised by my wonderful parents who are Italian immigrants. My parents came to America in search of a better life for themselves. In Brooklyn, my father worked tirelessly laying marble and terrazzo floors polishing them to perfection. He saved every penny so he could buy the 6-family apartment building that we were living in. That was when I began to learn about real estate. Since my dad didn’t speak much English, I helped translate since I was 8 years old. When my parents moved us to Phoenix, my parents bought more real estate and it became second nature to me. I have always loved real estate. I love exploring new places, looking at new houses, and dreaming big! So what a better place than real estate to achieve those big dreams!?

For the last 10 years, I have been working as a CPA, both in private and public accounting. And it seemed like I was always referring my tax clients to realtors. If there’s one thing that I don’t like to do is to leave money on the table. So when I started looking at what I should expect from a broker, I had high standards. I was looking for a company with integrity, experienced leadership, and a quality training program to ensure my future success. I found exactly what I was looking for in Executive Launch. Thanks to Dale, Barbara and Scott, I have already had some great success in my new real estate career. I found that I already have a huge center of influence through my tax and accounting clients. Once my tax clients found out that I was a realtor, many of them were happy to use my expertise for finding a new office space, or listing their property. They already know me, they already know that I will go the extra mile for them, and they know that I’ll make them my number one priority. Executive Launch has given me the confidence and the road map to help jumpstart my new career. I feel like I have years of experience under my belt when I only have been doing this for months. Another seasoned agent said to me that she was surprised that I had only been doing this for a couple months. That was a huge compliment to me and to the Executive Launch team. It’s not just another training class, it’s a first-class ticket to success.

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