Let’s face it. We all know that brushing our teeth is a good idea. And for the sake of our family, our colleagues or anyone we meet, it’s probably a good thing that we do it in the morning. Exactly when we do things is often just as important as how we do them…and lead-generation activities are no different.

How many of you turn your computer on the second you hit your desk? It’s a natural reflex for so many, yet one of the best things we can do for our business is just the opposite.

This evening, place two personal notes on your keyboard so that tomorrow, instead of watching a video clip of some guy vacuuming his dog on a skateboard, the first thing you do in the morning is write those notes and send them out. This may sound simple, but as with most worthwhile pursuits, it’s the little things that incrementally help you win the day, every day.

If you don’t want your business to stink, be sure that – before you turn on the weapon of mass distraction tomorrow – you take out that pen and get brushing!

The best-kept secret in real estate is that the industry’s top producers are not only productive, they’re also highly organized.

The stereotype, however, is that they are red-meat-eating salespeople who run around with their hair on fire. Yes, they’re great at making the sale, but people think they are also likely to lose the paperwork. In my experience coaching the top producers in this industry, this stereotype could not be further from the truth.

That’s why we’re offering the Year-End Sprint (our final Blitz program of the year), which is designed to help you get organized while simultaneously filling your pipeline with leads. The fourth quarter is the most logical time of year to step back and calibrate your business. Do a little research on your average sales price, average commission, days on market and the % of your sales price to list price.

I’ve just returned from a trip to Europe with Brian Buffini where he presented to real estate professionals from across the continent. Over the ten days we visited Portugal, Italy, Greece and Austria where Brian got attendees excited about their business, and also shared the Working by Referral mindset with them.

In each country there was a particular flavor and manner in how they received the information but despite the differences, I noticed some universal truths: Everyone is looking for a systematic way to do business, and every customer is looking for someone to trust.

Here’s what seemed very clear to me, Working by Referral is as relevant in all these countries in Europe as it is in America.

Ciao!

David Lally

I’ve just spent the past seven days training agents all over Europe and I’m reminded that sometimes you’ve just got to expand your horizons so you can appreciate what you have.

There’s much to learn and appreciate about these countries I’ve been to but in the markets here they have no MLS, when people sell a property they record at a lower level for tax reasons so appraisals are excruciatingly difficult, there is no code of ethics, and there are no National Associations of Realtors. Couple this with each country experiencing its own recession and political challenges and high cost of living and you realize how blessed we are in North America.

I’ll be returning home from Europe with a greater understanding of the diversity in our world, the culture, customs, culinary and landscape variety but most of all, with a renewed sense of vigor for the work to be done and how minor our challenges are when compared to others.

It’s a good life!

Brian