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Hey You - Put the Hammer Down Now

 Put the Hammer Down Now

The other day I had an interestingly weird conversation with a fellow broker/friend.  It started out fine, she was kind of upbeat and excited about the new year and our market improving... but it quickly took an ugly turn. After listening to her beat herself up over and over it got to be quite annoying.  I was thinking   'why are you talking about yourself so negatively and how can I get you to shift this craziness?  I made several attempts to turn the conversation around which went nowhere. She just kept going on and on about what a loser she is and how she screwed up so bad this past few years and she had many people telling her how terrible she was including her family.

 

 Hey You - Put the Hammer Down Now!

For those of you that know me, as a coach I sometimes do things in an unconventional way if there's a need to get somebody's attention. This was no exception.  I stood up and said  ok kind of spoke real loud,  Hey You - Put the Hammer Down Now! She looked at me - with surprise - and just sat there looking at me.  Ok great - I now had her attention away from the waaa waaa waaa is me mode and perhaps we could get her pointed in a direction that would work so much better for her, me and everybody else in her life. 

 

I asked her point blank - Are you hearing yourself?  Why are you beating yourself up so badly?  She didn't say much at first so I asked her another question? You can't possibly think beating yourself is going to make things better, do you?  She truly does know better - she's a very smart broker and has been highly successful for years. Sure the last few years have been tough on all of us but she sure has done her best, in my opinion.

 

I shared with her an idea a shrink friend of mine told me about many years ago. - If I remember correctly it's called neuro-linguistic programming. She said that by taking a physical action your brain is more likely to make a shift and pay attention, rather than simply telling yourself something with no action involved. I then held up my arm, pretending I had a hammer beating myself up in the head... and then put the hammer down by my side. OUCH THAT HURTS!

I suggested she try it a couple of times on the spot. She did and got the picture fast...and even added a few giggles too (yes we both probably looked quite silly) LOL. I then suggested that every time she caught herself beating herself up again to immediately take the action...and shift her train of thought and a new brain pattern would develop.  I don't know why she decided to go all ballistic on herself (which was so not deserved) and honestly I really didn't care about the details. She's a kind, caring friend and I just wanted to be a postive friend like she's been to me for years.

My guess is she'll be picking the hammer up and putting it down for a few days or so - until she doesn't need to pick it up and use it anymore.

 

Hey You - Put the Hammer Down! You deserve better!

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The Masters Series - Prospecting

Anna "Banana" Kruchten is one of the 12 Masters of Real Estate of the National Association of REALTORS®.

Anna Kruchten is an expert on using unique strategies for marketing, gaining new clients & training agents on how to build a successful real estate practice. Watch the video for tips on building your business.

 

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Do you live in the Phoenix, Arizona area?  Are you thinking about making a change in real estate companies?

Phoenix Property Shoppe is a small, family owned business that focuses on exceptional customer service. We're looking to hire a few good agents  that are positive, motivated and honest. We don't intend to be one of the BIG BOX companies but rather a Boutique Phoenix Area Real Estate Firm offering a high level of service.  If you're looking to make a change, now is a good time to consider your options.

Give Anna 'Banana' Kruchten a call at 602-380-4886 to discuss your career opportunities. 

  

Nickel and Diming Us to Death!

Are you getting nickeled and dimed to death?

 In this day and age there is nothing as a free lunch... heck a free appetizer is even unheard of... maybe a mint?  "There's nothing free in this world" may be the saying but there is something to say about getting ripped off when you don't have to be.

Because we work with just about every website provider, host and design out there I have seen just about everything. From a $25 charge for clicking a button for a client to thousands for shotty websites. What happened to customer service? Going the extra mile? Free consultation or just doing someone a favor?

It seems website providers and SEO professionals are being compared to used car salesmen more and more. And why shouldn't they? There are so many out there that scam, manipulate and rip off the general public I can see why they [we] are getting a bad rap.

I have had dozens of people say, 'just bill me for this conversation'. WHY? Don't you give free consultations to your clients? Most of you probably do. So do we. I don't charge for tips, advice or consultations, only work. And if we are doing a job for you we don't nickel and dime you all the way through. The only thing we state up front that unless there is a major project change, we won't charge for little extras; comes with the package. I tried to add a new page on a website the other day and couldn't figure it out so I called support to ask. They said it cost $99 to add 5 BLANK pages to the site. WHAT? I told the guy that sucks since there are so many that don't. (He gave them to me [the client] for free!) ;-)

Unfortunately most people that ARE NOT into web work or online marketing don't know what to pay for and what not to. Many companies use this lack of knowledge to their advantage. Something as simple as a 301 redirect on new URL's can take less than 5 minutes but some companies will charge $100 for it! It's outrageous!

Designing, custom logos, content writing, programming and coding are what really take the time. This is what you really pay for... or SHOULD really pay for.

When looking into website work, online marketing or web design here are just a few questions you should be asking:

• What exactly am I paying you for?
• What if I have questions?
• What extras do you charge for and what is included in this price?
• Can I have unlimited pages for my site?
• Do I have full access to my website? If not, why?
• Do I own all the content on my website?
• Do I own my domain?
• What if I want to change my IDX or design?
• Do I have free online or phone support?
• Do you have a contract I need to sign and why?
• If I want to move my website in the future how difficult is this?
• How much do you charge for hosting and what does it cover?
• Do you have an hourly rate or by the project?
• Do you have time frames for finishing work that I can rely on?
• Do you have references or reviews?
• Do you have examples of the type of work I would be having done?

These are just a few that come to mind. It floors me when I see what website providers charge for and how much! You sell real estate, (or staging, or home inspecting, or mortgages). You may not have time to do all the online marketing that you want to do. Hiring someone else to perform certain tasks and projects may be cost effective but make sure you are not wasting your money on details that really don't cost all that much.

 

Tammy Emineth is an expert in custom content and original articles for blogs, website, press releases and more. Contact me anytime and feel free to subscribe to this blog to stay up to date on my latest blogs and informative information. Email me or contact me for Real Estate Website Marketing and SEO Content Writing.

The information contained in this blog is believed to be true and correct and while every effort is made to assure that the information is as accurate as possible, the author of this blog, and its comments disclaim any implied warranty or representation about it's accuracy for any particular purpose. All information is copy written and the property of Tammy Emineth.  

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2012 Business & Life Plan - Let's Rock and Roll Together - Create Your Business Plan in 15 Days

2012 Business & Life Plan -   Let's Rock and Roll Together - Create Your Business Plan in 15 Days

Years ago I was taught a very effective way of making sure my life and business was balanced by using a Peace of Mind Square. I honestly don't remember who taught this but it has stuck with me for over 20 years or so.  It works well for me.  And.... I was inspired on my daily hike to share it with you!  So let's get started.....  

 

For the next 3 weeks I am going to enhance goal planning for 2012 piece by piece
until the plan is complete and  it's ready to take form and action on January 1, 2012.

I highly suggest that if you don't have a formal plan that you're using already to take action now! We'll take it day by day and by January 1, 2012 you'll have your plan in place.  It's pretty simple to use and can be adjusted easily throughout the year.  So stop what you're doing at the end of this post, take out a notebook or create a file online and start with Day 1 of your Business and Life Plan for 2012. Every day you'll have some homework to complete that may or may not take a lot of time. Keep it simple!

Simply begin by jotting down your thoughts and ideas. Play with them until they feel right to you and you've got some passion and excitement behind them. If it doesn't feel good - guess what - it probably will fall flat. You've got to enjoy and be excited about whatever it is you're wanting to create in your business and life. Just because somebody else says - oh you must do this or you must do that - doesn't mean it's right for you. Listen to yourself -  and I mean really listen to yourself.

Be true to yourself -Listen to What really speaks to You

 

Each week will have 5 segments. The 1st week will cover Spiritual, Physical and Social Goals, which by the way are very important to creating a highly successful business.  The 2nd and 3rd week will be devoted to business plans. Some days may have more than one goal, other days may only consist of one goal with sub-goals. The point is to really think about what works for you. Everybody's plan may look different - so don't worry about it being right or wrong. That's just bogus.

 

One of the really cool things I discovered about using this Business & Life Plan is that when you're out of balance in any one area it will show up quickly - which will give you an opportunity to shift and get back in balance.  If you're spending way to much time in one segment and ignoring the others - that's a clear sign of being off track. And hey, that's ok.  All you need to do is get back on track asap.  Got it?  Nothing is rigid with this Business and Life plan. This Business and Life Plan is a flowing work in progress all year long.

Business & Life Planning for 2012 can be fun and enjoyable!

 

Your Homework - pull out a journal or create an online file. Jot down a few thoughts and feelings about what you'd like to create in 2012.  Get ready on Day 2 to write out your Spiritual Goals. Keep in mind that 'spiritual' means different things to everybody.  The main point is....just get started today!

 

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It's all possible if you BELIEVE!

 

 

 

 

January Happenings in Atlanta

Day 1 of our New Year

Happy New Year 2012

Merry Christmas to my Active Rain Friends