Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Real Estate Marketing Strategies - Are You Sabotaging Your Own Success?

Have you ever felt like you had reached a plateau and could go no higher? If so, you're not alone, many people sabotage their own success. This article teaches you how to reverse self sabotage. In my work as a real estate business coach for the past 12 years, I have had many people present a similar question, "Why can't I be more successful? Why do I stop myself? I feel like I am my own worst enemy."

If you've ever felt this way, you're probably suffering from a pattern of self sabotage in which you get in your own way. While on the one hand, your conscious mind is saying," I want to be more successful," your subconscious mind is caught in a "Fear of Success syndrome".

There are several things that cause people to be afraid of success:

1. They associate success with Stress:

It's a prevailing idea in our society that if you want to be successful, you have to work hard, struggle and strive. Many of my clients have done that and reached a place of "burnout". Then they are faced with the dilemma of wanting to move forward, but having a very unpleasant memory of what it was like before.

They need to work hard at reprogramming the self limiting belief, "To be successful you have to work very very hard," and replace it with an Empowered Belief, such as "I am committed to working smarter not harder."

2. The next self limiting belief that stops people from success is "I'm not worthy or I do not deserve."

Usually we are not scripted to be successful when we were growing up. Rather we were scripted to fit in and not bring too much attention to ourselves.

We often incurred criticism when we felt too good about ourselves and heard things like, "Who do you think you are?" Being boastful was considered conceited and a definite "no no". Many of us over generalized and made the mistake of thinking that we shouldn't think too highly of ourselves, and if we did someone would shoot us down.

The truth is that a healthy level of self-confidence is necessary to be successful. In addition, happiness is feeling good about you. If you've been carrying any of the old beliefs that make you feel unworthy, I urge you to replace them with empowered beliefs, such as:

  • I am more than worthy of prosperity
  • I am highly deserving of an abundance of all good
  • It is now okay for me to feel good about myself
  • I give myself permission to feel pride in the work that I do
  • As I share my expertise I am worthy of being amply rewarded

Practice these Empowered Beliefs frequently to raise your level of deservingness.

3. The "gung ho" vs. " comfort zone" conflict

Let's face it; in order to be successful you do have to leave your comfort zone. Moving forward always involves some risk.

However what many people fail to realize is that staying stuck in your comfort zone also involves risk. What risk? It's the risk of not fulfilling your potential, the risk of staying at a low financial level, the risk of never reaching your dreams.

It all of us there is an inner struggle between the part of us that wants us to dream big, and the part of us that wants us to settle for what we have. Usually some inner "conflict resolution" will help you to realize that you can have a win-win between both parts of you.

The "gung ho" part needs to realize that you need a balanced life with plenty of time for self-care and self maintenance. The "comfort zone" part needs to realize that the comfort zone is not safe, and that sensations that are labeled fear can just as easily be labeled excitement as you find the growing edge of your comfort zone and move beyond it.

To reinforce the balance of these two parts of us, I recommend these empowered beliefs:

  • It is now safe for me to grow and expand
  • I'm committed to creating success in a balanced way

Here's one of my favorites, "In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, I create total financial success, for the highest good of all".

Let this be your mantra and allow yourself to grow into your full potential with ease and grace.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Real Estate Marketing Strategies - 7 Mistakes Real Estate Agents Make With The Law Of Attraction

The Law of Attraction is potentially one of the most powerful tools you'll ever have as a Real Estate Agent. Why? Because it helps you to train your mind into a successful and prosperous mindset. In other words, if you practice the Law of Attraction you're always looking at the opportunities for growing your business rather than the obstacles.

If you're not getting the results you want with the Law of Attraction, it's possible that you might be making these common mistakes:

1. Failure to switch focus

It may be that when you start looking at what you don't like about your business, i.e. the difficult clients, the “fallen transactions”, and the continual need to prospect, you may be focusing on what you “don't want”, instead of what you do want. The Law of Attraction states that you get what you focus on. Focus on the difficult clients long enough, and that's what you will bring more of.

2. Failure to identify what you “do want”

You may be spending so much time and energy trying to eliminate what you don't want, like unqualified clients; you may not be getting clear on what you do want. If you don't want unqualified clients, then what are the characteristics that you really want in prospective clients?

If you're like most people, you want prospective clients to be qualified, committed, and motivated. Then focus on that. Whenever your mind wanders, keep coming back to what you want to create.

3. Focusing on current circumstances

According to the Law of Attraction, current circumstances do not have to define you. They are based on your old decisions and your old beliefs. Now that you are learning the Law of Attraction, you have a chance to start fresh.

Never mind your current conditions, instead ask yourself, “What do I want to create?” Set your intention and don't waver.

4. You get worried about the “how to”

According to the Law of Attraction, “how to” is the domain of the universe. You don't have to know the details. You just have to know what you want, and why you want it. Let the Universe figure out the “how”.

5. You take “frantic action”, rather than “inspired action”

Frantic action is fear-based. You are being reactive rather than proactive. ‘Inspired action” means that you're listening to your intuition, rather than on your linear mind. Intuition will come to you in the form of “Ah Ha” and gut instincts. Inspired action will feel good and it will feel right.

6. You may be forgetting to “visualize”

In the Law of Attraction, there is the saying, “whatever you visualize, you will materialize.” It may be that in your business, you haven't taken some quiet time to visualize your desired outcome, for example, earning $500,000 a year on a steady basis (or whatever your ideal income is).

When you take time to visualize yourself having the prosperity you desire, then you can create the feelings of having it now. Since like energies attract like energies, whatever you radiate comes back to you multiplied. It pays to visualize.

7. The biggest mistake people make

The biggest mistake that people make with the Law of Attraction is that they fail to do it consistently and effectively.

For example, after watching “The Secret”, you may be inspired for a while to wake up focusing on gratitude. Then when the inspiration of the movie wears off, you may get busy and forget to be grateful for what you have. This is an example of an inconsistent use of the Law of Attraction.

Another and more serious mistake people make in implementing the Law of Attraction is that they “wing it”. They have no systematic, step-by-step procedure to follow.

To effectively and successfully use the Law of Attraction, use a solid 5 step process;

• Identify what you don't want,

• Identify what you do want,

• Find a feeling place of having what you want,

• Clear your opposing beliefs,

• Take inspired action.

If you follow these 5 steps, perhaps with the help of a mentor or a coach, you will maximize the effectiveness of the Law of Attraction. No longer will the Law of attraction seem like a mystery to you!

Practice these 5 steps consistently, and you will be building a solid foundation for the Law of Attraction to work for you.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Real Estate Marketing Strategies: Are you sabotaging your own success?

Have you ever felt like you had reached a plateau and could go no higher? If so, you're not alone, many people sabotage their own success. This article teaches you how to reverse self sabotage.

In my work as a real estate business coach for the past 12 years, I have had many people present a similar question, “Why can't I be more successful? Why do I stop myself? I feel like I am my own worst enemy.”

If you've ever felt this way, you're probably suffering from a pattern of self sabotage in which you get in your own way.

While on the one hand, your conscious mind is saying,” I want to be more successful,” your subconscious mind is caught in a “Fear of Success syndrome”.

There are several things that cause people to be afraid of success:

1. They associate success with Stress:

It's a prevailing idea in our society that if you want to be successful, you have to work hard, struggle and strive. Many of my clients have done that and reached a place of “burnout”. Then they are faced with the dilemma of wanting to move forward, but having a very unpleasant memory of what it was like before.

They need to work hard at reprogramming the self limiting belief, “To be successful you have to work very very hard,” and replace it with an Empowered Belief, such as “I am committed to working smarter not harder.”

2. The next self limiting belief that stops people from success is “I'm not worthy or I do not deserve.”

Usually we are not scripted to be successful when we were growing up. Rather we were scripted to fit in and not bring too much attention to ourselves.

We often incurred criticism when we felt too good about ourselves and heard things like, “Who do you think you are?” Being boastful was considered conceited and a definite “no no”.

Many of us over generalized and made the mistake of thinking that we shouldn't think too highly of ourselves, and if we did someone would shoot us down.

The truth is that a healthy level of self-confidence is necessary to be successful. In addition, happiness is feeling good about you. If you've been carrying any of the old beliefs that make you feel unworthy, I urge you to replace them with empowered beliefs, such as:

  • I am more than worthy of prosperity
  • I am highly deserving of an abundance of all good
  • It is now okay for me to feel good about myself
  • I give myself permission to feel pride in the work that I do
  • As I share my expertise I am worthy of being amply rewarded

Practice these Empowered Beliefs frequently to raise your level of deservingness.

3. The “gung ho” vs. “ comfort zone” conflict

Let's face it; in order to be successful you do have to leave your comfort zone. Moving forward always involves some risk.

However what many people fail to realize is that staying stuck in your comfort zone also involves risk.

What risk? It's the risk of not fulfilling your potential, the risk of staying at a low financial level, the risk of never reaching your dreams.

It all of us there is an inner struggle between the part of us that wants us to dream big, and the part of us that wants us to settle for what we have.

Usually some inner "conflict resolution" will help you to realize that you can have a win-win between both parts of you.

The “gung ho” part needs to realize that you need a balanced life with plenty of time for self-care and self maintenance. The “comfort zone” part needs to realize that the comfort zone is not safe, and that sensations that are labeled fear can just as easily be labeled excitement as you find the growing edge of your comfort zone and move beyond it.

To reinforce the balance of these two parts of us, I recommend these empowered beliefs:

  • It is now safe for me to grow and expand
  • I'm committed to creating success in a balanced way

Here's one of my favorites, “In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, I create total financial success, for the highest good of all”.

Let this be your mantra and allow yourself to grow into your full potential with ease and grace.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Real Estate Marketing Strategies: How to stay positive in today’s market

So many real estate professionals today are wondering, “How can I stay positive in today's market?” Like any discriminating real estate professional, you realize the value of a positive mental attitude. Here are 8 ways that you can create and maintain a positive mental attitude in today's market.

1. Avoid toxic people

What does this mean? Who are the toxic people?

Toxic people can be well-meaning people but when they talk to you, they are coming from a negative attitude about money, finances, and especially about the current real estate situation.

They may be fellow real estate professionals who want to gather around the water cooler, they may be relatives who are just trying to protect you; they may even be friends and family.

You will know if you've been around a toxic person, because you will begin to feel deflated.

Here's your job: either change the subject or walk away. Better yet, speak up for yourself and mention that you want to think positively about yourself and about your business.

If you see one of them coming your way find a way to avoid the interaction because it does not serve your highest good (or theirs).

2. If you've tried everything and exhausted ways to avoid toxic people, then you may have to set an internal boundary.

You can do this very simply by having your own inner conversation if someone is saying something negative to you on the outside.

A great example of an inner conversation when someone is complaining about their business or about the marketplace is to say to yourself, “that may be true for you but it's not true for me.” This can become your inner mantra.

3. Avoid the media

Why? Remember that the intention of the media is to sell newspapers and magazines. The more they can paint a negative and fearful picture, the more their sales go up.

In fact there is a saying in the newspaper business, “If it bleeds, it reads.” That may seem harsh, but pick up any newspaper and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Why subject yourself to slanted, negative spins on the economy when you can find just as much information to point to the positive?

4. Successful real estate professionals do well in any market.

Were you aware of that? Knowing that fact, none of us can continue to use the excuse about the market being bad.

In fact, I am coaching several clients right now who in the last six months have doubled and tripled their incomes.

In addition to the right marketing strategies and regular lead generation activities, you could help yourself with this empowered belief:

“I now draw to me clients who are ready, willing and able to make a transaction in the next 30 days.”

5. Look for the opportunity in today's marketplace

There are many opportunities in today's market and successful real estate professionals are taking advantage of them.

Did you know that Donald Trump is buying up as much property as he can? Why do you think that is? He is a smart businessman, to say the least, and knows that this is the best time to buy.

Let your prospective clients know this and then say to them, “Let’s get you a deal.” Few could resist this invitation.

6. Remember that your success depends on your mindset, not on the outer conditions of the market.

“If you believe you can or you can't, either way you are right,” Henry Ford.

What mindset do you choose to nurture inside yourself? Do you want to believe,

“I can “or “I can’t”. Your beliefs create your reality so whatever you choose to believe will become true for you.

7. Remember to engage the Law of Attraction as one of your most powerful tools

The law of attraction states that you get what you focus your attention on. Furthermore, your beliefs create your reality so choose your beliefs carefully.

Here’s a tip: instead of saying “I can't possibly succeed in today's market,” choose instead to focus one of these beliefs:

“I achieve whatever I set my mind to”

“I am a money market in any situation”

“I attract clients who appreciate and respect my expertise”

“My success depends on my attitude, not on any outer circumstances”

8. Be proactive

In any marketplace there are always people wanting to buy and sell homes. They need your help and they need your expertise.

Your job is to become visible to them. In today's market, they are not likely to fall in your lap.

However with a good system of lead generation, you can contact them and use your intention to attract your ideal clients.

Clear out any self limiting beliefs that stop you from picking up the phone.

Follow the suggestions mentioned above and you'll be happy to notice that are only are you staying more positive, but also your income is increasing as well.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Real estate Marketing Strategies: Why is it that even the very best receive coaching?

Have you ever wondered why even the very best, in any profession receive coaching? Have you ever thought about why a top-notch athlete, like Tiger Woods, would need coaching?

Why is it that so many successful real estate agents have used coaching to get to the top?

There's a saying that “7% of all the agents do 93% of all the business… and the rest don't have coaches.” What do the top 7% know that the 93% don't know? This article will answer this question and many more about why even the very best receive coaching.

What is coaching?

When coaching first became a profession about 15 years ago, people didn’t know what it meant to have a coach. If you told them you had a coach, they would ask, “What sport are you in?”

In 1995, Newsweek ran an article that predicted that coaching would become the fastest-growing profession. Not only that, but instead of people asking, “What’s coaching?” they would be asking, “Who is your coach?”

That prediction has come true. Coaching has become the fastest growing profession.

Why do real estate agents often work with Business Coaches?

Having been a real estate business Coach for over 10 years, I have noticed the profound need that real estate agents have for a Business Coach. Why is this?

• Real estate agents, always need to be “on”, they are always selling to the public. If you are real estate agent, you know this to be true. Your level of confidence needs to be continually high to attract clients.

• You are aware of how easy it is to get distracted. There are always multiple demands on your time. Many agents come to me complaining that they are feeling scattered and they want my help to get focused and stay focused.

• Prospecting is a big part of your work, and unless you are a natural extrovert. It takes a lot to pick up the phone and start calling people. I am amazed at how many agents, when they first come to me, are even scared to call up their former clients or their sphere of influence.

• Using the right marketing strategies is imperative. If you are spending a lot of time and money on the wrong ones, you’re in big trouble and a coach can spot that mistake right away and help you make the right decisions.

• With the changing market, mindset has become more important than ever. A negative view of today’s current market will lower your confidence significantly, reducing your sales and overall income. Now more than ever, real estate agents need coaches to help them see the opportunities in every market.

• If you are a seasoned agent, you know how easy it is to fall into a slump or “hit the wall” as someone was telling me today. When you hit the wall, it’s somewhat like being in quicksand. Try as you might, you can’t pull yourself out.

• Last but not least, there is the issue of support. As a real estate agent, think of how many people you support on a daily basis. You are the support for all of your clients, all of your former clients, all of your prospects, and if you have kids, you are their support as well.

Who supports you? Who can you count on to lean on for yourself? This is where coaching fills a big need. When you have a coach, you have a committed ally, someone who is in your corner from week to week and is rooting for your success. How supportive do you think that feels? In addition, the coach can help you to see your “blind spots” and move past them.

Why do some people “resist” receiving coaching?

A reason that people often give is “I can't afford it.” This actually turns out to be bogus, for the simple reason that coaching pays for itself. I ask my clients to think of how many transactions they need to close to pay for coaching. The answer is always the same. “The coaching pays for itself.” Why? Because one transaction will cover the cost of coaching many times over.

So if money is not the real reason, then why do people resist something that would help them?

In my 10 years of coaching, plus my 20 years before that of being a psychologist, I have noticed that the real reasons people resist coaching are issues that they are unaware of. Here’s what I have discovered:

• Most people have a hidden belief that goes like this, “I have to do it alone.” The idea of having someone help them does not fit in with their mindset. They think it means that they are not as good as they should be. I always remind these people that even Tiger Woods has a coach. Why? Because he has blind spots and we all have blind spots.

• Many people unknowingly have a block about “receiving.” Have you noticed that some people cannot even receive a compliment? These same people pride themselves in being givers. There’s nothing wrong with being a giver, but unless you can also receive, you are not in balance. Stephen Covey advises us, “Make sure that every interaction is a win/win.” In other words, you should be giving and receiving and being open to receiving guidance.

If your business is growing steadily, year after year, you probably don’t need a business Coach, unless you feel unbalanced between your personal and professional life.

On the other hand, if you’ve been struggling with getting more clients, getting more listings, and having a balanced lifestyle, then it’s time to let go of the belief that you can do it alone. It’s time to receive help from a coach or a mentor.

Be sure that whoever you choose, has plenty of experience, and specializes in the particular issues that are currently a challenge for you.

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About the author: for more information on powerful marketing tips and tools, please visit Dr. Maya's website: www.90daystomoreclients.com <http://www.90daystomoreclients.com/> while you are there, get your Free Audio mentoring session and Free Report, “7 simple strategies to more clients in 90 days” or call Dr. Maya at 707 799-5412.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Real Estate Marketing Strategies - Seven Simple Steps to More Clients in 90 Days

In my work as a business coach I meet with people every day who have dreams of creating success in their business. Sadly, most of them are saying the same thing, “I hate marketing, I just want to do what I’m good at without having to market myself. “ The truth about getting more clients is that it’s not that difficult, it just requires following some simple steps.

• FOCUS: How do you get to where you want to be unless you know where you are going? I always teach my clients a visualization in which they imagine where they want to be professionally in 1 year from today. How much money do you want to be earning? How many hours a week do you want to work? What kind of clients do you want to work with?

• STRATEGIES: Once you’re clear about where you want to be, you need to create strategies to get there. I tell people, “if you already knew what strategies to use, you’d probably already be there.” Strategies help you to chunk big visions into tangible, bite size action steps

• ACCOUNTABILITY: How accountable are you to yourself? Most people I meet in business for themselves, find it far too easy to slide in keeping their agreements with themselves. The magical thing about coaching is that when you have a witness to your accountability, you are much more likely to do what you said you’d do. Just knowing that someone cares and will ask you every week, “How did that action step go?”, is huge incentive to staying on track.

• DISCOVERY: As a former psychologist, one of my passions is helping people discover how they block them themselves and get in their own way of success. What I find is that everyone needs to reprogram some self-limiting beliefs, like “I don’t have what it takes to succeed” or “I don’t deserve to have a lot of money”. Another block is that most people suffer from subconscious sabotaging strategies, like procrastination . These need to be reversed. Finally , everyone I’ve ever met has a monstrous , overly developed inner critic, which I call the Gremlin. In discovery you learn to identify the voice of you Gremlin and learn to tame it way down.

• PERSPECTIVE: We all spin our wheels and get caught up in our narrow perspective. The best investment we can make in getting more clients is to have people around us that give us the option of another perspective

• SUPPORT: If you are in business for yourself , you need all the support you can get. As you put yourself out there to get more clients, you are assuming the responsibility of helping these clients. Who helps you? Who do you lean on? It is invaluable to have a support team or a committed ally in your corner.

• CELEBRATION: How often do you celebrate yourself? As a coach who teaches people how to get more clients I find that learning to celebrate not only your successes but also your efforts is the way to a long a healthy career. By learning to stop, pause and validate yourself for what you’ve done keeps this process light , fun and exciting. Also, think of how impossible it is for your gremlin to beat you up, if you are busy celebrating yourself! It is one of the joys of my work that I get to help people truly celebrate themselves.

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About the author: for more information on powerful marketing tips and tools, please visit Dr. Maya's website: www.90daystomoreclients.com while you are there, get your Free Audio mentoring session and Free Report, “7 simple strategies to more clients in 90 days” or call Dr. Maya at 707 799-5412.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Real Estate Marketing Strategies: Using the Law of Attraction to Create Your Ideal Income in 2008

Did you know that your thoughts and intentions play a big part in your success in 2008? Not only that, but what you choose to focus on determines what you'll attract?
This article describes the Law of Attraction and why it's so important to master this Law. By learning how to implement the Law of Attraction you'll be able to create your Ideal Income In 2008.

The 5 steps:

Step 1: Get clear on what you don't want

It sounds strange doesn't it to focus on what you don't want? However, that's what most of us do all the time, unconsciously. In my 30 years of empowering people to reach their goals, I have discovered that most people are focusing on what they don't want. So, for example, if they have a pile of bills, they'll focus on their pile of bills and their lack of money. What do they get? More of what they are focusing on.

Step 2: Get clear on what you do want

For everything that you don't want ask yourself, "So what do I want?" By doing that, you are sending signals to your conscious and subconscious mind to bring you more of what you do want. If money is your concern and there is a big contrast between the money you have and the money you want, put your focus on the money you want.

Step 3: Create your desire statement

So after you begin focusing on what you do want, write a paragraph describing what you desire. If it's about money, then write out a Desire statement describing your Ideal Money Situation as if it were happening right now. For example, "I now have an abundance of prosperity. Every month there is more coming in than going out. I am happily buying what I need and I have money left over......" and so forth.

Step 4: Clear your beliefs

What would block you from manifesting the prosperity that you want? When I ask my clients that question, I usually get answers like, "I don't deserve it". "No one in my family makes that amount of money." "If I have that money everyone will want some of it and I'll never know if people like me or they like my money." "I don't' have what it takes to succeed at that level".
So what self-limiting beliefs do you have? What stops you from having your ideal income? What self sabotaging strategies do you use?

Step 5: Allow it to come to you

In other words, suspend all doubt and just trust that you'll be guided into inspired action. By following your hunches and keeping your focus on what you want, you become increasingly magnetic.
A tip: Read your desire statement each day out loud and feel what it feels like to have it. Really allow yourself to experience it so that you magnetize it to you.
With her 30 years of psychological expertise, Dr. Maya Bailey specializes in helping Real Estate Professionals who want more clients, more free time, and a better lifestyle to create confidence, a positive mindset, and a step-by-step blueprint for success.
 

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Dr. Maya Bailey, author of "Law of Attraction for Real Estate Professionals", integrates 20 years of experience as a Psychologist and 12 years as a business coach with her expertise in the Law of Attraction.  Her powerful work creates a success formula for Real Estate professionals ready to double and triple their incomes. Get Dr. Maya’s free report “7 Simple Strategies For More Clients in 90 Days” by visiting
www.90DaystoMoreClients.com