Reg Gupton offer best 25 books for success

While reading a past issue of Success Magazine, I came across the following list of the top rated books on success as rated by their readers.

Great books to buy or get from your local library for beach time or when it is raining this summer.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton says: Agents, stop telling yourself the big lie about lead generation

Hi

Reg Gupton here.

Am working a a new multi-day program on Lead Generation. Stay tuned for me.

A quick Google search turned up the following. This is a great statistically valid research study conducted by Baylor.

Read and take action as indicated.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton offers delegation tips from a Google Search

Hi Folks,

Just finished a one-on-one coaching session with a client who has a growing business.

He had been a one-person business since he bought it some time back.

Now he is getting eaten up with low level work which prohibits him from working on his business rather in his business.

As a result of the call I did a quick search on Google.

The results are here. delegation tips - Google Search

If you are struggling with the same issue, too much time working in the daily tasks of your business, putting out too many fires and being waaaay overloaded, how about following the link, print some of the tips offered. Then go have a cup of coffee and read/study them.

Promise yourself that you will make this one step to learning to delegate if the lack of this one skill is holding you back.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton,
www.growthseminars.com

Reg Gupton presents the best summary of Obama's New Housing Plan

Hi

Reg Gupton here,

I rec'd this summary of the New Housing Plan by a friend, Joan Rogliano. It is the best I have seen.

Say hello and thank you to Joan. Her contact information is at the bottom.

Reg Gupton

We've Done It For You

An Easy to Read Summary of the New Housing Plan announced Yesterday!

Who Will Benefit from the Plan?
* Homeowners that are in distress and at risk of foreclosure.
* Homeowners that are current on their mortgages, have high interest rates, and little to no equity.
* Fannie and Freddie will receive a capital injection of $200 billion from the Treasury Department to increase the amount of available credit.

Who Will Not Benefit from the Plan?
* Those that are trying to either save a non-owner occupied home from foreclosure or want to benefit from newly introduced government backed refinancing guidelines
* If you are in an owner occupied home and you can't afford the home because you have a complete inability to pay, lenders will not be forced to help nor will the government come to your aid.
* Absolutely no aid for speculators or second home owners.

What are the Specific Details of the Plan?
The new program rolled out on March 4th, 2009, focuses on three critical needs:
1. Incentivize lenders to modify loans for distressed borrowers.
2. Provide refinance options for homeowners that are current, but have homes with little to negative equity.
3. Increase the amount of available credit.

Incentivizing lenders to provide loan modifications: Plan is voluntary for mortgage servicers except for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and banks that accept help from the government. These institutions must adopt loan modification plans.

* The loan modification plan is for primary residences only, and will benefit borrowers with higher rates, adjustable rates, and interest only loans.
* A Shared Effort to Reduce Monthly Payments: The servicer would reduce interest rates so that the monthly obligation is no more than 38% of a borrower's income, and then the government would contribute money to bring payments down to 31% of the homeowner's income. Servicers can also reduce the loan balance to achieve these affordability levels. The government will share in the cost, up to the amount the servicer would have received, if it had reduced the interest rates. Homeowners may be required to enter a debt counseling program as well.
* "Pay for Success" Incentives to Servicers: Servicers will receive an up-front fee of $1,000 for each eligible modification. They will also receive a monthly fee of up to $100 annually for 3 years, as long as the borrower stays current.

Incentives to Help Borrowers Stay Current

* Initiatives will provide a monthly balance reduction payment that goes straight toward reducing the principal balance of the mortgage loan. As long as a borrower stays current on his or her loan, he or she can get up to $1,000 each year for five years.

Reaching Borrowers Early

* An incentive payment of $500 will be paid to servicers, and $1,500 will be paid to mortgage holders, if they modify at-risk loans before the borrower falls behind.

Home Price Decline Reserve Payments:
* An insurance fund of $10 billion dollars will be created by the Treasury Department. It will be designed to encourage lenders not to foreclose on mortgages because they fear a further reduction in home prices. Holders of mortgages modified under the program, would be provided with an additional insurance payment on each modified loan that is linked to a decline in the home price index.

On the need to provide refinance options for responsible borrowers:
* Those who are current on their payments and whose loans are held or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are eligible.
* The plan would help borrowers who owe more than 80% of their home's value to refinance and reduce their monthly payments. However, the new mortgage, including refinancing costs, can't exceed 105% of the current market value of the property.
* Borrowers with a second mortgage are eligible, as long as their first mortgage isn't more than 105 percent of their home's value.
* The value of the property will be determined after application is made to refinance.
* The government backed refinance program allows borrowers to refinance into 15-year or 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at prevailing market rates.

Increasing the amount of available credit:

* More capital will be supplied to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the amount of $200 billion.
* This capital will be used to add to the amount of available credit to individual borrowers.
* This new injection of capital will allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to expand the size and scope of their mortgage portfolios, perhaps as a safety valve for banks on the brink of insolvency.

Homeowners may be asking "What's the benefit of giving my mortgage servicer my tax dollars to help me save my home?" Actually, it will do a lot of good. Now mortgage servicers can recoup fees and possibly make money by helping with a loan modification.

Before the plan, servicers would receive fees when one of the homes they serviced went in to foreclosure. Now, servicers have a monetary incentive to prevent a home from going into foreclosure. Without such payments, servicers might continue to foreclose on securitized mortgages, even when foreclosure is not in the interest of the borrower or the lender.

This will also be reflected in more stable home values for everyone due to a reduction in foreclosures.

These monetary incentives are the key to the Obama plan. Moreover, these incentives set this new plan apart from past attempts to stem the tide of foreclosures.

Joan Rogliano

www.roglianorealestategroup.com

joan@roglianorealestategroup.com

Reg Gupton says: Unless you sold your business for $110 Million you need to read this article

Hi Reg Gupton here

Today, I finally got around to taking the October 2008 issue of Inc Magazine to lunch as you know I often do.

Found this great article for all entrepreneurs.

Ignore these lessons at your companies peril.


Street Smarts: Secrets of a $110 Million Man

Reg Gupton says: Why do people fail?

Some time ago, I rec'd the message below from a marketing genius, Dan Kennedy. You can read more about him here I have read most of his over a dozen books and never tire of his message.

I also subscribe to monthly newsletter and CD service which I enjoy tremendously.

Read the following. Again, again and again.

It is that important.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

A series of No B.S. Articles from Dan Kennedy

Can You Handle The Truth?
Will You Tell The Truth?

We are very, very sloppy with language.

Consider the word "can't". People use it often, casually, and, mostly, inaccurately.

As in: I just can't seem to lose weight. Actually, barring a genuine medical disorder, the odds against somewhere in the 25,000 to 1 range, anybody can, in fact, lose weight. There's no mystery to it whatsoever. Reduce calorie, fat, and empty carb intake, add exercise. The accurate word replacing can't here would be choose. I just seem to choose not to lose weight. I choose to remain fat, ugly, unhealthy.

I'm not a theologian, but I recall one of those bothersome commandments brought down from the mountain having to do with not lying. I know a lot of people who profess belief in those ten, yet lie like dogs daily to themselves. You'd think we could at least manage some private honesty with self.

In my businesses - publishing, consulting, coaching, training - quite a few people excuse themselves from doing the things necessary to be successful. In 30 years, I imagine I've heard every excuse. Most quitters aren't very imaginative, so even the 30 year list is short. There's the old story of the guy asking his neighbor to borrow his tractor. His neighbor says: "Can't let ya. There's a horrible drought in Kansas." The puzzled guy says, a little irritated, "We're in Iowa. What the heck does the drought in Kansas have to do with me using your tractor?" And the farmer says: "When a man doesn't want to lend out his tractor, one excuse is just as good as another."

Whoever publishes the piece in which you find this series of Why People Fail articles is just like me and every coach, karate instructor, art teacher, personal trainer, business advisor; he, we, hear a lot of quitters' excuses. One of the saddest is "I can't afford it."

My friend Jim Rohn, a world class success teacher, has famously said: "Rich people have big libraries. Poor people have big TV's." Somebody visiting one of my homes said, "It must be nice to be able to afford to buy and own all these books." (There are thousands.) I said, "It is - but a good number of them were bought when I couldn't afford them."

They are cause, not effect. When Houdini moved from his country home to the city, it required five full-size moving just for his library of books about magic, performance, psychology, salesmanship. He did not acquire his library after becoming Houdini. He acquired it in becoming Houdini. Personally, years back, I found it less harmful to not afford a meal than to not afford information.

If you mean it as a drought in Kansas excuse to exit a place you decide you don't belong, a program for progress and success you refuse to stick to and apply yourself to, it really isn't necessary to fib to us or to yourself. Frankly, we don't care, and you do yourself no good with the dishonesty. If you sincerely believe you can't afford to acquire the information that leads so many to success, you might inspect what you do afford - your daily Starbucks run, your cigarettes, your nights out with friends.

Super entrepreneur Gene Simmons (KISS) wrote that anyone under 30 and not yet rich even thinking about taking a vacation should be shot. Anyone saying "I can't afford it" to the tools, support and direction needed to get to position where they no longer need proffer such sad excuse needs a good old fashioned, back out behind the barn butt-whipping. In my opinion. At least be honest. Look in the mirror and say: 1 choose not to afford it.

The WHY PEOPLE FAIL articles are provided by Dan S. Kennedy, serial entrepreneur, from-scratch multi-millionaire, speaker, consultant, coach, author of 13 books including the No B.S. series (www.NoBSBooks.com), and editor of The No B.S. Marketing Letter.

Sure-fire ways to boost Web leads | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News

Hi

Reg Gupton here.

If you are seeking web leads, this is a good Inman article.

See especially number 4 about capturing contact information to add to your database. Having someone visit your web site without your offering something free and having them opt-in is a waste of your money.

After they opt-in you can drip on them with an 8x8 and then your 33 touch program.

The lead time between beginning to look and actually buying or selling is often extending to over 12 months.

And most agents give up if the prospect is not buying this weekend.

Sure-fire ways to boost Web leads

All my best

Reg Gupton

Q&A: mastering referrals | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News

Hi again,

Reg Gupton here.

More and more time is spent in my coaching practice discussing referrals. How to get them, how to reward them, and how to have a steady supply.

Read this article to learn more about this subject.

Q&A: mastering referrals

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton asks: is there a best e-mail frequency?

Hi Reg Gupton here.

I am often asked is there a best email frequency. The answer is in the article following.

The Best E-mail Frequency? It Doesn't Exist

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton asks: are you checking your email too often?

Hi

Emarketer.com recently did a survey on when folks check email. Read and learn when to send you marketing emails.

When Do You Check Your E-Mail?

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton says: A change with the Los Angeles Times real estate section

Hi,

If you think you can continue to do business like you have for the last year or decade. Read this news about the LA Times newspaper.

Los Angeles Times axes real estate section

Get ready for more and more changes.

What are you doing to plan for your future?

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton offers the dos and don'ts of postcard marketing

Hi Folks,

If you send postcards as part of you direct mail marketing you must read this article.

It is great.

Dos and don'ts of postcard marketing

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton offers some thoughts on home prices

Hi Reg Gupton here,

A while back I read the following article about house prices.

Helped my attitude and that of my clients. I bet it will help yours too.

Glum over home prices? Look afar : Columns & Blogs : The Rocky Mountain News

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton offers tips on how to start a conversation

Hi Reg Gupton here,

Recently I had a conversation with a coaching client who is a new real estate agent. He was having a struggle engaging folks in conversations. Those of you who know me know that talking is not much of a problem for me. Often talk too much.

Here is a link to an article that gives several great tips for you to use when you meet a person for the first time. Or someone who you have not seen in a while.

AskMen.com - Start a conversation

BTW...recently I worked with one of my other clients to develop talking points for a conversation. What the document? Comment on this post with your full contact information and I will send it along.


To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton offers information on trust and respect in selling

Hi Folks

For some time I have been interested in a concept called High Probability Selling. You can find more information here.

In the newsletter that arrived today, there appeared the article below. It contains valuable research on what buyers are looking for.

Read and learn.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Trust and Respect: The
Ultimate Competitive Advantage

By Jacques Werth, President
Time to Read: 4 Minutes
Word Count: 644

Dear Reg,

Does your selling style address the most fundamental needs
of your prospects? What are the most important factors to
someone making an important buying decision?

Universities and market research firms have conducted
numerous studies to determine the most important buying
decision factors for people who make significant
purchases. We gathered as many of those studies as we
could find, and did simple correlation analyses to
average out the results. Here are the results, in order
of importance.

Weighted Values* of Buying Decision Factors(c)

1. Level of Trust in the Salesperson: 87
2. Level of Respect for the Salesperson: 82
3. Reputation of the Company or Product: 76
4. Features of the Product or Service: 71
5. Quality and Service: 58
6. Price (non-commodity): 16
12. Like the Salesperson (rapport): 3

* (Weight = percentage of people listing each factor
in their top 5)

The average salesperson knows how to effectively present
four of the seven factors cited above: Reputation (#3),
Features (#4), Quality and Service (#5), and Rapport (#12).
Most salespeople try to handle the two most important
buying decision factors, Trust (#1) and Respect (#2),
by establishing Rapport (#12).

Building "Rapport" is an inherently manipulative tactic.
Ironically, typical salespeople attempt to establish Trust
and Respect, non-manipulative factors, by manipulating
people. Building rapport doesn't establish trust and
respect, it diminishes trust and respect. That's why only
3% of all buyers surveyed rate 'Like the Salesperson' as
an important buying decision factor.

If Trust and Respect are so important, why don't most
salespeople learn how to establish relationships of trust
and respect with their prospects and customers? We've come
to the conclusion that there are three reasons:

1. Most salespeople don't know that it can be done.

2. If they learn a process that develops that kind of
relationship, they feel uncomfortable using it
because it's very unconventional.

3. Trust and Respect are very personal emotions,
and sharing emotions is commonly regarded as
only suitable for intimate relationships. Most
salespeople have a fear of intimacy. Yet, we've
found that less than 1/2 of 1 percent of prospects
and customers have a fear of intimacy.

Let's suppose you're faced with a very important buying
decision. Let's say you have decided to relocate thirty
miles away from where you live now, so that you and your
spouse will both have shorter commutes to work. So, you
need to sell your current home and buy a new one. To whom
would you entrust the sale of your most valued possession?
Are you going to entrust the sale of your house to a charming
and friendly Realtor who tells you that they have the best
marketing system, the best skills, the best negotiating
ability, and affiliation with the biggest real estate firm?
Or, will you hire the Realtor whom you trust and respect
the most to sell your most valued possession?

Regardless of whether you sell to consumers or B-2-B, all
sales are made to people. When the sales are significant,
most people want to buy from someone they trust and
respect. Why? Fear of loss is the most important buying
motivation. You could lose tens of thousands in the hands
of an untrustworthy Realtor. At work, choosing an unreliable
vendor could cost you a raise, a promotion, or your job.

If you learn a process that establishes relationships of
mutual trust and respect with prospects during your first
conversation with them, you will have the ultimate
competitive advantage. If not, hope to be the most
persuasive salesperson your prospects meet- and hope that
someone who practices High Probability Selling isn't your
competitor!

Reg Gupton offers Action Steps for REALTORS to take for the New Year

Hi Folks,

As the year ends some of us start thinking about new beginnings. I am not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions as they lack often lack thought and/or action to back them up.

If you run a health club, you market like crazy at the end and beginning of the year. You know you will get people to sign up, pay you money and never show up to the Club. Lots of cash and no use of your facility.

Below is a great article on a number of actions not resolutions you should take. I love the context and content both. Especially the last one about review. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Just make them actions backed with your intention and a clear commitment on your part to carry them out. Often an accountability partner or coach can help you make progress.

Sales Coach: New Year’s Resolutions You Should Make

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton
qupton@growthseminars.com

Reg Gupton presents 6 Ways To Be More Productive

Follow the link below for a great article on ways to get more done.

What techniques do you use for increased effectiveness?

Reply or comment

YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog » 6 Ways To Be More Productive And Get More Done:

It got me thinking about the other ways I increase my productivity and I thought I would share some ideas with you today.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton
gupton@growthseminars.com

Reg Gupton provides 7 marketing tips for anyone in the personal service business

I recently read the following by Robert Middleton and felt it was worth passing on.

Below you'll find the "Seven Areas of Marketing Fitness." Put your

mind on improving these and you'll build the foundation of a very

strong marketer with plenty of endurance.

"Seven Areas of Marketing Fitness"

1. Your Marketing Message: Is it 100% clear exactly what you are

selling, who it's for and what problem it's solving? Is what you

offer providing real solutions to vital issues your prospects are

struggling with?

"What is it you do again (and who do you do it for)?"

2. Your Web Site: Does it effectively communicate (not only the

message but the essence of) what you and your business are

about? Sketchy content and amateur design will have visitors

clicking off your site in a heartbeat.

"Do you have a website (with information I can understand)?"

3. Your Value. Are you clearly articulating the value and benefits

clients get when working with you? Can you express this in terms

of an "Ultimate Outcome" that your clients get from you? Do

prospects fully understand the impact of this?

"What can I really expect to get if I work with you?"

4. Your Differentiation: Do your services boldly stand out or do

they look like what everyone else in your field is offering? What's

a complaint no one else has addressed? What can you emphasize

that all your competitors have missed?

"What is it that makes you different from everyone else?"

5. Your Packaging: Are you just selling a process (consulting,

training), or instead are you providing services that will deliver

an outstanding outcome every time? This one change can

dramatically alter a prospects' perception of your value.

"What kind of long-term results can I expect?"

6. Your Credibility: Are you making a strong case for your

services? Are you proving that you can get the job done? Have you

built a portfolio of case studies and testimonials that prove you

produce consistent results for your clients?

"Can you help a company like mine (and where's your proof)?"

7. Your Service: Is it easy to reach you? Do you respond quickly?

Do you keep your word? Do you provide the information needed?

Do you answer the hard questions? Are you pleasant and fun to

deal with? Do you make the client a priority?

"Can I reach you when I need you (and will you treat me well)?"

By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit

Robert's web site at www.actionplan.com for additional

marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional

service businesses."

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton
gupton@growthseminars.com

Reg Gupton says real estate commissions on the rise

Hi Folks,

Looks like fees are on the way up. There is hope out there yet. Follow this link for the full story.

Real estate commissions on the rise - Oct. 31, 2007:

During the housing boom, home sellers were in the driver's seat with real estate agents courting them - often at bargain commission rates. But now that the bubble has burst, the tables have turned. In 1991, the average commission rate was 6.1 percent, according Steve Murray, of Real Trends, which tracks the brokerage industry. The rate inched down to 5.4 percent by 2001 and by the end of 2005, it stood at 5.02 percent."

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton
www.growthseminars.com

Reg Gupton finds an Affirmation Class: Question and Answer Time

Hi all again,

While noodling around on bmindful com I found this interesting article.

Affirmation Class: Question and Answer Time - Articles and Interviews - bmindful - the positive affirmation and self help community:

Affirmation Class: Question and Answer Time article written on the 29th of May 2007 by Lee Nutter

A lot of the emails I get are related to affirmation usage. How to create an affirmation, how often to use them, the best ways to use them. This article is an attempt to answer a few of these questions for those that have wanted to ask but never got around to sending an email. It is an affirmation primer of sorts. Anyway, on with the questions.

to your continued success,

Reg Gupton
growthseminars.com