Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
Are you a “lifter” or a “leaner”?
Author John Maxwell, one of my favorites in the area of leadership, talks about there being two kinds of people in life – Lifters and Leaners. Lifters are those who people who are always cheerful , supportive and seek ways to “lift” people around them, helping them reach their goals or achieve some form of success. Leaners are those that spend most of their time dragging people down with pessimistic attitudes and negative, almost toxic, positions. Their constant “leaning” on you keeps you from being able to stand up tall.
Please Don’t “Lean on Me”
Have you ever been told “you’re doing it wrong“?
How about someone telling you “that doesn’t work“?
Especially as a newer sales associates in the world of real estate, you will have plenty of “experts” (or some might call them critics) try to give you advice on how to be successful. Sometimes though, it’s less about advice that might lift your spirits, it’s in the form of warnings or threats that will only serve to hold you back.
They will discourage you from calling For Sale By Owners or sellers who have had their listing expire with another Realtor. You’ll be told you are wasting your time holding open houses and that direct mail is a think of the past.
“Social media won’t work”
“You need to use a different lender, title company or home inspector.”
“Coaching won’t work!”
“No one in our market is going to pay a new agent a full commission so you might as well just reduce it up front.”
“I’ll get you, my pretty….and your little dog too!”
Wait, never mind. That last one is from The Wizard of Oz but you get my point, right?
If you let people lean on you too much, you’ll be seeking chiropractic help before your first closing.
If everyone is a critic, then no one is a critic.
This past week, another one of my favorite authors, bloggers and thinkers of our generation, Seth Godin, wrote a powerful blog post that I encourage you to read. You can find it on Seth’s blog or by clicking here.
It’s called “The Critic Stumbles.”
“Do mainstream critics exist to tell us what to like, to warn us off from the not-so-good, or are they there to punish those that would dare to make a piece of work that doesn’t match the critic’s view of the world?”
The funny thing is, if you stop to look at the credentials of most of the critics in our industry, they aren’t the ones doing most of the business in your office or market place. Most of the busy, successful agents don’t have time to tell you that you’re doing it wrong because they’re too focused on their current business and following the systems they have created to generate new business. These top agents are happy to lead by example and quite often will lend a little encouragement or answer some questions from those who they see putting in the effort and discipline that they did when they were in your shoes.
“I’m far more moved by the insistent recommendation of a credible, raving fan than I am the snide whispering of some people who just didn’t get it.”
You know what you need to do today, tomorrow and the next day. Trust the guidance and advice you have received to this point in your career from teachers, instructors, coaches and mentors. Follow the pathway that was mapped out for you.
You’re the star of a one-man play and the only “critic” you need to be listening to is the repeat and referral business you generate from your clients and the results you’re getting (or not getting) from your daily efforts.
Start by building relationships, solving problems and having fun.
If you do those three things every day, over and over, it’ll be hard to have anything short of “rave reviews.”
Photo Credit: Derek Gavey via Creative Commons