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WEEK 42
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rise, you need to know how to spot it and stop it, so you can protect your clients.
It’s very likely that whatever industry you’re in, whatever you sell,how you sellandhow you service your clientshas been completely revolutionized over the past 10 years and is ever changing. The salespeople who stay on top of these changes and adopt the new methods and technologies are the first to capitalize on these changes.
To stay on top, you need to continually seek out educational opportunities.
I LEARNED THE HARD WAY
I used to thumb my nose at education courses for salespeople, think- ing that I already knew it all. I used to avoid real estate conventions because I falsely assumed they had nothing to offer. I was com- pletely ignorant of all the networking opportunities, seminars, and workshops available at these industry-wide meetings.
I spent about 20 years selling before I ever considered creating a business plan. I thought I didn’t need one because I was already doing 300 transactions a year. Then my friend Stanley Mills helped me draw up my first business plan, which I’ve followed faithfully.
And you know what? With a business plan in place, I was able to double my production to 600 transactions a year.
I am living proof that the greatest mistake of all is arrogance—an inner conviction that you already know just about everything worth knowing. Maybe I’ll never be humble—it would be hard to be in my business and not have a pretty healthy ego. But at least now I’m smart enough to listen to others, to profit by listening to them, and to realize that no matter how smart or successful I get, I’ll always have a lot to learn.
MY FIRST CONVENTION
About 19 years ago, I decided to go to the National Association of Realtors convention. I have to confess that the only reason I went was so I could write off a trip to San Francisco. My wife, Kathy, always wanted to visit San Francisco, and I figured this would be a golden opportunity. I really had no intention of attending the actual convention. However, when I got there, I decided to have a quick look—to see at what was going on inside the convention hall.
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Attend a Convention or Seminar 177 The strangest thing happened. I absolutely fell in love with the speakers. I fell in love with the convention floor. What an amazing place to get ideas. At the time, I had to wonder why, from about 800,000 real estate agents in the nation, only 25,000 bothered to show up. I thought, Wow, all these great speakers, all these great ideas.
Where’s everybody else?
ATTEND SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
A funny thing happens when you reach the pinnacle of your career—when you have achieved a level of success beyond your dreams—you want to do something else. Gertrude Stein once said,
“If it can be done, why do it?” You develop a “Been there, done that” mentality and are ready for a new challenge. For many top- producing salespeople, the obvious next challenge is to teach others how to be successful.
Fortunately for up and coming salespeople, when these top- producing salespeople decide to turn their focus on teaching others, they offer their services via industry-related seminars and work- shops. Here, you have the opportunity not only to learn the tricks of the trade from the best of the best, but you actually have a chance to meet some of the heroes of your industry and establish long-term relationships with experts who’ve proven themselves in the field.
Seminars and workshops also bring you into contact with the most eager students in your industry—those who are dedicated to learning their craft. In other words, you have the opportunity to surround yourself with the most positive individuals in your industry, something I encouraged you to do during Week 4.
NETWORK
Conventions are not only valuable for the learning opportunities they offer but also, and perhaps primarily, for the networking op- portunities. Conventions attract the best of the best and provide you with a chance to establish relationships that continue paying dividends long after everyone clears out of the conference hall.
When I attend conferences, I commonly station myself in the lobby where convention traffic is moderate to heavy and I min- gle. I introduce myself to everyone, touch base with colleagues I’ve known for years, and get to know people I am meeting for the first
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time. I hand out my business card and collect cards from every- one. You never know where a new idea or a new partnership will be born.
Ralph’s Rule: Attend at least one annual convention in your industry or take at least one continuing education course in your field every year. Education should never stop. Make it part of your annual business plan to enhance your credentials in this way.
Again, you ought to be attending shorter seminars all through the year, but at least once annually you should take advantage of a major educational opportunity.
c43 JWBT014-Roberts October 15, 2008 7:20 Printer: Courier Westford, Westford, MA