Communication is an integral part of everyone’s daily activities. Whether you are talking with co-workers, your family members, or by phone or e-mail, effective communication benefits everyone. The problem is, we are usually in such a hurry we don’t think about how what we are saying is being interpreted by the recipient. In fact, there may be times when what we intend is not what the person receiving the message hears. This is even more prevalent with e-mail.

Here are some areas to consider as you evaluate your communication style.

1. Be respectful to everyone: The best way to stop the communication flow is to be disrespectful to the person you are talking to. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, whether it is your boss, your kids, co-workers, the cleaning crew, etc. No one is better than anyone else – treat everyone as you would like to be treated. There is a side benefit here as well; you never know when you might need help, and you will be much more likely to receive it from people you were nice to in the past.
2. Listen: You have something you want to say and you know you are right. That may be, but you will destroy any chance you have for the other party to accept your viewpoint if you are rude and talk over them. You will gain much more cooperation from people if you listen to them and let them participate during your conversation.
3. Don’t be condescending: You may have a larger vocabulary than the person you are talking to or you may be an expert in a field, but you will gain no ground by talking over the person you are communicating with to make yourself feel more important. Again, the goal of communicating is to successfully convey your thoughts and ideas, that is pretty tough if the person you are talking to has no idea what you are talking about. It’s even worse if you are doing it just to make them feel stupid.
4. Make sure everyone is clear: At the end of the conversion do a quick recap to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding what was decided. If this is a work environment, you may want to summarize the conversation in a memo or e-mail afterwards and send it to all participants. That way no one can argue later that they didn’t understand. Be sure to keep all e-mails or memos you send out for your own records.
5. Be approachable: You may be the boss or the parent, but that doesn’t mean you have to be unapproachable. There may be times when one of your employees or children needs to initiate a conversation. Don’t make it a scary or stressful situation because they will be less likely to be forthcoming with information you need to know.

Remember, we are all trying to work together to come to understandings, which means our communication skills are very important. Take the time to assess your current communication skills and their affects on the people you interact with. It may be time for a little tweaking!

When you mention real estate investment in most areas of the country these days, all people talk about is how much value properties have lost. We became spoiled the last few years as the real estate values skyrocketed. We forgot the fundamental reasons of investing in property, long-term investment and equity building. We focused on the short-term value increases. Of course, no one wanted to face the fact that the increases couldn?t go on forever and eventually there would be a market correction. We certainly didn?t anticipate what has happened recently!

Now the dust has settled . . . it is time to go back to the fundamentals. Except for unusual circumstances, real estate investment is a long-term investment strategy, not a get-rich-quick scheme. Here are six fundamental principles to take into consideration when looking at property investment.

1. Income generation: Except for the home you are living in, when purchasing property you are looking for someone to rent or lease the property. The rental payments you receive are income that you then use to pay the mortgage and associated expenses for that property. Ideally, the rent you receive from a piece of property will cover all your expenses and have extra left over.

 

2. Equity build-up: As you receive rent payments from your tenants and pay the mortgage, a portion of each payment goes to interest on the loan and the rest goes to paying down the principle of the loan. By paying down the principle, you are building equity. That means you are increasing the amount of the property that you ?own.?

 

3. Tax advantages: Your rental property is considered a business. Therefore you can take business tax deductions associated with the property. For example, depreciation. The IRS allows an owner to depreciate buildings over time, and a good accountant will be able to help you take advantage of this law. Your accountant will also be able to show you other tax deductions you will be able to use in your rental business.

 

4. Leverage: You can have control of a piece of property without having to pay for the entire property upfront. You do this by using OPM – Other People?s Money. OPM allows you to leverage your investment and use the income generated to pay off the mortgage and gain equity. You will make much more on your money by leveraging your investment than if you owned the property outright. A drawback to this is the higher level of risk some people are not comfortable with.

 

5. Local Markets: Residential units, either single or multi-family, are bought and sold in every city and town around the world. You will never run out of possibilities. The key is to do your research for the area(s) in which you want to invest. Learn everything you can before you start investing, and don?t be afraid to talk to people who have knowledge about the area.

 

6. Buying Below Market Value: Now is a great time to find properties that are being offered below their market value. Unfortunately, the lending practices of the last few years have put people in a difficult situation, forcing them to sell their house below market value. Other reasons include job transfers, divorce, job loss, or change in financial condition. You may feel that you are taking advantage of people in a difficult situation, but if you are fair and equitable in your dealings with them, you will actually be helping them get out of a bad situation.

The six elements listed above are the foundation of most long-term real estate investors. There are great deals to be had for someone who is serious and is willing to do the work involved. Remember to always consult with your attorney and accountant before investing in real estate.

Are you one of the many who think they need goals but never get serious about them? Or are you one of the very elite few who actually realize the incredible benefits to be gained by getting VERY serious about setting goals.

The increase in income alone is a major benefit of goal setting and should be enough to make anyone take a serious look at it. However, there are many, many additional benefits that can’t be measured in numbers that improve the overall pleasure of life. So, put the two together, and wow, think about what this could do for you.

To make goal setting really work for you, there are things in your life you need to throw away right now ? you don’t need them, you don’t want them, they are doing great harm to you.

1. Anger: This is rampant now more than ever because of the collapse of our economy and the devastating effect this has had on the lives of so many people. We want to blame someone for what has happened to us ? we’re angry at everything and everyone that upset our life. The truth of the matter is, you are not hurting the person or thing you are angry at, you are only hurting yourself. They don’t even know you are angry with them. As Buddy Hackett, the comedian, once said, “I never hold grudges; while you’re holding grudges, they’re out dancing!” Throw away your anger!
   

    

2. Self Pity: This is such a natural and comforting thing to cling to; and the people who won’t give it up will never reach their full potential ? not even close!? Don’t blame others for your problems. Take ownership of everything that is yours. If you don’t like those things, decide to change them, which usually means changing yourself and your attitude towards life. Throw away the self pity!

 

3. Making Excuses: Instead of making excuses for things that come up in your life that are uncomfortable or unwanted, say, “I am responsible.” Do you know what this will do for you? It will give the power of the situation to you and will take you out of the role of victim. You will become free, mentally and emotionally. By the way, you can also say, “I am responsible” when good things happen in your life! How great is that?! Throw away your excuses!

These harmful, self-destructive habits and emotions won’t disappear the first time you throw them out. They’ll sneak back into your life as soon as they can because you have been such a good host to them, and they want to stay with you. This is normal and happens to everyone. That’s why you must practice doing this consistently for several weeks, or however long it takes to permanently eradicate them. Throw them out!

Set yourself up as a personal services corporation ? You, Inc. – ?and make yourself the president. You will be in charge of and responsible for everything. Set up your goals for this corporation ? salary, vacation time, leisure time, continuing education, training needed to be more effective in your job, marketing yourself, etc. Be very specific in what you want and what you want to be.

You are president of your career. Picture yourself as a powerful person who is self-determined and self-directed. If you don’t like your past, dismiss it as just that ? the past. You cannot change anything that has happened; you can only learn from it.

Be very specific about your goals for this corporation because they will determine, in a very great way, whether you will fail or be hugely successful. You are the architect of your own destiny ? make the blueprint amazing, wonderful, and ?awesome!

Phone prospecting is often a “scary” thing for people who are in positions where this is part of their job or if they have their own home-based business and this is critical to their success. There are several very important things to take into consideration when you on talking to prospects on the phone.

First of all (and this is VERY important) you must be in the right mindset whether you are talking to leads you have purchased, if you are calling a client base or if you are making cold calls.

Go through the reasons in your mind why you are calling this prospect and what result you want from the call. It’s a good idea to make a list of pros and cons of the type of people you want in your organization or as a client. Take a piece of paper, put a line down the center and write the pros on one side and the cons on the other. Read this list often – it will become an automatic sorting tool for you, and you will not waste your time on people who do not fit your criteria. For example, a “pro” would be someone who has energy and drive. A “con” would be someone who has low energy or is unsure of what they want. Believe it or not, this is an excellent way to attract the people you want.

Always have a pleasant and upbeat voice when you talk to prospects. Be excited about your reason for calling. If you don’t feel particularly excited at the time, think about what made you excited when you first heard about the business you are in and what it was that made you decide to join the organization. Was it the product? Was it the income opportunity? Was it the strength of the organization? Was it the quality of the people there?

A smile on your face comes through the phone. When your prospect answers the phone, always greet them by their first name ? “Hi Bob” ? then introduce yourself and tell them where you’re from ? “This is Mary from DeMoines, Iowa,” or from your company name.

After you have introduced yourself to a prospect, don’t immediately go into your presentation. Ask them questions about themselves, what they are looking for, etc. That’s also a good sorting tool. Maybe when you learn more about them, you’ll decide they don’t fit your criteria. Believe me, you will never sell anything to anyone by blasting your opportunity without taking the time to show your prospects you are interested in them. And you should be ? they will either be someone in your organization or a client, so you need to know if they are someone you want to do business with. You’re in the driver’s seat here.

Work on your presentation posture. If you have a script you are working from, know it so well it rolls off your tongue. Then, use it only for reference, because you want to sound natural and not scripted. You don’t become a phone pro overnight ? you must work on your delivery until it “works” for you. It’s a good idea to get a recording device where you can record your presentation, listen to it and critique yourself. Or if you have someone you trust who will be honest with you, present your dialogue to them and have them critique you.

Your phone posture is critical, especially if you are talking to professionals. They want to work with someone who they feel is professional as well. In fact, this is critical regardless who you are talking to ? people respond to strength, and if you don’t develop this in your presentation, you will lose a lot of potential sales. Is this easy to develop? For some people it is, but for most everyone, you acquire this through practice, practice, practice. Don’t become discouraged; just know that when you acquire this, the world is your oyster.

As they say, the fortune is in the follow up! Always follow up with a prospect when you say you are going to. This makes you look professional. Life happens, so don’t be discouraged if they are not available at that time. Give them at least three opportunities to be available for a follow up. And, if you feel they are a particularly good candidate for your organization, give them a couple more calls. Schedule your follow-up calls in your calendar, either virtual or on paper.

When someone has missed an appointment with you, call them (or leave a voice mail) and let them know they missed the appointment, that you realize life happens, but you allotted this time for them, and you are willing to reschedule at another time. If you leave a voice message, ask them to get back with you so you can set up another appointment for them. Remember, they were interested enough to set up the first appointment. If you don’t hear from them, call them and set up the next appointment. A good way to avoid this situation is to tell them at the time you set up the appointment that you would appreciate the courtesy of a call or email if they are unable to make it.

An enjoyable work place has a huge influence on our success as well as our emotional and physical health. Perhaps the most important reason for placing such importance on this is the influence it will have on your stress level. There is compelling evidence everywhere that stress damages our bodies as well as our relationships which, in turn, diminishes our productivity and success.

Finding the ideal location for a home office is sometimes not easy since it requires enough space to move about comfortably and have the necessary equipment to operate efficiently.

Some entrepreneurs combine a guest bedroom and their home office. If you do not have a lot of overnight guests, this could work very well. Adding a desk, small filing cabinet and bookcase are often all that’s needed to turn a guest room into a functional office.

Other possibilities are a small area in a family room, dining room, etc. Depending on your climate, even a small area in your garage would work to get you started. And, if you have an extra room in your home just waiting for “someone” or “something” to claim it ? there you go! That would be the ideal situation. Here are some recommendations for your home office.

1. One thing that is absolutely necessary and can fit into any office location is a comfortable and supportive desk or office chair. This is imperative because you will spend many hours a day in your office, and if you end up being uncomfortable or get a backache, you will avoid spending time there, and your productivity will surely go down.
2. If you do a lot of your business by phone, you MUST have a good-quality cordless telephone system with at least two additional handsets located throughout your home. That will prevent missing that all-important phone call, and you won’t need to run to your office to answer your phone.
3. A good headset for your phone will save you a lot of frustration, will make you more comfortable and more conversational. There are many choices out there. When I was looking for a good headset for my business phone, I tried MANY different models ? all the way from $30 to over $200. I finally found the perfect one for about $40 and recommend it to all my team members. When you are choosing the right headset for yourself, make sure you can exchange or return it if it doesn’t meet your expectations.
4. A temporary desk often works well for awhile; however, you must always have your computer keyboard at a comfortable level that works for you. After you have decided on the location for your home office, it is then time to look for permanent furnishings. In addition to office supply stores, check out the consignment shops. There often are great bargains there!
5. When you have moved into your permanent home office, be sure to put pictures on the wall, bring in a plant or two and make room someplace for your “Vision Board.” There you will build your dream life by putting up magazine clippings, photos, etc., on a cork wallboard ? anything that represents the life you are working towards.

Just keep that stress level down by enjoying your surroundings!!