ForeclosuresMass - ForeclosuresMass Monthly - Feature Article - Not Going Anywhere Fast? It's Time to Hire a Coach! (January 2008)

Has another year come and gone and you're still watching late night TV gurus and telling yourself that you'll get started on that first deal "soon"? But, no matter how much you want to get started, you make excuses as to why you haven't yet attended the REIA meeting, visited a mortgage broker, or looked at properties for sale - i.e.: "My kid got sick," "The dog died," "You needed to replace your boiler," "You had to work overtime," yada, yada, yada.

Do you enviously watch other people successfully close deals, build income and wealth, and easily move into new opportunities? Yet, when you think about doing the same thing, you tell yourself you can't because the other people are "lucky", your credit score isn't high enough, you don't have enough money saved, you still need to take one more class, or (insert reason here).

Maybe you've been in real estate for a few years now and you're slugging away at maintaining single and multi-families. Last week you spent hours fixing things and wearing yourself out. You keep telling yourself you really should hire a property management firm, but you can't bring yourself to spend the money and plus it's really easier to do it yourself - at least you know it's done right! Right? Yet, while sweat is dripping in your eyes, you think longingly of having someone else manage these tasks for you while you live your dream - playing golf every Saturday with your dad. After all, isn't that why you're working so hard - so you can take time off to relax?!

Or, maybe you're like Jeremy and Sheila. When I first told them that in order to take their business to the next level they consider using email marketing more effectively, their response was, "Oh no, we can't do that! Our customers won't like getting more email from us. It's spam. They'll unsubscribe. We'll lose money - like we have money to lose!"

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What all of these scenarios have in common is that the people in them are stuck. They're stuck in one place, stuck with outcomes and beliefs not based in truth or fact, and stuck with old issues that are holding them back.

If being "stuck" describes you, and if you're ready to make 2008 the year where you blast out of where you are in a big way, then it's time you seriously re-consider your approach.

If you've ever played on a sports team, you know the value of coaching - to build your confidence and to help you become a better player. A business coach does the same thing.

A business coach is a guide who shows you how to do things differently in order to get to the next level. For example, if you want to significantly increase your income, the answer isn't "work harder" - although most people think it is. To get to the next level income-wise, you'll need to make changes in how you think, act, and approach your business and personal life. A coach helps you through this process.

Coaching is also about clarifying and setting goals - and reaching them. As part of their coaching process, my clients go through a fairly intense goal setting process. That's because the more clear you are about your goals, the more easily you can build and implement systems to achieve these goals.

I've found over the years that most people have fuzzy goals, i.e: "I want to close five deals next year." The problem with vague goals like this one is that it's difficult to implement systems and accountability - which is why most people never accomplish their goals.

Having crystal clear goals also helps prevent you from getting side-tracked mid-way through the process because you're able to say "no" to those things that don't lead to your goal.

Let's say you start out the year with the vague goal of purchasing five single-families by year end, but half-way through the year you learn your buddy is moving into apartment buildings so you start looking at apartment buildings, too - even though apartment buildings weren't part of your game plan.

Because your goal isn't clearly defined, you're easily dissuaded and get side-tracked. Because you get side-tracked, you end up not achieving anything - and then wonder why you're not as successful as you want to be. (Or, you fail so miserably you conclude real estate investing is a "sham.")

People get side-tracked all the time. They keep looking at the next big idea and never complete what they set out to accomplish. However, if you start off with a specific goal, such as, "I want to purchase five multi-families in Massachusetts in the next eighteen months and rent them out in order to generate a positive cash flow of $5,000 or more a month," then you won't become easily sidetracked when the next "hot" thing comes your way.

This is not to say you can't switch tracks, should a great opportunity appear, but if you're going to make a switch mid-way through the process, you have to be convinced this new opportunity is better than your original plan - otherwise you'll end up throwing away months of work.

A good coach can help you stay on track, by providing encouragement and accountability, and can discuss with you, the pros and cons of making a switch, should you consider doing so.

One thing coaches can't guarantee is results. If you work with a personal trainer at the gym, for example, and he or she works with you to develop a weight loss program but you continue to eat high fat foods and fail to work out regularly, then the coach can't guarantee you will lose weight. The result of the program is up to you.

The value of coaching is what happens between the phone meetings. Because coaching is about implementation, my coaching students are expected to do "homework" between each phone meeting. If you're someone who lacks follow-through, coaching - and its built-in accountability process - will absolutely help you reach your goals.

You can also measure coaching's return on investment (ROI). You may not see the return after the first few meetings or even after each meeting, but you'll often see huge ROI because of steps you've made after six or seven meetings. The ultimate ROI, of course, is hitting your goal - and even exceeding it.

One thing I do guarantee my clients is - satisfaction. If they're not satisfied with the coaching I provide they don't have to come back. I ensure they're satisfied by offering structured coaching programs based on proven business strategies, including marketing, financing, lead generation, and lead conversion.

If you're ready to turbo charge your business and your life then it's time to hire a coach. A coach will help build your confidence, clarify your goals, and walk you through the process step-by-step. You'll achieve your goals in half the time it would take to do it by yourself.

David Hilton is a ten-year veteran Senior E-Myth Consultant and the co-founder of Strategic Vision Business Development Corporation. He can be reached by phone at 508-320-1509 or via his Website at www.stratviz.com.