Prevent “Awfulizing” In Your Business to Improve Sales

This is a new practice that has been drawn to my attention thanks to Paul Montelongo. He defined what “awfulizng” is and discussed ways to prevent it’s negative impact. It’s more than a negative opinion, but a pessimistic outlook that directly affects your sales. So by preventing awfulzing you will be increasing your new home sales. So, pay attention:

Awfulizing - the act of making a negative situation even worse through negative thinking. Actually, it’s worse than negative thinking. This is producing a self-fulfilling prophecy in that you keep believing that things are a certain way, and thus they get worse due to your lack of action. You make no effort to change or better the situation, which, inevitably causes things to get worse. So, by not acting you have caused your negative thinking to become reality, and that is a major problem today in the real estate industry. National reports continue to remark that homes are not selling, and that the housing market is down 28%, and things are only going to get worse. However, if you buy into these reports and do nothing to change the state of the market, then things will never get better and you are “Awfulizing” the situation. So, how do you prevent “awfulizing?” Here are a few suggestions to start changing your opinions and begin seeing things as half-full:

• See things as they are and then see the opportunity in them. So maybe the housing market is down 9%, well, who is selling the other 91%? If it’s not you then you’ve got a huge problem and need to correct it.
• Don’t get yourself caught up in the hype. The media loves to report bad news and usually does a fantastic job of embellishing because they love to scare people. Plus, real estate is NOT national, it is local. The Atlanta real estate market has actually been rather stable over the past year. You should do your own research before freaking out over something an anchor-person said.
• Have a plan to think positive. Everytime you hear someone report something negative about real estate, figure out ways that that particular bit of new is really a positive. Find the silver lining!
• Avoid “awfulizers.” Moods are contagious, especially bad moods. So surround yourself with lots of people that have been making lemonade.
• Take the initiative. Reach out to your market, don’t wait for someone to come to you.
• follow-up with every single buyer from the last thirty days. Engage in real conversations with them about the buying process and their lifestyle - it might help you become a better salesperson.
• Attend continuing education classes. There is no such thing as having too much knowledge, and learning something knew will definitely be a mood elevator.

I hope this helps you and you take it into consideration. Many people believe that we are making the housing market worse by our negative thinking. Are you going to take the steps to stop the cycle?