Success in sales requires you to stay focused.  As you grow however you start  to have many balls in the air.  Suddenly sales is not all that you have to worry about.  Now you need a balanced approach to management in order to obtain great business results. Why? You need it because your team will have multiple goal categories, goals and action steps. The flawless execution of these action steps will result in a loyal customer base. The end result will be more sales and profits. But how do you keep it all on track?The Balanced Scorecard, in my opinion, is the best way to stay focused on all of the organization’s goals and keep your staff on track too. Very simply a balanced scorecard is an ideal form of performance measurement. The business leaders identify a small number of financial an... 04/26/2015

  40 Photos Status: FOR SALEPrice: $769,000Move In ReadyAddress: 1 Gressel Place Type: Residential Style: Single Story Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 3 Suite: Yes Living Area: 2,369 square feet Year Built: 1955 More DetailsVirtual TourView RoomsRequest More Info | Email Listing   Description Tastefully renovated Ranch in Armonk with huge guest apartment. The home is situated on over 3 acres of level property overlooking a pond. The main house itself offers 3 bedrooms with 1.5 baths plus a new eat in kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances leading to an over sized living room / dining room combo with fireplace. Door from kitchen out to large blue stone terrace in the courtyard. Full storage basement, with laundry and utility rooms, one car garage, plenty of additional parkin... 04/22/2015

You would not be driving your car if the wheels were coming off, would you?  You would call your local mechanic and ask for help.  Now suppose he tells you that your car is so badly misaligned that it should not be driven until it is realigned.  Wouldn't you get it realigned immediately?  Now what about your work team or your company?  Are you operating a business that is badly misaligned?Before the wheels come off your business, stop!  Ask yourself this question: “Have I clearly communicated the objectives, the goals, or our direction to our team?” If the answer is yes you are a focused leader who empowers engaged employees who in turn create loyal customers.  If you are not so sure here are some things to consider. Alignment starts with the focused leader. You may be the owner, the ma... 04/19/2015

Unlike investing in the stock market, when hiring people past behavior does predict future performance. If you are not looking at behavior when you are interviewing you should be. Jim Collins and his team laid out the principle in the book Good to Great. It is as simple as “Getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.” It may be simple but it’s not easy. You will need to change the way you hire people.Here is a simple fact. I have found that many employers in Westchester County NY tend to make hiring decisions by looking at background in the industry, jobs held before, and job history. Many companies even do background checks. They spend a significant amount of time looking at a candidate’s skills and knowledge before extend... 04/12/2015

    30 Photos Status: FOR SALE Price: $769,000 Move In Ready Address: 1 Gressel Place Type: Residential Style: Single Story Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 3 Suite: Yes Living Area:   Year Built: 1955 More Details Virtual Tour View Rooms Request More Info | Email Listing     Description Tastefully renovated Ranch in Armonk with huge guest apartment. The home is situated on over 3 acres of level property overlooking a pond. The main house itself offers 3 bedrooms with 1.5 baths plus a new eat in kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances leading to an over sized living room / dining room combo with fireplace. Door from kitchen out to large blue stone terrace in the courtyard. Full storage basement, with laundry and utility rooms, one car garage, plenty of additional parking in ... 04/08/2015

How do you really motivate others?  You lead others by making them do what you want done because they want to do it.  You know that it is said that you can bring a horse to water but can't make it drink.  Well, you can if you make the horse thirsty first. How do you get others to do what you want done.  You make sure that they know that there is something in it for them.  Understanding what motivates others will make you an effective leader. Here are leadership philosophies from two well-known management consultants. “Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” —Peter Drucker “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” —Kenneth B... 04/05/2015

There is a difference between power and authority. As broker or business owner you have the authority by virtue of your role. However, your power is granted by those on your team or those you supervise. You may have noticed in your workplace that people without titles have been sought out by others for advice and approval. They have been granted power by others by virtue of their leadership skills not their job title. When working with leadership teams here in Westchester County NY I ask the question, "How much power do you have?" If you are not sure why not ask the people around you to give you some guidance. And if you have employees make sure you ask them.   Ask them what they feel is your biggest leadership challenge and what you can do to improve it. Asking others for their opinion... 03/29/2015

Real Estate Agents are not employees.  They are independent contractors or entrepreneurs.  This team arrangement is not unique to Real Estate.  Insurance, financial planners, and consulting, to name a few are teams of independent contractors. These teams of associates can be spread out over a large geographic area.  The is one of the advantages of technology. Today there are more teams that work virtually than ever before. Many teams members have home offices and some don't even have a seat in the main office. Regardless of the composition of the team, the things needed to create traditional high performing teams also apply to teams that work from independent locations and should be considered virtual teams.  An effective team needs to have a visionary and motivating leader combined wit... 03/22/2015

Sometimes after a long day you just want to sit down and have some comfort food.  My wife and I had a long day in the city and drove back to Armonk in traffic.  We decided to stop at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Amore Pizzeria and Pasta.  Actually, I was in the mood for a burger tonight.   We were early enough to have lots of room.  It has a great view through the window onto a porch that is great in the summer. Here is the information on Amore: Location: 1 Kent Place, Armonk, NY 10504 Phone: 273-3535 Web Site: amorearmonk.com   Information and photos provided by Grant Schneider, Performance Development Strategies.    Would you like to know how to make your local business thrive?   Contact us! 03/18/2015

A team is only as good as its weakest link.  As leader of a team you need to make sure that there are no weak links.  The Westchester County Businesses that I coach do not work on strengthening those weak links.  No, they work on leveraging each individual's strengths.  They insist on having the right team member in the right job.  If a person is wrong for one job that person could be perfect for another job.  Many different strengths make a team.  The combination of these  different strengths creates a high performing team. Everyone has talents and non-talents. A person’s non talent is not a problem by itself. However, it can become a problem if he or she is placed in a job requiring the use of that non talent. By helping your team utilize all of its individual strengths you will push ... 03/15/2015

Most of the information  I read talks about how to deal with the Millennials as workers and as customers. That might work for your marketing if your target market is only Millennials but might not solve issues in your work team.  We have three generations and understanding all three generations is the only way leverage the talents of your team not to mention your marketplace. The understanding of the differences of the three generations will help create high performing teams and help you understand your customer base and what motivates them. As I work with my Westchester County NY organizations I constantly hear voices of frustration. A frustrated manager says “The kids today don’t want to work. I can’t get any good help.” Or it might be a manager of a team of professionals complaining ... 03/08/2015

Nicole Doty - Gilbert Real Estate Expert inspired me with her post Can You Handle the Truth. No one wants to intentionally tell a lie.  On the other hand everyone wants to be liked and this fact can prevent people from saying what needs to be said.  I am not saying that you should offer a truthful remark that might be hurtful but when dealing with clients it never pays to conceal less than positive news.  I am reminded of "You can't handle the truth!"  When we service our clients we sometimes think that they can't handle the truth or they will go to our competitor.  Therefore, we end up making promises we can't keep. What happen's when we under perform after we over promised? We have an angry customer and we may lose the customer.  Wouldn't have been  better to tell the truth.  Most cus... 02/22/2015

If you have been having great business success you know that it is not by accident.  You created a business plan and stayed focused on the execution of that plan.  Show me an unfocused business and I will show you one that has no direction and is in a state of disarray.  Of course, you do need to be ready to change but it must be change with purpose and direction. Being focused means paying attention to details while seeing the big picture. Successful entrepreneurs can not be successful by running around putting out fires and trying just about every new thing that comes along.  That won't work but neither will complacency.  "If it’s not broke don’t fix it" is not a winning strategy.  In order to remain successful the business owner must be able to change but must remain focused. How are... 02/15/2015

Let me ask a question.  Is there any other reason to create a team other than to grow your business?  If you want to grow your business by growing your team you must empower your team to act independently.  That sounds so simple and it is.  In fact, those brokers and owners who have been giving their team the tools to act independently are growing much more rapidly than those who are creating roadblocks by holding too much control or not training and developing their team.  Clearly, empowerment of the team creates better outcomes. Unfortunately, some owners and managers find it very hard to let go. In some cases the need to be right prevents the manager from trusting the team members. If this fear of not being right is stopping you from letting go then you might want to ask yourself the... 02/08/2015

I also like to go to Starbucks.  In fact I sometimes call it my second office.  But there is a warm and comfortable coffee shop right in the center on Armonk. The Tazza Café has been located on Main Street in Armonk for years.  Just last year it moved to a much larger location at 400 Main Street.  This location is ideal for a snack and coffee, to work on your computer or to have client meetings.  This has quickly become my meeting place of choice. There is also a great menu but I really love their freshly made chocolate chip cookies. You can enter Tazza Café from the street or through the parking lot. This outdoor picture is much more inviting in the summer with the tables outside. Inside is modern and cozy and great for meetings. You can get more information on Tazza Café on their webs... 02/04/2015

I recently asked a Linked in Group if they thought lack or knowledge or bad habits created failure.  The overwhelming majority responded that it is bad habits that create failure.  When I started my business I asked another coach why most businesses fail.  He answered with the statement, "They spend all of their time getting ready to go to work."  The time just never seems right or I have to learn to do more things or go to more training.   There seems to be a conflict with what the people on Linked In told me and why many people say they can't get going and ultimately fail.  It might be a mental block or blind spot but many people feel they have to learn more and prepare more to succeed but many have acknowledged that the habits and behaviors and not the lack of knowledge are the thing... 02/01/2015

Yesterday, most of the Northeast from Washington DC to Maine was hunkering down for what was supposed to be the biggest storm ever.  Here in Westchester County New York we were all cleaning out the supermaket shelves and the snow shovels at Home Depot and the hardware stores. You can never take things for granted.  After all Buffalo had 7 feet of snow just a few weeks ago.  Everyone with generators even had them ready.   I woke up this morning and it was still snowing.  Then before noon the sun came out I and I decided to do the big cleanup.   This is what my driveway looked like when I opened the garage.  It did not look that bad. After I finished cleaning the driveway in the picture below: Not very much snow at all.  It certainly was not the 3 feet predicted.  I am not complaining.  I... 01/27/2015

If you have ever used a compass you know that it always points to true North.  In the same manner your values are your personal compass keeping you on the right track as you achieve your goals.  It is important to achieve your goals but you should never violate your core values.  In a previous post, DO YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR WHY, I talk about the WHY being the most important thing.  Much of your “why” is derived from your core values. These are your non negotiables—the ideals you live by. Your compass stays true so that you can stay on course to get to your destination.  It keeps you on course by providing a constant reference point--a value.   Your core values operate much the same way. It is important to define your core values. That way you and others will know what you stand for. If y... 01/25/2015

A good manager broker has proper controls in place.  But if you have too much control it could be counter productive. With regard to your own clients and your individual business you need to be in control to see that nothing gets derailed. I have found that some owners here in Westchester County NY struggle with the balance of having adequate business controls and controlling to the point of smothering. A business is started by an owner with a vision. Perhaps it is someone who has worked as an agent and wants to take the big step of becoming a broker owner. Or it really could be any other business as well because these principles are universal.  He or she has all of the requisite skills and works hard IN the new business He or she has to attend to every detail and if he or she forgets o... 01/18/2015

Have you noticed that everyone mentions goals at some point in their blogs.  All successful business plans have goals and timetables.  But there are still some people that say, "I don't believe in goals or I have my goals in my head."  My answer to those comments: First, if you don't know where you are going (no goals) how will you know when you get there?   Second, if you go to the supermarket you probably have a list because you don't want to rely on your memory.  Besides that, if you don't buy what you need and want you will have to go back again. And that is the most important point about successful goal achievement.  The goal must represent a want or need and you need to know why you want or need to achieve that goal.  "WHY" is indeed the operating question. Why do want to achieve ... 01/12/2015