Practice Resilience

Slumps happen!

Even if you stick to your routine, and are finding success, you’re likely to hit a dry run. It’s the nature of sales; always has been and always will be. Some days, it seems like every prospecting call nails a listing. Then, without warning, you might go through a period when you’re wondering if every single person in your MLS has turned their phone off at the same time.

The key to crawling out of any prospecting funk is resilience, the ability to shake it off, to ignore the voices inside your head and to get back in the game.

Here are a few thoughts on what you need to do to get your prospecting mojo back:

• Be realistic: Remember the adage, that the first rule of dealing with a problem is to acknowledge that you have a problem. Once you give voice to a problem, you begin to shift the energy away from it. Top performers often feel as if they are totally immune to setbacks. This can create denial, or internalizing feelings which has long-term consequences. Be realistic with what’s happening and move on.
• Celebrate your accomplishments: Take time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished in your career. Give yourself credit for creating a solid business by sticking to routine, being disciplined and using your available tools. Past success does not guarantee freedom from future setbacks and disappointments, but should always serve as a reminder of what you are capable of at any time.
• Get back to the basics: If you’ve deviated from your plan, get back to it. If you don’t have a plan, now’s a good time to create one. Top performers know the importance of sticking to a plan, to essential habits and practices, routines that manifest in success. As you reflect on your past accomplishments, focus on those essential habits and practices. Real estate is a business that rewards those who stick to the basics.
• It’s not just you: As humans, we all go through periods of frustration, discouragement and doubt. For some, it’s a blip in time. For others, frustration, left unchecked, can grow into a nasty monster. Here’s the thing: you don’t need to go it alone. Build a support network: role-playing partners or coaches or just other agents in your office who you can talk to. While it’s good to get things off your chest, you’ll take comfort in hearing that others have gone through the same challenges that you are facing. Thus, confirming that you’re not alone.

Professional baseball is notorious for having star players who go into batting slumps. What you’ll typically find is that they all come out of their slumps by adhering to these same principles. In fact, Hall of Fame legend Hank Aaron once said this about slumps:

“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing was to keep swinging.”

Keep swinging. Or, in the case of a real estate agent, keep prospecting, Slumps never last, and before you know it, the hits will start to come and you’ll find yourself back in the game