Success is an elusive concept to many people. It has as many different definitions as there are people on earth. To truly achieve success one has to create their own vision of exactly what it is they want and desire. Too often we buy into someone else’s success plan. We look at someone who has the outward appearance of success but the truth is we never know the real facts. We see the money, power, big house, fancy car, etc without looking at the path they travel. We do not look at the other areas of their life to really determine their true level of success.

The vision of the perceived monetary success clouds our evaluation process. Their monetary success may be built on sinking sand rather than bedrock. The sinking sand could be a great lack in any of these areas of their life; mental, physical, spiritual, and family. In the Bible in Matthew 7:26 it clearly states: But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat up against that house, and it fell with a great crash. The truth is the wind, rain, and rising rivers in life will come. You cannot prevent their coming. You can only be prepared for their coming. A successful person understands this clearly. They work diligently to create a successful life in all areas. You will not be able to avoid life’s tragedies. You will lose a loved one, friend, child, or parent. You will have financial struggles. You will experience health problems of some kind. It is not how you avoid them, it is how you prepare for them and deal with the curve balls of life.

Is success achieved by trading your family for money? Is success achieved by trading your health for dollars? True and lasting success is accomplished by creating balance in all areas of life and adding wealth to all these accounts on a daily basis. You must add wealth to each an every area of life daily. To not transfer success to some far off goal in the future when you get to a particular place in your life or acquire something. The truth is when you get to that particular place or acquire that item, success will have moved on. Success is living today with all the zeal, gusto, and zest that you can pack into a 24-hour period of life we have today. Success is clearly not a destination but a daily journey we undertake every day. Success is found through focusing on the value of each day we are blessed with and to soak up all that life has to offer today.

“If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000-that carried over no balance from day to day-and allowed you to keep no cash in your account… and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day-what would you do? Draw out every cent, of course! Well, you do have such a bank, its name is ‘time.’ Every morning it credits you with 86,000 seconds…every night it rules off as lost whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purposes. It carries over no balance…it allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account for you. If you fail to use the day’s deposit, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow. You must live in the present-on today’s deposit.”

Using up your whole day will lead you to success in life. Wringing every moment of passion, happiness, sadness, success, failure, and love out of your every day will create a beautiful tapestry of life. Do not waste today for anyone or anything. The truth is we do not really know if we will be here tomorrow. If you had only six months to live, how would you live today? The truth is you or I may only have that long to live and we just do not know it yet.

Let me share with you the seven steps to success.

Step one: You must first decide what you want. The truth is we can have anything we desire in life. Earl Nightingale said that if man only knew that he could have anything he wanted he would set more goals. The truth is if we set more goals we would achieve more things in life. If your vision is clear, you are assured that you will get there. The problem is we do not have a clear vision and set enough goals. We do not take the time to create the vision.

Step two: Your goals must be written. Success begins when you grab the pen and paper and think and work to craft your ideal life. Successful people think on paper before they act. You must take the time to write your success plan on paper and your goals down on paper. Only 3% of our population does so. Guess what those 3% have, live in, drive, wear, and eat? It is not by accident what they achieve. It is by design.

If you cannot write your vision with clarity on paper you certainly will not be clear mentally to achieve it. By writing your vision clearly you will pull your mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional powers in alignment to achieve your vision and goals. Your mind, your body, and your subconscious mind will all work like a tug-o-war team pulling on the rope of life. With those three powerful forces pulling in concert, it does not matter how many or how strong the opponent is on the other end of the rope. They will most assuredly be pulled across the centerline for your victory.

Step three: Create a time frame for your goal or vision. Set a target for when you will accomplish it. You have to get your mind in motion to achieve it by a certain time. Without a timeline, you have no goal, you only have a wish. Wishes will only cause frustration. You cannot control or exert force on a wish to create into reality. If you do not achieve the goal or vision in the time frame, just set another one to shoot for. There are no unrealistic goals, there are only unrealistic time frames.

Step four: Achieving your vision or goal will take a series of activities. Create a list of the series of activities you must do for you to achieve your vision or your goal. As your motivation increases, the better you can clearly write out this series of activities. People will often not take the time to create the list. This can dramatically reduce your speed at which you achieve your vision or goal. Planning a vision or goal completely through to create small bite size pieces makes it easier to digest. If you cooked a 20-pound turkey dinner with potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, rolls, and gravy; you could not eat it whole or at one time. You could eat it over time and by breaking it up into bite size pieces. Now if you invited a “team of friends” to help you, you could polish off the whole turkey dinner in one setting by each of you taking bite size pieces. Successful people evaluate the situation and elicit help and create a plan to lighten the load on all. They then have everyone dive in and begin accomplishing things in bite size pieces.

Step five: Re-check the series of activities to insure they are in the proper order. Organize this into a comprehensive step-by-step plan to achieve the vision or the goal. You need to start with the important and move to the least important. Do not delay, begin the most important item today. Do not move on to another item till you complete the most important item first. There is an order to all activities and tasks. Spend the time planning to create it.

Step six: Do not allow procrastination to set in. You can always make an excuse to put it off till later. Do not fall to that temptation. The key is to start the momentum today. A primary law of physics is a body in motion will tend to stay in motion. Do not delay getting your body in motion.

Step seven: Keep the body in motion daily. Do not neglect to do something daily that moves you closer to your vision or your goal. Constantly ask yourself is this activity I am doing now moving me closer to or further away from my goal?

Once you are moving forward, your vision or goal can stay in motion with a smaller amount of effort. The greatest exertion of force comes in the beginning trying to get the vision or goal moving. Do not stop and start. Keep constant pressure applied to your direction.

If you apply these seven steps to your real estate business you can accomplish any amount of sales you choose to do. The truth in life is you are the one who does the choosing. The market, competition, and interest rates do not effect your choice or outcome. You are the one that does the choosing, so choose wisely.

March saw another increase in pending home sales, with contract activity rising unevenly in six of the past nine months, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 5.1 percent to 94.1 in March from a downwardly revised 89.5 in February. The index is 11.4 percent below 106.2 in March 2010; however, activity was at elevated levels in March and April of 2010 to meet the contract deadline for the home buyer tax credit.

The data reflects contracts but not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said home sales activity has shown an uneven but notable improvement. “Since reaching a cyclical bottom last June, pending home sales have posted an overall gain of 24 percent and demonstrate the market is recovering on its own,” he said. “The index means modest near-term gains in existing-home sales are likely, which would be even stronger if tight mortgage lending criteria returned to normal, safe standards.”

The PHSI in the Northeast fell 3.2 percent to 63.4 in March and is 18.4 percent below March 2010. In the Midwest the index rose 3.0 percent in March to 83.5 but is 16.6 percent below a year ago. Pending home sales in the South jumped 10.3 percent to an index of 110.2 but are 10.5 percent below March 2010. In the West the index increased 3.1 percent to 103.7 but is 4.1 percent below a year ago.

“Based on the current uptrend with very favorable affordability conditions, rising apartment rents and ongoing job creation, existing-home sales should rise around 5 to 10 percent this year with sales growth of lower priced homes likely to outperform high-end homes. That means the price trend will reflect more homes sold in the lower price ranges,” Yun said.

“The good news is that recent home buyers are staying well within budget, leading to exceptionally low loan default rates among home buyers over the past two years,” Yun added.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

*The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.

The index is based on a large national sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactions for existing-home sales. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months.

An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined as well as the first of five consecutive record years for existing-home sales; it coincides with a level that is historically healthy.

NOTE: First quarter metro area home prices and state existing-home sales will be published May 10. Existing-home sales for April will be reported May 19 and the next Pending Home Sales Index will be released May 27; all release times are 10:00 a.m. EDT.

Information about NAR is available at www.realtor.org. This and other news releases are posted in the News Media section. Statistical data, tables and surveys also may be found by clicking on Research.

That is more good news to start off our week! The market is busy – make it happen! ~ Susan

Welcome to this edition of My Monday Message….. I hope all of you had a fantastic weekend filled with fun and relaxation. I know that this time of year is both joyous and stressful all at the same time. It reminds me that we need to remember what is important to us and what we truly care about. Take time this week to remember why it is you do what you do. Take time this week to be happy for all that you have and all that you have accomplished. Take time this week to plan your future and make sure to include the most important things first and foremost. Although it is hard, all of us have more to do than just get through the day. Enjoy and truly make the most out of each and every day.

ENCOURAGEMENT CORNER…

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

“Oh, that’s my trouble tree,” he replied.” I know I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one thing’s for sure, troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”

He paused. “Funny thing is,” he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick ‘em up, there ain’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”

WORDS TO LIVE BY…

There is only one way… to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it.
Dale Carnegie

The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves.
Mike Ditka

Make sure you visualize what you really want, not what someone else wants for you.
Jerry Gillies

Some of us are like wheelbarrows, only useful when pushed and easily upset.
Jack Herbert

What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
Sir John Lubbock

You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do!
Bob Richards

Why did I want to win? because I didn’t want to lose!
Max Schmeling

The greatest inspiration is often born of desperation.
Comer Cotrell

LET’S MAKE THIS THE BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR!!!
SKJ

Welcome to this edition of My Monday Message….I hope each and every one of you had a fantastic weekend filled with fun and relaxation. As we prepare for the busy holiday season, we must also remember to prepare for the upcoming New Year. We must review what we have done and decide what worked. We must set new goals and plan a strategy for success. We must decide for ourselves what success means and then work hard towards achieving it. As all of us know, we cannot control or change those around us. We cannot control or change the economy. We cannot control or change our past. We absolutely, 100%, without a doubt can control and change what we individually do today and that will be all that matters if we control and change the future. Let us start to control and change today.

ENCOURAGEMENT CORNER…

On the best sunny day, the most powerful magnifying glass will not light paper if you keep moving the glass. But if you focus and hold it, the paper will light up. That is the power of concentration.

A man was traveling and stopped at an intersection. He asked an elderly man, “Where does this road take me?” The elderly person asked, “Where do you want to go?” The man replied, “I don’t know.” The elderly person said, “Then take any road. What difference does it make?”

How true. When we don’t know where we are going, any road will take us there.

Suppose you have all the eleven football players, enthusiastically ready to play the game, all charged up, and then someone took the goal post away. What would happen to the game? There is nothing left. How do you keep score? How do you know you have arrived?

Enthusiasm without direction is like wildfire and leads to frustration. Goals give a sense of direction. Would you sit in a train or a plane without knowing where it was going? The obvious answer is no. Then why do people go through life without having any goals?

WORDS TO LIVE BY…

People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.
Earl Nightingale

Failure is success if we learn from it.
Malcolm Forbes

The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.
Dale Carnegie

You can do anything you wish to do, have anything you wish to have, be anything you wish to be.
Robert Collier

Success doesn’t come to you. You go to it.
Marva Collins

Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you have lost.
Robert H. Schuller

I buy when other people are selling.
J. Paul Getty

Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.
H. L. Hungt

It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect It’s successful outcome.
William James

No one can make you jealous, angry, vengeful, or greedy – unless you let them.
Napoleon Hill

LET’S MAKE THIS THE BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR!!!

Welcome to this edition of My Monday Morning Message…..I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend filled with fun and relaxation. We all face challenges each and every day, but there is only one question that really matters. What will you do about them? You are in total control over your life because you get to choose what it is you will do each day and all day. As these challenges sneak up on you, take them head on and make a decision as to the best way to proceed. The best thing about making a decision is that if you don’t like the outcome you can always make another one. Let’s face our challenges this week head on and start to solve them or start moving in the right direction. Take one at a time and get it done. Do not get overwhelmed by the amount or enormity of your challenges for all of them can be handled and you just need to find your way to do it. Let us find our ways and let us get it done.

ENCOURAGEMENT CORNER…

If You Were…

If you were busy being kind,
Before you knew it you would find
You’d soon forget to think ’twas true
That someone was unkind to you.

If you were busy being glad
And cheering people who seem sad,
Although your heart might ache a bit,
You’d soon forget to notice it.

If you were busy being good,
And doing just the best you could,
You’d not have time to blame some man
Who’s doing just the best he can.

If you were busy being true
To what you know you ought to do,
You’d be so busy you’d forget
The blunders of the folks you’ve met.

If you were busy being right,
You’d find yourself too busy quite
To criticize your brother long,
Because he’s busy being wrong.

WORDS TO LIVE BY…

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. -John Wooden

The wise man does at once what the fool does finally. -Baltasar Gracian

The words printed here are concepts. You must go through the experiences. -Carl Frederick

Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen. -Peter Marshall

Accept everything about yourself – I mean everything, You are you and that is the beginning and the end – no apologies, no regrets. -Clark Moustakas

When an affliction happens to you, you either let it defeat you, or you defeat it… -Rosalind Russell

High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation. -Jack Kinder

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other. -Douglas Everett

LET’S MAKE THIS THE BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR!!!

Good Afternoon: So, we made it to the weekend! I know you are probably spending time this month working on your business plan and preparing your list of resolutions for the New Year. I’ve been working on my New Years resolution list and the number one thing I have committed to is changing the world! Think about how empowering it is that each and every one of us has the ability to change the world forever. If we have the power to change the world then what can’t we accomplish? The sky is the limit for what we can achieve when we realize how simple it is to change the world. What will your resolution list look like for 2011? Start working on your list now so that your list is well planned and thoughtful. Would you like to change the world with me? If you are not sure how to go about it, below you will find a great article I found online. I hope you find inspiration in this piece as I did.

How You Can Change the World

Change Yourself

The very first thing that has to be changed before you can truly change the world for the better is: yourself. Most people view the world live from a perspective of “I don’t have enough to be happy, so I need more”. Many of the richest among us still wake up every day thinking, “What can I do to get more for myself?”. What they don’t realize is that the key to happiness is not in having more, but in being happy with less.

Once you decide you are happy with what you already have, an entire new world will open up to you. Instead of wanting more you’ll want to give more.

Giving more instead of wanting more is a powerful message to yourself and your subconscious, it’s a way of saying to yourself: “I am happy now”.

All of the world’s religions stress the importance of living life with a generous heart:

From the Buddha

“If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.”

Arab Proverb
“If you have much, give of your wealth; If you have little, give of your heart.”

Hindu Proverb
“They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing.”
For a more in depth discussion on this topic see our blog entry: Change Your Mindset, Change the World

Give Away Some of Your Stuff

Giving away things that you don’t want or need is one of the easiest way to help. Do you have any children’s books from when you were little or when your son or daughter was little? If you don’t use them, why not give them to children in need instead of letting them collect dust in your attic. Perhaps you have clothes that you don’t wear anymore because you outgrew them, or they’re just not your style? Go out to your garage or attic or closet, and find everything you haven’t used in the last year – then give it all away.

Giving them to places like The Salvation Army or Goodwill are excellent ways to make a difference. It’s the little things that matter, and it’s so easy to change the life of someone in the world.

Donate Money

There are hundreds of organizations out there doing their part to save the environment, end world hunger, bring education to those who have none, and change their community for the better. Whether you give money to these organizations, or participate in a “click to donate” site, even donating the equivalent of one fast food restaurant visit per week will make a difference.

Two great websites for donating to charity are Just Give and Charity Navigator .

Volunteer

If you have a weekend or a day during the week you could spare to help a cause, volunteering at your local food bank, shelter, or community center can play a huge part in fighting the problems in the world. If you feel especially giving, you could travel across the world with an organization and volunteer there! If both of those methods are out of reach for you, virtual volunteering on the internet is another great way to change the world from home, taking minimal effort and time, allowing you to spend just a few minutes at your leisure to make a difference!

Change Your Spending Habits

It’s been said that capitalism is in essence a voting system. What you spend your money on is what you vote to have more of. Spending your money in Walmart is a vote for more Walmarts. At the same time, spending your money on organic milk is a vote for more organically grown milk. Keep this in mind when you shop. Choosing to spend your money on greener products and using services like Dreamer is a vote for more earth-friendly products and services!

Drive Less & Bike More

It’s a hard concept for many Americans to grasp, especially with how dependant we are on our personal transportation to get us wherever, whenever we need. While it’s almost impossible to live in most cities and not own a car, this doesn’t mean that you have to drive everywhere.

Instead of driving, why not ride a bike when the opportunity allows? For local errands try biking instead of taking your car. Sure it may take a bit longer, but you’ll also get your doctor recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise with ease.

If you’re fortunate enough to live close to work or to school, why not take a bike instead? With biking, you get exercise, increase your level of health, reduce fuel costs, and parking is always a lot easier!

Drink Less Bottled Water.

Bottled water is not eco-friendly, no matter how green the label is on your plastic water bottle. It takes oil to manufacture the plastic that’s used for the bottle – not to mention how many empty bottles end up in a landfill or out in the ocean somewhere. The best alternative to this is to use a heavy plastic or eco-friendly bottle and filling it with tap water.

If you live in the USA, or any other major city and first world country, the tap water has no health risks what so ever and is highly accessible. There are also new studies from Iowa State University which show drinking bottled water can be hazardous to your health! Do yourself and the world a favor, make a change and drink tap water from home or from any faucet available. And if there is something about the tap water you don’t like, buy a filter!

Waste Less & Recycle More

Most of our lives revolve around a disposable living. Packaging, batteries, paper towels, and more are all made to be used once, then tossed away as trash. Try consuming less in your daily life, or make it a point to recycle everything you can recycle – this will make a huge impact!

Also, if your workplace doesn’t have a recycling program, don’t complain about it or use it as an excuse not to recycle… start one!

Inspire Others

Spreading the word about any of these issues and doing anything to help at the same time is a great way to change other peoples’ thoughts on the struggles of the world. It’s as simple as telling your friends and family the difference you’re making or the steps you’re taking to help. With each new seed of influence planted in a person’s head, the more likely that person is to one day take action themselves.

You may not see results immediately but keep at it – stay positive, and stay happy, and stick to your beliefs – Over time, people will begin to see the kind of joy you live your life with and they’ll want to be like you. Your efforts will have an impact even with people you never thought you could persuade!

Start a Non-Profit

Starting a non-profit isn’t easy. In fact it’s one of the hardest things you may ever do. At the same time it may be the most rewarding. Starting a non-profit is just like starting any other business, you need a unique and inspiring idea, a business plan, and the will to carry on for months and even years with no reward. Most people begin by choosing a cause that is near and dear to their hearts. The next, and probably the most difficult step is fundraising. After that comes the fun part, spending the money you’ve raised on the cause that you love.

For more information see: How to start a non-profit

Ideas and People that are Changing the World
Below is a list of just a few of the people and ideas that are changing the world. Some of these ideas and people you may have heard about, while others are virtually unknown, but each of these men, women, and ideas need to be recognized for their inspiring achievements. If you have an idea or a person you’d like to see recognized, please contact us.

Geoffrey Coates & The New Plastic
Since the 1960s, we have seen very little change in the manufacturing of plastic. Almost all plastics are made from crude oil, and are not biodegradable. Billions of pounds of plastic pollute the natural world – from landfills to the giant trash island floating in the pacific.

Chemist Geoffrey Coates, however, is reinventing plastic by making it environmentally friendly and biodegradable. Using orange peels, the limonene – a citrusy-smelling chemical – can be mixed with carbon dioxide and a catalyst to be turned into a number of plastics. From saran wrap to medical packaging, more uses are being found for this eco-plastic. The problem is the cost to produce this plastic is currently more expensive, but as production scales up, they are finding cheaper and simpler solutions to making it. Soon you may find a change mainstream consumer products around the world such as food containers made out of orange peels.

One Laptop Per Child
All around the world, more than a billion children don’t have access to adequate education. The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation aims to provide every child in the developing world with one of its XO Laptops in hopes of eliminating illiteracy and eventually, poverty, through education. The laptop itself is $100 and uses an energy efficient, ecologically friendly design with a user interface made specifically for children. The OLPC Foundation has been helping children all over the world, and is bringing us one giant step closer to changing many of the educational limitations seen around the world.

Katie Alcott & Frank Water
Katie Alcott is the founder of Frank Water . In 2005, Alcott contracted dysentery after drinking unclean water on her visit to India. When she made her way back to the UK, she put together the idea of selling bottled water and using the profits to fund clean water facilities for villages in need. This was 5 years ago. Now, Frank Water has grown exponentially to become a non-profit enterprise which to this day gives 100% of its profits to the cause.

Katie Alcott is a fine example of how a simple idea can change the world. Her dedication to providing clean water for the less fortunate is saving thousands of lives every day.

Solar Power Financing
We all know this idea, but there is more to it than meets the eye. The problem in the past was that solar panels were a much more expensive up-front cost, causing a massive divide between who could and couldn’t afford installing them. There is a new way to own the panels for yourself: get the panels up-front for free, and pay for the power as you go.

Companies are adopting this plan as it makes owning solar panels more accessible to homeowners everywhere. The way most of the companies work is by taking the average monthly cost of your electricity over a span of twelve months, and they charge you per-month based on that amount. However, you are free to use as much electricity as you would like from that point on. This offers a way to change the world and even reduce your carbon footprint immensely while not changing your lifestyle or habits.

Wangari Maathai & The Green Belt Movement
A Kenyan resident, Maathai spent decades campaigning for environmental issues in Kenya. She started the Green Belt Movement with a goal to provide her kin with food and firewood. She is also known for promoting democracy in Kenya, and in 2004, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts. In June 2009, Maathai was named one of PeaceByPeace.com’s first peace heroes.

Wangari Maathai shows us that no matter where you come from, or how much money you have, you can change the world with just an idea and a will to make a difference.

Craig Kielburger & Free the Children
At the age of 12, Kielburger started devoting time and effort into making the problems of child labor in countries like Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, Ecuador, Sierra Leone, and China. He started a children’s charity, Free the Children in 1995, and travelled around the world advocating children’s rights. In recent years, he has turned his focus from child labor to children’s education. In 2008, Free the Children celebrated the construction of its 500th school, a massive achievement.

Craig is a shining example of someone who has cared enough to dedicate their life to helping those in need, changing the future of the children around the world.

Mel Young & The Homeless World Cup
Founder of the Homeless World Cup , Young started a revolution by inspiring the homeless around the world through a common interest: football. In 2003, the Homeless World Cup had reached international success, and inspiring people everywhere. Mel has touched many lives, and given hope to those who needed it the most.

Around 70 to 80 percent of the players made a change in their lives, being motivated by the experience to find jobs and get into houses. This isn’t just a temporary solution, this is a change in peoples’ mindset to do better in their lives and make a difference in the world.

Happy Black Friday!
SKJ

We are thankful for Denise ~ Been with us from the start! Our Buffini mentor ~ she has the biggest heart!

We are thankful for Ron ~ Perseverance and hard work help him close a deal –and he makes delicious turkey for our Christmas meal!

We are thankful for Shan ~ our travelling realtor! Across states she flits about ~ but at the end of the day she loves a tall Guinness stout!

We are thankful for Karry ~ so kind and oh so sweet! But then she makes a comment that will knock you off your feet!

We are thankful for Doreen ~ We know she loves her wine….but a more loyal friend and agent would be difficult to find!!!

We are thankful for Chris ~ multi-tasking is his call: Dad, Realtor and DJ – he manages to do it all!!

We are thankful for Lisa ~ the youngest of our crew – funny, energetic and no limit to what she’ll do!!

We are thankful for Sheeb ~ She is working towards that first sale – passing out her cards while she is working at the jail!

We are thankful for Anthony ~ although moving to our office is his latest endeavor, he makes you feel like you’ve known him forever!!

We are thankful for Lisa B ~ in real estate she is just starting out – although she is going to do great – we have no doubt!

We are thankful for Nathan and Anne ~ we all appreciate all you do – how would this office run without the both of you???!!!

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR RE/MAX FAMILY!
HOPE YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

Love, Sheila & Susan

Good Afternoon: Creating raving fans is the name of the game in our business. Agents with the innate ability to turn potential leads into loyal followers are able to create a lifetime of business referrals. Beware, it is not as easy as it seems. Sometimes there are people you just can’t please. What is important to realize is that an unhappy client can create an opportunity for you to show them what you are made of. It is your chance to solidify a relationship that will last for years to come. So, what does it take to create raving fans? The article below is the best I’ve read on the subject. I hope you enjoy it as much I have. Have a great weekend and keep up the great work in your business!

Seven Service Principles Guaranteed to Create Raving Fans

“There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” – Sam Walton

Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart lived a life which displayed everything he believed in. Over the years, especially since Wal-Mart became a publicly traded company on the stock market, Sam’s vision and philosophy have slowly been forgotten. Although Wal-Mart may not offer the greatest customer service today, Sam’s words on the importance of customers to any business are timeless.

If business was to be compared to a car, customers would be the fuel. No fuel and the car cannot go anywhere. No customers and the business cannot go anywhere.

All businesses have some kind of customers. The philosophy behind the content in this article is just as applicable to personal relationships as it is to customer service in business. Although we are conditioned to believe our personal relationships are different from business relationships, in the end it is all the same; how you deal with people. Whether it is in your personal life or business, the principles shared in this article will benefit anyone who is willing to apply them in their situation.

Some have other businesses as customers, other have the general public as their customers. There are also internal customers and external customers. Internal customers are employees and external customers are those who your employees deal with. Keep your internal customers happy and they will naturally be compelled to do everything they can to keep your external customers happy.

This article deals with external customers and seven proven customer service principles which are guaranteed to create raving fans. Raving fans are customers who are so enthusiastic about doing business with your company that they become walking, talking billboards advertising and raving about your products and services to anyone in need of them.
The essence of creating raving fans out of your customers lies in going back to the basics. That’s right, simple strategies which are timeless and guaranteed to create astonishing results.

Also, it is crucial to realize that all successful businesses offer massive value to their customers. Creating products and services which efficiently and innovatively solve problems adds tremendous value to a person or business. This same value is what gets turned into an equivalent amount of profit.

Here are seven proven customer service principles guaranteed to turn the customers you have now and those to come in the time ahead into raving fans. This will naturally create an upward spiral of growth for your business since these very customers will happily share their great experience with your organization with countless others.

Keeping your word is where it all begins

When you say you were going to do something, customers expect you will do it. Since it is the norm for companies to make promises and not keep them, any business which is adamant about keeping their commitments to their customers is warranted to stand apart from the herd. So next time you are telling one of your customers you will do something, make sure that you do it no matter what happens.

Keeping your word with the customers allows them to be able to trust you. Trust is the essential ingredient to any successful long term personal or professional relationship. It is the foundation upon which everything else is built upon. Not just in business, but in general in relationships in life.

Always be honest and tell it like it Is

Your customers are people just like yourself and have more common sense than most businesses are willing to admit. By being honest and telling your customers the truth, you are much more likely to get a positive response to any situation. Given the current technological dynamics of our existence, a customer or client can very easily interact with others and get to the bottom line quickly.

The Internet is and has been changing the way business is conducted around the world. If you say your pricing is the cheapest and customer service the best, it is only a matter of minutes before this can be verified by interacting with others in a global economy. A prospect can do five minutes of research on Google and find out if you are telling the truth or just blowing smoke.

Always think proactively, looking around the corner

Everything in life is a dual creation. What that means is first we create any idea, service, or product in our mind. Once that is done, we then create its physical manifestation in the physical world. Thus it is totally accurate to say that if we wish to change our physical reality, we must first change our mental reality.

Thinking proactively when it comes to customer service boils down to addressing concerns PRIOR to you having to hear from the customer that something needs to be done. A simple example is an Internet Service Provider informing their clients that a necessary upgrade to computer services infrastructure will temporarily disable Internet access on x day at x time. It is simply amazing how much thinking proactively can benefit the bottom line of any organization not just when it comes to customer services, but also business strategy in general.

Deal with problems as best you can yourself, never passing the buck

My greatest mentor once told me that he met a billionaire, that’s right, a billionaire, who shared with him that “until a person realizes problems are a normal state of affairs, they have not even begun to mature yet.” Whether you wish to admit or not, problems in life are just as much a part of reality as eating, breathing, and walking. A person can certainly structure their life in such a manner that they can minimize those problems; however when the problems do arise they must be dealt with.

The best way to deal with any problem is THROUGH IT. What that entails is when problems arise; you simply stop and evaluate what is happening. Based on your evaluation, the problem is then to be addressed according to a chosen plan.
When a customer calls or walks in with a problem, it is an absolute opportunity to solidify their trust in your organization and prove that they can count on you to get it fixed. The first step is simply clearing up the facts and getting to the bottom line of exactly what needs to be addressed. Once the problem is clearly understood, it can be eradicated. The more authority your employees have to address customer problems, the better it is since nothing upsets customers more than being passed from department to department when dealing with a problem.

There is no point in arguing with a customer because it is a lose/lose situation

The best way to deal with an argument is to downplay its confrontational aspect and direct all energy and attention towards a solution. The best question to ask yourself is: What can be done to make the customer feel happy and cared for?

A customer can totally be wrong; however most of the times they simply need education to better understand the situation at hand.

It is also very important to separate an objective argument from a personal attack. If a person is frustrated because a product or service has not lived up to its standard, it is essential for your company’s representative dealing with the customer to realize that the customer is upset at the situation and not at them personally. Arguments often turn personal even when the people involved in the argument had nothing to do with the creation of the problem to begin with.

Accept your mistakes, learn from them, and do not repeat them

My greatest mentor, who is a professional drag racer at heart, also shared with me that in professional drag racing “the one who makes the least mistakes wins.”

We all make mistakes. Some of us accept that we made a mistake, evaluate the situation, learn the lesson and move on, while others get stuck in a never-ending state of denial. “What did I do wrong? I am not responsible for it!” is a common theme in their life.

Acknowledgment always precedes resolution. When a company’s customer service representative is dealing with a situation where a mistake has been made by the company, the best thing which can be done is taking ownership of the issue at hand. The anger and emotion around any issue can be minimized by admitting fault and diverting all energy towards a resolution. Customers are normal people just like the rest of us and when they hear that a mistake was made, and that you apologize for it and focus on the solution, the energy balance shifts from being upset to feeling content that the issue at hand will be professionally addressed.

You may have heard before “when you lose, don’t lose the lesson.” There is always something to be learned from any situation in life. Your general attitude will determine how you look at life, which will bleed into any business you are a part of. With each mistake, it is essential to realize what went wrong, how it went wrong, and most importantly what can be done in the future to prevent the same situation from occurring.

Consistency is the name of the game for lasting success

If you do something once, great. If you do it twice, awesome. If you do it three times, brilliant. And if you do it over and over, consistently, congratulations my friend, if you happen to be doing things the right way, you are officially a success.
Repetition is a common theme for most of what we do in life. When the six customer service principles discussed above are practiced consistently, customers realize over time that the integrity of how you choose to run your business is unable to be compromised.

Always remember, people buy more so because they want to, than they need to (Why do you think the average family in the west has so much debt?). Similarly, customers do business with companies because they WANT to do business with.
If your customers truly believe that your company can be counted upon, not in times when everything is fine but in times where there are problems and challenges, they will choose to do business with you because they know that no matter what you will get the job done.

About the author:
Imran Rahman is a young entrepreneur, inspirational speaker, and author living in Tampa, FL. He has a deep passion for sharing the exact science of creating results and achieving dreams. He has chosen sharing knowledge with others in the areas of spirituality, success, happiness, health, relationships and finances as his life mission.

Have a fantastic Tuesday!!

Susan

Keep up the great work in all that you do.

http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/berniceross/10-tips-real-estate-success-in-2011

10 tips for real estate success in 2011
Got a plan? Write it down
BY BERNICE ROSS, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010.

Inman News

Instead of waiting until January of 2011, why not set your goals for next year right now and skip the production lows that normally come at the end of the year?
On Monday we examined Michael Gerber’s concept of “working on” your business as opposed to “working in” your business. “Working on” your business means taking time to analyze market conditions, evaluate your marketing efforts, and make adjustments to capitalize on market fluctuations. It also means creating a written plan.
1. The power of written goals
Research has consistently demonstrated the power of writing down your goals. Mark McCormack, in his book, “What They Don’t Teach You in the Harvard Business School,” reported on a study that followed Harvard students who graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from 1979-89.
At the beginning of the study, only 3 percent of the graduates had written goals, 13 percent had goals that were not in writing, and 84 percent had no goals whatsoever. Ten years later, the 13 percent who had goals were earning twice as much as those who had no goals at all.
What was astonishing, however, is that those who had written goals were earning 10 times as much as the other 97 percent put together. Subsequent research has also demonstrated that writing down your goals and sharing them with someone increases the probability of your success even more.
2. Set your income and closed transaction goals
Assume you have closed 20 transactions so far this year and that you would like close 40 transactions next year. If you double the amount of time that you put into your most profitable real estate activities (i.e., by eliminating what is not profitable), most agents easily increase their closed transactions by 50-100 percent.
3. Lead generation is the name of the game
As a rule of thumb, about one out of three solid leads ends up closing a transaction with us. This means that if you want to close four transactions per month, you must have 12 well-qualified leads each month.
The issue is how to generate these leads. For example, if your conversion rate for Web leads is 1 percent, you must generate 1,200 website visitors to generate 12 solid leads and four closed transactions.
If you convert 25 percent of your expired listing leads, you must call on the owners of 16 expired listings per month to close four transactions. If you convert 10 percent of your open house leads, you need 120 open house visitors per month to close those four transactions.
4. Ask for high-probability referrals
In a slow market, solid referrals are more difficult to obtain. Target your prospecting to groups with the highest probability of creating a closed transaction. Since the first-time buyer market may be your best source of business, use this script to locate potential first-time buyers:
“Do you know anyone who is currently renting who may be interested in lowering their monthly payments? With the current low interest rates, many renters can actually buy a home for what they’re paying in rent.”
5. Evaluate your progress weekly
At the end of each week, evaluate whether you have hit your lead generation goals. If not, clear your schedule and continue to prospect until you hit your target. Better yet, make lead generation your top priority the first thing each morning.
Do nothing else until you hit your lead generation goals each day. Completing this one simple step will determine whether your business prospers or fails.
6. Use the 3-2-1 approach on a daily basis
Once you have created your business plan, ask the following questions at the beginning of each day:
What are the three business activities I absolutely must complete today? Complete these first before doing anything else.
What two self-care activities will I choose today to keep me balanced mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically?
What is one activity I can complete today that will help me have business tomorrow?
The challenge for most Realtors is that they allow less important activities to intrude on their “top three” priority items. Treat these appointments for self-care and creating new business with the same priority you would attach to a listing appointment.
7. Use the 4-3-2-1 approach each month
Schedule at least four days off each month; at least three nights each week where you have dinner with either family or loved ones; two days per month where you spend a full day with friends and/or family; and at least one day completely for you where you play golf, get a massage, or do whatever you need to do to recharge.
8. Track market conditions
Market conditions are constantly shifting. Use your “working on” sessions to determine which parts of the market are the most active. For example, if the high-end market is quiet and the first-time buyer market is active, make first-time buyers your focal point for the upcoming month.
If a given subdivision has plenty of open house traffic, hold open houses there, even if it means holding open another agent’s listing. The key is to adapt to market conditions and maximize the probability you will generate leads.
9. Track your results
Experiment with this approach for one month and then evaluate your progress. If your sales are increasing, stay the course. If not, look at what could be altered to improve your sales.
10. The real secret of success
Review your business plan including your income and transaction goals at least twice a day. Keeping your goals in front of you constantly is the secret to achieving them. Envision yourself fulfilling your goals and have your best year ever in 2011.
Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, trainer and author of the NAR No. 1 bestseller, “Real Estate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success.” Hear Bernice’s five-minute daily real estate show, named “new and notable” by iTunes, at www.RealEstateCoachRadio.com. You can contact her at Bernice@RealEstateCoach.com or @BRoss on Twitter.
Have a fantastic Wednesday!! Looking forward to seeing some of you tomorrow night!!
SKJ

Welcome to this edition of My Monday Message…..I hope each of you had a fantastic weekend filled with fun and relaxation. We focus each week on doing the little things that will lead to huge success. The smallest of changes can bring our personal lives joy and happiness. The smallest of changes can bring our business to new heights of success and prosperity. We must first make sure that we are clear in what we want. We must then be clear as to what our plan of attack is going to be. Lastly, with our clarity in check, we must get our energy and focus just right to make sure we work as hard as we can to achieve these goals. If we are not clear the road ahead will be blurred with obstacles. Although we must work on the little things each day, without a clear vision of what the big picture is we are trying to accomplish we will just take baby steps to nowhere. Get your big picture clear this week!

ENCOURAGEMENT CORNER…

The Road To Success is Always Under Construction
by Larry Wall & Kathleen Russell

Life is not so much a matter of position as of disposition.

The best vitamin for making friends, B-1.

If you don’t care where you’re going any road will get you there.

A pint of example is worth a gallon of advice.

He who throws mud loses ground.

A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

Ideas won’t work unless you do.

One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.

Triumph is just “umph” added to try.

Frogs have it easy, They can eat what bugs them.

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime.

If the going gets easy you may be going downhill.

Jumping to conclusions can be bad exercise.

A turtle makes progress when it sticks its neck out.

Have a backbone not a wishbone.

WORDS TO LIVE BY…

The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense. ~ Thomas Edison

If you believe that someday it’s going to happen, some day it probably will happen. You just have to make sure you’re there when it’s happening, and ideally you’re at the front of the parade, and the principle beneficiary of when it happens, but it’s not a kind of thing where you just sort of sit back and wait. ~ Steve Case

Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. ~ John F. Kennedy

The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes. ~ Tony Blair

You are surrounded by simple, obvious solutions that can dramatically increase your income, power, influence and success. The problem is, you just don’t see them. ~ Jay Abraham

Even when you think you have your life all mapped out, things happen that shape your destiny in ways you might never have imagined. ~ Deepak Chopra

What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds. ~ Wayne Dyer

LET’S MAKE THIS THE BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR!!!

Susan