A melody can bring back a memory...

"Ain't it funny how a melody can bring back a memory
Take you to another place in time
Completely change your state of mind

It can make a right from a wrong, it can make you fall in love
It can get you singin' along"  Clint Black

Isn't it funny how a song can bring back a memory or even change your mind about a certain event?

For so long, I hated the song "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train.  Until... I visited the Texas State Aquarium last November.  I watched the dolphins playing together in their underwater showcase and this song came on the speakers.  I never liked this song before, however once it start playing and the dolphins started playing, I fell in love with the tune.  Don't know how or why it struck me, but it did.

From that day forward it will always be a part of me.  I will always remember the dolphins every time I hear this song.

Another, is the time I ran the Houston Marathon back in the early 90's and Phil Collin's, "I Wish it Would Rain Down" came on my walkman.  I remember it vividly, like it was yesterday.  I was at the 20 mile marker and it helped me complete the race.

The Lion King was released when I was dating, Lisa (my wife), who I met at Texas A&M University and the Elton John song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" came on.  It has since been "our song".   Happy Valentine's Day Love!

What song(s) place you back to a time that you will never forget?

If you died tomorrow...

If you died tomorrow, what would you have done differently?...  Why didn't you do it?

What is your Big Why?

Lisa's cancer diagnosis with cancer last year gave both of us a radically different perspective about life.  None of us truly know how much time we have left, so let's make the most of each and every day.  

Tuesday, we're going to build a dream board in the KW Conroe/Huntsville training room.  I want you to spend a few minutes this weekend thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2011. 

I challenge you to think about what you want to accomplish or obtain in 2011 and bring a picture of it to the next sales meeting.  

Do you want to learn Spanish?  Do you want to learn how to scuba dive?  Skydive?  Earn a $1,000,000? or pay off your house? Send your kids or grandkids to college?  Skydive? Donate to your church or charity?   Take a trip around the world?

Whatever it is, I am committed to help you accomplish it. 

Paint it, draw it, cut it out of a magazine... I don't care, but bring it Tuesday (January 25) to our sales meeting at Keller Williams Conroe - and plan to reach it by Dec. 31, 2011.

Let's make 2011 a year to remember!


This event is open to all real estate agents regardless of company affiliation as well as anyone thinking about getting started with a real estate career.


Thinking about a career in real estate or just want to jump start your current one?  Contact me today at (979) 777-7677 for a confidential appointment and together we'll get you headed in the right direction.

Are Goals Important?

Do you have clearly written goals for what you plan to accomplish in 2011?

Read the excerpt from the book "What They Don't Teach You in the Harvard Business School" by Mark McCormack.

The author tells about a study conducted on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program. In that year, the students were asked, "Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?" Only 3% of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13% had goals, but they were not in writing; and a whopping 84% had no specific goals at all.

Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings, while somewhat predictable, were nonetheless astonishing. The 13% of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84% who had no goals at all. And what about the 3% who had clear, written goals? They were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97% put together.
If you haven't set your goals for 2011 yet, it's not too late - if you're in the north Houston area call me today for a free business planning consultation (936) 525-3214.
Wishing You a Happy & Prosperous 2011!

Why Postcards Rock! Effective Marketing with Postcards

Direct mail is one of the most expensive forms of advertising, but it is also one of the most effective. Email may be the cheapest, but is also the easiest to ignore or be caught by a SPAM filter.  Over the past 14 years, I've found that it's best not to rely solely on one type of marketing, but rather to scramble it up and utilize several different sources to effectively reach your target market.

Today I'm going to focus on postcards. Postcards are one of my favorite forms of marketing.

o They are the least expensive form of direct mail.
o The recipient sees your marketing message since there is no envelope
o They are inexpensive to produce as you can print them yourself and print up to four cards off one sheet of card stock

It is crucial to your success that all your postcards contain a unique marketing message - something that sets you apart from your competition and are mailed on a consistent basis to your target market.

Forget about the recipes, tip of the month, just listed, just sold, turn your clock back or forward postcards, all the things that most agents send out. I've tried them in the past and they don't work! Don't waste your money on image advertising when image ads don't work in real estate. I know this because I used to use them with no success. You have got give people a compelling reason to desire to use your services and postcards are one of the most effective methods for getting your message out.

The postcards that have been most successful in my personal business have all have very strong marketing messages backed with strong guarantees and special programs. We designed different USP's (unique selling proposition) or marketing messages for different target markets, for instance our "Sell it Yourself, While it's Listed and Pay No Commission Program" might be very intriguing to a FSBO, but our "Sold in 39 Days Guaranteed" might be just the thing an expired owner may be looking for after having their home on the market with another agent for the last 6 months.

One of the things I like best about postcards is that you can print them yourself. It shouldn't cost you more than a few cents by printing four on one piece of card stock and postcard postage is $.28 at the present time. I've found that ones I've designed and printed myself actually outperformed ones I purchased from a company that were slicker and more professional looking. The problem with those is that that is what every other agent is sending out and you don't stand apart from the competition.

You can choose to print the addresses directly onto the postcards (using mail merge) or you can use labels if you prefer. It's not like it's an envelope that you're trying to ensure gets opened so it really doesn't matter.

Need someone in your corner to help you in your real estate career?  I don't compete with our agents, I help them.  Call for a confidential interview (936) 525-3214.

Who is Holding You Accountable?

So my question for you going into 2011 is have you set your goals - business and personal? And who is going to help keep you accountable to staying on track?

I have a MAPS coach, Shanan Steere, that I visit with each week that keeps me on track with my goals. She asks me about how many appointments I've been on and what I'm doing each week to stay on target with business and personal goals.

Who is this person in your life? Do you have a broker or another agent that you share your goals with and ask them to help hold you accountable? Is this your spouse? Or are you trying to hold yourself accountable?

Even the top professionals in the world hire coaches to help them achieve their goals, Michael Jordan had a coach, as does Tiger Woods and many countless other business professionals.

Each week I have standing appointments with agents in our office to ensure they are staying on track with their goals. It's ultimately up to them to do the work to reach their goals. However, just by me asking them what they did last week to stay on target to reach their goals, raises their performance in most instances.

By telling me what they are going to do, that gives me permission to follow up next time and ask them how it went. The fear of letting not only themselves down, but letting me down as well, helps ensure that they do what they told me they were going to do and thus brings them closer to their goals.

Call me today (936) 525-3214 to set up a confidential interview to find out how we can help you reach your business goals in 2011.