By Agnes Masnik, Freelance Writer for REALTOR® Magazine
For real estate professionals, the bottom line is business. While some people become complacent in their job, others seek opportunities to create more business prospects.
To avoid complacency, think of one personal life change to focus on. It could be attending a networking event each month, brushing up on social media and technology-based marketing tools, or cracking open that book you have been meaning to read.
Making a small, imperceptible life change can be the secret to achieving your personal goal, says Darren Hardy, publisher and editorial director of SUCCESS Magazine.
In his new book, The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success (Vanguard Press; November 2011), Hardy reveals why small, consistent changes and smart choices on a daily basis can equal big rewards in the future.
With 17 years experience studying personal development and achievement, Hardy covers many of life’s bases and he helps readers explore options for creating good business habits, a healthier lifestyle, and a more fulfilling personal life. This book is not real estate specific, but it does capture the essence of Hardy’s passion for success.
Hardy got into real estate when he was 20 years old. He remembers entering an office of 44 veteran agents with thick Rolodexes full of clients. During a meeting, one of them even called him “a naive snot nosed kid.” That encounter, he says, was a turning point in his career. Three months later, he was outselling the entire office. Continue reading »
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of the book “Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust” (Wiley, 2009) by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. Looking for insight on how to build a good online reputation through social networks that helps boost your brand? This book offers answers on how a business can gain positive influence (and profit) online.
How Humans Shape the Web
Although the general public’s level of mistrust is at an all-time high, there are individuals and companies who do successfully use the Internet to establish levels of trust in the communities where they operate. In the technology sector, a person such as Robert Scoble (circa Microsoft days) stands out as someone who, by the nature of how he communicated about his formerly faceless company, developed a strong level of trust among his online community. In the United Kingdom, JP Rangaswami is managing director of BT Design for BT Group. His blog, Confused of Calcutta, is often about cricket, music, food, and many things not related to a major telecommunications company; yet, because of his stories and conversational writing tone, we trust Rangaswami and have a positive opinion about BT.
Those who are most familiar with the digital space—we refer to them as ‘‘digital natives’’—have become accustomed to a new level of transparency. They operate under the assumption that everything they do will eventually be known online. Realizing they are unable to hide anything, they choose not to try. Instead, they leverage the way the Web connects us and ties our information together to help turn transparency into an asset for doing business. Continue reading »
By Kelly Quigley, REALTOR® Magazine
Maximum Influence: The 12 Universal Laws of Power Persuasion, By Kurt W. Mortensen (AMACOM, 2004)
Buy this book from Amazon.com.
Persuasion is part of everyday life, whether or not you work in sales. It’s as simple as offering a compliment to your client to build rapport, or dressing professionally so co-workers see you’re serious about your job and treat you with respect. Most of the time, these techniques are subtle and subconscious—you may not even know you’re doing them. But by bringing them out of the subconscious and actively engaging in the 12 laws of persuasion, you can gain instant influence over others and inspire people to take action, author Kurt W. Mortensen says. He backs up each of his principles with real-life examples and scientific studies of human nature. The goal is to become what the author calls a “master persuader” by using techniques that will help you “win people to your way of thinking and will empower yourself with an unshakeable confidence.”
Tips from the Book:
- Share secrets. Everybody loves secrets. We all want to be in the know. When you share something personal or private with another person, you create an instant bond and sense of obligation and trust with them. By offering inside knowledge, you make your listener feel important and feel the need to reciprocate. Then he will begin to open up and share useful information with you.
- Be funny. Humor can be a powerful tool of persuasion. It makes the persuader seem more friendly, can help create rapport, relieves tension, and makes the message more memorable. Humor must be used cautiously, however. So be sure you have funny material. Non-funny humor is not only ineffective, but irritating. It’s also smart to modify your humor to fit your audience.
- Give praise. Praise and compliments can have a powerful effect on people. People are more likely to be persuaded to say “yes” when you make them feel good about themselves, their work, and their accomplishments. However, you must be sincere. Even the most cunning flattery is ultimately detected and discovered. Complimenting someone sincerely for something small is better than complimenting someone insincerely for something big and grand.
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