Have you felt hope in your fingers?  The excitement of digging your hands in dirt and imagining the taste of a ripe tomato is the feeling of hope as you put a tiny shriveled seed in the ground.  You are doing something so  stupid placing something dead in mud with the anticipation of a future taste of sun baked energy.

That is the same feeling that me and my family are experiencing right now as we are growing up in hope of a future delicious reality from the past pain of being scorched and buried alive in debt.  Mary Dee is my wife and girlfriend and has faced cancer twice.   There are no words to describe how helpless and vulnerable you are in the waiting room.  You have no control of the outcome or results.  Our Maker does control the results and He provided healing and today she is doing well and is cancer free.

My real estate business suffered in the recession.  Our income decreased dramatically, and our lender pressed for foreclosure on two separate occasions.  The embarrassment of public notice is one thing.  Not knowing where your family will call home next month punches you in the gut.  I met with a bankruptcy attorney at five pm the day before the auction sale.  He said, “Brian I can tell you really do not want to do this, go sleep on it and come back early in the morning if you want to file.”  I asked God for help.  At 6pm, the lender said they were reconsidering the loan modification and would cancel the sale.  Four months later we are making full payments on time.  Five months ago I saw no way to make it work.

These experiences burned away a lot of pride, false sense of our own power, and drove away an attitude of entitlement.  The hope we grasp is born from the taste of knowing that our Creator will always be good and always provide healing.  Our job is to believe and move.  Step forward in working out our journey.

I want to be clear here.  I am currently moving and growing out of the ground.  I have not made it to the banquet table in a gourmet salad yet.  The seed is sprouting and the excitement is there, and I know the outcome will taste great.  I have sales last month from the internet after applying just (One!) technique I learned from MLSP.  I  want you to grow on a journey with me.

I was in Orlando this last weekend at the MLSP Live the Dream II event.  The speakers were excellent and attendees were from all across the globe.  The international flavor gave me a hint of the immense size of this garden.

As an old real estate broker my brain on recruiting teams and selling is generally limited to the immediate area. The power of selling anything on-line takes some getting used to.  The leverage of team building with people all over the world makes my head spin.  We are not limited by state licenses and local buyers.  We can build world-wide “virtual” brokerages.

So, my invitation to you is buy in and plant a seed.  Take a look at this incredible opportunity with World Ventures (Click on Number 2) to make money and have fun while doing it.

Just like a package of seeds the initial cost is small, but the work in the garden is crucial to tasting the incredible meal that only you can dream up for you and your family.

p.s.  Stay tuned to new Facebook marketing ideas I learned in Orlando, from a new leader, Michelle Alpha Pescosolido in MLSP that I am following.  You can get a quick start by joining the group yourself.  Less than $10 to try it!

Be on time. (Show respect to others and keep your end of the bargain)

Be Clean, and no cussing. (Prepare and do not whine)

Do not criticize team mate. (Focus on your own performance!  It is the role of the coach to critique)

Watch and listen to Coach John Wooden talk about success.  Results are a by-product of daily practice and preparation.  The discipline we apply to each day is the essence of life.  John’s life was shaped by his father’s encouragement to “Make each day a masterpiece.”

John was greatly influenced by his father.  His Dad told him “Never try to be better than anyone else, but never stop trying to be the best you can be.”

There is so much packed into the talk of John Wooden.  I found myself stopping and re-listening to portions several times.  The man’s faith and simple rules to live are inspirational to me.

If you are intrigued about John Wooden then check out the following links:

1. http://www.woodencourse.com

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wooden

And for heaven’s sake, check out www.TED.com.  I became a TED addict over the weekend.  There is so much good stuff in this website!  I told a friend at breakfast to stop watching the news and listen to TED instead.

Let’s go make today a Masterpiece!

John Wooden at 96th birthday

There are 31% fewer homes sold in the first nine months of 2011 than the same period in 2006.  So the marketplace is smaller, but are values are much higher in Chattanooga than the rest of the US….right?  We have faired the “real estate” storm much better than Florida, California and even our friends in Atlanta.  Our market has experienced value drops in the range of 15-30%.

When you peel back the numbers, the lenders making conventional loans (not FHA, VA or USDA Rural Loans) have experienced a 66% drop comparing 2006 to 2011.

Let’s look at the first two weeks of October 2011.  Sales financed with conventional loans were listed on average of $262,194 and sold on average of $227,046 and were on the market for 200 days.  They averaged $86 a square foot.  Properties that sold with cash listed on average for $130,139 and sold on average for $120,987.  They averaged $60 a square foot and stayed on the market for 125 days.

In 2006 the same two weeks in October saw conventional financing powering an average list price of $202,762 with an average sales price of $199,631, and $100 a square foot with 111 days on market.  The cash deals listed for $124,802 and sold for $123,293, on the market for 89 days, and $70 a square foot.

You can conclude that value is good in Chattanooga, but the market is soft.  Buyers definitely need to look at FHA, VA, USDA finance options.  Sellers need to strongly consider owner financing.  Be that bank!

Agents, learn how to make your commission by expanding your buyer pool with seller financing.  There are many private lenders that will pay cash for a seller note!  Sellers can get less than 1% with their CD at the bank or how about 5-7% on their own property sale as an income stream.

You are a leader and a follower.  Successful residential real estate agents are leaders because they learn how to form quick relationships.  The relationships within their “sphere of influence” can also be coined a “tribe.”  Seth Godin speaks about tribe building in this entertaining and compelling presentation.  For every tribe there are leaders.  Be one. Find others.

Steve Jobs is stepping down from Apple due to illness.  Steve is an inspirational tribe leader.  Listen to him tell three stories about his life with Stanford grads in 2005.  His story is powerful becasue of his failures.

Leaders who sell products and services leveraging the internet are at My Lead System Pro.  Check out their stories and videos here.

Staci Gauny is a tribe leader.  She is soft spoken Mom who enjoys being at home with her children.  She is a fierce warrior and competitor when it comes to marketing and selling online.  You will not see her crow about it, but she appears on the leader boards within MLSP as a sales leader.  (Interpretation: she is making money)  Staci and her husband Ronnie built a company and service product called TribePro.  TribePro reflects the servant spirit of its founders and works to promote your ideas and stories.  Check  out TribePro.

If you are struggling to provide for your family or not doing work that fits your passion then I challenge you to find a leader who stirs your heart.  Someone that calls you to action because of their conviction and stories of their own failures and successes.  You are built to work and serve.  Let’s go!

Godspeed

If you are a real estate agent, MLM sales person, or anyone in a relationship marketing role then you can learn how to make presentations that make you more money in your sales efforts.  People do business with others they trust and like.  You are personable and can sell but you are limited in time and space to the number of pitches you make.  Leverage yourself with video, blogs, and other team members so that the power of your sales pitch can be made 24/7 online!     Brian Introduces Back Porch Studio

If you are in a people business, and you are afraid of using Facebook or Youtube, then you are leaving thousands of dollars on the table.  You can learn some foolproof methods how to leverage your existing knowledge and relationships.  Many of the tricks and formulas that you find on this website will guarantee success in adding to your business.  Your business may be in real estate, or you may have a network marketing business.  Regardless of your business, there are simple things you can do today for little money to jump start revenues.

One group that boosts your knowledge and is geared to training you is MLSP.  MLSP is an acronym that stands for MyLeadSystemPro.  MyLeadSystemPro was co-founded by Mike Dillard.  Mike’s vision was to build a group that served MLM (multi-level marketing) home based business marketers.

I discovered MLSP from an ad on Facebook.  The Facebook ad was for a “how to” find buyers for Pre-Paid Legal services on-line.  The internet world is where buyers are.  No matter what business you are in, I believe that if you are in a people service business then a membership to MLSP is worthwhile.  Take a look, test drive some videos and give-aways.  I guarantee that your purchase is worth it if you are serious about growing your people business.  Click On MLSP

You do not have to be a genius to know that Realtors are impacted dramatically in this recession.  Real estate brokerage is a struggling market sector.  The answer for many veteran agents is to slash expenses and smash more prospecting.  Translation..work harder.

Hard work is not a problem for me.  My small bank account is a problem.  The solution is to find the people making money with new skills and do what they do.

One way to bottle up years of experience and knowledge is to build an information product and sell it.  How do you do that?  Find someone who is successful today doing that.  There is an industry of information products and “that industry” is changing!”

The basics of the info product is that you already have answers in you.  Your job is to figure out the problems of people and sell them the solution.  At least that is what I am being told.   If you are a real estate agent and still have an active license in 2011 then you do this for “FREE” daily!

Mark Hoverson sold me on his Irresistible Info-Marketing Blueprint.  The product is great!  Mark reveals how he has made thousands of dollars on-line and shares in detail how to do it for yourself.  Click on the Information BluePrint to start your own info product journey.

Let me tell you a story.  My parents are both real estate brokers and business owners.  I grew up listening to Zig Ziglar motivation tapes, helping install yellow Century 21 sign posts, attending Realtor conventions with Better Homes and Gardens, GMAC, Builder Marketing Society and Prudential Real Estate over three decades.  I have observed the best sales people, managers and owners spend money and time learning new things and copying the greatest and most profitable ideas.  Beware of the schemes that promise money without improving your skills.  The new franchise of the future is YOU!  Time to invest.  Wealth is being transferred today.  Let’s learn and work together.

Godspeed,

Brian