Leadership Lessons from the Top…

by Floyd Wickman

Even the best or most experienced sales managers can fall victim to common hurdles or business mistakes if they’re not careful to keep their eyes on the “road” in terms of their management plan.  To help you keep from tripping up, I’ve outlined four of the most common business foundation “cracks” that can topple an organization:

1. Over-extended sales manager: I’ve seen it over and over.  Those managers who seemingly take on the work of the world and keep piling more on each day, wondering why they can’t get anything done.  In reality a sales manager has five jobs:  recruit, train, direct, motivate and upgrade their sales team.  If they’re doing more than that and overextending themselves then their effectiveness as a leader (and their team’s productivity) will come to a screeching halt.  Learn to focus on those five tasks and embrace the power of delegation for the rest.
2. Half of a job description: The number one reason sales managers resign is that they are given the RESPONSIBILITY for recruiting, training, directing, motivating and upgrading their teams but NOT the AUTHORITY.   Business owners need to ensure that their managers have BOTH in order to build a strong, producing, effective and happy team.  If not, you can be sure that they will eventually turn to one of your competitors or leave the industry all together.
3. Trying to pull the organization up from the top: Too often sales managers try to pull their sales staff’s production up to the level of the top producer.  Instead they should be continually replacing their worst producers.  In a sales organization, it’s imperative to build from the bottom.  After all, who cares if the top producer is making six figures if the rest of your sales team is producing at a poverty level?  Keep this in mind:  If your worst producers are continually getting better and better because you’re replacing them with better and better salespeople, then your organization can’t HELP but to GROW as a result!
4. Inconsistent management: Nothing kills a sales team’s respect for a manager faster than inconsistency.  You can’t be a leader part of the time.  Setting high standards and following through on expectations ALL of the time will allow you to earn their respect and keep it.

I hope this helps keep you and your team of sales professionals on track (and out of the cracks!)  To read all eight ways to avoid common cracks in your business foundation – grab a copy of my book Successful Strategies for Sales Managers.  It’s an easy read and a terrific turn-to resource to help any manager keep his “eyes on the road.”

And if you need help bringing that bottom 50% of your organization UP to averaging a transaction per week – that’s what we do best! Give us a call at 800.910.5351.  We’re always here to help!

Good luck and have a great week!

Making a name for yourself, growing your business, getting ahead, COMPETING in a challenging market – for some of you, all of that’s going to take doing some things DIFFERENTLY.  Take it from somebody who’s been around the block in this business we call sales though – with the RIGHT set of “keys” – you can out-smart, out-perform and win over your competitors in ANY market.  I’ve seen it – time and time and time again.

1. Know what you’re up against.  If you think about the major sports leagues; baseball, football, hockey, and then think about the most successful teams, you’ll find that they have one thing in common. In order to be successful they view and review videos of their games and those of their competitors. They look for strengths and weaknesses so they’ll know how to defend and compete effectively. It’s the same in the real estate business. You have to know what you’re up against in order to outpace the competition. There are a few questions that agents will have to answer in order for them to achieve market-share dominance. For example:

• Who are your top-ten competitors?
• If you lose a listing, to whom do you lose it in most instances?
• How many agents do each of your primary competitors have?
• What is their average experience level?
• What is their annual per person production?
• What is the average number of listings in each office?
• What is their list-to-sell ratio and list-to-sale time-frame?

There are other questions that agents could ask, and it may be a great exercise for you to take some time and write out all the questions that would help you to know precisely what qualities buyers and sellers are looking for and to understand how you stack up against your competition.

2. Have the Weaponry: To “out-gun” your competition, you’ll need the tools to do the job. From smartphones to iPads, to laptop, contact-management systems and marketing tools you need the essentials, and a few extras to meet the needs of today’s informed consumer.

Throughout history all of the great armies of the world got to be the best because they had the right weapons needed to do the job better than their opponents. Real estate agents today must have the right tools to battle the highly-skilled competitors they meet much in the same way.  These days, those tools also include social media, lead-capturing websites, blogs, social networks and more in an ever-changing world.  Be sure you’re staying online and up to date so that you always appear top-of-mind when area buyers and sellers are searching for their next agent.

3. Skill: In the more than forty years I’ve been in this business as an agent, manager, trainer and speaker, I’ve never seen an era where the necessity for high-sales skills was greater. With the accessibility to communication and information as strong as it is, sellers and buyers are savvier than ever before and have more questions and concerns than ever before.

We have to overcome more commission objections, “We want to shop around” objections, pricing, length of the listing, etc. The art of persuasion is in demand and critical in the field if you want to compete successfully. The real proof of this is seen in our training classes. We find that the average experience level of the students is almost four years, whereas, not so long ago, it was two years. It seems clear to me that being able to close the transaction is the difference between thriving and merely surviving in the business.

I often illustrate this by telling “the lumberjack story” to my students. Picture this:  A long-time champion lumberjack finds himself pitted against a small, frail competitor in the championship log-splitting contest. Confident that he will beat this new upstart, the champ jokes around with both his friends and onlookers, paying little attention to the pile of logs at hand. The frail competitor is the “Steady-Eddie” who focuses on chopping away. However, oddly enough, every hour he takes a ten-minute break and goes off by himself. The champ finds this astounding and believes the little guy to be a fool. “How can he possibly even challenge me if he is not even going to keep at it?”  To everyone’s amazement, however, when the four-hour contest drew to a close, the champion had logs before him still to be split, while the challenger had successfully split his entire pile. When asked by the defeated champ how he did it and where he went every hour for ten minutes, the new champ said, “Oh, that’s simple. While you were boasting and goofing-off, I was off sharpening my axe!” Agents must sharpen their axes every day.

4. Develop a Competitive Attitude: Attitude is everything. It takes a certain mental toughness to be willing to convey to a prospect that you are the best person/company for the job. This mental toughness, added to the facts, tools and skills discussed above, add up to an enthusiastic response to the question, “Why are you the best?” It’s like you are saying, “You know Mr. and Mrs. Seller, there are 1,000 agents in our area. However, for what you want, need and are trying to accomplish, you really only have a choice of three: good, better and best. You see, we are all good. After all, you have to at least be licensed. Some are better than others. But for what you’re trying to accomplish – that is to get the most amount of money for your home, in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of inconvenience, it seems to me that there is only one best agent, and what a coincidence that we should be together at this moment.”

There are many ways to answer the question, “Why are you the best?” Here are just a few:

• “I’m the best because I am new in sales and I’m not bogged down like those top producers.”
• “I’m the best because my office is right on the corner. Where do you think the buyers are coming TO?”
• “I’m the best because my office is clear over on the other side of town. Where do you think the buyers are coming FROM?”

You need the mental toughness to be able to enthusiastically convey to the seller this message.

“Mr. and Mrs. Seller, if you were going to fly coast-to-coast and you had the choice of flying first class or coach, both at the same price, which would you choose?”
Seller: “First class, of course.”
Agent: “I expected as much. May I ask why?”
Seller: “Because I get more for my money and a more comfortable journey.”
Agent: “If you knew you could get more for your money and a more comfortable journey by choosing me over someone who might be considered coach, I’d be the obvious choice, wouldn’t you agree?”

My advice to you is to become a competitor. Stay nice–but be a competitor. Put people first– but be a competitor. Care about what they care about–but be a competitor. Never verbally knock the competition–but be a competitor.

Well, you get the idea. Good luck and remember we’re here if you need us!  And if you’re REALLY ready to step up your game – click here to learn more about our R-Squared Coaching.  Now there are some FIERCE competitors!

Love,

Checking in with the Winter 2012 R² Group

By Floyd Wickman

You’ve got to love synergy-right?  Collective effort.  The POWER of TEAMS.  I know I sure do – and I couldn’t be prouder of the five groups of eight people that committed to six months of making things happen at an extraordinary level. 

I was just reading over Mike Pallin’s message to these incredible R² team members which I loved and just had to share…

A quick reminder. Everyone is busy. (Boy isn’t that the truth?)

What are the 5 most important things to do especially when you are busy?

1. Prospect:  Because, “If you don’t prospect when you are busy, you won’t be.”

2. Follow Up:  Consistently and systematically . . . because it’s the first thing that falls through the cracks when we get busy.

3. Prioritize:  To make sure you are doing what’s important, not just what’s in front of you.

4. Stay connected to your Source: Busy means we are on auto-pilot much of the time. Staying connected to your source of inspiration and abundance is what guides us to do and say the things that contribute to our success.

5. Keep track of your numbers:  Because busy doesn’t always mean productive.

Here’s a show stopper from week 14 –(If you like SMART Numbers – which I do, and about which Floyd says, “It’s numbers or it’s nothing!”)

For all 5 Teams, total of 39 people, through 14 weeks…(Drumroll please…)

• 607 listings
• 607 sales and sold listings
• 1214 total transactions
• 54% of goal
• 1034 left to hit goal
• 46% to hit goal
• 46% to go (12 of 26 weeks)

WOW!  And the Top of the Pops Through Week 14…

•  Most Conversations:  Dale Serbousek with 568
• Most Referral Leads Generated:  Susan Toothman with 115
• Most Listing Appointments:  Jim Galligan with 56
• Most CITOs:  Jamie Bodiford with 43
• Most Offers Written: Mark Smith with 32
• Most Price Reductions:  Jim Galligan with 38
• Most Listings:  Jim Galligan with 75
• Most Sales:  Mark Smith with 24
• Most Sold Listings:  Jamie Bodiford with 24
• Highest % of Goal Already Achieved:  Team A with 60%

WOW!  Thanks so much to Mike Pallin for sharing these incredible wins for some amazing sales professionals who are doing what they said they would do.  Who committed, dug in for the extra mile and I’m sure are joyfully (and with focus!) reaping the rewards of their hard work.  CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL!  I’m so thrilled for you!

I always say there’s nothing special about special people – it’s what they DO that makes them special.  Here’s to those that DO! 

Love to hear these stories…

“Floyd Wickman’s R Squared program is driving my real estate business to sales numbers I couldn’t even have imagined. I’m guided and coached by the top professionals in the industry and they’re right by my side as I break my own sales records month after month.”—Jim Galligan, Keller Williams, Stroudsburg, PA

“This program helped me become the number one agent in my area every year since 2008.”—Jamie Bodiford, Century 21, Weatherford, TX

“R Squared gives you the know-how, direction and motivation you need to be a top producer. If you’re not working with a Floyd Wickman group, you’re not earning what you should be in real estate.”— Dale Serbousek, Bellingham Select Real Estate, Bellingham, WA 

It’s YOUR turn!  I challenge you to take up the commitment as these fine folks have and make this YOUR YEAR to go beyond your expectations.  Reach beyond ‘average’ goals and reach for the extraordinary.

If you’re ready to do that – then there won’t be anything stopping you.  Contact us today to learn more about how to become part of and R-Squared Group. Because – clearly – being SQUARED has never been so COOL!

Selling is a Contact Sport

An Interview with Industry Icon Floyd Wickman and Julie Escobar

Want to know how to get listing leads?  Go to top.  That’s just what I did for this week’s article on how real estate professionals can generate more leads, increase their productivity and build their book of business.  So I climbed up on the mountain…ok…really I just made a call to an old friend who just happens to be an expert on the topic – Floyd Wickman. Always willing to share and eager to help a girl out – Floyd offered great insight, quick wit and smart strategies.

Here’s what I learned…

Q:  Hey Floyd!  As always, wonderful to connect with you!  This month I’ve been focusing on lead generation for agents, so I was looking for some strategies to help agents keep their pipeline full of listing leads!  Who better to help with that question than YOU?  What do you believe are say the top three ways agents can develop listing leads in today’s market?

A:  Hey Julie, right back at you!  Always happy to help.  Hmmm…top three huh?   I’ve got to say, first of all, let’s take a look at the most obvious – but often the most overlooked by a lot of agents strategy.  Your current listings.  In other words, one listing can help you generate leads, so imagine what 10 listings could do for you-right?  So I just want agents to realize that up front – the more listings you get, the more leads you’ll produce just by having that listing.

Let’s look real quick though at the difference between a lead and a prospect.  The leads are your starting point right?  (Because let’s face it – not too many people are walking in the office jumping up and down saying “I want to buy a house!  I want to buy a house with you!”  Right?  So the key is to turn those leads (names and contacts) into prospects (someone you know is interested in buying or selling now or in the future.)  In my program we teach agents to focus on the activities that will help them do just that and I must say – even in today’s changing market – we’re STILL averaging over one transaction per person per week.

So, the first thing is to focus on listings being the name of the game.  Secondly, we’re teaching agents to focus on calling for referrals.  Their job is to call four hours a week to everyone they know and everyone who they know knows for referrals and they’re averaging 2.4 referrals a week.  From this, they can expect to pull a referral from every twelve conversations on average!  Which is great!  And of course, is perfect for someone with just one listing or a low inventory of listings.  Just note that the agents STILL get more leads from the listings they already have than from the calls.  It’s that simple.  Referral calling is great – but alone it will never get you as many leads as what we call the ‘inventory magnet.’

Thirdly, we have them focus on other niche areas they can be working such as expireds and FSBOs.  Right now, agents seem to be having more success with the expireds and you know working that niche can start out as simply as sending multiple mailings to those expireds sharing what you can do for them.  Something you guys at ProspectsPLUS! know a lot about!  The trick there is to FOLLOW UP on those mailings.  Don’t be afraid to make a call or knock on a door and let people know what you’re about and more importantly, how you can help them.

Q:  We sure do Floyd and I’ll share some of that information in the end of the interview – thanks!  I’m so glad you brought up the stats you guys keep.  I think it’s important for agents to know that agents are having REAL success out there.  That with focus, the right tools and the right strategies – they can build a powerful inventory and customer base that will allow them to earn a great living – not just RIGHT NOW but long into the future if they keep in touch!   Can we talk for a minute about those referral calls?  What are agents saying that’s helping them attract so many referrals?

A:  Sure!  Like anything else, I believe making referral calls (or doing anything successfully) requires a process.  It helps people stay on track and not get overwhelmed.  Here’s some great dialogue that works.  “Hi, (name) – my name is Floyd Wickman  and I’m expanding my business and I could use your help.”  (Often times it’s smart to explain WHY you’re expanding your business…)  “You see, we’re kind of in a perfect storm in this market.  We’ve got the largest, best-priced inventory of homes that we’ve had in YEARS as well as extremely favorable interest rates, so it really is the perfect time to buy. So I’m expanding my business and I was wondering if I were to ask you to refer me to someone interested in buying or selling would you be willing to do that?”  (People almost always say yes to this – it’s just an easy, no-pressure answer.  That doesn’t mean they’ll always actually give you a referral mind you – but it starts the process.

Remember this—people don’t refer as a favor to YOU–they refer as a favor to the people they know. In order to do that – they need reassurance that it’s the right thing to do.  That’s where you come in. You have to reassure them.  Something along the lines of, “You know, I promise you that if you did see your way clear to referring me that I will never pressure that person, I would treat them like royalty and I’d never, ever do anything to embarrass you.  Fair enough? Who do you know that might be interested?  Perhaps someone at work?  Maybe someone in the neighborhood or a friend?  (NOTE: There’s always magic in threes!)

Q:   Great stuff Floyd, Thank you.  Finally, let’s talk a little about how often people should stay in touch with their sphere or what you guys call their book of business.  I know how important it is, you know how important it is, but unfortunately, not all the agents out there get how important it is.  What are your thoughts?

A:  Ahhh – well you know the teacher in my wants to talk about why people know what to do but don’t want to do it-right?  Let’s see, I would say at the very LEAST, you should be contacting your book of business in a face-to-face or voice-to-voice capacity three or four times a year.  And of course, I recommend you put a system in place that without a lot of time, effort or energy on your part, you’re also contacting people every few weeks or every month as well.  Keep in mind if you’re not talking to your customers or keeping your name in front of them – someone else probably is!

Q:  You’re right there!  I hear this question a lot and I’m sure you do too:  “What do I SAY when I get them on the phone?”  Can you help us out?

A:  Oh yeah!  People always tell me, “I know what to say the first time or even the second time but what do I say after that?”  I tell them this, start with “Hi!  How are you?”  Once you get those four words out – the rest kind of takes care of itself.  It’s like I say to salespeople all the time…Selling is a CONTACT sport.  If you’re not willing to talk to people, it really doesn’t matter how many leads you generate.

Q:  Grin – and with THAT – I just found the title to the article!  Thank you Floyd for some fabulous reminders of what to do to keep your pipeline filled, your momentum going and your business booming!  By the way, tell me a little about the new project you’ve got going.

A:  Thanks for asking.  It’s kind of fun – I’m making “house calls” now.  We’ve developed this cool, new, interactive platform that allows me to come into office meetings in a virtual video setting where I can see them and they can see me and we can connect.  It’s as close to being “in person” as you can be without getting on a plane!  Man, I tell you – isn’t technology incredible?  It’s been a great experience for our clients and a lot of fun for me to learn and to do!

That sounds amazing Floyd!  Thanks so much again for your time, energy and as always – incredible insights!  If you’d like to learn more about Floyd and his results systems – you can visit his site online at www.floydwickman.com.  You can also find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FloydWickman –while you’re there – look us up too at www.facebook.com/prospectsplus and “like” our page!

If you’d like to learn more about the powerful systems we have for staying in touch with your sphere or book of business easily, affordably and without a lot of time on your part – call our inside account team at 866.405.3638 or visit us online at www.prospectsplus.com.

You’ve made your presentation and asked for the business, and the prospect says, “No, we need some time to think it over.” Or “Thanks for all of the information. We’ll get back to you in a few days with our decision.”

This is where real selling begins, the exact moment that separates the good from the great. Stalling, hesitating, saying no is a natural human response and when the salesperson hears it, they mustn’t buy in and leave.  Do the reverse: Accept that this is a normal part of the selling process and dig a trench, sit back, relax, settle in, take a deep breath, and resolve to deal with the concerns and objections until you make the sale.

Memorize this response and use it every time you get a hesitation: “No problem. I understand. Do you mind if I ask why you want to (wait, think it over, etc.)?”

Find out what’s holding them back and then handle it. Great selling skills means finding out the EXACT reason for the objection and overcoming it. Let’s say, for example, they want to wait. Wait for what? Find out their reasons for wanting to wait and address them. The real reason may surprise you: The commission is too high, the appraisal is too low, they’re interviewing other agents. The experienced salesperson knows all of these possibilities in advance and is ready to handle them.

The Floyd Wickman Program teaches a number of Hesitation Handlers. Here’s one that will serve you well:

“I understand you want to wait, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. No problem. Let me ask you: Are you familiar with our Real Estate Timing Analysis? It’s a bird’s-eye view of all the factors that will affect the amount of time it will take to sell your home and get you your money. Do you mind if I go over these with you?”

The Timing Analysis is a powerful visual that shows sellers what it could mean to them in both time and money if they wait. Click here for a sample of the Real Estate Timing Analysis.

Here’s a demonstration from the master himself on how to handle objections.

Remember Floyd’s Rule of 3:

Always close 3 times, never more or less. Do this and you’ll get what you want most of the time and not push anyone beyond repair.

To read the rest of the April Newsletter – Click Here…

A Master Salesperson’s Secret

by Keynote Sales Speaker Floyd Wickman

We have a saying around here — well, really it’s more like a PROMISE and a COMMITMENT.  “Do what you SAY you’re going to do…Sometimes More, Just NEVER less.”  Just like our “Get by Giving” motto – we take these words to heart, every day, in all that we do.  Not just in the work arena – because, as important as that is – it’s not EVERYTHING right?  Our relationships, families, PEOPLE that we connect with are just as important.  Honoring your word, both personally and professionally, to me, marks INTEGRITY.  It shows CHARACTER.  And for us – that’s just ONE part of being a Master Salesperson.

It’s not always easy, I know.  Especially in today’s world when timing is everything, stress is high and expectations even higher.  Sometimes it would feel EASIER to take a shortcut, conveniently ‘forget’ a part of a commitment made.  TRUST ME when I tell you though – it is those little things that you ‘forget’, sidestep or consciously decide NOT to do that will leave your customers (and people in your personal life) questioning whether you’re “in.”  And that my friends is a hard thing to forget.

It’s much better to UNDER-promise and OVER-deliver than to find yourself in a situation where you can’t or won’t be able to live up to your word.  It’s a habit worth adopting.  It’s a practice worth preaching.  It’s a commitment that will take you far in this business and in life.

I’ve got to say, I’m consistently blown away by the people in my organization and the incredible students that have taken my program through the years that I’ve had the privilege to meet, to teach and to coach who are all living, breathing and serve as shining examples of ALWAYS doing what they say they’re going to do.  You guys sure make me proud and I thank you for that.

So, today – and every day – what do you say?  Ready to keep this philosophy close to YOUR heart?  Let me know!

Love,

Great Ideas From  Master Salespeople

by Sales Speaker Floyd Wickman

Wow!  It sure is terrific to see things picking up in our industry seemingly all over North America.  More than that we’re starting to see sales agents get EXCITED again by what they’re doing.  You know I always say if you’re not FIRED UP with ENTHUSIASM you’re on your way to being FIRED with ENTHUSIASM!  No worries there – I’m seeing sales professionals passionate about service, eager to learn new skills, happy to help their fellow agents and living and working with purpose.  I can’t tell you what that means to me as someone who’s lived and breathed and worked in this business so much of my life.

Recently we thought it would be fun (and insightful) to ask a bunch of our Master Sales Society members what they’re doing right now to hit their sales goals.  These are the folks who all exceeded their goals last year and are on track to make even more magic happen this year.  to exceed them again in 2012.

I wanted to share some of their creative and inspired ideas with you…

“We’re calling every one of our old leads which we worked so hard to get in the first place using the Who Do You Know Who technique. We are also contacting expireds from the fall who took a break over the winter and are now ready to list.”—Jim and Amy Galligan, Keller Williams, East Stroudsburg, Pa.

“I’m going over expired and FSBO leads and using Floyd’s 5-90-10 System to prospect them effectively.”—Maria Vaill, RE/MAX True Advantage, Martinez, Ga.

“I’m using the program’s Referral Lead Generator to look for cash buyers for investment properties. If I don’t have what they want in my listings, I’ll find it.”—Steve Santos, Century 21 Beal, College Station, Tx.

“I’m using my Client Follow Up System to contact everyone in my area and I’m updating my website and sign riders with a new picture.”—Laura Baliestiero, Coldwell Banker, Concord, Mass.

“I’m following my S.M.A.R.T. Week to make sure I prospect.”—Dana Garrett, Real Living HER, Marysville, Ohio

Simple strategies, smart tweaks, ACTION-filled task lists – and the willingness to share.  (Which I believe is the mark of a true pro – someone who is strong enough and cares enough to let others into their circles!)

So, now the million dollar question is what are YOU doing that can help you rocket towards your goals this year?  I’d love to hear!

By the way – I’m also loving all of you who have generously taken the time to join us on our team page on Facebook.  It’s great to wake up every day and see all of your wonderful faces and hear your success stories and how you cheer each other on.  You inspire me – and I know you inspire others every time you do! So here’s a big thank you from me!  Keep coming back!  And if you haven’t joined in the conversation yet – be sure to join us every morning for some fun ideas, food for thought and lots of sharing!  Find us at www.facebook.com/floydwickmanteam! 

And if you want to learn more about how to put these career-growing ideas to work for you – contact us or have your broker contact us to bring our real results solutions and powerful programs into YOUR organization!

Love,

Management Strategies for Today’s Brokers and Managers

By Floyd Wickman

As we head into spring there is a lot of buzz out there from brokers eager to build and strengthen their organizations so that they can better compete and help their agents succeed more, faster than they ever could in the past.  My advice to you?  Build from the bottom up.

Why? “Pulling” your organization up from the top is hard to do – there’s too much weight.  Instead – grab that bottom 50% of your organization and teach THEM to succeed, to have good time management habits and to be unafraid (in fact FEARLESS is even better) to prospect and you’ll see more results in less time.  That’s something I’m passionate about.  Helping those agents that everyone (including themselves sometimes) has given up on, bypassed or forgotten is in large part the foundation of the programs that we developed.

It’s one thing to teach the top producers.  Those sales professionals who have their heads together, skills under their belt and have the experience and wisdom to keep learning and fine tuning.  But for new agents and those who are floundering – you’ve got to go beyond idea sharing.  You’ve got to BUILD the foundation under them so that they have the ability, like we always laugh about in our c lasses, to ‘parachute in anywhere in the world with a phone and their skills and make a living.’  THAT’S the kind of salespeople we help to create by giving agents both the CONFIDENCE and COMPETENCE to produce at a higher level.

Most self-help programs don’t work MOST of the time for MOST of the people for a variety of reasons.  One of the biggest reasons is that the lessons and activities are OPTIONAL.  That’s why, as we talked about in another blog –the first thing you’ve got to do for that bottom half of your agents is to REMOVE that option to fail.

Secondly, teach the SKILLS they need to succeed such as closing, prospecting, presenting, objection handling and negotiating in a way they can not only learn them –but absorb them and create good habits.  That’s why we teach all our courses as SPACED training in a learn, practice, role-play, apply approach.

Thirdly, give them the resources to sustain their new skills long into the future – so there is PERMANENCE to their success strategies.  And lastly, make them part of a TEAM.  Individuals with a common goal and a passion to reach that goal.

In today’s market, you can’t leave anything to chance.  Can’t trust that agents can just learn as they go or that struggling agents will miraculously rise to the top.  To turn that bottom half of your company into producers you can be proud of and successes you can share – be sure to put the above four elements in place.  And if you want the inside scoop on how we do just that – give us a call at 800-910-5351.  Building dream teams is one of our favorite things!

Why It Sometimes Can Be the Biggest Key to Success…

By Floyd Wickman

You know, I sat down with a friend the other day and we were talking about some of the reasons that my program works as well as it does for salespeople.  And truthfully – I believe one of the biggest keys to success in my program (and my life) is that I’ve always FAILED FIRST.

Heck, even from birth – I wasn’t supposed to make it.  My mom bargained with God that she’s stop smoking if I lived – and I lived.  She never stopped mind you – but I’m still here today – so there must have been a plan for me yet-right?   Then in my school days – I never made it past the ninth grade.  I struggled all through school in fact – and FAILED.  And yet here I am today, a speaker, coach, trainer, and entrepreneur.

I went into the Navy after dropping out and was the only one that had to spend four more weeks in boot camp than everyone else.  Because I FAILED.   I did go on to spend ten years serving our country and earned the respect of my peers and leaders.  Real estate – same thing.  First year, I had five transactions and two fell through.  I FAILED again.  But again – I bounced back strong.  I then started my first training company in 1979 and in 1981 I had to file bankruptcy.  Another big FAILURE on my record.  But again – I came back- (after paying everyone back dollar for dollar!) and created what has become one of the largest sales training organizations in the world.

Even RETIREMENT I failed at!  (Go figure…)  The point is I’ve spent a lifetime FAILING FIRST.  I guess that why I’m so passionate about helping people today go from failure to success in program after program, market after market, year after year.

It’s also one of the reasons that my program was built around helping the bottom producers make their way.  In our classes – it still holds true that 82% are either brand-new or in the bottom 50% of production in their offices.  Mostly – it’s those bottom producers.  Our job?  To take them from failing to success in such a way that they can repeat that success, sustain that success and understand that just because they FAILED FIRST – doesn’t mean they have to stay  there.

How do we do it?  It’s a formula of course.  (Those of you that know me know I love a good FORMULA!)

In every Wickman program – we have five elements – we call them S.M.A.R.T.

That stands for:

S – Spaced training.  Over a period of time, once a week we teach them, let them implement, teach them a little more, let them implement.  There is definitely such a thing as too much too soon – so we give them the tools them need in the way that they can best absorb and learn.

M – Mandatory Activity.  You know, you give people the option to fail and 70% will take that option every time.  Why?  It’s EASIER.  During our programs – we REMOVE the option to fail by implementing mandatory activities.

A – Accountability.  Our trainers want to know how many appointments, contacts, listings, sales – all the numbers – so that WE know how and THEY know how to correct and direct their next steps.

R- Role Play.  Don’t get me wrong – we’re not dragging anyone to the front of the class to embarrass them – but there is very real power in role play. In our course- students will use six well-defined role play techniques to master their skills.

T- Teamwork.   You’ve probably heard me say a time or two – Teamwork makes the dream work!  It’s a proven fact that a group of people working toward a common goal will out produce the same number of people working individually.

The bottom line is this:   if you’re trying to go from failure to success – or even restart and make a comeback—there’s nothing wrong with FAILING FIRST.  In fact – some of the BEST salespeople I know have done just that!

If you or your team need help to click here or call our office today about finding a program near you.  Your success is our passion.  Here’s to the comeback kids! 

With the world pulling us every which way, it’s easy to lose focus and stray from our main goal. Success is practically guaranteed if you commit your career–and your life–to these 10 vital concepts:

1. Find Your Goal from Your Purpose:Figure out what your purpose in life is as a husband, wife, parent or person, then achieve that purpose through productivity goals in your business. Knowing the reason why you do the things you do will give you more motivation and ensure success.
2. Convert Your Goal to Activity:Know what activities you will need to do to reach your goal. What are the success ratios? If you want 1 listing per week, how many appointments will you have to go on? If you need 3 appointments, how many calls will you have to make? If you are very specific about what you need to do to achieve your goal–and you do it–you will achieve it.
3. Track Activities and Results Daily:Once you know what you need to do to succeed, keep track. It’s not just what you do, but when. This lets you know if you’re behind in achieving your goal and when it happened.
4. Watch Out for Detours:3 common side tracks in business are trying something new before you finished something first; letting adversities stop you (learn from them, let go, and move on); and saying yes to everybody about everything. Stay on track by saying this the next time someone asks you to do something (with a smile on your face): “Love to, can’t now.”
5. Schedule Vacations in Advance:Nothing motivates you more than knowing you’ll be rewarded with a vacation (not just a couple days off) after all your hard work.
6. Create Accountability:If given the option to fail, 70% will choose it every time. So be accountable to something–a coach, a group, a team. You will achieve your goals because you won’t want to let them down.
7. Re-Engineer at Intervals: Write down everything you did for the week and draw a line through things that could have been eliminated. Circle what could have been delegated. Add up those minutes–or hours–and see how much time you wasted on unproductive activities.
8. Stay Trained: All of the top producers have one thing in common–they never stop learning and re-learning what got them from good to great.
9. Compartmentalize Your Activities:Once you set aside time each week for your activities–prospecting, family time, flex time to get from one appointment to another–keep out the rest of the world. Don’t let anything take you away from your task. This will allow you to control your time versus something (or someone) else controlling you.
10. Visualize Your Goal:Take your goal, put it into a picture, put it all over the house, so you are constantly reminded of what you want and where you’re headed.
11. Bonus: Make a List to Reduce Stress:Write down everything that you’re worrying about. In a few weeks, go back to the list and draw a line through everything that didn’t come true. You’ll be amazed! As Zig Ziglar always says: “Don’t worry, that’s God’s job.”

    Floyd explains these principles in a remarkable audio recording. To hear it, click here.

To read the rest of Floyd’s March newsletter click here!