“ Positive thinking doesn ’ t really work , not by itself . Studies show that if you lie in bed in the morning trying to be positive , when something bad happens at 10am and it all falls apart you feel worse about yourself ,” Chris said .
“ Positive thinking is emotional thinking , negative thinking is emotional thinking , but useful thinking is practical . I don ’ t teach positive thinking , I teach useful thinking and useful belief .
“ Truth is very overrated . We control our own perception of things and we control what we see . “ If I say ‘ it ’ s the best time in the world to be a parent ’ is it true ? I don ’ t know , but if I believe it , it makes me a better parent .
“ We didn ' t want people asking why they had to pay someone to buy a house , but asking how they could work with us to get them their dream home .
“ If we deliver to our clients they will be the ones running around town and attending dinner parties telling people they have to use Cohen Handler .
“ The best marketing tool you ’ ll ever find is your customers . It ’ s been those great customers of ours who have helped us build our business .”
Keynote speaker Dr Paul Wood ( pictured above ) spoke about the pursuit of excellence , and the importance of getting out of your comfort zone and changing your behaviour in order to grow . After being sent to prison at 18 years old , Paul has made incredible strides in turning his life around .
“ If you can ’ t change it or if it ’ s something you have to do , then you might as well have a useful belief about it .”
The conference then split into separate sales and property management breakout sessions .
“ If I could leave you with one thing today , I want to highlight the importance of focusing on your behaviour and not your identity when it comes to unlocking your potential ,” Paul said .
“ Whether you succeed or fail is not based on who you are but on your actions ."
Keynote speaker Chris Helder .
The second keynote speaker was business communications expert Chris Helder . With a background in psychology and sociology , Chris gave the audience a few small tips to improve the way they think .
Founder of Cohen Handler , Simon Cohen ( pictured above ), from Australia ' s first and largest residential buyers ’ agency was interviewed by Daniel Coulson in the sales break out session . After starting his real estate career at Ray White Double Bay , Simon shared insights into how he developed a deep understanding of what his customers value and built a personal brand , as well as the importance of providing client and customer service that is second to none .
“ We were able to create a great reputation by being a little bit different and proving our worth to the market ,” Simon said .
The sales breakout session then heard from entrepreneur and marketing guru Mike Hutcheson ( pictured above ) who is an adjunct professor at Auckland University of Technology .
He spoke about how to do things differently , and the importance of developing a personal brand that aligns with Ray White .
“ It ’ s about thinking easy rather than thinking hard ,” Mike said .
“ You have your best ideas when you ’ re relaxed , when you ’ re calm and when it ’ s easy .
“ Isaac Newton was sitting under a tree relaxing when he discovered gravity .
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