Full Speed ahead and. . .well, you know the rest.  It’s the story of our current market as we race toward April 30th.  The stimulus extension is coming to an end and there are lots of questions about where the market will go once the artificial incentive have been taken away.  For lots of agents there is also a lot of fear and in some cases panic.  The fear and panic comes from not knowing what to do next, from not having a business plan from which to move forward.   An agent I met with recently, said to me, “I never understood when I got into the business that I was really starting my own business, I thought I was getting a job !”  For many agents, it’s not even that, it’s a little side line/part time event.  If that’s you and that’s all you want it to be, that’s great you probably don’t need to keep reading.  If it’s not and you want it to be more,  my question to you would be. . .do you have a plan, is it written, have you gone over it with someone who will give you good honest feedback, are you executing it ? If not why not, this is your career and your business.  You should care enough about it to have someone in your life that demands that of you for yourself and will hold you accountable to it.  One of the greatest myths in the real estate business, is that agents don’t need a plan, they need to be flexible to react to customer’s needs.  Which begs the question do you run your business or does it run you?  Take some time to think about it and then look around your office,  is there someone there who is committed to helping you grow you business.  One of the ways to know is to see if you owner/manager/broker is also one of your top agents.  Not a lot of time to coach, train and lead if they are also out selling.  Think about what you need and what you want.  If you are really serious about finally taking charge of your business call me, I can get you there, it’s what I do.

Welcome to 2010. . .2009 is behind us and 2010 is well underway. Inventory continues to decline and sales continue to increase. . .we must be in a recovery. So why do so many people have questions. Perhaps it’s the level of consumer confidence or maybe the unemployment numbers. Could be the uncertainty surrounding interest rates or even the next wave of mortgage resets. That might cause even the most confident among us to rethink where they are and more importantly where they’re going. But then I would ask, how much of that do you have any control over?

We all know the answer. . none of it. We only control ourselves. . .our actions and attitude. So let’s talk about those aspects of our business, more specifically your business. Make no mistake about it you are running a business. The question is what kind of a business are you running, or better yet is it running you. People enter the real estate business for many reasons, one of the strongest is the yearning to be entrepreneurial. To work for yourself, with no boss, no restrictions to fence in your creativity or your ambition. Ironically most agents refuse to face into the fact that they are running a business and consequently refuse to run it like one.

So my question to you, would be, which kind of agent are you, one with a plan, a goal a focus on how you will run your business this year, or are you hanging on to your license because your cousin might call and want to buy a house this year. Harsh. . perhaps but that is the market we are in. What kind do you want to be? The one in control, engaged and purposeful or the one waiting for something to happen.

If you really want to take your business seriously and run it like one, then we should talk. I offer one on one coaching for agents who are serious about a career in real estate.

Check out our website www.CBB-Burnsville.com to learn more about the Burnsville Office and how I can help you take charge of your business.

The Burnsville Office of Coldwell Banker Burnet has just launched a new interactive website to keep our local real estate agents connected and up to date with the latest happening south of the river!

I had the opportunity to present this at the Burnsville Rotary this week!

We all had a great time at the 2009 Fire Muster Parade! http://www.burnsvillefiremuster.com/

Check out Richard’s First Home Movie with his new camera…