In the classic cult comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Sir Arthur and his knights must answer three questions each in order to pass over a bridge. It’s a study in inanity, something those Pythons do wonderfully.
Bridgekeeper: Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.
Sir Lancelot: Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I am not afraid.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your name?
Sir Lancelot: My name is Sir Lancelot of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your quest?
Sir Lancelot: To seek the Holy Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your favourite colour?
Sir Lancelot: Blue.
Bridgekeeper: Go on. Off you go.
Sir Lancelot: Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.
…
Bridgekeeper: Stop. What… is your name?
Galahad: Sir Galahad of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your quest?
Galahad: I seek the Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your favourite colour?
Galahad: Blue. No, yel…
[Galahad is thrown over the edge]
Galahad: auuuuuuuugh.
Bridgekeeper: Hee hee heh.
Does that sound familiar? How about this:
What… is your name?
What… is your price range?
What… is your favorite reason to pass on a house?
Jeff Shore wants you to move from what to why. In his new book, The 4:2 Formula: Getting Buyers Off the Fence and Into a Home, Shore pleads with readers to stop trying to get to know prospects by asking them how many bedrooms they want. Continue reading »
Change is difficult. It doesn’t matter whether it involves rolling out a new corporate initiative in a large company or trying to eat healthier for a New Year’s resolution. It’s not that the change itself is complicated. Oftentimes, it’s very simple. What’s hard is breaking out of habitual behavior.
There’s a scientific reason for that, as it turns out. As well-known business authors and academics Chip and Dan Heath point out in their book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by (Broadway Books, 2010), making conscious judgments about what to do and how to do it requires using a mental resource — the part of your brain that makes executive decisions — that is very easily depleted.
Let’s say you’ve been smoking for 20 years and want to quit. The main problem is not the fact that you enjoy smoking or the addictive properties of nicotine, according to the Heath brothers, although those could play a role. The issue is that every “touch point” you have with cigarettes is ingrained in your consciousness so that you can do it automatically and practically without effort. You pick up a pack when you go to the drugstore or supermarket. You carry it around in your pocket. You take periodic breaks from working to smoke. You light one up after meals. And all of this is done without your brain actively telling you to do it.
Conversely, giving all of that up requires the kind of mental fortitude and focus you might associate with solving quadratic equations. You may stay strong in your resistance to smoking for a few days, but there’s a very good chance you’ll backslide at some point. And it’s not because you’re weak or a bad person, a common sentiment among people who beat themselves up for falling short of goals. It’s because human beings are wired to be creatures of habit. Being completely cognizant of what you’re doing, or thinking deeply and creatively about something new, is the equivalent of running an automobile engine at high RPMs. It’s fine for quick acceleration, but you’re going to burn out your brain if you keep it in that state over an extended period of time. Continue reading »
By Erica Christoffer, Multimedia Web Producer, REALTOR® Magazine
How did the founders of Curves, Spanx, Geek Squad and Kinko’s turn a small dream into big success? With a little ingenuity and a big leap of faith. Authors, and husband and wife team, Renee and Don Martin highlight the people behind some of the nation’s most well-known multi-million dollar businesses and share how they overcame personal odds and industry challenges in their book The Risk Takers (Vanguard Press, 2010; $25.95). If you’re looking for a little entrepreneurial inspiration for your real estate business, this book is for you.
Renee Martin, community activist and former broker, chatted with REALTOR® Magazine for the Weekly Book Scan about her and her husband’s motivation for writing the book and how it can inspire real estate professionals to achieve their dreams.
You started out in real estate. How did your career path lead to writing?
MARTIN: I started out with Coldwell Banker as a broker in the San Fernando Valley where I worked for 12 years. I then started my own company, Country Manor Realty, where I specialized in high-end residential developments. But by the late 1980s, I had reached a point where I needed a new challenge. So I left my business and started attending UCLA where I received a professional designation in public relations. I then worked as a public relations spokesperson for various non-profits and community organizations. My work led me to become a court appointed special advocate (CASA). I found myself becoming an activist for women and children. Continue reading »
By Robert Freedman, REALTOR® Magazine
If the person you saw in the mirror this morning wasn’t your usual motivated go-getter self, maybe you should leave the office early today and read Play to Win (Austin, Texas: Bard Press; $24.95).
The few hours it takes to read this energetic pep talk are worth the lost office time. Written by Larry Wilson, the motivational expert who brought you The One Minute Salesperson, and his son, Hersch, the book forces you to ask yourself whether you’re “playing to win” or “playing not to lose.” If you’re merely playing not to lose, you may make it to the office every day, and you may even be a top performer, but you’re missing out on what it takes to find your success a rich experience.
Wilson bases much of the book on his experience running Pecos River Change Management, a favorite retreat for executives and salespeople looking to recharge their batteries. Mixing anecdotes from Pecos River with research from cognitive psychology, he argues that you can have a rich, full life without sacrificing your success in business.
Although Play to Win is a motivational read, don’t look to it for concrete steps to improve your business performance; for that, you ought to read The One Minute Salesperson.
By Dave Siweck, CRB, CRS®, GRI, vice president, ERA–Gem Realty, Tucson, Ariz.
1001 Ways to Reward Employees By Bob Nelson (Workman Publishing Co.) 1994. 192 pages. $9.95
Recognition makes for a happy workplace, and 1001 Ways to Reward Employees provides valuable resources you can use to implement a company recognition program. You’ll discover ideas you can take advantage of to reward both independent contractors and office staff.
With statistical data from employee surveys, the book explains the significance of recognition and shows what types of recognition most employees prefer. And even though many of the book’s ideas aren’t specific to the industry, you can easily adapt them. For instance, three guidelines for effectively recognizing and rewarding workers are
- Match the reward to the person
- Match the reward to the achievement
- Be timely and specific
There are also bulleted lists of quick reward ideas and tips. Examples of informal rewards include a note on a paycheck envelope (“Thanks for all your hard work on this one”) and a congratulatory letter from the company president.
For those who have a small or nonexistent budget for recognition, 1001 Ways offers lots of low-cost tips: a facial, a massage, a manicure, or even a round of golf. Some of the suggestions are even funny or food for thought. For instance, for somebody who likes golf, you may get a miniature golf set for the office.
The book also lists companies that provide special rewards and companies that coordinate unusual reward activities, such as pancake breakfasts at which managers serve breakfast to employees. It even offers lists of reward-travel coordinators.
This is a book you should keep as a reference for finding new and creative rewards when you think it’s time to give recognition. You may even want to give the book—as a reward, perhaps?—to your salespeople. They may find it valuable for motivating, retaining, and rewarding their personal assistants.
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