I especially hate the one from “Network Marketers” that promise to “save” me from the clutches of a bad real estate market by slowly easing me into another type of “business opportunity”, the calls from the “referral companies” that I have to pay them SO much money to buy referrals, and the ones from coaching companies that are not established or well known, that have every pie in the sky promise.

Sometimes I even tell these clowns to blow off and they turn around and try to tell me I’m rude!
There was a mickey mouse referral company from Florida; I demanded to know WHO they were, and the guy started yelling at me and called me a loser and all sorts of things. I then called back and told him to to shut up and never call again, he started telling me I was harassing him. What a loser!

I agree 100% with you Russell..
Jim

I can say emphatically that the warm, very human focus one feels when conversing with Russell Shaw encompasses the best of both empathy and leadership; he wants to draw from you your most important thoughts and feelings on the topic at hand while expertly guiding the conversation to a mutually beneficial outcome. Russell may know this instinctually, but I know he studies human behavior to have the most fruitful human interactions possible.

Navy Chief, Navy Pride

Once you’ve asked enough questions and listened to the answers — really listened — then you’ve moved yourself to their side of the table, successfully having morphed into one of their team members. You’ve become part of their solution, not someone bangin’ ‘em on the head with your particular ‘template’ solution to all that ails them.

That’s what I hear Russell saying. He wants to talk to the person who has the info he needs, and will apply that info, along with superior experience and expertise to Russell’s concept of what’s needed.

Shift your emphasis to drilling for what the person’s actual concept of their situation is — THEN you can show them something they may have missed. But until they believe you understand their concept, all you’re doin’ is mowing your own lawn over and over.

To get three hours of credit, you’d sit through twenty minutes of “the best way to market to expireds” or whatever the concept was – followed by two and a half hours of “buy my book, CD, database, widget, etc….”

This is no longer really the case – at least in the state of Georgia – but it was still somewhat ironic to me.

We sell ourselves every day in this business. We develop relationships with prospects and referral advocates that we nurture and protect. Doing so in a tactful, gentle way is what usually results in the best trade-off, at least in my opinion.

Then you get that appointment and you go into full-on sell mode. Gone is the “hey, please keep me in mind if you know of anyone needing to buy or sell.” It’s make-or-break, you have the Buyer on the phone or you’re sitting at the Seller’s kitchen table. It’s time for YOUR 20 minutes, and you become that salesman Russell doesn’t want to talk to. Ironic.

Navy Chief, Navy Pride