Mark Johnson - Winning The Day

Monday Mindset: Turning Mistakes into Momentum – Part 1

07/24/202312/31/2024 Mark Johnson 2 Comments

Every Monday offers a fresh start, a chance to set the tone for the week ahead. One practice I’ve found incredibly helpful is starting each day with a simple journaling prompt:

“A situation that might trip me up today could be…”
“…and the way my best self would deal with that is…”

This simple exercise helps me proactively anticipate potential challenges and plan how to respond effectively. It reinforces the idea that perfection isn’t the goal—progress is. Mistakes are inevitable, but they can also be powerful learning opportunities.

From Setback to Setup: The Power of Redirecting

We all experience that sinking feeling when we make a mistake. It’s easy to get discouraged, but the key is to redirect that energy into positive action. Here’s a three-step process to transform setbacks into setups:

Accept: Acknowledge the mistake without judgment. Don’t dwell on it or beat yourself up. Simply recognize what happened. This is the hardest part.
Reflect: Take a moment to assess the situation objectively. Ask yourself:
- What exactly happened?
- Why did it happen?
- What can I learn from this experience?
This reflection phase is crucial for identifying patterns and preventing similar mistakes in the future.
Redirect: Now that you’ve accepted and reflected, it’s time to redirect your energy towards positive action. This involves two key components:
- Make it Right: If possible, take steps to correct the mistake or mitigate its impact. This might involve apologizing to someone, fixing an error, or adjusting your approach.
- Adjust the System/Process: Don’t just fix the immediate problem; address the underlying cause. What changes can you make to your systems or processes to prevent similar mistakes from happening again? This is where true growth occurs.

Example:

Let’s say you accidentally missed an important deadline for a client.

Accept: “I missed the deadline. That’s not good, but it happened.”
Reflect: “I missed the deadline because I didn’t properly prioritize my tasks and I underestimated the time required. I also didn’t set up reminders.”
Redirect: “I’ll immediately apologize to the client and explain the situation. I will also implement a better task management system with clear deadlines and reminders to prevent this from happening again.”

Be Kind to Yourself:

Throughout this process, remember to be kind to yourself. Mistakes are a natural part of growth. As F. Wikzek wisely said, “If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.”

By embracing mistakes as learning opportunities and actively redirecting our energy, we can transform setbacks into valuable stepping stones on the path to success. Make this Monday—and every Monday—a chance to learn, grow, and move forward. And that is how we win the day!

Every Monday Matters – Part 2

What I Learned About Business In My Golf Lesson

07/22/202307/24/2023 Mark Johnson Leave a comment

I was reviewing some golf lesson notes and thinking this applies to business, hobbies, and life, yes?!

Thoughts precede motion.
Visualize what you want (see it, feel it, trust it).
Manage your mental state & those things that get you ready to perform at your best.
Being comes first; doing second (who do you need to be?)
Routine is ALL about confidence.
Choose confidence over comfort.
Tempo, rhythm, and balance.

–

The Leader’s Role: Defining Reality and Driving Results

07/20/202312/27/2024 Mark Johnson 1 Comment

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” – Max de Pree

This powerful quote by Max de Pree highlights the multifaceted role of a leader. Defining reality isn’t about creating a fantasy world; it’s about understanding the current situation, identifying challenges and opportunities, and setting a clear direction for the team.

For business leaders, defining reality often boils down to understanding the core drivers of success. Here are three crucial realities that top performers consistently embrace:

Lead Generation Drives Revenue: This is the fundamental truth of any sales-driven business. Without a consistent flow of qualified leads, there are no appointments, no sales, and ultimately, no revenue. This isn’t just about “moneyball” tactics; it’s about recognizing that lead generation is the lifeblood of your business.
Relationships Fuel Growth: The size and quality of your network and client database directly impact the size of your business. Building strong relationships, nurturing leads, and delivering exceptional service are essential for long-term growth. This requires creative marketing campaigns and genuine connection with your audience.
Consistency is Key: Consistent effort over time is the most powerful driver of success. It’s not about occasional bursts of activity; it’s about showing up day after day, week after week, and consistently implementing your strategies. This consistent effort builds momentum, strengthens relationships, and ultimately leads to sustainable results.

Leadership in Action:

A leader’s role is to define these realities for their team, provide the necessary resources and support, and foster a culture of consistent action. This means:

Setting clear expectations and goals related to lead generation, relationship building, and consistent effort.
Providing training and resources to help the team excel in these areas.
Holding the team accountable for their performance.
Recognizing and rewarding consistent effort and results.

By embracing these realities and leading with a servant’s heart, you can create a high-performing team and achieve sustainable business success. And that is how we win the day!

The Accountability Advantage: How Tracking Your Efforts Drives Exponential Growth

07/19/202312/27/2024 Mark Johnson 1 Comment

“What is measured improves. What is measured and reported back exponentially improves.”

This simple principle has a profound impact on performance, whether you’re an Olympic athlete or a business professional.

Consider a study of Olympic-level figure skaters. When they trained on their own, they averaged 60 jumps and spins per hour. But when their coach started tracking their attempts on a whiteboard in real-time, their output soared to 100 elements per hour! Removing the whiteboard caused their performance to drop back down, proving the power of immediate feedback and accountability.

This same principle applies to your business. The single greatest leverage you can use to achieve the success you deserve is increased accountability. It’s about more than just setting goals; it’s about consistently tracking your progress and making adjustments as needed.

That’s why I’m introducing “TAG”—The Appointment Game. This simple 30-day challenge focuses on two key metrics:

Daily New Conversations: How many new conversations about real estate are you initiating each day? This could be through networking, social media, cold calling, or any other lead generation activity.
Weekly New Appointments: How many new appointments are you scheduling each week as a result of those conversations?

Why these metrics? They focus on the activities that directly drive business growth: connecting with potential clients and securing opportunities to present your value.

Here’s how to play TAG:

Track Your Numbers: Each day, track the number of new real estate conversations you have. Each week, track the number of new appointments you set.
Report Your Progress (Optional): Share your progress with an accountability partner, a mentor, or even on social media. Public accountability can be a powerful motivator.
Analyze and Adjust: At the end of each week, review your numbers. Are you hitting your targets? If not, what adjustments can you make to your strategy?

Example:

Goal: 5 new conversations per day, leading to 2 new appointments per week.
Tracking: Use a simple spreadsheet, a notebook, or a CRM to record your daily conversations and weekly appointments.
Analysis: If you’re consistently having conversations but not setting appointments, you might need to refine your qualifying questions or your appointment-setting pitch.

What would happen to your business if you consistently focused on these two metrics for the next 30 days? I challenge you to find out.

TAG, you’re it!

Start tracking, start connecting, and start growing to win the day!

What Happened To The Real Estate Market?

07/10/202307/10/2023 Mark Johnson Leave a comment

It’s that time of the month… for the real estate market update.

If there were 2 slides out of the 84 from this month’s KCM updates plus 1 from Altos, which ones would I share? … you will see the 3 below, plus a link to all the slides.

Do you want to attract more people to your brokerage, team, or office? Then help your team translate what all the information and data means and how to act on it. We can help, HMU.

Key updates for this month:

247 years later, Adam Smiths’ laws of supply and demand are still working: 99% of US markets had a DECREASE in available re-sale inventory for sale.
- Let’s look at 2 markets, for the past 7 and 90-day period
- You can type in your own market for real-time results
  - Washington D.C.
  - San Fransico
A supply-constrained market with no relief in sight
- Large institutional investors have indicated no reason to sell – residential is providing higher ROI than commercial. Follow the money.
- Consumers are unwilling to trade a 3% mortgage for a 6%, opting instead to remodel or upgrade.
- New construction is growing – especially in the South – yet not nearly enough to close the gap.
- Freddie Mac survey: In the next 6 months = 18% of consumers indicated a desire to buy while 16% of sellers indicated a desire to sell.
While affordability is always an issue consumers have never been in better financial condition
- Average credit score the highest in 23 years – 714 Average
- For those applying for a mortgage: 765 is the median credit score
Consumers have more access to data, and information YET lack knowledge
- YOU are the knowledge broker for local market activities
- AFTER speaking with a knowledgeable HYPER-LOCAL agent, 64.5% of homeowners were MORE likely to sell than before.
- Creating a conversation with value-added content makes a difference – NO SECRET AGENTS!
A few of the top 20 markets with the most listings sold are in Texas: Houston; San Antonio; Austin, and DFW. Some of the tightest pricing is seen in CA, with less than 12% of listings (the national average is 32%) taking a price decline in cities like La Mirada; Cypress; Fremont; Placencia & Garden Grove.

Key takeaways:

Enabling Homeowners and Investors with value-added information does create listing opportunities. Especially non-owner-occupied and 1031 exchange opportunities.
16% of homeowners indicated a desire to sell in the next 6 months… that is your opportunity
Sales and Rates Normalizing – housing prices continue to show stronger growth than what was previously expected.
Homebuilders continue to add to supply, but years of meager homebuilding over the past business cycle means the imbalance will likely continue for some time.
Seasonality has returned
Prices rebounding

Confidence is contagious, and so is a lack of confidence. There is plenty of actionable data to be confident about.

PS: Recruiting and retention has never been more important. In all types of markets, we continue to see 10% of agents leave the industry; 10 %to 15% join the industry, and despite an 85% satisfaction rate with their broker 32% switch firms. Need some help? Let’s chat.

—

The Year Is Half Over

07/01/202307/01/2023 Mark Johnson Leave a comment

50% of the year is over… it’s time for a quarterly business and operations review!

Is it scheduled?
I have a powerful 23-question business review – info@winningtheday.blog

Are you ahead, behind, or on track with your goals? In any case, “declare it perfect and move forward powerfully.”

Review what’s working, and what’s not. Make the adjustments, and keep moving forward.

Basic agenda:

Mission, vision, values, and stakeholders – any adjustments?
Key KPI s
What’s working. What’s not.
Start, stop, more, less!
Action steps (no more than 2 or 3.)

The results will happen – as long as we are all willing to execute the daily activities, track the results, make the changes to the behaviors, and engage an accountability partner.

Are you interested or committed to what’s left of this year?

Up Your Work Game? Get Moving!

06/28/202306/28/2023 Mark Johnson Leave a comment

Up Your Work Game? Get Moving!

In a recent HBR article, professors Bonnie Cheng and Yolanda Li conducted original research on how physical exercise impacts outcomes in the workplace. The benefits of physical activity on general well-being are widely acknowledged, yet there has been a lack of research on how it impacts outcomes at work, including job performance and health.

As emerging work modes have allowed for greater flexibility and convenience at work it seems we are finding ourselves sitting more and moving less. So, what were some of the key findings?

Motivation for physical activity predicts physical activity.
Physical activity improves next-day job performance and health.
Job self-efficacy shapes the capacity to gain resources from physical activity.

Well, that is compelling, yes!? So how do I get more physical?

Focus on building a habit of daily physical activity.
Some is better than none.
Motivated or not, just get moving!

In a separate study, a lack of time was cited as the most common excuse people give when asked why they don’t exercise. Here’s the truth — we don’t need a lot of time to exercise. All we need is the desire and 10 minutes. Walking just 10 minutes a day is one way to get started.

It seems straightforward that the study concluded that being motivated to partake in an activity would lead to doing the activity, but anyone who has ever made and then abandoned a New Year’s resolution knows this isn’t necessarily the case. Noteworthy is the finding that the more autonomous the form of motivation — in other words, the more people consider physical activity to be a fun and enjoyable activity rather than something to dread — the more likely they are to engage in daily physical activity.

In addition, the study found that daily physical activity generated a package of next-day resources, called “resource caravans,” that contributed to work-related outcomes.

The first resource immediately afforded by physical activity is quality sleep or a person’s degree of satisfaction with their daily sleep experience. Physical activity promotes protein synthesis and facilitates quality sleep as a homeostatic feedback process benefitting the body and brain. The second resource gain is vigor, a resource associated with energy and vitality. The third resource gain is task focus, a cognitive resource that supports enhanced information processing, attention, and concentration.

Interestingly, the study found job self-efficacy, which reflects an employee’s perception of their capacity to perform their job, amplifies the resource-generating benefits of daily physical activity on sleep quality and task focus. People with higher levels of self-efficacy tend to hold stronger positive beliefs in their motivation and ability to acquire work-related resources from daily physical activity.

So, there you have it; if you are looking to up your game at work, become more intentional and disciplined by including more physical activity in your days. Your body will thank you, and your mind will reward you with more energy, better task focus, and improved creativity.

Conquer Your “I Don’t Feel Like It” Moments: Using Your Imagination for Business Success

06/26/202312/27/2024 Mark Johnson 1 Comment

Ever hit a wall where you just can’t seem to get motivated, even when you know you need to? There’s a powerful technique, rooted in research on addiction, that can help you overcome these moments and achieve your goals: Functional Imagery Training (FIT).

FIT is a psychological technique that uses your imagination and all your senses to create compelling mental images that drive you towards positive action. It stems from research on how intrusive thoughts can sabotage self-control, particularly in addiction. FIT helps you replace those negative thoughts with vivid, positive visions of success.

Here’s how it works: Instead of just thinking about a goal, you vividly imagine the experience of achieving it, engaging all five senses.

Example: Overcoming Morning Resistance

Imagine your alarm goes off. Instead of dreading the day, imagine:

Sight: The sun streaming through your window.
Sound: The birds chirping outside.
Feel: The cool air on your skin as you get out of bed.
Smell: The aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
Taste: The first sip of that delicious coffee.

By creating this immersive sensory experience, you prime your brain for positive action, making it much harder to hit snooze.

How FIT Applies to Business:

This same principle can be applied to various business challenges:

Overcoming Procrastination on a Difficult Task: Instead of dreading a complex project, imagine the feeling of accomplishment upon completion: the satisfaction of sending that final email, the positive feedback from a client, the feeling of checking it off your to-do list.
Preparing for a Big Presentation: Imagine the scene: you confidently delivering your presentation, the audience engaged and nodding, the feeling of pride after a successful delivery.
Motivating Yourself for Sales Calls: Imagine the positive interactions: connecting with potential clients, understanding their needs, and closing deals.

The Science Behind It:

Research shows that when we vividly imagine achieving a goal using multisensory imagery, we’re five times more likely to achieve it. This is because these vivid images activate multiple areas of the brain, including the limbic system (emotions) and the frontal lobe (critical thinking), creating a powerful neurological drive towards action.

Using Physical Cues:

You can also use physical cues to reinforce your mental images. Place a visual reminder related to your goal in a prominent place—a photo of a successful project, a motivational quote, or even a symbolic object. This visual cue can help you quickly access your positive mental imagery and stay focused.

By mastering the art of mental imagery, you can unlock greater resilience, enhance your problem-solving abilities, and dramatically improve your focus, leading to greater success in your business and life. And that is how we win the day!

Real Estate Market Update – June 26, 2023

06/26/202306/26/2023 Mark Johnson Leave a comment

Monday observation:

Since May of ’23, housing inventory for sale on a National basis has grown nearly 10%, giving buyers more options, while nearly 10% of sellers have taken a price reduction. Days on the market – depending on the price range – are hovering from 35 to 56 days.

What’s it mean? HMU.

Need an agent that is a hyper-local expert? I know a few on just about every continent, HMU.

See the trends in your local zip code – click here

Real Estate Market Update Week Ending 6-25-23

What’s Happening In The Real Estate Market?

06/09/202306/09/2023 Mark Johnson Leave a comment

What’s Happening In The Real Estate Market?

We are still in a supply-constrained market with more demand than supply, meaning in most US markets, it’s still a seller’s market.

The facts are the facts: there is not enough inventory of homes for sale to meet the demand of buyers. Check out your local market stats on this link – click here.

Why?

Existing sellers will not trade a low-cost mortgage for a higher-cost one unless they have to (job change, death, divorce.) A boom for home improvement.
Homeownership remains the #1 feature of the American dream. 74% to 78% of Americans say owning a home is still a dream.
More than bonds, stocks, or gold real estate has been voted the best long-term investment.

Other thoughts?

Consider the median home price metric in this market is meaningless. Median prices are distorted by the mix and repeat sales. In today’s housing market, we are selling more of the less expensive homes, thus driving down the median price. It doesn’t accurately reflect the value of each house.
The median sale price measures the ‘middle’ price of homes that sold, meaning that half of the homes sold for a higher price and half sold for less. For example, if more lower-priced homes have sold recently, the median sale price would decline (because the “middle” home is now a lower-priced home), even if the value of each individual home is rising.
Outdated models aren’t working in this market. You’ve got to dig 4 layers deeper to be of real service to your clients and prospects.
For 50 years, the 30-year mortgage rate has moved in unison with the 10-Year treasury yield. The current 3.2 is historically high. It’s reasonable to assume that the spread and mortgage rates will retreat in the second half of the year, creating more affordability and demand in an already supply-constrained market.

Outdated models aren’t working in this market. You’ve got to dig 4 layers deeper to be of real service to your clients and prospects.

How do you grow in a volatile market with unit sales down from 23% to 31%?

Attract talent and recruit!