Plan B

The Bengals lost to the Steelers this weekend. While that is not good they won the first game and The Steelers are a tough team to beat so splitting the series does not hurt to bad. What hurts is that three key players including the Quarterback, Andy Dalton, were injured. Dalton is out for at least three weeks.

Now the Bengals must find a way to win with their Plan B. AJ McCaron, the back up QB, is relatively inexperienced but that does not matter. The Bengals must push through this adversity and win some games with their plan B.  Sunday it did not look like Plan B was working out so well, but hopefully with a week of practice things get executed better.

You cannot control the way things will go all the time and even though you bring your A Game you can be blown off course. Preparing a back up plan that is well thought out will allow you to carry on through road blocks. It may not run as smooth or exactly how you want, but you will be able to see some level of success and eventually be able to get back to your A Game.

There is no place like home for the holidays…

Now that the Thanksgiving turkey has been eaten (except for leftovers) and we are into December the hustle and bustle of the Holidays are in full swing. The older I get the less the Holidays become about gifts or food or parties and the more about home they become. My kids have long since moved out but at the Holidays we are all under one roof, which is a joy for Lois and I. We reminisce, we make new memories with the grandkids, we remember when the house was busy and bustling. Home truly is where the heart is.

As a real estate professional you hold the keys to making these memories come true. You are the one to find the house, show the house, point out the family spaces, the spacious kitchen. If you are giving good customer service you know what will make that house extra special, the one they will talk about sentimentally for years to come.

As you are showing houses this holiday season keep in mind the special role you are playing in the future. In the end family means the most and home is the place a family gathers.

Pray For Paris

I want to take a timeout and acknowledge the travesty that took place Friday night. Terrorists violently assaulted the City of Lights and all of our hearts. It is so easy to focus on the bad, in this blog I want to focus on the resiliency of the human spirit and the good that we as humans do when we have to pull together in a crisis.

After the attacks Taxi Drivers drove people home for free. People opened their homes to those in need of shelter. People drug others to safety. The world can be ugly but even in ugly moments people are beautiful and giving. It is easy to look past our enemy’s humanity or only worry about what concerns us but so often we put others before ourselves.

In the end we are all on this planet together. Our fate is tied to one another. We celebrate together, we mourn together, we break bread together, we pray together. Pray for Paris and for the world because all we have is each other.

Mom’s Meatloaf

Now that it is November and the weather has gotten cooler I am starting to crave some of my winter favorites. Hearty, comfort food that sticks to your ribs. My wife makes delicious beef stew. My Mom made delicious meatloaf. After leaving my Mom’s house I did not get meatloaf too often because my kids did not like it but when I did (specifically my Mom’s recipes) I relished it. Particularly when I got to make meatloaf sandwiches the next day.

So why all of this discussion about meatloaf other than to make you hungry? Nostalgia. The smell, the taste bring me back to childhood and all that comes with that. Evoking that nostalgia means that when I think of winter, when I think of comfort  I think of that meatloaf.

Your level of customer service should be your special ingredient. When your clients and circle of influence think about Real Estate Issues they should think back to positive experiences they had with you and take comfort in knowing you will handle their affairs. Clients should always feel comfortable with you, and should also feel comfortable recommending you to friends.

So this season when you find yourself wanting something comforting and warm think about how you can give those warm feelings to your clients. For me I think I will see if Lois can dig up my Mom’s meatloaf recipe.

The Big Game

As I write this the Bengals are playing the Browns in the Jungle. The Battle for Ohio is in Primetime and as of halftime the Bengals are winning. The Bengals don’t necessarily have the best record in Primetime games, we tend to get blown out. However, here The Bengals sit with the lead and another opportunity to show that they have grown, have mental toughness, and are truly a team worthy of being called a super bowl contender. Every game is a test of legitimacy.

Nobody expected this season from the Bengals. They had been mediocre for so long that fans seemed resigned to that mediocrity. This team has fire. This team has heart. This team is tough. Mediocrity can be broken. If you keep working you will find your rhythm and things will click.

Maybe your career has been middling or is stalled. Your pipeline is slow or empty, you feel complacent. That does not have to be your fate. Your career can fire on all cylinders and you can be at the top. It takes some hard looks at what you could be doing better and what you are flat out doing wrong. It takes hunkering down and making the phone calls you have been putting off. It takes developing a business plan and sticking to it.

As we begin the second half the Bengals may win, they may not. But I have faith. They are no longer mediocre and seem to find ways to win. Mediocre is not forever. You can change your path and be great.

Who Dey!

What an exciting victory the Bengals achieved over the Steelers on Sunday. The cherry on top was that they won In Pittsburgh! In the past the Bengals have found a way to choke in big games but this season they seem to have newfound tenacity that shows heart and maturity.

To be sure, it was not an easy win. As a matter In fact most of the game was ugly and the Bengals looked inept. Squandered opportunities to score, constant penalties, and all around bad play plagued the team the entire game. The defense managed to keep the score close, but really the Steelers owned  the game from the scoring opening drive. Still, the Bengals bided their time until a break came.

Actually two breaks. Twice Ben Rothlisberger threw interceptions and that was the turning point. The momentum changed at the right time, the very end if the game, and the Bengals never let go. They broke their habit of choking in big games and letting the Steelers over power them and just like that the Bengals are a contender.

Sometimes it takes a long time to get a break. Things can continuously go wrong and the light at the end of the tunnel seems so far away. It is at that point that you have to grit it out, hang on tight and wait for your break. The clouds will part and you will see a way forward. You have to have heart and you have to believe in yourself to hang on but if you follow your plan and hold fast your break will come.

The win was ugly, but a win is a win and sometimes that is all you need.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is this Saturday and I wanted to take a minute to wish you a safe and happy Halloween! (And throw a Go Bearcats in there!) My wife has our house completely pumpkined (not a word, but the only way to describe my house) and my Daughter and Daughter in law are hard at work on putting together costumes and making treats for parties. Halloween takes a lot of preparation, but it always pays off with a lot of fun! I know when I go see the Grandkids on Saturday night (after a Bearcat win) they will have had fantastic Halloweens thanks to all of the work their Moms have done.

Anything that needs to go well needs a lot of preparation. Whether it is a listing presentation, a marketing plan, a decision to start a social media campaign, or to roll out a new niche market,  preparation will be the harbinger of success. When you are working hard, just think about all of the fun you will have and the feeling of satisfaction that will come in the end.

So for those of you out there prepping for Halloween success, be sure to apply that same work ethic to your real estate career. I know you will be proud of yourself and having a good time as well.

Happy Halloween!

New at the Zoo

Lois took the Grandkids to the Zoo yesterday and was telling me all about the construction projects going on for new exhibits in 2016. The major projects being a hippo exhibit and indoor Gorilla viewing. I have to give it to the Cincinnati Zoo, they are constantly innovating and improving so that a steady stream of customers, even from out of the city, are constantly coming through. They have also made facility improvements to help them be more efficient and sustainable such as solar panels that double as parking lot shade.

Now that we are mid fall it is time to look and see what improvements, both customer service wise and for efficiency, you could be making for 2016. It is close to the time to be updating your business plan so thinking about what worked and what could be improved is smart business sense. What could you do to boost efficiency? What could you do to keep a steady amount of customers in the pipeline?

To brainstorm on efficiency think about what yielded the most leads in the shortest amount of time. Was it morning phone calls? Was it farming a particular area? Was it social media contacts? Make sure to concentrate on that method. Conversely was there a way you thought would create leads that fizzled or was a poor way to spend time? If that was the case go back to the drawing board and try something else.

To shore up your pipeline think of ways that you can be innovative within the industry. Do you have a niche? If not what could be your niche? What is your big attraction going to be? Your Hippo so to speak. Keeping your name on the tips of people’s tongues should be job one.

A successful 2016 depends on the groundwork that you lay down now. Think of this time of year as your “under construction” period and what you can do to build the perfect exhibit to showcase all that you can do for your clients.

Homecoming!

Tomorrow is Homecoming for the University of Cincinnati, and even in the predicted rain Lois and I would not miss it. On top of the football game there is a parade and all kinds of fun activities. It is a great chance to see not only old friends but also what is new on campus. Homecoming celebrations are important to people because it keeps sentimental connections alive.

I write a lot about being forward thinking in your real estate career, new technologies are important to adopt, but traditions and connections should always be carried through. The world is changing and traditions give people the comfort that some things never change. If you have a personal interaction with groups of clients (I did a pumpkin patch when I was selling) keep those up. Send Christmas cards. Hold a golf outing. Let long ago clients know that you are still the same personable agent who values people above business that they remember.

Homecoming is a state of mind, it is nostalgia in physical form. Sometimes it is nice to embrace the comfort of tradition. If you have not developed your own real estate “Homecoming” it may be something to consider when developing your marketing plan. In a busy world it is nice to give clients a touchstone and a reason to keep connected.

The Amazing Chelsey

One of the things Lois and I love the most is going to the movies. It can be hard for us to find a movie to rent be cause we see so very many in the theatre. Saturday we went to see the new Tom Hanks movie (which was fantastic-go see it!) and then stopped in to eat at Bravo in Oakley.

It had been a little while since we had eaten there, about a month, but we happened to get the same waitress we had the time before, Chelsey. She had probably seen hundreds of customers in between our visits yet she remembered everything about us- from our previous conversation down to Lois’ s drink order. I was amazed. What fantastic customer service she provided by remembering and taking care of all of the details from a month ago!

Little details mean so much to clients. It may be years between actually working with clients but it is imperative to keep communication going, remembering to keep little details in mind. Did you come across an article a client may enjoy reading? Send it to them. Maybe you need a fourth for golf, invite a client who is a golf enthusiast. Sending cards on family memember’s birthdays and anniversaries will also show clients that you remember the little things.

Fabulous customer service begins with what you remember about your customers. Take notice of the little things and your customers will take notice of the care you give them.