She gets the same number of hours in her day as you. He uses the same tools as you, only he seems to get more done. Their production outdistances you by the millions. What have they got that you haven't got?

The best-selling book "The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy" by Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D., and William D. Danko, Ph.D, Longstreet Press, Atlanta, is capturing the imagination of America, and could be a boon to REALTORS®, if the same principles revealed in the book are applied to building a wealthy real estate business.

According to the research findings in the book, America's wealthy live below their means, not beyond. They live in middle-class neighborhoods, drive five-year-old cars, and follow the personal credo of less is more.

What the authors discovered is that there are at least seven common denominators shared by wealth-accumulators. Just for fun, let's include the seven equally effective strategies for building a wealthy business for REALTORS®:

They live well below their means. (REALTORS® don't put money into people or technology that don't produce. They can put their money into time and labor saving technologies that maximize their marketing/farming/contact efforts.)

They allocate their time, energy and money efficiently. (REALTORS® organize their time into categories for maximum efficiency - prospecting, farming, showing, closing, and contact management.)

They believe financial independence is more important than displays of wealth or social status. (A great reputation for doing the job is more important than showy advertising.)

Their parents did not provide adult financial support. (They are on their own financially, and not solely dependent on spouses, parents or friends for listings.)

Their adult children are also self-supporting. (They delegate responsibility.)

They are adept at targeting marketing opportunities. (They build referral and repeat customer business.)

They choose the right occupations to build wealth. (They make the most of being a real estate professional by continuing their education, improving their skills, and earning designations.)

The book divides people into two basic camps - those who build wealth are Produgious Accumulators of Wealth (PAWs) and those who don't Under Accumulators of Wealth (UAWs.)

The same principles could be applied to REALTORS®. By the book's definition, PAWs have approximately four times the wealth that UAWs have. UAWs tend to spend and live beyond their means. REALTORS® Who Prosper (RWPs) accumulate four times the repeat business and referral base as REALTORS® Who Falter (RWFs.)

PAWs allocate nearly twice the time planning their investments as UAWs with controlling and planning consumption as key factors in their decisions. RWPs spend twice the time prospecting for new business and contacting their sphere of influence as RWFs.

One of the surprises that the authors discovered is that earning a large income had relatively little to do with achieving financial security. Those with financial security were happier than those with large incomes, but less frugal spending habits. RWFs can easily experience the job satisfaction and material rewards of RWPs by organizing themselves for success.

The upshot of the book is that the difference in whether you are a PAW (RWP) or a UAW(RWF) is how you choose to spend your time, money and resources. Are you a saver or a spender? Only your bottom line knows for certain.