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Welcome to real time real estate. Preliminary numbers are in for the local housing market for April of 2008. As predicted here, based upon March sold pending contracts, member brokers of the Capital Area Association of Realtors MLS report closed home sales were down from April 2007.

With one business day remaining for brokers to report, the 321 closed home sales are down by 64 or by 16.6% from 385 in April of 2007. Expect those numbers to change slightly when the final numbers are reported. For the first time in months the median sale price slipped by $1000, or by 1.04% to $95,000.

The time it took for a home to get sold in April was up to 89 days from 78 last April. The cumulative days on the market are substantially higher when including time on the market during a previous listing period when there was no sale, to an estimated 148 days on the market.

Through the first four months of 2008 closed home sales are down 224 or by 18.4% to 989, days on the market are up to 92 from 79, and the median sale price is up to $97,000, from $94,900 or by 2.2% compared to January through April 2007.

Last week we shared with you that consumer spending, and job growth would be the reasons for any slow down, or pick up in home sales this year. There was a sliver of good news this week with the unemployment rate falling to 5%, consumer spending up fractionally in March, and first quarter GDP growth of .6%. This means we were close, but no recession.

The not so good news was consumer confidence fell to the lowest level since 2003. Low consumer confidence doesn’t bode well for consumer spending. I believe the tax rebates will help, however most will go into gas tanks, to grocery stores, and on credit cards. However extra money and good weather usually pick up people’s spirits.

Last week we reported Springfield had a net increase of 163 jobs in 2007, not nearly enough to put a dent in the record inventory of homes for sale. Yesterday the governor announced plans to relocate 148 employees from IDOT’s traffic safety division to Southern Illinois. This would be a devastating blow to the local economy, and to the families that will be uprooted.

This could add more homes for sale within the local market, when there are 1801 homes listed for sale today, a record for this date. Only one in four listings have sold this year, there is noticeable downward pressure on home prices, it is taking longer to sell, and job growth is already anemic. Yet we remain one of the best housing markets in the Midwest.

If the governor is successful in relocating these 148 jobs and families, these families will have to sell their homes during very tough market conditions, exacerbating their personal dilemma.

With over 600,000 square feet of vacant office space in Springfield, you’d think the governor and IDOT could leave their expensive lease and move to more affordable space in Springfield. This is another example of changing the way we do business in Springfield as promised by this governor during his campaigns.

Regrettably for the families affected by this proposal, for the community of Springfield, and for the people of the state of Illinois, in my opinion all are having to suffer the consequences of the most inept, and possibly the most corrupt leadership in the history of the state, and that’s saying something in Illinois.

How are you all enjoying the; “change the way we’re going to do business in Springfield”, promised by Blagojevich? I guess voting for change, for the sake of change, has its’ perils.

Although recall legislation failed this week, there will be a recall in 2010. Hopefully the damage to the state caused by this administration can be repaired in a reasonable amount of time. Hang in there folks, brighter days lay ahead.

“For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
…A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.”

Ecclesiastes.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of.”

Benjamin Franklin

Time is Life

Each day comes with a package of 24 hours, distributed to all equally. It is up to us to make the most of the 24 hours in each day that are given to all of us. There is so much to do and so little time is the common complaint these days. Within these 24 hours we have to work, sleep, take care of our body and mind, look after our families, pursue our hobbies, and keep our mothers-in-law in good humor. We have to utilize these hours to grow, produce, and progress by managing time properly. Managing the fixed quota 24 hours effectively leads to fulfilling all our responsibilities and enhances our quality of life personally and professionally. When managed properly time yields the highest returns on energy invested.

For sales professionals time is money. They do not get paid in terms of the numbers of hours worked – to “punch a clock”. They are paid to produce results – sales results via sales numbers. So it’s imperative that sales professionals should manage their time properly and make the most of it. Time management is a critical skill for professional happiness. On it hinges your income, your home, all your dreams, and aspirations. Remember, you can’t manage time; all you can do is manage yourself with respect to time.

Managing Time

The art of managing time is based on a few simple and proven techniques. Only with practice can it become an ingrained habit that can produce amazing sales results.

• Get Organized: Getting organized is the first step towards managing time effectively. Highly successful sales people have their calendars chalked out for a year in advance. Create an organizer and schedule your tasks according to your top sales priorities. List the things to do. Minutes make an hour, so enter your plans to do things to the tiniest minute. Three minutes to scan the headlines should mean three minutes and not a minute more. Also prepare a log book of time spent on daily activities. Maintain the log book religiously and enter activities of each day before bed time. Do a weekly review of this to find out where you are spending/wasting your time and apportion that extra time to something worthwhile. Weed out unproductive activities.
• Visualize your action plan for the full day. Do it after the morning work out or the previous evening.
• Delegate tasks to others to save time. Things that can be done by your assistant, subordinates, family, or others should be handed over to them. Compensate and praise them well and they will feel good about being entrusted with the responsibilities of completing a task as well as earning something extra.
• Do not procrastinate. It is the biggest time stealer. Finish off things as and when scheduled. If possible “beat deadlines, do not just try to meet them”.
• Some sales executives take up the easy jobs first and keep the most difficult ones towards the end. Tackle the difficult tasks first. You may require accomplishing one or two easy tasks to warm up. That’s perfect. But then you should target the difficult jobs. You will be amazed how fast they get done when taken head on. Then you will have plenty of time for easier tasks.
• Staying clear of negative thoughts and negative people is a huge time saver. Both can sap energy, reduce productivity, and consume a lot of time. Once you slip into the whirlpool of negative thoughts it will take considerable time to snap out of it. It’s absolutely necessary to entertain only positive and good thoughts. Also it’s advisable to shun the company of negative people and mingle with positive and optimistic people. Steer clear of negative thoughts and stay positive.
• Use your down or wait times creatively. As a sales professional, you probably spend a lot of time in your car in traffic getting to your next appointment. Why not take this time to make phone calls to your prospects We all wait at traffic lights, wait to meet managers, wait to get food served, wait for our secretary to finish preparing the report, wait in lines to pay bills etc. Utilize these times creatively to aid in enhancing your sales productivity
• The above time saving tips are based more on common sense. There are other time saving and productivity enhancing tips that are backed by solid research as well.
• Analysis of revenue growth curves of successful sales professionals reveal that it’s not important how much total time they spend on sales activities rather than how they allot their time. Super sales people from financially high performing companies working for high incentives and stock options allot 40% more time to their best potential customers and spend an additional 3-4 hours on high-value sales activities than their counterparts do in financially low performing companies. A survey conducted by Watson Wyatt of 841 sales people from 500 companies with large sales forces has established this. Sales reps at successful companies dwell more on identifying customer needs and spend more time with the leads that they know.
• The survey also establishes that high sales performers spend less time on administrative work – 30% less than the low performers. Administrative work should be delegated to administrative staff, the secretary, or should be kept to a minimum. The best sales people do all non-related sales activities between 6-8am and 6-8pm. 8am-5pm is defined as prime selling time to get “belly-to-belly” with a decision-maker.

Timing is Everything

In sales timing is everything – at what time to make a sales call, at what time to make a presentation, when to talk, when to listen, and when to close a sale. It may not require the precision of a Scientist, but nevertheless it requires a proper sense of timing. A super sales person knows that there is an appropriate time to meet the CEO of a company when he or she would be in a relaxed and receptive mood. Also there is an appropriate time to close a sale without allowing it to linger.

There is a time for everything. There is a time to work and a time to rest as there is a time to talk and a time to remain silent. This is the essence of time management. Wise sales people know this and know this well.

Doug Dvorak offers an interactive process for sales professionals to discover their natural talents and how to overcome potential roadblocks to sales success. Every individual has a unique selling style that sets them apart. This interactive process allows the individual to focus on and develop their strengths, while identifying potential weaknesses through Doug’s sales self-development plan. Immediately, sales professionals can complete the process and start implementation for sales success.

Doug’s customized program focuses on selling techniques that are used throughout the sales process, from creative prospecting, to developing customized value propositions, to first impressions, to demonstration, to closing. In prospecting, it is imperative to understand the different types of clients you will encounter and what selling techniques will work best for them. Some clients are going to want all of the facts and supporting data and may take a long time to make a decision to move forward. Other clients will want to know how the product or service will benefit the organization and may even make a decision without hearing the entire presentation. When dealing with demanding situations, sales professionals need to be able to adapt their selling techniques and style to match the client’s needs. After all, the golden rule has changed to, “Treat others how THEY want to be treated.”

In order to adapt to a client’s needs, a sales person must first understand his or her own selling style. Which selling techniques come naturally, and which one is a challenge? How does he or she naturally tend to handle objections, make decisions, pay attention to details, and how fast does he or she move through a presentation? If a client does not handle these items in the same manner, a communication breakdown is likely to occur. To avoid the breakdown, you will want to choose a different selling technique.

In addition to selling styles, properly managing an organization’s sales talent can be a key competitive advantage in today’s workforce. It will lead to higher productivity, job satisfaction, increased morale and decreased turnover. All of these factors can contribute to a healthy increase in the organization’s return on investment and are addressed in this customized sales training program.

Sales professionals tend to be goal oriented and results driven. Through sales coaching and the use of Doug’s sales assessments, individuals learn how to satisfy their natural motivators and to behaviorally adapt their sales style to target the communication needs of their clients. As a result, sales will increase and job satisfaction rises.

The Managing For Success® Sales report (MFS) is designed to help sales people attain a greater knowledge of themselves as well as others. The ability to interact effectively with people may be the difference between success and failure in our work and personal life. Effective interaction starts with an accurate perception of oneself. The MFS Sales™ report quantifies information on how we see ourselves and presents this self-perception in a detailed computer report.

Results and Benefits of the MFS Sales Report:

• Helps spot winners and establish a reliable method of choosing sales people.
• Evaluates the performance of both new and existing sales people.
• Shows the sales manager how to get the most out of the sales team.
• Provides coaching for the sales team for maximum results.

The assessment also looks at six areas of the sales process and helps select the salesperson that best fits the present needs of the company:

• Prospecting
• First Impressions
• Qualifying
• Demonstration
• Influence
• Closing

Once the results are received, sales skills development can be tailored to the different needs of each sales person and organization. When sales people understand themselves and their prospects, communication becomes more effective. Therefore, sales productivity and performance increase. The information given in these assessments will enhance the sales development process for any organization.

Duration:

Half-day abridged version is delivered in a 3-4 hour format. Complete version may be delivered in a 6-8 hour format.

Equipment Required:

Overhead / LCD projector and screen
Wireless lavaliere microphone

The program can be customized for any event including:

Breakout Sessions
Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner Events
Sales Meetings
Management Conferences
Corporate Retreats
Special Events

Program Fee:

$5,500.00
Travel expenses billed separately