The Armonk Chamber of Commerce promotes local business in the Hamlet of Armonk which is part of the Town of North Castle New York.  Armonk has a thriving downtown business district.  The Armonk Chamber of Commerce has a mission to promote local business and connect them with the community.  One way of doing this is the "3rd Thursday Event"What's planned? All kinds of things throughout town, with music and activities in Armonk Square (picture above). If you walk through town you will be immediately aware of the festive attitude.  Armonk Square alone is worth coming out and sitting at one of the tables and enjoying some take outs from DeCiccos Family Market.But here is the big surprise for Thursday, July 20th.  There will be the 1st Annual Classic Car Show.  Come an see if they will the f... 07/19/2017

Look at your real estate business an ask yourself this question about your organization.  Do I spend most of my time developing my team in the areas of skills and knowledge?  I am guessing the the majority said yes. It seems that when many managers hire people they spend a tremendous amount of time on resumes, skills and knowledge. And yet people usually don’t fail because of lack of skills. It is usually bad behavior, bad actions, or bad attitude.Several years ago, I heard Zig Ziglar speak. He said, “Your attitude determines your altitude.” What do YOU think about when you hear the word attitude? When I ask this question at workshops people usually respond with examples what they consider a bad attitude. It may even have a negative connotation to you. The fact is that people do not put... 07/17/2017

Good intentions are just that. They mean nothing without action. At some point we have to "Just Do It." We know that getting started is the hardest part. It takes the most energy but once started there is some momentum. Some people think that time management explains why it is not getting done. But time management is not the issue. The root cause is our behavior and it manifests itself in procrastination.  Procrastination is something that we all have to confront and deal with from time to time. It's only natural to procrastinate at times, but the way you deal with your procrastination patterns will determine what effects procrastination has on your life.Why is it that so many people start out with good intentions to achieve a goal but never achieve that goal? When you procrastinate you... 06/26/2017

Fol de Rol is French and it means foolishness.  Every June we have foolishness in Armonk NY.  The tranquil picture of our park in Armonk with the gazebo will be transformed into fun and foolishness tomorrow June 8th through Sunday June 11, 2017.  There will be rides, races, crafts, food, and fun.  The Jersey Disc Dogs will be racing through once again.Admission to the fair is free.  It is located at Wampus Brook Park, Route 128 and Maple Ave in Armonk NY.  Come and enjoy and fun weekend!Information provided by Grant Schneider, Performance Development Strategies.  Would you like to know how to make your local business thrive? Contact us!  06/07/2017

 Would you like to be more accurate in predicting the success of a new employee or a sales team member?   Don't place all of your decision on past experience.  While is has importance you should remember that when you hire someone you are looking for future performance. I work with numerous privately held and family held businesses. And I have observed that those running the business believe that their industry is different from others, so unique that the primary requirement is experience. Because of that mindset I have seen many bad candidates hired and many qualified candidates screened out. The hiring manager is using the assumption that as long as the candidate has previous experience in the industry or job that the candidate will be a success in the hiring manager’s job.In my work ... 05/22/2017

 Your best form of advertising is your current clients.  That's right, and it is also the most economical.Peter Drucker said that the purpose of business is to create and keep a customer. It is really that simple. Creating a customer is done through a clear message and marketing but keeping a customer is based on performance. Not enough of us really focus on the retaining customer part of that equation. How many times have you heard, "what separates us from others is our service."  I hear it all the time but does the speaker really know what that means? And also, too many focus on customer satisfaction to determine their customer service measurements. This measurement does not get to the heart of what separates them.Some also make a mistake in the method of measuring the voice of their ... 05/15/2017

Do you have a problem with time management?  The real problem might not be time management at all.  If that were the case, then you would be able to solve your problems very quickly. But time management is not a time management issue at all. It usually involves a much bigger issue including attitudes and behaviors.Since it involves a much bigger issue you can’t solve the problem simply by being more organized. Systems alone cannot help create more time. There are many books that tell you how to organize your time. You can buy a day planner, or use Apps or other organizing and calendar programs but still have no better control of your day. The root cause of the problem is not the lack of systems or processes. It is our own attitudes about time, our bad habits and our bad behaviors. It is... 04/24/2017

If you hired an administrative staff and you exercise strong control over their work you may be shooting yourself in the foot for two reasons.  First of all, you hired them to take over tasks so that you could grow the business.  And second, your strong control will keep them from blossoming into productive employees. In fact, being a control freak insures that nothing can get done without your involvement.  Many of my business owners in Westchester County New York including those in real estate and insurance have learned the importance of delegation to business growth. Once you decide to add just one new employee, your main job is not control but allowing others to do what needs to be done. If you don’t let go, you will be seen as a micro manager. This will actually de motivate your te... 04/17/2017

Spring is here and opportunities abound.  Are you and your team ready for showtime?  It takes effort on your part to execute your season.  You know what needs to be done but what about the rest of your team?  Does everyone on the team know their role?  If you know how to empower and engage your team, they will in turn create loyal customers leading to growth and success for all.  There are three components:Focused Leader - You may be the broker or owner but that does not mean you are seen as the leader. You appoint yourself CEO but your team will follow you if you are the leader.   As leader you will create vision, model behavior and inspire results. With your inspiration people recognize your leadership. You will be creating an environment where people will join your team. They see the... 04/03/2017

In interactions with other people have you ever heard someone described something like this:  “He could get you upset just by saying Good Morning."  Social interaction among individuals is always subject to emotions and interpretation. You can be upset about something that happened earlier and the emotion could carry through negatively when communicating with staff members. Sometimes it is not what you say but how you say it. You can change this by being aware of your emotions and keeping them in check. Then learn how to react and interact with people. Here are six situations and possible ways to respond. •          You can accept others ideas and respect them although you do not have to agree. Acknowledge amazing requests and outrageous statements with responses such as: "That's an int... 03/20/2017

Many times people do not achieve theirs goals or change their bad behavior because they are paralyzed by fear. This is one serious condition that will call business owners and real estate agents to fail to move forward. Cars change, technology changes, and business practices change. What you did to get to where you are today will not get you where you want to go tomorrow.   If you want to continue hold onto your customers and market share you must adapt to changing times. And if you want to move forward you need to anticipate and get ahead of change.Why do people resist change? Why do people continue to do the same things although they are no longer getting the results they once achieved?Understanding the reasons people resist change can help overcome the obstacles to change and create ... 03/13/2017

So you have decided that you do not want to be a solo entrepreneur.  Perhaps you want to grow or perhaps you want to take some tasks off of your shoulders.  Maybe you want to create a legacy--a business you can pass on or sell.  Hiring people will change your role from doing everything to leading others.   You know how to do the business but now you have to manage it.For example, in the restaurant industry there are numerous great cooks and chefs that feel that because they know how to create a great meal that that they should open a restaurant. The restaurant might open and have sales but the owner might be so consumed with the food details that he might neglect other parts of the business. In most cases the business stops when the owner stops. Likewise, if you want to build a real est... 03/06/2017

If you are growing your real estate business by adding more agents what is your next step?  The answer is onboarding and setting expectations and empowering them to create their own success. It has been proven time and time again that an owner who empowers his or her team by giving them authority to make decisions and control outcomes is many times more successful than a manager who holds the control. Management teams in Westchester County NY that have been following this advice have been seeing their sales increase and their employee turnover decrease. Clearly empowerment of staff creates better outcomes.Unfortunately, managers and executives find it very hard to let go and allow their staff to drive results. In some cases, the need to be right prevents the manager from trusting his or... 02/27/2017

Do you know a good leader when you see one? Choosing leaders for your real estate teams is the first step to creating a high performing team.  The selection of  a leader with the correct  leadership traits depends on understanding your environment.  And the environment such as type of organization, team demographics, mission, and goals will determine the leader. A wonderful trait of one leader in one type of organization could be a liability in your organization.A good leader is effective and effectiveness means understanding the situation, the team, and the desired results.Rather than being born a leader the traits needed can, most of the time, be developed. Traits like knowledge and skills, however, do not guarantee success. It is more necessary for a leader to develop successful habi... 02/20/2017

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day.  Ours was delightful.We were surprised to get a reservation at one of our favorite spots, Trattoria 632.This is a friendly restaurant located  on Anderson Hill Road just outside the entrance to Purchase College.  We sampled the Valentine's menu.  My wife had the baby New Zealand lamb chops, broccoli rabe, and roasted potatoes.  I started with mesculin greens followed by homemade heart shaped ravioli in pink champagne sauce.Now that is a nice presentation.  I highly recommend Trattoria 632, 632 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY  10577. Information provided by Grant Schneider, Performance Development Strategies.  Would you like to know how to make your local business thrive? Contact us!  02/14/2017

“How am I doing?” Those of you living in New York City might remember when Mayor Koch used to ask his constituents that question. Asking that question with your business is very powerful because it tells your staff and your clients that they matter.That they matter is an understatement. First of all, exceeding your client’s expectations is essential to creating loyal clients and increasing your client base. In order to have loyal clients you need to have an engaged and loyal team and you need to know that everyone is working. "You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” This well-known line was uttered by Jack Nicholson in the move, A Few Good Men. Do you think is a little difficult to hear the hard truth? That is the case with some organizations including real estate teams. It is ... 02/13/2017

I strongly believe that you must select people with share values for your real estate team or any other team.  Most successful groups select people with shared values and who match the team and company culture. For certain types of positions it is very important to hire the people that have the core competencies.  But it is just as important that each new hire shares the organizations values. Most experienced managers will attest to the fact that most of the terminations occur not because of skills but because of attitude and values.In Westchester County New York I have worked with many industries ranging from real estate, construction, retail, service and hospitality, nonprofit, and manufacturing. I have made the same observation in all of these industries. Those running the business b... 02/06/2017

There is so much more to putting together a real estate team than just attracting people to work with you. Yes it is true that your first role as leader is to select the right people. But after you have hired the right people your challenge as a leader is to keep them engaged and producing results. An engaged team will produce loyal customers and loyal customers will lead to a sustainable business. In the current competitive market it is not enough to be just good, you must also exceed customers’ expectations. This takes a coordinated effort of individuals that work together toward a common goal. You may have heard it said that there is no “I” in team. This is true and it means that individuals who are qualified and intelligent but do not work well with others will lead to failure. The ... 01/30/2017

No one likes change. As a broker owner or a leader you many not like change but know that it is necessary.  This thing you must do to create change in your group is to totally embrace the change yourself. I recently met with the leaders of one of my Westchester County New York organizations to present results of an employee survey. The employees felt that there were a lot of changes but the staff felt that management was not keeping them informed. How does that affect your group?  Sales and marketing almost always suffers in times of great change because stress dramatically increases due to the universal fear of the unknown. Often senior leaders genuinely believe they are communicating with the team when it comes to matters that affect them. Unfortunately, they often underestimate the n... 01/23/2017

If your team is not following you then, perhaps, you are not leading them. When I consult with business owners in Westchester County New York often I hear comments about getting the staff to do the right things. Sometimes an owner is willing to place all the blame on the staff being lazy, unmotivated, or the like. Fortunately, most will ask how they can improve their ability to get the team behind them.You can change things by learning how to become a focused leader. A focused leader empowers engaged employees who in turn create loyal customers leading to growth and success. A Focused Leader - You may have the title of manager but that does not mean you are seen as the leader. As managers we can influence the process through which people recognize our leadership by creating an environme... 01/15/2017