The Habits, Attitude and Skills of a Peak Producer

By Brian Buffini
Buffini & Company

In order to have a highly productive, long-term business, you must excel in the fundamentals. The fundamentals are the same today as they were 20 years ago, and the same as they’ll be 20 years from now. That’s why I want to focus on helping you develop the essential habits, attitude and skills of a peak producer.

1. Habits

We all have habits we need to drop, and habits we need to develop. It takes just 30 days to build a new habit – so let’s develop some new practices in these key areas:

Optimize your time

I know people who work 50 hours and make $1,500,000; I know others who work 50 hours and make $50,000. This isn’t about IQ – it’s about “I do.” You must know what is a priority so you can then do those things that are actually meaningful to your business.

Cultivate referrals every day

A recent NAR study shows that 80 percent of business comes from repeat and referred customers. So, what are you doing to generate referrals every day? You need to cultivate referrals the way you brush your teeth – systematize your activities to generate the most results.

Manage your finances

You must be strategic about how you handle your money. I suggest paying yourself a salary and giving yourself a bonus at year’s end – that way there are always resources in place to help you get through the valleys.

2. Attitude

“Attitude” is defined as, “a mental position, feeling or emotion towards a fact or state.” It’s essential we bring a positive attitude to our clients.

Set goals

Stay focused and on track with a clearly defined set of short-, mid- and long-term goals. And write them down! Written goals are far more likely to be achieved than those that aren’t.

Develop an “extra mile” mentality

Build advocates for your business with a “mints on the pillow” attitude of the heart. Create an ongoing relationship with your clients, and consistently provide value. I can guarantee, when you give it out in slices, it’ll come back in loaves.

3. Skills

It’s your skills that pay the bills! The definition of a “professional” is “someone who is paid to undertake a specialized set of tasks and orchestrate them with uncommon skill.”

Grow your ability to negotiate

There are seven types of negotiators; you need to know how to identify and work with each type in order to create true win-win dynamics. I believe that developing your skill in this area will lead to fewer overpriced listings, higher commissions and more successfully closed transactions.

Professionally serve every listing

As my good friend Joe Niego says, “Faithfulness is doing the things you need to do when you don’t feel like doing them.” Joe averaged 45 listings a month for seven straight years. How? He faithfully served his clients – before, during and after each transaction.