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The Paper Jungle… And How to Navigate Through It!

As a real estate professional, you have to deal with not only your personal and financial files, but also your business files.  Keeping your business files in order could make the difference between having things in order or a chaotic mess that could even lead to legal ramifications.  For both your personal paperwork and your […]

To Control Your Results, Control Your Outreach

It is around this time of year, when one month is already gone on the calendar, that I begin to get a sense of who is on track to have a strong spring and who may need to really ramp up. How do I know? New connections and outreach. Lots of agents begin the year […]

ANNOUNCING: New Classes for 2019!

I am very excited to announce that we have not one but TWO amazing new classes coming up in 2019. This is IN ADDITION to my Safari which, through the years, has been my favorite workshop. 59 BUSINESS-BUILDING IDEAS THAT ROCK! – A PEEK INTO DENISE’S TOOLKIT There are brokers everywhere who ask me, “Denise, […]

“Hello? HELLO!!!” Are Your Phone Skills In Line?

I am on the phone every day of my life, most of us are. We send messages and receive messages and often we don’t think about the power of a well-thought-out message or a well-spoken reply to a message. I have been greatly disappointed by the quality of the phone messages I hear and the […]

Communication Leadership: Do You Have What It Takes?

Real estate professionals communicate most moments of their working day.  They are problem solvers, negotiators, cheerleaders and counselors.  They make a living communicating and listening.  The more refined your communication becomes and the more intuitive your communication style is the easier it will be for you to connect with your clients and help them make […]

Branding Spotlight: Teresa Nielsen & Daughters

Posted by Denise Lones on January 24th, 2019

A genuine family business, Teresa Nielsen and her daughters wanted something very personal and approachable in their Mastery brand. Teresa’s personal mantra is “enjoy your life”, and the unique use of candid shots in a black-and-white brings her message to life.  The Nielsen team wanted fun, bright colors in their brand such as teal, aqua, bright green and gray, which the watercolor textures softly achieve without overwhelming the design. Using an organic script font gives their brand the authentic feeling of a handwritten note. We absolutely love Teresa’s new brand and are excited to share it with the world!

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Ask Denise: Market Statistics

Posted by Denise Lones on January 24th, 2019

Q: “Denise, where do other agents get all this market data? I get a monthly report from my MLS but it is a broad overview of my county and not very helpful for getting data for individual areas.”

A: Your first step is to actually go to your MLS or give them a call. In my experience, the folks there are a wealth of information and are more than happy to help you utilize their services better. There may also be a help section of the MLS that has the data you are looking for. Read more »

Communication Leadership: Do You Have What It Takes?

Posted by Denise Lones on January 17th, 2019

Real estate professionals communicate most moments of their working day.  They are problem solvers, negotiators, cheerleaders and counselors.  They make a living communicating and listening.  The more refined your communication becomes and the more intuitive your communication style is the easier it will be for you to connect with your clients and help them make important decisions.

Communication leadership is the art of being able to help your clients make difficult decisions when emotion has gripped them with fear.  Learning to tell a client NO, when they want to hear YES, is a skill you must learn how to do.  Many real estate agents don’t realize that when a client is in a state of heightened emotion, they may be unable to make a good and rational decision.  Read more »

Branding Spotlight: Jen Hudson & Duane Petzoldt

Posted by Denise Lones on January 17th, 2019

Innovation distinguishes leaders from followers. Jen and Duane’s clients reflect the diversity and ingenuity necessary to thrive in the most complex areas of real estate and business.  Since entering real estate in 2005, Jen Hudson has earned a reputation as a fearless leader and strong client advocate through real estate investments, commercial properties, distressed assets, and cannabis companies.  With over 20 years of experience in the business world of both franchise and small business settings, Duane brings a key component that rounds out this team’s business prowess.  Together, they transform lives through real estate.

We are so excited to hear what they have to say when they take the stage at the Real Estate Success Summit on the 29th!

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Ask Denise: Too Much Yes

Posted by Denise Lones on January 17th, 2019

Q: “Denise, as I look back on 2018, my common theme was too much yes…not enough me. Meaning, I said yes to way too many people – buyers wanting to see homes out of the area and out of their price range, sellers with high price expectations, and even my kids expecting I could take them across town at a moment’s notice. I don’t even know how I got here but I am miserable. Like thinking about getting a 9-5 job miserable. How do I dig myself out of this hole or should I polish up my resume?”

A: Put the resume away for now. Instead, I want you to make a list of the top ten things that eat up your time when it comes to other people. Then you are going to create rules for those issues. Read more »

Mindset Matters… It All Begins With a Positive Thought

Posted by Denise Lones on January 10th, 2019

If you sell real estate and you work with a broad range of clients, it is inevitable that someone at some point will either dump you or choose not to work with you. Or perhaps they will suck the life out of you only to have you find out later that after all your hard work, they just wrote an offer with someone else. When this happens and you get knocked down, you are the only one who can whip yourself back into shape and reset your mindset. The reality is that some people will do this to you. But the reality also is that many other clients will not. And you can’t stop or slow down your business because of one failure. Read more »

Branding Spotlight: Dina Harvey Jardine

Posted by Denise Lones on January 10th, 2019

Today our Branding Spotlight highlights the Semi-Custom PRO design of Dina Harvey Jardine, from Seattle, Washington. Dina’s love of the nighttime city lights is captured in the bokeh image in her footer, as well as in her color palette of navy and yellow with hints of gray. Dina’s brand fits the urban Pacific Northwest and in particular the Seattle area where Dina is based. She brought a beautiful hand-drawn illustration of a suburb near Seattle to the branding process. Her logo ties together the iconic Seattle skyline in the shadow of Mount Rainier, and the homes that can be found with Dina’s expertise. Read more »

Ask Denise: Mastering My Business!

Posted by Denise Lones on January 10th, 2019

Q: “Denise, I just did a review of my business for 2018 and I feel like I have plateaued. I need to do something else because I have big expectations for the next 10 years that I have left in the business. What do you think I should do or implement to get moving?!?”

A: If you are really ready to make some big changes in your business, from branding, website, marketing materials, finessing your post-close and past client programs, get your systems fixed for your potential clients, and even determining who is on your team is what we tackle in our Mastery program. Read more »

My Top 5 Investor Tips for Serious Real Estate Investors

Posted by Denise Lones on January 3rd, 2019

I have been investing in real estate for a few decades and have learned a thing or two along the way. Here are my top 5 investing tips:

1. Weather matters when you are buying real estate. Depending on where you buy, what is going on with the weather makes a difference in what is going on with seller’s motivation. In an area like the Pacific Northwest for example the winter months are often a great time to find great investments because many buyers step out of the market favoring waiting until the Spring. Read more »

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