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I've been at this business for seventeen years, and I'm happy to report I still learn something new almost every day. Here's a great example. Not long ago, I learned about a three-letter word that often burrows its way into real estate businesses like a termite and leaves them weak, hollow and on the road to ruin. That's a lot of damage for such a small word. I got the scoop on this bad word from my business partner, Bob Corcoran. He was conducting one of his great buyer agent boot camps in St. Louis, Missouri where just about anything goes except this word - try. Bob hates it with a passion. Me? I'd never given the little fella a second thought. When anyone uses it, it hits Bob like a rock-hard punch in the nose. Most folks don't even notice it. Bob never misses it. To him it's unacceptable. I had to know why, so I asked him. "It's nothing more than an excuse, an expression that keeps people from making a real commitment," Bob says. "So when you ask an agent to prospect three hours a day and she says, 'I'll try,' it gives her wiggle room. I want to hear her say, 'I will.'" This relates directly to something else Bob says: "The day you truly commit, your whole world changes." The word try keeps you from fully and truly committing. Now I'm a believer. No more t#* in my vocabulary. And it's making a difference. It's even working in my family. When my 9-year-old son heads out on the soccer field, I give him a high five and say, "Do your best!" I say the same thing when my daughter has a spelling test at school. And the t-word is off limits to my coaching clients. The results are staggering. Numbers are up and waffling is down. So here's your chance to jump on board the no-t#* boat. Commit to these five actions today: 1. Prospect a minimum of three hours a day - This one task will do more to eliminate peaks and valleys in your business than any other single action. 2. Keep in touch with your past clients and sphere of influence every month - Launch action plans, make calls, go to lunch. Focus on your most important resource. 3. Follow up with every lead, even if they're not ready to buy or sell today - I don't know why this is so hard, but you must understand every lead, whether they're going to transact today or in six months, has the same value. 4. Spend 30 minutes planning your day - Focus on your most important tasks first, prioritize ruthlessly and then execute. 5. Plan your day with precision - If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Precision planning will ensure that you execute your strategy and make the progress every day that will allow you to achieve your goals. Oh, yeah. Are you wondering what that seven-letter word is from the title of my article? The one that the t-word kills? Success. Stop trying, start committing and enjoy your own success in 2014 and beyond! Let me hear from you. What do you think about the word "try" now? Does this make sense to you? Do you realize the power you gain when you commit without the false safety net of try under you? Are you willing to adopt this even for a day just to give it a shot? What's stopping you? Verl Workman is president of Corcoran Consulting Inc. (800-957-8353), an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into the residential broker or agent's existing practice.
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