Today I’m happy to share an inspiring and insightful blog post with you from real estate coach and IXACT Contact partner Bruce Keith. I really appreciate these 5 items Bruce shares for Agents to strengthen their mindset, and I think you will too.
Bruce writes:
Bullet #1. Increasing Your Mental Toughness
Consider this thought…
“We build emotional, mental and spiritual capacity in precisely the same way that we build physical capacity.” Jim Loehr
Dr. Loehr is a “performance psychologist” who has worked with business executives and athletes alike. He specializes in mental toughness. His advice in the above quote becomes even more poignant when you consider that sales success is 90% attributable to mindset and attitude.
Are you using the 90% Factor in your favor? What are you doing to “fill up your tank” with positivity and success ammunition every day/every week? Selling homes can be a lonely business… daily lead generation and lead follow-up, showing houses, listing property, and negotiating offers can be taxing.
Here’s some questions to start you thinking about this:
Who are you listening to?
What are you reading?
Who are you associating with, and who should you be avoiding?
Do you have a Coach to help you through the rough spots and help you grow?
Be sure to exercise your mind to the same extent that you exercise your body. Build up those mental muscles to help you out when you need them. NO Excuses.
Bullet #2. Self-Confidence & Routine
John Maxwell is considered a leading expert on Leadership. The author of in excess of 20 books, he has a marvelous way of getting to the heart of the matter without offending anyone (Example: “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”).
“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” John C. Maxwell
John’s ideas regarding the “power of routine” can change your life. Just remember this… a schedule or routine doesn’t tie you down, it gives you freedom. Why? Because you’ll get more done in less time — as a result you will have more time for yourself.
How solid is your routine right now? Why not take 10 minutes and sit down right now and write out exactly what your perfect daily routine looks like. Then you can decide two things…
#1. What changes should I make?
#2. What items do I periodically ignore even though they are critical to my big picture?
Once you establish the answers to these two simple questions start making the “changes in your life” that John is talking about. The good news is you do not have to make major adjustments. Often times it’s the little things that will trigger huge results. Things like getting up 30 minutes earlier, contacting 5 past clients and asking for referrals, scheduling and taking at least one full day off per week, revising your listing presentation, etc.
Here’s the bottom line… a stronger routine creates stronger self-confidence. Stronger self-confidence creates a stronger mindset. It’s progressive and it is an equation that never fails. NO Excuses.
Bullet #3. “Know Your Motivation”
A struggling Coaching client said to me once that lack of motivation wasn’t his problem. He went on to say that…”I really want to be a successful real estate Salesperson, I’ve just got to get on with it”. Don’t those two statements seem at odds with one another?
Here’s what 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had to say about that logic.
“Anyone who has a WHY to live can bear almost any WHAT”.
Usually when you elect not to do something it’s because you’ve decided it is not all that important to your future. If you have to do something, it’s pretty well guaranteed that you will do it. How clear is your WHY? If you’re not sure, here is a quick formula for figuring it out:
Identify 2 items that you must accomplish in the next 12 months for the following three categories:
- My Health
- My Family
- My Financial Future
Write them down – two for each of these three critical parts of your life. Now you are ready to overachieve. Never be in a position of “just getting by”. Stay pumped and you will always get more done than the average person. Don’t let complacency have any power. Complacency is the enemy of success. Eliminate it forever! NO Excuses.
Bullet #4. No More Toothaches!
“Procrastination is like a toothache… the longer you wait, the greater the pain.”Bruce Keith
Are there things in your daily routine that you consistently put off doing until the end of the day (or even the week)? Leaving the toughest tasks till the end has two significant downsides (both of which you should avoid):
- They nag at you all day just like a toothache
- When you do them first it gives you a boost of energy
Brian Tracy wrote a book about time management years ago entitled “Eat that Frog”. He suggested that the best approach was to get the toughest tasks out of the way first thing in the day. Brian’s metaphor related to eating a frog… something most people would put off as long as possible.
Take inventory of how you approach the less pleasant tasks each day… one of the side benefits is that by doing the tough things earlier, you don’t have to go through the agony of dreading doing it later. Some things are better off “behind you” than ahead of you.
A final question…is lead generation your own personal “frog”? If that’s the case why not revise your current habits and get it out of the way first thing? Make a commitment to do this for one week, five days in a row. Guaranteed you’re going to discover… no more toothache!
So what’s all this got to do with mindset, attitude, and mental toughness? There is a direct connection. By doing the least pleasant tasks first, you will enjoy the business of selling real estate much more readily.
You will sell more houses, you will attract more leads, and you will close more business just because you feel better about yourself. It’s an amazing formula that strengthened your mindset and reinforces the control you have over your day and ultimately your sales results. NO Excuses.
Bullet #5. Being Offensive Enough?
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night worrying about some event, some eventuality, or something that might happen…and tossed and turned for the next 60 — 90 minutes? We all have and it’s a very frustrating exercise, isn’t it?
Did you ever notice that the next day when you got up and got busy that the worry went away? It almost vanished, didn’t it?
The simple truth is that when you took action those “demons in the night” disappeared. They didn’t have nearly as much power in the daylight as they did at 3:00 o’clock in the morning, did they?
Ancient Roman philosopher Seneca said it much more eloquently…
“There are more things Lucilius, that frighten us than injure us, and we suffer more in imagination than in reality”. Seneca
Sometimes your imagination can work against you. There is a truth in the sales business that says…“The greatest antidote for fear and anxiety is activity”.
Always remember that your best defense is an offense… moving forward cures all ills! The next time you have a concern about something in your real estate sales business (either real or imagined) take action!
Put a simple plan in place for specific production targets over the next week. Decide how many appointments you need and then go out and get them. Ask a home buyer or seller to make a decision today. Take on a new objection handler and make it your own. Offense, not defense… Be More Offensive. NO Excuses.
Conclusion
Never lose sight of the fact that “90% of sales success is attributable to having a strong mindset”. Be sure to take time every day to “fill up your mental tank” so that you are always armed and ready when the inevitable challenges, rejection, and adversity show up.
You are in charge and by building up your mental toughness you will always be ready. Easier said than done but amazingly rewarding.