I SHOW YOU HOW TO SELL HOUSES SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO SELL YOURS

How to sell houses, so you don’t have to sell yours

The true behind-the-scenes perspective of a high performance real estate sales coach.

It's been 22 years since I first entered the real estate industry. As I look back over my
timeline, I can see some significant moments where something so obvious just hit me and
completely changed my beliefs, forcing me to fuel new behaviors which allowed me
significant growth and improvement in my skills, income and/or life.

In this straight to the point, no holds barred e-book, I'm going to lay it down; I'm going to
show you the most important learning moments which will make a significant impact on
your career. Each point is something that I not only believe, but is now a key part of my
mantra and philosophy about how real estate actually works.

I really hope that you make the decision to implement everything I list here, as it will all
have a significant impact on your life. I'd be disappointed in you if you didn't, as I know
how much these key concepts and ideologies can radically shake and reshape everything
you've ever believed.

This e-book is formatted to particular topics, where I'll

expand briefly around each point. This is the straight
shooting, 'let's tell it like it is' little e-book of ideas. For
more information, or to cover these concepts in-depth.

Are you ready?

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Pre-Game Ritual...............................................................................................1

Know Your Outcome...........................................................................................................1

Know Your Market..............................................................................................................1

Set Hard Key Performance Indicators – Personal Income, Listings, Sales.........................2

Set Soft Key Performance Indicators – Calls, Face To Face, Kitchen Tables....................3

Manage Energy – Physical, Mental,Emotional, Value........................................................4

Lifestyle By Design.............................................................................................................5

It Takes Time, Be Patient, Be A Sponge, Really Grow.......................................................6

Get An Accountability Partner............................................................................................7

Chapter 2 - Prospecting........................................................................................................8

Database Everyone With All Contact Details......................................................................8

Build Relationships - Always Progress To An Outcome.....................................................8

Know Where Your Leads Come From - It’s Critical..........................................................9

Set Up Your Marketing Calendar - January to December.................................................10

Become Friendly With the Phone - Get A Headset...........................................................11

Building Simple Business Disciplines..............................................................................11

Simple Dialogue To Get You In Doors............................................................................13

Stick Close to Past Clients - Make Them Family..............................................................13

Face to Face
Counts................................................................................................................................14

Learn to
Qualify...............................................................................................................................14

Bring Intensity To The

Game..............................................................................................................................15

Know your
marketplace........................................................................................................................15

Chapter 3 - Post Game.......................................................................................................16

Overcome Fear: You’ve Got One Gift - Use It..................................................................16

Create A Life So Exciting That You Can't Not Be Involved............................................16

Chapter 1 - Pre-Game

Know Your Outcome

• Whatever you do in life, know your outcome.

Most people set goals for the next 12 months, but very few have, even at the least, made
an outline for getting where they would like to be at least 5, 10 or 15 years from now. It’s
not as hard as you think. It takes a piece of paper, a 2b pencil and timer set for 45
minutes. Sit down and really think about what is important in your life. Make a decision
about what you value and what you want to achieve. Then timeline out the steps for what
it’s going to take to get there.

• The greatest people I’ve gotten to hang out with are those who have a clear
view of the future.

They are fierce leaders who pace hard and make things happen. Be strong, commit to
what you want. Remember there is a difference between arrogance and confidence. Be
confident about what you want and you will be attractive; be arrogant and you won’t be
respected.

• Would a hit man ring the doorbell? Only if he was prepared to make the hit.

Sometimes it’s imperative that you keep your plans to yourself. This allows you to
execute those plans with clarity. Remember others around you may not share your belief
systems, or your perspective, so learn how to exit the room quietly without causing
waves. It’s up to you to build unshakable confidence allowing you to overcome fear.

Know Your Market

• How did you get into real estate? By design, by default, or by accident?

The best advice I can ever give is to start where you want to end up. Be selective about
the market you work in. You need to be able to live the lifestyle that you want and earn
the income that you desire. Look for marketplaces with a higher average sale price and a
high turnover, as these are the keys to incredible income. The competition will be fierce,
so you need to be sharp and skillful. Research the brands in the area and make the
decision to live there.

• All the successful people live where they work and make a long-term
commitment to become a local.

It takes time to build referrals; this simply makes sense. Our revenue doubled the day I
made the decision to live where my business was.

• Market knowledge is the only thing that counts; otherwise all you bring to
the table is time.

Prospective vendors want someone who can alleviate their fear, which is underselling
their home. It’s imperative that you have incredible market knowledge. This is only
achieved through hard work and the determination to see everything that’s in your
marketplace. Play the guessing game. Go to your competitors’ open homes, and work out
what you would price the property for.
• Understand that different marketplaces have different lead sources.

In high density areas there may be a number of investment properties as opposed to

owner-occupiers. This means you will need to find an absentee owner and work the
relationships over distance, versus high owner-occupier areas where you work more open
for inspection properties looking for your next potential vendor lead sources. Most agents
don’t study the area they end up in, and wait too many years before they make these vital
realizations.

Set Hard Key Performance Indicators – Personal Income, Listings, Sales

• Let’s be honest: If you don’t track your numbers, you’ll never know where
you’re at.

The key to getting what you want out of your career is understanding how the market
works, what your average commission is, and what effect this has on your numbers.
Some agents have income goals that would require them to sell 100% of all the homes in
their area; that goal is just not realistic. Personal income is a function of sales, which is a
function of listings. If you have the listings you get the income.

• Divide how much you wish to earn in a year by 10 (for 10 months in a year, as
you will have 2 months off either in training, on holiday, or not in the zone).

Then take this monthly amount and divide it by the personal share percentage of what
you receive when you list and sell. This gives you the number of sales you need to make.
Multiply that by 1.15 and there you have it – the number of listings you need to achieve.
Ensure you are realistic about your share as this is only an average.

• Regularly review your numbers compared to your monthly target.

You’ve then set your upper and lower control limit i.e. if you know that you need 10
listings to sell 8 houses a month, then you need to have between 8 and 12 properties on
the market at any time if you’re selling them within a 30 day period. If you are in a
marketplace where average days on market are 90, then multiply this by 3; i.e. you would
need to carry between 24 and 36 listings at any one time. The longer the time on market
in your area, the more stock you have to carry.

Set Soft Key Performance Indicators – Calls, Face To

Face, Kitchen Tables

• You can measure your results based on soft key performance indicators
(kpi’s) which include the number of calls made, the number of call sessions,
the number of buyer appointments, the number of face to face appointments
and the number of kitchen tables you sit at.
• It’s dangerous not to do the numbers in your soft kpi’s as they’re a general indicator of
how close you are to achieving your hard kpi’s.

• If you’re hitting your targets with the soft kpi’s but you’re not even close to
the hard ones, then the problem is either the time in building and progressing
relationships, or it’s a dialogue issue, period.

Qualifying clients is a key skill; it should not be an interrogation, but rather a natural
conversation.

• On average, top performers hit out 8-13 connects (where you actually speak
to a person) in a 45 minute call session.

Manage Energy – Physical, Mental, Emotional, Value

• Physical energy is sourced from exercise (run, ride, swim etc) and diet.

Pay particular attention to maintaining a regular exercise program and a highly balanced
diet. My weekly aim is for 15 meals on my ideal meal plan and 6 meals of whatever I feel
like eating, bringing the total to 21 meals a week, or 3 meals a day. Speak to a dietitian
about your own body requirements. It’s imperative we eat at regular times throughout the
day. Your schedule is due to get heavily packed, so ensure appropriate space for lunch
and snacks to keep you balanced and ready to roll. I train purely for fitness, which is the
speed of recovery. The fitter I am the greater my capacity and ability to deal with more
things in less time.

• Mental energy defines the ability to focus.

Buy a timer and only work in 45 minute sessions; this allows you to focus. Also, work
from a daily task list. I like a paper task list in a journal so I know exactly what’s ahead.
It’s also easy to work with, and there’s a sense of achievement when you cross off those
tasks. Don’t let anyone you work with operate without a task list. You need to know
what’s ahead and have a system you trust to keep you on track. It’s about knowing your
outcomes, even for a single day.

• Emotional energy is vital for success.

Music is the quickest way to change your emotional energy. Another method is to list 3
people in your life to measure yourself against. 1) A negative person; someone you can
talk to when you are feeling negative. His or her role is to make you appreciate just how
far you have come. 2) A positive person whom you talk to when you are winning. Their
role is to keep you level-headed. 3) A negotiator. This is someone you trust to help you
navigate complex decisions. None of the people on my list are paid for this service to me.
They simply like hanging out with me, and love seeing me grow. You’re either a giver or
taker in life. I’m a giver. The more you give, the more you get.
• Value based energy is about knowing what’s most important to you and
understanding the costs associated.

Values relate to spiritual, and other all-important, base ideals. Make solid decisions about
where you stand on relationship dynamics, on what you are willing to provide to others,
and how much you can reasonably give of yourself, then stick to your guns. Values are
all important.

You need to set standards because you will be challenged on them. You need a well-
thought-out position, but must still be prepared to change if necessary. This old Turkish
proverb applies: No matter how far down the wrong road you are, turn back!

Lifestyle By Design

• It’s your life, so choose what you want.

It is imperative that you use all the cash you generate to buy income-producing assets so
that you can establish passive income. Never, ever lose sight of your purpose. At the end
of the day, income-producing assets provide passive income and allow you to make clear
decisions.

• If you don’t have a backup fund yet, then get it.

Things fundamentally changed for me when I had $50,000 in backup cash sitting in the
bank. This cash is not for spending; it’s for buying peace of mind which affords you the
ability to make rational decisions and take time out when you need to.

• You should always look to minimise debt, and to avoid consumer debt entirely.

You may finance a car or a house, but never, ever finance tv’s, furniture, computers, etc.
Your goal should include minimising your weekly cash outflow so that you have cash for
purchasing income-producing assets.

It Takes Time, Be Patient, Be A Sponge, Really Grow

• A lot of people spend time on the external stuff.

How amazing do I look, how glossy is my life. The things that really count are how you
feel on the inside and what you’re doing specifically for personal development.

• Hang out with weird and you become more weird, says Tom Peters.

He’s so right. If you want to earn a million a year in gross fees, then start working out
ways that you can spend time with million dollar performers.

• I’ve always spent a good deal of time with people who are better than me, period.
I make a conscious decision to remove myself from negative people, or people who
provide no or little value. Having said that, I also know that I must give to others. Top
performers are always, and I mean ALWAYS willing to share with those who are hungry
enough. So let me ask - are you hungry enough?

• In the early days, I’d spend time on investigation trips – exploring the best
agencies in the country and bringing back the new ideas to my office aka
cocoon.

It’s amazing what you’ll find.

• Get on audio books (audible.com is amazing for this.) You can use our link
www.audibletrial.com/superagentslive and get a free copy of any book audible offers

Open your eyes to what you can learn. Always be learning; specifically, spend time on
maximizing your strengths. Either gain skills where you have weaknesses, or outsource
the hell out of them.

• Keep a journal of all the cool stuff you learn.

Remember it’s putting knowledge into action that really counts.

It takes time. If you know your desired outcome and you’re prepared to do the work for
it, then you’ll win. It’s about hunger, attitude and persistence.

• Enjoy the stage of life you’re in for what it is.

Some of the best times I have ever had were when I’ve been flat broke, but really
appreciated that latte, or when someone took me out and spent time with me to help me
grow. At other times, I go out of my way to help someone less fortunate. Be real. It’s all
that counts. Count your blessings, be thankful and distance yourself from ego. A healthy
ego is fine, but stay grounded.

Get An Accountability Partner

• These people are pivotal in your life.
Get someone who can understand you and who has the same fight, tenacity and passion
for whatever it is that you want. Make sure they can cut to the chase and help you to
develop the skills that are really required. Keep things simple. Period.

• An accountability partner may change, as you may outgrow what they have
to give.

I always had a real estate accountability partner to pace against. He lived 1000km away
from my real estate practice and are now one of my best clients. Stick close and spend
time on the skills.
• As I said before, you always need to hang out with people who are better
than you whether at a skills base, in self-discipline, or at life level.

Look for the clues, study and observe – you’ll be amazed at what you discover.

Chapter 2 - Prospecting

Database Everyone With All Contact Details

• You just never know where you’ll meet the people who will become important
in your life.

If you meet someone and you like them, then over time you may come to trust them.
Finally you will respect them for what they do. These are the people who will become
your greatest allies in business.

• Don’t get sloppy with your database.

Every person that you meet needs to be entered in and then you need to tag them in an
appropriate category.

• Regularly update your databases.

The simplest database is the contacts list on your phone. I regularly call my phone
contacts from A to Z. And I delete people I don’t like, period.

• Spend time nurturing and growing relationships.

It will do amazing things for you.

Build Relationships - Always Progress To An Outcome

• I once met a management consultant who taught me to provide value first

and invoice second.

He was so right. Building relationships takes time and develops through a series of
conversations around shared valued, problems and solutions.

Every time you speak to someone you must move him or her closer to an outcome. This
is accomplished through gaining a clear understanding of their problem, and knowing
what to do to help them make a decision.

• My favorite question here is, ‘What would need to change in order for you to
make the decision? It’s an outstanding question and helps you to cut to the chase and
uncover all their objections.
• Objections = the place I do my best work.

Understand the sales process. Identify the client’s needs, sell the features and the benefits,
trial close, handle those objections and then close for the business. I love objections.
They make me hungry to improve. Learn, learn and learn again. Challenge yourself and
become better at helping people make the decisions that are best for them.

Know Where Your Leads Come From - It’s Critical

• Knowing your market means you need to understand where your leads come
from.

Key lead sources for the best of the best in the business is all about building your
database, then learning how to build relationships. My business is built around referral.

In fact nearly everything I’ve ever done can be traced back to six key people who make a
significant difference to my business. I service the hell out of them. If they call at 5am I’ll
answer the call. If they need a piece of work overnight, I’ll FedEx it and get it there
overnight. I prefer a small database of people who really count; i.e. filtered, rather than a
list of surface-level relationships that don’t go deep and are not personal.

• The key lead sources for you are open houses, buyer inquiry conversions,
referral networks, social proof marketing around just listed and just sold,
together with incredible buyer work.

It takes time. Make a name for yourself. Become a surgeon of the industry; learn how to
dissect every piece of dialogue and make it super powerful. The key here is to keep it
street level, cut to the chase, know it backwards and keep it simple.

Set Up Your Marketing Calendar - January to December

• It’s not that hard. There are critical dates every year toward which we need to work
several months in advance before we can expect payoff.

Marketing is about understanding your clients’ fears, marketing to those fears, and
genuinely helping your clients to overcome their fears. Let’s look at the critical dates in
the diary:

• We need to be hustling for listings from January 1 to December 31st.

Coming back in January with a stock list of 5 or 6 new listings from marketing is a great
way to kick-start.

• In March we need to be marketing for the new school year.

• June and July are critical months for pre-spring prospecting.

Remember the people you meet today can take anywhere between 1 day and 25 years
before they’re ready to use your services. I find that the real prospecting is undertaken in
these months and is critical. August defines your finish for the year.

• August is all about pre-spring.

• September is all about pre-Christmas.

• May is all about pre-new school year.

• Design your marketing initiatives, videos, personal letters, anniversaries and

3% days around each of these events, and you’ve got a booming business.

Wow, I think I just did myself out of a job.

Become Friendly With the Phone - Get A Headset

• Face to face is inefficient for just meeting and greeting, however it’s essential
to build relationships.

Once you’ve met face to face you need to get leveraged. The phone has to become your
best friend.

• On average you should nail out 8 to 13 calls in a 45 minute session, where

you actually connect and speak with real people who can make a decision in
your favor.

• Learn how to be brief and direct, yet give time to people who count.

My favorite opening is James Tostevin’s, “Do you have 30 seconds? I’ll be brief.” Other
favorite phrases for controlling the conversation include, “I’ll let you go now” or “Got it”
and “You’re killing me.” These are great ways to move conversations along.

• Headsets rule. Period.

Get one. It will change your life. It frees up your hands and lets you have Jerry Maguire
moments.

Building Simple Business Disciplines

• It really isn’t hard.

Think of Lance Armstrong’s quote: “You can choose the pain of discipline or the pain of
disappointment. Choose your pain.”
• The simple disciplines maintain that nothing happens in business until the first sale is
made. So make the first sale every month and you’re ready to roll.

• You will become the king/queen of your office when you hold the lion’s
share of the listings.

So prospect like a machine.

• Three 45-minute call sessions each day will do it.

Make sure you operate from a call list. Call people who can make a decision in your
favor and always progress the relationship to the outcome.

• Check the MLS every day.

Search your markets zip code, then order the results by latest listing. Always make sure
that you have at least 1 out of the last 10 listings. If you don’t, then hustle like hell until
you do. This will insure 10% market share.

That’s the minimum that you should strive for.

• Sell each property within 30 days.

The less time the property is on the market, the easier it is to achieve premium prices and
maintain client relationships. You need a process -- a way of ensuring this happens.

• Remember, at the end of 30 days you should have fully tested the marketplace,
so all you’re waiting for is a significant change in the market.

I can’t guarantee any changes. All I know is that it could take milliseconds or 20 years
before we get to that dream price. Process alone will extract the most the market is
prepared to pay. You have to be real. What does it really take to get it sold? Learn your
process, become a master of the 30-days-or-less sale. This also helps you to build your
profile as an agent of efficiency and effective results. Get known as the agent that works
hard and makes it happen.

Simple Dialogue To Get You In Doors

• Dialogue is a powerful tool to get in the door, but it’s not everything.

The psychology of approach is critical. I use simple dialogue, so people understand what
I want and what I need in order to be able to help them. Here’s some dialogue that I use
and it works:

––What’s your place worth?

––Have you had someone from our brand walk through since you purchased your home?

––What’s your property worth?

––Would you ideally like to sell that property before you buy the next one?

Stick Close to Past Clients - Make Them Family

• Once you list and sell your first 10 properties it gets easier.

Much easier. Past clients are lifeblood, They can literally make
your career. Look for people who are high socialisers or notable in the community. Stick
close to them and build strong relationships.

• Every past client, and I mean EVERY past client, should be in your mobile
phone.

Spend time calling them, even if it’s been years. If they like you, trust you and respect
you, they’re your very best advocates out there in the marketplace.

• I know my very best past clients’ phone numbers by heart.

Years later, long after I’ve left the room, they still call me to check in. That’s because the
relationships are real. Real is all that counts. Take care of the people and they take care of
you.

Face to Face Counts

• Hang out where your customers hang out before they need you.
Become known in your local area. Shop at your local supermarket, eat at your local café.
When you see people face to face, and remember them and who they are, it makes a huge
difference.

• I learned a long time ago that, whenever you spend time with someone
pretend they have the words ‘make me feel important’ tattooed on their face.

It’s a brilliant way to remind yourself how to be genuine and, most importantly, how to
listen.

Learn to Qualify

• We know that people only sell real estate for one of four reasons; you need to
learn those reasons so you can help your clients make those decisions -- to
navigate them through those complex areas of life and get moving. The four
areas are:
––Lifestyle – moving to have a better life.

––Lifecycle – births, deaths, marriages and divorces.

––Financial – gain or loss.

––Relocation – for work.

• People are often very private about their situations, especially concerning
financial loss or divorce.

Become a master at opening people up and clearly identifying their problem. Empathy is
important here.

Bring Intensity To The Game

• My friends say I can be a really intense person.

That’s the way I like to play it. There is a time and place for everything. If I’m going to
be an achiever then I don’t need to wait for permission from anyone before I can become
that. But what I do need is respect, timing and empathy. Intensity is about knowing what
you want and pushing through any objection until you get what you want. This links back
to knowing your outcome.

Know your marketplace

• Market knowledge is vital.

If you don’t know your market you will end up doing lots of little things that simply
don’t count.

Become a master of working open houses and buyers, and you’ll do incredible things. To
paraphrase the great strategist Sun Tzu, he observed that to the amateur there are lots of
possibilities, but to the professional there are few. The best prospectors only prospect in 2
or 3 ways yet they are off the charts in their skills in leveraging these key methods.

Chapter 3 - Post Game

Overcome Fear: You’ve Got One Gift - Use It

• If you’re like me you’ve held off on doing a lot of things in your life because
you were afraid that you would upset someone, or that you weren’t allowed
to do something because of the people around you.

• Reality Check: If you don't use your talents and do something amazing, you
are holding off from really giving back to the world!
• There’s plenty of space for you and your competitors.

It’s vital that you provide something that is so special, so unique, so amazing that people
just love what you do.

• I distance myself from ego now and use fear as a great motivator to make
things happen.

If I don’t’ do it, no one else will.

• Overcome your fear.

Challenge it at every level. Make a difference. Explode with an incredible level of

service, knowledge and integrity. Also, know when you’re at the top of your game: that’s
the time to exit. I’d hate to be the guy that people refer to when they say, “He used to be
really good.” Leave a mark, a lasting legacy.

Create A Life So Exciting That You Can't Not Be Involved

So now it’s over to you.

Get what you want, but give first – and I mean give a lot first to others.

Know when to stand your ground. Know which battles are worth fighting for in the war
and you’ll have an incredible life. The simple principle in life is to connect, connect, and
connect some more around areas of mutual benefit with everyone you come into contact
with.
I hope that these tips have inspired you to your greatness. Potentially I’ve hit a nerve,
maybe I’ve even upset you, but I trust that ultimately you feel you’re better off for it, and
that I’ve wisely used the time it took for you to read this.

Best of luck out there. I’ll leave you with my favorite quote, I think it’s from Les Brown.

“Good things come to those that wait,

but only the things that those in the hustle didn’t take”.

It’s time to hustle.

Toby Salgado
toby@superagentslive.com
www.superagentslive.com