Tag Archives: success

Lessons from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday after his long battle with pancreatic cancer at age 56. And today, a lot of words are being tossed around to find the right words to describe him and the impact he made on the world.

Lots will be said over the coming weeks and months as people share their memories, thoughts, and impressions of the man behind Apple.

His impact reaches far beyond computers, iPhones, and iPads. He’s changed the way people access information, consume entertainment, and communicate with one other. He’s set the bar for product launches, product design, leadership, and more.

I’ve learned a lot just observing and pay attention to Apple and, more specifically, Steve Jobs over the past few years.

Vision – If I had to use one word to describe Steve Jobs, it would be “visionary”. He had a unique ability to see the future, so to speak. He could dial into what people were doing and what they were saying. He wasn’t interested in creating a better widget. He wanted to revolutionize industries. It’s not enough to look at your competition and say, “I want to be just a little better.” You’ve got to think big and take massive action. Apple didn’t create digital music nor was it the first company to come out with a “Smart phone” but through Steve’s vision, they set the standard to which everything else is compared.

Steve Jobs didn’t just have vision. He had MASSIVE vision which created massive movements globally. We all need to think bigger…

Culture – The Apple culture is one of the most successful achievements. The culture extends through the entire company to their customers. It’s no accident that when Apple stores are “destinations”. People go to the Apple store to “hang out”. Others have tried, like Microsoft and now Google, but it’s not the same. It’s not the storefront that makes it successful. It’s the underlying culture, service, and experience (more on that in a minute).

Another note on culture, which certainly extends beyond Steve’s reach… While most companies would have issued a statement about the loss of their CEO, leader, boss, and friend and then moved on to promote the brand new product launch that happened just 24 hours earlier. Yet, Apple has pushed sales to the backburner and made the home page a tribute in memory of Steve Jobs.

Passion – Steve Jobs never gave up. He retired from Apple less than a month before he passed away. Apple wasn’t a job to him. It was his passion. It was an extension of himself. Every product… every presentation… every product launch was personal. The pride he took in every aspect of the company is refreshing and all too uncommon in today’s high-paced world of

Experience – The “experience” that you have when you purchase an Apple product, visit an Apple store, or engage with a device is not by mistake. The customer experience is at the forefront of everything that Apple is and does. It’s not simply about getting a box in the mail with a big user manual that tells you what to do with it. Are you paying careful attention to the experience customers have when it comes to your business?

Leadership – There’s not much to say about this other than the fact that Steve led by example and was a part of the company. He was loved, respected and admired by his employees and managers. A strong leader can inspire an entire company as we’ve seen with Steve Jobs and Apple. He was more than a CEO or a boss to those that worked with him.

Here’s the email Tim Cook sent to Apple employees when it was announced that Steve Jobs had passed away.

Tim Cook’s email to Apple employees:

Team,

I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Tim

Attention to Detail – This is one of the things that has stuck with me since I read the book “Inside Steve’s Brain” years ago. It brought to my attention the details in design, packaging, and experience. It was shortly thereafter that I bought my first Apple computer and monitor. When the package arrived, I went through it with fresh eyes and was impressed by every detail, knowing that it was all by design! Nothing was accidental. Not even how the piece of paper the instructions were printed on was placed in the box.

As the months and years pass, only time will tell what’s in store for Apple. Surely nobody can fill Steve’s shoes, but hopefully there is someone that can walk in his footsteps to keep the vision alive and moving forward, always keeping the core values in place…

Is Your Real Estate Website Getting Results?

Most people are getting this wrong when it comes to using the Internet in their real estate business. This goes for investors AND real estate agents alike.

The thing is… it’s not their fault. They don’t know any better.

Let me use a story to illustrate this point…

Last week, a friend of mine wanted to “run something by me” to see if it was a good fit for some stuff we’re doing with investors and agents. In a nutshell, it was a guarantee of a page 1 listing in Google in six months or less.

At first, that sure sounds like a big promise, but there’s more to the story and if you don’t know what to ask, then it could either be a total waste of time or money… OR both!

There are a few things that you want to know the answers to…

#1. Who CONTROLS the Website?

In other words, do you own the website and all of the information? Or are you simply getting a “landing page” on someone else’s site? SO, if you stop paying the monthly fee, is your site wiped off the map, or worse… handed over to someone else?

#2. What keywords/keyword phrases will I show up for on page 1 of Google?

It’s real easy for someone to promise you page 1 of Google, but you’ve got to know what you’re getting to page one of Google FOR!

I could promise you page one of Google for the keyword phrase: “3 ways to find buyers online”. But, is that REALLY going to accomplish your goal(s)? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what you’re looking to do. If you’re marketing to find pre-foreclosure needs, probably not.

But the point is, page 1 of Google is not for anything and everything related to your website. It is for one specific keyword or keyword phrase.

See #1… If you CONTROL the website yourself, you can have dozens, even hundreds or thousands of “pages” come up on page one of Google for specific keywords.

And YOU want to CONTROL what keywords you’re coming up under on page 1 of Google and you may want to come up for SEVERAL keyword phrases.

#3. What is the PURPOSE of the website (or individual landing pages)?

You’ve got to take a few minutes and think about the types of people you want to attract to your website based on your business. Are you looking for:

  • Motivated sellers?
  • People facing foreclosure?
  • People looking for fixer uppers?
  • People looking for INFORMATION on real estate investing?
  • Credibility to support your marketing campaigns?
  • Etc.

Your website, or at the very least your pages, should be very different for each of these types of leads.

#4. Is your site designed for lead capture?

It’s amazing to me to see the number of real estate sites out there that are just plain junk. They do absolutely NOTHING to capture prospects and provide you the opportunity to follow up with them.

According to the National Association of Realtors® 2009 “Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers”, 90% of all homebuyers use the Internet as a source of information.

And of those, 77% drive by the property prior to ever contacting an owner or agent to see the interior. This means, that you’ve got to capture their contact information to follow up with them or risk losing the lead.

#5. Are you actively generating traffic to your website?

Unfortunately, too many people believe the old adage, “If you build it, they will come.” That is simply NOT the case when it comes to the Internet. You must advertise and market the site consistently. The marketing doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming, but you must do it. PERIOD.

Sure, if you set your site up properly from the ground up, you will have “some” traffic, but you simply won’t get enough to build a business.

It’s also essential to understand that your website is really your HUB. There are lots of other spokes, so to speak, that are a part of your online presence including social media, content marketing, classified advertising, and more.

So to recap…

It is CRITICAL to have an online presence if you want to be doing anything in real estate these days. PERIOD.

Over 90% of all homebuyers start their search online (and for motivated sellers, the numbers are also comparable).

When it comes to your website, you MUST:

  1. CONTROL your own website…
  2. Understand the basics of KEYWORDS and KEYWORD PHRASES and how to effectively use them in your web marketing strategy…
  3. DEFINE the purpose of your website (and/or individual pages on your site)…
  4. Ensure your site is optimized for LEAD CAPTURE
  5. Actively GENERATE traffic to your website…

To use this article on your own website, include the following:

Looking to use the Internet CORRECTLY in your real estate business?

Visit http://realestatemoneymagnet.com to get my HANDWRITTEN Money Magnet Model and a Comprehensive video that explains each magnet! You’ll discover how to SUCCESSFULLY use social media for you real estate business. You’ll also learn the 2 real estate social media sites you MUST be using if you’re serious about leads!

Facebook Real Estate: 10 Ways to Get Real “Likes”

Once you’ve created a great Facebook page, it’s time to get REAL people to starting “liking” the page.

Here are 10 ways that you can get people to your new Facebook real estate page:

  1. Invite all of your existing friends (that are related to real estate in some way).
  2. Put a link to your Facebook page on your existing website.
  3. Use Facebook comments on your blog.
  4. Include your Facebook URL on your business cards (BONUS: Give them a special offer for “liking” the page).
  5. Tweet it to all your Twitter followers.
  6. Add the link to your other social media profiles.
  7. Include your Facebook link in your email signature file.
  8. Include your Facebook link on all flyers and other advertising that you’re currently doing.
  9. Run ads on Facebook’s ad platform.
  10. Post comments on real estate-related sites using your Facebook profile as the signature.

The key is to incorporate your social media activities into all of your marketing and make your Facebook page as seamless as, let’s say, a link to your website or email address.

To use this article on your own website, include the following:

Looking to use Social Media for your real estate business? Visit www.RealEstateTrainingAcademy.com/SSMS to get your Simple Social Media System for Real Estate. Inside, you’ll discover how to SUCCESSFULLY use social media for you real estate business. You’ll also learn the 2 real estate social media sites you MUST be using if you’re serious about leads!

Why Do Some People Succeed in Real Estate While Others Fail?

There are 5 pillars to success in this current day and age and the chances are, you’re just missing an element from one of those pillars.

  1. Attitude
  2. Knowledge
  3. Belief
  4. Focus
  5. Determination

That may be different than what you’ve heard in the past, and you may be thinking… but what about “money”.

“You see, Heather, it takes money to make money in real estate…”

Well, in just a moment, you’ll see why the money will take care of itself when you have the rest of the pieces in place.

Let’s look at each of these (and we’ll explore each in more detail over the next few weeks).

1. Attitude

I’m not going to sugarcoat things and tell you that you’ve got to get up every morning and yell at the top of your lungs that today’s going to be the best day of your life. (Don’t get me wrong… I’m not criticizing those who do. If that’s your thing, go for it! It’s certainly not going to hurt matters.)

But I also realize that most people simply won’t do it. But there are other things you can do to change your attitude. You’ve got to understand that it is something you’ve got to work on EVERY DAY of your life because things are going to get in the way and there are going to be days where things just come up and you have to deal with lots of fires. It’s called life!

I’ve not told a lot of people this, but years ago I was on the fence of a mild depression. I had some life things going on and didn’t have a job and it was real easy to get up in the morning, move to the couch and watch soap operas all day.

One day, I just got sick and tired of it. I got myself up off the couch. I folded up the blanket, took a shower and went to the bookstore to pick up a few books on attitude, mindset, etc. And I read and I read and I read… Within a week, I was back to normal and my attitude had fully turned around.

There was no more “poor me”. There was no more “why is everyone else doing, having, [you fill in the blank]”

I LITERALLY made the decision to turn off the pity party faucet and that was that! You can do the same thing and I encourage you to do whatever it takes to make that mental shift in your head.

Just remember, it’s a PERSONAL commitment. You can tell 1001 people whatever you want, but you won’t see real change until you have a heart to heart talk with yourself and decide that enough is enough.

2. Knowledge

Next we have “knowledge”. This is a tough one because we almost ALWAYS feel that there’s more to learn.

I’ll keep this point brief here because I’ve got quite a bit more to say about this in future articles.

But there’s a pretty good chance you’ve got all the “knowledge” you need OR you have the access to it at a moment’s notice. You will NEVER know all there is to know about anything.

PLUS, I was recently talking to a very successful “guru” who makes over $20,000,000 per year and we talked about how the information overload is just too much! By the time you get through everything, you’re back to where you started. You’ve just wasted time and confused yourself a time or two.

You need to focus on the FUNDAMENTALS. The basics NEVER change…

Oh and one more thing… you don’t need to buy $1997 courses over and over again! Stick with one thing and work that. It’s not worth the mental energy you exhaust trying to keep up with everything.

Trust me… I know this from experience. I’ve got 10s of $1000s of dollars of “programs” I’ve never gotten around to.

Here’s what my mantra was when I started: Do not buy another product, course or seminar until you’ve implemented the meat of the last one.

3. Belief

It’s easy to second-guess yourself or to think you just ought to give up, but belief is CORE to your success. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.

This is where the “money” takes care of itself. If you’re passionate and have the belief, everything else comes into play where it needs to.

4. Focus

This is another challenge for a lot of people nowadays. We pride ourselves in being able to do 5 things at once and by how much we can get done.

Here’s the dirty ugly secret about multi-tasking: It doesn’t work!

You can only do one thing well at any given time. Your brain can only focus on one thing at a time. So, if you’re watching a webinar, for instance, and checking your email, you might as well turn one off because neither is getting the attention it deserves.

You’ve got to focus and focus hard for anything to be successful.

I suspect a lot of us lack focus because as entrepreneurs, we’ve got to do SO much in the very beginning that it’s sort of a way for us to avoid the things we don’t want to do. I call it productive procrastination.

But, it just doesn’t work. If there’s something you don’t want to do, can’t do, or won’t do, figure out how to offload it. It’s going to keep you from focusing on what you really DO well.

5. Determination

This might sting a little!

Most people are not successful because they lack determination. Determination is not simply, “I’d like to be rich and I just hope that one of these days I’ll find the right info-product that has the magic button”.

There is NO magic button.

Nobody is going to literally do all the work for you and then deposit millions of dollars into your bank account. I hate to break it to you, but that’s just life.

You’ve got to put in effort, a lot of effort.

You have to do things that you don’t want to do sometimes – at least until you can afford to hire someone else to do those things for you.

You’ve got to get your goals out in front of you and not let anyone get in your way. You’ve got to find solutions when problems arise, not excuses. You’ve got to work through the challenges when they arise in order to get results.

Fear of Success

When I got started in real estate, I literally walked away from my life and everything – and everyone – I knew. I put fear in the backseat and made a decision to give it everything I had and to remove failure as an option.

I would be lying to if I didn’t tell you I was terrified more often than not in the early days. So understand that most people in your shoes would feel exactly the same way you do, no matter what your situation is.

But the question I ask you is: What are you afraid of?

The easy answer is fear of failure, but I believe that more people have a fear of success. When you are afraid of failing, you don’t give it EVERYTHING you have. That fear keeps you from putting forth a real effort. It gives you a constant out. “I didn’t do my best, but I could have if I really wanted to”.

The fear of success is what happens when you start moving forward. It’s the fear that “this could work”. Then what? What about your family? Your friends? What would you do if things changed?

Things WILL change if you put all of your energy, effort and focus into changing your future. But remember… change is natural. Change is good. And the only constant in the universe is change.

Learn to embrace the fear and learn to be uncomfortable. I had a very dear friend of mine, who’s remained a friend over the years, say to me one night, “Heather, you’d never be comfortable with comfortable”. At the time, I was a little offended, but learned later that it was the biggest compliment he could have ever given me because it meant that I had finally stopped worrying about what everyone else thought, and was focused on my future.

Fear can creep up on you when you are not looking and you may not be asking for what you want only what you think you can get. This happens to all of us. I even sometimes catch myself not necessarily acting in my own best interest because of fear. Learn to stay aware of your fear and how it can overpower and paralyze you.

Overcoming fear allows you to be the best that you can be.

Learn to have a positive attitude and surround yourself with like-minded people. This is the key to not letting these fears overwhelm you. And, when they creep up, reach out for support. Someone will be there to put you back on the right track. The fear of success may be more about the fear of losing what you achieve.

I ask you, are you more comfortable never achieving your dreams for fear that you might lose something in the pursuit? Or are you ready to go out and get the things in life that you want and not take no for an answer?

    time management

    Tips for Time Management for Real Estate Investors

    With all the day to day task that seem to take up the bulk of our time, how would you like to get just as much done or even more, and have more time left over to enjoy other things in life? Well, whether your real estate business is a full or part-time career, we all can get a few more hours out of the day by doing a few simple time management strategies .

    Here are Tips for Time Management for your Real Estate Business:

    1. Prioritize

    We all are looking for more hours in each day. We’ll, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are never going to be more than 24. But, you can seemingly get more hours if you learn how to properly prioritize your tasks. Start off by clearly defining what tasks are the most important and those that are not the most important. Arrange your schedule around your list.

    Also, like most of us, you probably have other jobs and responsibilities other than your real estate business. Developing a clear cut time allocation system for when you can do each task will great improve your efficiency. For each task or set or responsibilities, make an independent priority list for them as well and you will soon find that they get done more quickly; freeing you up to do other things.

    2. Delegate

    Some of the most affective time management strategies evolve around delegating. Learning how to affectively delegate is a skill in itself but once your learn it, it can free up valuable time to either grow your business or to simply give you more time to spend with your family. Don’t make the mistake that just because you have done certain task up to now that you must continue to do them.

    Often times, you’ll find that delegating these tasks out not only saves you time, but can also give you better results. We all can be experts at everything. Take the tasks that aren’t necessarily your strongest suite and delegate them to people in that field that can do them better. This will allow you to focus on the parts or your business that you do best and allow you to do them even better.

    3. Set Goals

    It is also advisable to jot down your desired goals in the form of a checklist. Take the time to think out your goals and their associated tasks and put them into a long term and short term list. Make sure you put realistic, obtainable timelines for each goal as well and give yourself deadlines to review where you are and to make the necessary adjustments when needed. Over a short time, you will become an expert at setting goals and task and yourself up for success.

    4. Get organized

    This is a fundamental requirement for effective time management.

    Begin by keeping your home office or office clutter free, neat and tidy. You will find half your problem will be solved from the get go. Spending valuable time looking for files, documents, etc… is not only wasteful but very frustrating as well.

    Taking a few minutes to come up with an affective filing system and calendar is also critical. If your business is new, set your self up for success but getting a good filing and calendar system ready from day one. If have an established business, it well worth a few hours and a few steps back to get these items ironed out and headed in the right direction moving forward.

    Should I Invest In Real Estate Today?

    Lately, I’m finding that lots of my successful – non-real estate investor – friends are wanting to get their foots in the door with real estate investing. This is a sign that the tides are turning because “real” investors are wanting to get in on the deals!

    The 5 most common questions that come up include:

    1. Is this a good time to invest in real estate?
    2. What if the market continues to go down?
    3. Is this a good deal – or type of deal – for me to get involved with?
    4. What’s the best strategy for this market?
    5. How can I protect myself in the current economy?

    Let’s take a quick look at each of these questions: Continue reading

    Real Estate Market Trends

    I know we always hear that “THIS” is the best real estate market in HISTORY to invest in! (We heard in 2000, we heard it in 2003, in 2007, and even now in 2011). Yet, the real estate cycle has looked somewhat like a heart monitor in the emergency room!

    So, what’s the real answer?

    IS IT a good time to invest, and SHOULD you get started now in, arguably, the worst economy since the Great Depression?

    The answer is YES!

    And I’m not going off of any media reports or exhaustive expert research. I’m going off of what real people are thinking and doing.

    For example, I’ve had 3 friends contact me from all across the country (Nevada, Texas, Virginia, and Florida) asking for some advice about investing now.

    These are people that are SUCCESSFUL business owners and savvy with finances. They’re NOT real estate investors, but they ARE looking at the opportunities that are out there.

    THIS is the time to get in… (Before the media jumps on the bandwagon. Before the experts reveal the market’s taking off. It’s when the “real people” are starting to get in the game). And you can too!

    Why do I share this with you?

    Because when my personal friends call me and ask for advice, I share with them the same fundamental process and system. It’s this exact system…

    I’m not giving them a strategy to make $11 Million dollars in the next 7 days… I’m not giving them advice on how to “beat the system”.

    It comes down to the fundamentals… But too many investors have lost sight of them which is why they’re losing their shirts or have never gotten off the ground in the first place. Well, you don’t have to!

    If you’re FINALLY ready to make real estate work, THIS is the complete roadmap… It’s the same information I paid $3997 for in 2003. And it’s the same stuff that’s worked for decades all across the country.

    By the way, people have asked me what training I took when I started?

    Here’s the truth. I took a Robert Allen class offered by a training company. I went on to IMPLEMENT, and then to teach that same training alongside my own instructors. And here’s your chance to get your hands on the SAME information. SO, it all comes down to this:

    The RIGHT System + Focused Action!

    What’s the Biggest Obstacle That’s Holding You Back from GREATER Success In Real Estate?

    We’re in the process of redesigning the Real Estate Training Academy from the ground up to better serve you, and to provide you with the missing pieces that are keeping you from achieving your real estate investing goals.

    Please take a moment to let us know the single biggest thing that’s affecting your success!

    The truth is, each and every one of us has obstacles that are keeping us from getting to the next levels in our business. We’re all just at different levels IN our businesses…

    We’ll go ahead and do our best to address all of the responses over the next few weeks!

    If you’re having a hard time coming up with something, just fill in this blank:

    “Heather, if I could only _______________________,
    I could achieve the success I want in real estate!