Joe Sweeney's Blog

This article was originally published in the Milwaukee Biz Times on November 27, 2017, written by Joe Sweeney.

I had the good fortune to attend a retreat and meet Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great. One of the many gems which Jim imparted was that we need to write every day and that writing is thinking. He actually spends 1000 hours a year writing and creating. That is 25 40-hour weeks. Wow!

If you are a regular at your gym, you may have noticed that Mondays are crowded, and Fridays are a ghost town. Many of us start the week with the intention to live our ideal life, and lose our drive and mindfulness as the days go by. Some people are able to beat that loss of motivation by planning. You can start to develop the habit of being more mindful (and motivated) by planning for the eight most important aspects of your life.

In today’s highly competitive real estate market, clients can easily research multiple agents in minutes online. This is why increasing your influence through networking is essential - a personal referral is still more powerful than Google. Video is a way that you can network 24/7 with anyone, anywhere - even those on the other side of the country, or world. It’s a unique way to keep in touch with your loyal past clients, and demonstrate your knowledge to future prospects.  

Like many people in all areas of business, some of the most successful real estate professionals will tell you that they’ve achieved their biggest accomplishments when they begin each day with an end goal in mind. These individuals understand that you may not be able to accomplish a particular goal in one day, but your focus and strategies should be in line with what it will take to ultimately accomplish that goal over time.

If you are familiar with some of my networking principles, you know that I feel strongly that the best time to build your network is when you are able to be a valuable resource for someone else. When you adopt an attitude toward building your network that embraces giving - not getting, you will be shocked by how much you receive in return.

Networking and personal introductions are some of the best methods to not only grow your business, but also reach your personal goals. With a little proactive thought in regard to strategy and research, you may be surprised how many individuals you can become connected with, how much you may have in common and the valuable resources you can provide for one another.

I have been blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and mentor a number of high performing business executives, professional athletes and members of the Navy SEALs on the topics of change and transition. My interactions with these individuals and teams have led me to wonder why some high performers can win back-to-back most valuable player awards or complete grueling military training; however, when confronted with periods of transition, they struggle with common fears. Perhaps what is most interesting about this period of transition is that professional athletes, business executives, and top military personnel seem to struggle with five very similar challenges.

Sharing knowledge and experiences are some of the best parts about being a businessman, author, speaker and trainer. I often get asked to participate in various interviews and podcasts to discuss what I’ve learned over the years as well as to share the principles from Networking Is a Contact Sport and Moving the Needle. Over a year ago, I spoke at a LexisNexis event and had the pleasure of meeting Keith Hawk, V.P. of Sales and an incredibly dynamic man. This meeting led to the great opportunity to speak with Keith’s son, Ryan – host of the popular podcast, The Learning Leader Show.