Normally I am a positive & upbeat person, but this week has not been one of my best weeks. I could have easily attended my own little pity party of one.
For the last year, I have been working on a major home development in Palm Springs. Three of 15 homes are almost done, I've been working on building a client base, and preparing all the marketing materials so we can launch the project.
My Broker has a meeting with the developer with his agenda on what needs to be accomplished on the development. The developer tells my Broker that they are pulling their contract. They will not be using our services anymore. My Broker was blind-sided out of nowhere!!! The developer is bringing in an "in-house" person to take over the project.
Needless to say, I was a little emotional when I was given "the good news". A whole year of my life I felt was wasted because of all the effort our office put into this project.
Rather than accepting the invitation to "the pity party", I decided to make this a positive. You're 
probably saying "how can you be positive when you've been sucker-punched in the gut?" The answer is I have a choice. I have a choice to be upset, which won't get me anywhere, or be focused & positive. I'm much nicer when I not acting like a crybaby.
I went back to my office the next day, and decided to go back to the basics. During this economic downturn in the real estate market, we all have had to basically change our way of thinking and doing business. So what are my basics? Here they are:
- Start Calling All Your Past Clients- Let them know you are still in the business, and ask for referrals.
- Suit Up & Show Up- Going to the office with a purpose (getting a paycheck) does wonders for your motivation.
- Open Houses- Ask the agents in your office if you can hold one of their properties open. You need to be in front of the buying public to pick up new clients.
- Advertising- Whether it's print, or preferably online media, the public needs to find out why you're the best agent in your area.
So how did the end of my week fare? One of my past clients called me yesterday, and now I am on my way to a viewing appointment for a possible new listing. The moral of my story is your success or failure is predicated on your attitude. Stay positive and have a great weekend.
Photos coutesy of Flickr
Comments(16)