Tis The Season, For Networking and Building Relationships

Dear Friends,

Tis The Season...

Since many of you will be attend holiday parties or maybe you will be attending The Realtor's Triple Play in Atlantic City, NJ I have decided to have themed tips for the next few weeks..

Networking and Building Relationships.
Here Is The First Tip:

At any kind of gathering but especially during holiday party time, do you find yourself struggling to make conversation with strangers?

Well, a wise person once said, “Be interested instead of interesting.”

In other words, the best way to get a conversation going with someone you don’t know is to be interested in them, rather than offering (perhaps over offering) information about yourself.

How do you show you’re interested?
By asking questions that aren’t too personal, and elicit more than a “Yes” or “No” answer.
For instance:

· How do you know our host/hostess?
· What are your plans for the holidays?
· What do you think about (a current event)?
· I’m looking for a new restaurant to try – do you have one you love?
· There are so many movies coming out over the holidays – can you recommend one?

Finally: Listen to the person’s answer, make eye contact, and prompt further conversation by nodding when appropriate and saying “Really?” or “How interesting!” And who knows? That person you were nervous about talking to just might become a friend.
So stay tuned, be on the lookout, listen in, and grab a hold of some valuable information and new ideas on how to network and build better relationships now.

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, CSSN, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

http://www.yourprofessionaldevelopment.com/
Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) Designation Training

Be prepared to make a great connection.

Dear Friends,

You have a meeting coming up and you're going to be in a room full of other business people.
It could be a networking meeting, a conference, a convention, a party, my classes or workshops, or an awards night celebration.

You've decided that you're going to network a little.
Expand your contacts, meet someone who may lead you to a new business.

So, you're thinking "should I plan ahead or just let things happen spontaneously?"

Wouldn't it be great if great connections happened spontaneously?
Unfortunately what happens is a conversation more like this.
"Hi, how are you?"
"I'm fine, how about you?"
"Just great, what's new?"
"Not much. Busy. What are you up to?"
"Same old stuff. Nothing new."

That is a conversation in search of a topic.

Instead BE PREPARED to be spontaneous.

Plan your answer to the question, "What's new?" or "How are you?"

Here's a few tips you may want to consider.
Have a plan to meet someone new.
Ask a couple of provocative questions.
Listen intensely.
If you did maybe your conversation would be more like this:

"Hi, are you Jeff Stanton? My name is Dawn Jackson. I've heard a lot about you and the great work you're doing and wanted to meet you. The people in my office are still buzzing about your training. Can I ask you a quick question?"

(Some sample opening questions)

"What advice could you give me. I'm new to the business."
OR
"What is the best way for me to get started in building my referral business?"
OR
"How did you get started?"
OR
"Could I get your opinion on something?"
OR
"Could you give me a little direction on a specific situation?"
OR
"What's the best thing I could do in today's market?"
OR
"How do you keep in touch with your clients?"
OR
"What one thing can I do to build a better relationship with my co-workers?"

You get the point!
There is a system working here.

Know in advance who you'd like to meet. It should be 2 or 3 people. You may not meet them all but at least plan to. Think about what they do and what you could like to learn from them.

Relax and have some fun.
Yes, I said fun.
Be honest.

How much fun is listening to the same old, same old, conversation?

Be prepared to quickly recognize, acknowledge and compliment what they do. Ask an open-ended question to a specific issue. Be precise. It helps to get a directed answer.

People like to talk about what they do and how they help others. They are comfortable with it. It makes for good conversation. They really like having their opinion asked. This is how relationships are built.

Spice it up and ask some planned, well thought out, questions of some interesting people you would like to meet and speak with.

This means all you have to do is know a few simple questions to ask.
They'll do all the talking.

Simply asking:
Could I get your thoughts on this?
Could I get your opinion on a situation?
Could I get some advice on an issue?"

Now listen.
Focus your attention on them.
Don't fool with your drink or gaze around the room while they're talking. Listen with your eyes and your body language.

Repeat back a brief recap that may begin with:
"Let me make sure I understood what you said" or
"In other words you said...."

Briefly repeating comments to how it may relate to you makes the connection. "So what that means to me is....is that right?"

That my friend is the point to meeting someone new.

Making Great Connections is all about relationships.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, CSSN, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

http://www.yourprofessionaldevelopment.com/
Certified negotiation Expert (CNE) Designation Training

Communication Is All About Listening

Dear Friends,

How important is it to be a great listener?
Since many of use will be attending holiday parties over the next few weeks, you will be meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends, listening the greatest skill you can have.

All of these qualities and many more begin with LISTENING.

• understanding
• acknowledging
• recognizing
• problem solving
• customizing
• adapting
• responding
• influencing
• building rapport
• feeling special
• respecting
• feeling safe
• trusting

How well do you listen?

There are many issues to overcome our sometimes inability to really listen.

First, the average person speaks at about 150 words per minute, yet we have the capacity to think at 600 words per minute.

So, when you catch yourself thinking about what you're going to say when the other person finishes instead of listening, relax, It's completely normal.

It's in our physiology.

There is however a few simple things we can do to improve our concentration on what the other person is saying.

This will help you to become an active listener.

We have all been in situations where we knew the other person understood us, what we were feeling, what we really wanted and maybe couldn't articulate it well, but yet we knew they knew what we meant.

Was it because the other person was a great listener or did they share a similar experience and could relate empathically?

In context, what is important to the other person can only be as important to you as the other person is to you.

In plain language, if you don't like the other person you won't really care about their problem.

You'll go through the motions and maybe slide by and even get their business...once.

Building a solid referral business is about relationships and solid relationships are about listening.

You know when people aren't really listening to you don't you?

They're eyes are looking past you or to the side at other things.
They seem unfocused on what you're saying.
They respond to your issue from a script.
They want their position known more than wanting yours to be understood.
They may even have that glazed look like they're someplace else.

How can you show someone that you're listening, really paying attention, and encourage them to tell you more?

To become an active listener is easy with a few simple tips. Use them at a upcoming party or networking event.

1. Use your body language to show interest.
Lean forward, make good eye contact and simply pay attention

2. Ask questions that relate to what they're saying.

3. If they're explaining a problem or situation, repeat back, (paraphrase) what they said to ensure understanding. (i.e. "Let me make sure I understand what you said"...or "What I just heard you say was....")

4. You can vocally acknowledge with a "uh-huh," "yes," or "mmm," every 15-20 seconds so that they know you're listening. If your on the phone and you hear them say "Are you still there?" you were too quiet.

5. In person, take notes. This will slow the conversation and evidence your attention.

6. Don't interrupt.

7. Don't clip the end of their sentences

8. Acknowledge what they said before changing direction in the conversation.

These simple exercises will demonstrate that you are an active listener.
It just takes a little practice.

Often we may hear the same problem over and over but from different people. If you've been in the business for any longer than a couple years, you think you've heard it all.

It's important to remember that each persons situation is brand spanking new to them and to give them the space and emotional environment to express their needs and wants.


Here's what you want others to think to themselves or say to one another after speaking with you:

"He knows what I want and what I don't want"
"She knows what's important to me and why"
"I'm finally understood. He gets it"
"I feel he can get us where we want to be"


In today's fast paced, high speed, what's next world giving someone the gift of your undivided attention and really listening is so powerful.

You may want to remember it this way: ATT

Attention + Time = Trust

Now repeat back what you've read in this "3 Minute Referral Tip" - practice starts now!

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, CSSN, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

http://www.yourprofessionaldevelopment.com/
Certified negotiation Expert (CNE) Designation Training

What is Consciousness?

Dear Friends,

How many sales people, when speaking to a client or to anyone for that fact, talk all about themselves?

Webster says consciousness is awareness, sensitivity, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and one's environment.

We use our conscious mind when we are thinking logically or carefully. Your referability resides inside your conscious referable behavior.

I was at a holiday party recently, while standing at the bar the gentleman next to me started up a conversation, just some idle chit chat. (I'll call him "John" to protect the innocent till proven guilty) 15 minutes into a conversation all about him, the host made an announcement that dinner would be served and to return to our seats. I said my goodbyes to “John” and told him it was a pleasure speaking with him.

I sat down, guess who sat besides me, yep it was “John”. We stated talking again, more about him.

He is a Realtor in NY, has his Associate Brokers License, 3 small children, 2 cats, and a puppy named Cookie... He finally asked me if I had any children. I told him I did not.

After about 30 more minutes of him talking about himself during dinner he asked me what type of business I was in.

Ok here was my chance.

I explained that I am speaker/sales trainer for real estates offices and associations mostly training on building referral based business. “Oh you’re a realtor?” he asked.

I explained to him who I am, what I do, and how I help people.

He continued to talk… asked me what I thought of coaching. I explained that I do personal coaching, and then he asked me for some advice on getting more referrals.

Over the past years, I have compiled a list of over 1,000 ways to improve your referability.
So I gave him 10 quick thoughts that came to mind that are referable behaviors.

These are the ones I shared with him:

1. Tell the truth, no matter what
2. Be on time
3. Make no assumptions and always ask the question behind the question. Find out what is truly important to the other person.
4. Check your thinking
5. Acknowledge people frequently with notes.
6. Quickly admit when you’re wrong.
7. Say 'please' and 'thank you'.
8. Give people permission to share how they feel about your service. Be hungry for feedback.
9. Speak with confidence and passion, do your homework and never wing it. If you don’t know the answer, say so.
10. Be more interested then interesting

I brought into his consciousness, that referable relationships have and equal amounts of give and take.

It was painful for him at first to recognize this; however, after a few minutes of playing the question game, “John” became aware of how unskilled he was at being interested.

He was unconscious to the fact that he wanted to be interesting more then he wanted to be interested.

How many sales people when speaking to a client or to some one at a party talk all about themselves?
They may talk about what those letters are after their names (ABR, ABRM, ALC, CCIM, CIPS, CPM, CRB, CRS®, CRE, GAA, PMN, RCE, XYZ, MNLOP, ect...).
They may tell them why they should list with them, why they are the best, how fast they sell houses, and how nice the home is, among many other things.
The sales person thinks that they are taking about the customer or having a conversation, but they are really just talking about themselves.

How many sales people are more interested the other person then they want to be interesting? Not many…

That the difference between being a transactional based sales person and relationship based consultant.

So, look at the list of ten behaviors that I gave to “John”.

Which ones can you bring into conscious constructive behavior?

Rain falls as a result of a change in the temperature, so in a like manner, a change in your referability happens as a result of a change in your state of consciousness.

Today’s 3 Minute Referral Tip: You Must Develop A Referability Consciousness, and Please Be More Interested Then Interesting.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, CSSN, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

http://www.yourprofessionaldevelopment.com/

Tis The Season, For Networking and Building Relationships

Dear Friends,

Tis The Season...

Since many of you will be attend holiday parties or maybe you will be attending The Realtor's Triple Play in Atlantic City, NJ I have decided to have themed tips for the next few weeks..

Networking and Building Relationships.

Here Is The First Tip:

At any kind of gathering but especially during holiday party time, do you find yourself struggling to make conversation with strangers?

Well, a wise person once said, “Be interested instead of interesting.”

In other words, the best way to get a conversation going with someone you don’t know is to be interested in them, rather than offering (perhaps over offering) information about yourself.

How do you show you’re interested?
By asking questions that aren’t too personal, and elicit more than a “Yes” or “No” answer.
For instance:

· How do you know our host/hostess?
· What are your plans for the holidays?
· What do you think about (a current event)?
· I’m looking for a new restaurant to try – do you have one you love?
· There are so many movies coming out over the holidays – can you recommend one?

Finally: Listen to the person’s answer, make eye contact, and prompt further conversation by nodding when appropriate and saying “Really?” or “How interesting!” And who knows? That person you were nervous about talking to just might become a friend.

So stay tuned, be on the lookout, listen in, and grab a hold of some valuable information and new ideas on how to network and build better relationships now.

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, CSSN, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

http://www.yourprofessionaldevelopment.com/
Certified negotiation Expert (CNE) Designation Training

New Approach To Problems

Dear Friends,

At work, at home, even on vacation, there are always problems that need solving. Some problems are easy to solve with the same solutions that have always worked. Others call for a fresh thinking, an original approach. Try these tips for generating exciting, new ideas:

Rephrase your problem. Turn your problem around by describing it in different words. Instead of “How can we produce more widgets?” ask, “What’s preventing us from producing X widgets a week?”

Dig deeper. Instead of focusing exclusively on the present situation, explore the background. When did the problem start, for example? What changed? Or, what are some of the underlying causes? What could you do about them?

Avoid either/or thinking. Don’t limit the possibilities. Instead of “We can either raise revenues or cut costs,” look for ways to do both, or find additional options. Maybe you have time to work on only one project, for example, but instead of neglecting the other, perhaps you can find someone else to get it started.

Ask for help. No matter how smart you are, an extra brain will usually help you find options you wouldn’t have considered on your own. Someone else’s eyes may see angles you hadn’t spotted before. Go outside your usual circle of advisors for a different perspective.

Keep a log. Carry a small notebook and get into the habit of writing down your ideas as they occur to you, so they’ll be accessible when you need them. Don’t worry about how practical your ideas are in the beginning, or what they might apply to. Just looking through your list may spark a thought you wouldn’t have found before.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, CSSN, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

http://www.yourprofessionaldevelopment.com/
Certified negotiation Expert (CNE) Designation Training

You know you're stressed out when...

Dear Friends,

You know you're stressed out when you come to the sudden realization that everyone around you is an idiot...

This tip is about stress.

One of the first signs of stress is talking back to office equipment.
One of the most definite signs is the awareness that everyone around is nuts.
Of course there is a common denominator, and it isn't the other guy.

We've all done it.

We sometimes get all stressed out when things don't go as planned.

Yelling at the fax machine or computer is just the visible expression of our often hurried lives.

Since these tips serve as an aid to further develop the competencies that contribute to an effective referral business, what can be more important to our own referability than our mental outlook.

I was going through some old notes and found this.

First let me say this.

Stress is cumulative. It doesn't go away with sleep. It adds up, and up and up. You can't wish it away.

Each day we carry yesterday's stress and the days before, and so on.

It doesn't take a medical doctor to see the symptoms and the results of mounting stress, whether it's in the workplace or on the roadways.

Here are 10 ways to relieve and reduce, and even eliminate, stress in our hurried lives which I do believe will make us more referable and easier to do business with.

Ten Ways to Reduce Stress in Our Lives.

1. Set aside a little time each day to recover.
Sleep - Know your body, get what you need
Nutrition - Low fat, low salt, low sugar
Exercise - Punch a bag, workout, stretch
Humor - Laugh 50 times a day, or as often as you can
Music - Play something you like even if it's just a short while
Active/passive rest - Read, pray, sex (not in any order)
Needs fulfillment - Pay attention to your personal needs

2. Don't accept gifts of anger, abuse, and resentment.
What people think of you is none of your business.

3. Make a list for the day. Write things down, the brain is for thinking, not storage.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously, laugh at yourself.

5. Keep your eyes on the prize. Your overall wellness - physically, spiritually. mentally, financially.

6. Learn to say no…"I'd really like to help you but I can't give you the time you deserve, may I find someone else?"

7. Give yourself extra time.

8. Crisis - We are all going into a crisis, are in a crisis, or have just come out of one. All the time. Be gentle with yourself and others, you don't know where they are.

9. You teach people how to treat you by your own behavior.
Watch what you give out, because that's what you get.

10. You can't control others.
You can only control your own behavior and response. Between the stimulus (what happened) and your response is space. The space given to you to choose your response. This gives new meaning to response-ability -- your ability to choose.

I don't remember where these all came from so Ill give credit others.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me each week and I hope the tips have become useful in your enhancing your own referral business.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, CSSN, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047


One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

OK, so you want to improve your persuasion power right?

Dear Friends,

Last week I started a 3 Minute Tip: The Power Of Rapport and I received a HUGE amount of feedback and questions. So for the next few weeks we will dive deeper into the subject of Rapport and Persuasion. Persuasion is one of the key elements taught in our Certified Negotation Expert Designation and Training Classes

If you missed last weeks tip click HERE.

On to Today's Tip:

OK, so you want to improve your persuasion power right?

Why? What's your intention?

As you know your intent directs the flow of energy in your interactions with others. So doesn't it just make sense to have in mind a really clear and strong intent before you engage in your powerful persuasion mission.

If you were to think about the person(s) you want to persuade what comes to mind in regards to the benefits they will gain from your persuasion?

Of course your 'persuasive pitch' will be received much more receptively if your intent is strongly biased to their benefits.

So stepping into their shoes what benefits can you perceive from their angle and looking at the situation as if you were watching a movie what other ideas come to mind?

Having some idea of what the other person(s) want and keeping that positive intention nice and strong in mind when interacting with the person(s) will automatically create a 'good vibe' between you, thus creating that well known fundamental persuasion skill - Rapport!

Now in your interaction with the other party you would increase your persuasion parlance greatly by asking well focused questions. Basically you want to ask questions that get the other person to open up so that you can discover one of the very powerful motivators-to-action in humans known as 'values.'

This is another aspect of the very fascinating way in which the human mind works because you find yourself becoming increasingly curious about people's values as your persuasion power increases, doesn't it.

Now an important point to remember in this curious adventure is when you have got them talking: You Shut Up! AND Listen!

Isn't that cool, you just sit there and listen as they give you loads of high quality information that you can then use to powerfully persuade and guide them!

By paying attention you will notice that people use certain words which have a lot of emotional value for them personally. You could call these words their personal trance words.

Let me give you an example to clarify what we are talking about. Let's say you are helping someone purchase a home. Now presuming the person has asked you to help
them you can make the process happen even more smoothly by asking them certain questions

So during conversation with this person you could ask them, "Why exactly do you want a new home?" And, "What would having a new home give you?" And also you could
ask, "Why is that important to you about having a new home?" (NOT "What is important in a new home to you?)

As you ask these questions you will notice that they have to access deeper parts of their minds. So by paying attention and listening carefully you will discover some of their personal words.

Some possible examples of their personal words might be: freedom, security, happiness, assertiveness. Keep in mind the important fact that these words could have a deep and
powerful feeling associated with them in their internal experience.

Now what do you suppose would happen if you were to then describe and incorporate those wonderful personal words into your persuasive change 'pitch'?

That's right, they would be much more likely to go along with your persuasive intervention because you are using words which stimulate powerful feelings inside them for the
changes that they really want!

So just what is 'the ultimate truth in persuasion'? Well the fact is in the art of persuasion, or indeed anything, there are many ways of doing things, many perspectives, techniques, methods and tools. The point being, by using it and paying attention to feedback, will it get you the
results you want?

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, CSSN, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047


One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

http://www.yourprofessionaldevelopment.com
Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) Designation & Training
Certified Short Sale Negotiator (CSSN) Designation & Training

Why I Won't Bring My "A" Game

Dear Friends,

I refuse to "bring my A game."
When I hear someone say, "Bring your A game,"
I cringe.

This is an expression which is supposed to mean "Do your best." An "A" in academics means that you have achieved the top mark, grade, or score in a subject.

The problem with the saying, however, is that it implies that there is a B game, C game, etc. You don't have an A without a B. Just like you don't have a One without a Two.

If there weren't other letters or numbers, you could simply say, "Bring it!" or "Bring it on!" And this is exactly what YOU should bring. It. Your best. Every time.

Why would anyone have different levels of achievement? Is it that in some situations they don't want to try as hard or do their best? Are there any situations in which you would want to "bring your F game"? Well, there must be if you have an "A game."

Why would that be the case? Why would anyone be involved in anything in which they used less than their total capability? The way I see it, you either do your best or you don't do anything. You either go all the way, or you go home. You either shoot for the stars, or you don't shoot at all. You either Play Big or don't play at all.

Sure, there will be times when sickness, weather conditions, other people, etc. cause your best in that moment to be less than your best in another moment. This does not in any way excuse you from doing things to the best of your capability in that moment.

Additionally, this is not a contest against others. The only contestant is YOU. Your best time running a marathon may be a lot slower than that of an Olympic athlete. That's fine. Your best
singing voice may not be as pleasing to as many people as that of a professional singer. That's fine. The point is that you are doing YOUR personal best.

What often happens, and this is a true crime, is that we tend to do as well as the worst examples around us. We do this so that we won't "stand out" or "rock the boat" or disturb "the way things are done around here."

This is all nonsense.

These are feeble fear-based excuses for settling for less than what we really are.

Worse than this, maybe you are the best in your class or field of expertise or office. Maybe you out-sell, out-shine, and out-perform everyone around you. Yet, you know in your heart that you are capable of so much more. You are operating at half-speed while the rest are at their top speed. What a crime! All that wasted, unused potential! Why aren't you doing YOUR best? So what if it puts you way out in front. Guess what - there are more people up ahead in the distance who you don't even know about because you are simply trying to keep ahead of your group.

Get moving! Run at YOUR top speed! Be YOUR best! Reach YOUR potential! We don't want to see what you can do "without even studying" or what you "could do with one hand tied behind your back."

We want to see what you can do when you shine like the Sun, run like the wind, and fight like your life depended on it!

Think about it. Do you really want to reach the end of your life and say, "Wow, I could have been and done so much more."?
NO!
Nobody wants that.

So put down the alcohol, cigarettes, worthless friends, or whatever it is that you have added to your life to slow you down.

Any time I find myself Paying Small, I read a passage from Marian Williamson's book, “Return To Love”.

Each time I read it, it inspires me to be the highest version of myself. I now give you a copy and invite you to pass it on.

Play Big

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be—brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to manifest the glory of that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~Marian Williamson

Start believing in yourself!
Get up!
Stand up tall!
Get moving!
And keep moving!
Bring it all, bring it on!
Play Big!
Every time!

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

Playing Big On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life


One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Mt.Everest & Real Estate: Tips for a successful summit attempt

Dear Friends,

Many of you know me very well, either from meeting me in person or from reading www.JeffreysJournal.com and you may know that one of my greatest aspirations in life is to climb Mt. Everest. One of my heroes in the climbing and mountaineering worlds is Ed Viesturs.

What you may not yet know is what climbing Mt. Everest and Ed Viestures have to do with real estate, referrals, or business.

Read on and learn

Ed Viesturs: Motivational Speaker
SEEKING THE HIGHEST PLACES: The Quest to Climb the World's Greatest Mountains

Ed Viesturs is widely regarded as this country's foremost high-altitude mountaineer, and one of the all-time "greats" in the world of mountaineering. Familiar to many from the 1996 IMAX Everest Expedition documentary, Ed was awarded the historic Lowell Thomas Award by the Explorer's Club in 2002, for outstanding achievement in the field of mountaineering, along with such notables as Sir Edmund Hillary. Ed has successfully summited all of the world's fourteen 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. He is one of only a handful of climbers in history (and the only American) to accomplish this.

SEEKING THE HIGHEST PLACES is the inspirational account of Ed's fourteen year pursuit of all the world's peaks above 8000 meters, a goal nearing its culmination. In a presentation tailored to fit the particular concerns of his many and varied corporate audiences, Ed uses spectacular photographs from his 16 years of expedition climbing as breath-taking illustration for his compelling story.

Ed makes a clear and dramatic connection for his audiences between commitment to integrity and superlative achievement. Totally committed to the integrity of his approach to his goals, Ed has elected to forgo using supplemental oxygen on his climbs, making an already extremely difficult endeavor almost beyond human possibility. He does this not to prove anything "macho" or vainglorious, but just the opposite: to climb without oxygen is a direct, often humbling encounter with the true reality of these mountains. "I want to climb the mountain under its own terms," he states. "How I climb a mountain is more important to me than getting to the summit at all costs."

In addition, Ed's fourteen-year quest has encompassed many astounding successes within it, each of which would be the pinnacle of life-time accomplishment for most adventurers. But Ed shares a broader, bigger view of life and of success, with uncommon messages of focus, passion, desire, and patience. These messages, together with Ed's friendly, gently humorous style, make Seeking the Highest Places a deeply inspiring, unforgettable presentation for everyone lucky enough to experience it.

Now that you know who Ed Viesturs is here is his tips for successful summit attempts:

• Set Your Own Goals

Do not be content with normative success. Set a higher standard for yourself and discover your own profound resources of patience, passion, and focus.

• Team Success is Individual Success

Not everyone stands on the summit, but the best, most successful teams reap tremendous personal satisfaction for each team member when the team as a whole succeeds.

• Planning is the Key to Achievement

To fail because of lack of preparation is a huge waste of time, energy, money and talent. Never jeopardize your success by failing to make a comprehensive plan.

• Integrity of Approach is Paramount

How you achieve your goal can be more important than what you achieve. Instead of reducing your goal to make it "manageable" be willing to struggle with the real, objective difficulties in your path, and reveal the best that is in you.

Now you, like me know how one of the worlds greatest climbers achieves his goals and the goals of his team.

These tips can be applied to any aspect of your life... Including your professional Real Estate Life.

I leave you with this question ....

When is now a good time to reach your own personal summit?

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Fines And Violations!

Dear Friends,

I would like to share a recent experience with you...

I was working with a Real Estate Broker in NY who hired me as a consultant to review his offices advertising materials and policies. With his permission I am sharing the outcome with you.

After reviewing the company's and agent's flyer's, ads, literature, websites, and company handbook I found over 25 DOS violations. Along with potential IRS independent contractor status issues in his company handbook. And many potential Fair Housing issues in their advertising.

I was not shocked at all.

Experience shows that the average real estate company very rarely checks their agents marketing items, especially web sites and emails.

One of the biggest mistakes NY agents make is with the following law:

ARTICLE 12-A REAL PROPERTY LAW
§175.25 Advertising
(a) All advertisements placed by a broker must indicate that the advertiser
is a broker or give the name of the broker and his telephone number.

This includes all advertising as well as websites and blogs.

The second mistake is with agent's business cards.

Understanding that a business card is a form of advertisement, it must conform to the general advertising standards. It must be truthful and not misleading.

To avoid consumer confusion a business card must include at least the following information:

• The name and address of the brokerage as licensed by the Division
• The individual’s full name, as licensed.
• Type of license held
  The actual license title ie; Licensed Real Estate Broker, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, and Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker.
  NOT: Sales Associate, Broker Owner, Licenced Realtor, ect...
• The firm’s business telephone number.
• The inclusion of additional information is permissible, (business titles, business e-mail address, specialization, trade affiliations or accreditations), providing the information is true and not misleading.
• A licensee may include their home e-mail address, cell and/or home telephone numbers, provided that there is a notation that such are residence numbers, and further that such use is not extended to any activity that would constitute branch office operation.

I can't count the number of incorrect business cards that I see on a daily basis.

I would like to suggest that you check your states laws or guidelines to see what you must have or can't have on your advertising or marketing items

Here are some links to help you get started.
CA http://www.dre.ca.gov/
CT http://www.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp?a=1624&q=276076

NJ http://www.state.nj.us/dobi/division_rec/index.htm

NY http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lcns/realest.html

For my friends in other states, please check with your states licencing department.

If you would like information on how you can protect yourselves and you company from these and other violations, please give me a call. When is now the best time?

Waiting to act on items like these can cost you your business.
My broker client could have had over $125,000 in violations, he is now currently in compliance.

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

It’s Our Choice...

Dear Friends,

I hate the words "I Don't/Didn't Have A Choice..."

You always have a choice...

When you say "I Don't/Didn't Have A Choice" your actually choosing not to choose, and that still is a choice. Mostly people say "I Don't/Didn't Have A Choice" cause its the easy way out.

Today I would like to share a short story with you, you may even choose to print it post it on your wall.

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and
noticed she had only three hairs on her head. “Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.” So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. “Hmm,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.” So
she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. “Well,” she said, “today I’m going to wear my hair in a ponytail.” So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head. “YEAH!” she exclaimed. “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”

Choosing To Be On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Get A Life! Part 5 - An Overabundance of Choices

Dear Friends,

Here is week 5 of the 5 Mega-Realities:

The 5 Mega-Realities:
1. Population growth
2. An expanding volume of knowledge
3. Mass media growth and electronic addiction
4. The paper trail culture
5. An overabundance of choices

This final segment is about an overabundance of choices and a few life saving tips that you can apply.

(Taken in part from "Get a Life! Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a High-Speed World".)


#5 - An Overabundance of Choices

In his 1969 book, Future Shock, Alvin Toffler predicted that we would become slaves to an overabundance of choices. Toffler described how more choices inhibited action, resulting in greater anxiety and the feeling of less time.

Like too much of anything else, having too many choices is harmful to having a balanced life. Every decision you make drains you of time and energy. After a long day of deciding about breakfast cereals, office and consumer products, investment options, vacation choices, late
night TV shows and everything in between, who has the energy left to decide what they really want out of life?


Life Savers:

Don't get distracted by outside options. Sometimes the sweetest choice is choosing from what you already have.
What good friends have you barely seen in recent months?
What special person wants to have more fun with you now?
What favorite priority have you been ignoring?

These are the choices that matter!


When you catch yourself making a low level decision, consider: does this really make a difference? Make only a few decisions a day - the ones that count.

It is the "abundance of choices" that leverages your referability. The proliferation of choices makes it difficult for anyone to make a decision. Too many choices is overwhelming.
It causes confusion, not clarity.
We already have enough confusion in our lives.

Look at it this way:
Your family Doctor decides to retire out of state and close his practice. You now need to find
a new health care provider for your family. What do you do? You can go online and search out Doctors in your area. You can go to 1-800-doctor to get a list of Doctors that you can call. You could end up with a list of Doctors a mile long. Now who do you call and how do you determine
if they are good for you and your family?

You ask!

You ask a friend. That's right, you bypass the proliferation of choices and rely upon the referral of people you know, you like and you trust.

This process today applies to most of the professional services you might bring into your home.

Try this:
List the last 10 services you brought into your home over the past year.
Roofer, painter, mason, carpet cleaner, landscaper, etc.
Now look at the list and tell me "where did you get them from?"

In all probability you got 7 out of 10 from either someone you already knew or from a recommendation of someone you know. That's how we are introduced to new businesses every day - by referral!

The over abundance of choices can be very overwhelming but it is the single greatest factor that determines your refer-ability in today's fast paced, high speed, over informed, over scheduled, and seemingly out of control world we live in.

We ask people we know, we like, we trust.

If there was ever a good reason for a constant contact to your database sphere of influence this is it!

The Mega-Realities and Your Life

The 5 Mega-Realities are here to stay, but the don't have to run your life. On a deeply-felt personal level, recognize that from now on you're going to encounter an ever-increasing number of items and activities competing for your attention. You can't handle everything, so stop trying.

Discover the freedom and peace of mind that comes from saying "no" to passing distractions.

To really get a life, stick with your priorities.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Get A Life! Part 4 - The Paper Trail Culture

Dear Friends,

Here is week 4 of the 5 Mega-Realities:

The 5 Mega-Realities:
1. Population growth
2. An expanding volume of knowledge
3. Mass media growth and electronic addiction
4. The paper trail culture
5. An overabundance of choices

This week's segment is about The Paper Trail Culture and a few life saving tips that you can apply.

(Taken in part from "Get a Life! Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a High-Speed World".)


#4 - The Paper Trail Culture

The amount of paper that comes into your life each day is growing at an astronomical rate. Controlling that paper flow is a continual challenge that eats up more and more of your time - both at work and at home.

At work, studies of paper retention show that about 80% of papers retained in office environments are never used. So, you're probably holding on to five times what you
need, and your ability to find and use what you do need gets more difficult with every piece of paper that you save.

At home, the average person spends a total of eight solid months of his or her life reading junk mail. I want those 8 months, how about you?


Life Savers:

Clear the in-bins of your mind and your desk.
Regard each piece of paper that enters your personal kingdom as a potential mutineer.

Does it support your priorities? If not, recycle it. Manythings that compete for your attention have value, but you can't respond to them all.

Go with what's most important and have the mental and emotional strength to let go of the rest.

Next week we will discuss:
#5 - An Overabundance of Choices

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Get a Life! Part 3 - Mass Media Growth & Electronic Addiction

Dear Friends,

The 5 Mega-Realities:

1. Population growth
2. An expanding volume of knowledge
3. Mass media growth and electronic addiction
4. The paper trail culture
5. An overabundance of choices

This week's segment is about Mass Media Growth & Electronic Addiction and a few Life Saving tips that you can apply.

(Taken in part from "Get a Life! Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a High-Speed World".)

#3 - Mass Media Growth & Electronic Addiction

As we spend more and more hours tuned to the expanding array of electronic media, we are exposed to tens of thousands of messages and images. Like too much food at one sitting, too much data, in any form, isn't easily ingested.

Life Savers:

Refocus on your priorities. What issues are really worth of your time and attention?

What sources give you information that supports your priorities? What sources would you be better off without?
You don't have to keep it up!

Tomorrow morning, when you're getting ready for work, rather than switching on the radio or TV, what if you were to quietly envision how you would like your day to be? Include everything that's important to you - the commute, entering your office, sitting down at your desk,
easily handling tasks, communicating with co-workers and taking breaks to recharge your energy. Wouldn't your day go a little better?

If you want to get a life, it is pointless to sit in your arm chair with the channel changer, intellectually resonating with the world's problems. Action is invigorating. Go help
out in the soup kitchen, or volunteer to answer the phone during pledge week at your public broadcasting station.

You can't fix the whole world, but you can help a small part of it.

Your ability to make a real, if small, difference in an area that you identified as a priority immediately gives meaning and value to your life.

Next week we will discuss:
#4 - The Paper Trail Culture

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Have An Idea?

Dear Friends,

If it weren't for ideas, we would still be living in caves. If it weren't for ideas, companies would not exist. If this is true, why do most companies do everything in their power to suppress the ideas of their people to the point of not announcing those ideas for fear of repercussions?

Companies are filled with brilliant people. However, these brilliant people are not only the ones who run the business; they are the ones who answer the phones, crunch the numbers and replace the light bulbs.

There are hundreds of brilliant ideas brewing in people's minds at your companies at any time during the day. What does your company do to help nurture them to grow into innovations?

What do you do to help nurture them?

Slap policies on them and processes to bog them down? Install a pecking order so someone else can take credit for the idea? Shun people who go against the grain and speak up about changes that could help the company?

Sit back and think of the last time you sat down with someone and listened to their idea. Not sat and thought of how you were going to tell them they were wrong, but listened!

I'll bet my dollar to your dime not very recently. We have come accustomed to seeing brilliant ideas of others as threats to ours, instead of combining them to make it one great innovation.

Ideas are like flowers;

given the right environment, they will bloom into beautiful things.

Stomp on them enough, and they will shrivel.

Don't water them, and they will die.

Don't let them have their own light, and they will wither.

There are three main barriers to allowing effective ideas to bloom at the workplace: People, Policies and Practices (The three P's).

Ask someone why they fail or succeed at what they do and one of the top answers will be "because of the people at work".

If most of your co-workers or agents are insulting, disrespectful or closed-minded, ideas cannot bloom in that environment. However, if fellow employees and agents are respectful, encouraging and open-minded, then ideas have no choice but to bloom by the hundreds.

This is true ten fold for bosses. You can have all the encouragement in the world from fellow employees and agents, but if your boss is "stomping" on your ideas all the time, they will never grow and soon enough stop coming.

Policies were invented by a crusty old Human Resources Executive who was jealous other people were enjoying their work and wanted to make everyone else miserable. Policies do have a purpose, but should not be used as a Management scapegoat, or "idea stomper".

When I say Management scapegoat, I am referring to the practice of someone coming up with an innovative idea, letting it bloom, and then all of sudden have someone higher up say, "That is against policy A-D12. No ideas may be implemented until approved by the 14 Department heads at the annual meeting".

A sure way to stomp out an idea is to beat it to a pulp with company bureaucracy.

Practices are life jackets for employees with a very low change tolerance. "We don't do that here" or "We've always done it that way" are two infamous practices that can be said very easily and have a drastic impact on another's idea process.

Change is all in how you present it to people.

If you walk up to someone or send them a memo saying, "This is changing as of tomorrow", then of course they are going to resist it. Instead, feed the idea bloom, nurture the process of presenting it in a way that people always understand: W.I.I.F.M. (What's In It For Me).

If your idea will make the workplace better, explain it to individuals in micro terms to individuals, just how it will better their jobs and them in larger terms. People naturally think of themselves first, why not address that area first?

If you get someone else to buy into your idea bloom, they will help it in it's growing process.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Get a Life! Part 2: Expanding Volume of Knowledge

Dear Friends,

Once again the 5 Mega-Realities:
1. Population growth
2. An expanding volume of knowledge
3. Mass media growth and electronic addiction
4. The paper trail culture
5. An overabundance of choices
This week's segment is about Expanding Volume of Knowledge and a few Life Saving tips that you can apply.

(Taken in part from "Get a Life! Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a High-Speed World.)


#2 - Expanding Volume of Knowledge

The speed at which new information and data are disseminated is beyond your ability to keep pace. There's more information in one issue of the Sunday New York
Times than your great-grandfather was exposed to during his entire lifetime.

More than 365,000 books are published each year.
More books and articles are published in one day than you could comfortably read in the rest of your life.

Except in specific areas of interest, there simply is no possibility of keeping pace. You can, however, make choices about where to focus your energy and attention.

Life Savers:
Put your attention on what's really important to you, your chosen priorities. Collect articles or information that help you on the job, help your family, community and so on, as opposed to being lured by sensationalism in the thousands of publications competing for your attention.

Don't let new information invade your being if it doesn't relate to you, your family, community, or any important area of your life, or if it comes after hours.

To get back in control of your life simply turn off your information receptors for several hours each day.

Give yourself permission to go a whole evening or weekend without reading anything, and spend the time instead doing something that gives you a sense of freedom, fulfillment, or fun.

Take a walk, watch a sunset, sit on the beach. When you give your brain some time off, it can absorb and retain more of the important information you feed it.

Next week we will discuss:
#3 - Mass Media Growth & Electronic Addiction

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Lowering your Commission?

Dear Friends,

I would like to share a conversation and experience that I recently had with a real estate Broker.
I was sitting in his office about to begin our weekly coaching / consulting session when one of his agents "Tara" walked in.

Tara said she had a great property that she had just finished a listing presentation on, and the home owner wanted her to drop the commission.

The Broker in no uncertain terms said NO.

Tara began to explain all the reasons why they should cut their commissions.
The market...
The competition...
The area...
The house...

We have all heard or given the reasons before.

The conversation between the Broker and Tara got heated, then the Broker looked at me and said "What do you think?"

This in my Tip for today and what I said to them.

Your sales force and your customers may scream that you need to lower your commission.
It's not true.

YOU DON'T NEED TO LOWER YOUR COMMISSION

YOU NEED TO INCREASE YOUR VALUE!

If people don't want to pay, it's because you're not delivering enough value for the money you're charging.

You're not selling a commodity unless you want to.

As we teach in our 5 Step Sales Process Workshop, If you have a customer or client that wants you to lower your commission, Stop and go back and establish the value for your solution to their problem.

It's that simple, increase the value of what you are offering and you can increase your rate of pay.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life


One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Get a Life! Part 1: Population Growth

Dear Friends,

Why isn't good old time management the answer to the pressures you face? Because it doesn't address the underlying problems. To effectively manage your time you need to understand the 5 Mega-Realities and know what your priorities are.

Its okay to apply personal control techniques once you fully understand the larger forces at play.
Remember the 5 Mega-Realities:
1. Population growth
2. An expanding volume of knowledge
3. Mass media growth and electronic addiction
4. The paper trail culture
5. An overabundance of choices

This week's segment is about Population Growth and how it impacts our life and a few Life Saving tips that you can apply.

(Taken in part from "Get a Life! Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a High-Speed World".)


#1 - Population Growth

Every 33 months, world population grows by 300,000,000 people - which is the current population of the U.S.A. The world is crowded and becoming more so. If you presently
live in and/or commute to an urban area, gridlock will be a part of your daily life. And the time delays of gridlock aren't confined to commuter arteries. Shoppers, air travelers,
vacationers, campers - everyone in motion is beginning to feel the effects.

Live Savers:

Since your commuting time is inevitably bound to rise, consider the possible options.

You could:
Move closer to work
Change your job and work closer to home
Telecommute more often
Commute during off-peak hours
Become self-employed and work at home

Or use your commuting time to support your priorities:
Take a seminar in your car with audio tapes
Record a letter to your child or spouse
Catch up on paperwork on the train
Mentally plan your family's next vacation
Rehearse an upcoming speech or presentation

To aviod gridlock delays when you shop, travel or vacation:
Avoid weekend shopping, use a weeknight for errands
Use a tele-grocery or shopping service
Give a good travel agent your flight preferences
Make flight connections at less-frequented airports
Book your vacations on off-peak times

Next week we will discuss:
#2 - Expanding Volume of Knowledge

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life


One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Get A Life!

Dear Friends,

The following is taken in part from "Get a Life!: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a High-Speed World" by Jeff Davidson.

How did things get so hectic?

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I need to get a life?"
How often has that notion, or a similar one, come up for you lately? Probably all too frequently.

I'll bet:
Your desk is piled with papers.
You continually find yourself racing the clock.
You are deluged with projects and tasks right now.
If so, you are not alone.

The challenges you face personally are inextricably linked to the challenges faced by our entire culture.

Without question society has sped up. New buildings can be erected in a month. Whole books can be written and published in less than 10 days. Fax machines can transmit pages in seconds and email messages in an instant.

Yet it takes longer to commute to work, longer to shop, and learning new programs, new instructions, and new ways to increase productivity all take their toll.

You already know the pressures you face. What you may not know is that nearly everyone else is feeling the same way. It is a frantic way to exist.

Is it any way to run your life?

The next five "3 Minute Referral Tips" will be a series to help us to live and work more comfortably in a fast paced, high speed world.

I often hear..."I just don't have the time."

Is that true or is it that we don't have clear priorities that we manage within the time we are all given?

So why do some people always get things done?
Answer: They have clear, well defined priorities!

LIFE SAVER #1 - Create a Priority Card

Write, or print, your priorities on a small business size card.
Keep one in your wallet or in your appointment book or in your car.

Read your priorities list as often as you can. If you haven't had a life recently maybe you've lost sight of what's important to you.

Stay focused, laser beam focused, on what's important and you'll soon begin to feel a sense of owning your life again.

Losing track of your priorities is easy. It is essential to understand how we reached our current, hectic state of affairs before we look for solutions. The first step is yours.

Our tip for the week: List your priorities.

Remember, if you have too many priorities you have none!

When you identify what's important in your life, then you're better able to face the demands and challenges that can otherwise steal time away from you. So, let's start by determining your priorities. In a nutshell, priorities are broad elements of life - so broad, that they can become misplaced somewhere within your daily high-wire balancing act.

It's best to make these choices away from your office, desk and other familiar places. Find a place where you feel comfortable and relaxed.

Start by listing everything that is important or that you wish to accomplish.

Hours (even days later) go back and assess your list. Drop the nice, but not crucial items.

Combine any items that are similar in nature. Having too many priorities leads to frustration and despair, similar to what you've got now.

Rewrite, redefine, or restructure any of your choices. If you're not sure of an item, delete it.

Hide your list for another day, then re-review it.

Delete, combine, rethink any items remaining. If something seems less important, drop it.

It's wise to have only a few priorities. If you have too many, you're not likely to respect each of them.

Complete your list, for now - priorities can change. Don't be afraid later to shift things until the list feels completely right for you.

Once a year, New Year's Day or your birthday, do a complete review of your priority list to make sure it meaningfully reflects your changing life.


There are 5 Mega Realties according to renown author Jeff Davidson that are greatly impacting our lives and he will give us a better understand of the world around us and this will
lead us to what we can do to have the time to affect a plan that will increase our referrals and take control of our business and our lives.

Here are the 5 Mega Realities that are greatly impacting our lives today.

1. Population Growth
2. An Expanding Volume of Knowledge
3. Mass Media Growth and Electronic Addition
4. The Paper Trail Culture
5. An Over Abundance of Choices -


Better understanding of these will provide new opportunities. If you are looking to control time, you are out of luck. If you are looking to take control of your life by managing your priorities within the time you are given thereby giving you the adequate time you want, and need, to better build your referral business then you are right on track.

Having clear, well defined, written out priorities will help you live an effective life, on purpose.

Let's make this point up front. If you are stressed out, you're not a lot of fun to be with and your relationships suffer.

Referrals are all about relationships and being more relaxed.

The more relaxed you are, the more able you are to accomplish your desired tasks. A necessary ingredient to the first step of increasing your referrals is to have a less hectic life.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

On Your Team.
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life


One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com