“Frustration comes from knowing what to say, but not knowing how to say it" ~ Floyd Wickman

This past spring marked my 5th year in the real estate industry. The time went amazingly fast and the learning curve is still not over. Before I was in this industry, I used to think of real estate as an elusive undefined industry ~ they knew all of the ‘secret’ knowledge about achieving the American dream. I noticed that there were agents who looked and acted like million dollar producers, and then there were the agents who could double as used car salesmen. I’ve met agents who sell tent rentals, skin care, candles and even perform puppeteering in their ‘other’ time. I have thought to myself, “Wow, how do you ever expect yourself to be taken seriously as industry leader when the back seat of your Saturn is stuffed with puppets? If your dentist tried to sell you candles, would you respect him or her? If your attorney interrupted the meeting to hand you a skin care catalog, would you feel confident in their advice? Why? Why did some dress like attorneys and command incomes as such, while others dressed in faded jeans and worn out loafers? I’ve come to learn the reason is because real estate (like any other self-employed industry or group) is a self-propelled career. Since 70% of the general population is made up of what are referred to as ‘Sociable’; it would also make sense that 70% of the population of real estate agents are also in that group. What is a ‘Sociable’ personality type? They are dedicated, responsible, and supportive; they enjoy sharing, groups, unstructured activity and they are problem solvers who can generate positive energy for a good cause. In short, they are law-abiding great people. So why don’t they naturally make successful agents? It’s because they lack the areas needed most to succeed as their own boss; strong leadership, clear direction, group recognition and well-defined boundaries. Real estate is a self-driven, self-employed industry (in case you didn’t know that) real estate agents drive their own income. Unlike other commission based industries (like insurance sales and mortgage sales) agents do not receive a stipend, a base salary or a draw. Unfortunately, many agents still drive around and behave like they are on someone else’s clock. They haven’t left what we lovingly refer to as ‘civilian’ life. They lack the insight and ability to stream-line their energy and resource towards income producing activities. 70% will also fail out of the industry in the first 5 years. Many agents spend years in the state of ‘quit’ before they actually leave. They just cannot seem to make enough money to justify quitting their ‘other’ job. If it hadn’t been for my early exposure to an industry legend, I too would have been in a perpetual state of quit. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. That’s why this industry has such a massive fail rate. Luckily, I was exposed to the advice of successful agents who told me that training was the key to longevity in this career. I spent the first 2 years attending every class that I could find, but it wasn’t until I was introduced to The Floyd Wickman Program, that the path was illuminated…the path of building a salable book of business through time control, managing expectations and learning how to listen for motivation. Floyd says, “Frustration comes from knowing what to say, but not knowing how to say it, and from knowing what you need to do, but not knowing how to do it.” I was once told, “Real Estate is simple but not easy” and when I first heard those words, I didn’t really understand them. I do now. There is no magic in the magic formula for real estate success. There is however a path that was beaten by years of trial and error; this was Floyds life work. He wanted to teach others the lessons and battles that were hard won, so that they would benefit from his success. If you are a broker who has a bottom half in production (the agents who just can’t seem to get the ball rolling) and you know where you want to go, but don’t know how to get there, please give me a call so we can discuss what the Floyd Wickman Program can do for you. Let’s do this! Lisa Ekanger Floyd Wickman Real Estate Trainer 810-357-8404