HOBO SHACKS OR HOUSES

In the following pages, I’ll walk you through the fundamentals of these four sound and proven models. Then, once we have the basic concepts down, I’ll show you how Millionaire Real Estate Agents apply them in their efforts to earn and net a million in annual income. However, before you start absorbing them and are tempted to personalize them, it is a good and appropriate time to remind you of our earlier discussion on modeling and creativity. I believe that until you have implemented and worked with a model, you have little business trying to change or improve it. Remember, trust those who have lived before you.

And if you’ve done your research properly, then there are compelling reasons for selecting the models you’ve chosen. You need to have faith in your research. The time to question was then, now it is time to give the models your full faith and effort. Personal hands-on experience is the only true route to obtaining a clear understanding of if, when, or how you should ever deviate from a foundational model. Strangely enough, against all advice to the contrary, most agents begin by implementing their own ideas and models.

It seems they have always wanted to do things their own way and be creative, so they start off their business lives with creativity. Then, as a result of success or failure, they start adding more and more creativity to the mix. Before long, they have no solid foundation upon which to build and no framework upon which to hang their thinking and actions. The structure of their business begins to look like a “hobo shack” of ideas and creativity, with no plan or vision driving it. Creativity is the theme of their business. We believe that the best houses and the best businesses get built from clear blueprints, solid foundations, and proven frameworks. If you’ve ever tried to find a shortcut in a neighborhood you weren’t familiar with, you probably already understand this phenomenon.

the all-too-common story goes something like this. You’re driving your clients down a busy thoroughfare and figure you could save five or ten minutes if you cut over a couple of blocks to a street that might have less traffic. So you take a quick right, drive down a few blocks, and pick a side street that appears to run parallel to the main street you were on. Everything looks great until, a few blocks from where you started being creative, the unexpected happens and the new street angles off in the wrong direction, away from your intended destination. So you compensate by being creative again and start angling through the neighborhood trying to get back on track. Well, you probably know how this story ends. At some point you apologize to your clients, pull over, and break out the map (which you had with you all along). Instead of gaining five minutes, you’ve lost fifteen, and you have to retrace your steps back to the beginning and start over. Not to mention the embarrassment you feel and the loss of confidence your bewildered clients likely feel. There are multiple avenues to the highest levels of success in the real estate sales business; however, these paths are not laid out on a physical grid like some city streets, so they may not be quite as obvious as you wish them to be. Intuition and a good sense of direction are probably not enough to get you there if you venture off to explore new, unpaved avenues to success.

 Look at it visually this way. In the diagram below (Figure 6), the straight line represents models and the dotted line represents creativity. When you start with models, you always have a sound, proven basis from which to work. The model serves as a reference point that allows you always to know why you made the creative decision you made and where to return if your creativity proves unsuccessful. When you don’t have a model to provide direction and focus, your last creative effort becomes your reference point, and you can easily become lost. The good news is that the models presented in the coming pages represent one proven and well-traveled path to your ultimate destination. They can be your map, your primary route, if you’re faithful to them and consult them often. Even in Venice, Italy—the most labyrinthine of cities—first-time visitors regularly find their way from the famous opera house to obscure, off-the-beaten path cafés because they faithfully take the time to consult their map at each fork in the road.