I just read a great article by sales coach John Mayfield on Realtor.com that asks "Do You Have the Right GAS in Your Tank?" The premise of the article is that you need to fill your tank with the right GAS
to reach your destination, which is success. I never thought of using the word "gas", but it does fit perfectly with my beliefs and the way I used to teach when I was mentoring some entrepreneurs. So I'll use his GAS acronym to explain my own philosophy.
The first ingredient of GAS is setting GOALS.
This is something we all know, even if we don't think much about it. I have long been a proponent of setting goals, writing them down and using them as a roadmap to move me in the direction I want to go. Clearly if you don't know where you're going, it will be hard to chart a course to get there, and you will miss the important road signs.
It is important to make your goals specific and set a date for reaching them. That will keep you moving forward and planning your time and energy to reach the deadline you have set. You might say that you want to make $200,000 this year. This is not a bad goal, but it needs to be meatier. To accomplish this, break it down to its components.
For example, to make $200,000 in commissions, how much in gross sales will you have to close? Don't forget to estimate the deductions from your commission before you receive it. If you have desk fees or share commissions with your broker, have E&O, risk management or other costs taken out before you get paid, make allowance for those.
When that is done, look at the average sale price of homes you sell, so that you will know how many homes you will have to sell to meet your goal, then you can figure from there how many you have to average per month. If you can meet or exceed your monthly average, the annual income will take care of itself and tackling monthly goals allows you to know where you are at all times on your road to success.
The second ingredient is ATTITUDE.
The one thing that we can control is our attitude. We might not be able to control the ups and downs of life and the disappointments that may confront us, but it is up to us to decide how we handle them. I have found that putting on a happy face, as the song goes, will encourage others around me to smile and be upbeat, and before I know it, my smile is an accurate representation of how I feel.
If I were to mope around and react grumpily to those around me, I would infect those around me with my grumpiness and have a lousy day. I don't need any lousy days, so I won't do that.
By the same token, I don't surround myself with grumpy people, naysayers, and those who may try to tell me "for my own good" that I am not going to reach my goals. I believe in myself, and if others don't believe in me, I'm afraid I can't be around them. My attitude is too important to my professional and personal success and my physical well-being.
If you have trouble with this, try reading uplifting and motivational books, a chapter each night as you calm down for bedtime, and think about what you read as you go to sleep. Think about Robert Schuller's motto: If it's to be, it's up to me. And realize that you truly are the only one who can control your attitude. Don't let others govern how you feel about life and yourself. A positive person will always be more successful, as others want to be around you.
The third ingredient of GAS is SELECTIVITY.
This actually fits very well with the discussion of attitude, as you select those with whom you associate. Remember your parents warning you not to hang around with the troubled kids or you'd wind up troubled too? It's the same concept. If you surround yourself with unmotivated folks, you will have a difficult time keeping yours strong.
If you watch some television shows, hang with certain people and read certain books and newspapers, you will be convinced that the world is "going to hell in a handbasket" and there is nothing you can do about it. That is depressing. Immerse yourself in positive thoughts, surround yourself with positive people, and you will believe that anything is possible, and for you, it just might be!
This is a long post, but is only a small part of how important I feel that these three ingredients are. They are not the only ones, of course, but Mayfield's use of the GAS acronym inspired me to discuss these three factors.
So, are you putting the right GAS in your tank?
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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."
For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.
Excellent post Susan - thanks. This will be bookmarked.
Very clever, Susan. Excellent analogy. You put a lot of thought into this post.
Great advice it is hard to accelerate by putting out anchors.
Susan, Thank you for the reminders using the alliteration of gas. That makes it so easy to remember.
Great post and analogy of what it takes to succeed in this business. Thanks for the timely post as well.
Great post. These are all great points. You need a plan, must believe the plan can work and then choose to associate with people that can help you work the plan.
Susan I love your heading, and this post is also timely as this is the time of year goal setting is accomplished. Terrific advice for sucess.
This is a great analogy, Susan. It is so true - when I get low on gas, I need a fill up, and when I may see something negative, or maybe the day didn't go so well, an inspirational quote works to fill me up - plus it's a lot cheaper! ;-)
I like you GAS. I've been using GOLD for many years: