Next up in the Get to know the Coaches series is Bruce Keith of Bruce Keith Coaching and Seminars. Thank you to Bruce for participating!

 

Without further ado; here’s the interview with Bruce Keith!

 

How would you describe your coaching?

 

We are a Sales Coaching company specializing in real estate sales – working with licensed Salespeople and Brokers.

 

What makes someone “coach-able”?

 

Coachability is a rather nebulous characteristic – it all boils down to a motivation to succeed.

Everyone says they are motivated until it’s time to start “paying the price”

of being consistent, being held accountable, and being open to change.

 

 

Those that are coachable typically understand that there is a price to pay for everything… A price for success and a price for failure. They make the choice to pay the price for success.

 

Do you identify more as a coach, sales trainer, mentor, or accountability partner?

 

50% of my time is spent coaching and 50% of my time is spent speaking. An effective Coach must be a strong accountability partner – one can’t exist without the other. That covers everything but mentorship.

The last aspect you are asking about – mentor – is really the umbrella that pulls it all together. In our company, every day we receive requests from our clients for additional help and support in their business (and sometimes their personal life).

 

Who should hire you?

 

Four categories… Salespeople, Brokers, Corporations, and Real Estate Boards. For example, this month all 4 of those categories have hired us to work with them one-on-one or as a Speaker at an event they are sponsoring.

In a more general sense the answer to this question is… Someone who wants to take their results to a new level. My mantra is… “A great Coach is someone who will not let you settle for what you think is your best”.

 

Who shouldn’t hire you?

 

Someone looking for a “quick fix”. Growth and change takes time. We always advise potential Coaching clients to commit for a minimum of 90 days.… “You will know by then if it’s going to work for you”.

Also, I am not a “life Coach”. I help people grow their business, their mindset, and their personal motivation. Through that approach a personal growth will certainly occur – it’s not the initial focus, it happens as a bonus.

 

What makes you different than other coaches out there?

 

1.Experience level… I have been a one-on-one Coach full-time since 1999 – 17+ years. There are very few people in the industry who can say they have conducted in excess of 40,000 individual coaching sessions one-on-one – primarily real estate. I have worked with literally thousands of Salespeople in many industries (real estate, financial advisors, mortgage brokers, insurance, retail, and professional marketers).

2. Personalization – each Coaching client is treated as an individual when we create their package. They are not taught using some training manual with a “one size fits all” mentality. I can legitimately say that the agenda for each client is different.

3. Accountability – every Coach says they “will hold you accountable”. This is not true – the most common complaint I hear from new Coaching clients is… “He/she never even asked me about my homework!”. To the contrary, I will never be guilty of that crime. I AM A TOUGH COACH.

It is not uncommon in the testimonials I receive to hear the following, “Bruce doesn’t let me off the hook – his follow-up system is rock solid and as a result I end up doing considerably more than I would have on my own”.

4. Personal Availability – effective Coaching requires more than just a call every week or every two weeks. There’s never a day goes by that additional support isn’t needed and I make myself very available for that eventuality. This is another one of those situations where actions speak louder than words – most Coaches say they will be available but are not. Client after client tell me that “it’s the extra support you provide that makes your Coaching considerably more effective”.

5. No Long-Term Contract – our Clients only commit to our program on a 30 day basis. There is no six-month or twelve-month contract. WHY? Because if what we do actually works then we don’t need to lock you in. Here’s what we have learned – I will hold you accountable to do the things you need to do to be successful AND by only committing for 30 days, you are actually holding me accountable to deliver what I promised. We have never had a long-term contract and we never will – it’s not necessary. Our program works.

 

Have you sold real estate personally?

 

I sold real estate full-time with my wife Gloria as my partner for in excess of 10 years in the Toronto area and laterally in Muskoka while we were starting the Coaching and Speaking business. In that time we sold in excess of 1000 homes in the resale and investment market. It was a very successful career and prepared us extremely well to help others do exactly the same.

 

Where are you located geographically? What percentage, approximately, of your clients are American vs Canadian?

 

We live north of Toronto and speak all over North America. 80% of our clients are licensed to sell real estate in Canada the other 20% are in various parts of United States.

 

What’s your speciality?

 

My specialty is helping people get what they want in a shorter period of time on a consistent basis. The focus is threefold…

1. Consistent results through effective time management

2. Repeatable systems to run the business

3. Selling skills – down to earth and easy to implement

All this is held together with strong Accountability on a daily basis.

 

Do you have systems and tools for your clients?

 

In a general sense, the Coaching programs are built around repeatable and predictable systems to generate exceptional results. For example… A system to work with buyers, a system to generate leads, a system for listing property, a system for handling objections, a system for closing for the signature, etc.

In a formal sense we do have an online system for accountability – all Coaching clients are expected to report their sales numbers every day to our “Online Numbers Tracker”.

 

There are several preferred supplies we recommend for CRMs, power dialling, telephone lists, etc… They can be found on our website under sales aids.

 

How long to get someone up and running?

 

There is no “on boarding process”. After the initial call to “see if there is a fit” the new client receives the Coaching Workbook (business forms, scripts, and notetaking) and we start immediately.

 

On the first call we establish their business plan targets for results and move right into setting up a daily schedule built around the individual’s lifestyle. From there we can create an individualized approach to generating more business supported by ongoing accountability.

 

What’s included in your programs?

 

Three components:

1. 30 minute one-on-one Coaching sessions weekly or biweekly depending on the client’s choice. This includes homework and accountability.

2. Included are 2 LIVE Group calls every week – 60 minutes each. Monday (training session) and Thursday (role-playing).

3. Access to your Coach between calls by phone or email.

 

What is the price range of your services?

 

$395 per month – $995 per month (plus HST where applicable). There is also a training program available at $149 per month – no personal coaching – 2 LIVE Group calls weekly.

 

Term length of contracts and cancellation requirements?

 

30 Day Agreement – NO long-term contract.

 

What’s your turnover rate?

 

Very low as evidenced by the 30 day agreement.

 

What’s the main reason people stop coaching?

 

Simply put they are either “not prepared to pay the price for success” or when it comes down to it, they do not want to be held accountable. Selling not only requires hard work and consistent performance – mental toughness must be developed quickly to deal with the ongoing adversity and rejection.

 

Can you share documented and proven results for your clients increase in performance?

 

Yes…Through testimonials.

 

Best training for a new agent?

 

About 20% of our Coaching roster are new agents. So the first answer would be one on one Coaching. The second answer would be to invest in our “All the Right Answers” eight week training package available on our website under “products”.

 

Do you hold any designations?

 

No, but

1. One of my clients told me that I have a “PhD in Sales”. I suppose that’s true after in excess of 40 years selling (15+ years corporate at IBM Canada and 27 years in real estate/17 as a coach).

2. Recently identified by Inman News as one of the “25 BEST Coaches in the Real Estate Business”.

 

Anything else you’d like to add?

 

Motivational and Engaging Speaker – 50% of my time is spent on the road conducting Seminars based around selling skills and running a successful sales practice

Numerous supporting Sales Training Products Including the very popular “All the Right Words” Scripts and Dialogues Package for real estate sales professionals

Published author – “NEXT! Sales Strategies for Real Estate Sales People – Volume I and “NEXT! 101 Sales Techniques for Sales Professionals – Volume II”

Contributing Editor – REM Magazine, Landvoice, Inman News, RE/MAX Integra, and IXACT Contact on an ongoing basis.