Winter Park Civic Center was the location of a Business Planning training today that was hosted by Waterstone Mortgage Corp./The Wellington Group, North American Title, and Florida Insurance Specialists. In addition to the Business Planning portion of the workshop, they also had a PANEL of Top-Producing REALTORs that answered questions about their business successes.
What was pretty interesting to me was the statistic that 70% of all New Year's Resolutions are abandoned by February 1st! Yikes!
Also, less than 10% of real estate agents have an actual, WRITTEN Business Plan. I think that that number is high, though; my guess is around 5% or less have one. While I already had a written business plan, it was still fairly ambiguous and I'm glad I attended the workshop b/c now my goals are CRYSTAL CLEAR. I am so proud of my Customized Business Plan that I developed with the help of the above hosts. Thank you so much.
Mike Smalley (who, incidentally is a published author right here in Winter Park) and Shelly Mannebach covered a LOT of information, including the "Pyramid of the Complete REALTOR" and an unbelievably thorough list of solutions for us to take to shore up our "Essential Knowledge" about being a REALTOR.
So, Mike's first question to the 45 or so attendees in the audience was:
Is This Your 5th (or whatever) Year in the Business OR Is it Your FIRST Year the 5th Time??
Think about that for a second. Well, for me, I felt like he was talking directly to ME. Business Professionals have a Business Plan. Everyone else is JUST WINGING IT.
In the past 5 years, about HALF of the time I've developed actual, written goals. Every year that I do that, I meet or slightly exceed those goals. Every year that I've just said that having those goals floating around in my head was "good enough," I have had a MISERABLE year and didn't make anything even close to what I had been (loosely) aiming for. So, it's official. I'm a believer. Just thinking about goals is great but there is something magical that happens when you WRITE THEM DOWN. Call it Commitment. Call it The Law of Attraction. Call it whatever you want but by virtue of writing your goals down, you are commiting to DO those things.
Okay--so they went over so much information about building a great business plan, developing the best business systems, maintaining balance in your life, etc.
Maybe after I've recovered from the onslaught of helpful information I may be able to blog a little about the pearls of wisdom from the 3 Panelists, Kelly Price of Kelly Price & Co., George Philbeck of Keller Williams, and Kevin Acker of ReMax 200. Stay tuned!
See you next time. :) Good luck with the business planning!
We get educated and STAY educated on what's going on in our respective markets. Much like other professionals that get Continuing Education Credits and stay "up" on what's going on with their fields, REALTORs also must take continuing ed. classes. However, TRUE professionals don't do the minimum--they go the extra mile to learn EVERYTHING they can about their professions, whether it's by reading, by getting together with other like-minded individuals, whether it's learning in-depth about a particular situation/niche, etc.
What me and a handful of other REALTORs in Central Florida have chosen to do is meet on a monthly basis for the past few years or so to share what's going on with the real estate industry and continue our education about what's good for us/our customers and what's not good for us/our customers. Technically, I am a newbie to the group, as I have only been associated with them for a year or two. Who knows how long these true professionals have been meeting and exchanging ideas to better help their customers?!
Anyway, yesterday tipped off the first of our 12 total monthly meetings for 2009 for our as-yet-unnamed (that I know of) educational group. Typically, there are about 10-12 in the group but yesterday, due to prior commitments with the Board., et. al., there were five REALTORs present.
** Picture--Lisa Spalding, Watson Realty Corp.; Used with Permission. From Left, Dennis Buck, Weichert; the highly-esteemed David Rose, ReMax 200; Barbara Singleton, Weichert (she's being good-she was actually WEARING her nametag!); Deborah Zopp, ReMax Central Realty. And, of course, me, Lisa Spalding, Watson Realty Corp.!
Barbara Singleton was our designated Presenter/Leader for the month and discussed Time Management. We discussed what each of us was doing in terms of our own business and personal time management, what we can do to improve upon that, and how to do more productive work with less. Probably my favorite saying that she re-iterated was "Procrastination on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part." Barbara came prepared and regaled us with a 2-page computer print-out of Time Management Myths and how to overcome them. I'm pretty proud of all of us as a group, b/c the group discussion did not degenerate into a b!&ch session about interruptions or lack of time in general, but instead, focused on what we can do to really block out time each week for work and personal time to maximize our time.
I think that Time Management is something that all of us can improve upon. Especially with the market that we are in, something as simple as driving to a property to pick up/drop off paperwork can waste a lot of time, especially when we can easily email or fax with a lot less hassle. I almost went off-topic, asking if anyone had read or bought Gary Keller's new book about changing real estate markets, Shift. Barbara got me back on track, jokingly saying, "Who has time to read?!" LOL. (As an aside, while I'm still reading it, it's a great book. Keller doesn't use a lot of bullets to identify ideas, which is my preferred style of taking in information (just give me the Big Overview, please!) BUT I am actually finding that the book is well-written and has TONS of great ideas. That's another blog, though. Back to our group...
Well, our group did pretty good with Time Management at the end of last year, because that was when we got together to actually come up with a WRITTEN PLAN of what we'd be doing at each meeting this month. So, next month we already know we're discussing "Marketing in The New Market" and we'll be developing a VENDOR LIST. Now, I know that may sound pretty dull BUT reaching out to you, the public, and bringing you valuable information about the real estate market/buying/selling is actually FUN and REWARDING--when it works. I LOVE to get calls from people, saying, "I scoped out everything about you on the Internet and I want to work with YOU and only YOU." Gives me a big head and makes me feel good. But, even better, I like to help people and I think that this comes through with the stuff I choose to put out into the community.
You may say to yourself--But WHY in the world would we even meet and take precious time out of our days anyway, when we could be helping someone to buy or sell a house instead? Good question. Keep reading this blog and that answer may become evident to you.
So, the Vendor List/Service Provider List: Do you have a Vendor/Service Person/Company, real-estate related or not, that you would 100% recommend to go onto our list? We have a good list already (of inspectors, A/C guys, etc.) but are wanting to expand our list to include any service person/company that:
* Is still in business! (Believe me--a LOT of companies are just GONE.)
* Does a great job. (Routinely Exceeds Customer's Expectations)
* Is customer-centric.
So, there you have it. We are meeting for 1-1 1/2 hours every month to help you and help ourselves.
While I can't really comment on all the service areas for our group, we definitely do a lot of work in Orange and Seminole counties. There are other areas in which we work, though, so if you don't necessarily live/work in Orange or Seminole, we may still be able to help you; just contact any one of us.
** Reminder-- If you have Vendors or other Service Providers, send their contact info to us with a short synopsis of why you love doing business w/'em. You may also post their info as a comment. Thank you in advance.
** Also, if you can suggest a name for our long-term group, please, by all means, suggest it here as a comment.
If you have a question or suggest for the group or for any of us individually, contact info is below:
Dennis Buck, Weichert REALTORs. www.DennisBuck.com
David Rose, ReMax 200. www.DavidERose.ReMax.com
Barbara Singleton, Weichert REALTORs. www.BarbSingleton.com
Deborah Zopp, ReMax Central Realty. http://www.orlandorealtyresources.com/associate_profile.asp?AgentID=28
Lisa Spalding, Watson Realty Corp. www.WinterParkHomeFinder.com
Good luck in your house search!
If you are at all interested in moving to Orlando, it's good to have a guide. I have been working on a Guide to North West Orlando Home Prices. It includes information on homes in all price ranges in Lockhart, Altamonte Springs, Rosemont, College Park, and Fairview Shores. I'm still working on the Guide but I need feedback on it. So, get your copy and help me to make it better. :)
To get your free copy of the Guide When I Complete It, Click the Link Below:
Get My FREE Guide to North West Orlando Homes
Hello, Friend--
I am at the point in my business where my purpose is to make YOUR experience in Buying a home the best that it can be. While you may or may not have school-age children, I want to make THEIR experience in the Buying process the best it can be, too. So, when you show up at my office for your initial consultation for us to discuss what's really important to you about Buying a home, I want the office to be comfortable both for you and for your kids, if you have them.
While at the office, you will notice that we have one of the nicest real estate offices in the area. We even just had new A/Cs installed in October 2008. Our meeting rooms are also roomy and well-appointed. We EVEN have a Kiddie Corner (shown below).
Here's my dilemma: While I think that even HAVING a designated Kiddie Corner is a great idea, I think that ours could use some sprucing up. I need your help with stocking said Kiddie Corner. Here is a list of what we currently have for your school-aged children:
Watson Realty Corp. Coloring Books-Those are a MUST!
Just Plain Paper to Draw, Write, or Color On
Writing Utensils (Washable Markers, Crayons)
A Few Assorted Games (Bingo, Chutes and Ladders, Chess-Missing Some Pieces--, Etc.)
Very Few Books (I KNOW We Need More of Those)
Write Your Own Funny Phrases Booklet (A Knock-Off of Mad Libs?)
Some Lost Pieces from Some Un-Remembered Games or Toys (Sad, but True)
So, What Suggestions Do YOU Have to for Us to Buy to Add to/Revamp Our Kiddie Corner? Anyone is invited to comment, especially if you have some great suggestions!
Now, I'm not yet going to run out and buy an X-Box or PlayStation for my customers to have at my office for kids but what else can we add to this short list of supplies for your kids while you are with them at my office?
I'm Lisa with Watson Realty Corp. I'm an agent that helps you find a home here in the area. I specialize with working with Buyers & Sellers here in Orange and Seminole counties. You can check me out on some of my websites below or just Google me to make sure I'm a legitimate REALTOR®. J
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Lisa Spalding
Watson Realty Corp., REALTOR
407-673-4200 Office
1-877-396-3288 Toll-Free
407-267-0304 Cell
Good Information for Buyers & Sellers Located at: www.WinterParkHomeFinder.com
Search for Homes All Over Florida (and Other Info, Too): http://lisaspalding3.point2agent.com/
Search for Homes Myself on My Computer in the Privacy of My Home at:
Well, I felt like a goober today when I boasted to my broker that my website ranking was "up there," then he typed in some stuff on the computer and my website was nowhere to be found on the first, second, or third page. Open mouth, insert foot, slink away quietly, so as not to attract any attention...
So, imagine my surprise this evening when I typed in a few keywords, scrolled down a little bit on the page, and BAM!, there is my website at NUMBER 9 on the FIRST PAGE OF GOOGLE! Number 9 isn't very high up in terms of websites but I was happy, all the same, especially since it was out of 123,000 sites. Plus, I don't pay anyone for website optimization or rankings. Other than a few blogs, I can't think of anything that I really do that would get it up to the first page of Google.
At any rate, I'm happy to copy and paste this First Page of Google:
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Results 1 - 10 of about 123,000 for orlando maitland winter park homes. (0.24 seconds)
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Central Florida Condominiums - Find your condo in Orlando ...
We list high quality homes and investment properties. Check back frequently for new listings. Orlando is growing quickly and so are we! ...Central Florida Real Estate, Winter Park Real Estate, Orange ...
Mike Rance helping to find and buy the home of your dreams. ... Winter Park - Orlando - Maitland - Heathrow - Windermere - Oviedo - Altamonte Springs ...Orlando, Maitland and Winter Park Antique Shops
Orlando Includes: Maitland & Winter Park. MAP OF AREA. 1. Millie's Glass & China 5512 Edgewater Drive Orlando, FL 32810. Depression Glass Hours: Thur. ...
Local business results for maitland winter park homes near Orlando, FL
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Great Florida Insurance: Winter Park - Maitland - Winter Park ... - www.greatflorida.com501 N Orlando Ave # 311, Winter Park - (407) 629-9800 Directions and more » |
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Bond James Agency: Winter Park-Maitland-College Park-Orlando - www.homeinsurancedepot.net843 S Orlando Ave, Winter Park - (407) 645-0007 Directions and more » |
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A American Auto Insurance: Winter Park-Maitland-College Park ... - www.insurancesavers.com3586 Aloma Ave # 3, Winter Park - (407) 901-4891 Directions, hours, and more » |
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Maitland, Orlando, and Winter park, FL Real Estate - RE/MAX Assured
Maitland, FL real estate and homes for sale in Orlando and Winter park. Your Maitland FL real estate resource center, find MLS listings, condos and homes ...Windermere Orlando Winter Park Winter Springs Lake Mary Heathrow ...
Windermere,Orlando,Winter Park,Winter Springs,Lake Mary,Heathrow,Maitland homes for sale. I can help with Commercial and Vacant Land needs in all of the ...Park Maitland School - 1450 S Orlando, Maitland, FL - Trulia
Compare to similar schools and find nearby homes for sale on Trulia. ... Maitland schools - Park Maitland School is located at 1450 S Orlando, Maitland FL ...Courtyard Orlando Altamonte Springs/Maitland: Rooms designed for ...
Courtyard Orlando-Maitland/Altamonte Springs, FL is located in the heart of Maitland, ... Winter Park (4.0mi/6.44km) >> · Oviedo (12.2mi/19.63km) > ...Winter Park, Orlando, and Longwood, FL Real Estate - Lisa Spalding
How to Buy a Lovely Home in Orlando/Winter Park/Maitland for Zero Down Payment:. www.OrlandoAreaPropertySource.com. It's not so much the market being poor, ...Winter Park Florida real estate, Orlando real estate, and real ...
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Orlando,Winter Park,Central Florida Homes; Sell/Buy A Home;Down Payment Assistance? BUYERS Pay NO Commission; Luxury Homes? Relocation Agent. CDPE of Short Sales; Certifed Distressed Property Expert
What Makes Me Different from Every Other Real Estate Agent:
I consider Orlando, Maitland, and Winter Park in Florida (especially ORANGE & SEMINOLE Counties) excellent places to live & I would love to share my enthusiasm for all the possible neighborhoods you could potentially call HOME. I have helped people with buying and selling property in the following counties: Orange, Seminole, Volusia (only WEST Volusia close to I-4, not the beaches), Lake, Osceola, & Polk.
I provide unparalleled service & look forward to developing a long-term relationship with you. Meet with me and let's see if you would like me to help you with selling or buying property. Then you decide if you want me to be your friend in the real estate business, guiding you through the often-confusing maze of transacting business on real property. I help with residential and commercial real estate.
"How To" Buy a Home Report--FREE for Buyers
/Images/RealtorTemplate/Photos/thumb/9827368.jpg)
FREE REPORT!
How To Buy A Lovely Home
In Orlando With Zero Down or Low Down Payment
Click here:
http://www.orlandoareapropertysource.com/
Free Seller Booklet: "How to Sell Your Home--FAST!"
E-mail LSpalding@WatsonRealtyCorp.com with Subject Line as "Seller Booklet" and a Mailing Address
• Florida Native--Really, I am. :)
•
Member of the By Referral Only community (Superior Services!)
•
Master's Degree from the University of Central Florida (UCF); Bachelor's Degree from Wesleyan College in Georgia
•
30-day marketing plan for SELLERS and "How To Sell Your Home--FAST" Booklet; How-To Booklet for Buyers
•
Member of the Florida Association of REALTORS (FAR) and of National Association of REALTORS (NAR)
on TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/lspalding
Hello & thank you for visiting! Welcome to your one-stop source for real estate services covering the Central Florida area. Real estate is one of the most exciting investments one can make, and it should be a fun and rewarding experience. It is my goal as your full-service real estate consultant specializing in the Winter Park, Orlando, & Longwood areas (along with other areas--ask me about my entire geographic coverage agea), to provide you with uncommon help and guidance & to earn the title of YOUR Friend in the Real Estate Business.
My real estate expertise locally will benefit you whether you are serious about buying or selling a home at this time, or if you are a returning customer (Hi, there!) checking out the many homeowner resources I offer. We will discuss everrything you'll need to BUY or SELL a property, as well as learn about the market value of residential homes & commercial properties you may own or want to buy in the Central Florida area. It is my goal to provide you with uncommon help and guidance, so please feel free to browse the site & contact me!
Buying a home? I look forward to helping you select the home of your dreams by taking time to listen to your needs and desires. I would like to suggest that you call and listen to a free, recorded message if you are considering buying a home in Central Florida. Call 1-888-363-1822 and press Extension 52 for free information if you are BUYING a home.
Free Report for Orlando, FL Home Buyers, Orange County, Low Down Payment (edit/delete)
FREE REPORT!
How To Buy A Lovely Home
In Orlando With Zero Down or Low Down Payment
Click here:
http://www.orlandoareapropertysource.com/
Selling a home? My real estate expertise and outstanding marketing programs will give your home the exposure necessary to sell quickly and for top dollar. I would like to suggest that you call and listen to a free, recorded message if you are considering selling a home in Central Florida. Call 1-888-363-1822 and press Extension 92 for free information if you are SELLING a home.
Get Your Free Report on What Homes are Selling for in Your Central Florida Area/Neighborhood. Just Click:
www.24HrHousePrices.com/OrlandoArea
SHORT SALES: CDPE (Certifed Distressed Property Expert)
Free Seller Booklet: "How to Sell Your Home--FAST!"
E-mail LSpalding@WatsonRealtyCorp.com with Subject Line as "Seller Booklet" and a Mailing Address
Returning Customer/Friend/Family/Neighbor? I appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve you and hope you take advantage of the valuable resources I provide. Come back to visit this site often! If you are referring a family member, friend, or neighbor to me, please call me directly or have them call me directly at 407-267-0304 and use you as a reference.
Referred Customer/Potential Friend? I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to see if it makes sense to work together. I hope I may serve you with your real estate needs. Please call me directly at 407-267-0304 and please let me know who referred you to me so I may thank them for their endorsement immediately. I look forward to speaking with you.
I consider Central Florida an excellent place to reside (I'm a native Floridian!) and would love to share with you my enthusiasm for the many neighborhoods that could possibly be yours to call HOME. I pride myself on providing unparalleled service and look forward to developing a long-term relationship with you. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss how I can best assist you with your real estate needs.
[Lisa was] "Very professional" and "very helpful with all our questions and concerns."
"Helpful in every aspect." - (Lisa) "Even found [a] company to remove items from [my] home."
[I] "Liked her collaborative style."
"She went above and beyond to help me get the house ready for sale."
"I was kept informed at all times."
"The Service Providers Booklet was a real help!"
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