I have been in this business for seventeen years and am pleased to report that I am still learning something new almost every day. Here is a great example.
Not long ago, I learned of a three-letter word that often finds its way into real estate deals like a termite, leaving them weak, hollow, and headed for ruin. That’s a lot of damage for such a small word.
I got the scoop on this dirty word from my business partner, Bob Corcoran. He was running one of his big buying agent training camps in St. Louis, Missouri, where almost anything goes except this one word: try.
Bob hates him with a passion. Me? He had never given the little boy a second thought. When someone uses it, he hits Bob like a hard punch to the nose. Most people don’t even notice it. Bob never misses it. For him it is unacceptable. I had to know why, so I asked him.
“It’s just an excuse, an expression that keeps people from really engaging,” says Bob. “So when you ask an agent to prospect three hours a day and she says, ‘I’ll try,’ she gives you wiggle room. I want to hear her say, ‘I will.'”
This ties directly into another thing Bob says: “The day you really commit, your whole world changes.”
The word try prevents you from fully and truly committing. Now I am a believer. No more t#* in my vocabulary.
And it’s making a difference. It’s even working in my family. When my 9-year-old son walks out onto the soccer field, I give him a high five and say, “Do your best!” I say the same thing when my daughter has a spelling test at school. And the t-word is out of reach for my coaching clients.
The results are amazing. The numbers are up and the talk is down.
So this is your chance to get on board the ship without t#*. Commit to these five actions today:
1. Aim for a minimum of three hours a day – This task will do more to eliminate the peaks and valleys in your business than any other single action.
2. Keep in touch with your past clients and your sphere of influence every month: start action plans, make calls, go out to lunch. Focus on your most important resource.
3. Follow up with every lead, even if they’re not ready to buy or sell today. I don’t know why this is so difficult, but you have to understand every potential customer, whether they’re going to transact today or six years from now. months, it has the same value.
4. Spend 30 minutes planning your day: Focus on your most important tasks first, prioritize ruthlessly, and then execute on them.
5. Plan your day accurately: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Accurate planning will ensure that you execute your strategy and make progress every day that will allow you to achieve your goals.
Oh yeah. Are you wondering what that seven-letter word is in the title of my article? The one that kills the t-word?
Success.
Stop trying, start committing, and enjoy your own success in 2014 and beyond!
Let me know about you. What do you think about the word “try” now? Does this make sense to you? Do you realize the power you gain when you commit without the false safety net of trying underneath you? Are you willing to adopt this even for a day just to try? What’s stopping you?