For Commercial Real Estate Agents

December 6, 2006 Ezine

December 6, 2006
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read by More Than 30,000 Agents

Dedicated to Transforming Your
Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Business

In this Issue:

Why Positioning is So Important
for Your Real Estate Success

Throughout your real estate career the term "Positioning" refers to how you're perceived by your clients and prospects through the reputation and image you've created of yourself. Ideally you want your clients and prospects to perceive you as the best choice they could ever make in a commercial real estate agent, before you ever walk in the door and ask them for the business. This creates tremendous leverage for yourself and allows your opinions and recommendations to be taken with a higher degree of importance, making it much easier for you to close more business with everyone.

And when it comes to the subject of Positioning, I don't think there's a better example I know of personally than the one that relates to my father's Positioning throughout his career in the business world. For over 30 years my father worked in the aerospace industry in the Guidance and Controls Systems Division of a major aerospace company. And it was his job to put together all the presentations the company would make to the top brass in the Air Force, showing them why they should choose his own company's inertial guidance systems for their military aircraft instead of those offered by the the competitors.

Now here's where the Positioning came into play---My father was a man who volunteered to serve in the Royal Air Force in Great Britain during World War II. Both he and my mother were born in a small city in Scotland known as Coatbridge, and this is where my father was living at the time the War began. During the War my father flew 101 missions, both air-to-air combat missions and bombing missions, and during his air-to-air combat missions he flew one of the most legendary aircraft in the history of military aviation, the Spitfire. He was a Battle of Britain pilot, and if you've heard the famous quote given during the well-known speech by Winston Churchill, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few," my father was one of the men who for the rest of their lives would always be known as "The Few." 

Five years after the Battle of Britain, during February of 1945, my father was taking off on a bombing mission in a Wellington bomber along with two other crew members. Immediately after takeoff one of the plane's engines caught on fire and he had to immediately crash land the plane in a nearby field. And when he was finally able to stop the plane, exit it, and get away from it, he heard the screams of his two crew members. The impact of the landing had fractured both of their their pelvises, and they were unable to get out of what had now become an airplane that was completely engulfed in flames and rapidly burning. And with all of this going on my father ran back into the plane twice, pulled out the two other men, and carried them to a safe location away from the plane.

For this my father was immediately retired from military service and given a very distinguished award in Great Britain. He was awarded the MBE which stands for "Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire," with both the award and medal coming directly from King George himself, George VI, the father of today's Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Queen Elizabeth II.

Now let's look at how all this would eventually impact my father's life and career many years later in the business world...

First of all, he spent over 30 years in the aerospace industry here in the United States, and he'd continually be making presentations along with other company executives to top Air Force officials telling them why his company's inertial guidance system was the the one the Air Force pilots could really rely on to get the job done for them. And if my father's company really did their job, and I'm sure they did, I'd have to imagine they told these Air Force officers in detail about everything I just mentioned to you about his military history. Because my father certainly wasn't someone who talked about this stuff himself. He was never one to brag about his accomplishments in this arena, and most of the people we know to be heroes normally don't brag about what they've accomplished in this arena either. In addition, many warriors who have lived through combat for many years have no desire to live through it once again in casual conversation. There are simply much more enjoyable subjects for them to talk about years later in their lives.

So imagine now the top Air Force officers listening to my father telling them why his company's inertial guidance system is the one their pilots can rely on, knowing what my father had experienced as a combat pilot himself, and knowing he was decorated with one of the highest honors imaginable for bravery and for rescuing his two crew members from a burning plane. In terms of Positioning and building rapport in a business situation, it really doesn't get much better than this.

As an example, here's what the interior dialogue may have sounded like from time-to-time inside the minds of these top Air Force officials:

"This guy flew 101 combat missions and was dogfighting with the Germans. He flew an airplane I would give my eyeteeth to fly in myself, and on top of this he ran back into a burning plane twice and rescued two men, risking his own life in the process. This guy knows what a pilot needs in a combat situation, and if he says this system is the best one on the market for our own pilots, I believe him."

And if any of the other aerospace companies had only civilians with no military experience talking to these same Air Force officers, telling them why their own company's system was the one they should purchase for their military aircraft, I'm sure it was much more difficult for these companies to convince the officers that they really knew what they were talking about.

But keep in mind that Positioning is always dependant on the context of the situation. Had my father decided to instead pursue a career in commercial real estate brokerage, his military history probably wouldn't have meant nearly as much to his clients and prospects. And they probably would have tried to grind him down on his commission just like they do with us, too!

So in applying all of this now to your career as a commercial real estate agent, you have to find ways to Position yourself in people's minds as the only agent they should work with when they need to get involved in a commercial real estate transaction. And this is tough to do if these people have never heard of you before when it's time to ask them for the business.

So do what you can to make yourself walk on water. Have a strong and visible presence in your marketplace with your name on real estate signs everywhere. Be prospecting 10-12 hours a week and mail to your clients and prospects two or more times every month. This is definitely one of the best ways to build your image with them on a regular basis. And build relationships with the reporters who write about commercial real estate in your area, too. These people need reliable sources for what's going on in the market, and when the newspaper represents you to be one of the top experts in your area, people will believe it! And make sure you save these articles and utilize them in the presentation packages you give to your people.

Positioning plays a huge part in determining your success in commercial real estate brokerage. When people are already sold on you as an agent before you walk in the door, the most difficult part of your job is already over. Learn how to Position yourself as the best choice your people can make in a real estate agent, and you'll produce far better results in your business with greater ease.

Click here for downloadable E-books and live audio interviews with top-producing commercial real estate agents. These interviews are with industry experts who show you exactly what they do to continually make $500,000.00 to more than a million of dollars a year.

Totally Eliminating Your Brokerage Competition

On my next monthly Inner Circle teleconference calI for commercial agents on Wednesday, December 13th, I'll be discussing how you can be "Totally Eliminating Your Brokerage Competition." If you'd like to learn how to stand out from the competition and get your clients and prospects saying "Yes" and doing more business with you, click here for more information on how you can join me on the call for free.

Click here if you'd like more information on my one-on-one coaching program to take your real estate productivity to the next level. One-on-one coaching is available for both commercial real estate agents and company management.

"My work with Jim has stepped-up my marketing program, making it easier for me to follow-up on deals while continually creating a steady stream of solid new leads for me to work on."

John Kilroy
Coldwell Banker Commercial

Click Here for More Testimonials

 
Click here to visit my Web site. There you'll find many articles and previous editions of my Ezine to assist you in taking your real estate career to the next level.

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If you find yourself trying your hardest in your real estate career and still not making the amount of money you know you can, you may want to find out more about my one-on-one real estate coaching program. If this is something you may definitely be interested in, please send me an E-mail and let me know.

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