5 Things Your Broker Is Too Nice to Say (But You Need to Hear Anyway)
Is a tough real estate market the right time for some tough love? It is if you're using the market as an excuse to be complacent, says Jimmy Burgess, CEO of BHHS Beach Properties of Florida. "One of the most important things we can do is have people be real with us right now when the transaction is a little more difficult to come along," Burgess says. "Now is the time that you need somebody that's going to be honest with you, that's going to call you out on a few things." Burgess shares a little tough love in the video below — five things you may not be hearing from your broker, but need to if you're going to thrive in the current market. Read on for a bit of wisdom distilled from each of Burgess' five points (plus a few extras from us): 1. The Market Is Tougher, You're Getting Softer When the real estate market rockets up like it has in recent years, it's easy to "get a false sense that we're better than we are. We can begin to just kind of accept what comes to us instead of going and making it happen." The fix? Be proactive instead of reactive. Make calls, host open houses, cultivate a geographic farm if you aren't already. 2. You're Blaming the Market and Your Broker for Your Failure Instead of Taking Responsibility and Doing the Work Ever find yourself falling back on excuses like these to explain lackluster performance? "If my split was just higher," "If I just had more support from a marketing team," "If I just did these things…" The fix? Stop the excuses and realize that you're in control of your situation and take responsibility for your own success. Are you truly unhappy at your current brokerage? Don't wallow — consider switching. 3. You're Not Facing Your Fears Are you letting your fear hold you back — the fear of being hung up on, the fear of what you look like on video, the fear of putting yourself out there and trying something new? The fix? Stop playing small. "Those that push past their fears right now when everybody else is freezing or they're stalling or they're not sure what to do those are the people that are setting themselves up not just for success now, but to have a business that continues to grow not if, but when, [the market] takes off." 4. You're Reacting Incorrectly to Adversity Some people freeze when faced with adversity. The successful, however, recognize adversity as an opportunity. The fix? While other agents are pulling back, recognize that "now is the time to understand adversity creates opportunities to build long-term relationships." Turn to your database to deepen relationships and build business that bears fruit in future. 5. You've Got to Do Different Things to Get Different Results "What got you success in the past is not going to get you success going forward," says Burgess. The fix? "Hard work is absolutely 100% undefeated. If you'll work harder this year, if you'll take more action, if you'll do new things, you're going to get new and different results." This can include leveraging your MLS's public records system to find listing leads, texting, trying a new-to-you source of lead generation, and more. The Road Ahead Tough love doesn't have to be painful, and it doesn't necessarily even require big changes. Instead, Burgess says, "if you can just make a small adjustment, it can change everything and make sure that you're one of those people [who] is thriving, not just surviving, during this time." Related Reading Stressed About Low Inventory? Read This. Be a Better Realtor: 36 Tips and Tricks on Productivity, Goal Setting, and Self Improvement

[Podcast] Setting Goals, Being Fearless and Keeping Focus with Tiffany Tanquary
In the latest episode of The RENEW Podcast, hosted by Lauren Martin, Sales Director at RentSpree and Founder of RENEW, shines a spotlight on Tiffany Tanquary, Sr. Strategic Partnerships Manager of Real Estate at DocuSign. Tiffany explores the empowerment of women in real estate. They discuss Tiffany's journey, the significance of female mentorship, and the power of seizing opportunities. Tiffany began her career in Silicon Valley and later joined Zillow's new construction team. Proactively recruited by DocuSign, she played a vital role in creating a new line of business for forms and transaction management. Fearlessness and self-starter mentality propelled her success at DocuSign. She shares how these qualities shaped her career and enabled her to seize unexpected opportunities. The conversation between Tiffany and Lauren emphasizes the empowerment of women in real estate. Tiffany's journey from Silicon Valley to leadership at DocuSign exemplifies the power of seizing opportunities. The discussion underscores the significance of female mentorship and the aim of RENEW to create a supportive community within the industry. Listen to the full episode above, or click one of the links below to listen on the podcast service of your choice: ‍Apple Podcasts‍ Google Podcasts Spotify‍ RENEW by RentSpree aims to help change the lack of women in leadership roles within real estate and foster a community that elevates female voices. To view the original article, visit the RentSpree blog.

Real Estate Motivation: 11 Success Mantras for Agents and Brokers
Success relies on two main things: a great business strategy and a strong drive to succeed. If you're missing one or the other, you will struggle. That said, sometimes a rough day, week or even month can drag you down and do a real number on your positive mindset (and your bottom line). If you're feeling discouraged or burnt out, it's time to do a priority check and think about all the things you have to be grateful for. A focused verbal affirmation spoken aloud (also known as a mantra) can help you re-evaluate your situation and can also have a dramatic positive impact on your real estate motivation. Use these success mantras to give yourself a swift kick in the you-know-what to get you back on track. 1. "It's the start that stops most people, but not me!" When you're self-employed, you have a lot of freedom — a huge benefit that also requires you to practice an extreme amount of discipline. If you're having trouble getting motivated, staying motivated or following through on projects, use this mantra to bust through excuses and hesitations. 2. "Remember: yesterday you said tomorrow, and tomorrow is now today." Procrastination can be a major success killer. If you're guilty of frequently pushing things off until tomorrow, use this mantra to remind yourself that you said that yesterday — and today is your day to get stuff done! 3. "Strive for progress, not perfection." If you tend to push yourself too hard, over-commit or consider yourself a perfectionist, you may need to remind yourself that in certain cases, good is good enough. As long as you're getting things done and making progress, you're on the right track. Use this mantra to keep the train chugging along. 4. "Success does not come to you, you go to it." Running your own business is hard work, and sometimes it can be downright exhausting. If you're having a particularly long or stressful day, use this mantra to remind yourself that every single thing you do is with the sole purpose of serving others and building the life you want for yourself. 5. "It's a good day to have a good day." Life will never stop throwing challenges your way. In fact, sometimes the universe will have a particularly wicked sense of humor and will toss several challenges your way at the same time! If you're facing a challenging time and are feeling frustrated or defeated, break the cycle by starting your morning out with this mantra. 6. "Stop underestimating yourself." Most of us are really good at being hard on ourselves when things aren't going as well as we'd like, but are not as quick to pat ourselves on the back when we reach milestones or achieve accomplishments. If your self-confidence could use a little boost or you're hesitant to acknowledge your successes, give yourself credit with this mantra. 7. "I will have the courage to follow my heart and intuition." If you're struggling to find your independence, are easily swayed by others, or have difficulty making decisions, this mantra may be just what you need to boost yourself to the next level. 8. "Don't give up what you want the most for what you want right now." This mantra is a great if you're working towards a long-term, big-picture goal that requires a lot of discipline to reach. Whether you're focused on generating a certain number of sales this year or you're trying to get in better shape, use this mantra to make your decisions easier along the way. 9. "Every accomplishment always starts with the decision to try." Ever been in a position where you wanted to try something new, decided not to and felt disappointed in yourself later? Next time you're facing that situation, use this mantra to break through hesitation and go after what you really want. 10. "Dig deep and conquer your fears." Lots of things in life are scary, but you can't let scary get in your way. When you're faced with dramatic change or adversity that feels overwhelming, it's time to tap into your strength. Dig deep! 11. "If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough." This mantra is one of my favorites. Don't settle for comfortable — comfortable is easy. Instead, push yourself and you'll accomplish great things. Use this mantra to drive your hunger for success. Need a guide on how to state your mantra? Watch Jessica - a little girl, do her daily affirmation into the mirror - on YouTube. Then pick a mantra and make it a great day! To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

5 Shared Traits of Highly Successful Real Estate Professionals
Some agents and brokers have over 25 closings a year, every year, while other real estate pros feel lucky to have 10. What are these top performers doing differently? Today, we're going to answer that question. We interviewed star agents and brokers around the country to identify the similarities they all share. Here are the top five characteristics of highly successful real estate professionals: Trait #1: Disciplined and Determined Top agents and brokers: always have the "big picture" in mind practice discipline and patience keep themselves focused on longterm gain don't count on quick results nurture their leads until they are ready to buy or sell their house don't shy away from "boring stuff" — they complete the right actions in the right order, day in and out are physically, emotionally and mentally present take control over their daily schedule and have well-established routines that have proven to be successful are all in — period Trait #2: Creative and Versatile Top agents and brokers are: open-minded and highly adaptable tech savvy early adopters of new technologies open to exploring new opportunities willing to engage with people from different walks of life good at connecting and networking good at maintaining meaningful relationships with potential, existing and past clients Trait #3: Heavily Involved in Real Estate and Community Top agents and brokers are: very active in their communities – they volunteer, serve on civic boards and support local businesses by the way of referrals knowledgeable about their local market, real estate trends and the impact both have on their communities keeping their finger on the pulse of their community and always researching local housing numbers consistently working closely with other local agents constantly expanding their sphere of influence through networking excited to let new contacts know they are in real estate proud of their job — they love what they do Trait #4: Focused on Exceptional Customer Service Top agents and brokers are: committed to being the best at their real estate craft ready and available to serve clients, whenever and wherever attracted to automated systems that streamline business processes without sacrificing service always honing their superior phone skills dedicated to helping as many people as possible practitioners of the "attitude of service" known to perform at their best always challenging themselves and their team to perform at the highest level possible Trait #5: Efficient and Focused on Attention to Detail Top agents and brokers are: great at delegating supported by well trained teams that help them hit their numbers reliant on self-built or automated systems that allow them to focus on developing in-person relationships with leads and clients focused on replying to new lead inquiries as quickly as possible dedicated to building trust and showcasing professionalism by providing fast and thorough follow-up sticklers for detail consistently holding their teams accountable focused on not letting any leads slip through the cracks Incorporate these five proven success traits into your day-to-day business operations to take your real estate business to the next level. What has proven to be successful for you while growing your real estate business? To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

37 Times Better: The Long and Effective Way to Become a Better Agent and Grow Your Business
You have probably heard this before, but success does not happen overnight. Three of the best examples are Amazon (founded in 1994), Apple (founded in 1976), and Google (founded in 1998). They are now some of the most valuable companies in the world, and this wasn't because of one or two actions—it took time. Amazon, Apple, and Google are three of the most valuable companies in the world because of taking constant action and years of work. So, what is the secret to becoming a better agent? It's simple really—as James Clear in Atomic Habits writes, "The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here's how the math works out: if you can get 1% better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you're done." 37 Times Better What would your real estate business look like if it was 37 times better? I can only imagine what this would look like for you and your company. In October 2018, I bought Atomic Habits for the first time. It changed my life. I went from being over $20,000 in debt to wiping out that debt in less than two years—all due to making tiny improvements. But how does it work? Simple: Stop trying to make giant changes Start with making small changes Build on those small changes Understand the power of 1% growth Understand what a habit is Learn Habit Stacking (You will have to read the book to learn this) What Is a Habit? Before anyone can make changes, they first need to understand what a habit is. There are four parts to a habit: cue, craving, response, and reward. An example of this is waking up (cue), craving a cup of coffee (craving), going to the kitchen and pouring a cup of coffee (response), and drinking that coffee (reward). It's that simple. How to Change Your Habits? Start with one habit. Let's say you drink too much coffee. Your doctor has prescribed drinking less coffee for one reason or another, but when you try to quit cold turkey, you find it impossible to quit. It's so hard to quit because you have a habit of drinking coffee when you wake up. Instead of trying to quit drinking coffee when you wake up, instead replace the craving/response. Change coffee for water. You have the same habit of drinking something when you wake up, but instead of coffee, it is water. That change in the response is the key to changing your habits and improving yourself over the long term. How Can I Change My Real Estate Business by 1%? Question everything, every day. Ask yourself, what small changes can I make? For your real estate business, it could be asking for referrals. You know that you are supposed to ask for referrals, but you always find it weird to call your clients out of the blue to ask for them. This makes sense to me because I have the same problem. What if you made a small change to your habits when you interact with clients? When it is time to end a conversation with a client (cue), you change your response from saying "goodbye" to instead asking for a referral (response) before you actually say goodbye. This way you have a built-in referral engine. Did it take a lot of work to make this change? Maybe at first, but as you did it, the easier it became. How much business could you bring in by making this small change? Now It's Your Turn Take a minute and buy the book Atomic Habits; it will change your life. (This is not a referral link.) Sign up for James Clear's newsletter, "3-2-1 Thursday by James Clear." On a daily basis, find yourself a 1% improvement for yourself or for your business. Do this every day. One day you will reflect on these changes and realize you have developed a growth mindset. Check back next week to learn about my favorite feature of CRMs—it might not be what you think. If you have 1% improvements you would like to share with RE Technology's readers, please send them to me, or if you have suggestions for other articles, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.

3 Ways to Be More Productive in Real Estate
3 things you can do in your database right now Time is of the essence in the current real estate market. How are you staying on top of your productivity goals? Here are three quick (but impactful) ways you can be more productive right within your database.

Master the Habits, Mindsets, and Tactics of Real Estate's Super Producers
The Secrets of Top Selling Agents brand has connected real estate agents with the industry's top coaches and experts for over a decade. What started out as a webinar program has boomed into podcasts, live events, and even best selling books available on Amazon. Now, Secrets has once again gathered tips and scripts to help you master the Habits, Mindsets, and Tactics of Real Estate's Super Producers. Find quotes from this Amazon best selling book that will inspire and guide your real estate career below!

The power of resilience, partnerships and people... in good times and bad.
Running your own business is challenging, even in the best of times. During times of crisis, running your own business can feel more than overwhelming; it can feel down-right impossible. Take it from someone who's been there -- a few times over. In 2005, I was living in New Orleans and had just restructured my entire business model from a service-based marketing agency into the wild world of software development. I had a 15-month old daughter and a 1-month old son. I was hustling through life and focused on building both a successful software company AND a loving household. All was well until August 29th, 2005... Hurricane Katrina. In an instant, your entire life can change. My staff dispersed all across the U.S. and Canada. My family was split as my husband stayed in New Orleans working with the National Weather Service, while I evacuated with two babies in diapers. I lost my home. I lost my office. I lost my entire community. I remember walking through what was left of my home with lead legs, feeling like I could barely move as my husband grabbed parts and pieces of our personal belongings and threw them out of the way so we could make our way from room to room. The media was telling people across the nation that our city was destroyed, that there was nothing to come back to. As I reached out to my staff, I was met again and again with "I'm going to relocate back home, maybe I can work remotely for you." I remember standing in the shell of my office, on the phone with my CTO who told me he was back in Oregon for good, assuring him that there WAS something to come back to, that we COULD get through this, and that we NEEDED him to make it happen. Luckily, he decided to believe me over the mass media hysteria, as eventually did the rest of my staff. The moments that define you. In times of crisis, you truly see who people really are. Hurricane Katrina showed me a side of people that in "good" times I may have never seen. I saw people who bailed, who fled, who left their friends, family, community and companies holding the bag. I also saw the people who rose above, who stopped gutting their own homes so they could spend a day gutting mine when I felt like I couldn't go on. I witnessed a sense of community, friendship and camaraderie that I will NEVER forget. There are people who stepped up in my time of need that I will forever remember and be indebted to, not because they have asked for it, but because I witnessed their true character—and it was beautiful. I would do anything for these people, and they would do the same for me because I did the same for them. How will people remember you...right now? Real estate gets a tough rap. For every great agent that's out there, there are 10 others that make the industry look bad. Real estate community, THIS is your moment of redemption. How are you going to handle it? Are you going to bail, or are you going to rise above? How do you want people to remember your actions during this challenging time? Your community is suffering and homeowners are scared, not only for their personal safety but for their ability to sustain one of the fundamental human needs — shelter. Are you going to be the resource and source of insight and guidance they need? You SHOULD be. Here are my thoughts... This will pass, as so many crises before us (Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the 1918 Spanish Flu, etc). People and organizations will profit from this, while others will fail. That's okay. That's the way it goes. Here are my thoughts and suggestions on how YOU can ride this out. Trust me, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Mr. Rogers said, "Focus on the helpers." I add to this: BE one of the helpers. Don't be reactive, be proactive. Anticipate the needs of your family, friends, clients and community and REACH OUT before people ask for help. Align yourself. This is the time to connect with your partners and make sure that you are hyper-focused on how you can collectively service your audience. Connect with your family, friends, community leaders. Show them that you are here to serve—and then actually step up and do it. This is NOT an every-man-for-themselves time. Get outside of your own head (a.k.a., don't be a douche) and serve those around you — safely. Find your "keepers." Take a hard look at every one and every company that supports your business. Who's there for you? Who's collaborating and working with you? These are your keepers. These guys get the fact that "we're in this together." They are invaluable. Clean house. Who's holding strong to their contracts in a "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" approach? Get rid of those assholes. If they aren't standing with you, then they need to step aside. Enough said. My service to YOU, my real estate community. I sincerely want to see everyone weather this storm. I want to see every single one of you come out of this crisis better and more focused on your business and family. I want to see every single one of you take advantage of what will surely be a real estate flood of activity. Here are ways that I can offer assistance to make that a reality: Agents – Your online presence is more important today than ever before, and you need to be present in order to be competitive. Schedule a 15-minute social media audit with an Elevate Coach to review what you are doing. They'll discuss what's working, what's not, and give you tips for improving. Schedule your session at tryelevate.com/socialmediareview/. Brokers – Before you start slashing and burning, or thinking about exiting this rat race, allow an Elevate Brokerage Development Coach to spend an afternoon with you digging into the fundamentals of your business. Be ready to take a hard look at your systems, processes, technology, marketing, lead generation, and agent offerings. Our team will help you understand where you can consolidate and streamline — without hurting your bottom line. Schedule your session at: https://boss.tryelevate.com. ALL – As the Managing Partner of 3sixtyfive.agency, I have the ability to bring you insight into everything from business growth to exit strategies, rebranding to reimagining your future. If this is a time of contemplative shift for you, let's have a conversation. You start by emailing me at [email protected]. I look forward to serving you. Bondilyn Jolly is a tech entrepreneur, investor and business leader. She currently serves as the VP of Marketing at Elevate and the Managing Partner of 3sixtyfive.agency, a full-service digital and creative ad agency servicing the real estate sector. She consults and works with everyone from large tech companies, global franchise organizations, all the way down to individual brokers and agents looking to "up their game." She's been featured in Huffington Post, Inc. magazine, Inman News, RISMedia, and is a sought after speaker across the real estate sector and beyond.

4 Skills That Will Catapult You to Success
Would you like to make 2020 your best year ever? It is a time to leap, yes 2020 is a leap year, and your opportunity to leap into spectacular performance in all areas of your life. Make the first year of the decade one worth remembering. Here are the top skills that will greatly enhance you in every area of your life:

Real (Estate) Talk: How a Single Mom and New Agent Achieved Success in 6 Months
How did you feel when you first started in real estate? If you're anything like Tina Minshall, you probably felt worried—worried about building your pipeline, worried about supporting your family, and worried about navigating the ins and outs of the industry. As a new real estate agent and a single mom to an autistic son, Tina had those same concerns. But those concerns quickly receded as Tina built a real estate family of mentors and caring clients. In just six months, she has created an impressive book of business and far exceeded the goals she initially set for herself. How did she do it? In a recent video interview with Bondilyn Jolly of Elevate and 3sixtyfive.agency, Tina shares the secrets to launching her business and achieving success so quickly. Tune into this interview for an inspiring conversation and some key takeaways. Here are a few highlights: 1:50 - On creating one big, happy real estate family: "My family is first. However, my clients become family most of the time, which is awesome. And I've managed to integrate my son into some of those families." 2:55 - Tina's secrets to work life balance: "Be you, be human … You just can't pretend your way through it." 4:30 - Tina on the technology that drives her success. "I understand that social media is where it's at, or video is where it's at. None of that is my gig. I like to meet people and sell houses, but I understand that I have to do all of it." She uses the Elevate platform to automate her social media and blog posts on busy days, generate leads, nurture leads, and more. 6:55 - Tina shares how Elevate saves her time, but also lets her personality shine: "Elevate lets me be me when I want to be...me. I don't want a stuffy, everyday Realtor's site or image or anything like that. I need me to come out. I have a personality, so people should know that." One of her goals is to change the public's sometimes negative perception of REALTORs. 9:45 - Tina on her #1 piece of advice to other real estate agents: "Be you. Be human." Watch Tina's full interview for more great advice:

49 Uplifting Real Estate Quotes That Will Inspire You to Be Great
Real Estate Quotes "Buyers decide in the first eight seconds of seeing a home if they're interested in buying it. Get out of your car, walk in their shoes and see what they see within the first eight seconds." – Barbara Corcoran "Typically, the research tells us, that a high quality real estate agent that really knows what they are doing will add more to the equation than they cost. Because people make mistakes when selling their own home – the mistakes are costly." – Dave Ramsey "Don't beat yourself up. Some transactions will naturally go smoothly, and others are a month of challenges. Learn what you can from each transaction, move on, and start the next one." – Kurt Uhlir "A real estate agent has two property listings. Now add 11 more. What does the agent have now? Happiness. That agent has happiness." – Tim Dulany "In any market, in any country, there are developers who make money. So I say all of this doom and gloom, but there will always be people who make money, because people always want homes." – Sarah Beeny "To be successful in real estate, you must always and consistently put your clients' best interests first. When you do, your personal needs will be realized beyond your greatest expectations." – Anthony Hitt "Now, one thing I tell everyone is learn about real estate. Repeat after me: Real estate provides the highest returns, the greatest values, and the least risk." – Armstrong Williams "Real estate is the purest form of entrepreneurship." – Brian Buffini Real estate is never easy. There are late nights, early morning, no weekends, and infrequent vacations—but the payoff is that you get to help people through one of the biggest decisions in their lives and make their dreams come true. There are multiple lists of the same 10 real estate quotes that people toss up. We wanted something more. Our team combed through more than 15,000 websites, 115,000 tweets, countess Pinterest pins, 300 hours of keynote speakers and a ton of other sources to find you the most real estate quotes that will inspire you for the long-haul, motivate you to take the next step in your business, and hopefully laugh a little too. In today's real estate market, we all get little sleep. You deserve at least five minutes to feel inspired and laugh. Don't you? I hope that this list of deservedly famous real estate quotes will give you the break you need to recharge today. Happy reading! Forty-one more motivational quotes (and shareable images!) are waiting for you. Click here to read them all!    

The Dance between Patience and Mindful Real Estate Sales
In real estate, we are quickly handed the industry rhetoric as to how things are, the proverbial "blueprint for success." Follow this concept, this model, and you will achieve the reward. We quickly hit the ground running because we have the consistent set of waves coming in known as bills, debt, and so on. There is no time for patience or for reflection. Instead, it's I need to go DO something or the industry will leave me in the dust, I will lose to the competition, I won't be able to pay my bills or maintain MY lifestyle. Take a deep breath... the momentum and tension builds and builds until it works against us completely.

Proverbs for the Real Estate Professional
Proverbs are fun. The idea of a proverb is to use an oft-repeated phrase, frequently metaphorical, to provide advice or a life lesson. For example, 'the pen is mightier than the sword' implies that words and ideas are more effective and persuasive than force. Proverbs are used around the world and can have their own culturally specific meanings as well as universal implications. They can be informing, entertaining or even inspirational. Let's take a look at some proverbs from around the world and see what real-estate specific lessons we can learn from them. 1. Fortune favors the bold Meaning: Be courageous. Real Estate Interpretation: Take risks. Pursue your business with courage and passion and don't let fear stand in your way. Challenge yourself and be bold and business will come your way.

3 Mindsets Sabotaging Your Success in Real Estate
Mindset: "The established set of attitudes held by someone." How could a mindset be dangerous; I mean, it's not like it's affecting anything, right? When driving down the highway, I cruise on over to the second to the left lane ready for a long commute to work. I have my music on, and the morning so far is going pretty good. Then, out of nowhere this red SUV cuts in front of me and slams on his brakes! My immediate response is anger. How DARE you cut me off! The nerve of this guy. I proceed to swerve around him angrily, effectively cutting someone else off. My mindset here is that people are intentionally doing things TO me. The only reason the jerk in the big, red, SUV cut me off was just to have his way – because he simply could and looks for opportunities to be rude. I took his actions personally, when in reality, he was just trying to cruise over to my lane, too, and avoid the near crash over to the right of him. We all operate out of mindsets every day. They are shaped by our beliefs, values, and experiences. Those same mindsets then shape our actions and make or break our success in real estate. To change a particular mindset, it takes: Willpower + Knowledge of your current mindset + a healthy mindset you are moving into + a plan of attack = life change. Oh, and a good dose of humility – can't forget that one.

4 Traits of a Top Producer
Some people just walk in the light. I'm sure you know which light I'm talking about – the "everything they do seems to turn out great" light. This is rare – few can claim they all of a sudden just knew how to be successful. Sure, instinct plays a big role here, but for the most part, there are a few ingredients that go into making someone a top producer. Education Don't know the answer? Go and find it. This is where a good dose of humility comes in handy. You do not know everything. Sometimes (er, rather, a lot of times) there are others who have more experience than we do. It's wise to go and ask them for advice. There are several people I go to frequently when I don't know the answer or how to do something. One such friend is Google. He is quite knowledgeable. But seriously, Google it. Rarely do I not find an answer to a question after Googling. There are also a ton of resources out there for pretty much everything you want to do--real estate especially. Take that class, read that book, look up that article – it will all come in handy and will further your success and knowledge base. The internet is a BIG asset here – not only can you take classes online, but you can watch "how-to" videos, download books in an instant (or three if the connection is slow), and keep it stored in one place for later reference. However, all of this knowledge building is not possible without hard work, which leads me into my next point...

Things Always Even Out
Amazing but True... when things aren't going your way do you ever think that "the gods have conspired against me"? Ever wonder when two or three disappointing things happen in a row that "I feel 'snake bit' or maybe I'm just unlucky"? The fact is, in the long haul – things always even out. When you have a streak of misfortune, you can expect an equally exciting streak of good fortune in the very near future. Here is a real life example of things evening out: February 1, 2015 – it's Super Bowl XLIX time! The Seattle Seahawks were defending their title against their archrivals, the New England Patriots. It was a see-saw battle in the first half. Seattle was struggling but got a few breaks and they went into halftime tied with New England. The score was 14-14. In the third quarter the Seahawks got hot, scored 10 points and went ahead 24 – 14. Now everything was going their way. In the fourth quarter Hall of Fame bound quarterback Tom Brady marched his Patriots down the field twice throwing his 3rd and 4th touchdown passes of the game to take the lead 28 – 24. The game appeared over...with only two minutes to go Seattle was up against it. They had to score a touchdown because a field goal wouldn't be enough. With one minute to go, quarterback Russell Wilson was at the end of his rope... he elected to throw a long pass toward the sidelines around the New England 10 yard line. The pass was knocked away by rookie defender Malcolm Butler and then the improbable happened...as the receiver fell down, the ball bounced off his arm, off his leg, and back onto his stomach completing the pass. Receiver Jermaine Kearse caught the pass lying on his back!

10 Amazing Real Estate Quotes to Inspire You
Competition in the real estate industry is intense. In the midst of marketing, negotiating, and hustling to complete the transaction, it's easy to forget why you got involved in real estate in the first place – for the pure love of the game. After all, real estate is the greatest and most timeless of all assets, a representation of the intrinsic bond between man and the earth beneath his feet. The following 10 real estate quotes are shared here to inspire you today. Share them with your audience by simply mousing over the image and selecting the social network of your choice. Russell Sage (4 August 1816 – 22 July 1906) was a financier, railroad executive and Whig politician from New York, United States.

How to Stay Motivated When Opportunities are Low
Shifts happen. It's the nature of the real estate industry beast to be in the midst of feast or famine at any point in time. While it helps to remember that our crazy business is cyclical, and that what goes down will eventually go back up, sometimes we need more encouragement than that to remain motivated enough to continue putting our feet on the floor every morning. "Regardless of the circumstances, there is always an opportunity," according to sales coach and author John D. Mayfield. To prove this, think about the old saying: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." The housing crash certainly felt like a great big truck full of lemons, didn't it? Yet, look what we did with it: We made yummy lemonade in the form of distressed property transactions. Sure, it was tough on America's homeowners, but motivated real estate agents were able to stay afloat in an industry that seemed to be drowning everyone around them. Although the nation's housing market seems to be about to move off of life support and into the recovery room, if you've been lacking motivation for some time, it may be hard to get going again. Let's take a look at some tips from both motivational gurus and your colleagues.

9 Effective Home Buyer Calls-to-Action
We're looking back on our favorite posts from 2012 this holiday season. Originally published on our Broker channel, this article lists great calls-to-action--an important part of any real estate professional's arsenal. In many articles, we've discussed the importance of an effective call-to-action. Your call-to-action, whether it's on your website or at the end of a listing presentation, is the language you use to entice your audience to take a specific action. It can be spoken or it can be written, and it can appear almost anywhere. We spotted an article from the National Association of REALTORS® that studied consumers motivations when purchasing a home. First, let's take a look at the chart from the NAR article; then, we'll explain what this means for your calls-to-action.

Prepare Now to Sell More Homes in 2013
Michael Lindstrom, nationally recognized business coach, has a client roster that includes industry leaders, public figures, top executives, professional athletes and most recently, the five winning real estate agents of the HomeFinder.com Agent Makeover Sweepstakes. Michael has coached thousands of real estate agents for almost two decades and is an in-demand speaker at many large real estate conferences. HomeFinder.com sought Michael's expertise to coach the five winning agents on how establishing their personal brand will help improve their professional brand. Below, Michael elaborates on the top things agents should focus on for success in to 2013. Ride the Technology Wave. Commit to learning the next wave in technology; embrace technology and make a commitment to it. Learn something new every week. Give Back and Be Selfless. Find ways to give to your clients, community and neighborhood; contribution has a powerful place in business. Create your personal brand by operating from a place of selflessness. When working with clients, colleagues and your community, make it your personal brand to impact, move, inspire, touch or agitate them in some way.

October Blogging Plan
October may mark the start of the final quarter of the year--but there's still time to turn your real estate blog into a robust part of your marketing plan! Use our latest blogging plan to kickstart your writing habits. Looking for more ideas? Check out our previous plans for more inspiration: June Blogging Plan July Blogging Plan August Blogging Plan September Blogging Plan Week 1: Where to See the Best Fall Colors The seasons are changing and so are leaves on trees across the country. Use this blog post to position yourself as a local expert. Let your readers know when the colors in your area will be most vibrant. Then, recommend nearby getaways--or even great "Sunday drive" routes--where the changing leaves can best be seen. Additional or alternative topic: Best Seller Incentives in [Your City's] Market Some sellers can struggle to get offers, despite a well-priced home. Create this post as a list of incentives that owners have successfully used in your area to sell their home. This could include things like interest rate buy-downs, credit at closing, or even lease-to-own options. Be sure to let readers know the benefits and drawbacks of each option.

Who’s Training Who? What My Dog Is Teaching Me About Engagement
Guest Contributor Michael Becker of Mountain of Agents says: My wife and I recently adopted an adorable, 12-week-old King Charles Cavalier. This new and exciting endeavor prompted us to conduct countless hours of research and preparation so that when we welcomed him into our lives, he would listen to everything we said and integrate seamlessly into our schedule. You can stop laughing now. We were immediately caught off guard by the amount of work we needed to do to cultivate our new furry audience. It was apparent that the instant gratification we so eagerly desired didn't yet exist in its purest form; it needed to be harvested through patience, engagement, loyalty and trust. Sitting on the couch at 3am – with a chew toy in one hand and Indy resting comfortably in the other – it occurred to me the odd similarities that exist between training a new dog and training your target audience. In fact, the skills you need to hone and the elements you need to succeed are identical: PatienceThe single most difficult skill to master, especially when training a puppy (or appealing to your target audience). Getting frustrated or ultimately conceding is not an option. Instead, take a step back and consider new approaches to help give you a different perspective. There's no excuse anymore for saying you don't know how to do something. Google what you're looking for and spend some time reading tips and tricks from people who've already been in your shoes and succeeded where others floundered.

Marketing Strategies: Stop Being So Hard on Yourself
This article, written by Dr. Maya Bailey, appeared originally on RISMedia.com. When I coach real estate agents, I often hear the misconception that they need to be hard on themselves in order to succeed. When I ask about the origin of this belief, I often receive stories of being conditioned by well-meaning teachers and parents in a controlling and rigid way. Since we learn to treat ourselves the way we were treated, my clients are just carrying on the legacy because they don’t know how else to motivate themselves. Unfortunately, their strategy actually works against them. Studies have shown that when we are hard on ourselves, and beat ourselves up, we actually lower our energy. This leads to decreased motivation and eventually burnout. So what is the answer? If you’re not going to be hard on yourself, then how do you motivate yourself to succeed? Fortunately, there is a positive solution. Research indicates that if we choose a positive and encouraging way to get ourselves focused and on track; that this can be a very efficient motivation technique. So here are some tips on how to change your motivational strategy:

Memorial Day: Thankful for Freedom
Whether or not you agree with war, or have supported any American military engagements, perhaps we can all agree that for the men and women at arms who marched into danger believing they were protecting the innocent and fighting for your freedom and mine, today is a good day to honor their bravery. If you are reading this and fought for America, fathered or mothered a child who died for America, know you are not alone in remembering the true meaning of this day. We are thankful for the freedoms we daily have grown accustomed to, knowing full well how many people around the world suffer injustice far more than we. Thank you.

Rid Your Vocabulary of the Word Impossible
After watching the Inside Job, a documentary detailing the who and why behind the 2008 economic collapse that so grossly affected the real estate industry, I felt a surge of doubt about overcoming the economic downturn and returning to the America of old. Certainly at the moment, there has be a lot of pessimism circulating the industry as agents look at the bleakness of the current market. Corny as some videos can be, every now and then it can be a good idea to sit back and remember that before greatness often came doubt. Nay-sayers voiced their opinions before inventions came to completion. Today, as you go into your work week, take a few minutes to think through some of the most famous innovations and feats in our modern world, and remember that those inventors also had people saying their was no market, no one would buy, or they couldn't do it. Go into this week, empowered that today is your day to pave the way to success. No matter the odds, it's important to remember not to be daunted by the word "impossible."

Changing Perspective: A Life Altering Moment
Imagine this... You are driving down the freeway at ten o'clock at night. Up ahead you see the flashing lights of multiple emergency vehicles and traffic slows. "Great, an accident. All I want to do is get home..." you may be thinking. As you approach the scene, you see a flipped over and mangled car. A car of the exact make, model and unusual color of what your 19 year old son drives. By the time you can cross two lanes of traffic and pull over, you are well past the accident scene. So you slam the car into reverse and drive faster in reverse than you've ever driven before. You get out of the car and run toward the accident. The entire time, all sorts of thoughts are exploding in your brain. You're praying like you never have before. As you get closer to the scene and see that, yes, it looks exactly like your son's car, you practically lose your mind.

Are You on the Path of Living Extraordinarily?
The challenge in today's complex world, is it's so easy to get caught in the process of achieving so much, that it's sometimes easy to lose focus of what you really want. We believe to attain an extraordinary life—a life on your terms, one filled with unbridled joy, ultimate success and lasting fulfillment—it's imperative you make progress in the areas of life that are most important to you. Anthony Robbins has devoted his life to sharing a unique system for anyone who wants to take their life to the next level. Continue reading to hear a clip of his motivational message...

5 Tips to Motivate You This Week!
Have you ever enjoyed an experience like this: You meet with someone and two hours fly by and you can’t believe the meeting is over! You still have so much to learn from them that you just don’t want it to end! What if every meeting or presentation you were a part of ended like that? Would your second connection with these people be easier or harder to schedule? Easier is the answer of course! So the question is: After working with you, do prospects leave so energized, so pumped up, so laden with valuable information, tips, strategies, resources and inspiration that they can hardly wait to meet with you again?  If your goal is not to surprise, delight, engage, energize and really connect with people you are doing business with, you might want to fine-tune your strategy.

Greatness Takes Conditioning
It is easy sometimes to hear "inspirational" stories of remarkable billiionaire individuals who left a significant mark on our world and think it's just because they had... More money More opportunities Better genes Luck, etc. Justin Cohen is a motivational speaker and creates creative videos that tell what he calls Big Little Stories, also the namesake of his website. In this video he reminds us that there is really only one thing that allows the seed of greatness to grow rampant in some and remain dormant in others.

Inspiring Your Team to Excellence
Peter Grazier says: Motivation. We hear the term often. Generally we associate the word with human behavior, meaning, a state of mind that moves us to action. And even though few of us have had formal training in it, it's one of those characteristics of life that seems to fit the old adage, "I know it when I see it." For most of my years working in the field of workplace collaboration, this word has held a place of stature and importance, because it has been, perhaps, the most significant outcome of worker involvement. As the collaboration trend, and more specifically, the use of employee teams continues to grow, one question that is taking on greater importance is how to keep the team motivated over the long haul. What are the ingredients or characteristics of teams that seem to sustain high levels of motivation?

The Truth About What Drives Us
When it comes to motivating a workforce, or yourself, if you are a self-employed real estate agent, it is interesting to note that sometimes monetary rewards stiffle productivity.  Don't believe me? Well, I wouldn't have either, but in a lively RSA Animate, adapted from Dan Pink's talk at the RSA, you will see how PInk illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace—and it's not money! There are three things:   Autonomy Mastery Challenge

Find the Path to Success in These 8 Steps
Have you ever been startled to sitting up when you've read an article? That happened last night to me while reading "In Praise Of The Purple Cow" by Seth Godin printed in the January Fast Company magazine. I almost spit out my coffee in uncontained excitement as comprehension finally crashed over me as I read, "Today, the one sure way to fail is to be boring! Your one chance for success is to be remarkable." To be remarkable...that's the brass ring we leap for as it swings just outside our grasp. That's where the problem lies. How do we know when we're being remarkable? A whole slew of questions rebound in my mind: What if we are too self-absorbed or busy to recognize brilliance in a simple process-altering idea? What if our brains constantly generate new revelations, but it seems like everyday common stuff to us? How do we know we haven't had a remarkable idea, and then blew it off because we were bored by it?

Life Will be Mundane Without this Key Ingredient
We all get those email forwards that are supposed to inspire us.  Some of us believe email forwards are annoying and delete it without thinking twice.  Others continue the pattern and send it on to all of their friends.  No matter which side you are on, sometimes one or two slip through the cracks and stand out to you.  This one did for me. An exercise in perspective is always refreshing.  The email I received simply added tag lines to several images. Here are the images without the headlines.  What do you think?

Need a Little Inspiration? There's a Quote for That!
Happy Monday! The holidays are almost here, and it can be a classic time to sit back and spend less time in productive focus, and more time in conversation and (holi)day-dreaming. It's mid-December, which is the calendar's fourth quarter.  It's time to step it up and sprint that final 100 meters. Take a few minutes to watch this video.  No matter who you are and where you are in your life, there will be a quote here for you.  Let's take Monday's by storm and focus in on having a productive day at work!