Oscar Marquez

Were(buyer)wolves are very common in today’s market, the purpose of this note is to help you identify them and avoid becoming another casualty.

The Full Moon. Used to be that were(buyer)wolves came out during full moon only, however and due to unknown reasons, todays were(buyer)wolves can come out any night or day and pose as interested buyers.

Their Howling. This was how were(buyer)wolves used to announce their presence. However, today’s werewolves have evolved; they now call, text or email unsuspecting agents asking for information on properties.

Their Attack. Their attacks can be deadly, it is common knowledge that were(buyer)wolves will continue working on their prey until the prey quits out of frustration. It also has been widely documented in logs worldwide the stories of agents who worked with were(buyer)wolves, showed them dozens of properties, or assisting them in making and presenting numerous offers only to never hear from them again after their offer was accepted. Another usual practice is for the were(buyer)wolf to make a ridiculously low offer and then blamed the agent when their offer wasn’t accepted.

Protect yourself. According to legend, one of the most effective weapons against a were(buyer)wolf attack are silver bullets, fortunately real estate practitioners were given these silver bullets during the licensing period. The bullets are: a were(buyers)wolf must be “Ready, Willing and Able” before making an offer. Translated to today’s modern lingo: A were(buyer)wolf must READY to purchase and close within a reasonable amount of time , must be WILLING to buy a home and not be looking for an opportunity only and it must be ABLE to purchase by either being pre-approved for a mortgage or showing proof of liquid assets.

I hope this note gave you the insight and prepare you against were(buyer)wolves.

Have a great day.

A very common new year’s resolution is to become a better salesperson, in order to accomplish this goal, we must realize that continuous learning is a crucial component of the resolution. Unfortunately most salespeople decide they don’t have time for learning or that they can’t afford to improve themselves and that is the easiest and fastest way to failure.

If you are truly committed to your improvement, here are seven principles of learning.

1. Organize for effort. What is the skill that you need the most? Prospecting? Presenting? Negotiating? Closing? All of them? Then take one and learn as much as you can about it.
2. Establish Clear Expectations. How will you measure your advancement?
3. Create the Thinking Curriculum. What do you need to learn or improve first? Second? Third?
4. Commit to Academic Rigor. Schedule time daily to better yourself.
5. Students Produce their own Learning. The best way to learn is by practicing with real clients, don’t wait until you master the skill, practice, practice and practice.
6. Arrange for Accountability. Be accountable to someone, remember when you make a commitment, there is room for failure.
7. Commit to Continuous Improvement. We never stop learning, there is always room for improvement.

Have a fantastic 2011.

I am a fan of Zombie movies; so to celebrate Halloween I decided to share with some zombie techniques I’ve learned that I know will help you increase your business.

1. Be Adaptable. Zombies have a way of making the best out of every situation. They can be thrown in the middle of the ocean or the desert and somehow they manage to get back to where they know they can find food. They don’t sit down and complain to other zombies about how the environment has changed, they don’t see the negative, they just keep going. If you have been complaining about how little money you are making compared to a few years ago, it’s time to move on.

2. Just Do It. Many zombies come back to life just minutes after they’ve died; still completely outfitted and with all their limbs in place; others are missing parts and pieces, but one thing they all have in common they are fearless. They don’t care that they don’t have all their parts; they are focused on one thing “finding food”. Many sales people are reluctant to go out and find selling or buying prospects, because they don’t know “everything” about real estate, take this zombie lesson and just start talking to people, you’ll be surprised of you can accomplish.

3. Be Fearless. Many times zombies are outnumbered by powerful armies; other times their next victim is bigger, faster and stronger than they are. But I have never seen a zombie stopping to analyze their odds of winning the fight or getting their victim; they know they have a lot to win and little to lose (hey they’re already dead). They continue to charge and very often they win. Don’t get stopped by the “principals only” or the “no Realtors” remarks, go after every FSBOs and expired you can find; you have a lot to win and very little to lose.

4. Take it Easy. Have you ever seen a zombie with high blood pressure or nervous? No, they are cool and collected; no matter what circumstances they just go after what they know they need, food. Many salespeople stop working or concentrating on new business as soon as things get a little stressful. Slow down, take it easy, don’t allow your business to control your emotions and stop you from growing; remember even if you are going through a very difficult situation you still need to produce and this will get you out of the hole.

5. Stick to Your Zombie Guns. Remember one thing “It makes no sense to negotiate with zombies”. The next time a seller wants to make their house un-sellable, don’t give in, stick to your guns; it’s the best way to get their house sold.

I hope you enjoy these zombie techniques but most importantly that you implement at least one. Have a great and safe Halloween.

What is the secret of a successful salesperson? Many people say the knowledge of their product, some say that the way in which he or she speaks, others say you must be born a salesperson.

However, after having trained thousands of sales professionals, in my opinion the secret of a salesperson is repetition.

The person, who has become a true master of the sale, is the person who has memorized their presentation and can recite it with eyes closed and even while sleeping.

This is the only way by which a professional salesperson can deliver a presentation that people buy every time. There are people who want to change their sales presentation for fear of sounding repetitive, however they run the risk of doing a sloppy job and not getting the sale.

So if there is one advice I can give is this. Practice, practice and practice your presentation until it becomes an extension of you.

Without sales there is no revenue, no profit and even the best marketing program in the world will not prevent you from failing; therefore sales are the single most important part of any business. Granted, all aspects of business are important, but without sales you have no business. So unless you want to go out of business, you need to have a very well trained sales staff. Sales training programs where your agents learn, internalize and practice with real customers while in class is one of the best ways to make sure that your sales staff masters the techniques and methods that will increase sales.

There are many ways to get your sales force trained and depending on the size of your staff you may want to consider hiring a sales trainer exclusively for your company; I am not referring to hiring a full time an in-house trainer, I am talking about bringing a sales trainer exclusively to train your agents.  And against all beliefs hiring a sales trainer it is not that expensive, especially compared to the additional revenue your sales staff will bring.

Every business operates differently and sells a different product or service. However, the sales process is the same: “lead generation (marketing or any other way), present and close” the method never changes regardless of the product or service we promote, however this is why it’s of paramount importance that the trainer has a clear understanding of your goals and biggest challenges you are currently facing, so they can be included in the training program.

Another important aspect of sales and (commonly over-viewed as well) is repeat customers and referrals; make sure the programs includes techniques to keep your past clients as clients and referring you new clients.

One more thing you should also consider is the length of the training program.  In my experience a two to three day class is best, keep in mind that your sales people will not stop working during the training; they’ll continue to work and generate new business.

There are companies that seem to think that training their sales staff is not worth the money or justify it with not having the budget right now. However, they make this decision to their own detriment. The company with the best trained sales force has a sizable advantage over those that do not. Another and often less expensive choice is online training and although it is cost effective we need to consider the other side as well. Because the trainer cannot see the people’s facial expressions or hear their comments, the risk of your agents not understanding and therefore not applying the techniques increases.  Technology it’s fantastic and it has brought our lives to a different status however the human touch is always needed.

In summary, everyone in your company can benefit from some degree of training but specially your bottom line.

Sales agents experience failure every day: a sale that doesn’t go through, customers canceling a contract, failed presentations. What do the “Heavy Hitters” do afterward? That’s the important question. Although it may be difficult to realize at first, many times failure can be a blessing in disguise. Not closing a deal is not a failure. In fact, it can open up new doors. If you analyze where was it that you failed and make corrections and changes it can become a very valuable lesson worth many commissions in the future.

1. Learn from Failures.. Before you can learn from failure, you must know how you view failure in the first place. Are you one of those people who won’t even acknowledge the word “failure”? Or do you accept that it’s there, but then deal with it in a positive manner? Failure does exist. It hurts when it happens, it’s personal, and it is OK to be upset when a sale falls through. You can’t change what’s already taken place, however you can be responsible for what takes place from this moment on.

To learn why you failed, stand back and look objectively at what happened and why. It’s pointless focusing on what might have been. Instead, think of ways you’ll do better next time.

2. Attitude Matters.. Recognize that your attitude colors your view of failure as much as the truth can. Perception will always win over reality. Sales agents start out with good intentions, but we are rarely trained to deal with our own fears. Over time, as we experience more and more rejection, we begin associating prospecting with pain, and fear takes over their selling. This just makes failure all the more likely.

3. Don’t Try to Avoid Failure.. Trying to avoid failure is a fool’s game. Failure isn’t necessarily bad. You learn from mistakes, maybe more than in any other way. If you are a skier, you know that if you don’t fall, you can’t ever get better. You need to push yourself or you’ll never improve.

4. Don’t Give Up.. In sales, the lack of persistence is perhaps the biggest cause of failure. How many times have you tried setting an appointment with a new prospect, only to face rejection every time? Then one day, out of the blue they interested in scheduling an appointment

5. Think Positively.. Write down a list of your strengths and your successes, then after a lost sale or a presentation that didn’t win the sale, read these lists and remind yourself that you have not failed but are merely going through one of life’s learning experiences.

Failure is part of our business, its part of life. Whether it is crippling or empowering is up to you. The only one who ever put a label of failure on you is yourself.

Social media has become widely popular, everybody is talking about it and many courses and training programs are being offered.

Some sales people are successfully getting referrals from their “friends”, however most of them have also failed at it. Why? They just don’t get the way it works.

To help you avert the mistakes commonly made by salespeople when getting into Social Media Marketing for the first time, here are a number of success tips gleaned from actual social media implementations.

1. Don’t Steal Other People’s Work

I see this all the time. Someone takes the time to create a group, sends them great information and builds a relationship with his followers. Then someone else wants to take advantage of this group that took the owner so much work to put together and starts posting promotional comments about his own company. Needless to say, these comments are always removed and the poster ends up looking like a spammer. If you want to succeed in Social Media Marketing, create your own group and post your own content, and don’t try to cash in on someone else’s efforts.  Invest some time researching and looking for information that will appeal to the vast majority of your contacts.

2. Avoid Over the Top Self-Promotion

Don’t talk about yourself and your company all the time. People don’t care about that. Give them something of value, build relationships and get people to trust you. Let them know what you do but don’t try to sell them anything. They will call you when they are ready to buy.

3. You get by Giving.

Don’t you just hate it when someone sends you an email every other day asking you to do something (check out my website or register to get their free e-book) but they don’t do anything for you? Instead, see how you can help others. For example, join lead groups, and if possible send leads to other members (not other Realtors, I meant loan officers, movers, etc.); these members will most likely start sending leads your way. That’s how it works. The majority of the people take, take and take, they never give. Do things the other way around (the real spirit of social media) and you’ll be noticed.

4. Use Your Real Name and complete your profile.

I get about plenty of request on a weekly basis; the first thing I do is check out the profile of the person so I can figure out if they only want to have access to my friends and then spam them with solicitation or if they really are looking to network.

5. Do It Only If You Enjoy It

I love meeting people and networking. I love having conversations with strangers and exchange ideas. I am not always thinking about how I can make money out of the person I am talking to. If you don’t enjoy the process, you are not likely to be successful at it. People can read between lines, and they can tell if all you care about is their money.

6. Don’t Annoy Your Followers

In implementing your Social Media Marketing, send your followers a message or a request only if it will be useful to them. And don’t do it ten times per week. Sometimes in the same day I get messages, wall postings, emails or links from the same person about the latest money making opportunity or about how wonderful their company is! In my opinion, that’s not the way to get others to buy your stuff. Also, keep an eye on the number of people that unsubscribe from your lists. If that number is too high, revise your strategy. In another words “don’t spam”

I hope these six tips help you with your listings and with your new career; I would like to have the opportunity to share a cup of coffee and to establish a great business relationship.

After being in the real estate training business for a few years, many new agents ask me: “when did you realize you were good at selling houses?”  Well, my answer is always the same: “if you want to get good at selling houses, you have to first learn how to list houses.”

Unless you are the agent bringing the inventory, then you are just playing a part in this wonderful business.  For you to become a successful listing agent, you must master the following areas: prospecting, presenting, overcoming objections and very important, knowing how to get a sell-able listing.

Following are 5 ideas to help you master this business:

1. Get Educated. Most new agents do not realize the importance of training.  Unfortunately real estate schools do not prepare us for the “real” real estate business.  Education is a very important part of our success.  The most common excuse I hear from new agents “I need to make some money first” what a new agent does not understand is that they may not have the opportunity to make money unless they know how to get listings or how to separate lookers from buyers.  Just think, if you lose one deal because you did not have the proper education, how much did you pay for that training class?
2. Get Connected. One of the first thing new agents do, is send a letter to their sphere of influence; this is fine and dandy, however if you really want to get results out of your mailing, pick up the phone and call them.  What can you tell them? “Hey Mary, this is Oscar, did you happen to get my letter?  Great, I need your help to get my business going; who do you know who may be interested in selling or buying a home? Please let your other friends and relatives you have a very good friend (close relative) in real estate.
3. Get Credentials. There are many certifications you can earn in our industry.  Check with your local board and find out what certification programs are currently available and plan on becoming certified within 2 to 3 years.  Be careful, do not wait until you have all the designations to start working, you do not have to take them all at once.
4. Get Real. The surest way to feel like an inexperienced agent is to be one.  There is nothing wrong with being new; supplement your lack of experience with enthusiasm and always ask your broker or manager before answering difficult questions.  When potential clients ask you about your experience “be honest” remember people can see through a lie and after they become aware of the facts, they will lose every ounce of trust they once had.
5. Give Yourself Credit. You may be new to this phase of your life, but have other experiences that make you capable.  Remind yourself of your skills and talents whenever you’re feeling insecure.

I hope these 5 tips help you with your new career and I hope to meet you in the near future.