Keep sharpening the saw to increase your value to prospects & clients
“In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” — Al Rogers
A friend of mine who is a mortgage lender told me that he’s all but given up working with experienced real estate agents.
Why?
Because they tend to already know all the answers. They, he said, are stuck in their assumptions about how things are and how they’ve always been.
As a result, they aren’t coachable.
Since having good relationships with mortgage lenders is clearly important to the value real estate agents bring to their clients (not to mention the quality referrals they can bring to the table), it’s probably worth it to examine whether we subscribe to the myth that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
“Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.” — Brian Tracy
At whatever level of expertise we might be in our industry (This situation isn’t limited to real estate agents!), there’s always more to learn.
We know this on an intellectual level, but how many times have you gone to a workshop or seminar or continuing education class where you find yourself bored to tears because you’ve heard it all before?
Going into it like that (or avoiding continuing education in its myriad forms altogether) predicts we will effectively miss the key points that would have meant THE difference in our business.
Dov Baron of Baron Mastery Institute in British Columbia, Canada frequently answers the dismissive assertion that a person already knows a certain thing with “Are you doing it? If you’re not doing it, you don’t really know it.”
I bring this up because it’s easy to fall into a situation where we’re coasting rather than consciously “sharpening the saw” of our knowledge, skills, and abilities. Suddenly, we’re in the same boat as the real estate agents my mortgage broker friend referred to without even knowing it.
- Are you always on top of your game in the education department as it relates to both your industry and your target market’s current needs, wants and desires?
- Do you always add value to your prospects and clients that they wouldn’t otherwise find on their own?
Do you realize that if you read just one book a month for 12 months in a specific area (say, sales or marketing, for example), you’d be considered an expert in that field?
A common complaint people have is they simply do not have time to read.
However, it is said that 15 minutes a day of reading an average-sized novel equals 18 books a year at an average reading speed. Most sales and business books are far shorter than the average novel.
You can read for 15 minutes a day, can’t you? Imagine the difference that would make to your business and sales career!
- What are you going to do next to increase your value to your leads, prospects, and clients?
- What are you already practicing on a regular basis to stay sharp, current, and relevant?
Share your thoughts in the comments below 
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(rusty saw): Some rights reserved by Bruce McKay Yellow Snow Photography
(man reading): Some rights reserved by Jayel Aheram
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