As the real estate market continues to slow down, many agents find themselves working harder to maintain a level or even diminishing income. They make more calls, set more appointments, and do more open houses, and leave themselves less time for family and friends. Inevitably, just when they need more energy to keep up with the increased demands, they find they have less and less energy to get it all done. To combat the accompanying fatigue they fall back on the thing they relied on most to build their businesses -- discipline -- only to discover that discipline alone is no longer enough. The end result is exhaustion.

They've run out of Natural Energy. This is the real energy crisis for Realtors®.

By "Natural Energy" I'm referring to is the energy released in creative and authentic human relationships. It's what every entrepreneurial venture was started with and what every multinational corporation was built on. If you doubt relationships are source of abundant Natural Energy, just think about the last time you were out with a bunch of friends talking about new ideas or possibilities, or the time you and a friend talked all night about something that excited you. At the end of the conversation you may have been physically tired, but you were mentally and emotionally electrified and alive. What you were feeling was "Natural Energy."

One great way to look at "Natural Energy," and to discover ways you can release that energy in your business and yourself, can be found by looking at how great street performers release "Natural Energy" every time they step in front of an audience. I know it sounds like a stretch to think street performers can parallel Realtors®, but the street performer's stock-in-trade, in fact, their ability to eat, lies in their ability to release the "Natural Energy" of their audience. It's the only thing they really have to work with, and the best ones are true masters at it.

"But I'm not a performer," you say. I say we're all performers. If you think about it, what do Realtors do? Every listing or buyer's presentation is about you "performing" for a small audience. Every time you're driving clients in your car, or answering questions on the phone, or talking up your business with family, friends, prospects, and strangers, you're doing the same thing a street performer does. The question is, do these "performances" drain you, or energize you. Unfortunately, for far too many Realtors find themselves being drained.

The good news is that there is a nearly unlimited supply of "Natural Energy" available to all of us everyday -- if we know how to release it. In a new book called, Top Performer, a Bold Approach to Sales and Service, by Steve Lundin, PhD, (author of the popular FISH! books), and Carr Hagerman, a seasoned street performer, Leadership Consultant and author, they reveal many of the secrets of top street performers and show you exactly how to use those skills to release "Natural Energy" in your clients, and yourself.

n the book the authors introduce us to a top sales person struggling to find the energy to cope with a sales slump. A personal crisis sends him on a journey to find ways to regain the edge he'd had when he'd started his career seven years before. On the journey he meets a couple of top street performers who reveal their secrets.

There are seven secrets in all. Here are the points:

1. Claim Your Pitch: The "pitch" here is different than the traditional definition salespeople are used to. Here a "pitch" is where you are giving your performance, formal or happenstance. It is also laying personal claim and ownership of who you are being in your performance, as well as having the integrity to connect who you are being with the welfare of your client or prospect. When you "Claim Your Pitch" people can sense your authenticity and they become anxious to join you in the process -- and release a lot of "Natural Energy" along the way.

2. Juice the Jam: A "jam" is any obstacle, objection, problem, or distraction that presents itself, and "juice" is the "Natural Energy" released whenever "jams" show up. "Jams" instantly become the center of attention, and they'll stay the center of attention until they're addressed. "Juicing the Jam" is simply about finding a direct and creative way of dealing a "jam." When it's done effectively, abundant "Natural Energy" is released, and customer loyalty is built.

3. Mine the Mess: The "mess" is anything and everything you can bring into an interaction. Books on the table, music on the radio, what just happened to you on the drive over, pictures of kids on the wall, and the wild colored scarf your client is wearing are just a few examples of the "mess." "Mining the Mess" is about being present with people in ways that let them know you see and value them. When you pick up on or relate to what's in their environment, they know your paying total attention to them and they relax and start enjoying being with you -- a process that releases "Natural Energy" and your effectiveness.

4. Develop Insurance: For a street performer, "insurance" is any routine that they used enough to know it will get a great response from the audience. For the Realtor, insurance is about having a prop box full of ideas that can pick up or move a performance forward in a way that engages your client or prospect wherever you are in that performance. It's knowing what to do when things bog down, and boy do clients love it when you can pick them up. In the real estate business, insurance is also about consistently doing all the things that will get you in front of clients -- marketing plans, prospecting, mailings, etc. Developing great insurance is one of the best ways to release "Natural Energy."

5. Choose Your Close: The "close" for a street performer is different that what Realtors usually think of. The "close" for a street performer is not about getting the signature on a document; it's knowing when to end a performance on a high note. Many salespeople are masters at talking their way into a sale, then not knowing when to shut up, they keep on talking until they talked their way out of the sale. "Choose Your Close" is knowing when to end your performance AND having a memorable way of signaling it to your clients. They've sat through it all, now you want a fun way to "close" and to release the "Natural Energy" that is required for the next step.

6. Pass the Hat: This is the moment of truth. For top street performers, passing the hat is immediate feedback for how good their performance was. For Realtors passing the hat, signing the deal, is when you know how good your performance was. You can't force people to put money in the hat or ink the deal. When a performance has released "Natural energy" putting something in the "hat" is a natural outcome -- a way of showing appreciation for how effectively you included your audience in the performance. Perform well, and your "hat" will be enthusiastically filled. Perform poorly, or fail to include your audience every step of the way, and your "hat" will come back empty. In real estate, we're lucky enough to have two opportunities to "Pass the Hat." Signing the deal is the obvious one, but we get a chance to "Pass the Hat" at closing when we ask for referrals. If your client is enthusiastic about giving you a referral, you know you've performed well.

7. Build the Circle: For street performers the "circle" is the imaginary space they've created to perform in. For Realtors the "circle" is the space you've opened up for your clients and prospects. In real estate, the "circle" is about building on the relationships you've established with clients, prospects, and other agents, by becoming a master at unleashing the Natural Energy of those around you. Build the Circle effectively, and with integrity, and you'll build a powerful business that will raise your standard of living and give you a whole lot more enjoyment in the process.

Each of these steps is an opportunity to release "Natural Energy" and build a long-term relationship with your clients. It's the energy of the relationship that can keep you energized and that can build a business. Too often Realtors perform as one-man-bands and don't pay attention to building relationships with people, and one-man-bands burn out quickly. These steps can help you stop being a one-man-band. Master them, and you'll find yourself excited about your work and energized about building your business. Ignore them, and you may well find yourself having less and less energy to work with. Burn out is the inevitable end to any salesperson who ignores the "Natural Energy" that comes with embracing the relationships our business is built on.

These points are only a basic primer on mastering "Natural Energy," but if they pique your interest, you can find out more about how to apply them to your business and work in the book.

Published: January 23, 2007

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