Pump Up the Music and your Attitude

We have decided to make June "Pump Up the Music" and Your Attitude month at our company. I would normally be telling a story about the Coach and a life lesson, don't worry it will come back around in this post. Anyway, the real estate industry has been so tough the last 2 years that we discuss ways to keep all our folks "pumped up" and focused just about weekly. Fortunately, May was a much better month in real estate and we are cautiously optimistic about the next quarter.

As a leader in a real estate company, I see the above mentioned as one of my primary responsibilities. The team looks to it's leader in good times and especially in bad ones! What do you do during these times? Do you look for creative ways to solve problems or do you complain and blame? You see, I believe each of us in real estate sales is the leader of our own business.

The Coach came to Wake Forest University back in the early 60's. He was faced with many challenges in recruiting players that could meet the university's academic standards and the atheletic expectations he had for his team. My Dad decided that there were many deserving kids that were not on the radar screens of some of the ACC's bigger schools. They were not the biggest or the fastest but their willingness to give 100% for the team was unparalleled. These young players would have followed the Coach into fire because he told them they would play and they would win. This recruiting method worked and Wake Forest had a winning season that year and my Dad was ACC Coach of the Year.

You must note that the Coach did not complain or blame, but found solutions. He surrounded himself with thinking people that did not give up. Refer back to Lesson #2.

Life Lesson #9 is...Be the leader of your business. Look for solutions instead of excuses. Hang out with positive, proactive people and you will succeed no matter what the market conditions may be!

Life Lesson #8 from the Coach's Daughter

It is June 2, 2010 and I am amazed at how fast this year has sped by me. I want to tell you about my Grandpa Tate today. He was a teacher and then a salesman until well into his 90's. Grandpa had a homemade open air closet constructed out on his sun porch to keep all his marketing gadget inventory. He kept this under lock and key and of course it is the only place in the house that any of his grandchildren wanted to go and explore. Grandpa would invite us to the porch and he would unlock the door. He would crack the door open just wide enough to slide in and rummage around for a magical prize. It would be a pencil or some other widget that your company name could be printed on. He really understood early on about marketing and the excitement you must create to attract attention.



Grandpa would explain to me why this pencil was the best pencil in the world and why his job was very important. He never did let me into that closet and I believe that was done intentionally. He wanted me to wonder what other magical things were hidden in there. He knew I would crawl up in his lap and beg to get a glimpse! He would laugh really big and we would move on to something else (like who was winning the baseball game). These were special memories for me. I now understand how skilled Grandpa was at selling.



Today's Life Lesson From the Coach's Daughter is...If your job is sales, then you must create mystery, romance, excitement and then showcase value! If you reach out to enough people and tell the story with confidence, integrity, and humor you will build the rapport you need to sell your value and that of your product. Good luck! and thanks Grandpa:o)

Life Lesson #7 From the Coach's Daughter

I realized some of my previous life lessons have been either sentimental or serious, so I wanted to share a story with you today that should make you laugh out loud. By the way, there is a clear lesson at the end of the tale! My Dad, the Coach comes from a large family of 4 boys and 3 girls. As you might imagine, at mealtimes things could get a little hairy as everyone grabbed for a chicken leg or a piece of pie. The Coach told me a story last Thanksgiving about one meal in particular where interaction became quite raucous! Grandma Tate would put the food out and everyone would begin to grab. If you happened to get up from your seat then you were out of luck. Wait...here it comes...Uncle Reg had to go the bathroom just as dessert was brought to the table. As he looked around the table at his siblings, trust was not the first word that came to mind! So Uncle Reg did what any hungry boy would do...he got his slice of pie and proceeded to lick the whole thing and then calmly got up from the table. Nobody dared eat his pie! LOL O:)



Now the really ironic thing about this Tate story is Uncle Reg went on to marry Aunt Lil whose family operated a large bakery since 1927. Uncle Reg and his family have worked baking pies, cakes and all sorts of goodies for many many years in Pittsburgh Pa. I guess he decided he needed to keep all those pastries close by in case there was an emergency or someone got up to go the bathroom!



Today's life lesson is...Don't be afraid to try something different, if met with a problem or challenge. You may have the perfect answer right on the tip of your tongue! And if you are in Pittsburgh, stop by and visit Potomac Bakery.