Category Archive

The Realtor Success Series

2. Invitation to the Realtor Ghost Dance

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Russell Shaw

It would seem that anything, any idea, if combined with aesthetics can be made to stick.  Someone will embrace it and buy into it.  Apparently, there is no idea too preposterous, or so idiotic that it can not find a home.  From young men wearing big baggy pants, put on backwards, to Indians wearing "special shirts" that will stop bullets, there is always someone who is all in. There is an endless supply of wonderful ideas from well-intentioned and those who only pretend they are well-intentioned about what "ought to be done with the MLS".  Most of these ideas would

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3. There is Real Joy in Doing "Meaningful Work"

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Russell Shaw

Years ago my sister went through nursing school and completed all of the requirements to become a Registered Nurse and graduated.  Nurses were in demand so she got a job as an R.N. quickly.  She kept that job for exactly two weeks and quit.  She didn’t like anything about being a nurse.  Shortly after quitting the hospital, she took a job working as a bookkeeper for an accountant, where she stayed for years.  She must have liked the idea of being a nurse but not actually being a nurse. Many men and women complete law school and yet don’t practice

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Odd Times for John

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Russell Shaw

  Truth is, I’ve been working on a three-part series that is not complete.  But the following questions from John just went to the front of the line.   These are odd times I’m in right now, and I’m not quite sure how to deal with it. As of the past week, it looks like I’m now on a 10 appointment per week schedule. I am absolutely slammed. I’m behind on pricing 6 properties that I’m supposed to be done with already. I am left with no "on the business" time so all of my projects have been on halt

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Let’s Talk About How Much We Charge

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Russell Shaw

Let’s talk about commissions.  Realtor to Realtor.  We do it everyday with potential customers.  Reporters can ask us how much we charge and then print our answers for other agents to read.  You can call any real estate office and simply ask them or just look on their website (if they are willing to put their fees there as most discount companies are – and I am, as well).  Would it be okay if you read how much another agent or company charges but not okay if you heard them physically say it?  A few years ago when I was

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Think Category First, Brand Second

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Russell Shaw

One of the true pioneers of what is referred to in marketing as “positioning” is Al Ries. Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote the groundbreaking book, “Positioning, The Battle for Your Mind“. It is probably the most influential book on advertising ever written. That statement is on the cover of their 20th anniversary edition of their book. I really doubt anyone who knows much about marketing or advertising would dispute it. My favorite book by Ries and Trout is “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing“. I believe anyone who is going to spend any money advertising would benefit from reading

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Inside The Box – YES, NO and MAYBE

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Russell Shaw

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. – Henry Ford In an email, Adam wrote: Russell- I never got a chance to thank you for the Star Wars “Duel in the Desert.” I attended the event and very much appreciated your insight and humor. I have been doing Real Estate for over 6 years in CA and AZ. Although I have made over 100k one year, I have struggled through many others. I found this interesting in the sense that you mentioned doing this through the first part of your career (the

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I’ll bring you a big basket of cash if you’ll let me sell your house for free

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Russell Shaw

Chris writes: I’m looking to get into real estate after i graduate in a couple of weeks but i have a couple of questions that i’m looking to get answered, appreciate your help. If all real estate brokers in an area generally charge the same fee for selling a house, how do real estate agents compete with one another if they cannot vary their fees? Also is the real estate profession overcrowded in your judgment? Yes, the industry is horribly overcrowded, there are way too many agents chasing too few deals for all of the agents to make a decent

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Is the Goal is to Have a Big Team?

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Russell Shaw

“My goal is to have a big team”. I actually had a Realtor say exactly that to me. Why? Is there some special reason someone, who wasn’t deranged, would have the goal of having a big overhead and loads of people to manage and be responsible for and to? Is it possible that a sane and rational person would ever have such a goal? The answer is, yes, if they are stupid enough. He was, too. One of the lowest responsibility, most intellectually lazy people I’ve ever known. He later, as part of his program to build a large team

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40 Tips for a Powerful New Year

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Russell Shaw

In late 2001 when I had cancer one of the most interesting things I learned was while I was talking to the other people in the chemo room. It was just a room in the doctor’s office where we were all sitting in comfortable chairs while our particular poison (mine were Gemzar and cisplatin) was going into our bodies via a tube into our arms. We would talk. One of the remarkable benefits I had, that they didn’t, I was was in Los Angeles, three days a week, receiving Scientology Spiritual Counseling to get rid of all of the grief,

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The Common Denominator of Success

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Russell Shaw

Today I received two emails from Dean Selvey. One of them was a forward of an email from one of my least favorite people, Mike Ferry. Clicking on the link for the free audio allows you hear a 15 minute commercial for the Action Workshop. I can’t say it isn’t well done. I can say that most everything Mike Ferry ever does is to get people there so they can sell them coaching. Do you need a coach? Does coaching “work”? I believe that coaching does work but not for the reasons most real estate “coaches” usually think it does.

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