Every Day I'm Hustling

The song that never gets old

To get ahead, to stay ahead, to be engaged, to stay engaged takes hustle. I can think of a few other things that go in to the equation when it comes to loving your work. What those things are depend on what you enjoy and they type of person you are. For me I need the thrill of the hustle, the enthusiasm of working on something I love, autonomy to approach things my way and some accountability thrown in so I don't succumb to procrastination that can sometimes be in my nature.

One thing I learned over this past year is that no matter how much you love what you do there can be external influences that take the wind out of your proverbial sails. This is a condition that can sometimes be overcome and sometimes they are out of your control.

Sales (my chosen profession) is very rarely smooth sailing. The choppy waters that need to be navigated is part of the fun. 

There is a huge need to keep a positive mindset and a focus on problem solving to get to the closing. That is one of the big reasons I have spent time collecting my favorite quotes, which I publish here each Monday to start the week off right.

The last part of the hustle equation is energy. Positive thinking helps tremendously when it comes to the energy needed to hustle. It's hard to hustle when you are feeling down. It is hard to hustle when you see the glass as half empty instead of half full. 

The quote you see below is from a guy I admire who has a podcast I started listening to: Side Hustle School. He's also got a book coming out and I can't wait to get my hands on it! Real estate, the type of sales I work in, is often a side hustle. Many agents do real estate full time but it is the second source of income in their household. I'd like to see it become more than that for those who aspire to that.

Do you have a side hustle? It would be great to hear about it. And so would Chris at sidehustleschool.com

Listening to the successes on his podcast or in his book might just give you the courage to take the leap and turn your side hustle in to your main source of income.

Can a Planner Bring the Change You are Seeking? If it's the Right One It Can!

Isn't it pretty?

I am a lucky mom. I have been wanting a Passion Planner for a while now and just had not pulled the trigger on buying one for myself. When my thoughtful daughter asked what I wanted for Mother's Day I quickly replied that the ONLY thing I really wanted was the limited edition, teal blue, large, undated Passion Planner.
Because this planner I coveted is from a young company that got started via a Kickstarter campaign it took some time for it to arrive (just got it yesterday) and was in a hand addressed Fedex package.
I knew it was a young company but did not realize how young.  As a limited edition it is also hand numbered inside.
I got 2376 / 15000

Not your usual planner

The difference between this planner and others I have used in the past, both paper and online, is that it has built in goal setting, project planning and room for both personal and professional undertakings.  There is also space to journal. There are so many things we all want to fit in to an hour, a day, a month, a year and a lifetime and this cool little book can help you with that. It is extremely positive. There is a place next to each weeks calendar to write down "Good Things That Happened". 

Are you someone who has a hard time prioritizing? Each weeks scheduler has space for your personal to-do list and your work to-do list. It further breaks the to-do's down by Top Priority, Priority and Errands with check boxes next to each. 

I've got some big professional goals and the goal of working on a healthier me. 

What are you working on these days? Do you have tools you love? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

All my best, Wendy

"Failing to plan is planning to fail." - Benjamin Franklin

Real Estate Professionals - What Have You Learned This Week?

Lifelong learning for your career and personal growth

There was a period of time that I was constantly searching for learning and growth opportunities. Learning by doing has always been my preference and that is not always the best method. Unless you are doing something very innovative and new learning from those who have gone before you, learning from their mistakes can save time and aggravation. My learning by doing style taught me some tough lessons.

From 1998 to 2005 I sold real estate. A lot of real estate. It was a boom time in my area and it was also a time when many companies were growing in leaps and bounds which meant they were bringing in new employees. The tech companies of the late 1990's and then the pharma companies were all planting roots in and around Boston.
My work as a real estate agent in the burbs had a sharp learning curve. Luckily I am a quick study.

18 years have passed since I had a freshly minted real estate license and since that time I have seen many agents come and go. There have also been many success stories. Mine being one of them. My first year in the business I grossed almost 100k in commissions and from year 2 on I won sales award after sales award at the big blue company where I was affiliated. My last year exclusively selling real estate I was in the top 25% of agents at that large company, which was no easy feat. Many of the other agents in the top 25% sold homes in areas that are much pricier than mine which meant I had to sell twice as much.

One lesson I learned that is still true today is that there are no shortcuts. Talking to people, showing them homes, giving them information on how you can help them get their home sold and writing contracts is what real estate agents get paid for. Lead sources come and go, stay on top of those trends but nothing will ever replace talking to people and developing relationships.

I will be very interested to watch what happens with the new company, SoloPro. The company reminds me of agents I have met (more than one) along the way who have some money to invest in starting a real estate business. Instead of talking to people those agents pay for services that they feel will bring them quick business and success. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not work. One common theme I have seen is that if the agent has not taken the time to learn the real estate business no matter how much money they throw at it it is very difficult to build a sustainable business.

It is critical to know, from talking to clients and consumers individually, what is important to them. Making assumptions about what is important to the client without seeking first to understand their unique situation is a recipe for losing clients.

What do I hope you can learn from this post? It is important to look every day for opportunities to grow and improve as a professional and as a person. Soak up everything you can from the successful agents who have gone before you and from the companies who are doing it right. Training takes time. So does trial and error. Don't get me wrong there will still be situations where you are learning as you go but by taking the time and investing in yourself by investing time in training you will cut down on the trial and error and experience real growth.