JUNE 2015 SAN DIEGO

EXECUTIVEAGENT MAGAZINE

Executive Agent of the Month

Inside Features: Dan Batoon Katcam Real Estate Dustin Kircher HomeSmart Realty West Ray Solly Century 21 Award

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contents

Southern California’s Publication for the Real Estate Professional

ExecutiveAgent

Magazine

June, 2015

San Diego

Editorials

Cover Story

32 - Bill Brooks:

The Role of Positive Thinking on Your Sales Career and Life

30 - Steve Cook:

Negotiating Like A Pro

Fred Arrias Executive Publisher PO Box 73384 San Clemente, CA 92673 Ph: (949) 366-3349 Fax: (949) 266-8757 Email: Info@eamag.net Web: www.EAMag.net

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

06 - Stacy Holder: Invest In Yourself

City of Hope..................................35

28 - Richard Weylman: What Is It That You Do?

Greenpath Funding.........................11 imortgage....................................2 i Photography Studio...............14 & 23

14 - Dirk Zeller:

Kinecta Federal Credit Union............25

Persistence

Mike Ferry......................................15

08 - Zig Ziglar:

PWAOR..........................................10

Laughter

The Termite Guy.............................24

17

Veterans United ..............................36

Jeannie Gleeson

Executive Agent of the Month

26 Dan Batoon

Marketing Director: Frank Arrias Editorial Manager: Trudy Van Graphic Designer: Garon T. Arrias Photography: i Photography Studio, Ian Wiant, Rob Paino Writers: Lalaena Gonzalez–Figueroa, Shannon Hartsoe, Haley Freeman, Steven McReynolds

04 Dustin Kircher

12 Ray Solly

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© Copyright 2015 Executive Agent Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Although every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of published materials, Executive Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

3

E XECUTIVE AGENT

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MAGAZINE

Dustin Kircher

D

ustin Kircher knew for most of his early life that he’d end up in a real estate career. Books he read in his youth, real estate courses he took while

studying business marketing in college and a grandmother who worked for years as an escrow officer all influenced Dustin to become a RealtorÂŽ.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

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Real Estate is a Lifelong Passion Written by Shannon Hartsoe

Today, he’s applying that knowledge and skill as a top producer with HomeSmart Realty West in San Diego.

“I was always very passionate about everything I did and I enjoyed helping people. I figured my background in real estate investing would be a great skill set to help sellers and buyers sell or purchase what could be the biggest transaction in their life,” says Dustin. And his hunch has proven correct ever since Dustin began his career with two years of mentoring by a top-producing agent then obtaining his own real estate license in 2006. His experience and education give Dustin a keen mind that drills down into the core of a potential deal so his clients get the best advice possible.

“Since I analyze everything I do, I knew this knowledge was going to help in making the right decisions for my clients. I try to take out the emotional side of real estate and help my clients make a decision based on what is the best decision financially,” he says. The results so far are very impressive. In the past four years, Dustin has managed more than 30 agents and helped purchase, rehab and sell more than 3,500 homes across the country. “Not too many agents can say they have done that,” he adds, proudly.

How does he do it? By making sure his customer service is second to none.

“Customer service is the backbone of any business.

Although you might have the right answers and know exactly how to sell or purchase a home, it really comes down to making your client happy. So if they want it done a certain way we will customize our program to their liking.

Our main goal is to educate our clients through the process.

This is very important so they trust our decisions.”

His clients say Dustin and his team went above and beyond what they ever imagined.

“The most important factor for me to work with somebody is mutual trust and sense of commitment. Dustin and team supported me throughout the process. I will definitely work with Dustin next time I need to move to a new house,” says Sajjad Pagarkar of San Diego. “Dustin combined a fair commission with responsiveness and thoroughness that exceeded expectations. The whole process of the sale moved quicker than I thought it would, any questions were answered often within minutes, and the end result was success! He also handled many physical aspects of the home showing/sale process, which is extremely helpful if you are busy working full-time.

Highly recommended,” says Frank Lepiane of La Jolla.

including his parents, grandmother and aunt. “My aunt has always provided me with a ‘go-get-it’ attitude and my mom and dad instilled in me to always be respectful and to look at the issue from both sides,” he says. Professionally, Dustin says there are simply too many to list.

Maintaining Momentum Adapting to changes in the local real estate market and the industry and working hard to keep up his customer satisfaction are some of the ways Dustin maintains his continual success. “I have seen a lot of agents mope about the last couple years, how everything just dropped out from underneath them. I was not going to let that happen to me. I had seen the opportunity with the crash of the market and started to work with big investors that where purchasing a lot of homes,” he says.

In 2009, Dustin says his team had sold more than 180 homes in eight months, “when all I heard was that there was no business. I changed my business model and adapted to the change.”

His clients also benefit by the teamwork Dustin and business partner Brian McFedries bring to the table, especially their emphasis on keeping their clients educated about negotiations, market trends and opportunities. Their goal is to do more business and still maintain the level of professionalism and expertise that he expects.

“I truly believe that if we can help more clients in selling or purchasing a home that we have the opportunity to save them thousands of dollars by stopping them from working with an agent that does not know what they are doing.”

Dustin Kircher & Brian McFedries HomeSmart Realty West Tel: 714-333-5746 Email: info@DustinKircher.com Web: www.smartchoicerealtysolutions.com CalBRE # 01779473

Mentors and Giving Back Dustin cites a number of mentors behind his success, ExecutiveAgent Magazine

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Invest in Yourself

W

hen you are just getting started, it is natural to want to save your money and do things as inexpensively as possible. That’s how we started this and many other businesses that failed.

We read a lot of books, but missed a few pieces. You see, the authors of books aren’t going to give you all their secrets. Not necessarily because they don’t want to, but because there is too much to put in one book and it can be complicated for new investors.

We found ourselves waking up one day realizing it was time for a change. We took a seminar for $4000 that we borrowed from someone else with no means to pay it back. I don’t know if it was because we were out of options that we came to this point, but nonetheless, we were there! People used to call and ask us if it was worth it to pay for the course. Our answer was always “We made $12,000 that weekend that we wouldn’t have without the course”. But, really what they were asking is “Can I do this?”

The answer to that is a simple “Yes.” Will you do it is another question. And that is where investing in yourself is so important. It is easy to get beat up and knocked down in the beginning, with or without a partner. You need to learn as much as possible from people that are doing it NOW. And more importantly than the theoretical knowledge, you gain motivation and belief. After a three day training event, you leave pumped up and ready to go full speed ahead.

We have, in the last six months, taken 6 weekend seminars including a trip to Los Angeles, purchased several boot camps and training series, attended single day workshops, and several other smaller things.

We have probably attended over $15,000 in training and purchased a few thousand more in materials and software to help us become more efficient and effective. We are getting ready to spend another $20,000 (yes twenty thousand dollars) on a training seminar.

WOW... THAT’S A LOT OF MONEY! You are correct! But we have made more than that back! The experts that teach these courses ALWAYS give you something that you didn’t have before or at the very least remind you to do something you had been forgetting!

More importantly, you leave excited and energized. You don’t feel beat up anymore. You meet new people and get on the right track again.

The more you invest in yourself, the more successful your business will be and the faster you will get there!

Stacy Holder and Heather Seitz began their real estate investing career with absolutely nothing! They learned to leverage other people’s time, money and resources to purchase over $2 Million in real estate in their first 8 months.

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Written By Stacy Holder ExecutiveAgent Magazine

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Laughter L

aughter is a great stress reducer. If you have never read Norman Cousins’s account of his experience of self-healing as described in Anatomy of an Illness, I encourage you to do so. When diagnosed with an incurable illness, he brought a movie projector into his hospital room and watched reel after reel of old classic comedy movies, laughing himself into hysterics.

He found he could relieve his otherwise significant pain on a consistent basis through laughter. That practice, along with some other novel therapies, resulted in his healing. He left his prestigious journalistic career and taught on the faculty of a major medical school about the power of the mind and emotions in healing the body of disease.

Next to love, laughter has been described as the second-most powerful emotion we can express. It has been said that laughter is like internal jogging—it stimulates the respiratory system, oxygenates the body, relaxes tense muscles, and releases pleasure-producing chemicals in the brain. You cannot laugh and be mad, laugh and be tense, laugh and be stressed. Laughter is low-calorie, caffeine-free, and has no salt, preservatives, or additives. It’s 100 percent natural and one size fits all.

Laughter is truly God’s gift to humankind. You can get high on laughter but never overdose. Laughter is contagious—once it starts little can be done to stop it.

Laughter never felt bad, committed a crime, started a war or broke up a relationship. Laughter is shared by the giver and the receiver. Laughter costs nothing and its non-taxable. Laughter is a trend-setter. If we can find ways to laugh first thing in the morning, it may in fact set the trend for the rest of the day.

Let me close by telling you the most important use of laughter I have ever discovered: The ability to laugh at ourselves. I stopped taking myself too seriously years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. Don’t get me wrong—I’m still serious about what I do. But not so serious that I can’t be the first one to laugh when I mess up (which happens all too often—it’s why I spend so much time laughing!). When you’re the first person to laugh at yourself, you leave little room for others to laugh at you.

Zig Ziglar is a beloved author and America’s motivator.

He is the author of 25 books and offers training and consulting to organizations all across the globe. To learn more about Zig and his business visit his website at www.ziglar.com 8

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Written by Zig Ziglar

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

9

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E XECUTIVE AGENT

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MAGAZINE

Written by Haley Freeman

Ray Solly H

onor, integrity and loyalty are not just words to Ray Solly. His 26 years in the Marine Corps, 33 years of marriage and 16 years in real estate recommend him as a man who sticks to his word and sees things through.

Ray served all over the world during his distinguished military career. He was one of the first three Marines to receive Army Special Forces training and served security

duty at U.S. embassies in Vienna and Calcutta. He met his wife in Calcutta, and shortly after their return to the U.S., they purchased their first home in Oceanside.

Before his military retirement, Ray began his real estate training. He had always enjoyed looking at homes and working with people, so he planned to take up a second career in real estate when he returned to civilian life in 2000.

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“Being a Marine provided me with the building blocks for every other endeavor in my life,” Ray says. “I worked with so many different people on a daily basis. I learned a lot about the politics of working with people, like how to tell them what they were doing wrong, but in a tactful manner. I also learned the value of proper planning. Nothing ever gets done without a clearly defined plan of action.

Basically, those are the things you need to do well to be good at real estate.”

Ray began his real estate career with Century 21 Award, and that is where he remains today. “I saw right away that everybody here works as a team, just like we did in the Corps. Everybody is here to help. That includes my lender, Doc Spaulding. The training I received was awesome. Nobody is trying to one-up you. Instead, they’re all there to get the job done.”

The outstanding technology at Century 21 Award is also of benefit to his clients. “If you want to get listings, you have to be able to create the highest visibility on the internet. Century 21 Award helps me provide the best advertising for my clients, and the agents here get great IT support.”

Market highs and lows are no deterrent to Ray, whose consistency and determination have ensured his success regardless of the trends. “Marines always have a can-do attitude,” Ray says. “When the market turned, you might have had to work a little harder, but the business is always out there if you want it. I can’t say I really went through any tough times. There were still people who wanted to buy – you just had to put your nose down and push hard.”

Even though Ray is direct in telling clients things they may not always want to hear, his candor is an expression of his duty and compassion. “Sugar coating doesn’t put money in the bank. A lot of people say ‘you may not like what Solly tells you, but you know you can take it to the bank.’ Buying a home is a very trying experience and the biggest investment people ever spend their money on.

They need to have confidence that the person they’re dealing with knows what they’re doing and is acting in their best interests.”

Ray and his wife, Karina, have a daughter, Ashleigh, who is graduating from Cal State San Marcos with her degree in Human Development in preparation for nursing school.

“I’m super proud of both of them for sticking with me through my career in the Marine Corps, as well as through real estate. You can’t do the job if you don’t have the support of your family.” Ray is an avid outdoorsman who loves the Southern California weather and lifestyle, where he enjoys hiking, skiing, camping and spending time at the beach. He is also an active supporter of Easter Seals.

“Nothing makes me happier than giving the keys to a new homebuyer, watching him carry his wife over the threshold and seeing the kids finally get their own back yard. I enjoy giving people their American Dream. That’s what the Marine Corps is all about. I served so the American people would have the freedom to do such a thing.”

The high character standards that Ray cultivated in the military have also contributed to his success as a Realtor®. He builds trust by communicating openly and truthfully with clients at every stage of the transaction. “When people do a transaction with me, they know they are being dealt with honestly and fairly. I go over the full contract with them. It can take four hours to go through the whole thing, but when we’re done, they know what they’re signing for.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Ray Solly Century 21 Award 30589 Temecula Parkway Temecula, CA 92592 Tel: 760-525-3875 Email: sollyray@hotmail.com Web: www.usmcrealestate.com CalBRE # 01275223

IN

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YEARS ATTEND THIS YEAR’S SUPERSTAR RETREAT AND JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF INCREASING AGENT PRODUCTION!

July 14-17, 2015

LEARN FROM THE BEST TO BECOME THE BEST.

Register at www.Mikeferry.com or call us at 800-448-0647 © 2015 The Mike Ferry Organization. All Right Reserved.

Nomination Form Nominate a fellow REALTOR速 to be featured in one of our feature stories; on the cover as Executive Agent of the Month, or as a special feature story. All candidates must be nominated by a real estate professional. The selection process includes a questionnaire, personal interview, reference check and final approval by the Advisory Council. Candidates are evaluated based upon professionalism, length of service and uniqueness of story, as well as industry and community involvement.

I Nominate: Name_______________________________ Company___________________________ Address____________________________ _____________________________________ City, State, Zip_____________________ _____________________________________ Phone______________________________ Email_______________________________ Submitted By: Fax/Email Nomination to: Executive Agent Magazine PO Box 73384 San Clemente, CA 92673 Fax: 949.266.8757 Email: Info@eamag.net Tel: 949.366.3349

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Cover Story

Executive Agent of the Month

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Written by Haley Freeman - Ian Wiant Photographer

C

Over these past 25 years, Jeannie has demonstrated that she does, indeed, take her role as a Realtor® to heart. “My passion and commitment is to help people on their journey in life. Their happiness and satisfaction are my success.”

A former educator and East Coast gal, Jeannie chose a career in real estate after relocating to California. With determination not only to learn but to excel at her craft, she spent four years working as an assistant to a top-producing agent. “I wasn’t willing to represent a client until I felt completely confident in my abilities,” she explains.

“Real estate is a serious business, and I take to heart the responsibilities that my role entails.”

Jeannie’s success can also be measured in terms of the numerous accolades that she has earned over the years. A Luxury & Fine Homes Specialist, as well as a Relocation Specialist at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Jeannie has consistently claimed the highest honors her company can bestow since she joined them in 2000. She has ranked in the Top 100 out of over 30,000 Berkshire Hathaway agents in the nation for the past four years. Most recently, she received the Legend 15 Award for achieving Chairman’s Circle for the 15th consecutive year. Jeannie is also a member of the Top Producers of La Jolla and the Mastermind Network of North County.

elebrating a quarter century in real estate this year, Jeannie Gleeson is taking time to reflect on her successes, challenges and the joys of doing what she loves, while cultivating a family legacy that will endure into the next generation. Her dedication to her clients is returned with trust and appreciation by a large and loyal community who come back to her along with their family and friends again and again.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Enjoying a Sterling Career These achievements are all the more dear for having been reached with the aid and participation of her family.

“All these years, I’ve had the utmost support of my husband, Peter. We have been married over 30 years. He likes to stay low key (as the CFO of Jeannie Gleeson, Inc.), but he is my rock.”

Their twin daughters, Kristin and Kelly, are also industry professionals. Kristin works in title insurance and Kelly joined Jeannie’s real estate team in 2012. After 2 years behind the scene training, Kelly has acclaimed

the stature of “junior partner status.” She has soared with her role and has been a tremendous asset to Jeannie Gleeson, Inc. Her unwavering commitment to customer service excellence through education continues as a theme in Jeannie’s real estate practice. For over 20 years, she has been sending her monthly real estate newsletter. “I have always believed in following up and staying in touch,” she says.

“It is important to me to keep my clients updated with the current real estate trends and they seem to appreciate it.”

Kathryn Workman, Jeannie Gleeson, Kelly Gleeson ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Throughout her career, Jeannie has aspired to add value to her services by providing attentive, personalized care for her clientele. “Polls have shown that buying or selling a home is one of the top five most stressful experiences in a person’s life,” she says. “This is right up there with the loss of a spouse, divorce or joblessness.”

Emotions run high during transactions, and Jeannie strives to maintain an objective and rational approach while engaging in thorough and timely communication with her clients.

Never motivated by the proverbial “bottom line,” Jeannie’s genuine concern for her clients’ welfare always takes precedence in her business. “I follow up with clients’ moving needs, whether it is referring dentists, doctors, hosting a small ‘welcome’ to the neighborhood party, connecting people to others of like circumstances, meeting for coffees or walks, and just overall caring for a human being. It’s not ‘over’ after a transaction. It has only started when you work with me.” Jeannie also expresses her concern for the elderly. “It’s one thing I’m very con-

cerned over. I watched my own parents age and helped them with their transition. They need patience, understanding and professional guidance to help them secure a healthy, and financially secure lifestyle. They become ‘part of my family’ in my quest to assist them.”

One of the joys of building a family business in real estate is the opportunity to preserve her legacy of good care for the client base she continues to build. “Working with our family ensures clients the continuity that comes with working with a group of people who share the same value system. I love knowing that my clients from 20 plus years ago will be taken care of with the same standards through the next 20 years.”

Jeannie and Peter have a second home in the desert, where they enjoy getting away together. They also love the ocean and appreciate that living in Southern California affords them “the best of both worlds.” Jeannie’s real estate career is her passion. As she expresses “it is a career and a hobby difficult to separate the work from the fun.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Working to Generate the Wow Factor Jeannie has much wisdom to offer as a gift of her life and professional experience. In addition to her exceptional customer service, she attributes her longevity in real estate to her consistency. “I realize that real estate is cyclical. I never got on the REO and short sale bandwagon. No matter what the market, my core focus is on helping people. Their goals are always the same. They need a home to live in, they’re looking for security and they need someone to help them through different phases of life.” And she’s always willing to share what she’s learned. “I’ve mentored a number of people in the business over the years, including my sister and daughter. One thing I’ve always been willing to do is share what I know.

If I can help others to be successful, I will.”

Her expertise is reflected in the advice she gives to clients with respect to marketing and pricing homes.

She invests in strategic marketing channels with proven

results, while remaining on the lookout for new and innovative technologies. She is well-acquainted with the local market and its values, and she knows how to work with sellers and their properties to generate the “wow factor” with prospective buyers.

A spiritual individual, Jeannie identifies her life’s mission as one of service and credits her parents with teaching her she is accountable to a higher authority. “I wake up every morning very grateful to be of service. I believe when you respect others, put them first and treat them as you would like to be treated, the rest will fall into place.

My goal is to inspire others through example in hopes to inspire others to random acts of kindness. Everyone can be a part of the positive spirit moving forward to make the world a better place.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Jeannie Gleeson Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 1299 Prospect Street La Jolla, CA 92037 Telephone: 858-551-3355 Jeannie@SDCoastalHomes.com www.SDCoastalHomes.com CalBRE # 01059544 ExecutiveAgent Magazine

INSURANCE SERVICES

More than just a mortgage Help clients protect their assets – and save You know that Kinecta Federal Credit Union offers some of the most competitive rates in today’s mortgage market. But what you may not know is we also offer a full suite of homeowners’ and property insurance products through Kinecta Financial & Insurance Services. By comparing top-rated carriers, we find the right coverage at the most competitive prices to fit your clients’ needs.

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See the savings Bundled home and auto policies, saving member $761.05 annually Increased coverage on homeowners policy and still saved member $100 annually Consolidated auto and renters providers, saving member $100 per month

Demonstrate your commitment to making their overall home- buying experience a memorable one with combined savings on their loans and insurance coverage.

Contact a licensed insurance consultant at 800.905.4466 option 2 or visit www.kinectainsurance.org.

Call 855.444.9823 to speak with a Kinecta mortgage professional.

Insurance products offered through Kinecta Financial & Insurance Services, LLC., subsidiary of Kinecta Federal Credit Union. California Insurance License #0E24631. Insurance products: 1) are not NCUSIF insured; 2) are not obligations of or guaranteed by the Credit Union or any affiliated entities; 3) involve investment risk, including possible loss of value. Insurance products not available in all states.

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E XECUTIVE AGENT

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MAGAZINE

Written by Haley Freeman

Dan Batoon ExecutiveAgent Magazine

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They Never Forget How You Made Them Feel

D

an Batoon is a conscientious, people-minded professional who is celebrating his tenth year in the business he loves. He earned his bachelor’s degree in literature and writing studies from Cal State San Marcos and went on to earn his law degree from California Western School of Law in 2005. “At the time, real estate was booming,” Dan says. “I had friends in the business who were encouraging me to join them.”

Dan also encountered a law professor who displayed real estate awards on his office wall. “He told me he had been in real estate prior to becoming a law professor, and it was great.” Then Dan learned that because of his law degree, he could sit for the real estate exam without taking classes. So, he heeded the signs that Providence seemed to be sending him and sat for the exam.

“That’s how I fell into real estate,” Dan says, “and I’ve never looked back. I’m so happy not to be locked up in an office 12 hours every day. I have the freedom to be outside with clients, to set my own schedule and spend time with my family. The ultimate reward is being in a position to help other people achieve their goals.”

Dan works with the Joe Mendoza Team at Katcam Real Estate. He considers Joe a great mentor and friend whose guidance has had a profound influence on his success. “I began working with Joe about five years ago, and that’s when my career really took off. We had hour-long coaching calls at least once a week where we would share ideas, and accountability calls where he would check in and find out how many contacts I’d made, doors I’d knocked on and where I stood in relation to my goals. It was a great help to me in finding my focus.”

He continues, “We’re like a family here. We share the same values in terms of business and family goals. I think that when those things are aligned, it sets you up for success. We have a level of trust and accountability that contributes to everyone’s success. Based on that, I don’t think there is a better home for me in the business.”

Dan hit his stride helping homeowners during the distressed market. “When short sales became really big, I put together marketing packages and put them on the doorsteps of people who were under water in their homes.

A good number of them contacted me, and we established a rapport over the phone. I became very good at helping them find a solution to their problem. At the same time, I established good relationships with a number of fix-andflip investors and did business with them too.”

presentation and negotiation skills, has proven a great asset to his clients. “One of the things I am most proud of is receiving the American Jurisprudence Award for my mock trial participation during my last year in law school. This award is given to the top student in the class.

Learning to argue a legal case helped me look at matters from differing points of view and then put together a persuasive argument. I also learned how to communicate effectively with the opposing side – being personable rather than argumentative. That’s of real value when communicating with other agents.”

With a decade of experience behind him, Dan has the satisfaction of assisting other agents in refining their professional skills. “It makes me feel good to be able to help others become successful. And the best way to ensure that you’ve mastered something is to teach somebody else.”

Dan and his wife, Gierallyn, have a four-year-old son, Jacob, and just welcomed their new daughter, Leilani Kai. “I love spending time with my family, playing with my son and now holding my baby daughter. We are annual pass holders at Disneyland, as everybody on Facebook knows, because I’m always posting pictures from there.”

Dan is also a deep-sea fisherman whose biggest catch was a 30-pound, Bluefin Tuna. He loves to barbecue, naming tri-tip and baby-back ribs as his specialties.

“I want each client to feel like they are my only client. I make sure that their fears and concerns are addressed right away, and make the transaction as smooth as possible.

When I hand a buyer the keys to their new home, I want it to be the greatest feeling in the world. A quote from Maya Angelou resonates with me, and it describes how I feel about what I do. She said, ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”

Dan Batoon, JD Katcam Real Estate 12923 Pomerado Rd, Poway, CA 92064 Tel: 619-871-5757 Email: Dan@danbatoon.com Web: www.DanBatoon.com CalBRE # 01495730

Dan’s legal education, which perfected his understanding of contracts and enhanced his communication, ExecutiveAgent Magazine

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What Is It That You Do? Written By Richard Weylman

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ne great frustration in the prospecting process is becoming comfortable with letting people you meet know what you do for a living. Over the years, as I’ve spoken at company and industry events, many financial services professionals have expressed their confusion and concern about how to approach people and what to say to them. Some feel they shouldn’t bring it up until they’re asked; others feel that if they bring it up, they will be seen as pushy.

The apparent reason for this ongoing debate is a lack of rapport-building skills and self-confidence about your chosen occupation and its value to others.

Use these strategies to gain the confidence and skills to let the people you meet in a business or social setting know what you do for a living: 1. Make a list of all the reasons why financial planning is so important. The purpose of this list is to get you focused on the benefits and to give you some internal motivation.

2. Ask the centers of influence (the presidents, executive directors, clients, etc.) in the markets that you have chosen to suggest how you could best approach individuals about what you do for a living. Ask for specific direction here, even down to the phrases that they would use.

3. Schedule some time with your manager and ask him to tell you specifically the words he uses to tell others what he does for a living. Be sure your manager gives you the specific words that he uses. Write those words down so you can adapt them to your own use.

4. Role-play with your manager and colleagues so that you hone and sharpen your skill at bringing up what you do in a non-threatening way. It’s important to create an environment as close as possible to a real situation. Perhaps you could sit down at the conference room table and have four or five of your colleagues sit with you as if you were having a meal at a function that your target market is putting on. Turn to the person on your left and the person on your right and simply say, “I’ve certainly enjoyed talking with you again.

We’ve seen each other over the last several months at these meetings, and I would be delighted to have an opportunity to get together with you sometime during the next month and hear more about your business and to tell you more about some of the things that I’m 28

doing to help people in the industry achieve financial well-being.” Then ask for the appointment, “Is there a particular day of the month that would work for you?”

Then quietly listen to what the individual has to say. In most cases, they’ll respond favorably. As you role-play this, have your day planner ready just as you would at the function. Use your day planner as you would in real life so you actually practice the process.

5. Work on your rapport-building skills. Often you find yourself in a situation where you’re not sitting next to someone at a meeting and, therefore, you don’t have the ability to establish a sense of elationship over a meal or during the meeting. Many times you may be standing in a crowd at the hors d’oeuvre table or the registration desk where you’re unsure of how to proceed. George Walther, a good friend of mine and the author of Phone Power says, “Stand shoulder to shoulder with someone as you watch an event or before a meeting begins. Lean in and make a comment on the program or ask a question about the other individual, then introduce yourself.” Undoubtedly, one of the best ways to mingle and to establish rapport is to ask a question and make a positive comment. This interaction almost always leads to introductions which present you with a golden opportunity to not only tell people what you do, but to make it interesting.

As you develop the words that you will use and the way that you will approach prospects, keep in mind these three things: 1. Let prospects know your intent while making it clear you enjoy working with people like them. It’s not necessary to blatantly say, “I’m here to sell you.” But do let them know you’re a resource.

2. Avoid being coy and thereby harming trust and credibility. Be forthright and forthcoming so that you avoid getting the reputation that you are simply using the group.

3. Let them know you’re there because you have an affinity to the organization and that they are the type of people you choose to do business with and wish to serve. By having a well-though-out brief commercial about what you do and how it will help the prospect, any skepticism about your intent will be overcome by your professionalism.

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C. Richard Weylman is an expert in marketing, selling and communicating to affluent and high net worth people.

He is the author of “Opening Closed Doors, Keys To Reaching Hard-to-Reach People,” as well as numerous sales, relationship and marketing and management audio and video education programs. To discover the many resources he has to offer you and your organization, including his speaking topics, free weekly marketing tips (emailed to you), free articles and much more, go to www.richardweylman.com or call 1-800-535-4332 to schedule Richard to speak at your next event.

help people move to the next level o f productivity and fulfillment. He is the author of “Opening Closed Doors, Keys to Reaching Hard-to-Reach People” and numerous other sales, relationship marketing and management audio and video programs. To receive more ideas and insight on how to market to high net worth people, recruit quality people, or practice management issues, schedule Richard to speak at your next meeting, contact the FrogPond at 800.704.

FROG(3764) or email susie@FrogPond.com

Copyright C 2002, Richard Weylman. All right reserved.

Richard Weylman, CSP, serves as President of The Achievement Group, Inc., an Florida-based consulting firm dedicated to professionally and ethically

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Negotiating Like a Pro

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know that one of the toughest things for a beginning investor is negotiating deals. We are often our own worst enemy when it comes to this. For the most part, I think that when we envision good negotiators, we see smooth talking individuals with an answer for everything. For many of us, this is a horrifying vision because smooth and slick does not come naturally to us and, if we’re honest, we don’t want to come across that way. So how do we negotiate a good deal when we don’t have the gift of “slick”, and we don’t want to become “slick”?

I do not consider myself to be a smooth and slick negotiator, but believe that I’m pretty good at what I do.

Negotiating didn’t come naturally to me, but came together over time and with practice. There were two things that made me a good negotiator and can help you as well.

First, you must be willing to stop talking and listen. When dealing with someone in this business, whether you are the buyer or the seller, you need to sell yourself. You can not sell yourself without listening to the other party’s needs.

Listen for what is important to the other party and then show them that you can address it. In my negotiating, I keep the other party talking as much as possible. When they run out of things to say, I ask another question in hopes of learning a hot button of theirs. When I hear it, I ask a question that acknowledges I heard their needs. An example would be as follows: Seller: “My house needs a ton of repairs, but I can’t afford to fix them in order to put the house on the market. Plus, we can’t really live here anymore because the water is coming in through the roof.”

Steve: “So basically you need someone like me who is willing to buy your home as it sits right now to help you out. Is that true?”

My question to the seller acknowledges that I heard their need, provided them with the benefits of dealing with me, and got them to acknowledge that dealing with me would be good for them.

You must listen, it’s very important!

The second thing that will make you a good negotiator is knowing, without hesitation, what the deal needs to look like to be a good deal. Other investors often ask me how I get such good deals and I tell them that I’m not willing to pay above a predetermined amount. When dealing with sellers, know what your top dollar amount is. For example, if I walk into someone’s home and know I will only spend $150,000, then I’m firm in my convictions and all of my questions are leading the sellers toward selling me their home for $150,000. I don’t negotiate up because the sellers say that they need more money. Once they acknowledge that I’m the person to help them, we need to come to the price that I’m willing to pay in order to help them. If the sellers tell me that they want $170,000, I don’t give them $170,000 because they say that is what they need. I stick to my guns and tell them the advantages of dealing with me. Price eventually becomes secondary to the seller and dealing with me, the person who is guaranteed to solve their problem, becomes most important.

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ExecutiveAgent Magazine

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Written By Steve Cook

Be firm in your conviction of what you need to pay. If you are only hoping to get it for a certain amount, you will pay more every single time. I get good deals because the price that I have in mind is all I’m willing to pay. As long as the number keeps coming in my direction, I will negotiate until it reaches the level where I need it to be.

To be a good negotiator, you need to learn just a couple of things. First, listen to the other party, and second, know what it is you are trying to accomplish before going in. If you don’t know, the other party will get their way. As far as being smooth is concerned, your flow will get better in time. Just focus on getting what you want and listening to the seller in order to lead them where you want them to be.

Since 1998 Steve Cook has flipped many hundreds of houses as an active Baltimore-area real estate investor.

Steve’s unique specialty is the “flipping homes 1-2 punch”, a proven system of real estate investing that powerfully combines wholesaling and rehabbing houses. Also the founder of www.FlippingHomes.com, Steve is dedicated to helping others in this thriving online community succeed through understanding and aggressively applying his timetested, step-by-step approach to flipping real estate.

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The Role of Positive Thinking on Your Sales Career and Life

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ots of salespeople seem to have forgotten, or perhaps have never even learned, the many ways that they can improve not only their sales performance, but their life performance as well. The future of your sales career may very well rest on the frame of mind that you have in your daily life. Here are several tips that may help you to improve this frame of mind and your future.

First of all, you should overcome any past negative impact. You need to forget your failures and mistakes.

These failures and mistakes should be seen only as stepping-stones that you have been fortunate enough to experience and learn from. Salespeople can truly damage their mental state and their sales performance by dwelling on past mistakes. Such practices as continually viewing yourself in a negative light can only serve to put you in a downward spiral.

A tip that reflects the opposite of the previous one is to build upon previous positive experiences. Concentrate primarily on your past successes, and this will help you feel far more important and positive. By concentrating primarily on your successes and the positive aspects of your past, you will surely feel extremely more confident, and confidence will give any salesperson a “leg up” in any sales situation. Furthermore, this confidence can seep

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into all other facets of your life, leading to an all around improvement of the quality of life.

Seeking out “coaches” and “team-members” will only serve to improve your chances for success in and out of the business realm. Coaches can help to build you up, as well as provide you with vital life experience and job experience that you otherwise would not be able to experience yourself. In regard to sales team-members, they can provide you with a support system as well as with a feeling of belonging. Their successes will be your successes, and your successes will be theirs’. Having a coach, as well as being a member of a team can certainly improve your job as well as your home life.

Becoming obsessed with learning is another excellent tip for any salesperson who is aspiring to improve their future sales performance. “Knowledge is power” has become a cliché, but the validity of this statement still stands. Any serious salesperson should always be looking for that “edge,” and knowledge is always there.

You should always be seeking new facts, information, and data, and knowing more of these than your competitor will provide you with so much more success. I can promise you that!

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By constantly improving your thinking processes, you will also sharpen your thinking and analytical skills, and in turn you will enjoy more success in the future.

Improvement of your thinking skills involves the quick and efficient use of knowledge, which is addressed in the previous tip. If you become obsessed with learning and channel this constant flow of new information through quick and useful thought patterns, then once again you will enjoy a “one up� over your competition. Top performing salespeople are always seeking new information, and are always able to use this information in the most effective manner in their pursuit of the sale. Therefore, if you follow the same strategies as these salespeople, then your future is as bright as theirs.

The final tip, and perhaps the most important one, actually is to incorporate yourself mentally. This somewhat difficult tip means that you should never forget your own long-term goals and aspirations. You should certainly remain loyal and honorable to your current employer, but again, never forget your own long-term goals and aspirations! Those individuals who are the most successful are those who never forget their own goals. By striving for your goals long enough and hard enough, you will eventually reach them and become an envied and admired sales professional.

The bottom line? If you are truly seeking to improve your future either professionally, personally, or both, there are certain strategies that have proven to serve those who are seeking these goals very well. By overcoming any negative past impact, building upon any and all positive impact, utilizing coaches and team-members you may have in your life, becoming obsessed with learning, constantly improving your thinking processes, and incorporating yourself mentally, you are surely going to be able to improve any aspect of your sales career and life that you wish to improve. The secret to this plan is to work hard and remain committed. There is, unfortunately, no secret to that!

Bill Brooks, CSP, CPAE, CMC, CPCM former CEO of a $300,000,000 corporation and two-time sales award winner from an international sales force of 8,000, Bill has real-world expertise. Bill has spoken or consulted in over 300 different industries while being engaged by at least 150 clients an astonishing six times each. CopyrightŠ 2004, Bill Brooks. All rights reserved. For information about how to bring Bill to your next meeting or convention, contact the Frog Pond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email susie@frogpond.com; www.frogpond.com

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Our bone marrow transplant reunion is now standing room only.

Each year, City of Hope invites bone marrow transplant recipients and their families to attend the “Celebration of Life” event. It’s a joyous time during which survivors of blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma embrace their health, their life and each other. It began more than 35 years ago when City of Hope created what is now one of the largest and most successful bone marrow transplant programs in the world. In fact, we’ve completed over 11,000 transplants and, according to national reports, our outcomes are among the best in the nation. The goal of curing cancer isn’t just something we work at. It’s what we live for.

If you have cancer, make us your first call. Or ask your doctor for a referral. We accept most insurance.

800-826-HOPE

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WE LIVE TO CURE CANCER. Science saving lives. cityofhope.org/bmt

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the VA home loan.

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WE’RE LOCAL and dedicated to education.

Your active duty and veteran clients may qualify for a VA home loan – one of the most powerful lending programs on the market.

Learn how powerful it can be for your clients by attending a

FREE VA Home Loan Seminar.

Bring your veteran clients too!

Space is limited! Reserve your seat today at SanDiegoVU.com/events or (855) 232-6852.

It is my passion to help educate veterans, as well as agents about this entitlement. And it is very rewarding to help people who have defended our country own a piece of it.

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(619) 296-LOAN (5626) SanDiegoVU.com

Veterans United Home Loans of San Diego is a VA approved lender; Not endorsed or sponsored by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. NMLS# 1907. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the Residential Mortgage Lending Act. All Rights Reserved. 8885 Rio San Diego Drive Suite 135, San Diego, CA 92108