Life has a way of throwing you curve balls out of the blue. One day you’re riding high and the next you’re biting the dust of a human stampede watching everyone else pass the finish line. Life is like that, and no more so than the life of a realtor. Successful realtors have an amazing ability to bounce right back up and get in the game. But how do successful realtors, or any other person, do it?
Babe Ruth said, ‘You just can’t beat the person who never gives up’ – he must have been a part time realtor! This attitude of ‘Never giving up’ is the one that will get you past the post, maybe even first. The way to make it past the curve balls is to take the time to plan for success. Do I mean a little a notebook with a calendar of mediation and breathing exercises? Maybe. There is one plan that means success will come, that is a plan to grow. Growth is not just a measure of success, but a plan for it too.
Evaluating where you were last year and where you are today is a way to look at how you’ve grown – it doesn’t matter what you use as your yardstick, but look at how you have grown. Have you grown because you tried something new? Did you stick to one plan, or adjust it several times to achieve that sale, or list that property? Did you learn? Learning is good! When the curve ball comes you will already be in the habit of adjusting, moving and growing to be able to dodge it, or jump up and find another way.
If you look back over your growth in the last year – did everything come easy? I’m sure it didn’t, but as you walked uncertainly around the problem, thought about what you could use to solve it, your knowledge and confidence grew and you began to walk a little taller and work a little harder as you knew you could achieve it. Planning for growth breeds success. As you look at your listings and closings with an attitude of, ‘What can I do to learn something new?’ you find ways to gain, market, present and close listings that work.
Part of your plan for growth maybe writing down what worked, or what didn’t, then sticking to the things that make a difference however small. Persistence and evaluation will bring success. Couple it with creative thinking, and your success will take you places you’ve never been before. There are so many things that can make a difference, from a camera that takes video tours, to finding a niche website that markets a property you have. All of them are simple but can help you learn, and help you succeed.
Will you be spared curve balls? No, probably not. But wasn’t it Babe Ruth who also said, ‘Never let the fear of striking out keep you from coming up to bat”. That confirms it – he was an undercover realtor.
Barb
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