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Unbridled, passionate optimism. That’s what Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, called “Positive Mental Attitude.” Successful professionals follow the “too soon to tell” outlook by suspending immediate judgment of situations and erring on the side of a positive result. Unbridled, passionate optimism is perhaps the leading principle of a top producer.
Hill is known for saying, “There is very little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”
Top producing professionals have superior market knowledge. This includes not just pricing and tracking comps, but also watching market trends…what’s hot and what’s not…new construction opportunities, companies relocating executives in and out of town, and overall community development.
Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Top producing professionals pursue and posses knowledge that includes knowing unique financing options, not just relying on conventional mortgage lending, to serve all their clients…first-time buyers, high net-worth clients, owners who have had forbearances, the self-employed, investors. Knowledge equals confidence; ignorance equals fear. The more knowledge you have, the more people you can help achieve their real estate goals. If you’ve yet to reach your own financial goals, it simply means you’ve yet to figure out how to help enough people at your highest level.
Top producing professionals’ superior market knowledge is also reflected in their ability to find inventory where everyone else just relies on the MLS. What would you do if there were no MLS in your market?
Top producing professionals don’t just have presentations; they are constantly upgrading their pre-listing packages, their listing presentations and yes, even their buyer presentations. They are persistently and constantly improving their technology skills, not stagnating.
Top producing professionals say YES more than they say NO, even if they’re a little out of their wheelhouse. They follow the “yes, it’s my pleasure to help you with that,” even when they know the next step may require them to ask for help or learn something new. Top professionals don’t live in fear of the unknown; they obtain new skills and upgrade along the way.
In all situations, even the most stressful, top professionals are stable, calm, seamlessly versatile and without drama. They lead instead of follow. They utilize whatever skills, personality styles and care they have in order to create desired outcomes.
Top producing professionals are clear that their product is their profit. Yes, it’s true that top producing professionals are creating “clients for life” and helping their clients find their dream homes but at the end of the day, top producing professionals are running a profitable business, not a non-profit organization. They have profit and loss statements, they file taxes quarterly, they budget and they project. Top professionals are very aware of their financial affairs!
Discipline and systematic habits fuel their businesses, not drama. They concentrate on the things that create profit; they know the difference between being productive versus just being busy. Lead generation is at the center of their daily schedules — furiously fast lead follow-up, prequalifying prospects, presenting, negotiating and closing. They welcome having a basic schedule to follow because they see the profit-making results of that schedule.
One key practice of top producing professionals is focus. They don’t give up. They don’t use language like “try,” “maybe,” “might,” “we’ll see how it goes,” or “we’ll give it a try.” They are committed to making it work, whether it’s a big picture project (making a career in real estate) or a small picture project (creating a past client follow-up system.) Top producing professionals are, quite simply relentless.
Einstein said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
Top producing professionals are goal achievers, not just goal setters. They persistently and systematically pursue their goals. And, they aren’t weird about being “out of balance” periodically in order to reach those goals.
Another key practice of top producing professionals, a practice that applies to all traits and qualities of top producers, is communication. Top producers communicate with themselves by being able to be introspective, by being able to know and understand their strengths and weaknesses, by being able to create the discipline needed to realize their goals. Top producing professionals communicate with their clients, their prospects, and even their family. Top producing professionals don’t assume or guess; they ask good questions, they have fine-tuned listening skills and, as a result, top producing professionals succeed.
Julie Harris has been at the forefront of the real estate industry for over two decades. While in the first year of her +20 year career in real estate and coaching, Harris earned acclaim and awards from industry elites as a top-producing agent within the Columbus OH metro area. Now, along with her spouse and business partner Tim Harris, Harris is an even more acclaimed, awarded and sought-after real estate coach throughout the country.
Harris is the founder of and an educator with Harris Real Estate Coaching. She is the co-host of the country’s #1 ranked daily real estate podcast, Real Estate Coaching Radio, and co-author of several internationally best selling industry books including the most recently published HARRIS RULES: A Real Estate Agent’s Practical, No B-S, Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming Rich and Free that has garnered over 400 5-Star reviews.
Based upon readership demand for tactical, practical and strategic industry advice and expertise, Harris is currently under contract to write four additional books about achieving success within the world of real estate.
Connecting with Julie (or Tim) Harris is encouraged. Text: 512-758-0206. Main website: TimandJulieHarris.com. Also, Tim and Julie Harris are welcoming any agent searching for the right EXP Realty Sponsor to also directly connect with them via text. 512-758-0206.
