Life Is Like a Box Of Chocolates...

Got an email today from a client that I sold a house to in 1995.  Seems they still live there and managed to track me down to tell me how happy they still were and that they were never leaving.  Cool huh?

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.

Last post I talked about the effects of manifestation coming through all at once.  It occured to me that some people might not know about how to manifest.  There are some simple tools out in the marketplace on how to manifest.  "The Secret" contains information about the Law of Attraction - which is part of the equation, but not all of it.  Manifestation is a much more complicated process than most people acknowledge.  Speaking as someone whom people have dubbed "The Queen of Manifestation", I speak from experience. 

 There are many pitfalls involved in the process.  One of the biggest pitfalls is a tendency to "tweak" our manifestations.  This means we pull the energy back to change it just a little, make it better.  Well this doesn't work.  Eveyr time you call it back, you stop the process of manifesting.  AND you put it out into the universe that most of the things you put out you'll call back, so it really shouldn't pay too much attention.  Not a good choice.  Decide what you want and then commit to it.  Let it go and then allow it to return to you when it comes to fruition.  Stop changing your mind!

If you want to know more about manifesting, I'm teaching a live class on it in Massachusetts (my last live class here before I move to San Francisco) on May 30th from 7-9pm at the Waltham Coutryard by Marriott.  For more information, you can click here.

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.

If you've ever done any major manifesting work in your life, you know that sometimes there's a block that keeps you from getting where you're going.  You can work really hard manifesting and still, nothing happens. 

Well, when you finally do figure out what the block is and you remove it, something magical happens.  All of the things that you had been manifesting so hard for so long come crashing in on your head all at once.  It's wonderful, it's amazing - it's exhausting!

I've had this problem recently.  I finally got out of my own way about 6 months ago and the manifestations that I had been putting out for the last three years have started to roll in.  Immediately, my cash flow improved dramatically.  But the latest bout of things have come since deciding to move my company to San Francisco.  Suddenly a person I had been pursuing to work with me has agreed - and she's considering moving to San Francisco from her home in Cininnati!  I've had two other potential business partners show up on the horizon as well for different areas of my business.  And, I'm considering buying out another company.  Things are moving so quickly I can barely breathe!  But I keep reminding myself not to put the brakes on.  These are opportunities I sweated for in the last three years.  It's all the stuff I worked so hard at manifesting finally coming to fruition.  OK - a little too much "all at once" for my taste, but they're my opportunities - and like any opportunity, if I don't take it, it might not come around again. 

So I find myself on the express train.  It's fun, it's fast, it's scary.  The good thing for me is that I know that there's only about half of a vibration difference between fear and excitement, so when I get overwhelmed with the fear, I just decide it's excitement and I hoot and holler a bit to let off the steam. 

I don't know, Dear Reader, whether you are following my blog or know anything about my company.  But if you do, then I wanted to give you a head's up that things are going to be changing around here.  The new look on the web page and products is just a hint.  I can't say specifically what's coming down the pike since nothing is set in stone yet, but I have some plans that are just going to knock your socks off.  My socks are already halfway around the block (I'm hoping they come back soon - my feet are cold). 

I'll keep you posted...

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.

I got an email today from one of my friends in the business world who does financial assessments for big companies.  He told me a story about how he got quoted in article written by a major speaker just because he sent a "thank you" note to the speaker telling him how much he enjoyed one of his events.  A simple thank you note and then his comments on an article went out to a whole new group of his target market of people.  Poof!  It's magic!

 I had a similar thing happen recently to me.  One of my marketing partners told me that he was giving me some extra play on his site because every time I talked to him, I told him how much he and his company meant to me.  I appreciated him.  He said that other people he works with only complain and want to know how much more he can do for them.  Well, THEY didn't get the extra play - I did.  Because I understand what his company means to mine and I let him know that I understand and appreciate it.

Many moons ago, I used to run a payroll company.  We had one client who did nothing but complain.  He was our largest client, so we always tried to make things right for him, but it was out of fear of losing his account, not because we really cared.  (When someone yells at you at every turn, you stop caring after a while.)  On the other hand, we had a client whose company was a third of the size of the other guy's.  He used to call periodically just to tell us how much he appreciated us.  Needless to say, if something went wrong with his payroll, we jumped to get it fixed for him.  We even had someone drive two hours to bring him his checks once when they were wrong.  Just because he was nice to us!

 How do you treat other agents?  How do you treat your vendors?  How about your broker?  When was the last time you said words of appreciation to someone else?  Try putting a little positive energy out in to the world and see what happens.  I swear - it's magic!

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.

I was talking with a coaching client of mine today who is looking at buying investment property and a new home all at the same time.  While we were chatting, she shared with me the details of not only the deals she is trying to negotiate, but the financing she was considering as well.  With a little creative thinking on my part, and a knowledge of financing, I had a few things to share with her that gave her a whole new perspective on things. 

The Accountant Brain
Most agents avoid the issues of finance like the plague.  They think that it is the mortgage officer's job to know about this aspect - and for the most part, that's true.  Agents don't need to know how to qualify or what the exact rate for the day is.  They also don't need to know all of the different loan products on the market (most loan officers don't even know this, since many have over 1000 to choose from).  But it is important to have a grasp on the basics.

Agents should know the basics of financial investment, tax law, etc.  There are many times when I sent a client to their CPA because I knew that what they were planning would have tax implications.  I didn't know exactly what those implications were, but I knew enough to say that they should check it out.  Then there's the issue of putting money down on a home.  Generally, most financial planners will say that the majority of buyers should put as little down on their home as possible while still keeping the payments affordable.  The reason for this is that the buyers will get a much better return on their money if they invest it in the stock market or other investments than they will save in not paying mortgage interest.  This is especially true since mortgage interest is tax deductible. 

Then there's the knowledge of investment financing.  Agents need to know what a client should expect to pay on a seller financed deal vs. a bank financed one.  They should know that a seller will expect a balloon on the note.  They should know how to structure a deal such that the seller will find it particularly enticing.  These are all aspects that will affect the outcome of the negotiations and should not be left to the purview of the mortgage officer.

The Artist Brain
This is where we start to get creative.  Remember, our job as a buyer's agent is to make sure that they are getting the best deal for them.  This means balancing a number of factors including financing options, terms, and price.  As well as thinking outside of the box for specialized circumstances.

In my client's case, she was looking for a way to switch careers without having to worry about finances.  She decided that getting some investment property and downsizing her home was the way to go.  She is looking at two properties that are seller financed by the same owner.  She is also looking at a single family residence.  Her plan had been to take money out of her 401K to pay for the downpayment and closing costs on the two deals.  This would cost her $15K in penalties according to her accountant, but it would reduce her monthly expenses to just $384.00 per month.  To her, this seemed like a good option.  I thought that there was a better one.

A Marriage of Opposites 
A little creative thinking with both my accountant brain and my artist brain came up with the following solution.  My suggestion was to ask the seller on the investment property for a no money down deal since he was getting rid of both properties and was pretty motivated to be done.  She could offer a premium rate (2 pts above par for this type of financing) on the financing to sweeten the deal and build in a balloon which the seller almost certainly would have asked for anyway.  I told her to add to the offer:

• Her credit report (which is good)
• A statement about her experience being a landlord (she is one now)
• The fact that she had the cash, but wanted to keep it in reserve to cover repairs and vacancy so that she would be able to make the payments no matter what happens

The point of this letter is to address all of the seller's concerns over the mortgage being able to be paid. 

I then suggested that she also do a no money down deal on the single family residence and roll in the closing costs into the offer. This deal would increase her blended interest rate because she'd need an 80/20 rather than an 80/10 mortgage, but the difference in the payments would be negligible since we were only talking about $12K in loan amount differential. 

The result of these changes would mean that

• She doesn't have to touch her 401K - saving her a penalty of $15,000
• She'll need to come up with an extra $400-500 per month (because of the difference in the interest rates and mortgage amounts), but since she's already reducing her monthly expenses by $4,000, having to pay out the extra won't hurt at all. 
• She'll have the cash on hand in case something goes wrong 
• She'll be making more money on her 401K investments (tax deferred) than she will be paying out in mortgage interest, so she's actually in a better financial position in the long run
• Plus, she'll get a little more in tax deductions each year on the extra mortgage amounts.

A little creative thinking goes a long way in this deal.  When was the last time you questioned the way someone was going to structure their deal?  When was the last time you learned anything new about finance?  Don't you think you owe it to your clients to make this investment in time and energy?

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.

As a species we have an inherent need to connect with nature.  It reduces our stress levels, increases our serotonin levels and generally makes us happier.  Plus, sunshine does wonders for our ability to absorb certain vitamins, so we're healthier. 

Today we all have these techological contraptions designed to allow us to take our offices on the road.  Well, this is all well and fine that we can now answer emails while waiting at a home inspection or call prospects to follow-up during an open house, but does it really add to our daily lives or does it just make us work harder and more often?  I suppose it depends on who you are and how you use it.

Now, today is a great example of how technology can add to my life.  Today I spent the afternoon sitting in the park, soaking up the sun.  I never left my business.  I took my cell phone and my MP3 player.  I caught up on the audio files I'd been meaning to listen to and I ate my lunch.  And, best of all, I wasn't really carrying much with me to do it.  I had my camp chair slung over my shoulder, my cell phone and MP3 player in my pocket, $20 for lunch at the hot dog vendor and keys to get back into my house.  That was all I needed for a great afternoon of sun bathing. 

When was the last time you got out of your office for something other than a showing or a home inspection?  If you're in the northeast today, it's GORGEOUS - get outside!  If the weather's not so hot in your area, then mark it on your calendar so you don't forget.  After all - it's always a good time for a serotonin fix.

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.

I'm in the process of upgrading my website with a new brand image (it's so cool!).  While I do this, I'm working on how I can do more to differentiate myself from the other trainers out there.  I'm thinking about what it is that makes me different - why someone would want to work with me as opposed to someone else.  Here's what I have come up with:

1. I'm a woman.  In the field of real estate trainers, this is actually pretty unique.
2. I've got a sense of humor - it's fun to learn with me.
3. My products are customizable and available in digital format on CD or via download.  I'm not the only person with this, but one of the few.
4. I have FABULOUS customer service, which - based on the responses I've gotten from people - seems to be a unique thing.
5. I take a consultative approach and teach people to go deeper with their clients, getting past the mundanities of the transaction and into the motivations behind it.
6. I don't tell agents to mimic me, I tell them to be themselves.  That's the way they are going to make it big is to bring in people who want to work with someone like them - not them trying to be a clone of a trainer they learned from.
7. I create interactive experiences in my classes rather than just lecturing.
8. With me, it's all about the agents - not about me.  I'm not into my ego - I'm into your success.

These are my differentiators.  I'll be working on how to incorporate them into my website brand over the coming weeks.  I've already started with the humor piece of the puzzle (want an example? - mouse over my picture on my website and you'll see - it's the biggest thing that people comment on about my site).  I'll write a blog periodically to let you know how I'm doing it so you can get some idea of how to do it for yourself.

So here's your question.  How do you differentiate yourself from your competition?  What makes you so much more than "just another Realtor"?  How do you convey that in action and not just in words on your website?  How do you build it into your company brand or the "how we do it here" story?  I'd love to hear your ideas of how you've built your business brand into your website or, if you have an idea for how I could build my ideas into mine, I'd be thrilled to get some ideas on that too.

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at www.spartasuccess.com. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.  Used by permission.

I just posted a comment on Jeff Janus' blog that I thought the rest of you might find useful.  It's about getting ranked with the search engines and driving traffic to your site.  So, rather than rewrite it here, I thought I'd get him some more help by just linking to his post from here.  Would love to hear your feedback.

(You know it's funny, I don't realize how much I know about marketing on the web until I start to write these things and then realize how much I have to leave out in the interests of brevity.  I never considered myself a technology trainer, but it seems that three years of running an online business will do wonders for figuring out what works and what doesn't.)  Happy hunting!

To quote Shapespeare - "What's in a name?"  Being someone who has an unusually spelled name, I'm in a position to answer that.  What's in a name?  Everything!  It's MY name.  It's not spelled Kelly or Kellee or Kellie, it's spelled Kelle.  I know it's phonetically stupid.  I've had long discussions with my mother on this exact topic.  But, nonetheless, whether you like it or not, it is the way that it's spelled. 

And yet, often I get emails from people who are trying to sell me something or ingratiate themselves in some way to me and these people have mispelled my name.  Sometimes they've even done it in response to something I've emailed them - so my name is there for them, right on the same page.  Now, does this mean that I won't do business with them?  No.  But I do take note that they do not have attention to detail, that they are clearly not being conscious as they write their note to me, otherwise they would have taken the time to notice how I spell my name.  It gives me pause.  It tells me that we are not on the same page in the way we view customer/client service.

How many of your clients are getting mail from you that looks like this?  How often do you stop to check the way you spelled someone's name?  I'm of the opinion that it's better to do without a greeting at all than to mispell the client's name (although I don't recommend dispensing with greetings).  I know it's a small thing in practice, but it's more significant than we realize.  If you address your letter to Kellee, you're not talking to me.  I pay less attention - because clearly you did. 

Our names are how we define ourselves in the world.  Don't insult the recipient of your email by slaughtering their personal identifier.  It's just bad form.

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.

Notice the Bad Habit

The first step to breaking a bad habit is to notice when you do it. Spend the next few days noticing when you are telling yourself a story. Start to recognize the situations in which you are most likely to make up a story. Notice what form your stories usually take.

Break the Pattern

Once you learn to recognize the pattern, you are in a position to shift it. Whatever the story is that you have created for yourself, break the pattern by telling yourself "This is only a story. I don't know the actual truth. By telling myself this story, I am being self-abusive. I refuse to continue telling myself this story."

Put a New Pattern In Place

Once you have cancelled out the old story, it's time to replace your habit with a new, more healthy one. Consider whether there is even a need for you to have a story for this situation. It might be OK for you to not know the reasoning that someone had for acting the way they did. Perhaps you can ask that person what their reasoning was. Or, if you can't and you feel you really need a story, see what you can do to create one that makes you feel better rather than worse. New patterns require a little effort. It may take you a while to get used to this process. But eventually, you will find that changing this habit can be a freeing experience.

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as  being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry.  Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love.  For more information, visit her website at www.spartasuccess.com. © 2006, Kelle Sparta.  Used by permission.