Rose Robinson

TURN ON THE LIGHTS! I'm not sure where I read that, but it makes sense in today's economic and financial turmoil. Everywhere you look, more doom. I hate turning on TV, and blogging also seems to be inundated with gloomy forecasts. In an effort to try and understand this chaos, I have been more introspective in recent weeks. The result are these seven steps that have worked for me.

1. Believe in Yourself...show your three cousins, Doubt, Worry and Insecurity out the door! You need to be self-secure in the knowledge that no matter what happens around you, the world will still continue to turn, that the sun will still rise each morning. I believe that God in His infinite wisdom created us all to be individual; special flowers in His garden!

2. Make a Commitment to Grow. That means whatever did not work yesterday, will probably not work today either. Isolate those areas that you need to expand, and get going. Study. Reflect. Figure out where you can grow. None of us are perfect; we all have blindspots. Make a commitment to take one little step in your growth today...whether it is read a book, or study a particular skill, do it today!

3. Be Accountable. If you make a mistake, admit it. If you say you are going to do something, do it. I have never seen lack of accountability be at such a high pitch! Those corporations that went bankrupt, did so because they did not have top executives who held themselves accountable!

4. Stop Trying to Change Others. You can't. People can only change themselves...I finally figured this one out, and stopped trying to change my husband, my son, my friends. You either accept them as they come or you go on to someone else who is more aligned with you.

5. Live your Gifts! Let's face it. We all have the benefit of gifts-places where we excel. They are not anyone else's they are truly your own.I know for a fact that patience is not one of my gifts; however coaching, teaching (shopping?) are mine. So Live your Gifts, share your gifts with others. Let them shine through your life for others to see. If you don't know what your gifts are, ask people who know you!

6. Pray Everyday. No, you don't have to be "religious" or have a special place or time to do it. All that prayer is "heightened conversation" with God. Ask Him to listen to your conversation; let Him do the rest.

7. Be a Giver not a Taker. I admit, sometimes I wanna take and forget about giving. That is when the spirit comes upon me and nudges me to do the right thing...It always turns the situation around when I am reminded that God loves a cheerful giver! Besides, when you are busy giving, you forget about yourself and your own petty concerns.

I am hopping mad!!!!! I don't understand why our government let things get to the point where we're at! I live in the most wonderful, beautiful, scenic place in the whole world, and I can't sell it!

WHY? Because people are so scared right now, that no one is capable of making the decision of purchasing anything that is considered "luxury" - we live in a predominantly vacation-home area, and it is hurting us badly. I personally have had three lost sales in the past 2 weeks as a result of the "fear-monger media"...people really do think the media has all the answers!

When is this madness going to stop????? The Europeans (especially the Brits) helped us out this weekend by voting on some measures that will flow money again---that will help us too! Hopefully, our government will be equally proactive and do the same!

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on how to sell this gorgeous land of ours, I am all ears! Tips? Ideas?

Here is a short video of the development that I am proud to call home: Royal View! The fall foliage this year was absolutely brilliant - even video doesn't seem to do it justice!

Thanks for allowing me to vent this morning!

Did you know that east never meets west???? They never meet.

In a geographical trick, though, there is a point in Alaska, Pochnoi Point in the Aleutians which is the farthest west you can go in the US. However, if you go just a bit farther west to Alaska's Amatignak Island, which because it is west of the 180th meridian which separates the Western and Eastern hemispheres you will be technically east of the rest of the U.S. Therefore you will be in both the farthest point east and the fathest point west!

Why am I bringing this trivia up? Well some of us, myself included, forget that the markets are contrived; they are man-made. And as such they are vulnerable. Much of the current market crisis is a factor of fear. With the lack of confidence, and wide-spread selling, this crisis is spreading faster than a virus in a closed room. Markets are cyclical in nature; therefore it should come as no surprise that what goes up must come down. Fear takes over when these drops occur. People panic. What to do?

One of my answers is to keep busy. To continue your life just as you always have. Don't give in to the fear and the negativism that is prevailing (turn off the TV---that is such a source of negative energy right now!) Remember that much as the media tries to tell you, east really never meets west. Keep your sanity and your perspective!

Have a happy day!

So much of media hype these days centers around having perfect bodies! Everywhere you turn there are diet books, exercise programs, and fitness guru's. What about your business health???? After authoring a satirical blog on Botox, a fellow-blogger Michael Sahlman suggested that I write something on developing your abs...here it is Michael! (If you're inclined, check out Michael's Website).

The state of the market has made it imperative to try new approaches (or old ones revisited). With that in mind, here are my tips for developing your ABS - Advanced Business Systems:

#1 - Activity: EVERY day that you work you must create result-oriented, focused ACTIVITY. Gone are the days of donut-munching and newspaper reading (or aimless web surfing!) (NOTEl DO NOT DO THIS!)

WHAT IS RESULT-ORIENTED, FOCUSED ACTIVITY? A typical day of focused activity might look like this- couple of hours of prospecting (I know, I hate to do this one too!). Prospecting is any activity that is made with the end result of making contact with people who may either be buying or selling real estate.

I am a Buffini graduate. The Buffini course is designed to start with your SOI (Sphere of Influence) and blossom out so that each day at least 5 people are contacted by you (preverably through the old-fashioned method of handwritten notes). For more info go to their website: www.buffiniandcompany.com

Then the activity could shift into following up on listing activity. I call or email agents who recently showed my listings to get feedback; this way I know if a price adjustment or other activity is in order for the listing. If you are a buyer's agent, today's buyers are very internet savy and they expect a lot from their buyer's agent. I contact all my buyers consistently...via emails highlighting new listings on the market, or contacting them when previously-shown homes had a price reduction!

#2 - You need a Business Plan! My rationale is simple: how do you get what you want if you don't know what that is???? And how to get there? (I've been in this business 21 years! How many business plans? You guessed it: 21). A business plan doesn't have to be complicated; mine is only one page. But it must be specific!

Business plans could include the following:

(a) General Goals - whether they be financial, educational or logistical. My goals are usually how much money I intend to net a year, how many transactions I will list and sell, and what educational goals i will achieve.

Last year's goal was to find a new job ( I was working at RE/MAX and really wanted to "jump out of the balloon" as one blogger put it, and within months two partners and I found the perfect opportunity! We bought Coldwell Banker Wright Realty, an existing realty company in Conway, NH (www.wrightrealty.com)

(b) Marketing Goals - These goals are designed to match activity with planned growth. Some ideas might be to set up databases for consistent mailings; our office sends inexpensive "Just Listed" and "Just Sold" postcards. Another thing we do is virtual tours for all our listings over $300K. I suggest that you allocate a marketing budget for the sole purpose of marketing! I've found that systematic, consistent marketing works best! And yes, blogging is considered marketing!

These marketing goals work hand-in-glove with the Buffini program; i use some marketing dollars for implementing referrals and client-contact (eg. notecards and "freebies" for clients)

(c) System Goals - I call these "system" goals for lack of a better word but really what it means is putting systems in place that support your business; this year I had "Buy a Flip video camera" on my systems list...it has turned out to be an awesome investment!

#3 - System Implementation: All of the above ideas will do nothing if they are not implemented. As part of your business plan, include timelines or "by when" you will achieve certain milestones...I also encourage people to educate themselves, whether through your local board association or going online to www.realtor.com. There are many opportunities to better yourself and to

grow your business!

Finally, we live in a world where we may find ourselves as realtors obsolete because of the information channels offered by the internet. Therefore the more value you give to your clients the more indespensable you will become to them.

HAVE A HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE WEEK!

Some of you have asked for more pictures of the wonderful foliage show that we enjoy here in the northeast. Our home in the White Mountains of NH provides us with a veritable display of color - this year's palette is phenomenal! So here for your viewing pleasure is autumn's hit parade:

Many thanks to the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce for allowing permission to use these, and special thanks to two local photographers as well: Frank Curtis and Lawrence Carbonaro.