Check out these recent headlines from newspapers in the area:
“Home prices continue to slide”
“Sonoma County housing slump prolonged”
“Sonoma County leads Bay Area home price drop”
“County home loan default notices soar”
Trust me when I tell you that, after a quick search on the Internet, about “Real estate in Sonoma County,” these headlines are just a sprinkling of the multitude of bad news articles consumers are barraged with every day. If you’re a real estate professional or work in a real estate-related industry, I have a few questions for you: What goes through your mind when you’re constantly swimming in a sea of negativity? How do you handle it? How do you react to the fear your clients are being pummeled with? How do you overcome your own fear about the personal financial impact a down market will have on you?
Control your fear
How many times have you heard comments like this about someone in business: “He’s fearless” or “She has no fear.” I don’t believe anyone is absolutely fearless. In my view, that would be a license for reckless abandon. A more accurate reflection of those who appear fear-free is probably, “He doesn’t let fear get in the way.”
The truth is, fear can polarize us. We can find ourselves doing nothing except being fearful, refusing to develop alternative plans because we struggle with clouded thinking. Left unchecked, fear can cause logic to be replaced with unsubstantiated emotion. We can become a hostage to nagging thoughts that create an escalated feeling of doom. Fear usually keeps us conservative, and our business lives go void of any risk taking. The bottom line is, we get stuck and the fear grows.
The very best salespeople are great hunters. Like the hunter, they’re rewarded for hitting the target. I don’t believe great hunters are fearless, just like I don’t believe great salespeople, managers, or executives are fearless. If you tell me a bear hunter walking through an enclosed forest area with a reputation for grizzly sightings claims he’s free of fear, he’s either insane or lying. A smart hunter has too much respect for the 1,000-pound animal that requires a precision shot to bring down. On the other hand, that same great hunter understands and acknowledges his fear and is able to use it to his advantage.
The same holds true for great salespeople—or anyone in business. The truth is, those who appear fearless (and have a track record of tremendous success) experience fear, too. They just use it differently than those who struggle.
Have you ever been in a situation similar to this? As a real estate agent, you just put a home you’ve had on the market for 90 days into escrow, and it’s one of the cleanest deals you’ve ever done. This deal will put you ahead of the previous year. Not only will it catapult you in your organization and the industry, your personal income is about to reach new heights. Then, the following week, the escrow falls apart. You were completely blindsided. Which of the following reactions best fits you?
After receiving the news, you go home crushed by the day’s events. You spend considerable time pondering the effects it will have on your future. You consider the ramifications of finishing the quarter at the low end of the sales rankings. Your concern grows as you review your monthly bills. Alternative strategies aren’t even a consideration. You do nothing but ponder the damage to your career. You feel hopeless.
Or, you go home and, after a few minutes alone in the mental fetal position, you question your entire identity, purpose and career path. Although brief, self-doubt rules the moment. But a short time later, you emerge, hunker down and develop your best strategies to revitalize the deal that fell apart, as well as new ones to attract new buyers. You use all the tools you have available to you. You identify where you’re going to replace that commission should you fail. You explore and create options. You become stronger because you know the fight is just getting good.
Great salespeople have fear. The difference is, the best are fearful of not being the best or not winning, while struggling salespeople are fearful of losing. The real question isn’t “Are you fearless?” It’s “How are you going to use your fears to improve yourself?”
The next time fear has you, try the following:
- Name something you were fearful of that you absolutely didn’t get through. (Hint: We get through everything.)
- Develop a new plan and take action immediately. Start strategizing yet another plan and have it ready to go if need be.
- Recognize what your mind and body do when fear pays a visit. Invite it in, and then invite it to leave.
Greatness is about going where others won’t—don’t try to tell me there’s no fear attached to that. The key is to recognize and use your fear. Healthy fear tells us we’re on the edge of a breakthrough; we’re in the right place doing the right thing. That’s a little different than letting fear own us. Go be great.
