Viewing by month: October 2009
More green real estate ideas
Ah the green issue. Although I do believe the term sustainable has superseded the word green as either the more trendy or more correct phrase. Regardless of what you want to refer to it as, an increasing number of people are embracing a more environmentally friendly way of life, and that has an impact on more than just the planet. For those of us who work in real estate, we know...Read complete post
Ego in business
Today I thought I would talk about ego. Thankfully I do not intend to rave to you about how fabulous I am (which of course would be incredibly easy to do), but instead I thought I’d look at ego in a business context. Having belief in yourself and your abilities is essential if you’re going to succeed, especially in an industry like real estate. Real estate agents, as...Read complete post
Enemies to your success
Everyone runs their business differently. Even with an international brand like Century 21, each of our real estate offices are independently owned and operated, which means there are many different management styles within the greater organization. But across the business landscape, regardless of industry, there are a few enemies of success. As usual for your...Read complete post
Making excuses is holding back your business
Ah, Friday. For many people the anticipation of the weekend makes Friday a favourite day. We real estate agents of course usually work on the weekend too, but I think there is still a different feel to Friday. People are happier, and in the good old days of the 80s, often Fridays meant a half day when a significant proportion of business people would head out for a long liquid...Read complete post
The biggest mistake business owners make
There’s one thing that many small businesses regularly do that could and should be considered the number one mistake they’re making. Guess what it is! Go on! Okay, you don’t have to. I’m clearly going to tell you anyway. It’s not following up contacts and leads. Did you know that some stats show that as many as 99% of small businesses don’t...Read complete post
Basics of real estate investment
Whether you’re a long time investor, or new to property investment, there are basic rules. I’ve talked about some of these basics before, and when it comes to real estate, it can’t be stressed enough that in order to make your investments profitable, there are essential aspects that you need to know. Read complete postBeing the bad guy at work
Are you one of those people who actually prefers the bad guy in movies or books? There’s a reason so many people actually find the villain more appealing and entertaining than the hero even if we do still want good to win out over evil after all. I was pondering this thought earlier today when one of my staff called me evil. Was that...Read complete post
When a customer becomes too important
I think most people in business have heard about the 80/20 rule – that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients. And yet the majority of us still continue to focus on getting more money from those who have less affinity with our brand or product than those who are clearly already committed and spending. But there are two sides to every story, and as...Read complete post
Mistakes that buyers make
I’ve said before that if you’re in the real estate game, there are certain things you take for granted, and I think the most common is that people have a better understanding of the real estate market and industry than they actually do. When you deal with property information day in and day out, you tend to assume that everyone else...Read complete post
Coping with losing a job
Although it would seem the economy has definitely bounced back, or at least is starting to bounce back as I type this, the market crash last year definitely had an impact both on the real estate industry and others. One of the major impacts for a lot of people was job loss, or the fear of job loss, and I know that within the real estate...Read complete post