Which Way Is Up?
by Ron Reed
It takes lots of energy to move upward; Energy requires belief and commitment, along with a laser-like focus and persistence.
"The information we allow into consciousness... is in fact, what determines the content and quality of life." ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
If I asked you to stop, right now, and rate yourself and your business/job/career, right now at this very moment, how well would you do? Be honest. You can't lie to yourself. How well are you doing, today, right now?
"I'm doing fine/well, but It I could be better" you might say. Or you may resort to one of the dozens of clichés that are currently circulating about. But really, how are you doing?
Many of you have heard me preach of the importance of the limiting your TV viewing, reality shows, the TV news and mindlessly surfing the net. By doing so you will shield yourself from toxic people and environments and direct your life with purpose.
I've also recommended starting a reading program, or as John Maxwell calls it, "a personal growth program" reading 1-2 books per month, subscribing to your industry journals, and working with intent to become a leader (top 10%) in your field.
This is more important now than it ever. Why? Because many professionals, especially sales professionals, have reported feeling stuck. The constant barrage of negativity from TV, radio, prospects, and even colleagues can sometimes be unbearable to cope with.
In many cases, one knows what to do but lacks the momentum needed to get moving. It's as if you have lost the wind in your sail, the glide, the stride, the swagger, or as Leneiva Head of Welcome Home Reality calls it, the "moxie."
Each day feels like another never-ending uphill battle. The passion, joy, and love are gone. You're just trying to survive, one day at a time.
What people want
Realize that the real wants and needs of people and companies have not changed. People are inherently attracted to people who are selfless-servers, ones they can trust, that bring hope and joy while at the same time being optimistically realistic.
People don't want another cliché; another salesperson trying to sell them something they neither need nor want nor feel they can afford. People want solutions, salve for their pains; someone to help them climb out of their own rut and encourage them to forward momentum. A confidant to help solve their real problems, that's what people really want.
Although the problems in our country have increased and the world has gotten more and more complicated, the needs and the wants of people have remained basically the same.
Change the channel
What can you do? Get back to basics. Turn OFF the TV set, Go grab a hand full of books, such as, "Shift" by Gary Keller, "The Magic of Thinking Big" by David Schwartz, "Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz, "Think & Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, "The Psychology of Selling" by Brian Tracy, or "Failing Forward" by John Maxwell. The list is exhaustive.
Get around the most positive people you know. Schedule an appointment to have breakfast or lunch with the top performers in your office/industry. Regularly call on some of your most positive clients and vendors. "See life as it really is and not worst; then see it as you want it be and move in that direction." (Tony Robbins)
Guard your focus. "That which holds our attention determines our action." (Henry James) Where your focus goes your energy flows. "Stop worrying about the things you can't control and busy yourself controlling the things you can." (John C. Maxwell)
Consider teaming up with a Mortgage broker/banker, Insurance Agent, CPA, Financial Planner, and anyone else that can complement your services and increase your referral business. (Example: If each professional on your team has a database of 250 closed clients, you then have the potential for an additional 7-14 transactions per year.)
Rewrite your goals and your business-plan for the second half of 2009. Review your options. Revisit your opportunities. Recommit to your success.
Others are doing it and so can you
Take for instance, Mary Berry of Century 21 All-Pro Realty Inc., Oklahoma City. Berry, CRB, CRS®, who decided in 2001-after 19 years in the business-to focus exclusively on foreclosures.
The move paid off big; last year Berry recorded 699 transaction sides, all involving distressed sales, and she expects to beat that volume in 2009. "It's not always easy," she admits, "but it's a niche worth pursuing."
They say when one door closes another swings opens. One top performing real estate agent went from making six figures to running around doing Broker Price Opinions (BPO's) at $75-$150 bucks a pop. When I inquired she said "Ron, I gotta pay my mortgage."
After some time one of the banks called and asked if she could take a listing. Because of the great job she did with the listing, they gave her another and another and another. Now she's branded as a Real Estate Owned (REO) Specialist in her area.
Create momentum
It takes lots of momentum to move upwards. "Up is not an easy direction; it defies gravity both cultural and magnetc." (Mike Abrashof) Energy requires belief and commitment, along with a laser-like focus and persistence. If you work assiduously at improving the content of your life, the quality of your life will most certainly improve with as well.
© Ron Reed "The Mortgage Doc" Total Real Estate & Equity Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved.
To your continued success,
Ron "The Mortgage Doc" Reed
Total Real Estate & Equity Solutions, LLC
Commercial & Residential Business Development
(615) 829-9289
Change Will Do You Good
"It's not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent; but the one most responsive to change" - Charles R Darwin
There's a group I ran across on Facebook, "I will not participate in a recession." Interesting name for a group. The title being self-explanatory.
At first, I got a big laugh out it. However, once the initial humor wore off, I began to think that maybe, just maybe, the joke was on me.
Follow my thinking for a moment; "I will not participate in a recession." Hmmm... Really? Do you and I actually have a choice in this matter?
Okay, okay... Don't get your dandruff all astir and please hold back your canines. Hear me out! I know what you're probably thinking, "C'mon Ron, you're supposed to be this positive thinking, talking, teaching guy; so wouldn't it be the right choice, the positive choice- choosing not to participate in the recession?"
"And haven't I heard you quote Earl Nightingale in the past who encouraged me to "do the exact opposite" of "whatever the majority of people is doing" as a key to my personal success?" Well, my friend, all of this is true, but please allow me to illustrate my point:
Imagine that you have a full day planned ahead of you- breakfast and lunch meetings, several presentations, two hours of prospecting and follow up calls to make. A one hour tele-training class, and a half-hour tele-session with your business coach. In addition, you plan to be home to help prepare and eat dinner with your mate/family by six o'clock p.m.
Now on this same day, right as you pull onto the Road to Success USA, some liquored-up, spaced-cowboy shoots through the intersection (He apparently is on the cross road, the Road to Nowhere-Fast) and without so much as slowing down or blowing his horn, he rams into the side of your vehicle.
Although shaken, you're physically okay. However, your automobile and your daily agenda have been severely compromised. And yes, you have got some critical decisions to make at this point. None however involve closing your eyes to the facts of what just happened.
Hopefully you can regain enough composure to call your insurance company, book a car rental, push back or reschedule some of your appointments, delegate some of your tasks, and still make it home for your most important six o'clock p.m. appointment.
All being said, your day can still be a success and you will be a better more confident person because of the decisions you made.
Fiddling while Rome burns
Legend has it that while the city of Rome was burning, Nero was playing his fiddle. Whether or not Nero's actions during the burning of Rome are true, the phrase has been passed down, "Fiddling while Rome burns" meaning "to...neglect priorities during a crisis."
The fact remains, no matter what witty slogans we choose to use, our country and for that matter, the entire world is in the midst of a financial conflagration; an inferno.
My own world of Commercial and Residential Mortgage Banking and Lending looks nothing like it did just two years ago- and industry changes have become as common to me as my monthly oil change.
Nationwide, 100's of thousands have left the real estate and mortgage industry since 2007; the crisis just too much to bear. On the other hand, many others who chose to remain, in spite of the recession, are thriving amidst present conditions.
Such one's acknowledged that they were in a recession and made adjustments in the way they've previously done business. It's my experience that people as a whole, don't change until they see an impelling need to do so. A fire- real or imagined- will really change your life.
Pretending that you can somehow shield yourself to the effects of the current recession by "fiddling" may sound clever, but in reality, doesn't impel you to change. "It's business as usual", "Status quo", and "This is the way we've always done it" are the phrases of the primordial past; as extinct as dinosaurs, mammoths, and ancient cave dwellers.
There's a fire going on outside of your business today; your survival requires that you make some hard decisions and hard decisions are not always easy to make. But make them, you must. John Maxwell urged, "Stop worrying about the things you can't control and busy yourself controlling the things you can."
So, if I were to place a giant sign in front of your business today, how would it read? In fact, which of these businesses would YOU want to patronize?:
Ready for change
Like any cataclysmic moment, you can allow the present recession to transform you for the better or for the worst. You can come out of it victorious or merely a victim. You can come through it strengthened or weakened- the choice is yours to make.
Acknowledgement is the first step to surviving. Change- Intentional and well-thought out, is the major step to thriving. Someone said that change can make you better; but doing nothing will most certainly leave you bitter.
Dave Anderson, Owner and CEO of Famous Dave's BBQ, said, "You don't become a sailor by sailing calm seas." And as Sheryl Crowe put it, "Change will do you good."
So my friend, there you have it. Whether you like it or not, the current recession has caused each of us to alter our lives- what we eat and drink, how we work, how we play, how we travel, how we spend our money, how we save and invest. Participate in it, you will.
But with the right attitude you can make right choices. And right choices will always lead to a good outcome. And that choice, my friend, is all yours to make.
To your continued success,
Ron "The Mortgage Doc" Reed
Total Real Estate & Equity Solutions, LLC
Commercial & Residential Business Development
(615) 829-9289
http://activerain.com/themortgagedoc
Dream It, Plan It, Do It...
I recently had a commercial client confide in me about the difficulty she's having getting her new business started. She's been planning to 'open the doors' now for several years but keeps running into roadblock after roadblock.
Seems as if this is no random subject these days. For that reason, I decided to publish my response to her for the benefit of all. Hopefully you can apply some of these tips to your own real estate business:
"_______, I had similar issues with starting my own company. A marriage falling apart, working for a buddy who filed for BK and left owing me money; the economy- my primary gig is a commercial & residential mortgage broker- need I say anymore about that...)
"Over the past 18 months, I've had to make some hard choices- mostly eliminating anything and anyone that wasn't helping me get to where I want to go... friends, partying, bad habits, even some TV viewing and reading- anything or anyone that was a drain on my energy and resources, I just had to let go.
"I've also had to re-focus & re-commit. Reading, re-learning, and re-aligning myself with positive and persuasive people whom I admire and respect. Sometimes we have to 'strip-down-bare-naked' and get back to the success basics process.
"Every entrepreneur will benefit themselves by learning that life is not just about living and earning but also about learning and growing and contributing and becoming. It's not just about what we can get out of life, but equally, what we can put back into it and what we can become.
"Take a minute, right now, and visualize yourself leaving home each day with two large shopping bags- one empty and one full. The empty one has GET written on the outside of it and the full one has GIVE written on it. It's your daily mission to empty the GIVE bag and fill-up the GET bag. What you'll find at the end of each day is that the reward of contribution- giving, is often greater and more fulfilling than the temporary reward of consumption- getting. But in order to grow, we must both give and get.
"_______, whether you're following in the steps of Eleanor Roosevelt, Lucille Ball, Mother Theresa, Mary Kaye Ashe, Rosa Parks, Oprah Winfrey, Alanis Morrisett, or making your own way, make sure you focus on the contribution. Determine to leave behind a legacy- not just consuming and taking up space- but using your space to make the world a better place- even if only a little bit better.
"Don't be afraid to give it your all. This country thrives on mediocrity. Don't buy into it; don't sign up for that class. Never settle for being just okay. Always strive for excellence (not perfection- but excellence).
"Our modern advances in medicine, the sciences, technology, and industry are all a direct result of men and women who refused to be contained by the status quo. Dream it, plan it, and then go to work on it as if your life depended on it- because in a sense, it does.
"_______, you don't have to wait until you have all your ducks in a row to begin. Begin TODAY! Start RIGHT NOW! Get MOVING, make some mistakes, and keep 'failing forward.' Do something every day that moves you closer and closer to the person you want to become. "By the yard it's hard; by the inch it's a cinch."
"Don't become overly concerned with making mistakes or failing. It's all part of the success basics process: Plan, do, fail, learn... plan, do, mistake, learn... plan, do, fail, learn... (By George, I think you've got it!!!)
"Whatever your field or specialty, decide TODAY that you're going to get in the top 5%. Learn the lingo, take the classes, read the journals and the books; attend the seminars, join the associations. Sign up for coaching and additional training. Never think that you know-it-all; pride always precedes the crash! Resolve to get a little smarter and a little wiser each day.
"_______, get your financial house in order: Work on improving your credit and raising your score; start saving money- 5, 10, 20% or more of your net earnings- off the top. Learn how to prepare a financial statement & a business plan (for this I would also suggest you contact you local chapter of S.C.O.R.E- they are awesome & the classes are FR*EE).
"I would also suggest you read, "The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be" by Jack Canfield. This should be your first read. There are 100's of other great books I could recommend but I think this one should be 'top of the list' reading for today's entrepreneur.
"_________, I hope some or even just one of these tips will help. Make up your mind to make today a great day, come what may. I repeat, just make up your mind to make today a great day, come what may. Dream, Plan, Do... Fail, Learn, Plan, Do...
To your continued success,
Ron "The Mortgage Doc" Reed
Total Real Estate & Equity Solutions, LLC
Commercial & Residential Business Development
(615) 829-9289
http://activerain.com/themortgagedoc
The Treasury Department has moved at record speed to implement one piece of the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Act aka the stimulus act.
The Department and the Internal Revenue Service which will manage it announced on Wednesday that forms and regulations are already in place for homebuyers who wish to claim the first-time credit enabled under the act.
The credit is available to homebuyers who purchase a home before December of this year. In an effort to make the effects of the credit felt quickly in the economy, homebuyers can claim the credit either on their 2009 tax return or immediately on the 2008 return due in April.
The tax credit represents 10 percent of the purchase price of a home up to a maximum of $8,000 or $4,000 for married taxpayers filing separate returns. The $7,500 credit that was authorized under earlier legislation last year was actually a 15 year loan; the new tax credit does not have to be repaid by the homeowner under ordinary circumstances.
The credit does have to be repaid if the homeowner sells the home in less than 36 months or if the home ceases to be his principal residence during that time.
For the purpose of this credit, a first time homeowner is defined as one who has not owned a home for the 36 months ending on the date of purchase.
The credit is available to taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes up to $75,000 or $150,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly. Above those income levels the credit is phased out gradually.
Homeowners who purchased a house between April 8 and December 31, 2008 are not eligible for the new credit. They are covered by the earlier legislation and can claim the $7,500 repayable credit.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said in a press release from his department:
"The expansion of the first-time home buyer tax break as part of the President's recovery agenda gives money to taxpayers when they need it most, while also targeting an important group of buyers. We view our economic recovery plan, our financial stability plan, and now this homeowner affordability plan as three legs of the same stool - an integrated whole that represents our immediate response to the current crisis."
Forms and instructions for claiming the credit on 2008 tax returns are available at www.irs.gov. The form number is 5405.
To your continued success & with warmest regards,
Salsa or Ketchup?
By Seth Godin
Remember average?
It's the brand marketer at a packaged-goods company refusing to sell whole-wheat bread, because the average person doesn't like it. Or the dietitian at the airline who says it should serve only peanuts, because the average person won't eat a corn chip.
Average made America great. Average was the mass market, the sweet spot, the high-volume, high-profit, churn-'em-out-and-move-on middle.
Average is dead.
America's best-selling beer isn't Budweiser or Miller. It's other. Salsa now outsells ketchup. There are so many alternatives, so many distribution channels and so many different kinds of consumers that average just isn't interesting anymore.
Are You Average?
Is your company average? Are you an average person doing an above-average job for an average company selling an average product to the average consumer?
Uh-oh.
This is the hard part. In crazy times, the animals with the greatest chance to survive are the outliers -- the super-fast cheetah or the mammoth with the extra-thick wooly coat. Of course, being an outlier is risky. If the world gets warm fast, that mammoth will be awfully unhappy.
All your life you've been trained to keep your head down, fit in, stick with it, and be quiet. And in stable times, that's a fine -- though boring -- strategy.
But now the rules have changed. Change is the new normal: Anything could happen; instability is a constant. And the best strategy is not to hunker down and fit in. It's to stand up and stand out.
How can you make your company's products more exceptional? How can you take astounding risks with your career? With your cover letter? With your resume?
You Can't Have It Both Ways
You cannot simultaneously be invisible and stand out. If you're invisible, one thing is certain: You're going to become extinct. Maybe not instantly and maybe not violently, but there's less and less room for someone who doesn't make a difference. In my humble opinion, it's a lot safer and a lot more interesting to make a point.
Start slow, that's fine. But start. Take some risks. Be exceptional. Be salsa, not ketchup.
(c) 2009. Seth Godin
To your continued success and with warmest regards,
Ron
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FREE LUNCH & LEARN SEMINARS: "22 E-Z WAYS TO RECESSION PROOF YOUR BUSINESS", "11.5 SECRETS TO A SUCCESFUL SHORT SALE", "12 HABITS OF THE TOP 10% AND HOW TO MAKE THEM YOURS" CALL TO SCHED (615)347-2414
"Ron Reed is a no-nonsense kind of guy. He has a wealth of knowledge in sales and in the mortgage/real estate industry. He does an excellent job of training and motivating others in their business. "Ron enjoys working with and training newer agents in the business. He's a great teacher and motivator. His enthusiasm is infectious and other agents love being around him. "Ron has a high level of energy, integrity, and values. I would absolutely recommend him to work with my clients and other agents."
Tammy Edwards- Broker/Prudential Woodmont Realty Hermitage:
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Kimberly Hodges- Owner/Broker/ Hodges & Hodges Realty
"Ron Reed's in-depth knowledge of the real estate market and products available to my clients has been invaluable! Ron goes "above and beyond" to help clients obtain the best mortgage product for their purchase.
"His outlook on clients is long-term - not just making a quick buck...and he regards every client with honesty, quick responses and good advice. His knowledge base is not just limited to residential products, but extends to commercial and business transactions as well.
"I feel confident in referring Ron to my clients, and you can trust in putting 100% confidence in him for your needs also!"
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Emily Lowe- Agent/ Prudential Woodmont Realty Green Hills
"Ron Is A Great Mortgage Broker"
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Linda Stevenson- Owner/Broker/Kijiji Realty
"I would reccomend Ron Reed because he is very knowledgable in his field, and keeps abreast of what's going on in the industry. When Ron Reed is at the start of a home loan application, the buyer and seller can be secure that the loan will come to fruition."
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Michelle Fonseca- Agent/Prudential Woodmont Realty Hermitage
"I have built a relationship with Ron Reed the past 6 months. I have had the pleasure of listening to him speak on numerous subjects on how to make it in this market.
"I've just finished his 6 weeks to 6 figures in any market. It has taught me to be more confident on handing my business cards out, seeking out fsbo's and expireds, and selling that I can I help people with their needs in this business, whatever it may be.
"I recently picked up 2 buyers and sellers from doing just that: handing them my card with confidence and knowing that I will start a relationship with them, whether they refer me or I work with them now or in the future, get your name out there and things willl happen.
"I've learned so much from Ron that's its hard to put into words."
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Hello, my name is Ron Reed aka The Mortgage Doc Of Music City. I am a licensed Affiliate Broker and member of the Tennessee Association of Mortgage Brokers (TNAMB) as well as the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB). I formerly held an active Real Estate liscense while residing in Chicago, Illinois, relocating to Nashville in June of 2001.
Since being in Tennessee, I've had the opportunity and great joy of assisting hundreds of homebuyers and realtors9(r) over the past 7 years. I also look forward to expanding my participation with Habitat For Humanities in the future.
In addition to assiting home buyers select the right mortgage for their long & short term needs, I also specialize in helping Real Estate Agents increase their market share & in educating consumers on the road of financial independence.
I publish a FREE weekly E-zine for Realtors, "Bridging the Gap to Real Estate Success" and conduct a FREE monthly seminars "Bridging the Gap to Real Estate Success: Lunch & Learn" where we cover a number of timely subjects such as, "The Art of Negotiation," "The 11.5 Secrets to A Successful Short Sale," "Time Management 2.0" & "Business Plan 2009: The Year of Truth."
I also publish a FREE weekly E-zine for Consumers "Bridging the Gap to Financial Success."
If you would like to subscribe to either or both E-zines and/or would like to attend one of our "BTGTRES Lunch & Learn" Seminars, Please shoot me an email & type your request in the subject line. Also, include your name, company name & email address.
I personally enjoy working with FTHB's, Self Employed, Musicians, & any who have been turned down by the banks & other lending institutions. We utilize our "Get Home Ready" program for those that we cannot help right away.
Some of those clients close within 90-120 days but the majority close on homes in 6-9 months after entering our program. These individuals are very appreciative & flood us a with a bounty of referrals.
I also enjoy assisting real estate agents to reach their goals, that is, Bridge The Gap To Success via coaching, training, seminars, etc. The Sellers Team is committed to helping our realtor(r) partners reach their goals and meet the challenges of the coming year.
I entered the Commercial & Short Sale side of Real Estate Mortgage Lending in early 2008. This too has proved very rewarding. My colleagues & I are partnering with Realtors, Financial Planners, Business Owners & others, scheduling seminars & distributing marketing materials throughout the mid-Tennessee area. This has turned out to be a large untapped if not uneducated market & we have recieved exponential exposure & response.
Due to the large amount of buyers & sellers that we attract through referrals & other marketing mediums, we are able to supply our realtor partners with preapproved clients each & every month. We refer to this as our "Make My Realtor Rich Program."
We also offer our services to Realtors, helping them follow up on their Unused Leads. As a result, many have been able to close an additional transaction each month- imagine that, an additional transaction each month & we do most of the work.
Unlike the majority of loan officers who sit around waiting and begging their realtor partners to feed them with leads, we are very proactive & therefore attract and selectively choose to work only with realtors, who like ourselves, strive for excellence & professionalism in each & every transaction, and who are working their way toward the top of their field.
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We promote & encourage education in every way & through various sources- for the Realtor, the client & the consumer. The successful home buyer, the successful home seller & the successful real estate agent all have one commonality & that is the POWER of KNOWLEDGE! We truly believe that Knowledge ROCKS!
Charlie "Tremendous" Jones said that the difference between where we are TODAY and where we'll be at the end of the year will be determined by two main events: 1. The people we meet 2. The Books we read.
As free will adults, living in the greatest and wealthiest country on this planet, we all, with only a few exceptions, choose our destiny. We choose to be rich or poor. We choose to be in the top 20% percentile or to fight for the scraps among the 80%. We choose to complain and blame or we choose to make a difference. We choose to be a malediction ourselves and others or we choose to be a blessing to everyone that we come into contact with.
Larry Wingett is one of those brutally honest, love 'em or hate 'em type of guys. Take 2 minutes, click on the links below and to listen to his pithy comments on taking responsibilty and life learning. (Caution: if you're extremely sensitive, thinned-skin or suffering from depression, you may want to take a rain-check on this offering.)
http://www.larrywinget.com/5principle.html
Work each day with passion & strive for excellence, professionalism & 100% customer loyalty with every real estate transaction. We can no longer simply be "good" at what we do- 100% is the standard, the base-line. In order to WOW our clients & further widen the gap between our competitors, we MUST become absolutely "GREAT" at what we do!
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