Many of you know we’ve been talking about how strategy trumps value when establishing an asking price for about a month now. Last week I polled my Facebook Group about what topics they wanted to discuss and the clear winners were lead generation, lead conversion, and follow-up. There were no big surprises there but there is an unexpected answer. By the way, if you haven’t joined my Facebook group click here.
My answer is “okay, but the answer is a little more complex than you think.” You see, I could start providing you prospecting models…I have dozens of them, but it wouldn’t be helpful to you. Why you might ask? Because the likelihood is no one would implement these models.
Here’s the thing….I would like to run a marathon. I could go to a coach who would show me what to do but more than likely that would not lead to me even running the first mile. That’s because there’s preparation, like running the first mile and tools to get there like good shoes.
And so, that’s where we are starting…in the preparation zone. Because I want you to be successful.
We are going to start by making some small changes.
Several years ago, my very sweet and romantic husband gave me a gift. Now, historically he purchased lovely gifts like jewelry or my favorite lotions. So imagine my surprise when I opened a box containing a Smith & Wesson 38 special with what is called a panic trigger.
Seeing the perplexed look on my face he explained that since I’m on the road so much he wanted me to have protection. With a little stretch of the imagination I could parlay this into a romantic gesture.
Now I did not grow up with guns nor had I ever owned one. But I decided to lean into it. First, I gave my gun a name….”Ouiser Boudreaux” named after a strong yet grumpy character in Steel Magnolias. Next I signed up for a concealed carry class.
Luckily, I took to this fairly easily…but would get frustrated at the range. I would line up the sight with the target but every single time I hit the upper right corner of the target. Over and over again I lined Ouiser up perfectly but continued to hit that corner.
One day I was at the range and I heard a voice behind me. This man in another lane had been observing and said to me, “Sugar, all you have to do is move your thumb two inches.” I looked at him blankly because I didn’t understand. “Here”, he said, “Put your thumb there.” Then he physically moved my thumb from one place on the gun to two inches over. I lined up the sight, just like I had before, pulled the trigger and there was a perfect shot. I tried it again….perfect shot. Over and over I hit the center of the target.
After leaving the range I found myself thinking about this experience. Meeting that man was very fortuitous. Really, the idea of moving my thumb would never have occurred to me. Having someone who looked at the overall situation from a completely different vantage point was so valuable.
The next thing I pondered was about the size of the change. I didn’t have to do dramatic things to get the result. I didn’t have to change my entire process but just make a subtle change. Those two inches was the difference between being okay and being really good. I found myself wondering where else there was an opportunity for a two-inch change in my life?
I remembered a time when I was having problems getting people into my office to talk about their real estate needs. If my memory is correct my words were something like this…”If you could come by we can talk about your real estate needs.” Hmmm….not very convincing. Then one day I changed this by saying, “I’d like to schedule a 45 minute meeting to create you a specialized Home Buyer’s Game Plan that will provide you the exact steps in fulfilling your goal.” All the difference in the world. That was a 2-inch change.
So where should you make being making changes?
So here’s my suggestion. Start with a category; say prospecting and ask the question:
“Where am I frustrated with the result?”
Is it conversion?
Is it follow-up?
Is it getting presentations?
Is it getting people to the next step?
Is it time management?
Where is it?
Take one of those areas, examine what you are doing and then ask a peer or your manager or your coach how you can improve to make a big impact. Not just monetarily but also on your confidence…you need to do this exercise, now.
We already have lots of resources that can help you…just look around the site at www.thestrategicagent.com
Make sure to sign up for the Facebook Group. See you next week