Real Estate and LifeMarch 13, 2007Issue #9 I’m a little late in getting out the newsletter this month. My Dad passed away at the end of February just when I would have started to write it. He was 88 and quite a man. This letter is dedicated to his memory. What does this have to do with real estate? Let me tell you about my Dad and you will see. My Dad was an extremely successful man in his field, direct marketing. If you are ever in downtown Chicago, go to the corner of Randolph and Wacker Drive and you will see the street sign proclaiming Honorary Bob Stone Drive or if you ever visit the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame, you will find his picture hanging there. Talk to someone who is in the field of direct marketing, they will probably have read his book, Successful Direct Marketing Methods, which has sold over 250,000 copies and is coming out in the 8th edition this summer. Nice resume, but so what? What can we learn from him? Well, I know he would write it with a catchy title that would capture your attention, peak your interest, cause you to have the desire to learn more and to take action, the AIDA sales formula that marketers use. So here are 10 Lessons from Bob Stone That Could Change Your Life: 1- He was passionate about his work. Direct marketing wasn’t just a job; it was a challenge, a joy and satisfying. How do you feel about your career? Develop passion and you will succeed. 2- He was a lifelong learner. Dad was always testing new methods, evaluating their effectiveness, and looking for ways to do things better. Could your marketing methods use some updating? Continue to learn and you become more valuable to your clients. 3- He was a teacher. We were never sure if Dad graduated from college, but in his later years, he taught at the Grad School at Northwestern University. He took many people under his wing to show them the ropes. Share what you know with others and you will enrich your life and the lives of others. 4- He found time for his family. As important a man as my father was, he was always just our Dad. He made time for his children and his family; we never felt like we were second on his list of priorities. Remember why you really work and you will have few regrets when you can’t work. 5- He was involved in the community. Dad was never too busy to raise funds for his church or education. He donated over $95,000 from the sales of his book to the educational foundation for direct marketing. Take the opportunity to make your community and business better. Get involved. 6- He was humble. This was one of my favorite things about my father. After the funeral many of my friends, some whom I had known for many years, came up to me and said, "I never knew he was...!" He treated everyone the way he wanted to be treated and an awful lot of good things came his way. 7- He knew how to sell the benefits. Direct marketing is all about selling the benefits not the features. Dad was a master at getting customers to respond by selling the dream not the product. Look at your real estate advertising. Sell the dream or the benefit not the feature. I know it works; I lived with the master for my first 21 years. 8- He had ups and downs like everyone else. We often look at successful people as "just lucky" or born "right", but that wasn’t true for my Dad. He had his share of adversity like everyone else. He had some failed business ventures, was widowed twice, had flat feet and was all of 5 foot 6 inches tall. He chose to approach life as full of opportunity. 9- He had a great sense of humor. He was not a great joke teller; in fact, his favorite joke goes like this... "Once there were 2 Irishmen and now there are millions of them." What he did was, see the humor in things, which got him through many a tough situation and attracted people to him. He chose to have fun. Try it, it works. 10- He was an optimist. My Dad always saw the good in people and situations. He got an awful lot out of people. Sure he had his failures but his half-full outlook worked out pretty darn well. I’m back at work, catching up, just like Dad would have done. I’m a little bit sad he’s not here but I’m happy that he was here so long and that I get to pass on his essence. I get to spend my days trying to make real estate agents' careers a little better. I think Dad would be proud. He was quite a man. Monthly Tech Tip |
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