September means Again to Fundamentals right here at Inman. As actual property navigates the post-settlement period with new fee guidelines, actual property professionals from throughout the nation will share what’s working for them, how they’ve developed their techniques and instruments, and the place they’re investing personally.
Are you conscious of the price of making excuses? In actual property, your purchasers don’t care about why issues went mistaken — they care about outcomes. If you wish to enhance your commissions, have extra happy purchasers, and break by means of the obstacles blocking your success, it’s time to cease making excuses and deal with taking motion as a substitute.
Not too long ago my husband, Byron Van Arsdale, a grasp licensed coach who has educated over 1,000 enterprise and private coaches internationally, and I’ve been discussing how excuses are a serious block to reaching increased efficiency. If you happen to’re on the receiving finish of an excuse, you most likely acknowledge it, however do you discover if you find yourself the one who’s making the excuse?
Easy methods to acknowledge while you’re making an excuse
In lots of circumstances, you could not even notice while you’re making excuses. Excuses can seem as causes for why one thing can or can’t be executed, explanations, justifications and/or rationalizations.
Listening to others after they make a mistake or discover themselves in a tough state of affairs is a wonderful technique to begin recognizing excuses. One of many key phrases to pay attention for is the phrase “because.”
Once you hear somebody say, “I didn’t meet the deadline because,” you’ll shortly notice how frequent excuses are in enterprise and private conditions. As you construct your consciousness concerning the excuses others make, use it to start making modifications in your individual habits.
Once you do establish that you simply had been making an excuse, justification or rationalization, ask your self, “Am I making an excuse?” If that’s the case, then ask, “Is there something I can do to change this situation?”
Transferring from excuse and clarification to efficiency
Once you eradicate excuses, the main target shifts from explaining why one thing didn’t occur to asking whether or not you carried out or not. This shift not solely will increase your accountability, it additionally enhances your capability to realize actual ends in your online business.
For instance, assume you left 10 minutes late for a exhibiting and your consumers are ready exterior the home. Your consumers don’t care what your causes had been for arriving late — all they actually care about is that they’re they needed to wait an additional 10 minutes so that you can present up.
Once you strategy this subject from a efficiency subject, you possibly can restrict the variety of occasions this occurs by merely leaving 5 minutes early in your appointments — no excuses.
If you happen to left on time and there was an accident or one thing that you could possibly not management, keep away from making an excuse or explaining. As an alternative, say: “My GPS says I should be there at 4:07.”
This manner your purchasers will know when to count on you. You additionally didn’t have to elucidate or make an excuse concerning the accident. The underside line, nevertheless, is you continue to didn’t arrive on time.
Excuses and the fee to your commissions
In keeping with Clotaire Rapaille, the marketing consultant who expenses $200,000 per day to establish what causes an organization’s potential prospects to buy, Individuals purchase based mostly upon three components: “hope,” “dream” and “fix it.”
Each time you justify why one thing didn’t occur, whether or not it’s a missed appointment, a failed deal or an unsent follow-up, you’re doubtlessly shedding out on commissions. Shoppers don’t wish to hear why it didn’t work out; they wish to understand how you’re going to repair it.
Moreover, Rapaille’s analysis reveals that when there is a matter, American shoppers persistently price individuals who repair the issues increased than conditions the place there have been no issues. In different phrases, your capability to rectify errors is extra necessary than explaining why one thing went mistaken within the first place.
Take a tip from Costco
Costco has a “no-excuses return policy.” Actual property brokers can undertake the same mindset when one thing goes mistaken. Somewhat than explaining about what went mistaken, shift the dialog to the quick steps required to repair the problem. This builds belief and loyalty, which in flip results in extra referrals and repeat enterprise.
Breaking by means of the $100K glass ceiling
Again within the Nineteen Nineties, Van Arsdale noticed that many actual property brokers stumble upon an earnings glass ceiling at $100,000.
“What keeps agents from breaking through the $100,000 glass ceiling is not external factors, but internal excuses. This glass ceiling is largely self-imposed,” he stated. “By removing excuses, you open the door to breaking through this threshold and opening the door to greater success.”
It’s additionally been his commentary over time that brokers who surpass the $100,000 mark in commissions not often fall again beneath that quantity. As he defined, “Once the excuses are gone, agents can focus on refining their business processes, going back to basics, and increasing their income with relative ease. Eliminating excuses leads to a “quiet place” the place you merely carry out, otherwise you don’t — there’s no center floor.”
Excuses don’t repair issues
Whether or not you’re working with distributors, colleagues or purchasers, providing excuses doesn’t resolve issues. Being results-focused means that you can higher handle your online business relationships and continuously hold your offers shifting ahead.
The trail to high efficiency
By specializing in outcomes, what your purchasers care about most, and holding your self accountable in your efficiency, you possibly can enhance your commissions, break by means of the $100,000 earnings glass ceiling and construct lasting success within the business.
Keep in mind, excuses price you cash; efficiency earns you loyalty and referrals.
Bernice Ross, president and CEO of BrokerageUP and RealEstateCoach.com, and the founding father of RealEstateWealthForWomen.com is a nationwide speaker, creator and coach with over 1,500 revealed articles.
