From a Concept to an LLC in Three Weeks!

Many of you have asked for an update. Let me tell you, this is as good as it gets! 100 of my dearest friends across the continent want to know what I'm up to, whether I am okay, and how the business is coming together!

It is so true that when one door closes, several others open. God called me to open my own business. We chose a name, bought domains, and are partnering with Pro Step Marketing(TM) to design our logo and build our Web site (launch target is March 1st). As of yesterday, we are now officially a Colorado LLC (thanks to my husband Jeff)!

And so it is, that I already have seven wonderful coaching clients, have facilitated a team planning retreat, am doing ongoing consulting work for one real estate team, and have booked an onsite consult for another team for mid-February. Remember, referrals are my lifeblood - send those names and contact information my way!

I am headed to the Keller Williams convention February 9-13, 2008, in Atlanta. This trip will give me much-needed hugs and reconnects with a bunch of great people. While there, I hope to organize a dinner with some of my dear local friends (Marsha, Zac, Christine, Leslie, Bonnie, I'll be calling!).

At the end of February, I will be in Seattle taking the LYV Licensing course at the Academy for Coach Training. What does this mean for clients? We'll be creating a small-group (8 to 12 people), intense retreat for them to get clear on who they are and what they want out of life. I went through this process one-on-one with my coach, Susan McKay, in July 2002. It changed my life. So be on the lookout for more information on that!

Thank you, and God bless you all for being such an important, reliable, supportive part of my life.

Team Planning Retreats Support Growth

I had the distinct honor of facilitating the Sanders and Associates Team Planning Retreat on Thursday, January 25.

Talk about a motivated team! Chris and Christine skyrocketed from just over 60 transactions in 2006, their first year in Colorado real estate, to 220 transactions in 2007, and they are setting an ambitious goal for 400 transactions in 2008!

To set the stage, everyone on the team and I read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. Only a strong team will survive this reading! It's truly a gut check for people looking to embody true team function.

We spent time identifying core values of the team, established categories for standards, and then jumped into systems creation. We packed more into five hours than most would believe possible.

To ensure implementation, and to outline the next phase in the growth plan, we'll be meeting again the third week of March. Check back for an update on their amazing progress!

Help Prospects Get Buying - Educate Them!

The biggest reason prospective buyers aren't buying right now is because they aren't educated about how amazing the opportunity is right now. Between the record-low interest rates (yes, they dropped in response to the Fed rate cut, to around 5.25% for a 30-year conventional loan) and the low prices available in most markets, buyers would be crazy not to buy.

But if you don't tell them, how will they know? Sam Miller out of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, regularly posts valuable information through video stream on YouTube and his own Web site. Go listen to his broadcast and create your own, or if you don't have the time and resources to do that, send his link out to your prospective buyers. Third-party experts carry credibility!

What Changing Lanes Consulting Offers You

Several of you have asked that I post more information on the blog about my services. So here you go! Call me at 303-956-6749 if you have questions.

Executive One-on-One Coaching
These sessions are conducted entirely by phone, with you and your coach working in partnership to break through challenges, set actionable plans for your business, and achieve extraordinary results both professionally and personally. You are responsible for calling your coach, documenting your commitments, and providing status reports on progress made and challenges encountered. Your coach is responsible for helping you get clear on what you want, helping you formulate your commitments, listening for potential obstacles, and advocating your choices and successes.

Because Amy has been deeply entrenched in the real estate industry since 1992, those of you who are real estate professionals receive the additional benefit of hands-on help with specific real estate business tools and techniques, for no additional charge.

Together with your coach, you’ll determine whether weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly calls will best facilitate your growth.

Enrollment: $250 per call; special through April 15, 2008, just $125 per call (50% off)

Onsite Consulting
Your consulting coach travels to your market and office location for the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of your operations in three areas: your team, your systems, and YOU. You will receive a comprehensive report within two weeks making recommendations for specific changes and enhancements in all three areas. Six monthly follow-up calls can be used for facilitating meetings and enacting accountability with team members alone, with you alone, or with everyone together. You pay a flat fee, as well as your consultant’s travel, hotel, and per diem expenses.

Fee for two days: $7,500 plus expenses; special through April 15, just $3,750 (50% off)
Fee for three days: $10,000 plus expenses; special through April 15th $5,000 (50% off)

Annual Team Planning Retreat
Your coach comes to you to facilitate your team's annual, semi-annual, or quarterly planning retreats. Areas of focus you may choose for your team advance include:
· Team goal setting
· Personal visualization activities
· Team unity exercises
· Ideal week schedules
· Systems development processes
· DISC personality training
Follow-up calls at 30, 90, and 180 days facilitate implementation and give accountability to the team. You pay a flat fee, as well as your coach’s travel, hotel, and per diem expenses.

Fee: $5,000 plus expenses; special through April 15th $2,500 (50% off)

Retainer Services Package
Some clients may choose to benefit from the more flexible retainer package, which offers not only one-on-one telephone coaching, but also hands-on help from the coach with the client’s copy writing, marketing, and desktop publishing needs. For a monthly fee, the client will be given access to a bank of hours that can be used for any combination of coaching, consulting, and administrative support. Call for rates.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Dream

I received this quote today from my dear friend Russell Shaw, top-notch agent in Phoenix, Arizona. It was spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Deep down in our non-violent creed is the conviction there are some things so dear, some things so precious, some things so eternally true, that they are worth dying for. And if a man happens to be 36 years old, as I happen to be, and some great truth stands before the door of his life, some great opportunity to stand up for that which is right... a man might be afraid his home will get bombed, or he's afraid that he will lose his job, or he's afraid he will get shot, or beat down by state troopers. He may play it safe and go on to live until he's 80. He's just as dead at 36 as he would be at 80, and the cessation of breathing in his life is merely the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit. He died."

We all have moments of holding back, for whatever our reasons may be. Most of us will find ourselves at a significant crossroads in our life at some point. This fine man was willing to lay his life on the line for what he believed and held dear. Take some time today to reflect on what those things are in your life that mean so much to you, that you cherish at a level you would be willing to die standing up for them.

What level of priority are you placing on those ideals, those people, those items? Check in with yourself and see whether it's time to make some adjustments.

Daily Rituals Set the Tone for Your Best Days

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing-that's why we recommend it daily." – Zig Ziglar

What’s your daily ritual? When you get up in the morning, what do you have planned to start your day on the right foot?

Take some time today to assess whether the actions you’ve chosen are putting you in a frame of mind to succeed on every front. Here are some possible outlets:
Exercise
Meditation or prayer
Affirmations
Listening to motivational CDs
Playing with kids or a pet

Motivate daily, and make sure you wash behind those ears!

Stay on Track - Bad Days are a CHOICE

We've all had them - the proverbial bad days. For me, they come few and far between. When they do hit, I know it's critical to go to a positive source and re-center myself.



Top-producing agent and dear friend Russell Shaw from Phoenix is one of those sources. He's the kind of guy you can't be around one minute without at least giggling just a little. Russell is the embodiment of positive attitude.



Check out his blog post from yesterday. It's truly beautiful and inspiring. Bookmark it and go back to it when you're having a "bad day" and you'll be reminded how blessed your day actually is.



Hug someone today; smile at a stranger; make the minutes count!