Agent Spotlight Interview: Matt Long – By Dana Whittaker

Business Strategies and Tactics for Real Estate Agents

Click below for Coach Whittaker’s Monday Motivation webinar:

Agent Spotlight Interview: Matt Long – Please contact me for the password.

You’ll learn a lot by listening to Matt Long teach us about building business relationships among your friends and family, gaining referrals and reaching new levels of success. Interact by utilizing everything from thank you notes and phone calls to the more modern world of social media.

To listen to my FREE webinars in real time, Mondays at 12:30pm PT, click HERE to register.

I will bring you proven business strategies, leadership methods, inspiring thoughts and cutting edge marketing tips. This isn’t about working harder, it’s about working smarter. Get into your office and get started early on Monday to assess your results from last week, figure out the gap to tackle for this week, get your prospecting and marketing in, then tune in with me to get fired up and focused. You’ll be on your way to build and grow the business and life of your dreams for the rest of the week. This is all about YOU. I welcome your requests. Thanks!

Want to know more about Solutions Real Estate in California or Arizona? Click HERE, or Contact Me for a confidential business analysis.

Thank you,

Dana Whittaker
Vice President of Growth and Development
Solutions Real Estate

Conflict Resolution – By Dana Whittaker

Business Strategies and Tactics for Real Estate Agents

Click below for Coach Whittaker’s Monday Motivation webinar:

Conflict Resolution

In this week’s webinar, we talk about resolving conflicts in business and those personal conflicts that may be affecting you.  Learn more about the drama triangle, stress, emotions, body language, feelings, resentments, and relationships, plus how to develop the skills and techniques to practice for forgiveness.

Suggested reading: Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott

To listen to my FREE webinars in real time, Mondays at 12:30pm PT, click HERE to register.

I will bring you proven business strategies, leadership methods, inspiring thoughts and cutting edge marketing tips. This isn’t about working harder, it’s about working smarter. Get into your office and get started early on Monday to assess your results from last week, figure out the gap to tackle for this week, get your prospecting and marketing in, then tune in with me to get fired up and focused. You’ll be on your way to build and grow the business and life of your dreams for the rest of the week. This is all about YOU. I welcome your requests. Thanks!

Want to know more about Solutions Real Estate in California or Arizona? Click HERE, or Contact Me for a confidential business analysis.

Thank you,

Dana Whittaker
Vice President of Growth and Development
Solutions Real Estate

Honor Thyself: Taking the Steps to Become a Better Leader – by Dana Whittaker

Business Strategies and Tactics for Real Estate Agents

Click below for Coach Whittaker’s Monday Motivation webinar:

Honor Thyself – Taking the Steps to Become a Better Leader

In this week’s webinar, we’ll discuss the importance of your emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical health.  We cover ways to improve your health through many important methods, including diet and exercise, and meditation and prayer.

Recommended Reading: Four Hour Work Week, 5 Love Languages, Fierce Conversations

To listen to my FREE webinars in real time, Mondays at 12:30pm PT, click HERE to register.

I will bring you proven business strategies, leadership methods, inspiring thoughts and cutting edge marketing tips. This isn’t about working harder, it’s about working smarter. Get into your office and get started early on Monday to assess your results from last week, figure out the gap to tackle for this week, get your prospecting and marketing in, then tune in with me to get fired up and focused. You’ll be on your way to build and grow the business and life of your dreams for the rest of the week. This is all about YOU. I welcome your requests. Thanks!

Want to know more about Solutions Real Estate in California or Arizona? Click HERE, or Contact Me for a confidential business analysis.

Thank you,

Dana Whittaker
Vice President of Growth and Development
Solutions Real Estate

Double Your Business – La Costa Greens Real Estate Agent Spotlight

I feel really fortunate as a Real Estate Business Coach because I get to meet some really awesome people. What I love about my professional real estate clients is that they are passionate about what they do, they serve their communities at a high level, they are education based and want to keep growing as leaders.

Mike Williams

One of my stand-out real estate clients is Mike Williams. He has been in the industry for almost 20 years and is extremely committed to his family, the neighborhood where he lives and especially to the satisfaction of his real estate clients. Mike and I did an exercise a while back to reveal what drives him and what was so memorable to me was his dedication to building relationships with his clients and delivering a very high level of customer service. We discussed some of his own personal experiences where he had received great service and he went through the process of refining his systems to raise the bar for his clients’ experience with him when they are selling or buying a home from him. It is because of this focus that I am extremely proud to report that he doubled the number of units he closed last year over the year before, doubled his sales volume and doubled his own bottom line. Mike is a dedicated father and husband and was able to double his business by changing his focus and actually worked fewer hours than he had in the past and wrapped up 2012 with more energy than he had before. He did not have to work twice as many hours and also strategized to find leverage in a very talented executive assistant.

Join me below as I interview Mike to find out just how and why he is able to do what he does.

***

Dana: Mike, tell me how long you’ve been in real estate and what got you interested in this industry.

Dana: You’ve been in this business for quite some time. How did you double your business last year?

Dana: What is it, specifically, that drives you? I’ve seen and heard you with clients and they love you. Why do you do what you do?

Dana: What is your area of specialty? Where do you work?

Dana: What is the best part about what you do? Why do you love living and working in La Costa Greens?

***

Thanks, Mike Williams! It’s such a pleasure to work with you. If you find yourself in the Coastal North County area of Carlsbad, contact Mike Williams. He is a well respected agent specializing in beautiful La Costa Greens in Carlsbad, California. For more information or to contact Mike, visit http://www.SurfMoreHomes.com.

Too Good Not to Share. TGIF TBA’s from Coach Whittaker

Beauty.

Day 30 of 40 -Fri

Truths

Carter’s got the moves like Jagger.

My husband is freaking awesome!

I will get my new contracts out today.

My website matches me better now.

I am attracting an incredible Working Mama roster.

Beauties

My updated profile pic is beautiful.

My beachy professional style is beautiful.

Fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables are beautiful.

The Venetian glass heart on my desk that Chris gave me is beautiful.

Connecting through technology is beautiful.

Appreciations

I appreciate my tech skills.

I appreciate my priority list.

I appreciate my focus and passion.

I appreciate the weekend to disconnect from work to play and relax.

I appreciate Chris taking the kids to school this morning.

I appreciate the vibration of appreciation.

From Good to Great by Coach Whittaker

Don’t you just love Spring? Warmer weather, the flowers in bloom, picnics, BBQ’s, and in Vegas–pool parties. So yes, it’s time to shape up! I am asked all the time, How does one keep their energy up? How do I stay focused? How do I master my mindset and maintain a positive attitude? In the real estate business we are facing challenges like we’ve never seen before with foreclosures, short sales, working with the banks and asset managers, financing contingencies, appraisal issues, credit problems, the media and more. Most of our buyers and sellers are bewildered with what to do. Everyone is giving them different information. And on top of all this, we as agents still have to maintain a sound business practice, provide for our families and strive to live a good life, and have some fun.

Coaching Client, Dan Mikolajczyk

I say, “Welcome to being a business owner!” And while I smile, I simply explain that we are still in the best business there is with unlimited potential and opportunities. No matter what industry my clients may think would be easier, it’s simply not true. No industry is immune to the economy at hand. No one has any real job security. Luckily, as business owners, we get to create it for ourselves by focusing more intently than we ever have on our goals and by increasing our energy levels.

I often get the resistance, “But I’m already working HARDER and MORE hours! I’m already doing everything I can!” This is when I get excited and push for a paradigm shift. It’s not about working harder or longer. How can we just tweak what you are already doing so that you are more effective? Where are the holes in your business? How can we better leverage your time? And yes, you may have to continue working a LITTLE bit harder than you did a few years ago, and, what are the alternatives? So, let’s get to it!! We’ve got to increase our energy so we can master our mindset and stay focused.

In The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, brilliantly written by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan, they discuss “Keeping Your Energy to Maintain Your Focus,” on page 306. Based on their own experiences and that of some “Mega” agents, they devised The Energy Plan. When I first hired a coach ten years ago, I was taught that there are four Life Quadrants to be aware of in order to set goals to take your life to the next level. They are the Physical or health and fitness quadrant, the Mental or education quadrant, the Emotional or relationship quadrant and the Spiritual or connection and community contribution quadrant. Setting goals in all four of these areas will elevate your awareness, make you feel great and help you hit your business goals more quickly. In MREA, the authors add Business as the fifth area of Life to focus on. I like to picture the four Quadrants of Life in a big square with business right in the middle like a bulls-eye.

Coaching Client, JoAnne Loughney

Gary Keller writes, “…I discovered a simple program to harness energy for my life and pull me through the day. It is deceptively simple, but it is also one of the most powerful things I’ve ever done in support of my goals. Having a steady supply of positive energy is invaluable for the entrepreneur!” This is absolutely true. I’m discovering the effort it takes to overcome that gap from good to great each day at the gym by working the Energy Plan in my own life. It is simple, just not always easy and absolutely worth every ounce of effort.

“The Millionaire Real Estate Agent Energy Plan” goes like this:

“1. Meditate and Pray” first, to increase your Spiritual Energy. Calm your thoughts and steady your mind. Get into gratitude. Don’t fall into the trap of praying for what you don’t have. Focus on your blessings. You could take this time to journal. Write about the things you are grateful for and about your successes. Watch your attitude elevate.

“2. Exercise and Eat” to increase your physical energy. Healthy habits help us look and feel great and builds confidence. Hit the gym or go for a run. Get your heart rate up and break a sweat. Pay attention to your thoughts during this time and watch the creativity flow. Play music that gets you excited.

“3. Hug, Kiss, and Laugh” with everyone you love. This is my favorite! This increases Emotional Energy. I often ask clients, “Who needs some attention?” to help them set their emotional goals. Sometimes we get way too serious. Have some fun and don’t be afraid to play.

“4. Plan and Calendar” to increase Mental Energy. We have a saying at Keller Williams, “If it’s not in your calendar, it doesn’t exist!” So put it in your calendar to Plan and Calendar! Early, or even the night before. Pay attention to education. Are you attending a class to build your knowledge base or reading a new book every week? Masterminding with your peers? Put it on your calendar.

“5. Lead Generate” everyday to increase your Business Energy. Generating new leads will solve almost all problems in your business. If you don’t have people to work with nothing else matters. Protect this time. Put your hand out to be of service to people. Who can you help?

Keller, Jenks and Papasan also recommend getting all five steps done BEFORE 11am. Adopting The Energy Plan into your life will fill the gap from good to great. Why not be in great shape? Why not be a great agent in your market? Why not be a great spouse? A great contributor to your community? What would your life look like? Take the challenge.

Coaching Client, Tatiana Goretskaya

By the way, the agents in my coaching program have closed $7,054,121 this year, and have grossed $194,233.58. We are tracking everything from calls to conversions, appointments and even calories. It’s an uncomfortable process sometimes, however it’s the only way we can measure the distance between good and great. Measuring the results is sometimes harsh, yet always accurate. What do your results say about you?

Finally, I’d like to say congratulations to Dan Mikolajczyk for winning my May Honor award. He has shifted his business plan and had a great April and is more consistent than ever in his
business. Congratulations also to Tatiana Goretskaya who is graduating from my coaching program–in the top 20% of our Market Center! And Happy Anniversary to JoAnne Loughney for making it through a year of intense
coaching and getting back to living the life of her dreams funded by a great business.

I’d love to sit down and take an accurate look at your real estate practice and help you formulate an action plan. Call me for an appointment at 702.300.7653.

To Being Your Best,

Dana Whittaker, Certified Business & Life Coach
Broker/Salesperson
Facebook.com/coachwhittaker
Twitter.com/coachwhittaker

Create Your Vision Board for Accelerated Success

Dana's Vision Board for Business

From a very early age I began clipping images and words from magazines that moved me. I tore out pictures of animals, homes, furniture, jewelry, families, beaches, rainbows, waterfalls, mountains, cities I wanted to visit and more. Really anything that caught my eye. I made small collages and hung them up in my room or my locker at school. Back then I did it for decor. We were fairly poor and I liked looking at nice things. Never in a million years did I think I’d ever go to any of the places I’d seen in my magazines or own any of the luxurius things I liked to dream about.

After I got into real estate back in 2000 and hired my first coach one of our first assignments was to create a Dream Page. We were told to cut out pictures of things we wanted. We were to tape them to an 8.5 x 11″ piece of paper, put the paper into a clear plastic cover and carry it on your keychain for 90 days. I did. By the end of that year, most everything on my keychain had “magically” appeared in my life, from golf clubs to a Gucci watch to a Jack Russell Terrier. Back then I was pretty pre-occupied with “things.”

The office where I first hung my real estate license in Las Vegas, NV offered a Leadership program that came around about once a year. It was an intense 90 day program where we made a call to our coach every single morning. The facilitator, Chuck Morrison, still one of my favorite people in the world, lead us through a Vision Board exercise. Vision Boards have become very popular with the attention John Assaraf got with his on The Secret. Mr. Assaraf was showing an old Vision Board he’d made to his son when he realized that the house he was living in, that they’d just completed renovations on, was the exact same house he’d taped to his board years before.

The reason Vision Boards can be such powerful tools is because they help us to visualize they way we want our lives to look. Zig Ziglar said, “If you can dream it, then you can achieve it.” Some of us, myself included, need constant reminders of our dreams and our goals. We need help to stay focused on the Big Why: the reason we became entrepreneuers and wanted to create wealth, leave a legacy and contribute to our world. We need those reminders when we get pulled into repititious boredom some days and when we hit obstacles in order to keep pushing through.

I recommend collecting three to five different types of magazines. Buy a large poster board, any color. Grab scissors, tape and/or a glue stick. Set aside an hour of time where you can do this with plenty of space to spread out and play some upbeat music. I like enrolling a group of people to create boards with me.

Get excited!! Set the timer for 20 minutes and cram through each of your magazines tearing out pictures, images and words of anything that “moves” you. Think about the different areas of your life: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. What do you want? What do you want to do? Who do you want to become? Where do you want to go? Who would you like to meet? What do you want to look like? What experiences would you like to have?

At the timer, close your magazines. You have all the pictures and words you need. For another 20 minuntes trim the images and the phrases and start arranging them on your poster board. Make quick decisions about placement and what you have room for. What stays and what goes? Adhere everything you’ve chosen to the board. Stop when the time is up.

Very important: sign and date your Vision Board. This now becomes like a contract to yourself for how your dream life is coming into being. Clean up the mess for the final 10 minutes and have your board laminated if you can. Also very important: hang your board somewhere where you will see it every day and where people who see it will support you in your vision. Many agents that I coach hang their Vision Boards over their desk. I have always hung mine in my bathroon. I know others that hang theirs on the garage door leading into the house so they see it everytime they come and go.

When your board is complete set it across the room and look at it. What do you notice first? Are there any prevalent colors or patterns? What do you think that means? Did you create your board to hang like a portrait or landscape? What do you notice about the relationships that show up? What do you notice about the spaces in between? Often times those spaces end up being the most important or telling areas of our Vision Boards.

For more information or to send me a photo of your Vision Board, email me at Coach@DanaWhittaker.com. I’d love to see them. My Vision Boards have helped take me to Europe, helped me recognize the man of my dreams, get my dream house and create a loving family.

Pay attention when things from your board make an appearance in your life. As you live with your board, you’ll notice you “need a new one” about every year. As you get more skilled with bringing your dream life to reality you may create a new board every six months. Keep your old boards to track your progress. Have fun!!

Dana Whittaker
Productivity Coach
Las Vegas Nevada
www.DanaWhittaker.com

The Day of 100 Conversations–Final Results

December 1st, 2009 will always be one of my favorite days. It is the day that most of my clients dug down deep within themselves to push through limiting beliefs, personal fears and pure exhaustion.

That day, I challenged the agents in my coaching program to have 100 Conversations. Not just make 100 calls. They actually had to have 100 conversations in ONE day. Conversations with other agents in the office didn’t count. I asked them to call everyone they knew: friends and family, past clients, affiliates, referrals, agents in other areas or offices, their farm area, everyone! Some even called people that were in their cell phone book that they couldn’t remember and got back into relationship with them.

Some of the best sales people in the world speak to 100 people each day. So why not us? I asked. WHY NOT? What would our day look like? What would our business look like? What would our life look like?

The day was inspirational. Here are our results:

 

1st Place WINNER, Jeff Barta

Jeff Barta spoke to 100 people!

He also earned an extra $100, cold hard cash compliments of our Market Center, for being the 1st Place finisher. Way to go! He was focused, committed and got out of the box to make it happen. He hit a wall at #84. It was late and he was tired. He was out of people to call. He thought about quitting. He had also submitted a couple of offers that day. He picked up the phone. He started calling short-sale listing agents of other offices. He figured they might actually answer their phones. He was right! He spoke to them about their properties, they talked about the process and he even invited them to our next event and class at Keller Williams. He started a dialogue with some new people, he started new relationships. He made a critical decision. He decided to fight when he felt like giving up. Jeff, YOU ROCK!

Barbara De Marco and Coach Dana Whittaker

Barbara De Marco spoke to 70 people!

She received a $50 Gift Card for 2nd Place. On top of her 70 conversations, she left a ton of messages. Her phone will be ringing all week! She has quite a large sphere of influence and hadn’t spoken to several people all year. She decided to turn the tables and instead of calling to apologize for not calling more often and committing to be a better friend, she said, “Hi, it’s Barbara, and I was just calling to say, Don’t you love me anymore?” I love it! That broke the ice and opened the dialogue to catch up.

Tamica Minor had 60 conversations! Our CEO, Julie Brown, will be accompanying her on her next Open House as her 3rd Place prize. I hear JB’s even setting up the signs. Nice! Tamica also got out of the box by continuing to call in between her appointments, coming down with a cold and chasing her 2 young kids. I love Tamica because I never hear an excuse from her. She sets very high standards and keeps her commitments.

We enjoyed pizza for lunch, a couple sugar bursts with Godiva chocolate and a late pot of coffee to keep our energy up. Thanks again, Sue Covelli, for taking care of us all day!

Tatiana Goretskaya with Coach Dana Whittaker

I am so very proud of all of you that showed up to participate. I am especially touched by Gail Selter, Xiao-Qing Lu and Tatiana Goretskaya for having some real breakthroughs. They each committed to completing their list of 100 Conversations before the end of the week. I’m guessing some of you will finish calling your list of 100 by tomorrow.

I also want to recognize Dan Mikolajczyk who set 8 appointments that day, and Gideon Richardson who set 2 appointments and had 5 pieces of business come together.

What we all got to see was how many interruptions we each have throughout the course of our day. Deals were falling apart, offers needed to be written and accepted, etc. Some chose to prospect first and some others made other choices and the day got away from them. I don’t see that as a complete loss because those people got to have awareness about what is possible, how to better prioritize for what is absolutely most important (Lead Generation) and how to get it all done–no matter what.

Sacrifices will always be made and there is always a price to pay. Just stay conscious about your decisions, stay focused and KEEP PROSPECTING!

Congratulations everyone! December 1st, 2009 was a GREAT day. We will definitely do it again.

Thank you for letting me be of service.

Dana Whittaker, Productivity Coach
www.DanaWhittaker.com

This Week in Las Vegas Real Estate Coaching

Coaching Client, David Squier

What a Week! Read on for these HUGE success stories…
 
David Squier took 11 listings in 2 weeks!
Click here to hear how he’s increasing his productivity:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XtBvl5KNis
Lorie Domingo has not missed one Smile & Dial power calling session (Tues at 10am-YOU are invited). She’s setting more appointments than ever before and is growing her team. She shared with me the other day that she used the Negotiation Strategy I taught her on one of her short sale listings. She got the buyers to offer another $2500. She used the strategy step by step and enrolled the co-op agent when she countered. Lorie said if she had just countered the traditional way she knows the buyers would have gotten mad and walked away. The buyer’s agent was so impressed with Lorie’s technique and professionalism that she made an appointment to meet Lorie in person! How often does that happen? Now Lorie has an accepted contract and happy clients, and is developing a relationship with another agent that could someday end up in her down-line. Excellent work, Lorie!
 
Dawn Griffith is on track to hit her goal of taking 15 listings each month! She is calling everyone and coming from contribution to help lots of sellers survive this economy. Go Tod Barton and Associates!

 

Tatiana Goretskaya is diligently building her referral base. She called to check on a client that was cleaning up a credit issue. He was shocked that she called him and now he’s ready and he referred her another client too! 
 
Congratulate these SUPER STAR agents when you see them.

 

REMINDERS:

 

Facebook 101 for Real Estate tomorrow at 9am in the Las Vegas Real Estate Training Room on Durango. Bring your laptop and a friend. (Email for directions or see invite on Facebook.)

Smile and Dial at 10am. Bring a list of phone numbers and a friend!

 

Contact me if you’re looking for results like this.

 

Dana Whittaker

Real Estate Productivity Coach

Subscribe to my Blog: www.CoachWhittaker.com and click on Blog Info

No One Likes a Quitter

You should usually not quit when you really want to, and you should quit when you really don’t want to–most of the time. Sound counter-intuitive?

I discussed this with one of my own coaches last week as I have witnessed more people around me quitting lately: quitting on their real estate careers, quitting personal development programs, quitting on their personal relationships, quitting on their health and fitness plans. When I stopped to think about it, my coach’s statement made a lot of sense.

There are definitely times in my life when quitting was a great idea. I grew up with a victim mentality and often turned to outside sources for comfort and fulfillment. I gained the “Freshman 15” my sophomore year of highschool, it was 20 lbs actually, and finally got sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and fat. I joined the gym and Weight Watchers. I hired experts in their fields to show me a more healthful way of living. I learned about portion control and the importance of cardio. I had to quit stuffing my feelings down by stuffing my face even though that was the easier, more comfortable thing to do because the results were always painful.

When I moved to Vegas I was mesmerized by the nightlife. I got caught up in the VIP party scene because I thought it made me look important, successful and glamorous. It left me feeling empty, tired and hungover. I intuitively knew I had to quit leading that lifestyle because I had my eyes set on building up a successful business. I looked around me at the people who had what I wanted and asked them how they got to where they were. For most it was a long process, full of ups and downs. All had a few things in common: they were 100% clear on their Vision Statement or their “Big Why” and they wrote down all their goals–which they were all happy to show me. They gave to their communities and they cared about their health and other people. They hired people that had what they wanted to coach them in their business and personal lives.

I hired a coach. I went through a 90 day “boot-camp style” program. I was so excited! I kept waiting for the big epiphany to happen that would change me into the person I always dreamed of being over night.

It didn’t happen.

Three quarters of the way through the program we had to grade our own efforts in the program. I was mortified. I tend to be a little perfectionistic and pride myself on getting good grades and I was unsure where I’d end up. Our scores put us into one of four categories: Playing for Win-Win, Playing  to Win, Playing Not to Lose, or There’s a Game Going On?

I found myself in the third category–the worst one, Playing Not to Lose. I was devastated. It was the largest of the four groups that day. We were all victims. Some of the people were pretty successful so it was a little confusing. We participated in the coaching program, and most likely played the game of life, defensively. We carried large chips on our shoulders. We were just going through the motions. We weren’t playing in order to better ourselves or anyone else, we were just playing to be in the game and not let anyone else win.

My first reaction was to quit the program. Who did this facilitator think he was? Didn’t he know what I’d been through? Didn’t he know how hard it was? How dare him. I was trying my very best and here he was sitting in judgement of me and a bunch of nice people.

Except that I’d graded myself. I knew I was where I belonged. I knew the score was right. It was a reality check and it made me angry. I knew I could do better, I just didn’t know how. I made myself finish the program even though I was humiliated and disappointed. I continued to go through the motions waiting to start “getting it.” On the three hour drive home from graduation I made a list of all the things I was committed to changing.

No more toxic relationships, no more partying in excess, no more sleeping in, no more skipping the gym, no more dodging my lead generation time. It was time to get serious. It was time to quit living in mediocrity and start Playing for a Win-Win. I’d love to say that I had the epiphany and woke up the next day a whole new person and that I stuck to my guns and did everything perfectly from that day forward. That was almost ten years ago. I often took two steps forward and one step back.

I did wake up a new person though. Some days the old habits crept back in. Some days I dug my heels in and forced myself to produce different results. Some days the old habits still creep back in. It’s a process. I have a lot of “fierce conversations” with myself about what I really want and who I want to be and what kind of legacy I want to leave behind. After almost ten years of working on myself I am happy to say that I show up as that person and I live in my vision most of the time. Some days it’s easy, some days it’s the hardest thing in the world. I just keep moving forward. I check in with my coaches and the leaders around me. I hold myself accountable and I allow others to as well. Sometimes it feels great and sometimes it’s very uncomfortable.

Regarding relationships, health, and spirituality, hire an expert in those fields for advice on whether or not it’s time to throw in the towel.

Regarding business, I hear people talk about what they’re going through a lot. I hear some really great things and I hear a lot of excuses. I hear people say that their business coach is too hard on them so they are going to quit their program. I hear them say that their coach isn’t tough enough so they’re going to quit. I hear that they are not being told specifically enough what to do or that they just get told what to do so they’re quitting. I see people stop showing up to training classes or appointments and then claim that accountability doesn’t work.

I say they are not being tough enough on themselves. I suggest that they are not open to changing or trying different things. I suggest that they start showing up and plugging in and doing the things that very successful people before them have done and made work. I suggest they keep an open mind and trust the process. Some will get it, some won’t. Some will have the instant epiphany and say, “A-ha!” For most, the connection and the forsight and the knowledge will come gradually as it did for me. I say start taking responsibility.

Coaching works. Results prove it. You must jump in with both feet. You must show up. You must keep your commitments. You must trust the process. Your coach will provide you with strategies, tactics, suggestions, skill practice, experience, knowledge, some inspiration and a lot of accountability.

You must provide the motivation. You must not quit.

I welcome your comments.

Dana Whittaker
Certified Advanced Professional Coach
www.DanaWhittaker.com

Dana Whittaker is available for personal coaching to those in the real estate industry, speaking engagements, workshops and training events.