I'm Making Dreams Come 'Treu' This Year

What are your dreams for 2019? If they involve embarking on a long and successful real estate career, I can help.

This year, I’m committed to being a dream maker not only for our clients, but also for those looking to start a career in real estate and work with buyers, with sellers, or in an administrative position. 

Are you thinking of getting into real estate? If so, why should you consider True Group Real Estate? You have other options—there are 21,000 other agents in Palm Beach County—but why us? Because only 1,200 of those agents sell 10 or more homes a year, which is the cutoff point to where agents can start making a nice living.

With the right systems, processes, and mentorship, you can develop the necessary skills to become my next rising star.

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If you think you can become a successful real estate agent, I think you can too...if you have the right systems, use the correct processes, and understand that being an agent is a sales job. We’re here to sell clients on working with us and taking action to follow their dreams, so give me a call and we can help you start your real estate career.

If you’re already a licensed real estate agent but you’ve been struggling to get your career on track, I want you to give me a call too. With the right systems, processes, and mentorship, you can develop the skills necessary for becoming my next rising star. 

In either case, I look forward to hearing from you soon!

What’s the Key to a Successful Real Estate Career?

Most people who get into real estate fail within the first couple of years, but I’d love to share with you the reality of what it takes to be successful and have a long-term real estate career. 

Did you know that 80% to 82% of all businesses fail within the first couple of years? That’s a lot, right? Only 3% of all businesses last more than five years. Having been in a real estate career since 1989, those numbers amaze me. 

How does real estate compare to other businesses, though? As a matter of fact, real estate agents have a bigger challenge—our failure rates is 87%. Why? 

First of all, I think people get into real estate because they assume that because they love homes, they must be a great agent. Real estate is not just about loving homes, though. We’re not buying them—we’re selling them. 

The first reason I think most real estate agents fail is they don’t realize that being a real estate agent is a sales job. You need to have great skills, be willing to get on the phone, meet with people, and build relationships. 

The second reason is most of them get into real estate because they want freedom. They already have a job, but they don’t want the same constraints as that previous job. What you realize if you have a successful business is schedules and processes equal freedom—not the other way around. If you talk to a lot of people in real estate, they’ll tell you they never have a day off or take a vacation, or if they take one, they’re on the phone the whole time. To me, that’s not freedom. A schedule is freedom. 

The third and final reason most agents fail is they don’t have a system or a process. 

If you’re thinking about getting into real estate and you’re excited about it, I’d love to share with you the reality of what it takes to be successful and have a long-term career. Real estate is a great career. Like I said, I’ve been doing it since 1989, and I love it every day. However, it’s not about houses—it’s about people. 

If you’d like to explore real estate or just discuss business practices, I’d love to chat with you. Just give me a call and let’s make this year the best ever. 

Tips for Sharing Your Vision With Your Team Members

Kadi Cole, author of "Sticky Note Leadership", is back to give you a few tips on how to effectively communicate your vision with your team.  

You have a vision, a passion, and a direction for your business. How do you get that vision and excitement across to your team so that you’re not pulling the train by yourself and everyone is pushing together?

Kadi Cole, the author of “Sticky Note Leadership,” is back to share a few tips for sharing your vision.

One of Kadi’s favorite leadership quotes is, “If you’re leading and no one is following, you’re just going on a walk.” One of the hardest parts about leadership is taking what’s in our brain and what we’re most excited about and really translating that so that other people can catch on and come with us.

The first thing you need to do is be able to articulate what your vision is very clearly and simply. Many of us who lead businesses and organizations have a very strong mental capacity. We see the big picture, we understand how it all fits together, and we’re very strategic. Sometimes when we cast a vision, it can be a little bit too complex for people to want to be a part of or understand.

You need to be able to simplify your vision into something that is sticky. Make it a rhyme or jingle, something that will stick in people’s minds. The best way to know if your vision is sticking is if you hear your team repeating the vision to each other when you’re not even in the room. You’re looking for something that might not include all of the details of your vision but is sticky enough to pass along.

You also need to know how to connect to the emotions of your people. Passion is an emotional quality; it’s not intellectual. Part of that is helping people know why staying where you are isn’t really acceptable anymore. We must go to this new frontier. Here’s what we’re going to do and here’s what we’re going to be. Even though that’s going to be awesome, it’s only 50% of it. The other 50% is helping your employees understand why it’s going to be a disaster if you stay here.

Ultimately, you need to capture people’s emotions, connect them to the vision, and make the vision simple and sticky.

I would like to thank Kadi for talking with us today. Again, I cannot recommend her book highly enough; I will probably be reading “Sticky Note Leadership” every month for the rest of my life. Leadership is not necessarily taught on a consistent basis, especially if you have a smaller business or if you’re in the sales business, so this book is full of super great tips. You can get your own copy here.

As always, if you have any questions, just give me a call. I would be happy to help you!

3 Ways You Can Become a Better Leader

Do you want to become a better leader for your family or organization? Kadi Cole, the author of “Sticky Note Leadership,” recommends these three steps.  

Kadi Cole, the author of “Sticky Note Leadership,” is here to help you put a plan together so that you can become a better leader.

If you are interested in leading your organization or maybe your family in a better way, there are a few things you can do to start.

The first and easiest thing to do is to start reading books on leadership. We are lucky to be in a time where there is a lot of writing about leadership available. Kadi recommends getting that information into your mentality and thinking.

When you realize that success is not what you’ve accomplished in a day but what you’ve invested in other people, that is such a different way to think about leadership. The measuring stick for success is different. Kadi recommends listening to podcasts, reading books, or listening to audiobooks on your commute or when you’re working out to begin to understand the leadership principles and concepts.

The next step is to block out some time every week to focus on being in a leader mentality. It’s so easy to live in terms of fires and urgencies that we never quite get ahead.

Kadi often uses parenting in her analogies for leadership. If you only think about what your kids need right in that minute but you’re not planning for their future, then it’s going to be really hard to be able to lead your children well. You will just be managing their daily life, which isn’t good parenting. Kadi blocks time off each week, forcing herself to think and dream ahead for the people she cares about. That way, she knows she’s doing the best for them.

The same is true for you as the leader of a business or organization.

Finally, Kadi recommends that you connect with other leaders and invest in people who can invest in you to think bigger. Look for people who are a few steps ahead of you or people who are leading at higher levels and connect with them.

I would like to thank Kadi for taking the time to talk with us. Be sure to check out her book, “Sticky Note Leadership.” You can probably read it in an afternoon, and you will learn so much.  

If you have any questions for me, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Make Every Day a Vacation in 2018

In 2018, I’m going to challenge myself to vacation every day. Here’s how.  

What if vacation could be permanent?

Recently, a beautiful view in Thailand got me thinking: How can I recreate this feeling every day of my life?  

It doesn’t matter where you are. It is possible. I challenge you in 2018 to vacation every day.

In South Florida, it’s really easy to do this. We live in paradise. So in the coming year, I’m going to go out and find places that tourists might visit in our area that we take for granted.

Wherever you are, you can do this too. Whether it’s going to the beach, going to great restaurants, going to museums, or seeing a concert, you can find a reason and a way to vacation every day.

Of course, we all have careers and obligations. We can’t devote all of our time to leisurely activities. However, even during these busy times, we can still find little moments that bring us peace, joy, and laughter every day.

So in 2018, I’m committed to vacationing every day. How about you?

As always, feel free to give me a call or send me an email if you have any real estate-related questions or I can help you in any way. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What Makes Someone a Leader?

What does it take to be a leader? Today I’m joined by a special guest, Kadi Cole, to talk about the subject of leadership.

What does it mean to be a great leader?

To help me answer this question, I’m joined by a special guest: Kadi Cole. Kadi wrote an amazing book called “Sticky Note Leadership” that deals with this subject exactly.

According to Kadi, all of us are leaders in our own way. The John Maxwell quote “Leadership is influence” really applies here
.

If you have influence over the team you work with, the business you run, your kids, or anything else, you are a leader. Kadi says it’s also important to remember that we all have 100% influence over ourselves. So, self-leadership acts as a great foundation for becoming a strong leader, in general.

Simply getting up in the morning and following through with your goals are good first steps toward self-leadership. When you can be a strong influence on yourself, you can be a positive influence for others.

This is an idea that comes into play in the realm of parenting, as well. And parenting and leading a business have a lot in common. The goal of any parent is to raise a self-sufficient and independent adult. This is the same goal leaders have for their businesses.

It may take a lot of hands-on leadership to achieve your goals for your business, especially when directing new employees, but your influence will ultimately lead the members of your team to be able to self-manage.

If you haven’t read Kadi’s book, I really recommend doing so.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Get Your Attitude in Check

What attitude do you bring to the table every day? Adopting a can-do attitude can make a world of difference when reaching your goals.

Today I want to take a break from talking about real estate to talk about something that impacts your daily life: your attitude.

It seems like everyone is talking about how you should be positive and have a good attitude. However, there are all kinds of attitudes. There are good, positive attitudes, and there are negative, bad attitudes. There are also can-do attitudes, which is what I want to focus on.

One of the reasons why I don’t tend to want to quit when things aren’t going well is because I have a can-do attitude. I always believe I will find a way. The harder it gets, the more determined I get to obtain the results that I want.

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You need to have a can-do attitude to reach your goals.

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You need to be aware of the type of attitude you have and then decide which attitude to adopt into your lifestyle. I recommend choosing a really optimistic, can-do attitude. It will bring you one step closer to your goals, which will make you feel much better.

If you have any questions about this topic or if you have any real estate questions, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Also, we’re hiring! So if you know anyone with a positive or can-do attitude, we want to talk to them. We look forward to hearing from you!

3 Tips for Achieving Your Goals in 2017

If you have already given up on your goals for 2017, there are three things you can do to get back on track and achieve them.

Right now, many people have probably given up on their resolutions for 2017. Today, I want to encourage you to achieve your goals.

I think most people fail because they don’t have a clear plan or they don’t want what they said they did to begin with. There is always a price to pay when you work toward a goal, and you have to ask yourself, “Am I willing to pay that price?”

If you have fallen off the path toward success, here are three things you can do to get back on track:

1. Be clear on what you truly want. Many times, you go with the popular answer, and that is not the right way to go. If you really don’t want to achieve your goal, then you are not going to sacrifice what you need to do to meet it; instead, you will just give up.

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Resolutions may or may not happen; commit to goals instead.

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2. Tell the people in your life what you are committed to. The key word in that sentence is “committed.” I don’t call them New Year’s resolutions; I call them goals because I am committed to my goals. Resolutions may or may not happen. Find the people in your life who will be your cheerleaders and hold you accountable.

3. Break your goals down into daily, actionable things that you can do. Each time that you do them, you will be closer and closer to your goal. When you create these action items, it’s important to be specific. If your goal is to be in the best shape ever, put those items on a calendar daily or weekly. Treat them like the most important appointments of your day.

In short, don’t put yourself second. Make sure that you get what you want and honestly deserve in 2017. If I can ever be of any help to you, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

The Top 2 Lessons From the Thrive Conference

I recently attended a great conference by Cole Hatter called "Thrive", and I wanted to share two important lessons that I learned there with you today about goals and decision-making.

I recently attended "Thrive," a conference by Cole Hatter, and I wanted to share two of the most important lessons I learned with you today. First of all, Cole told us that there are two types of moments: inconsequential moments and defining moments. An inconsequential moment is when you make a decision that won’t really change your life. On the other hand, defining moments are when everything will change. Cole shared that most people struggle with inconsequential moments. For example, people will spend a lot of time deciding what kind of ice cream to get when it doesn’t really matter. Most of us have it backwards; we spend time worrying about inconsequential moments but make hasty decisions when it comes to defining moments. Who will you marry? What job will you take? Where will you go to school? Those are defining moments, and they need to be dealt with as such. As for those inconsequential moments, just make a decision and move on. Give the right amount of thought to those defining moments.

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Don’t waste your time worrying about inconsequential moments.

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The second major lesson I learned was something I already knew but had stopped doing: creating one-year, five-year, and 10-year goals. Cole challenged us to go back within a week and make those goals. I knew that if I went back to my regular life, I wouldn’t get those goals done, so I carved out a couple of hours that day to make my goals.

I’ve found that starting with my 10-year goal and working my way back is the best method. Once you make those goals, you have to make them happen. How do you want your work life to be? What do you want your relationships to look like? How do you want to feel physically?

After you write your goals down, make sure you read them out loud when you wake up in the morning. Doing so will activate your brain to see all of the opportunities to bring what you want into your life. Everywhere you look, you have an opportunity to achieve your goals; your brain just doesn’t know it yet. Reading those goals out loud will change that.

I hope these two lessons will help you as much as they have helped me. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I would be happy to help you!

The 3 Types of People You Need in Your Life

There are three types of people you need in your life in order to help you achieve your goals: someone who believes in you, someone who inspires you, and someone you can inspire.

There are three types of people you need in your life in order to help you achieve your goals.

The first is someone who believes in you. These people are the cheerleaders in your life. When you come up with a good idea, they’re the ones who say, “I know you can do it and I support you.” I myself have been very fortunate to have those kinds of people in my life, from my mother to my husband to great coaches like Tony DiCello. These people believed in me during the times when I questioned whether I had the ability to fulfill my dreams.

The second type of person is someone who inspires you. This can be a person you see online, read about in a book, or know personally. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that this kind of person will cause you to want to be better, so go out there and find them.

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Grab a pen and paper and write down the names of anyone these categories apply to.

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The third type of person is someone that you can help or inspire. I always have a picture in my mind of myself climbing a ladder with one hand stretched high and one hand stretched low. The hand stretched high is being pulled up the ladder by another hand while the hand stretched low is pulling someone along their own journey.

What I want you to do now is grab a pen and a paper and write down the names of anyone you know that falls into these three categories. If you’re having a hard time finding these types of people, your next job is to head out the door and start looking for them. That’s the homework I’m assigning you to help you achieve your goals and make all of your dreams come true. I know you can do it.

If you have any questions or need any help implementing this strategy, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

The 4 Valuable Lessons I Learned in Greece

Looking to improve your real estate career? We're here to help you make a smart decision when it comes to growing your business, improving your bottom line, and choosing a place to work in real estate sales. If you'd like to learn more about working with The Treu Group, contact us at (561) 352-3056 or lisa@treugroup.com

Today I wanted to switch things up a bit and share with you the four lessons that I learned while on vacation in Greece. There are lessons all around us everywhere we go.

The first is to be open-minded. One thing I was really concerned about was the cuisine because I wasn't sure if I'd like it. I didn't like Greek yogurt, but what I discovered was that I just had never had great Greek yogurt. In Greece, we enjoyed fresh Greek yogurt every morning, and it was delicious! Imagine if I had been unwilling to try something new— I would have missed out on discovering one of my new favorite things.

The second thing I learned was to be willing to try something new. We also rented scooters and ATVs in Greece, which scared me a bit because we weren't familiar with the area, and honestly, they drive a little bit crazy over there. We decided to try something new, though, and we got to see parts of Greece that we would never have gotten to see if we hadn't been willing to just give it a try.

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Always be willing to try something new.

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Another thing I learned was to treat everything like an adventure. Even something like getting lost can be fun. Look at life that way— what are you doing in the moment, and how can you make it fun and exciting instead of just looking at what's wrong.

Finally, the fourth thing I learned was to set big goals and allow yourself to dream bigger. My husband and I were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, and we thought back to our honeymoon. It was very different than this trip; it was a very short weekend trip, which we thought was wonderful at the time. Because we've allowed ourselves to think big and dream big, we were able to take this amazing trip.

I hope you'll take these four lessons I've learned and give them a try to create something amazing for yourself. If you have any questions for me, please don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to keep this conversation going!

Celebrating the Peaks and Valleys in Life

Looking to improve your real estate career? We're here to help you make a smart decision when it comes to growing your business, improving your bottom line, and choosing a place to work in real estate sales. If you'd like to learn more about working with The Treu Group, contact us at (561) 352-3056 or lisa@treugroup.com

Today I’m standing at an amazing lakeside location in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and wanted to share with you a thought that came to us while we were hiking to get here. That thought is that life is like a hike - you have both the peaks of the mountaintops, and the challenging valleys. 

We all love the peaks, but the higher the peak, the lower the valley you had to come through to reach it. When you’re in one of the valleys, look for the lesson to be learned in that moment, apply that lesson, and welcome the valley. Only through that valley comes the amazing peak.

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Only through the valley comes the amazing peak.

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Challenge that thought within yourself. Celebrate the valleys, because good things are coming. In order to get to where we are right now in Coeur d’Alene, we had to hike uphill through a very tough spot. But you know what? It was worth it.

Remember, if you have any questions I’m just a phone call away. I want to celebrate the peaks and valleys of your life. Have a great day!

Your 5 Best Friends

Looking to improve your real estate career? We're here to help you make a smart decision when it comes to growing your business, improving your bottom line, and choosing a place to work in real estate sales. If you'd like to learn more about working with The Treu Group, contact us at (561) 352-3056 or lisa@treugroup.com

There is a saying that you become like the five people you spend the most time with. I mostly agree with the concept. However, I believe you actually become like the five people you allow to influence you the most.

At Treu Group Real Estate, we dedicate so much time on education, training, and travel because the most influential people in your life are not always in your backyard. Sometimes you have to get on a plane and find them. Let’s say you’re on a budget and just starting out in your career. How do you find the five people you’re influenced by?

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Read great books to open up your world.

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There’s one way you can go about it that’s really inexpensive: read great books. Here are three of my favorites:

1. The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews. I love Andy Andrews, and I read this book once a year.
2. The Carpenter by Jon Gordon. I love Jon Gordon’s books because they have a story, are easy to read, and make great points about mindset, attitude, and teamwork.
3. Who’s Got Your Back? by Keith Ferrazzi. I recently discovered this book, and I love it. It really talked about the team around you and how you support each other.

Challenge yourself to read more books. If you haven’t read for a long time, it’s okay. Pick one up and plan to read it this month. Then you will start reading a little more and a little more. You’ll find that your world will open up, the right people will come into your life, and you will be able to achieve the things you want and deserve.

If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

You'll Fall in Love with Florida

Looking to improve your real estate career? We're here to help you make a smart decision when it comes to growing your business, improving your bottom line, and choosing a place to work in real estate sales. If you'd like to learn more about working with The Treu Group, contact us at (561) 352-3056 or lisa@treugroup.com

I love living in Florida and think you would love it too. Today we are going to talk about some of the reasons why we have fallen in love with Florida, and why it’s such a great place to live.

My favorite thing about living in Palm Beach County is the weather. It’s not called “The Sunshine State” for nothing. It’s sunny pretty much year-round here.

The second thing I love about living here is the lifestyle. There are great beaches, clear blue waters, world-class golf courses, and fun dining, shopping, and entertainment options. Today we are in Delray Beach, which has been voted one of the most fun cities in the U.S.

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They don't call it the
 “The Sunshine State”
 for nothing!

”

If you’re one of our California, New Jersey, or New York residents looking at living here, one thing you’ll definitely love is how affordable it is to call Florida home. It was recently named one of the 10 best places to live in the country due to taxation, compared to New Jersey and New York. If you would like to take a look to see what kind of home you can find in Florida, use the search tool right here on our website.

If you have any other questions for us, give us a call or send us an email. We’d love for you to come down here to visit us. We look forward to hearing from you!