Part of my company’s mission statement includes being the source for real estate success.

So it’s no surprise that I hear from agents every day who want to improve their business.

As I listen to them, I notice a common theme.  They are overwhelmed with ideas for change.  Many of them have lists of dozens of things they want to tackle…but they don’t know where to start.

Not surprisingly, these agents often end up feeling overwhelmed, and doing absolutely nothing.  Interestingly, I have observed that the most dramatic changes come when an agent chooses to make one tiny but powerful change that can bring them incredible success across the board when consistently practiced.

I call this “The Power of One”, and it involves changing just one thing at a time –mastering one new technique, modifying something that isn’t working, developing one new component or system, or adding one new skill to your repertoire.

Here’s how it works: When you choose one thing you want to change and you put 100% of your attention and focus into it so you master it, the domino effect can be dramatic.  The key here is to not proceed onto something else until you’ve mastered the “one thing” that you’ve identified.

Want some examples?

Candace is an agent who came to me with a big problem.  She had too many listings and too few sales.  I coached her on her “one thing” –  learning how to really talk effectively to sellers about properly pricing their properties.

On the surface, this seems like a minor thing, right?  But the domino effect of mastering this one skill made such a difference for Candace.

When she learned how to drive the point home about price, it also influenced her listing presentation and how she communicates with sellers during the life of a listing.  She became much more articulate at every stage of the sales process.

This one little change also affected the pace at which she works.  Now, listings are selling, and business moves along much faster because her clients understand the process of selling their home.

Mastering her “one thing” also allowed Candace to eliminate some stress from her business.  You know that call you hate to make to sellers – the one where you take a deep breath, then launch into an uncomfortable plea for them to drop their price?  Because Candace has mastered the price discussion, sellers know ahead of time that they may get “the call” from Candace.  This takes the shock of out of the experience for the seller, and reduces the stress for Candace.

By making pricing her number one change, Candace now has much more control of the transaction.  If a home isn’t selling, she’s already told her clients this might happen…and they know ahead of time what steps will be required to get their home sold.  Her clients are better prepared to hear the truth because she outlined it for them in their first meeting.

Of course, clients may still get upset.  But as part of her mastery of this “one thing”, Candace learned how to diffuse a tense situation.  She developed negotiation and conflict resolution skills that help her focus on the issue – price – without the situation escalating emotionally.

Then there was David.

David is an agent who was extremely nervous about making telephone calls.  David and I decided to master the one area in his business that was creating the biggest blockage to his income—lead generation.

Together, we tackled all aspects of lead generation.  David became a master of expired listings.  As part of his “one thing”, he then learned how to make phone calls without the fear of rejection.

By changing that one thing, it had a dramatic domino effect on his bottom line income.  Truly, it changed everything.  His business was no longer ruled by fear.  One little change led to more clients, more money, and more peace of mind.

And I have to tell you about Donna!

Donna was working 24/7.  She did not know how to stop, and gave me every excuse you could imagine to justify being a workaholic.

I immediately realized that she needed to improve the quality of her life.  Donna’s “one thing”?   She had to learn to say “No”.

Changing that “one thing” for Donna had a dramatic effect on her business.  At first, she didn’t even see the problem.  Actually, when I pointed it out to her, she didn’t even believe it at first.

But as we worked together, she began to see that she never says no to anybody.  I worked with her on learning when to say no.  I worked with her on creating rules in her business.  And I worked with her on mastering the ability to handle the guilty feeling she’s so accustomed to feeling when she says no to somebody.

Donna very quickly learned to make this one positive change – and it had a powerful effect on her business.  When she learned to work fewer hours, she also learned to work more effectively…and eliminated the stress and guilt that she had been experiencing.

Within 30 days, she was a changed person, spending more time with her children.  Once she learned to say no, she developed a healthy respect for the balance between work and quality of life.  Donna learned that it’s better to have that awkward feeling after saying “no” than to look into the eyes of your children, partner, or friends who never see you.

So here is my question to you:  If you could pick just one area of your business that needs improvement, what would it be?

I would like to hear the “one thing” you feel is an obstacle to your business, and I encourage you to drop me an email via denise@thelonesgroup.com.

More importantly, starting today I want you to dedicate yourself to mastering that “one thing” in your business.  Don’t start anything new until it’s done.  I believe you’ll be amazed at how mastering “one thing” will create a positive domino effect that you’ll feel in every area of your business.

That’s The Power of One.

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI