2010 Results are in and the agents at Keller Williams Realty Sonoran Living in Ahwatukee hit the charts!!

There were 692 offices as of the end of 2010 in the Keller Williams International system.  I am proud to say that the Ahwatukee office ranked high in multiple categories:

Top 1% of all offices for written units and written volume!

Top 2% of all offices for closed units and the top 4% for closed volume!

Top 4% of all offices for total Gross Commission Incomes earned and it is in the top 4% of all offices for total agent count.

Top 10% for profitability and the top 11% for profits shared with agents for helping to grow the company.  A total of $132,674 was shared with agent partners who helped grow this company!

The agents in this office also contributed to their community through multiple activities during 2010!  It wasn’t just about them!

They raised over $23,000 through charity auctions and a family bowling night.  These funds were donated to KW Cares, JDRF and the local YMCA.

They collected enough food to feed over 100 families for a week each during RED day in May.

They collected over 100 Christmas gifts for teenagers of families in the Kyrene School district that are either homeless or in dire need.  They also volunteered their time during the Winter Wonderland event that the Kyrene School Foundation held.

They sponsored 2 blood drives in our training room.

They participated in the JDRF Walk for the Cure.

This is beyond what so many of our agents do for our communities on their own.

I am so very proud to have been in business with such a great group of Agent partners during the year of 2010.  I know that 2011 will be another great year.

Mary Ann Monroe

Team Leader/CEO

Keller Williams Realty Sonoran Living Phoenix

When you see someone who is enormously successful, you naturally want to know how he or she did it. Although it can certainly be helpful to understand how others achieve, that’s not really the most crucial factor. Quoted from Chris Heller of San Diego, CA

For your own success, it is even more important to clearly know what you wish to achieve, and to clearly understand why you wish to achieve it. Once you’re absolutely certain about what and why, you are absolutely able to figure out how.

Even before you could talk, you were able to figure out how to get what you wanted. As your knowledge and experience have increased, so have your skills for reaching your goals.

If you’re having trouble attaining any of those goals, it’s not because you don’t know how, or because you can’t figure it out. The problem is you’re not completely clear about exactly what you wish, or not completely sure about why.

It could be that the goal itself is not really yours. If it’s just something you assumed would be nice, that’s not going to give you a strong enough sense of purpose.

Dig deep into your purpose and make sure that what you’re working toward is truly what you desire. Once you’re clear about what and why, you’ll know what steps to take.

Please join us at Keller Williams Realty Sonoran Living on July 29th from 1:00-4:00 for a class that is highly relevant in today’s market – Understanding HAFA – Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA), which will help homeowners who are unable to retain their home under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

Congratulations KW Sonoran Living! You had a record month of closings with over 250 units! This all created great profit share back to you, our agent partners - over $20,000!!! Way to go!

Random thoughts from Ron

• Do the right thing. Do the right thing for the right reasons. If you aren’t sure, what the right thing is, ask someone you respect to give you his or her opinion. Some times, the right thing and the smart thing are the same thing, and that really makes it important to do the right thing.

• There is a difference between activity and accomplishment. Occasionally take an inventory of what you are doing to determine if you are in the ‘chicken with its head cut off’ mode, or the ‘git’er done’ mode. Some days we go home and tell our family how busy we were, but if we had to list our accomplishments, it would be a very short list.

• If you have to swallow a frog, do not look at it too long. If you have to swallow more than one frog, swallow the biggest one first. Frequently that really difficult call or contact you have to make turns out to be less daunting than you imagined. Get it over with and go on with your day.

• There is a big difference between efficient and effective. I have seen agents who write the most perfect purchase contract/counter offer/addendum/etc., but they only do it 2 or 3 times a year. On the other hand, I have seen agents who do not spell well/have bad grammar/cannot date anything, etc., but they do it dozens of times per year. Efficient is good, but effective is better.

• There is no problem in your business that more prospecting will not solve. Interestingly, we do not want that to be true. We think it is simplistic and unsophisticated. However, alas, it is the truth. Deal with it, stop making excuses, and increase your prospecting. Your business will get better.

• The harder you work, the luckier you get. I cannot explain or prove it, but it is true. More work, more luck. You cannot predict where it will come from, but luck follows those people who work hardest.

• Your center of influence is the most valuable asset you possess in your business. You must cultivate it, grow it, work it, mail it, call it, email it and otherwise make sure the COI knows that you value them and want their business. If you do not do these things,

someone else will and you will be sorry. People would rather do business with people they know, and you are that person. However, it is not the job of the people in your center of influence to keep track of you. It is your job, and it is the most profitable thing you can do with your time.

• Motivation drives price, and price drives sale ability and time on market. Pre-qualify everyone. Ask questions, dig deep, and do not stop short. Find out what the real motivation is, and if it is real and compelling, show them how to get there. The most important element in selling a house is price. Forget location, condition, terms and anything else. It is PRICE.

• Work hard to be the kind of person you would be proud to be if you were on the outside looking in at yourself. Get involved in the community, coach soccer or little league, get on a board of directors that makes a difference in the lives of people, run for political office, do something. This is not a substitute for prospecting, but it is important in building your image as someone people respect and with whom they want to do business.

• Go to script practice, and become extraordinary in your presentation for both sellers and buyers. Read books. Be a life long learner. Take a class, do a webinar, become more than you think you need to be.

• Start planning for your retirement NOW. As you can see, it will be here before you know it.

What do salespeople do that’s BEST? What do you do?

Last Fall, I created a giveaway on my Facebook fan page. I offered a prize of several autographed books for the person who submitted the best sales tip.

I received more than 260 responses, and thought it might be a good idea to share with you how your fellow brothers and sisters in the sales profession are thinking.

Here are a few of the tips – I hope they inspire you to think and take some new (better) actions:

• If YOU don’t care, neither will your client.

• I find that being curious and genuinely interested in people has helped me grow my business and develop stronger relationships. It has also helped me to expand my professional networks.

• Sales is not about selling. It is about relationships.

• Make The Call!

• Always tell the TRUTH.

• Alter the way you interact with each and every person, but never change who you are!

• My 2nd favorite 4-letter word is SOLD… my 1st is PAID.

• Make doing business with you EASY… No Non-sense… No Rules…

• Just do what you say you are going to do.

• Don’t sell anything you wouldn’t buy yourself.

• Do It Now… Not Tomorrow, Not Later, Not After Your Coffee, Not After You Check Email… Do It Now. Be Known For Your Superfast Response.

• My best sales tip is "protect the base" – after I’ve met a prospective or current existing client, I’ve been writing a handwritten note expressing my gratitude indicating that I realize they have a choice in buying supplies, but I thank them for choosing my company. Call me old fashioned, but it separates me from the rest…

• My motto – NO PROBLEM! – no matter what! People do not want to know why something cannot be done, they just want it fixed – repaired – made like new – without any excuses – period. The better, faster, and with understanding of there point of view, the stronger your relationships with your customers will be.

• SMILE and mean it!!!!!!!

• When you work hard consistently, the numbers will take care of themselves.

• Be Prepared! Know your client and their competition!

• Never get complacent. Challenge yourself to be better. I asked my top salesperson after a really successful week if she was happy with the results. She said "no". That is why she is my top salesperson.

• My best sales tip is to approach sales the way you desire to be approached.

• Loose lips sink ships. I’ve seen more salespeople talk themselves OUT of a sale then into one.

• I work in the hotel industry and my competition is all around me. What sets me apart from people is that I LOVE MY JOB!

• It’s all about the customer, stupid.

• Speak THEIR language and you will get far!

• I say to each client, "I am here to give you as much information as you need in order for you to make a completely informed decision."

• Confidence speaks louder than words.

• Sales is a simple concept: help people like you would want to be helped.

• I don’t bring any of my tools, bags, computers, etc. to the door when talking to my customers. This forces me to build a rapport, and ask questions, with the customer, and takes away the "crutch" that I have in my bag. It’s proving to be an excellent way to gain sales, because it allows me to build the trust that is needed before I get into the details of the sale.

• Do your homework to EARN the right to have a conversation.

• It’s difficult to take back a first impression!

• Create a following by never following.

• Print out your client list/call list, then turn your computer off and pick up the phone. No email you send is going to be as good as the call I am going to make.

Pretty good? These are regular "hit the phone and the pavement" salespeople who are out in their market or their community, making it happen. I applaud them.

BUT the winner? Bill Atkins. He owns Red Bank Limo in New Jersey. His tip was: Each day, pick two customers at random. It doesn’t have to be your biggest or newest customer. Tell them you don’t have any agenda for the call, but just called to see how they are doing. No sales pitches allowed. Focus on the long-term relationship you are building not the sale.

Good advice from EVERYONE – for EVERYONE.