Prepare for the worst. Real estate deals that go south are usually due to one thing - leaving too much to chance. Planning and prior preparation are the key to success. We all know that it is important to have a plan. A clearly defined, well designed vision of the future is an important first step. But the plan alone is not enough to guarantee success.

It is the preparation, the work before and behind the scenes, that makes the plan proceed on track. In real estate, preparation means preparing for the worst. If we are prepared for the best, the unexpected problem creates a disaster. If we are prepared for the worst, we can weather the problems and take them in stride, confident of success.

Many people have the will to succeed but more important is the will to prepare

Example 1: You are about to call a FSBO. Assuming they will want you to come over is a recipe for failure. Hoping they will want you to list their house is fool’s gold. Preparing to handle their objections is the key to success. If you could give them a "FSBO Assistance Kit" that included everything they needed to sell the house themselves, would they let you come over? Put one together. If you could prove you could put as much money in their pocket as they will by selling on their own, would they consider using your services? Prepare to prove it.

Your face-to-face listing appointment is the highest priority time you spend as a Realtor. Are you prepared for the worst? Prior preparation is the key to attaining those hard-to-get listings. Give your potential clients no opportunity to stump you while sitting face to face. In the Sweathogs program, agents are taught to ask critical questions on the phone and then take everything with them on a listing appointment.

Example #2: You are sitting with a ready, willing and able seller. They want to sell, but feel like they should delay listing the house because they don’t want to uproot their children and move them during the school year. If they knew they were losing thousands of dollars by waiting, would they list now? Prepare a list of the drawbacks to waiting. If they knew that it were healthier for the kids to move during the school year, that they adjust faster and better that way, would they list now? Find the relocation articles or studies showing that to be true and have them with you.

The same concept applies when working with buyers. It is the preparation you do before you take them out that makes them feel comfortable making a decision today. Example #3: Many buyers see the right house and then decide to "sleep on it”" If they were confident they could afford the house would they feel better going ahead? Have them pre-approved before taking them out. If they believed they might lose their dream house by waiting, would they act today? Prepare a case history of the "one that got away"

Most successful real estate agents always seem to know what to say or do. They have just the right answer when a situation gets difficult. Are they just luckier than you? No. If you want to get to the top and stay there, luck is not the answer. Preparation is the key. Will you have the right answer when things go wrong? Prepare your arsenal of techniques ahead of time. Then go out there, put yourself on the firing line and use them!