Changing Focus and Changing Mindset. Getting out of a listing Desert.

I was intending to find a lighter side for this week’s post, however I kind of botched my message a little bit at our sales meeting this week and I have decided to do what I should have done BEFORE the sales meeting and jot some ideas down.

Here goes!

I was chatting to a very successful real estate business owner last week and we had a discussion around the one thing that we can’t change – I’m not even going to write down what this one thing is because I know that your managers are talking about it all day every day. That’s right, the M word. We can’t change it. But what can we change?

There are so many directions that you can go with this, however the direction that I want to go is along the idea of focus. Because where your focus goes, your energy flows. I can’t take the credit for coming up with this idea or the rhyme, however I can credit this idea with an awful lot of the progress that I am making at the moment. Once again:

Where your focus goes, your energy flows.

There are a number of things that we can change, but when it comes to focus and getting places or just getting going, first and foremost we need to change our minds.

When we focus on what we don’t have we tend to see even more of what we lack. There may be a couple of explanations for this. Confirmation Bias – our mind is looking for confirmation of what we are thinking. It makes us feel good to be right, even if being right makes us feel crappy! Secondly, and as I mentioned here last week, we are primed to see the negative when we focus on lack.

Example time… knowing that my audience is mostly real estate agents, I am going to use a real estate example.

“I don’t have any listings”. One of our greatest fears as agents. And when you are in a listing desert it is very difficult to focus on anything else.

I need a listing. I gotta get a listing. I have no listings. I’m an unemployed salesperson! Where are all the listings? How come they have listings and I don’t?

And so on it goes. I have been there and so I know. And most of you at some stage will have been there too. (If you have NEVER been there, send me a message – I have a theory that EVERYONE in this business has been there sometime – I will report back results.). The feeling of lack gets into even worse territory – that malicious thief of joy called comparison comes and makes itself at home in your mind.

Of course, you can apply this to any business. If you are a tattooist, a mechanic, a spec builder, a massage therapist, a music teacher. When your pipeline of work dries up you go into the same kind of thinking pattern.

How do you beat this? How do you flip it around?

You flip this around by focusing on what you have. If you focus on what you have you will find ways to get what you need. I’m even going to push this idea a little further into the ‘woo woo’ zone. If you focus on what you have, you will be provided with what you need.

Let’s keep that listing example going.

You don’t have a listing. What do you have? I think the first thing to realise is that you have you. You have personality (which you should certainly not hide) and a focused mind. You know people you have sold to. Even if you are new to the business you have people you know – past colleagues, friends and family. Somebody you know, or somebody you know knows somebody who is doing something with property right now.

You have a phone. Get it out of your pocket or handbag and use this miraculous technology at its most basic to call a few people. Something will happen. Now you are creating momentum and energy, and giving yourself the opportunity to have a positive result.

It also doesn’t hurt to spend some time thinking of all of the other things that you do have. I have said this before, the readers of this comment are highly unlikely to be homeless, hungry, cold. If you have a roof over your head, are well clothed and have a full belly, you are already winning.

Confession time.
In my role here at Independent Agent, bringing on board a new salesperson can be very much compared to bringing on a new listing for you as salespeople. This is my business at the moment. So, confession time. I recently brought on a new salesperson, and within HOURS I was already feeling lack – feelings of we are not big enough, I’m a bit useless, why are there not more people on the team.

I mean seriously – I have JUST welcomed someone aboard and I am having these thoughts (tragic I know!).

The remedy to this is obvious to you I am sure. Focus on what you have Matt! Here is how I turn this kind of thought around with a bit of self-talk.

“A few hours ago, you secured new salespeople. And you had some new people join last week. Every day you are talking to amazing people who may decide that they trust you and the business enough to come and work with you.”

I close my eyes sometimes and mentally visualise the staff list under the ‘Team’ tab on our website. I not only think of the salespeople, but also management and administration. These wonderful people who are on this journey with me.

This shakes me out of my lack mentality pretty fast, and places me in a much stronger position. One where not only has my focus shifted to what I have, but now gratitude comes in to play. Now, you’d better look out.

Because I too, hold in my hand more computing power than NASA had when they put people on the moon, I am now ready to operate from a place of positive energy. I can make a few calls and they will be good ones. Look out if I get hold of you now, it maybe you signing up next!

All the best as we head into a new month and a new season.

Welcome to Trevor and Tracy East

It is a real honour to welcome Tauranga power couple Trevor and Tracey East to the group. Operating as Branch of Independent Agent and trading as East Realty, Trevor and Tracey have a focus on exceptional marketing, always operating with very high professional standards. Full of energy and always looking for improvement, all the while holding in mind a clear vision for their business, they are already seeing results with listings, slick video marketing, and a multi-multi-offer as described in this OneRoof article. All in less than a month! Wishing you all the best and looking forward to seeing more great things.