Like most people in the business, you probably have paid a lot of money to hear one of the real estate gurus tell you how to build your business. Unfortunately, the same 50-year old message is still being preached on the circuit: Hunt 'em, Tell 'em, and Sell 'em (i.e. prospect, tell them how great you and your company are, and get them to sign the contract). With more and more people using the web to purchase real property, this outdated approach is simply not sustainable in today's "virtual" environment.

While some of the real estate gurus have updated their approach to prospecting (i.e. put up a web page and use email to communicate), the core of the model still remains focused on the agent. To be successful in the new century, a new model is required, one that focuses on the client's core values, their needs, and their wants. This new model is called "Attraction."

How can you recognize when you're using attraction vs. "pushing" using "hunt 'em, tell 'em, and sell 'em?" Imagine a closed door. You push and push on the door, but it simply won't open. All the pushing in the world will not open a door if you're pushing in the wrong direction. If you pull the door in the right direction, however, it opens easily.

The "push" of course, is the pushy close, the need to be right, the need to have others do as we direct. Attraction, in contrast, is the pull. How can you tell the difference between push vs. pull, between the imbalance of "making it happen" vs. the effortlessness of attraction? When the doors in your life "slam in your face," chances are you're in push mode. In contrast, when you focus on what is best for others, honor your core values, and find that opportunities appear effortlessly, you have tapped the power of attraction.

Are you encountering "closed doors" in your life? Want to attract more income and higher quality clients? If so, here are 10 cornerstones upon which to build your "attraction-based" business.

1. Demonstrate high levels of honesty and integrity. Always tell the truth and "walk your talk."
2. Focus on being a conduit of information. Allow customers/clients to make the best decision possible for them and their circumstances. Let go of the "White Knight Syndrome—i.e. making the decision for the client. Instead, shift your focus from making the sale to being an information resource.
3. Give high levels of personalized customer service. The 20th Century motto was "location, location, location." The new motto for the 21st Century is "connection, connection, connection."
4. Provide consistent follow-up. The biggest complaint most clients have about real estate professionals is they don't follow-up often enough.
5. Promise less and deliver more. Promise only 75-80% of what you think you can deliver and them "Wow them" with more service than you promised.
6. Show high levels of personal self-care. A frazzled, stressed out agent is not who most sellers or buyers want negotiating for them. Caring for yourself makes you more attractive to potential sellers and buyers.
7. Utilize the best technological tools currently available. Technology can cut down on your time, effort, and costs as well as giving you a huge competitive edge against the competition.
8. Create a strong personal and business support system. Don't allow yourself to be pulled off focus by trivial matters. One of the best ways of staying on track is to hire a coach.
9. Handle communications and problems promptly. Put a system in place that will allow you to handle calls and e-mails quickly and easily, as well as any problems that may come up.
10. Reserve adequate amounts of time, space, and money. When you're rushed or "hungry for the deal," potential buyers and sellers sense your desperation. Most will take their business elsewhere.

Published: March 30, 2001

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Bernice L. Ross, Ph.D. operates RealEstateCoach.com, with her husband and co-trainer, Bryon Van Arsdale. A Professor of Psychology at Los Angeles Pierce College, Bernice also is a faculty member at Coach University and holds the designation of Master Certified Coach. She served as Executive Director of Training from 1993-1997 for Prudential Jon Douglas Company, and also pioneered the first real estate/coaching teleclasses for Continuing Education credit in California. E-mail Bernice at bernice@realestatecoach.com.