While attending the California Association of Realtors meetings last month I had the pleasure of hearing a speech from Real Estate powerhouse, and Founder of the Corcoran Group, Barbara Corcoran. While I have enjoyed much success in the Los Angeles Real Estate industry, I understand the value of continuing my training and development to ensure that I stay competitive. Listening to Barbara was inspirational—and here are the key points and knowledge that I gained from hearing her speak:
Flaunt What You’ve Got
Per the title of her best-selling book, Barbara shared one of the more poignant pieces of advice her mother passed along to her “If you don’t have big breasts, put ribbons on your pigtails.” She spoke about how we each have unique traits and unique skillsets that we need to learn how to maximize to our full potential. Too often we look at others and are envious of what they do well, and try to figure out how to replicate their success. Instead we should focus on how to identify where we excel that others don’t—and to capitalize on that.
Your Response To Failure Can Define Your Success
I was surprised to learn that Barbara Corcoran was a D high school student, and had 20 jobs by the time she was 23 years old. However, her determination to succeed is what propelled her forward—and inspired her to become one of the most successful Real Estate Agents in the world.
This got me thinking about how quickly my team and I bounce back from setbacks. While it is easy to let a setback or failure consume your next few days (or months), the longer you dwell—the longer it takes to recover and find the new areas of opportunity.
Surround Yourself With Those Who Excel In Your Weaknesses
A successful Real Estate Agency needs to have a solid team of power sellers, however not all of the members on your team—or your non-sales team members, need to be power sellers. Barbara discussed how while sales are her strong suit, daily paperwork and attention to detail are not. In order to achieve success you must surround yourself with power players, but also with other vital key players that specialize in the areas of Real Estate, or skillsets you do not. This will not only give you a well balanced team, but allow you to be more versatile.
While none of the concepts above are new to me, they are a great refresher—and great to share with my team members who have not yet been introduced to similar concepts. By investing in the ongoing training and development for both myself and my team—we will continue to be competitive, and to achieve success.