Fucillo Family Weblog

Last Monday and Tuesday I spent two days in Seattle attending the Buffini & Company Turning Point Retreat. The head of the company Brian Buffini is an amazing speaker and I walked away from the event not only pumped up about real estate but inspired in many aspects of my life.
Brian discussed how right now is one of the most exciting times to be a real estate professional. With the longer listing times, increased inventory on the market, and negative press, most people think Realtors are out holding signs that say “I’ll sell your house for food”. However, now more than ever, we provide a service that can amount to a huge win for our clients. The agents role in the process is more important than ever. Being more than an agent…a resource, a friend, and a “hub” of information will set a professional full time agent far above the rest.

One of the biggest “ah-ha” moments for me was on the discussion of finances. Maybe because we are going through our financial plan now, or because I was just ready to hear it but the idea of saving, planning for the future and investing for future sources of income really hit home with me. It got me started on a path to dig a little deeper and I’ve already started the reading. (more on that later)

The most enjoyable part of the weekend though was the mixer on the first evening were I got to meet some really great people from all around the Pacific Northwest. I really had a great time and can’t wait for the Master Mind event in San Diego in August.

This tip came to me as a weekly e-mail from Keith Ferrazzi. I thought it was a good idea and made me start to think about who I would want to team up with.

It’s a new year and 2008 is going to bring you what you want, I promise. How can I make that promise? Because I promise you are more likely to stick to your resolutions WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS. I just spent seven days in life-planning bootcamp that I put on for a group of my friends and I have all my goals clearly laid out.  A complete first draft of my next book by June. Getting my blood pressure down to 130/70 without meds. Going to a spiritual service every week… list goes on.

To be a successful goal-getter, you must first define your goal. It will likely fall into one of the seven aspects of what I call our personal success wheel: health & wellness, spirituality, job & career, intellectual & cultural, financial, deep relationships and giving back. Your goal must be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
 
But you can’t do it alone. This is the key to success where in the past you may have slipped! Choose three friends to serve as your accountability buddies. Knowing they are watching you will help you to stick to and reach your goals. I like to call it peer-to-peer pressure. They can cheer you on, send you inspirational songs and helpful website links, whatever it takes. I’m doing this with my sister and a few friends already.
 
But then you should also rally your friends to make improvements in their own lives. Don’t leave them in your dust - bring them along with your success.
 
To help you and your friends get your goals, my team has developed an application called Goal Post on Facebook. It is an easy and visual way to set your goals, choose your accountability buddies and keep track of your progress.
 
Come on, do it now, this works and will significantly increase your likelihood of achieving your goals, but will also be another way to PING your friends and associates and invite them in to be closer to you. And for you to encourage them to count on you to do the same for them! This not only good for you, but it will build your relationships, I promise.
 
So, to a healthier, happier and more successful year and you!

We finally have pictures of the Client party on Tuesday November 11th.

So recently I finished reading a book by Keith Ferrazzi called “Never Eat Alone” that really changed my whole way of thinking about networking. (http://nevereatalone.com) I had always viewed networking as the stuffy, annoying, networking meetings with people running around having very shallow conversations just to get their business card out to as many people as possible. But this books changed my viewpoint. My goal in meeting new people is to try and make a connection with the people I meet. One that could ultimately lead to a real relationship. This book really boiled it down for me. That it shouldn’t be difficult, even for someone like me who leans more to being an introvert.  Although he does a much better job of describing it:

 To some, “Networking” has become a dirty word - and rightfully so. It conjures up rooms of unemployed job-hunters desperately and frantically searching for a quick way in to a position. Or, it’s smarmy salespeople collecting business cards that they toss away when the quick buck doesn’t appear as quickly as hoped. Together, we will do something very different with the word Networking. We will define it as forming genuine relationships and building genuine community — a community of relationships that helps everyone’s well-being and success.

 Hopefully I’ll find more time to write on the subject. But for now I’m still diggesting all the details from the book and putting them to work.