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.

Your Surroundings Matter

Just a couple of days before Halloween when I was driving into work I was listening to a Christian radio station; the topic was what you thought about letting your kids watch scary movies like Saw, Halloween or Night Mare on Elm Street this time of the year.

Pls watch this 1 minute video I created - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVVfk_tXTZE

It really got interesting when one of the DJ’s said that growing up his wife had never watched scary movies and she is not afraid of strange noises or being alone at home even when he is away.

What you surround yourself with - is what you become. Why are some agents having their best year and others thinking about getting our of the business? What we focus on expands and if you tune into the national media and believe all the negative publicity you will subliminally sabotage yourself.

One of our new brand new agents started calling FSBO’s as soon as she obtained he license and within a couple month period had listed 11 of them. Other agents too were focused on the shifting market to realize the opportunities in front of them. She was too new in the industry to have been poisoned by the national media and opinions to know that she "shouldn't have been having the results that she was having."

When were returning to work from lunch last week, one of our agents mentioned that he should have taken a photo of all the new cars in the parking lot with dealer tags the last time he was there. Wish I would have seen it.

In Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, the author writes that the a persons income is the average of their 10 closest friends. If you're struggling, maybe now is the time to make some new friends with huge goals, big dreams and a positive attitude.

Quit watching the news, surround yourself with educational and motivational material. Plug into a positive group of friends and co-workers that can help you advance your career.

Do you need a change of surroundings to jump start your career? Give me a today (979) 777-7677.

Find Out What Your Landlord Doesn't Want You to Know

If you ever wanted to own your own home and weren't sure if you could afford it, you are in luck. If you are considering purchasing a home but just haven't taken the leap, you owe it to yourself to read the special report entitled, 7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home. You will learn all about the buying process as well as receive a free copy of this special report by simply attending Keller Williams Realty Conroe's Free Homebuyer's Class.

Mortgage rates are at rock bottom, sellers are motivated... Find out why now is the prime time to buy...

If you are located in the Conroe, Willis, Montgomery, Magnolia, Huntsville don't miss our Free Homebuyer Class Thursday, October 28 or Nov. 11 from 6-7 PM at Keller Williams Realty Conroe-Lake Conroe-Huntsville 2200 North FM 3083 Conroe, TX 77304 (please use the address 4870 W Davis Conroe 77304 if using Google Maps or a GPS to locate our office).

Please RSVP with Holly at (936) 525-3200 or Ron at (936) 648-3939.

Marketing Your Real Estate Business on a Shoestring Budget

If you are a new agent or just plateauing or you simply need a fresh perspective and are on low budget....what are your options? Here is what our Keller Williams Agent Mastermind Group in Conroe, TX came up with:

1. Attend networking events like the Chamber After Hours, etc.
2. Door knock to introduce yourself to a farm area (April Sound, Panorama Village, Seven Coves, Walden, Bentwater, Del Lago, etc.)
3. Direct mail - Postcards be sure you can track the responses
4. Set up your free KW or HAR website and ensure it is working properly
5. Place free ads on Craigslist
6. Call, mail or deliver something of value to FSBO’s & Expireds
7. Blogging - become a neighborhood or area expert vs. only a real estate expert (this takes time, but can be very lucrative in the long term in areas like Willis, Conroe, Montgomery, New Waverly, Elkins Lake, Hunstville)
8. Hold Open Houses, sure to let the neighbors know in advance with a flyer or door knocking
9. Handwritten notecards to your SOI
10. Call Team Leaders or agents in other offices and introduce yourself as a potential referral partner
11. Inexpensive, very targeted ads on Facebook
12. Develop and implement a USP - Unique Selling Proposition (something that differentiates you from the competition)
13. Give away free information (ex. free list of “top 10 buys in any area you specify”, free report “How to prepare your home to sell quickly and for top dollar.”)

Lots of great suggestions. What are your favorites?