"It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game."

You’ve heard this platitude many times in your life — from a parent, teacher, coach, or friend. But, in the real world, how many times are you measured by your methods and not your results?

Failure is inevitable. No one wants to lose or fail, but it happens. In spite of the countless Baby Boomer parents who drove home self-esteem by pushing the "Everybody Wins" approach, ultimately, everyone succeeds at failing somewhere in their lives.

Look at professional baseball. A good hitter in the major league has a batting average of .300 or higher. That means he hits the ball 30% of the time. But this statistic also means the "slugger" fails to get on base for a whopping 70% of their at-bats. If you couldn’t deliver results on 70% of your attempts, would you be considered a high-powered professional? I doubt it.

While it’s great to drive home the "how you play the game" belief to children, at some point, they will have to accept that, with every winner, there is a loser. Once you grow past adolescence and into your profession, there is a scorecard on you, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. Success is not defined by simply trying. In fact, accepting the "how you play the game" methodology sets you up for failure because you give yourself permission to ignore the outcome.

The most successful home sales professionals I have seen are those who swing for the bleachers every time, putting their full force behind every sales effort with the goal of scoring the big one. Doing anything less than your best — out of laziness, fear, or procrastination — is an immediate strike-out.

Posted In: New Home Sales, New Home Sales Training, New home sales marketing

I recently presented a seminar to a group of new homes salespeople. During the question-answer session, one participant asked me, "My business is off by 30 percent in my models. What can I do?"

To me, the answer was obvious. "Become 30 percent better."

The operative word here is "become.” We are living in an unpleasant present so we have to move beyond that and "become.” Become more creative. Become more assertive. Become better salespeople.

You know what they say about bad dogs? There are no bad dogs, only bad dog owners. The same holds true for the housing market. Personally, I don’t believe in "bad" markets. The truth is, there is no such thing as a bad market; there are merely bad responses to the challenges you’ve been given. The market has changed so your response needs to adapt. If you’re struggling, it’s because you’re mired in the past—inflexible and uncreative.

Here’s your opportunity. You can complain about the bleak future of selling those homes or you can work harder and smarter to find the buyers that fit the market you’re in. Complaining locks you in one place: the past. Ninety-nine percent of what we complain about is in the past. But you’re trying to change your future. How can you get to a brighter future when your feet are stuck in concrete blocks?

Focus on the outcomes that you can affect, not the situation that is crippling your business acumen. Unleash your creativity—not your bad dog.

Myers

Posted In: Marketing, New Home Sales, New Home Sales Management Training, New Home Sales Training, New home sales marketing, Real estate courses, new home sales management