Part #3…WHO YOU ARE BEING
“Some people say I have attitude – maybe I do… but I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there”
Venus Williams – Professional Tennis Player
Think like a winner. Here’s some great strategies for raising the bar on who you are being:
- Be Very Conscious of Your Physiology at All Times
A very important point – your physiology affects your mind constantly. It’s your stance, your eye contact, your breathing, your blood sugar, your hydration, your facial expression, your handshake, and the energy you give off every day. There are two aspects to how your physiology impacts your mindset… internal validation and external validation.
Internal Validation – think of how you feel when things are going just the way you want them to. Think of how you feel at the end of a week when you took 2 new listings and negotiated a successful offer for a home buyer. You walk differently, you smile more, and you give off a positive and confident energy. In doing so, you are giving yourself “internal validation” that you are on the right track. You look good, you feel good, and you think and act like a winner.
External Validation — professional entertainers are masters of displaying an attractive physiology. People like Oprah Winfrey or talk show host Jimmy Kimmel have mastered this art. In doing so they attract people to themselves. Make no mistake, when you are attracting people to you this is “external validation” that your attitude and your mindset are on the right track.
Conclusion:
How you carry yourself is how others will evaluate you BEFORE you even open your mouth. More importantly… how you carry yourself is how YOU evaluate yourself. The next time you aren’t feeling 100%, don’t give yourself a bad critique before you even get started. Instead, take a deep breath and stand a bit taller. Put some energy in your stride and change your physiology. It works every time and your mindset will go right along with it.
- Make Your Environment Distraction Free
When I worked in the corporate world at IBM they had a guideline for all employees called the “clean desk policy”. Simply put, it meant you had to completely clean off your desk every night before you went home. No clutter. The purpose of this rule was all about industrial espionage. It was security based – they didn’t want anybody going through loose files when no one was around.
At the same time I did discover that there was a definite secondary benefit from following these instructions. When I came to work the next morning, I was starting with a clean slate. There weren’t piles of folders all over my desk getting in the way of what I needed to do that day. The result…I was more organized, more efficient, and I was able to operate with a clear mindset right from the start.
Clutter drags you down. Think of how you feel when you go on a listing appointment and it turns out to be a house that is a candidate for the A&E television program – “Hoarders”. You immediately recoil and think to yourself… “how can they possibly live like this?!!!” The benefit to keeping everything organized and uncluttered is self-explanatory.
There various degrees of “being a Hoarder” but it all adds up. Here’s a great acid test for you. The next time you walk into your office or get into your car, ask yourself this question… “Would I want my most important past client, real estate referral source, or top home sale prospect to see what I see right now? Would I be comfortable having them here at this moment?”
Conclusion:
Clean up your office, clean up your closet, clean up your car, clean up your smart phone, clean up your e-mail. Why? Because visual clutter creates mental clutter. Mental clutter gets in the way of clear thinking and prevents you from being rational in difficult or stressful situations. Every time you clean up your environment, you are cleaning up your mindset.
- Upgrade your Dress
This is an extension of the physiology point. It’s important enough to deserve separate billing. Think of how you feel when you are wearing a new outfit and you walk into a selling opportunity situation. You literally carry yourself differently than if you were wearing shorts and flip-flops. How you feel affects your mind… there is a very important straight line connection between the two.
Consider this perspective — airline pilots and flight attendants are required to wear a uniform. They are expected to look sharp. Police officers and firemen/women wear a uniform. Two reasons – #1. It tells the public who they are & #2. It gives them confidence and a sense of authority. That confidence translates into a positive attitude.
In my real estate sales training seminars it’s not uncommon for an agent to suggest that they want their customers to feel comfortable and as a result, “I don’t want to overdo things, I don’t want to come across as being too formal”. Here’s my concern about that approach, what’s the image you want to portray? The challenge is this…do you really want to compromise your chances by guessing wrong? If you come across the wrong way, it will affect their opinion of you. This in turn will affect your mindset and even your mental toughness. It sets the whole tone for your customer interface.
To eliminate any doubt, here is a good rule to follow for yourself:
You can’t overdress but you certainly can underdress.
Conclusion:
By dressing smartly and upgrading your appearance you are positioning yourself to win. Taking the alternative approach certainly increases the margin for error. It’s just not worth the risk. In the context of creating a WINNING MINDSET, dress sharp and you feel sharp. Plain and simple… when you feel sharp your attitude is stronger.
- Laugh Out Loud Every Day
It has been proven medically that “laughter is the best medicine”. Here are two quick one-liners for you…
- Window sign at a muffler shop, “No appointment necessary. We’ll hear you coming”
- Why is divorce is so expensive? Because it’s worth it!
There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a break every day with some well-placed humour in the midst of everything else that’s going on.
Everyone wants to be around someone who’s a fun person…including you. Why not be a fun person to be around for yourself? It has been said that we should “laugh out loud 5 times every day”. Here’s some ways to do that:
— sign up for www.ajokeaday.com. They provide 100% clean humour that will get you started on the right foot every morning
— watch some old TV shows…Seinfeld, Modern Family, Friends, Big Bang Theory
— build up a DVD library of your favourite comedians – John Pinette, Brian Reagan, Kathleen Madigan, George Carlin, Russell Peters, etc.
— in your car — Sirius Radio… Laugh USA, another great source for 100% clean humour
Conclusion:
The business of real estate sales can be very stressful. The emotional ups and downs do take their toll. Add some humour to your day – every day. It will certainly reduce your mental stress. We all know people who walk around being grumpy all day long. Obviously that’s not the way you want to be. As the expression goes, “life is not a dress rehearsal”. Enjoy yourself and take your mindset and your attitude along with you.
Leave a comment below. What method do you use to help you “laugh out loud every day?”
Lovely, best advise yet! Can be applied to virtually every part of life.