San Antonio's Rockstar Turned Realtor®

Experts Series Interviews with Ben Kinney at 1PM Eastern at The Hip Roof

Benn Kinney, who you all know by now, will be the first Experts Series Interview at The Hip Roof today (February 28th) at 1PM Eastern.  This is a members only webinar and knowing Ben's work with things like the Ten Days of Pain, it should be a good time.

To register, you must be a member at The Hip Roof and register for the webinar (details are in the Forums under "Webinar").

I'll see you there!

Disclosures: CMP.ly/2 and CMP.ly/5

All these agents under one Hip Roof.

The Hip Roof is here.  A website for real estate agents, built and maintained by real estate agents.  No vendors, no advertisers, no agendas.  A place to share your real estate knowledge, learn something new, discuss the latest trends, and talk shop.  A place that you can call home.  A place that has only just begun to get started.

What can you expect from The Hip Roof?  Webinars, training, advice, opinions, knowledge, and networking - all from real estate agents who want to share their experiences and learn from each other.

The Hip Roof is about to open its doors.

Tonight at 10:30PM (I believe it's Eastern time), The Hip Roof will close its doors on their soft launch and begin its life as a full-fledged membership site (don't quote me on the time, I don't run the show).  Tomorrow the price goes up, but until then you can get in under the soft launch price.  You can even get a sneak peak for the rest of the day.

Webinars Every Monday at 1PM

Tomorrow is the first in the series of Expert Series Interviews and features a name ActiveRain members should be familiar with by now - Ben Kinney.  Every week a new webinar will be recorded (I've been invited to do one next month!) and offered to members.  Have someone or something you'd like to see covered - just ask The Hip Roof, at the end of the day, it's all about the real estate community.

Want to blog for your industry?

These won't be blogs about local events and places like here on ActiveRain - these will be focused solely on our industry and the thoughts behind it.  You'll even get to read my latest, The Devil's Avocado.  I've been dreaming up this blog for sometime now and have already started plotting and scheming on future topics.  My latest entry, "Discarding the Code of Ethics" is sure to ruffle a few feathers.

Have a question you need answered now?

The Hip Roof Forum is the life-blood of the site.  A place where agents can gather and help each other out, whether it's about social media, coaching, or legal issues (and much more).  There are some great things being shared in there and there's much more to come (I've seen some sneak previews of ideas and it's pretty incredible what the site is capable of).

It's time to pickup your keys and enter The Hip Roof.

Take a peek at what's going on and sign up, The Hip Roof is going to be one amazing adventure for all of us.

Disclosures: CMP.ly/2 and CMP.ly/5

7 Skills to Master Business and Life

I was going to reblog ActiveRain's post about the Surviving Your Serengeti Challenge, but reblog is currently down.  As you can read in my comment, I received an advance copy of the book and I thought the book was an excellent read - both as a story and as a business book.  Stefan definitely has a way with words, no doubt about that.

What I liked most about the book was that as I read through the tale of the epic journey the animals of the Serengeti take (often rated as the number one natural wonder of the world), I was enjoying it as a story.  An interesting Discovery Channel-esque look at one of the few places on earth I have yet to go.  By the end of the book, I was trying to figure out how to convince Stefan to take me on his next Serengeti trip.

But there was more to it than that.  Yes, I enjoyed the story, but all along the way, I was beginning to make connections to business through the parable that Stefan was spinning.  Parable is a tough art form, it takes skill to connect two seemingly non-related items and (this is the key) have the reader make the connections without much explanation.  The goal of a good parable is to have the reader do the connecting and then reinforce it at later points with examples.  Stefan not only accomplishes this, he excels at it.

What Animal Are You?

Throughout the book, Stefan references seven animals and their particular skills and behaviors in the most incredible annual migration on earth.  As each animal plays its part in the journey, each plays a role in the modern world of business and life - each animal defines a certain set of characteristics and thought patterns that we all possess.  Are you the strategic lion or the enterprising crocodile (of which I am a member)?  Are you the graceful giraffe or the enduring wildebeest?  Each animal has a role to play and by knowing the roles of the other animals that surround them, they can better use their skills to perform their functions on the Serengeti.

Take the quiz yourself and find out What Animal Am I?

A few personal words about Stefan: If you've never seen him speak on real estate trends, I suggest you find the nearest place he's doing one of his presentations and register to attend.  After culling through mountains of data, Stefan nails the trends and influences on our industry like you wouldn't believe.  This year, he'll be expanding to look at the global market, which is sure to be an interesting look at where we are and where we're going.  I've never met him personally, although I was standing about five feet away from him once, but he's shown himself via social media to be wickedly funny, extremely responsive, and both knowledgeable and willing to share.  You can learn a lot from this man (and the ladies love his accent).

After you've read the chapters available through ActiveRain, head on over and buy the book (you can advance order it as well): Surviving Your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master Business and Life [this is an affiliate link to Amazon.com - it helps fuel my iPad fund]

Disclosure: CMP.ly/1 and CMP.ly/5

Want to join me at BlogWorld 2010?

Once again, I will be joining both the real estate industry and the blogging ranks at Blog World and New Media Expo and part of my fantastic trip?  An opportunity to meet some of you.  Izea has provided me with eight (8) Exhibitor Passes to do with what I please.  Although I considered running some fancy contest, I decided on the more simple route; give them away for FREE!

Want to get your hands on one of these passes that will allow you access to Friday and Saturday's Exhibition Hall as well as Saturday's Networking Reception?

Details on how to receive a FREE pass to BlogWorld 2010!

photo courtesy of Ed Bierman

BlogWorld 2010 - Here I come!

Well, I didn't win first prize in the Izea BlogWorld 2010 Contest (which would have paid for flights and hotel), but I did win a set of full access passes. Although I really had hoped for the full ride, I'm still excited to have won passes and can't wait to get there! If you've never been to BlogWorld and New Media Expo and spend more than fifteen minutes a day online, you should really try and make it. It's a huge event no matter what industry you work in. I also (obviously) recommend stopping by the Izea website and learning a bit more about them.

Thanks are in order...

Because so many people pitched in to help me in my effort, it's only fair that I thank them for taking time out of their busy days to help me. The following people made the videos that helped me win my BlogWorld passes:

Maya Paveza, Lisa Oden, Kim Henderson, Mike Bowler, Miss Kelly, someone's kids (I don't like to give creepy people ways to contact children), Tamara Dorris, The Sisters That Sell (Kristin and Sheila Moran), Whiffies (and their legendary Fried Pies), Dean Ouellette (and #walmartbet), some more kids I won't name, Tiki the non-talking dog that has amazing penmanship, Julie Wootton, Brian, Jeanna Martinez, Richard Filip, Jeff Turner, Pat O'Brien, the drunk people of Las Vegas that will do anything if you put a video camera in their face, and the lady from Southwest Airlines.

Thanks again everyone - I'll see you in Vegas!

This post was originally posted on RErockstar.com, but I wanted to share it here with those of you that don't manage to make it out there.

Sometimes I'm wrong.

I can be very skeptical when it comes to a whole host of things, but since becoming a Realtor®, I've found that my skepticism has grown.  Don't take it the wrong way and think I pace about all day not believing anything, but in large part due to the fact that we agents are constantly bombarded with calls and emails telling us how to succeed, win, make more money, guarantee us more production...whatever the promise, few people deliver and we all know that.  So we turn inward to our own doubts and fears and shut out most of those who want to sell us something (kind of ironic, isn't it?).

I'll give it a go, but...

When I won a month's free coaching with Tom Ferry I was excited to a) have won and b) see what Tom was all about.  We had spoken before via Twitter, but I knew little about him and what he was all about in terms of coaching.

On our first call, Tom and I talked about expectations and I remember telling him I was skeptical about coaching.  I guess I had heard enough "rah rah rah" inspirational, self-motivational, "be the best you can be" sort of talk in my life somewhere and I just felt it wasn't quite for me.  I don't need someone to pump me up and tell me the obvious.  On that first call, Tom made me promise him to approach our time together with an open mind and an open book policy.  If I was going to get something out of it, I had to open up to Tom (I think he got more than he bargained for in that deal).

The end of a month.

Suffice it to say, I had a blast with Tom.  I actually enjoyed it...even some of the more painful, smack-in-the-face moments where we got down to business and didn't pull any punches.  At the end of my time, I was able to travel to Anaheim for his Success Summit and had a great time and learned more than I could possible explain in any blog post (you think they're long now?).

And then it happened.

After my time with Tom and my trip to California and meeting a ton of new faces and hearing a ton of new stories...well, somewhere in there (not sure when), I realized I wasn't the hardened skeptic I used to be.  Instead, I was open to listening to (in my case) Tom and trying out some new things.  Some were painful (if Tom's email ever gets hacked and released on the internet, the world will know more than my own mother probably), some were thrilling, some were hard, and some took a moment's thought.

Coaching isn't what I thought it would be.

I've now moved into a permanent coaching slot with one of the coaches from Tom's company.  My new coach, Chadi Bazzi, is a whirlwind.  When we speak on the phone, I feel like he gave me a two hour call in the space of thirty minutes.  He's one serious guy and after every call, I feel like I'm ready to take on the world.  But it's not just empty "you are the man" motivational calls - it's actual steps to take to improve my business and my life.  You should see the list of homework assignments I get from him (I never had this much homework in high school) - each one is not only designed to affect change in my life, but to push me to the edge of what I am capable of...until I step beyond even that.

Was I skeptical?  Oh yes.  Am I now?  Not so much.  By diving in and taking a chance (hey, I admit I got lucky and was able to take a free shot at this), I soon learned that although I'm right 99% of the time, that still leaves 1% to be wrong.  Perhaps had I won coaching with someone else I would have felt the same or quite possibly, just reaffirmed my own skepticism.  The only thing that matters is that I have found something that works for me.  Something that I look forward to.  Something that challenges me.  Something that causes changes in my way of thinking that often surprise me (did I just think that?).

While coaching may not be for everyone and Chadi or Tom might not be for you, perhaps there is someone out there that will bring the best out in you.  Maybe it will cost you a fortune, maybe it will be as cheap as a cup of coffee with someone who can pull it out of you.  I don't have that answer for you (although I will say that I'm a Tom Ferry fan now) and you'll have to find it, but perhaps it's time to take a look at some of your skeptical biases towards things and open up a little more.  Give something new a try.  Don't just throw money at solutions in a box.  Instead, investigate, learn, explore, and try and find someone who you can truly communicate with - no holds barred.  You'll be amazed at what you might discover.

PS Thanks to ActiveRain and Tom Ferry for giving me the opportunity to learn something new about myself that I never thought could happen.  Perhaps the word "never" was the problem - my own belief that I couldn't, led to a skeptical viewpoint that in this case, wasn't even close to being right.

photo courtesy of Qole Pejorian with special thanks to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for a sign this genius

"Daily Affirmations With Stuart Smalley"

Remember Al Franken's character Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live?  "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."  This has always been my opinion of daily affirmations.  A comedic turn on the power of positive thinking.  I don't wake up everyday and look myself square in the eyes as the fog fades from my bathroom mirror and tell myself how great I am.  Maybe I think it from time to time throughout the day, but not in the sense of your typical affirmations.

I've come to think slightly differently about affirmations, but I still don't flex my muscles in the mirror and tell myself how wonderful I am.  I do think much more positively these days though.

Affirmations with a twist.

We all know the power of compliments.  Telling someone they did a good job or thanking them for a task they helped us complete.  Sending thank you cards is alive and well in real estate.  Small gifts, kind words - these are things that real estate agents love to give (and receive).

During an office meeting at RE/MAX Access yesterday, we were discussing some motivational and aspirational ideas to help us all push through to the end of the year.  One suggestion really struck me as an excellent idea and although I felt it was something I do on a regular basis, I decided to be more mindful of it and pay attention to how, why, and when I did it.

Let's call it the "reverse affirmation."  Instead of constantly telling yourself how great you are, we as an office decided to help each other out and give our affirmations to each other (this doesn't mean we're not allowed to stand in the mirror and push ourselves to be all that we can be).  The challenge was to consciously thank a co-worker, praise someone's work, or just tell someone why you think they're valuable to our office.  Twice a week.  Just two moments within seven days where you stopped by someone's desk and pushed to motivate them.  To help them see what we see in them on a daily basis.  To make them know that the "little things" they do everyday don't go unnoticed.

We're a small office at RE/MAX Access and what I would consider a relatively tight knit group.  We work together and we play together.  We're friends and co-workers.  We share ideas, plans, tips, and tricks all the time.  We don't fear the others in our office will take our business, instead we thrive on the idea that if the office grows in stature, we get to rise up with it.

Personally, I think it's pure genius.  By focusing on each other, we create a happy, friendly office space where we don't spend on our time around the water cooler talking about how horrible the real estate market is or how we don't know what to do.  Instead, we focus on solutions, ideas, and ways to create business - even when we're not feeling our best (just look at me for a great example - my office rallied behind me when I struggled the most).

Positive affirmations may start at the individual level, but they work even better at the group level.

photo courtesy of romana klee

Tom Ferry's Success Summit 2010.

I'm at Tom Ferry's Success Summit right now.  I'm in my hotel.  I'm at my computer.  My brain is dancing around in a spinning motion at about 5,000,000 RPM.  It's not a bad thing.  Not at all.  I have a kajillion blog posts I want to write, telling you all of the thoughts flying through my head right now.

But I'm not going to.  Not yet.

Instead, I wanted to take a few moments to thank Tom Ferry, his staff, the ActiveRain staff, and everyone I've met in the last two days and all those that were in the room when Tom called me up onstage.  It was kind of weird being onstage for something that didn't involve beer and loud guitars.

First off, Tom Ferry and ActiveRain for allowing me the opportunity to win the coaching with Tom.  It has been a great experience and Tom has been phenomenal at digging deep enough in a short period of time to really understand me, my problems, and offer me action-based solutions and ideas.  ActiveRain, you know I'm grateful for the opportunity, but just in case you missed it - thank you, I truly appreciate it.  I am a thankful kind of guy, but seriously, you gave me this chance to speak with Tom directly and although I have lots of cool moments in my life to thank you for, this is one of the big ones that I'll be talking about when people ask "How did you do it?"  This is not the end of my story by any means.

Secondly (but not really in any sort of real order), Tom Ferry and his staff.  Lauren and John helped me put my trip together to come out here and although I haven't bumped into John yet, I did get a chance to briefly talk with Lauren.  Two excellent people who (I'm sure) Tom is glad to have at his side.  As for Tom, I actually have some personal blog posts to write about the man I once wrote that I hated.  I'll be getting to them soon enough I hope, but I do want to say this; Tom has shown himself to be a man who can motivate me, keep my interest, and truly make me feel like he has not only a business-level passion for this, but a personal-level passion as well.  Say what you want about coaching, but I can be the biggest cynic at times and I'm not feeling so cynical these days.  There's a lot of very personal things that I have shared with Tom over the time we've worked together and it's a two way street.  Tom is not afraid to call me out on the B.S., but never forgets to find a spark that he can push either.  Whatever it is, it is working.  Am I a super-successful-number-one-on-the-westside-agent?  Not yet.  (Then again, I'll never be "#1 on the Westside" - but that's a whole different story - agents, stop the sales pitch of "I'm #1" - the consumer doesn't care- they want to know what you're going to do for them, not how much money you're making.  My personal opinion, but something Tom mentioned today (and Stefan Swanepoel backed with numbers).)  Tom - a huge thank you.  I know that my success will be the thanks (that and maybe my entrance into the Inner Circle, haha) for you, but you've really changed some things for me and I can't say it enough - thank you.

Lastly (but never leastly), everyone that I've met and chatted with over the past few days, anyone that was in the room when Tom invited me up onstage (the applause brought me back to my rock and roll days a bit), and anyone who's been watching, following, commenting, or sharing their stories with me recently.  I don't think everyone knows just what occurred when I wrote the "Rock Bottom" post that Tom read excerpts from.  It started as a way for me to be accountable in front of the ActiveRain membership.  It was a dare/challenge from Tom.  He told me what he wanted it to be about what I wanted to accomplish, but I don't think he knew exactly what he was going to get out of me.  I know I didn't.  When I wrote it, I wrote it as if I were talking to myself from a distance.  I wanted to tell myself to shut up, stop with the excuses, and get to work.  The words poured out (a lot of them - it happens a lot to me).

I wrote the post and hit publish (I rarely pre-write, re-write, and correct - it's all a sub-conscious flow when I write).  Soon, the comments came.  About fifty comments in, I realized something had happened.  The post wasn't about me anymore.  I realized through the comments, emails, tweets, phone calls, and voice mails that you and I struggle with the same things.  I just chose to tell my story on ActiveRain.  Maybe there's a few bits here and there that are different, but I began to see agents in a new light.  And after being onstage with Tom today, I spoke to quite a few agents who shared their story and thoughts with me.  Some very personal stories.  I won't name names, but there is someone out there who I spoke to for quite awhile immediately after the last session and I felt like I was talking to myself in the mirror (except myself had much longer hair and looks much better in a dress than I ever would).  It was almost uncanny.  We all have our problems, hangups, difficulties, stumbling blocks - call them whatever you want - we're not all that different in that regard.  What sets any of us apart is what we do when we see that we're stuck.  Many of you are part of the process of helping me get "unstuck."  You may not even know you helped, but you have, so you too deserve some thanks.

Now get out there and start shaking that apple tree...

Enjoying my winnings.

I sat down on Thursday to start my month of coaching with Tom Ferry (that I won right here at ActiveRain) via Skype.  I wasn't 100% sure what to expect.  I was looking forward to it, but that was about all I knew.

Tom was downright forthcoming in his assessments and making sure I understood what we were going to be looking at.  He didn't even mention real estate at first, we spoke more about personal life for the first few minutes.  As we spoke, I realized just why he was asking the questions he did.  I'd say Tom Ferry is one part therapist, one part someone you can trust and open up to, one part real estate guide, and one part funny guy.

Coaching isn't something I've ever done before, so I wasn't prepared for the look at other sides of my life (instead of just real estate), but I had promised Tom, myself, and my readers that I would go at this full force and see what I got out of it.  I owe it to all three (especially myself) to observe and report and there is no better way to do so than to dive in and get involved.

Tattooed RE.

I wrote about our first call over at Tattooed Real Estate in the post "First Coaching Call With Tom Ferry."  It's a bit of a light post as I think Tom and I were just getting started.  I have been busy on my assignments (five separate assignments in the first call!), which I will detail a bit more as time progresses.  Overall, I think Tom Ferry will wind up helping me quite a bit, but that remains to be seen.  I'll speak to you in about a week and let you know how round two goes.

photo courtesy of roadrunnerdrummer

A post that speaks volumes about the author.

Sheila has a way with words.  Speak to her one-on-one and you'll see what I mean.  Some people are able to convey their inspirational messages with blogs, some with words - Sheila manages to do both well, but in addition, she often manages to do it without using either.  A simple question, a certain look in the middle of a conversation, and her actions on a daily basis with her clients and her agents.

I've had to ask for help at times and I will probably need help in the future.  This is refreshing advice to remember that if you don't ask, you're probably not going to get it.